"Our house isn't as feminine and pretty as yours is, but you are welcome to come over whenever you want, Sakura-chan." Mikoto smiled, opening the door wider for Sakura to enter. Sakura took a look around the living room and smiled, liking the decor of the Uchiha household better than that of her own.

"Actually, I like your house, it has a modern European feel to it." Sakura replied, disagreeing with her happily. She would much rather live somewhere with a modern, crisp edge to it than the soft, girly edges to her home.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," Mikoto said, leading her into the dining room, where Sasuke was sitting, flipping through a manga book. He looked up from his reading, shocked, but entirely pleased to see his classmate. He had never thought she would show up uninvited for dinner, but he was glad she was there. It was nice to have her company, meals at his house were often silent events.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, feeling unusually cheerful with an uncharacteristic smile tugging at his lips.

"Itachi-kun invited me over." She answered, taking a seat across from him. The smile quickly dropped into frown, the happy feeling was gone. Itachi never invited people over for dinner, and now he was inviting a girl? Sakura wasn't just some girl either, she was the girl he happened to like. It wasn't good if Itachi had taken an interest in her too, there was no way for him to win.

"You don't have to look so upset about it." Sakura laughed at Sasuke's pained expression, lightening his mood almost instantly. He wasn't sure how or why, but Sasuke was sure she had some sort of magic about her that made it impossible for him to stay angry for long.

"So are you and him friends now?" Sasuke asked anxiously, hoping, but not really not expecting a negative. Life would just to be to easy if that were the case.

"I guess so," She shrugged. "After the detention we had to serve together, he drove me home, and we started talking music. Whatever the case, I seemed to get through his barrier."

Sasuke didn't like how she seemed excited that she 'gotten through his barrier.' There was no time to say anything about it though, as he heard the loud stomping of Itachi running down the stairs. Apparently his mother had seen it necessary to summon him for Sakura's arrival. Itachi entered the dinning room, wearing a pair of a black skinny jeans and a band shirt.

"We match." Sakura joked, inspecting his outfit. Itachi, feeling the same magic Sasuke had earlier, smirked while looking at her clothes as well.

"Can't go wrong with black jeans and a band shirt." Itachi told her sagely. Sakura chuckled and then stood.

"So, are you two going to show me your rooms? You both got to see mine." Sakura teased, standing up. Both boys blushed, though Itachi managed to hide it so that it was barely visible. Sasuke failed compared to his older brother, and Sakura saw it quickly and caught on.

"Ah, is Sasuke-kun embarrassed?" She flirted teasingly, and then turned to face Itachi, "That's okay, I'm more curious about Itachi-kun's room anyway." Sakura continued, taking one of his hands in both of hers. Sasuke observed how she was so comfortable around his brother, and found it unsettling.

"Fine, if you insist." Itachi muttered, pulling her in the direction of the stairwell. He was obviously embarrassed, but he wasn't about to show that to Sakura as his foolish younger brother had. His mother must have heard the conversation from her position in the kitchen, because she abruptly put an end to the plans of going upstairs.

"Dinner's ready, so I don't want you escaping to your room, Itachi-kun!" Mikoto had called, stopping him in his tracks. Sakura couldn't help but to wonder if Itachi usually 'escaped' dinner with his family by hiding in his bedroom every night. By Mikoto's tone of voice, she was left to assume that was the truth. And the way he muttered 'yes, Okaa-san,' under his breath only confirmed her hypothesis more.

Sasuke was thankful mother had put a stop to them going upstairs, as he had the feeling if they had made it to Itachi's room, they wouldn't come down for a while. He didn't think they would do something inappropriate, they would most likely talk about music and gothic lolita fashion. Sasuke didn't like to admit it, but Sakura and Itachi had more in common than himself and Sakura. She was into the same music (if it could be called that, what was the point in listening to it if you can't understand what the singer was saying through all of the screaming?) as Itachi, though she had more of an excuse to be all emo after her father died. What excuse did Itachi have though? That was half of what made him so weird.

"I hope you don't mind, but I've prepared spaghetti for dinner tonight, instead of something Japanese." Mikoto stated, as soon as everyone had been seated, and Sakura had been properly introduced to Fugaku. Sakura smiled to herself, remembering the pathetic attempt at spaghetti she and her mother had made once. It would be nice to see what the dish really tasted like, when it hadn't been exploded, and when a cup of vinegar hadn't been accidentally dumped into the pot. It had probably been one of the worst things she had ever tasted.

"I would like that very much, thank you." Sakura answered her, completely hiding her amusement. Mikoto probably wouldn't take well to her laughing at the idea of Spaghetti. No doubt, she would take it as an insult to her cooking, which Sakura had the feeling, was better than anything she or her mother could create. Though, that may not say too much, as she and her mother were not capable of cooking much outside of Japanese cuisine. Even their take on Japanese cuisine could be considered mediocre by people with more refined tastes.

"You know, Sakura-chan, it's probably been almost year since Itachi-kun ate dinner with the family. I have to pull teeth just to get him downstairs for breakfast every morning. I really am thankful that you came over, it made him spend time with his family for once." Mikoto sighed, passing a bowl of salad around the table. Sakura couldn't restrain a smirk, and all Itachi could do was gape at his unusually blunt mother. Had it really been necessary for her to tell Sakura about how he never spent time with his family, he wondered.

"Thanks for that, Kaa-san." Itachi muttered dryly. Sakura giggled at his sarcastic response, and his secretly flustered expression. He may have been a cold person in most people's opinions, but that didn't mean that he wanted the girl to know about his eating habits, or how much time he wasted with his family. He hardly knew her, and she already seemed to know so much about him.

"I was just stating it as it were, Itachi-kun." His mother giggled mischievously. Itachi rolled his eyes in irritation, wishing that he could skip the pointless meal and make onigiri with Sakura and listen to music upstairs. She wouldn't want that though, he could tell she would much rather enjoy a dinner with a real family instead of practically alone with him. He might have been the same as that, if his family were dead, and his only living relative worked endlessly at her job. It had to be lonely for her, always being cooped up in her house with no experiences with a family, and he wasn't going to ruin that for her. He made the choice to spend his time alone, but she didn't have that much.

"Pass the salad dressing, Sasuke." He finally said, changing the subject to a more favorable one, a non-existing one, in other words. Wordlessly, Sasuke passed Itachi the bottle of Italian dressing, uncomfortable with his older brother's rare presence at the dinner table. Couldn't Itachi have been antisocial as usual, and go hide in his room, so that he could have Sakura to himself? Sakura may have finally made a small connection with the stoic person, but that didn't mean he had rights to making everyone feel awkward by his being there.

Sakura smiled to herself all throughout the troubled meal, both because of the atmosphere Itachi caused, and because the spaghetti had been so delicious. Itachi and Sasuke had shared several basilisk like glares with each other, but because Mikoto and Fugaku made no reaction to it, Sakura followed their example. Not having seen much of the two boys together before, she had no reason to know that this was how the brothers normally treated one another. It was amusing, to say the least. It made her wish feverishly that he had a brother of her own, all she had was her mentally retarded friends back in Harajuku, and they could hardly be considered brothers. Two of them were gay, and very happy with each other, and the other was a Jashin extremist who took joy in hurting himself. She loved them all, and wished the best for all of them, but they were certainly not her brothers.

"So, are either of you going to show me your rooms, or am I going to have to look for them myself?" Sakura asked the two brothers who were silently sipping at the last of their water glasses, Mikoto having already retreated to the kitchen. Fugaku was also gone, deciding to read in his office instead of deal with his sons, leaving the trio to entertain themselves. This could never be an easy thing, as two of the three were unreasonably stubborn.

"Which one would you like to see first, your ladyship?" Itachi asked wittily, being the first to relent. Sasuke glowered at his brother and quickly decided that he didn't want Sakura to go into Itachi's room before seeing his. If that happened, he got the impression that she wouldn't leave for quite some time. That wasn't because she was emo like Itachi, because he could never like an emo-girl, but more because his older brother's room was much more interesting. Even Sasuke couldn't deny that Itachi's room, with its black decor and edgy feel to it, was much cooler than his own room, which in comparison, was rather dull.

"Since I got to see Sakura's room first, then she should get to see mine first as well." Sasuke muttered so lowly that one would have thought he was talking to himself. Sakura smirked, as if to say it was bold of him to say that, but nodded her head just the same. The trio got to their feet, and after having nervously grabbed Sakura's wrist, Sasuke led them upstairs to his simply put together bedroom. This was his first time letting a girl into his room, as he never really had anyone other than Naruto over to his house, so Sasuke was rightfully anxious when he opened his door. He was instantaneously grateful that his mother had shanghaied him into organizing his normally sloppily kept room, other wise Sakura would have met a pile of dirty clothes, or something of that sort, as soon as she had seen the room.

Girls probably didn't appreciate such things, he noted to himself.

The room Sakura first entered into was in her opinion, plain. The walls were bare and still the pristine white from when they had moved in, and the only things he had in the room was a desk, a bed, and a small dresser. There were no pictures of friends, no random crap laying around, and no indication that anyone lived in the room at all. That had to be changed, because frankly, the way he had his room put together, reflected on Sasuke's personality, or lack there of. She couldn't even tell if he did anything at all besides go to school and get sleep. What a boring life that had to be. Maybe he would let her redecorate a little bit, but there was a low chance of that.

"Well, that was boring, so let's continue on this tour." Itachi stated blandly, looking around the room with disinterest. There wasn't much he could say in defense for his younger brother, not that he would want to defend him in the first place. Sasuke had a lack of life in his room, and in Itachi's opinion, Sasuke didn't have much of a personality at all. He was always doing as he was told, always listening to their parents and teachers, and other adult role models; there was no spice, no excitement in rebellion.

"Gladly; no offense, Sasuke-kun, but he is right. Your room is rather plain." Sakura sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. She could only hope that Itachi, who was an extreme of Sasuke, didn't have a boring room too. She would probably have to go all decorating-girl on their unimaginative asses from the horror of such bare rooms. Wordlessly, Sakura followed Itachi down the hall, and stopped at a door that was labeled "Itachi" and had a sign hanging above that, stating, "Enter at your own risk." She snorted at the predictability.

"I prefer to be left alone." Itachi grumbled, thinking to himself that he hadn't been left to himself in a while, with his mother, and now his new neighbor. The door slowly crept open, too slowly, Sakura decided, and as soon as she was at liberty to do so, she entered the room. The first thing she saw was a tank, and inside it Itachi's newly acquired snake.

"Hebi-kun!" Sakura squealed joyously, making her way to the pet, and leaving two bewildered teenage boys in her wake. Weren't girls supposed to scream and run at the sight of a snake? Did she really just call Shinigami 'Hebi-kun?' Itachi wondered. It sound a lot less scary with such a name. He sighed to himself, following her to the tank.

"His name is Shinigami." He corrected Sakura, taking off the lid to the tank and reaching his hand in. The harmless snake slithered around his wrist, hissing softly. Sasuke cringed, he knew the snake was no threat, but he still hated the evil little spawn of hell. He would never be able to be comfortable around the despicable thing his brother called a pet.

"Can I hold him?" she asked hopefully. Itachi had been about to tell her no, when he looked into her big, round green eyes, begging for his consent. He nodded his head and held out his wrist expectantly. Excited, she reached out to carefully take the calm little reptile. It lazily wrapped itself around her forearm, and then lay there contently. Sakura giggled, and Sasuke thought that he was going to vomit at the sight. She actually liked the disgusting vermin that would curse him for all of entirety. Using a timid finger, she stroked the head of Shinigami's head, careful to be sure she didn't offend the lovable little creature. The snake was lulled into sleep, and so Itachi returned him to his tank, being sure to not wake him.

"Your room is much more interesting than Sasuke's was." Sakura joked lightly, looking about the room now that the distraction the snake had created was gone. Sasuke rolled his eyes, not denying the fact that his room was boring. Itachi shrugged in response, and then shoved his hands into his pocket. There were random posters of bands on the walls, a large stereo system, and a desk covered with papers. It wasn't as orderly as she had expected, but she liked the room, it had personality. Amongst the papers scattered on his desk lay his sketchbook, and in it the drawings he had been hiding from his mother for the past few years. Her eyes caught sight of it, and smirking, she picked it up.

"Do you mind if I see?" She asked, her curiosity over-flowing. She had never pictured Itachi as an artist, and she couldn't help but to wonder what sort of things he drew. Itachi considered it for a moment, and as it was more hidden from his mother then anyone else, he saw no reason to prevent her from looking. Besides, it might help him improve if another set of eyes inspected the drawings, and he could use some honest, constructive criticism.

"My only warning is that my drawings all have a rather morbid interest." He told her, and in his own way, letting her know that she could take a peek. Sakura flipped open the book, and from the first drawing, she was completely captivated. Itachi's use of value made his sketches so much more vivid, the darks were dark, the lights light, and all of the shades between were mixed in naturally. He had talent, that much she could see. He was right though, all of his drawings were somehow centered around death, or misery, or pain. They were depressing, but still so interesting to her, and she didn't look up until she had seen each of his pictures.

"Itachi, you have real talent." Sakura said in awe, placing the book back onto his desk. So much for the constructive criticism, Itachi sighed inwardly. The next thing she's going to do is tell me I should open a gallery or something, he thought wryly. If his mother saw any of his real drawings, she would no doubt do the same thing.

"You really should show this to someone, but I understand why you haven't yet." She smiled sadly. He raised his eyebrow in surprise. So she grasped how his mother would send him to a shrink if she caught wind of his sketches. She was certainly different, she didn't even scold him for drawing so many pictures about dying. He wondered if she was completely competent or not. Nobody, girls least of all, was supposed to be okay with death, and yet she was. Maybe she was just as out of place in the world as he was.

"I showed you, haven't I?" He asked smirking. Sakura rolled her eyes, but nodded her head. He was right, he did show someone; her. She wanted to ask what it was that inspired him, but was afraid to touch in on subjects he might consider taboo. She didn't know his past, so if he had experienced some terrible thing, she could easily bring up things meant to be kept secret, and by only asking why he drew what he drew.

"What do you have in your CD player?" She wondered out loud, changing the topic as smoothly as she could. Sakura pressed the play button, and the chorus to Miss Murder blasted through the room. She smirked to herself, appreciating the song, while Sasuke looked utterly tortured. Both Sakura and his brother hummed along with the track, after sitting awkwardly on the carpeted floor. He sat closely to the door that was still ajar, just in case he had reason to make a run for it.

"How can you two stand that kind of music?" Sasuke muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone. Both of them had heard his comment though, and had turned to glare at him. Who was he to insult the awesomeness known as emo-music?

"It's better than whatever sissy crap you like to listen to." Itachi replied in a tone that, over the years, Sasuke had learned to fear. That didn't matter though, as his brother had just insulted his own music. It was most certainly not sissy, as his brother had so cruelly put it.

"My music isn't sissy." Sasuke corrected angrily. Just because his music didn't sing about killing yourself didn't mean it was somehow wimpy or something. Unfortunately, Sakura happened to be siding with Itachi on this round, and he wasn't sure how involved she would get with their petty argument.

"Right, because Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga are the essence of manliness." Itachi reprimanded sarcastically. Sakura snorted, drawing the attention of both irritated boys. She had to agree with Itachi, Lady Gaga was hardly the epitome of masculinity. Both of them looked at her, waiting for her to explain why she had so rudely interrupted their death-glare contest.

"Don't look at me like that, Itachi. He insulted my music too." She scoffed. The room remained silent, though Itachi's look wasn't nearly as intense as it had been.

Knowing they wanted her to say something more, she continued in saying, "Sorry Sasuke, but Itachi's right, nobody, a boy most of all, should listen to only Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga, or other crap like that."

Itachi turned back to his younger brother, his expression smug, knowing he had won that battle. Sasuke dropped the glare, but still seemed miffed at being ganged up against. Sakura breathed deeply, and decided she would have to be the mediator between the two unreasonably stubborn brothers.

"It's okay if you listen to stuff like that, but it's sort of wrong if that's all you ever listen to. Even I like that song, Poker Face, or sometimes Bad Romance, by Lady Gaga. It is a little disturbing if all you ever listen to is pop, though." She said carefully, being sure to not say something that would get on either of the two boys nerves. Sakura had made a few friends, and irritating them within the first couple days of knowing them wasn't how to keep them as friends. Still, their constant disagreeing was slightly unnerving, and she didn't want to have to choose between either of them. Friends in America were harder to make then she had initially imagined.

"I don't listen to just pop, I like some alternative music too." Sasuke said hopefully. He then continued to name a few bands that he deemed acceptable, "I like All-American Rejects, The Fray, and Panic! at the Disco too." Sakura wanted to roll her eyes at the girly bands he listed, but she needed to be the mature one to set a good example for Itachi, so she restrained herself. The two brothers seriously needed to look past their subtle differences, and at least try to get along with each other.

"Whatever you say, Sasuke." Itachi grumbled, though he knew what Sakura was trying to do. There was no way he was going to be all brotherly with Sasuke, no matter how hard Sakura pressed for it. Their rivalry had been going on for too long, so there could be no impasse now, the bridge between them had been torn down too many years ago.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke growled back, a vein on his forehead protruding dangerously.

"Listening to All-American Rejects is just as bad as Lady Gaga." Itachi informed him in his most sagely tone.

"Is not."

"Most definitely is so."

"I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual."

At this snide comment, Sasuke had roared furiously, and tackled his older brother, trying to hold him down, even though Itachi was probably a half a foot taller then him, and much stronger, at that. After very little struggle, Itachi had flopped their positions, so that he was strangling Sasuke instead. There was every intention in him knocking out Sasuke, based on his actions. Sasuke squirmed in Itachi's hold, but finding he was unable to free himself, decided to use the verbal abuse route instead of the physical.

"What, you're not going to take out your hidden knife that you use to cut yourself with? That would be so much more affective." He taunted. Itachi tensed slightly, surprised by his choice of words. Did Sasuke really want him to hill him?

"You know perfectly well that I am not a cutter." Itachi breathed in a forced scary tone, which though false, had the affect he had hoped for. Sasuke stopped wriggling, and after he tightened his arms around his neck, he had been tapped out. Sighing with relief, he released his brother, who lay there limply. Such a poor excuse of a human being, he mused, pushing the boy off of him. He had only intended to knock him out for a few seconds, but Sasuke was so weak that it had lasted longer than expected. Not wanting to be the closest thing to his brother when he regained consciousness, Itachi threw Sasuke over his shoulder, and then dumped him on his bed in his room.

Sakura had watched the whole traumatic event with horror, not believing that they hated each other enough to fight physically. She wasn't even sure who had started it, one moment Sasuke had been sitting next to her, the next he was scrambling on the floor with his brother. She assumed that Sasuke had initiated the fight, but she didn't deem it necessary for Itachi to knock him out. They were both equally guilty, if you asked her.

"You shouldn't have done that, it causes brain damage." She scolded when he returned to the room.

"He doesn't have enough brains to make any difference anyway." Itachi retorted, crossing his arms childishly. Sakura chuckled at his bluntness, which he took as agreement. Itachi turned up the music, and sat back on the floor. She smiled sadly at the familiar words, humming along with one of her favorite songs from the album playing.

"I'm guessing you like the song Endlessly, She Said. Though I must say, it makes you look rather sad." He commented, listening to her sweet voice as it hummed. She nodded her head, not stopping for a moment to reply properly.

"Most people don't understand this, but listening to sad music often makes me feel happier somehow. It's like it-"

"Makes you feel better for your own situation." Itachi finished for her. Looking slightly surprised, Sakura nodded her head in consent. It made sense to her in a twisted way, that Itachi would be the one to understand her, when nobody else seemed to. Her mother was the only one who seemed to comprehend why she listened to the music she did, and that was the only reason she allowed it.

"When my Otou-san died, the only one who understood it was my mother, but now I'm afraid she looks down at me. She's managed to move on, but I'm still clinging to my memories of him. Maybe she hopes that I'll get over his death faster if I feel better about myself." Sakura murmured. Then she gasped, realizing what she had just told him. There was some secret pact she had made with herself that she would never speak of her father again, so why had she just told him that? It went against everything she worked for. Her shock and pain was easily read on her face by Itachi, who felt that he was to blame.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." He whispered, seeing her face scrunch up, and the steaming tears pool in her eyes. She diligently held them back, determined to not cry in front of him. This bothered him, to him, it was like she was ashamed to cry, like she had to act differently then she wanted to. It was painful to watch her torture herself, even more painful than if she had actually let herself cry.

"It's okay to cry, if you need to." Itachi soothed, feeling an out of place sense of caring. What was happening to him? Before Sakura, he would have ignored a girl who was crying, or even worse, he would have told her to be quite. He wasn't a caring, compassionate person, so why did he want her to feel better? He shouldn't care what she felt, and yet, he did.

"I don't need to." She sputtered, her actions contradicting her statement. Sakura hugged herself for self-comfort, but in finding none, let the tears spill, and the strangled sobs loose. Deep inside of his chest, Itachi felt something sharp twist achingly for the first time in a while. He didn't think about what he should do, his body acted on it's own accord. His arm snaked around her to grant the solace she so desperately sought, and he pulled her petite figure into him.

In hysterics and not knowing what was happening, she clutched him, taking in his calming aura for the support she needed. Itachi felt her hot tears seep through the fabric of his shirt. She pulled at him urgently, searching for those feelings of contentment and safety that she hadn't had since her father's death. He massaged circles into her back as he would a disconcerted child in need.

Furious, Sasuke woke, finding himself on his bed. He was going to kill his brother, he swore to himself. He jumped up and ignored the dizzy sensation. He marched straight to Itachi's room, and threw the door open so violently that it could have fallen off of the hinges. What he saw was a hysterical Sakura clinging onto Itachi, and his brother attempting to comfort her. As if he liked her, or something.

Itachi's head shot up, and he sent Sasuke a spine-tingling glare for being interrupted. Sasuke's anger faltered, and was replaced with concern for the pixie girl who was sobbing into his brother's chest. Itachi's glare didn't slack, but he instead nudged his head towards the open door, indicating that he should leave. Sasuke quickly backed out of the room, knowing better than to go against Itachi when he was in one of his moods. He had already been knocked out once that day.

Regaining composure, Sakura realized two very important points; one, she was in the arms of a guy, two, the guy smelled really good. She hadn't really thought Itachi to be a cologne wearing type of man, but apparently he was, based on the strong musky scent of his skin. You really do learn something new every day, she thought. Then the embarrassment came. Why the hell was she hugging Itachi? She didn't want a boyfriend, just a friend who happened to be a boy. She was going to give him the wrong idea if she let him hold her any longer.

"I'm sorry for that Itachi. I normally don't lose control like that." She said shyly, pulling herself away from his intoxicating scent. To Itachi, this was an unusual Sakura to see; she was blushing ever so slightly, and she seemed to be embarrassed that she had been clutching onto him like he was her life force. She was usually bold and sarcastic, so unlike the timid girl he sat next to now.

"That's okay, I don't mind." He reassured her. Wait, that came out wrong. Now she was going to think he possessed feeling for her that he didn't. He just wanted to have her as a friend, if that. He was used to the sedentary life. He felt himself grow flustered, but being Uchiha Itachi, that didn't mean much. Sakura could see no difference in his self-control.

"Still, I shouldn't have done that." Sakura told him carefully, trying to read his impassive expression. That was impossible though, and she quickly gave up on that idea.

"I should take you home; it's getting late, and your mother will be worried." He changed the subject smoothly. Sakura looked up at the clock on the wall, which read ten o'clock. He was right, she should head home before her mother marched over to the Uchiha household and demanded her daughter back. That would be interesting though, to see Mikoto's shock.

"I can walk myself home." Sakura told him stubbornly. She wasn't going to let him get the wrong idea. He was hot, he smelled good, and he was strangely understanding, but she wasn't interested in getting a boyfriend. Her grades were much more important any way.

"I want to walk you home." Damn, that came out wrong again. She was going to think he liked her or something. Which he most definitely didn't. He just wanted to make sure she made it home without anymore breakdowns. She was going to think he was crazy.

"I'm not a kid, Itachi. I can manage to walk myself three houses down the road." Sakura told him. Itachi glared into space, obviously thinking the opposite.

Sighing, she got to her feet, and without a word, walked out of the room. He followed shortly behind, being sure to not say a thing to her. The two of them were stubborn, and walked all the way to her house in silence. It was when they reached her door, that the quiet was broken.

"Thank you for everything, Itachi." Sakura murmured, looking up at her wordless companion. A smile slowly crept into his features, and he nodded his head.

"My family seemed to have throughly enjoyed your company at dinner. Perhaps we can do it again some time soon." He replied. Crap, he thought. It sounded like he was asking her out, or something to that effect. She looked up at him, her surprise completely expected by Itachi.

"I suppose," she pause for a moment, trying to think of something good to say, "I'll see you later Itachi." Sakura finished lamely, having not thought of something clever to tell him. Did that mean that he thought they were a 'thing?' She feverishly hoped he wasn't that daft. He was a male though, so if anything, he was clueless about her intentions, even if he happened to be the most intelligent boy she knew.

"Yes, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Itachi blinked a few times, and seeing no point in letting him make himself into a bigger ass, he turned around an stalked off. Did she think they were a couple now? He prayed to some invisible force that she didn't think they were together in any way, and was unable to stop the question that popped into his head. Would it be such a bad thing if they were together?

Of course it would be bad if they got together, he told himself. He had absolutely no experience with girls, and she would never like him anyway. It was pointless for him to even think about her in such a way. She was just a friend, and a new one, at that. There was no stupid romantic crap between them, nor would there ever be.

Sakura turned away from Itachi's retreating back, and entered the house. Was it bad if she let him think she was interested in her? She didn't need a second opinion to know that it would not be good if she led him on for to long. Sakura was going to have to talk to him in AP U.S. History tomorrow, and she wasn't looking forward to that. It was bound to be awkward for both of them, and she hoped that he would still want to be her friend after her rejection. What was she thinking? There was no such thing as just being friends, it was something made up by overly imaginative authors who were too determined to make sure all of their characters were happy at the end of the story. Such concepts didn't apply to real life.

"I got your note. Did you have fun?" Her mother called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, the Uchiha's have a very interesting family." Sakura muttered, going upstairs to her room. Her mother didn't pry, and Sakura quickly got to work on her neglected homework. After finishing it, she slumped into bed, too tired from the day's events to do much else. It was funny how much could change in the span of a day.