Title- Clouded

By- Envo

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter 1

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"They sure are late."

A leg dangling over the edge of the thick branch as its owner traced small, lazy patterns on the wooden surface with a carefully gloved hand.

"I'm not surprised."

A few branches away a silhouette shifted slightly against the trunk behind it. All was quiet in the lush forest of fire country bordering Ame, so quiet that even a small noise within two miles radius could be heard clearly with an untrained ear.

"Uchiha-san, please attempt to stay alert. We have yet to be relieved from our duties, not until a connection is established with other groups." The command slashed through the previous silence like a sharpen kunai in one swift swing.

"I am alert," came the muffled answer along the side. A hunched outline had one of its arm propped on its folded knee while the other leg stretched out along the rough surface of the bark. Under her feminine voice was the underlying annoyance and weariness as she retorted.

A low snicker spread across the empty space between the quadruple and the person in question bristled.

"Save it, Gemna. I was on a shift 'till four this morning. I won't expect you to be up with just one hour of sleep."

"I wonder what kind of shift you are on..." Genma mused out loud.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," her voice was laced with disgust as she turned away from the perverted man.

More snickers.

"Uchiha-san, I must agree with Taichou. You seemed to be… distracted these days," another voice joined the conversation (argument) along with a sigh.

"Neji-san, that was very… unusual of you to side with him." The tone of dismay flew across the air as the last word was directed towards the man perching on the branch innocently.

"You should know, Uchiha-san, that when the Hyuga decided to talk it's usually the truth," though none of them could see as each one of them had their own porcelain masks on, they could all hear the amusement so apparent in his voice as Genma taunted.

Before anyone could speak further, they were all interrupted by the same commanding voice. "The two of you, that's enough."

Silence hung once again over the quadruple heavily.

"You'll have to understand that we are all merely concern for your wellbeing."

"There is nothing wrong with me, Taichou."

"I wonder..."

"What does that suppose to mean?"

"You are obviously distressed over something, Uchiha-san. As a medic of the team—" Before the man could finish, he was cut by the agitated kunoichi with her irked response.

"—I would know if there is anything wrong with me."

Sigh. "As I was saying, it is your duty to stay in the best shape you can get in case of need. You should know this better than anyone."

A short pause in between before the question was answered with a quiet "Yes."

"Get some rest before you turn into a raccoon," Genma butted in with another round of snickers. "A raccoon with pink furs, what a sight!"

A growl emitted from the insulted medic, but no words were uttered before it was interrupted by their captain (again).

"You at your full strength would benefit the team the most, Uchiha-san. A speedy recovery is recommended. We have another mission coming up within the week."

Along the side, Genma groaned at the news. "Another mission? Are you kidding me…?"

"I don't need anyone to baby me. I'm a medic; I know how to take care of myself."

"Hardly." The smooth, deep voice came in so suddenly from behind that it made the already distressed kunoichi jumped despite being in the sitting position.

"Itachi, where did you come from?" said kunoichi asked after regaining her composure.

"Behind."

"Of course, what was I expecting…" was the quiet mutter.

Not noticing his movements, it wasn't until later did the medic found a cloak wrapped tightly around her shoulders, covering her small form from head to toe.

"Standing in the rain is hardly what I call taking care of yourself… Sakura," Itachi murmured as he secured the last tie and effectively prevented the cloak from slipping off the petite form before him.

"I'm a kunoichi, Itachi. You can't expect me to stay underneath a roofed house all the time, can you?" Sakura replied dryly.

Branches away, the three remaining teammates of Sakura's ANBU team stood silently watching. Well… excluding Genma. He was, in fact, delighted to see the exchange between the renowned medic of Konoha and the prodigious ANBU captain; it was, after all, another piece of gossip he got his hands on without needing much prying around through tight-lipped friends and dodging scornful glares from the relatives of the two.

The Uchiha heir ignored the irritation rolling off her in the form of waves and turned towards the other captain.

"Kakashi-san's team will not be coming here. My team got in contact with his on our way here. He'll be heading straight towards the thirty-first rendezvous point."

"I thought so," said captain nodded in return of the new information, "Your team is heading back?"

"Yes."

"Very well," he then turned towards his own team and made a swift gesture, signaling the team to return to the village. Without asking rather or not the other ANBU captain would accompany them back, the man leaped off the branch he was leaning against and headed towards Konoha. It did not surprise him to sense Itachi moving along with his team as well, seeing as the said man had a protective streak of a ten mile radius. He had, after all, been accompanying their team on their way back to Konoha ever since the pink haired medic was assigned into his squad. As troubling as it was, he had gotten used to the frequent visits by the other ANBU captain since week one.

The journey back was a quiet one as the team of five raced back towards their home.

After their feet landed in front of the gates of Konoha, everything went like a haze in Sakura's mind as her feet dragged her suddenly very tired body around with her squad then followed Itachi's steps back to the Uchiha district. She tried to figure out just why she was feeling the waves of fatigue when the sun was still high in the sky, but the veil of sleep was already over her head by the time they stepped foot into the house of the head of the clan.

Half swaying on her feet, she leaned against Itachi's arm for support as he guided her to their room. The trip may have been a short one if not for her current condition, which made it seemed ten times longer. She then collapsed on the neatly-made bed without so much of a thought to the uniform that still clung to her skin when they finally stopped at the foot of the king size bed.

A soft sigh was the only thing in the room that was heard besides the steady inhaling and exhaling as Itachi removed the outer pieces of the uniform, leaving Sakura clad in the thin black vest-like top and its matching back pants. Long fingers moved swiftly to remove the remaining weapons hidden between the folded cloth, her weapon pouch and underneath the bandages wrapped around her ankles. Leaving the removed gears and garments on the nearby nightstand, Itachi unconciously tangled his slender fingers into the pink tresses.

"You never know how to take care of yourself…" the soft murmur escaped his lips while his fingers lingered against her soft, rosy cheeks before straightened up and left the room without a sound.

Taking afternoon naps was never a habit of hers, and now that she found herself lying comfortably in her bed with blankets tucked securely to her neck hours later, she was beyond irritated. She still had a shift tonight!

Struggling to untangle herself within the bed sheets and the blanket, she ended up flinging the cloth to the other end of the room before standing up in a huff. Her irritation did not last long when a wave of nausea suddenly claimed her and forced her to dash towards the bathroom.

She must have caused a ruckus during her rush to the small cubic compartment because it wasn't long before a pair of hands smoothed back her pink strands and secured them as she emptied her stomach. Sakura did not stop heaving until minutes later and now as she cleaned away the taste in her mouth, she couldn't help but noticed the strange glint in the pair of obsidian eyes.

"What?"

His response wasn't delivered until she thought he wasn't going to answer. "You are unwell," Itachi's replied gruffly.

At this, Sakura couldn't help but rolled her eyes at his stating-the-obvious reply. "Probably just an upset stomach, nothing to worry about."

He did not look convinced, and Sakura sighed. The small pounding against her temples were increasing in volume and she did not want another migraine to claim her just yet. "I'm the medic here, Itachi. What I say goes. Don't go fussing over such a small thing."

What was meant to ease the tenseness off his shoulders only succeed in another raise of eyebrows as disbelieve slowly showed on his normally stoic, angular face. But fortunately for her, he did not press the matter further as both of them had things to do that night; mission reports for him and hospital shifts for her.

Night shifts in the hospital had always been able to soothe her nerves no matter what she had been through in the day. Somehow through the quiet halls of the hospital and the calmness of the night, she was able to regain her cherry self. Yet she stood now within the walls of the infirmary, she couldn't help but fidgeting as she fight against the urge to look up at the ticking clock, knowing not even a minute passed by since she looked up for the umpteenth time. The soft beeping of the machines only served in keeping time with the pounding within her scaple located just above her left eye, while the soft snores of her patients did little to help her current restless self.

Time went by like a snail; it was so slow that Sakura was tempted to check the small, round clock hanging on the wall just to see if it was working properly. By the time her shift was over, the word exuberant did not even begin to describe the feeling willing up inside her. It must have posed a strange sight for the people passing by, because she had almost skipped the entire way back to the house.

The dark, silent hallway cooled down her previously bubbling energy as she made her way towards the lights. At this time of night, only one person she knew would still be up, and that said person looked up to glance at her swiftly before turning back to the layers of papers piling on the oak desk. She then closed the doors, separating the hallway and their room through the piece of wood.

"Sleep early," she murmured as she took the folded nurse uniform she had changed out and stacked them on top of a pile of clothes. Her bare feet touched the cool surface of wood tiles lightly, making barely a sound before she slipped underneath the cover and grew silent. Though despite her comment, those arms which encased her within the source of warmth did not appear until hours later.

When the soft rays of light tickled her eyelids and basked her in its soft glow, she had not wanted to get up. Stifling a yawn, she kept her eyes closed while turning away from the welcoming warmth, fully intended to get back to her much-needed sleep before a thought suddenly came barging in and interrupting her sleepy daze. The sun.

"Oh no, I'm late!"

Within a whirl of cloth she was out of the bed. Ignoring the pounding on her temples, she leaped into the bathroom only to stop and grab a set of clothes from the compartment served as the closet. After minutes of rampage in the room and loud slams of doors, she was out the room and sprinting down the hallway. The house appeared to be emptied of people, which made her trip to the front door much easier without bumping into servants or visitors.

Her foot had just touched the stone cold floor and wasn't even given a chance to slip on her boots before an arm snaked around her waist and hauled her petite form up into thin air. Within a blink of an eye, she was caged within a strong arm and was carried back to the room where she tried to get away from.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let me down! I'm late, I need to—" She squirmed in his arm, a futile attempt in freeing herself from his iron grasp. What irked her most was how she could not make him put her down, even when he was supporting her entire weight with one arm; was she really that light for him to lift her up with just an arm?

"You need to rest." Onyx eyes shifted to her emerald ones as his other hand pushed open the door and entered their room once again.

"The debriefing, I need to go before shishou decides to skin me alive for being late." If this did not work, she didn't know what would to regain her freedom and save her skin from her shishou, who just happened to be very bad-tempered in the mornings.

"And why didn't you wake me this morning?"

To her chagrin, Itachi appeared to not hear her as he continued his casual pace until they reached the foot of the neatly-made bed—which Sakura had mustered up the last few seconds in making before dashing out the room. Her frown did not last long before it was taken over by slight surprise as she sway on her feet when they touched the wooden floor and only succeed in not falling flat on her face if not for the arm holding her up.

"You need to rest," he repeated.

"No, I don't," her rebuke had failed, coming out in a whimper as an unexpected spike of pain shot through her temples.

"The Hokage is already informed of your situation. You do not need to attend to your duties until you've fully recovered from your cold."

Sakura sighed with defeat. "You could have just told me that earlier," she pointed out.

Itachi grunted lightly as he pulled up the comforter and tucked in the edges around her form until she was firmly engulfed in the warmth of the blanket.

"Stay in bed until I return. I will pick up some herbs on my way back," he said while smoothing back the lose strands of pink from her pink cheeks.

Sakura snorted. "I am not sick. There is no need in feeding me medications when there is nothing wrong with me."

Itachi straightened and turned towards the door. "Don't be stubborn. Stay in bed until I'm back."

Before he was able to move away from her side, Sakura reached out a hand and grasped lightly on his white ANBU vest. "Mission?"

"Aa."

"I see," Sakura murmured and allowed her hand to drop back onto the bed as she watched him close the door quietly behind him.

It had been an hour since Itachi decided to toss her back in bed, and Sakura had yet been able to close her eyes and enjoy the extra day of rest and relaxation. Eyes blinking wide, she stared up at the ceiling painted white and marveled the way light seeped into the room through the small gap in between the blinds. But not even that could distract Sakura's mind from thinking through all the strange symptoms she'd been experiencing ever since the day before.

"This is not working," she sighed as she crawled out of bed once again. If she could not sleep, then she might as well do something to pass time.

Thankful for having her attire already on her, Sakura clipped her weapon pouch in place and marched towards the door with the bed made (again). Mikoto appeared to not return yet from the local market, as it was women's job to acquire varies of needs in the household every morning. Thankful for that, Sakura moved towards the entrance with a much slower pace this time.

The sun basked her in its glow and she could feel the warmth trickled into her body with each step she took away from the building and out of the Uchiha compound. A small smile graced her lips as she watched the daily lives of the Konoha residents unfold before her eyes. Portable carts scattered loosely on the streets while being handled by traveling merchants who were busy advertising the goods they brought from other countries, children chased after one another in a game of tag with laughter spilling into the air; all in all, it was a lively community.

A blur of orange came charging at her at the corner of her eye, and Sakura side stepped just in time to avoid the bear hug coming from her blond friend. Said friend grasped at thin air, attempted to steady himself after being dodged by his pink haired teammate. Unfortunately for him, with his momentum driving him forward still, he ended up falling face down inches behind Sakura.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura berated at the figure scrambling to stand up.

"As your teammate, I believe I deserved a hug for not being able to see you for so long. What do you think, Sakura-chan?" Naruto grinned sheepishly while dusting the remaining dirt from his orange jumpsuit.

"Ex-teammate, Naruto," another voice supplied before Sakura.

"Teme, you can't say you are not happy to see Sakura-chan after all these weeks, can you?"

"I would greet her in a more calm way, dobe," said Uchiha muttered as he shoved his hands in pockets and walked pass Naruto. "I'll never get how you can be a successful shinobi with your unsubtle ways."

"Hey, hey, I detest that!"

Sakura at the sidelines couldn't help but smiled broadly at her former teammates' banters. So many years had passed and yet none of them had changed, at least her male teammates, anyway.

After broken away from Sasuke's mocking comments concerning his skills, Naruto then turned back towards Sakura, "Sakura-chan, you want to come with us to Ichiraku? We are just on our way there."

"You never change, do you, Naruto?" Sakura smiled wryly.

"Huh?" came the clueless response. What was she expecting…?

Sakura shook her head as she fell in step with the boys. Upon leaving the house, she had yet to eat anything, and now at the mentioning of food, she felt the familiar ache in her belly. But she couldn't help but laugh inwardly. It had been long since the old Team seven had gotten together like this. Oh how she missed the playfulness they all shared when they were together years ago.

"So, Sakura-chan how'd you like being an ANBU?" Naruto asked curiously, but before Sakura could reply, Sasuke beat her to it.

"Dobe, she was already doing ANBU mission before she joined the rank, what do you think?"

Glancing at Sasuke with his brows scrunched, Naruto shrugged casually. "I don't know?"

Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh and Sakura laughed at Naruto's simple answer.

"It's busier, and harder. But I would say it was no different from what I was doing when I was still Jounin," Sakura bemused loudly as she thought back to the days when all Rookie nine were still Jounin—excluding Neji, that was.

Naruto scratched his head and grinned at her response, "I should have known even though you only made ANBU just weeks ago. Looks like I worry too much…"

Squishing the urge to raise her own eyebrow, Sakura sighed. "What about you two? Both of you reached the rank four months ago, right?"

Sasuke grunted while Naruto nodded energetically. "It was great, thought I should have been raised to ANBU long before that—"

"Not possible," Sasuke snorted at the idea.

"Are you underestimating me, Teme?" Naruto bellowed.

"Possibly."

"You want 'o go?" The commotion was quickly showing signs as villagers passing by steered away from the two infamous shinobi, consisted of a loud blond and the apathetic Uchiha along with their soon-to-be heated conversation.

Then, Sasuke smirked. "You won't last through the first thirty seconds, dobe."

Naruto cracked his knuckles as sneered, "The one that won't last for ten seconds would be you, Teme."

"Stop it, you two. You are causing a scene," Sakura chastised. "Look, we're here," she then pointed towards the red letters inked on the white fabric that hung from the roof of the said ramen bar.

"Ramen!" Immediately forgetting the discussion he just had with his rival, Naruto dashed towards his favoraite dining place and disappeared behind the white blinds.

Sakura rubbed her aching temples while Sasuke shook his head lightly at Naruto's childish antics. "Just how old did he think he is..." he muttered under his breath before following Naruto's trial and ducked under the welcoming banner of Ichiraku.

Inside, Sakura picked her seat beside Naruto and sat down quietly as she observed Naruto's expressive face, which lit up when those pair of cerulean eyes found the owner of his favorite ramen bar.

"Old man! It's good to see you."

"Yo, Naruto. I thought I heard you out there just now," Teuchi greeted good-naturedly at his frequent costumer.

"Teme was being himself again, so I guess I'll just have accentuate that rule," Naruto wiggled his brows and directed his triumphant grin towards a quiet Sasuke on the side, "never underestimate my capacity as a shinobi."

"Dobe, you don't even know what that word means, let alone do it."

"Teme!"

"What, am I wrong?"

"You asked for it. Let's settle this in training ground three," Naruto huffed with his chin held high.

"Fine by me," Sasuke replied nonchalantly.

"The two of you, that's enough," Sakura furrowed her brow. Just when would this end?

Behind the counter, Teuchi laughed. "The usual for all three of you?"

Nods.

"Very well, three beef ramen coming right up."

Naruto then spun around to meet her gaze. "Speaking of that, do you want to come train with us when we're done? It's been a long while since we've trained together."

Scenes flashed before her eyes as Naruto's words took her back through the memories they all shared as a genin team training together. "It has been awhile," Sakura mused, the corners of her lips lifted slightly at the old memories.

"Don't you need to rest, Sakura?" Sasuke asked casually, though there was a glint in his eyes that spelled anything but casual.

"What?" With an eyebrow raised, Sakura regarded Sasuke with a suspicious gaze.

"Aniki," Sasuke explained plainly and watched realization drawn on her face.

Her pink, full lips formed an 'o' shape as she added one to one together. Meanwhile, Naruto had watched their exchange with increased confusion when finally he could not contain them anymore. "What's going on?"

Sasuke sighed. "Dobe."

"What did I do now?" Naruto wailed with a glare directed towards the young Uchiha.

Though Sakura was shaking her head madly, indicating for the Uchiha to keep the information to himself, Sasuke seemed to deem it necessary to inform Naruto of her condition. "She is sick."

The reaction was of expected. "I am not sick!"

Sasuke snorted lightly while Naruto trained his eyes upon hers. "Did that bastard of an Uchiha mistreated you?" he asked while cracking his knuckles, "I can fix him up for you, Sakura-chan."

"Naruto, Itachi is not like that!" Sakura defended her spouse vigorously as her face heated up quickly.

"Dobe, you won't even be able to lay a hand on him before he send you six feet under," Sasuke added lightly, completely disregarded the steam coming out from the blond's ears.

"What was that!?"

The rest of the meal passed by similarly like it had started as the three threw playful banters at each other just like before.

"You sure you don't want to come with us, Sakura-chan?"

"Dobe, what parts of being sick don't you get?" Sasuke furrowed his brow at the oblivious Naruto.

Sakura managed to interrupt Naruto's comeback just in time as she bid the pair farewell and inwardly hoped they would remain unscratched the next time she met them, though she knew her hopes were as high as the sun raising from the west.

With her back turned from the setting sun and its blinding rays, Sakura started back towards the compound slowly. Itachi would not be back until much later, she had time. The scenery was not much different from those she had seen near mid-day, but what differed from the day were the hordes of villagers making their way back to their home and into the waiting arms of their families. Cutting through currents of people, Sakura felt very much like a fish moving against the flow and swimming up the stream instead of allowing the tide to swept her away.

The Uchiha district was not a place wondering villagers would go to; the aura the clan emitted was enough to drive anyone away, shinobi included. It had not been easy for Sakura to be accepted by the clan, and the only way through the prideful people were through their rough times. She would often spent her time walking around the district and aid those in need of her skills as a medic or just a need of accompany despite the silent protest of her spouse. And that's what she found herself doing.

"Good evening, Teyaki-san, Uruchi-san," she addressed the two elders with respect.

"Ah, Sakura-san, good day to you," Teyaki turned to inspect the young medic while his wife waved her hand energetically.

"Sakura, it's too good to see you today. You are hardly around these days," Uruchi's onyx eyes were warm unlike other signature Uchiha stares she received before.

"Missions held me up a lot these days," Sakura smiled apologetically. She had become a frequent visitor to some of the elderly in the clan, and the pair was one of those who had welcomed her visits.

"So dutiful, I'm glad," Teyaki approved.

"Thank you, Teyaki-san," Sakura returned with a respectful bow.

"Well, Sakura-chan, isn't it quite late for a young lady like you to walk around?" Uchiha Uruchi managed a wink, triggered a heartfelt laugh from the young medic.

"You shouldn't worry about me, Uruchi-san. I heard your joints are hurting again?" Sakura asked with genuine curiosity as she gazed at the wrinkled face of the elder Uchiha.

"Oh my, rumors sure go around fast." Though Sakura could not see visible change of expression, but the surprise was definitely there.

"Yes, it does. But it is for a good cause this time," Sakura smiled wryly. Knowing how the rumors work from her own experience, Sakura couldn't help but smile softly at the older woman.

Uruchi giggled lightly. "So it is, so it is. Come this way, young one. I got a chair handy," she directed the last part towards the medic, who was glancing around for a proper place to treat the older woman and possibly her partner as well. Smiling sheepishly, Sakura followed the pair and found herself approaching two small stools made of bamboos and a small table piled with unprocessed greens. Nearby stood the house she had become so familiar with, the house the two elderly shared.

Sakura glanced at the older woman and gestured for her to sit down. "Please tell me where you are not feeling well, I will try my best to take away that discomfort."

The words had slipped out unconsciously. She had used those words in the hospital, against the clan members, and each time she managed to melt whatever obstacle with her polite wording. Sakura thanked Tsunade for drilling the habit in her inwardly as she knelt down before the older woman and gather the healing chakra to her hand as she started the process in soothing away the ache formed at the spot.

It did not take her much effort to accomplish such a task, and moments later, relief was beginning show as Uruchi's previously tensed shoulders were starting to relax slowly as the ache dissipated into nothingness.

"Thank you Sakura-san, for going out of your way to help us with trifle things like this." Hands braced gently on those relaxed shoulders, Teyaki saw the tenseness in his wife's shoulders eased away and knew the medic had successfully taken the ache away. With a sigh of relief, Teyaki glanced at the pink haired medic and soon-to-be matriarch of the clan gratefully.

"Yes, thank you, dear. I am glad that little Itachi has good tastes in woman," Uruchi's eyes tinkled with amusement as she watched Sakura blush ever-so-slightly at the compliment.

"This is nothing, Teyaki-san, Uruchi-san. It is my profession."

The older woman smiled. "So dutiful, youngsters these days. I was like that when I was your age," her eyes were dazed as she recalled her younger days, "I was a proud kunoichi much like you, dear. Though I was forced to retire from my duties when I married Teyaki, I was happy. Creating a family with someone is something that can not be compared to any other. You will understand when the time comes, dearly; it is quite worth it if you ask me."

Beside Uruchi and with one of his arm captured within the hands of his wife, Teyaki cleared his throat loudly. "Excuse her blabbering. This woman never knew when to stop when she started talking."

"Ah. Teyaki-san, it's quite alright. I don't mind some history lesson at all," Sakura smiled, though inside, a feeling of dread was spreading slowly. Turning towards the older woman, who was berating her husband, Sakura proceeded to ask, "Uruchi-san, you were forced to retire early?"

Sakura's question was never answered. Before anyone could talk, another presence joined the conversation. "Teyaki-san, Uruchi-san."

"Ah, if it isn't little Itachi," Uruchi chirped happily at the newcomer while Teyaki acknowledged with a curt nod.

"Thank you for taking care of Sakura," Itachi said lightly. Behind their backs where none of the two elders could see, Itachi had one of his hands shackled Sakura's slim wrist as he continued his casual conversation with his relatives.

"Don't say that, little Itachi. Sakura kept us company, we're glad she's here."

"I'm glad," was his curt answer.

"Itachi? I thought you were on a mission?" Sakura asked tentatively.

"I was."

So he returned. Had time really passed by that fast while she spent her time with the two elders?

"Sakura, it is late. You need rest," Itachi whispered in her ear while tagging lightly on her wrist. Without hearing her response, he then faced the two watchful older Uchiha and bid them goodnight.

"Sakura is currently unwell, it is best for her to retire for the day."

"Oh dear, Sakura you could have say so. Please go home and rest," Uruchi's voice was laced with concern as she eyed the medic with sympathy.

"Yes, thank you for what you did today. Rest well." That was Teyaki.

Sakura had barely gotten out her farewells before she was towed away by Itachi. He had pulled her beside him as the pair walked side by side under the moonlight.

"You did not rest as I told you to," his words were light, but the underlying steel was peeking through his casual tone.

"I couldn't sleep." It had been true, and instead of wasting time lying on the bed, she had chosen to take a walk. It was just a walk longer than she had anticipated.

"You'll drink the herb broth brewed by ka-san and rest."

Sakura considered to rebuke to his orders but decided against it. She did not want to start another round of mind games with the master to end the day, so she merely nodded.

Just when they were half way back to the house, another spike of pain hit. The migraine was so violent that is made her moan in pain. The hand connecting her to Itachi stiffened and held on to his with a death grip.

"Sakura?" Concern was in his voice as he turned towards the hunched form that currently had one of her hand holding to side of her head.

"Hurt…" Her face paled at the magnitude of the drilling pain. "My head… hurts."

Even with the healing chakra pressed against her scalp, it did little to ease away the pain that was currently shooting stars across her vision. At this rate…

"I will take you to the hospital." Finality was in his voice as his hands snaked around her waist to pick her up when the feminine form suddenly went limp in his arms.

Without a word, Itachi swung her into his arms and leaped off towards the hospital.

He had sped the entire way from the district to the hospital and had arrived in the record time of four minutes. But the concern on him mind was the stilled figure laid silently in his arms.

Cool air rushed at him when he entered the facility. Knowing the building like the back of his hand, he fastened his pace and moved towards the front desk. The nurse in charge was taken back by his appearance and the limp figure in his arms. Stuttering, the nurse had directed him to a specific doctor, but the direction had been so unclear that Itachi nearly lost his control on the anger boiling just below the surface.

He turned away from the blushing nurse with a silent curse. Where was a decent healer when he needed one? His irritation was called short as a familiar voice rung against and down the white halls of the Konoha Hospital towards his location.

"If only Sakura was here. She would have never made such a mess like this…" The busty blonde made her way down the hall continuing her rents, uncaring of the volume of her voice. A familiar color of black and white caught her attention and from the corner of her eye, she glanced at the stoic man in ANBU uniform standing in the middle of the lobby.

"Uchiha? What are you doing here?" Her brows were raised as she awaited his answer and was slightly taken back as the man inched towards her. It was then did she notice in the man's arms laid her precious apprentice, unconcious. Looking up into the clan heir's obsidian eyes, she could almost see his concern towards her apprentice.

"Follow me, Uchiha. Tell me what happened while we walk."

Itachi recalled all the events happened, included Sakura's series of symptoms.

"Flu?" Tsunade murmured as she pushed open an emptied room with an empty bed and simple furnishing.

"Lay her down on the bed while I check on her," the Hokage ordered as she prepared the inspection. With her hands now glowing green, Tsunade ran her hand up and down along the slender figure laid still in the bed. Once. Twice.

A sigh escaped her lips and she leaned back against the leather-covered chair she had pulled up.

"What is her condition, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade allowed a small lift on the corners of her lips. "I will wake her. I still need to ask her some questions before I can confirm her condition."

Another soft glow of green had Sakura's eyes opened slightly. "S-Shishou?"

Tsunade snorted. "Sakura, you should have taken better care with yourself."

"It seems everyone been telling me that lately…" Sakura murmured, her hands rubbing away the fogs in her vision.

"You should know better Sakura. You are a medic," Tsunade berated her apprentice, though inwardly, she had decided to celebrate this special event with another bottle of sake when they were done. Oh she couldn't wait to see Sakura's face…

"Shishou, I'm sure that it is not the only thing you wanted to tell me… us," Sakura corrected herself when she noticed the pair of obsidian eyes gazing intensely down at her.

"That right. I woke you because I need to confirm something. And because your husband is so anxious in hearing your results, I would suggest we start now."

Sneaking a sideways glance towards the stoic man, Sakura nodded slowly.

"Sakura, you've been experiencing some flu-like symptoms, correct?" Tsunade pulled out a snippet in a book she read long ago mentally and started ticking off the listed items.

"Yes."

"Nausea?"

"Yes." Check.

"Headaches?"

"Migraines." Check.

"And you've been feeling more exhausted lately?"

"Shishou, where is this going?"

"I'm the one asking questions, Sakura," Tsunade's brows furrowed as she chastised the pink haired medic lying on the bed.

"Yes, I have." Check. Now the last question…

"Very well, last one. Is your menstrual cycle missing for this month?"

"…it is not here yet if that's what you are asking," Sakura responded slowly as her mind spinned through all the possibilities along with the highlights of her condition with her shishou's questions.

Tsunade sighed heavily. "I'm pretty sure it's that."

"What is that?" Sakura asked with an eyebrow raised.

At this, Tsunade straightened in her chair and beamed at her apprentice. "Congratulations, Sakura. You are about to be a mother," she then shifted her gaze to the man standing by, whose eyes widened slightly at the implications, "and you, are a father-soon-to-be."

Silence.

"What?" Sakura's face was filled with disbelieve as she gazed at her shishou. She must have heard her wrong…

Tsunade sighed heavily at the rounded eyes of her apprentice and wondered how Sakura could not get the implications behind her words.

"To put it bluntly, you are pregnant."

Edit: Regarding the appearance and the role Genma played in this chapter, the credit goes to the talented elle6778 and her stories: The Chance, The Centerpiece.

A/N: I was surprised at the length of the first chapter, and to think that I actually put off some scenes that were meant to be in this chapter! This one started out as a plot bunny just like any other, I just happened to felt like writing about it. Before I knew what happened, it was already 15 pages long... so I thought, 'Why not?'

Also excuse the grammatic and spelling errors, I spent 6 hours straight writing this and finished at 7am. So if there are any errors, please be lenient.

I do have this one planned out, and it will most likely be around 2-3 chapters long, depending on the scenes I want to write. I wasn't planning on writing a sequel for And I you before, but seeing as how this one seems to tie nicely to that, I will make this the sequel for And I you.

Pregnancy is definitely a new subject for me, but I'll try my best to not get things mixed up. Also for reference, this story happens about two years after the setting in And I you. I also realized that it is impossible to have Itachi in a non-massacre story without him being OCC, and I did just that. So I'll try to fix that one up so he is not as OCC as I protrayed him in previous stories.

And that's pretty much the tidbits I can think of for now.

Once again, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it. Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome and greatly appreciated!

Envo 11/23