A new story from cheraurel,
Uchiha Itachi's
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L o s t T h i n g s
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chapter 1
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gathering the ingredients
"Itachi."
Said person turned his head to the direction where the voice came from. He was leaning peacefully in his leather armchair. His hands were on the office table, holding quite a handful of papers. He was wearing a black suit, suitable for work. His appearance was neat and elegant, showing an aura of masculine and maturity around him.
His hair was tied to the usual low ponytail so that it wouldn't bother him at work. He had those endless onyx orbs, a feature going around in the Uchiha family. His face was marked with two lines on each side ever since birth, making it his birthmark or some sort. His expression was almost always serious, especially when he's at work.
"Yes, Father?"
His voice was calm and composed, indicating his character just from a mere sentence. He was superior amongst the people around him, respected, and feared. After all, he was the famous Uchiha Itachi, the prodigy and heir of the Uchiha clan. Not only he held position, but he had power that he achieved himself.
He was not a nobody.
"Have you taken an interest in any girl that I've chosen personally?"
His father, Uchiha Fugaku, was the famous patriarch of the Uchiha clan. He was also feared and known all over the world for his competence and outstanding performances. Above all, he was the only man in the world that Itachi couldn't turn his back on.
Fugaku cared for his sons dearly. So dearly, that he insisted that his eldest son would take a bride as soon as possible and take his rightful place in the Uchiha Corporations and the whole world. Itachi had turned 22 this year and he had no doubt whatsoever that his son could rule the company with the highest abilities of generations.
So, he searched through the highest level of females that were related to his line of work, or the one he knew from an acquaintance. He gathered and piled them up on a bunch of papers and gave Itachi to have a look. Most of them were beautiful and intelligent women that Fugaku thought Itachi would have taken an interest to.
Unfortunately for Fugaku, his son had never taken an interest in anyone. All his life he had dedicated his hard work and thoughts on what to do with the future of the company and what's best for it. Now that his father had suddenly come up with this idea, he didn't know whether to comply or decline right from the start. He refused the latter, seeing as his father was just as stubborn as himself.
"Not yet, Father."
His father, who had been sitting on the luxurious couch beside his office table, sighed. He knew that this would be a serious problem to solve. Itachi was not one that was easy to impress, after all. Sometimes, it was a positive thing, but somehow this time he had found this behavior problematic.
Itachi remained doing his search amongst the bunch of papers he was holding. His eyes scanned for each individual's information, such as their background, their achievements, their occupation, and more. He looked as their pictures, which include females around his age or probably younger, most of their face completely full of make-up. They were all probably fangirls, as well, judging from their styles. None of them caught his attention. Not even in the slightest.
"You ought to find one, son. It is time you have a proper relationship with someone, after all. However, I will give you more time."
Itachi turned his gaze to his side, looking at his father's form. He was hoping his father would give him more than plenty time for this…nonsense. Fugaku, now standing on his feet, was fixing his suit as he started to walk to the direction of the door. He gripped the door handle and turned his head to face his son,
"You will be attending the family dinner with your girlfriend by the end of the month."
His father then opened the door of his office and led himself out, leaving Itachi stared at the door quietly. Sometimes, he couldn't understand his father at all. Most of the times, he couldn't understand his father even if he wanted to. Especially at situations as demanding as this.
He sighed to himself, putting the papers down. His put his head on both of his hands on the table. Now, he had a headache. This was no simple problem the company was having that he could solve nonchalantly. This was an entire matter they're talking about; this was about a lifetime partner that you had to spend your life with. There were no escaping problems that follow after that. And by that, he meant the dreaded marriage.
It was terrifying, thinking about marrying someone you didn't even take a liking to.
He closed his eyes. Sometimes, he'd envy his little brother. The life that he had carefully protected under his own hands, untainted from the cruel and harsh reality of the real world. He had put all the burdens on his shoulders so that his little brother could live a normal life, without all the company's politics and all that.
His little brother, Sasuke, could live just as he wished. Doing whatever he wanted, protected under the Uchiha family, living the peaceful life. He was currently at the third year of high school. He was always looking up to him. He tried his best at school. He had always wanted to follow his steps and run the company. If only he knew, how much burden it was to become the heir of the company.
Sasuke was still naïve.
He smiled at the thought of his precious little brother. He glanced at the clock. 3.23 pm. It was about the time Sasuke went home from school. He sometimes picked him up from school when he was a little, but ever since high school Sasuke preferred riding his motorbike.
Glancing outside the glass window behind his armchair, he had the feeling he wanted some fresh air. He pressed a speed-dial button on his phone.
"Is there something you need, Uchiha-sama?"
His assistant, Kurenai, answered at the other line. Kurenai had been working at the Uchiha Company for about ten years. She was a punctual person, an honest woman, and always got her work done without hassle. And the fact that she was Sarutobi Asuma's wife was one of the high points why the company hired her. They had good connections, and Kurenai could be trusted.
"Yes, I'll be going out for awhile. Take care of the office while I'm gone."
"Of course, Uchiha-sama. Have a nice day."
Today, she had to write in for the class journal. It was Friday, after all. It was her day for class duties, along with Sasuke, Neji, and Hinata. Actually, it was supposed to be Kiba, Chouji, and Ino's day too, but they were nowhere in sight after the class ended. Some people just like ditching the job, don't they?
While Sakura got to write the journal and class reports, Sasuke and Naruto got to clean the whole class, and Hinata got to bring the books to the teacher's office. They worked okay, just the four of them. And whoever settled their names together for class duties, she was really thankful for them. After all, the four of them were quite close friends, or so she may say.
"Sakura, are you done yet?"
Sasuke called two seats away from her. He was sitting on a table two seats to her right. She was sitting on her desk, which is on the third row, by the window. He stared at her relaxed form, writing the journal in a calm manner.
Sakura turned to Sasuke and smiled, then turned to write the journal again. "Not yet. I've done the report, though. What about you?"
Sasuke shrugged, "Naruto's doing the job. He lost rock-paper-scissors, three times."
Naruto, who was currently cleaning the board, turned his body as fast as he could when he heard that. He pointed his finger and shouted loudly at his best friend, "Is that an insult, Sasuke-teme?! No one is born perfect like you, idiot!"
Said "idiot" person raised an eyebrow calmly, "Now you call someone who wins rock-paper-scissors perfect, dobe? You got some brain floating in your head."
Sakura could only roll her eyes as she smiled at those two, amused. Things never change. They were like, what, a five year-old? They're in high school, for goodness' sake. Though, their behavior wasn't better than those attending elementary school. She put her pen down on the table and closed the journal, putting it on the reports paper.
She stood from her seat, "I'm done, so I'm gonna go put these in the office. Finish whatever you're doing by the time I get back, okay?"
Her voice made the two boys stopped arguing and turned to face her. She didn't wait for their answers for she already left the classroom before they could say anything. Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned on his chair a bit.
"Hurry up and finish cleaning, dobe. I want to go home." Naruto glared.
"Why don't you do your part instead, teme? That way we can both go home faster."
Sasuke glared back. No one ordered him around. Not even this idiot.
"I'm done with the books. Oh, where's Sakura?"
It was Hinata's voice. They both turned. She was at the door, eyes indicating she was looking for the pink haired girl. She walked in and towards her desk, which was at the fifth row and her seat was put exactly in the middle of the class. She took her bag in one hand and lifted it with two hands in front of her for measure.
"Sakura's going to the teacher's office to give in the journal and reports." Naruto's answering for her since he realized Sasuke wasn't going to answer.
"Oh, okay. We should wait for her." She smiled softly.
Sasuke turned to face her with a look on his face, "Why don't you go home with dobe first? I'll wait for Sakura."
Hinata seemed a bit surprised, whereas Naruto raised an eyebrow at this.
"You sure, teme?"
"Yeah."
Naruto shrugged, then grinned, "Okay then. I'm done anyway, so let's go home, Hinata-chan!" Hinata nodded, a smile on her face. She walked towards the door as Naruto took his bag with him. Hinata bowed politely in Sasuke's direction,
"I'm going first then, Sasuke-san. See you tomorrow."
Sasuke nodded. "See you."
When Hinata left the classroom, Naruto quickly rushed to Sasuke's side and said in a low voice, "You know that Sakura-chan's not going to notice, right? Don't get your hopes up too much, teme."
Sasuke closed his eyes, "I know, dobe. I know."
Naruto gave him a look and sighed, "Well, I tried." Then he turned back as his usual self and grinned, waving his hand goodbye. "Well then, I gotta go. Take care of Sakura-chan!"
Sasuke heard Naruto left the classroom and called Hinata with his loud voice. He opened his eyes. Their voices echoed throughout the hall as they talked cheerfully. At least, Naruto's doing most of the talking. He turned to look outside the window.
He knew that Sakura remained oblivious to his feelings, to anyone's feelings, but he didn't care. He wouldn't give up. Sakura had always been that way ever since she was a little. She didn't get the hints the boys were giving her, which made a lot of them gave up on her. But he kept telling himself that he was different.
Sakura had always been by his side. They were the perfect pair, so everyone said. Their grades were neck to neck; they were both the top of the class. They were both good looking and kind. Well, more kind on Sakura's side. Moreover, they always spent time together, which made a lot of girls and boys thought they both had no interest in anyone else.
Sasuke wished it was that way.
He heard footsteps coming closer from outside the classroom and they stopped. The door slid opened, and Sasuke turned nonchalantly to the person standing there. Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"What's with that look, Sasuke?" She paused, looking around. "Did Naruto and Hinata leave already?"
Sasuke stared at her for a moment. Her pink hair was longer than ever, reaching her back and swaying softly as she walked. They looked so silky and soft that he had the urge to run them through his fingers. She had a fair complexion, her skin healthy and pretty. Her lips were always soft pink. Her eyes were the one standing out; they were emerald and glimmering most of the time, showing the life inside them.
In conclusion, she was beautiful.
He turned his gaze away from her as he answered, "Nothing." He stood up, taking his bag with him. "I told them to go on ahead. Come on, let's go home."
She nodded. "Okay."
Sakura walked to her seat and collected her things, putting them inside her back and some under the table. She lifted her bag to her shoulder and walked to Sasuke's side, closing the door behind them.
They walked through the halls, enjoying the silence. They had always been like this. They found comfort in silence and just each other's presence. It was probably because they grew up together and they were used to each other already. They knew each other since elementary school, along with the other rookie nine.
When they reached the school's gates, Sakura halted to a stop. Sasuke, realizing his partner had stopped midway, stopped and turned to look at her. She was staring at her phone.
He raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"
She put her phone away and smiled, "Nothing. My mom wants me to do an errand, so I can't go home with you today. Sorry."
Sasuke replied, "Do you want me to accompany you?"
Shaking her head no, she said, "It's okay. I don't want to trouble you."
Sasuke was going to say that it was no trouble at all, but Sakura already walked ahead and waved at him.
"See you tomorrow, Sasuke-chan!"
She smiled cheerfully at his direction. He blinked a few times, but then smiled. She was always so cheerful, so full of life. He waved back at her, "Be careful, Sakura."
Her smile made him completely oblivious that she had, in fact, called him Sasuke-chan.
Leaving the office for some fresh air was the best choice after all. His head was about to burst thinking about who he'd choose. And to make it worst, it had to be done by the end of the month. Today was July 13th. That meant only 2 weeks left until he had to make a decision.
He walked through the busy crowd. The weather was quite nice for an afternoon walk, seeing as the sun wasn't too hot today. He watched his surroundings and the people around him. There were many shops on this street. People were busy, either just passing through or doing errand shopping. He were always curious, watching how people interact with each other and he had always enjoyed observing them.
People didn't recognize him and he was thankful for that. He wore shades, just in case. It would be most troublesome if people found out he was slacking off. In truth, he had already finished scanning through the important files. He'd let Kurenai finish the rest for today. He walked through the street peacefully, enjoying the outside much more than he should have.
"Wah!"
Suddenly, he felt someone bumped into him. That someone, though, was so soft that when she was crushed into his chest, she bounced back. How did he know the person was a she? She was shorter than him by a head. Itachi's reflexes were quick, so he caught the falling person before she could impact with the hard stones of the pavement.
His right arm slid around the person's waist, pulling her closer to him in order to keep her from falling any more backwards. He put her in the circle in his arms until she could balance herself. That was when he realized the person he was holding had pink hair.
He released her immediately after that, not comfortable with their proximity. She, too, seemed uncomfortable with it as she quickly stumbled backwards awkwardly, giving them some space. She lifted her face and that was when he caught sight of those emerald orbs.
She had bangs covering her forehead and the sides of her face, framing it. Her eyes were enchanting emerald, her nose was tiny, and her lips were puffy pink. Her hair was quite long, pink, and it reminded him of bubblegum.
She's pretty.
She's got no make-up on, and her hair wasn't styled. She got the natural look on her. Everything about her seemed fresh to him, for he didn't meet many girls like her these days.
She stared at him for a few seconds, but then her eyes widened when she realized how rude it was to stare. Blushing, she closed her eyes shamefully and bowed her head in apologizing manner,
"I'm sorry! I didn't see where I was going…"
Her voice was gentle, soft, and it almost reminded him of a melody. It surprised him, seeing as girls these days had the infamous high pitch voice that made his head want to explode.
He stared at her clothes. She was wearing a school uniform. A white shirt, a light-brown blazer and skirt, and white shoes. She was wearing the uniform similar to Sasuke's. Could she be attending the same school as his little brother? He stared back at her head that was bowing politely in his direction. He removed his shades with one hand and said,
"It's okay."
His voice made her raised her head and undid her bow. She stared at him. He had eyes that were similar to Sasuke's. His hair was tied in a low ponytail and he was wearing a black suit, similar to office attire. This man really looked alike Sasuke!
Her expression was left agape when she heard his voice. It was deep and masculine, a male trait that she'd never really taken notice.
She had never taken notice as detailed as this before.
"I should be apologizing as well for not watching where I was going."
Sakura was forced to leave her thoughts when he spoke again. She watched as he lowered his body to take her bag, which had fallen from earlier impact. He gave it to her and she took it. Smiling bashfully, her hand behind her head, she said, "Thank you." He nodded.
"Are you attending Konoha High?"
She blinked at his sudden question. Quickly forgetting the earlier embarrassment, she smiled, "Yes, Sir."
Itachi smirked when he was called that. This girl was so polite that he almost laughed. After all, how many people, females in particular, called him that? He had to complement her manners, though. She had good behavior, and she didn't fangirl just by the sight of him.
Itachi was also fond of her because she seemed the soft and cheerful type, and the fact that she attended the same school as his little brother's. He had never talked to anyone from his school except from probably Naruto, once. His work at the company was busy and demanding that he didn't have much time to spend at home.
"Call me Itachi. Are you Sasuke's friend?"
The pink haired girl currently standing in front of him seemed surprised when he mentioned that name. Judging by her reaction, she must have known Sasuke, after all. She quickly smiled again,
"Ah, yes. Sasuke's my classmate." She paused, thinking. "Are you Sasuke's big brother, Uchiha Itachi-san?"
So she was in the same class as Sasuke. Itachi wasn't surprised that she knew of him, for he was famous throughout the whole Japan. However, the way she said his name made something twitch inside of him. He shook that thought off. It was improper. She was, like, six years younger than him. He did feel a little old.
"Yes, I am."
Her eyes shone with recognition, "Sasuke told me a lot about you, Itachi-san. It's nice meeting you in person."
Oh. She knew of him from Sasuke. For a thought there he forgot that possibility. He was thinking too big. Probably too big for just a small conversation with a high school girl. For a moment, he was speechless. He had never seen a pair of emerald orbs, glittering and shining, so full of life. She had beautiful eyes.
Erhm. No. He, old man. She, young girl.
"Nice to meet you too, Miss..?" She laughed softly.
"I'm Sakura. Haruno Sakura."
How fitting.
He couldn't believe the ironic coincidence between her hair and name. He smirked. This girl was something.
"Sakura. I'll remember that."
She blinked, then laughed again. He couldn't help but smile just by the sight of her. She reminded him the fresh trait of spring, bringing light and warmth to those around her. She made him trust her in mere seconds. However, she seemed the type to trust in people easily, too. He frowned at the thought. If she didn't bump into him, she could bump into someone else entirely dangerous.
He was getting protective of her.
She thought him weird. What's with "I'll remember that"? Was it that hard to memorize her name? Even though she was a nobody and he was probably a famous person, just like Sasuke had said before, remembering people's names wouldn't be too hard of a task, right? Especially since he was a genius. He always seemed serious that she laughed at his calm and composed attitude.
Her laugh subsided to a stop when she realized it was starting to rain. Cold sprinkles of rainwater started to fall on both of them. She didn't realize they'd been talking out in the open all this time. How long had they been standing there? She had to get home, or rather, shelter, as soon as possible. She quickly turned to face him,
"Um, Itachi-san, I better go... I'm not good with the rain." She smiled sheepishly, a hand behind her head again. She bowed again politely, "I'm sorry again for earlier, Itachi-san. Good evening."
When she turned to leave, a hand caught her wrist.
Her eyes widened.
His eyes were also wide, as surprised as she was. What did he do? It was raining, and she probably wanted to go home faster due to that reason, but why did he, of all people, stop her? He didn't know the answer himself for the action just now was out of his control.
It was as if he didn't want to let her go.
His instincts were screaming at him at the thought of letting her go. What was she, his mother? No. No, she wasn't. His primal instincts were telling him that he looked at her not just a somebody he just met, but a possible lifetime partner.
He froze.
He had just met her a few minutes ago. What was he, a pedophile? His thoughts scared him.
She turned her head to face him again once more, surprised. "Itachi-san…?"
Fear was almost present in her eyes, but she quickly dismissed it. The man standing before her was Sasuke's brother, so he was a friend. She shouldn't be afraid. After all, he wasn't dangerous. Not at all.
That was what she convinced herself.
After all, the look in his eyes explained almost everything. The look he had on her was something like possessiveness. She had never seen anything like it before. What happened with the Itachi-san from before? He had almost changed.
Itachi was quick to recover, seeing as she was already afraid of what's happening, of him. Rain was pouring hard on them already, and she was noticeably cold. She was going to get sick if they stood there any longer. He cursed himself at his carelessness.
"I'm taking you home. Come."
His hand was still grasping her wrist tightly so tight to the point it almost hurt. Sakura hadn't had the guts to shake his hand off, though. She glanced at him and she could bet twenty bucks he didn't even notice. Her wrist was going to bruise. She winced inwardly.
She shook her head no and smiled at him, "There's no need, Itachi-san. I can go home myself."
"It's raining. I insist, Sakura."
Itachi started pulling her to the direction of his car, which was parked not far from the shopping street. She couldn't help but to follow him as he hadn't released his grasp on her.
They only walked a few steps when her head began to feel a familiar dizziness and she started panicking, "Um, Itachi-san, it's okay really. I don't want to trouble you. My house is not that far—"
"It's not trouble at all, Sakura. And I'm taking you home, that's it. Where do you live?"
Her vision was starting to blur as they keep walking towards the direction that she didn't know where. She lost the fight with Itachi-san as she shook her head to clear her vision and answered unconsciously, "Phoenix Road 12 No. 9."
Itachi nodded. "Sakura—"
Her body felt light and she couldn't hear anything else but her own heartbeat. Her head felt like spinning. She closed her eyes to reduce the pain, but she lost the fight to stay conscious.
Itachi turned around when he felt Sakura's weakened wrist on his grasp and her body fell towards his direction. He caught her immediately, looking at her with concern all over his face. He checked her pulse and realized it was quite weak. Don't tell him she had a bad health condition?
Um, Itachi-san, I better go... I'm not good with the rain.
That was what she'd said. He completely thought that she was afraid of thunder, or something of the sort. He didn't realize she was implying to something relatively important. He cursed.
He lifted her body and carried her in his arms, tugging her head comfortably on the junction between his head and neck. He walked as fast as possible towards the direction of his car. It's not that far anymore. He saw people walking with umbrellas or raincoats as they searched for closest shelter in a hurried manner. The rain was pouring harder to the point that it hurt.
He was relieved when he saw his black Porsche car parked a few steps away from him now. When he reached his car, he quickly opened the door to the passenger seat. He settled her in carefully, putting her limbs in a comfortable position. Then, he went to the other side of the car and got in as well. When he was inside, he quickly removed the suit he was wearing and put it on her form to keep her from the cold.
"I'm sorry." He whispered quietly to her unconscious form.
Then, he turned to the steer and drove.
Fast.
to be continued
A/N: Itachi's car is Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet Triple Black 20".
Next chapter
Will Itachi make Sakura his chosen one?
What will Sasuke say?
What does Sakura feel towards the Uchiha brothers?
The next chapter's update depends on you guys!
Review please!
Thanks for reading Lost Things, Chapter 2.