What a Romp in the Hospital Can Lead to

First and foremost, I deeply apologize for not updating this fic for so long. There are no other excuses aside from the usual ones given by so many tardy authors—myself included—so I’m not going to write them out. Either way, I am sorry and hope to be better in the future.

Secondly, thank you so, so much for your wonderful reviews. I hope to see more of them. I simply adore writing AU Itachi and Sakura, because they’re so fun and unpredictable. I’m glad to see that many of you share my love for this unlikely, but oh-so-delicious couple.

So read, enjoy and review. Please and thank you!

P.S. I’ve been going through the previous chapters and noticed several grammar mistakes, which irritates the hell out of me. I promise when I have the time, I’ll make the appropriate corrections. I haven’t gone through this one, aside from the customary spell checker, so do forgive the mistakes and it’d be great if you guys can point them out for me. Thanks!

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Chapter 3: Waving the Red Flag

Itachi returned to his family compound more relaxed than usual, the images of a certain pink-haired kunoichi, naked and sexually satisfied, flitting through his mind. He nodded his acknowledgment as he passed by his relatives, their curious stares noticed but ignored.

After exchanging greetings with his mother, who was sewing a torn shirt in the sitting room, he went out back and found his brother in the family’s private training grounds. The younger male was furiously hurling kunais and shurikens at a target dummy, and upon closer inspection, Itachi saw that a picture of him had been placed upon the head.

Itachi shot his brother a wry look. “I sense hostility from you, baby brother.”

Sasuke flung one more kunai, which landed perfectly on Itachi’s face in the picture, before swinging around to glare at his brother. “You don’t say,” Sasuke snapped, face red from anger and exertion.

“Perhaps you’d like to get something off your chest.”

“Fuck yes.”

Itachi indicated with his hand for his brother to proceed.

“Of all the girls in this village, in this country, chasing after you, why her? Why Sakura??” Sasuke seethed. “She wasn’t even chasing after you!”

Itachi raised eyebrow. “Is that the reason for your anger? Because she was chasing after you?” he asked softly. “Do you want her for yourself?”

Sasuke’s jaw clenched. “And if I say yes?”

At that, Itachi studied his younger brother closely. All his life, Itachi had always been a buffer between Sasuke and the rest of the clan. While Sasuke was an excellent shinobi in his own right, he had constantly been compared to Itachi and unfairly found wanting. This had bothered him deeply, despite Itachi’s efforts to shield him from the insultingly incorrect opinions of their clan members. It wasn’t until Sasuke had his own team—the infamous Team Seven—that he seemed to be more accepting and less judgmental of himself.

Despite not having the same bond with his own team, Itachi understood Sasuke’s possessiveness. But until now, he hadn’t considered that his younger brother’s feelings toward Sakura went beyond a strong bond of loyalty and friendship.

“Do you want her for yourself?” Itachi repeated quietly.

“If I say yes?” Sasuke insisted stubbornly. “Would you give her up?”

“No.” Itachi himself had never felt possessive of anything. To be obsessed with something could blind a person, leading him to show weakness and Itachi was never weak. But now, standing on their family estate with his brother—who clutched a weapon threateningly between his deft fingers—Itachi realized that for once in his life, he was going to be selfish and place his needs before Sasuke’s. “No,” he affirmed. “I won’t give her up.”

Sasuke’s jaw nearly dropped at the intensity on his brother’s face. Sure, his brother was always intense—frighteningly so—but it was never directed towards a female. The fact that said female was Sakura made his skin crawl.

He looked away from his brother’s dark eyes, unable to bear the emotions swirling in those dark depths. “I don’t want Sakura—not like that,” he declared honestly. He added petulantly, “Why would I? Her hair is stupid and she smells.”

Itachi’s lips twitched. “That’s very mature of you. Does she also have cooties?”

“Don’t joke—it’s abnormal.” Sasuke scowled fiercely. “Look, Sakura’s different, okay? She’s not like the other girls you’ve messed around with. She’s . . . she’s special,” he said, cheeks slightly red. “Kakashi, Naruto and I . . . we . . . and if you dare hurt her, we’ll . . . I’ll . . .”

Itachi almost smiled, knowing how difficult it was for his brother to express his feelings. With a bored sigh, Itachi reached out and poked the younger shinobi’s forehead. “Don’t act so tough, idiot little brother,” he mocked. Quietly, he added, “I have no intention of hurting her.”

Sasuke pushed away Itachi’s hand and drew back with a grunt, but his eyes shone with relief. However, he wasn’t quite prepared to let go of his anger. “I still can’t believe she agreed to date you,” he muttered grumpily.

At that, the corners of Itachi’s lips lifted upwards.

“Say yes, Sakura,” Itachi murmured, running her lips down the curve of her neck.

“I . . .” Her head tilted backwards. Her eyes drifted close in pleasure, arms pulling him closer. “No. ”

Itachi drew his head back. Instead of getting angry or upset, he merely gave her a small smile. “Then perhaps you should brace yourself—I don’t intend to lose. I never do,” he said seriously.

In spite of the fact that she was still naked and wrapped around him, she met his challenging gaze head on, chin lifted defiantly.

“Give me your best shot, Uchiha-san.”

---

Sakura had always harped Naruto on his obsession with ramen. The sodium-packed dish could be quite unhealthy, especially for a person who could—and usually would—eat five bowls at one seating. However, if there was one thing that made Sakura thankful for Naruto’s weird-slash-scary obsession, it was the fact that it made him easy to be found. Whether he was happy or depressed or just plain hungry—which, in Naruto’s case, was usually most of the time—, Sakura knew she could always find Naruto at his favorite ramen stand.

“Ojii-san, one more please,” Naruto said moodily as he held up his bowl.

“Hai, Naruto-kun,” the owner, shooting his usually-vibrant customer a concerned glance as his rang up the order.

“Hi, Naruto,” Sakura said warmly as she slid onto the stool next to him.

Naruto immediately turned to look the other way.

“Naruto,” she chided.

He remained stubbornly quiet, which she was sure was a difficult task for him.

She reached out a hand to touch him, but he quickly drew away.

Surprised, she raised her eyebrows. “You’re not even going to talk to me?” she asked.

His jaw clenched tightly.

She sighed deeply, slightly hurt. “Well, if you’re not going to talk to me, then I’ll just leave,” she declared, making a move to get up.

At that, his head whipped around so fast, he nearly fell off his chair. “Itachi?” he hissed. “Itachi? How could you, Sakura-chan!”

Sakura put her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong with him?” she demanded.

“What’s wrong with him? What’s wrong with him?” the blonde all but shrieked. “He’s Uchiha-fucking-Itachi!”

“And?”

“He’s a . . . a . . . a womanizer!” Naruto declared vehemently. “He seduces women left and right! He breaks their hearts! He’s sleeps with them and leave them crying! He’s—”

“Oh, really?” Sakura made sure not to smile. “Then I must live in a different village, because I’ve never heard of that.”

“You’re a girl!”

“No! My parents have been lying to me all these years!”

Naruto glared at her. “Don’t joke, Sakura! I’m being serious here!”

And as Naruto ranted and raved about Itachi’s deplorable vices, Sakura smiled and told herself that she was truly fortunate to have such a person like Naruto in her life. Someone who was so fiercely loyal that he would make up stories just to protect her. True, it got on her nerves sometimes and made her even more annoyed when she had to tend the wounds she inflicted on him, but it touched her deeply knowing that no matter what, he was always ready to beat up someone for her for the smallest slight.

Her smile widened as Naruto’s speech on the evils of Uchiha Itachi became louder and louder. She knew then that Naruto had gotten past his earlier upset, which was not surprising. Naruto, she knew, was all bluster, but deep down, he was merely looking out for her.

“ . . . And he’s Sasuke-teme’s brother. They share the same blood!” Naruto continued, obviously not done with his angry outburst. “And you know how Uchihas are! They’re smug, arrogant, know-it-all bastards who’ll give you children with ugly hair and freaky-colored eyes!”

“Who said anything about children?”

“Of course Itachi will try to give you children! He’s an Uchiha! He’s gonna want to damage the population with his demon spawn! He’s—!”

“Demon spawn? Seriously?”

“Yeah—like Sasuke. Your kid’s gonna be all ‘hn’ and ‘aa’ and ‘ooh, look at me, I’m so coooool and eemoooo!’ and constipated-looking—”

Naruto broke off as Sakura suddenly flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “Naruto-baka,” she said affectionately.

“Thank you for wanting to protect me,” she whispered, kissing his cheek. “You’ll always be my most precious person.”

The blonde softened slightly, his shoulders quivering with emotion—but he wasn’t finished. “And Itachi’s weird, too,” he whined childishly. “He likes to play with sharp things.”

“He’s an ANBU,” she retorted simply.

“He’s still a bastard,” Naruto persisted, but his anger was abating. He squeezed her back. “And if he hurts you, I’ll get to be the first person to shove a kunai up his ass and pour acid down his throat.”

“I’ll help you get the acid,” Sakura offered teasingly. She pressed another kiss to his whisker-marked cheek. “And I love you, too.”

Naruto pulled away without a reply, but his blue eyes were curiously brighter and there was a slight flush creeping up his neck. “You couldn’t have picked anyone else,” he muttered. “Even Genma seems like a better choice.”

“Mmm, yes, Genma is a hot stud,” Sakura agreed dreamily, much to Naruto’s chagrin. She playfully stuck out her tongue and wink. “But Itachi’s way sexier naked.”

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto groaned. “See? He’s a bad influence on you. He’s already turned you into a shameless hussy!”

Sakura laughed. She placed a hand over Naruto’s and gave it a light squeeze. “And just so you’ll know, I haven’t agreed to date him.”

“Shyeah,” Naruto snorted. “Did you tell him that?”

“As a matter of fact, I did,” she declared decisively. She grinned at the memory. “He wasn’t so pleased. I told him to give me his best shot.”

“You dared Itachi?” Naruto looked at her as if she had sprouted another head. “Are you insane?”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Please. You act as if he’s invincible or something. Itachi’s all bluster.”

Naruto made a choking sound, wondering if he should get his friend some medical assistance. Huh. Maybe she was a perfect match for Itachi. They both seemed totally loco.

Just then, someone cleared their throat loudly and both Naruto and Sakura turned to see Sasuke standing behind them. They watched as he slowly took his seat next to Sakura, face as stoic as usual.

Naruto shot Sakura a glance as they waited for Sasuke to speak.

The dark-haired shinobi picked up a pair of chopsticks and idly broke them apart. He looked at his friends briefly before facing straight ahead. After a long, drawn-out minute, he finally broke the silence.

“I have rules. Number one,” he said firmly, “I don’t ever, ever want to hear about what you and my brother do when you’re alone.”

Sakura nodded, while Naruto bobbed his head furiously in agreement, echoing the slight shudder Sasuke had as he said that.

“Two,” the Uchiha continued, “you don’t ask me about his personal details. I won’t tell you his favorite food, favorite color or anything dumb like that. He probably doesn’t have any of those anyway—he’s a robot.”

Once again, Naruto nodded in agreement.

“And I don’t want to hear you . . . gush about him—you have Ino for that,” Sasuke pointed out. “Three: this doesn’t change anything between us. Whatever happens between you and Itachi—” this was said with a disgusted look “—doesn’t effect our relationship. Personally or professionally. Just because you’re having a . . . thing with my brother, doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you. I’ll still knock you down during training.”

“And I’ll still try to surgically remove that foot-long stick from your ass,” Sakura quipped, drawing a chuckle from Naruto.

Sasuke shot his blonde friend a scowl before returning his attention to Sakura. “And finally,” he declared, “it won’t matter if he’s my brother. If he does anything to hurt you, I’ll hurt him. And you won’t tell me to stay out of it.”

“Hey, I called that one first, Sasu-cakes!” Naruto interjected teasingly.

Sasuke ignored him, keeping his gaze on Sakura.

She smiled affectionately. “All right,” she answered, her green eyes moist. As cold as he could be, Sasuke was one of the sweetest people in the world. Was it any wonder that she loved him so? Her throat tightened as she looked at her best friends.

“All right.” Sasuke nodded, satisfied. “And don’t start crying, you stupid female. Penis breath, it’s your turn to pay for lunch.”

“Fuck no. I didn’t even invite any of you here!”

And so Sakura sat between her arguing boys, ducking flying objects when necessary, a blissful smile on her face as she basked in the knowledge that nothing, not even lost virginities or sleeping with older brothers, could tear them apart.

---

The blissful feeling disappeared later that evening, however, when Sakura concluded her shift and spotted the tall, dark figure standing just outside the entrance of the hospital. He straightened from his idle lounge—though there was nothing truly idle about him—against the wall as she approached him.

“Itachi,” she said cautiously. “What are you doing here?”

There was a hint of a smile on his devastatingly handsome face as he looked at her, his gaze roaming over her figure in a way that made her squirm. Dark eyes glinted as he answered her question. “I’m starting the battle of courting you.”

She laughed despite herself. “That’s what every girl wants to hear—her courtship compared to a battle,” she teased. “And it’s called dating these days, Itachi. Courting is an old-fashioned word.”

Itachi shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m old-fashioned, then.” He drew closer to her. “‘Dating’ is a trite word. There’s nothing trite about this. I want you and I’m prepared to do much to get you.”

Sakura’s heart stuttered and she told herself to breathe. He said it so casually, but his dark eyes were frighteningly serious. She took a large step back and held out her hands. “Don’t-don’t come any closer, Itachi!” she ordered frantically. “You stay right there!”

He chuckled, even as he ignored her warning and simply clasped his fingers around her outstretched hand. He tugged her closer and wrapped his other arm around her waist, easily subduing her futile struggles.

“I can tear down mountains, you know,” Sakura said childishly against his chest.

“I’ll bear that in mind.” Amusement laced his words. He held her fast. “Have dinner with me.”

“No,” she answered firmly.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Do you want me to talk you into it?”

“No!” Sakura denied, knowing what he meant by ‘talk.’ She looked up at him, flabbergasted. “And stop giving me that patented, bow-down-to-my-greatness look. Seriously, are all Uchihas born with the knowledge to be smug?”

Again, there was only a hint of a smile. “Perhaps. We should discuss this theory during dinner.”

“I promised to meet Ino for drinks,” she told him triumphantly. “We’re going to a club. Club. Drinks. Dancing,” she emphasized. “And you don’t dance.”

The exclamation ‘Hah!’ remained unspoken, but it hung between them as Sakura all but gloated her victory. Itachi bit back his smile, allowing her to think that she’d won this round. She looked so appealing, her green eyes shining brightly, her expression utterly smug.

“Ah, little kunoichi,” he murmured.

Her surprised yelp was muffled underneath his lips as he pressed her into the wall—did he have a thing for them? she dimly wondered—and proceeded to kiss every single protest she had in her quickly-melting brain. By the time his tongue slipped into her mouth to touch hers, she couldn’t even remember her own name. Their tongue parried and dear God, he tasted delicious. Against her will, her hands ran up his chest, feeling the hard contours of his muscle through his shirt, before they wrapped themselves around his neck. He in return tightened his hands around her hips, fingers gently digging into the smooth flesh.

It was at this moment that Sakura understood why Uchihas were both envied and despised by so many, this particular one especially—they really were good at everything. He kissed her so completely that even if the building were to collapse above them, she would have continued to make out with him. Naruto was right—Itachi had turned her into a shameless hussy.

When it was evident that she needed air, he pulled away and she couldn’t stop the protesting, ragged moan from escaping her throat.

“How you affect me,” she thought she heard him mutter as his oh-so-talented lips trailed down her cheek, traveled across her jaw line and finally rested on her neck. His tongue circled the skin above her thundering pulse before he applied his teeth there. When he gently, but firmly bit, she completely lost her mind, groaning as she felt the rush of moisture between her legs.

When she felt his deft fingers close around one breast, she found enough strength to gasp, “No, Itachi!”

To her surprise, he stopped. He made a sound akin to a short laugh, gave her throat one last lick and her breast a teasing squeeze, and then took a step back, that infuriating trademark smirk on his incredibly handsome face as he watched her helplessly slumped back against the wall.

She, in turn, shot him a furious scowl, grateful for the darkness that hid the deep flush on her face. “You—you fiend!” she spat.

He simply raised an eyebrow. He leaned forward, neatly catching the fist flying toward his face. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles and planted an absolutely chase kiss on her forehead and good God, if he asked her to go home right then and there, she would have said yes.

And judging from the look in his dark eyes, the smug bastard knew it too.

Thankfully, he took pity on her and released her hand. “I’ll see you soon, hellcat.”

With that, he disappeared, the only sign he’d been there a faint mist on the spot where he’d stood.

She blinked. And then blinked again. What the hell just happened?

“Goddamn Uchihas, that’s what!” she answered herself angrily.

And that was only the beginning.

---

Yamanaka Ino was having a good time. The alcohol she’d consumed, the pulsating beat of the music playing in the exclusive shinobi club and the handsome boys surrounding her were making her happy. Added to this, for the first time in months, her childhood friend seemed to finally be letting her hair down.

Sakura was dressed in an outfit that made Ino proud, short and tight and so dangerous, she could shut down the entire bar with it. Her long tresses were loose around her shoulders, her green eyes were shining and her curvy hips were moving in tandem with the music.

And she was drinking—a lot.

Ino grinned. She loved Drunk Sakura. She was so much more fun than Workaholic Sakura, which seemed to usually be the default mode these days.

Currently, the pink-haired kunoichi was in an impromptu drinking contest with Shiranui Genma as others surrounded them, cheering the two shinobi on. Sakura bravely tipped back the shot glass pass her glossy lips before holding the empty glass out for a refill, much to the pleasure of the crowd around her.

“Go, Sakura!” Ino cried out, glad to see the other girl having fun. She didn’t know what happened to make her good friend suddenly behave so, but right now, she was too tipsy to care.

As the chants for Sakura grew louder, Ino’s blue eyes wandered past their group to the entrance of the club, where a familiar pair had appeared. Her pretty face was torn between a frown and a grin. When those two showed up, there were usually two outcomes: either they were going to cut their current fun short and hustle Sakura away—or they were going to join in and create the kind of chaos that would reach the Godaime’s angry ears. But judging from the way a certain Uchiha’s dark brows immediately drew into a disapproving line, Ino guessed it was going to be the former.

Hell no, the beautiful blonde thought as she heard Sakura’s victory whoop. Those two idiots weren’t cutting on their girl time.

Making sure Sakura was preoccupied—because the pinkette was such a doormat when it came to the Dastardly Duo, Ino sauntered over to Sasuke and Naruto, making sure to shimmy her hips seductively because hey, old habits died hard.

“Not tonight, boys,” she declared when she reached them, firmly standing in their way. “Tonight she’s mine.”

“Back off, Ino,” Sasuke told her, sexy black eyes narrowing into a Bow Down to Me™ glare.

Thanks to Mr. Tequila, she was hardly intimidated and proved it by flipping him the finger, causing the glare to switch into the I’m Not Pleased™ scowl.

“What the hell did you do, Ino?” Naruto demanded, gawking over the other blonde’s shoulder at his female best friend. “Sakura’s practically drinking the bar!”

“Jealous?” she mocked. “Sakura’s having fun, Naruto. She can have that without you two gargoyles hovering around her. So why don’t you boys leave her alone and go play by yourselves tonight?”

She made a move to push them outside, but being the talented shinobi that they were—damn their skills—they easily moved around her tittering form and started toward their pink-haired teammate.

Ino frowned, resisting the urge to stomp her foot. Suddenly, a slow smile formed on her face, revealing the perfect teeth courtesy of thousands of ryos’ worth of dental fixtures. Had either Shikamaru or Chouji seen that smile, they would have shuddered because they knew that smile meant trouble.

Clearing her throat delicately, Ino released a high-pitched, squealing giggle reminiscent of her fangirl days. “Oh. My. God!” she shrieked—loudly. “It’s Uchiha Sasuke!”

Immediately, ten pair of female eyes turned toward said Uchiha and before either Sasuke or Naruto could react, they were surrounded by a gaggle of eager girls, valiantly avoiding questing hands. The group grew even more when they realized that Naruto was also there.

Looking as helpless as she’d ever seen him, Sasuke shot Ino a look that promised retribution. She simply wiggled her manicured fingers at him and laughed as she returned to her table, where Sakura was blatantly flirting with a certain Inuzuka heir. Ino immediately approved. Kiba was hot and knew how to show a girl a good time.

“Hey, Blondie,” Kiba greeted her good-naturedly as she joined the pair, though his eyes were firmly glued on Sakura’s alcohol-flushed face. “Lookin’ good.”

“One girl at a time, Kiba,” she shot back, smiling in return.

“Hmmm, I don’t know,” Sakura said in a seductive voice that surprised even Ino. She teasingly trailed a finger across Kiba’s broad chest. “He looks like he has plenty to go around.”

Her audience hooted and hollered and Ino’s grin grew wider and wider. She gently nudged her friend with her hip, leaning so close their faces were almost touching. As expected, their eager audience hollered even louder, hoping for some girl-on-girl action.

Ever the crowd pleaser, Ino moved so that her lips were pressed against Sakura’s ear. To her delight—and the rest—Sakura played along by sliding her arm around the blonde’s waist and pulling her close. Ino’s smile practically swallowed her other features. Drunk Sakura was awesome!

Ignoring the suggestions flying around them, Ino whispered to her friend, “Don’t look now, but your party-poopers are here.”

Knowing who she meant, Sakura’s slightly fogged gaze flitted over to her boys, who were barely visible among the glomping group of female admirers. “Oh, dear,” she giggled. “Ino, what did you do? Sasuke looks like he’s about to commit mass murder.”

The blonde’s eyes twinkled. “Just buying you more time, Sakura-babe, just buying you more time.”

“Hey, Ino!” Kiba’s masculine voice interrupted them. “If you’re not gonna kiss her, then can I have her back? I was here first.”

For a second, Ino considered taking on the Inuzuka’s unsubtle suggestion and causing a massive nosebleed, but quickly changed her mind. With a delighted laugh, she gently pushed her friend toward the handsome heir. “She’s all yours, Kiba, she’s all yours!” she declared jovially as Sakura turned the charm Ino always knew she had on their former classmate.

“‘Bout damned time Sakura sees some action,” she muttered happily under breath.

Of course, the blonde bombshell had no idea that her words were two days too late.

---

“I feel like I just lost my virginity all over again—and not in a good way!” Naruto moaned pitifully when finally, after a quickly-performed kage bunshin and a particular forbidden jutsu, the two men managed to escape the clutches of shrieking kunoichis—and one amorous male.

Sasuke cringed, tearing his eyes away from the frightening sight of the infamous Naruko draped suggestively over his own doppelganger while the crowd around them watched in utterly enthralled—and disturbing—fascination.

His black eyes went to the small mob—mostly men—surrounding Sakura and Ino. There was no way he was going there. Yamanaka Ino was pure evil, the kind of woman his mother used to warn him about. There was no telling what the vile blonde would do to him next.

The look on Naruto’s face told him that they were on agreement with this one. Almost in unison, both young men moved to the less crowded section of the club, where they would be safely out of Ino’s wicked range. Smart shinobi that he was, Naruto created another bunshin and the two friends watched as the blonde’s doppelganger aggressively stepped in between Sakura and the flea-bitten Inuzuka. Kiba looked righteously outraged while Sakura simply wore a resigned expression on her lovely face. After two minutes of having Naruto’s body double whining and extolling the evilness of Inuzukas, the pink-haired kunoichi sighed and gave in. She waved off Ino’s angry protests, smiled apologetically at Kiba and followed the clone, who promptly disappeared the moment Sakura was near her two teammates.

“Well, hello there, killjoys,” she greeted them cheerfully, swaying slightly to the left.

“You’re drunk, Sakura-chan!” Naruto exclaimed, properly scandalized and conveniently forgetting the many times—including the night before—the two of them had raised hell in blissful, alcoholic stupors.

“Like a fish,” Sakura agreed with a wink, attempting to high-five her blonde brother figure. In her hazy state, she missed and slapped his forehead instead. Hard.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto staggered backwards, groaning in pain as he clutched his head. The Uchiha reached out and wrapped his hand firmly around his female friend’s wrist, both steadying her and halting her from causing more damage. His gaze flickered briefly passed her shoulders before he returned his attention to her.

“Do you have something against Kiba?” he asked coolly.

“Eh?” Sakura pouted cutely as confusion flitted across her beautiful features. “What are you talkin’ ’bout, Sasuke? Kiba’s cute!”

Naruto warbled a protest as Sasuke pulled the kunoichi closer. He sighed wearily, realizing that this was inevitable the moment Itachi appeared on Sakura’s doorstep this morning. Damn it, he hated having to involve himself.

“I asked,” he drawled, purposely dragging out the words, “because you have effectively drawn out his death certificate, Sakura. Or did you think my brother would be okay with you flirting with another man?”

Sakura gasped, looking absolutely insulted. “I wasn’t flirting with Kiba!” she denied, tugging out of his hold. “We were talking. Talking!”

“You were practically sitting on his lap,” Sasuke pointed out while Naruto muttered, “Shameless hussy. Bastard weasel’s fault.”

“Shut up, Naruto!” Sakura hissed before scowling at her other teammate. “And even if I were flirting with Kiba, so what? I can do whatever I want. I’m not committed to anyone—and you know why? Because your brother’s an arrogant asshole, that’s why!”

Sasuke felt torn between defending his—not-so-secretly worshipped—older brother and agreeing wiyh the truth. But instead, he tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, “Sakura?”

“What, you stupid Uchiha!”

“Look up, three o’clock.”

Obediently, the buzzed kunoichi did as told and bright green eyes widened. There, on the upper level of the club, leaning casually against the balcony overlooking the dance floor, was none other than the Arrogant Asshole himself.

Uchiha Itachi.

“Hell,” Sakura croaked. “Fuck me.”

Sasuke’s voice was tinged with both amusement and revulsion as he remarked, “I think my brother has dibs on that one, Sakura.”

To be continued