Disclaimer: The Naruto franchise belongs exclusively to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei and associates. I in no way, shape or form claim ownership to any part or the whole of this franchise.

Note: Well. Here ya go. A oneshot I've been sorta half-heartedly working on for the last several weeks. Enjoy.

Warning: Crack pairing and character death (off screen.). No flames allowed.

Aiaigasa

20FacesChizu

Well, she was sure if her friends ever found out about this, she'd be a dead duck.

In fact, if put properly, she'd be a hell bound dead duck.

But in light of her injured state, she considered herself unusually lucky for having already been in disguise when one Uchiha Itachi had deemed fit to take her under his wing.

It was currently raining kittens and poodles outside; it was supposed to be nighttime, but even the daytime sky and been dark. Fog crawled across the paved streets, and the lights made it sparkle amongst the hurrying passers-by. A myriad of umbrellas in every style and color hid almost all the faces, and the usually migraine-inducing static of noises had been reduced to an unprecedented dull roar.

In the midst of all this normality Sakura still felt out of place, even with her hair dyed a traditional black. Even with a kimono on instead of her usual medical garb. Her benefactor was also dressed in casual, civilian clothes; and though she had to admit it looked good on him, it didn't lessen her unease in the least bit. He glanced down at her suddenly, and she averted her eyes.

Hadn't meant to, but it'd been involuntary.

The elder Uchiha moved a little closer to her, to the point where his shoulder was pressed against hers gently but firmly. The proximity made things worse rather than better, though he maintained a rather oblivious facade.

"Are you cold?" Well, the shiver that'd gone down her spine apparently wasn't completely unnoticed by her odd companion. She shook her head, crossing her fingers inside her long sleeves and hoping the smile she gave him was bright enough- and confident enough- to mislead him about her unease.

"Not at all! But are you alright? You're getting soaked, letting me have so much of the umbrella!"

"You are injured. Before that, you are a lady. This is nothing."

She stifled a blush, eyes immediately returning to the ground in embarrassment. He'd found her in a torn yukata only a few hours ago, fighting some rogues in the torrential rain. The battle'd still been in her favor, honestly! But apparently, he'd caught them in a deadlock, and had decided they posed a threat to her. He'd certainly killed them quickly enough (oh, such a gentleman! But now she was short the information she was supposed to drag out of them). The young man had apparently been stuck on the idea of her being a helpless damsel in distress, and had afterwards carried her to the small town's doctor. He left, and by the time they'd patched her up he'd brought back the beautiful kimono she currently wore. At first, Sakura had insisted she repay him. In return, Itachi displayed more of that Uchiha-inherited bull-headedness and refused to tell her the price.

He'd even made sure to remove the price tag before handing it to her.

As it stood, the kunoichi told him that she was staying at a local hotel, and he'd insisted that he accompany her there.

She cast a glance upward towards him from behind her bangs, praying to whatever deities were awake at this ungodly hour that she looked innocent and maidenly. "You're quite the gentleman, sir. I suppose you are a noble of sorts?"

"Of sorts."

She dearly wanted to growl at him for daring to give such an ambiguous answer.

"Where are you from?"

"The Fire Country." Okay, so this was River Country. It wasn't as if they were standing right outside the gates of Konoha. But seriously, avoiding the question much?

"Oh? … Such a noble bearing… are you the son of a daimyo?" She noticed an odd look that was beginning to paint its way across his face, something of irony mixed with sadness. His onyx eyes lowered, staring at the raindrops as they met their deaths upon the streets.

"No one that great. Just a traitor."

She wanted to ask him what he meant. She wanted to ask him until she was blue in the face or until he told her, whichever came first. Unconsciously, she pressed a little closer, the wool of his jacket seemingly latching on to the cotton of her kimono. The leisurely pace hadn't changed a bit, and now she didn't care as much about their unhurried pace. Her geta clacked against the stone, muffled by puddles and rainfall. He, the infamous S-class criminal she was supposed to hate, looked terribly fragile at the moment. So fragile that she wanted to do something to make him strong again.

"Hey-"

"We're here."

He stopped her, and she wasn't sure if it really was because they'd arrived at her hotel, or because of something else. Like the gentleman he seemed to be, he guided her gently and firmly under the door's over-hang, pressing the umbrella into her listless left hand. She looked down at it in surprise.

"Hey, you need this more than I do!" She tried to follow him back out into the rain as he retreated, a tiny smile quirking the corners of his lips. He was already soaked, so it was a little late, but he pushed her under the small shelter again before she got as wet as he was. Fingers trailed gently against her shoulder as he moved away again.

"Take care, Sakura-san."

"I'm telling you, you need- excuse me?"

If she hadn't already been expecting something, hadn't been raised as a shinobi, she would've come undone at seeing one Uchiha Itachi grin. Yes. It wasn't even a smirk.

He was honest-to-God grinning.

He inched forward a bit, leaning in under the umbrella she was holding up, bumping his forehead against hers playfully.

"Thank you for your time, Sakura-san. I find myself wishing we would meet again under similarly nonrestrictive circumstances."

With that, he stepped back into the rain for the last time, smiling in such a boyish way that she did not find her words again until he'd long-since disappeared. Two weeks later, she would discover why he had wished to meet her again, rather than hoped.

With a well-used brush, Sakura crossed out his picture in her Bingo Book, finding herself wishing in turn that she didn't have to.

AN: Yes. New ItaSaku. OMG AMAZING. Ha. Okay, so now that I've got THAT out of my system, I've got an update for you all! NARUTO IS NOW OFFICIALLY NOT MY FANDOM OF CHOICE. SHOULD YOU DESIRE FOR ME TO WRITE MUCH MORE, SEND ME EXCELLENT FANFICS OF YOUR PAIRING CHOICE TO INSPIRE ME. Thank you.

Next Project: Clay Penance (maybe?) - to be posted on the 20FacesChizu account

EDIT, Feb. 1, 2011: Umm... edited for serious typos. It's better now. I reread through it one day, and I was absolutely horrified. It wasn't like there was a LOT, but... ICK. So its fixed now. Yay! Enjoy~