Umeboshi

—

The villagers had always warned her to stay away from the strange child that was Uchiha Itachi, but Haruno Sakura wasn't a normal girl to begin with. ItaSaku non-massacre AU.

Chapter Two: Onigiri Delivery

Despite Itachi's effort to keep it concealed, it had become a known fact throughout the years to the Uchiha family that their child prodigy was definitely not a morning person. Unless his duties demanded him to, which oftentimes was the case, Uchiha Itachi was never the one to willingly wake up to the sunshine, to his mother's knowledge. So imagine her astonishment when one early morning Mikoto woke up to find her kitchen in a mess and her elder son gone missing.

Mikoto mused; it was a non-active day too, as the Hokage had required all shinobi to take a recovery day after missions to lower the stress level.

The dark-haired woman walked towards her beloved kitchen countertop, and took in the messy sight. With a quick glance, she was able to deduce what her son was up to in the morning. The lid of the rice cooker was laid as far as it could be from the its counterpart; the triangular rice ball mold bathed in a bowl of water in the sink, unwashed; several sheets of seaweed were scattered around the countertop; the container that held umeboshi was placed uncapped and neglected, a pair of chopsticks placed over the top. She dully noted that a certain mahogany container and a piece of cloth had gone missing also, and Mikoto silently wondered what could have caused her son to be in such a hurry that he did not even have the time to clean up.

Upon seeing that there was still rice left in the rice cooker, she decided to use the materials already laid out for her, however in a messy array they were, and make onigiri for her family's breakfast. She rolled up her sleeve, and gone to work.

"What's with the mess?" Fugaku inquired, having to just enter the kitchen and seeing the unorganized manner the countertop was in. He poked his head over his wife's shoulder to get a look at what was going to be his breakfast. "Onigiri?"

Mikoto gave her husband a light chuckle, and said, "Your son decided to wake up early in the morning and wreck havoc in the kitchen, leaving all these delicious leftovers behind. I couldn't just stand around and not use them."

Fugaku's eyes widen for a second at the information. "Itachi?"

"Mhm…" Mikoto replied as her hands shaped the rice into a perfect triangle without the mold.

"Isn't today…" Fugaku trailed off, walking away from his wife to retrieve an apple from the top of the dining table.

"Yes, according to my knowledge, he does not have a mission scheduled for today. He just came back from one yesterday." Mikoto set a plate of onigiri in front of her husband, and took a seat across from him.

Fugaku arched an eyebrow after hearing his wife's confirmation. "Interesting…"

Mikoto placed a gentle hand on her husband's, and said with tears brimming in her eyes, "Dear, I think our son is growing up."

—

He observed her from the rooftops, his chakra concealed in order to hide his presence. He would not call it stalking; the act was just too degrading for a man of his status. It was merely…observing. Yes, a training to enhance his observation. Observation training.

The target of interest was completely oblivious of his watching as she strolled through the streets in a carefree manner, occasionally stopping to engage in conversations with the vendors. After many hours of following her, he concluded that she was indeed a very well liked person around town.

Itachi mentally sighed (because there was just no way was he to do it outwardly). If it weren't for his mother's comment yesterday, he would not find his curious side wondering about the pink-haired kunoichi. There had only been several occasions in which he had engaged in full-blown intellectual conversation with her, and he couldn't help but admit that they were very entertaining and that her intelligence was enough to match his own. It had also been known that she was the apprentice of the renowned Hokage, and had established a world-wide reputation of her own. She was very well-liked by his family, and was considered a valuable companion even in the eye of his very condescending father. All in all, she seemed to be the perfect kunoichi of their generation.

However, he had never seen her fight. He had never seemed to understand how an emotionally driven girl like her (as he observed from her interaction with his family) could become as strong as the others said. He had never known her, and he didn't have the intention of knowing her until now.

—

Sakura stopped in her tracks to look towards the sky. Judging by the position of the sun, and the growing crowd on the streets walking towards various restaurants, she deduced that it was early midday, which also meant it was her nearing her training time.

She leaped from the ground and swiftly jumped towards the forest using the rooftops, conveniently avoiding the traffic on the ground. Upon arriving at her destination, she slowed down as she sensed another presence in the clearing. She smirked. It seemed that she'll have company for her training session today.

Hooking her finger through the loop of a kunai in her pouch, she got into defense stance as she surveyed her surroundings. Several shuriken flew towards her from a tree behind her, but she blocked them by throwing her kunai. She closed her eyes and expanded her chakra, attempting to find the position of her attacker and identify his chakra signature. However, she was taken off guard when someone whispered softly by her ears.

"Hasn't anyone told you not to close your eyes when in the presence of an enemy?"

Sakura's eyes shot open as her arm instinctively drew back in attempt to elbow the person. However, all she met was air.

On the other side of the clearing stood someone whom Sakura assumed was her offender. He was dressed in carefree black slacks and a sleeveless fit top, showing off his muscular biceps and lean form. From his hands dangled a box wrapped in navy cloth that looked awfully familiar.

As her eyes reached the face of her previous opponent, and all she could do was gape at him, her jaw dropping from her face to the ground.

"It-Itachi…san?" Sakura managed to spit out as she wondered what in the seven hell was the aforementioned man doing at her supposedly private and secluded training section. "How did you know where I was?"

Itachi arched an eyebrow at her question. "Do not appear so surprised. It'll take an idiot to not to determine your position with your chakra bouncing off the trees everywhere."

"Che." Sakura wiped her head to the side and crossed her arms in front of her chest at his insult. The action only made Itachi smirk at how childish she appeared to be.

"Do you require any assistance?" Being Sakura, she couldn't bring herself to ignore anyone for a prolonged period of time. She slowly turned to face the Uchiha and clinically scanned over his body for injuries.

Itachi shook his head, and held out the arm that held the navy clothed package. "Here."

Sakura eyed the package warily but accepted it. She untied the knot on the top and met the familiar mahogany container with cherry blossom prints.

"Oh!" She squealed excitedly as she found onigiri inside the bento box. "I didn't know that high esteemed ANBU captains are also lunch delivery men!"

"It has come to my mother's attention that you frequently skip lunch in exchange for training time." Itachi said, clarifying the origin of the bento. "She grew concerned."

"Thank you for brining this to me. I am starving." Sakura beamed at the Uchiha so brightly that he averted his eyes to stare at the grass next to her feet. Sakura swore she saw a crack in his usual stoic face as a tiny tint of red spread across his nose. "Please also extend my thanks to Mikoto-ba."

"Hn." He replied, and turned around to walk away. However, he was stopped by Sakura's tug on the back of his shirt. He tensed at the contact.

"Would you like to share with me?" She asked timidly, cheeks stained pink. "I don't think I can finish this on my own…"

Itachi turned his head to regard the girl behind him from the corner of his eyes. His eyes trained to where her hand connected with his shirt.

One second, Sakura was staring directly into Itachi's eyes, but the next, Sakura found herself grasping onto nothing but air.

That damn Uchiha performed a teleportation jutsu on her.

Sakura's anger flared and she puffed her cheeks. "Could have just said no…" She stomp her feet childishly towards the trunk of a tree, and settled down next to it to begin eating.

—

The constant visit from the elder one of Uchiha brothers continued throughout the week and she wasn't complaining at all. Everyday, he would bring from Mikoto a box of onigiri bento, and everyday, the flavor of the onigiri would vary. The mahogany container would always find a way back to the Uchihas on its own. Sakura thought it must have been that Mikoto performed a jutsu to make it disappear whenever she finished. Mikoto's onigiri were truly very delicious, and Sakura was very thankful to have a constant meal from day to day.

—

Mikoto was running her daily errands when she spotted a head of bright pink in the midst of the crowded street. She agilely crossed the swarming crowd and quickly made her way to the stand where Sakura was purchasing a couple of fruits.

"Sakura-chan." She called out.

Turning her head around, Sakura identified Mikoto immediately. A bright smile bloomed on her face. "Mikoto-ba!" She engulfed the older woman in one of her exuberant and tight hugs and the woman reciprocated whole-heartedly.

"Ne, Mikoto-ba, I've been meaning to say it but I haven't had the time to drop by the house to express how thankful I am for your bento everyday!"

The comment only earned a confused look from the older woman as she tilt her head to the side and asked. "What bento are you talking about, Sakura?"

"The box of onigiri I've been getting everyday, of course." Sakura replied, suspicion growing inside of her.

"I think you've got it wrong, Sakura-chan. The last time I made onigiri was for Fugaku's breakfast last week." Mikoto responded, slightly confused by the odd display of gratitude she was receiving. "I haven't been making onigiri bento boxes ever since Itachi-kun learned how to make them himself."

"Eh?" Sakura exclaimed as she could only gape at the older woman.

"Is something wrong?" Mikoto asked as she touched Sakura's shoulder gently, a sign of concern.

"Ha…ha…ha… I must have gotten it wrong," Sakura forced a smile onto her face, hiding the shock she was feeling. "I think the training and hospital duties are starting to get to my brain. There's nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing…"

—

Sakura stood next to the trunk of a tree, feet tapping on the ground impatiently, unconsciously creating little craters with such action. Her chakra flared erratically as her emotions clouded her control. She was confused, shocked, and mad, to say the least. She crossed her arms, and waited for the appearance of a certain Uchiha.

He materialized out of thin air several feet away from her as usual, and arched an eyebrow at her posture. She seemed to be…angry? Before he could make any comments, Sakura beat him to speaking.

"Itachi-san, where are the bentos really coming from?" She glared straight into the man's eyes, a sign that she was demanding a serious answer from him.

Itachi tensed as he struggled to find the words. His mouth opened, only to close a second later. She didn't find out…did she? No, she couldn't have, unless…

"You have spoken to my mother."

"And you have been lying to me." Sakura gave Itachi a pointed stare. "I ask you again, where are these really coming from?"

Under Sakura's scrutinizing stare, Itachi tensed uncomfortably and fidgeted ever so slightly. His eyes darted to the ground, and from where she was standing, he looked like a timid child who was just caught red-handed. Sakura gaped at such un-Uchiha like gesture. She took several strides to close the distance between the two, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Her eyes soften as she asked her question again, but in a softer and less-accusing voice. Hesitantly, he replied. "I made them."

Sakura's eyes widen at the new piece of information. He had…made them? Her heart was filled with love as an unusual but not unpleasant tingle appeared in her stomach. The great Uchiha prodigy had been making lunch for me? She silently mused.

The Uchiha, however, was not as pleased as the kunoichi was at her new found knowledge. In fact, he was terrified, even though he didn't show it…much. He had not have much experience with associating with others, no scratch that, he had no experience associating with others besides with fighting comrades and family members. With relationships being a completely foreign field to him, he, however much of a prodigy he was, did not know how to approach this subject. What if he had done something wrong to offend her? What if his actions were adverse to her rather than inviting? What if she rejects being associated with him just as his school mates had once done so long ago? What if, like his jealous old genin teammates, she had thought of him as an 'emotion-less, cruel, heartless monster'? What if she decides to avoid him now that she has found out that he blatantly lied to her?

For the first time in his life, Itachi felt the emotion override as his sharingan flickered on and off at his mental instability. Upon seeing this, Sakura grew extremely concerned. Her hands gently cupped Itachi's cheeks and she looked straight into his eyes. His eyes searched hers for any sign of reassurance and she gave him a comforting smile. "Shh…it's okay…" She whispered as she softly brushed strands of hair from his face.

She had known how little of social experience the Uchiha prodigy had. She had always known. She smiled at the side of him that Itachi was showing her. Even the great ones have an insecure side. Despite his constant effort in trying please the clan by appear as an invincible, effective, and emotionless shinobi, Sakura knew that when everything boils down, he was just a human being, a man with emotions. He deserved to have an emotional outlet, and she was glad that she was the one whom he decided to show his vulnerable side to.

After seeing Itachi's rare display of emotions, Sakura felt an odd surge of emotion through herself. She wants to discover more of him, more of this man who constantly tries to block his feelings out. She wants to protect this naïve, insecure, vulnerable side of him the way white rice wraps protectively around the flavorful center of an onigiri. He would be hers to discover, hers to protect, her umeboshi.

Sakura was broken from her trance when Itachi suddenly spoke, albeit a little tense, after having calmed down. "If it pleases you, I will continue to bring them."

"Yes, please." Sakura smiled brightly and extracted the package from his hand. She held the bento box at eye-level next to her head, and asked, "Would you like to join me?"

"Hn."

This time, Itachi stayed.

…to be continued.

This chapter is kindly beta-ed by Lady Massacre. Thank you so much! :)

Author's Notes:

For clarification purposes, Sakura is somewhere in her early twenties, and Itachi is, therefore, mid twenties. I'm thinking from 20-21 for Sakura and 25-26 for Itachi. Thank you maila89 for pointing it out. I've completely forgotten about incorporating the ages into the story. :)

Regarding Itachi's display of mental instability towards the end of the chapter, I was feeling very if-y about the whole scenario. It sort of contradicts all the characteristics that define Itachi, but at the same time, his social ineptitude is what I'm trying to get at. I hope I didn't butcher his character too much and made him really OOC. *shys*

This update is a President's day special- kind of thing. Thank you Mr. President? Heehee. Next update, unfortunately, wouldn't be here until maybe next weekend.

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