Non–Mass

You Make Me Feel
By: Rise of the Blossom

Chapter 1 – Suspicious

"We're going to have to tell them all soon," Sakura panted, one of her hands clutching his hip, urging him to move them faster against hers. "They're already suspicious."

The dark haired man grunted and after a particularly hard thrust that had her body jerking backwards and a loud moan tearing from her lips, he replied, "That may be so, but there is no reason to inform them of… us."

Neither of them had any idea how to label what they were or their feelings for one another. Of course they cared for each other, as she had stitched him up and healed him whenever he appeared at her window, just returning from a mission and in need of a medic, and in return, he often helped her out when he spotted her in need of assistance. At first it had been simply innocent, she would heal him, he would help her, but then one night, after a particularly hard day, somehow, they had ended up tangled in her sheets, sweaty and writhing and pouring all of their aggression into their actions.

That had been eight months ago.

Now? Now it was kind of hard to explain what they were. They weren't in a relationship and if anyone was to find out about them, they would be frowned upon. No, it wasn't all that strange for random shinobi to fall into bed together, but they were usually one night stands or secretive relationships. The man she was currently curled around, clutching to desperately as though her life depended on it, was none other than the Uchiha clan heir, Itachi.

His father had never approved of her. She had seen the look in his eyes when she first met him, no matter how discreet that glance had been. Since that dinner where Sasuke introduced his team to his family, she had only been invited back there when Fugaku was not present. Apparently, he thought that she was 'unworthy'. To be fair, he had probably been sickened by her pathetic crush on his youngest son. A lot of people had been. Well, not exactly sickened, more like annoyed. Extremely annoyed. At one point, Sasuke had all but cornered her, demanding that she grow out of such a childish, obsessive crush.

It was when they both became chūnin that he finally apologised (in his own way), for treating her so badly. Apparently, by saying what he had, he had given her that push she so desperately needed and shoved her into learning under Tsunade, that had forced her to better herself. From not only their time as teammates, but also as friends, she had learned all that through a mere "hn". It wasn't the word (or whatever the hell it was), that told her. It was the smirk on his lips, the slightly softened look in his eyes. It was the way he had treated her to lunch and from then on took their spars seriously. She would never be able to repay Sasuke for that. It was because of him that she was who she had become.

Her release hit her like a tonne of bricks, flushing all of the negativity from her mind as she came undone around Itachi almost violently, leading to his own release. She felt more than heard his breath leave him and he adjusted his hold on her, one arm slipping around her thigh, lifting it higher and higher until he was gripping her hip tightly, pushing her harder against the wall, hips snapping up into hers harshly. And she knew when his orgasm finally claimed him, for the telltale shiver shook his body, lips parting, all tension expunged. Trying to silence her heavy breathing, she pressed her face into the crook of his neck.

Damn it. He always affected her like this, but Sakura knew it was the same for him, too.

After all, if it hadn't been, Itachi wouldn't keep coming back, would he? Instead of keeping it as a one night stand like so many other shinobi did (or the rare 'one week stand'), he came back a couple of days later. It started with an unnecessary healing session (did he really need to use a couple of broken knuckles as an excuse to see her?) and ended with their clothes laying on the ground as they moved as one wantonly beneath her sheets.

And it went from there. No, Itachi didn't only come to her for sex, as there were moments where they would simply sit together and relax, but it was always away from the public eye. Outside, nothing more would be exchanged than a polite "hello" and smile. At first, it hadn't bothered her too much, as since her crush on Sasuke, Sakura had learned to protect her heart a little better, not wanting to be hurt in such a way again, but lately… She didn't even know. Having Itachi more or less ignore her when they passed each other in the street hurt her. Him only giving her a small smile and pathetic "hello" in front of others, hurt her. It was like he was ashamed of her, or embarrassed to let people know what happened when they were alone.

At that moment in time, however, she was stunned by the sight of him, watching his shaking arms still holding her, his pants for breath in her ear, and when he pulled back, Sakura saw that his eyes were warmer than usual and his hair and forehead were a little damp with sweat (just like hers). He wasn't as cold and there was a small smile playing along his lips as he gently kissed her.

Sakura wasn't an idiot. She knew that she had feelings for Uchiha Itachi, but they didn't just suddenly appear when they started having sex. It had been a while before that, when he first appeared at her window for her medical assistance. According to him, a member on his squad had recommended her to him (at her request, he never let them know that he actually took their advice, however, as it wouldn't be very good of an ANBU captain to avoid the hospital, putting his health at risk). It was simple, friendly feelings as first (though she could never deny that he was beautiful), but as time went on and they spoke more often, Sakura found herself beginning to like him. Now? She inwardly sighed.

"Who?" Itachi asked quietly after a couple of moments when they had caught their breath.

Frowning in confusion as he set her down on her feet, Sakura glanced up at him. "What?"

"You said that somebody was suspicious."

"Oh," she said softly, quickly fixing her outfit while he did the same in a less hurried manner. "Kakashi-sensei, I think. He gave me a pretty strange look the other morning when he came by here and I know it's because he can tell that I hadn't been alone that night."

Itachi nodded once in agreement. "He has a strong sense of smell."

"Yeah…"

How readable was she? It was like he knew that she was withholding information, because he sighed. "Who else?"

"Ino."

She knew exactly what he was thinking. He was thinking, great. The biggest gossiper in Konoha. "Surely she is not suspicious about us."

"No, not us, but she keeps commenting on the little things."

"Such as?"

A small smile pulled at her lips as Sakura pushed her hair behind her ear. "Well, for example, the other week before you left for your mission, you made me breakfast. Ino came by that morning while I was still asleep and asked who made it for me."

"Your teammates have never done such a thing for you?"

"Team Seven? Make me breakfast? Please. Itachi, all Naruto can do without burning down the kitchen is heat up cup ramen. Sasuke… I'll admit, he's not that bad of a cook, but he wouldn't go through the trouble unless I was sick and Kakashi-sensei is, well, Kakashi-sensei."

She was surprised by a hand gently cupping her face, tilting it upwards and when Sakura looked up, she was greeted by the sight of Itachi's smiling face. "Do not worry so much, Sakura. Allow them to make their assumptions and if they guess correctly, then great. If not, then they'll eventually figure it out." Her surprise only grew as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "I will be leaving tomorrow on a mission, so I need to prepare, but it should take no longer than three weeks, possibly four."

Gripping his arm, Sakura pulled him closer, standing on her tiptoes as she captured his lips a final time. For some reason, she enjoyed being much shorter than him. It made her feel dainty and so very feminine. "Be safe."

"Of course."

And with that, he disappeared out of her home without a trace.

That was why she continued whatever they were. Despite how differently he treated her when others were watching, it was the little things that told her he did feel something for her. It was the way he would brush the hair out of her face when she was half asleep, the way he would leave her some breakfast (that obviously didn't need to be eaten warm), in the mornings. Sometimes, Itachi was content with simply sitting in her presence or holding her.

He didn't always leave so abruptly, either. It was true that he did have to leave early in the morning for his mission. The only reason Sakura knew about that was because she was the Hokage's apprentice and being her apprentice brought certain perks. No, she didn't get to read highly classified documents such as ANBU missions, but she was aware when certain ANBU squads were sent out. She knew Itachi's ANBU codename, so it wasn't hard to figure out.

Itachi always came to see her before leaving for a mission. As shinobi, there were obviously risks and they never know what mission would be their last. Sakura had had many close encounters with those kinds of missions and wasn't afraid to admit to it being terrifying. It was like her entire life had flashed before her eyes and it wasn't the good things like so many claimed it would be. It was her regrets, the things she should have tried harder for, or done better at.

Running her hands down her outfit, Sakura took a deep breath and looked around her home. It had been her parents, but when they passed away, it had been left to her. Sometimes it was painful being there alone and it was because of that pain that she left their bedroom as it was, cleaning it every now and then so that dust didn't cover everything and ruin their belongings. Their deaths had broken her in so many ways and it was thanks to Tsunade that Sakura hadn't been lost to that grief like her shishou once had.

She was currently in the living room and it was only then that Sakura realised how recklessly they had acted, making dread run up and down her spine. Anybody could have seen them. Her friends had a horrific habit of entering through her windows for crying out loud and it wasn't only her former sensei who did such a thing. Sasuke had developed a habit of entering through windows and even Rock Lee had, too.

How had they even ended up in such a state? It wouldn't be the first time they had felt so needy, though it was certainly rare for Itachi to be so… reckless! There was simply no other word for their actions. Sakura could remember seeing him while she was wandering the streets, wondering what to do with her day since she had no hospital shifts and the rest of the team had been sent out without her (it didn't bother her as much anymore, for she knew that sometimes, it was best to accept situations for what they were). It was when she was passing by the tea shop that she saw him. Itachi had been sitting with another Uchiha who she knew to be called Shisui, although had never spoken to him in person.

There must have been a certain look on her face or in her eyes because Itachi had given her a discreet nod while Shisui wasn't looking. Not even ten minutes later, he was slamming her against the wall in her living room and tugging her skirt around her hips as she impatiently unbuttoned his pants.

Now that she thought about it, his actions weren't very Itachi-like at all. No, they were, but not entirely. Only when he was being sent on a deadly serious mission would he act so frantically.

It was hard to imagine him being anything other than perfect, but the prodigy of the Uchiha clan was emotionally retarded.

That was harsh. He wasn't emotionally retarded, it was just that… He had a much more difficult time wording his emotions, with sharing them, so he expressed them in other ways. Don't get her wrong, there were so many times when he would easily tell her what he was feeling or what was burdening his mind, but other times, when he was overwhelmed by the huge emotions threatening to take over him, his actions were all he had to show her how he felt. That, or he shut down completely. Sakura blamed his father for that. Fugaku had pushed Itachi way, way too hard. Even though he pushed Sasuke hard, it was nothing compared to how difficult Itachi had it.

Not always would he react in such a way to a mission, though. Sometimes Itachi would spend the entire night with her, holding her and just… spending as much time with her as possible, just in case something went wrong. He was human just like the rest of them, meaning he was capable of experiencing fear.

Unknown to others (including his own clan), Itachi often had nightmares. He wouldn't scream or cry out, but they would wake him up with such a jolt that it shook the bed, effectively waking her up, too. It was why Itachi was so against falling asleep in her bed, not wanting to disturb her sleep. Years of being in ANBU caused his nightmares, but Sakura realised that he wasn't one hundred percent comfortable with discussing them, not even to her. All Sakura knew was that at the tender age of four, instead of playing with his friends and being a normal child…

Itachi had made his first kill.

He had been sent to war.

And it broke her heart. Sakura could remember the day she found out and how hard she had cried, despite Itachi telling her that it wasn't necessary, that he didn't want her to cry. To that, she had given him a trembling smile and, through her tears, she told him, "I'm crying for you, because you won't cry for yourself." Itachi had definitely been more comfortable in opening up to her then, realising that she wasn't judging him in the slightest, but Sakura could tell he was keeping the most damaging information, the most haunting memories, to himself.

Opening the window to let some fresh air into the room, Sakura sighed. Everybody was either busy or away on missions. Due to the Hokage's orders, she was on strict rest for a week, although was still on call at the hospital just in case. It was because of this that Team Seven had been sent out without her, much to their disliking (although she accepted it without complaint). Even Sasuke hadn't seemed too pleased, mostly because she was the only one he allowed close enough to heal him. Kakashi was the same, although he didn't argue when Tsunade herself was healing him. Naruto… He genuinely didn't mind who was healing him. He got on with almost everyone. It was just who he was.

What would she do now? She grumbled to herself, growing bored quickly.

Before she did anything, Sakura knew that she would have to take a shower. Itachi's scent was all over her now as well as the smell of sex. One didn't have to be an Inuzuka or Kakashi to pick up on that.

A/N – Okay, this isn't going to be too long. Most likely only about five or six chapters.

Um… I don't think I have much else to say, really.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE FIRST CHAPTER AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :–)

Edited on: 03/09/2016

^ Wow, I painfully clearly sucked at editing three years ago. Re-edited 02/08/2019.