A/N: Wow! I can't believe The What Girl is almost at 100 reviews after 4 chapters! I am so astounded and proud. Thank you all for the wonderful responses and reviews. You have no idea just how much your reviews make my day after a long week in clinicals. Thank you everyone who has read, faved, alerted and everything else... I would love to read your responses after this one...until next time friends!
Last Night (Right After the Water Incident)
That night one pink haired woman laughed herself to sleep as she watched the images of an outraged Itachi Uchiha on the screen. Not only did she give herself a pat on the back for coming up with such a brilliant plan on the fly but she had finally gotten even with that blasted Uchiha.
She saw the picture of herself throwing water into his face once again and laughed out-loud.
He deserved it!
She wouldn't allow him to swoop in and just pretend as if they were a couple without her permission. He had already admitted that he had said her name by mistake and that was enough for her.
Now that she had taught him a lesson he would never forget, she was willing to pull their differences aside in order to explain to the world that they really weren't a couple.
She pulled her soft, purple comforter to her chest and looked over at the television one again.
She giggled as a drowned looking Itachi Uchiha sat stunned in his chair.
As sleep began to overcome her, she never once noticed the next picture of the vindictive smile upon Uchiha Itachi's face.
It was the face of a man who planned to get even.
The What Girl?
Chapter 5: Breaking the Fourth or Fifth Wall
A brightly shining sun greeted the people of Konoha as the citizens woke up from a night filled news about its favorite number one "It Couple."
Sadly, for said couple, one half had no idea what she would she wake up to. She, like the rest of Konoha, would be just as surprised by the headline blazing across the Konoha Times in bold print.
Sadly, for the female half of It Couple, she would find out just how much her life could change overnight.
Again.
Dark oynx eyes widened in surprise as the image of his drenched older brother filled the screen of his apartment. He had only turned his television on after a vague message from Naruto.
When he questioned the blond, Naruto had only mentioned that a meeting with Sakura was necessary. He had also mentioned to call his brother to find out how he was handling the embarrassment.
The word embarrassment was the only word Sasuke needed to hear as he turned on the television just in time to catch the entertainment channels reporting on the "Uchiha Massacre."
He watched for a few moments before he clutched his head and groaned.
Sakura threw water on Itachi?
His older brother?
His very smooth older brother.
He closed his eyes as the sound of a ringing phone invaded his senses. He already knew who was calling without even having to look at the phone.
His mother had been on some type of motherly rampage ever since the minute Itachi admitted to being in love with Sakura.
She had grilled him relentlessly about Itachi's love life before grilling him about not telling her about his own relationship.
He knew his mother had already seen the news which was probably why she was calling.
He didn't want to deal with her.
His mother was relentless and vicious when needed.
As President of Uchiha Industries, after the passing of his father, his mother had taken over the reigns, despite the Uchiha Elder wishes. Not only was she one of the best presidents but she was kind to the people who worked for her.
Everyone loved his mother.
But, they had no idea how meddlesome she was. Sasuke knew she craved grandchildren after losing his father but this was quite ridiculous.
If he didn't know better, he would think she had her hand in this entire thing.
After the fifteenth ring, Sasuke finally broke down and answered the waiting phone.
The minute he answered, he knew he would regret it.
"Yes, mother."
As he listened to his mother ramble on the end of the line, his eyes widened as another headline flew across the screen.
'What in the hell was going on?'
The sound of her phone ringing brought her out of her deep dream of designing a wedding dress Konoha's biggest idol. She glared at the blinding bright light filled her vision.
She looked down at the phone and noted it was only 9:15am. Who in the world was calling her so early?
Sleep filled blue eyes gazed around the room and finally sat up with a huff.
"What?" she hissed into the phone after the millionth ring.
Silence filled the line before a smooth tenor filled the line.
"Hello, may I speak with Ino Yamanaka?"
Ino was pretty sure she had died and gone to heaven as she listened to the smooth voice ask for her by name.
"Ye-yes?" she squeaked.
She frowned as she noted that she had indeed stuttered which wasn't like her at all.
Since when did she stutter like Hinata?
"Hnn. Very well. Miss Yamanaka, this is Uchiha Itachi and I..."
Ino was listening up until he introduced himself. Her mind was officially on pause as she listened to the tenor voice speak with such lyrical beauty that she swore she was listening to the voice of a God or singer.
Was this really how Uchiha Itachi sounded early in the morning?
Good Lord. That Sakura was such a lucky bit...
"Miss Yamanaka?"
Ino snapped out of her daydream at the sound of Itachi calling her name.
"Yes, I apologize Uchiha-san. I dozed off for a moment."
The sound of a smooth chuckle filled her ears as a blush covered her cheeks.
Damn, he was really smooth.
"It is perfectly fine, Ino. Is it acceptable I call you Ino?
'Hell yes!' Inner Ino squeaked loudly.
"Yes!" she blurted before she closed her blue eyes and cringed.
Did she really just blurt out the first thing on her mind?
"Wonderful, Ino." Itachi answered.
"As I was saying, I am not sure if Haruno-san mentioned our meeting last night but I wanted to give her some type of warning about the headline for today's paper."
Ino's mind screeched to a halt.
'Today's headline?'
Instead of asking what the headline was, she asked the main question that had plagued her the minute he had introduced himself.
"Not to be rude but how did you get my phone number?"
"Ah. I apologize. You do know that our parents are best friends, correct?"
'No!' was the first answer that jumped to the forefront of her mind as she filed away that piece of information for later.
"Um, no."
"Ah, I see. My mother and your father are best friends. They have been friends for the last twenty years since they first met in college." Itachi recited.
"Oh." Ino mumbled as a conversation with her father from childhood jumped into her mind.
Her father's best friend?
She could only recall Shikamaru's father and Choiji's father as her father's best friend. She did recall another person her father had also called his best friend.
Her name was...Mi..something that started with a M but she couldn't recall the name. Was this woman his mother and if so why on Earth hadn't she listened to her father mentioning it before?
"Yes. I was able to obtain your number from your father through my mother, Mikoto."
'Mikoto! That was the name!'
"I understand, Itachi. So, how can I help you?"
"There is a headline in the news this morning that I wanted to warn Haruno Sakura about. Since she is not answering her phone, I figured you would be the best source of help."
Her interest was piqued.
"What is the headline?"
Her eyes widened in minor shock as Itachi's words filled her ears.
Once again, she wondered just who in the hell did Sakura anger upstairs to end up the situation she was in.
"Seriously? What. The. Hell?"
At 11am, one pink haired beauty opened her eyes to the peaceful wallpaper of her bedroom. She brushed her pink locks from her eyes as her green eyes looked around the room and noted everything was where it was supposed to be, which meant one thing.
Ino hadn't come by to hound her about her date, er meeting, with Itachi.
A bright smile lit delicate features as the thought of throwing water into Itachi's face, filtered across her mind.
She chuckled as she grabbed her lavender robe and walked over to her bedroom door.
Bright sunlight filled her small living room as she walked across the hardwood floor into the kitchen. She smell of coffee reached her nostrils as she stretched and yawned.
Her coffeemaker was a Godsend!
She had to remember to thank Sasuke for the wonderful Christmas gift from last year.
Speaking of Sasuke, the sound of her phone ringing caught her ears. She didn't have to look at the phone to know it was Sasuke calling. Sasuke was the only person with a Justin Timberlake, Suit and Tie, ringtone.
She grabbed the remote from her counter and turned on her television as she padded down the hall to her bedroom to grab her cell phone.
"Hey Sasuke-kun." she answered happily as she finally picked up the phone as she walked back into her living-room.
"Sakura."
"I am so happy you called Sasuke. I was meaning to call you to tell you about what your stupid brother told me yeste..."
"Why did you throw water on Itachi, Sakura?" Saskue cut in rudely.
Sakura paused as the thought of Itachi crossed her mind again.
She chuckled as his surprised look drifted in her head.
"He told me that I was a mist..."
"It does not matter what he told you...you should have known better!" Sakura injected smoothly. "The world now thinks my brother is incapable of keeping a stable relationship. The headline this morning is..."
"Headline?"
"Yes, today's headline. Haven't you been watching the ne..."
The sound of a scream filled the small house as the pink haired woman finally caught a glimpse of the headline the world was now talking about.
"Sasuke!" Sakura screeched loudly.
Silence.
"Yes?"
"Why in the world is the news now reporting that I broke Itachi's heart?"
"I tried to tell you that..."
"Oh my God! They are now reporting how he was planning to propose yesterday at dinner and how heartless I am!"
"Sakura, don't listen to them...they are...
"Oh my God. They are painting me as some type of evil heart-breaker." Sakura finished with a growl.
"If you could let me finish...Kanye West...then I will explain!" Sasuke snapped. "As I was saying, the world now thinks you broke Itachi's heart. Mind telling me what happened?"
Sakura groaned as she sank down to the brown hardwood floor.
She could only stare at the screen as image after image filled the screen.
How in the world did she end up in such a situation?
She growled as a pair of onyx eyes filled her mind.
This was all his fault!
She was going to kill Uchiha Itachi!
"So, Sakura threw water in your face and the paparazzi now thinks she is a heart breaker?"
Itachi nodded stoically as he picked up the plates from the lunch he had made.
He dumped the dishes into the sink before turning back to his cousin, who seemed the be lost in thought. "Shisui, I do not understand what went wrong. We were having a rational conversation. She asked how I came to be in such a predicament and answered that it was by accident. I do not understand what I did to get water thrown in my face."
"You told Sakura that you said her name by accident?"
"Hn. Yes."
Shisui groaned as he pulled out his phone. He didn't understand how is cousin could be such a genuis but an absolute idiot when it came to women?
"Itachi, you shouldn't have told her that!"
"I do not understand."
"Itachi, she's a woman! You're not supposed to understand!" Shisui ranted as he continued to text.
"She asked a question and I was honest with her."
"Itachi, women do not want honesty." A new voice cut in behind the two men.
They both turned to notice the familiar hairstyle of Sasuke. Shisui froze as he noticed the serious expression on Sasuke's face. Even though Sasuke was stoic like his brother, he was able to laugh and show feelings when needed. To see him so serious, made Shisui nervous.
"Foolish little brother. how many times have I told you not to come over unannounced?"
Sasuke smirked before walking over the counter where the two men stood talking.
"You have told me this plenty of times." Sasuke stated as he took a seat.
The two men continued to stare before Itachi finally broke the silence.
"What do you mean a woman does not want honesty?"
"Hnn. Women don't want honesty. They want you to tell them what they want to hear."
Silence lingered as the two other men absorbed the younger Uchiha's words.
"Itachi, you shouldn't have been honest with Sakura."
Shisui nodded in agreement before adding in his own thoughts.
"Sakura is very stubborn. You should have told her something else."
"But, were you not the one who stated that she needed to fall for me?"
Sasuke frowned as he turned to his cousin, who was not squirming in his seat.
Shisui gulped.
An unhappy Sasuke was a pain in the ass.
"Why do you need to make her fall for you?" Sasuke asked his brother but his eyes were glued to his cousin. He could see the guilt on Shisui's features and knew his cousin had his hand somewhere in this disaster.
"I am getting offered roles in a genre I would like to pursue."
Comprehension lined Sasuke's features before anger took over.
"You're using Sakura to boost your fame? Nii-san, how could you?"
Itachi frowned at his little brother as guilt sat upon his shoulders.
He hated guilt.
"I am not."
"But, you just said that..."
"You simply did not allow me to finish little brother. At first, Shisui suggested Haruno Sakura's assistance in this matter.."
"I will allow you to use her as your.."
Itachi held up his hand to silence his hard-headed sibling. "It was Shisui's suggestion but it was not until dinner yesterday that I realized just how...interesting...she really is."
Silence filled the room as the two other men looked at each other with matching smirks.
"You're totally in love with her, aren't you, Itachi-chan!" Shisui sang happily.
"No."
"No?" The two men repeated, skeptically.
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
"No, we heard you loud and clear, Itachi-chan!" Shisui muttered.
"What did we hear?" Sasuke remarked with a smirk.
"We heard..."
"What I heard.."Saskue began."Is that you are interested in Sakura."
Silence fell between the men once again.
"She's outside."
An indignant squawk left Shisui as he shot to his feet.
"What? You left her outside! The paparazzi is out there!"
"Calm down, Dobe. She is in the limo. We were on the way to one of her volunteer projects that she does every month."
'She volunteers every month?' Itachi thought incredulously.
"She volunteers every month?" Shisui questioned, his mind rolling at a million miles per minute.
Sasuke smirked.
Of course, his plan, er his mother's plan, was going according to plan.
"She volunteers at the health clinic downtown Konoha. She divides her time between caring for the chronically ill and the children's ward."
Silence filled the room.
"She sounds like a humble young woman." Itachi remarked quietly.
"Yeah."
It was at that moment, Itachi wanted to know more about the young woman he had met last night. Not the glam goddess he met upon meeting but the woman who had helped the hyperventilating waitress.
The down to Earth Sakura Haruno had such appeal.
"Shisui, what is my schedule for today?"
The two, handsome dark haired men gaped at the elder Uchiha in shock.
"You have an interview on a talk show later but it is something that can be rearranged."
"Hn."
What was Itachi planning?
Itachi turned to his little brother, who looked mildly surprised.
"Sasuke, would you be opposed to me taking your place today?"
Internally, Sasuke smirked victoriously.
His plan was moving along just as expected.
"Hnn. I guess not." Sasuke answered grudgingly.
Itachi nodded as he turned and walked toward his bedroom to replace the black silk shirt and slacks.
Today was not for fame and looking good.
This day he was looking forward to getting to know the woman known as Sakura Haruno.
The minute the door closed Shisui hissed at his cousin.
"He likes her, doesn't he?"
"Hn." Sasuke answered.
"She likes him, too."
"Hnn.." answered once again.
"I am doubtful she will actually date him." Saskue finally answered.
Shisui's eyebrows rose in surprise. Millions of women and men would give their left arms to date Itachi.
"Why would you think that?"
"She wants to kill him."
Shisui chuckled.
"Be serious, Sasuke."
Sasuke turned to his cousin. The serious expression on his features startled his cousin once again.
"You're serious?"
"Hn," Sasuke confirmed.
"We can't possibly let him go with her if she wants to kill him!"
"Hmm, which is why he should go."
Shisui gaped incredulous.
"What do you mean?"
"If you saw the same pictures I did this morning then you could sense the attraction. Maybe this outing will allow them to get to know each other."
Shisui groaned as he realized the logic of his cousin's explanation.
But, he knew this could only end in one way.
Absolute disaster.
"Ino, for the last time I wasn't going to kiss him!" Sakura whined into her phone as she listened to the blond rant about the pictures from last night.
"Yeah right!"
"Look Piglet. I only did it to get even with him."
"That didn't look like revenge to me! In fact, it looked like you wanted him to kiss you in the last picture before the water."
Sakura groaned as she looked down at her watch.
What was taking Sasuke so long? How long did it take to speak with his cousin?
"Pig...I..." began before the door to the limo opened.
She could see flashes outside the window but thought nothing of it as a strong, muscular leg clad in jeans slid into the car.
She only had time to take in a gasp as the handsome face of Itachi Uchiha smiled back softly before closing the door.
"Shit."
Silence filled the limo as the sound of Ino's voice on the phone filled the car.
After a full thirty seconds of staring, she cleared her throat and picked up the phone she had accidentally dropped.
"Pig, let me call you back."
"What's going on?" Ino responded.
"Nothing..I'll you back." she said quietly as her eyes locked with the beautiful onyx once again.
She quickly ended the call with the push of a button as silence continued to linger.
"You look surprised to see me."
"Surprise is an understatement."
"Indeed."
"What are you doing here, Itachi?"
"Hnn. I am here to apologize."
A skeptical look crossed her features as she took in the man's words. Why was she so skeptical by his apology?
Was it because of what happened last night or was it because of what she felt when he looked at her?
"Apology accepted. Now get the hell out of the car."
"Hn."
"I'm serious!"
"No."
"What do you mean, no?"
"It means I am staying in this car until it stops. You said you accepted my apology."
"I did!" she muttered.
"Then, allow me the privilege to sit here until we get to our destination."
"But..."
"No buts."
Silence filled the car as the pink haired woman glared at the man before her eyes.
"Is there some thing of interest on my face, Haruno Sakura?" he questioned as he caught her eyes once again.
"No." she said quickly before turning back to her phone to text Ino.
The image of her throwing water into said man face was the first thing shown the minute she opened the web pages.
"Ugh, the news is now calling me a heart breaker...I hate this crap." she muttered unthinkingly.
"You are not a heart-breaker." Itachi cut in.
She looked up to notice the serious look on his face. She kicked herself for thinking of how attractive that serious face was to her.
"The paparazzi thinks otherwise."
"You are not...That would imply that my heart is in your hands..."
Inside her heart jumped, what was he saying?
"...Which it is not."
"According to the media, you were about to propose to me."
"Hn." He remarked before continuing. "The media would be the last people I would tell if we were to become engaged."
Her heart jerked once again.
What was he saying?
Curiosity tugged at her. Before she could think about her actions, her curiosity fell out in the form of a question.
"So, who would you tell Itachi?"
His dark eyebrow rose in response before he shifted in order to get comfortable.
Now this conversation was becoming interesting.
"You would be the first to know, of course."
She smiled softly before clearing her throat.
He could see the conflicted look in her eyes before they disappeared under an emotionless mask.
'So, she had masks of her own? Interesting.'
"So, why are you here?"
"Sasuke mentioned that you were volunteering downtown today. I became interested in your cause so I decided to tag along to help, if possible."
Sakura smirked.
'Itachi help?'
Seriously?
"What can you do beside stand there and look famous? At least Sasuke was good with patients. You probably have no experience helping others." She replied honestly.
A dark eyebrow rose in response to her rant.
"Are you finished?"
"Hm." she answered as she crossed her arms against her chest.
"Who do you think Sasuke learned being good with patients from?"
Bubblegum eyebrows rose in surprise as his words hit her squarely in the face.
"What do you mean?"
"Furthermore..." He plowed on, oblivious to her question.
"Most people do not know this but I hold a degree in medicine, as well as a degree in business. Even though I do not practice medicine, I am qualified to help others just as you are."
If her mouth wasn't on the floor before then it definitely was on the floor now.
"Itachi...I'm...
He held up a slim hand, cutting off her response.
"It is okay. I understand. People look at me and immediately think I am insignificant as a person. Just an actor. Keep in mind that I have many interests as well as many hobbies. Studying medicine just happened to be the one I loved in my early college years."
She closed her eyes as his insult reached her ears.
She had just accused him of being incomplete and insignificant as a person.
"No, I had no idea. I must apoloog..."
"Do not apologize."
"But, I..."
"Sakura, I am a 32 year old actor. I have had my fair share of critiques. One more does not hurt my pride."
She nodded numbly as she looked out of the window.
She could see the glistening of the city outside her window as she noticed they were already at the clinic.
"Wow." she muttered as the car finally slid to a stop.
"I can't believe we are already here."
"Hn. Indeed." He stated before opening the door.
Just like that the world stopped spinning on its axis as the flashes exploded outside the window.
She had just grabbed her small medicine bag from the floor before a pale hand reached inside to help her out.
She looked up just in time to notice the soft smile of Uchiha Itachi as he held out her hand as if she was a princess.
Inside her heart jumped as if electrocuted.
The paparazzi was greeted by the surprise of Sakura Haruno, of all people, taking Itachi's hand with a smile.
It seemed as they were the only two people on the planet as the paparazzi continued to take picture after picture.
If people were questioning the validity of Konoha's "It Couple", these pictures were worth a thousand words.
As the camera zoomed in to notice the very fashionable pink haired doctor, they noted that the two had completely forgotten they were still holding hands.
As Itachi continued to lead the young doctor to the front doors of the clinic, the paparazzi continued to have a field day.
No longer was the headline was "Trouble in Paradise" but rather it said something entirely and completely different.
Little did both people know, just how much their worlds were going to flip just as soon this picture hit newsstands.
Poor things.
They had no idea what they were in for.
A/N: Poor Sakura and Itachi...so many people meddling...will they really get together or will Sakura actually follow through with her threat of killing him.