Title: "Dauntless XII"

Author: JackieLupin

Disclaimer: Not mine. Ask Kishimoto-sama about it.

Rating: M, for sexual references

Summary: Itachi and Sakura now!

-MANGA SPOILERS-

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Competence

He smirked at her. "Your competence is astounding." Sarcasm.

Sakura, curled up in the corner of her cell, didn't even turn to look at him.

"But of course, if you choose to continue this childish sulking..."

Final straw. She got to her feet and spun around to face him brashly. "You call my sulking childish, but have you realized that you're the childish one here? Keeping me only for a hostage so Naruto would come rescue me is a stupid plan because it will never work! You're childish because you have no idea what you're up against, and you're far more immature than me for thinking that nothing can harm you! Well, oh mighty Uchiha, you're wrong!"They had glared at each other for several moments, but when Kisame made his own drunken entrance muttering something about the plumping not working, the moment was gone because Sakura found it in her best interest to retreat further into the shadows.

Hazard

After what felt like a year of withering away in that musty cell of hers, Itachi deemed it reasonable to allow her to wander around the house. He wasn't stupid; there was some kind of chakra networked into the ground below. He could feel her every movement, but what he didn't know was that Sakura knew.

"That's what you get for underestimating me," she whispered hotly as she used her chakra to disrupt Itachi's safety net ever so subtly, hoping Itachi was asleep so the change in pattern of his chakra would not register consciously, "I'm more of a hazard than you thought, you patronizing son of a bitch!"

Faint

When Sakura was close enough to him, she swore she smelled the faint odor of the surrounding wilderness; smoky and damp like the trees, and the earthy smell of dirt and mud. But despite his scent, Itachi was immaculate, long black hair still damp from his shower. When he leaned across the small table to brush his lips against hers, Sakura realized that she would miss him terribly when the time came for them to part ways.

Appropriate

Itachi was clever, she would give him that. The night after he had first kissed her, he found a way to embarrass the hell out of her.

Sakura barely had time to fling the covers back and stretch languidly before Kisame burst into her room, his mouth full of sharp teeth wide open to say something-

It was then that the ex-Mist-nin realized that she was wearing only a bra and panties that left nothing to the imagination, and whatever he had been about to inform her of was lost as he stared.

Sakura growled and pulled the covers up to cover herself.

Itachi entered the room behind the gaping Kisame and said, "Haruno, you should really wear more appropriate bed clothing," he said, a dark, amused glint in his normally impassive eyes, "Besides, we have a mission. Kisame was just about to inform you of it." His dark eyes lingered on her body for a few painful seconds.

Then the elder Uchiha turned around and stalked out of the room, leaving Kisame and Sakura - both slightly red - staring after him.

Reason

Sakura was escaping. The Akatsuki base was miles behind her, but she couldn't slow her pace, not yet. And she wasn't stupid enough to think that she wouldn't be pursued. But how was she going to get away? Itachi Uchiha was a sneaky bastard, smarter and more cunning than two Shikamaru's. And he was dangerous. Frankly, Sakura wanted to make it back to Konoha alive without pushing that arrogant man off the deep end when he was so obviously insane already.

But when she was stopped by not one Itachi, but five that created a loose circle around her, Sakura had no choice but to lay her kunai down as a sign of peace and grimly wait for whatever fate he had in store for her.

"Give me a reason to stay," Sakura said shakily, "Give me a reason to betray both my friends and Konoha!"

Itachi only stared at her impassively, but she knew the man well enough to know that behind that blank facade he was pondering her question and all its possibilities. He didn't say anything for many long moments, and after it was clear he wasn't going to think of anything anytime fast, Sakura turned her attention away from the real missing-nin to inspect his clones warily.

"Information," he said finally, looking so tired and weary that Sakura's steely resolve weakened, "That can save my brother."

Mend

She was mending her torn shirt - courtesy of sparring with Kisame and Samehada - when Itachi ambled in to common room and threw an article of clothing at her. Her reflexes allowed her to catch it without looking up, but when she realized what she was holding, Sakura growled and threw the shirt back at Itachi. He let it flow to the floor, his iron gaze fixed on hers. "Mend it," he ordered, leaving no room for argument.

But Sakura wasn't like most of the shinobi who cowered in his presence. "No."

Ignorant

It was when she saw the members of Akatsuki eating dinner together, teasing each other and just having a good time in each others company that Sakura realized how ignorant she really had been to believe that they were all monsters.

Attack

Sakura knew it was pointless to attack Uchiha Itachi. Not if you wanted to survive the encounter, anyway. Better to surrender now and fight another day, right? But when Itachi divulged the history of Madara and the Uchiha Clan to her in return for her skills as a medic, Sakura couldn't help but fly at him in rage. "You couldn't stop it? You call that loyalty to Konoha? What about your brother? Sasuke, dammit! You killed him that day! You made his existence miserable! All he knew was revenge!"

Itachi merely evaded her swing and tucked her arm underneath his, trapping her. "He has you, whether or not he is too foolish to realize what he has," he murmured to her, his long, straight nose gently nuzzling the side of her neck. "Forget about my brother for now, Haruno. He will soon understand that what I did, I did for him."

Sakura sighed softly in pleasure, forgetting all about Sasuke for the time being. Right now it was just her and Itachi, and from the gentle way he held her and brushed his lips against her skin, she knew he would never intentionally hurt her.

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Another favorite pairing of mine... Hey, at least I was right about Itachi being a good-guy, deep deep DEEP DEEP down behind that stupid facade of his... Haha, anyway... Enjoy!

For the last snippet, my inspiration was from a fortune cookie, haha! It read: "You believe in the goodness of mankind."