Disclaimer: Plot mine, Naruto isn't.

Humming softly whilst drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, Sakura drove down the relatively empty streets of Konoha. Seeing many familiar sights amongst new ones made Sakura feel somewhat nostalgic. The scent of the ever-present trees that plotted the land did not help prevent her smile from breaking out. Although the air was chilling, the sun still beat down from the sky, spreading warmth all over the country.

'Ah, it feels great to be back.' Sakura mused.

It wasn't until another car stopped beside her, that a voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Excuse me miss," The voiced drawled. Curious, she turned her head towards the sound.

There, she found a young man staring directly at her. Judging by his arm that was currently leaning on the window sill, Sakura observed that he was quite fit. His hair was styled in a way that oddly resembled a shark fin, and his beady eyes did not help one bit to shake off the idea that he was half-shark.

'That's interesting,' she thought to herself, before swatting away thoughts of shark humans. Upon seeing his warm smile directed at her, and sensing no ill-intentions, Sakura smiled back. Although, she was sure that her confusion was clearly evident on her face.

The man spoke, "I was just hoping I could ask you a question." At this, Sakura's confusion deepened, but nodded nonetheless.

"Do you think that my friend here is dateable?" He asked, with a small mischievous smirk on his face.

'What?' was the only thought that filtered into her mind, she was rather amused. She had expected the man would've asked for her thoughts on him, not a friend. After he asked his strange question, the shark-man promptly leaned back, revealing a second man in the car who looked quite bewildered and surprised as she. Still trying to wrap her head around the situation, Sakura only raised her eyebrow and tilted her head in question.

The first man spoke again, reiterating his question for her and using gestures. Sakura could only laugh silently in her head, as she wasn't at all confused with his question, she was more confused on the meaning behind it and the reason for it. Still, it couldn't hurt to humour them.

Sakura took a moment to observe the raven-haired man's features, taking in as much of his features as she could with the distance between them. She decided that there was no harm in answering – Konoha is a rather big city – so she probably wouldn't see them again anyway. Shrugging internally, she said, "Yeah, I say he's dateable," and then quickly blurted out, "He's pretty cute."

As a look of confusion –with a hint of disconcertment –crossed his face, Sakura thought that he looked very cute in that moment. She couldn't help but laugh – because even if he was bewildered – his expression was still controlled, and Sakura didn't know why but she thought that he looked somewhat like a child trying to understand something that he wasn't familiar with. Also, for whatever reason, his expression was oddly familiar to her, almost as if she had seen it before. Brushing off that feeling as merely Deja-vu, Sakura focused back onto the two men as shark-boy started speaking again, with a toothy grin gracing his face.

"Would you, again a very pretty lady, ever go out with a guy like him?" Now, that was the million dollar question, would she go out with someone like him? 'Well, he's not ugly.´ Sakura mused, before she laughed yet again and looked up – seeing the man that she had mentally deemed as passive, ready to smack the much larger man – and smiled at the scene. Both men looked back at her questioningly and she answered accordingly, "Yeah, I actually would."

The looks on their faces were priceless. The larger male looked like he found the entire situation to be hilarious and was trying to contain his grin and laugh, whilst the onyx-eyed male looked absolutely floored. She made eye contact with him and flashed him one last smile coupled with a wink, which – judging by him coughing into his hand and looking away – only served to embarrass the poor male.

Seeing the stoplight turn green, Sakura figured that it was time to take her leave, "It was nice meeting you guys, kinda…I think." She said, lightly shaking her head while laughing to herself. She finally drove off, thinking that that was a rather strange encounter.

"Yes yes, I'm fine. Uh huh, I have been eating properly, and yes I have been getting sleep. You don't need to worry so much, okay? You know I hate it when I make you worry…" Sakura said into her phone, which was currently balancing between her shoulder and ear.

"No, I haven't finished unpacking yet, but I'm getting there. Hey! It's only been a week and I'm just one person, give me a break." She explained while opening yet another cardboard box, laughing all the while. "Yeah okay I'll talk to you soon, I know I know I'll be fine, you taught me well. Love you mum, bye!" Sakura hung up before the woman could even reply. It wasn't as if Sakura didn't want to talk to her - on the contrary she misses her a lot - but Sakura knew that if she gave the woman a chance, she would still be on the phone until late, listening to her lectures. Sakura merely shook her head fondly. This was her time to prove that she can be independent, to prove that she's got what it takes to become a doctor, and to complete an age-old promise that she swore to herself.

Sakura shook away her thoughts and went back to unpacking. She had recently moved back to Konoha and had scored herself a nice little apartment inside the city. It was also close to the university that she was attending; which meant she could just walk there if she felt like it. Humming a distracted tune while placing books into her wooden bookcase, Sakura let her thoughts wander. She pondered about her friends who she hadn't seen in a while. After all, it's been a long time since she was in Konoha. A week had passed since she arrived and she hadn't seen any of them yet. Although, her blonde-haired friend did keep badgering her to visit but Sakura had been far too busy these past few days. Perhaps it's time to pay her long-time best-friend a visit. Smiling absentmindedly to herself, Sakura could not contain her excitement. But first, she had to finish unpacking all these damned boxes.

Deciding that she should take a much needed break - although she knew, at the back of her mind, that she didn't really - Sakura considered going to a café. She only had a few more boxes to go anyway so she didn't see the harm in going. Finally making a decision, she grabbed a beanie from one of the open boxes; and a medical textbook from her bookshelf then left the apartment.

Stepping outside of the building, a gentle breeze embraced her, drawing an unwilling chill. Luckily, she was equipped with a comfortable sweater. Starting her trek towards the nearest café, Sakura smiled to everyone who walked past her. Even though Konoha had changed a lot over the years, one thing that hadn't changed were the people, who were always so warm, friendly and inviting.

It truly was good to be back.

"Would you like anything else?" Sakura contemplated for a while, but ultimately decided to forgo a chocolate muffin. "No thank you, I'm fine." She dismissed the waitress with a polite smile, which was returned.

With the departure of the waitress, Sakura was finally able to return to her rather heavy medical tome. Sakura lightly skimmed through walls and walls of text until she found the place where she last was. Furrowing her eyebrows together, she concentrated on the words on the page, soaking in every piece of relevant information and discarding inapplicable details. Even though Sakura was beyond focused whilst reading, her posture remained relaxed. The only sign of her intense concentration was the intensity and sharpness of her eyes. There was no reason to half-heartedly take in material just because she was reading for fun, especially when it came to medical-related information.

If that woman ever caught her mind wandering while reading a textbook, she surely would've been reprimanded and lectured. She always said that focus was key. Shuddering slightly, Sakura continued to focus while taking a drink from her steaming cup of coffee.

After reading a few chapters, Sakura's ears picked up on a conversation while she flipped the page. "How about that girl over there? In the corner." She heard the voice say. As far as she could tell, she was situated at the corner, but perhaps they weren't speaking about her. She continued on with her reading.

Before she could begin reading, she heard the same voice again, "So? Do you like this one? Wanna put the moves on her? I could totally teach you some pick-up lines, you know?" At this, her interest was piqued. She was about to continue to listen but her eyes found the clock hanging on the wall.

'Damn, time flew by quickly.' She cursed silently. Sakura stood up and began making her way towards the exit and, consequently, the table of two men who she assumed were talking about her. As she walked towards them, she heard one of the guys' so called pick-up lines, and immediately tried to stifle a laugh.

'Wow that's cheesy.' She grinned to herself. Shaking her grin away from her face and barely containing her smirk, she planned to pass by them without a glance, although not without some parting words: "I found them quite amusing to be honest, although, if you're gonna spy on someone in the future, make sure you lower your voices."

Only when she was outside of the café did she promptly burst into a fit of giggles, earning her questioning looks from those who passed by.

Sakura stood still in front of the entrance. She wasn't quite sure on what to expect. Not quite sure if she should really be there or not. She hadn't seen this person in years. Sure, they still spoke to each other occasionally through texts and social media, but typing on a screen is a lot different to actually conversing in real life. She hadn't even announced that she would visit today, wanting it to be a surprise. But in actuality, she just didn't want her friend to know she was there if she decided not to go through with the visit.

Slapping her palms against her cheeks that were slightly chilled from the autumn breeze, Sakura mentally steeled herself.

'You can do this!' She cheered herself, though having no effect at all.

She inhaled deeply before raising her shaking hand to push open the shop door.

…

Only for it to promptly burst open from the other side, with a rather angry blond on the other end. Sakura stood frozen in shock with her hand still raised, looking noticeably startled. After getting over the initial shock, Sakura smiled the biggest smile she could muster and aimed it towards her friend. She truly missed her friend. However, the same couldn't be said for said-friend, who was glaring mercilessly at Sakura.

Sakura winced and began looking sheepish, with hands held behind her back. "Hi?" She greeted weakly.

"HI!? I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN HOW MANY YEARS AND THE FIRST THING YOU SAY IS HI?!" Sakura winced again before preparing to answer, but the blonde wasn't quite done yet.

"YOU DON'T VISIT ME EVEN THOUGH YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR WEEKS, AND THE TIME YOU DO VISIT ME, YOU DON'T EVEN TELL ME. GEEZ WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH YOU, BILLBOARD BROW!"

Sakura continued to shrink and bite her lip during the blonde's rant, but at the mention of the affectionate childhood nickname, Sakura looked up at her childhood best friend to see the tears forming in her eyes. Which she was trying, but failing, to wipe away furiously. Sakura lost all her inner worries and inhibitions after that and smiled fondly at the blonde.

"Ohhh no, don't you dare look at me like that missy! I'm still mad at you." The blonde had lost her earlier conviction but still tried to look intimidating, which was difficult considering the fact that new tears were forming.

"Oh Ino, I've missed you too!" The sight of her friend's crying face prompted her to give the biggest embrace she had ever given, which was positively received.

"You're so stupid, Sakura. Dad said that you've been waiting outside the store since opening time. Why didn't you just come inside, idiot? If I hadn't seen you stupidly standing there, would you have had the guts to walk in?" Ino sniffled into Sakura's shoulder. Sakura just chuckled softly, tightening her embrace, not wanting to risk talking as her own tears were threatening to spill out.

Once they were somewhat composed, the two girls split apart and smiled widely at each other. Until Ino suddenly flicked Sakura's forehead and tsked. Sakura pouted while rubbing the sore spot on her forehead, while Ino pulled her inside. After greeting the blonde beauty's parents and exchanging niceties, Ino excused herself from work, and the two girls headed for the break room.

Once they were safely within the confines of the moderately large break room – furnished with a soft couch, a low coffee table, and of course a plethora of flowers – Ino began her interrogation. Talking in person was definitely different from texting, in a good way. Sakura could only smile as she answered the barrage of questions as best as she could. They spoke about everything and nothing, acting as if they had never separated for even a week, let alone 12 years.

'There was nothing to be afraid of.' Sakura mused as Ino informed her of things she had missed whilst away.

After what seemed like forever, it was time for Ino to get back to work. After another exchange of hugs, and a promise to visit soon, Sakura left the store.

Just missing a certain raven-haired male by a few seconds.

"Ino, this is really stupid and crazy and so unconventional." Sakura was exasperated, and she hoped that she got her feelings across to Ino through the phone receiver.

"Shut up Sakura, this is gonna be fun. It's a shame that I can't go, but I guess you can have enough fun for the both of us." Sakura just knew that Ino was wriggling her eyebrows with a smirk plastered on her face.

"I don't think I would enjoy partying with strangers." Sakura could only reply in deadpan.

"Don't knock it till you try it." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sakura was approached by a random, but familiar, male earlier that week and he had managed on getting her to accept on going to a party that was happening tonight. How he managed that, she had no idea. Perhaps because his eyes and words seemed sincere. So sincere, in fact, that she found it hard to refuse.

She really hoped that he was being sincere, else she would be in a world of trouble if he wasn't. Still, she would give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Hello? Are you listening, Forehead?" Ino snapped her out of her reverie. "Yeah I hear you."

"So as I was saying, you should go to the party. No harm there. And didn't you say that you've met the guy before...?" Sakura quickly interjected, "I met him once! At a stoplight! That hardly makes a proper greeting."

"Well you're the one who agreed to go. My, are you actually backing out of a promise?" Sakura could hear Ino gasp into the phone. She rolled her eyes again at Ino's jest, but knew that there was some truth to it. Sakura always kept promises, whether she liked them or not.

Sighing, Sakura resigned to her fate and exchanged good-byes with the blonde, and began to get ready.

Maybe Sakura was a tad too early for the assigned meeting time, but as they all say, punctuality never killed anyone. She sighed and looked around, she was about 10 minutes early and saw no sign of the shark-male. It was around 7 o'clock at night and party guests were filtering in by the dozen, leaving Sakura to try and find a somewhat secluded corner. She wasn't particularly fond of parties, but she didn't exactly loathe them either. However, she only ever enjoyed parties if her friends were around her, not a bunch of strangers.

She sighed yet again, and began to observe her surroundings. The house was fairly big – though the amount of people seemed to allude otherwise – the lighting was all sorts of different colours, and the music was blasting through multiple speakers. It looked like a cool party, but Sakura was still not feeling it.

A few minutes passed by until she saw a familiar looking shark-male scanning the crowd. She raised her arm and waved it side-to-side while she stood on her tip-toes, trying to gain his attention. When she had successfully caught his eye, he made quick strides towards her. Grinning his toothy grin, he greeted her enthusiastically, to which she returned with her own smile.

"You ready to meet my friend?" He asked with great excitement. Sakura however, looked somewhat unsure about the whole situation, but nonetheless smiled and nodded.

Shark-man somehow sensed her concern and reassured her, "Hey, don't look so worried, okay? It's gonna be fine, you'll be fine. This dude is a great guy so you have nothing to worry about." The way he smiled at her reassuringly helped ease her hesitation somewhat, but she still had a little inkling of , Sakura nodded and steeled her resolve.

"So what exactly do I need to do?" She questioned, trying to clarify her rather confusing role in this crazy plot devised by shark-man.

"Nothing too serious. Just talk to him, I guess? Get him to actually speak comfortably with you. And if we're lucky, maybe he'll consider you a friend! In due time of course. But once both of you are friends, then it's all smooth sailing from there." Shark-man explained his not-so-thought out plan with great pride, as if he had just figured out the solution to world hunger.

"Umm, okay then? So just, get to know him then?"

"Yeah well, that's phase one. I'll tell you more details at a later date… once I've thought of them…"

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing! Now let's go, don't want to keep the man waiting!" And with that, he gestured for her to follow him back to his (apparently) socially inept friend.

Sakura followed closely behind Shark-san, who was bulldozing and weaving through the now-raving party. Masses of sweaty limbs were swinging towards Sakura in multiple directions, and she tried her best in avoiding all of them. She had always been skilled in aversion.

As she was in the midst of dodging yet another leg, shark-san suddenly called out to someone but she didn't quite catch what he said. She waited a few steps behind Shark-san as he went to talk to another familiar face, the raven-haired cutie. She snorted at the name her brain had associated with him.

It wasn't long before Shark-san stepped aside and fully revealed them to each other, Sakura smiling in greeting. She noted that his facial expression remained controlled, as if he had already anticipated on seeing her there. 'Well there goes the surprise.' She shrugged inwardly.

"Well, I think I'll just leave you two kids alone for the time being," Shark-san tried to say but was quickly interrupted, "Kisame, may I please speak to you in private for a moment." Then suddenly, both males were on the move, but not before the raven-haired one turned back and said, "One moment, miss."

'Glad to know that he has basic manners.' She mused before she started thinking of possible ways to go about befriending the raven-haired male.

They seemed to be finished with their conversation, and once they got back to her, Shark-san whispered in his friend's ear then said a quick farewell to both of them. Sakura merely raised an eyebrow at the little exchange, wondering what could've possibly been said.

As Sakura further scrutinised the man's face, she could see the corner of his mouth flicker down imperceptiblyinto a frown of discomfort. Not knowing whether he was uncomfortable because of her or their surroundings, Sakura offered him a solution to one of those problems, "Want to join me for a walk?"

She was glad that he accepted and didn't outright balk at her invitation – though she finds it hard to imagine him balking at anything. Stepping outside into the cold, night breeze, Sakura's gaze immediately looked towards the starry sky. A flicker of sadness weaved into her eyes, but it was gone as fast as it came, and was replaced by wistful nostalgia.

Having been lost in thought, she had forgotten about her silent companion. "Do you always say yes when strangers ask you to walk with them?" She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Do you always ask strangers to walk with you?" She hadn't really expected him to humour her and answer her question, so she was quite surprised when he did. She laughed before glancing at him and replying, "Touché."

Silence fell upon them once again, with Sakura racking her brain for other conversational topics. They soon reached a park with a small playground in the middle, and Sakura brightened at the sight of it. She turned to her companion and saw that he was already looking at her, she asked a silent question, and hoped he would agree. 'Please say yes, Please say yes, Please say yes!'

She took his small nod as a go sign, and continued their trek towards the playground. She reached the swing set in no time and began to swing, aware of the fact that he was leaned against the structure. After a few moments of fun, she decided it was time to talk about the elephant in the room, slowing down in her swings.

She recounted the events that took place; how she was found, why she was approached, and her eventual agreement in going. He listened to her story intently and didn't once interrupt her. She wondered what he thought about this whole situation. Was he inclined to it? Did he despise it? Because of his killer poker face, she would never know.

Although, once she was finished with her recount, she thought she saw his eye twitch. 'Must be a trick of the light.' She surmised. It was rather dark, with only a street lamp post illuminating their surroundings.

She spoke again, "Your friend really seems to care a lot about you though. To go to great lengths to 'help' you out, you must be really good friends." She smiled, hoping that she said the right thing. He seemed somewhat resigned after she said it, she could only hope that it was a good sign.

Surprisingly, he tried to initiate conversation, "You are a student at Konoha University." Sakura wasn't quite sure if that was supposed to be a statement or a question, but she assumed it was the latter. Chuckling, she answered, "Yeah I am, I just recently moved to Konoha. I'm a first-year Med student." To which he replied, "Third-year Law student."

Sakura acknowledged his answer and silence surrounded them once more. Only to be disrupted by his piercing statement, "I don't think you have mentioned your name to me." Sakura's eyes widened in realisation. 'What the… I actually forgot to ask for their names? I can't believe this. Oh my god, if she ever find out, she would kill me for being too trusting.' Sakura continued berating herself, before apologising, "I'm so sorry! I didn't even realise." She bowed her head, hoping to hide her embarrassment as she kept muttering 'stupid' over and over again.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard him clear his throat. Then she heard him speak, "My name is Uchiha Itachi." She snappedher head up to look at him, quite incredulous, but then she just grinned.

"I'm Haruno Sakura."

"You are actually so stupid, Sakura!" chortled Ino for the nth time, laughing loudly while pacing the length of Sakura's room. Falling backwards onto the bed, she teased again, "Never pegged you as the type to willingly follow people without knowing their names." The pinkette plopped her face onto an unsuspecting pillow on her lap, groaning in frustration.

"Shut up Ino, it was an honest mistake," Sakura tried to defend herself, but even she could see the stupidity of her ignorance. "And you were the one who convinced me to go in the first place!"

"Yeah but I assumed you already knew their names," Ino smirked, and raised her eyebrow. "What if they were serial killers? Or what if they belonged to a nefarious crime organisation? Well I guess crime lords wouldn't give out real names would they?" Sakura wanted to wipe the grin of the blonde's face, but she could only huff in exasperation. When Ino had finally relented in her teasing, she inquired about the names of the two males that had put her pink-haired friend in a precarious position. Sakura, in a childish act of defiance, refused to give her the names. She did, however, grant her blonde friend the self-made nicknames of the two males that Sakura bestowed upon them.

Weasel and Shark.

Ino looked vexed,but took what she could get. She began badgering the pinkette, in search for details of the mysterious night she had been involved in. Sakura rolled her eyes, but grinned all the same. "We just talked, that's all." Sakura claimed, but Ino wasn't assuaged. "You came back at 2 in the morning, and you mean to tell me that all you did was talk." Accusation clear in her tone, Sakura didn't need to look at the blonde to know that her eyes were narrowed and her eyebrow raised. Ino had been waiting for her to come home last night, and she had found the blonde asleep on her couch. But of course, she wouldn't be asleep forever. And once the blue-eyed girl awakened, she rounded on Sakura and sprung into a myriad of questions. The pinkette only felt remorse for giving Ino a key to her apartment.

"I'm not sure what you want to hear Ino, we just talked." And she was being utterly truthful. Well, somewhat. They truly hadn't done anything else but sit at the small park and chat, however Sakura wasn't quite sure whether or not she could count silence as a form of communication. They fell into silence most of the time, but Sakura could see that Itachi was at least trying, and she appreciated that. Especially considering that he wasn't even aware of the point of this arrangement. Hell, Sakura still didn't quite get what the plan was but, there was no harm in helping them. And Sakura could never turn away from someone in need. Some may call it an honourable trait, but others – mainly Ino – called it troublesome. Still, the blonde found amusement in it so she couldn't quite complain.

"Mhmm sure you did. So you mean to tell me that a completely healthy male and a – I can't believe I'm saying this – beautiful female just spent the night talking, nothing else." Sakura eagerly nodded, wanting Ino to finally understand.

Ino's sceptical gaze was still trained on Sakura and said, "Are you sure he isn't blind?" to which Sakura replied with smacking the blonde with her pillow.

"Alright alright. Fine whatever," Ino seemed to have been appeased for now, "So when are you gonna see him again?" Sakura shrugged. They hadn't really discussed potential future meetings, but they both assumed that that's what Kisame wanted. "Not sure, I gave him my number so he could call me if he wanted." She replied in nonchalance. Ino just raised her brow, "You gave him your number but he didn't give his?"

Before Ino could continue to berate her for being stupid, Sakura defended, "Well he seemed reluctant so I took the initiative, and I told him to just text me his number." Ino kept narrowed eyes trained on Sakura, arms crossed over her chest. Sakura kept her eyes on Ino too, not wanting to show weakness. A few moments went by and Ino finally let up. She uncrossed her arms with a sigh, "Look Sakura, I know you trust easily but you gotta be more careful," Sakura tried to interrupt but Ino shushed her, "I'm just saying to be more cautious, alright? There's already an impulsive girl in this dynamic." Ino smiled wryly, indicating herself.

Sakura reassured her, "I'll be fine Ino, I promise."

"So how'd it go?" Itachi's brow twitched imperceptibly as Kisame strode into his living room. The Uchiha didn't quite appreciate that the tall male forgoes the doorbell.

Itachi chose not to bestow the man with an answer, instead optingto take a sip of his tea, continuing with his reading. Kisame plopped onto the couch in the space next to Itachi. "So how'd it go?" he inquired again. However, he was met with more silence. This routine continued for another 10 minutes before Kisame finally groaned. The Uchiha's mouth twitched into a small smirk before smoothing back out again. Kisame left the room to who-knows-where, but Itachi didn't care. He was finally alone, able to finish his book in silence.

But alas, the momentary peace was disrupted, by a blue-haired man's booming voice. "So hey Itachi, how'd it go?" He inquired yet again. The Uchiha let out a small sigh and lifted his gaze to Kisame to berate him, only to find a smirk plastered on his friend's face. But that wasn't the only thing that caught Itachi's eye. It was the set of legal documents concerning the Uchiha Police Force that had been given to him by his father to look over… In his friend's hand… And said friend had a lighter in the other hand.

"What are you do-"But Kisame interrupted, "How did it go?" The bastard had the audacity to look smug. Itachi took a moment to weigh over his options. He could either; not answer his stupid friend, not wanting to give Kisame the satisfaction, but have his hard-work burned to ashes with the remains dirtying his carpet; or tell his stupid friend about the uncomfortable-but-not-so-much night he had spent with a certain jade-eyed lady, and keep the documents unburnt and his carpet ash-free. Not to mention that he absolutely abhorred the thought of asking his father for another copy, let alone explaining to him why he had lost the initial one in the first place.

"It was fine." He spoke in a calm tone, because it was unbecoming of an Uchiha to loudly curse at someone else. But the answer didn't seem enough for Kisame, "Ooh sorry, wrong answer." He tsked while shaking his head, fire flickering from the lighter now. Itachi's eyes narrowed at the Kisame, who met his gaze head-on. "What would you like to know Kisame?" Itachi spoke after a moment, relenting. Kisame smirked and extinguished the flame, and pocketed the lighter. He returned the bulky paper to the Uchiha, who cautiously received it.

"So what happened?" Kisame fell onto the couch again.

"We spoke to each other." Itachi replied evenly.

"That's it?"

"That was all."

"Well, what did you talk about?"

"That's irrelevant."

"Oh come on! Tell me!"

The Uchiha stayed silent, revelling at the frustrated look plastered on the taller male.

"At least tell me that you're planning on seeing her again."

Itachi pondered for a moment. Should he see her again? He hadn't really planned on it, even if she was expecting him to contact her. Perhaps he could just put this whole event behind him, and somehow convince Kisame that he was perfectly fine and to stop introducing random strangers to him. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

"I do not have any future plans on seeing her."

Kisame looked confused, "Why not? I could have sworn you two would've hit it off."

Itachi resisted an eye roll and continued with his reading. Kisame was miffed but decided to let the matter lie. For now.

'He'll come around. Eventually.' He grinned excitedly.

A/N

/laughs nervously/ Whaaat? I totally haven't been missing for months, pfft what are you talking about? heh heh heh.

Nah but seriously, I'm so sorry for going M.I.A for a while. Especially after I promised that this chapter was gonna be out earlier...wayyy earlier. SORRY! A lot of things just came my way and distracted me and I got so busy that I hadn't had time to finish the chapter. and urrrg I feel so bad. So that's why I tried to make it as long as possible and hopefully I can maintain writing this length.

But oh look, A wild Ino appeared! I wonder if anyone knew that she would be in this story or not. But yeah, there she is. Don't worry though, there's gonna be plenty of other characters that are gonna make their appearances.

In regards to questions about Sasuke... Idk does Sakura know him? I guess we'll have to find out cause no one knows. Except me. Mwahaha.

Thanks again to everyone who; Read, Reviewed, Followed, or Favourited this fic. It really does mean a lot to me. OH and special thanks to my beta reader MM. She probs won't read this but its the thought that counts. :D

I'm hoping that the next update won't take too long, but if it does then apologies in advance!

Till next time! KN~