Naruto 1. Beginnings of a Bad Day

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Author: AngelFace23147

**Story: Lady Luck**

**Chapter: 1**

**Pairing: Uchiha Itachi & Haruno Sakura**

**Sides: Uzumaki Naruto & Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji & Tenten, Nara Shikamaru & Yamanaka Ino, Jiraiya & Tsunade, Gemna & Shizune**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own any of the characters associated with Naruto, nor the plot lines from either the show or the manga. In no way am i affiliated with any writing staff or have anything to do with the creation of the show or manga and do not claim to do so. I do not own any rights to any action figures, or video games, or any other books or games or shows that are based off the creation of the show Naruto. All of the previously mentioned belong to someone else who is much richer than I ever hope to be in my entire life.**

**Warnings: My mouth, for all of you who enjoy it so much, is not that prominet in this particular part. In later parts possibly because there is a lot of formal talk rather than informal conversations. I'm writing these as I get the time so they will all be one shots. I ask that everyone who is a little iffy on the couple just to keep an open mind. You don't have to be a fan of the couple to like the story. Although I know it does play a big part. Also note that there are mentions of the baby making process. Its nothing major so don't worry. Really rated M just to play it on the safe side.**

**Notes: This is a non-massacre story. Which means, for all who are knew to this type of story where Itachi did not go off and kill off the rest of the clan. Nor did the Uchiha clan want to cause an uproar in Konoha for all those who read far into the manga.**

**Please read and remember to review at the end!**

**Enjoy!**

**--xXx--**

* * *

_**Earlier That Week:**_

_"Itachi," Fugaku looked at his elder son from the head of the table. "It has come to the concil's attention that you have not shown any interest in the courting of a female to take the role of Lady Uchiha when I step down."_

_"Aa," Itachi said placing a small piece of food in his mouth. He did not want to have another discussion on this topic. He was neither interested in finding a wife or did he really care._

_"Fugaku," Mikoto said softly from the other side of the family table. "Really, Itachi still has plenty of time to find a nice girl to settle down with."_

_Fugaku grunted as he swallowed the last bit of chicken on his plate. "He's of age. the."_

_"Please Fugaku," Mikoto waved it off. "What does it really matter."_

_"Mikoto, you and I were married by the time I turned twenty five. Itachi is twenty five."_

_"Four,"_

_Fugaku pounded his fist on the table as he raised his voice. "What difference does it make if he are still passed the suggested age."_

_Sasuke merely rolled his eyes. His father always fussed over Itachi's every little move. It all seemed rather repetitive. Thank god he ate out with his team more than he actually ate at home. It was always Itachi this or Itachi that._

_"If that is the case then you should be worrying about your younger son as well." Mikoto stated. "He at least has female friends."_

_Sasuke immediately began distraught. He disliked the idea of being tied down to a needy woman. And with the way his own love life was going he'd end up marrying Sakura. Both of them would be sooo happy if that happened to be the case._

_"Leave Sakura out of this." Sasuke said gruffly. This statement caused Itachi to look up at his younger brother. His eyes slightly squited; like Sasuke himself was the enemy. Sasuke made eye contact with his older brother whose black eyes faded away from the dinner table._

_Haruno Sakura, she most well known for her apprenticeship under the Hokage and for being the fourth member of his younger brother's team. Many could debate that she was the most powerful active kunoichi in Konoha. Or at least she would be in due time. She had made a name for herself having coming from a civilian family, was the most background the elder brother could gather from overhearing conversations between random people._

_Mikoto would not leave it alone. "Come on Sasuke-kun, she's a good girl. Smart, graceful, and oh how pretty she's become." Mikoto adored Sakura like a second daughter. "Sasuke, you and her are so close."_

_"No," Sasuke stated firmly. He could never think of Sakura in that way. Not after all they've been through._

_"Mikoto we are all well aware of your appreciation for Haruno-san." Fugaku grumbled returning back to his food. _

_"Think about how many medical bills she has saved us."_

_This was also true, she was a very skilled medical ninja. Itachi had been watching her grow along with his brother and Naruto. Many times he had requested the girl on more than one of his ANBU missions having to keep a close eye on her safety knowing his brother and his brother's fox friend Naruto would pitch a fit; a very large fit if their beloved female teammate came back with a scratch on her body. But never before had he thought that she would indeed make a rather intersting woman to have around._

_A single woman at that. She was always his little brother's friend. A little girl. But the little girl had done just has her name suggests. Sakura had bloomed into a woman right under his eyes. He knew her well enough to know she was a caring girl with enough patience to deal with his brother. She could do the same with him if she needed to. She could be too forgiving for her own good sometimes._

_"Like we dont' have the moeny to pay for them." Fugaku pointed out._

_"That's not the point." Mikoto defended herself._

_"No," Fukagku said firmly, "No, it is not. The focus is on our eldest son. And his lack of effort in finding a suitable wife."_

_Mikoto held her husband's gaze before turning her head down. Itachi shook his head. He'd marry a woman who did have the courage to stand up to him. The way his father treated his mother was not right. But then again, she all but let him do it._

_"I would suggest looking within the clan first before looking at the kunoichi outside." He suggested. "I have already made arrangements for you to meet with some very credible girls during the family gathering next week._

_Itachi did not want to marry inside of the family. Incest was not for him. So that left only one choice. "That will not be needed father."_

_"Apparently it is." Fugaku countered._

_"Then maybe if the clan elders removed themselves from the compound every once in a blue moon then they would know I have already taken interest in a girl. She would not be too happy it others are being pressed upon me when my attention would be better served with her." Itachi explained point blank. "That would be rather improper of me."_

_Mikoto's chopsticks dropped on the table while Sasuke and Fugaku turned to Itachi like he had gone crazy. "Excuse me?" _

_"Itachi," Mikoto spoke in an airy voice. "Who is this girl?" She wanted to meet any girl who had so captured his attention enough for him to want to court her._

_Itachi turned to his mother, "Thank you for the meal mother." He bowed his head to her before raising from the table and leaving them. "You will meet her at the gathering."_

_"Sasuke?" Mikoto asked her younger son. Unfortunately her younger son was just as confused as she was. Itachi was not seeing any girl. Which only meant that whatever girl he was picturing in his head was going to end up being his sister-in-law whether or not she like it._

_Poor Itachi would never hear the end of it._

* * *

**--xXx--**

Sakura Haruno knew that it wasn't going to be a good day. She knew it from the moment she woke up, that today was not going to be her day. When Sakura had a bad day, the whole day just went for a long and never ending down hill ride. And today just happened to be one of those days that just got worse.

Her lucky day started when she woke up twenty minutes before her alarm was supposed to go off. Twenty minutes she could have spent sleeping, but noooo! Her body just had to go and kick into drive right then and there. No matter how hard she worked she could never get enough sleep.

Sakura didn't mind though. She could not have asked for a better job.

Therefore with the extra time she decided to take a nice long, relaxing shower. Which started off fine; she had her fuzzy bath robe, and the water was nice and hot. But the moment she went to reach for her body wash her hand made contact with an empty bottle. She was completely out of her vanilla scented body wash that she normally used.

Taking a calming breath she stepped out of her warm shower and into the cold bathroom. For fifteen minutes she searched for something, but the only thing she was able to find was Naruto's body wash.

In an extra manly man scent; it pleases the ladies.

Yet it was the only thing she could find. By the time she returned to the bathroom her shower was no longer warm. Bad things only come in threes Sakura, she kept telling herself.

But who was she kidding. She knew the day was going to go down in history if it was starting out to be bad this earily in the morning. All that she was able to do was make the best of it.

Sakura showered as quickly as she was able, not enjoying the cold chills the water was sending into her bones. After using Naruto's body wash, she defiantly smelled like male. She stepped out of the shower clutching her shivering body while frantically looking around for her robe. Spinning around twice Sakura knew she had wasted too much time already so she sprinted to her room to dress herself.

She knew she was running late and did not need to look at the clock. Sakura tossed on her medic uniform as quickly as she could and dashed out the door. Completely disregarding her breakfast. _Good thing I had a big dinner _She thought.

The moment she walked out the door she came face to chest with a green pair of spandex. "MY YOUTHFUL CHERRY BLOSSOM!" Konoha's green beast proclaimed rather loudly for being so early in the morning. "I have come here this early in the morning to once again proclaim my youthful love for you my beautiful Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's brain rebooted after his monologue. "Actually Lee," she started out trying to think on the stop as she made her way around. "It is too early in the morning for anyone to be proclaiming love for anyone." Sakura quickly made her way towards the hospital.

"But Sakura-chan!!" Lee easily caught up with her and tried to keep

"Lee everyone knows that one must not proclaim their love for another so early in the course of the morning." Sakura tried to put him down softly. He had come below her window three times during the day. Twice in the morning, this being the earliest. Four times in the course of the afternoon and once during the day.

"Shameful!!" Lee cried. "I have once again failed my beautiful cherry blossom. I will run 6,000 laps around Konoha for my lack of intellect so that I may redeem myself to be once again worthy for my sweet Sakura-chan's affections.

By the end of his statement Sakura was out of sight. Thank god I'm away from him. As much as she admired Lee's inner strength, he was getting on her nerves with his always proclaiming his love for her.

Shizune was just arriving as well when Sakura slowed down from her full out sprint. "Ah Sakura, running a little behind are we?"

"Please Shizune-san, today has not been my day." Sakura placed to fingers to either side of her temples, pushing her healing chakra into her brain to ease away the Lee induced headache. No matter when or where Lee always seemed to have that effect on her.

"You ran into Rock Lee didn't you?" Shizune asked with as small chiding smile.

Sakura gave her a small glare as they entered the building together. Almost immediately Sakura took notice to the number of males in the hospital this early in the morning. Now, she was normally a cheerful person to see so many people who needed her help so early in the morning. She had noticed how increasingly more her number of male shinobi have been requesting her to do their check-ups.

Taking another breath Sakura walked over to the receptionist who smiled so politely at her. "Good morning Haruno-san."

Sakura merely nodded. "Do you have my schedule for this morning?" She asked matching the happiness easily in the receptionist's tone. She had to try and act like ths day wasn't heading down hill already.

"As always Haruno-san." she answered back cheerfully. "You and Shizune-san both have a number of shinobi routine check-ups to do. I have the first five waiting in the first floor examination rooms when you are ready for them."

Sakura nodded, but as she turned away from the cheery girl, she caught all the males in the waiting area smirking while glancing in her direction. Many gave her nods and larger smiles that made her feel a slight bit uncomfortable as she walked by.

"Shizune-san?" Sakura whispered to the woman she considered her older sister. "Why are they all staring at me?"

"Sakura-chan," Shizune almost laughed out loud. "Men love to flirt with nurses." Shizune followed up with a knowing look. "Don't let them get too frisky now Sakura."

"Shizune!" Sakura exclaimed loudly as Shizune disappeared into the first room. Sakura took the second.

* * *

Her shift went extremely slow.

Each shinobi telling her about his hopes and dreams and accomplishments as she went through her routine. She listened intently as they talked making small conversations with them before they began to get clingy to her. Asking her questions to prevent her from leaving the room. Three actually had asked her to dinner that even but she had to decline saying she had other plans which was not far from the truth. She had dinner plans with her team later that day.

Just as she was about to take her lunch break, having finished up with the last of her checkups, another nurse came running full speed down the hallway. "Haruno-san, your needed in operating room three immediately!" the nursed stopped and shifted wait as Sakura processed said information. Both women took off down the hallway from which the nurse came.

"Who?" Sakura asked looking straight ahead.

"A member from Team Eight was ambushed by rock ninja on their way back from their mission to Wave Country. Not their captain, but the other male … Inuzuka; he blocked a boulder from Lady Hyuuga-san."

They rounded another corner. _Almost there_, "Damage."

The nurse relayed, "Crushed rip cage, punctured lung, crushed liver and kidneys."

"And his heart?"

"Barely beating. Lady Hyuuga-san managed to keep it beating enough to get him here."

"Shizune?"

"I'm here Sakura. Take a solider pill, you haven't eaten all day. I'll begin the preparations while you do so. Be ready, we're going to be in there a while." Shizune came around another corner with another nurse next to her.

"Understood," Sakura nodded her head. This is where her real battle field was. This is where Sakura knew she preformed her best. Where no other could touch her level of skill and knowlegde.

Shizune was technically the head doctor in the hospital which was a fact heavily debated by many because of Sakura's officially having passed the Hokage not but six months ago. Sakura had settled the dispute by say that Shizune will know who to hand the hospital to when she believes a successor ready. Who everyone knew would be Sakura.

It took three hours and thirty nine minutes to stabilize Kiba's body once again. And another hour before Sakura could actually write up the report. Some of the bones and shattered and it had been a time consuming process to search for the pieces in his body. Ribs had puntured both his lungs, and Sakura wondered how his heart managed to keep beating.

But they had done it and Kiba would be released in about a week's time. If he didn't act up around other nurses.

Kiba had always been a flirtatious boy, but never had he been so forward with Sakura. The only reason she did not send him flying through the nearest wall was because it would be enough torture for him to be confined to his room by her orders for the next week or more depending on her mood and his attitude.

After finishing the report, Sakura made her way over to the Hokage tower during her only break to hand it into Tsunade.

Her body was tired and did not move to fast as she climbed the never ending sets of stairs. Not really think about where her feet were taking her Sakura made her way to her shisue's office. Sakura stood before the door and knocked twice, paused, then knocked once more.

A loud grunt was heard from inside the room as was Tsunade's usually response to anyone's knocking on the door; so Sakura turned the handle and entered the room. Which clearly was not the best idea considering the way her day was going. Upon entering she froze mid stride as she was staring as the one scene she never wanted to witness in her entire life.

"Harder you fucking Baka!" Tsunade scolded.

But the problem wasn't that she was scolding. The problem was the person she was scolding.

A person who just happened to be a very naked Jiraiya who had an equally nude Tsunade bent over her desk while he continually thrusted into her from behind. Grunting with all his might as he was doing so, causing the desk to rock violently back and forth so much that Sakura feared they would break it. The smell of discharge and semen was very prominent; suggesting this was not their first round. Her legs spreed wide enough for him to sheath himself entirely inside her core. While Jiraiya's hands freely attacked Tsunade's enlarged breast that were hanging freely mid air. His fingers squeezing tight enough for Sakura to see the indents he made on her skin.

"Harder Jiraiya," She moaned again. "Fuck me harder!"

"Ha! Like I'm going to do anything else while I have you here." Jiraiya exclaimed with another thrust and grunt causing his partner to cry out in pleasure. "When's the last chance I got to fuck you on your desk?"

Sakura's brain shut down for the third time that day not wanting to absorb any more information of the sight before her. No doubt that she would be mentally scared for the rest of her life. However, that might not be long if her day continues to get worse.

Tsunade's head roll back enjoying ever minute of Jiraiya's labours which made Sakura suddenly remembered why shinobi actually had a harder time finding their significant other than civilians. The brain blocks out everything else during intercourse which puts a great deal of trust in your partner. Especially since a shinobi is taught never to drop their guard and taking part in intercourse is the single most distracting activity. Not really knowing if that was a good thing that her mentor had not noticed her most embarrassing intrusion.

Especially since she was Hokage. At least she hoped Tsunade had not noticed or Sakura would have hell to pay.

Sakura dropped the paper and was out the door before it hit the floor. That was one sight that she never wished to know about or hear about, see or even smell _ever_again. Her mind still had not recovered from the shock of seeing Jiraiya fucking the senses out of her mentor.

So once again she walked blindly through the streets of Konoha making her way back to the hospital. Those who recognized her on the streets waved and tried to make some kind of conversation with the young medic. Sakura used these times to get the dirty memory out of her head.

* * *

Trying to get the thought of Tsunade and her new lover out her mind Sakura made her way over to the hospital's nurse's lounge. Where she knew her big pot of coffee would be sitting there just waiting for her. She always had her coffee at this time of day. Slowly, weighed down by the stresses of her day, Sakura made her way to the second floor and slipped into the lounge without disturbing a soul.

For once that day things seemed to be going her way when she saw another nurse had just finished making another pot of coffee. A flood of relief spread through the young woman like wildfire. Finally something in her day was going right. And here there would be no love sick suitors, no mentors fucking like little bunnies. Or any last minute emergencies coming up.

Just her and her coffee, relaxing with the other nurses. As if in a dream, Sakura approached the coffee pot, carefully taking it by the handle, and with the preciseness only a medic shinobi could have, poured out the brown liquid into a readied cup. Knowing the coffee was still hot Sakura let the sleeves down from her medic uniform so the sleeves fell down over her hands. Quickly backing into the small corner while focusing her entire being on her small cup of relaxation for that day. Ever so slowly she raised the cup to her lips. The vapor from the steam moisturizing her lips as she went to lift the back end of the cup to change the equilibrium of the precious liquid.

The same second as Sakura makes her move to drink her coffee, a relatively young nurse enters the lounge with excitement written on her face. "Itachi-san is here and heading this way!" she squealed out like she was a six year old once again.

This statement alone caused the other nurses to squeal with delight as well. Uchiha Itachi was a top piece of candy on any woman's food chain. The sudden change from silence to loud squealing startled the pink haired medic so causing her to jump at the noise. Due to the sudden movement of her own body, the coffee she held in her hands also jumped, spilling her coffee all over her medic uniform.

Sakura froze, along with every other body in the room. Sakura closed her eyes. She was trying very hard not to lose her very last nerve so much that she'd punch every single squealing nurse in that room. Like clockwork she made her way over to the coffee pots to grab some towels to clean herself up.

She heard footsteps walking around the room, very quiet ones, so faint that she knew they had to be a shinobi's. All the nurses in the rooms began to mumble quietly to themselves. "Haruno-san?"

"I'm fine," Sakura snapped not really paying any attention to the neither tone nor tenor of her voice.

"Considering the level of aggravation in your voice, I would be inclined to hint towards the opposite, Haruno-san." A deep male tenor voice spoke with a small tone of humor in his voice.

Sakura's head immediately snapped up and turned around to find the object of the squealing nurse's attention.

Uchiha Itachi.

This had not been her first encounter with the Uchiha heir. Being one of Sasuke's closest friends while being on the same as him for so long she had spent many dinners in the Uchiha main house. Itachi has also viewed many of Sasuke's training sessions on his father's behalf. They had made small conversation outside the Hokage's office while Tsunade dealt with Naruto's protégé's most recent antics.

Once she had been personally entrusted with his checkups after he came back poisoned from an ANBU mission to the Snow Country. Afterwards he requested her as his team's medic only to be beat out by three different complaints from her team members. But given Itachi's status and record as a shinobi Tsunade could not always keep Sakura solely to team Kakashi. Even then he seemed so formal and distant, but watched her every move. She was instructed never to leave his side unless she had to.

She could have really cared less if she was positioned under him. Being the number one ANBU ranked captain he was usually assigned with more deathly missions. But which were a better pay. He took good care of those under him as long as they knew what they were doing.

But they're conversations have normally only consisted with a nod of the head and a greeting of their last names followed by –san at the end. As their sporadic meetings became more frequent, she inquired to his family's heath to which he gave the shortest responses possible then they parted.

Then to say that Sakura was surprised to see the sharingan user standing before her after seeking her out was an understatement. She was flabbergasted.

Taking a deep breath she put her best fake smile on her face and greeting the stoic man. "Uchiha-san," she bowed her head in respect to the older man.

"Walk with me." Itachi said as he strode out of the room. Sakura hesitated for a moment until she saw Itachi check over his shoulder for the younger woman. Tentatively Sakura took a few steps towards the Uchiha heir. Uchiha Itachi want her to walk with him? Her day had just went from bad to strange.

He stood aside to let her pass, before joining her in the hallway on her right side. Both did not leave without noticing the group of nurses watching their every move.

She saw Itachi raise an eyebrow at her appearance before he once again regained his composure. "Your presence is requested at the Uchiha manor tonight Haruno-san."

The first thought into her head was; since when was the golden jewel of the Uchiha clan sent as a messenger?

Her guard was slowly making its way up her body from that point on. She knew this man was a cold blooded killer who was able to mask his emotions perfectly. Trained from the day he was born to be a natural born killer. He held himself higher than to be conversing with his younger brother most of the time. Why would such a man waste his time with her?

"I have a dinner with Naruto , Sai and Sasuke-kun." Sakura informed him.

"I am very well aware of your dinner with your team." Itachi stated formally. Everything about him was so proper. Itachi was always so professional and proper, even if he was analyzing her every move.

A puzzled look crossed her face. "Are you saying that I am not invited for dinner?"

"I am sure my mother will have food provided for you if you wish. Although I'm sure you'll eat your fill with my brother and you other teammates."

"I am sure," Sakura agreed furrowing her brows. "Uchiha-san I am still rather confused on the nature of my visit. Other than Mikoto's distress at my absence for long periods of time; my presence is not normally required at the compound."

He had said nothing to give her any inclination to the reasons why she was being invited to the Uchiha compound. Being rather confused Sakura recalled the health problems that his father had been experiencing the previous time she had visited. "How is the health of your mother and father?"

Itachi, all of a sudden he took hold of Sakura's arm and pulled her into an abandoned room to his left. Itachi's strides were longer than hers and Sakura stumbled to keep up with his sudden movements. "Fugaku has been having problems which would be facilitated with your presence there tonight." Itachi told her as he released her arm.

No body and she meant nobody ever touched her like that if they did not want a death wish. Haruno Sakura was not a rag doll for any man to toss around. Once she got over her crushing phase on Sasuke she realized that she did not have to have a main man in her life. She was a strong independent woman.

Ino and Tenten both were having problems with their men. Well Ino more than Tenten, because Neji is a little quicker to understand when he had done something wrong. Tenten also was usually quick to throw one or a couple hundred of her weapons at him. Ino was much more secretive about her problems. But Sakura's life was just fine with her boys: her brother, her artist, and her best friend.

"I would advise you not to treat those from whom you are asking favors so harshly Uchiha-san." Sakura straightened herself out.

"Haruno-san I am sure that you are well aware that my brother and I are unable to talk about family matters around outsiders." Itachi stated. There was always so much detachment in his aura almost as if he was indifferent to whether or not he actually cared if he wanted to be there or not.

"Am I not an outsider?" Sakura crossed her arms. "My last name does not match yours last time I checked."

The corner of his mouth lifted and Sakura had to do a double take to figure out whether or not the cold hearted Uchiha Itachi was actually smirking at her. It was ever so small the firm skin of his face lifted and crinkled in one corner. "Haruno-san, you are close enough to the family to be informed when my father is having problems."

The sudden appearance of his amusement with her was bordering her comfort line. No matter how hard she attempting to figure out this man he still continued to stump her silly. Itachi was highly amused by the many emotions that dawned her face.

Sakura eyed him suspiciously. This man was up to something. He was twisting her words, she knew it. She just did not know how or why he would need to. She did not say anything for a rather long period of time. Some bad feeling was twisted and turning the pit of her stomach that if she did say yes. Yet she knew that she couldn't very easily say no to the man before her. Not unless she wanted to debate with him for a while

Then he moved; slowly but in two steps he was less than one foot from her. Even though he seemed to move in slow motion, in a flash he was before her, towering over her much like Sasuke did. Why did they both have to be so damn tall! And the moment her emerald green eyes connected with his deep black eyes. Her heart stopped on the spot when his voice swept over her ears.

His sweet, velvet like, tenor voice came out smoother than silk while he sent shivers down her spin. "Your answer Haruno-san."

"How persistent has Uchiha-sama been about you and Sasuke letting personal friends into the house?" Sakura quickly blurted out taking the sharingan user off guard for a fraction of a second. He was trying to intimidate her and she would not fall for it.

He recovered with the grace and skill only an Uchiha could have. Only because she knew Sasuke so well could she even have known what to look in this Uchiha's body language. "Not until most recent." Itachi answered quickly moving even closer to the medic.

Sakura had known him to be a handsome man. One of the top five shinobi in Konoha; and he was one of the top most eligible bachelors in the village. He was right up there with his brother and her ex-sensei. Yes, the great copy ninja wore a mask for more than one reason. She had become used to Sasuke's good breeding after spending so much time with him.

However...

Itachi's beauty was much different than his younger brothers. His angular face was so close to her own face. So close that she could taste his sweet breath on her tongue. The lines of stress so obvious on his face, from the never ending line of mission he is sent on. The sharp lines of his jaw lead to the rounded point of his strong chin.

After her emerald eyes traced the curve of his face they shot straight to his mouth. They were so thin, and cold looking but having a warming lure to them all at the same time. How could two brother's have two completely different types of beauty? Sasuke's traits were primarily softened by his mother. Itachi on the other hand had a completely masculine face. Mostly because Itachi took after his father but he did not look really look like Fugaku either.

Itachi seemed different to her; he was different. He stood out against other men, not because of his skills, his background or his reputation. But of the way he carried himself. Always so proper, like he never had a free moment to just be himself. And obvious this situation was no different. But that did not explain why he had to come in such close contact with her.

Close contact it was. One more inch, it seemed, and their bodies would be touching.

"Your answer, Haruno-san." Itachi showed the smallest amount of impatience when he demanded the answer instead of once again asking for it. But he loomed over her bending his head down to his mouth was right next to her ear.

She felt his hot breath run down the side of her neck. "Will you be attending?"

Sakura's mind burst that moment. "I...I will accompany Sasuke-kun back to the compound after our dinner." Sakura couldn't believe she just stuttered. Her of all people, always so sure of herself stuttered like a fool in front of Itachi of all people.

"My family will be most pleased with your presence." Itachi smirked again. She saw it out of the corner of her eye. "Now, if you will excuse me Sakura-san, I have other matters to attend to."

She swore she felt the smallest touch of his lips her her ear. Sakura's body suddenly felt rather hot in the well ventalated room.

"Until tonight Uchiha-san." Sakura agreed. Only then did she catch something that she should have before she left.

_Sakura-san, _He, Itachi Uchiha, had called her by her first name for the first time in all their meetings. Out of all the crazy things that happened in her day, this by far had to be the craziest.

Sakura had nothing against the Uchiha heir personally. They simply traveled in different circles. There was a five year age difference between them. She came from a nobody family while he was the heir to one of the most powerful clans in Konoha. At age 13 he became an ANBU captain while she was still swooning after his younger brother. Only as she climbed the ranks did they finally interact with each other.

After being around these males for so long she saw how primal the Uchiha family actually was. Uchiha Fugaku was the main honcho and Mikoto his female. Itachi was like his beta male since he's next in line. Fugaku has his council made the decisions for the family so they could survive with the best positive reputation. Itachi had his own little circle of Uchiha operatives. His cousin Shisui was his second in command where Sasuke knew he should be. Yet just because he was the younger brother, that he wasn't his father's favorite, he was tossed aside like second hand toys.

In theory yes this is true. But Itachi had passed his father years ago and was only so well behaved for the sake of his family. Therefore, he is the Alfa male. It did take some careful observations to see that he had an even greater say in family affairs than he leads on. Shisui, his first cousin, is Itachi's beta while Sasuke keeps tabs on the workings and gossip of Konoha via Sakura, like his wing man or his go to man. Sasuke had nothing personal against his brother, but more towards the way he was constantly compared against his elder brother. He actually admired the strength Itachi had for putting up with the clan and everything they have him do.

If there was one thing that Itachi and Sasuke agreed on was their feelings towards their father. Every male born into the Uchiha family had to be trained as a shinobi. No other way, no second opinion. Itachi is the prime example of Fukagu's harsh laws. From the day he could walk Fugaku took the toys out of his hands and gave him dulled kunais. He grew up to be Konoha's best ANBU captain.

And the Alfa male of the Uchiha clan was standing right before her not but five minutes ago. The most powerful man in the most power clan, in the most powerful village was personally inviting her to his house that evening.

"I do presume you are planning to change before you arrive." Itachi stated as if he already knew the answer.

"There is nothing wrong with what I have on." Sakura defended herself.

Itachi raised an eyebrow. Sakura looked over her medic uniform, covered in coffee, blood, and smelled as if she rolled out of a man's bed not but fifteen minutes ago. The coffee was most regrettable his own fault for coming into the lounge after her instead of having someone come for her.

Sakura stood still for the longest time starring back at Itachi. She would not bend like other women did for this man. "Your cooperation in tonight's events would be in the best interest of the family." Itachi stated simply. The less she knew at this moment the better tonight would be.

"If it's really that much of a problem, tell Mikoto-san to ready my usual kimono that she keeps for me. I'll change quickly when I get there." Sakura addressed Itachi in the firmest voice possible.

The uncomfortable smirk reappeared on his face and he couldn't help it. She was far too amusing. "She will be most pleased then. I will inform her personally." Sakura did not understand how that would make a difference. Yet there were a lot of things people did for the names of their clan that she did not understand. He turned to leave for the second time.

"I do have one more question Uchiha-san." Sakura stopped him from leaving one more time.

For the second time Itachi was stopped from leaving to look the young medic in the eye. "You seem to ask them often Sakura-san." Did he just make a joke? About her? Since when do Uchihas make jokes?

Sakura looked him in the eye showing no fear. "Why is my presence required?"

He paused for a moment. Wondering whether or not he should tell her.

"Our father has been suggesting for the younger generations to bring more personal friends around the compound as you have noted before Sakura-san." Itachi was rather interested in her reaction to his answer. She could tell but the slight drop in his voice that all of his attention was solely on her.

Sakura's eyes met with Itachi's . Personal friends outside the Uchiha clan. Sakura was no idiot; and Itachi knew this. Uchihas were not required to have many personal friends outside the clan. And if a personal friend was required then they were invited personally by the Uchiha who wished for their company. Usually Sasuke would be the one escorting her to the compound not Itachi.

So since the fact remained that it was indeed Itachi who had come to give the invatation personally to her, did that mean it would be Itachi's arm she would be entered on and not Sasuke's. If so, that meant she would be Itachi's personal guest. Which would be rather misleading since the heir usually only escort females of interest and surely she would not be worth his while. She barely knew the guy. This was their longest conversation ever.

Uchiha Shisui, would surely be attending. He had shown some interest in her not to long ago but that was when he gone through another off period with Inuzuka Hana. So she would not be attending on his behalf. Maybe she was just going to make Sasuke look like he's trying to forward the family. Possibly even Itachi himself.

Itachi watched her face analyze his statement. After he left her ponder another minute before he bowed his head to her a final time. "If you excuse me Sakura-san, my presence is required elsewhere." And he was gone in a puff of smoke.

* * *

"Sakura-Channn!!" A very familiar voice echoed throughout the hospital. Looking at one of the clocks on the wall Sakura slapped herself in the forehead. She was late for her dinner. No wonder Naruto was so loud. The louder he was the longer he has gone without his ramen.

"Sakura-Channn!!" His voice rang again as an orange and black suit ran down the wrong hallway.

"Wrong always Naruto." Sakura laughed lightly at her blonde haired teammate screeched to a halt before speeding even fast to her position. Sakura braced herself for her surrogate brother to embrace her so tightly that she could barely breath.

"Sakura-chan where were you!?" Naruto demanded to know once she was placed back onto her feet. "What the hell did you do to yourself? And why do you smell like the body wash Purvey Sage got for me and I left at your house when I stay over?"

"I had to do an emergency operation. Five minutes before the end of my shift." Sakura explained as she and her fox brother began to finally leave the hospital once and for all. "I'll explain more once I check out with Shizune." Sakura stopped outside a door on the first floor that was Shizune's.

Sakura made sure to knock and then wait. She heard a lot of shuffling around in the room and a sliding noise before she got the okay from Shizune. Slowly Sakura entered the room to see a flustered Shizune standing before her own desk. At least it wasn't déjà vu all over again Sakura sighed.

"Shizune I'm not going to tell that you have Gemna in here if you sign me out." Sakura gave a smirk of her own.

Shizune dropped her jaw, "How?"

"Kunoichi," Sakura saluted to her elder sister with a smile before leaving the building with Naruto.

"Naruto why did you leave those two alone?" Sakura asked as they approached Ichiraku together.

"Sakura-chan, you know they're not that bad anymore." Naruto said as they approached the ramen stand to see the two other members of Team Kakashi.

Sakura and Naruto joined their two other teammates for their dinner. Sakura saw that she already had a bowl of ramen sitting before her. This made her wonder how long they were really waiting for her to get off work.

Naturally they were the closest and most compatible four man team in Konoha. They ate dinner together in some way or another almost every day. Either by eating out or at Sakura's house. On rare occasions Kakashi would treat them or every once in a blue moon they would be the honored guests in the Uchiha household.

Sakura sat in the middle next to Naruto on her right and Sasuke to her left. Sai and Sasuke, who worked well together butted heads more times than not. Only really tag teaming to make fun of Naruto or Sakura. Although both knew not to push too far with the later or they would have one hell of a headache.

Upon sitting down she took notice that Sasuke had actually consumed most of his own ramen. Another sight rather rare to see. This she knew above any else was an indicator that something was bugging her teammate. "Good afternoon Sasuke." Sakura said sweetly.

"What took you so long?" he grumbled.

"Team Kurenai got ambushed on their way back from the Wave Country. Kiba saved Hinata from getting flattened by a boulder." Sakura shrugged in off like a four and a half hour operation was nothing. From that point however she dove right into her own bowl of ramen. It was slightly cooled off but it was one only food she had gotten the chance to eat all day and so consumed it happily.

"Errr Sakura-chan, that still does not explain why you look like a mess." Naruto pointed out.

Sakura took another slurp and smiled at her brother as she began to summarize the unwelcome events of her day. Leaving out the details of the position that she had found the two living Sanin and Gemna hiding in Shizune's closet, as well as the rather boring no-big-deal sections of her operation.

"Wow Sakura-chan today isn't your day." Naruto declared as he finished his fourth bowl of miso ramen.

"At least her outfit matches her face." Sai gave a fake warming smile to Sakura who only glared. "But I do believe Sasuke has you beat."

Sakura quickly turned around to Sasuke remembering that she had spoken with his brother earlier. "Have you been fighting with him again?"

"I'm getting heat because he's not doing what the clan is telling him to do." Sasuke mumbled. "Mother said you're coming over afterwards."

"I guess so." Sakura sighed.

"When did this happen?"

"Your brother sought me out at the hospital right before Kiba's operation. He said my presence was requested this evening." Sakura explained in a low voice.

"Did you say yes?"

Sakura nodded an affirmative. "Damn," Sasuke cursed under his breath.

"What?"

"Tonight's an Uchiha family meeting." Sasuke said like that was supposed to mean something to her. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his female teammate. "A formal Uchiha gathering. Itachi is..."

"Teme stop hogging Sakura-chan." Naruto glared at the man he considered his brother. Naruto was Sasuke's closets male friend. But there were some things that neither boy could tell the other right off the bat. On those occasions Naruto would normally turn to Sai because he would tell Sakura anything regardless. But it was Sasuke would always turn to Sakura. After Sakura got over her small attraction to her raven haired Uchiha teammate, she began to understand Sasuke much better than he thought anyone else could have. Naruto was like the brother he never had; but Sakura, she was his closest friend.

"I'm allowed to talk to her Dobe," Sasuke said.

"Well I've got bigger problems. Sakura-chan you have to help me with Hinata-chan. You promised!" Naruto whined rather loudly. He had been secretly going out of his way to meet up with the young Hyuuga who was currently attached at the hip to her own teammate. "Kiba's always around her and there's no way I can get some alone time."

"I read in a book once that girls tend to stray away from guys who hang around pretty girls. This code, thing, that females have written into their genetics prevent them from… 'Going after another female's catch'. Maybe Hinata-san thinks that you and ugly are together. That's why she and Inuzuka are always together. And why ugly can't get a date."

"I can't get a date because some people scare off all the good ones." Sakrua shot Sai a rather dirty look. He was always reading some outdated book about social interactions. More increasingly about females. Somehow he got hooked on investigating the female sex after he read everything there was to know about general interactions.

Naruto waved it off like a fly. "No guy is ever going to be good enough for you Sakura-chan." He proclaimed loudly. While the two other males nodded their heads. "Kakashi-sensei even feels the same way along with Yamato sempai!"

"Getting back on track. Naruto, why don't you just go and talk with Kiba?" Sakura suggested.

"I'm not really sure my advice would be the best anyway Naruto, I haven't ever really been in a relationship in a very long time." Sakura confessed softly. Which was true, other then Lee's occasional proclamations of love.

"Speaking of, is that the reason why the guy shinobi in the green spandex was running around the village repeatedly." Sai asked.

"Which one? Sasuke mumbled as he finished off his ramen.

All four shinobi burst into a small fit of laughter. Who said Uchihas couldn't make jokes? Heck Itachi had made a joke to her earlier that day. Why couldn't Sasuke be as comical. That thought put a small smile on Sakura's face. Sasuke, not being serious all the time; that would be a sight to see.

"Hinata probably needs a stronger male to take care of her anyway," Sasuke said to the side, but Sakura caught it.

And she locked her own disapproving glare right into the even blacker pits of Sasuke's obsidian eyes. Sakura's number one pet peeve: Never demean any woman in front of her.

Sasuke had made a comment about Sakura's role on the team and how she could easily be replaced. Said medic kunoichi immediately took offence and not only chased her teammate around the village with full intent on killing him. But by the end of the fight Sakura got him landed in the hospital and refused to have anyone heal him. There for it took him over three times as long to get over injuries that would have been healed in minutes if Sakura would have done it herself.

Even after that she refused to aid the Uchiha in any way shape or form. Not one day when she suddenly was all bright and cheerful towards the solemn male. Naruto had a suspicion that they had finished their argument and did each other right there. He knew Sasuke had only insulted her as a joke, but thought better than to open his mouth. He remembered Kakashi-sensei saying one time that the sexual tension between the two had to be settled in one way or another. They were never officially declared as a couple. And never would be. They just weren't attracted to each other in that way. Not after that night anyway.

"This still doesn't solve my problem Sakura-chan." Naruto grumbled.

"Naruto," Sakura slid her now cold bowl of ramen away from her body. "Are you really serious about Hinata?" Said Hyuuga was in fact still so desperately in love with the hyperactive blonde but had recently been hanging out with Kiba by direction of Ino to make Naruto jealous. Sakura couldn't tell him that now could she, so she just had to play in her part of Operation Dancing Fox

"Sakura," Naruto's voice dropped two or three tones while he looked at his sister with a serious face. "Hinata stands out like no other woman in the village. She's so sweet and kind and she cooks the best ramen bentos! No offense Sakura-chan. She's the first person I think about when I wake up and the last one before I fall asleep." His sapphire blue eyes were gone from this world. Into his imagination where they roamed over Hinata's face, they were gone to a place where he and she could be together.

"I'm not the one you should be telling that too then," Sakura took her brother's hand in her own to look him in the eye.

"Err, Sakura-chan, who should I tell that too then?" Naruto asked scratching the back of his head foolishly. Sakura slapped herself in the forehead while Sasuke muttered another 'dobe' under his breath.

"Go say it to Hinata, Dobe." Sasuke said. His voice was thickly laded with annoyance. Naruto had his Hallelujah moment before he kissed his sister on the top of the head and speed off to find who they were guessing was Hinata.

"Who's stuck with the bill?" Sasuke asked, "I'm not paying his.

"Sai it's your turn to pay." Sakura mentioned to her newest teammate. "Sasuke and I have to get going."

"You two better not be going to bed together again." Sai smiled at the two while he laid down the money to cover the bill.

"So what if we are?" Sasuke asked placing his hand on the small of Sakura's back. The action was not at all an advancement on his part. They had tried that road once, and it did not work for them. It was too weird seeing each other so much on and off the battle field.

To this statement Sai did not know what to say. And so Sasuke pushed Sakura in the direction of the Uchiha compound to begin their journey back home.

* * *

"The formal Uchiha family meeting is the big meeting held every six months or so where all the big clan business is conducted. There is not really a reason for you to be there."

"Then why would your brother come and tell me otherwise."

Sasuke paused. "Maybe Shisui requested your presence there." Sakura shook that thought. There was too big of a age difference between herself and Sasuke's eldest cousin. Five years she could handle but seven, was a different story. It was just too much of a difference for her. He had always showed a special interest towards her when she was in the hospital, and was the only Uchiha besides Sasuke and Mikoto to address her in the streets.

"Then why wouldn't he come and ask me to go?"

"..." She hit the rough spot. Whatever he was hiding, she needed to know.

"Sasuke," Sakura warned him. "I can easily make you look like a fool if I don't know why I am supposed to be there."

He gave her his famous death glare. One so cold that she actually was slightly intimidated by him; she had to stay strong. She could not back down.

Sasuke on the other hand thought the whole ordeal was absolutely ridiculous. "Father has been pressing Itachi and Shisui-san to marry or at least start showing some preference towards some girl so the council can approve their choice."

Shisui was too rough for her and Sakura began to panic. He was always off and on with Kiba's older sister Hana as well. She seemed more his type than Sakura. "I'm going to be paraded around like a little doll or something."

"Sakura,"

"I mean, I love your mother and all but her sister, she's just too over the top for me. I'm only 19 years old Sasuke; I'm too young to even think about marriage!

"Sakura,"

Sakura did not stop, "What the hell was going through my head when I said yes? For god damn sakes there is always a reason I'm just invited over for dinner."

Sasuke preceded to place his hand over Sakura's mouth to stop her from talking. As much as he did care about her, she was annoying when she talked nonstop. "Sakura, I've informed my mother about your discomfort towards Shisui-san. She probably requested for you to keep father from climbing down my back."

"Why Itachi?"

Sasuke smirked, which made Sakura smile. Itachi, big bad boy, still respected his mother. She soon suppressed her laughter when she realized that a girl could tell how a man would treat his love by the way he treats his mother. The thought made her smile once again. The powerful Uchiha heir just might have a soft spot after all.

"So what do I have to do?"

"Nothing out of the normal."

"Smile and make small talk," Sakura had the process memorized.

"Very small talk, if you talk any at all. Most of the elder's and other clan officials won't be interested in you." Sasuke reassured her. Which was not a bad thing in either of their books. "I hope you plan on changing."

Sakura starred at him before playfully smacking him on the arm. "Your mother will have no problem dressing me up."

"Hn, what else is new?" It was a rhetorical question. One to which they both laughed.

Sakura was representing not only Sasuke, but the hospital, her sensei, and even Tsunade while she was there. Any little screw up could be taken as an insult to the elders; and reflect badly on those closest to her. Although with the women of his family it was a completely different story. Sakura being fed all the fresh and hot gossip from Ino readily was sucked dry but the stay at home mothers of the Uchiha clan.

It did not take long for the pair to reach the Uchiha Compound although Sasuke led her over the roof tops to the back entrance of the main house so that passing people would not see her current attire. In a way Sakura felt like she was on a mission all her own, seeking around a small village littered with some of the most powerful shinobi. Objective to infiltrate compound with no detection.

* * *

Together the pink haired medic and raven haired shinobi flew over roof tops making no noise what-so-over. They worked flawlessly together. It did take them almost five years to get to that point but they were there. Together they dropped down in the back court yard where Mikoto kept her vegetable garden. No grass was ruffled, not as sound was made; Sakura smirked along with her raven haired teammate. Mission...

"Sasuke!" Mikoto's sweet yet right now, stressed voice rang out from the kitchen. No mission could escape a mother's intuition. "How dare you show up here this late. You know how important tonight is to your father!"

A weathered, dark haired, black eyed woman ran out of the kitchen wearing a rather formal kimono looking rather worried or angry at the two new arrivals. Mikoto, Sakura had always thought, was one of the few women who would always be beautiful no matter how old she was.

Once her rant over her youngest son was through her attention was turned to the young woman she considered to be her daughter. "Sakura-chan," Mikoto extended an warm embrace to the young medic. A display of affection that Sakura desperately needed right then. "How have you been? I hardly ever get to see you any more since Sasuke neglects to bring you and Naruto-kun around anymore."

"I've been better." Sakura said with a true smile on her face for once that day. Mikoto always seemed to be able to wash away her problems. "It's been a very long day."

"And if you three don't hurry it's not going to be over any time soon." The same velvet tenor voice called from inside the kitchen door. Sakura peered around Mikoto to see her eldest son lingering in the door way.

"Itachi, take Sasuke upstairs and help him get ready." Mikoto ordered.

"I can get ready by myself mother." Sasuke growled as he made his way towards the house. Itachi gave him a small smirk as he passed. "Stay close to her if I can't be."

Itachi smiled and poked his little brother in the middle of his forehead. "I'll be watching her the entire night. Father wants you to be mother's escort."

Sasuke turned up his nose at having to stay by his mother's side all night. That was until he caught the true meaning behind his brother's intentions.

"Sakura." Sasuke called rather harshly.

He would not have his brother use Sakura just so their father would get off their back

"Go and get ready already Sasuke." Sakura chided as Mikoto pulled her into the house and around the corner to the guest room on the first floor.

Even though she was still a kunoichi, she was a girl. And as much as Mikoto tugged at her hair, pulled other garments off and onto her body, and painted her face funny colors; Sakura secretly didn't mind being dolled up every now and again.

Sasuke turned around to glare at his older brother. "She's my teammate Itachi." The younger male growled through his teeth. "You cannot have her."

"That does not make her your property little brother." Itachi stated simply.

"And you're going to say she's yours just to get dad off your fucken back!" Sasuke snapped eyes bleeding red.

"Is that not why you wanted to keep her close to yourself the entire evening?" Itachi asked as the two made their way inside and up to ready themselves. "So mother would stop bringing you into those conversations. What is the difference?"

Sasuke stopped and decided to let Sakura teach him the exact same lesson Sakura had taught him many years ago. Sakura does not do anything she doesn't want to do.

"Despite of what you might think Itachi, Sakura offered to play the part for me." Sasuke smirked imaging the fight that would lie ahead for his Anki. "You are forcing her behind her back. You never told her that you had invited her to be parade around like some accessory. No, you brought her here with in intention of presenting her to the council. You think you're going to marry her just to settle this arguement you are having with the clan."

Itachi had to admire the way his younger brother was so boldly conversing with him.

"I'll tell you the difference between us Itachi." Sasuke said in a low voice. "Tonight, you're going to be receiving your first black eye. I can assure you of that."

"I am very well aware of her talents." Itachi added before going into his own room. "And she is no accessory little brother."

"How long?" Sasuke demanded.

Itachi, long black hair flowing behind him turned face to face with his younger brother. "Since the day she passed her chunin exam."

Sasuke remembered the day clearly because Kakashi had to hold both him and Naruto back from running into the middle of the stadium to help their teammate out. Sakura had been struck in a vital point and at that moment casted a genjustu to buy her enough time to heal the wound while she wore out her opponent. He never knew what hit him when she promptly punched him, head first, through the side of the arena. He was knocked out on the spot.

"I've been watching her improve from that day forward." Itachi said, "She's grown a lot Sasuke. Much more than you or Naruto realize. The Hokage's prize aprentence as well. Having just recently surpassed her."

Sasuke shook his head, not believe a word of crap his brother was feeding him. "Your just using her. She's just a nobody with good connections to you."

Itachi only shot a silent but deadly look at his younger brother. Telling him to keep his mouth quite before he says one word too many. "Your lucky Sasuke. You don't have to do the things I do."

"Like what?" Sasuke challenged.

"Having to marry a girl against her will and your own for the sake of your family."

"Which brings me back to the question why her?" Sasuke tried to gage his older brother. He would not let Sakura be hurt by him.

"She's the only woman I'd trust." With that Itachi disappeared.

Translation: She's the only woman would could see me as something other than an Uchiha.

To this, Sasuke did not know what to say. Itachi had never shown any interest towards any of the woman in Konoha before. Other than the sinking feeling, both he and Itachi got when a fan girl just so happen to loudly shout their names in public.

None of them would actually love him for who he was. No one else had actually understand the crazy way his mind works. The torture that he went through to get where he is today.

Itachi's life was far from perfect. Sasuke knew that better than anyone. All the manors, the expectations, the schmoozing, the pressure. Not just anybody could do it. Sasuke knew he couldn't.

And Sasuke was beginning to fear that his elder brother might just actually care about Sakura, as more than just a friend. If their relationship could be labeled as friends. In a weird twisted way, that could only be Itachi's train of thought. The mere fact alone that he paid attention to his pink haired teammate was enough to prove his interests.

Sakura new the twisted workings of the Uchiha family, and had his mother and other women wrapped around her little finger. She was a more than credible kunoichi who came from a civilian family so no other blood lines would mix with the Uchiha's. She was smart enough to trust Itachi when he was on his ground but also knew when to stand up to him.

Most importantly of all, and in his opinion most annoying of all; Sakura had a little knack for being able to break down people's guards. And she accepted them with their flaws and all. Just look at her team: Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and Sai. All lead by a perverted Kakashi.

That's when it clicked. Itachi had been planning this. He had been watching Sakura with interest but never thougtht about her as his partner until that dinner. When his mother praised her so highly.

For the first time in his life, Sasuke cursed Sakura for being able to charm his mother.

* * *

**yes I know this is a cannon couple but it is one of my favorites and I just had this idea pop into my head. This will be a serious of oneshots because i'm keeping my main focus on forced because I'm not really 100 sure where i want it to go. These chapters will be much longer and rated M just to be on the safe side because of the cursing.**

**I've written this kind of weird so let me just clarify some things for everyone. Itachi is being pressured into being married by his father. He does not want to marry inside the clan so he has to find a suitable female that the council will approve of. Sakura is actually the female he is closest to in the village and it is most convenient he had taken up a special interest in her. He requests her often for missions. **

**This Family Gathering is so He can announce that he is formally courting Sakura with the intention of marrying her if he thinks they would be happy together. Sakura does not know this and only think she's there to make the boys look good. Sasuke figured out his brothers intentions but knows that Itachi does not really care about Sakura's feelings. Sasuke thinks Itachi only cares more about her resume than Sakura herself.**

**I'm not exactly sure how Itachi and Sasuke would behave and treat one another if there was no Uchiha massacre. All I really know is they look out for one another. But when it comes to Sasuke's team I'm not sure which one he would choose over next to his family. I know he takes a lot of pride in being an Uchiha, but I really think both guys don't agree on the current leadership of the clan and his ways of running it.**

**Just to let everyone know... I will admit that I am not Japanese, so I do not know too much about the culture so I wish to put that out in the open that I am just about as gringo as any other American when it comes to suffixes and dress styles and family ordeals and courting traditions. I'm trying to do my best and I've been google-ing a lot of things to try and understand just that much better so please don't get mad if I really screw something up. I'm taking baby steps, little at a time. I'd rather get one thing wrong and be able to fix it then offend a whole shit load of people.**

**There is a reason why I did not mention Sakura parents and that is that Sakura's mother died from cancer and her father decided that he could not stay in Konoha anymore so he travels from town to town as a merchent. This will come up later.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed!**

**Please review and let me know if you liked it or what you didn't**


	2. Mate? Hell No!

**Author: AngelFace23147**

**Story: Lady Luck**

**Chapter: 2**

**Pairing: Uchiha Itachi & Sakura Haruno**

**Side Couples: Uzumaki Naruto & Hyuuga Hinata, Jiraiya & Tsunade, Gemna & Shizune, Uchiha Shisui and Inuzuka Hana**

**Disclaimer: See previous chapter for full disclaimer. I do not own anything Naruto.**

**Warnings: Watch for the mouth **

**Notes: Okay I wasn't going to continue this really but since a lot of people were putting this on story alerts then I figured what the heck I'll try and pull something off. So There is going to be a lot of background in this story than there was in the previous one. I'll try to make it as funny as possible.**

**Remember to read and review but above all...**

**Enjoy!!**

* * *

_**Previously:**_

_Sasuke stopped and decided to let Sakura teach him the exact same lesson Sakura had taught him many years ago. Sakura does not do anything she doesn't want to do._

_"Despite of what you might think Itachi, Sakura offered to play the part for me." Sasuke smirked imaging the fight that would lie ahead for his Anki. "You are forcing her behind her back. You never told her that you had invited her to be parade around like some accessory. No, you brought her here with in intention of presenting her to the council. You think you're going to marry her just to settle this argument you are having with the clan."_

_Itachi had to admire the way his younger brother was so boldly conversing with him._

_"I'll tell you the difference between us Itachi." Sasuke said in a low voice. "Tonight, you're going to be receiving your first black eye. I can assure you of that."_

_"I am very well aware of her talents." Itachi added before going into his own room. "And she is no accessory little brother."_

_"How long?" Sasuke demanded._

_Itachi, long black hair flowing behind him turned face to face with his younger brother. "Since the day she passed her chunin exam."_

_Sasuke remembered the day clearly because Kakashi had to hold both him and Naruto back from running into the middle of the stadium to help their teammate out. Sakura had been struck in a vital point and at that moment casted a genjustu to buy her enough time to heal the wound while she wore out her opponent. He never knew what hit him when she promptly punched him; head first, through the side of the arena. He was knocked out on the spot._

_"I've been watching her improve from that day forward." Itachi said, "She's grown a lot Sasuke. Much more than you or Naruto realize. The Hokage's prize apprentice as well. Having just recently surpassed her."_

_Sasuke shook his head not believe a word of crap his brother was feeding him. "You're just using her. She's just a nobody with good connections to you."_

_Itachi only shot a silent but deadly look at his younger brother. Telling him to keep his mouth quite before he says one word too many. "You're lucky Sasuke. You don't have to do the things I do."_

_"Like what?" Sasuke challenged._

_"Having to marry a girl against her will and your own for the sake of your family."_

_"Which brings me back to the question why her?" Sasuke tried to gage his older brother. He would not let Sakura be hurt by him._

_"She's the only woman I'd trust." With that Itachi disappeared._

_Translation: She's the only woman who could see me as something other than an Uchiha._

_To this, Sasuke did not know what to say. Itachi had never shown any interest towards any of the woman in Konoha before. Other than the sinking feeling, both he and Itachi got when a fan girl just so happen to loudly shout their names in public._

_None of them would actually love him for who he was. No one else had actually understood the crazy way his mind works. The torture that he went through to get where he is today._

_Itachi's life was far from perfect. Sasuke knew that better than anyone. All the manors, the expectations, the schmoozing, the pressure. Not just anybody could do it. Sasuke knew he couldn't._

_And Sasuke was beginning to fear that his elder brother might just actually care about Sakura, as more than just a friend. If their relationship could be labeled as friends. In a weird twisted way, that could only be Itachi's train of thought. The mere fact alone that he paid attention to his pink haired teammate was enough to prove his interests._

_Sakura new the twisted workings of the Uchiha family, and had his mother and other women wrapped around her little finger. She was a more than credible kunoichi who came from a civilian family so no other blood lines would mix with the Uchiha's. She was smart enough to trust Itachi when he was on his ground but also knew when to stand up to him._

_Most importantly of all and in his opinion most annoying of all; Sakura had a little knack for being able to break down people's guards. And she accepted them with their flaws and all. Just look at her team: Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and Sai. All lead by a perverted Kakashi._

_That's when it clicked. Itachi had been planning this. He had been watching Sakura with interest but never thought about her as his partner until that dinner. When his mother praised her so highly._

_For the first time in his life, Sasuke cursed Sakura for being able to charm his mother._

* * *

_**Earlier That Week:**_

She made her way down the narrow hallway connecting her own suite to that dreaded office she spent at least half of her day in. If the Godaime Hokage wasn't in her office than she was in the hospital trying to save another unruly blonde's damaged body before moving to her own protégée who had passed out from chakra exhaustion due to her having to save her fox brother from some sort of death.

This leaves the two raven haired boys to bring the bodies back to Konoha. Sai carrying Naruto's on his bird while Sakura was carried in Sasuke's arms. He would not let anyone else touch her. Just like she would not let anyone else heal him. The way their friendship worked. Trust first. Tsunade was personally glad that the two were able to work together with no physical attraction.

Tsunade's life could not get any better. No sarcasm intended; no lies told. Tsunade would not have her life any other way. Well… she could use a couple more bottles of sake. Her secret stashes were running kind of low.

So what a shock the busty blonde had when she slid the screen door of her office open only to see two bottles of expensive looking sake from the Tea Country. "Shizune!" Tsunade yelled picking up one of the bottles.

She turned the bottle slowly in her hand wondering who would want to suck up to her so to give her such a refined, high end bottle of sake.

A good year too.

Shizune's footsteps came stampeding around the corner as she slid to a halt outside the door. "I'm hear Hokage-sama." Shizune never knew what mood her mentor would be in when she had only been awake for less than an hour; so she always treated her with the highest amount of respect.

"You can relax," Tsunade signaled for her to enter. "You'll be able to have your early morning sex with your boy toy. I must say I never knew you'd be the type of woman to take on a younger man."

"Tsunade!" Shizune exclaimed.

"Gemna isn't that much younger than you, only a year or two." The busty blonde shrugged and popped the top of the bottle pouring herself two cups. One cup filled just enough for a taste and another if she liked that taste. She did not indulge in herself in fancy sake often.

Shizune smirked and mumbled, "I guess I take after you." Tsunade gave her a set of raised eyebrow; secretly proud that the soft spoken Shizune would say something like that. Jiraiya was a year younger than his fellow female Sanin.

"What is it that you needed me for Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked while she fixed the tangled mess that was her hair.

Tsunade tossed back the shot of sake and froze analyzing the taste of the liquid. "Who do I dislike more at the moment; the Hyuugas or the Uchihas?" She asked suddenly.

"How do you figure it was them?" Shizune asked. Tsunade merely turned the bottle that was still in her hand, so her assistant was able to see the label.

After Shizune recovered from shocked she tried to reason. "Neither would do you the dishonor of not presenting such a gift without an informant to tell who it came from." She knew more than anyone else that both Haishi and Fugaku were proud men and would want to make known from who the gift was.

"So then comes the question who, out of their respective clan, has business to do with me that they would rather not reveal to their clans." Not until the right time anyway Tsunade mussed taking the bottle back from Shizune.

"Tsunade-sama, you're not actually going to accept these when you don't' know who they are from or for what purpose they were given to you!" Shizune protested.

"On the contrary," the slug queen countered taking another drink from the second cup. "I plan on doing just that."

"Tsunade!" the younger woman cried.

"Shizune-san, these bottles were given to me as gift and even though the giver did not identify himself than most obvious the donator did not wish to be known. So why go against go against the wishes of the person who left this gift in my office? That would be a perfect waste of a good jester and the sake."

She took another sip savoring the strong bite that was balanced out by the smooth liquid that coaxed her throat.

"Now to offend another, especially someone with such great tastes would not be wise on my part."

Tsunade poured herself a larger cup full. "Maybe Shisui misses you more than you think." The blonde joked.

Shizune made a face at her mentors crude chides. "…How?"

Tsunade shrugged and said, "Gemna complains like a spoiled brat when he doesn't get what he wants."

"And how would you know of what he complains about?"

"I don't," the older woman looked out the large window behind her desk.

"Then how?"

"I have a perverted jounin who complains about a sebon chewing friends of his who complain about certain Uchihas complaining about one needing more one nighters with medical ninjas; saying how medical ninjas are better lovers with their knowledge of the male anatomy."

Shizune starred; the man in this village gossiped worse than Ino did!

"Good thing Sakura-chan has no intention of settling down any time soon." Tsunade mussed.

Shizune who had began to take her first steps back towards her sleeping lover halted in her tracks. Her body froze the exact same time Tsunade's china cup of sake it the floor, shattering into millions of little pieces.

"Sakura-chan," the blonde spoke softly.

"You did assume guardianship over her when her father skipped out of town." Shizune said.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed furiously. There could only be a couple of reasons the Uchiha or the Hyuuga clans would want her. The ties Sakura has with herself, as the Hokage; the excellent chakra control; and the reputation she has forged for herself as a kunoichi. Neither Tsunade nor Shizune would see Sakura sold off to the highest bidder just because they were a reputable clan. Tsunade lost too many kunoichi that way.

The same happened with Kurenai and Asuma. Sakura slowly took Kurenai's spot as a genjutsu user but could never match the same natural talent Kurenai had.

Shizune quickly reentered the room and grabbed the other bottle off the Hokage desk. "It has to be the Uchihas. One of their lower female clan members was just married out into a vineyard in Tea Country."

"Shisui?" Tsunade asked.

The younger ebony haired woman shook her head. "Back with Hana. Any others eligible males on the side branches?"

"All of them are rather young; still around chunin age." Shizune raised an eyebrow. "Fugaku would not marry off any males in the Uchiha family to an older woman." Tsunade explained, "They would be too scared to be around her temper anyway.

"So who isn't afraid of her temper? Could it be Sasuke?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade figured that the two teammates would end up together eventually but it would not happen this early. Which would be when all the other members of rookie nine were married off with kids and Mikoto finally got Fugaku to get on Sasuke's back about finding a wife. And then when Sakura finally realized that her raven haired teammate wouldn't last much longer if he had to spend the rest of his life with a woman who did nothing but talked his ear off.

"Hokage-sama," interrupted the two medic-nin's train of thought.

"Who the hell wants to bother me this early in the goddamn morning?!" The Godaime howled at the intruder. If her day was starting out like this than by god she was not going to have a good day.

The tenor voice reverberated once again from a raven haired, male, ANBU member in her door. "If this is an inconvenient time for you Hokage-sama I will return at a later time."

Oh Uchiha Itachi was the last person she wanted to deal with at this time. The Uchiha heir was not a normal guest in her office. In fact he avoided the office as much as possible even though he found himself there often. The situation was very much like Kakashi and his strong dislike of hospitals. So it had to be something of the upmost importance to bring him to her door.

"Tsunade," Shizune whispered jerking her head once again to the bottle of sake she still held in her hand. Said blonde's eyes sparked with knowledge, this was an interesting challenge for her to take on indeed. Assuming she was correct to the reason why the Uchiha heir had come to her in the course of the morning. Which, of course, Tsunade already knew she was.

Tsunade suddenly smiled. The Uchiha prodigy was after her favorite disciple. She knew the next few months were going to be interesting.

This is going to be very interesting Tsunade mussed as she began to address her top ANBU captain. "Uchiha Itachi what brings you to my door in the course of the morning?"

Inclining his head once again to the village leader he spoke in his naturally formal tone. "I believe you have received a gift upon your arrival this morning."

Tsunade nodded her head once. "I have. Am I to presume that you are the one you left such a lavish gift."

Itachi nodded once.

"And why would you do such? You of all my shinobi know that my favor cannot be bought." Tsunade warned. "Care to explain yourself Uchiha-san?"

Itachi stood tall as any proper clan's men should. His shoulders squared, feet shoulder's width apart, and his gaze focused solely on the person to whom he is speaking. "Is it not the tradition to present the guardians of a young woman with gifts when a man is interested in her?"

"Only when he has the interest of courting said young lady."

Itachi nodded once again. "Precisely."

"Itachi-san, do you understand that by giving me such a gift that I am assuming that you wish to court my prized apprentice?" Tsunade was never one to beat around the book.

If this particular Uchiha wanted something to do with Sakura, than he was going to say that he wanted something to do with her out right. Out of all the males in the damned Uchiha clan the one she could not say no. Uchiha Itachi was a loyal servant to the village and if he took the matter to Fugaku than with any doubts he would raise all hell in the village until he got such a reputable kunoichi for his eldest son.

Itachi had no problems with stating his intent either. "Your assumption would be correct, Tsunade-sama; but only to a certain extent."

"Certain extent?"

"The gift you hold in your hand is for courting her; by coming here today I am asking for your permission, seeing as you are her legal guardian, for permission to marry her."

Tsunade mentally cracked her knuckles.

* * *

_**Back at the Party:**_

"Mikoto-san," Sakura whined, "not so tight!" For some strange and unknown reason the Lady Uchiha felt inclined to pull the obi of her kimono tighter than need be.

"Breath in one more time." She ordered completely ignoring Sakura's pleas.

"Mikoto-san," Sakura tried one more time; but was cut off with another sharp pull on her the silver obi.

Mikoto kept a few kimonos for her just in case she was invited over last minute. Much like the situation she found herself in now.

Her day had been long, having awoken earlier than her alarm clock, having to take a cold shower only to be bombarded by flirtatious shinobi as she did their routinely checks on their health. Then before her only break she and her sister figure Shizune, had an emergency healing to be done to save the life of Inuzuka Kiba. Who as the other males had done, tried to persuade her to take the rest of the day off. Sakura had kindly declined and went to report to her shishou who upon Sakura's arrival was found in a rather… compromising position with her former teammate Jiraiya. She quickly left only to find Shizune hiding her new love interest in the closet.

By far the most interesting part of her day happened right after she poured coffee all over her pure white medic robe. It happened when the Uchiha Itachi, had showed up in the nurses longue asking for a private conversation. Now if there is one thing that Sakura knew from her small encounters with the elder of the two Uchiha brothers that Itachi kept even less company than Sasuke. He spoke less, but was more highly regarded by his elders than Sasuke. So when the great warrior of the Uchiha clan came to her work to invite her in person, Sakura was rather hesitant to agree.

But did for the sake of her Uchiha teammate; he would need some relief if so many of his relatives were gathering in one place.

So there she was. With her stoic teammate's mother, pulling her obi so tight that she had trouble breathing. It was a white kimono, with a light blue under layer and a dark blue scene of flowers and water. The bulk of the design was at the bottom of the kimono and traveled up, leaning more towards her right sleeve than her left; with longer style of sleeves but not quite ankle length. They were around thirty inches rather than the normal forty or so that she normally wore.

The whole kimono was absolutely beautiful, having once belonged to Mikoto, before she had Sasuke.

But the silver obi was her worst enemy as the air was still rejected from her lungs as Mikoto tied the obi for the final time. "Okay," Mikoto took a step back to admire her work. How she loved dressing up the girl she considered her daughter. Even if Tsunade had a claim on her first.

"Now, I'm going to get myself dressed. Please Sakura-chan make yourself comfortable." Mikoto wiped her brow like she had been doing the hardest type of work in the world.

"Okay," Sakura said softly with a very diplomatic smile. Mikoto had caught it but smile knowing that no one else would. She had taught her daughter well.

"How long will you be?" She quickly found out that she would not be able to raise her voice too loud due to lack of air. Looks like she wouldn't be doing much talking after all.

"Not long," Mikoto laughed lightly. "There isn't much I can do with myself anymore. I swear this body as been in every kimono in the fire country."

Sakura respectively disagreed. Mikoto did not need a lot of time because she was already presentable. Mikoto was the type of woman who would always be beautiful in any stage of life. Unlike herself who had to be suffocated just to look presentable.

"I'll work on that pretty pink hair of yours when I get back." She promised heading for the door.

"More like you'll be pulling out my hair." Sakura smiled playfully. "While I complain that your pulling it too hard."

"I would not have you any other way Sakura-chan." Mikoto kissed the top of her surrogate daughter's head before finally leaving the room.

She left and Sakura remained standing in the middle of the guest room that she would spend the night in when she slept over at the Uchihas for one reason or another. This is when Sakura felt so small in such a large house. Having to get all dressed up to play such a small part. This is when she did not envy Sasuke for being part of such a highly regarded clan.

Her hands roamed over the fabric, holding small folds in her hands, gripping it gently before releasing it and letting it ripple back into place. Sakura hated feeling so small; so unimportant especially when she was dresses so elegantly. She felt to better than a porciline doll on a little girl's toy shelf. The one that looks so pretty but the one the girl will never play with.

"I should have just went home." Sakura mumbled to herself as she went to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"I've seen that kimono before." The same sweet, low pitched, tenor voice floated over towards her ears like silk. That voice was appearing more and more often in one day.

"How long have you been there?" Sakura stood up once again rather quickly. She was rather annoyed that he kept sneaking up on her like this.

Itachi ignored her question and continued with her own thoughts. "My mother last wore it, when I was five." He took a step into the room. "It looks better on you." He mussed.

Sakura's jaw dropped. What was with him?

Before today they hardly spoke, until today, when his body was so close to hers that his sweet breath laid kisses on her skin sending shivers up her spine. They hardly spoke to one another, conversed, or ate together. They spent their time formally rather than informally together when they did see each other. He had never addressed her as Sakura until this day.

And now, he was giving her compliments! The one man who was not even effected by his stalking fangirls or squealing number of nurses, the prodigy of the stoic Uchiha clan was going out of his way to give her complements. To pay attention to her, of all people a medic ninja that he saw maybe once in a matter of three months.

And the elder more secretive Uchiha smirked at the uncomfortable position the female before him found herself in.

Sakura just could not believe it. "I'm sure Mikoto-san looks much different to you than others do."

Itachi shrugged and entered the room with casual strides. Emerald green eyes met his deep onyx ones as he crossed the room to lean against the far at that foot of the bed which Sakura had just seated herself on.

"I am not afraid to say my mother is a beautiful woman. I am sure anything which adorns her body will make no difference in her elegance." Itachi said as he passed by her. His own hand grazed the light material of the kimono's sleeves.

Sakura hands play played with the fabric again after he let go, thinking how the beautiful Lady Uchiha would have looked at nineteen or twenty years of age. She probably was already engaged to Fugaku by that time. Sakura had often wondered if Mikoto was forced into marriage or if she elected to marry the current Lord Uchiha of her own will. Surely she was just approaching the peak of her prime and would have been one of the most beautiful women in the village. Something that Sakura could never be.

Itachi seemed to understand the doubt in the young female's eyes and moved one again to stand before her. His finger lifted her chin so his eyes could once again stare into hers. "My mother does not hold herself the way you do." He told her softly. His tenor voice sweeping through her body as if it was his hand.

Her heart fluttered. A light pink tone appeared in her face when her heart rate increased. She did not want it to, not before this man. Sasuke maybe, but Itachi no. He would not approve of this kind of emotion being displayed so freely. Not when he hid his own emotions so well. Said ANBU captain smirked at the young female.

"Is it really so difficult to give a compliment without a comparison Uchiha-san?" Sakura retorted trying to take his mind off of the flush on her face. While Sakura's own mind could not wrap itself around the amount of warmth spreading along her skin from his hand.

How could someone who seemed so cold be so warm?

"Itachi," his hand moved away from her chin. Fingers spreading out along the soft curve of her jaw.

Why was her body reacting to him? Just the slightest touch sent her body into the slightest amounts of trembles. She could feel a pulling feeling in her chest as she had no other choice but to stare into his dark eyes. Sakura had not felt that pull since her genin days with Sasuke.

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked a little short of breath.

Her mind was about to shut down for the fifth time that day. His mere touch

"You need not be so formal with me Sakura-san." Itachi corrected her. Still not breaking the eye contact he held with the emerald eyed beauty. This thumb ran under the length of her eye before tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

Again with the Sakura-san; she noticed. "Why so many informalities?"

He chuckled taking a step back removing the warmth from her check. Immediately her body wanted to call out for him again. "You do ask many questions."

She crossed her own arms, before shifted her weight to one side. "Only when answers to those questions are not given."

She was not one to be messed with. Yet, either was he. Itachi didn't do things spontaneously. He had a rhyme and a reason for everything he did and this was the last step. He had left a bottle of sake for her mentor two days ago before returning the previous day to receive her answer.

So if he wanted to toy with the young woman he was so determined to peruse than he would. He would toy as long as he deemed necessary to insure her cooperation in the matter. That is what Tsunade required of him anyway. Spoken requirements anyway.

"I have to explain my complements because you refuse to take them." He noted.

Sakura smirked, "I would welcome your complements if you gave them more often."

Itachi took another step towards the pink haired woman so his tenor voice could only reach to her ears. "I do not give them often because not many deserve them."

The tint of blush in her checks deepened. Itachi, enjoying the sight continued. "If I may;" he held out his hand for her to take.

She did not know his intentions; but he stood there before her, unmoving every bit like the Greek god so many claimed him to be. She saw him differently than the beauty that so many others only appreciated him for.

The aura that came was so prominently circling around his person put any other in their place under the legendary sharingan welder who still offered his hand to her. His eyes, those dark onyx eyes watch for any situation that could be thrown at him. The stress marks under those cautious eyes marked the proof of his long days and overbearing missions. Missions that caused him to see too much and age much faster than any man should for his age.

Twenty five years was young for all that Itachi had seen. For all that he had done in the name of the village he swore to protect. Looking over all of those who did fear him, he protected those who cursed his name and those who dreamt about his chiseled body at night.

And it was that fact that helped her determine she could trust him. She had before on ANBU level missions that Tsunade had no other choice but send her best medic out. Itachi had traveled right by her side. Not letting a single fly land in her body. He returned her home safely so many times before.

And Itachi was not about to betray that trust. Not when he only put his trust in his elder cousin Shisui. Even then that trust could only go so far. Farther than most, true; but Itachi trusted him to do the job given to him and nothing more. He was an Uchiha after all, and there only ever one or two single people that an Uchiha could fully trust. There was too much power to gain or lose in his world.

So she placed her hand in his. Just the very tips of her fingers in the palm of his hand, but never the less it was enough for him to be able to have a grip on her. With a small tug on her arm he pulled her closer to him. It was only then that she noticed he was dressed rather informally compared to her. He adorned his normal black attire with his crest on the back true. But it certainly was no kimono.

It actually seemed much like his normal shinobi attire. _What the hell is up with this? _Sakura wondered. Her thoughts were redirected when she felt a steady warm presence on her waist.

Her breath hitched and her emerald green eyes searched for his but froze when they found them closer to her face than she ever thought they would be. Of course he was taller than she was. Most people were these days. Not that she was short or anything; she was just average for the normal female and all the males are just hit their growth spurts the same time she did. Her eye level was only at Itachi's color bone. He would have very little difficulty resting his head atop of hers.

Her eyes drawn to the stress lines underneath his eyes. They becoming progressively more prominent with every passing year. None the less they led her eyes right to his charcoal black ones. Sakura never knew there were so many different shades of black before looking into his eyes. Sasuke rarely let her stay as close in his personal space. She never would have guesses Itachi would let her this close.

Slowly he turned her around to face the glass window showing her reflection against the darkened evening sky. And almost immediately she did not believe what she saw. She knew the woman to be herself. No other female in Konoha had the infamous pink hair and large green eyes that she had. Her forehead still on the larger side but she had grown into it a little bit more than from when she was a child.

They way the kimono hugged every layer of her body was something completely new to even Sakura herself. She was not used to having to wear such fine clothing spending most of her days in a medic's uniform or in her kunoichi outfit. Her face painted with a light pinks and blushes making her seem more idealist than Sakura had ever seen herself before. She looked more like a princess from a story book then any type of reputable ninja.

Itachi's warm hands came to rest on her shoulders this time; drawing her short, shoulder length pink hair away from her face. Purposely letting his long fingers caress her check. "Mikoto-san always is dressed so formally so it is true she always appears at her best. Looking at her is like always looking at the finished product. Looking at you however, Sakura-san, is like seeing a diamond having been pulled from the dirt and cut into the beauty that so many others would have never had the pleasure to see otherwise.

"Uchiha..." Sakura whispered mesmerized by the tenor of his sweet words. His warm hands as they slowly trailed down her arms causing a slight blush to raise in her checks.

Itachi returned his hands to her waist, before leaning into her back. His dark eyes starred at hers through the reflection they were both starring at while he whispered in her ear. "Itachi," he reminded her. "You are to address me as Itachi from now on, _hime_."

* * *

Sakura looked at him. No, looked would be an understatement. Sakura was so baffled and ruffled by the last word out of the elder Uchiha's mouth she questioned whether or not he actually said it. She starred back at him as if she had never heard him talk before in her life. Which was mostly true because the plain truth was that they didn't converse all too often.

And he, the most sought after man in Konoha, had just called her _hime_?!

"Itachi!" Another voice rang out so harshly it made Sakura jump. Itachi did not phase, nor flinch, or make any sounds at the intruding voice. He only tightened his grip to her waist. The blush rose even further in her checks. This time out of embarrassment. Because she knew that angry voice all too well.

"I would suggest that you not bother my teammate any more than you have to." Sasuke stepped into the room dressed in rather informal clothes as well. Compared to herself and Mikoto-san anyway.

"Have to?" Sakura asked, trying to turn around to look at both men. She was slightly thanking Sasuke for intruding when he did, he snapped her back into the real world from a world where an Uchiha was calling her a princess.

"I am to be your escort tonight, not my little brother." Itachi said in a hushed voice. He let her turn around but still held her close enough to his body to let his little brother know that no harm would fall to his precious teammate while he watched over her.

"Sasuke?" Sakura's eyes flashed hurriedly to her raven haired teammate.

The younger Uchiha hesitated, then nodded in agreement. "I am to remain by my mother's side tonight. You are instructed to remain by Itachi's." Sakura did catch the unhappy tone in his voice.

Sakura's defenses went up; along with her heart rate. This is not what she signed on for. Sakura did not want to spend the entire evening on the arm of the most scrutinized Uchiha in the clan. The one everyone would want to talk to. She was supposed to be there for Sasuke, not Itachi. She was supposed to help Sasuke look good not Itachi!

So she reacted the only way she knew how. She shoved him away from her. Of course he did not go very far and grabbed her arm in the process.

"You basterd!" She whispered harshly at him. Emerald eyes now flashing dangerously. "You planned this!"

"I would advise you to keep your voice down Sakura." Itachi said calmly. In fact he was rather amused it took her this long to figure out that little bit of the plan. But then again that was a good thing on his part that she didn't suspect anything else.

"She is keeping her voice down Itachi." Sasuke smirked from the doorway waiting for the black eye to appear on his older brother's face. Oh how he longed to see the day.

Sakura on the other hand, let her temper slip just a little more. "That's why you came to give me the invitation personally. I'm not here for Sasuke, I'm here to be some stupid female on your arm! And I'll do whatever the fucken hell I want to do Uchiha!" She tried to pull her arm back away from the older male.

"I had never said any such thing about you being invited here for my younger brother to being with. So that is your own fault Sakura for thinking along such lines. Do not blame me for your follies.

Sakura gave another harsh tug on her arm freeing it from Itachi's grip. Sasuke was by her side the instant Sakura freed her arm. "Touch her again brother and I swear..."

"Sasuke-kun where are you?" Mikoto's voice called from somewhere inside the house. "Guest are arriving dear, we must go and greet them."

The three immediately stopped their quarrel. Each having heard every word Mikoto had said. The footsteps growing increasingly closer to the screen door to the room also did not go unnoticed.

"I swear Itachi if anything happens to her." Sasuke threatened in his lowest pitched voice possible.

"Have I ever let anything happen to her in the past little brother?" Itachi quickly asked before Sasuke could finish.

The answer was no, of course. He had never let anything happen to her before. But that was only a physical kind of hurt. Sasuke knew all too well that Sakura was an emotional girl. And he did not want to be the person that she took that emotional strain out on.

Hell No! Been there, done that!

But Sasuke did not have the chance to rebut his brother's statement as Mikoto knocked on the door. "Sakura-chan is Sasuke in there with you?"

"You may enter mother." Itachi spoke.

"Itachi, Sasuke-kun, what are the two of you doing in here?" Mikoto asked as she entered evaluating the situation. She looked very carefully at the faces of her sons and the girl she considered a daughter. Maybe she would get her wish after all. A thought that brought a smile to her face once again.

"Sasuke and I were informing Sakura-san that I will be her escort for this evening. Sasuke was just about to leave to find you mother."

Mikoto was not one for gossip like Nara Yoshino. But she knew that being an Uchiha means that you had to read expressions rather than listen to the words people spoke. She knew that something had just being going on in this room that her sons did not want her to know about. She also could figure by the defensive stance that her younger son was taking that her elder son had just offended Sakura in some way.

But then again. Itachi was trying to get Sasuke out of the room by passively dismissing his brother and herself and not the young female. All these facts together could only mean one thing; a very good thing at that.

Her first born son had fallen for the one girl Mikoto had always wanted for a daughter. She was overjoyed to say the least. "Sasuke family is arriving earlier than expected. We must go. Sakura-chan I'm sorry that I did not have the time to finish your hair."

Sakura smiled at the elder woman, "Oh its fine Mikoto-san you've done enough."

Sasuke did not move. "You will not call her that again." He whispered harshly.

Sakura blinked again. Itachi really had called her a princess! Sasuke even had heard it. It had to be true, even if she did not want it to be true it was.

"Sasuke now!" Mikoto used a harsher tone. Which caused Sasuke to blink and straighten up. He eyed Itachi the whole time he walked away from Sakura and over to his awaiting mother. "Good, now go and fix your hair quick. Itachi make sure Sakura is comfortable as you introduce her to the family the two of you should head out soon as well." Mikoto reminded him with a sparkle of mischief behind her eyes.

She could not wait to tell Fugaku. Haruno Sakura as a daughter in law. How long was this going on? Oh well she'd find out sooner or later.

Mikoto left the two alone in the room once again. Sakura looked right at Itachi trying to figure out what else he had planned. "This will not be happening again."

"No," Itachi said quickly she could be too predictable at times. "It will not happen again because you are anything but a stupid female at my side."

Translation: I could not stand an unintelligent female by my side.

* * *

Sakura was suddenly very aware of the power that the elder Uchiha brother held. And she did not like the fact that one of the most powerful ninja in the village had sought her out to have her on his arm. She was, for the first time in her life, scared to be in a roomful of Uchihas.

Sakura now realized that it was a lot more work pretending to enjoy being beside Itachi than it actually was being beside Sasuke.

With Sasuke she would stand by the food table, not to far away from Mikoto and together they would make funny comments about Sasuke's relatives until they received a harsh glare from the Lady Uchiha. So then they would be quite and start back up when she was out of ear shot. Smiles appeared naturally on her face and she freely talked with whoever wished to converse with her. These people mostly consisted of Sasuke's younger cousins; since Shisui and Itachi were much more sought after being the eldest and more skilled.

With Itachi she was in the very center of a crowed courtyard with the dozens of people she did not know all pushing their way towards her. Well not her of course, they all wanted to talk with the man next to her before he would introduce her and she would curtsy bowing her head out of respect then have to plaster on a smile and pretend to be interested in whatever conversation was going on between her escort and which ever relative. Her posture had to be perfect along with her speech.

Worst part was she could not make a bee line for the delectable spread of deserts not but ten feet away from her. And she had to stand and watch out of the corner of her eye in completely horror as everyone else in the room got a piece and she didn't!

Sasuke would only guide her by the hand if need be when he was leading her this way or another. Itachi's arm hardly ever left her waist. Only when she did have to curtsey to this or that person. She was angled against his funny too. Almost like she was the lintel of the letter T while he was the steam.

In a weird way Sakura perceived him to be protecting her. Rather easily she could be cradled to his chest or he could spin her away from danger with little problem's either.

His grip on her waist was not the tightest, but it was firm. Always letting her know he was there. Her body was pressed up against the length of his side and often times she found her right hand resting upon Itachi's left shoulder while her other either hung at her side or rest upon the hand that gripped her waist. After Sakura first got over the initial closeness of their bodies she slowly began to realize that she was probably the safest girl in the room.

Although not even Itachi could protect her from the different gazes that she was receiving. Ones of curiosity from the women, glares of what probably was jealousy from the other young women her age. And then men looked at her for one minute and disregarded her the next. An action that Sakura did not agree with particularly but she had very little say in the matter.

In reality the Uchiha's really did look alike. With all of them crowed around her she felt like the odd girl out with bright pink hair. Some of them recognized her. Many of the younger children did anyway, she had been a guest speaker at the academy a few times anyway. Not to mention all the Uchiha's were beginning to ask for her at the hospital. Tsunade was actually becoming rather annoyed with it. A few of the women knew her from association with her Uchiha teammate. Other's knew her for killing the S-class criminal Sasori. Some just recognized her as Tsunade's temperamental apprentice. But even the few who knew her was not worth half of those who didn't.

"When you do take over the reins Itachi-sama?" the current speaker asked. He was male and weathered and his wife had most recently passed away. He was distantly related to Itachi through his mother but Sakura had met so many relatives that she could not remember every little detail.

Itachi put on his fake political smile and tightened his grip on Sakura's waist. "Whenever the clan feels that I am capable of taking over." It was the same response he had been giving all night.

"I suppose ol' Fugaku wants you to take over when you finally take a wife." The man chuckled from his gut. By the look of him Sakura could tell he was never any shinobi.

Itachi only nodded his head in response. Again another normal action which made Sakura feel rather uncomfortable.

"And I'm sure the Hokage's apprentice would make a fine Lady Uchiha. You've done well Itachi-sama." The man clasped Itachi on the shoulder while smiling ever so largely at Sakura. "My word, he's hardly let you alone all night. You must be one hell raising of a woman to keep a hold of this one."

With that the man left. Sakura's mind shut down for what had to be the tenth time this day. Except this time she did not come too right away. Lost in her own little world thoughts of herself being married to Itachi. Sakura pictured herself being in a formal, white, wedding kimono standing beside an Uchiha being used for a baby making machine and nothing else.

Was this really just that man talking or was this for real? Was she really here, on Itachi's arm, because she has been promised to him? No, he would have had to talked to Kakashi and Tsunade. They are the ones who resumed control over her when her dad skipped town after her mother died. They would have told her about it. Unless he just went to them today. Which would not be acceptable, no he would have had to gone to them earlier. By why would Tsunade even agree. She knows Sakura had no intention of settling down this early.

Let alone with an Uchiha. Let alone with the prince of all the Uchihas.

Of all the girls in Konoha what did they want her for anyway? She came from a civilian family. Therefore she had no ancestry of any worth. It was just by luck that she happened to have perfect chakra control. There was no proven facts that her chakra control could be passed down genetically. Yes it was true that she was the prize apprentice to the Hokage and had all but surpassed her mentor in her healing abilities. But the Uchiha's already had all but free access to her whenever they wanted because of Sasuke's connections they had with her.

Then it could be because she was so close to the Hokage and such a union could only be desired since the rumor was spreading that Naruto was a strong candidate for the position of Hokage when Tsunade stepped down. He was currently seeing the Hyuuga heiress which would prove rather problematic for the Uchiha clan if they Hyuuga's had one up on them. Even then Hinata would not let her clan use Naruto that way. When it came to her loyalties, she had already proven that she'd choose Naruto over them when pushed to make that choice.

This was true but Fugaku knows that Tsunade cannot easily be bought by good favors and acts of kindness. One earns her favor through being a worthwhile shinobi. Even if Naruto and Kakashi did give her headaches along with Itachi and Sasuke. They were some of her best nins and she would put up with them because of that.

"Itachi," Sakura stuttered.

"Would you like a breath of fresh air?" He offered already steering her towards the courtyard door.

Sakura nodded, "Among many other things."

"I would not open your mouth just yet Sakura." Itachi warned as he guided her away from the crowd and into the court yard patio where she and Mikoto had spent many lunches together.

The fountain was on this time, the water pouring down three different levels of pools into the largest one lit up by every Uchiha lantern. The few koi fish swan around happily. Swimming in endless circles until they meet another fish, pause like they were embarrassing and then scurried off in another direction only to come across another fish. Sakura was vaguely aware of the two other figures standing by the fountain but really could care less having heard what she just did.

"Explain." She grabbed a hold of Itachi when she knew they were out of ear shot of the house.

"What?" Itachi asked simply.

"God damn it Itachi you heard me!" Sakura hissed keeping her voice low. Not that she had anything to whisper about, she just could not raise her voice above a harsh whisper. "What they fucken hell was he talking about?"

"I was inquiring what you would like me to explain specifically Sakura, not for you to repeat yourself."

"Who was talking about what?" A higher pitched voice chimed in temporarily snapping Sakura from her angry state.

"Don't tell me everyone is surprised she is with you Itachi?" Another masculine voice laughed not too far away from the previous one.

Shisui and Hana sat beside one another on the fountain watching the Sakura yell at a still stoic Itachi. "The announcement has not been made yet, but there seems to be a general liking for her." Itachi turned to his favorite cousin. In many ways they were even closer than Itachi was with his younger brother. Shisui was Itachi's Naruto.

"What announcement?" Sakura tried again turning to the oldest Uchiha in her generation and his long time love interest Inuzuka Hana who like her was dressed in a three layered kimono while her man was dressed like any other Uchiha Shinobi in the room.

But instead of answering her question Hana just beamed at the younger female. "Sakura-chan!" Hana squealed and embraced the pink haired female. "You have absolutely no idea how happy I was to hear of your engagement to Itachi. We'll get to see each other all the time now that Shisui has finally found figured out he just can't live without me."

_Engagement?! To Itachi?!_

"What!" Sakura stated loudly but her voice fell short on fallen ground.

Hana turned to wink at her man who winked back at his feisty animal tamer. He knew Hana all too well to be embarrassed by her antics at this point. "Yes, a congratulations and a warning should be in order. She'll give you a black eye one of these days my cousin." Shisui stated with a smile on his face. His long black hair pulled back with a pony tail.

"I'm sure Sakura knows better than to strike her husband." Hana linked her arm with a flabbergasted Sakura and led her over the two boys.

"Yea or Itachi knows how to teach a woman a lesson when they don't behave correctly." Shisui teased tossing his gaze towards Sakura.

Sakura started to rebut, "I would never..."

Itachi merely smirked and talked over her. "Our relationship is not the same as yours cousin. And I would much appreciate you not making your comments about my mate."

_Mate?!_

* * *

"LIKE HELL" Sakura tried once again.

"Well obviously if she can't take that small of a joke." Shisui retorted making his own love giggle. Thus cutting Sakura off in the process.

"When will the wedding be Itachi-san?" Hana asked sweetly. "I'm sure yours would take precedence over ours but it is only to be expected."

"With in the month." He replied.

Hana was overjoyed. "This will be the talk of the town. Sakura-san you do not know how lucky it is to have an Uchiha on your arm!"

"I believe you are on my arm Hana," Shisui pulled his woman closer to prove his point. Hana giggled while Shisui continued to whisper in her ear. "I still can't believe that you were hiding all of this from us Itachi."

"We are not..." Sakura tried again.

Itachi shrugged. Some part of Sakura, who was not fuming took notice that he seemed more human around his older cousin and his partner. But that still didn't explain why the hell they were talking like this.

"Itachi?"

He pretended not to hear her. "I'm sorry cousin if I treat my woman with more respect than you have shown towards your preferred company."

Shisui starred at his younger cousin. Then before Sakura could register the joke, Shisui cracked up in laughter. "Respect? Ha, Itachi I would bet that you've never touched the poor girl as often as you had this night!"

Sakura went to say something rash and in a rather angry tone, but stopped. He was right. This was the most contact she's ever had with the elder Uchiha. Shisui caught her reaction and raised his eyebrows as proof.

"Poor girl," He laughed once again. "Although I'm can't quite figure out if Itachi would be a gentle fucker or a rough one. I guess you'll have to fill me in later."

"No," both Itachi and Sakura said at once.

The other two laughed. "I thought women looked forward to their wedding bed?" Shisui asked with a laugh in his voice.

Sakura finally found her voice. "I am not being married to him. No way am I going to marry a basterd I hardly talked to before in my life; and there is no way in fucken hell that I'm going to sleep with him!"

Her voice burst from her throat with such fire and bitterness that her aura quickly filled with her most evident dislike for the man before her. Her chakra was quickly gathered in her fist and Itachi had little doubt that Sakura wouldn't think twice before tossing a fist in his direction.

That does not imply that he had fear of the woman with a short temper and super human strength not but two feet in front of him. He could easily have her on her back in seconds.

Literally.

"Itachi you might want to bring her inside soon." Shisui stated putting his arm around Hana. He started making his way towards the main house. "Your father should be making the announcement soon. So sorry for your luck Sakura, but you are going to be the next Lady Uchiha whether you like it or not."

"Hell," Sakura tried but was cut off by a hand covering her mouth.

One guess and she knew it was Itachi's "Sakura I will not ask you again to lower your voice." He stated calmly.

Sakura bared her teeth from behind his hand. She wanted to try and bite the retched thing that dared to stop her voice, but he removed it before she could get any skin. At least her mouth was free now.

"I, Itachi-san, will not lower my voice until you so kindly explain why every person in that room believes I am going to be your little wifey?"

"You are not happy? I was under the impression that every woman in the village would love to be in your shoes." He purred in her ear. Sakura wanted to pound him for making a shiver run up her back.

"I was never informed of any such arrangement so I have objections against it in more than just one way yes. I doubt he even talked with my guardians to clear it with them." Sakura thrust around in his strong grasp. His strong arms were wrapped around her, straining to hold her still as she thrashed around.

"Hush my hime." He said in that low and seductive tenor he must charm any of his admirers with. Sakura became frustrated when a part of her was soothed even if it did not want to be. She would refused to let her defenses down.

Itachi seeing her hesitation continued. "My clan believes us to be engaged because we are Sakura-san. We will be wed by the end of the month."

"Like hell we will!" Sakura tried in vain once again. Her voice was failing to his once again.

"I spoke with your mentor earlier this week."

Sakura's eyes widened. Tsunade would never betray her in such a way.

"According her as long as I have your consent then I am to take you as my wife by the end of the month."

"Which you do not have!"

"Are you to say that all my clansmen are liars?" He quickly asked.

"What in gods name are you talking about? I'm calling you a liar if anything! And stop chaning the damn subject!"

"Over fifty men and women saw you on my arm tonight Sakura-san. They have asked and inquired if I was to take a wife since I said that I had the intention of doing so they implied that you were the woman I was to be taking as my wife. That is why I personally invited you at your work this morning and why I informed you that you should have a change of clothes before you were seen on my arm. And if I am not mistaken you smiled and made conversation willingly. Giving an effort that you truly wanted to be there."

Sakura held her breath the entire time. "So I'll have no choice if I want to seem honorable." Sakura finished his statement completely clam. She was mentally smacking herself on the forehead for not seeing it earlier.

A kunoichi kept their word. If Sakura said she was going to do something then she was going to do it. Itachi used it against her; making others believe that she had already given her consent by agreeing to come tonight and stand by Itachi all night. Even if she knew she didn't agree to it, everyone else believed she did and so if she was to reject Itachi now it would seem like she was going back on her word.

But that could not be so if she never gave her word in the first place. She had to find Sasuke, he would believe her if no one else would.

By the time Sakura had actually realized the full extent of his plan Itachi was already guiding her back into the house. Sakura strained to keep her distance from him, but the more she resisted the more forceful he was with her. She walked in perfect step next to him, her hip brusingly attached to his. They approached the swelling crowd of Uchiha's at a steady pace and when they entered the room many faces turned in her direction.

Sakura wanted to punch each and every thought of her supposed engagement to the Uchiha heir out of their mind.

As soon as Sakura entered the room Mikoto and the other women her starring at her intently as she clutched to Itachi for what appeared to be dear life. Although if she strangled him in the process it would be no big deal on her part. Itachi supported almost all of her weight with his arm around her waist, her face almost completely buried inside of his chest as they moved quickly into the masses of raven heads.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Sakura heard Mikoto's voice ring throughout the rest of the room. Fear immediately pulsed through her veins. "I know bring to your attention a piece of most recient knew of the greatest benefit for the Uchiha clan."

Sakura knew she only had a few minutes left to figure out how to escape a marriage she had never agreed to in the first place. This could very well be her last few moments as a single woman.

Suddenly Itachi leaned in close to Sakura's face. Seriousness clearly written all over his face. No more playing his little game; no his little game had ended. Itachi had planned every last detail out to the very last reaction that Sakura would bring about. "Listen closely Sakura, either you can chose this life and I give you my word that I will do everything in my power to give you a comfortable home."

Sakura remained silent as she waited for the second part of this deal. Which she new from her past experiences the second option was not going to be any better than the first option.

"I have chosen you Sakura as my lifetime companion. I have chosen you as my mate and I will have no other but you." Itachi's voice turned dark. Each word rolled off his tongue like a venom dart sealing her fate forever in time. "If you resist I will be compelled to use force against you. If you run I will hunt you down. If you try to speak i will silence you."

Sakura did not know at which she was more concerned about: the deathly tone in his voice, or the threat of his complete and total domination over you. He spoke to her as if she was so far under him she had no option three.

Fugaku's voice pierced through the room again. "For many years now, we have paciently awaited the day that my son, Itachi, would find a woman worthy of bearing the title of the next Lady Uchiha."

Sakura hissed, "I am not a thing you can control Itachi-san." She would not play little reputable wife to an Uchiha. "I am not giving up everything I worked so hard so you can take it all away from me."

Itachi shook his head. "I have not said that you had to Sakura-san."

"Fugaku-sama and myself can proudly say that Itachi-san has finally found that one special woman." Mikoto continued. Sakura picked up the joyous tone in her voice. Made sense that she would be thrilled with the idea.

The room immediately filled with thunderous applause and many heads turned one way and another to relocate the position of their young Uchiha heir the breathtaking young lady who had been on his arm the entire night. Itachi knew he was well hidden in the sea of Uchihas and by hiding Sakura's vibrant pink hair he was able to prevent most of his relatives from doing so.

"The choice is yours Sakura." Itachi pulled his head back to allow himself to gaze into her burning emerald eyes.

Sakura shook her head back and forth once then spoke so softly that if Itachi was not a highly capable ninja then he would not have been able to hear her. "No Itachi-san, you never did give me a choice. But I'm not sure if you're going to want my life so comfortable when you find I'm going to make yours a living hell."

Mikoto hushed the room down to nothing but murmurs so her voice could be carried. "I am honored to welcome the girl I have watched grow since childhood and am finally lucky enough to call my daughter, the Hokage's prized apprentice and infamous medical kunoichi, Miss Haruno Sakura."

Itachi smirked as the crowd parted around the two of them. Sakura pulled herself up to her fullest height which still was barely enough to reach his shoulders. Her chin pointed out, mouth pulled into a thin, fine line, and every muscle in her face seemed to be pulled so tight.

"I'd like to see you try _hime." _Itachi let out a small chuckled before grasping ahold of Sakura's face.

Before the entire Uchiha Clan, Itachi pulled Sakura into the harshest, most bruising kiss she had ever experienced before in her life. Much like his hands, his lips were warm and pressed upon hers as if he were trying to suck the very life from them. His right arm snaked in around her waist, creating the illusion that he was pulling her closer to his body when in fact he was entrapping her there.

The entire Uchiha population bursted into a thunderous applause.

Sakura only hand time to gasp before her lips connected with his. Itachi's large hand held her head steady as his harsh kiss. As a reaction she balled her fists against his chest to force him away from her. Itachi only wrapped his right arm around her waist to hold her even closer. He wasn't though, he was trapping her there.

He had won, there was no way Sakura could talk her way out of a situation like this. Itachi Uchiha advancing on her like this before the rest of his clan clearly shows his interests in her. He had shown up and personally requested a private audience with her at the hospital today.

Itachi's hands gripped at her tighter as their bruising kiss continued. They were so hot, burning holes into the back of her kimono. Her whole body started to tremble as the hand that was cupping the side of her face moved into her hair. One by one the people around her began to fade into an abyss so that all was left was the intense pressure that he was applying on her lips.

Sakura found her hands gripping his shirt to pull him closer than to push him away. The pressure he had first applied was suddenly not enough. Her mouth open slightly so her lips could push back against his for the slightest taste of Itachi. Any taste of this wonderful euphoria that she was experiencing that moment.

Another pair of arms suddenly brought her back from her sudden reality. "I told you not to touch her!"

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked confused, as the people started to come reappear in the room.

"Stand down Sasuke." Itachi warned his younger brother. The deathly tone back in his voice.

Sasuke pulled his teammate back into his protective area. "You stand down brother."

"Sasuke," Mikoto's voice was full of distress. "What are you doing?"

Sakura placed a steadying hand on Sasuke's arm. Without another word Sasuke wrapped his arm around his female teammate to help support some of her weight. But much to his suprise she shook her head. "I'm fine Sasuke."

"Sakura?" Sasuke looked at her with a twisted brow.

"Itachi, would you care to explain what is going on." Fugaku demanded appearing next to his eldest son.

Itachi brushed past Sasuke to reclaim Sakura's body in his arms. His body warming hers once again. "Go ahead hime, explain."

Sakura's eyes widened, oh no. She would not be forced to choose between her best friend and him. No way in hell was she going to hurt her team like that. Hurt Sasuke like that. But she could not let Itachi know that now. Not when he was unknowingly handing her the perfect opportunity to get him back. She would make his life hell. Starting my knocking him off that high horse his clan had placed him upon since birth.

So Sakura shied away from the handsome Uchiha and smiled her diplomatic smile once again. "I'm sorry Fugaku-sama. It's just that I had asked Sasuke to keep an eye out for me. I was rather nervous to make my relationship with Itachi-kun known tonight and wanted the extra back up if I would be put in a position where I would be made uncomfortable."

Sasuke smirked. He knew she would not embarrass him in front of his father. Let alone his clan. And by the look of caution that Sakura chose to ignore from his elder brother he guessed that Itachi's plan had been revealed and Sakura, as predicted, was not happy about it. Sakura was going to make Itachi look like the fool without completely humiliating either of them. The whole thing was a very Sakura-like thing to do.

"Is this true Sasuke?" Fugaku asked turning briefly to him.

Sasuke nodded once.

"Itachi," Mikoto started.

Sakura held up her hand to halt the woman she would soon be calling mother. "Mikoto-san, please allow me."

Mikoto nodded and Sakura turned to face Itachi. He had taken a careful note of her forced polite tone but was not expecting the back side of her hand to make sudden contact with the side of his face. Causing it to snap to the side in the matter of seconds. Itachi did not think Sakura so bold of a woman to physically hit him. Let alone in the middle of a roomful of people.

Then it hit him that she had actually laid a hand on him. So rarely was he injured that when it did happen he was always shocked and in aw that someone had actually worked through his defenses to be able to land the hit on him. He had chosen right.

The room went completely silent. All but Sasuke and Shisui who were doing there best to hold back their laughter. It was just to funny to see a tiny pink haired woman take on Itachi like that.

Sakura took a breath and collected herself. She could play the actress better than he would have ever known. "I asked you not to put me on the spot like that and you go and kiss me stupid before you whole family! Why would you do that?"

Fake tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes as Sasuke pulled her away from the large crowd once again. "Keep going till I tell you to stop." He whispered in her ear as Sasuke guided her out of the Uchiha compound.

What she would never tell was she had put all her anger into that slap and that the tears she cried now where not fake. Tears mourning the loss of her future. Itachi would be back by tomorrow if not earlier demanding an explication for her action and advising her not to do it again. Mikoto would be inviting her over every day and Fugaku would be formally apologizing to the Hokage. The whole village would be overjoyed at the couple and a wedding would be taking place by the end of the month. She could be popping out little Uchiha heirs by the end of the year.

No, her tears were real; a reflection to show how her day could possibly have been any worse.

* * *

**Notes:**

**Okay like I said before these are really long chapters cause they were going to be one shots at first but since people were putting Lady Luck on story alerts I figured I just might want to make it all one big story. **

**My biggest concern with the story is that Itachi might seem a little more come off a little more controlling than I actually intended him to be. He doesn't really want to marry Sakura any more than she wants to marry him, but he's trying to get her accustom to him so they might have a somewhat happy marriage. He's really only going through with this because he knows it would please his parents and his clan would greatly benefit by having her become an Uchiha.**

**Sakura did give Itachi a blue eye. Just as Sasuke had said in the last chapter. But deep down she does know there is some attraction she is feeling to Itachi. Itachi is like a drug to her. The more she's around him, the more she's affected by him.**

**Sasuke just doesn't like the fact that his brother is moving in on his teammate. He doesn't want Sakura to have to go through all the clan stuff that he goes through. He doesn't really have romantic feelings for her; it's more like she's someone that he's always looking out for. And he doesn't really trust Itachi fully with her at this moment**

**I like reviews so please leave them! They give me ideas for writing.**

**You can tell me what you liked or what you didn't. Or really anything else you want.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Gone Public

**Story: Lady Luck**

**Author: AngelFace23147**

**Chapter: Three**

**Major Pair: Uchiha Itachi & Haruno Sakura**

**Other Couples: Uzumaki Naruto & Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji & Tenten, Nara Shikamaru & Yamanaka Ino, Gemna & Shizune, Kakashi & Anko, Uchiha Shisui & Inunzuka Hana, Jiraiya & Tsunade.**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto. See other chapters for full disclaimer but the previous is basically the overview**

**Warning: The usual stuff. My sailors mouth, the sex innuendos and the impending violence.**

**Notes: I'm updating a little slower than I usually do. Schools is really starting to pick up and its hard for me to find time inbetween a work and school stuff. I'm not going to just write a little something. I'm trying to make each chapter just as good as the others so please just bare with me. And again I'm not actually sure where I want to go with this but I can tell you that there will be a couple of fights between Itachi and Sakura. **

**Also I'm not sure if everyone is going to like this. But I made Sasuke a little more vocal than he normally is. I'm trying for a more brotherly Sasuke than the cold hearted one. Tell me if it works or not.**

**Please don't forget to review at the end of the story but most of all...**

**Enjoy!!**

* * *

_**Previously:**_

_Another pair of arms suddenly brought her back from her sudden reality. "I told you not to touch her!"_

_"_Sasuke_?" Sakura asked confused, as the people started to come reappear in the room._

_"Stand down Sasuke." Itachi warned his younger brother. The deathly tone back in his voice._

_Sasuke pulled his teammate back into his protective area. "You stand down brother."_

_"Sasuke," Mikoto's voice was full of distress. "What are you doing?"_

_Sakura placed a steadying hand on Sasuke's arm. Without another word Sasuke wrapped his arm around his female teammate to help support some of her weight. But much to his surprise she shook her head. "I'm fine Sasuke."_

_"Sakura?" Sasuke looked at her with a twisted brow._

_"Itachi, would you care to explain what is going on." Fugaku demanded appearing next to his eldest son._

_Itachi brushed past Sasuke to reclaim Sakura's body in his arms. His body warming hers once again. "Go ahead hime, explain."_

_Sakura's eyes widened, oh no. She would not be forced to choose between her best friend and him. No way in hell was she going to hurt her team like that. Hurt Sasuke like that. But she could not let Itachi know that now. Not when he was unknowingly handing her the perfect opportunity to get him back. She would make his life hell. Starting my knocking him off that high horse his clan had placed him upon since birth._

_So Sakura shied away from the handsome Uchiha and smiled her diplomatic smile once again. "I'm sorry Fugaku-sama. It's just that I had asked Sasuke to keep an eye out for me. I was rather nervous to make my relationship with Itachi-kun known tonight and wanted the extra back up if I would be put in a position where I would be made uncomfortable."_

_Sasuke smirked. He knew she would not embarrass him in front of his father. Let alone his clan. And by the look of caution that Sakura chose to ignore from his elder brother he guessed that Itachi's plan had been revealed and Sakura, as predicted, was not happy about it. Sakura was going to make Itachi look like the fool without completely humiliating either of them. The whole thing was a very Sakura-like thing to do._

_"Is this true Sasuke?" Fugaku asked turning briefly to him._

_Sasuke nodded once._

_"Itachi," Mikoto started._

_Sakura held up her hand to halt the woman she would soon be calling mother. "Mikoto-san, please allow me."_

_Mikoto nodded and Sakura turned to face Itachi. He had taken a careful note of her forced polite tone but was not expecting the back side of her hand to make sudden contact with the side of his face. Causing it to snap to the side in the matter of seconds. Itachi did not think Sakura so bold of a woman to physically hit him. Let alone in the middle of a roomful of people._

_Then it hit him that she had actually laid a hand on him. So rarely was he injured that when it did happen he was always shocked and in aw that someone had actually worked through his defenses to be able to land the hit on him. He had chosen right._

_The room went completely silent. All but Sasuke and Shisui who were doing there best to hold back their laughter. It was just to funny to see a tiny pink haired woman take on Itachi like that._

_Sakura took a breath and collected herself. She could play the actress better than he would have ever known. "I asked you not to put me on the spot like that and you go and kiss me stupid before you whole family! Why would you do that?"_

_Fake tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes as Sasuke pulled her away from the large crowd once again. "Keep going till I tell you to stop." He whispered in her ear as Sasuke guided her out of the Uchiha compound._

_What she would never tell was she had put all her anger into that slap and that the tears she cried now where not fake. Tears mourning the loss of her future. Itachi would be back by tomorrow if not earlier demanding an explication for her action and advising her not to do it again. Mikoto would be inviting her over every day and Fugaku would be formally apologizing to the Hokage. The whole village would be overjoyed at the couple and a wedding would be taking place by the end of the month. She could be popping out little Uchiha heirs by the end of the year._

_No, her tears were real; a reflection to show how her day could possibly have been any worse._

* * *

_**Once She Got Back:**_

"Why couldn't you have given me some sort of heads up?"

"I didn't know he was talking about you." Sasuke said as Sakura paced back and forth in the living room of Naruto and Hinata's small apartment. He knew better than to take her back to her apartment. It would be too easy for Itachi to find her there.

"He's your god damned brother!" Sakura ranted she could not believe her luck.

"Yeah, because we tell each other _everything_." Sasuke's sarcasm was thick.

"He's your brother!" Sakura countered

"So?" Sasuke asked. "We're not as close as people think."

"Itachi had told Shisui something."

"And Itachi must have gone to Tsunade-sama before tonight." Sasuke knew Sakura and how her tempers needed an outlet. He just hoped that Naruto would get back before her anger came out through her fists. "Why didn't she tell you?"

Sakura threw her hands up in the air and flopped down on the couch. "She was too busy getting fucked by Jiraiya-sama."

Her head landed down in Hinata's lap. Naruto had stepped out to get some clothes from her apartment. Hinata and Naruto had agreed that she would not be staying at her house until the point where this engagement is called off or she would be spending the rest of the nights in Itachi's bed. Both thoughts made her tired. The whole situation made her brain hurt especially having just lived through the worst day of her entire life which ended in the finding out that she was chosen to be the "Lucky Lady" to be marrying Itachi. Even if she didn't want to marry him. Itachi had made it perfectly clear she had no choice in the matter.

In other words he screwed her over right under her own nose.

He made it so that if she wanted to keep her good reputation as a reputable kunoichi then she would go through with the marriage.

It was one of the lowest blows she ever took in her life. It wasn't that Itachi wasn't good looking, for Gods know he is. It's more that Sakura herself could not admit that he wasn't. Yet his arrogance was what bothered her the most. The fact that he just expected her to bend to his wishes and his plans for her pissed her off past no belief.

It was her life. What say did a man she barely ever held a conversation with have the power to dictate what her future was going to be? Yes, sure Sakura would like to have a husband and a family someday. But that's years into the future. She wanted to be focused on her life as a kunoichi. She had worked so hard for years to be able to forge a reputation for herself. She left behind her love sick life long ago. Sakura was no walking mat. Not for her boys and defiantly not for Uchiha Itachi.

Sakura would not be tamed so easily.

She would not go down without a fight.

"I think you should stick it to that Uchiha prick Sakura-chan." Naruto said coming through the door with an armful of personal items. Items which he proceeded to drop on the floor. "I'm serious Sakura-chan just punch him through the wall."

"That's my family too dobe." Sasuke grumbled. Naruto ignored him.

"I'm sorry Sasuke but I agree with Naruto on this one." Sakura mumbled. "I can't stand it, no offense Hinata."

Hinata, who had been playing with Sakura's famous pink locks, let out a little laugh. "You're not the only one. Neji just about through a fit when father told him that some law put in place two hundred years ago forbid him from being with Tenten."

Her speech defect had faded once she started actually talking to Kiba and then later Naruto. Kiba is to Hinata what Sakura is to Naruto; yet that was a fact that Naruto didn't understand until most recently.

Sakura laughed, "Thanks Hinata." She appreciated her good efforts, but even she knew that Neji had fought and fought for his right to be with Tenten and had to resort to threatening to leave the village before Haishi would give Tenten a shot. And that was just the Hyuugas. The Uchihas had even tougher heads. Sakura and Naruto had both had problems with the Uchiha elders when Sasuke was creating stronger bonds with them than he was within his clan. That issue alone followed them until team seven were the first team to officially be cleared by their sensei.

Sai had joined their group just when the other three were chunin. Sasuke and Sakura had just started into their relationship and Sasuke didn't take too kindly to Sai. But Sakura liked the way his brain worked. He was always thought logically; even when Sasuke couldn't he could always separate choices that would often become troublesome if emotions were added.

After deciding that she would have to have a friendly chat with her artsy teammate Sakura turned her curiosity back to Sasuke. "Do you know why me?"

"He says he's been watching you for a while." Sasuke grunted out knowing that wasn't the complete truth. "I don't completely believe him. Itachi taught me one important thing. You do what pleases the clan."

"So he's just marrying Sakura-chan because she's the first girl to pop into his mind?" Naruto asked. The look of disgust on her brother's face was priceless. She was glad that both him and Sasuke were behind her. Even if Sasuke was more neutral then on her side, she was happy that he wasn't on the Uchiha side.

"Have you not gone on missions with Itachi-san?" Hinata asked. Sakura sat up a minute to ponder this. "Yes, I have. And now that you mention that he always had me remain rather close to him. Like he had to know where I was at all times." Which at the time Sakura just saw him as a rather responsible leader looking out for the medical ninja; but now she just found it rather creepy.

Sasuke and Naruto tossed each other looks. "Uh Sakura-chan," Naruto began but Sasuke quickly cut him off. She did not need to hear that they forced Itachi to look over her. At least, Sasuke didn't; he knew in the back of his brain that Sakura was not going to escape his brother.

That under no means meant that he was okay with this outcome. He was pissed that Itachi would put his Sakura in this situation. Sasuke had always thought that if he didn't find another girl he and Sakura would settle down. They were both Shinobi anyway and both understood that trust was a large part of a relationship on that level.

Itachi had always been saying to him and Shisui that he wanted a woman who was strong and independent and who wouldn't bend to his every need. So now he was being such a hypocrite that he was giving Sakura any chance to hold her ground. Not that Sakura wasn't going to fight Itachi the whole way down the aisle and possibly right into his bed.

Sasuke let a small smirk slip onto his face. Itachi made one hell of a miscalculation if he thought Sakura wasn't going to put up a fight. And either way his life was about to get rather complicated.

"What are you smirking at?" Sakura asked with a bit of an attitude. "Are you happy about this?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I've been waiting to see Itachi meet his match. You're just as stubborn as he is."

"So I'm nothing but amusement to you?" Saakura started up again.

"That's a twenty four seven thing." The smirk widened while Naruto tried and failed to contain his laughter. Not long after a kunai was lodged into the wall between the two boys. Both blonde and raven heads snapped in the direction of the females. One head held a glare while the other held shock.

With one of her dirtiest looks Sakura growled at the two boys. "Back on task please." She couldn't believe that they were joking about this already. Naruto nodded and made his way back over the couch and sat between the two women. Naruto only put his arm around Hinata who leaned into her lover's shoulder.

Sakura watched the two in their moment of intimacy with a pain in her heart. One pain for the thought that she wish she could have something even close to what the two of them had. The second knowing that she might never; Itachi was courteous, but Sakura highly doubted that he was going to take the time to make her feel loved.

"I think I'm just going to head to bed for the night." Sakura stood up from the couch and smiled her diplomatic smile. The two on the couch looked worriedly at her for a second then hugged his little sister. Sakura knew they knew something else was bothering her, but neither pressed the subject. She had been through enough for one day. And in most truth she only wanted to rest.

Well she wanted this entire day not to have happened but that wasn't going to happen. Therefore sleep was the next best thing. Right now she'd take whatever she could get.

* * *

**Back At The Uchiha Compound**

"Haruno Sakura," Fugaku repeated for the fifth time since the conclusion of their family gather that night. Itachi's head was beginning to hurt from retelling the 'story' between the two of them over and over with emphasis on either Sakura's accomplishments or how they had become involved.

They had gathered in the living room, Mikoto still in her evening kimono sitting in the chair closest to the fire place. She kept take sips of her tea and leaning forward and backward in her chair. Fugaku was leaning against the mantle most obviously deep in thought about the pink haired woman his eldest son had chosen for his life partner.

He had to say, Sakura's little show before she stormed out of the house certainly help convinced the council of not only her skills as a kunoichi, but her devotion to him. Itachi couldn't help but laugh at the irony. In her attempts to make him look the fool, she actually proved herself more worthy to be by his side. For example, the hand shaped on the right side of his face reminded all of her chakra enhancing abilities she had felt so inclined to demonstrate right in front of masses of his extended family.

An action very well placed but would never happen again. He could not afford to look we by constantly being dominated by his future wife.

"I had said before that she was a very accomplished girl Fugaku." Mikoto was on cloud nine. "Haruno Sakura as my daughter-in-law! Who would have ever seen a day that I would have one of the best kunoichis in Konoha as my daughter?"

"She is the apprentice of the Hokage is she not?" Fugaku asked Itachi.

Mikoto answered. "The only one she's ever taken on since Tsunade-sama became Hokage.

Itachi nodded agreeing with her mother. "Hatake Kakashi was her sensei."

Fugaku noted this fact. While Mikoto cooed over him again. "She's been on the same team as Sasuke and Naruto for the longest time. Along with that other boy they are the best four man team Tsunade-sama has! Oh Sasuke should be here."

Itachi's ears picked up when a two soft feet landed outside the house indicating that his younger brother's return to the main house. "Well he's back if you care to question him now mother."

Mikoto's attention turned towards the kitchen through which Sasuke was just now entering. He took one look around the room and knew they had just been talking either about him or Sakura. Mikoto beconded her youngest son to come and join the rest of the family for a nice chat.

Sasuke eyed his mother and with one quick sentence declared his position on the subject. "I never talked about her before. I'm not going to start just because Itachi's horomones kicked into drive."

Fugaku turned on his youngest, "You will do what is best for the family." Fugaku's voice was firm and commanding, a voice that Sasuke used to fear as a child but now he was no child. Sasuke had grown tired of his father's oppressions on him and gave up his attempts to win his father's approval. Funny enough, the council gave their approval before his father even did the day that his team finally finished off Orochimaru once and for all. Sasuke and Naruto had the ones delivering the final blow while Sakura and Sai took on Kabuto.

Sasuke drew the line when it came to Sakura. Sasuke countered his father easily. "If my team does not have a medic then we cannot serve the village as we should. Then there-by disgracing the clan."

Itachi knew the importance of the medic. Especially as he moved up in the ranks; he found it to be paramount on his S and A ranked missions to have a medic by his side at all times. There was always, at least, one person that would become fatally injured. Said person would surely die if not for the presence of a medical nin.

Itachi himself, had rarely need one, but he knew not everyone was at his level. Or had the rescores he did. But then again, there was another point to be made.

"Sakura marrying into this family has nothing to do with her position on your team boy." Fugaku waved Sasuke off. "You are to blinded to see the benefits of having such a girl in the family. What good it will do the clan and the village if Haruno Sakura was to marry Itachi."

Sasuke's temper flared. He knew is father would only be thinking along the lines of future heirs. With Itachi's affinity for the sharingan and Sakura's perfect chakra control, some sort of prodigy was to come of the combination of the two. Nothing else mattered to him. Sakura would not see that as a valid reason for having to marry into a clan whose rules and regulations she found to be absurd. He would not have a problem if Itachi actually cared for the girl and had asked her to marry him properly; but since he only picked her because of her reputation without her consent Sakura had a problem.

So by the unwritten laws of Team Seven Sasuke would not stand aside while Sakura was in trouble. Thou who pisses off one, pisses off all.

"Sasuke," Mikoto tried to calm her baby down. "You care for Sakura right?"

Sasuke glared at his mother, who only took his silence as a yes. They had worked together for years. They had saved each other's lives on countless occations. Hell they put up with Naruto and Sai together.

"You have trusted her to your brother before. Why can you not do the same now?" Mikoto asked, her dark eyes pleading with her son to reason. "You know nothing will harm Sakura while she's with Itachi."

"Nothing could harm that girl anyway." Sasuke mumbled.

"What was that?" Fugaku's voice raised in volume again.

"Sakura would not need Itachi's protection." Sasuke clarified. "You saw how she laid a hand on him tonight. Do you really think anyone with bad intentions come anywhere near her without a fight?

"My guard was down Sasuke. I was not expecting her to behave so out of fashion." Itachi finally had enough.

"That was not out of fashion Itachi." Sasuke smirked. "That was also something you had brought upon yourself."

"I cannot help myself if Sakura is a very attractive woman." Itachi pushed his brother's nerves. "I made one wrong calculation. One for which I will be apologizing for later. Yet Sakura-san was very comfortable on my arm tonight Sasuke."

"She did not even want to be there." Sasuke spat. "She was under the impression she was going to be my escort."

"How would you know? Have you talked to her recently?" Itachi asked catching Sasuke in a loop. "She had said she had agreed to come with me as long as I behaved myself." Itachi reminded Sasuke of Sakura's little performance.

Again Sasuke glared at his older brother, he was twisting her words too. Sasuke should have known Itachi would do something like this. They would have to recruit Shikamaru to be able to outsmart him. So what was his next move supposed to be.

"Yes I've talked with her, I was the one to lead her away after all." Sasuke reminded his older brother. "She wants nothing to do with you as this moment."

"I'm sure she will understand that this is just a misunderstanding.

"On her own conditions." Sasuke corrected his older brother. "Sakura is not one to sit back and take shit from others."

* * *

Itachi's eyes narrow this time. Sasuke was one of the few that could actually piss him off. Itachi knew that Sakura was a highly skilled kunoichi but he was nowhere close to his level. That meant nothing however when she had help. No doubt lay in his mind that she would have three pissed off teammates behind her as well. Then there were the rest of the shinobi in her age group. Asuma's kids and the two Hyuugas the freaky bug boy and Hana's younger brother would be happy to join up for messing with the girl who had saved their lives.

If all the others help her then he would be greatly outnumbered. The Nara boy was a smart thing if he wanted to be. Hiashi's nephew was not one to be taken lightly either. He was on the same level as his little brother and his blonde haired teammate. All of them together were going to be the difficult part.

Yet Itachi had the upper hand. Sakura was an honorable kunoichi just as Tsunade was. If she were to back out of the engagement then she would lose the reputation that she worked so hard to build. Sakura would be his. He would have no other woman.

"Have you talked with her parents?" Fugaku cut into the small dispute between his sons. Not that he had noticed the tension anyway.

Itachi nodded. "Tsunade gave her consent." Unknowingly but still she did.

"You did not go to her family?"

Itachi turned to his father quickly. "Her parents are dead."

"Her mother is dead." Sasuke corrected bitterly. "Her father left when her mother became ill." A fact that Sasuke new Itachi had never heard before, Sakura never liked talking about her parents so there was no way that he could have known.

Sasuke immediately shut his mouth once again when Itachi gave him a rather analytical look. He shouldn't really be giving Itachi this much information about Sakura. "I'm going to go to bed." Sasuke said and left the room.

"I'll go to the Hokage first thing the next morning." Fugaku stated. "Itachi you will locate Haruno and bring her along. We'll have much to discuss."

"Yes sir," Itachi said. After which Fugaku put this topic to rest for now. He retired to his quarters along with his wife following right behind him. Like a dog on a leash.

Itachi watched them go. The disgust he had for his mother's weakness grew with every day he spent in the house. He had a younger problem to deal with first. With very little sound Itachi left the house and jumped to the roof tops looking for his target. A black silhouette moved through the night not but two houses ahead of Itachi's current position.

Nice try little brother, Itachi thought to himself as he quickened his speed to catch up Sasuke's fleeting form. Itachi knew the development where Sakura lived. Most nurses lived in the same area because of the shorter distance between the hospital and the development. But the direction was not the same.

Itachi rounded around his little brother and swung around to face Sasuke as they both landed on the same roof. "Where is she Sasuke?"

"Like I'd tell you." Sasuke said as he made a drastic change in direction.

Itachi rolled his eyes and raced after Sasuke for the second time. He better not keep this up, He thought as he easily caught up with his younger brother for the second time.

"I need to talk to her."

"So you can twist her words around again." Sasuke's voice was in a harsh whisper. Again he went to leave but Itachi merely grabbed his arm. With one yank Itachi was able to through Sasuke off balance enough to pull him down into the streets so he would be less able to feel over the roof tops.

At the same time both Uchiha males' eyes turned blood read. Sasuke had received the third tome

Itachi's eyes narrowed. He never had this much trouble with Sasuke before. "What is the problem you have with me perusing Sakura?" Itachi did not blink, he did not let go of Sasuke and he was not leaving until he got exactly what he wanted.

Sasuke was silent for a moment. Debating in his mind whether Itachi deserved his teammate. "You're going to get her, even I know that. Leave it alone."

"So you're just going to set the clan aside for no fucking reason!"

"You lived your whole damn life for the good of the clan Itachi." Sasuke hissed grabbing onto Itachi shirt. "Why should this time be any different?"

"The clan is corrupt Sasuke." Itachi's voice dominated Sasuke's. "Power hungry bastards that don't give a fuck about the people who serve them. Only about the reputation they have established. I'm not going to marry Sakura just to please the clan. I'm chose her because of her resientence against the clan."

"So you are just using her!" Sasuke accused. "You're forcing her into a role she will hate for the rest of her life."

"I'm not just going to drop her like father did mother Sasuke." Itachi defended himself. "I am a better than that. Why are you

"There is nothing I can do to stop this." Sasuke jerked away. Itachi always got what he wanted. It was the way it had been his entire life. Sasuke would stay out of clan affairs so Itachi could take care of them while in return Itachi made sure that Sasuke got what he asked for.

But that was only after Itachi got what he wanted first. Sasuke got the second hand. "I know her. She's going to go through with it to save her reputation and she's going to give you hell in the process. You're going to win. You're going to get her Itachi. What else matters?"

What else matters? He was going to end up with Sakura, so what else really did matter? Sasuke mattered. Itachi may not always have the time for Sasuke, or treat him like he should; but Sasuke was his younger brother. And that was something that would stay with him till the end of his life. What was Sakura to Sasuke? She was a teammate; she was a friend who had been with him since the very beginning. She had saved his life, and he protected her fiercely; but why?

"You love her?"

Sasuke's head turned away. "No," He said sharply making Itachi doubt his words.

"But you did once?" Itachi pressed.

Sasuke looked at the moon, it was not quite full but give it a few days and it would be. It was late spring all the trees had their leaves once again, the birds would not shut up during the day and the crickets would not shut up during the night. "You better not hurt her." Sasuke said pulling his arm away from his older brother. "She's not going to be like mom."

There was something more to that story. There was a connection that Sasuke felt to her that even he could not explain. "I'm counting on that if she's going to survive the elders."

Sasuke smirked. "More like the elders will have to survive her."

* * *

Of course Sakura's sleep could not last long. Sakura could not forget the events of that night. She could not relive herself of Itachi's obsidian eyes out of her head. The way they starred at her so intently when she was getting ready or the warmth of his hand on her side for the entire evening. She recalled perfectly how he had introduced her to every person right after greeting the other person.

But that's the way all nightmares start. Sure he was masked as this prince charming but as the dream continued on Sakura found herself unable to speak. She tried to talk to the others in the room but none paid her mind. Itachi's hand turned to fire and all she could feel was the pain of his grip on her arm. Children swarmed her feet and tugged at the hems of her kimono which became slowly tightened itself around her body.

After a while she just lay in her bed hugging her knees and sobbing silently into a pillow at the side of her head. Her body shook slightly and no matter how hard she tried to stop it her body refused to listen. But Sakura was not even sure what she was shedding tears over. Whether it be the fact that she was cornered into marriage or losing her freedom. Or just the plain fact that she could not find a bright side no matter where she looked.

Somewhere between her sobs she managed to hear the door opening and closing but she did not care. She knew who it was. His presence alone would be enough to calm her. Sasuke always seemed to do that. He always had a level head. Well maybe not always, but most of the time. He came to sit by her, just on the corner of the bed. He placed his hand on top of hers and let her crush it with all her might. He let all of her pain and anguish go into small bit of contact.

It worked every time. Every time but this one, because this time he couldn't just go and recruit Naruto and Sai and Kakashi if needed to go and beat up whoever did this to her. It wasn't that simple anymore. Sasuke himself felt a pull between his clan and the girl whose helped him survive his clan.

Once she calm down Sakura found the strength to speak again she asked the one question that had been burning in her since she became aware of her situation. The one question that she just had to know, because it would make the biggest difference in the way she fought against Itachi and the rest of the Uchiha clan. "Do you honestly think I have a chance of getting out of this?"

Sasuke returned the gaze. His however seemed to be more pensive than her own. Thinking about whether it was going to be the right thing to tell her or not. "Itachi always has gotten what he worked for."

"Sasuke," Sakura stopped him sitting up to look him in the eye. "Don't sugar-coat it for me."

"There is only one way that I can think of." He finally said.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Which is?"

"The only way my brother wouldn't go through with the marriage is if the desire not to marry you is greater than his desire to please the clan." Sasuke rattled off. It was a relatively simple fact which made sense to him. For Sakura it was something completely different to understand.

Sakura thought for a moment trying to understand Sasuke and his clan's stupid ways. She hated that he was tied down by such stupid laws of an ancient clan. But in return he had the sharingan, one of the most powerful blood line traits Sakura had ever encountered. Was it worth it though?

"So if Itachi thought that I was not the best choice for the clan he would not marry me." Sakura clarified. Sasuke nodded his head confirming what she said. Sakura flopped back down on the bed. "Fuck"

Sasuke let out a small smirk and a grunt of amusement. "I knew you'd say that."

"Why does your mother have to love me so damn much?"

"It's more than my mother now." Sasuke said remembering his father's words. "He's coming around slowly though."

Sakura understood. "Fugaku has been a headache most of our lives anyway." Sakura tried to laugh. He would only care about her reputation and connections to the Hokage and the circle of skilled shinobi with whom she travels. Oh and then there is the convenience of her medical knowledge and that little knack for chakra control that was only rivaled by Tsunade herself.

"Do you know if your chakra control is passed genetically?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura shook her head. "As far to my knowledge no Haruno has ever been a shinobi before. There is really no way of knowing. Why do you ask? Would your father be less inclined to accept me if it wasn't passed genetically?"

Sasuke smirked and shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

"Does he know I'm not at my house?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Damn," Sakura cursed again. "Now it's just a battle against time."

Sakura heard the breath escape Sasuke's mouth and she turned to look at him. "What?" Sakura was with Sasuke long enough to know when something was on his mind. He always got unusually quiet and would not interact with anyone. He does his withdraw thing and no one but Sakura ever seemed to bother him.

"He's not as thrilled about the marriage either you know." Sasuke mumbled.

Sakura's green eyes narrowed. "Then tell him not to go through with it."

"I can't do that Sakura."

Enraged she raised her voice not caring who heard her. "Why the fucken hell not?" She was on her feet in a second confronting her teammate. Was he not on her side?

Sasuke lowered his head and got off the bed. "I'm on your side. It's not going to be easy for me seeing you with him. But you are what he thinks is best for the clan I am unable to stop him."

"You're his brother!" Sakura exclaimed in disbelief. "Does that not mean anything?"

"And brothers have been known to kill each other." Sasuke confessed. "He's the heir Sakura, anything that he is doing for the 'good of the clan' is given top priority. And this is something they've been waiting for."

Sakura starred at him shaking her head back and forth. "So what am I supposed to do?" her voice was shaking with anger. Sakura's eyes were puffed and red from shedding tears, her body was tense and ready for action. Her mind could only focus all her hate on set group of people who all happen to have the same last name. "How am I supposed to battle this?"

Sasuke smirked. Itachi was not too fond of them either. "Imagine them all as the way to get back at your father."

Sakura paused for a moment. Thinking of how her father skipped out when his mother needed him the most. Sakura tracked him down later, after her mother passed, and found him in the arms of a redhead that could have been her twin. She had never been so disgusted in her entire life. She watched as the greed shown through his eyes as he screwed the whore again and again. Not even caring if he hurt her or not.

"Now take it out on Itachi and the council."

Sakura let one of the evilest smirks slowly find its way onto her face. "When do I get to see your beloved brother and father?"

Sasuke answered rather amused with himself. "He'll be attempting to find you tomorrow. Father is planning to speak with Tsunade-sama."

"I'm sure Tsunade-shishou will be very surprised to hear of my wedding plans." Sakura mused as she crawled back to her bed. "I hope she has enough sake."

It took her a minute before Sakura put two and two together. Oh real nice Itachi, she thought, playing to my master's weakness. He bought her sake. And probably fine ass sake to get any sort of affirmative answer from the busty blonde.

"That bastard." Sakura shook her head before going to sleep once again.

* * *

**_A Couple Days Later_**

The morning came with the usual morning routine. Nothing special happened, nothing out of the ordinary. Sakura awoke to her internal clock around the same time as she did any other day. Her shower was normal she used Hinata's lavender scented body wash. The Hyuuga beauty had been up at the same time and had prepared eggs for the two of them before she went off on a short escort mission. Sakura was accompanied to the hospital by her blonde haired brother. But the best part was that she had no troubles with admirers in tight green spandex as she left the house.

Considering Lee was probably smart enough to know not to mess with the woman of an Uchiha. It had been at least three days time since Itachi had made his wishes known of their impending marriage. And in that time Sakura was on edge. Not even the village knew, other than the clan anyway. He had not even made an attempt to contact her.

Yet she knew he was only toying with her. He was waiting for something. For the exact time when she wouldn't be able to do anything to stop the announcement thus finalizing their marriage. Then Sakura only needed to figure out when Itachi was going to make his next move. When are the Uchiha's going to tell the rest of the village?

"Are you ready to face Itachi yet?" Naruto said as they walked together down the streets of Konoha.

"I can't figure when he'll make his move." Sakura confessed as she hooked her arm with her brother's. "I sometimes wish he would just go ahead and make his move so I don't have to sit at home...your home...waiting for him to do something."

It was the prime of spring time, just warm enough for people to be spending more time outside than inside. She had caught a glimpse of Itachi once when he was taking a walk with his father and the other council members when she went to collect the traffic papers for her shishou. Itachi had seen her first, raising his head to appraise her figure. He looked at her first with respect as their eyes met, then that respect quickly faded from his black eyes until they sank and became almost predatory. At this Sakura's own eyes narrowed and she quickly continued on her path before the others could catch a glance as well.

"I don't' know how you can sit around like that either Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. "I mean I'd just go right up to the bustard and put that super strength of yours to go work. You use it all the time on me anyway Sakura-chan. Why not use it on him?"

Sakura thought about what her brother had said for a moment. Why should she wait around for Itachi's first move? She already knew that he was going to publicly announce their relationship to the village. Which was a lie and he knew it, and he knew that she knew yet he delayed telling anyway. So why not tell the village first that there was no relationship? That would be the easiest way to stop this from spreading.

A smirk came across Sakura's face, "That has to be your best idea so far!"

Naruto looked at her for a moment before bursting out in laughter thanking her even though Sakura knew he did not know what had inspired her newest plan.

Her plan was flawless. The nurses were Uchiha crazy after all and if one Uchiha set foot threw the hospital doors they knew within one minute. And their favorite male Uchiha just messed with the girl who got her gossip straight from the gossip queen. Miss Yamanaka Ino herself. Oh how the nurses would swarm around her when she had a good and juicy piece of gossip. Sakura's smiled brightened, she could make the elder Uchiha look like an ass-hole faster than he could ever imagine.

With that knowledge nothing could take Sakura off of her cloud nine. Naruto escorted her into the hospital still laughing loudly before taking off towards the training fields to spar with Sasuke. The doors seemed to open themselves as she entered her domaine. Many of the nurses were already gathered in lobby area and turned to face her as she took her daily schedule from the receptionist.

It was all too perfect; everything was in place

"Sakura-san," a masculine voice stood out among the swooning, high pitched voices of the nurses.

Everything had been too perfect.

Sakura's light hearted mood vanished in one second, giving way to her anger and fury like she had never seen before. She stood not but ten feet from the current source of her anger. He stood just over six feet surrounded by squealing nurses with his black hair pulled back at the base of his neck. He was adorned in a traditional ANBU uniform; black from head to toe. His mask was not seen but she knew he had it somewhere on his person. His posture was perfect, standing straight and not showing any emotion on his face no matter how hard he wanted to.

The moment she entered everyone's attention turned to her. The squeals turned to whispers and Itachi's voice carried over them as his black eyes bore straight into her emerald green eyes. Sakura raised her chin not giving him the satisfaction of that smug look which adorned his face affecting her.

"You're presence has been greatly missed Sakura-san."

"Of course that absence has only been missed one way Uchiha-san." Sakura plastered a smile on her face.

"I have been waiting for you." Itachi informed the second in command of the hospital.

"Are you just some freak or something?" Sakura asked rather suddenly flipping through her clipboard. "No one in their right minds would wake up that early without due reason."

"Sakura" one of the nurses stated rather loudly. "Why would you talk to Itachi-kun like that?"

"Why would you all let him in with no appointment before hospital hours?" Sakura shot back.

"Shinobi do not need appointments unless it is a check-up Haruno-san." Another nurse spoke.

Sakura was very well aware of that fact. Another nurse on seeing Sakura's hesitation agreed with the second speaker. "He does have a point you know."

"Then you all should have had plenty of time to heal a man who has been admitted to the hospital with any sort of injury a total of twice in his shinobi carrer, should you not? I imagine his injury would not have been too life threatening or the entire village would be on high alert." Sakura said as she began to travel down the hall, looking at her clip board trying to focus on what her day was going to be like and not on the stampedes of footsteps coming down the hallway after her.

The nurses called after her with much distress in their voices. Many of them were involved with a male in some way or another

"Sakura-san," Itachi tried to talk to her, matching her quick pace much quicker than the horde of nurses behind her. "There are things we must discuss..."

"I'm not in the mood to deal with you this early in the morning Uchiha-san" Sakura cut him off not wanting to hear what bull shit was going to come out of his mouth. Sakura walked with a purpose. She had to get away from him and reform a new plan.

He just had to go and ruin her perfectly good plan! Sakura knew this is where the true battle started. Who could tie the other one up the other one up the fastest? It was her word against his. Sakura's quick wit against Itachi's careful planning. Sakura did not want to have to deal with this so early in the morning. He wasn't supposed to be there. He wasn't supposed to show up until after lunch. No he couldn't have just stuck to the plan. He had to go and make up his own!

"And honestly I don't appreciate you coming into my workplace to spread your goddamn lies to the damn nurses. I have already wasted enough time." Sakura gave him an evil glare before turning. "You know the way out Uchiha."

"And you are so busy you cannot spare a minute?" Itachi question just as Sakura was about to escape into a patients room.

Sakura took a deep breath before turning to look the older male directly in his dark eyes. "Believe it or not Uchiha-"

"Itachi," He corrected for the second time.

"_Uchiha-san_." Sakura continued purposely using the formal address just because she knew it would be the only thing she could say at this moment to piss him off. "I am a very wanted woman."

"Should your husband not be your first priority?" Itachi raised an eyebrow with no change in his indifferent façade. Oh he was pushing her buttons as well.

Sakura smiled sweetly, "I have no husband." Her voice was high pitched just like it would be when she first encountered a new patient; while her green eyes told . "I am not involved with any man in any way."

"But you make time for my brother if he wishes?" Itachi said with a trying gleam in his eyes. Sakura froze for a moment. Was he trying to frame her for having an affair with his brother, which she didn't have, while being currently involved with him, which again she was not.

"As I would for any of my teammates, I'm sure you are aware of the bonds we all share." Sakura clarified.

"Am I not a teammate?"

"You Uchiha-san," Sakura had anticipated this question.

Again he corrected her, "Itachi,"

Sakura continued, "Have requested me on a handful of missions. Naruto, Sai, Sasuke-kun and I have all been at least one hundred of missions together.

"Sakura-sama." One of the younger nurses called sensing the amount of tension between the two.

"If we are done here Uchiha-san I have work to do." Sakura dipped her head slightly before entering the room. Kiba's form was laying on the bed. He was still sleeping, which was natural for a shinobi in his state. It would be about mid morning until his body began its wake up process.

* * *

**At the Hokage's Office:**

Tsunade had a bad feeling when she walked into her office this moring. Something just didn't feel right as she looked out over the still sleeping village of Konoha.

"Shizune!" Tsunade called suddenly. "Get your ass in here now!"

She paused a minute thinking.

"Bring your boy toy with you!"

Within thrity seconds both Shizune and Gemna showed up in her doorway. Shizune's hair was sticking every which way while she was clad in Gemna's shirt while he showed up bare chested with a comb-over but still chewing on his sebeon as always. Gemna had his shoes on backwards as well as his pants which didn't help hiding his...

"Yes Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked.

"Stop talking and sit down." Tsunade ordered the two of them before turning to address the shirtless male. "At least you could finish the job every now and then." Shizune's face flodded.

Tsunade seated herself in a chair and produced a deck of cards from her desk and began dealing to the two. "Tsuande!" Shizune cried. "This is barely the time."

"Could have waited two more minutes." Gemna grumbled picking up his cards.

"Shut up and anny up!" Tsunade scolded.

Both shinobi did what they would told putting two coins in. "Best five card hand?" Gemna asked. He never minded gambling especially with the Hokage.

Tsunade looked at him and nodded. Betting consisted of each player turning their pockets inside, adding whatever they had to the growing pot. Shizune knew that she didn't have a prayer when playing with only a pair and no high card but caught the dirty look Tsuande threw her way when she went to fold.

Gemna knew his hand was rather good and pushed Tsunade for as much as she had knowing she would always loose. Tsunade looked at her own cards then to the faces of the others.

"Show."

Shizune had a pair of sixes and random other cards not worth anything. Tsunade had expect this.

Gemna did have a good hand: a pair of fives and nines with a queen. "I think i win Hokage-sama."

"Shit," Tsunade slapped her cards down on the table.

Shizune and Gemna looked at the cards and gaped. A full house. Aces full of eights.

Tsunade had the high hand, she had won.

"Tsunade," Shizune's voice was shaking. "What's wrong,"

There was a sudden knock and the door and Gemna knew that was his cue to disappar which he did promply. right before the figure of Fugaku Uchiha walked through the door.

Tsunade starred down the man before whispering to Shizune, "Shit was an understatement."

**

* * *

**

**Back With Our _Happy_ Couple**

Sakura smiled when her eyes noticed the slight rise and fall of his chest. She crossed the room to open up the blinds just enough to let his eyes register that there was some sun in the room, but not so much that it blinded him. She always tried to take care of her shinobi.

Yet for some reason Itachi had something against the sleeping Inuzuka. The raven haired ANBU captain entered the room with a powerful presence forcefully closing the door behind them. "I had told you to call me by my first name rather than my sur name Sakura."

"I would prefer it if you did not disturb my patients." Sakura stormed back across the room in a fit of rage. "Do you know what kind of stress you could put on his body if he woke up suddenly!?"

Of course she did not notice Itachi's eye change until she was within his arm's reach.

Sakura had seen Sasuke's sharingan before, but Itachi's was different. It seemed to draw her in instead of telling her to look away. The three black tomes, beautiful curves floating in a sea or even sky of crimson red. A color that suited his face rather well, the dark shades enhanced the sharp features of his face. A face that Sakura realized was too close for comfort.

"Eh Sakura-san not so loud." Kiba groaned as he rolled over. His senses slowly coming to; Sakura winced his body still should have another hour or two of rest.

"We will discuss our wedding." Itachi did not hold back with the power of his eyes.

"There will be no wedding." Sakura growled through her teeth as she went to shove him. Sakura had enough with his stubborn attitude. It was like he didn't care about her at all; she was nothing more than a tool at his disposal. Itachi grabbed her arms avoiding her hands. He knew of her enhanced chakra strength and did not want to be at the other end of that punch.

Kiba sat up after his body registered another, stronger chakra single in the room. "Itachi?" Kiba gaped that Sakura was confronting the Uchiha's golden child in his room. "What are you doing here?"

Itachi pulled her body against his completely ignoring the other male in the room. "I know your mad at me _hime_." Itachi's tenor voice flowed into her ear as he pulled her closer to his body. She could feel the heat and hear his steady heart beat as calm as it ever could be. "But it would not be wise of you to doubt my commitment."

Kiba was out of it and not all of him believed what he was seeing, but he knew if he was dreaming than Sakura would not be with another guy. But he also knew the chances that Sakura would be romantically involved with her teammate's older brother would be slim. Kiba knew he wasn't out that long either."Sakura why did he just call you hime?

"I know the levels of your devotion." Sakura sneered struggling against his grip. She wanted her opinion to be known. He would not be getting her unless she had no other choice. If she found a road she would take it until she had to back track and find another.

"As I understand you have a problem with this arrangement." His arms seemed to circle her whole body trapping her against him. Her form was easily absorbed by his own so his head reached her with no problems. His mouth rested right by the shell of Sakura's ear.

Kiba's jaw dropped at his sight. "What fucking arrangement?" He asked very loudly knowing that the other two were trying to ignore him.

Her body began to react to Itachi's body rather than to Kiba's cries for answers; and she did not know why. Itachi's body was so warm against her own and all her body wanted was that warmth to spread.

Sakura's on the other hand started to run marathons. "No shit Uchiha!" She exploded forcing chakra into her hands so she could shove Itachi away. "You took advantage of me in front of your entire family! You think I wouldn't be mad?" Sakura thrashed back and forth between Itachi's arms of a prison.

They struggled as Sakura attempted to get a punch in but Itachi did not falter. If anything his grip became tighter around her squeezing the air out of her stomach. The pain was bearable enough, but Sakura knew that Itachi was doing it on purpose.

"Now _hime,_" He's tenor voice turned to silk floating across the almost nonexistent space between the two. "If I recall correct Sakura-san, you enjoyed our heated moment together."

"I did not!" Sakura hollered once again only to feel another tight squeeze around her abdomen. He was putting her in a corner right in front of one of her friends. Desperatly Sakura called out to Kiba, "Don't believe a word out of his mouth Kiba!"

Yet Kiba was still debating whether or not he was dreaming the scene before him or if innocent Sakura Haruno was involved with one of the most powerful shinobi in the village. Could it really be possible that Sasuke would allow this? Yet Uchiha laws were probably different than Inuzuka laws.

"Don't deny it now _hime_," Itachi's silk voice traveled right along the side of her ears, while his hands began to trail along in small paths against her arms.

Sakura grabbed at his arms scratching them trying her best to free herself from his grip. She had not thought he would resort to this; resort to squeezing the air out of her. She had to admit, using his physical strength to restrain her was a smart move.

Especially with a close friend of hers in the room; any wrong move on her part would play out bad. There were women in the building who were so bent on watching every single second of the interaction between Itachi and his newest..._interest_. They were like staving kids who would feed on any little piece of interesting news or better yet gossip that would come their way.

Not smart enough, Itachi made one critical mistake; he doubted the extent to her chakra control. "If I'm the one lying Itachi-san," she choked out. "Tell me why you are attempting to control the woman you wish to spend the rest of your life with?"

With that Sakura refocused her chakra into the point of her elbow. Itachi had trapped her arms this time so she would not be able to punch. But by securing her arms Itachi put her elbow dangerously close to his abdomen. Or better yet, his liver. Sakura released her chakra along with her momentum and nicked the top right section of his liver.

All was quiet as the door swung open to revel several nurses watching the interaction between the two. Every one of them stood wide-eyed knowing that something was going on between the two but they did not know exactly what.

"There is nothing to see here. Go and attend to those who really need your help." Sakura ordered in a firm and controlling voice.

"Sakura," Kiba finally let words fall from his mouth after watching her hit on of Uchiha Itachi's vital point. What the hell was she thinking? Yet then again he was rather impressed that she landed a hit on the Uchiha even with "What exactly is going on between the two of you?"

At that Sakura faltered for a moment, but in that moment there was something about Itachi that went beneath the blank mask he normally wore in public. He seemed more...intense, for lack of a better word. He was engaging her with more than just his words, but with his body. But above that he was always watching her. Every movement she made Itachi seemed to catch it; while he completely ignore a very confused and aggravated Kiba.

His eyes returned to their normal color. The crimson blood color left to return another day. His body seemed tired, even for so early in the morning.

But Itachi would never let his guard down for more than a half a second. "My father means met with Tsunade-sama today. I will find you and escort you to her office."

"You expect me to take time out of my day to accommodate you and this plan of yours?" Sakura shot back.

Much to her surprise Itachi started to laugh. Before she even knew it his hand shot up to her neck. From this he preceded to vigorously pushed her up against the wall. Sakura gasped once again but surprisingly not from the fact that she was forced up against the wall. She was more taken aback by the pressure of Itachi's body on hers. The breath escaped her lips and no matter how she wanted to speak she couldn't. She was pinned with his body, one of his hands rested on the side of her head while the other moved to her chin.

"You've been captured and tortured by two different groups." Itachi whispered the rough pad of his thumb ran laps just below her lower lip. "But Uchiha's don't always fight with just their strength Sakura."

And with that his lips made contact with hers with that same fiery pressure from the night of the Uchiha gathering. Fire spread through her body like wildfire and again she could do nothing to stop it. Vaguely she registered a "Holy fucking shit!" being yelled by more than one person but she was much more concerned with the movements of Itachi's mouth on her own. His hand still cupped her chin while the other pinned her hands so she could not move.

But just as quickly as he had kissed her he had stopped.

"As I had told you before Haruno" Itachi's voice was not friendly. He was not trying to woo her in front of her colleagues. This was his message to her. No third party. He leaned into her figure so close that the tip of his slender nose touched hers. "If you fight me, I will fight back. If you run, I will chase you down. If you try to hide, I will find you."

With another stolen kiss he was gone.

* * *

**Once again I'm really really sorry for the long wait.**

**Yes I know that this chapter as a couple more views from other people but this is kind of an intbetween. Anyway I know a lot of people like how Sakura isn't just going to bend to Itachi and really there wasn't that much in this chapter, but just wait till I get Fugaku, Itachi, Tsunade and Sakura all in the same room to discuss all of this. And wait till the news of the wedding gets around to everyone else.**

**I'm still concerned that Itachi's character is ooc. I've imagined him as a very curtious man but very resorcefull at the same time. Just let me know how i'm doing with him. The same goes with Sasuke. He does love Sakura just not in a romantic way. He loves her like a friend. I'm trying to make that very clear because I didn't want it to be another relationship like Sakura and Naruto.**

**I guess my only other question would be when does everything think Sakura should fall in love with itachi, if at all? Let me know because this story is really up in the air right now.**


	4. One Uchiha's Greed

**Author: AngelFace23147**

**Story: Lady Luck**

**Chapter: 4**

**Main Pairing: Uchiha Itachi & Haruno Sakura**

**Side Couples: Uzumaki Naruto & Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji & (soon-to-be Hyuuga) Tenten, Nara Shikamaru & Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Shisui and Inuzuka Hana, Gemna and Shizune, Jirayia and Tsunade, Kakashi and Anko. **

**I think that's all for right now, or at least all I can remember.**

**Disclaimer: See chapter one for full disclaimer. But basically I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: My mouth and any sexy situations that I might decided to add.**

**Notes: I'm getting this one out fast because a mircale has happened. Lady Luck has reached its 100Th review!!!! I never knew my story could be this interesting to read so I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. I really do write for my readers so I'm glad you all are satified enough with me to tell me so.**

**This chapter is also a little bit more serious than the others, and for the first time I'm attempting an in depth ninja action scene so please let me no if it doesn't work out. My mind likes drama more than action, but I'm trying to step out of my box and see if this thing works out.**

**So please remember to let me now how I'm doing still! **

**Read and Review but most importantly....**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Previously**_

_Not smart enough, Itachi made one critical mistake; he doubted the extent to her chakra control. "If I'm the one lying Itachi-san," she choked out. "Tell me why you are attempting to control the woman you wish to spend the rest of your life with?"_

_With that Sakura refocused her chakra into the point of her elbow. Itachi had trapped her arms this time so she would not be able to punch. But by securing her arms Itachi put her elbow dangerously close to his abdomen. Or better yet, his liver. Sakura released her chakra along with her momentum and nicked the top right section of his liver._

_All was quiet as the door swung open to revel several nurses watching the interaction between the two. Every one of them stood wide-eyed knowing that something was going on between the two but they did not know exactly what._

_"There is nothing to see here. Go and attend to those who really need your help." Sakura ordered in a firm and controlling voice._

_"Sakura," Kiba finally let words fall from his mouth after watching her hit on of Uchiha Itachi's vital point. What the hell was she thinking? Yet then again he was rather impressed that she landed a hit on the Uchiha even with "What exactly is going on between the two of you?"_

_At that Sakura faltered for a moment, but in that moment there was something about Itachi that went beneath the blank mask he normally wore in public. He seemed more...intense, for lack of a better word. He was engaging her with more than just his words, but with his body. But above that he was always watching her. Every movement she made Itachi seemed to catch it; while he completely ignore a very confused and aggravated Kiba._

_His eyes returned to their normal color. The crimson blood color left to return another day. His body seemed tired, even for so early in the morning._

_But Itachi would never let his guard down for more than a half a second. "My father means met with Tsunade-sama today. I will find you and escort you to her office."_

_"You expect me to take time out of my day to accommodate you and this plan of yours?" Sakura shot back._

_Much to her surprise Itachi started to laugh. Before she even knew it his hand shot up to her neck. From this he preceded to vigorously pushed her up against the wall. Sakura gasped once again but surprisingly not from the fact that she was forced up against the wall. She was more taken aback by the pressure of Itachi's body on hers. The breath escaped her lips and no matter how she wanted to speak she couldn't. She was pinned with his body, one of his hands rested on the side of her head while the other moved to her chin._

_"You've been captured and tortured by two different groups." Itachi whispered the rough pad of his thumb ran laps just below her lower lip. "But Uchiha's don't always fight with just their strength Sakura."_

_And with that his lips made contact with hers with that same fiery pressure from the night of the Uchiha gathering. Fire spread through her body like wildfire and again she could do nothing to stop it. Vaguely she registered a "Holy fucking shit!" being yelled by more than one person but she was much more concerned with the movements of Itachi's mouth on her own. His hand still cupped her chin while the other pinned her hands so she could not move._

_But just as quickly as he had kissed her he had stopped._

_"As I had told you before Haruno" Itachi's voice was not friendly. He was not trying to woo her in front of her colleagues. This was his message to her. No third party. He leaned into her figure so close that the tip of his slender nose touched hers. "If you fight me, I will fight back. If you run, I will chase you down. If you try to hide, I will find you."_

_With another stolen kiss he was gone._

* * *

**In Present Time.**

Sakura's fist just missed the side of the Uchiha's face as it made contact with the air. The weight exchanged from the punch caused her to stumble forward a step or two before realizing that she had not been able to land the punch.

A loud and frustrated sound burst from Sakura's mouth as she gripped at her hair and walked back and forth across the room. How could she have let that happen.

"I hate him," Sakura snarled. The anger level in her voice seemed to frighten Kiba a great deal. More so the deathly sounds coming forth from somewhere inside of her.

Personally Kiba had never seen Sakura so worked up over anything. She had always been sweet, calming, and relaxed when she was in the hospital. But now she seemed set on taking lives rather than saving him.

"Please tell me I did not just see you sucking face with Sasuke's brother," Kiba said.

Sakura roared almost the same moment that Kiba had finished his sentence. "I hate him! That fucking ignorant bastard thinks the whole damn would is his own fucking playground of whores willing to suck his 'oh so holey' Uchiha dick!"

Each word out of the pink haired girl's mouth was nothing less than the pure essence of rage. It dwelled inside the very soul of the syllables. Anger coated them as they passed up her throat from her vocal box, only to have a sprinkle of bitterness lightly dusted over the top when they sprang from her mouth. Her mouth spat them out like they were the worst kind of poison. Those emerald, green eyes intensified ten-told as that mouth spat the words out for all the world to hear.

"Sakura-chan," Kiba gulped. Hinata never got this mad at anyone so he didn't really know how to handle a… well he really couldn't tell what kind of woman Sakura was right now because she was much more than a very pissed off rose head. "I believe you Sakura-chan but I think it's about time you start explaining something, because I wasn't the only one who saw that."

Kiba was right, about more than one thing it was her turn to finally get down and dirty. "Itachi has so thoughtfully decided that I'm going to be the person that he's spending the rest of his life with."

"So shouldn't you be happy?" Kiba asked, "Isn't he supposed to be a catch or something?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the brown haired boy on the bed. "Would you care to repeat that?"

Kiba gulped.

But by that time it was already too late. Kiba was already flying through the window and landing in his own crater on the middle of the street directly outside the hospital. All the pedestrian

"I swear, I will NEVER willing marry Itachi Uchiha!" Sakura hollered from the ledge of the newly added twenty foot hole Sakura just felt like putting in place of the windows.

Sakura was breathing heavy. Why did Itachi have to have such a damn good reputation? Why did everyone have to swoon over every little movement that he made? It sickened her that an entire village would be so wrapped around one clan that was more screwed up than they ever really could imagine.

Why the heck did Sasuke have to be out on a mission too! Sakura needed his guidance because she defiantly couldn't go to Naruto to work out clan matters. But then who could she go to? Who had a clan as large and as old as the Uchihas? She couldn't go to the Inuzukas, they weren't as prestigious, the Yamanka weren't as well known. The Nara's were becoming well known but they weren't that old and the only other largest and well known clan would be... the Hyuugas!!

Yes, she had connections with the Hyuugas! Neji, she could talk to Neji and Tenten and Hinata! She had saved Neji's life before and her friendship with Hinata was excellent as well. Sakura had even helped Tenten plan her wedding with Neji. Which was to take place next week!

But still, she had to get Itachi off her back, if she was going to be talking to the Hyuugas. And there was no easier way to get away from a shinobi then to have said shinobi conveniently go on a mission. And since her Sakura's shishou just so happened to be the Hokage of the village, the one woman who assigned missions. And wouldn't it also be rather convenient if Sakura showed up with a bottle of her sake then maybe Tsunade would see her side of the situation.

"Haruno-sama?" A red headed nurse showed up at the door. "What happened to Inuzuka-san?"

Sakura smiled a wicked smile. "Next time any Uchiha sets foot into this hospital I want to be alerted no matter what they are here for or who sent them. I don't even care if they say not to tell me; I want to know."

"Y...ye... yes Haruno-sama." The woman stuttered as Sakura made her way out of the room.

"I am off to see Tsunade-shishou." Sakura stated leaving no room for further questions. "I won't be long."

Little did she know how right she'd be; but not in the way she thought.

* * *

**In The Hokage's Office:**

Tsunade starred down the man before her, whispering to Shizune, "shit was an understatement."

"Tsunade-sama," Fugaku bowed his head the slightest amount. His movement was just enough to show respect to the leader of the village but not an inch more to secure his place of power and security over the other persons in the village. "I had sent a messenger earlier to announce my arrival."

Tsunade had remembered seeing a young boy, around the age of an academy student, waiting outside of her office but he suddenly ran off, seeing the busty blonde come storming down the hallway. Tsunade had thought nothing of it but now obviously it had been her mistake not to interrogate the boy. Then again, Fugaku must have known that the boy would not have delivered the original message in the first place.

Tsunade felt a headache coming on. She had a hunch that whatever Fugaku had to say dealt with his son's sudden interests in her apprentice.

"Get this over with quick Fugaku," Tsunade said. "I'm expecting other, scheduled meetings.

"I assure you Hokage-sama that it won't take long."

"Nothing is ever just a short matter with you Fugaku-sama."

"Then why don't we get right down to the point."

"Oh please I don't want more than one Uchiha in my office per day if I can help it." Tsunade's voice was thick with irritation. Shizune gasped at her mentor's rather insulting comment. One which she made to purposely piss off Fugaku.

Fugaku's eyes narrowed as Tsunade took her seat, yet he held himself high just as he had been taught. Fugaku knew that the village needed the Uchiha family just as much as anyone else did.

The Uchiha clan leader took a breath before beginning. "I am here to inform you that I will soon be passing the controlling power of the Uchiha clan to my son Tsunade-sama."

"I fail to see how this information requires a meeting." Tsunade grumped. Of all the clan leaders, she disliked Fugaku the most. Even compared to the self conscious Inochi, headstrong Tsume, prideful Haishi and the lazy ass Shikaku; Fugaku was much, much worse. The other clan leaders at least listened and reasoned with her, Fugaku did whatever the hell he wanted because he thought he could.

By god she hoped that Itachi would take better care of the Uchiha clan than he did.

"With the agreement of the clan elders, I had with-held Itachi's right to take control of the family until he had chosen a female to stand by his side." The Uchiha Clan Leader explained.

"Itachi-san has chosen a girl to take the position of Lady Uchiha," Shizune concluded. "The girl would be a rather lucky lady. Itachi is a gentlemen and a reputable shinobi of a powerful clan, any girl would be lucky to be standing by his side."

Tsunade was thinking more along the lines that Itachi had to find a girl whom he could tolerate and who could impress a panel of the most judgmental men in the village. She would have to be a very powerful, yet clean kunoichi able to control her temper in crowds. Lady Uchiha's are always pleasing to the eye, they always have been. Mikoto's classic beauty had been rivaled by many which led some to wonder how Fugaku could keep such a hold on her.

Yet for Itachi's sake, she would have to be witty enough to stand up to the Uchiha family. She would have to be intelligent. Itachi was smart, just as smart as any ANBU twice his age with the experience of one as well; it would only make sense that his woman would also be intelligent to keep up some sort of worthwhile conversation. Itachi would not take well to women who worked off of looks only.

And of course she would have to be a kunoichi of equal caliber. To keep up with Itachi, she would have to be.

Tsunade looked over at Shizune and within a second each of their papers and sake dropped. The two women realized the one thing they thought would have never happened. She then felt the presence of a new chakra behind her, by the open window and made a mental note not to let Kakashi and Itachi go on any more scouting missions together. They are beginning to develop similar habits. None of them good habits either.

"Itachi wishes to take Sakura as his wife?" Shizune's jaw dropped. She had remembered the day that Itachi had came into Tsunade's office, but neather woman had thought he was serious. Sakura was not an esay girl to be tamed. Let alone tied down by a reputable clan. She was used to doing whatever she wanted because she did not need to worry about her clan.

"Uchiha-sama," Tsunade rose from her seat. "_Do not_ try my patience."

"I am completely serious Tsunade-sama. Itachi has already made the annocement to the entire clan earlier this week."

"She wouldn't have," Tsunade countered. "Sakura doesn't want to settle down, at least not just yet."

"I have more that 3 dozen witnesses to what one would call a 'lover's quarl' between the two; the entire clan had wittnessed the two together the entire evening. Sakura did not leave his side the entire evening."

"Itachi has hardly even spoken to the girl, and now all of a sudden he wants to marry her?" Tsuande raised an eyebrow. "Which makes me wonder if Itachi really has a genuine interest in my apprentice or is it some prompting by the elders for other reason."

Itachi finally pitched in his two cents from the window sill, "I give you my word Hokage, I do not think there is a better match for me in the world."

"I cannot help it if the girl my son has chosen to be his partner also has more... desireable qualities." Fugaku waved off the fact like it was nothing.

"It is an attitude like that which has kept her from creating such relationships with males." Tsunade was roaring. "I will not have you use her just as some breeding tool, just for her perfect chakra control! There are plenty of others just as capable..."

Fugaku shook his head, "None as talented as Haruno. Beside she had already given her consent to Itachi"

"I refused to believe that she has agreed to play wife to your son," Tsunade interjected. "Sakura knows that would be kunoichi suicide."

"I would not ask her to retire from her chosen profession." A smooth tenor said from the window ledge.

Shizune knew exactly what Itachi had meant by this statement as well as Tsunade. "So you'd rather have her stay in the hospital, safe and secure from all the bad guys that could take her down so easily."

From the corner of her eye Tsunade saw the lean form of possibly her best shinobi in the village. Yet Sakura was just as much indispensible as Itachi. Sakura proved her worth through her hard work and accomplishments, not that Itachi had not, but she was not born into a family of naturally gifted shinobi with one of the most powerful blood-line-limits in the world.

Fugaku started to correct the statement made by his eldest son, "It would best if she were to remain..."

"If...I...what Uchiha-sama?"

* * *

Sakura stood with her arms crossed, weight balanced on one leg, and starring down the head of the Uchiha clan with a death glare that put Sasuke's to shame. She had not heard the entire conversation but the last two comments made by her "fiancée" and her "father-in-law", but now she was waiting for Fugaku to make another smart ass comment so she could send him and his bull shit son straight through that glass window behind Tsunade's desk.

And so he did, "It would only be proper."

"Proper my fucking ass." Tsunade spat with a laugh. "For the woman to be at home to wait on her husband's hand and foot at every little hang nail he has?"

Fugaku's first point: "Itachi is a very skilled shinobi of the village and it would be in best interests of the village then if he were treated by the best medical ninja in the village as soon as he returned. Considering since half of the police force are also made up of shinobi from my clan than it would also be in the best interests of the village if they were to be treated as quickly as possible.

"Sakura is also a kunoichi of the village whose skills would be better put to use if they were avalible to all instead of resevered for one particular family."

"A clan whose first priority has always been the protection of this village."

Sakura agreed with her Shishou, "I will not play the role of damn house wife, who plays docter on the side!"

"Harsh words do not hold much weight Sakura," Fugaku scolded harshly. "You will have to learn to hold your tongue when speaking to a supeiror."

"Superior rank is something that is proven rather than a birthright." Sakura stared right into Fugaku's eyes.

Itachi suddenly appeared in front of her, "Hold your tongue _hime." _He warned stretching himself out before her slowly, making himself all that more intimidating.

"Do _not_ tell me what to do Uchiha." Sakura lifted her chin to look him in the eye.

Itachi moved even close, his full body pressed against hers, taking Sakura's wrists in his hands. "You will respect me girl."

"And you will not treat my apprentice in such a matter Itachi." Tsunade scolded. Itachi had no other choice to obey the busty blonde, a blonde's whose eyes never left his dark, lean form as Itachi slowly backed away from the young pink haired girl he knew he'd have for his partner one way or another.

"Tsunade-sama," Fugaku started again. "Sakura has already been presented to the family, as Itachi's fiancé."

Sakura shook her head, "I was not informed that I would be presented as his fiancé, I was not even aware that I would be escorted by Itachi for the entire evening!" For heaves sakes she had hardly even held a civil conversation with the man. How was she supposed to make a relationship work with him?

"You were not required to spend the entire evening with him." Fugaku stated.

Sakura's mouth dropped. Was he serious? "I would have been reprimanded if I tried to leave his side. Let alone get out of the grip he had on my waist!"

"Or did you not want to leave my side?" Itachi questioned from a distance. He was still starring at her; he was still the closest person to her from the five in the room. Tsunade stood from behind her desk facing her form that was just barely in the doorway. Shizune stood behind Tsunade as she always does, holding Ton-ton. Fugaku stood towards the self of official documents to Sakura's right while Itachi stood on her left.

"I was not in acquaintance with any, but yourself and your brother! _Somebody_ had decided Sasuke-sun should remain by his mother's side, instead of by mine so I was given no other alternative."

"I believe you have shared some outings with my cousin if I am not mistaken."

Tsunade rolled her eyes and pulled a new bottle of sake out from her newly stocked stash. She'd much rather have the others fight this out then her have to deal with the headaches of match making.

"And Shisui was there with Hana if _I_ am not mistaken." Sakura countered. "And he still flirted with me even when he knew I was be escorted by you."

"Then you do not deny that I had given you protection while you were with me?"

"Because you're the god foresaken, Uchiha heir!" Sakura all but yelled tossing her fists out and leaving a small dent in the side of the wall. Itachi couldn't help but chuckle, seemed that when she got mad, Sakura also had a harder time controling that chakra of hers.

"Tsunade-shishou, I have never known of Itachi's intentions until that night. He has never discussed them previously with me." Sakura then turned to address Itachi, "And I highly doubt that you've discussed it with my shishou for that matter either!"

Tsunade stopped mid-drink, which did not go unnoticed by Sakura. Amber and Emerald eyes met before Sakura's eye briefly flashed to the bottle of sake. It was a higher end bottle from the tea country. She remembered Sasuke having to attended a wedding out there. One of their lower branches had married wealthy in the tea country, some girl that never developed her sharingan. It wouldn't have been that hard for Itachi to require some of the preferred beverages from the country.

"Many suitors come knocking on my door asking for Sakura's hand in marriage, none have ever gone so far or to such lengths Itachi." Tsunade was careful to chose her words.

"There has to be a mistake." Sakura cired pleading with Tsunade. She couldn't Tsunade would not take a marriage proposal from Uchiha Itachi serious. No amount of sake could be worth Sakura's happiness.

Itachi's face did not change. He wore the same expression. "You are mistaken Sakura, I made my intentions quite clear when we spoke. Shizune-san was present as well."

Fugaku also added. "If I am not mistaken the two of you had decided to make your relationship known at the clan gathering. You had asked my younger son to make sure that Itachi did not make you confortable in any way while making the annoucnement."

Emerald eyes widened while Sakura's pale features dropped, recalling the words she had said to cover Sasuke's ass.

_**Flashback**_

_Sasuke pulled his teammate back into his protective area. "You stand down brother."_

_"Sasuke," Mikoto's voice was full of distress. "What are you doing?"_

_Sakura placed a steadying hand on Sasuke's arm. Without another word Sasuke wrapped his arm around his female teammate to help support some of her weight. But much to his suprise she shook her head. "I'm fine Sasuke."_

_Sasuke looked at her with a twisted brow._

_"Itachi, would you care to explain what is going on." Fugaku demanded appearing next to his eldest son._

_Itachi brushed past Sasuke to reclaim Sakura's body in his arms. His body warming hers once again. "Go ahead hime, explain."_

_Sakura's eyes widened, oh no. She would not be forced to choose between her best friend and him. No way in hell was she going to hurt her team like that. Hurt Sasuke like that. But she could not let Itachi know that now. Not when he was unknowingly handing her the perfect opportunity to get him back. She would make his life hell. Starting my knocking him off that high horse his clan had placed him upon since birth._

_So Sakura shied away from the handsome Uchiha and smiled her diplomatic smile once again. "I'm sorry Fugaku-sama. It's just that I had asked Sasuke to keep an eye out for me. I was rather nervous to make my relationship with Itachi-kun known tonight and wanted the extra back up if I would be put in a position where I would be made uncomfortable."_

_Sasuke smirked. He knew she would not embarrass him in front of his father. Let alone his clan. And by the look of caution that Sakura chose to ignore from his elder brother he guessed that Itachi's plan had been revealed and Sakura, as predicted, was not happy about it. Sakura was going to make Itachi look like the fool without completely humiliating either of them. The whole thing was a very Sakura-like thing to do._

_"Is this true Sasuke?" Fugaku asked turning briefly to him._

_Sasuke nodded once._

_**End of Flashback**_

Itachi only smirked as he saw the realization cross her face, "You would think so him-"

"Don't you dare call me hime, you fucking bastard." Sakura's pushed the words out of her mouth through closed teeth. All the while starring him down. "

"You are my chosen partner- _hime_- and I apologize that I was so forward before my family, but I will have you."

"I will not stop fighting." Sakura stated, eyes narrowed, in a voice only Itachi could hear. "

"And I don't mind a challenge." Itachi smirked ever so slightly. "Amuse me Sakura, because this _fight_ has been all too easy for me."

Sakura wanted to hit him, oh it took all of her restraint not to hit her shishou's best shinboi in front of his own father and clan leader, but in front of his boss too. But she knew that that injury to his liver was still freash and would have to be treated soon if he did not want perminate damage. And he had not said anything about Kakashi agreeeing to this marriage, too. Itachi would have needed to get Kakashi's approval as well since he was her male gaurdian...

But he was not any authority over Tsunade who had also been backed into a corner.

Both women had to keep their word if they were to keep their honor and pride. Sakura had pretended to be happy in a roomful of Uchihas before, she could do it again. There was always Sasuke, who would be happy with at least one friend inside the clan. They could talk and be happy together.

Still this is not the life she wanted, she wanted to be able to freely choose the man she'd spend the rest of her life with. Not having to do it for the happiness of another. If Itachi wanted to play dirty like that, then she could too. It would be all the easier when she was his wife. She'd be the closest person to him. Closer, even than Shisui, it would be all too easy for her to make his life just as miserable as she deemed hers to be.

"That was only the battle Uchiha," Sakura gave Itachi a small smirk of her own. "You might want to get that liver checked out before you do anything else. It looks pretty bad." With that she raised her hands and dissappeared in with a puff of smoke, leaving behind a single cherry blossom pettle as her tradmark.

Itachi leaned down and picked up the pettle in his hands. A very pale pink color, almost white, yet it held the same amout of beauty as any other.

"Both Sakura and I are very greatful for your understanding and cooperation." Itachi bowed. The hard part was over, yet he couldn't agree more with Sakura.

The war was just beginning.

To Itachi, Sakura was a wild animal, one with such strength and beauty as never seen before by many men. The vibrance of her hair, and the rich color of her emerald eyes drew so many in. But by then it was too late she had them right were she wanted them. To tame her spirit he had to sneak around those emerald eyes and take her by surprise. That was the only way to give himself that time frame to be able to slip a ring around that slender finger of hers, binding her to him.

"I hope you understand Uchiha-san, that Sakura is not some woman who will bend to those who have done her wrong." Tsunade said with a warning tone. "She will not be happy about this. Neither am I."

That by no means meant that the cat was tamed. "I am counting on that fact Hokage-sama," Itachi said and disappeared after another respectful bow. She would be more dangrous the closer she got to him. Itachi knew he'd have to watch her.

Fugaku, who had been silent while his son and Sakura had their small argument, finally chimed in, "Tsunade-sama it is most obvious to me and my clan that Haruno-san, must harbor some affection for my son."

"How do you figure this?" Tsunade laughed aloud. "From their bickering and name calling; Fugaku, you obviously do not know-"

"I believe, Tsunade-sama," Fugaku stopped her. "I have the ability to recognize attraction when I see one."

"Are you telling me that you have personally seen your son and my apprentice engage in such actions?"

"I have arranged many marriages while at the head of the clan Tsunade. We have all awaited the day when Itachi would find a girl worthy enough for the title of Lady Uchiha."

"So that's all she'll ever be to you." Tsunade spat. "You are too blind to see that neather party is thrilled with this arrangement; yet you force your own son into a relationship with my own protogee only because you want her skills to blend with his for their future heirs. And don't try to convince me that her chakra control and connections did not factor into your 'approval' of her for your son."

Fugaku nodded, "Not just me, but the entire Uchiha clan Tsunade-sama." Fugaku then added, "I do not know what kind of woman would purposly go around engaging in such actions with a man that she does not have any involvement with."

"I would watch what you say Fugaku." Tsunade warned with a deadly tone, "Sakura has done nothing but good for this village and is not in any way a dishonorable woman or a dishonorable kunoichi."

"My son is too a reputable shinobi of this village. He has gone through all the tranditional steps any man would go through when a man wishes to take a wife. Therefor, there is no logical reason why Haruno Sakura should not be wed to Itachi."

"You have given me a big enough headache for one day Uchiha-sama." Tsunade turned on him quickly. "I'm sure you have other matter to attend to which does not require your presence to be here. My office is not big enough for me your ego."

There was a brief moment of silence before Fugaku could pull his pride together enough to bid Tsunade good-day and leave the office with a steady, controled pace. Tsunade grabbed the open bottle of sake and took a swing straight from the bottle itself. She focused on the liquid as is rolled around inside her mouth and made its way down her throat.

It was bitter, and for the first time Tsunade couldn't drink any more.

"We couldn't have known Tsunade-sama." Shizune tried to smooth.

Said blonde turned to look at the young black haired girl who had remained by her side for years, no matter how bad things got. "Go visit that boy toy of your Shizune." Tsunade said quietly.

"Come again?"

"I could have stopped it. I was just too amused by the thought of Itachi chasing after Sakura, that I never realized that it was possible for him to corner her, corner us like that." Tsunade said turning to look out over the village. "Now she's going to spend the rest of her life in a world I myself would not choose to be a part of. Lets just hope Itachi's smart enough to turn Sakura's wrath against the blasted council. Go see that boy toy of yours before the Hyuugas trick you into some marriage as well."

Shizune smiled, "I think the Uchiha clan is in for a major reformation."

"How so?"

"Shisui has high hopes for Itachi,"Shizune recalled. "Hfis instinks are never wrong."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "Wanna bet on it?"

* * *

**With Itachi**

Itachi reappeared just at the wrong time in the Uchiha compound.

His mother had been busy informing the entire clan of the engagement between him and Sakura. The Uchiha fan was being shown more prominently out of enthuasim. It was hung above doors, on, doors, walls, on people's backs, and it discussed Itachi.

These people, the people his father was supposed to be looking out for as the head of the clan, had been so manipulated that they think they need to sacrifice themselves for the good of the clan. No, the clan should be taking care of them, the clan should be providing for them, instead of being more concerned with a reputation.

"So," Mikoto asked as she saw her eldest son. "How did Tsunade take it?"

Itachi knew Tsunade was not happy with the fact that he had to go behind her back to get her to agree to the arrangement. Yet then again, Itachi knew that Tsunade wouldn't believe any male, man enough to handle Sakura.

"She took it as well as any mother figure would when a suitor comes calling." Itachi answered rather vaguely on purpose.

Mikoto's face lit up with delight. "Sakura Haruno," she said again like she couldn't believe it. "I could not be happier for you Itachi-kun."

Itachi rolled his eyes at the suffix.

"I'm serious; she'll be a good wife to you." Mikoto encouraged softly. "She's an intelligent, strong willed woman. She's taken care of Sasuke until this point. I'd rather not think what he'd be like without her."

"She's just as stubborn as he is." Itachi smiled.

"And you're not?" Mikoto asked with a knowing look to her eyes.

Itachi knew not even he could escape his mother. "Do you think that she'll be able to stand me?"

"I believe it's rather of a question of will you be able to handle her." Mikoto reversed the question as they started walking back towards the main house. Itachi raised an eyebrow at his mother who only smiled a continued.

"For most of your life, you have been looking out for yourself- and I am aware of all you've done for the sake of the clan and your brother for that matter- but you've never had to care for someone for more than a day. And I mean actually care about their life over yours outside missions."

Mikoto paused and Itachi said nothing. He had watched over people before, he had watched over Sakura before when he lead missions with her on his team. True he was instructed and threatened to keep her alive, by his brother, Naruto and Sai, but once the missions were complete he never gave her a second thought.

"Sakura will be giving herself to you Itachi, it's only fair that you protect her, and make her happy. She's trusting you to."

Itachi had not realized what such a relationship as a marriage actually be more work than he had figured into the equation.

He had not thought about the personal attachments. He had just figured that shinobi did not truly have the deep emotional attachments that others were privileged with; because of their shortened life expectancies they couldn't have those same luxuries.

If every day could be his last, what made others think he had time to fall in love? The emotional level of marriage was so much more complicated than the physical level. To connect with someone on such a deep and lasting level, one where he would honestly and truly care for someone enough that he'd give his own life willing, rather than by his duty to the clan.

It was easy to sleep with someone, to engage in intercourse. He had done it before, and he knew Sakura had done it before. She was a kunoichi after all.

Now that did not mean that she went on every kunoichi mission Tsunade had, or requested to go on them; she just understood that it was necessary and could not be avoided. Just as assassinations were unavoidable on missions.

When he came to from his train of thought, he and his mother had reached the side entrance of the main house. The one that lead into the kitchen, where Mikoto kept her gardens.

Itachi turned to his mother, "Do you think it's too late for me mother?"

Mikoto's warm eyes looked up into her son's harden eyes. Itachi was her first born, her baby. No matter how many people Itachi may kill, he will always be her baby. The knowledge killed her that if she had just been a more assertive mother than maybe Itachi wouldn't be the way he was. Maybe, just maybe, he could have felt more love instead of going most of his life being told that

"There are many parts of your life that I wish I could redo. There are things I wish you never had seen. You've done things I never wanted you to do." Her soft fingers stroked the side of his face. "But the one thing I tried to show you- and Sasuke- was how to love."

Itachi placed his hand over his mothers and slowly removed it. "I must go."

Mikoto laughed, "Shisui and Hana are walking just on the edge of the compound." She turned to enter the house then stopped.

"You're going to have to bring Sakura by the house later."

"What for?" Itachi asked quickly. He saw no reason for Sakura to have to come to the house more then necessary at this point in time. He'd rather not have her destroy the place where they would be spending the rest of their lives.

Mikoto gave her son a smile. "Just some minor details Itachi, nothing that you need to be concerned with."

Itachi knew that wasn't going to be the case. Most likely they would be planning the wedding of a life time because his mother would want to make sure Sakura was the happiest creater on that day.

Yet he also knew he wasn't going to be getting much more out of his mother.

For right that moment anyway.

"Will I be seeing you for dinner?"

Itachi turned to leaving. As he was doing so Itachi took notice of the pain that made itself known when he moved. The pain wasn't anything too harsh, it felt similar to pins and needles or other small prickly sensations.

Small things that can be ignored easily, but Itachi knew if not treated could prove rather problematic. One of those: 'it's-a-good-thing-we-caught-this-now-and-not-later" things, which would only get worse if left untreated.

Medic powers can be a blessing and a curse depending on which side they are being played for. They are a skill, which Itachi could copy, but not to the same extent. He knew some basic medical jutsus to keep him alive ever if he or his team was without a medic.

Itachi easily maneuvered over the buildings in the compound to the outer rim against the Uchiha training grounds. His feet moving like springs with minds of their own, they knew where they wanted to go and how to get there. No need for him to tell them where to go.

Shisui was in mid duel with his girl when Itachi caught his signal. He was aware of Hana's chakra not but a second later. Shisui's signal was more familiar and so was easier to be picked up on. He was running rather low, no doubt the strain from using his sharingan too long against Hana and her bloodline limits with her canine companions. Hana's however was low compared to Shisui, who actually had smaller chakra reserves than his lover, but not by much. The three dogs helped a considerable amount.

Hana's dogs caught whiff of Itachi's scent as he approached the field. All movement stopped and Shisui was by Hana's side in an instant, sharingan deactivated.

"I win." Hana said wrapping her arm around his torso. "You owe me."

"You did not win the battle," Shisui shook his head causing his large mane of thick Uchiha hair to move from side to side in a wavy motion.

"No," Hana corrected. "I won the bet."

Shisui looked at Itachi and then at the sun. "Damn," He mumbled shoving his hand into his pocket.

"Damn women and their fucking senses."

"It is those senses that have kept you alive for so long." Itachi commented, approaching them.

"We had a bet going Itachi-san," Hana said with her usual calm and sing-song voice. "Pay no attention to him."

With sarcasm Shisui asked, "You couldn't have delayed your ass one second later?"

Itachi laughed inwardly, "Mother did the best she could."

Shisui's entire expression changed. When his mother seeks Itachi out to have a serious conversation then Itachi was seriously confused about something.

"Oh," Shisui said turning to his woman. "Would you mind if...?"

Hana smiled and gave Shisui a quick peck on his forehead. "Take as much time as you want. I've got some dogs that are going into heat as we speak anyway." Shisui rolled his eyes while Itachi's face remained the same.

"Good-day Itachi-san, Shisui-kun," Hana gave a slight bow of her head and left the premises.

"Your mother, hn?" Shisui asked rubbing the back of his neck. "What did she say?" He proceeded to pick up some of the loose weapons lying around so the younger kids wouldn't have a hay day when they got out of the academy. He wasn't going to

"She discussed a man's duty to his wife." Itachi said point blank.

"I got the same one too, from Tsume-san and my mother." Shisui turned to face Itachi, "Marriage is no easy thing. Especially for a person in your position, Sakura is doing you a great favor man. Hana said that she had given up the clan leadership for me and only because she didn't want it; if I was the heir than she never have given me the time of day."

Itachi did not speak; he only listened.

"To be head of a clan, man I know you've had some hard times already but actually leading the clan is going to take a lot more effort than you actually think."

"Sakura is a strong woman, she'll stand behind me." Itachi quickly stated.

Shisui laughed, "She half runs the village anyway under Tsunade-sama. Her and Shizune," Shisui went serious after the thought, "But she didn't seem to thrilled with you when you announced you're relationship."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. He knew Shisui wasn't stupid. To be the first in their generation he couldn't afford to be. He was to set the standerd that Itachi would have to break. The elder of the two males raised his finger to the hill just outside the compound where the academy had some of their training fields. Both men were silent, not moving, hearts barely beating. The wind blew their hair and rustled their clothes but still they did not move.

But then they heard it, the faint sound of earth cracking underneath some powerful force before the ripples came their way shaking the very earth beneath them. No so much to do damage to any of the structures, but still hard enough to be felt.

Shisui paused and shook his head. "Did you even talk to her about this?"

"Are they getting stronger?" He asked, in concern with the tremors.

Again Shisui laughed, "That was only the second one. Don't avoid the question Itachi. Did you or did you not talk to this girl about any type of marriage arrangement? And don't give me anything about you went through the required steps because you know as well as I do that if those were counted than Sakura would have went through ten plus marriages by now."

"I did what was necessary for the clan."

Another tremor came and Shisui raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "Then I hope you can control that temper of hers, because the council won't like it if she destroys half the compound."

"She will understand what behavior is required." Itachi retorted confidently. "And the compound needs an good... restoration."

Shisui stopped and looked in disbelief. "She's not a doll for you to play with. This isn't another mission for you to lead." There are very limited times that Shisui would get angry. He generally liked to keep the peace within the clan. There was always less drama. Fugaku had asked him to marry inside the clan but after many years of loyal services and persuasion by his mother and father the council finally gave him the leave.

Itachi, who was given free reign, failed to see how much of a luxury it was to be marrying outside of the family; honestly Shisui could stand it. He did not know exactly what had happened between the two, let alone when or even if they had a relationship previous to the party. Uchiha Shisui understood the sacrifice that Sakura was making, in either situation, for his younger cousin.

And it was not a pretty one.

"No one else can survive them." Itachi said in a lower tone. He knew not one other was as stubborn enough, smart enough, or strong enough to face a clan that had been part of the founding of Konoha. The clan was rather large, very weathly, and had a large political influence. Sakura knew all of this already, and didn't stand for any of it.

Shisui wanted to smack his cousin. Out of the respect he held for Itachi, he didn't'. "For once Itachi, think about someone other than yourself and the clan." He exclaimed. "The girl is only twenty with her whole life ahead of her."

"Sakura will be able to have as much freedom as she desires." Itachi countered. "I will not limit her in any way."

"And you're threw her into hell with no warning. Go and at least tell her what you've gotten her into Itachi-san." Shisui nodded in disappointment. "Come and talk to me when the cousin I thought I had comes back."

Shisui left Itachi at the base of the hill. "This is not a battle that I can fight with you Itachi." He mumbled sadly. "I'm sorry my friend."

"Between the two of us," Itachi turned to address his closest friend. "You're the one who knows Sakura the best. Tell me if there is another man in this village who would respect and care for her better than me?"

Shisui starred at his cousin. There was something that Itachi was not telling him. A plan or something that he was forming inside that man and he wasn't going to share it with anyone. "When did you fall for her?"

Itachi ignored his cousins comment and continued up the small hill. Getting closer to the tremors.

* * *

**With Sakura**

With a puff of pale pink smoke, Sakura reappeared on the edge of team-seven's training grounds. The old training grounds were a place of comfort for her, when she came here there were always someone there to that cared about her. A place where she could let all her anger out, and this time her anger was burning within her. Burning was an understatement, her anger was a fire. A fire which burned inside of her, one so strong, so wild, that there was only going to be one way out.

So, chakra enhanced fist made contact with the ground, along with an ear shattering scream that Sakura knew the whole village had heard. A crater immediately dented the earth in one of the deepest holes Sakura had ever made. Usually they are a rather large, yet shallow circle shape. This one was not as long and went so much deeper. Almost like a well.

And she didn't care. She hated this feeling, she felt like some animal being forced to summit to some man who knew nothing about how to care for her. He had only spoken to her for all of a week and thinks that she'll be happy with him? He thinks he knows how she thinks, what she likes, but that doesn't mean shit to her! Because he's probably wrong!

Another rush of rage swept through Sakura's body and her fist connected with the earth once again. This time the earth split forward right toward a wealthy corner of town more secluded than any other- the Uchiha Compound. Oh how she'd learned to hate that compound before when they tried to take her best friend away from her.

And now it was going to be a prison for the rest of her life. She would bare their crest, She would bare their next heir, who would also wear that crest. She would have to behave for the good of the clan. She would have to act like she was in love with Itachi. She would have to share his bed, share her children, and share his last name.

Uchiha Sakura, it sounded good when she was thinking she'd be spending the rest of her life with Sasuke, not Itachi. This time it sounded bland now that it would be Itachi who gave her that last name.

Maybe she could hyphenate it, Sakura thought as she began to pace back and forth at the tree line: Haruno-Uchiha Sakura or Uchiha-Haruno Sakura. No, that sounded just as stupid and Sakura highly doubted that the Lady Uchiha could have any other sur-name than Uchiha.

Sakura let out another yell of frustration as she up rooted the closest tree and launched it across the field. The tree only stopped when it crashed through the blockade of other trees on the other side of field. She had not given her muscles a serious workout for a good week and they needed to feel alive and well for once.

A wicked smile crept onto Sakura's face as she admired the damage she was doing. Maybe she would combine the two names just to piss them off. She seemed to breathe easier now, her lungs moved with a more natural flow. It wasn't as rugged or as forced, like she was trying to calm herself down. The cool air was crisp and alerted her senses.

All she needed was the rush of danger. Sakura knew she needed to go on a mission. That would give her some time away from the village to let her relax, her one last little taste of freedom.

The cool wind sent a familiar, but distressing chakra approaching and at a rapid pace. For a second she thought about running, before Itachi's warning flashed through her head. The same threat one where he claims that he'll chase her down. Then again, Sakura didn't want to give in just because of a little threat. She wasn't going to make it easy for him.

She had promised she wouldn't anyway. And she was a woman who was raised to keep her promises, she mused while her wicked smile appeared back on her face.

She saw that infamous pitch black Uchiha hair before his head actually appeared. He was in no hurry to meet her, most obviously displayed by his slower gate. His obsidian eyes connected with hers the exact moment they materialized over the hill.

Four things happened in that five seconds after this first connection was made. The first was the wicked smile which adorned Sakura's face gave way for a stern more serious face. A split second after her smile disappeared Sakura moved her body into a crouching position. This way she was ready to leap when need be.

And Itachi knew this, and it didn't take him more than a half a second to figure that Sakura wasn't going to be talking lightly. He took a breath and ignoring the slight pain in his side. On the third second a crimson red color bled into his normally dark eyes making their color even more recognizable from the distance.

The fourth second passed with no action, other than Itachi's still approaching figure. But the fifth second sparked the rest of the action because on the fifth second the chakra flow that had been steadily increasing its flow since she had bent down into that crouching position was released through Sakura's feet and she was gone by the end of that second. Yet Itachi was not appointed as an ANBU captain for nothing.

The sharingan helped as well. As Sakura was making her move Itachi could see the chakra flows through her system and also began to gather his chakra in order to peruse her. A fact that Sakura had hoped would happen, so by the time they were both in the air moving through the training grounds at top speeds Sakura's smile reappeared.

Both male and female figures hooped over the training fields moving towards the edge and soon over the closest roof tops. Sakura knew, even with Itachi's already wounded body that it would take little effort for him to keep pace with her. So she maintained the small lead she had by moving in different directions. She would move left and right maybe make slight changes in the height.

"I would suggest that..."

"I am not interested in anything you suggest asshole." Sakura snapped turning her head slightly to catch a look of him out of the corner of her eye. She did not know what Itachi wanted with her now but she did not want to talk to him.

Itachi speed up and soon Sakura found him traveling casually beside her. Sakura gave him a dirty look out of the corner of her eye. How could he make everything look so easy? Why did he have to be so damn perfect?

"Go away."

"Don't make this any harder than it has to be." Itachi said while reaching out and grabbing her arm viscously. Sakura's body jerked around to come face to face with the Uchiha prodigy. Sakura struggled pulling her weight back and forth, trying desperately to free herself.

"Stop," Itachi commanded. He had wrapped his other arm her waist only to, quite literally, pick her up, proceeding to hang her still thrashing body over his shoulder before continuing the way she had just came, back towards the training grounds.

"You will put me down this instant!" Sakura yelled as she pounded her chakra filled fists into Itachi's back.

On the second Itachi let out a small sound of discomfort on the second hit was, right about his right kidney. Sakura still thrashed back and forth making light hits to his body but saved the hand she needed to hit that spot again. Sakura raised her arm once again, ready to strike the spot and finally be free.

Then again that would be wishful thinking that she could get two hits on Itachi in one week. Right as she was about to hit the spot, she felt a sudden gust of wind that singled Itachi's drop from the line of trees. The air rushed up through her hair causing her to forget all about her strike.

He was descending to fast at such a short height.

Much to fast!

He must have pushed off with chakra enhancement so increase his speed before he jumped. Which would have been okay because that kind of quick travel is common on the jounin and ANBU levels; the only problem was as he dropped he let go of Sakura about half way down. Sakura twisted her body, desperately trying to land on her feet.

The velocity was too great. If she was given another two seconds, then maybe she wouldn't have landed flat on her back. Just if he would have let her go two seconds earlier then maybe she wouldn't be gasping for air with a temporary blackout. Air came is small gasps as the pink haired medical ninja scrambled to her feet.

That was the first... and _last_ time that Uchiha Itachi got her on her back.

"What do you want from me?" Sakura's voice was staggered and she could not form words between large gasps of breath.

As her eye sight returned she moved her head from side to side looking for his figure. She could only really focus on silhouettes but then again the human form was rather distinguishable compared to other shapes. The only problem was, she didn't see him. She checked her six, three, nine and twelve. She looked up finding no human form once again before she punched the ground beneath her feet jumping out of the way with an even larger headache than before.

Sakura landed around twenty feet away and listened. She loved to listen to the sound of the land breaking and changing behind her. The echoes of destruction combined with the vibrations got her every time.

But this time there was not echo. There were no vibrations. Sakura's vision returned and when she looked back to her previous spot there was no giant creator in the ground.

How? Sakura thought to herself.

She thought back, going over the endless chase through the village and training grounds. Every breath she took every footstep she made. Then right back to those five seconds.

That's got to be it. Sakura metally kicked herself for not catching it in the first place. How could she let something like this slip by her? With a breath Sakura raised her hands and created the proper hand signs.

"Release," she whispered with her eyes closed. J

There was a weight lifted off of her as she felt the presence of a stronger chakra in her close proximity. The moment that Itachi's eyes had started to spin Sakura was entrapped in one of his genjutsus.

"Are you ready to talk civically Sakura-,"

"Don't. Call. Me. Hime." Sakura commanded. Her "You, nor any man, has the right to do so."

Itachi only gave a smirk. "You really are making this all too easy hime."

Sakura immediately opened her eyes to swing one of her chakra filled punches at the guy. Itachi blocked the punch easy and off set Sakura weight swinging her body around by her arm only to have her already damaged back met the trunk of an oak tree. The impact alone shifted the roots of the tree a good three or four inches.

"Why me Itachi?" Sakura asked. Her voice lower compared to her natural pitch. "Why come after me now? I'm at the height of my career. I have a reputation all over the surrounding nations!" How much more did he want from her. "If you're trying to get me to fall in line with those other bitches that follow you from place to place its not going to happen. I didn't let your brother walk all over me like this. What makes you think I'm going to do so for a spoiled brat?

Itachi approached her but knew better to get too close. "In return I ask you: what gives you the right to disrespect me before my extended family because of a little discomfort?"

She lunged at him, and he readied himself for combat. He was able to see her movements before she made them. Yet she was able to bring them with barely enough time for him to block them.

"What would give you the right to purposely cause that discomfort?" Sakura asked with a grunt as she counter-balanced a kick with a cartwheel.

"You were uncomfortable the entire night Sakura," Itachi reminded her as he began his small round of offensive attacks. "That much was evident by the grip that you had kept on you had kept on my arm." His came with much more speed and strength than Sakura was prepared for.

"That may I remind you that you tricked me into spending the evening on your arm." Her words were broke apart by each blow she had more and more trouble blocking.

She knew Itachi was good, but she never knew he was this good. She was at least able to hold her own against Sasuke. Now, Sasuke seemed like a walk in the park compared to Itachi. His punches and kicks came so fast that she almost had to block two attacks at once. Sakura's taijutsu was good, but not as refined as this called for.

Sakura was a medical ninja though, and was trained for this type of combat. They were the one person on the squad that could not afford to get hurt because they had to heal the others who did. Therefore it was not an easy task for Itachi to be able to hit the pink haired ninja.

Each time he was even able to graze her side she just popped right back up and came in for another round! He knew Sasuke was the similar way when the two of them sparred on occasion; but never to this extent.

Itachi finally was able to knock her back a few feet. "You never bothered to ask!"

"Who else was I to assume?" Sakura asked. Itachi took notice that she was once again gathering chakra in her fists. "I was only ever invited because of Sasuke."

This fight was only just beginning. Sakura saw Itachi put his hands up. In a flash he created his hand signs and two more Itachi's were created instantly. Sakura took two deep breath thinking about her next step. She needed to be two steps ahead without Itachi knowing she was two steps head.

To buy herself time, Sakura reached behind her and uprooted a tree to toss it at the three identical raven haired figures. The three Itachi look-alikes raised their hands to their mouths, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique," they all said.

By the time the tree was nothing more than ashes, Sakura had disappeared into the trees. She controlled her breathing, keeping it low and shallow. Her body was ridged, muscles tense, ready to strike. All her attention was focused on the now lone Itachi figure moving in the field.

"If I may inquire what you're greatest problem with this arrangement?" Itachi called out into the field. He knew she wasn't going to run away when she was in the middle of a fight. Tsunade would have taught her to stay; the greatest dishonor would be to run away from a fight merely because the odds were bad.

Sakura wanted to answer but he was only provoking her. He was purposely trying to get her to talk. A small chuckle escaped her mouth, a mistake soon regretted as Itachi's blood red eyes shot to the very location that she was hiding. Her legs began to propel her backwards, right into another body of Itachi's.

"Enlighten me Sakura," Itachi whispered.

Sakura only smirked. Her body twisted in the hold Itachi had on her, trying to free herself enough to stab his side with her kunai. Itachi caught her hand and slammed her already damaged back into the tree.

Much to his surprise Sakura's lithe figure disappeared in a puff of smoke. She had made a clone while he was trying to stop the tree.

"Clever girl," Itachi smirked. It was then he noticed the clone he maintained in the center of the field, on the other hand, was dispelled for him.

"Again with the compliments," Sakura said with a little chip on her shoulder. "I'm starting to miss the times when you left me alone."

She stood spin spinning two throwing stars on her right hand, in the very spot Itachi's clone had been. Sakura had created at least a half a dozen clones and spread them out around the area. That way she was free to at least heal her the small fractures Itachi's blow had caused, before she had to get moving again.

Itachi's liver on the other hand was speaking to him. Rather loudly. He couldn't ignore it much longer. And he knew Sakura new that.

"How's the liver doing?" Sakura raised the eyebrow.

Itachi's face bore his usual emotionless expression as he jumped back into the clearing. They stood about twenty yards from each other. Each was breathing

Sakura was smiling devilishly. She wasn't going to let him..."Can we get back on task or are you continuously fight me like this?" A smooth tenor voice asked from behind her.

Again Sakura tried to turn around to fight the Uchiha but much to her great distress, she found herself sandwiched between the ground and a rather large Uchiha body. Immediately her body started to heat up again.

Then again she was wearing her winter training outfit, so that could have been the reason.

"I had told you, I was not going down without a fight."

"Like I had told you if you did resist than I would make you comply?" Itachi asked forcing more of his weight on top of her. Sakura winced at the pressure that forced the air out of her lower body.

"Do anything you want to me Itachi," Sakura's face hardened. "But I can assure you, no matter what you do you cannot break me."

"And how do you figure this?" Itachi asked with his emotionless mask still in place.

"Not even your own father could break me the first time I walked into your household."

"My father didn't give some little no-body like you the time of day."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "If I'm such a no-body then why bother to corner me into a marriage?"

"You agreed to this relationship."

"I agreed to keep my honor intact." Sakura corrected harshly. "And you want to admit it or not."

Itachi let out a breath of laughter, while he leaned down further to place his mouth less than an inch from Sakura's. "That fact doesn't override something much bigger that was conveniently left out."

Sakura felt the heat rise into her face.

"Other than a fantasy scenario in your head which believes we are the perfect couple?" She asked rhetorically. Itachi did not know that she had heard _that_ much of the conversation between himself, his father and Tsunade before Sakura had made her presence known.

Itachi lowered his face slowly across Sakura's check moving right above her ear. "Rather the fact that you enjoyed our little moment in front of my clan, just as much as you are enjoying our close proximity now."

"I would never."

"I believe in both cases you returned my actions."

"Then you are mistaken." Sakura struggled. But the raven haired beauty above her only tightened his grip. She heard the same soft chuckling again along with another lighter pressure running along the side of her face.

Her body stilled, focusing solely on this feather light touch. "Oh really?" Itachi asked with a knowing tone, "Then explain to me why you're heart rate increases with every touch?" To emphasis his point Itachi ran his one free hand not used to hold down Sakura's other limbs down the length of her arm.

"You and every other guy whose had the chance to touch me." Sakura laughed. "You really think you're the only male whose come knocking down my door? On a normal day she could have any where between two and five guys giving her glances.

Just then Sakura saw it. The little spark that hid behind those blood red eyes of the sharingan. It was just a little twitch, but it was just enough to know she had finally made a small crack in the emotionless persona of Uchiha Itachi. Sakura didn't like playing the bitchy girl, but that doesn't mean that Ino hadn't taughter her well and taught her how to have fun doing so in the process.

"You force me to be your fiancee; well guess what Uchiha!" Sakura said cocking a little bit of an attitude. She was put into this situation, while with Itachi she would at least tolerate him for the sake of her word. That, however, did not include when she was not with Itachi. Even Mikoto knows how well like she is with the other men in Konoha.

"You're the one whose going to have to prove you're interests in this girl." Sakura looked right into Itachi's already harsh crimson red eyes as she arched her back pushing her body into his. He wasn't the only one sent on suduction missions, Sakura had done her fair share.

"What exactly are you saying Haruno?"

"You're a smart boy Uchiha," Sakura plastered a fake smile on her face. "Good luck keeping almost every man in Konoha away from me."

"Just like any sensable man would no not to mess with what is mine."

"I am not an object to be owned by one man's greed."

Itachi laughed. He, honest to god, opened his mouth and made sounds of joy. The crack that Sakura had made earlier must have widened. Letting her see a part of Itachi that she wasn't sure if she wanted to see. Much to Sakura's distaste, Itachi always kept his head. He was always thinking logically, always informed and not easily angered. This side, this drive to marry her, was some devotion that was beyond his normal behavior.

The possesive behavior, it almost scared her. "After all the waiting I've done, after all the situations I had to set up to be able to get you; you really think i'd let another man take you from me?"

Sakura knew it was going to happen, and it did happen before she had even felt Itachi's mouth on hers.

* * *

**I'm sorry!**

**I really am! I'm not the biggest fan of cliff hangers but I promise if this scene kept going i swear I would have added like another two thousand words on easily. And i know i like my chapters long but that's really** **long even for me.**

**I know i've said it before, but for me Itachi seems to be talking a little more than I pictured him to be. Yet then again I tried to justify it as best I can. He is attemping to tame Sakura, who is a rather talkive wants answers. I tried to to make them seem too long but still. I know i've been very paranoid about it and I've been trying to keep him as emotionless as possible but please just keep me informed to let me know how I'm doing.**

**Same goes with Sakura. I know I'm not that good with writing action but I think most of the fighting with itachi has to be sneakier than actual hand to hand combat. I don't want her to be portrayed as a slut or a whore, shes just merely looking for ways to disprove Itachi's 'interest' in her. She thinks that if she can see other guys and Itachi doesn't act up than he doesn't really care.**

**I guess the only other thing would be that yes Itachi does have some alterior motive for choosing Sakura above any other and no it really wasn't just a spur of the moment thing. Yes he really does have a plan. But I'm not saying any more than that. **

**Please remember to review!!!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**angel**


	5. Past v Future

**Story: Lady Luck**

**Chapter: 5**

**Author: Angelface23147**

**Pairing: Uchiha Itachi & Haruno Sakura**

**Warnings: Citris-y situations, nothing too hot and heavy but still. And as always my mouth.**

**Disclaimers: See first chapter for full disclaimer, but basically I do not own anything Naruto related**

**Notes: I am looking for a good beta for both Lady Luck and Forced. If you would like the job drop me a pm and we'll talk.**

**Enjoy ^-^**

* * *

_**Previously**_

_Itachi lowered his face slowly across Sakura's check moving right above her ear. "Rather the fact that you enjoyed our little moment in front of my clan, just as much as you are enjoying our close proximity now."_

_"I would never."_

_"I believe in both cases you returned my actions."_

_"Then you are mistaken." Sakura struggled. But the raven haired beauty above her only tightened his grip. She heard the same soft chuckling again along with another lighter pressure running along the side of her face._

_Her body stilled, focusing solely on this feather light touch. "Oh really?" Itachi asked with a knowing tone, "Then explain to me why you're heart rate increases with every touch?" To emphasis his point Itachi ran his one free hand not used to hold down Sakura's other limbs down the length of her arm._

_"You and every other guy who's had the chance to touch me," Sakura laughed. "You really think you're the only male whose come knocking down my door? On a normal day she could have anywhere between two and five guys giving her glances._

_Just then Sakura saw it, the little spark that hid behind those blood red eyes of the sharingan. It was just a little twitch, but it was just enough to know she had finally made a small crack in the emotionless persona of Uchiha Itachi. Sakura didn't like playing the bitchy girl, but that doesn't mean that Ino hadn't taught her well and taught her how to have fun doing so in the process._

_"You force me to be your fiancée; well guess what Uchiha!" Sakura said cocking a little bit of an attitude. She was put into this situation, while with Itachi she would at least tolerate him for the sake of her word. That, however, did not include when she was not with Itachi. Even Mikoto knows how well like she is with the other men in Konoha._

_"You're the one who's going to have to prove your interests in this girl." Sakura looked right into Itachi's already harsh crimson red eyes as she arched her back pushing her body into his. He wasn't the only one sent on seduction missions; Sakura had done her fair share._

_"What exactly are you saying Haruno?"_

_"You're a smart boy Uchiha," Sakura plastered a fake smile on her face. "Good luck keeping almost every man in Konoha away from me."_

_"Any sensible man would know not to mess with what is mine."_

_"I am not an object to be owned by one man's greed."_

_Itachi laughed. He, honest to god, opened his mouth and made sounds of joy. The crack that Sakura had made earlier must have widened. Letting her see a part of Itachi that she wasn't sure if she wanted to see. Much to Sakura's distaste, Itachi always kept his head. He was always thinking logically, always informed and not easily angered. This side, this drive to marry her, was some devotion that was beyond his normal behavior._

_The possessive behavior, it almost scared her. "After all the waiting I've done, after all the situations I had to set up to be able to get you; you really think I'd let another man take you from me?"_

_Sakura knew it was going to happen and it did happen before she had even felt Itachi's mouth on hers._

**---xXx---**

**---xXx---**

**The Very Next Second**

She saw it coming before it happened. That devilish smirk appeared in a flash second and the pink haired kunoichi new the raven haired prodigy had the idea in his head. He was determined, more than any other man she ever met, to tame her fiery spirit. And do in any way that he deemed necessary.

Lips touched

Hearts raced

She tried to fight the contact but his body pinned her to the ground. Slowly their bodies began to generate the same intense and irresistible heat as before. His lips were dominating hers, coaxing a response. She was a reluctant woman who didn't want anything to do with him what-so-ever. But even Konoha's sweetheart's reluctant attitude was reversed under the influence of a kiss from Konoha's most eligible bachelor.

Her hands scratched at his chest. It was a reaction to his unwanted attention. She knew for same reason her body wanted his kiss, his touches, his intimate touch on her body but her mind was screaming at her to get away. Last thing she needed was someone to appear at the training grounds looking for her only finding Itachi on top of her. She's have absolutely no chance of getting out of this marriage if that happened.

The Uchiha heir was not fazed by her actions. He could take pain above anything else. All his mind was focused on was the rush he received from this contact with the emerald-eyed beauty. Itachi was not inexperienced when it came to this kind of interactions with members of the opposite sex but this need steadily growing in Itachi's chest was completely new. It was not an objective feeling. He knew this was a dangerous feeling that his father often warned about when trying to achieve a goal.

Sakura's mind was going crazy. It knew that this kiss had to stop. Sakura could not get attached to Itachi. Any positive inclination was dangerous. This submissive position under a powerful shinobi was dangerous. For one second said shinobi took a half a second to regain the lost oxygen from his lungs. Sakura took the chance to quickly turn her head to the side, away from the dangerous face of Uchiha Itachi.

"Get off me," she ordered pushing her body against his.

The raven haired man simply turned his attention to the lightly tanned neck under him. "No," he stated simply as his lips gently touched her neck.

Sakura gasped. Her mind went into a state of shock after a quick inhale of breath. To her greatest surprise his kisses were soft, gentle, devoting, appraising, admirable and intoxicating all at once. Her senses had gone wild. Shivers moved in waves from her neck down her spin and out her arms and legs. The heat intensified and her body was taking over her mind with its own desires.

Why was he having such an effect on her?

Where was her self control?

How could one simple kiss beneath her jaw stop her rebellion? She would go as far to say she enjoyed the feeling of being appraised by such a man. The dark eyed beauty paying such attention to her was the most eligible bachelor in the whole of the fire country. Every woman could not deny that her heart fluttered when he walked into her line of vision. The pink haired girl had been around the Uchiha beauty all her life; therefore in theory the prime example of that beauty should not be affecting her.

Both could not fight the pressure in their chests, the desire steadily growing between them.

Then she felt his teeth on her neck.

"Oh Kami," she couldn't help but let the words slip from her mouth. The small bit of sudden pain actually heightened the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Haruno Sakura, apprentice to the Godaime Hokage, second in command of the Konoha Hospital, one of only two in history to perfect their chakra control was losing all logically restraint over her body.

Or rather, her body was taking back control.

That smirk reappeared on Itachi's face and his hand gently stroked her smooth cheek. Sakura simply turned her head to other side so he could not touch her again.

"Look at me hime."

"Don't call me…"

"Hime," he purred against her ear. Electric pulses few through her body moving it without her consent. "Don't fight it."

Her emerald green eyes turned to meet his soft black eyes. They were not Fugaku's harsh obsidian eyes so coveted by the Uchiha clan. Rather a softer charcoal hue of black. The long curve of his nose traced the curve of her jaw so gently. A bit of a five o'clock shadow rubbed the side of her check and the pink haired medic didn't mind one bit. Those talented hands which killed so many before this moment were careful, so soft as they touched her with such caution.

Well…soft when he was alone with her and not fighting, or breaking body parts.

It was an unplanned attraction like no other. Itachi wanted nothing to do with women. He had one girlfriend when he was still in his teens. She was some distant cousin, beautiful and smart. He did care for her just not as much as his shinobi career. That's what drove them apart. She was married by the time she turned twenty. Itachi never looked at another woman again. Sakura had won his attention when she blew away a wall at the jounin exams. The young girl was just as dedicated as he was at her age. Haruno Sakura, protégée to the slug Sanin had blossomed into a beautiful, strong, independent yet caring young woman. He was not at all unfamiliar with the only female member of his younger brother's team. Truth be told Sasuke was right. He never would have been giving her a second look if he was not under such pressure to take a wife.

Itachi's logic ran like this. If the Uchiha prodigy did not marry than the title of Uchiha Heir would have been passed to his younger brother. Sasuke would end up marrying Sakura out of necessity because she is the only woman he ever could fully trust next to his mother. Or if by some miracle Itachi was not disinherited he would eventually have to take a wife. Knowing the primary reason Sakura did not wish to marry at this moment was because of her career. The young medic had the world at her feet and by the time she was ready to settle down her on own terms she would have been pushed into his world anyway. The budding relationship with the Kazekage would only ever be just that due to the strong connections the lady has in Konoha. Therefore if the pink haired beauty was to become Lady Uchiha at some point in her life it was only logical for Itachi to be with Sakura. Even more, if he was forced to get married why not marry an intriguing woman who captured his attention.

Yes, Konoha's pink haired beauty captured his interest like no other woman had before.

Sakura on the other hand had absolutely no interest in the elder Uchiha. She never had. He was Sasuke's older brother, the one he adored and envied at the same time. Itachi was so many years above her; Sakura knew that she would never come close to drawling his attention as a kid. He was so much more talented at her age, she also knew that she would never come close to his level. Not for many years anyway. All of that was before he randomly selected her for a wife. Now she wanted nothing more than to put that perfect chakra control to the text against the most talented shinobi to walk through the streets of Konoha. She did not want to settle down just yet. The Uchihas did expect a level of performance and behavior from their Lady which would be unwanted pressure. Itachi was nothing but a giant headache in waiting.

Then there were times like these when she could not help but form these desires in the pit of her chest and stomach. This desire, to Sakura's disadvantage, craved Itachi above everything else. The way his lips seemed to mold with hers was all too perfect. Two strong, tanned, arms caged her body close to his protectively. Those perfect lips coaxed hers to play with a teasing and demanding way. Itachi was created a feeling inside of the pink haired girl that she never experienced before in her life.

The same feeling and touches that Inner Sakura wanted to beat out of Sakura's heart.

Their breath mingled.

_Stop this Sakura_

Hearts pounded in chests.

_Sakura you're falling for the enemy_

Body touched.

_You're kissing the goddamn Uchiha heir!_

Fingers gripped whatever they could.

_Someone's coming!_

Sakura's alter ego broke through; strength found its way back into the rosette's arms. With one big shove Itachi was sent flying back a couple of feet. Sakura clutched her chest in pain as she sat up looking much like a lost deer in a pool of light. Emerald green eyes screamed her bewildered state of mind.

"Sakura I-"

"Shouldn't have done that." Emerald eyes scanned around for any other threatening life forms. Her whole body was completely frazzled. Her arms wrapped themselves around breathing heavily. The raven haired male took a step cautiously toward the bewildered female who raised her hand as a signal to stop.

"Don't," she ordered softly, "stay away from me."

With that she vanished in her whirl of cherry blossoms. Itachi knew enough about people to know she was going to run. He also knew there was nothing he could do to stop her.

That did not mean that other people couldn't. His mother could be a difficult woman to say no too. Not to mention that a certain someone just so happen to know to be walking into the clearing.

"What the hell did you do to piss her off?" the new, younger voice asked.

"I did nothing." The older male said simply.

The younger of the two laughed. "You're leg says different. The clan elders won't like it if you can't keep her under control for more than thirty seconds."

"Maybe if you shared some inside knowledge then I would be able to understand her better."

"What makes you think I do?"

"She is your teammate is she not?" Itachi turned to the younger, more privileged version of himself. "Should you not be aware of her personality? Do you not think the clan could benefit from the passing of such information?"

"No," the younger of the two Uchiha brothers stated with a smirk. He would not sacrifice the balance of his team for his clan. He gave too much already but the one thing that they would not take from him is the stability of the team. He promised Sakura that much because that was all he could do to protect her from his clan now.

Sakura's fate was in Itachi's hands.

Better hands then his own were.

**---xXx---**

* * *

**---xXx---**

Sakura appeared in the Hokage's office. Just about two feet from the front of the famous oak desk just repaired from the last time the Slug Princess's fists slammed through the chunk of wood.

"I need an audience with the Uchiha elders." Green eyes stared unmoving into their mentor's steady amber ones. Her voice was firmer, direct and strong. That last bit of inner rebellion was ignited in the training fields and she was not stopping until she was a free woman again or the forced her into that wedding outfit and dragged her down the aisle.

"Not possible." The Slug Sanin said and continued to sign the stacks of paperwork in front of her. Although in truth she'd much rather be listening to her young pink haired protégé.

"Are you saying not possible because you want nothing to do with the Uchihas or not possible because they refuse to hear a word on it?" Sakura asked for clarification.

"Both," the elder woman said simply.

The younger smirked. She combed through the Uchiha laws for Sasuke time after time after time and then again. Those laws were embedded into her brain whether she liked it or not. "As a perspective member of the Uchiha clan I have the right to a meeting with the Uchiha Council of Elders on my request to discuss any possible problems I might have with the clan."

"In the hopes they might be resolved yes I know of the law Sakura." Tsunade finally put down her pen and took a sip from a tea cup on her desk. "What happened to your mission request?"

"Running away to Gaara will not help my problem Tsunade-shishou." Sakura shook her head. "and if I go, Fugaku-sama will only piss and moan until you bring me back. From that point he'll have the village elders wrapped around his finger and I'll be Itachi's knocked up fucking wife before we both can stop it."

"What do you plan to say to the Uchiha elders?"

Sakura did not move from her first spot of apparition in the room. "I plan to convince them that I am not the best choice of a wife for Itachi. And since you seem to have taken the role as the go-between role for myself and the Uchihas I figured you could arrange it for me."

"You ask this of your Hokage?"

"No," the pink haired woman answered quickly. This part already thought out, "I ask of you as your daughter."

Sakura has never referred to the relationship between Tsunade and herself in such a personal manor. Even though it was common knowledge that the two had a mother daughter bond along with Shizune, this was the first time that unspoken bond was brought forth verbally. The blonde Hokage took Sakura under her wing even more in the years after the passing of Mrs. Haruno. But Tsunade never expected to be filling that void left in her student's heart.

For the longest time the Slug Princess said nothing. Her amber eyes appraised the young woman in front of her. Sakura never asked of much from her shishou. A mission here or there and maybe a trip to Suna; but all anything only made Tsunade's life easier. Still, as much as Sakura has grown up from that little Sasuke-stricken girl she used to be, the Godaime Hokage doubted she was ready to take on the Uchiha council.

"Sakura," amber eyes softened towards the younger female. "These men are not to be taken lightly."

"I am completely well aware of that fact."

"I do not believe you are." Two fists slammed down on the newly repaired oak desk. The loud noise both shook the papers from the desk and scared the pink haired Jounin. Sakura was not expecting such a response from the older woman.

Tsunade used the full power of her eyes to glared at the girl she considered a daughter. Sakura could not be silent now. If she wanted any chance to prove that she could stand in the same room as the judgmental men of the Uchiha council she could not be silent now. If Sakura wanted the Uchiha council Tsunade would make sure she could prove herself first.

"Tsunade-shishou," Sakura started slowly. The firm tone in her voice was lost but her voice was still very controlled. She did not understand why of all times her mentor was being hard on her now. Emerald eyes lifted to make a connection with Tsunade's fierce amber eyes. The older woman was not a push over by any means. After a half a dozen years of training under the Slug Sanin Sakura figured out that much. Sympathy was not something that came from Tsunade often.

Therefore Sakura had to stay strong.

"If I can stand my ground with Itachi-"

"These are people who tell Fugaku-sama how to run the clan. They silence him with a wave of their hand just has he silences Itachi. I have the village elders supporting this marriage now Sakura this is your last chance and even that chance is slim to none."

The pink haired kunoichi smirked. "And they want something I have."

Tsunade took a moment to catch Sakura's drift. Fugaku-sama was only interested in Sakura because of her famous chakra control leading to her inhuman strength and secondly for connections to the higher beings such as the Godaime Hokage and Jiraya the Toad Sage. The flowering youth also had connections with many of Konoha's notable clans; the Hyuugas, Yamankas, Naras, Inuzukas, and the growing fame of her heart's brothers would put her in great connections with the next Hokage.

"So if you did not have these connections anymore than they wouldn't want you?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Do you plan to burn every bridge you worked so hard to build?"

"Not in the least." Sakura shook her head. "You chose not to have children Tsunade-shishou. It should not be much harder for me to regulate my cycle."

Without the guaranteed promise of an heir the Uchiha clan would disregard Sakura without a second thought.

"Fight fire with fire." Amber eyes approved of the young woman's idea. "I have a meeting with the clan leaders tomorrow. I will be sure to arrange the meeting through Fugaku and Mikoto-sama"

"Thank you, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura bowed to the elder woman. "I must go and speak with…"

Just at that moment a sneeze snuck up on the younger pink haired medic. Her nose crinkled as it crept up her nose. With a quick sounding sneeze Sakura recovered.

And both women knew that something was just a little bit off.

"Go and think about your decision Sakura-chan. I will be pulling too many strings for a single shinobi if I do this for you. That in turn would only make more trouble with the elders if I do not have you settle down any time soon."

"They think I'm too reckless for a woman."

Both women laughed but Tsunade's face turned very serious afterwards. "Make sure you are absolutely confident in your decision.

Sakura looked at her Shishou with a confused expression, "Why would I not."

"I had told you to leave," Tsunade raised her voice, "Why are you not gone?"

Sakura bowed respectfully, "Arigato Tsunade-shishou." and disappeared.

**---xXx---**

* * *

---xXx---

"It's your job to figure Sakura out, not mine to tell you."

The older Uchiha just starred at his younger brother. He had known of Sasuke's attachment to his team. He knew of the brotherly relationship the younger Uchiha had with that knuckle head of a future Hokage, but his younger brother's relationship with Sakura had always been a confusing.

During their genin years Sasuke wanted nothing to do with her. Then when she became a talented medic the younger Uchiha could not stand any other female on his team but team seven's only female member. That was when their little group had just become chunin and Sakura was being sent on A ranked missions with the elder the Uchiha heir himself. Sasuke did make his dislike of his teammate on his brother's squad very clear to the Hokage. By the time both Sasuke and Sakura were jounin they were inseparable. Itachi had firmly believed that Sasuke would not let any other man touch Konoha's sweetheart but him.

Soon after their promotion Sasuke and Sakura were assigned a six month undercover mission to a civilian village in sound. Sakura had been sent there to help figure out why so many children where dying from illnesses as simple as a cough. Tsunade suspected fowl play and sent Sasuke in to watch over her. Naruto protested but in the end there was nothing he could do.

When the two came back there was awkwardness between them. They would walk together in the Uchiha gardens but not say much. Her temperament had changed greatly. She kept her mouth shut more. As if she was copying the behavior of the elder Hyuuga girl. Sasuke would never touch her or even dare to raise his voice. This wasn't more than two years ago.

Before the elder Uchiha had the chance to figure out what was wrong with his little brother, team seven was sent back into sound on S ranked mission.

Naruto was beat up pretty bad, but due to the chakra from the nine tailed fox his major injuries had healed to a point.

Both Sasuke and Sai came back in seriously wounded. Naruto was helping Sai along back to Konoha. Sasuke could walk on his own; but barely.

Sakura was in a critical condition. Sasuke traveled as fast as he could despite his own pain to get her back to Konoha. Sakura's condition put the village on high alert. Sasuke however wouldn't go anywhere near her hospital room until the day that she woke up.

After that they didn't talk much.

Sasuke backed off. Not much, but he at least let other males around Sakura for once. He did not protest when she returned to missions with other teams, including his own ANBU squad.

Itachi's attention may not be as preoccupied by Konoha's gossip as many other people were but he did notice how humans changed their everyday behavior when they were around someone important. He also knew that when an uncomfortable situation that awkwardness can arise very quickly. Something had happened between his brother and Sakura.

He didn't know what happened.

But something did happen. Itachi was sure of that.

"You're not putting up a fight this time."

Sasuke's obsidian eyes intensified towards his Nii-san. "She's gotten along just fine without my protection. "No if you do not mind there is somewhere I need to be."

The Uchiha heir held his younger brother's gaze for a few moments studying the face of his younger brother. The younger Uchiha made eye contact with the elder showing no fear. In a way Itachi's heart ached. He never wanted this life for Sasuke. Yet as a male Uchiha it was unavoidable.

Sasuke did not wait around much longer. "You should really get those injury looked at." The younger male smirked, laughing to himself as he turned and leap away from the small clearing. He knew how much those bruises hurt.

With a quick shake of his head the remaining raven haired re-prioritized his thoughts. Whatever past his younger brother and his cherry blossom beauty had between them was none of his concern. Rather, his attention had to be on securing his future with said beauty. There still was a slim chance that Sakura would be able to get out of this marriage if she played the right cards and pulled all of her strings.

She would have already gone to the Godaime by this point but now he needed to figure out what her next move would be. That was the problem that Itachi needed to figure out. What would Sakura do next? As her nature deemed, the raven haired male knew she probably had discussed her plans with someone other than just Tsunade; to get a second opinion.

But who?

Sasuke would be of no help to her now, obviously. His younger brother probably wanted to be as neutral as possible. Anything she'd tell him would be fair game for the clan if they deemed his confidence with her treacherous.

Sakura was smart enough not to take that risk anyway. She was also smarter than to tell her plans to their blonde teammate or two their ROOT member because they knew not when to keep their mouths shut. The loud, blonde, female friend who was on the genin team with the Nara boy was also prone to telling secrets and therefore could not be trusted with her situation just yet.

The Uchiha heir mentally winced. That was one headache he would have later in life that he was not looking forward to. By this time he had started back towards the direction of the Uchiha compound. He had a feeling that his mother and/or father would want to talk to him about something or other.

The Nara boy would be a good consideration, if he was not currently called out on mission. Shizune could be informed but was not a strong possibly due to her many other obligations and lack of free time. The poor woman was just as overworked as her pink haired surrogate sister. Sakura would have gone to a male friend of hers anyway since her first source of opinion came from her Shishou.

Sakura needed someone who understood the politics of the village and the ninja system. She needed someone who knew the Uchiha clan well and gained a general understanding of their practices. Therefore she probably went to a man who was older than her.

Itachi smirked; of course she would go to him. The man was like her comfort figure who could always help any of their team sort of problems after all. And his council to her would be no threat to him. He knew Sakura would be heading to the clan elders to request her audience which in turn would do her no good. He needed to eliminate every last possible opportunity she had of getting out of his reach. His own reputation would be ruined forever if he was not able to secure Sakura as his Lady Uchiha.

**---xXx---**

* * *

---xXx---

The silver haired jounin thought his life was complicated enough before team seven walked into his life.

For some reason the Third thought it the wisest of things to give him a team of unruly genin consisting of the hyperactive Uzumaki, the short tempered Haruno and the head-strong younger Uchiha. After his first meeting with the youngsters he seriously doubted the sanity of the Third. Yet for some reason he stuck with it and with his help those wild genin were turned into three of the most promising jounin in the village.

What Kakashi did not expect, was to be a father.

Sure he was a good looking man. But the seasoned jounin much preferred the single life. He liked the freedom of a life with little responsibility. Any time he wanted any, or did not feel like he was pulling his weight the Godaime would be more than willing to send him on a mission or two. Eventually he figured he'd be able to find a woman who could stand him enough to want to live with him for long periods of time. Even then he'd only have one child, enough for his family name to live on.

Naruto however, was not what he had in mind as a son. Somehow Naruto was placed under his joint guardianship- shared with Jiraya-sama- when the demon became more active and very few were actually interested in the well being of the boy. Kakashi understood that being the boy's sensei came with that responsibility. After time passed Kakashi began to feel comfortable with his role as guardian.

He never expected to have to have a daughter figure. Naruto he could deal with, but Sakura was something completely different.

And the moment he saw the first male wink at her his headache began. A head ache because she was never the smartest girl when it came to male intentions, a headache because Naruto, Sasuke and Sai all but flip shit when she smiles at the sound of a guy's name, and he gets a headache for this reason right here…

"Kakashi-sensei," her sweet innocent voice was heard calling over the hill.

His eyes did not need to rise above his Icha Icha book to realize who that voice belonged to. Sakura was always stood out of the crowd. He knew that she would come to him. Relationships were a messy business and well… Kakashi was an expert when it came to this department. He just did not brag about it too much out of fear people would actually disturb him from his readings.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that Sakura-chan." Kakashi's lone eye drifted back to his adult readings. "It makes me feel older than I really am."

Sakura smiled. It did not matter how many times he told both her and Naruto to stop calling him sensei. They had called him by that name for so many years it had become habit by now. He was old anyway. "You're almost forty years old sensei."

"I've still got a couple years before I reach that mountain Sakura-chan." The corner of his lone eye crinkled. "I presume that you are not here to talk about my age though. Why don't you treat your _old_ sensei to a nice dinner for once and we can sit down and talk."

"I'm sure you've got more money than I do Kakashi-sensei."

"That is not the lesson here Sakura," His silver head of thick hair moved back and forth.

The young medic-nin rolled her eyes. "After all I've been through you can't spare just a little money out of your wallet to brighten my day?"

Bright emerald eyes turned glassy, as the muscles in Sakura's face relax giving her the pouty effect she knew worked so well on Kakashi. According to his reminiscing Team 7 was easier to handle when they were smaller and cuter, did not like each other, and were not smart enough to take on their beloved sensei. Now they were older and they still had the array of problems they had when they were genin plus some extra along with a fourth member to their jounin team.

Yes Sai was one of a kind.

And also was not the current problem here.

Kakashi's doting eyes feel on the girl that reminded him so much of his own female teammate, Rin, when he was a genin. Of course Sakura was more outgoing and outspoken than Rin but still her memory lived on for the silver-haired jounin.

This was the reason he did not want to be a father. His memory would always return to the little innocent pink haired girl he first met even though he knew Sakura stood as a woman before him.

"How about you buy me dinner and I buy desert?" he tried to compromise.

Pink haired swayed back and forth, "You won't stick around for desert then. How about you pay for dinner and I'll buy your next pervy book?"

The lone visible eye quickly made eye contact with Sakura's emerald orbs. Kakashi knew, Sakura knew he was not going to turn this offer down. How could he? The next part of the series would probably be worth more than any dinner that he'd be paying for. Plus he'd get to witness the sight of Haruno Sakura walking into a bookshop and actually buying the books she detested so much.

"Deal."

"Shall we?" Sakura motioned down the path to a local sushi stand. Kakashi was not too particularly fond of raw meet but he knew that was not the reason Sakura felt a sudden urg to pay a visit to the small restaurant. It was a very secluded little place that was fairly knew to Konoha. There was not more than 30 tables equally spaced for lots of privacy.

Konoha's sweetheart did not feel like being so sweat.

Either way he took his students hand in his own before tucking it under his arm. Sakura smiled and blushing a slight tint. Her sensei always treated her like a lady no matter how much she got on his nerves he would always respect her. Unlike some other people in her life who did not seem to care whether she lived or died as long as her womanly call was met.

The two did not say much as they walked down the road. They did not need to either. Kakashi knew that his presence was just enough to calm her nerves.

He had an uncanny ability to make women comfortable around him.

A skill that came in handy on more than one occasion… never with his pupil, he believed that he had seen too much of the pink haired kunoichi already and did not need to see anymore. Nor did he truly want to. He knew Sakura was an attractive woman, but he was not as affect by her looks as other men.

Another good thing.

They arrived at the small restaurant just in time to beat the dinner rush. They asked for a table for two on the left side of the dining room, it was next to the window. They were seated and attended on my the beverage hostess before they were left alone.

"So, Uchiha Itachi?" Kakashi asked.

The 20 year old kunoichi fingers clawed at the smooth wood table. "I knew the Uchiha clan were full of selfish bastards but still, I never thought Itachi would…"

"Trick you like this?"

"How much have you heard?"

"That you are the devil reincarnated, that you will waste away in the Uchiha compound, and it's so nice to see how a respectable young man is finally settling down with a pretty young girl like yourself." The masked man couldn't help but laugh at the memory of little old ladies coming up to him on the streets and telling him how they approve of the pairing.

Sakura's head hit the table.

Figuratively of course; her head actually fell against the head rest of their booth. It had been three days. Three damn days since Itachi had first introduced her as his fiancée and she could not believe how fast this gossip took off. "I honestly don't know why this is happening to me Kakashi."

"Yes you do."

"Its so stra…did you just say I do know why Itachi is coming to me?"

Wild silver hair nodded slightly.

"How the hell did you come up with that conjecture?"

"You're a smart girl Sakura-chan," His eyes perused the menu displaying more interest in its contents than to the young pink haired woman's distress caused by his previous comment.

"So, I've been told before." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Arms capable of crushing boulders with little problem crossed themselves in front of Sakura's chest. She came to Kakashi for comfort and she could not believe that he was honestly sitting there and telling her the exact opposite thing than she wanted to hear.

"And you think the Uchiha clan would not notice eventually."

Sakura shook her head. "My intelligence has never been any concern to them. Why would Itachi of all people take a sudden interest?"

"Sakura," the rosette's mentor turned into a serious tone. "You're not thinking like Itachi would. The heir to the Uchiha does not make these kinds of decisions in an impulse."

"Why would he come forward now? Why not years ago then?"

"You're a twenty year old woman Sakura-chan. While you may be considered experienced in the shinobi world you are still a beautiful, young, intelligent woman in the prime of her life. You really expect any Uchiha clan laws to allow Itachi to marry you when you were 15 or 16 years old?"

"You're saying Itachi has been planning this then?" Sakura asked leaning forward while choking on the words at the same time.

Kakashi nodded.

Konoha's sweetheart starred at the silver haired jounin for a minute straight. Eyes widen, mouth hanging out slightly, and all colour drained from her face. The waiter appeared with their drinks in hand. Seeing how Sakura was still unable to speak, Kakashi thanked the man generously before he left once again.

"How long?"

"How long what?"

Sakura rephrased. She still spoke quietly unable to fathom Kakashi's theories. "How long do you believe he has been planning this?"

The masked man pulled down the offensive material for a short period of time, just enough to taste their sake before answering his pupil's question. "You were a very uninteresting girl for the longest time Sakura-chan."

"yeah well… you try competing with three major clan members, the world's most stubborn knuckle head, and three unique kekai genkei users all in your same age group and see how you fare." Sakura relaxed a little and took a shot of her sake with little problem.

"That was before you blew a hole in the side of a wall at the chunin exams."

The chunin exams? Sakura remembered Sasuke being on edge due to the fact he did not want a repeat of any Orochimaru incident and that his brother, Shisui and his father were all there watching him. But no Uchiha ever took a moment out of their precious time to give her a compliment.

Yet there was a time, about three months afterwards that Tsunade-sama was running low on medic-nins and when a small situation arose in the Land of Wind, she assigned her protégé to Itachi's squad. He did not raise a single protest. Of course Sakura was more worried about making sure she did not screw up one of her most challenging missions, than thinking about how Sasuke's older brother would respond to her being on the same team. She shut up and did what she was told, she was not the type of girls to sit back and ask questions when given a direct order. Especially when she was the youngest member on the team and easily the most in experienced.

"Of course you were more preoccupied with another Uchiha male at that time." The younger pink haired jounin noticed the small smirk behind that infamous mask.

Sakura's eyes shifted to the right. She and Sasuke had every single chance and possibly available to any couple to be together. They spent years getting to know one another; they trusted each other fully and completely. They've had to pose as couples before and have slept in the same vicinity multiple times and many of those occasions have been in the same bed.

"I'm sorry I did not mean to…"

Sakura waved her hand, "Don't worry about it. It's in the past, there's nothing we can do about it now."

"He still loves you Sak…"

Sakura cut him off, "the problem is his older brother, and he's not stepping in the way to stop anything. Sasuke's playing neutral with this matter and I don't blame him."

Kakashi paused enough to see Sakura fight back the tears from forming in her eyes. "Since the chunin exams many eyes were turned your way. You started getting your endless wave of suitors soon after."

"Rock Lee does not count."

"I was not talking about Rock Lee's undying love for you. I do believe Kiba was your first boyfriend? If I am not mistaken and you had a small fling with Sai."

Sakura's jaw dropped. How did he know about Sai? Nobody knew about her and Sai! That was a one time and one time only thing when they were both drinking too much during a night out with their friends.

"How did you?"

"Don't matter how I know the fact remains that I know. You need to adopt the same principles Sakura. It does not matter why, when or even what made Itachi chose you out of all the other women he could have because the problem now is he did."

Kakashi's lone eye looked firmly into Sakura's emeralds. In that moment she was glad that he was not just telling her what she wanted to hear because what she wanted was not always the best course of action. Itachi was guessing her every move because he was assimilating her mind and what she would do. To get a step ahead she needed to stop complaining that Itachi had chosen her and do more to stop it from happening.

She had been doing that, she had been pulling all resources available to her trying to stop this engagement. And as of right now she had to trust her Shishou to make the necessary arrangements with the council of elders

"You believe that his reason to choose me does not influence his actions." Sakura argued. "If he did not feel I could benefit his clan in some way then he would not be fighting for me so hard. And the fact that he is fighting and not his family says that the clan was not actually aware I was a possibly."

"Like Mikoto-sama would reject you as her daughter," the older jounin waved over their waiter to get ready to order.

"Mikoto is already like a mother to me, it's Fugaku who needed a little more persuasion. Or so Sasuke told me."

The waiter flashed a picture perfect smile towards the pink haired beauty, "What can I get for you tonight?" Kakashi knew the waiter was flashing his pupil that smile for flirting purposes, but the beautiful pink haired woman completely ignored the man's forward actions, as she most always did.

The emerald eyed girl was blissfully unaware of what kind of effect she had on the opposite sex. She never really had relationships on the top of her priority list. Many single men blamed the very single and still very attractive Hokage for that. Damn empowering yourself as-a-woman speeches. The pair gave their orders and the waiter left unsatisfied that his smile was not returned by beautiful pink haired woman.

"I thought Sasuke was supposed to be neutral?"

A small smirk appeared on her face. "For the most part he is."

Kakahsi laughed a little bit.

"What?"

"Nothing at all Sakura-chan,"

"No tell me."

"You have to promise not to punch anything if I do."

Sakura hesitated, then nodded her agreement. "I give you my word."

"For the longest time you wanted to be with Sasuke, you thought that he was the only man in the world that could make you happy."

"I was foolish Kaka-"

"What makes you think you are not being foolish now?"

A very confused Sakura stumbled over words, "Ex-excuse me?"

Kakashi explained further. "You are a very career oriented girl Sakura, and shinobi in this day and age are lucky to find someone who they trust enough to spend every single day. If you honestly left your own love life up to yourself then you would never get married until everyone else in your age group was settling down and having children of their own."

"So you're saying that I should just marry some guy who did not even give me an engagement ring, a man who just, all of a sudden, decided that he wanted to marry me?"

"I'm saying you should take a look at who exactly this _guy_ really is."

"You are not listening to me Sakura." Kakashi scolded harshly in his teacher voice making Sakura straighten up and shut her mouth. "A respectable man coming from a good family, who is a very skilled shinobi able to protect you- if my some means you cannot protect yourself- therefore as a shinobi he has a respectable job and his family is rich as hell therefore he is able to provide for you. Itachi is not as bad of a man as your painting him to be."

"You cannot be serious Kakashi?" Sakura could not believe this. She was expecting Kakashi to fight alongside of her. "You know I want nothing to do with the Uchihas."

"The clan respects you because you are a strong kunoichi who has faithfully stood by Sasuke. Itachi is not one to let your rebellious nature go."

Emerald eyes rolled, "Yeah that makes perfect sense; I don't take any shit from the clan so he's going to trap me within the clan. He'll be Lord and I'll be his perfect little Lady."

The waiter returned quickly with their food placing each plate in front of the respective customer. "There's a young man who came to the door asking to have this delivered to you." The waiter addressed Sakura. His tone was much more professional now, Kakashi noted.

A small, black, velvet box with the Uchiha crest passed from the hands of the waiter into Sakura's fair and shaking hands. "You're a lucky woman miss," he commented before leaving.

Sakura's two pale hands cupped the box ever so lightly while they shook vigorously. She had a pretty good idea of what exactly could be inside that kind of box. It was small, and a perfect cube.

"So much for not getting you a ring," Kakashi mussed as he took another swig of his sake to help swallow some of his food. "Open it Sakura-chan."

Trying to control her shaking limbs she gently lifted the lid of the small box and promptly dropped it on the table when she saw the glittering stones shinning back at her. A small piece of paper fell on the wooden table completely eluding Sakura's eyes, which were completely focused on the ring.

Kakashi chewed his sushi and eyed the piece of paper on the table. When he had finished chewing he reached for the piece of paper, "Breathe Sakura-chan."

There was a sudden gasp for air. The ring was absolutely perfect.

And she hated herself for admitting it.

A very pale pink stone adorned the center of a white gold band. But the pink was so pale that she could only see it because she was staring so intensely at the ring. Two smaller rubies were on either side of the diamond, but they were nothing overpowering at all. Red to show the mark of the Uchiha clan, but they were not taking away from the individuality of the pale pink stone at all.

"Look outside," Kakashi said breaking Sakura's consitration.

"What?"

Kakashi turned the paper around so Sakura could read the words herself. They had a window seat and Sakura turned to look out the large window.

Itachi stood below the small restaurant looking up at the window.

His long black hair tied in a pony tail at the base of his neck as it always was. He was in a black collared shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back no doubt. Sakura noticed that he had changed from his ANBU uniform. His charcoal grey eyes were starring, unblinkingly into Sakura's. His hands were in his pockets but he still stood upright with the perfect posture of any Uchiha. She could see the long, elegant line of his nose, the sharp angles of his jaw.

But what drew her in the most was the intensity behind his eyes. A wall any many feet separated them but she felt like he was next to her, not even an inch apart. Just the two of them.

Her heart raced.

"Itachi needs a strong woman by his side Sakura," Kakashi whipped his mouth, having just finished his meal. "Look at the life of Uchiha Mikoto-sama. She has all but summated entirely to her husband and even given up her own children for the clan. Itachi would not have been a trained killer if she had kept him and raised him her way. It is my belief that Itachi knows this too. He does not want a weak woman who will bend to his every will. I'm also convinced that he would not be able to stand marrying a civilian, one of his many admirers or one of his distant realities in the clan."

By her sensei's eliminations of the eligible females in Konoha she was actually one of the few women left that Itachi could actually half stand. She understood now, she wasn't being chosen for her medical skills, ties to the Hokage and possibly future Hokage or her perfect chakra control. Those were what Itachi was selling to his family to allow her to marry in. Heaven forbid the Uchiha clan be overpowered by new genetic codes. She came from a civilian family so there was no reputable name to deal with. Sakura had no ties or loyalties to another clan. Her mother was dead and she was the last Haruno in Konoha. Her father has not contacted her and she would not be lenient towards him if he did return to Konoha.

Sakura still did not say anything. Her eyes were solely focused on the pair of dark eyes staring up at her from the street.

Kakashi chuckles and got to his feet. "Think about it Sakura-chan."

She did not half to… She really had no choice. And the ring found its way onto the fourth finger of her left hand.

* * *

**Okay there are a few things I wanted a little feedback on. First is the position Kakashi is taking. I thought it over and over and thought that Kakashi would only want the best for Sakura. At first thought that would be her marrying who she wants to marry. But then thinking some more and considering that Kakashi is half her gaurdian he would want what he knows is best for her. It is my opinion that Kakashi would know a little bit more about Itachi than Sakura would and being the outside party could correctly assest if the match would be sucessful or not.**

**The second point I would particularly like some feedback on is the backstory between Sasuke and Sakura. I just would like your basic thoughts on it... if that is not too much to ask.**

**Last of all I would like to apologize once again for getting this chapter up so late. I am trying to get better at updating and I do plan on finishing every story that I start... It just takes me a while to get them up.**

**Thanks for reading and please take your time to review. Its the only way I really know how I'm doing. **

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Angel**

* * *


	6. Lockdown

6

Chapter 6

The whole day was a blur. Sakura saw these flashes in her mind. Mikoto and Tsunade were coming in and hour of her room starting at the bright and early hours of the day. One of the great women pulled open the blinds while the other drug Sakura's sleepless body out of bed.

Needless to say she was up most of the night before her wedding day.

Ino and Naruto appeared out of, what seemed to be, nowhere. Sakura knew they were talking about something concerning the wedding, but she did not hear them. She knew the sun was shining outside the window, but she did not feel it's warmth on her face.

Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. A wedding Ino and her teammates made sure was every bit the wedding she dreamed it would be since the day she was a child. They battled the highly traditional Uchiha council over every single detail. Not only was the wedding going to be the biggest wedding Konoha had seen that decade; it was also a mesh of traditional and modern customs.

Mikoto was a very meticulous woman and therefore pulled every contact in her little black book to have the very best of everything for Sakura. Now Mikoto would have been happy with just about any woman her oldest son had chosen, but the current Lady Uchiha had always looked upon Sakura as a daughter, however, clan law forbid her to treat Sakura as such. Now Mikoto had that daughter. Sakura would eventually become Lady Uchiha and there was so much Mikoto wanted to teach her.

Fugaku honestly did not care one way or another for the girl. Instead he was more concerned with the political sway. The girl was apprenticed to Tsunade and one of her most trusted friends. Sakura also had ties with three of the possible candidates for the next Hokage; Shikamaru Nara, her sensei Kakashi Hatake and the favored candidate, Team Seven's very own Naruto Uzamaki. She was a personal friend of the Kazekage and his older sister as well as having saved the life of the Kazekage's brother thus becoming a well known and respected figure in Suna. Her medical skills were becoming known in other nations and villages as well as her monstrous strength. Fugaku had the brief thought cross his mind that ANBU was at a loss. Then again, since ANBU was at a loss the Uchiha clan was making the greatest strides in their own advancement with this girl behind its walls.

It was an outside wedding. In the Uchiha compound none the less. The Uchihas were a very proud clan and would only hold the ceremony in the family shrine. No other would do for the purest of the Uchiha blood. Can't have anyone else married where Uchiha weddings take place. Sakura soon became thoroughly disgusted with how uptight the Uchiha's were with their pride and their traditions.

One of the compromises that had to be made was to allow a Hyuuga take place in the union. Hinata was more than just a friend to Sakura, she was more like a sister. Therefore there was no way Sakura would go through with any wedding without Hinata. Then she also had to work in Tenten who would also cause problems due to her relationship with Neji. Tsunade also requested that Temari, accompanied by her brother Kankuro, make a special trip to Konoha for the ceremony. Sakura's bridal party included all of the previous including Ino as her maid of honor.

Of course the Uchiha council agreed once they had heard that Temari would not come if they did not respect her friend's wishes. The sister to the all powerful Kazekage was not a woman to anger. Even the Uchiha's understood this fact.

The ceremony was going to take place around dusk. Just as the colors of the sunset were fading and the stars could be seen. A sheer white silk canopy had been set up over the general seating area and the shrine itself. Almost like a tent around the area. The center isle was sprinkled with pale blue, pink and white flowers covering the grass. Both her wedding kimono and reception kimono were tailored to fit her body perfectly. Every single inch of the fabric was embroidered with traditional design or the clan crest. The symbol, at the end of the night, Sakura would have to display on her person for the rest of her life.

There was no doubt in anybody's mind that the union between Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura would be the wedding to be compared to all weddings. Sakura's name was being cheered down every street of Konoha. She was going to have the wedding girl's only dreamt of. She was going to marry into a very wealthy and powerful family. Sakura was going to be the wife of the most handsome man in Konoha. One whose name was known throughout all of Fire and beyond. She would be pampered and she would live the life of a queen until the day she died. Haruno Sakura had everything any girl could every want at her feet, all for her taking.

All she could feel, however, was the steady flow of tears falling from those famed emerald eyes. Despite all the beauty surrounding her, all the glory and luxury, all the promise of a bright and beautiful future; Sakura Haruno was doing the one thing any bride should not be doing on her wedding day…

She was crying.

**-xXx-**

"Did she stop yet?"

Blond hair swayed from one side of a pale head revealing the other blue eyes of the young Yamanaka Ino. "I'm sorry Tsunade-sama," Ino's voice was soft and gentle so as not to upset the busty blonde just yet.

"I don't understand Ino-chan." Mikoto shook her head back and forth. Inside the dark-haired woman feared that all the preparations were not as Sakura would have really liked them. She felt as if she failed as a mother-in-law. She had spent two whole months carefully planning every single detail from sunrise till sunset.

_It's not your fault_, Ino wanted to say to the beautiful lady Uchiha. However that statement would then require Ino to explain that Sakura was crying because she did not want to marry the woman's oldest son. Ino had never officially met Uchiha Mikoto until Tsunade sent her to assist Mikoto with the wedding plans. Over the last 8 weeks Ino became more involved with the Uchiha clan than she had ever wished to be. She was not surprised at this point that Sakura was still fighting this marriage tooth and nail. The whole thing was a very tedious and elaborate process.

Ino instead tried to lighten the mood, "I'm not sure either Mikoto-sama but if she keeps crying like that I'm afraid that I will not be able to hide the redness or puffiness around her eyes with any amount of make-up."

A small smile did grace the Lady Uchiha's lips. "You are truly a sweetheart Ino-chan." She stated graciously as she patted the young girl's shoulder. "But Sakura is still locked in there crying on her wedding day."

The three women stood outside Sakura's dressing room. Ino dressed in a pale blue kimono the same exact one as Hinata, Tenten, and Temari. Tsunade was going to be officiating the ceremony, much to her extreme dislike, because she knew she would be playing a part in trapping her beloved student into world she did not want. Mikoto was in a beautifully hand tailored kimono in traditional Uchiha midnight blue with white birds flying along the hems of the fabric and a red obi. Sakura's evening kimono would be very similar but with reversed colors.

Tsunade, who had been deep in thought standing to one side of the wall, paid very little attention to the interactions between the two other women. "Mikoto," she called sharply. "Is there anyone you can think of? Anyone at all who would be able to help?"

"You and I have both tried to talk with her Lady Tsunade." Mikoto shook her head. "Ino has tried in vain and the other bridesmaids as well. She won't even answer for Naruto."

_If this wasn't the Uchiha compound that door would have been busted down already._ Tsunade thought as she racked her brain for one person who could help.

Ino did.

"Sasuke," she said with little emotion.

"What?" both women asked in shock.

"Sasuke," Ino repeated. "If there is anyone who could get through her thick stubborn head it would be Sasuke."

Mikoto hesitated and Ino expected this. Ever since Sasuke jumped on Itachi at the family gathering Mikoto was wary to have them all in the same room together. "Are you sure there is no one else?"

"Mikoto-sama," Ino started slowly. "There is not another soul on this earth who wants Sakura to be happy more than your youngest son. Its times like these," she pointed to the closed and locked door. "That Sasuke is the only person who can reach her."

"This has happened before?"

Tsunade knew this answer, "when her Sakura's father left her all alone to tend to her dying mother. Sakura walked around in a state of shock, half expecting her old man to come walking back through her front door. When her mother passed Sakura could not keep up with her family's house. She had to sell everything."

Mikoto was speechless.

Ino didn't like the fact that Tsunade just openly shared one of Sakura's most personal secrets. Outside their pack and Team Seven and no one else was supposed to know. Yet standing around talking about Sakura's past was not going to solve anything, so why waste the breath. Where was Sasuke?

"Mikoto-sama," Ino interrupted. "Please, for Sakura. Tell me where Sasuke is so I can go and get him." Mikoto's soft gaze glanced over towards the door. Ino afraid for Sakura's mental state continued, "She's not going to chose Sasuke over Itachi. Sakura is an honorable woman and she gave Itachi her word."

Mikoto's eyes quickly made contact with Ino's concerned, crystal blue eyes. Ino knew exactly what the Uchiha beauty was thinking; Sakura's relationship with Sasuke was something unexplainable but not romantic. It had the potential to be at one point but the attraction never manifested itself. Sasuke was not a threat, but rather an asset. Sakura would never be with a man Sasuke's instincts couldn't trust.

"They should be upstairs in Itachi's room." Mikoto replied wondering how such a young girl could have figured her façade. Ino gave a polite thank you and exited the room as quickly as possible. Mikoto was a good woman, but she did not know Sakura well enough to know how to make her happy. Sakura did not want to get married today. Ino knew nothing could stop the Uchiha family once they started digging their claws into something.

Then again, the bond between team seven was something truly special. Maybe her boys could make her see a silver lining.

-xXx-

Itachi had known of this moment since he was a boy.

He had been told by just about all the clan that he was going to grow up, find a respectable woman, have a huge wedding and have lots of beautiful heirs running around. Ever since he'd been a little boy he dreaded hearing those statements. He didn't want to bring a girl into the horrors of the clan. He didn't want to have to treat her like his father did his own mother. Itachi especially did not want to subject his first born son to the scrutiny he himself experienced as a child.

Yet, somehow, as he stood by his own bedroom window looking out at the spot where he would finally wed Haruno Sakura, Itachi felt satisfied. All his hard work, all his years of watching and waiting and surviving was finally going to pay off. His crowning achievement was not the knowledge that he was about to reform the most powerful clan in Konoha history.

Rather the beautiful independent woman he knew he would be sharing the rest of his life with.

Itachi had been convinced for years that he would never have a happy marriage. He would be forced to marry some bimbo the clan wanted to see as their Lady Uchiha. They would pick some girl barely of age who would serve the clan to pin point. Who would raise children dutifully and give them over to be pawns of the clan just like he was handed over.

This would have happened, if his intended was any other woman than the one he was marrying.

Sakura was not some bimbo for exploit as the clan saw her. Itachi knew different. Haruno was raised by the great Sanin Lady Tsunade. One headstrong female, learning from the most stubborn female he ever had met. Tsunade did not take shit from anybody; especially those who tried to use their last names, such as the Uchihas, to get their own way.

"Teme, how do you put this thing on again?" the only male blonde haired figure that would be present at the wedding spoke. A non negotiable term Sakura had made plainly clear from the very beginning.

Naruto _will_ be present _and_ active in the wedding.

The knucklehead never really bothered Itachi like he seemed to bother his younger brother. Naruto always behaved when under his command.

"Figure it out yourself dobe," Sasuke chided from the corner of the room. Itachi rolled his eyes. He was firmly resolved that no matter how many years Sasuke and Naruto would always be in a secret competition between the two to see who was the better man.

"You didn't even get yours on yourself teme. Your mother helped you get dressed!" Naruto shot back only realizing the damage of his words after.

Sasuke flushed red as the other males in the room starred at him in silence. Silence which did not last long before the room erupted with laughter. Say for the bridegroom who merely smirked, Itachi's own expression of laugher. Shisui, on the other hand, literally hit the floor, long black hair twisting around is body.

"Mikoto-sama had to help you get dressed Sasuke-san?" One of the younger cousins asked with one hands on the wall for support. Itachi had to ask some of the cousins just below Sasuke's age to be groomsman due to the number of bridesmaids Sakura requested. Of course any member of the Uchiha family would have been thrilled to be in the wedding so Itachi found it no problem.

He just wanted Sakura to have her perfect wedding. Uchiha Itachi was actually looking forward to his life with Haruno Sakura. There was no other woman that he would want next to him before his family shrine. Looking out the window at the shrine he thought Sakura would actually be happy with him for the first time.

Until the moment another blonde burst through the door.

An understatement really; Yamanka Ino made a dent in the wall behind the door as she entered the room two seconds after the boys heard a sharp knock. "Ino what the-" Shisui exclaimed in shock.

"Sakura locked herself in her room and won't come out." The words flew out of Ino's mouth leaving some in the room still confused. Her gaze switched between both Naruto and Sasuke. She much like her best friend/rival did not care much for the elder Uchiha's attitude.

"What?" Both Naruto and Sasuke stepped forward. The concern very evident in both their voices.

"I believe you both heard the information Yamanka-san relayed." Itachi scolded the younger two.

"I think," Naruto quickly turned around and snapped on Itachi without a second thought, "You should show a little more concern that the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with is crying on her wedding day."

Like clockwork Shisui stepped in to defend Itachi. "Ino didn't say anything about Sakura crying though."

"She didn't have to." Sasuke pointed out crossing his arms across his chest next to Naruto. The light cheery mood of the room fell immediately. Sides were chosen within a matter of seconds.

Ino knew this was going to happen, "Fight on your own time."

"Ino's right." Naruto turned away from the two eldest Uchiha's and to his brother. "Sasuke go." Naruto stated in all seriousness.

"Why me?" Sasuke protested knowing it would be in vain. "Let the dobe go and talk to her."

"Cause your just as stubborn as she is," Ino grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the door.

**-xXx-**

"Sakura," a familiar male voice called from outside her door. "Sakura open the door. I'm not playing this game."

Sakura knew who was outside the door before she heard the knock. That did not mean she wanted to open the door any more for him than any of the others before him. Part of her just wanted to be alone. However she could not deny if there was anyone in the world whom she would choose to spend her last couple hours as an unmarried woman with…it would be Sasuke.

The handle made a loud snap when Sasuke broke it with a quick flick of his wrist in order enter the room. Sakura was curled up on the only chair placed in the room. In front of the chair was the very same full length mirror she had been starring into not too long ago. Her famous pink locks were already curled and elegantly pinned in a traditional up do and frozen in place with a large can of hairspray. Her face was blank. No makeup, no natural color in her skin, no sparkle in her eye, no emotion on her face.

It was like she was completely empty. The room was lit by the dying light of the sun. Konoha's sweetheart would soon have to say her vows.

Sasuke took one look at the girl who has stood by his side through so much. "I never thought I'd see you like this again Sakura…" his low voice carried to her curled up form.

She made no move say for a small chuckle that spat from her mouth. "Yea, I guess." She said just above a whisper. No eye contact was made.

Instead she felt perfectly content staring aimlessly into the very same mirror she and Itachi stood before not but weeks ago on the very night he decided to announce their forced engagement. She was stopped on the streets by the town's folk who repeatedly told her she was such a lucky girl to be marrying the Uchiha heir. They said he would take good care of her and together they would produce another generation of strapping little boys and beautiful girls for Konoha. Each time these words passed her ear she wanted to vomit.

"There's just something about you Uchiha's huh?" she mused still looking into the mirror after a period of silence.

Sakura loved each and every member of her team but her relationship with Sasuke was different. In some ways deeper. Not because she liked him more than Naruto, Sai or Kakashi-sensei but for other reasons. It was because of the history they experienced together. It was that bond tied in those memories that made Sasuke different.

And it was exactly that reason why Sakura knew Sasuke was standing in the room before her.

Silence filled the air once again after Sakura spoke. Sasuke stood stoic by the door baring his emotionless face. He gave no reply. Then again he knew he did not need to. He knew what she was thinking about.

The pink haired bride spoke again, "I'm not mad anymore."

Her statement caused Sasuke to raise an eyebrow.

Sakura's face finally rolled towards Sasuke's tall lean figure in the room. He had grown up a lot since their genin days. His black hair had grown out a little longer and the bluish tint was coming through even more than before. He developed the third tomoe in his sharingan after defeating Orochimaru. He was now the tallest member of team seven and nothing short of a lean, stoic killing machine.

"Okay a small part of me is," she confessed. "But more because I'm mad at myself."

Again Sasuke remained silent but held her gaze. She was not done talking.

"I'm powerless to do anything about this. I tried my hardest. I tried my damn hardest and I cannot match Itachi. He's stronger than I am, he's faster, and he's smarter than me."

"And you're surprised?" Sasuke asked. Sakura's head snapped to the side baring the face of pure insult. Sasuke held up his hand to prevent her from yelling. "Don't take it like that," he commanded. "Sakura, my brother is the best shinobi the Uchiha clan has seen for years. He's one of the best in the village."

"Tell me something I don't know." Emerald green eyes rolled as the sarcasm flew from her tongue.

"That he has skills and resources never available to you. Just because he is an Uchiha. That he was pushed to become who he is since he could walk."

A frozen pink head shook back and forth. "Just for the record, you're making me feel worse."

"Would you rather me lie to you and say everything's going to be okay?"

"…No," Sakura paused knowing that fact to be true. More silence followed and Sakura pulled her legs closer to her chest. Her emerald eyes were parched of any sparkle. This was a state he had the displeasure of seeing only once before.

Sasuke finally took steps to close the distance between him and the pink haired beauty. "Stand up," he commanded. Sakura slowly uncurled herself before timidly placing her weight on her feet so she was standing before him. "In a moment you're going to put on that wedding kimono and follow me out of the room so Ino can touch up your make up."

A laugh escaped Sakura's lips as she fought tooth and nail to keep the tears behind her eyes.

"After that you're going to nervously yell for our forever tardy sensei and threaten his pervy books until he finally shows up giving you some excuse about making sure the cake got here on time. Kakashi-sensei is going to take your arm and look at you and smile as the rest of your bridesmaids are going to be escorted down the aisle before finally everyone is going to turn and look back at you as you walk down the aisle. You are going to say your vows and you're going to sit next to my brother and smile like you're the luckiest girl on earth.

With a gentleness never seen in public by the stoic Uchiha, Sasuke took a hold of Sakura's chin "But right now, before anything else, at the very moment I'm done talking you are going to cry. All of those tears your fighting behind those eyes. Because you are right Sakura; Itachi is faster and stronger than you. But you would not be right here right now if you could not go toe to toe with Itachi.

The moment Sasuke finished the tears rolled down Sakura's cheek right then and there. After a sob or two her knees gave in and Sasuke caught her in her in his arms and lowed their bodies carefully to the floor. Pale hands gripped at Sasuke's uniform as the tears fell from her eyes.

-xXx-

"Stay" he commanded her once again. Translation: Do not move. Sakura had stopped her tears and her eyes had lost some of the swelling. Tsunade, Ino and Naruto were all outside the door banging telling them they were already behind schedule. Konoha's sweetheart was supposed to have walked down the aisle.

Sasuke moved without sound over to the closet where her wedding kimono hung. Sakura had not yet dressed into the garment. He had helped his mother get dressed in her formal kimonos enough to know the basic workings of the garment. "Come on." He motioned for her to stand up. "Time for you to walk Sakura."

"I have to stand before I can walk."

"You've stood up in a kimono before. Walking is the problem not standing."

Sakura laughed as she undressed what clothing she had left. "Ino you can get the make-up ready." She called while slipping one leg into the kimono, balanced her weight on that leg before sliding her other leg in. Sasuke secured the fabric and began to tie the obi.

Two pale hands stopped him suddenly. "Let your mother do that." Sakura knew she'd regret her words as soon as Mikoto was tying the obi but it certainly did stay.

"That happened one time Sakura."

"One time that caused my kimono to slip and almost blew the whole mission."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. That was the exact reason he hated under cover missions. Just send him in to kill the bad guy. Track him down; take him out, clean cut no questions asked. Those were Sasuke's favorite kind of missions. Sakura liked the sneaky undercover work. She could hold up a façade for months at a time. She'd be able to survive this if anyone could.

May she was the little bit of luck the Uchiha clan needed after all.


End file.
