Chapter 1: Age 4

Rating: K

Sakura remembered the first time she became aware Itachi existed and indirectly met him. It was all in the same day and possibly her earliest memory. Some of the details were fuzzy but she remembered the gist of it. She was four years old; he was almost eight years old.

"My big brother is the coolest!" Sasuke gushed, his round face covered in tomato juice.

"What's it like to have a brother?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.

Sasuke's little chest puffed out, "It's the best – I get all the toys he doesn't want anymore. He shares his candies with me and everything!"

Sakura sat between the two boys on a wooden bench as their pre-school was closing for the day. It was the beginning of summer and the sun felt warm on her skin. While the children were waiting for their parents to pick them up, the teacher passed out snacks. Sakura was drinking a juice box as she pushed her headband back, keeping her pink hair in place. Her legs dangled off the edge of the bench, nowhere near reaching the ground. She kept turning back and forth between her friends as Sasuke bragged about his brother named Itachi.

Like Naruto, she was an only child and was interested in hearing about the adventures of having a sibling. Sasuke was really hyping up Itachi. He finished explaining how they always played outside together. Apparently, just last week they looked for turtles in the pond near their home.

"And he's coming with mom to pick me up today!" Sasuke beamed. "The big kids had their last day of school yesterday."

"I wish I was a big kid," Naruto grumbled.

Feeling too shy to contribute, Sakura kept listening to the conversation and swinging her legs. She could feel herself growing excited. She was about to see Itachi Uchiha – the best brother in the world. Maybe if she was lucky and he was as nice as Sasuke said, he would be willing to be her older brother too. She didn't have one, after all.

Sasuke was babbling on about how they were going to be official "big kids" next year when they moved onto the elementary school. However, he abruptly stopped talking when he noticed his family walking toward them. Grinning, he heaved himself down off the bench and threw himself on who Sakura assumed to be Itachi.

Itachi was a slim boy of average height. His black hair was a little too long and had started to partially block his eyes. He scrambled to simultaneously move his hair out of his vision and steady himself while Sasuke hung off of his arm. Sasuke was now talking about how much fun they were going to have together that evening. Itachi was nodding at the younger boy and still swatting at his bangs. In the midst of everything, Sasuke's face touched Itachi's bare arm causing him to frown.

"You're all sticky from your tomatoes," Itachi complained. But Sasuke paid no mind and Itachi continued to let him stay firmly attached anyway. The younger boy was talking so fast, Sakura couldn't keep up with his words. But Itachi nodded once more, "Yeah, we can do that today."

Mrs. Uchiha smiled down at her children. She remarked with a small sigh, "Itachi, sweetheart, you really need to let me cut your hair tonight."

"No mom," Itachi shook his head causing said hair to bounce, "I like it like this." While looking down at Sasuke's red stained face, he asked his mother, "Do you have one of those wipes for his face in your purse?" The woman laughed at their antics.

Observing the family, Sakura tilted her head as she sucked out the last bit of juice from its container. Her shoulders slumped. Personally, she didn't see all the hype – Itachi just seemed like any other big kid she'd ever seen at the park. Also, she really didn't like his shaggy hair. To Sakura, Itachi Uchiha wasn't all that special.