A/N: Hey guys! The first chapter was written along with my very good friend Tenny! (She is "Tenny", and I am "Yammy" ^^) If I ever sound OoC (ESPECIALLY with Itachi) please let me know. This happens to be my first real FanFic so please don't be TOO harsh (as every noob says). Enjoy!

Setting: Konoha is now a modern city in Japan. AU.

Disclaimer: I definitely do not own Naruto. Wish I did. Then I could call myself one of the most creative people in the world.

Under the late afternoon sun, Itachi sat high atop a thick oak branch. His abnormally powerful, red eyes allowed him to see through the abundance of trees and foliage to observe a subject he had been interested in for several months.

Like so many times before, she had been walking back through the heavily forested park in Konoha, picking flowers beneath the morning dew, adding them to a bunch in her hand as she made her way down the path. It had occurred to him to follow her but he had a strong inclination as to her actions. Besides, the veil of mystery only added to his interest.

Itachi knew not all the flowers were picked by her. He once came across her entering the forest with a bunch already in hand, most likely given to her, picking more along the way and mixing them into the ones she already had. Sometimes he caught her believing she was alone, fixing parts of her hair and dress. He knew she was young, barely at the age of being nubile, but he was sure she had something no woman had: an air of confidence in her own allure.

He decided to finally speak to her. As she leaned over to pick a rare blue tulip she saw a hand much larger than hers pick it first. Looking up she saw the unmistakable image of Uchiha Itachi.

Yamanaka Ino entered the forest with a small bunch of flowers in her left hand, her golden hair flowing like a river down her back and barely reaching her hips. Her short, purple dress stuck to her curvy yet also very fit body, as she glided through the trees. She had just said goodbye to her date for the day who had given her the flowers she was currently holding, at the beginning of the short, and not to mention boring, date.

He wasn't a "customer" of hers, which is probably why she considered it to be boring. It had just been a sympathy date with a younger boy who's father passed away tragically a few days prior. It was obscure why it didn't surprise her that nothing more than a kiss on the cheek had happened.

This young female wasn't just an ordinary girl. Sure, Ino occasionally lended her parents a hand at the Yamanaka Flower Shop, formed a habit of spending time with her best friends Shikamaru and Chouji almost everyday, and didn't even mind seeing the big forehead of her friend/enemy Sakura, but that wasn't enough. The need for something more satisfying in life always existed deep inside, and she knew for a fact that that something was not love. She knew she was the most beautiful girl in Konoha, and maybe even in all of Japan. She knew girls couldn't contain their jealousy and envy from leaking out, the same way boys couldn't block their lust from escaping. She was smart and very talented when working with flowers. She had parents that loved her and friends that would protect her. She was independent enough to not rely on love for happiness anymore. Still, that just wasn't enough. That's when a peculiar idea jumped straight into her blonde head. It was something people frowned upon and perhaps it was even forbidden, however at this point, Ino could care less. It was necessary. Necessary for Ino. Necessary for Ino to know for a fact that she was the most desired person that lived. It was not from a lack of confidence that she wanted to do this, but actually from overconfidence. She had confidence that she was unquestionably the most lusted after and by doing this deed it would give evidence that her thoughts were correct. This Yamanaka knew she was worth a lot, and unless a male could give concrete proof that he thought she was worth a lot too, he would be spending the night alone.

Ino kept walking, feeling worse and worse for the flowers she received. They did not get along with eachother at all, meaning they did not compliment eachother. As a girl who had been surrounded by flowers her whole life, she would know.

"Don't worry. I'll help you guys."

She had a habit of talking to flowers, just as others did to their pets. Very often, she compared herself to an immaturely bloomed flower; beautiful alone, yet beautiful with others that complimented her beauty, too. Since the start of her adolescent years, she thought Uchiha Sasuke, the most handsome boy at school, was the one who complimented her beauty the most, which forced Ino's mind to go after him as the one she should love. Clearly that did not work out.

She had just started picking some flowers from the ground when she noticed one flower that stood out from the rest of the forest ground. It was a blue tulip, which she had never crossed paths with before. Gently stepping over the more common flowers to the lonely tulip, she bent down. Her arm was outstretched to pick it out from its home in the ground when she saw a noticeably larger hand beat her to the rare flower. Annoyed, yet slightly curious as to who would be trespassing her territory of peace, she looked up, only to have her eyes widen in shock as she slowly stood up.

"Sasuke..." She knew it wasn't him, but for some reason she gained the need to say his name out loud.

Itachi stood tall over Ino, as she came to just about his chest height. Ino looked at the tulip held in his right hand pinched between his thumb and second finger, his fourth finger bearing a red ring with the kanji word for "red" written in black. This unmistakably displayed that he was a member of the criminal organization "Akatsuki" the whole of Konoha was murmuring about. They were a group people usually compared to the mafia, but rather than dealing with illegal deeds, they were known as an unstoppable group that was immoral enough to not be afraid to kill, for whatever reason they may have had.

The delicate flower in his hand a hugely contrasting element, a visual paradox to the air and appearance of the face was one which beared the look of apathy, the folds beneath his eyes indicative of one who seldom sleeps and whose livelihood is one filled with depression and stress.

"So you know my brother." Itachi said with a hidden sigh.

In the glowing sunlight Ino could see the unique pattern of his eyes- a feature forever prevalent. The Uchiha looked into the young female's light blue eyes for the first time to notice that her complexion is soft and light in colour. Most strikingly though, she appeared to be thinner and shorter than he had thought. A moral dichotomy coursed through his mind for a moment, questioning his judgment on Ino's daily walks through the park, for she seemed at least 2 years younger than he had thought. He decided to introduce himself before asking about her paid services.

"My name is Uchiha Itachi." He spoke in a polite fashion though his voice is deep, it is not hard to imagine that he is a commanding person. "Do you know who I am?"

Ino blinked. She knew exactly who he was, but had no idea why at this exact moment his existence was right infront of her. His unique eyes absorbed her, reminding her so much of Sasuke's. Dangerous as she knew he was, Ino, for some unknown and odd reason, did not feel the fear or anxiety any other normal person would feel when near a member of such a fearful group.

She knew she had to regain her composure, so she shook her head a tiny bit, and looked back up at Itachi's impassive expression, but her eyes had been fixed so they weren't wide as if stunned anymore, but more narrow and questioning. Deciding to act as if the man infront of her was just another person she knew from school, she let her young, nagging, and slightly annoying voice be emitted along with a frown on her face. Ino knew he could end her life in an instant if he had the desire, but again, for some reason she did not know, Ino did not care.

"Of course I do. Sheesh. I'm not stupid. You're one of the Akatsuki." She flipped her head gently to shift her bangs that had slowly crept onto her face to cover her right eye. His face still bearing no emotion, Ino suddenly thought she was being a little too harsh on their first meeting, and gave Itachi the faintest of smiles. "I'm Yamanaka Ino. The prettiest girl in Konoha. "

Remembering how calm he was when speaking, she got a strong sense that Itachi wasn't here to harm her. Even so, Ino felt it was wise not to be arrogant enough to mention that she thought she was the strongest female in Konoha, which was a habit when it came to introducing herself to others. She couldn't help but wonder why this older Uchiha was wandering through a forest full of flowers, and most importantly, why he was interested in someone like her. If he had journeyed to kill someone, she thought it would be someone excessively strong like Kakashi-sensei, or even someone indescribably annoying like Naruto. In no situation would she think of herself. It was adjudicated that there was probably something about her that grabbed his attention, which was the situation with most boys, even if he was an Akatsuki.

"Is there something you need from me?" Her quiet voice belied her absence of unease.

Uchiha Itachi closed his eyes, allowing himself to look peaceful as he said, "I need to know" He reopened his piercing eyes and formed a minute smirk on his face before continuing.

"...how much you cost"

A/N: Please tell me what you think! Reviews, tips, noticed errors, and constructive criticism would be an amazing help and I would very much appreciate them. :)