Nothing But the Truth

Chapter 20: Something Wicked

AN: I don't know exactly how many more chapters I promised you, but there is only one more after this. I actually decided to change around where I was going to end this story. Anyway, here is chapter 20!

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Nothing but the Truth

Chapter 20: Something Wicked

"By the pricking of my thumbs
Something wicked this way comes."

― William Shakespeare, Macbeth

"Have you talked to him yet?" she asked quietly from her place in the kitchen. The look that Itachi gave her was so blasé and indifferent that the overwhelming urge to throw her frying pan at him washed over her. Gritting her teeth, she turned back over to the stir fry in her pan, mixing in the appropriate vegetables now that the meat was cooked enough. "You know, you're going to have to talk to him at some point about everything. Nothing will be better until you do."

"Uchihas do not talk about their feelings, Sakura." His tone was more arrogant than she had ever heard it, and it nearly made her give way to her impulse to beat sensibility into him. If she could do it to Naruto and Sasuke, then she could certainly do it to him. Careening her head over her shoulder to glare at him, she shot him an angry glance before flipping the knob of the stove off and spooning the stir fry onto a large serving plate.

"Maybe Uchihas should start talking. Maybe if you had all talked before, none of this would have happened," she shot back furiously, slamming the plate down on the table and stomping back into the kitchen to get the rest of the plates and utensils. However, his hand shot out and he grabbed her by the wrist.

It had been a long day at the hospital, preceded by training with Sasuke and then succeeded by training with her ANBU unit, and she was in no mood to argue with pig-headed, stubborn, and close-minded jerks. If she hadn't had this exact same conversation with Sasuke, who had ultimately told her the exact same thing, then she wouldn't be so touch on the subject. But two of the people that she loved and cared about most in the world were in a tense, unsure standoff with one and other, and it was getting frustrating tiptoeing around their tender feelings. Because, whether they wanted to admit it or not, they were acting like children.

"Do not speak of things you do not understand," he hissed back suddenly after a moment of a silent, apprehensive standoff of Sakura's angry jade orbs glaring fiercely towards those of her lover's. His mouth was stressed into a thin, pursed line that reeked of irritation, and his deep black eyes were narrowed in annoyance.

Sakura scoffed. "Don't you dare say I don't understand, Uchiha," she responded curtly. "Sasuke-kun is one of my best friends, and you and I aren't exactly strangers now, are we?"

"That's why I expect you to understand," he replied without missing a beat. Sakura jerked her arm out of his grip roughly and continued back into the kitchen for the rest of the kitchenware they needed to eat their dinner. By the time she returned, Itachi had fixed his attention onto his rice and wasn't speaking to her. Sakura rolled her eyes.

With the exception of going out to train in the early mornings, by himself or sometimes with her, Itachi didn't leave her apartment. Deidara and Kisame would come by after Sakura got off work to visit, but that didn't help much. Assuming that Itachi was just suffering from cabin fever would be too easy. She knew how much being in Konoha was affecting him emotionally; she wasn't an unobservant idiot like Itachi seemed to think she was. It must be incredibly hard to be back here, but she knew he would feel better about it if he would just go talk to Sasuke and hash things out. Plus, if the village saw that Sasuke had accepted his brother back into his life and into the village, then they would be much more likely to show Itachi the same acceptance.