Title: shinobi

Author: paws-bells

Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi

Type: Two-shot (InComplete)

Genre: Romance

Word Count: 5014

Theme: LJ Community, 50-shinobi theme #35, shinobi

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.

Summary: Non-massacre AU. Sequel to sexy no jutsu. Contrary to popular belief (and Shisui), Itachi did not seduce Sakura during the time she was nursing him back to health. No, it was actually the other way around, and a completely innocent seduction that had ensnared the Uchiha heir like nothing else could. At least, that was how it started.

Created on: 21/08/08

Completed on: 29/08/08

Chapter Last Revised on: 21/02/09

Chapter 1

"…Itachi-san…"

"Itachi-san…you must focus…"

"…don't close your eyes…don't fall asleep…"

"Damn it, Itachi-san! I still owe you a favor, and if you die before I get to repay it, I will never forgive you! Pull yourself together!!"

The angry growl snapped the disorientated nin back into focus, and although it was difficult not to succumb to the temptation of unconsciousness, his responsibilities as team Captain did not allow him to become weak, definitely not when the status of his cell members was still unknown. He was also vaguely aware that he was being carried on what appeared to be an ally's back, his exhausted, badly weakened and poisoned self being supported by another, his rescuer's lithe form and sleek, powerful muscles bunching and releasing under him with swift, steady rhythm as they raced to safety.

He thought he saw glimpses of blonde and spiky raven-hair at the edge of his rapidly darkening vision, and the greatest confirmation of them all was the splash of gentle pink that currently occupied a large portion of his poison-tinged sight, as well as the tickle of hair against his nose and the side of his face.

Unexpectedly, his brother's team had come to the rescue.

"…Nezumi." His voice was hoarse and almost inaudible, but he swallowed and forced the words out of his of painfully dry throat. "…Ondori and Uma, what are their statuses?"

Like any model team leader, he had enquired about the safety of his members first, although that was hardly necessary, according to Sakura. Because like any exemplary team leader, he had somehow managed to intercept the worse of the attacks to his team, engaging the most powerful enemies and thus incurring the risk of suffering the greatest damage whenever his team entered battle.

"Don't worry about them," she answered, eyes ahead the entire time as she leapt swiftly from branch to branch. "Your injuries are the worst among your team."

He did not say anything, but she could sense that he wasn't completely content with her brief report. Since it would encourage him to remain awake, Sakura started to inform him about their current situation.

"Like you, Rat is immobilized by an attack, and Horse is supporting him. Rooster, Sai, Naruto and Sasuke are acting as front and rear guards for myself and Horse. We are in Fire territory now, ETA to Konoha is approximately half an hour, and I doubt that the Iwa-nin are in pursuit any longer."

She felt him relax slightly.

"Don't sleep," she reminded once more, her voice tensed with worry. "We will reach Konoha soon; you can rest then, but not before."

Once again, Sakura's command was given in a hard, attention-catching manner that was rather difficult to ignore. But the venom was strong, coursing viciously through his bloodstream and wreaking absolute havoc in his internal organs. The pain was excruciating, but the pale-faced Uchiha bore it stoically with grim, shaky silence. Holding on to the fleeting tendrils of his consciousness was going to be an uphill battle he wasn't sure he would be able to win.

"Sasuke is losing his composure," Sakura remarked, almost like a running commentary to occupy the attention of the older Uchiha. "If anything happens to you…"

If anything happened to him, the harsh duties and burdens of the clan would ultimately fall back upon the shoulders of his little brother. He could not let that happen.

After months of conflicted emotions and difficult decision making, Sasuke had finally decided to separate himself from the clan; not exactly disowned, but more of a self-imposed social isolation, living away from the clan grounds and becoming housemates with his best friend Naruto instead. The many flaws and widening cracks in the clan's structure had become more and more obvious to him as he grew older, and when push came to shove, he just could not find it within himself to be subjugated under the absolute ruling thumb of the ruthless, bigoted clan elders any longer. Silently supporting his otouto's decision, Itachi had subtly helped make the transition smoother for Sasuke, cutting the cumbersome strings that tied his little brother down to their wretched family and helping free Sasuke from the long reach of the clan, even if he himself would never be able to do the same thing.

If he died now, there was no doubt that Sasuke would be dragged back into the messy, murky clan politics whether he wanted it or not, and that Itachi could not allow.

He had lived to protect his younger brother; he refused to let his existence go to waste now.

Pain-tinted onyx eyes hardened with resolve.

"I will not sleep," he promised quietly to the pink-haired female currently laboring with all her might to make sure that he reached Konoha alive. "Until you state otherwise, I will not rest, Sakura."

Weak as he was, his roughened, tenor tone held firm.

Sakura had no doubt that he would keep his word.

"And I will not let you die," she vowed grimly to the severely injured Uchiha, her conviction so strong that his attention was briefly caught by the fierce determination in her voice. "So just wait a little while longer."

Her will to keep him, only a mere acquaintance, alive was so strong that he was belatedly astounded by her drive—and at the same time, an entirely foreign, empowering sense of relief.

Almost like the taste of freedom.

Even in his state of disorientation, it wasn't difficult to understand this rare emotion that he was experiencing.

So this was what it felt like to trust, and to trust completely.

Right now, the matter of his life or death rested, literally, in the delicate palms of her hands. He had absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by believing in her, and there was no time better than now to do it.

Itachi decided to take the gamble.

The poison extraction was successful, but because Itachi's injuries were rather serious, he would have to be hospitalized and kept under observation. Keeping her promise to Sasuke that she would be the one to treat his brother, Sakura had been put in charge of Itachi's healing, handing his case over to the other medic-nin on duty only when his condition had stabilized. Then it was off to the Hokage's Tower to give her report of the mission to shishou, explaining what Team Seven had been doing prior to the accidental meeting of ANBU Team Three, as well as the reason why they had made the choice to intercept and interrupt the ambush by Iwa-nin. Sakura also made sure to include in her report the condition of their casualties, making it clear that they would not suffer any fatalities this time around, much to the relief of the younger Uchiha.

All in all, Team Seven had done a good job, and since the team had been taking mission after mission continuously for the past month or so, Tsunade naturally found this a great excuse to take all four of them off the active duty roster, giving them two weeks off and absolutely banning them from appearing anywhere near the vicinity of the assignment room from today on. Sasuke, who had been making use of the overwhelming amount of assignments to distract himself from his steadily worsening relationship with his clan, was surprisingly quiet over this imposed hiatus. It was probably because the stoic male was still rather worried about his brother to care about anything else, though he was just too proud to reveal anything like that.

However, Sakura was definitely surprised when her raven-haired teammate and good friend appeared on her doorstep early the next morning, asking her to allow his older brother to stay with her temporarily.

"But Itachi-san still needs to be hospitalized!" Sakura had sounded bewildered.

"My brother is not comfortable staying in a hospital," the Uchiha merely answered.

That made the pink-haired kunoichi frown.

"This is ridiculous. Why do all the powerful nin detest the hospital so much? There is no choice; Itachi-san has to stay in the hospital until his injuries heal."

"Nii-san has a very good reason for being wary of hospitals; he has faced an assassination attempt there once, when he was badly weakened after a mission and the attempt to kill him was almost successful. Since then, my aniki has always avoided prolonged stays in hospitals."

Sakura appeared surprised; she had never heard anything like this before.

"Is that even possible?"

The younger Uchiha nodded.

"He avoids getting too severely wounded, and has learned to heal most common injuries by himself. My brother is not only the Captain of his cell, but the team medic as well."

In hindsight, Sakura wasn't really surprised to find out that the Uchiha was actually a qualified field medic. Even though his seemingly cold and detached demeanor may not show it, she was beginning to see, judging by how he always sought to protect and shield people whom he was responsible for from harm, that he was a lot more than he appeared to be.

"…I don't think shishou is going to allow this," Sakura remarked cautiously at last. Sasuke shook his head.

"Godaime-sama would make an exception for Itachi," the younger Uchiha sounded very certain. Before Sakura could ask, he continued. "I wasn't old enough to know the full details then; apparently Itachi managed to fight off his assailant, but he was so disorientated from the dosage of drugs and blood loss that he had trouble differentiating between friend and foe, and some medics got injured in the process."

In other words, his brother managed to turn the entire ward upside down, even when he was badly injured and shouldn't be up and about in the first place. It was also apparent that he would probably be highly tense and wary if he was forced to remain in the hospital this time around. More so, Sakura knew from experience that tense and wary shinobi simply do not heal well and almost always never failed to make the nursing staff nervous and prone to making more mistakes as well, which would, in turn, further agitate the highly distrustful and jittery patient even more.

Still, the kunoichi raised a brow of disbelief.

"What makes you think he would trust me, Sasuke?" she asked slowly. "Itachi-san is clearly wary of being under the care of people whom he is not familiar with."

The spiky-haired Uchiha did not mince his words.

"You are my teammate, Sakura, and I trust you," he answered matter-of-factly, though it sounded somewhat as if he was forcing the words out of his mouth. "That's all my nii-san needs to know to put him at ease."

It was a very rare compliment coming from one as usually close-mouthed as Sasuke, and Sakura's brow climbed higher. Her teammate shifted with discomfort; it probably went completely against his naturally grumpy nature to be saying such nice things to her, and before he could twitch and fidget in uncertain agony any longer, she sighed and finally nodded, mentally bidding goodbye to her two weeks of break.

"Alright, I will do it."

And that was how, two hours later, Sakura's apartment became a mini hubbub of activity as Team Seven pitched in to help Sasuke's brother relocate over to her spare bedroom. The older Uchiha looked worse than ever, wan and exhausted and his expression stressed and pained from the move, but he made no protest and gave no further indication of discomfort as his younger brother helped him hobble into her house.

"I apologize for imposing," he had told her in a rough, unsteady voice the very moment he entered her front door, and she merely smiled gently at him and assured him that it was alright; he was no trouble at all and she was used to caring for all her friends at one time or another.

"Don't worry, aniki," the younger Uchiha assured. "Sakura is the best medic-nin in Konoha, barring our Hokage-sama. It is her duty to help you." Separated from his clan or not, Sasuke was clearly the typical Uchiha, the superiority complex inherent to his clan rising to the surface whenever no one was there to keep it in check.

It was a good thing that Sakura was such an obliging teammate. The kunoichi refrained from showing any visible reaction that might let the older Uchiha feel unwelcome, but she did smile sweetly at his younger brother.

"Sasuke-kun, I look forward to a long and vigorous spar with you the next time we train," she merely remarked with a candied, coy smile.

Any stranger would have come to the inevitable conclusion that the pink-haired kunoichi was flirting with her teammate, but all it took was one glance at the looks of pity/amusement from their remaining cell members to realize that something was amiss, not to mention that said male in question, who seemed to have received the lady's favor, appeared a little wary as well.

Sai smiled blankly.

"Hag, you really shouldn't flirt with another's boyfriend," the ink-master reproached in his usual sedate, blankly cheerful manner. "Did you forget that Emo is currently cohabiting with the Dickless Wonder?"

With a single remark, he had just insulted everyone in his team, save for himself, of course. The resulting reaction was typical—and unanimously aggravated.

"Shut up, Sai!"

But Sakura's lips were twitching with suppressed amusement, though both Naruto and Sasuke looked ready to commit murder to defend their manhood. Itachi watched the team's close-knit interaction with the quiet intensity of a curious cat until Sakura finally saw fit to chase her entire team from her apartment minutes later.

"But Sakura-chan!" Naruto had whined and protested shamelessly as usual. "What if teme's brother tries to take advantage of you?"

Never mind that Itachi was still within hearing distance; Naruto had just yelled his opinion for the entire world to hear, as usual. Sasuke twitched visibly at the ridiculous remark, and Sakura rolled her eyes.

Right, like she could see Uchiha Itachi, the unemotional Ice Block of Konoha, trying to 'take advantage' of her whilst still recovering from poison as well as other various injuries.

Sakura decided to conveniently forget about that completely embarrassing 'oiroke no jutsu' incident just a few months ago, having already convinced herself that the older Uchiha had done all he had to help her out of a potentially dangerous situation, and no more. It did make perfect sense, and just because of that encounter, she had decided that she owed him a favor. Now was the perfect time to repay her debt.

"Sakura-chan!!" Her blonde heart's brother was being a big pain in the behind again, as usual.

"I don't think Itachi-san has the appropriate vigor at the moment to go about that type of strenuous activity," Sai remarked seriously, much to everyone's chagrin.

Sakura agreed, and when Naruto appeared to be rather persistent, she added in an irritated growl. "What makes you think that Itachi-san would accost me? What if I was the one who had plans to take advantage of him instead, hm?"

Immediately, their reactions were hilariously similar.

Naruto blanched, and so did Sasuke.

The former had not even thought of the possibility that his pink-haired best friend would be even remotely interested in a cold fish like teme's nii-san, and the latter didn't know what to think at all. After all, it was the truth that his elder brother had a frightening legion of fangirls, but the notion of his violent, sometimes terrifying female teammate at the head of that particular rabid pack of women made the normally unfazed Uchiha cringe inwardly.

Sai came to the rescue, fortunately.

"It is really unseemly to flatter yourself like that, Hag," the ex-ANBU mentioned. "I don't think Itachi-san's taste is so lousy that he would actually go for you."

"…"

The fact that Naruto looked relieved wasn't helping matters when it came to soothing Sakura's injured feminine pride. The fact that Sasuke was looking rarely amused worsened her temper further.

Therefore, it really wasn't that large a surprise to everyone involved when the three stooges of Team Seven were literally dropkicked out of the pink-haired kunoichi's apartment.

"The nerve of those three…" a provoked Sakura muttered to herself as she stalked irritably to her patient's room. Once there, upon seeing that Itachi was still awake, she automatically smoothed her expression to a small smile, albeit a slightly chagrinned one.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "My teammates can be such morons sometimes. I will give you a quick examination now to ensure that your move here hasn't aggravated anything," she explained ruefully. He nodded in acquiesce, still calm as ever, and she walked towards him unabashedly, matter-of-factly reaching for him and briefly checking his vital stats and temperature, pushing a light stream of healing chakra into his system and evaluating the effectiveness of the antidote as it flushed out the last of the deadly venom within his body.

"You are going to need another dosage of antidote later," she told him, her attention still focused on evaluating his condition. "You are also strained and exhausted from the transfer here, so you need to rest after you take the meds. You may not be used to letting your guard down in a foreign room like this at the moment. Do you want me to give you some sedatives?"

Predictably, he shook his head.

"I don't react well to drugs," he told her. She nodded in understanding, and then left the room quietly to collect his medication. She returned soon enough, and calmly helped him to a sitting position before pouring him a glass of water and handing him the pills. He took them obediently, completely the model patient.

Sakura watched him quietly, this pale and stressed man who took so many responsibilities on his shoulders but yet never showed it, never complained. He was also ridiculously slender now that she was taking note of him, his body lined with lean muscles and hardly any fat, and it made her wonder if he was taking proper care of himself, eating the correct food, if he even cared to pay attention to his own needs.

…Oddly enough, the strange, ephemeral grace that he seemed to possess innately was enough to offset his unemotional, detached appearance, and she was beginning to understand that there was something about him that simply drew one's attention to him, to curiously examine, to just watch.

Sakura was still quietly trying to puzzle out what exactly made this man so enigmatic when she noticed him looking at her. A little embarrassed for being caught not paying attention, Sakura proceeded to retrieve the glass from him and return it back to the side table. Then, she quickly prepared him for the antidote injection and swiftly administered the correct dosage into the vein on his arm. Her hands were sure and steady even as she felt the weight of his regard on her, and when she was finally done, she helped him to lie back down upon the futon, trying her best to make him as comfortable as she could.

"Rest," she reminded him again. "I will change your bandages when you wake up. Is there anything you cannot, or do not, like to eat?" she asked.

He shook his head once, and she gave him a small, delighted smile in return.

"Good. You are a lot better than that ridiculously picky brother of yours, then," she remarked cheerfully. "Still, I wonder why you look like you haven't eaten anything decent for years," she exaggerated, feeling comfortable enough to joke with the silent, powerful nin now that he was well settled down. "But don't worry, I will fix something that will help you regain energy quickly; you will need all that and more in order to heal properly. Thank god that you have such a dependable, capable medic like me to help you out, huh?"

It was obvious that she was trying to make light of their situation, trying to put him at ease and make him feel less like an unwanted stranger who was imposing terribly on her, and because he knew exactly what she was trying to do, it wasn't working very well. Not to mention that he seldom, if ever, allowed anyone to see him so badly weakened and helpless; most people would only have to hear the name 'Uchiha' to expect great things without even having laid eyes on him first. But the fact that she didn't seemed fazed or disappointed by the fact that he was apparently as human as anyone else made him a little hesitant of her, almost as if he was unsure of how to deal with her now.

It was rapidly turning into a completely awkward situation, and Sakura's attempt at creating a more positive vibe between herself and the handsome, raven-haired Uchiha heir only served to make the man even more aware of her, even if she was more or less unconscious of his subtle attention.

Sakura only thought that the stoic male was probably unamused by her bad attempt at joking with him. She sighed heavily; there was no choice but to explain what she meant now.

Despite her uncertainty, she still smiled reassuringly at him.

"I was only trying to tell you that I'm going to do everything I can to help you become as strong as you once were, maybe even stronger than before." Her bright emerald eyes were sincere and gentle, the true gaze of a genuine, caring healer and nurturer.

"Please trust me, Itachi-san."

Unblinking onyx stared into earnest emerald, almost as if trying to glean and prod for any hidden agenda in her open, confident gaze.

There was none.

She only intended to help him to the best of her ability, and from the very beginning, she had already laid all of her cards out on the table.

Guileless. Unpretentious. Loyal.

Like that time in the hot springs, he was once again reminded of how vastly different she was from most of the young women of his clan, one of whom he had been resigned since young to marrying in order to protect the strength of the Uchiha bloodline. Taught from birth to be subservient and graceful, capable of concealing their true thoughts and intentions behind elegant displays and delicate, feminine wiles, he had been expected by the clan elders to choose one of his female cousins to wed when the time arrived for him to take a bride to carry on the family line.

The fact that he was currently being so strangely compelled by this pink-haired female did not bode well for that particular endeavor. At that very moment, the powerful Uchiha could not seem to take his eyes off her.

Charmed.

Thankfully enough, Sakura did not seem to be waiting for an answer from him, nor did she find his intent regard of her the least bit unusual. She was learning that he was always alert, always watching, and so, still smiling faintly, she gave him a nod, and then exited the bedroom so as to allow him to rest, closing the door soundlessly behind her as she did so.

Wordlessly, he watched her leave, and it was only when she was no longer in sight that he began to try to comprehend this foreign, tight sensation that seemed to have suddenly clustered itself irritably around his chest area.

Within seconds, he quickly came to a perfect understanding of exactly what he was experiencing.

Fluster.

For the first time in his life, Uchiha Itachi was feeling flustered and emotionally bothered.

And it was all thanks to this pink-haired female whose house and life he was so abruptly invading, who had smiled at him.

Shisui would simply expire of laughter when he knew that the great and powerful Uchiha Itachi had been felled by a smile, of all things.

"…What is this?"

Set before him was a bowl of black liquid, thick and with a sinister appearance, looking as if completely unfit for consumption. The Uchiha looked to his host for an explanation

"This is a medicinal concoction," Sakura explained. "It is made from different sorts of herbs and has to be boiled for hours before the medicinal properties can take effect." The kunoichi gave him a firm look. "You are not going to like this; it tastes horrible, but it really is great for rebuilding your health-"

Before Sakura could finish speaking, Itachi wordlessly reached out, took the bowl, and drained it swiftly of its awful contents. There was no visible reaction on his face as he drank everything down, though Sakura was certainly aware of how nasty the herbal soup tasted. At last, he returned the emptied bowl to her with little fuss, and she quickly passed him a glass of water to get rid of the bitter aftertaste.

"Here, dinner next." She placed the tray of food before him. "Don't worry; this tastes infinitely better than that concoction."

Because he wasn't supposed to eat anything too substantial yet, she had prepared a simple meal of porridge with a few side dishes of steamed fish, well-prepared vegetables, and tender, stir-fried chicken.

"I cannot finish this," he told her after looking at the generous helping of food spread before him.

She returned his stare with a flat, obstinate glance of her own, having already guessed that something like this would happen.

"That's just too bad, Itachi-san," she told him. "You must eat to regain strength, and since you are not a bird, you really should quit eating like one."

She was openly fussing over him, never mind the fact that he was a rather intimidating individual and no one in their right mind had ever tried what she was doing right now. She didn't seem to care, though, merely watched him with careful eyes, intent on making sure that he ate enough to suit her.

"What about yourself?" he asked in an attempt to bring attention away from himself, unsure, for the very first time, of how to react to one such as her.

"I will eat later. You are more important right now," she stated with open frankness. Then, she seemed to realize what she had just implied unintentionally and became sheepishly embarrassed. "I mean, you are my patient now, and therefore your wellbeing comes first," she amended wryly.

He looked at her.

"You would care so much, just for a patient?" he enquired eventually, an odd tone in his calm, lilting tenor.

She nodded without even a moment's pause.

"It's my duty as a medic," the pink-haired female answered truthfully, and then she gave him a sideways glance. "Besides, you are not just any patient. You are Sasuke's brother, and I doubt he would forgive me if I let anything untoward happen to his beloved aniki."

If he was present, Sasuke would have hotly denied that he practically worshipped the very ground his brother tread upon, though it was a rather well known fact among the members of Team Seven. Because he was currently absent, Sakura saw no reason to miss making fun of her stoic teammate, the fond smile on her face revealing nothing malicious about her good-natured teasing.

It was obvious that she shared a rather intimate bond with all her teammates, his brother included.

"Are you very close to Sasuke?" Itachi probed meaningfully.

Cheerfully, Sakura nodded, not aware exactly what the older Uchiha was trying to glean from her answer.

"Team Seven is like a second family for all of us," Sakura replied firmly. "We share a close bond with each other, and maybe that's what makes us such a great team."

When Itachi remained silent, clearly waiting for her to continue, she spoke again. "We work hard to complement each other's abilities, in order to be an asset and not a liability, in order to help and not hinder, in order to protect our team."

It was evident that she truly believed in her words, the gentle look in her eyes revealing her pure, platonic adoration for her teammates.

"But enough rambling about my team, you really should eat, Itachi-san."

The Uchiha made no more protests this time around, picking up his utensils and eating the well prepared food. Sakura watched him eat, pleasantly pleased when he slowly but surely finished his meal.

"Thank you for the meal. You cook very well," he complimented politely when he was done. Sakura's lips twitched slightly at his well-bred civility. She had a growing feeling that Sasuke must have learned most of his manners from this quietly poised and self-possessed shinobi currently sitting before her.

"You are welcome, and thank you," she acknowledged as she gathered the empty dishes. "Cooking for three picky men tends to help improve my culinary skills."

"Your life revolves around your team," he noted with the slightest hint of narrowed eyes. It was no surprise that she had still remained unattached up till now. Her attention was thoroughly—and greedily—snatched up by the three most important men in her life, none of whom was her lover.

"My team, my work, my friends," she sighed playfully. "Sometimes it feels as if I don't even have enough time for myself. I don't mind though; I spend so much time around people that I probably wouldn't know what to do if I was actually alone." She sent him a quick, bright smile. "I will take care of these dishes, and then I will come back with your meds, and change your bandages as well."

"Thank you, Sakura." His tone was quiet, and startlingly sincere. It wasn't usual for one from the noble clans to indicate such genuine gratitude for services rendered, and certainly never from the heir or future head of the proud clans.

Sakura merely shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Itachi-san." Her smile was soft, her expression open. "I owe you a favor from last time, remember? I will pay it back this time around, so don't feel as if you are being a burden."

::tsuzuku::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

Before any one of you can murder me, let me assure you that the second part is coming up next weekend as per usual. It will definitely be more conclusive than this, I assure you.

By the way, 'shinobi' is the bridging one shot between 'sexy no jutsu' and 'Icha Icha Paradise,' so don't get too confused and wonder just which verse the 'messy authoress' is writing about this time.

I know some of you are a little annoyed by how I keep jumping between verses and how I don't group all my one-shots together, and for those who aren't aware, I do keep a little guide thingy that depicts the correct sequence of the one-shots for all the different AU-verses that I write. So for the confused and the irritated, please visit my profile page. The little guide isn't particularly hard to find, it's located right at the top, and if you can't see it, it's probably because you have clicked the very convenient 'hide bio' button, a habit that I'm (sometimes) guilty of.

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Yes, IIP-verse Itachi is an ANBU Captain as well as the Team Medic. I made him thusly because it occurred to me that it probably wouldn't be hard for a genius like him to earn himself a Field Medic qualification. He is also the type to take his responsibilities very seriously, so it shouldn't be that out of the box for him to become the Team Medic in order to personally assure to the wellbeing of all of his cell members.

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The part whereby Itachi had once faced an assassination in the hospital was purely fictional, though it would be interesting to write drugged!disorientated!Itachi one day. Of course, Sakura would get first dibs on our favorite Uchiha, Inner Sakura included.

It really would be most interesting to write such a scenario; once again, my infamous inner pervert is already giggling away.

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I like to think that Itachi can be flustered. He is human after all, and I'm pretty sure that he experiences emotions just like any one of us. Whether he actually shows it or not would be another matter completely, but still, the notion of a flustered Itachi who is sweet on Sakura never fails to melt my inner fangirl (who is on a rampage with the inner pervert, by the way) into a pile of mushy goo.

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IIP!Sakura is very career and team orientated, as you can see. Her life revolves mainly around her work, her teammates and her friends, which explains why she breathes and eats Team 7. She shares a very close bond with her cell mates, a connection that could only be formed through blood and sweat, as well as life and death situations, I would imagine. Like most of the other verses, the team is very protective/possessive of each other, which certainly explains why Sakura is still single and very available, luckily for Itachi, eh?

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic, thank you.

--paws