::set in modern day; or rather, a world where she only has itachi
word count: 1,050
"Don't you hear the birds singing?"
Her eyes are to the sky, and her ears are so open nothing escapes their grasp.
Itachi glances up too – but he hears nothing, so he looks back down to earth.
"No. What do they sing about?"
"They sing a lonely song," Sakura's eyes reflect the darkening sky, but her voice is an odd mix of calm and peace. "Maybe it's only a song I can hear."
Several seconds of silence pass, and she speaks up again.
"Are you sure you can't hear it, Itachi-kun?"
Softly, Itachi says, "I'm sure."
He knows she heard him. But she pretends she doesn't. Her eyes stay locked to the sky and she doesn't speak for the rest of the day.
Sasuke almost catches him off guard, but Itachi has always seen it coming.
He says, when Itachi sips at tea, "You should stay away from her."
Itachi's eyes are closed, and the porcelain cup only leaves his lips just enough to vibrate against his crystal clear, "Why?"
"She isn't – she isn't right in the head, nii-san."
"I don't see a thing wrong with her, Sasuke."
There's a sigh, and Itachi opens his eyes as he sets the tea cup down. Sasuke stares at him.
"That girl, nii-san – there are rumors about her all over town. Don't you listen to them?"
"No. Why do you?"
Sasuke falters, and Itachi takes this time to gather himself to get ready to meet Sakura.
"What you don't know can be viewed as passable curiosity, but what you refuse to know is simple ignorance. I thought I taught you better than that, Sasuke."
He leaves before Sasuke can respond.
It doesn't take long to find her – at the playground, she swings.
"Push me, won't you?"
Her back faces his approaching figure, but her ears are always so sharp. Itachi gives no argument.
"The birds talked to me last night," Sakura says. "I asked them if you could hear them, but they didn't answer me."
Itachi pushes her gently as if anything harder than that will break her.
"Oh?" Itachi feels a smile coming, but he holds it down. "What did they talk about, then?"
"Nothing exciting," Sakura says. Her legs kick up, and the flowing dress she wears flutters as if it's dancing with the wind. "They told me about the people. They warned me, mostly. They said you're the only one I can trust."
Itachi keeps quiet, waiting. She always has more to say.
"They also said the dog next to our house – you know, Ino's dog? – is pretty untrustworthy, too. They said the looks it gives me is too similar to the way everyone else looks at me. Do you think it gives me the same look, Itachi-kun?"
"I don't think it does."
"Ah – well maybe I should trust you, then."
Her giggle compliments the wind whistling in their ears.
"Higher," she says, "I wanna go higher."
Itachi obeys her command. With a little push, Sakura's higher off the ground. Her squeal carries for miles.
When gravity brings her back down, she turns to him, and her cheeks take on a pinkish hue.
"Would you like a try, Itachi-kun?"
"No, thank you," Itachi smiles faintly. "I'm alright."
Sakura nods her okay. She continues to swing, and just a little bit, she looks as if she's flying off into the sky.
Sure enough, there are rumors.
Sure enough, Sakura has heard them.
Itachi hears them at the tea shop, sees them in their eyes as he walks down the street; they're unavoidable.
"Didn't that Haruno girl destroy a vase in a hospital?"
"I heard she killed someone."
"Is Itachi-san as crazy as her?"
Sakura's with him. She smiles, but it doesn't touch her eyes.
"She used to be so beautiful – what happened?"
"Maybe her parent's death caused this."
"I thought she was the one who killed them?"
Besides him, Sakura takes a deep breath, and Itachi knows it so well that he gently places a hand on either of her shoulders and leads her out of the public's eye.
When they're far enough, Sakura speaks.
"You're lonely too, right?"
Her perceptive eyes dig deep, and Itachi has always known this question was coming.
"Yeah," she continues with a heavy chuckle. "That must be it. Sane people wouldn't be around me."
Itachi watches her watch the ground.
"And you're not really crazy, are you?"
He says it so silently it doesn't feel like it's come out of his mouth. But Sakura's not surprised.
Her eyes leave the ground for a second, stop at Itachi's shoes, then return to where they were.
"Not at all. Or, maybe a little. I don't know anymore."
Itachi waits for her to continue.
"When my parents died, something changed. People started looking at me differently. The sun didn't shine as brightly. I didn't know how to react except to do what I do best – avoid it. And this is where it has landed me."
"Do you regret it?"
"Not at all." Sakura leans against a wall. Parts of her skin touch the sun. "At times, though, the rumors can be too much. But you're here, so I can fight them."
Itachi stares at the ground now. He searches for fragments of words in the cracks.
"I know how you felt when you lost your parents, Itachi-san."
Sakura's voice is softer, so much softer.
"I know how it feels when your brother doesn't understand. When no one does."
She leans off of the wall and walks until she is staring up at Itachi. Itachi doesn't move.
"I know how it feels to want to understand someone, even if the world doesn't want you to. That's why you're still around, right? Because no one understands it better than me, right?"
Sakura licks her lips; Itachi finally looks her in the eyes.
"That's right, Sakura-san."
Silence passes between them, but their eyes say it all.
Sakura chuckles. Itachi breaks a smile.
"The birds wouldn't stop telling me about how beautiful you are," she closes the distance between them until she is on her toes and leaning against him. "I have no choice but to believe them, you know?"
They kiss.
Against his lips, she whispers, "Thank you."
Faintly, Itachi hears the birds singing.
::owari::