AN: Here's a little Fun Fact: this story was supposed to be a one-shot. It is now looking to span about fifteen plus chapters.

So, with that little tidbit of information: here is a chapter of Itachi X Sakura fluff. Enjoy the clouds, my friends, and welcome to summer!

Please review for me! They make me happy!

The First Time

Chapter 7: Frozen Over

"It was the winter of '86, all the fields had frozen over
So we moved to Arizona to save our only son."

Haruno Sakura was frightening.

Not like Orochimaru frightening, Tsunade frightening, or even Akatsuki frightening – Haruno Sakura was in a league of her own.

It was nearly seven in the evening – they would have to leave soon, Itachi reminded her. She waved him off as she continued doing…whatever she was doing. Because he could not see from the way she was curled up at the end of her bed. Slowly, Itachi walked over to her side. Her legs were folded neatly beneath her, her strappy silver heels lying next to her, as she dipped senbon into a glass of water and then into a powdered vial she had pulled out of her bag minutes earlier. Genma joined him, watching her methodically place the powdered senbon into the hidden compartment in the heel of her stilettos and capping them with the small rubber wedge that would hold the senbon in place.

Itachi quirked an eyebrow at her and was slightly disturbed when a wide, wicked grin spread across her face.

"It's explosive powder laced with my chakra," she answered the unspoken question. "I can detonate it at any time."

The absolutely horrified look on Genma's face made her throw her head back and laugh. It wasn't her normal, tinkling laughter that pulled on Itachi's heart and elated his chest. No – it was something darker and much more maniacal that spoke of a hidden evil that no man wanted to cross. When had sweet little Sakura grown into such a vicious woman?

So yes, Haruno Sakura was incredibly frightening. She was silently frightening. She was the frightening that you didn't know about until it was too late. Her light colored hair, cute smile, petite figure, and expressive apple eyes were captivating and alluring. However, like any siren, she would pull unsuspecting men in. Just as the man would find her so utterly perfect

…She would strike by blowing him up with explosive-laced senbon. Itachi surely hoped that wasn't what was happening to him.

Shisui stepped out of the bathroom, a bemused expression crossing his features.

"Why is Cupcake laughing like a mad woman?" he asked, his puzzled tone matching the slanted brow and confused frown.

"Because she is a mad woman!" Genma exclaimed as he took measured footsteps away from Sakura. She just grinned back at him, grabbed her dress from the closet, and sauntered into the bathroom to change, claiming she would be ready in a half an hour. True to word, half an hour later (it was thirty-seven minutes, but Itachi didn't think it wise to complain), Sakura walked rather sheepishly back into the hotel room.

Her dress was a dark red satin, strapless number, forming her body tightly as it slinked down to the ground. Silver jewels crusted the area just below her breasts, accentuating her slim waist and pushing her bosom up to make it seem larger. Her hair, which was still a mute brown, was curled into ringlets and was clipped behind her at the crown of her head, letting the strands fall down and touched just above her shoulders. The silver comb that they had seen her take from the weapons case – the one that was filled with poison – was brushed into her hair and tucked the loose strands of her bangs back.

Shisui catcalled, Genma blanched and muttered something about Kakashi killing him, and Itachi just stared. Suddenly, he felt his neck grow warm and the hotel room was a little stuffier, but he managed to look away from the woman who had just entered the room so she wouldn't notice the pink tint that flushed his cheeks. However, he had turned his gaze right towards Shisui who took one look at him before bursting out in a fit of giggles.

Sometimes he wished he could kill his cousin.

"You look lovely, Sakura," Itachi commented, turning his gaze back to the woman in front of him, but he went straight to looking at her eyes, avoiding staring at here body anymore. That was a mistake as well. Sakura very rarely wore makeup, simply because she said she didn't care. Though, with makeup – which she did very tastefully – her usually pretty face was turned into a feminine, flawless spectacle that turned the dreary hotel room into a shining palace with one smile from the rosette. When Itachi complimented her, the smallest tints of pink rose across her cheekbones which very effectively made Itachi's heart stop in his chest.

Before Itachi could say anything, even though he felt he probably couldn't speak without cracking his voice like a hormonal teenage boy, Shisui interjected, "Let's get going, shall we?"

Sometimes he wished he could hug his cousin.

The group nodded and teleported themselves to a wooded area a block outside of the mansion, planning to walk the rest of the way to the party. Sakura hated transporting herself like this because no matter how many times she tried, she always stumbled when she came out of the wormhole – especially in stilettos.

This time, a steadying hand grabbed onto her the moment she appeared in the small little grove of trees, saving her from dirtying her very pretty, very expensive dress. She smiled up to the man who was holding her forearm steadily. "Thanks," she muttered, smoothing her dress back out. Itachi merely inclined his head in response, not able to find words for the creature in front of him. Shaking his head lightly as the group set out, he pondered when exactly had the girl strolling in front of him had gained the power to make him speechless.

The spring air was warm, but the wind that shifted through the trees made Sakura shiver a little as the group walked slowly, with many other people, up the cobblestone walkway towards the mansion. The people around them were obviously rich, or at the very least, very well off. They were decked out in decadent, very fine attire that was too gaudy for Sakura's taste. Even the daimyo of Fire Country didn't dress in such flashy fashions as these people seemed to. Hoards of women and men were floating gracefully, chatting and laughing as if they didn't have a care in the world.

Well they'll care soon enough. Sakura thought wryly to herself. This was the part where she made the switch – let her inner take over to kill the bad guys. Of course, her inner couldn't actually physically possess her body, but she was able to handle the mental strain of stripping away a human being's life better than Sakura was, so she wasn't complaining. Mentally, assassinations were hard on Sakura, but she was always able to complete her duty when it came time because she was a shinobi of Konoha, and that was her duty.

Their strategy was simple: Genma and Shisui were going to search the mansion and kill everybody on their list of gang members not in the main ballroom while incapacitating anybody who was in the outer portion of the house that wasn't on their assassination list. Then, when they had cleared the rest of the house, they would drop sleeping gas into the main ballroom. This would simplify picking out the ones they needed to kill and they could remove the innocents from the area easily. Then, they would blow the house up with the gang members inside.

It seemed like one of the best laid plans Sakura had a hand in coming up with. Of course, Itachi had come up with most of it, but she had been the one who was adamant about removing all of the innocent civilians before blowing the place up. Itachi gave her a look that was the equivalent of 'I hadn't thought of that' although she was sure he would have just done it naturally throughout the course of the night.

The group of shinobi was making their way to the front doors, which appeared in sight of when Shisui got a suddenly anxious look on his face. He whispered, "Metal detectors."

Sakura sighed, "We have planned for that. Metal detectors will not sense the weapons hidden in your outfits."

Everybody's posture seemed to relax a bit at the comment, and Sakura internally rolled her eyes. Of course they thought of things like that! Shaking her head, she knew that the boys weren't slighting her team's intelligence in the SWPD – they were just concerned shinobi. As the guards at the front doors checked them for weapons or any other harmful substances – which were all expertly concealed – the group walked slowly into the entrance.

An expansive entry way greeted them; the ovular room was covered in black tiles and decorated with white and gold tapestries that hung from ivory pillars that encircled the room. Directly in front of them was a large stairway that went up to a landing which held two very tall, elaborately carved ivory doors. The doors were opened to reveal the ballroom to the guests that were filtering in from the outside world.

Itachi places Sakura's arm securely in his automatically as the group began to scale the stairs slowly, his mother's teachings about manners most present in his mind. Once again, Sakura's face flushed the slightest pink as she thanked him. Itachi could practically feel Shisui's smirk boring into the back of his neck, but he ignored it. When they reached the top of the stairs, Itachi gave the slightest of nods, indicating that Genma and Shisui should begin their work on the outer realms of the house while Itachi and Sakura scouted the main ballroom. And just like that, they were gone.

Sakura audibly gasped as they entered the ballroom, which Itachi had to admit, was very exquisite. The ceiling was painted the deepest blue of the midnight skies, and was freckled with yellow drops of paint and an elaborately decorated moon in the corner to indicate the sky. He quickly made out many familiar constellations, demonstrating that this sky was that of the winter heavens. A large balcony made up the perimeter of the room, and the ivory pillars that held up the seating spaces were decorated to look like white houses with red roofs. Under the pillars and the balcony were several bars and tables for the guests to dine and drink at. In the center of the ballroom was a large table, elevated off the ground, where their main targets seemed to be eating and drinking. And, finally, at the far end of the room was a large stage where a 16-piece orchestra played softly in the background of the happy chatter and drinking, silhouetted by heavy red curtains that matched the color of the 'roofs' of the buildings that held up the seating areas on the balcony.

"This place is beautiful," Sakura whispered in awe. Itachi merely chuckled at her. Due to clan events, he was used to being in places such as this. In fact, the annual Uchiha Christmas banquet was often held in a hall such as this. However, Sakura was not used to seeing such elegance since such ballrooms simply did not exist in Konoha. If they did, then Sakura had no reason to ever go into one, it seemed. Sakura's cheeks puffed out a bit. "Why're you laughing at me?"

"I'm not," was the simple reply that Itachi gave, but Sakura's pout did not waver. Slowly, he moved his arm so it rested naturally on the small of her back, propelling her forward into the large room. Couples were already dancing to the music while others enjoyed drinks. Sakura's eyes darted all over, from the table in the center where Gorou, his uncle, and several more of their targets sat, to the guards that were stationed on the balcony observing them.

"Twelve on the balcony," she whispered with a bright, fake smile as she grabbed two glasses of champagne and handed one to Itachi.

"There are two at each set of doors except for the bathrooms, which makes six," he said in response while he also scouted for a table. "There are another eight at the table with Gorou and his uncle; that, coupled with the guards at the doors and in the foyer, we are missing approximately fifteen to twenty targets."

"There will undoubtedly be some mixed in the crowed," she replied chirpily, smiling at a couple that greeted them. They finally found a seat at a small table. Itachi pulled her chair out for her, as was the gentlemanly thing to do, before taking his own seat across from her.

"Hn," he agreed while looking around the room slowly, trying to recognize the men from the cards they were given. He was able to pick out a few, but there were still some missing. Hopefully Shisui and Genma would be able to find the others in different parts of the house. There hadn't seemed to be any on the borders of the property, which meant they should have all been in the house somewhere. "We should try to get this done in under an hour. We have a birthday party to attend tomorrow night if I'm not mistaken."

Sakura's eyes lit up. "You're coming?" she asked cheerily.

"Your friend Ino," he began, Sakura blanched, "Insisted."

"She can be like that sometimes," Sakura replied. "Even when she wasn't the ones throwing my party…"

Her voice trailed off and Itachi felt a pang of guilt ring through his chest. He hadn't meant to bring up her deceased parents. A silent prayer went out for something to distract the conversation away from this dreary topic.

As if on cue, there was the slightest hint of radio buzz in his ear coming from the translucent communication device that rested firmly in place. Judging by the slight way Sakura tensed, she had heard it as well.

"Can you guys read me?" Genma's voice came through the earpiece.

Sakura pressed the slightest bit of chakra into her finger, and while making it seem like she was resting her chin on her hand lazily, pressed her finger into her ear. "Yes," she replied with a smile.

"Alright, I've got seven of our men dead who were roaming the hallways, and I've completely blocked off the fourth floor with a genjutsu so that's clear. How're things going on your end, Shisui?" Genma reported quietly.

Another set of radio fuzz came through their ear pieces before Shisui's slightly more exuberant voice pierced through the haze, "I got seven as well and the third floor is blocked off. So we should be good to close off the ballroom and snag the entry guards while you two take care of the ballroom with the sleeping gas."

Itachi nodded a bit and then responded, "Very good. Contact us when you are finished with the entry way and have the ballroom closed off. Make sure that a genjutsu is put in place so that those inside the ballroom do not get suspicious."

"Yes, Taichou," they responded in unison before cutting off their communication devices.

"How're we going to spread the sleeping gas?" Sakura asked quietly.

That earned her a smirk from the Uchiha, who stood gracefully and held his arm out to Sakura, "We are going to dance."

Sakura's gaze went through a myriad of emotions in a matter of seconds. Confusion, horror, delight, anxiety and then resignation all passed through her jade orbs before finally grasping onto Itachi's hand lightly.

"I'm a horrible dancer in places like this," Sakura muttered as Itachi led her to the dance floor dutifully. "I always step on the guy's toes. The only time I didn't completely make a fool out of myself was the time that I danced with Gaara, I mean the Kazekage, at his eighteenth birthday party a few months back."

"You just need the proper lead, Sakura," Itachi replied as he found a suitable spot on the dance floor and turned to her, ignoring the stab of jealousy in his gut at the mention of her dancing with someone else and referring to the Kazekage in such a familiar manner. "I'm sure the Kazekage was suitable, which was why you didn't, as you say, make a complete fool out of yourself."

Sakura let out a weary sigh as Itachi's right hand encased hers in a stern grasp while his other arm tightened around her waist. Her hand automatically went up to his shoulder and she leaned back to gaze into his onyx eyes. She quirked her lips into a little smile, trying to diffuse some of the raw intensity he had been staring at her with. It had been an intensity that she found herself being shown all night, and she couldn't figure out why. However, it was enough to give her butterflies and make her blush, and she really wished he would cut it out because she was a kunoichi for Kami's sake, and he was making her a bumbling, blushing little girl.

"I only danced with him because it was tradition that he dance with a female at his eighteenth birthday, kind of, you know, saying he was now of marriageable age. And he said I was the only female he could tolerate besides his sister, so I was happy to do it. He's shorter than you though," Sakura chatted offhandedly. She hardly noticed the way Itachi had them floating gracefully around the ballroom with his skills. The only other person who she had danced with like this, besides Gaara, was Sasuke at one of his family's parties. It had been the same sort of situation – it was either her, or one of his annoying cousins.

Itachi let the annoying jealousy in his gut diminish at Sakura's explanation, and decided to merely focus on this opportunity to have Sakura in his arms. So many of the things they did on this trip would surely never happen again because of her hoard of protective guard dogs that happened to follow her around back home – also known as Team Seven. Sakura looked up at him and her cheeks flushed again. Really, he only regarded her the way he did because it always seemed to embarrass her, which tinted her cheeks the most complimentary shade of pink.

There was another crackle in his ear. Shisui's voice was whispered, but clear, "There's a genjutsu up and everybody out here is taken care of. Spread the sleeping gas, my lovelies!"

Sakura rolled her eyes before slipping her hand into one of the secret compartments of her dress. When it came out, she held a small can with a large button at the top. After pressing some chakra to her nose and Itachi's to make sure that the sleeping gas didn't have an effect on them, she pressed the button and tucked the can into a holster in her leg. In perfect timing, the orchestra began to take up a more cheery, faster paced tune, and Itachi complied by whirling her around the dance floor faster. Soon, the sleeping gas was spread over the entire floor. Since it was translucent, tasteless, and odorless, everybody was fairly confused when people began to drop like flies.

The worried looks on the guards' faces were enough to tell Itachi and Sakura that it was working, so they split off to take care of the targets that weren't being affected as much by the sleeping gas – like Gorou, his uncle, and the guards on the towers.

Sakura jumped onto the balconies swiftly and began taking out the guards that were stationed there while Itachi went for Gorou and his uncle. The drug lord let out one faint cry before falling down in a heap, dead from a kunai to the heart. His uncle put up even less of a fight – dead before he realized what happened. The guards that were surrounding them began to run for the door, but that caught them in the genjutsu that Shisui and Genma had laid out at all of the entrances. The guards stopped dead in their tracks and fell while Itachi swooped behind them, ending their lives. Luckily, most of the innocent civilians were already unconscious from the sleeping gas, so they didn't have to worry about panic. Just as Itachi went to gather them to bring them outside, the last of the balcony sentries fell from the balcony and onto the floor, dead.

Sakura jumped down soon after, a dry smile on her face. She shuddered a bit, clearly not liking this part of her job, before helping Itachi rifle through the people and checking off all the guards they had killed. Genma and Shisui entered the room to help them remove the innocent civilians, apparently having already taken care of any of the kitchen and serving staff that hadn't been in the ballroom when the sleeping gas was unleashed. They were happy to find out they had managed to assassinate every man on their list between the four of them.

After what felt like hours of lugging innocents out of the mansion and a safe distance away onto the front yard, and planting her explosive senbon in perfect areas for destruction, Sakura, Itachi, Shisui, and Genma stood at the bottom of the hill while the mansion exploded and went up in flames. Sakura grinned at her masterpiece and felt a little too much like the Akatsuki member Deidara at her enjoyment in seeing the mansion explode and then collapse.

Genma let out a whoop of victory before pulling out a flask and handing it to Sakura. "A celebration for Sakura's first victory in an ANBU mission. Oh, and it's after midnight, so happy birthday!"

Sakura smiled a little when her other two counterparts wished her a happy birthday as well, but the smile was a little sad because it was also the anniversary of her parent's death. Sometimes, it was hard to be happy.

Itachi seemed to notice and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which made her smile a little truer and a little less sad.

"Come, let's go home," he finally said.

X

Uchiha Mikoto always wanted a daughter. After giving birth to Itachi, the clan heir, she got pregnant again five years later, after begging Fugaku for months, praying for a girl. However, nine months, four days, and thirteen hours after conception, Uchiha Sasuke was born into the world. Needless to say, he was a boy. That's not to say that Mikoto didn't love Sasuke. On the contrary, Mikoto loved her boys more than anybody else loved their children. Of course, most mothers say that about their children, but Mikoto knew that she was the only one who was right.

But then, miraculously, thirteen years after giving birth to her younger son, her son's young female teammate, sporting newly trimmed short hair appeared at the front door with pleasant jade eyes and a bright, welcoming smile. It was Sasuke's teammate, Haruno Sakura, and she needed a haircut. Sakura had just finished the chunin exams, and she had chopped off her hair in the Forest of Death. However, the jagged cut with the kunai was uneven, and she needed it to be fixed. Since Sakura's own mother wasn't very talented with cutting hair, Sasuke had suggested his own mother smooth it out seeing as she cut Itachi's hair all the time and managed not to butcher it.

After a day of chatting, hair cutting, and some cooking, Mikoto had found her daughter. That was only exasperated when one year later, Sakura's parents both died, and she started spending almost all of her time at the Uchiha compound, and namely, with Mikoto. The Uchiha matriarch became as much of a mother to Sakura as Sakura was a daughter to her.

That's why when Itachi walked down the stairs and into his kitchen, clad in a white dress shirt that wasn't tucked into his dark slacks, he wasn't surprised to see the kitchen table piled with gifts that his mother had bought for Sakura. Mikoto went a little crazy for Sakura's birthday (and Christmas, for that matter) in terms of gifts. And, to add fuel to the fire, Sakura did the same thing for Mikoto on her birthday, Christmas, and his parent's anniversary.

His mother was just carrying the last of the gifts and setting them on the table when Itachi walked into the kitchen. With a sigh, he muttered, "Okaa-san, don't you think you went a little overboard…again? Sakura does not need ten gifts just from you and Otou-san alone."

Mikoto wrinkled her nose at her eldest son, but a wide smile soon covered her face. "I think Sakura will like them and appreciate them," she replied cheerily. "Plus, she got your father and me such an extravagant gift for our anniversary last month that it only seemed right."

Itachi let out another weary sigh, still tired from the mission that he had only returned from a few hours previous, but conceded to his mother. There was no point in arguing with her. "You do realize you get her more gifts for her birthday than Sasuke and I, and father for that matter, receive combined."

"Yes, well Sakura could use some spoiling, Itachi-kun," Mikoto replied after puffing her cheeks out in a pout. "She works so hard, and she no longer has her own parents to spoil her."

Well, Itachi couldn't argue with that logic, so he just began to move the gifts into a pile instead. At that moment, Shisui and Sasuke walked into the room and began helping loading the gifts into their arms. Mikoto bid the boys farewell, asking them to give Sakura a kiss of her, and walked back to the main Uchiha house.

The walk to the party was silent, as most walks with his younger brother and cousin were; the party was being held on the roof of one of the nicer hotels in Konoha. Sasuke muttered something about it probably being extravagant seeing as Ino, Sakura's best friend, planned the entire event. Apparently, she tended to go a little overboard with parties. Considering it was Sakura's big 18th birthday, it would likely be bigger than anything Sasuke had seen. His final words sounded much too like Shikamaru's 'troublesome' when they finally made it to the hotel – seemingly because the roof was already alive with people if the chatter, laughing, and insanely loud music was anything to go by.

As the trio scaled the wall, without dropping a single present, they found that the rooftop was already packed with people. Hanging paper lanterns hung about everybody, and a DJ was in place at the far end of the rooftop. There were tables scattered in a horse shoe shape around a very large dance floor, which already had many people dancing in the middle. Closer to them, there was a large, elaborately decorated wooden table that was about to cave under the weight of the presents that were stacked on top.

And next to that, was Sakura. She was sitting on a chair that was also elevated above the throngs of people. Her mint green dress featured a tight halter-top that fitted her curves to her waist where it flared out and fell just above her knee – the amount of tulle underneath almost making it look like a toned-down tutu. A silver, glittered belt hugged her hipbones, only aiding in accentuating her hour-glass figure. The top of the dress was corseted, and was tied with matching silver strings that happened to be identical to the silver sandals that were tied around her feet and up to her knees. When she turned to them, her cheeks naturally rosy of embarrassment over being the center of attention, they saw her eyelids painted in a light dust of silver and wet, glossed lips that stretched into a wide smile at the sight of the boys making their way to her. Her hair was curled loosely and tied back in a ponytail at the base of her neck and flipped professionally over her left shoulder. To cap off the look, a silver tiara of leaves curved around the bangs that fell playfully into her face and behind her ears. Overall, it gave her the appearance of a young Greek goddess.

"Shisui, Sasuke, Itachi!" she called happily as the men made their way to the kunoichi. Her eyes turned a little confused at the amount of presents in their hands, but she seemed to draw the correct conclusions, "Mikoto-san?"

"Hn," Sasuke replied as he dropped the presents on the floor underneath the table seeing as there was no more free space at the table. "Happy birthday," he muttered before stalking off to find a corner to hide in.

Sakura smiled fondly as she watched her teammate's retreating back. She turned back to say something to Itachi and Shisui when somebody grabbed her around the waist playfully.

"Ah, my cherry blossom. Your dress only helps to exude your youthfulness as always. Please, honor me with a dance on this precious day of yours," Lee cried as he dragged Sakura off towards the dance floor without waiting for her reply.

Sakura merely gave them both an apologetic look before being careened into dancing with Lee. Itachi sighed while Shisui chuckled, "You better go get your woman back from the Green Beast, Itachi. He may just out charm you."

"Shut up, Shisui," Itachi muttered while he walked away to find his younger brother. Like Sasuke, he was not a party person, and he found that he only enjoyed social events in the company of Sakura. He soon found his younger brother in a quiet corner with Hyuuga Neji. Itachi leaned up against the railing of the rooftop and watched the party go on in front of him. No words were spoken between the three clan heirs, as was the way they seemed to like it.

When Sakura finished her dance with Rock Lee, she was soon sought out by many of the men who were attending the party. She danced with Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, Shisui (who smirked at Itachi the entire time) Genma, Kakashi, Lee again, Naruto again, and again, and one more time after that, Kiba again – who stopped dancing with her after Sasuke shot him a death glare when his hands were dropping a little too low, a group of her girlfriends including Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and Temari of the sand siblings, Kankuro of the sand siblings, and then the Kazekage himself for a slower dance. It made Itachi ponder when an eighteenth birthday party of a Konoha kunoichi was so important that the Kazekage had to leave his post to attend – but he didn't dwell on it too much. The Kazekage had the right to do whatever he wished even if it did make Itachi a little jealous.

The party was a spectacle indeed. It seemed that almost every shinobi of drinking age, including the Hokage, was attending the party. Itachi recognized many nurses and doctors from the hospital. The entire 'Konoha Twelve' as they named themselves was present, along with almost every chunin of drinking age, jounin, jounin sensei, and member of ANBU. This was coupled with the Kazekage, his siblings, Morino Idate (who Itachi was sure was still considered a missing-nin), and several shinobi that Sakura had met in outside countries. She was quite the kunoichi and friend indeed, it seemed.

Finally, it was time for cake and after a very raucous and drunken attempt at singing 'happy birthday,' Sakura blew out her candles and the cake was distributed while Sakura opened up her presents. Itachi and Sasuke watched quietly the entire time with Neji. None of them were very big party people, and Itachi was content to watch the proceedings from where he was. The look of joy and delight on Sakura's face never wavered, and he wondered when she had mourned her parent's death. Of course, she had hours after they arrived home before she needed to get ready for the party. Or perhaps she would go to the cemetery the following day.

When the music and dancing started up again, Sakura began to scan the crowd for somebody in particular. Itachi followed her gaze, wondering who she could be looking for. It was when her eyes met his and a huge smile dazzled her features that he realized she had been looking for him, and it just about made his chest heave in anticipation.

She made her way over to him, dodging in and out of people as she weaved through the crowed. "Have you three been over here all night?" she asked as she finally made her way to the trio of men.

"Hn," Sasuke replied before pushing off of the bar and walking away with his hands in his pockets – right towards an Inuzuka Kiba who had unashamedly leered at Sakura when she had walked through the crowed.

Sakura ignored her befuddlement before turning to Neji. "You should go ask Tenten to dance," she suggested evenly, but her voice left little room for argument. Neji scoffed, but it seemed to merely be in order to hide the small blush that was beginning in his neck. Of course, he began to walk away in the direction of his ANBU teammate.

"You know, teammate relationships are highly frowned upon, Sakura," Itachi said evenly as he watched Neji take Tenten's hand over Sakura's shoulder. She turned to look at the spectacle and grinned at him.

"I know, but Tenten has liked him for years. She deserves to be happy," Sakura replied with a shrug. Then, she turned back to face him and her face automatically blushed. Her words were hesitant and let out in an unsure stutter when she asked, "I-I-I was actually w-wondering if… if youwantedtodancewithme?"

Itachi smirked at her which only made her blush further. He held out his arm to her and they walked towards the dance floor.

Yamanaka Ino knew everything about her best friend. She knew her favorite color, her favorite animal. She knew what her favorite food was. She also knew, although Sakura never admitted as much, that she was in love with Uchiha Itachi. Yamanaka Ino knew everything about everyone. Or at least, just about. That was how she knew that Uchiha Itachi was also in love with her best friend. A lesser kunoichi may miss it, but Ino knew better, and she could see it in the way that the older of the brothers looked at her best friend. The raw emotion that spilled from those oh-so-sexy obsidian depths was too much to deny.

So when she saw Uchiha Itachi holding her best friend's hand, leading her to the dance floor, Yamanaka Ino knew she had to step in. She jumped into the DJ booth and requested a song to play for Sakura, and maybe these two emotionally immature shinobi could finally figure out that they were in love with each other.

As Itachi wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist while she linked her fingers behind his neck, one of her favorite song's began to play loudly from the DJ booth.

"Today is a winding road that's taking me to places that I didn't want to go

Whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa)

Today in the blink of an eye I'm holding on to something and I do not know why

I tried

I tried to read between the lines

I tried to look in your eyes

I want a simple explanation

For what I'm feeling inside

I gotta find a way out

Maybe there's a way out"

Sakura bit back her smile and Itachi quirked a brow at her. "This is one of my favorites," she explained easily, not making direct eye contact with him. "Reminds me of someone."

"Who?" Itachi asked quietly, making her look up at him as a blush spread through her cheeks.

"Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer

Do you know you're unlike any other?

You'll always be my thunder, and I said

Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors"

Itachi found that he, too, liked this song. Maybe, just maybe, it described the way he felt for her because her eyes were the brightest of all the colors – her eyes were shining with such love all the time that it made his heart clench. As he watched her sway to the song, he began to realize something.

He was tired.

He was tired of not being about to call Sakura his. He was tired of being jealous of other men when it came to the kunoichi. Now, he just needed to find out if perhaps she held some of the same feelings that he held for her.

Because he was tired, and he wanted to be with Sakura.

"I don't wanna ever love another

You'll always be my thunder

So bring on the rain

And bring on the thunder"

Sakura smiled at him before sticking out her tongue playfully. "I'll never tell you my secret," she replied snippily, making Itachi openly laugh.

Sakura looked at him like he had grown two heads. She had never really heard him laugh before – chuckle: yes, laugh: no.

"Today is a winding road

Tell me where to start and tell me something I don't know

Whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa)

Today I'm on my own

I can't move a muscle and I can't pick up the phone

I don't know (I don't know, I don't know, I don't know)"

"I could pull rank and force you to tell me," Itachi quipped. The look of horror on her face made him laugh out loud again. "Is it my little brother?"

Once again, the look of pure horror made him laugh as he smiled down at her affectionately. As he made a turn with her he couldn't miss the way Kakashi was glowering at him or the matching looks on Sasuke's and Naruto's faces as he turned her again. Perhaps the worst was the smug look on Shisui's face as he turned away from Sakura's guard. Then he finally turned back to look at Sakura when Shisui started to mouth the words 'kiss her' to him.

"And now I'm itching for the tall grass

And longing for the breeze

I need to step outside

Just to see if I can breathe

I gotta find a way out

Maybe there's a way out"

"I do not like Sasuke," she spat when she finally found words.

"Well then, Sakura, who do you like?" Itachi asked. He found himself wondering if he really wanted to know the answer for it may not be the person he is hoping for.

"Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer

Do you know you're unlike any other?

You'll always be my thunder, and I said

Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors

I don't wanna ever love another

You'll always be my thunder

So bring on the rain"

"It's a secret," she muttered.

"Can I have a hint?"

Sakura looked unsure before blurting, "It is an Uchiha."

"Yeah I'm walking on a tightrope"

"Shisui?"

"I'm wrapped up in vines"

"Noooo…" she replied playfully before sending him a shy smile.

"I think we'll make it out"

And then he realized. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes seemed to go wide, but when he looked back down to Sakura, she was avoiding his gaze.

"But you just gotta give me time

Strike me down with lightning

Let me feel you in my veins

I wanna let you know how much I feel your pain

Today is a winding road that's taking me to places that I didn't want to go

Whoa"

He stayed silent for a moment, trying to decide whether or not it was Uchiha-like to break out in a happy-dance, and then, after deciding it was very much not like an Uchiha to do a happy dance, he made a decision.

"Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer

Do you know you're unlike any other?

You'll always be my thunder, and I said

Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors

I don't wanna ever love another

You'll always be my thunder"

She looked as if she were about to speak when he interrupted her, "Sakura."

It made her heart flutter the way he said her name like that. It was so deep, so sensual that it should be deemed illegal to say her name like that. But it caught her attention and she looked up at him with bright, innocent, trusting eyes.

It was enough to make his heart clench the way she trusted him so much.

"And I said

Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer

Do you know you're unlike any other?"

"May I tell you a secret?" he finally asked.

Sakura nodded, her mouth parted slightly in confusion. He trained his eyes on her lips, especially as she bit and licked them once nervously.

"You'll always be my thunder

So bring on the rain

Oh baby bring on the pain"

It was too perfect an opportunity to miss, but he couldn't help the way his heart pounded heartily in his chest. He could feel her pulse quickening underneath him as she discovered where his gaze was lingering. Itachi leaned his head down to hers, his lips towards hers…

And his lips finally found solace when they met her warm ones.

"And listen to the thunder…"

"I like you too."

AN: It just seemed…right, ne? I hadn't really intended for that to happen, but it seemed so natural. Anyway, please review. The song was Thunder by Boys Like Girls. Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it! I'm sure you loved the fluff.