Title: To Depend on a Kiss

Author: Katarin Kishika

Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura X Uchiha Itachi

Type: Multichapter

Genre: Romance

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine.

READ ME: Oh, right, THIS IS AU! Inspired by "Kiss ni Juuzoku" by Ikemi Runa

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O_O_O

"Yo." – Talking

'Yo.' – Thoughts

O_O_O

To Depend on a Kiss

O_O_O

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Prologue

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That day, heavy rain fell and enveloped his world.

Thunder (that made him deaf) and lightning (that made a great contrast against the dark forest) crashed. He couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him because of said rain. Even so, he didn't care; couldn't bring himself to care for this was what was expected of him – to capture criminals as part of the King's army of his country. He was the heir of his house, a nobleman and this was what was expected of him. Be that as it may, it didn't mean he liked doing it. Honestly, he was fed up with this nobility crap.

He kicked his horse to go faster, to run quicker, to cover more distance - just so he could catch them up.

He and a few more were chasing a group of thieves who dared to steal an important brooch from the Countess of the Land of Snow and a few other valuable things from countless dukes, marquis and other high ranking officials, right under their noses. While the nobles were having their usual gala for this summer season, the scoundrels sneaked in and stole on the guest's suites. To say that the nobles were furious was a big understatement. They were livid and demanded the heads of that group of thieves.

Urging his horse to run faster, Itachi could almost see the silhouettes of the band of thieves against the heavy rain. They were near the edge of the forest the Kingdom of Konoha was known for. He could see five cloaked figures with their horses galloping on the tricky forest like it was the back of their hands; directing their beasts on sharp turns and narrow ways.

Wind whipped on his face, rain pelted on his form but he continued on; his men were a few more meters behind. The group he was chasing then dispersed towards different direction. But Itachi being the stubborn man he secretly (or not so secretly despite what he thought) was, did not relent his pursuit. He followed the one nearest to him who kept a straight direction; they were traversing on a narrow bend beside the raging river. Nudging his horse again, Itachi stretched his arms. The person in front was only a few meters in front; the cloak whoever he or she was wearing was flapping with the wind.

Itachi's outstretched hand skimmed the hood of the cloak but missed a few centimeters. Another nudge for his horse to go faster, their horses almost side by side now, Itachi grabbed the elusive hood. But alas, his hold slipped. The hood fell and revealed the rosette hair, darkened a bit because of the rain, of the person he was pursuing. A gasp escaped from said person and the next thing he saw was the profile of a face so delicate that it could only belong to a woman and piercing eyes. Despite the rush of the chase, Itachi belatedly realized that this person's was the same shade of green as the grasses of this same forest.

And from then on, everything rolled downhill. Literally.

The narrow land they were on was not stable – a fact that Itachi's prodigious mind was berating him now. It was a simple detail that he did not thought of at the moment because of the adrenaline rush of the chase. The land, made unstable because of the heavy rain, crumbled upon his and his horse's weight. He briefly saw the brown, thrashing river before he fell head first on it. He kicked and kicked to rise back to the surface with all of his powers, but his cumbersome clothes (made all the more heavier because of the water) and the raging river made all his effort naught. It pushed him on one direction to the next proving the turbulent rush of the water. His vision was getting blurry, the strength draining and leaving him faster than he thought, the cold seeping in right through his bones.

'What would it feel like to close my eyes? Ah, nothing matters anymore.' He thought.

He didn't know what happened next but the next time he became aware of his surroundings, he felt firm yet soft lips pushing oxygen through his mouth. Obsidian eyes widened, he gasped his next breath which turned to succeeding coughs. Those lips, pink and moist, left his own. Words tumbled from it, "Ah, you've come to." Itachi watched as those lips formed and leave those words, mesmerized; he watched (despite his hacking and gasping to normalize his breathing) the person before him.

His muddled mind realized she was the same person he was pursuing.

Gaze never leaving her face, Itachi heard the unknown girl continued what she was saying, "I'm glad." Genuine feelings lacing her words which completely surprised the raven-haired man. He was pursuing them with the intent to off their heads (not really his words) because of their crime, yet here she was saying she was glad he was alright.

And then she smiled.

Her young face cleared up. Jade eyes crinkling, almost closing and those lips forming said smile.

Itachi was dazed.

He could distantly hear voices coming near. A distinct shout of "Boss!" made the mystery woman look up towards the direction of the voice. She shouted something about "Everything's alright! I'll be coming back now!" But strangely enough, everything passed on Itachi's mind, muddled a bit. The girl smiled on his direction once more and stood up, running towards the forest. Obsidian eyes followed her form until she disappeared under the shelter of the great forests surrounding Konoha.

He sat up, long after she was gone, long after the rain slowed down to a drizzle. His mind going back to what happened like a replay. All the while, his thoughts were consumed of 'Those lips were very warm.'

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AN: My first ItaSaku. Wow. As you could see, this was a multichapter fic. I don't know how many more chapters it would have, but surely the length would be longer the next chapter. I don't know when I would update again ('Cause internship sucks and currently succeeding on making me super busy), but I wouldn't abandon this story. Well, it applies to all my stories (they were my babies!)

Anyway, for those waiting for updates for my NaruSaku fics, don't worry. Soon, I would find the time to update those!

Thank you for taking the time to read this, it would be greatly appreciated if you could READ and leave a REVIEW behind. This was my comeback fic after not writing for a few months. Hope, I'm not getting too rusty. And please, NO FLAMES.