A/N: This story is a different take on a Sakura/Itachi pairing. It will be a definite AU. I will be borrowing a little bit of lore from World of Warcraft for this, very little, just a little bit of lore and language, but that's it, and all will be translated so there is no confusion, just a little flavor to the story. It will also be a Non-Massacre fanfiction (Itachi never went psycho and killed his family). For those who don't play World of Warcraft, Sin'dorei means "children of the blood." And they are the playable Bloodelf race in WoW. However for this author's own purposes, in this fanfiction the Sin'dorei are an ancient elusive race that is believed to hold the secrets of a 'great power.' (They are NOT Bloodelves in the Narutoverse) As the fic progresses a greater insight into what they actually are will be revealed, I promise. The only similarity Sakura would hold to a Bloodelf is the use of their language, and the glowing eyes. Her people age much like humans, they also look human other than their strange eyes... and are not immortal. On a side note, the tribal tattoo on her arm, looks like the paragraph separator style I used. Please enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto or Blizzard's World of Warcraft Lore. I am just not that much of a genius people.

Summary: The Great Ninja Wars had ended more than a decade ago. But that wouldn't stop a country supposedly in a state of peace from searching for greater power to hold over other countries, or even a clan from another. Itachi Uchiha, a cold and calculating ANBU captain, and prominent and rising prodigy of the Uchiha Clan, captures Sakura Haruno an elusive "Sin'dorei", something many believed to nothing but a childhood fairytale.

This story is rated "T" for a bit of mature content and language. However there will always be a warning for lime/citrusy content at the beginning of the chapter.

Chapter 1:

Tilting her head, glowing verdant eyes peering through the moonless night, the pinkette searched her surroundings. Abusing her lower lip with her teeth as she struggled to figure out where she was. Her people had sent out the diminutive female on a mission as a field medic to aid incase of severe injury. They had been searching for something that was highly classified and unknown to her, her job had been simply to heal someone incase they were injured. She was but a young fledgling that had gotten separated from the seasoned group she traveled with. And now she was seriously lost in the middle of nowhere.

The Sin'dorei leapt from tree branch to tree branch getting herself even more hopelessly lost, gripping her bow tightly beneath sweating fingers. Sakura, a child of the blood race was lost in foreign human territory. Crimson red tears began to leak from her eyes. Just great. Slumping against the trunk of the tree, peeking upward from her hood she looked to the stars for guidance and found none.

And then suddenly just above her ahead, a kunai embedded itself into the trunk of the tree. Startled, Sakura leapt away and crouched behind a segment of leaves, her heart thumping heavily in her chest. Someone had spotted her. Cursing under her breath, with expert chakra control, she leapt high into the air, and landed in another tree, landing gracefully in an effortless manner. This time three shurikan whirled past her, one caught some skin on her left arm. A gasp of pain left her lips at the now bleeding wound, the other two soared passed her temple, decapitating a couple leaves as they whooshed by, barely missing her.

Turning around facing where she believed her attacker was, she pulled an arrow, lacing it with chakra, and let it fly. It hit the center of a tree trunk exploding as it hit, severing the wood, sending splinters flying in every direction. A dire attempt on her part to escape. With everything she had, the Sin'dorei sped away, trying to use the cover of night to hide her silent escape.

What she didn't know was that while she had shot in the direction of her assailant, the said attacker had positioned himself ahead of her. Suddenly the woman halted, for before her, chakra with a deadly edge to it stopped her abruptly in her tracks. Her glowing eyes giving off an eerie glow as they met the strange red eyes of a man blocking her immediate escape.

He was tall and lithe, obviously the very athletic type. Dressed in a white cowl, the unsmiling eyes through the strange white porcelain animal mask made her shiver in apprehension. Humans were a violent race, she thought to herself with trepidation. When she tried to move, she found that she couldn't. Nibbling on her lower lip, she tried to move again, lift her bow or do something but realized quickly that she could not move.

The aggressive male came closer to her, and she found herself nary a foot away from the human. Fear clogged her throat and she attempted to swallow a lump when his almost musical and hypnotic voice asked her with deadly intent, "Why are you trespassing?"

Itachi was looking down at the quivering, strange looking bundle of female before him. Her hood had fallen back while she had run from him, revealing her strange pink hair, and odd soft glowing verdant eyes and female status. She was gazing at him in evident confusion. She was small and nimble. It had been literal hell catching up with her. She had been damn fast.

Her words held a strange accent, yet lyrical in prose, she replied so softly that he had to strain to hear, "I am lost."

"What village are you from?" he asked, continuing his interrogation.

She shook her head at this, and didn't reply. He gazed back at her emotionlessly. He had contemplated earlier on killing her and asking questions later especially when she had shot her bow, a simple arrow taking out whole tree. It was the strangest use of chakra control he had ever seen. But since she was a mystery it would be best to take her back to Konohagakure for questioning. He could feel her chakra radiating off her, and the amount of chakra she was encompassed in was astounding in a sense.

Sakura was watching the stranger with some confusion, apprehension lining her delicate features. He was holding her against her will in a way that she did not understand, and so she was afraid. He could strike out and kill her any second, she realized with dread. Before she could react his hand shot out and black filled her vision, and she slumped against him, unconsciousness taking over.

-oOo-

Tsunade watched as Uchiha Itachi lay out the limber form of the captive on the table, after he did so he removed his mask, and wiped his brow, and looked at the Hokage impassively, "I found this girl trespassing just outside of Konoha, at first I was going to let her pass through, if she would have been about her way. Since our country is in a peaceful state at his time, I didn't want to make the mistake of striking an ally, but she was acting suspicious, so I apprehended her."
The Hokage didn't reply however, her doe brown eyes widening at the sight of the girl's soft pink tresses. Lady Tsunade unclasped the girl's cloak, her eyes widening at the bloody telltale tattoo on the girl's arm. It was obvious she had been injured from a shurikan. The wound was all but clotted. Tsunade was more interested however in the girl's tribal mark. It was just like her grandmother's. It was wrapped around her upper arm near her shoulder, three circles, the center being the largest, and two outer black lines incasing the mark. It had been nearly three decades since she had last seen it, but immediately she recalled the soft glowing and immensely gentle blue eyes of her grandmother. A whisper of disbelief left the older woman, "A Sin'dorei…." With that, she leaned back against her desk, her hand cupping her chin, obviously thrown into deep thought.

Brown met onyx. Itachi didn't hesitate to speak up, disbelief etched into his stern, aristocratic features, "A Sin'dorei. Are you talking about that child's fairytale?"

"It's no fairytale, in fact you see…" Tsunade paused, still unable to believe her eyes, her words a breathless sound, "My grandmother was Sin'dorei herself…."

"Then children's bedtime stories aside, what is this …Sin'dorei?" Itachi asked in a cynical tone, bordering on disrespectful disbelief.

"Children of the blood," the Hokage whispered, "well that's what my grandmother had called it. To be frankly honest, my grandmother died when I was very young, so I know very little about them in general. But what I do know is that they are not human like us."

"Not human?" Itachi asked almost incredulously, his renowned composure slipping for a millisecond.

"They are a race of beings who are tied to the rhythms of the earth, and are blessed by the gods they worship. The embodiment of chakra, their control is said to rival the legendary tailed beasts. My grandmother told tales of a sacred city called Silvermoon, hidden away from all human eyes. She hinted that they guarded some ancient power," Tsunade folded her arms, "I can't believe one was so far away from her home, nor can I believe that you caught her…"

And this statement in itself spoke volumes, as powerful and intelligent as Itachi was, they were only beings of legend, mysterious and powerful in their own right, her grandmother was the only one to have ever blended in with a human population as far as she knew, and even then the populace hadn't known what she was, in fact they were led to believe that her odd eyes were due to some strange bloodline limit. It was a secret the First had taken to the grave.

"It wasn't easy. She was fast and elusive. Her cloak blended in so well with the trees that it was only her strange chakra that alerted me her presence," Itachi admitted thoughtfully.

"I hate doing this to her but…" the Hokage looked at the unconscious female sadly, "I'm going to seal her chakra and bind her to you Itachi so that I can question her fully and so she cannot escape Konoha or you. I'm assigning you an S Rank mission. With this seal you will know where she is at all times."

Itachi glanced at his esteemed leader, words of rebellion forming on his lips. He was one of the esteemed Head Captains of ANBU and an upcoming leader of the Uchiha Clan, not a babysitter; her words stung his great pride. His onyx gaze was quickly hardening into a glare, "Hokage sama…"

"Captain Uchiha Itachi, I'm entrusting this to you. It's very important, though I will not disclose any more details to you at this time, or my reasoning. It is also imperative that you keep her origins completely confidential, even from your clan's head. This will stay between us at this time until further notice. Make sure the girl understands as well…the rest of ANBU will believe you are on an escort mission … I will leave you to concoct the rest of the story."

Itachi queried curiously, his voice full of disbelief, his brain still not accepting this new development, "Why go through all the trouble? Why not put her in a sealed cell, and question her at will?"

"She would escape," the Hokage replied irritably as if this was obvious to the world. Her grandmother had loved the First and so had left her people on her own volition. It was really a shame that she hadn't been able to get to know her grandmother better than she did, for when her grandfather breathed her last, her grandmother died right beside him, it was almost as if the strange woman had chosen to do so, for she had been a very active and robust woman till the end. It was ashame. The elusive powers of the Sin'dorei would have been a great boon to Konoha. She wondered absently why the First never pursued her grandmother's roots a little more than he had when he had the chance to do so.

Their progeny, children and grandchildren alike had been gifted with vast amounts of chakra and the ability of chakra control and healing to the point of legendary status, it was something that had aided them significantly in the Great Ninja Wars later on. Something so little had given them an edge no other village had. That powerful bloodline gave strength to her family. The possibilities in the girl lying before her were endless and as a Hokage she felt this was an opportunity she would not allow to slip through her fingers.

Concentrating on her hand signs she marked the girl with a dot of blood, and also the bare outstretched and reluctant hand of Itachi, whispering words under her breath and in a few short movements, laid her fingers on the girl. Whirls of black traveled over the prostrate body, and a seal formed over her seimon gate of chakra control, the life chakra, effectively blocking the other paths of chakra the girl could possibly use, rendering her completely powerless.

And then something that looked very much like a collar wrapped itself around her throat, black and stark against her milky skin, effectively sealing the girl to Itachi's, a seal formed on Itachi's left hand, three tear shaped onyx marks in the dip of his palm. There would be no way the girl could escape him or Konoha. Tsunade would not entrust this to anyone else and was glad that it had been Itachi that had captured her. As the seal finished, Itachi put his black leather glove back on and watched the unconscious girl studiously.

As the cursed seal finished, the female's body arched upward in such a way that it almost looked painful, blood red tears leaked from her eyes, leaving crimson trails running down her soft cheeks. The Hokage folded her arms, a look of guilt shadowing her eyes, but her countenance was also one of resolve as she summoned Nin to her. In a puff of gray smoke a couple of the tower guards appeared before her kneeling, "Yes Hokage-sama?"

"Take this captive to a cell, and make sure to tag it with a sealing chakra note. Also please inform me as soon as she wakes," and then she turned, her eyes encompassing the imposing male watching her stoically, "I'd like you to join me when I go to question her Uchiha…"

He nodded in understanding and then quickly exited the premises when he was dismissed, left to ponder these new and strange developments. Sin'dorei indeed, he thought to himself, and now he was some girl's babysitter with a fancy S ranked title mission tacked to it, just great, the powerful shinobi frowned, lines of irritation lining his thin lips.

-oOo-

It was in a cell that Sakura found herself waking up in. Jackknifing to a sitting position, she faltered as pain infiltrated every space of her poor head, vision swimming momentarily, she touched her head to her knees, closing her eyes tight in an attempt to regain her equilibrium. Slowly she was able to stand on her feet, moving in small quivering steps. Her cloak had been removed, her bow and quiver taken from her. She walked to the bars, tentatively she reached out and touched one and in complete shock she snatched her fingers back immediately when a sobering shockwave of pain shot through her body almost sending her crumpling to the floor.

They had sealed her in with some kind of chakra. Cradling her aching hand a moment, her pink brows drew inward as she tried to make a plan of escape. She couldn't stay caught by these humans. Her kin would be looking for her, and who knows what these humans were planning on doing to her. Fear clogged her throat but she swallowed it down, attempting to summon her courage to her.

Busting out was her first plan of action. It was obvious she was not going to get out by way of the cell bars. She would have to use her chakra to give strength to her fists to break out through the wall behind her. If she could just get to the woods she could escape them.

Sakura tried to draw chakra energy down her arms into her clenching fingers, but frowned when nothing happened. Looking at her fist, she opened her hand and wriggled her fingers, what in the blazes was going on? A spurt of temper and indignation filled her.

"I sealed your chakra for the time being," a feminine voice drew her out of her reverie, "I have some questions for you…"

A large busted blonde woman with brown eyes was standing at the front of her cell doors, watching the young woman curiously. Next to her, a formidable and broad shouldered man stood, onyx eyes regarding her coldly. She stiffened, even without his mask, she recognized the one who captured her and shrunk away into the corner of the cell, into the safe cover of shadows, luminescent green eyes narrowed warily as she studied his features.

His black hair was tied in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. High cheekbones and aristocratic features, thin, cold and unyielding lips set in a straight line as regarded her similarly, studying her as if she were some insect that had crawled into his path. Even though he was handsome, even by her race's standards, there was a definite something about him that set her on edge, coupled with the red bladed eyes of the night before capturing her in that strange trance that she was never likely to forget in her lifetime, he was a frightful enigma. She waited silently.

The woman asked her, "What's your name?"

Like a caged rat she hesitated but then answered, translating the meaning of her name to a word they would understand in her lyrical accent, "Sakura."

"I am Tsunade, the Hokage of this village," the woman stated. And Sakura took that to mean that she was the leader of the humans in this city. Slowly she nodded her understanding.

"What were you doing trespassing?" the Hokage asked her in a cool monotone. The guards and the ANBU Captain at the woman's side were very imposing to the young Sin'dorei.

Sakura wasn't stupid. She immediately realized if she wanted to get out she had to be as truthful as she possibly could, "I was traveling with my kin and I was separated. I became lost and was trying to find my way, when this… man attacked me." She spat the last part, a burst of temper getting the better of her, especially when he raised an amused brow at her spurt of anger. She fumed silently.

Itachi studied the enigma curiously. At least this would be interesting. She was an interesting contrast, cowering in a corner one moment, and eyes sparking indignation at him the next, her small lithe form came slowly towards them, her gaze pleading with the Hokage, "I meant no harm, please let me go… I will leave and never return…I swear it."

At that last statement, being as highly trained as he was, he could tell by her body language that she was being completely sincere. Tsunade shook her head at her, "I have to refuse your request at this time."

The girl looked appalled at this statement but said nothing. She seemed to realize begging would get her nowhere. Sakura didn't know what to do. The Sin'dorei found herself in quite a bind. What would these humans gain by keeping her here? She was beginning to understand why her people had concealed their presence from mankind for so long.

"However," the Gondaime paused, "I'm going to allow you out of your cell, and put you under the careful watch of Itachi here…"

She turned and faced the young woman, "you are sealed to Uchiha Itachi. He will know your whereabouts at all times, so do not attempt to escape, any attempt to do so will result in you being put back in this cell, no questions asked…do you understand?"

Sakura nodded, "I do." Anything was better than being locked up in a cell with no sun or fresh air. She would figure out an escape plan later, in her interests it would be to her advantage to pretend obedience and pick an opportune time to escape these humans. Like hell she was going to be a good little captive. First she would figure out how to remove the horrible seals placed on her. Being chased by the male watching her stoically was the last thing she wanted, the Sin'dorei suppressed a shudder.

At her nod, the Hokage gestured to the door, and the guards came forward and opened the doors, "Itachi will explain the rest to you later."

And with that the Hokage left in a flurry of robes. Soft green eyes encompassed her captor, a question shimmering in their depths.

Itachi asked the girl in his usual stoic and icy manner, "Hungry?" Damn the Hokage, what story was he going to give his family. Entering the Uchiha compound with a strange, glowing green eyed, pink haired female was strange at best. He wanted to howl in irritation. The Uchiha was going to have to do something about the girl's strange clothing as well. She would look like a sore thumb walking out and about Konoha. The girl wore skintight pants of some strange emerald colored material of unknown origin, most likely to allow free moment, as she had been extroadinarly agile when she tried to escape him just the night before. It was decorated with gold weaving through out. Her top didn't meet her leggings, leaving her supple stomach bare, the finely defined feminine muscles an indicator of her athleticism. The hues were vibrant and rich to his eyes, much too bright for Konoha attire. She would attract a lot of unwanted attention. He stifled an irritated groan.

A genuine smile touched her lips, "Yes I am."

He led her up a spiraling stairwell. The woman sucked in her breath in blessed relief filling her lungs at the sight of the light, and the feel of the sun kissing her skin, the feel of the gentle breeze touching the strands of her pink curving bangs. Slowly she released the pent up oxygen in an achingly slow manner, her enjoyment obvious to any who watched.

Itachi was observing all of this. What a strange little creature she was. Her face was so expressive each emotion she felt was displayed on her features for all to witness. The girl had absolutely no guile, which was going to make this all that much harder. In the sunlight, he was able to finally study her fully.

She was pretty in an odd sort of way. Not the sort he'd go for, but nonetheless she would draw masculine attention naturally. She was not a full figured woman by any means. Lithe and willowy, her large green eyes were too big for her small heart shaped face, her lips a small pink bundle of curious femininity. Her facial features were delicately shaped and pixie like. Her steps were reminiscent of a doe's, light and completely graceful. There was absolutely no sound in her footfalls, he realized with a start. If she did decide to escape, it would be very difficult to catch her, he realized immediately. He was beginning to understand the Hokage's reasoning for the seals.

Also studying the way she perked up in the open air around her indicated to him that it probably would have been incredibly cruel to keep her locked in a cell.

Sakura was watching the stoic man's face with curiosity. Though no emotion flit over his features he was obviously deep in thought. Her stomach rumbled at her, and she winced at the sound. Tentatively she reached out, slim fingers tugging on his sleeve, pulling him from his reverie. Onyx glanced down at her, "Yes…?"

"Are we not going to go eat?" she questioned softly not missing the hiss of irritation from the larger male.

"What do you like to eat?" he asked her coolly, unsure of where to take her.

"I do not know how to explain this to you in your language," she admitted to him, a soft delicate shrug of the shoulders, long pink tresses bouncing slightly with the movement, "So whatever you think is best."

Sighing as he removed his white cloak and placed it around her shoulders, effectively covering her attire at least for the time being, watching with a little humor as the white material engulfed her, obviously much too big for her. The hem scraped against the ground, he decided he would just have to get himself a new one. He didn't want to admit that she looked sort of cute in his overly large cloak in a childish sort of way, her green eyes were blinking up at his actions, confusion coloring the glowing depths. Trying to ignore curious stares they were on the receiving end of as they moved through the city, he decided on Ichiraku's Ramen Bar. The food was as simple as it got. He possibly couldn't go wrong taking her there, he rationalized quickly, hoping this would turn out ot be true.

The girl followed him through the flaps of the bar, her curious gaze taking in her surroundings. The small wooden structure was very primitive in her opinion. But the food cooking on the stove behind the counter seemed to be appealing.

Old man Teuchi greeted them heartily with what Sakura thought was an infectious sort of smile, "Well well… Uchiha Itachi, I don't get the pleasure of your business often. Welcome, what can I get you?"

"Just a bowl of your usual tonkotsu ramen," he paused and made a jerky gesture at the female beside him, "And one for her as well…"

Ayame, the shop's daughter was watching the young girl thoughtfully, "Who is this?" her brown eyes roaming over the strange looking girl with intense curiosity.

Before Sakura could answer, Itachi cut in, "She's Haruno Sakura, a hime from a very small village of the Land of Rain."

"Oooh!" the brown-eyed girl exclaimed, eyeing the girl with a huge smile, "Well welcome to our small and humble shop, Sakura-sama."

Sakura watched the girl's antics oddly. What did he mean by hime? The bridge of her nose scrunched slightly with her evident confusion. And what was with that last name, Haruno? Before she could protest indignantly a bowl of ramen was set in front of them both, and they were handed a pair of chopsticks.

"Enjoy!" Teuchi folded his hands beneath the fold of the apron and watched them.

Sniffing the food in front of her, Sakura found herself appalled at the stench of flesh emanating from the bowl of food. Her nose wrinkled in pure and utter revulsion. It seemed that humans ate the flesh of other living creatures. She was horrified by the very notion of consuming something that came from another living entity. Stifling a reflexive gag so as not to appear rude in front of these nice humans. She did not realize that her large eyes gave away much of what she was feeling. Itachi leaned on his elbow and studied the girl's actions curiously, almost realizing her problem immediately.

Pushing the bowl from her slowly to get the smell away from her nose. The eyes of their hosts widened at this telltale gesture and Sakura was quick to say feeling a little guilty, "Do you have something that does not have…" struggling for the word that the humans might find acceptable she found herself strangely grateful when the male beside her interjected, "Ah I seemed to forgot that her village are avid vegetarians."

Teuchi nodded in understanding, "My apologies Miss Sakura." The bowl was whisked away from her sight, and another was placed before her. Tentatively the Sin'dorei took a quick whiff of the bowl in front of her and the sight of the vegetables swimming in the broth immediately relieved the diminutive woman.

"Thank you," she spoke with such relieved sincerity that it was bordering on comical to those watching her.

Picking up the little wooden thing the hosts handed to her earlier, she blinked at them thrice painfully confused. What did they expect her to do with these? She wondered. She tried picking out a vegetable with her fingers, realizing this probably seemed rude but the rumble in her stomach was relentless. And immediately a small yelp of pain left her lips when the broth burnt her nimble fingers. Snatching her hand back, she put the sore appendage in her mouth, suckling gently, not too much unlike a child. Glancing at Itachi beside her, she realized immediately he had no intentions at the moment of helping his charge. Instead he was watching her with dark humor glinting in his seemingly pupil-less eyes. She realized also with embarrassment that she had gained an audience of onlookers. The other customers were watching her actions with amusement.

She glared furiously at him, red tinting her cheeks, her temper immediately flaring in indignation. He seemed to find her situation funny. Sakura was irritated by his manner. How in the hell was watching her starve humorous? Since these humans had captured her and there was nothing she could presently do about it, she'd learn to deal with the situation. But why oh why did she have to follow this flesh-eating evil eyed barbarian human male around? She lamented pitifully in her mind. Talk about fate playing unfair, she lightly grinded her teeth at this thought. He finally took some pity on her she supposed as he ever so slowly picked up the wooden sticks and gently snapping them apart in front of her in a telltale gesture.

Hoping she wouldn't regret it, not completely trusting his intentions, she picked up her own little wooden things and mimicked his actions. In slow motion he placed his fingers and flexed the chopsticks for her benefit, and then little by little he began to eat the ramen in front of him.

Then he turned away from the girl, leaving her to her own mechanizations. She found herself enthralled for a moment by his strong and supple fingers as they artfully manipulated his eating utensils, she was entranced by the movement of the strong column of his tanned throat as he swallowed each bite. A blush accompanied these wayward thoughts. She didn't even like the man she berated herself, why was she admiring his fingers and his neck of all things?

Tearing her eyes away from the mesmerizing movement. Nimble fingers perfectly copied his actions, and it took a couple of attempts but the girl tentatively ate the food. Finding that the food was delicious, she polished it off, in what to the shopkeepers seemed like a very unladylike manner. When she lifted the bowl to drink the broth, she didn't even make a sound as she sipped the broth. This raised a few brows in the shop. Didn't Itachi mention that she was a hime?

Itachi watched her from the corner of his eyes and was relieved that the girl picked up the traditional manner of eating easily. Though her table manners were a little off, it would be all right he rationalized, afterall they were in a hole in the wall ramen bar.

Sakura still felt hungry she realized. Slowly she lifted her bowl to Teuchi, her accented voice gentle as she asked, "May I have another?"

The shopowner took her bowl and smiled big, "You've got quite an appetite today eh?"

Ayame felt slightly jealous, how could a girl her size eat seconds, with her petite little body? And with such gusto at that! Even though the pinkette was covered in that huge white cowl, the woman could tell she was a skinny little thing. If the brunette even contemplated eating seconds of her father's ramen, it went immediately to her hips.

Folding her arms as she watched the small woman easily finishing off her second bowl. Sakura placed the wooden bowl down on the counter in front of her, a feline look of contentment adorning her sprite like features.

"Thank you… eh…" she squinted at the elderly human in front of her waiting for the man to give her his name.

"You can call me Teuchi, and this is my daughter Ayame," the shopkeeper grinned at the girl.

"It was very good," she paused momentarily to burn their names to memory as she smiled sweetly, "I hope to come again sometime." Her words were sincerely given. Universally, good food attracted anyone and everyone.

Itachi paid the shopkeeper with what Sakura supposed was human currency. She watched curiously as the transaction took place. The powerful ANBU steered the overly curious girl out of the shop from the eyes of the others. Sakura went rigid beneath the hand on the small of her back and he noticed that she hard started to shake a little. His arched his left eyebrow at this odd behavior.

A familiar irritated voice said as they approached, "Why do we have to eat here all the time dobe?"

"Because… it's ramen and it's the most delicious thing on this planet," the kyuubi vessel replied in his usual loud and obnoxious manner. Itachi wasn't entirely sure how the brash ninja made it to jonin status, his black eyebrows knitted together wryly at that random thought.

The quiet raven-haired ninja next to the other two was his usual and emotionless looking self. It was obvious that he wasn't even going to bother commenting on the other two shinobi's useless conversation. He personally didn't care where they ate.

He recognized his brother walking with team seven immediately as they were approaching.

Sakura had halted in her tracks outside the shop, doing her best to ignore the very warm male hand on the small of her back. Her glowing verdant eyes widened at the sight of the blond haired, blue eyed male coming towards them. Instantly before she could react, a deep soul aching sorrow infiltrated every pore of her body as green met deep azure. Naruto had stopped walking when he spotted the very pretty pink-haired female in front of the ramen shop with Sasuke's infamous cold fish of a brother studying him with startlingly beautiful green eyes.

Sakura immediately recognized the presence of the nine-tailed kyuubi that was sealed within the male standing awkwardly before her, blue eyes blinking at her curiously. That blonde woman may have sealed her powers but she hadn't removed the ability to feel another's aura of chakra. Especially from a very powerful spirit of the earth, one trapped against his will, no less. Oh sweet kami, she mentally lamented, humans could be such cruel creatures. The edge of deeply embedded loneliness within the boy didn't escape her inspection either, as the feel of his mixed chakra flared towards her, touching her hesitantly, gently.

It's aura encompassed her, enveloping her in its unique fold, embracing her with recognition. Not only did she feel the essence of the ninetails, but also that of the boy before her, the kindness in the depths of his soul reaching out to her in the most primal of ways. It was obvious that the humans had sealed one of the sacred beasts of the earth in such a young human male. More than likely to harness its great and awesome power for their own greedy intentions, she reasoned sadly, melancholy dancing in the reflection of her softly glowing eyes.

The kyuubi's reaction to the woman shook Naruto in a way that he didn't quite understand. The fox spirit within him had immediately sensed the Sin'dorei and lurched within the boy, it touched her intimately, kindly, happy to see her, confused that she did not greet it with her own chakra. Naruto had never felt the beast within him react happily to anything. In fact the only thing it ever howled about was blood, and killing by Naruto's recollections of his own interactions with it. But for some reason it stirred in such a strange manner over the strange woman in front of him. This left the container utterly confused.

Wordlessly she moved toward the boy, the floating movement of her steps graceful in an otherworldly manner. Sakura found herself gazing deeply, soulfully into confused blue orbs, the feel of her cool fingers strangely gentle as she touched his right cheek with her hand, tracing the whiskered indentions on his cheek to the astonishment of the males surrounding her not knowing how to react to the extroadinarly odd situation.

-oOo-

A/N: I apologize now for any grammar errors that I may have missed as I do not have a beta. I did my best to keep it clean and my writing skills are quite rusty. I hope you all enjoyed it. Reviews of your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who read this first chapter.