It took all the power I could to get all the way up to my apartment. As soon as it was unlocked my bag was tossed and slid across the floor. I slammed the door shut with my heel and walked over to the isle counter that was by my fridge. Pulling out a chair I collapsed into it and buried my face in my arms. Not caring that my perfectly done makeup would be rubbing against my skin and nicely washed white shirt. I had plenty of blouses anyways.

I'm not quite sure how long I stayed that way. Thoughts of the lake, the cabins, even the texture of the grass ran through my head. There was a sudden urgent knock on the door that was ignored. It only became even more persistent but was still unnoticed. It wasn't until the door was opening that I jumped up and turned around in immediate fighting stance.

"What the fu-" I stopped when I saw it was Itachi. "Damn it, Itachi. You scared the hell out of me!" I scolded, quickly wiping away evidence of my previous embarrassment.

I saw him look around my place for a moment. "Immaculate huh?"

He turned to smirk at me. I crossed my arms and glared at him. "Your parent's house huh?" I mocked.

That seemed to catch him off guard. "Well I was on my way to their house but the university called me. So I decided to head over there first."

"So why are you hear now?"

He walked over to me and very gently placed a hand on my cheek. His thumb wiping away some mascara and tears. "Because I've seen that look on you before."

"What look?" I asked, saving the last bit of pride I had left.

"The 'I'm about to lose it' look." Giving him a questioning look he continued. "A couple years ago when Sasuke was home from vacation, you guys when out to our family's garden to have a 'talk.' You came back first and had the same look on your face. You probably don't remember, you were too busy looking down, we almost hit each other in the hallway. When you looked up, you had the exact same look on your face."

I was shocked. I didn't remember. My mind was so absorbed with Sasuke, that I was a completely different person back then. I pulled away from his touch. "I feel stupid, I haven't cried in years."

"Really? Since that time?"

"Yeah. You should feel honored, you're the first person to see me cry," I said making a pitiful attempt at laughing.

I turned to walk to the bathroom. Trying to see just how bad I looked and to clean up, but I was stopped mid step. With a sharp tug on my wrist I was flung into his arms. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me close. I wasn't sure how to react so I just let my arms hand by my sides. Was this really happening right now? Was the Itachi Uchiha hugging me? My professor? My neighbor?

After a few moments he let go and with a pat to my head he walked to the door. I didn't move. I heard him open the door but just as he was about to step through he stopped.

"If you ever need anything Sakura, anything at all I'm just next door. I'm not just your teacher, remember that." With that he closed the door behind him.

I stayed frozen like that for a moment. Letting the entire sequence process through my head , trying to come to some kind of intelligent and realistic conclusion of what just happened. No results. I turned to the only place I could. My cell phone.

Calling Ino would be too dangerous. She loved gossip. So I went for Hinata. She was quiet and knew that she'd always keep a secret, especially if it was important.

"Hello?" a quiet voice asked.

"Hinata?"

"Sakura? What's wrong? You sound shaken."

"Well first I got a call from Sasuke bringing up our relationship and the-"

"Sasuke? Give me ten minutes I'll be right over."

She hung up. She was good like that. She waited until you were ready to talk about it and once you were she was right there for you giving only the best advice in the world.

I made sure by the time she came over that all remnants of my tears were gone. She kept to her promise and in less than ten minutes there was a knock on my door. I invited her in and we talked almost three hours. Most of that was me trying to tell her what happened. She made me a nice hot cup of tea.

"So he just up and hugged you?"

"Yeah! He pulled my wrist and held me really close."

"Was it weird?"

"What?"

"Did you, at any point, think it was awkward, or uncomfortable, or weird?"

"No." The answer was almost familiar.

"So what'd he say when he left?"

"That if I ever needed anything he was right next door and…" I paused thinking about his last sentence. It sent a weird sensation up a spine.

"And?"

"That he's not just my teacher and that I should remember that."

Hinata, who was once standing, fell on the bed. Her soft purple dress falling gracefully into place.

"Oh honey, he's got it bad."

"Got what bad?"

"And I think you do too."

"Got what? What do I have?"

"Well, I would tell you, and I really want to, but I feel this is something you two should discover on your own. If I say it now, it will just make things awkward. Oh goodness…" She paused. Thinking her next words over carefully. "Are you going to take Sasuke back?"

"What?" I was taken off guard by the question.

"If he asks you to date him again what are you going to say?"

"No." I stopped. Shocked at my own words. "I don't want to be with him anymore. I-I feel like the part of my life with him in it is over. Like I've grown up."

She smiled at me. "Then you're halfway there."

I sighed resting my forehead on the counter. She came over to me and patted me on the back.

"There, there." She checked her watch. "Hey I have to get over to Ichiraku, we're having ramen. You coming?"

"Yeah, give me a second. I have to change."

I pulled my hair out of the pony tail and quickly curled it. Washing my face first, I fixed my makeup. I threw on dark blue jean shorts with a dark red, low v-neck, tightly fitted, shirt with sleeves that ended under my elbows. I put on the same heels from earlier.

Hinata whistled when I walked out.

"You look nice," she said in the same tone Kakashi used earlier.

"Do I?" I asked boringly.

I didn't want to tell her the real reason I tried so hard was because we might see Itachi on our way out.