Chapter 27 – Holding Nothing Back

Sakura wasn't entirely sure what had happened after Kakashi shut the bathroom door.

One moment she was screaming at him, calling him every name she could think of and the next, she woke up in her bedroom to the sound of the door opening. The entire time, Naruto had been holding her back, dragging her towards her bedroom when she started banging on the bathroom door, shoving her shoulder into it in an effort to open it.

They ignored her like she was nothing more than an annoying fly.

Never before had Sakura ever felt so angry. It was like all the rage that built over the years was saved for that moment alone, to get her through those torturous minutes that dragged by after the bathroom door shut. If it weren't for her rage, then she wasn't sure what would have happened to her.

The hallway light almost blinded her as Sakura cracked an eye open, but the sight of her boyfriend made that pain unimportant and she was crawling out of bed desperately, opening the door fully to help him inside.

Itachi was limping and his right arm was clinging to his side, like he needed the support it gave to him.

She came to a stop.

The blood that had been covering him was now gone, however, bruises were already beginning to show on his skin and under his eye was a cut that seemed to have been stitched up.

Kakashi.

He'd been cleaning Itachi up, giving him medical attention. When the hell did Kakashi learn how to look after someone in such a way?

"I… Itachi?"

His eyes were just as heavy as earlier and his movements were sluggish as he moved towards her. As soon as he was in front of her, his left hand slowly raised, coming to the back of her head and threading through her hair.

Asking what had happened seemed like the wrong thing to do at that moment in time.

"You should rest," she whispered, doing her best to shove the tears away. It looked like it was taking everything for him to keep standing. "Come to bed."

There was no vocal reply – he'd yet to say a single word to her since his return. Still, he followed her order and slowly made his way to the bed, jaw clenching and a muted yell of pain leaving him as he sat down. It had Sakura hovering over him, the tears finally forming as she tried to help Itachi, but it seemed futile. How was she supposed to help him if she didn't know what had happened?

"Itachi, what happened to-"

Despite the obvious pain, Itachi reached out for her and she couldn't find it in herself to stop him as he grabbed her, pulling her forward and onto the bed.

But then he leaned forward, kissing Sakura with such urgency that it honestly frightened her.

She pushed him away and got out of bed.

It was just too much.

"Don't touch me," she snarled, backing away from Itachi when he stood up. "Not until you tell me why you're in this state." When all she got in return was silence, Sakura shook her head and made her way to the door. "I'm going to stay on the sofa."

"Sakura–" finally, he uttered his first word. The sound of his voice almost made her wish he hadn't. It was rough and low, nothing like the silk-like tenor that had been whispering soft, loving words into her ear not even twenty-four hours ago.

But the look she settled him with was cold and unmoving, making it obvious that she wasn't accepting his silence. "Don't even bother, Itachi. I'm not sleeping with a man who can't even trust me enough to tell me what's happened to him. I'm not being with a man who turns up in the middle of the night, looking like he's been to battle!"

With that, she slammed out of the room.

Itachi was a second behind her.

How he could move so easily was beyond her, because moments ago simply sitting down caused him great agony. Either way, he reached out for her again, managing to grab hold of her hand.

"I said don't fucking touch me!" her angered yell had her two roommates leaving their rooms immediately, but Sakura couldn't focus on them. Not when all she could feel was anger and disgust and disappointment. Not when her body was trembling and feeling like it was on fire because of her anger. "What the hell have you done?" she all but screamed. "Is it drugs? Is that why you're so out of it?" No answer. "Tell me!"

"Sakura-chan, don't–"

"Shut the hell up, Naruto!"

Sakura was having none of it. It was all too similar. He was coming home in the same state her father had multiple times after going out, getting drugged up with his so-called friends and getting into fights. It was too fucking similar! Why couldn't they see that?

Wordlessly, Kakashi walked up to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder and trying to comfort her. "It's not what you think, Sakura," he murmured after a few moments. "It's not drugs."

"Then what it is?" Tears of frustration were beginning to fill her eyes. "What happened to you, Itachi? Why do you look…?"

So lost. So empty. So out of it. So beat up and… and…

"It was a mission."

Kakashi's eyes went wide. "Itachi-san, you–"

"I don't care," he muttered, eyes never leaving Sakura's. She seemed to be in so much emotional pain because of his current state. It wasn't fair to leave her to suffer like that.

"You know what the punishment is for breaking the rules." Kakashi was serious now. Deadly serious, it seemed.

Still, his eyes never left Sakura's and slowly, as he held out his hand to her, she accepted it, allowing Itachi to bring her closer. She tried to ignore the knuckles that were badly grazed, or the slight tremor in his body when he moved in a way that made his injuries more agonisingly obvious.

"ANBU?" she whispered, her heart clenching tightly in her chest when he nodded. "So… Not drugs? Or getting into trouble?"

She sounded so childlike. He vaguely wondered what she would be seeing or remembering. "No, Sakura." Itachi wanted nothing more than to ease that pain in her eyes. "I was the only one who could complete the mission."

"But… Your uniform is still hung up!" she exclaimed and it took everything not to let her hands clench into fists since Itachi was still holding her hand. No matter what, she couldn't cause him more pain. "Why?" she asked helplessly. "Why did it have to be you?"

When he paused in his reply, swallowing hard, Sakura gently tugged on his hand. He caught on, allowing her to lead him over to the sofas and behind them, Naruto and Kakashi followed.

It was in that moment, however, that the front door opened and slammed shut, that Sasuke burst into the living room, glaring angrily at his older brother.

"What the hell are you playing at?" he yelled.

But then he took in Itachi's state and went deathly pale, his mouth falling open and expression turning to one of horror.

"Sasuke," Itachi murmured. "It would be best if you heard this, too."

Kakashi frowned. "Itachi-san, the less people, the better."

"He is my brother."

"Yes, I know, but-"

"He deserves to know. I am sure I have caused a lot of worry today."

Sasuke hesitated, like he was torn between following them to the sofas, or running out the door while he still had the chance. In the end, he drifted over, sitting down on the edge of the opposite sofa to herself and Itachi and a second later, Naruto sat down at Sasuke's side. Kakashi remained standing.

Itachi took a deep breath and they all did their best to ignore the slight wince he made when he breathed in too deeply. "It would be best… to be blunt with you all."

In a fraction of a second, as his words caught on, Kakashi eyes went wide. "Itachi-san, don't-"

But he went ignored. "Hidan is dead."

No words left her parted lips.

Sasuke could only stare at his brother in horror.

Naruto was the one who spoke for them, demanding, "What?"

"My mission was to assassinate Hidan," Itachi informed them without pause and his hold on her hand loosened, like he was expecting her to pull away. "I completed my mission successfully."

Finally, she found the ability to speak.

"B-But why?" Sakura whispered, still in shock at the news. "What did Hidan do?"

"You were ignorant, Sakura," Kakashi told her quietly. "You ignored all the signs of what kind of person Hidan was and whenever any of us tried to warn you, you would lash out and grow angry with us."

Her eyes lowered to the ground and faintly, her eyebrows knitted together. She wasn't sure how to feel or how to react to the fact that her current boyfriend had just assassinated her ex-boyfriend. How was she supposed to react to that? Cry? Sigh with relief?

Itachi's eyes never left her face for a moment. "A few years ago, I was assigned a mission. It was to find the person who was causing devastation in a small town." Just when Kakashi was about to warn him to stop talking, to tell him that it would be too much for her, he continued, cutting him off. "The children in the town were disappearing, one after another and weeks later, their mutilated bodies would be found. Some of them were unrecognisable and couldn't be identified, but their parents swore that it was them, that they knew it was their child."

A haunted look flitted through his eyes, stunning Naruto and Sasuke, who were in just as much shock as Sakura was. They were both incapable of doing anything but stare at the older Uchiha. "All those children, two hundred and fifty-two in total, were murdered in the same brutal way: through torture. Body parts were removed: heads, arms, legs, fingers, toes, genitals and ears. There was always something different with the next victim."

Finally, Sakura showed a reaction, but it was only the shutting of her eyes.

"Some were badly burned. Others were skinned. One child even had acid poured on them – enough to cause excruciating pain, but not enough to kill." His jaw clenched, just like his free hand. "That mission has always haunted me so much more than the others. I have been through a lot of things, but that topped everything else. For months, I could barely sleep and I couldn't eat.

"It got to the point where they were threatening to have me sectioned, or, if I couldn't get a hold of myself and prove that I was capable of keeping ANBU's secrets, executed." Itachi's eyes lowered to her legs, watching how her hand trembled against them. "In ANBU, the most absolute rule is that we must not share anything that has happened. We cannot discuss missions. We cannot discuss anything. To do so is committing treason, a crime which is punishable by death."

"Nii-san…" Sasuke whispered. "Stop."

The shaking had increased, seeming to affect her entire body, but still, other than the trembling, Sakura did not move. She stayed rooted to her seat, her nails digging into her thighs harshly and breaking the skin.

"When Hidan and I clashed the first time…" He shut his eyes. "I interrupted the torturing of the latest child who had gone missing. She was four years old and he had been carving into her like she was nothing but a piece of meat. He didn't seem bothered by her cries or pleas. He seemed delighted in them. He delighted in all the blood." His upper lip curled very faintly and Naruto swallowed the bile rising in his throat. "My main concern was saving the child despite the fact I have always been told to put the mission first. My mission was to kill the one who was kidnapping and torturing all of the children."

The blond opposite him frowned. "Did she make it?"

He shook his head and Sasuke looked away, glaring at the wall. "On the way back to the village, she died in my arms. The entire time the girl was crying for her parents."

A single tear slipped down Sakura's cheek.

"Itachi-san," Kakashi's voice was low and serious, warning him, "stop."

"They deserve to know," was all Itachi said in return as he opened his eyes once more, regarding the man blankly. "Sakura deserves to finally know and understand why everyone was so against their… relationship. She deserves to know why I went through with the mission."

Just as Kakashi was about to argue once more, he cut him off, saying, "I had no plans on accepting the mission at first. As far as I was aware of, Hidan had not committed any crimes during his stay in Konoha, but that didn't mean that the leader of ANBU wanted him to stay. According to him, Hidan was still a threat, one that had to be eradicated. It was in Konoha's best interest to get rid of a man like him."

"What made you…?"

"Accept the mission?" Naruto nodded once, swallowing hard at the sudden hatred that filled Itachi's eyes. "What made me accept the mission…" His dark eyes met Kakashi's, narrowing a fraction. "I found out that it was Hidan who ordered the attack on Sakura."

The trembling increased and Sakura clutched at her chest, squeezing her eyes shut.

Sasuke's eyes snapped back to them, narrowing a fraction.

"We are taught to abandon our emotions because they will only hinder us. They could cause us to falter, to fail our missions. But at that moment in time, I didn't care. All I saw were the children he had tortured and murdered and just the thought of Sakura being among them, of her taking the place of that four-year-old child, pushed me into accepting the mission."

But Kakashi was no longer listening and instead falling to his knees in front of Sakura, grabbing her shoulders and trying to get her to sit up straight, to look at him. She wouldn't. Instead she continued to wheeze, continued to clutch desperately at her chest and shake. Her other hand continued to hold onto Itachi's, but it was differently now. It was in a way that screamed she was desperate for comforting, for something to cling to.

Naruto was next to react, rushing straight to the kitchen.

Sasuke stayed out of the way, knowing better than to overcrowd her during a panic attack.

"Sakura–"

"I warned you to stop," Kakashi growled as he shifted over Sakura, rubbing her back soothingly and allowing her to rest her forehead on his shoulder. "Despite what you think, it is best that some things are left in the dark, Itachi-san. Sakura doesn't need things such as that weighing her down."

"He… He…"

He hushed her quietly, murmuring soft words to Sakura to try and help her calm down. It didn't work, not entirely and Kakashi couldn't have been happier when Naruto returned with a brown paper bag, handing it straight over. She was quick to snatch it out of his hands, her own trembling as she raised it to her mouth and breathed as deeply as possible.

All the while, Itachi could only watch, feeling horrified that he'd put himself before her. He had wanted desperately to get everything out into the open, to take away the pain she was feeling for seeing him in such a state. Instead, he had only added to her agony.

"I did it for you, Sakura," Itachi murmured, still in shock. "As long as Hidan was alive, you were not safe. I had to make you safe."

When grabbing the brown bag, she had pulled away from his hand, but as she gradually began to calm down, Sakura reached out once more and took his hand with her own shaking one, bringing it close to her.

"No more, Itachi," Sasuke muttered, his hands clenching into fists against his thighs. "She can't handle it-"

"No," Sakura disagreed, momentarily pulling the bag from her lips. "No, I… I need to know."

So they waited. During the wait, Naruto left to grab a towel, rinsing it with cold water to try and cool her down. They could all see the sweat beginning to form on her brow and when he returned, he handed the towel to Kakashi, who gently wiped down her face once she pulled the bag away. It rested on her legs in her other hand.

With some effort, Itachi raised their joined hands to his lips, pressing a tender, comforting kiss to the back of her hand. "Forgive me for being so blunt, Sakura," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have gone about it in such a way."

She shook her head. "No, you shouldn't have, but…" Sakura sighed. "That was building all day, Itachi. It didn't just happen because of what you told me, despite it being horrific. I'm not made of glass."

"You really had us all worried, you know," muttered Naruto. "Especially those two."

His head lowered. "Please forgive me."

"Start from the beginning," Sasuke ordered. "Tell us what happened tonight with Hidan."

So he did.

It had been four hours since Hidan's exit and during his departure, Itachi broke into his home, not surprised in the least to find that it was filled with expensive items. There was nothing of true value – emotional value, rather. Amongst all of the televisions and computers and whatever else, there wasn't a single photograph, not a single item that could hold sentimental value to him.

Part of Itachi wondered what ever happened to his family. What happened in Hidan's past that sculpted him to become this monster?

Those thoughts were unimportant while on a mission. It was best to remain unmoving, to raise all your walls to shield yourself from what you were about to do.

As expected of Hidan, there was no evidence of how he was able to afford a place such as this. No letters, no credit cards and no laptop for personal use. Sure, there was a computer and under the coffee table, there was an iPad, but they had all been wiped of their history. Without a specialist's computer, he had no way of regaining that history.

How was he going to do this?

Wisely, Itachi had spent a couple of hours calming himself after discovering that it was Hidan who had ordered the attack on Sakura. That still didn't explain why the three who had attacked her ended up being slaughtered in such a malicious way, though. Then again this was Hidan – the man was a monster. He didn't need a reason to kill somebody.

Painfully was the first thought that came to mind. Hidan should die while in agonising pain, just as each of his victims had.

If he did that, though, he'd never be able to look Sakura in the eye again.

The relationship was fake. It was a way for her to feel safe. But, still, Itachi couldn't think of what Hidan gained out of the relationship. All he really gained was a relationship with a minor, one he could-

One he could manipulate and have complete control over.

One he could use as an alibi, should he need it.

Damn it, why had he never seen it before? How many times had Hidan used Sakura as an alibi? Was she ever aware of it? Itachi was inclined to say no, she was not, but what if she had been? What if she knowingly went along with Hidan's lies?

Impossible!

She wouldn't risk everything for scum such as Hidan…

Right?

He was biased – Itachi knew that already. Sakura could have witnessed a completely different side of Hidan, one that nobody else had ever seen before, but all Itachi saw when he looked at the man was the person who slaughtered hundreds of children (that they knew of). The only reason why he hadn't taken him out the second he laid eyes on Hidan in Sakura's apartment was because of protocol. It was because he didn't want Sakura knowing the truth behind his charismatic smile and wads of money – and no, he wasn't saying she was in the relationship for the money.

The sound of a car door slamming shut startled him for a second before Itachi quickly hid himself from view. Hidan wasn't due back for another two hours. According to Danzo, this was his routine, so what had changed? There wasn't much to hide behind or in, meaning Itachi had to settle with hiding inside of the closet situated in the bedroom. Unlike the other rooms in the house, this one was simple. Still obviously expensive items, but not the in your face kind of stuff.

The gaps in the slats allowed him to watch over the room, eyes narrowing behind his mask as the bedroom door swung open. Hidan stumbled into the room, but he was not alone. By his side was a young girl with red hair and shockingly blue eyes and she was clearly intoxicated, even though it was still so early in the day.

He prayed and prayed that it wasn't about to go in the direction he was thinking it would, but Itachi knew deep down that there was no stopping it. It wasn't like he could take his eyes off Hidan, either, because in that time, he could figure out that somebody was in his closet, or he could turn violent on the girl who was now wrapped up in his arms, throwing her head back with a low moan.

They didn't make it to the bed and Itachi watched in disgust as Hidan pinned the redhead against the dresser in a way that had her bent over and he yanked her shorts and underwear down her thighs, exposing her not only for Hidan, but unknowingly for himself, too.

He hated ANBU.

Everything his mother had ever taught him was telling Itachi to look away, to give them both some privacy, but everything ANBU (and past experiences) had taught him was warning him that he'd be a fool to take his eyes off Hidan.

It was obvious that Hidan was in it for his own selfish gain, as he didn't even take the time to see if she was ready for him. He didn't even take the time to use protection, either. Neither of them seemed concerned with it and Itachi couldn't understand why.

Annoyance grew within him as he watched the animalistic scene.

How the hell did Hidan manage to pick girls up? Granted, he knew nothing of the girl who was currently crying out into the dresser, unable to lift her head due to Hidan having his hand fisted in her hair, keeping it there. Something was telling him, however, that she was just as damaged as Sakura was, if not more so.

Was that the type of girl Hidan went for? Vulnerable and damaged? It would certainly make it easier to control them and that way, he would be capable of manipulating their fears, playing on them and forcing the girls to believe that they needed him.

It was what he had done to Sakura.

Much to his relief, Hidan did not last long and as soon as he was done, he was flopping back onto his bed, running a hand through his hair. The girl was left to redress herself shakily, still breathing harshly from their rushed act.

"You need to give me more warning next time, Hidan-kun," she scolded playfully. "My husband almost caught us this time."

Husband?

"Like you care." Hidan laughed harshly in response. "You don't give a fuck about him."

She smirked. "I suppose that's true."

Arranged marriage, Itachi caught on easily. Most arranged marriages ended this way, too – or so said the reports.

"What happened, anyway?" she asked after a moment, raising a brow. Itachi was surprised to see that her eyebrows were black, meaning she was not a natural redhead. "Are you going somewhere?"

"…I suppose you could say that," replied Hidan and he released a breath. "I'm leaving Konoha."

Itachi's eyes narrowed. The latest developments were good for him, because it meant Hidan's sudden disappearance would not be questioned. Others would believe that he'd merely left the country.

"Oh," she murmured, frowning. "Will you ever come back?"

He snorted. "I warned you not to get attached to me, Emi."

"I've stood by you through a lot of things, Hidan-kun. Even when you were seeing that Sakura girl."

Itachi's fists clenched.

"Jealous, were you?"

"I had no reason to be. You still came back to me and still fucked me after you saw her, Hidan-kun."

Despicable.

Fortunately, the conversation didn't last much longer. Not even a minute after her words, the redhead's phone rang and she cursed, muttering that it was her dear, beloved husband. They both laughed at that.

There was no goodbye kiss. There were no goodbyes at all, as a matter of fact.

Hidan grunted as he sat up in his bed and ran another hand through his messy hair. For a moment, he sat there, staring ahead of himself, before a malicious grin pulled at his lips.

"Enjoying the show?"

Itachi cursed under his breath.

How had he known?

"You do know I have cameras set up, right? Look at this place! I'm not a fucking idiot."

Taking a deep breath, Itachi pushed the door open and stepped further into the bedroom. Though Hidan wasn't able to see, dark eyes were fixed on him in a deathly stare.

"I should've known," he cackled. "How many times are we going to do this, Uchiha Itachi?"

There was no surprise.

"I'd recognise that mask anywhere since it's been a constant thorn in my fucking side." He sprung to his feet and rolled his shoulders, tilting his head from side to side and relishing the cracking sounds that accompanied the movements. "This is the last time, though. After tonight, I'm going to make sure you don't intervene anymore."

If there were hidden cameras, then it would be imperative that he kept his mask on at all times. As soon as he was done with Hidan, he would try and locate them all, but there was no telling how many there truly were. It would be too risky not to take precautions.

And then Hidan lunged without warning.

Raising his arm, he blocked the blow aimed for his throat and kicked out, slamming his foot into Hidan's side and knocking the older man away from. He created some distance, knowing better than to fight close range with such a person, but it proved to be difficult in such a closed space after a while as Hidan continued to come at him. A grunt escaped through his gritted teeth as Hidan managed to land a blow on his stomach, followed by another and then another, until he had him cornered.

"You've let yourself go, Itachi." Hidan laughed through his pants for breath. "You're not as strong as you were last time."

Ignoring the pain in his side, Itachi pushed off from the wall and tackled the man to the ground, reaching for the kunai in his thigh holster as he kept him pinned with a hand around his throat.

Of course, it would never be that easy and so he wasn't surprised when Hidan beat him to it and snatched the kunai, slashing at him and Itachi couldn't do anything except ignore his mask as it was dragged from his head and thrown to the ground. It seemed he would have to go to more drastic measures to make sure the cameras were never discovered, as well as alerting Danzo about them. He had people who could make sure the tapes were never seen.

Again, Hidan lashed out with the kunai and Itachi winced as it caught just below his eye, leaving what he already knew would be a deep cut. His intended target was his eyes, he realised instantly. It would obviously give him an advantage because despite what Hidan stated, Itachi was still strong and they both knew it. The only reason why he hadn't won their last battle was because of that little girl, the one who was crying for her mother.

Anger washed through him.

Using the hand that was still gripping Hidan's throat, Itachi lifted him before slamming Hidan back down into the ground, repeating the move until he released the kunai, too caught up in the pain he was now experiencing and during the distraction, Itachi reached for the kunai.

A second later and the air was whooshing out of him as he was thrown backwards by a kick to the gut, crashing into the dresser loudly. He couldn't stay down for long, though. Even though he was in pain, he couldn't stay down. It would cost him his life.

He had to make it back home to Sakura.

He had to stay alive to protect and look out for Sasuke.

"Bastard…" Hidan growled under his breath and took his hand away from the back of his head, glaring angrily at the blood. Standing up straight, he grabbed the kunai on the ground, twirling it in his hand. "I've always admired these." Violet eyes clashed with dark, both sets narrowing. "I've never missed a target!"

There was no dodging the kunai. All Itachi was able to do was raise his arm, blocking the kunai from stabbing him in the throat. After a brief pause, he ripped it out of his arm and charged forward, knocking Hidan backwards and during the short stumble, his hand lashed out, shoving the kunai deep into his chest.

He towered over the man as he collapsed against the wall, a hand clutching uselessly at the kunai.

"I am not the only one who has gone soft, it seems," Itachi murmured darkly. "You left yourself wide open, Hidan. You thought the pain would distract me but you were wrong and now, you will pay for your mistake with your life."

"The cameras…?"

It was Kakashi who answered as he sat down beside Sakura on the arm of the sofa. "The leader of ANBU will be sending out what is known as a 'clean up' team. Depending on how bad the scene is, they will either make it seem like there was some sort of freak explosion caused by faulty electrics, or clean it up, dismantle all cameras and get rid of Hidan's body."

Sasuke looked up at his brother, frowning. "And you're positive that he's dead?"

"I pierced his heart."

Sakura released a shaky breath. "So what happens now, Itachi? Are you going back to ANBU, or…?"

At her unfinished question, he sighed and faced her, hiding his wince as the movement affected his bruised ribs. "What happens now… Nothing that I have told you will leave this room. The same goes for you two, as well." He looked over at Naruto and Sasuke, who both nodded grimly in response. Itachi turned back to his girlfriend. "I don't expect you to forgive what I have done. Taking another's life is something that shouldn't be done by humans, as we have no right in saying who can live and who can die."

"Hidan was a bad person," she whispered in response. "He… He tortured those children and…" Green eyes met his and her worry was painfully obvious. "He could have gone back to doing that after leaving Konoha, Itachi. Had he been caught, he would have been sentenced to death for his crimes. You just… you did it without it being dragged through the courts."

Her head fell back onto the sofa, her eyes gazing up at the ceiling. "I'm not saying I can understand what you had to do, or that I accept that you've taken somebody's life. I'm just trying to look at it from the perspective of those children's parents. They can rest now that the man who took their babies away from them is dead."

They wouldn't ever be told such a thing, but Itachi didn't share that piece of information with her.

After a moment of hesitation, he reached out, once more taking her hand. "I can't promise you that I won't ever be sent out on another mission, because there is every chance that I might be."

"The same goes for me, Sakura," Kakashi added quietly. "There's just as much chance that I may be contacted with a mission in an hour's time."

Her bottom lip quivered for a second. "…I know."

"If you will still have me, however…" Itachi tightened his hold on her hand, kissing it softly like he had done earlier. "I will do my best to decline any future missions." They all looked to him in surprise, but he merely sighed. "This mission was one only I could complete for the simple reason that I had to. I was the one who let Hidan go by ignoring mission protocols. Hidan was my mess to clean up."

"You stayed with the child, Nii-san," argued Sasuke. "You made sure she didn't die alone."

"And because of that, many others have died," he replied seriously, patiently.

Sakura shook her head. "Don't regret it." Finally, she returned his hold on her hand, holding his just as tightly. "She needed somebody to comfort her as she died, Itachi. You were there. She didn't die alone."

He could only nod.

Naruto looked between them all and then frowned. "So what now? I mean, where do we go from here?"

It felt like it had all been a blur, in all honesty. It felt like it had all happened so fast and now he'd abruptly come to standstill. Itachi had absolutely no idea what to expect.

"What happens now…" Sakura took a deep breath and stood. "I think Itachi had better get some rest. He needs to heal."

What did that mean? Did Sakura still feel comfortable sharing a bed with a murderer? Was she okay being under the same roof as him?

"We should all probably get some rest," Kakashi agreed. "It's been a long day."

Sasuke followed Sakura's example in standing, only to frown down at his brother. "You're going to be okay?"

His concern eased some of the weight from his shoulders. "Kakashi-san is surprisingly a remarkable medic."

"We'll talk more in the morning, right?" the younger Uchiha asked. "I want you to tell me everything, Nii-san, so that I can finally understand."

"Of course."

"C'mon," Sakura pushed gently. "Do you want anything to eat or drink? I'll bring it in for you."

He shook his head, politely declining and smiling gratefully when Sakura hovered over him when he stood, fussing over his injuries. There were no words to describe how relieving it felt knowing that she wasn't going to leave him because of his mission. He could accept her being sickened by his actions and being unable to forgive him. If she was to leave him, however, Itachi wasn't sure how he would cope.

Somehow, somewhere down the line, he came to depend on her.

He couldn't lose her.

Eyes narrowed at the sight of the man in the window, shutting the curtains. It didn't block anything out with the inside light on because of how pitifully sheer the curtains were, so he was still granted with a view. He could still see him joining the girl in their bed, shifting closer to her as she continued to watch her television show, sipping on a drink.

"Hidan," a deep voice came from behind him, sounding less than pleased. "Don't make me regret fixing you up. I still have time to finish you off."

He gritted his teeth, a curse falling from his lips.

"Uchiha Itachi…" he muttered darkly. "This is not over."

THE END

A/N - For now ;-)

I wasn't expecting to end this one so soon, but then I noticed that I got to chapter 27 and thought hmmm, maybe a sequel would be a good idea. Kind of got the idea from Moor - by the way, if you haven't already you have to check out her stories. Her writing is so inspiring and she's such a nice person, too. So go! Go read her stories and enjoy them. Forest Fire and Forest Fire II are my personal favourites ;-)

Okay, now that I'm done fan girling (and dropping major hints about her next instalment to Forest Fire, which I am dying to read because omg ItaSaku goodness), I'll tell you a little more about the sequel. I've started planning it and how I want it to go, you're going to see some old and new characters, too. However, so far, I haven't actually started it, so I can't give you a specific date for when I'll start posting it.

Good news, however, is that I quit my job for the simple fact that they're all a bunch of dicks. In other words: until I find another, I have all the time in the world to write!

Thank you for reading this story and I hope you enjoyed it :-)

THE SEQUEL IS FINALLY OUT AND IT'S CALLED SO THIS IS LOVE.