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To Duel With Fate	By : Mihkail Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female > Itachi/Sakura Views: 4864 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I do not profit from this fanfic.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
The irritating itch in her throat awoke her. Something metallic and sticky coated her, making her cough uncontrollably as she shifted to life, limbs finding themselves smoothing over a soft fabric all around her. The throbbing at her temple, cheek, and nose came next. Pulsing in a painful, swollen ache that made her face feel much bigger than it was supposed to. A barely audible groan drifted from her as she slowly came to her senses. She was some place quiet, dark, and warm. Was this a bed? Where was she...
Her blurry eyes cracked open and stared, disoriented, into the darkness. Dimly, she could see the outline of the light fixtures above her head, and a blank ceiling. She coughed again, and felt something thick bubbling up into her throat, nearly causing her to gag. With a frown, she forced herself to swallow the substance. Blood? Oh...that was definitely blood. She made the mistake of sniffing then, and felt the pain in her nose shoot up the bridge between her eyes, and felt the drying crimson crack over her mouth. But there was also something covering her. Something damp, soft, and warm, that kept the blood from hardening completely.
Another faint, miserable groan, and she tried to push herself upright to get her bearings. She didn't get very far before realizing what it was. Its shape and texture taking focus when she moved her head. A wet cloth was cradling her nose and mouth. Not so tightly that she couldn't breathe, just resting here. A hand that wasn't hers clutched it still, with a pale arm laying over her chest. Sakura's cloudy, unhappy thoughts quieted. Slowly turning her head to the side, she saw him there next to her. His skin nearly glowed as he laid there on his stomach, still nude. Itachi's face was turned to her, but his eyes were closed. Nestled up against her in his own hospital bed, she listened to his quiet, shallow breaths as they tickled over cheek. His NG tube was gone.
Now she remembered... The struggle to keep him calm that ended with her trapped beneath him on the hard floor, wet from the spilled basin. Looking up into those hollow, hypnotizing eyes, and then black. How much time had passed? Why did he lift her onto the bed?
Her hand reached for his, and gripped it gently to pull it from her face. As soon as she touched him, she heard him groan quietly, and shift next to her. She paused to watch him with his hand trapped in hers, hovering in the air. Where was she supposed to lay it? How could she slip out of his bed without disturbing him? And dear Kami, what exactly was she supposed to do next? Her thoughts began racing. If she was here next to him in this state, then no one had come into his room yet. Not much time had passed since she'd been knocked out. Either that, or the staff here was absolutely terrible when it came to caring for their patients, which she didn't imagine to be true. There had to be a way to remedy this without getting anyone involved...especially Tsunade. Oh no...anyone but Tsunade... She'd never hear the end of it.
Slowly, carefully, she slid away from him and towards the edge of the bed, which wasn't very far away, with the two of them crammed in there. A single, black eye opened and stared at her then, before she could manage to sit up or find a place to set his hand down. It blinked slowly at her, and then squeezed shut as he moved to stretch his legs and back gently with another groan. Sakura swallowed and watched him, suppressing a cough as the blood continued to seep down her throat in a thin rivulet.
"I'm sorry..." His voice mumbled softly, eye opening once more to look at her. She was silent. "I hit you..." Her eyes were sharper now as she traced over his face. Trying to gauge his state of mind, and unsure of how to react yet. He looked half asleep and groggy, but the vacancy in his gaze from earlier had disappeared. When he said nothing more, Sakura eased onto her side to get a better look at him, and lowered his hand, still holding the wet cloth, down onto the sheet between them.
"Itachi, where are we?" She asked quietly, but not for her own sake. She was studying him. Testing his memory and mood.
"We're...in the hospital." He mumbled again with effort, as if he was fighting to stay conscious. A small wave of relief washed through her. This was good news. It didn't sound like he had amnesia. He had just been confused and agitated when he first awoke. A highly unpleasant commotion for the both of them, but it was all over now, and no one had witnessed it.
Her lips parted to ask him another question, when his hand lifted to her face. With his eye falling shut, he touched her cheek lightly with his fingertips, sensing the steady pulse of the inflamed and bruised skin beneath. Motionless, she waited as they passed to her cheekbone, and his palm cupped her. The tickle of his thumb brushed over her lips, smearing a bit of the drying blood. She was at a loss... Now what did she do? Something in the back of her mind warned her that he wasn't quite...normal. Somehow, someway, even if he knew where he was, and knew who she was, he was a little bit...not there. Something to do with his medications, maybe. He had to be on a lot of them, especially for pain.
He felt her hand slip carefully over his, but her intentions were never known, as he moved once again. Slipping out from her grasp and smoothing up into her hairline to weave his fingers into the soft tresses. There were so many fragments of thoughts and emotions flitting through the fog of his mind. No amnesia, but so sluggish and confused. Parts of him ached, parts of him felt almost numb. He didn't know what time it was, what day it was, how long he had been there, but he remembered her. Who wouldn't remember that pale pink hair? He'd seen nothing like it before. It was...pretty. Pretty like a thousand raining petals, showering him in the briefest touches. A strange sensation tightened his chest suddenly. The flicker of a memory that made little sense to him, and was gone before he could understand what had happened. Sakura watched cautiously as his expression contorted into something that looked painful, or angry.
"Ahh..." She managed to barely whisper as he slid closed to her, and she felt a prickly heat rise within her as he nudged his face under her chin. Touching her throat with his nose and breathing her in. She meant to ask him what he was doing. To say something, anything, that would help her figure out what was going on, and what she should do or say next. She was a little blind-sided by everything. He had attacked her so swiftly and determinedly earlier, that she could acutely recall wondering if she was going to die, for a fleeting moment. Now here she was lying next to him in a bed, tense as he touched her curiously. The first time he had spoken to her in so many months...and this...so far this was making her brain hurt so much more than it already did.
"I'm sorry." He repeated, and the huff of his discontented sigh flooded her neck hotly. His fingers tightened their hold in her hair, and the tip of his nose trailed along her skin in a nuzzle. Sakura's hard and wide gaze had locked onto the wall over his shoulder. As much of a mind-fuck as this was, something about the events of late—all of them—and his actions now, were just as exciting as they were scary.. It made her heart want to explode in a million gushy pieces. And yet, at the same time, she wanted to scream and run away. Go hide herself in books, missions, her bed, anywhere but in the company of him, or anyone close to him. Her heart was beating faster as she laid in silence. Not for want of something to say...not because she felt nothing... It was like standing at the edge of a waterfall, and staring down into a million different rivers that twisted off into so many different directions. Which one was she supposed to plunge into, and where would they all lead her? How did she even begin to navigate...everything that had happened up to this point?
"It's okay." She reassured him meekly, and found her hand falling to the back of his head, petting down his long, dark hair in some strange embrace. "You were hurt really bad. You slept for a long time. It's not uncommon for..." The soft tones of her voice faded away, distracted by the hand that eased its hold on her hair, and smoothed over her ear and down the side of her neck, over the slope of her shoulder, and down below her arm to settle around her waist. His body pressed into her, and he turned onto his side and wedged a knee between hers.
"...it's not uncommon...for..." Her thoughts were derailing wildly, and her pulse beat into her eardrums.
"You were... You almost died." She cleared her throat, disrupting the blood that had finished draining, yet lingered persistently, and remained still. Almost afraid to move as her hands suddenly felt clammy.
"I know. You were there."
His reply startled her, and she blinked. No way. Could he have really remembered that much?
But he wasn't sure what was real, and what wasn't. He didn't know the details like she did. But he felt something he couldn't describe. It just...made sense. She had been there. She was with him the whole time, to the end of his world and back again, and then took care of him. He didn't know how, he just knew it as truth.
"I'm sorry." He repeated a third time.
"Itachi, you don't need to be sorry. Everything is fine." The soothing whisper made him stir, pulling away from her to look up into her eyes.
"No. Nothing is fine. I did things... I did things to you..." To her, he wasn't making any sense, and it didn't help that his speech was a little slow and slurred. Odd to see him act this way, when not long ago he was faster than she, and wasted no time in overpowering her. Adrenaline was a hell of a drug.
"What do you mean?" She asked, the skepticism melting into her tone as she studied him. All he did was punch her, really. It was nothing she couldn't handle. She was a shinobi, after all. She'd been hurt a thousand times before, and far worse than these measly welts, too. How fragile did he think she was? His concern was appreciated of course, but something just didn't seem right.
"I hurt you. I did things...I shouldn't have done. I don't know why. I'm sorry." The thin black brows in front of her were creased in some discomforting emotion she didn't understand, and she watched him with a blank shock. Were they even talking about the same thing? What was this? She wasn't so sure anymore.
"I'm fine, I promise. Here, let's...uhm...let's get you some clothes." Hands nearly shaking as she shifted away from him, she meant to roll over and out of his bed, but he stopped her abruptly. The hand that had encircled her waist before maintained its hold, and when she went to remove it, he pulled her back towards him. Sitting up on one elbow, he rose above her slightly, and she paused beneath the eyes that now stared down at her as she laid on her back.
His hand slid up to cup her cheek again, and Sakura was paralyzed in wonder as he glanced over her face. Exploring her, despite the mask of exhaustion that deepened the creases trailing from his eyes. The white cloth came into view, and he pressed it to her mouth. Wiping the rest of the blood away carefully while he scrutinized her. It was impossible for her muscles to relax, and she waited rigidly in anticipation. He was acting so strange, yet...it was sweet. Gah, what was he doing?! What was she doing?! This was weird!
"I...I think you're a little confused. It'll be alright, it's just...you've been through a lot, and I know they're giving you medication. Let me—" A faint, fearful moan finished her sentence when he leaned down without warning. The wet cloth, now stained a dark rust from her blood, was replaced with his lips. Breath hitching in her throat, she forgot how to breathe when he gently claimed her bottom lip between his. Yet, even with the panic, and all the disorientation that was tangled between them, Sakura found her own lips moving without her permission. A heavy sigh flushed through her puffy nose, as if she had been restraining it for minutes now, and his chest immediately descended onto hers.
She was sweating. She barely moved at all since she woke up, but her skin felt cold, her insides felt hot, and a light stickiness coated her almost everywhere. His speed quickened, the slow kiss he had met her with growing intense, hungry, and she squeaked when his tongue plunged into her. Warm and oddly comforting, her tasted her greedily, careless of the traces of copper he found within.
And then it was over. A surge of willpower forced her to tear her head to the side and gasp for air, mind ready to explode. "Itachi, I have to go. I'm going to get you new clothes, and fix your bed, and then I'm leaving." Her voice was hushed, but rushed and panicky. His forehead rested on her uninjured temple, and his hands traveled over her persistently. Touching her arms, her waist, her hips, moving over her soft belly. Testing her ability to remain still, and not writhe against him wantonly.
"Petals." He breathed into her ear, and she froze. Images of him sprawled lifeless on a table, covered in blood and tattered rags, broken bones. The memory came to her instantly. She recognized it, but she didn't know what he meant when he said it.
Yes...he was definitely confused. He needed to settle down and go back to sleep before something crazy happened.
Saying nothing, she made a stronger effort than before to move out from under him, and to the safety of the open room.
"No." The command made her pause again, voice rising louder than it ever had, and Sakura clenched her fingers into his upper arms. Unsure of whether to try and push him off, or simply brace him a little to put some much-needed space between them.
"I need you to forgive me. Please..."
Head turning, she gazed up at him in awe. Why didn't he understand that there was nothing to forgive? Unless she was missing something important, they seemed to be on completely different levels here.
There were so many different things he was thinking and feeling. Unfortunately, they were all so jumbled. She had no way of knowing, but his actions, his speech, and his thoughts were all separate and contradictory impulses. He wanted her to stay. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to sleep next to her. He did want her to forgive him for the things he'd done...and for things he thought he was going to do in the future...that he didn't know how to stop. Should he stop? Should he let her run away? Her urgency and fear were palpable. It brought him a pang of guilt, but something else too. His own urgency was twisting beneath the surface, breaking free every time he held her back, or held her down.
He needed her, for some reason. He didn't know why, but he needed her to stay...and yet a more sensible part of him was afraid of what would happen if she did.
This wasn't about hitting her. He was sorry for that, truly, but this had nothing to do with it. For the moment he regained his senses and took in her unconscious form below him on the cold, wet floor, and saw the trickle of blood seep from her nose, he recognized her...and he wondered why she wasn't wearing a certain yukata, with it's pretty blue and yellow flowers. It made no sense, but it gave him an instant sadness, and irritation. He wanted to see her in it, and he wanted to follow the sinfully low dip that angled sharply down her chest, and pull it slowly open to taste her skin...to feel her shake under him. Then the guilt came crashing down around him. Every detail of that day was kept locked away inside him, safe from everyone, including himself, for he chose not to reflect on it more than he had to. Until now...
Damnit, the guilt. It was a tidal wave as large as the barely restrained desire he stewed in. He had hurt her, indeed. Of that much he was convinced. He had done terrible things to her...and it had felt so good. Much more than it ever should have.
And then she saved his life.
He didn't know how he knew, but he did. He felt the truth as easily as he felt her own wildly beating heart, causing the fabric of her uniform to vibrate endlessly on her chest below him.
She needed to get away from him.
So then...why were his own hands gripping into her arms as firmly as hers gripped into his, keeping her beneath him? Why couldn't he let go?
"I forgive you." She caved in a quiet whisper, and he could see the thoughts churning within her. She was telling him what he wanted to hear, in hopes that he would calm down and let her slip away. It was smart. But it didn't change anything... In fact, his chest quickly tightened even more, and he clenched his jaw as he stared down at her. So tired, and so confused, yes...but he couldn't stop. These impulses spiraled him out of control, and he didn't even know where they were coming from.
The tension was thick, yet his gaze softened some. Sakura let a brief hint of relief tease her, as his lips did not return to kiss her, but it was short-lived. She gasped when she felt a hand release her arm, and bury itself below the hem of her shirt. His palm tickled up her bare waist and caressed her, exploring the sharp jut of her hip bone, he shallow dip of her belly, and the faint outline of ribs above, mouth dipping to kiss her neck.
"No, no, no..." He heard her chant quietly, and the stillness erupted when she suddenly found the strength to shove him off her chest.
"You can't, Itachi. Please, this is wrong. You don't know what you're doing." She was pleading with him, keeping her voice as calm and collected as possible, but it was starting to shake. He could hear it. All she wanted was for him to understand...to see the situation the way she did. Nothing about this was right. Her hands planted firmly on his chest to hold him up and away from her, though he was still paused inside her shirt.
"...I understand..." He murmured down at her, appearing almost drunk, and she exhaled loudly, trying to slow her own heart rate.
Her hands were clenched and pulled away from him, and mashed down into the bed on either side of her face. Alarmed, her eyes flickered back and forth between his searchingly. There was no use. She just couldn't decipher him. What was he thinking? Why was he doing these things? Nothing connected.
"But I can't stop." He breathed into her chest as he sank lower. A hand released hers to push her shirt up in one easy motion. Sakura gave a nervous cry, and tried to wiggle away from him, but he smothered his face between her breasts. Kissing her tenderly, lapping at her exposed flesh. Pulling at her bra, she felt the strap snap down her shoulder and shift to the side. His tongue laved over the small pink button, and she instantly arched into him with a gasp. His hips nudged their way between her legs, forcing them open, and prodded her with something hard against her inner thigh that left a damp spot.
Breaths ragged and skin flushed, she used a less than forgiving strength to throw him off of her completely. His side thumped into the bed next to her, and she wasted no time in flinging herself onto her own two feet, flat on the floor. Panting as she watched him from the edge of the bed, her hair was a bit of a mess, and her shirt was askew, with her bra strap hanging down her arm from under her short sleeve.
"I said no." She was gasping quietly, trying to catch her breath and settle down. He laid there for a moment, watching her without a sound. The way her chest heaved, and her fists clenched at her sides, and the pink stained her cheeks...one might think he was taking a step back to reconsider what he was doing. In fact, he only found her all the more intoxicating. The sensitive bud he had tormented with his mouth poked against the concealing fabric of her shirt, erect, and with a small wet patch from his saliva. The curve of her hip, creamy and smooth, teased him as it peaked from the bunched up shirt that hadn't fallen all the way back down yet. The pants she was wearing were loose and looked easy to move in. Comfortable for a job like hers. But they concealed everything he wanted to see. There wasn't enough of her. So much fabric, not enough skin. His clouded mind couldn't get past why she was wearing so much. It annoyed him.
"I'm sorry, Itachi. I have to go..." And why was she apologizing to him? Not a clue. For some unexplained reason, she was feeling guilty now. Her fists relaxed, and she ran her clammy hands over her sore face, trying to digest the things he had said and done.
She was afraid, but not just of him, of herself. Every time he touched her, no matter how light or insignificant it was, it stirred something within. She didn't want him to stop. His hands alone made her light-headed, and damn did they feel good. But this was a hundred different shades of bad. He was drugged, and she knew it. She didn't know what he was on, but she had some ideas. He also just rejoined the world of the living after several days of slumber, and this was a hospital, of all places. No...she just needed to get out, and fast. This was not the time nor place. His family was probably dying to see him, too. She'd have to tell his nurse, so she could get a hold of them.
"I know." He sighed softly, to her surprise. He kept agreeing with her, and then doing the opposite. She didn't know what to make of him. She dropped her hands and looked at him curiously. Still a little cold, even with the blush on her cheeks. Still a little sweaty. And yet, she hadn't moved since she stood up. The room was still a mess, he still needed clothes, his IV would need to be replaced...so many things, and all she could so was watch him. His dark eyes that soaked her in under his lashes. The strands of hair that framed his face perfectly, falling to his jawline, while the rest hung lower freely for his chest and back. He was beautiful, even when he was so tired and out of it.
She felt herself melting from the inside, and the faintest whimper brought his attention back to her eyes. The look she was giving him was pleading and desperate. Her chest rose and fell in exaggeration, as if she were still having a hard time catching her breath. Why wasn't she doing something? Standing there and watching him was a big mistake, especially if she was going to bite her bottom lip and fidget like the way she was doing now.
His arm outstretched for her. No intent to leave his bed, he merely reached with a single hand, and waited patiently. Her eyes locked onto it, and she felt the butterflies scurry around inside her suddenly. What did he want...? Should she...
Against better judgment, and her insistence of putting space between them, Sakura observed her own hand drift toward him like a magnet. She didn't will it to move. It just...moved...and pulled the rest of her body with it. His fingers laced into hers, and tugged her to the edge of the bed, her knees knocking into the mattress.
"I have to go..." She whispered again, but who was she pleading with now? Him, or herself? And yet all she did was freeze as she saw him slide over to her. Pale legs hanging off the bed, he held her between them and released her hand so both of his could curl around her hips. She could say whatever she wanted, but her expression, her body, and the sounds she made told a different story. She wasn't going anywhere.
A shiver traveled her spine as his fingers slipped lower and behind her. Cupping the curve of her ass through her pants, and pulling her even closer to him, until there was nothing between the exposed strip of flesh below her belly button and his lips. The ruffled hem of her shirt rested at his forehead as he tickled his lips over her. Feeling the velvet of her skin, and listening to her shaky breaths fall quicker.
"What are you doing...what do you want from me...?" The questions weakly met his ears as she stood there, immobile. He didn't answer. They were questions she already knew the answers to. And if she didn't, all she had to do was wait. He would show her.
When his tongue touched her, she gasped. The soft swell of her belly clenched, as if trying to pull away from him, but he leaned into her and licked slowly. The shiver returned, darting through all of her limbs and up her torso, sweeping both her nipples into hard points, though only one was visible through the fabric, as her bra still hadn't been fixed.
He lapped again, this time low enough to nudge the top of her pants with his tongue. She couldn't move. Her own body felt light and impossibly tingly, and yet weighted with stone. All she could do was feel him. The tips of his fingers curled inward as they journeyed lower, meeting the very tops of the back of her thighs, and pressing into her. They gripped into her pants and pulled lightly, causing them to slip down just enough to give him more room to explore with his mouth. The hem stopped right at her hairline, and her hands came to life long enough to brace against his bare shoulders.
Nose nuzzling into her, he kissed, nipped, and licked at a tantalizingly slow pace. Savoring her. Feeling the dull vibration of her nervous energy shuddering in his grasp, and at his lips. Listening to her uneven breaths and sighs. She was so tense, and it excited him. As far as his warped mind was concerned, she was the only drug he was on.
"Sakura..." He exhaled a hot breath over the sensitive skin, and she looked down at him. Glancing anxiously over his face, and then spying the fully erect cock that stood proudly between his legs, so close to her. Throbbing steadily while he took his time touching her. A glisten of precum dribbling down. Her pulse returned so thickly, it reignited a sharp pain in her face, spreading from her temple, down her cheek and nose. For a moment, she thought her knees might give out, but she was locked into place.
"...I can smell you." He sighed heatedly, brushing his lips and nose lower, and burying his face into the juncture of her thighs, through her pants. She gave a fearful moan, and the hands holding onto his shoulders for support tightened their grip in desperation. There was a wet spot between her legs. She hadn't paid much attention to it, but now it was becoming too obvious to ignore. He moved slowly, pressing his face into her, and inhaled. His lips nudged into the soft mound, the source of her heady aroma, and then turned to nip at her high, inner thigh. His hands reemerged at the top of her pants and began pulling them further down, but before he could expose her to his pleasures, she lost her nerve.
"Itachi... Please, I can't take this anymore!" She was panting when she pushed herself away from him, but he kept his hands on her hips, looking up into her eyes with an expression that was eerily calm, yet alight with a hidden fire that smoldered dangerously close to the surface. How many times she was going to try to deny him, and fail, before giving in? He wasn't letting her go. She had her chance to leave earlier, and she messed up. He wasn't giving her a second...
"Let me taste you." He commanded quietly, unmoving. It wasn't a question. There was no room for her to refuse, and the warm embrace of her hips emphasized that as the stare he was giving her seemed to dare her to try to push him again.
"N-...nnnn..." She continued panting, split between two completely different reactions. A very strong instinct urged her to make a run for it. Literally. Blast him with her chakra and sprint out of the room. Another instinct, equally strong, wanted to pounce on him and ride him into the ground. The looked he was giving her wasn't helping at all. Lust-filled, confident, a little agitated. A look that patiently waited for her to give in to him, while silently insisting that she had no choice in the matter.
"No..." She sealed her fate. Yet it was an odd twist of fate. One that would actually end in her favor, though she would never believe it when it happened. She pushed against him one last time in an effort to break away and run for the door while she had the chance. She managed to take one step backwards while he began reeling her in closer by her hips, just in time for the room to flood suddenly in a curtain of light. Oh thank goodness! The nurse! She was saved!
Sakura looked over her shoulder with one hand planted firmly on Itachi's chest, trying to keep him at bay...but the alarmed portrait that greeted her sent her heart shriveling into a cold, desiccated raisin, and dropping into her gut. That wasn't the nurse.
Standing in the doorway, silhouetted with the light from the hallway at his back, was Sasuke. His face was dim with the bright light around him, but she could see him clear as day. She knew that face and hair anywhere.
The pink of her mouth hung in a permanent O as her eyes bulged at him. Nothing made its way out of her throat. His own eyes, wide with the same shock she felt, stared right back at her.
The short pink hair in front of him was a messy. Small hints of blood were still flecked and smeared at her nose and mouth. Angry red welts that were visibly throbbing puffed up at the side of her head and parts of her face. The look in her eye was wild, unlike anything he had ever seen from her before. Her shirt was halfway pulled up, and her pants were halfway pulled down. A white bra strap dangled loosely around her upper arm. Water and drops of blood reflected on the floor, and the bed sheets were a mess. Behind her sat his brother, on the edge of the bed, with a possessive grip on her hips while she looked to be pushing against him.
Slowly, he stepped into the room without a word, and eased the door shut behind them with a soft click. Flicking the switch, the room illuminated fully with its own light. Her lips quivered, as if they wanted to move, to form something intelligible, but they didn't know how. To her great surprise, his astounded look seemed to effortlessly melt into that calm and almost bored face she was so used to seeing on him. Making it a thousand times more difficult for her to find words.
Oh sweet mother of... What was he thinking?! What was she supposed to say?! Why was this happening! No, no, no, nonono...
Sasuke walked silently up to her, his eyes flitting over her entire body, up to her face to scrutinize her for a second, and then moved around her to look down at his brother. As soon as he looked down, his eyes shot back up again and stared at the wall. Just now realizing he wasn't wearing a single article of clothing. He saw much more than he ever intended to see in that split second. His nose flared a little, and his cheeks pooled the lightest pink.
In a blur of speed, Sakura returned to life by snatching one of the sheets and pulling it over Itachi's lap, hiding the member that was still quite tall and eager. His hold on her had broken the moment he saw Sasuke, leaving her free to stumble backwards and away from both of them. Hastily, she pulled her shirt down to cover her waist, and tugged her pants up a little. It was coming. The sledgehammer of shame, humiliation, and terror was going to cripple her soon. She could feel it looming in, but for the present moment, she was still in too much of a panic—damage control mode—for it to find her yet.
"Medicine! He just woke up!" She blurted fiercely, nonsensically, and quickly, as if she had a mere few seconds to convince some captor of her's to spare her life. "He needed a bath and they couldn't bathe him and I didn't want to but I had to but he woke up and he's really disoriented and Ididn'tmeantoitwasanaccident—"
The single glance Sasuke shot her stilled her tongue. There was nothing there. Nothing accusing, or angry, or emotional in any sense. He merely stared at her a moment, studying her fear, her extremely rushed words, her face... Those were some nasty marks on her face. When he said nothing, she clenched a fist, and retracted it to her chest, as if it would protect her from...something.
After a few seconds, he turned around and sat down on the bed next to Itachi. Sending glances up and down him, like he had down to Sakura. Inspecting him.
"Aniki?" He asked quietly. Itachi stared at him in a strange sort of wonder. For a moment, Sakura recognized that look. It was similar to the one he gave her when he opened his eyes for the first time. Vacancy. He said nothing.
"...Are you ok?"
Itachi paused, then nodded reluctantly, and glanced to Sakura. Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Do you know where you are?"
Itachi was thoughtful at first, and then seemed vaguely troubled, as if he didn't understand. The only sound he made was an, "...mmm..." and he looked around the room like he'd never seen it before.
Sakura didn't know what to make of his reaction. He knew where he was when she asked him earlier. Was this some sort of trick? Was he lying now, or had he tripped into a memory lapse, all of a sudden?
"He's...a little confused. He... I tried to stop him, but he ripped out his IV and NG tube." She peeped quietly, nausea churning her stomach as she watched them both. Every pause of silence was suffocating to her.
"How do you feel?" He pressed his brother gently, ignoring her for now. Nothing short of concern in his voice, though Sakura couldn't help but feel he was hiding something different and stronger, deep down. Hopefully she was just being paranoid, but intuition warned her otherwise.
Itachi was blank for a minute, and then knit his brows as he frowned slightly. His eyes closed, and a hand drifted up to his forehead cautiously. Sasuked watched him for a moment, collecting his own thoughts as he evaluated all the information presented.
"You should lay down." He concluded quietly, and rose to his feet.
"I was trying to get him more clothes, let me—"
"No." The younger Uchiha shut her down, passing her a strange glance. "I'll deal with it. Sakura, you should..." He paused, glancing from her tousled pink hair and down the length of her body, stopping at her chest longer than he should have. She still needed to fix her bra.
"Just go. I'll take care of this." He insisted after swallowing. There was no hint of anger, and yet she hesitated as she watched him turn around to face his brother again.
What was this? The calm before the storm? Why had he said so little to her? He hadn't even asked her a single question! His entire focus was on Itachi. Maybe...maybe this was a good thing? If he wasn't angry or upset in any way, then he didn't put any blame on her, right? Or was he just holding back for now...
So much uncertainty. Why was it always like this! This didn't make her feel good at all. But it was time to go now, once and for all. In a twist of irony, she had outstayed her welcome, though she'd been trying to leave all along. Well...sorta. No, she did try. She just did a crappy job at it.
Faint taps of her feet inched her backwards towards the closed door, feeling like there was so much more she needed to say, but couldn't. She fixed her bra quickly, and let her hand fall onto the door handle. "Sasuke... I'm sorry. I was trying to help. I didn't know this...this would happen. I swear I didn't...hurt him." His ear had tilted her way to listen, though he didn't bother to turn around and look at her. Itachi said nothing either, and didn't acknowledge her in any way. Like she no longer existed. When she was greeted with silence, she turned and slipped hurriedly out the door.

The house was devoid of life. Her parents were staying out late tonight. Having one of those "date nights", as they liked to call it. It was nice to have the place to herself. Especially now, after the fiasco that occurred earlier in the day. Once she left the hospital, she headed straight home as fast as her legs could carry her. Refusing to stop and talk to anyone, for any reason. A few odd stares had landed on her, due to her face, but she let nothing stop her until she reached the safety and seclusion of home. It was a little past nine now, and she was so emotionally drained all she wanted to do was lay in bed for a good twelve hours and do nothing. And yet, there were books spread all over the place.
She tried so hard to concentrate on something. Anything. All she wanted was to divert her mind from what happened, if only because she felt no closure. On the contrary, it seemed like every interaction she had with Itachi and Sasuke now was only going to tangle everything into an even tighter knot. Where did she even begin...
With a heavy, defeated sigh, she flopped down onto her bed on her stomach, into the narrow spot that was free of reading material. Her hair was freshly washed and dried, her teeth clean, and she welts on her face were much duller and less painful now, thanks to her own healing ability. A pair of loose, silky shorts that barely covered her butt, and a tank top served as her PJ's for now, in shades of red and white.
A single light lit up her room, next to her bed. Her tired eyes were fixated without purpose on the black window across from her. If she wasn't careful, she was going to start thinking herself in circles again. She needed to close the books, stack them away, and get to sleep before she could do that. The honest truth was, she had no idea what she was going to do now. Her moral compass was spinning wildly, and clogged with all sorts of rational and irrational fears and desires.
And speaking of desires, that deep, resounding ache Itachi had left her with never went away. Hours had passed, and even now the persistent throb between her legs tormented her. Squeezing her eyes shut in aggravation, she groaned loudly to herself. When would this end...
A hand slid down her blanket to her hips, contemplating touching the spot he so cruelly teased earlier. Wanting to quell her own lust, if only for a time. Maybe it would help her fall asleep faster.
Sakura sighed in resignation, and her hand wedged itself between her hips and the bed she was sprawled over, fingertips creeping between along her hidden crevice through her shorts.
A pounding on the front door startled her. Eyes opening to space out at the dark window and the distant stars beyond, she listened quietly. There was no way she was about to open that door now. She didn't know who it was, and she didn't care. It was late anyway...why would someone knock now? At any rate, they'd have to come back later, because she was going to feign unconsciousness...even though her light was on.
A full minute passed without another sound. Usually that meant they left. They better...or they'd be waiting outside for a lloonngg time.
With another sigh—one much more content than the first—she closed her eyes again. Hips rocking gently as she touched herself, she quickly found Itachi invading all of her thoughts. Just the expression on his face was enough to make her hot. There was something insanely attractive about his confidence, his blind passion in taking what he wanted... It scared her, but when he looked at her the way he did when he was sitting on his bed, it made a part of her want to let him do whatever he wanted to her.
A faint sound at her window caught her attention. For a second, she thought of ignoring it, and continuing her ministrations as images of a nude and perfectly toned Uchiha dominated her thoughts. Luckily, she chose to peak her eyes open.
Sakura gasped loudly and shot up on her bed, her busy, wet hand snapping into a fist as she stared at the person crouched on her windowsill, looking in at her with a vague annoyance. It was Sasuke.
Just how much had he seen? Did he know what she was doing?! Damnit!
Wait. Why was he here? He never came to her house!
The staring contest between them lingered for an uncomfortable length of time, with her sitting up on her bed, acutely alarmed, and him seated like a shrewd vulture behind panes of glass. Eventually, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he tapped his knuckles slowly on her window.
She fidgeted, suddenly overwhelmed in a sense of dread as she met his cold and hard gaze. He wasn't here for a chitchat, she was more than a sure of that.
"I can't talk right now, I...gotta go to sleep! Early training tomorrow!" She called across her room, refusing to leave the safety of her bed, knowing he could hear her. Scooting slowly towards the head of her bed, where her lamp was, she never lost eye contact with him. He didn't budge. The only movement he made was his steadily thinning eyes, locking onto her like little daggers at her obvious avoidance.
His knuckles were resting on the glass, but they didn't bother to knock again. Their staring contest resumed for a few more seconds, neither of them caving, before the Uchiha rose up to stand at her window. She was fully expecting him to turn and hop off, which was why she yelped loudly when he suddenly jerked his knee, and the two panes that were latched together down the center split up with a sharp crack.
Her gasp caught in her throat as he took a single step that landed him on her floor in front of the window, continuing with that nerve-shredding, narrowed stare of his. Sakura was silent, waiting for him to say something...and he would. Sasuke had never once shown up at her house before. For him to not only do that, but force his way into her room, it meant something had to be said...or done.
For a long while, he simply watched with his arms folded across his chest. In the very least, he didn't trespass any farther into her room, which made her feel slightly more relaxed...but really, she felt anything but ease basking in his weighted presence, after he kicked her window open.
Her hair was groomed neatly now, he noticed. The swelling and redness of her face had decreased dramatically. Her energy hadn't changed one bit, though. He could feel the same tension, the same nervousness as before. She was extremely uncomfortable...and he really didn't care. She should be.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" He asked without explanation, and Sakura blinked in confusion.
"..Uh... well, uhm..." What was she doing tomorrow? Oh yeah! It was her day off! "I...well I'm not working, so... I'm not sure yet. Why?" Answering timidly, skeptically, her head cocked lightly to the side. Wet fingers still clenched in a ball, she was secretly hoping against all hopes that he didn't have the time to catch onto what she was doing when he showed up. For now, it didn't seem like he knew.
"Hn." He answered vaguely, eyes darting over her. She already felt exposed enough, but she was actually clueless when he settled on her chest, thinking he was merely contemplating something while staring through her, as he sometimes did. This time, he wasn't. She wasn't wearing a bra, and he could clearly see the outline of the two small, round tips indenting her tank top. His nose flared briefly with an deep inhale, and he turned his head to pointedly look at something else in her room for a moment. All of it went right over her head. At the hospital, it had distracted him for a second. Lots of things about her had distracted him. None of which had made him feel very good. Right now, it distracted him for a little longer, and he had to fight to realign his thoughts.
"You're getting lunch with me tomorrow. Meet me at Ichiraku's by noon."
She looked at him in surprise, and stuttered a little. "B-but...I can't really...I mean I don't have a lot of money right—"
"I'm buying." He insisted sharply. Careless at this point of whether she was lying about being broke, or telling the truth. His goal was to get her there, and it didn't matter one bit if he had to pay to do so...or if he had to kick open her window just to tell her...or if tomorrow, he would need to literally drag her out her front door, if she decided to be stubborn.
Sakura paused, and then nodded slowly with wide eyes. Looks like she wasn't going to weasel her way out of this. Funny, since not long ago, she would've killed for him to ask her out to anywhere, for any reason. Now she...kinda felt like she was dying a slow death.
When he looked back at her, his eyes immediately returned to her chest of their own will, and he cringed slightly at himself. She didn't understand why, though. He was good at controlling reactions and hiding emotions...just like Itachi...and so unlike her.
He turned and hopped onto the windowsill, and then glanced over his shoulder at her. "You will be there." Reaffirming in a quieter, though stern tone, he then turned and disappeared into the night, leaving her window open for her to deal with.
Sakura fell onto her back, landing on a couple strewn books, to stare up in a mixture of curiosity and horror at her ceiling. Now she was never going to be able to fall asleep.
Shit.
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To Duel With Fate