Title: Imp

Author: AppleL0V3R

Beta-reader: SymphoniaFreak

Fandom: Naruto

Pairing: Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

Rating: T

Type: One-shot – Complete

Summary: She had no idea just what a little terror she could be, affecting him so with just a glance and a giggle before tittering off behind her mother's skirts. AU

Word Count: 2,280

Disclaimer: If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

Note: I realize Halloween is more of an American holiday than anything, but it suits my purposes better than Japan's Obon festival. And that's because the focus of this is the costumes and the candy and of course Itachi and Sakura as children, all of which are Halloween themes. For those of you who don't know, Obon is focused on honoring the dearly departed as well as celebrating the time when the dead are closest to the living. Plus it tends to be a more-than-one-day affair, whereas Halloween is just on the night of the 31st. They're similar holidays, just with slightly different focuses, thus why I'm using Halloween and not any other.

Last Edited: November 2012

Itachi honestly didn't care much for these things. After all, dressing up in some costume and asking for candy from strangers had never seemed especially appealing to him even as a toddler, let alone now that he was a teenager with other interests to pursue. But he was stuck participating under threat of pain from his mother, more because Sasuke needed a chaperone than anything else. His parents were busy with important business matters and couldn't do it themselves. The thirteen-year-old had refused to dress up in anything other than his usual clothes, but had resigned himself to trailing behind Sasuke as the eight-year-old went door-to-door asking for candy. The younger boy was dressed in authentic samurai clothing, complete with a wooden sword tied carefully and tightly to his waist.

The choice in costume didn't really surprise the elder brother for the simple reason that Sasuke had expressed an interest in all things swordsmanship and honor and family. A choice that was slightly ironic, considering the Uchiha family could trace its origins to shinobi families during that time period, not samurai. Not that Itachi had any intention of explaining this to his idealistic little brother; best to let him dream and actually have a moral compass unlike some of the older generations of their family. When the boy was older he would know better, but for now there was no harm in letting him have his innocence and ethics.

Itachi hung back, waiting at the sidewalk as his little brother darted up the walkway or driveway to get to the front door. He didn't have to remind the boy to mind his manners; their mother had drilled 'please' and 'thank you' into the two of them well enough that he did it all on his own. Left to his thoughts, with the occasional disruption of Sasuke skittering back to his brother's side, he allowed his mind to wander. The teenager was careful to keep track of their surroundings and where they were, but past that he barely paid any mind to his blathering brother or the people behind the doors and definitely not to the people they passed on the street. There was no need to as far as he was concerned. Sasuke seemed content with the nods and distracted responses he got out of his aniki, especially since he was more focused on the candy that the people in their homes offered.

This was how the two of them tended to pass this particular holiday, together and acknowledging one another but not truly paying attention to what the other had to say. Neither minded since they had other holidays to spend quality time together.

Keen dark eyes were drawn to a splash of pink hair that was only slightly darkened by the light and bright green eyes that had turned his way momentarily. The girl child couldn't be more than a few months older than Sasuke, what with her small stature and rounded cheeks. She was dressed in dark-green, pseudo monster skin, and he was pretty sure that she was trying to look like an imp. His attention was kept momentarily by her as he tried to place her in his memory since she seemed familiar and he was hardly ever mistaken about such things. An incessant tug on the hem of his shirt brought his attention back to the young boy beside him. Itachi canted his head slightly, indicating that he was listening.

But the samurai-dressed boy merely shook his head and pointed in the direction of the young girl he had noticed just moments before. "Do you know who the pink-haired girl is with Naruto and Ino, Aniki? I think her name is Sakura; she's in my class."

Itachi almost blinked in surprise, realizing that his brother's observation was right; the rosette was with two blonde children as well as a redheaded woman. The two blondes seemed to be arguing with each other quite heatedly, definitely Naruto and Ino he thought absently, while the unknown child walked along at the woman's side. She was the girl's mother, he assumed; that was the only reason the two could look so similar and act alike. Granted, there was the possibility that the older woman was just her sister, but with the two other children not more than a half-step behind, that seemed unlikely.

He watched them for a few more moments, absently telling his younger sibling that he didn't know who the unknown girl was, but if that's who he thought she was, then she must be. Big green eyes stared guilelessly back at him, clearly certain that she knew he was watching and didn't mind in only a way that child logic could allow. Itachi had never been so affected by some strange girl; he couldn't help but think she would be a heartbreaker when she got older. He wondered briefly if he'd ever get the chance to meet her, and if he did what he would think of her then. After a moment of simply looking at each other, she lifted a fisted, tiny hand to her mouth as giggles shook her small shoulders. Then the little imp-dressed girl was tittering off behind her mother's skirts.

He told himself he'd see her again. And if it didn't happen by coincidence then he would find a way to at least figure out who the little girl was because she intrigued him.

Despite his obvious interest in the pink-haired girl, she was already disappearing down the street, and Sasuke was tugging for the distracted older boy by way of reminding him to continue walking. Nodding absently, he followed at his normal sedate pace as the samurai-boy raced down the sidewalk before turning sharply and hurrying up the walkway to the next house for more candy. He was going to get sick of all things sweet at the rate he was going, the thirteen-year-old thought as he repressed the urge to roll his eyes and smirk.

A couple of hours put the moon almost high in the night sky, and a glance at his watch would have told him that it was nearly eleven o'clock. Itachi was more amused than amazed that his little brother was still on his feet and moving, even if it was at slow pace. He knew the reason the eight-year-old hadn't degenerated to asking to be carried was because he wanted to prove he was a big boy and didn't need his brother to transport him home after a night of trick-or-treating. Not that the older of the two wouldn't have been willing to piggyback the child, but he was proud that Sasuke was beginning to try to be his own person. He made sure to be just behind so as to catch the boy should he fall or stumble. Dark eyes were much more vigilant now than they had been at the start; with the late hour came dangers and he would be damned before he let the little boy in front of him get hurt.

When they were close enough to make out the faint outline of their large home, the dark eyes of the younger brother lit up, and suddenly most of his fatigue seemed to disappear as his back straightened and the load of candy he carried no longer weighed him down as it had just moments before. A chuckle escaped Itachi quietly as he lengthened his stride to keep up with the hurrying little boy. He knew once they were safely ensconced in the warmth of their home, the boy would take his bag to his chest and head straight for his room, after bidding their parents goodnight of course. Sasuke would be asleep before his head hit the pillow. Itachi debated what he wanted to do; he was hardly tired, but perhaps more than a bit exhausted and cold. A book and a cup of rich hot chocolate sounded best. A worn smile ghosted across his lips at the thought of curling up in his favorite chair that was equidistant between his electronic fireplace and his large window. He liked his chair, tucked close to the warmth of a fake fire, better in the winter than his usual windowsill seat that was typically just the right amount of cool with the summer night breeze. And he knew his mother would have hot chocolate already piping hot in the boys' personal mugs.

The brothers were less than a block away from their block when darkened pink caught Itachi's eyes, and he stopped abruptly. The pink was the color of the hair of the unidentified girl he had spotted hours before. He knew he wanted to meet her, see if she was just as much a terror up close as she was far away, but he also knew that it was rapidly nearing midnight, and his mother would assume the worst if they weren't back soon. These facts didn't stop him from taking a closer look and finding that the little girl looked lost and frightened and she was clearly alone. Had she been separated from her group by accident? Seeing an eight-year-old alone at this time of night, even if the neighborhood was a relatively safe one, made him immediately envision Sasuke in her position, and it damn near killed him.

That was all the incentive he needed to tell his precious little brother to go the rest of the way. He would be able to watch the boy enter the gates and make his way up the driveway, and from there he knew his parents would be watching. Dark eyes nearly identical to his own blinked curiously as he tilted his head, but nodded reluctantly when he was shooed on. Itachi promised that he would be in to say goodnight to him before long, and that seemed to be what he wanted to hear because he smiled a face-splitting smile and turned to rush towards their home. He watched until the boy disappeared past the gates, not really taking his eyes off the other child still in his sights.

Certain that his brother was safe, he made a beeline for the rose-haired girl. He was careful not to spook her any worse than she already was; it wouldn't do to have her run off in a scared panic, or begin screaming unnecessarily. "Are you lost?" He asked as gently as he could while making himself seem the farthest from intimidating or dangerous that he could. Despite his best efforts, she still jerked around to face him before immediately backing off a step. Clearly she didn't remember him. His young brain was quick to scramble for any way to show her that he wasn't like all the bad men she'd undoubtedly been warned of. Sure he was a stranger, but he wanted to help. His subconscious idly commented that this would be easier if he was her age, but he wasn't so –

Wait, that was it. "You're friends with Ino and Naruto, aren't you?"

Wary green eyes blinked a couple times before she nodded slowly. He repressed any sign of relief that she was no longer about to scream or bolt, or possibly even both. Still he found himself nodding. "Well, my little brother is a good friend of theirs, so how about you come home with me and we'll contact your mother?"

She watched him for a few more moments, her guard clearly down but something in her wanting to make sure that this wasn't the same as being offered candy to get into a car. With a quiver in her tone, she looked all around her once then back at Itachi, who still hadn't budged an inch. "Where do you live?"

One hand lifted, and her gaze zeroed in on it instantly, watching as he pointed to a house just a little more than a block away. "I live there."

Recognition filled her eyes. Good, he thought, she knows what Sasuke's home looks like, and that knowledge seemed to make her little shoulders sag with relief even as her face brightened. She proceeded to nodded in a happy, if exhausted sort of manner, as she agreed to let him lead her by the hand. A hand she didn't let go of for nearly an hour afterward. Not until her mother appeared in the foyer of the Uchiha home later that night with a worried, relieved smile on her face. By the time Sakura was home, she realized that she'd made a new friend out of both Itachi and Sasuke.