Six long months. It had been six long months since he had last seen his beloved Sakura. Finally though, he could return home, his vendetta with Orochimaru settled, after so much time spent hunting him down. It had really been pathetic, how easily the snake had gone down after Itachi had caught up to him. His minions had all run off after his dying the first time, and no one had been there to protect him. In the last few moments of his sad existence, Orochimaru had groveled at his feet, begging for his life. Itachi had shown him no mercy, not after what he had done.

Itachi had known that Orochimaru had hideouts throughout the shinobi world, but it had amazed him how many there really were. Orochimaru had moved from his hiding spots every week, and had never returned to one he had been before, through the entire time Itachi had been hunting him. In the end though, Orochimaru had been cornered like the pitiful, scared animal he truly was. However resourceful Orochimaru may have been, there had been no one there to fend him off besides his medic, Kabuto.

Itachi had not spared Orochimaru's follower a second thought, and killed Kabuto the moment he stepped between him and his objective. He had found the sniveling snake in the crack-headed lab below ground, and Itachi had used his surroundings to his advantage. Though he needed no assistance in battle, the supplies around him were useful to preserve the evidence of his kill.

After decapitating Orochimaru, he had found a large enough jar to store his head in, then filled the extra space with chemicals to preserve the flesh and prevent putrefaction. He had a week of travel to Konoha, and the smells of rotting tissues was not something he wanted to endure. The returning trip home was much shorter than he would have thought. Before he knew it, the sight of Konohagakure's great walls came into view from the distance.

He stepped through the entrance to be greeted by Kotetsu and Izumo, who were already expecting his return. Itachi had known the infamous duo of flirts since his days at the academy, and was only slightly surprised by their jovial welcoming. All the same, he walked to the booth they sat under, and signed in. They snickered to each other, almost ignoring him.

"Sakura-san certainly will be happy now that-

-I suppose the whole family is back together-

"Sasuke-san will certainly surprise him with that-

"Yeah, but we should not say anything. I would hate to ruin such a wonderful surprise."

Itachi's eyebrows knit together in frustration, not pleased that they were talking about him right to his face, but acting as if he were not there. He was already used to their antics however, and decided it were best to simply disregard whatever they said. It was likely they were trying to create some sort of reaction out of him, and he would not want to give them what they wanted.

Kotetsu turned back to him a moment later, pretending he had not just shared that whispered conversation with Izumo, and gave him a toothy grin. "Tsunade-sama wants you to see her the second you check in. You should go do that before anything else." He snickered to him, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. Itachi could only assume he was somehow alluding to Sakura with that impish look in his dark eyes.

"Yes, I intend to. I have something to drop off." Itachi quietly intoned. Seeing their teasing would get them nowhere, Izumo waved him off, letting Itachi continue to the Hokage tower for a mission debrief. Quirking an eyebrow at the duo, Itachi turned and left, trying to shake his head free of their hinting. For all he knew, whatever they were whispering about were rumors to grate on his nerves. After six months of being on the road, he wanted to settle down and relax before going on a mission again.

Just as Itachi walked out of sight, Izumo headed straight to the research and development labs in Konoha's lab, where he knew Sakura could be found.

With a subtle smirk on his face, Itachi wordlessly set the jar with Orochimaru's preserved head on Tsunade's desk. She cringed in disgust, then downed a shot of sake. "The mission was an overall success." He stated smartly. Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Way to point out the obvious, Uchiha. What the hell is with this jar? You want me to put it up on a shelf like a damned trophy?" She asked sarcastically, swirling about another cup of sake, before downing that one too. Itachi was beginning to wonder if her habit of drinking all day was healthy for her liver. For a medic, it seemed to be rather thick. Still, it was not really any of his problem.

His smirk widened. "Well, if you do not want it, I will gladly keep it." Itachi replied in a serious tone. Tsunade could not be sure if he was joking or not, and frowned slightly. Sakura had never mentioned the Uchiha to have any sort of sense in humor.

"I will have to warn Sakura then, when she starts to redecorate. I doubt she would appreciate jars of floating, decapitated heads in the living room." Tsunade muttered, already imagining Sakura's reaction to seeing Orochimaru's dead expression, plopped right down on her coffee table. There would have been a riot in Konoha, that much she was certain of.

Itachi's face softened. "How is she?" He asked affectionately. Tsunade snorted quietly at the quick change in his character. Sometimes, she had a hard time figuring out how Sakura could have ever fallen in love with the notorious Uchiha Itachi, how she would ever want to carry his children, but now it made sense. Now she had to wonder what about her young apprentice had made him fall for her.

"She is good. I have her working at the hospital again, and she likes it." She replied. He nodded his head thoughtfully, his mind, she undoubtedly knew, full of only one person. Surely the man must have been desperate to see his lover again. She certainly had been anxious for his return since the day he left, which was why Tsunade had set her up in the research department. It would keep her busy for a while.

She cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the musing Uchiha back to her. "Sakura has her job back. I am prepared to offer yours back as well, though I would prefer to have the next Hokage in the room to hear it as well." She said rather loudly. As if on cue, Uzumaki Naruto stepped into the room through a window. He was dressed in a jonin uniform, and smiling sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You too, Uchiha Sasuke." Tsunade grumbled. Like Naruto had been, Sasuke was dressed in jonin attire, a new hitai-ate on his forehead. His arms were crossed, and he huffed annoyingly as he gracefully slipped through the window after his best friend. Itachi gave his a stern look that said he should have known better than to listen in on a confidential meeting.

"Now that my idiotic successor is her, I can continue." Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Uchiha Itachi, I want you to head the ANBU branch, directly under me, and eventually, Naruto. My captains will take orders straight from you. I have needed to replace the head for a while now; the bastard was a former root and supporter of Danzo."

Itachi easily concealed his surprise. He had assumed that he would be reinstated as ANBU captain, but to be given a higher rank was shocking. Not that he had any objections to the job. He wanted to do anything that would assist the village, and if this was what the Hokage wanted from him, he would not reject the position. He nodded his head slowly, until remembering something.

"What of the Konoha Police Force?"

Sasuke snorted at his question, and when Itachi turned to see what the matter was, he was smiling smugly. "Your brother has already filled in that position. He was rather determined to have it, so I hope you do not mind."

This made sense. The Uchiha had once been in charge of the shinobi police in Konoha, and Sasuke wanted to clear their name.

"Very well then, I accept." Itachi replied calmly.

...

Sakura kept looking into her microscope, studying the cancerous cells, and trying to ignore the stupid man who was standing behind her and breathing down her neck. He chuckled, knowing that he was irritating her. Kotetsu just loved annoying Sakura whenever he was given the chance.

"Hokage-sama is waiting for you." He finally said.

Sakura growled under her breath. Just what she needed. Her hands clenched together and she stomped away from her lab station.

Her voice could be heard from down the hall as she marched straight to Tsunade's office. "If you really want me to find an easier way to preform brain surgery for cancer, then you need to give me more time in the lab! I only get five and a half hours a day in there, and if you really want me to find a solution," Sakura slammed open the door violently, "then you cannot be interrupting me so-

She froze, staring in shock at Itachi's familiar form. His head spun around to look at her, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. Sakura saw his jaw drop when he saw her.

"Itachi."

"Sakura, you...you...are?"

A small smile formed on her lips, anger at being pulled from her lab quickly forgotten. "Yes, I am." She whispered, a delicate hand smoothing over her rounded abdomen. Flashbacks of the last night he spent with Sakura ran through his head. He had completely devoured her that night, consuming her entirely. She had clearly milked him for what he was worth.

"You said that you knew how to prevent this from happening with medical ninjutsu." He breathed. She nodded her head, her smile growing.

"Yes, I can. I did not say that I was going to use that jutsu, now did I?" She replied. Itachi let out a long, deep breath of air. He had not been prepared for this at all, and was not sure what to even say. So he stared. Seeing he was not going to do anything but stand there in shock, Sakura slowly walked up to him. He stood rigidly, and she took his hand to carefully press it to her stomach.

"I am sorry I never told you what I was hoping for that night, but if you knew, I was afraid you would not go and do what you needed to. I understand if you are angry at me for doing this behind your back, but I was hoping to surprise you when you got back." She said softly, looking up into his dark, charcoal eyes. Itachi sighed, wrapping two secure arms around her.

"I am not angry, Koishii, I could never be angry with you."

She giggled as he reached down to kiss each of her cheeks. Suddenly, the room's atmosphere was filled with a thick, smothering aura. Tsunade cleared her throat, dispelling the awkwardness that had filled her office. Itachi and Sakura hesitantly stepped away from each other. A small brush tinted at Sakura's cheeks, and Naruto tried not to gag at the sight of them. Sasuke did not seem to mind so much, and crossed his arms instead.

"I assume Kotetsu sent you here, Sakura?" Tsunade asked with a frown. Sakura nodded.

"I am going to give that ass a month worth of D-ranked missions." She muttered, then added, "Since you two are already here, I will discuss this further at another time. I already know you two will be too distracted to think properly."

They were quickly interrupted when the door opened, and a certain platinum blond in purple stepped in. "Sasuke, you retard! I told you to visit me as soon as you got back from your missions. I missed you, you know!" She whined, dashing up to him and then giving him a suggestive hug. Itachi watched this in bewilderment, wondering how long Sasuke had been with Sakura's friend, Yamanaka.

He did not need to be told they were together, because Itachi knew Sasuke would not tolerate a girl to hold him as she was if he was not with her. What amazed him most was how the girl had called Sasuke a 'retard,' and had not been given so much as a glare. It felt like quite a feat, from what he had seen so far.

"I missed you too, piggy." He said dryly.

"Shut it, Chicken-ass." She retorted.

Sakura laughed, telling Itachi that this sort of situation with them name calling was a common occurrence. They shared a short, chaste kiss, and shamelessly turned back to Tsunade. The Hokage was past caring, at this point. The only one who was at all bothered was Naruto. "Dammit! Why does it feel like I am the only one without any love life?" He asked rhetorically.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I told you to ask out Hinata-chan months ago, Naruto. Why not her?"

Naruto frowned, deep in thought. He doubted Hinata would ever want to go out with him. Her clan was full of stuck-up snobs, like Neji, and whenever he got near her, she acted like she wanted to be anywhere but near him. Naruto did not want to ask someone out only to get rejected. It was clear to him that she was uninterested, and he did not want to make her uncomfortable by asking something of her she did not want to give.

"Ask her out already, Naruto. I promise she will say yes." Ino said knowingly. Both Sakura and her were aware of how Naruto felt. He may have screamed obnoxious and seemed to lack self-doubt, he was not as confident as he looked. Ino and Sakura had been working for months for Hinata to manage the courage to speak with Naruto about her feelings, but they were both too shy. It was such a strange thought, that Naruto could be shy about anything. Hinata...was not so much of a surprise.

Itachi could see that so much had changed since he left six months previous. His brother had done as Itachi had requested to be sure that she was kept happy, he could tell that much, and he wondered what else had changed that he did not yet know about. He suddenly had the urge to go home. He wanted to be somewhere with Sakura alone, to recap on everything that had happened. They had so much to discuss.

He flashed a certain look at Tsunade, and she seemed to understand. It appeared that in the past few months, she had learned how the read 'Uchiha,' undoubtedly from Sasuke. A knowledgeable smirk lit her face, as if she knew something interesting, and he did not. He supposed this was very possible, after him being away for so long. She swigged another gulp of her sake.

"I want a written mission report by the end of the week, you got that Uchiha?" She ordered. Itachi nodded his head smartly, and with a smirk of his own, slipped two arms across Sakura's back and lifted her from the ground. She squealed in surprise, but when looking into his dark, smothering eyes, so filled with passion and longing, she was stunned into silence.

It had been so long since she had seen such a look in someone's eyes, so long since someone had held her like he was, and she had forgotten her own reactions to it. A blush burned on her cheeks as she watched a miniscule twitch in the corner of his thin lips tug his mouth upward in an awkward, lopsided grin. He blinked, sooty eyelashes softly caressing his cheek with the simple motion. She looked long and hard into those dark eyes of his, noticing how they seemed to have a different light in them from before.

He was so beautiful, and he was all hers. She returned his clumsy smile with one of her own; bright, and pearly and showing each of her teeth.

Almost forgetting everyone else in the room, he reached down to softly kiss her nose. Then, wordlessly, he turned and walked through the door, everyone else left to stare in shock at them. Sasuke may not have been so surprised by Itachi's blatant show of affection for Sakura, but no one else had ever thought the quiet, seemingly cold man to be capable of it. For the most part, they were relieved, because it meant he really was able to make Sakura happy, and that was what matter most.

Sakura curled up into his hard, toned chest, breathing in his familiar scents of burnt wood, rain water and something specifically Itachi. He was so warm, she seemed to soak that all in and never have enough of it. Sighing though, she opened her eyes. She had figured he would, but Itachi was taking her to the wrong place. If he thought the only surprise set up for him upon returning was her pregnancy, then he was sadly incorrect. Sakura had sold her apartment only a month after Itachi had left.

She cleared her throat. "Itachi, you are going the wrong way. I sold my apartment a while ago." Sakura stated. He paused where he was standing, looking down at her in bewilderment. They both ignored how civilians and shinobi alike were starting to stare at the strange occurrence of Itachi carrying Sakura.

"Then tell me where you have been staying." He replied softly. With a smirk on her face, she shook her head. Sakura was not sure what his reaction would be, but if she told him where she had set herself up, she had the feeling he would not want to go anywhere near the place. So, she would have to drag him there and have him see what she had put together before she said anything.

"Do not ruin my fun, Itachi. Put me down and I will lead the way." She said. He quirked a brow, not quite understanding her thought processes, but doing as she asked all the same. She giggled to herself, taking his hand, and turning them around to the opposite direction they had been heading. "Shut your eyes, Itachi." She added as an after thought. He would certainly be able to recognize where they were going by the familiar surroundings.

He obeyed her request grudgingly, carefully stepping behind her as she led down the familiar streets. He could smell the fried foods coming from the shops lining the pathways through Konoha, as well as the strong scent of tea. There was a constant bustle of the people trafficking through the area, though Sakura managed to be sure they never ran into anyone.

Itachi listened to the soft crunch of gravel below his sandals, trying to imagine where they were when it changed to smooth stone. Slowly, it grew more quiet, and he knew they were in a residential part. He could still hear the sounds of crowding civilians speaking in the market place they had just been in, but now there was hardly anything nearby besides the whispering of the wind blowing through the trees.

Almost abruptly, they stopped, and she squeezed his hand lightly. "You can look now." She murmured. Itachi could sense the small amount of nervousness in her tone, and was uncertain how to interpret it. He opened his eyes to see a door. It was not just any door, he knew though. He was standing in front of the house he had grown up in, years ago. Itachi stood rigid to the spot, watching as Sakura slipped off her shoes. She stepped into the house, then turned to look at him expectantly. He had no idea what to even say, because he was not sure how he felt about living in the place he had killed his own parents.

"Itachi, before you decide that this is a bad thing, I want you to see what I have done around here." She whispered, taking his hand. Absentmindedly, he slipped his feet out of his sandals, and almost timidly stepped onto the wooden flooring. It was clean and polished, and though he could not be certain yet, Itachi thought she may have gone so far as to replace the floors altogether.

He first stalked off into the kitchen, to find it as clean and orderly as his mother would have left it. There was a new table, he noted, and it was a little larger than the one that had been in there before, as if Sakura expected more than four people to be sitting at it. The window above the sink was open, streaming in the sun's light and heat. The room seemed so much more warm than he remembered.

Sakura stood in the archway into the kitchen, watching with a nervous smile as he processed it all. He turned to look at her, his face showing an expression she thought she would never see on him, confusion. Sakura was not sure what he had been expecting, but this certainly was not it. He turned again, this time heading out into the outside platform.

Just as he expected, there was the bamboo fountain, streaming water. The garden was well kept, with not a single stray leaf from the trees above on the ground. Flashbacks of his childhood when he used to sit outside on the platform, listening to the tranquil sounds of the fountain surged through his entire being. He used to love sitting out there, alone and utterly at peace, with a mug of tea and occasionally a plate of his mother's dango.

He walked along the platform, entering another room through its shoji sliding door. It used to be his father's office, of sorts, where he would have conducted business. Instead of his father's old belongs, however, he saw an easily recognizable shelf of books, which he was sure had once been in his bedroom. There was also a new desk, made of rich, mahogany wood, replacing the old one his father had used.

Itachi walked through the office to the hallway inside, Sakura following closely behind. Silently, he went up the flight of stairs to the second floor. He walked down to the end of the hall, then slid open the shoji door to his old room. It was nothing like how he remembered it. There was a small cradle, instead of the bed that had once been his, along with a changing table and rocking chair. The window was open, yellow curtains fluttering in the breeze. It felt so unbelievably happy in that room, compared to how it was when he left.

Itachi stepped up to the cradle, smiling softly when he saw what was sitting in it. There was a certain joke Shisui had once told him as a child, and seeing the stuffed animal he had once toddled around with brought back that memory. When he was five, Shisui had said to him that his mother threw a baby shower, and one of the gifts she had recieved was a stuffed weasel. Apparently, the pregnant Mikoto had loved the toy so much, she named her son after it.

Chuckling to himself, Itachi reached down to pick up the stuffed weasel. He had marched straight home in a huff after being told that, and demanded that his mother tell him if she had really named him after a toy. He recalled his mother laughing, and then she had stooped down to give him a hug. The hug had been somewhat awkward though, because she had been pregnant with Sasuke at the time.

Not sure what Itachi could possibly be laughing over, Sakura walked to stand next to him. She saw in his hands the stuffed animal, and looked up at him in bewilderment. Seeing her confusion, Itachi decided to elaborate. "My cousin used to tell me I was named after this toy." He told her softly. She smiled, reaching up to kiss him, but being not nearly as tall as he was, had to settle for his chin.

"I hope you are not upset that I did this without talking to you about it, but with you gone, and Tsunade only allowing a few hours of my time spent in the hospital, I had to do something. I was not sure if this was okay, so I went to Sasuke, and he told me I should go with it. He has been staying in his old room, and I do not think he wants to leave until things with Ino are more official-

She was quickly cut off by the feel of his lips covering hers. Her heart jumped up into her throat with surprise; she had forgotten how it felt every time Itachi kissed her. When he was sure she was too distracted to ramble on again, he lifted his mouth away.

"You talk too much." His voice rumbled from deep within his chest. She ignored his comment, searching for his lips again, needing more of him.

Pleased, he let her find his mouth, longing to feel every part of her against him. Her tongue almost cautiously sought his, running along the seam of his lips in a smooth stroke. His mouth slowly parted, letting Sakura have the dominance for once. There was a jolt of pleasure that rocked through his entire body the instant he felt her wet appendage touch tips with his.

At that moment, all thought was lost, and he took control. Itachi swept his tongue along the lining of her hot, moist mouth, drinking in her breath and small groans as he did so. She tasted even more sweet than last time he had kissed her like he was, with the distinct flavors of vanilla and sugar mixed in her saliva.

His had reached up to fist into her hair, which he realized was much longer than last time he had seen her. Waves of pink locks cascaded down to her shoulders, where it had once been only to her chin. An image of Sakura with longer hair flashed in his mind, and he liked the thought very much. He would have to be sure she grew it out more.

Sakura blindly ran her hands over his muscular body, re-familiarizing herself with his every inch of pale, beautiful skin. She had not even begun to understand how much she had missed him, at least not until now, when he was back in her arms. Sakura mewled softly as his tongue swirled around hers, tying it in slippery, heated knots. Panting, he slowly pulled away, sucking on her swelling lips as he did so. She looked up at him happily, glad to have him home, where he belonged.

Resting his cool forehead on hers, his breath evened, and they said nothing, listening only to the small breeze and the market place off in the distance. Sakura looked up into his stunning, dark eyes, picking out the barely perceivable shades of grey, and knew one, simple thing. At that same moment, while he looked right on back into her bright, viridian orbs, he knew it too.

They were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

The End

AN: Thus the ending to another fic. I was going to write an epilogue, and I am sorry to anyone who was looking forward to that, but I am content where I ended this. I wanted to finish this one before continuing to work on The Best Medicine. I may not be able to update for a while though, because I am heading to Hawaii to visit some old friends, and I may not get back for a week at least. I will work on it during the flight though.

Thank you everyone who has read through this fic. I am very proud with it, and am glad that people have liked it as much as they have. It has to be one of my most random stories to come up with yet, because I thought of it sitting in class after taking an English exam. Strange, but that is how my obsessive mind works.