DISCLAIMER: Do not own anything recognizable. :P
Itachi had just returned from a mission with the ANBU to come face-to-face with a town filled with costumed kids. Halloween was in full swing in Konoha and Itachi had dismissed the days significance in his mind til faced with the blatency of the holiday. He walked down the road that led to his house, sure in the knowledge that no one would be at the compound save for some elders passing out candy to the many children. Sasuke and Mikoto would be out there somewhere, he smiled lightly at the thought of his mother and brother enjoying themselves. At eight, Sasuke still held a semblence of childhood that Itachi had not had. The Uchiha prodigy was grateful that his father focused all his dreams and desires on Itachi, leaving his brother to his childhood whims to some degree.
The ANBU captain was not so lost in his thoughts, however, that he missed the small crying girl.
"What are you crying about?" He stooped down to the girl who appeared to be his brothers age, and brushed back some locks of pink from her face. He took in her torn black satin kimono, delicate crown, and the slight bruise she had on her cheek.
"A g-girl and h-her fri-iends pus-shed me int-to t-the ditch and called me a f-ffreak." The pinkette whimpered slightly as she violently brushed away a few tears and touched the fresh bruise.
"Its okay, they left." Itachi was at a slight loss at what to say to the girl to make her feel better, he'd never dealt with a crying eight year old. "Why did they call you a freak?"
"C-cause of my p-p-pink hair and b-big forehead!" She held her hands to her face, obscuring his few of her features in an attempt to hide said forehead. "I hate my hair!"
Itachi pulled her hands from her face with a firm grip and looked into her emerald hued orbs. "Well I like your hair." Sakura let out a few sniffles and another tear trailed down her cheek. "And your forehead is not big, its perfect for you."
"R-really?" Sakura turned her head to rub her cheek against her shoulder and wipe away the tear only to let out a small whimper at the contact.
"Really." Itachi let go of her hands and pulled a mint green colored chakra to his hand. "Now hold still." He raised his hand to her face and softly touched the bruise, healing the discolored and slightly swollen flesh.
"A-arigato..." Sakura stared at the dark haired man with admiration glittering in her wide eyes.
"Do itashimashite." Itachi stood up and Sakura immediatly stood up aswell. "Now, what is your name Hime?"
A pretty blush splashed across her face at the nickname. "Haruno, Sakura.."
"Well, Sakura-hime, aren't you supposed to be trick-or-treating?" Itachi's voice held a soft note to it that he only used around his mother and brother. It comforted the small girl a great deal.
"H-hai, domo..." A tear fell only for Itachi to brush it off her face.
"But?"
"Thats when the girls found me..." Sakura whispered, looking down at her feet as though ashamed that she had been bullied. "And my costume is destroyed.."
"Sakura-hime, I will bring you trick-or-treating. No one will harm you then."
"Are you a ninja?"
"Hai."
"Arigato Ouji-kun." Sakura smiled sweetly up at the shocked thirteen year old. It appeared that he was her prince for the night.
She grabbed his hand and tugged him along as they left the ditch, her mind no longer on her torn costume but on how warm his hand felt. She turned a brilliant rose color at the thought.
Hours passed and soon the houses turned off their lights, Sakura's bag was filled to the brim with candy and her mind was filled with how many elderly people had commented about what a cute prince and princess the two made.
"Sakura-hime.." Itachi began, only to be cut off by her light voice.
"Kaeritakunai na." She said it bluntly in her soft sweet way and Itachi couldn't help the amused light that glinted in his eyes.
"You have to go home, your Okaa-san must be missing you."
"My Haha is away... Chichi said she went on vacation." Sakuras voice barely reached Itachis ears. "He said she went on vacation four years ago, he cries and won't tell me when she will come back though.. Chichi misses her, I can tell."
He had no idea how to respond to her statement. Her mother was dead. For four years. A newspaper article suddenly flashed in his mind; a civilian had been killed by a passing mugger, the civilian had shockingly pink hair. He stayed silent for a moment as the two walked hand-in-hand. "Okutte ikou ka."
"Would you really?" Sakura smiled so widely that Itachi couldn't help but return her smile. He was going to walk her home!
"Hai, I will. Where do you live?"
"Near Kikyo Castle." Sakura stated a walking distance some thirty minutes from their current position. She gave a small yawn and rubbed her eye with the hand in Itachis.
"You are tired." Itachi stated bluntly as he knelt down. "You can ride on my back."
Sakura was speechless as she turned a matching shade of pink. She let go of his hand and gave him her candy basket before climbing on his back and nuzzling into his pony-tailed hair. "Arigato Ouji-kun." She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled softly.
He stood back up and pushed some chakra into his feet before heading towards her home.
Within minutes she was fast asleep curled against his back, her deep even breaths brushing against his neck in a rhythmical pattern. He allowed himself a soft smile at the thought of the sleeping girl. His night had most definatly taken a different course then he'd originally thought. Instead of meditating alone in his room until Sasuke came back from his holiday fun, Itachi had wandered around town with a girl who had never asked his name and was content in calling him her prince. He lightly shook his head as he jumped from a roof, tonight was unexpected. And yet, he couldn't find it in himself to wish it any different then it had turned out.
He moved in silence until finally he found what he assumed to be her house based on the blond man waiting outside the front door, fretting nervously.
"Haruno-sama?" Itachi bowed his head slightly towards the man.
"Hai, and you are?" He looked at Itachi with the same green eyes he had come to enjoy when they sparkled with joy.
"Uchiha, Itachi." He handed the man the candy and gracefully held the girl in his arms now. "Sakura-hime fell asleep as I was taking her home after trick-or-treating."
"Why did you have my daughter with you?" The man made no effort to reach out and take his daughter as she curled closer into Itachis body.
"She had a run in with some bullys it appeared and was afraid to go alone. I offered, knowing her to be in the Academy with my younger brother Sasuke, to escourt her house to house."
The man nodded slightly before ushering Itachi into the house. "Please place her in her bed, its the second door to the right."
Itachi inclined his head in understanding and moved swiftly from the mans view. As he tucked her into her bed, she opened her eyes slightly and smiled up at him.
"I knew it had to be you..." She murmured, eyes half lidded with sleep. "Chichi doesn't like to touch me. Arigato Ouji-kun... I'll never forget you..." She slowly drifted back to sleep as Itachi placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled the blanket up around her neck.
"And I you, Sakura-hime." And with his final goodbye, he jumped through her window and was gone.
Haha. Cheesy fluffy Ita/Saku Halloween fic :)
Hope you liked it cause I rewrote it twice cause I hated the first one :P
Reviews are greatly appreciated :D
~Blue