Shades of Grey

Chapter 40

"Are you certain that I cannot change your mind about this mission?" Itachi asked her as they both took their seats.

"Are you certain that I cannot change your mind about killing Danzo and clearing your name?" She answered his question with one of her own.

"Hn." He smirked at her response.

"Guess we at a standstill." Sakura returned his smirk.

"Has any one ever informed you that you are a stubborn woman?" Itachi wished that he could change her mind, but knew the odds were highly against him.

"Says a Uchiha." The kunoichi rolled her eyes.

"Was Sasuke stubborn?" Itachi wanted to know more about the brother that he had been forced to leave behind.

"Extremely." Sakura nodded. "He and Naruto both were impossible."

"I understand why Kakashi-san has never taken another team. If the others were even half as stubborn as you it is no wonder, he has silver hair." Itachi smirked at her.

"You just cracked a joke." The kunoichi had a surprised look on her face while she giggled. "You know as well as I do that his hair has always been silver."

"I have the ability to do so." He gave a small smile at her reaction. "It is just not often that I have had the opportunity."

"You have Kisame." She pointed out.

"Hn." Itachi agreed, but his relationship with his partner was much different than what he had with the pink haired girl across from him. "He is loud enough for both of us."

"Itachi, thanks for teaching me to use the fan." Sakura was touched that not only had he got her the weapon, but also bothered to make sure that she could proficiently use it.

"It is the least that I can do." The Uchiha felt that he owed this kunoichi a great deal. His actions had indirectly caused her much sorrow for much of her life.

"Thanks for dinner." She gave him a gentle smile as the two stood and made their way back towards their cabin.

When they reached their room, they were not surprised to find that Kisame was not back despite the late hour. Sakura went and change into a tank top and pair of shorts to get ready for bed and was a little puzzled to see Itachi standing quite stiffly in the middle of the room when she came out of the bathroom.

"Is something wrong?" She asked him.

"There are only two beds." He pointed out an obvious fact that he had not even given a thought until that moment.

"That's ok." Sakura assured him. "There are extra pillows and blankets in the closet; I will take the floor."

"Unacceptable." Itachi shook his head. "I will take the floor."

"Don't be silly." She argued. "I already said that I will take the floor."

"And I said that was unacceptable." The Uchiha insisted.

"I am not going to sleep on that nice fluffy bed while you sleep on the hard floor." Sakura insisted. "We will just both sleep in the bed."

Itachi raised a brow in reply.

"Oh, don't act that way." She fussed. "We are both shinobi. I have slept with all of my teammates on numerous occasions."

When she saw Itachi raise his brow even further she felt a blush rush across her face.

"I did not mean like that." She blurted. "The Leaf isn't always willing to shell out for an extra room. Let's just be adults about this; now you go change for bed."

Itachi did as she requested, ordered more like it, and went to change. When he came out, she was already curled under the covers on the side of the bed next to the wall. Nervously he crossed the room. Certainly, he had partook in physical relations with women before, but never had he actually slept with one. He had always left as soon as his needs were satisfied. It far too intimate of an act and far too dangerous to actually sleep with them.

Itachi trusted Sakura, she would not try to assassinate him in his sleep, but he did not entirely trust himself. He had not failed to see the way that men often looked at his friend, they found Sakura physically attractive, and he was no exception. However, there was no way he would burden her with his physical desires. She meant far too much to him for that. At last he steeled his resolve and laid upon his side of the bed.

The Uchiha was relieved to discover that his companion was already fast asleep. As he laid there staring at the ceiling, he found that relief to be short lived. Sakura rolled towards him seeking out his warmth in her sleep. It was not long before she had her head laid comfortably laid upon his shoulder. Comfortably for her at least, for Itachi it was a different story. The woman who had now curled herself against him was leaving him anything but.

He could not help but to let out a small sigh. His life had become so much more complicated since this woman had come into it; it had also become more enjoyable than he ever would have dreamed that it could be. She was a strange creature, a bundle of things that should not go together, but that was what made her Sakura. She had the ability to save lives, better than almost any other, but she was also highly skilled at taking them. She was capable of irrational and seemingly endless compassion, but when provoked the small woman was like a force of nature. She was able to take joy from the smallest of things, yet there was an undeniable sorrow swimming within the depths of her jade eyes.

Itachi could not help but to smirk; if he were Sasuke he too would have given her their Mother's katana. But unlike Sasuke, he would never want her to change. Sakura was a gentle rain and a raging storm; Itachi would have always been content to see it rage, not ever try to harness her. Perhaps he would not push her to take care of Sasuke once he was gone. He wanted to pass from this world knowing that she would never change; that she would forever remain the woman who had been capable of reaching in and touching his hardened heart.

When Kisame returned several hours later he was surprised that Itachi was not setting there awake alerted by his chakra. However, when he looked at the other bed in the room, he knew why his partner remained asleep. He smiled when he saw the two of them laying in each other's arms. When he set on his bed and a spring creaked, he did not miss the way Itachi's hand tightened protectively around Sakura's waist. Those two kids were something else. He just hoped they would be smart enough to see what was right in front of their face before it was too late.