Title: Lady Luck

Author: paws-bells

Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi

Type: Continuous (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/Humor

Word Count: 6729

Theme: LJ Community, 50-shinobi theme #11, Lady Luck

Rating: M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) Not so much but still explicit content ahead!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.

Summary: AU. Sakura had never thought that the practice of bringing home injured animals would carry such great impact to her relatively simple life. But then again, none of them had ever been Uchiha Itachi.

Chapter Last Revised on: 17/05/13

Chapter One

Sakura was hurrying home from work when she saw the injured creature.

It was nearing midnight; it was dark and raining very heavily, and Sakura had very nearly missed the presence of the wounded animal as she tried to hurry to her apartment block in order to escape the thunderstorm. She had been passing by the darkened alleyway under the dim street lighting, huddled into her coat and head ducked down as she clutched her small umbrella to herself, fighting willfully and trying her best not to be pushed backwards by the overpowering, wailing wind that threatened her at every step when she noticed it.

Partially diffused smears of crimson on the wet pavement right before her, seeming to leak out from somewhere in the alleyway before the heavy rain swept all traces of the blood away into a nearby storm drain.

The twenty-five year old female came to a quick stop as she stared at the ground, her eyes tracking the undeniable bloodstain to its origin. It took a bit of squinting before she saw the black, unmoving lump of fur amongst the shadows of the alley, just a meter or so from where she stood.

It appeared cat-sized from where she was, though it did seem quite a bit bigger than the average feline. Sakura hesitated, not very sure if she should investigate further. It didn't even twitch while she was observing it, and after awhile, the young pink-haired woman winced inwardly at the way the relentless rain was pelting heavily, no doubt painfully, upon the unresponsive creature.

It was either dead or very badly injured for it to not be able to seek shelter in this kind of horrid weather.

And damn it, she would have to be completely heartless to not at least check to see if it was still alive.

If Naruto and the rest ever hear of this, she was definitely going to get scolded for being soft hearted again, not to mention how dangerous it was that she was venturing into a dark, isolated area all by herself, though Sakura was fairly certain that no sane criminal would choose to remain in an unprotected, miserable alley in light of the fierce thunderstorm pouring overhead.

Still, Sakura hurried towards the unmoving form quickly and proceeded to shelter it with her umbrella, bending down to take a nearer look at the animal. Upon closer inspection, she could see the animal's side move up and down barely as it breathed raggedly, and a small sense of relief filled her, quickly followed by uncertainty as Sakura pondered what to do now.

It was as she had first thought; it was a cat, albeit a very large one with sleek fur, a long tail, and large, powerful paws, though Sakura had no idea whatsoever what breed it was. She had always been more of a dog person, after having been accidentally scratched by a cat when she was a very young girl. It was also male, but that was not the point at the moment, and Sakura winced when she saw the deep, bloodied gashes that marred its flank and torso. The injuries looked quite serious, and no doubt had to be treated with haste. Sakura was no vet, but she was quite certain that her hard earned medical knowledge as a doctor should be enough to help her patch up this badly mauled cat that seemed to have gotten on the wrong side of something in a fight.

But first, she would have to transport it back to her apartment without jostling it too much.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Sakura murmured just above the distracting pitter patter of the falling rain, trying to gain some sort of reaction from the cat. She didn't seem to be at all embarrassed to be talking to an animal, of all things, but appeared rather dismayed when it didn't seem to respond to her voice.

This little guy was really lucky for her to, by chance, come across it, Sakura thought to herself as she freed a hand from her umbrella and reached out to touch the wet, matted fur of the feline, careful not to aggravate its many wounds. She highly doubted that it would have been able to last the night out in this type of weather and with such degree of injury, and resigned to what she would have to do by now, she was about to carefully pick up the cat when its formally unresisting body turned stiff.

The animal raised its head shakily with the remaining remnants of its strength, baring its fangs defensively and focusing dazed, slit crimson eyes on her.

Sakura tried her best not to flinch at the display of those dangerous looking canines, not to mention that strange, eerie eye color, instead willing herself to get over her childish fear of the animal.

"Shh," she hushed softly, trying to placate the wary animal. "I'm not going to harm you. Let me bring you to shelter; how's being nice and warm sound? We will take a look at those nasty wounds of yours too, alright?"

She wasn't sure if the cat understood her words, but Sakura didn't think it was prudent for her to allow it to stay under the rain for as long as it already had. Steeling herself in case the animal decided to attack her, Sakura quickly scooped the large cat into her arms, keeping in mind its injuries, and was slightly stunned by how heavy it was. Instinctively, she cradled the cold and drenched feline to her chest, trying to protect it from the elements of nature as she stood back up, turned swiftly, and headed briskly in the direction of her apartment.

Luckily for her, the cat put up no struggle, though she could sense the tenseness of its body as she quickly turned down the street leading to her block, juggling the weight of her feline burden and her umbrella as she hurried homewards. Sakura was partially drenched by the time she finally entered the shelter of her building, but wasted no time taking the lift up to her apartment. The cat seemed to have temporarily lost the fight with unconsciousness by then, its head lolling alarmingly against her coat even as Sakura held it tighter to herself, worriedly eyeing the hurt animal. The lift doors slid open then, and she rushed out quickly, the feline's long tail swinging limply against her legs as she all but ran towards the entrance of her home. She dropped her umbrella in favor of searching for her keys, and even that was a challenge as she carefully balanced the animal one handedly in order to free the other to unlock and open the door.

Once inside, Sakura locked the door behind her and carried the shivering cat into her bathroom, upon which she quickly located a bath towel to wrap it in before placing the now bundled up feline on the vanity top. It did not move, and the pink-haired doctor quickly hurried across the hall and into her own room to change out of her wet, dirty clothes. It wouldn't do for her to be dripping water and transferred blood all over her furry patient, after all.

Sakura hurried back out in record time, poking her head into the bathroom to check and see if the cat was still where she had put it. It was, and satisfied, she proceeded to move around her apartment quickly, gathering supplies that would help her patch up the cat's injuries.

The pink-haired doctor wasn't even sure why she was being so anxious over an animal, especially when it was already so late at night and she was thoroughly exhausted from putting in a whole day at the clinic. It was a moot point, though. Had she chose not to help the cat despite being aware of its presence in that dark, wet and miserable alley, Sakura just knew that she would have spent the entire night worrying for the poor thing. In that manner of thought, it really was better that she had saved herself the trouble and rescued it, bringing it back to her house so that she could look after it—and have her peace of mind at the same time, too.

Sakura brought her well equipped first aid kit, as well as a wash cloth and a small bucket of warm water, to her bedroom before heading back to the bathroom where she proceeded to carefully transfer the shivering bundle of towel and fur to where she had laid out her supplies. Settling down carefully on the floor, Sakura proceeded to lay her burden on her lap, slowly unwrapping the cloth to reveal the injured feline. She winced inwardly at the bloodstains that smeared her towel, and then turned her entire attention to the cat in preparation of seeing to its wounds.

It was lying on its side, breathing shallow and ragged, but Sakura could see that it was awake again.

It was truly large for its species, the young woman marveled distractedly to herself as it opened those strange crimson eyes to stare at her with startling intensity.

"Hey, big guy, you will have to be brave, alright?" she spoke gently, not wanting to stress the animal. "I'm going to try my best to make you well again, but you have to cooperate with me."

Either the cat was too weak to get away from her or, as if it truly understood that she was trying to help, it closed its eyes again and laid completely still as Sakura started to work on its injuries, carefully cleaning out any dirt and foreign particles that had been embedded within the wounds before sterilizing them and doing her best to stop the bleeding, delicately applying ointment on the raw flesh, trying not to hurt the animal more than she already had to. The treated wounds were quickly bandaged with the skill of frequent practice, even if her patients were normally of the two-legged variety and not the four-legged ones. Some of the injuries were ragged and messy, and thus had to be stitched close, and surprisingly enough, the black cat allowed her to use the suture needle on it, not even flinching or reacting adversely to her when she took the simple surgical tool to its flesh.

Sakura was filled with wonder and gratefulness towards the feline's 'understanding,' though she still worked as quickly as she could all the same, hands steady despite her own growing weariness, eyes sharp to catch every little symptom and the statistics of the cat whom she was trying so hard to make better.

Not surprisingly, it didn't take long for her to finish treating all of the creature's visible injuries, though by the time she was done, its entire torso and flank were almost completely swathed in bandages. Sakura proceeded to clean the rest of its body with a wash cloth dampened in warm water, slowly and carefully wiping away the traces of mud, dirt, and blood from the beautiful, sleek fur that slowly began to gleam under her bedroom lights. She was especially gentle with his long tail, slowly rubbing the material across the lengthy mass of skin, bone, and muscle until she was certain that he was as clean as she was ever going to get him.

Finally satisfied with her work, Sakura lifted the large cat into her arms and gently placed him on her bed. He did not move, though the pink-haired doctor was heartened to see that he was no longer shivering as hard as before, and that his breathing had become steadier, not as shaky or as ragged compared to earlier. Inwardly congratulating herself for a job well done, she quickly cleared up the mess around her, keeping her supplies organized and cleaning up efficiently. Then, it was off to the bathroom, where she proceeded to have a quick shower before going through her nightly rituals in preparation for bed.

Thank god that the clinic was closed tomorrow; she was so tired that she didn't think she would be able to wake up in time to go to work. Now in her pajamas, Sakura walked out of the bathroom and across the hall back to her bedroom, absently toweling her damp long hair as she came to a stop before her bed, watching the sleeping cat that was lying so stilly on it with a contemplative expression on her face.

Its fur had already dried completely, but it was still trembling, no doubt still suffering from a bit of hypothermia from being outside in the rain for god knows how long. Sakura sighed; there was really no choice but to let it sleep with her. Decision made, she put aside her towel, and then slowly crawled into bed, muffling a yawn and moving aside the duvet as she got ready for a well deserved rest. After she had herself settled, Sakura carefully reached for the injured feline that was now under her care and laid him beside her before covering them both with her duvet. It took a little getting used to, having a small source of heat pressed against her side, but eventually, she became so drowsy by the warmth that she was no longer bothered.

Not surprisingly enough, sleep came quickly.

When Sakura was lucid enough to stir awake the next day, she could vaguely tell that it was almost late morning. The sun was high up in the sky and cheery rays of light burst through her bedroom windows, all the remnants of the terrible storm the night before nowhere in sight. Groaning softly at the overly bright light that danced across the back of her eyelids, the pink-haired doctor turned her head to the side, hoping in vain to go back to sleep. Her nose brushed against something ticklish then, and she sniffled irritably in reaction, eyes closed as she continued to press her face against the surface she expected to be one of her many pillows.

Imagine her confusion when it moved.

"Humrrphzat?" It took her awhile to remember the circumstances of last night, and did that mean the half dead cat she brought home last night was well enough to move about now? Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, only to freeze when she came face to face with what was definitely not a cat.

The unwavering, slit crimson eyes were eerily similar though, but last she remembered, she had gone to sleep with an injured black cat, not a full grown human man.

He was so near that his entire face filled her vision, and vaguely, Sakura noted the exotic eyes, the high cheekbones, the narrow blade of a nose, thin lips, angular features, and proud, patrician profile.

He was strangely beautiful.

He was also stark naked.

He was so alarmingly near that she could feel him pressed against her.

Sakura felt faint when she realized just what it was that was brushing against her bare thigh, but then she stiffened, now fully awake. However, before she had the chance to squeak with shock, the intruder reacted. One moment she was facing him and half curled on her side, and the next, she was flat on her back with the breath knocked out of her, a warm, heavy weight stretched out fully on top of her. Stunned, she was about to throw caution to the wind and let out a shrill screech that her attacker would not be forgetting for a long time when she finally took a good look at his features and promptly froze over in shock.

The man had a head of sleek, long raven hair that fell unbound down his back, and coupled with the quiet intensity in his compelling cat slit eyes, made him appear slightly feral, yet proudly regal at the same time. It was confusing; the type of thoughts that ran through her head at the moment, but that was not what had caught her attention so completely.

No, it was the pair of furry, triangular appendages that sat on the top of his head like they had every right to do so, black and silkily textured like his hair, as if truly a part of him. Before Sakura could do something inane, like wonder what on earth was this guy doing with a pair of cat ears pinned on his head, one of the abovementioned twitched slightly, right before her stupendous gaze!

The hell?!

Sakura gasped. "What are you?" she breathed out before she could stop herself. Her formerly tensed countenance had relaxed slightly by now in shock, putting up no resistance in order to understand faster what was going on. This man couldn't be…her cat…could he?

The heavy weight above her shifted slightly as the leanly muscled male moved to straddle her, coincidentally aligning their hips together in a distressingly embarrassing fashion that made Sakura freeze, quickly realizing her vulnerable position. Her 'captor' did not seem to realize her discomfort, though. Position secured, he proceeded to sit up with a lazy, feline grace that made her stare. Her dazed emerald eyes noted his broad shoulders, pale pectorals that tapered downwards to a flat, sleek abdomen, and then…

Sakura quickly found out that her current prone position on the bed was giving her more of an eyeful of the lithe, stunningly attractive male than she ever wanted to see, and face turning a bright red that she knew just had to be clashing horribly with her hair, Sakura proceeded to center her gaze on his face and nowhere else. She was immediately disconcerted to see him looking her straight in the eyes, and it seemed that he had been doing so from the very beginning.

Watching her, observing her with those eyes that gleamed with an inhuman, razor-sharp intelligence.

Sakura was beginning to feel more than a bit of irritation as the silence stretched. Was she going to get some explanations or what? And did this man have no shame? She could see him, all of him!

"Uh…please get off me?" she asked at last, not very sure how her demand had ended up as a weak question as her patience neared the end of her tether, still not too sure how to handle this unknown…being. It was still too damn early for things like this to be happening to her, and belatedly, Sakura decided that her brain must be broken somewhere for her to be reacting so calmly in the face of this incredulous situation.

But then again, this man had kitty ears, the sort that made little children and women squeal and go all gaga over, the very epitome of Kawaii Things.

Of course, Sakura contemplated quietly to herself as the raven-haired male continued to stare blatantly at her whereas she, in turn, gaped at those furry ears of his, he had somehow managed to escape looking completely adorable with those animalistic appendages on him, strange as it was. He wasn't even anywhere near adorable at the moment, and if Sakura had to define him, it would be that he was giving off a very competent and focused air, which in turn implied that he could be potentially dangerous.

All in all, it was a rather impressive aura that he was projecting, seeing that he had those kitty ears and was buck naked.

…Sakura decided that something was really wrong with her. She could not seem to get past the fact that-

"What is your name?"

It took awhile for her to realize that he was speaking to her. His voice was calm and smooth, an impassive, slightly husky tenor that immediately made her center her entire attention on him.

He was compelling.

Before she knew it, she was already answering his question.

"I'm…My name…is Sakura. Haruno Sakura." She paused, nibbling at her lips at this completely unconventional situation and introduction, before asking her own question. "Who are you, and how did you get into my house?"

He watched her with an unreadable expression for a brief moment before he finally replied.

"You brought me home last night, or did you forget? You picked me up from an alley, brought me home, and patched me up."

Sakura was disconcerted by his accurate account, but common sense refused to allow her to believe what he was implying, cat ears or not.

"I brought home a cat! A black cat that was injured and-"

"-Now in your debt," he interrupted with a tone of finality that made her frown. Then, he cocked his head slightly, watching the way she blushed at his proximity and blatant nudity, noting how pleasing her delicate features looked with that fine dusting of pink that coated her cheeks, the way she was biting her lip, not entirely sure what to do now that he had her so completely restrained under him. He hadn't realized it last night, but it was evident now that his pink-haired rescuer was quite the pretty little thing, and intent, cat slit crimson eyes became half-lidded, transferring his attention slowly from her dainty, heart shaped face down to the open collar of her pajamas, lingering at her bared throat and the pale, milky expanse of skin that was revealed. The large men's shirt that she was wearing was slipping off a shoulder enticingly, revealing a lacy, pale pink bra strap, and coupled with the slumberous, tousled look…

He wondered what he would find under that large shirt.

By the time he returned his gaze to her face, she was no longer pink in the face, but rather, a bright, vivid red. She was no longer embarrassed either; in fact, she looked outraged, much to his growing amusement.

"What are you looking at?" she sputtered, finally snapping to her senses. "And get off me now, or so help me I will make you very sorry!"

He had been checking her out! Sakura did not know whether to be furious or to be shocked by what was going on. She couldn't explain it, but when this veritable stranger had run those intense red eyes of his down the length of her body…it was as if she couldn't seem to breathe at all, and something within her chest was squeezing hard with shaky anticipation…and excitement?

But she didn't even know this person!

Sakura quickly pushed the disturbing thought aside. There were bigger fish to fry right now, like how to get him off her, for one.

By then, she had managed to free her arms from the tangle of bedspread and pillows, and was about to haul herself out from under him when he leaned over and easily wrapped long fingers around her wrists, stopping her flat. She tried to pull away, but quickly found that he had her caged, which was something of a shock since she was actually a lot stronger than her slight frame implied, not to mention how he had somehow managed not to hurt her at all whilst immobilizing her completely, which quickly told her that he was very strong.

Still, she tried to rip her hands from his hold, only for him to tighten his fingers around her fragile-looking wrists warningly. Sakura turned her head slightly to look down at his hand, searching for a way to twist herself free, and was stunned to see the impossibly sharp nails he had, sharp nails that he had carefully kept from accidentally hurting her.

Sakura stared.

They looked like…claws.

And just at the edge of her peripheral vision, she thought she saw something long and black twitch, sliding almost weightlessly across her legs…fur…tail…

It couldn't be.

Thoroughly stunned by now, she slowly returned her attention to the…being on top of her. Thanks to their little struggle, he was now pressed against her from chest to thigh again, his face only inches from hers, his long raven hair falling in a curtain around them both, cutting them out from the rest of the world.

Sakura froze, her eyes locking onto his cat slit, ruby ones, unable to tear them away from his mesmerizing gaze.

"You are the cat…"

She sounded completely dazed by her realization, whereas he only narrowed his eyes slightly in acknowledgement, before moving even closer, leaning his face near.

Sakura felt as if she was caught in his exotic eyes, as if he had some strange ability to will her to not look away.

"About that debt…" was it her ears, or was his voice lower, rougher? She felt her heart beating rapidly, almost as if it was about to jump right out of her chest, her eyes wide as his lips brushed lightly against the line of her jaw, as he resettled himself over her smaller form, as his scent enveloped her. Sakura didn't know why she wasn't fighting; it was as if there was a voice inside her head telling not to resist this male, to give in to her attraction to him…

"I don't like to owe favors, Sakura," he purred huskily against her ear, slowly parting her legs with a knee as he distracted her, moving her unresisting arms to the pillows above her head and holding them there with one hand as the other reach down to her waist, languidly stroking her through her nightshirt. "Perhaps we can work something out now, hm?"

Sakura flushed and fought a shudder. Her mind felt heavy and sluggish the longer she stared at him, and when he finally lowered his dark head to kiss her, she did not fight him. Emerald eyes slipped shut, and her breath hitched when he pressed his lips against hers, nudging against her mouth and coaxing her to open for him. She did so after a bit of hesitation, and boldly, he engaged her in a long, wet kiss, slipping his rough tongue into her mouth and languorously tasting the essence that was uniquely her.

She smelled sweet and creamy, and was all soft curves and warm heat. It was a heady combination, and the fact that she wasn't resisting him at all pleased him.

He knew that she was very attracted to him, could see in the stunned look in her pure emerald gaze from the very first moment she had fluttered open those long lashes, rousing from sleep, the very first time she had laid eyes on him.

His glamour on her wouldn't have worked otherwise; the small, minor suggestions that he had slipped casually into her mind, if she wasn't already inclined towards such notions. It had also helped that he, too, was rather interested in her; beyond the fact that she was rather pleasing to the eye and he did technically owe her a debt for taking him in the previous evening, in a manner of speaking, there was also the part that she shouldn't have been able to notice him last night.

The concealment charm that he had put on right after he had escaped the ambush had been powerful enough to ensure that even those of his own kind would be unable to detect him, and therefore it was a given that no human should be able to see through his illusion as well.

But she had.

Somehow, this petite female had managed the impossible, and he intended to find out just how she had done it.

He withdrew slightly from her then, pulling almost reluctantly away from her soft lips and trailing his open mouth down to the slender column of her throat instead, nipping carefully at her collarbones with sharp fangs, licking the side of her neck, dropping wet kisses on the sensitive part of her flesh where neck met shoulder. A small, shaky moan escaped her, and he decided that he rather liked the soft, sexy sounds that she emitted, and for now, he would concentrate solely on her. Slowly, he parted her thighs further, moving his knee upwards and gently pressing against that intimate area between her legs even as his hand slid up to ease her shirt off her. Sakura jerked slightly at the pleasant sensation, eyes glazed as he applied persistent pressure on that most sensitive part of her, as his mouth worked busily against the side of her neck, as his hand began to unbutton her clothes.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to think, and by the time Sakura managed to pull herself out of this sexual haze, she was already well on her way to becoming as naked as this stranger who was stretched languorously over her, as he nibbled on her skin and caressed her flesh with disturbing familiarity, as he touched her where no man had done so before…

This was wrong.

She didn't even know this person, so why was she letting him do such intimate things to her?

Fight it. Resist him.

And Sakura did.

One moment he was blatantly enjoying her body, luxuriating himself in the feel of this beautiful woman currently lying under him, pleasuring her and, in turn, deriving pleasure from her sweet, passionate responses, the next he was abruptly shoved away from said 'sweet, pliant' beauty, clearly not expecting such a move, surprised when she suddenly wrenched her hands free from his loosened hold and quickly separated herself from him.

Unbelievable; she had managed to snap herself out of his glamour, not to mention how there was evidently enough strength in that curvy, yet svelte, body of hers to move him, granted that he hadn't anticipated it, and thus, was unable to counteract her action.

Now, she had his entire attention.

Sakura quickly took advantage of the element of surprise that she had gained to clamber clumsily to the other end of the bed, which was, incidentally, the furthest she could get from the man who had been touching her most inappropriately but seconds ago. Her hand came up quickly to grasp the gaping lapels of her nightshirt closed, even as the other hurriedly pulled down the hem of the shirt to cover her panties-clad bottom as well as the tops of her thighs. She quickly shot a very indignant glare at the male on the other side of the bed, now recovered from her abrupt departure of him, half-reclining on his side as he watched her with a mixture of amusement and outright hunger in those lazy, crimson eyes, evidently not bothered about his nakedness whatsoever, nor was he at all shy to reveal to her his blatant…desire…for her.

Sakura flushed at the sight of his half-erect member and hastily adverted her eyes. She had no idea that her blush had only served to emphasize that particularly vulnerable expression on her face. It was particularly enticing, and, coupled with her kiss swollen lips and passion-dazed emerald eyes, the predator in him was very pleased indeed.

Sakura quickly found herself preoccupied with staring at his long, black tail. It was probably the safest thing about this man that she could stare at and not automatically conjure up some intense, lust filled, explicit sexual images that would make her blush even worse. Sakura focused her entire attention on that animalistic appendage of his like her life depended on it. It was lengthy, probably only a little over half of his full height, and it seemed to possess some sort of prehensile properties. By now, it was no longer possible for Sakura to deny the truth. This being reclining before her was no ordinary man. She watched as the furry tip flicked back and forth idly on the bedspread mere feet away from her, and tracked its movements determinedly with her sight. She followed its slender, whip-like length as it crept up and over an undoubtedly masculine calf, slithered along the graceful line of a sleekly muscular thigh, before disappearing over the side of a lean, narrow hip…

Oh god. Dear god.

She hadn't been able to take the full measure of her…cat earlier, but now that he was stretched out fully, almost as if purposely, right before her gaze…

Her mouth became strangely dry. Sakura froze, formerly white knuckled grip on the unbuttoned openings of her large nightshirt loosening in shock.

She had known the very moment she laid eyes on him that he was beautiful, but now, as she took in the sight of his pale body so openly displayed for her…viewing pleasure, toned and taut and gleaming slightly under the sunlight that streamed through the open windows, Sakura didn't know what to think anymore.

She was beginning to feel lightheaded, very lightheaded.

"Do you like what you see, kitten?"

It took the poor, dazed woman an entire minute to understand what the breathtaking, unapologetically virile, male had just purred huskily to her, and even then, she could not seem to muster enough of her rapidly hyperventilating brain cells to manage an appropriate reply back to him.

A small smile flirted with thin, sensual lips then, lips that mere moments ago had marked her sensitive skin with electrifying nips and kisses. Lips that had made her knees go completely weak, as shameful as the thought was. Cat slit ruby eyes gleamed with lazy amusement, almost as if he was all too aware of the direction that her dismaying thoughts were heading, and he wasn't even making any effort to hide the masculine satisfaction that seemed to radiate off him in waves.

Sakura was beginning to feel a distinct headache coming up. She frowned inwardly.

What was she going to do now?

In typical Sakura fashion, she started to pull her fraying composure together in a brisk, no nonsense manner, and he could almost see the fire return to those vivid, doe-like eyes of hers, quickly replacing the confused, unsure look as she straightened herself to her full height, almost as if preparing herself for an oncoming battle…in her baby pink panties and a very becoming nightshirt.

His eyes were half-lidded, gleaming at the possibility of a very interesting morning ahead. That is, if he could get the opportunity to corner her again. Unfortunately, that very disgruntled, determined look that she was sporting quickly indicated that it was going to be difficult to convince her to resume their previous activity, which was a pity, because he still wasn't anywhere near done with that lush little body of hers.

But then again, there was always tomorrow; there would be more opportunities to put that sexy, flustered look on her. She wore it so very well, after all. He looked forward to making her show that expression around him as often as possible.

"…your injuries." Sakura spoke then, going for the most obvious angle, trying her best to regain at least some semblance of control over this situation. "You are still wounded, so you really shouldn't move about so…vigorously."

She was blushing slightly by the time she completed her sentence, but other than that, seemed to be holding out quite well. She was also trying not to look at him, which was why she failed to notice the cunning, appraising stare that he was giving her.

What a strange little female she was; he had been blatantly taking advantage of her from the very beginning, but yet, she didn't seem to be threatened by him at all, and was even genuinely concerned over his wellbeing when she should, by right, be screaming at the top of her lungs and/or trying to drive him out of her house. She did seem a bit of wary of him though, but he swiftly concluded that she was more worried over his amorous intent towards her than the fact that he wasn't exactly human to begin with. She was also attracted to him; he could tell by the dazed look in her eyes, by the addictive, heady spike of arousal that filled his sharp olfactory senses. It was no surprise that she would feel the pull of attraction towards him, really; most of his kind was born inhumanly beautiful and attractive to the humans around them.

However, unlike other women he knew, human or otherwise, she was putting in a great effort to control her desire, to the point of denying him even when he was perfectly willing to indulge in her every sexual whims in this case, a blatant seduction that he seldom, if ever, indulged in.

It would seem that he was interested in her as well.

In response to her question, the lean male merely shifted slightly, taut muscles rippling across tight abs, and in the process, revealing his right flank to her direct line of sight. There was something completely graceful, feline, in the way he moved, and Sakura had to shake her head inwardly to clear her inappropriate thoughts, and to focus her attention on him in a completely neutral medical standpoint.

Sakura remembered that this was the same side that she had so feverishly worked on last night, busily sewing a particularly messy tear together. To her stunned surprise, there was nothing but a pale scar that ran down half the length of his thigh, interspersed by bits of suture thread that she had clearly identified as her own distinct handiwork. This was impossible; the wound was already healed to the point whereby she was now able to remove the threads without reopening the injury!

"I heal quickly, my kitten," he answered her unspoken question with velvety amusement. "Though I'd still thank you for last night. Would you like to come nearer to check for yourself? Perhaps help to assuage some of my other…discomforts…as well?"

Sakura did not appreciate his silky innuendo, no matter how mesmerizing his voice was, and the fact that someone like him was so very blatantly…interested…in her made her insides squeeze in a frantic, fluttery manner. The pretty pink-haired doctor had no idea what to make of her strange feelings, and quickly dismissed it to ponder upon something else.

And all this was happening on her one and only off day for the week too!

"Stop that," she muttered in a highly disgruntled fashion as she mentally focused on the tasks that she would have to do, even as a small migraine started to bother her. "I will have to remove your stitches later, if you are really as recovered as you appear to be. And, please," she sounded strangled as she averted her eyes from him and waved her hand vaguely in his direction. "Cover yourself with something. Do you have no shame?"

It was strangely satisfying to know that she was rather affected by his nudity. As a shapeshifter, it was natural that he was confident and at ease with his nude form, unlike her, who was human and thus adorably modest. It was a pity that he wouldn't get to see her body in its full glory yet, but that didn't mean he would stop trying to get this shy female out of her clothes to show him that sweet little body of hers.

Hmm, it was a commendable goal to work towards, if he had to say so himself, one which he hoped to accomplish, at the latest, by tomorrow.

"I will find you some clothes, and after I take care of your wounds, you can go." Sakura rambled on, clearly already making plans at least a mile long in her head. She really didn't care anymore that she had evidently picked up some rare, exotic, never-seen-before Cat-Man and brought him home, nor was she really interested to find out more. She just wanted a nice, quiet day to spend in her house and no naked men with kitty ears and tails lounging in her bed and trying to seduce the panties off her.

Unfortunately enough, that was going to be a pipe dream. As if the sinuous, raven-haired male had just heard her thoughts, his lips curled into a small, thoroughly amused smirk.

"No, you are not getting rid of me this easily," one of his ears twitched ever so slightly, and his tail flicked with obvious delight. "You were the one who brought me home, after all. You cannot abandon me so callously, my kitten."

Sakura froze, and it was obvious that she could see what this was going. Oh, no.

Oh no.

Cat slit crimson eyes gleaming with unholy amusement at the pink-haired female's almost insultingly dismayed expression, Uchiha Itachi purred throatily.

"It seems that I belong to you now, Sakura."

::tsuzuku::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

Aha, do not maim the authoress! I know that this is a one-shot—for now.

Shall I continue?

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For the intellectuals who are looking for something 'deep and meaningful,' I'm sorry, but you are really looking in the wrong place (or fic). You have my sincerest apologies. You do not have to tell me; I bear full knowledge that the characters are ridiculously OOC, KittiTachi is an incorrigible manslut, and this whole installment is flirting dangerously with the Plot, What Plot? line. I know!

But still I post this trashy, crack-ish fic; fellow fangirls with kitty-fetishes defend (or kill) me now!

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I'm just kidding. Really. There's a plot somewhere in here, but it will take another chapter or two to bring it out. In the event that I don't get to put up more chapters, oh well.

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For the curious (or the perpetually befuddled), Shapeshifter!Itachi is felis catus, a domestic cat, if you will. He is obviously larger than your average feline, and I liken him to a Maine Coon or a Norwegian Forest Cat. Imagine one with pure black fur and crimson eyes, and voila, instant KittiTachi!

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Edit (17/05/13): Due to overwhelming response and unexpected popularity, I'm happy to announce that 'Lady Luck' has been officially upgraded to 'continuous fic' status as of today. Do look forward to the next chapter soon!

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

-paws