mangopie's notes

Wow, I'm so glad I stumbled onto Itasaku because it's so sweet :D This is my first fanfic and I need lots of critique on it.

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Haruno Sakura fiddled with her pink hair, on her face was an expression that seemed to be a mix of determination and anxiousness. She hopped on one foot, then the other. She wrinkled her nose and stared at her blue sandals, starkly in contrast with the brown mud on the ground. Strewn pebbles were scattered all around in hues of dark blue, green, grey and black-

The color of that boy's hair. Sakura blushed unwittingly, feeling the heat of her skin rise up to a dark reddish-pink color, much similar to the one of her shirt. The boy was her age and from what she heard, he was going to be in the academy class as well. That meant he was around here somewhere.

Sakura glanced around, her pink, short and shiny hair bobbing up and down. "Sakura? Is there something bothering you because you look flustered, dear," Sakura's mother inquired, stroking her cheek. "You feel warm too, are you feeling unwell?"

The little girl shook her head vigorously, and her mother smiled at her daughter's fierce concentration, focused on the earth they were standing on.

There he is! Sakura blinked a few times to make sure she was awake. The boy, that raven-haired Uchiha boy was a few feet ahead of her. He seemed to be enjoying himself as he basked in Iruka-sensei's praise in front of his father. Sakura examined the man steadily. He looked strong, and of course he was, being the chief of Konoha's Police.

Sakura struggled away from her mother with a quick, "Bye, gotta go, see you later Mommy," and stumbled away on her own, just barely hearing her mother's call, "Come home for dinner!"

Now that she was closer, Sakura heard Iruka-sensei's words coming crisp and clear, "I'll hold it to the Uchiha clan that Sasuke will be just of a prodigy as his brother." Oh, everyone knew the elder Uchiha brother. He was a prodigy, a genius. Sakura knew from her father that Uchiha Itachi had already been accepted into ANBU, Konoha's secret police that donned masks to preserve their true identity.

Sakura had even seen him once. She thought he was really handsome, with his dark hair tied into a ponytail. He had a charming demeanor that made the kunoichi giggle when he passed by.

The pink haired girl contented herself with just admiring the boy from afar, Sasuke was his name, wasn't it? "Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke," She let it roll around her mouth. Even his name sounded perfect. Sakura sighed.

"Hmm?" Sakura froze in shock as Sasuke turned around from where his father and soon to be sensei were having an animated discussion about Itachi's growing abilities and strength.

Sasuke glanced around, a confused look on his face, before locking eyes with the pink haired child before him. "Did you call me?" he asked curiously, pinning her with his black-eyed gaze.

"Umm…" No! By now, Sakura could feel the familiar hotness of her face. "I h-h-have to go! Sorry!" No! No! No!

She dashed through the throng of parents and future ninja students, all the while trying to see through the tears that blurred her vision. Why did she have to freeze up like that? Ugh, Sakura hated herself then.

Her quick footsteps carried her light frame out of the crowd, past the academy gates and into the wilderness. It wasn't really a wilderness, just a small forest that surround Konoha before giving way to the hidden village's border.

At least, well, at least he had not laughed at her, made fun of her huge forehead. Sakura immediately started parting her hair to the point where her face was almost totally hidden behind a blanket of pink. But still, he had to think she was odd now.

She had her chance of actually talking to the boy of whom she had been thinking about ever since she glimpsed him a week ago, on a walk with the elder Uchiha brother.

And, she blew it.

Speaking of which, where was the elder Uchiha brother? The famous Itachi who seemed to dote on Sasuke very much? It seemed not right that he wouldn't be there supporting his little brother.

Sakura slowed to a walk. She knew quite a number of kunoichi that had no business at the orientation ceremony and came anyway, hoping to meet Itachi. They were probably quite upset now.

And no wonder, Itachi was extremely attractive, intelligent, and strong. In fact, it was Itachi who Sakura had been looking at before Sasuke came into view.

Kicking a pebble as she went along, Sakura relived the humiliation in her mind. She closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to shut off the waterworks.

She felt like screaming, it was that frustrating. But that would mean drawing attention to herself and that was the exact opposite of what Sakura wanted.

What she needed was some time alone- not that she had many friends. Most of the kids her age group had shunned her because of how she looked.

Pink hair. Huge forehead.

How long had she been running? Her aching feet told her it had to be a while.

By now, Sakura couldn't even hear the crowd. Slowly, and hardly daring to breathe, she opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings.

Wood and foliage. Dense wood and dense foliage.

It was definitely not her best day.

And it was getting worse by the minute. Sakura whimpered and drew herself into a tight, trembling sobbing ball. She huddled herself into a tree trunk and recounted what her mother had said.

"Sakura… Always remember what to do if you get lost. Stay where you are and wait until someone finds you. Never wander further away…"

At that time, Sakura had found the advice annoying and simply brushed it away, like wind whistling past her ears. Now, she felt like breaking down. Nothing she did seemed to go right.

Drowning in self pity, the girl did not hear the footsteps. Not that she could, even if she tried. It was the footsteps of a full-fledged nin, one that was skillful enough to mask his chakra so that it seemed that he was nothing more than air itself.

A nin that was skilled, lithe and powerful.

Bawls shook her petite frame and Sakura tried to catch her breath in vain. "Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke…" Then, she froze. It was almost like she could feel someone watching her. Her breath was caught in her throat and she tensed.

Someone rustled the bushes, and a white rabbit scrambled out, dazed by the sight of the little girl, it tried to decide if Sakura was a hungry predator. Sakura blinked in relief. She knew that these woods were dangerous.

"D-don't be afraid, bunny," whispered Sakura softly between hiccups, "I won't eat you, why would I? You're my only friend."

The rabbit twitched and Sakura admired its silver-white fur, gleaming when it caught the sunlight. There was something about it that she couldn't place…

The rabbit seemed to sneeze, and bounced lightly. "Oh!" Sakura crawled to it slowly on all fours. She didn't want it to see her as a threat. Scooping the ball of fur up, she cradled it against her chest like a newborn.

"I'll tell you a secret," Sakura sighed, nuzzling the rabbit's long and silky ears, "No one really likes me because I look so different. And today, I met Sasuke! He's really cute, I like him. But I messed up and now I bet he thinks I'm weird and I want to stay at home for the rest of my life!"

The rabbit sneezed again, and scampered into a shadow of a tree, a shadow that should not have been there, given the time of day. Again, Sakura felt fear creep into her heart, making her stomach flip over.

"Actually, that was two secrets, little kunoichi," a voice laughed lightly, amused. Then, the shadow seemed to remove itself from behind the trunk.

"I heard you mention Uchiha Sasuke. He is my younger brother, and should be attending the academy orientation about-" the nin glanced up to the sky, as if to clock the sun's position, "now."

Realization dawned on Sakura. The rabbit was probably his. That would explain its groomed, sleek fur and readiness for human contact.

"Since you know his name, you should be there with him. Instead, you are found out here, lost, with a face full of tears," the nin continued.

This was Uchiha Itachi, Sakura stared in disbelief. He looked much more striking up close. This was all too much and Sakura burst into tears again.

"It's a good thing you're not a S-Class criminal, isn't it?" Itachi carried on, with a glint in his eye. He lifted up the rabbit and tore something crackly sounding from its belly.

Sakura gasped. It was an explosion note, and she would have been killed instantly if it had detonated. Her eyes widened considerably, taking in the Uchiha - raven black hair tied into a ponytail, defined, toned muscles, his muddied ANBU uniform, his red, hypnotizing eyes, he had to be fifteen at the most.

Still, there was a new, dark element that Sakura had never seen before- on anyone, anywhere.

It was a shadowy gleam that made her cower in sheer dread, but it could have been a deception of the light on her water clogged eyes, which was what Sakura would come to convince herself later on. It lasted for a mere second, maybe less, and passed.

"I didn't mean to tease you, little kunoichi, I suppose you want to get back to the academy now?' Itachi offered a hand, his tone friendly and light.

When Sakura didn't respond, he appeared by her side with inhuman speed and sat down without a word. Sakura felt tingles of fear run down her spine as he examined her tear-stained face.

"I w-want to g-go home, please," Sakura managed to stammer.

Itachi regarded the small figure and nodded, hoisting her to his shoulders and standing up in one fluid movement.

Sakura closed her eyes and took in the smell of his hair, it was soft. Maybe as soft as Sasuke's even. She let go one of her hands that had been curled around his neck so she wouldn't fall off and fingered it, hoping Itachi wouldn't notice.

It smelled nice, of a spicy yet sweet odor and she had to clench her tiny fist to keep from burying her face in it. The rhythm of his rapid steps was starting to make her feel sleepy.

The Uchiha felt the little girl's edgy body relax, and felt her head slump against the top of his. And her arms slide from his neck to dangle by her sides.

He slowed down and gently pulled her from his shoulders. With no grip, the little kunoichi might fall off and get seriously injured at any moment. They were leaping from tree branch to tree branch and it was a long way down.

Placidly, he settled the little kunoichi into the crook of his arm and once again, they set off.

"We're here now, little kunoichi," the Uchiha spoke quietly, rousing the petite girl and let her slide from his arm to stand in front of him.

He watched as she blinked in dim light of approaching sunset. "W-what?" She mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Itachi poked her forehead delicately, "Little kunoichi, I said it's time for you to go home now, as should I." He nodded in the direction of the sunset.

"Oh!" Sakura was fully awake, "I fell asleep. I'm sorry Itachi-san, thank you so much!" The pink head bowed down.

"Goodbye, little kunoichi," Itachi patted her head and set her off in the direction of the village square. "And don't worry, life only gets better." A laugh escaped the nin.

And by the time she turned around, he was gone.

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Ramblings: Okay, I'm halfway done on the second one and should be completely done tomorrow, YAY