Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away
Title: Calm Before the Storm
Author: bleu-bella
Word Count: 413
Created: May 10th, 2009
Completed: May 11th, 2009
Updated: January 1st, 2011
The Uchihas had quickly become famous when they permanently moved to their suburban property at the beginning of young Uchiha Sasuke's junior year. Perhaps most discussed of the four was Uchiha Fugaku, who had revolutionized the police force in not only Konoha but the surrounding areas.
And if Fugaku was first for his accomplishments, then Uchiha Itachi was a very close second. Itachi had graduated with top marks and a perfect record from high school, had earned a full-ride scolarship to the University of Houka, Konoha (the oldest and most prestigious undergraduate school in the entire country), and had completed his bachelor's degree in Psychology and Political Science with a perfect 4.0 GPA. In the coming fall semester, it was rumored he was to continue with Konoha's graduate school and obtain his MA and PhD.
Therefore, it really wasn't a surprise that Shikamaru almost spit out his mouthful of coffee when he saw Ino's closest friend walking with the brilliant Uchiha enigma as if they were more than just well-acquainted.
Shikamaru remembered Sakura from sophomore year, when she had still attended public school. Very intelligent; her marks would have been close to his, if he had ever bothered trying. He couldn't, however, figure out what about her had caught, of all people, Itachi's attention.
She had been considered one of the more antisocial wallflowers of their school, and any attention she had received was either due to her friendship with Ino, or her particularly odd hair color and rather large forehead.
Shikamaru remembered Ino complaining about all the girls who used to pick on Sakura for her forehead, stealing the Yamanaka girl's pet-name for the little pinkette and using it as a weapon. He also remembered how not in a thousand years would Sakura ever say a word, unless it was directly to Ino, or if she was answering a question.
He continued to watch the two as they sat down at a park bench across the street from the café Shikamaru was sitting in- Sakura talking rather animatedly, Itachi's attention strictly focused on her- even though the weather outside was slowly making it clear that they were sitting in the calm before the storm.
She seemed so much more vivid and alive than when she had attended high school; he would have thought it was someone completely different if he hadn't seen her three weeks ago at the flower shop.
Something had changed in the slight rosette.
Shikamaru furrowed his brow.
Mendoukousai.