Pounding Heart
Wham!
“Don’t you dare…” Sakura took a deep breath, heart hammering in her chest as she tried to keep the flood of panic at bay. “Don’t you dare die and leave me with your pervert cousin…” Because if you do, I’m pretty damn sure he’d lose his shit and then your whole fucking clan is going to murder me, revive me and then murder me again…she almost threw up at the thought.
Another powerful, chakra enhanced fist pounded his chest and then another and another.
Itachi gasped, choking on air as his back arched in pain, dark eyes wild and dilated. Cradling his head in her lap, Sakura unconsciously placed a tender kiss on his temple, sagging in relief and drawing his dazed attention. “Please don’t ever fucking do that again, Itachi…” she whispered, pumping her chakra into him to stabilize his vitals.
Shisui dropped down beside them and she had never been more happy to see him.
“He’s alive…” she assured, getting ready to haul him across her shoulders, but Shisui beat her to it.
Her eyes were already assessing the damage he’d taken—bruises and lacerations, a broken rib or two judging by his breathing and low on chakra. About to protest, Sakura bit her tongue when he shook his head and gave her a pained smile. “I’ve got him. I need you free in case there’s another war party on the loose.” In case you need to escape and leave us behind…
She tsked and stepping forward, placed a healing hand to his side to mend his ribs. “Don’t be dramatic.”
He stole a quick kiss much to Sakura’s chagrin. “It’s alright, sweetheart. Save your energy. You’re going to need it for the run back home.”
…
Sakura was exhausted. A stay-in-bed-all-day type of exhausted where the only thing she wanted to do was sleep and flop around, maybe eat if she could manage, but mostly just sleep. But damn, she couldn’t. With a tired groan, she rolled out of bed and dragged herself to the shower.
An hour later, she was walking into the Uchiha compound, mentally preparing herself for what would certainly be a very long day. She briefly wondered how she got sucked into doing this and then remembered that it was all Tsunade’s fault. How convenient of the blonde to offer up her apprentice to oversee the annual Uchiha shinobi physicals. Ugh, who did I piss off in my past life?
Personally, Sakura would’ve just forced everyone to show up at the hospital by threatening each and every one of them with low ranking missions, but ‘in the interest of clan relations’, Tsunade had given them this small inch. Though Sakura knew it was simply to shut the Uchiha elders up.
“Sakura-senpai!”
She looked up and waved, making a beeline for where the others had set up shop. The medics had commandeered one of the many traditional homes on the Uchiha compound and had partitioned the space into smaller, private rooms for the physicals.
“Catch me up, Moegi,” Sakura said as she accepted the steaming cup of coffee from the young, doe-eyed medic in training.
“Five medics on site, including you. Rooms have all been set up and everything’s good to go, Sakura-senpai.”
“How many Uchiha are we expecting?”
“Forty-seven.”
Moegi helped Sakura into her white chief medic coat as the others walked onto the roka. Sakura could’ve killed Tsunade right then and there when she saw who she was saddled with. All fresh, doe-eyed girls. Fan girls. Masquerading as medics in training. This had to be payback for swiping a few bottles of her best sake. Granted, these physicals would be easy enough for their skill levels, but what the hell! She didn’t need to deal with puddles of goo and lovesick babies today. Suppressing a sigh, Sakura took a deep breath. She’d been doing that a lot lately it seemed.
“I demand complete professionalism today, ladies. Lose that and I’ll have no issue kicking your asses back to the hospital and calling for replacements. Absolutely no fangirling. Are we understood?”
“B-but Sakura-senpai, what if we can’t help it?”
She raised a brow, an almost scary smile curving her lips. “You’re medics. You better be able to help it.”
“It’s not fair. Sakura-senpai has had lots more experience dealing with beautiful men.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at their eager, yet nervous expressions. She certainly did have more experience, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t immune. She was still a hot-blooded female, thank you very much and only twenty five. Though admittedly, it did help to have two of Konoha’s most sought after bachelors as best friends. Their stupidity tended to overshadow their good looks however, and over time Sakura had developed a certain resistance.
“Complete professionalism,” she repeated. “Now get going. I can already feel a few patients approaching.”
“Hai, Sakura-senpai!”
It was easy enough to get through the physicals and much to her surprise, Sakura found she didn’t need to intervene as much as she thought she would. Uchihas certainly weren’t known for their chattiness and they only showed her medics the utmost respect. Polite. Quiet. Assessing. If they were amused by the girls and their admiring stares, they didn’t show it.
“Sakura…”
She looked up from her notes and smiled. “Hey, Itachi. Have a seat.” She pointed to the medical bed in the center of the room. “I’ll be over in a sec.”
“Shizune-san?”
“Last minute diplomatic trip to Suna,” she explained.
“Aa.”
“Shirt off, please and take a seat.”
He did as he was asked, as silent as ever. No wasted words. Finishing the last of her notes, she placed the clipboard down and walked over. She didn’t think anyone would argue about Itachi Uchiha’s masculine allure or down-right gorgeousness. He was perhaps the epitome of a Konoha shinobi. Sleek. Powerful. Devastating. So good it was downright scary sometimes.
“How’re you feeling today?”
“Fine.”
“Fully recovered I hope after last week’s ‘let me be a hero’ episode?” Sakura smiled sweetly. She deliberately invaded his personal space by stepping in between his legs and placing a warm hand on his chest, letting her chakra flow into his body.
His dark eyes flickered, gaze growing more intense. “Fully recovered, Sakura. I assure you.”
“Good.” Sometimes these men needed reminding that despite their genius, they were all still human and needed to take care.
“Now take a deep breath. Release.”
He had a strong heartbeat. Lungs were fine and his injuries sustained during their last ANBU mission were mostly healed. Her hand lingered on his left side, fingers fluttering over the oblong green yellow bruise. Served him right.
“You didn’t heal it.” His voice was deep and even. Silently, she cursed him for sounding good enough to eat. Like dark, velvety chocolate.
“How are your eyes?”
“Fine.”
She raised a pink brow and then drew closer to take a deeper look.
“Sasuke complains sometimes about headaches after prolonged use of his Sharingan. You must experience the same thing, probably worse.” There was a lilting threat somewhere in between her soft spoken words as she rested her fingers on his temples.
“Occasionally,” he murmured.
“There’s a lot of pressure that can build up when you’re channeling so much chakra into one area of your body. Because of this, your eyes tend to suffer a lot of strain.” Sakura then gently began massaging the areas around his eyes, smiling when he, whether intentional or not, let them drift closed. With every soft caress and stroke, she fed small bursts and sinewy tendrils of her chakra in and around, restoring and relaxing the strong pathways that fueled his bloodline limit.
“Does it hurt?”
Itachi offered a noncommittal grunt which she took as a no. “Shisui says it feels like foreplay. Figures the perv would somehow relate it back to sex,” Sakura divulged with an airy chuckle.
“You’ve done this for him?”
“Mmhmm. He saw me do it a few days ago on Sasuke and Kakashi and said he wanted in.” His silence was telling. “Are you feeling left out?” she teased, pushing back a stray lock of his long black hair.
“Hn.”
Sakura laughed as she finished up. “Don’t be. It’s something new I’m trying out. Consider yourselves my little guinea pigs.”
Itachi opened his eyes when she stepped away.
“Better?” she asked, biting her bottom lip and suddenly anxious to hear what he thought.
“Aa.”
Sakura smiled, resigning herself to his monosyllabic answers but still feeling playful. “Better than foreplay?”
“Much better. More like the after effects of an orgasm.” He didn’t miss a beat and she burst into a fit of laughter, shoving his shoulder as her face heated.
“It does not!”
He caught her hand and for a moment, she felt her heart stutter and butterflies rise in her stomach at the rather intimate gesture. Lacing his fingers through hers, he lifted his gaze from their intertwined hands and pulled her even closer.
“I never thanked you for saving my life.”
Sakura forced her brain to function again. “I’m pretty sure I owe you a few more lives, Itachi.”
His eyes darkened as an almost secretive smile quirked his lips, but just as soon as it appeared, it was gone.
“Sakura-hime!” The shoji screen whipped open and Shisui swept in, a black-haired whirlwind so unlike the typical, stoic Uchihas she was used to.
“Hey, Shisui,” she greeted over her shoulder before turning back to Itachi who still held her hand captive. He finally let her go though after a few insistent tugs.
“Your vitals are good, all in tip top shape, to be honest,” Sakura said, jotting down a few final notes on a paper pad she had grabbed from her front coat pocket.
“Did you get to experience Sakura’s magic hands?” Shisui asked curiously, mischief dancing in his eyes.
“Don’t make it sound dirty!” “It was an innocent question!”
Just then, there was a loud thump from the room next door. Sakura already knew what it was and mentally face-palmed.
“Ah, Sakura-san…”
She smiled apologetically at the handsome Uchiha who appeared in the doorway, looking mildly panicked. “Don’t worry about it, Hiro.” He nodded in relief and quickly went on his way.
Shisui and Itachi both hid a smirk, but Sakura could see it in their eyes. “Pain in the asses…”
“Can’t help that girls fall at our feet. You know, Uchiha genes and all,” Shisui bemoaned, biting back his Cheshire grin.
She rolled her pretty, green eyes and whacked him on the shoulder as she walked by to attend to the puddle of medic-goo next door.
“She’s mine,” Itachi stated after Sakura had left the room, glancing at Shisui.
He raised a brow in challenge. “Staking claims already, little cousin?”
Itachi narrowed his eyes before they both disappeared.
Later, Sakura would wonder what the hell had happened when they both showed up on her doorstep, battered and bruised.
…
Yassss!!! More things added to my drawing list.
@maybe-please 😭😭 thanks so much for your super sweet words!! I’m humbled and glad you enjoyed!!
