Can't Help Falling In Love With You

Chapter 6

Sakura and Itachi had found a small little wooden cottage hidden under a ledge on the other side of the lake they usually frequented. It had been quite well hidden, several trees and bushes placed in front of it. Successfully obscuring most of it from view.

Sakura had been scared at first to go inside when they had first found it, telling Itachi that someone had definitely died in there. Despite her fear, when Itachi had tentatively opened the door and stepped inside, she'd been right behind him, clutching at the back of his shirt and peeking from overside his arm.

It had been dusty and he'd had to clear away all the cobwebs, Sakura 'helping' by encouraging him, but the cottage was now once again habitable. No corpses found. They'd even placed a bit of furniture in it, including a cabinet, carpet, and a futon.

Now they were sitting on the said carpet across from each other cross-legged as they played a game of chess.

Or were at least trying to. Itachi was attempting to patiently relay the instructions to Sakura on how to play. He had brought it after realizing that she had never heard of it. The amount of sheltering Sakura had undergone in life never ceased to amaze him.

The sun was slightly peeking into the cabin through a small window that had the fortune of being placed in between the trees.

Sakura was becoming increasingly agitated with the game if the way her right eye was beginning to twitch was any indication. The final straw was when he looked at her with a smug smirk and told her he'd won. She grabbed the chessboard and smacked him over the head with it, the pieces flying everywhere.

The day was hot and humid. Deciding that Sakura likely didn't want to play again and not being able to stand the sticky heat anymore, Itachi asked, "Sakura, do you want to go for a swim?"

"What?" She answered bemused. Itachi stood up and bent down, grabbing her arms and lifting her up into his arms.

"Hey!" Sakura looked up at Itachi alarmed as he stalked outside, right towards the lake. He didn't stop at its edge and continued into the lake.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked panicked.

"Let's go for a swim," Itachi repeated, continuing to move into the water.

"Not in my dress!" Sakura shrieked, flailing her legs.

Itachi sighed before turning around and placing her back on the sand. He removed his shirt and tossed it at her. Sakura caught it and held it up, staring at it confused.

"Take off your dress and put that on," Itachi explained patiently, dying to get back in the water. He was just about to faint from heatstroke.

Sakura eyed the shirt critically before looking back at Itachi, blushing as her eyes finally registered that he was shirtless.

"Well, turn around!" She finally said impatiently in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Itachi made a big show of closing his eyes and putting his hand over them, before turning to face the other side.

He heard the zipper of her dress going down as he waited for her to get in the water. Sakura lifted the dress over her head before looking around, spotting a large rock, and placing her dress on top of it. There was no way she was putting it on the dirty ground. Sakura slipped Itachi's shirt over her head and removed her shoes, placing them at the base of the rock.

The water felt cool to her toes as she carefully stepped in. The moment Itachi heard her get in the water, he turned around and encircled her waist with his arms. Sakura yelped as she was once again lifted up into the air. Walking backward, he dragged her deeper into the lake before throwing himself backward, effectively causing them to both falls in, getting wet from head to toe.

Sakura loudly gasped as she stood up, fixing Itachi with an angry glare as soon as her head was above water. She indignantly splashed his face. It was quite useless, seeing as he was already soaked.

Scoffing, Itachi roughly splashed her back until she had to close her eyes and couldn't see anymore because the water kept getting in her eyes. She was reduced to blindly slapping the water in his direction. 

"I give, I give!" Sakura finally shrieked, holding up her hands in surrender. Itachi stopped his attack and she was finally able to appreciate the cool lake. 

Lifting her head towards the sky and closing her eyes she sighed, "this is so nice."

"I told you," Itachi smartly responded, swimming towards her and spinning her around. 

The hours passed as they swam in the small lake. Itachi was holding her by the waist when Sakura suddenly crashed her lips onto his. He reciprocated with as much eagerness and brought one of his hands up to cup her face as she encircled her legs around his waist. 

They continued to kiss, stumbling out of the lake and back to the cottage. Itachi placed her at the edge of the futon before pushing her down and climbing on top of her. He grabbed the hemline of the shirt Sakura was wearing and tossed it over her head. He barely had time to look down as their lips connected once again.

Itachi's lips lowered to her neck, placing soft kisses all along the slender column and Sakura lightly gasped. His hands were at her knees, starting to slowly make their way up. As his hands fluttered closer to her inner thigh, this seemed to be what broke Sakura out of her haze and she firmly placed her hands over Itachi's. 

"We should stop." She whispered softly, her lips still grazing against his with every syllable.

Itachi nodded, separating completely from her and abruptly pushing himself off of her and to the other edge of the futon.

Itachi awkwardly kept his eyes on the cabinet as Sakura stood up and picked up his shirt from the ground to cover herself with it again. They walked out of the cottage and She grabbed her clothes off the rock before running back inside the cottage to quickly change.

Itachi approached her as she came out, grabbing a lock of her hair and twirling it around his fingers, "Your hair is still wet."

Sakura also glanced at her hair, "It's okay, It's still really hot and It's not a short walk. I'm sure it'll be dry enough by the time I get there."

Itachi hummed and stared at her for a moment before handing her a little basket. "Oh, Right." Sakura chirped. She had wanted to gather some herbs that conveniently grew near here. Sakura looked down at the basket to see that Itachi had at some point gathered the herbs she wanted.

"Thanks," She said gratefully, "I look forward to our next meeting," She told him cheekily. Turning around and giving him one last wave over her shoulder, sakura disappeared behind the thick forestland.