The first time Sakura and Uchiha Itachi interacted was at the coffee shop near the hospital.
She hadn't noticed him. It was her only pause in that 36-hour shift, and she needed coffee and sugar. She needed her fix, otherwise she would crumble. Patient after patient, analytic eyes roaming on a chart, a polite smile hung on her lips, she would make it. She had done it for a few years since Shizune went full-time on handling the administration, leaving most of the operation to her young but expert hands. She didn't mind.
This was her strength. She wasn't a powerhouse like Naruto or well-rounded like Sasuke. But anytime they needed to go on the road, they'd always check by her Shishou if she was available. She never was these days with her hectic schedule. Plus, her boys had their own agenda.
"What will it be, Sakura-San?" the waiter asked at the counter. "A latte with extra-coffee and sugar?"
"You know me too well." she muttered.
"We're on it. Mia! Stop flirting with costumers and start working, please!"
"Keep the change."
The employee thanked her with an extra slice of pie. Her mind wandered back to the textbook in her hands. She had been toying with an idea lately. Something involving chakra scalpel, seals and a lot of precision to help with spine injuries. Lee had been complaining lately.
She moved up the line, juggling between the pastry and her texts. She nearly bumped into a man's back, mumbling an apology. She glanced at the girl handling the coffee pot. She had been busy angling her chest towards the guy before her instead of working. Sakura gritted her teeth. She needed coffee, and she needed them now!
"Get on with it!" the medic hissed through her teeth.
The voluptuous woman heard her and glanced at her manager. Then she glared at Sakura while pouring the boiling black substance. She couldn't wait to have it running in her system. She couldn't care less that she had ruined Mia-the-waitress' chances with watsisface. She just wanted her drink and be on her way. She didn't want to lose time over silly stuff.
"Mia!" the boss growled.
"Here!" she said, almost forcing the cup in Sakura's hands.
The girl had been unprepared for the heated beverage. It was too hot, way too hot for her cold hands. It surprised her so much she feared she drenched her textbook with it. Unable to hold everything properly, Sakura lost her grip on precious dark ambrosia. It spilled in a beautiful black geyser.
The man gasped in pain as the medic's body crashed into him, drenching him with coffee. Hot, boiling, burning coffee.
They tumbled in a painful mess of pastries, books and coffee.
It was with Mia's desperate cries and random-costumer's cries that Sakura's mind was back on track. She had managed to save her books, but only to find herself straddling a stranger. A burned stranger she had just mugged with coffee.
"Kami-Sama!" she exclaimed "I'm so sorry!"
Her eyes moved up to a gaunt face with porcelain skin, charcoal eyes and long black hair. She had just assaulted an Uchiha! Assault on a police officer! She'd never see the end of that day! But the worse was to come when he groggily pushed the hair off his face. It was Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Itachi, as in THE best shinobi in the village. Uchiha Itachi as in Commissioner Uchiha, the head of the Police department. Uchiha Itachi as her teammate's older brother. That man has haunted most of Team 7's dreams as he deemed Kakashi-Sensei's training inefficient, and decided to apply some tyrannical ANBU training method on three fresh Genin. Uchiha Itachi as in the man who single-handedly fought Orochimaru to get his little brother back from his clutches.
That Itachi. She had just aggressed. And was still currently straddling.
Sakura blanched as she got on her feet. This was probably the first time she had seen the man such a length of time, and she was already a fool.
"I… I'm so sorry Itachi-Sama!" she nearly cried. "Let's… uh… Let me take care of you."
She crouched near him, already in full-medic mode. With a staggering voice, she ordered the nosy costumers to move aside. He looked at her strangely. His eyes were cutting through her skull, dissecting her brain. It was unnerving. But his mouth… It hung open dumbly, as if he was at a loss for words. She probably looked ridiculous. She probably made him look like a fool.
"I'm gonna cut your shirt off." she warned. "I'm terribly sorry Itachi-Sama."
Behind the counter, Mia-the-waitress squeaked in delight.
The Uchiha caught her wrist the moment her hands glowed. It had been a stupid preservation reflex, making him groan in pain. With ease and practice, Sakura batted his hands away. She had worked with reluctant patients before. Now that she was in full-medic mode, his fame mattered little to her. Her scalpel-fingers tore through the fabric with his. The clothes were hot and damp, the skin underneath red and blistering.
Sakura let an annoyed noise out.
"Someone bring me some cool water, please."
"Haruno-San, I… This is a very inappropriate behavior..." Itachi-Sama started.
The Hokage's apprentice barely noticed the blush creeping up the man's face as her hands brushed his skin. The chakra shifted, no longer sharp and cutting but warm and soothing. Her patients breathing was irregular. His heart was beating fast. He must have been in a lot of pain.
"Everything is going to be all right." she said softly. "You're going to feel way better."
He shivered under her hands and caught her wrists once again. His eyes were like panicked. She wondered if that man really was the one who terrorized them a few years ago. He looked like a lost child under her care.
"Really, Haruno-San… This is a public place."
Oh. He was probably uncomfortable being exposed like that. She couldn't blame him. She felt she shame weighing on her back.
"I'm sorry about that, Itachi-Sama. It was an emergency. There was no time for me to move you to a private place and take care of you."
"Hn…"
The traditional monosyllabic Uchiha answer sounded strain as she moved her chakra to heal him. It would have been more effective if she could move her hands. But he seemed really affected by the burns. She felt his grip tighten as he closed his eyes. Some people didn't react well with her chakra. It varied a lot. She was sorry her healing was so painful to him. He grunted as she regrew new skin.
"All right!" she exclaimed as she stopped pouring energy into his skin cells.
With a fast move she freed her hands and dipped into the water basin the manager had brought. She exhaled a breath. Itachi-Sama blinked, confused. She smiled when she felt his eyes on her. Her shoulders stiffened at the frustrated twitch of his lips. A chill ran up her spine. She was done fore!
"Haruno-San…" he purred.
Oh crap, he was really pissed. She gathered her things with jerky moves. She managed to escape before he was on is feet. Too bad for the coffee.