Disclaimer, I do not own Naruto in any way or form... I don't own the other stuff that doesn't seem like mine either... Such as Tobi's mask and all that jazz, but I'll leave you guys to decide what's mine and what's not.

It was such a hard thing to contain.
I was always in Sasuke's house. And as much as I loved looking at his classic décor, I couldn't help but staring at his older brother and his damn Uchiha perfection.

When I passed him in the halls, when we sat down for a meal, or even when I just saw him out on the streets of Konoha.

His flawless completion, his sharp nose, thin lips, raven hair and defined chin. Stupid, stupid Uchiha-ness.

Of course, I couldn't have been the only one. I was sure he had a whole club of fan girls.

But that's where the difference lay – I was certainly no fan girl fawning over his charming good looks.

I felt a chill running up my spine.

Sitting in Sasuke's house, alone with Itachi Uchiha, is what I used to dream about. And now it was happening. I was playing my cool oh-so thoroughly well – I wasn't some schoolgirl who was going to giggle if he spoke to me. I would (try) to be resilient about it.

Apparently, Sasuke and his mother would be back within twenty minutes. Not wanting to be rude when offered to come in, I went right ahead. Stupid. Very, very, extremely, like multiplied by fifty million stupid. I was fidgeting with nervous fervour.

"Would you like tea?" He asked, completely taking me out of the vicious cycle of me oh-shitting at the prospect of being alone with the Uchiha male. What ever would I do?! Do I make conversation, do I pet him, do I feed him?!

Play it cool. "Yes, please." I said with a smile on my face. He handed me the cup and as he did so, our hands grazed, I looked up, staring into his eyes, him gazing back into mine. He broke the connection, sitting next to me, closing his eyes and sipping the tea.

He probably took this as nothing more than platonic eye contact, but as soon as the man even looked at me, I felt my heart beat faster. I had barely even spoke to him before, so sitting alone with him was like jumping from a small wall onto the top of a mountain.

I said nothing, sitting in what I comprehended to be an awkward silence, but the Uchiha probably took it as a casual atmosphere, used to and flourishing in the perfect silence.

Just at that moment, Sasuke and his mother walked into the room. Seeing my scarlet face, Sasuke called me out to his bedroom, before Mikoto had a chance to say anything.

I hadn't told Sasuke about my slight adoration for his brother, but with unspoken words, I'm sure he had already heard. Also, I never stopped going on about him. He got the hint.

"What'd he say?" He asked, pulling me into a hug, before sitting on his bed.

"What? No, it was nothing... it was me. I just..." I trailed off, feeling even more embarrassed.

"I think he likes you too." Sasuke said, sighing. "Even though no one can tell because he has always got that stoic look on his face... I know... because I'm his brother." He said, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, Sasuke... thanks." I said, disbelieving of this fact considering just how simply platonic every move the older Uchiha made was.

"And, he has a way of... charming things..." He said. I had no clue what Sasuke was even talking about, and so I simply shrugged it off. Oh boy.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto moaned on. "Why do I have to carry your shopping load?... Sakura..."

I turned around, snapping, "Because, Ino is on a mission and Sasuke has some clan mumbo-jumbo, and you are the only one who can do it..." I continued, planning. "You're the only one special enough..." I smiled. I guess it was a little manipulative of me, but… whatever.

"Maji de, Sakura-chan?!" He exclaimed, eyes lighting up and giving it the classic Naruto smile.

"Really." I confirmed, smiling.

I dragged Naruto into a small Boutique on the corner of the main street, where I saw a beautiful little hair piece that would certainly go with my formal Kimono. A dazzling pink clip, lined with Cherry Blossom petals, encrusted with small, pink diamonds. A breath taking piece of jewellery so extravagant so as to be called art. I took a glimpse at the price and swallowed hard.

It cost more Ryo than I earned in a year! It would take me at least a decade to save up. I set the fine art down, exiting quickly as Naruto began to touch things.

We then proceeded to enter a weaponry shop, and I gazed on in wonder at all of the foreign blades and new inventions of destruction. Some thingy that had at a right angle and had a point sticking out; another that was half ball shaped, half flat, with a multitude of spikes; a Katana-ish sword that forked out at the end. I didn't even know how to comprehend any of it.

I then entered a clothing shop, knowing that I needed new training gear and whatnot. As I proceeded to look for my acquired target, I saw a fumbling Hinata paying for some item or other.

"Oh, hey Hinata-chan." I smiled at her, waving slightly as she approached.

"Sa-Sakura..." She said, looking up.

"What have you been up to lately then...?" I proceeded to make light conversation.

"Oh... err.. not- not much. What about you...?" She replied with the admittedly cute little stutter of hers.

"Nothing really," I shrugged at her before continuing to walk alongside her. We exited the store together, to be met with a bored Naruto waiting outside and then a dazed Hinata at my side.

"Oh, hey Hinata-chan!" He said boisterously. "Were you buying stuff too?" he motioned to the bag that Hinata was carrying, and her grip tightened on it as she pulled it closer to herself. "What did you get?" He smiled at her, completely light-hearted as per usual.

"N-nothing really." Hinata replied. Managing to keep the stutter to simply one was a big achievement. Rock it, Hinata-chan.

Without warning, Naruto grabbed his stomach as it began to rumble with all the intensity of a thousand burning suns. I rolled my eyes at him, as he simply uttered, "Ichiraku," under his breath.

I glanced at my watch. I had stuff to do, people to see, and so I took this opportunity to nudge Hinata a little. "I've got stuff to do, Naruto. Take Hinata for company."

I could almost feel Hinata's atmosphere change from 'ohhhhokay this is fine I don't mind' to 'ohshitohshitohshitohshit'. The tops of her ears began burning red, and before she made any move to protest, I simply grabbed my bags from Naruto and walked off, with a polite goodbye leading in my wake.

I stopped and turned back to glance at the two. My shopping carrier just walked off.

I proceeded on to several more shops and walked home with crap I probably wouldn't even look at again.

I got changed into something easier, as it was dawning upon almost ten. I got a knock on the door, so I went over and answered, wondering who it could be, calling at this time.

None other than Naruto, all worn out. How unusual.

"Come in, you idiot..." I said, opening the front door. He collapsed on my sofa.

"Girls are so... awkward."

"What did you do this time...?" I asked, sighing.

"I just wanted to hold hands! And then she got all red... so I asked her was she feeling okay... turns out she wasn't, because once I listen to her heart she fainted! So then I couldn't hear her breathing so I gave her... you know... mouth to mouth and she woke up, but then she fainted again... so I started doing the little heart thingy, and when she woke up she fainted again! So I carried her home and said to her dad:

"I just wanted to hold hands! And then she got all red... so I asked her was she feeling okay... turns out she wasn't, because once I listen to her heart she fainted! So then I couldn't hear her breathing so I gave her... you know... mouth to mouth and she woke up, but then she fainted again... so I started doing the little heart thingy, and when she woke up she fainted again! So then I carried her here!"

"And then he brought her to her room... and I came here. And then I said to you:

"'I just wanted to-'" He said all of this is merely three breaths.

"I get it Naruto! What way did you..." I sighed, preparing for something stupid. "'Listen to her heart'?"

"Well, like this of course." He held his hands out then drove his head into his hands. "Speaking into his hands, he then said, "Then, when I couldn't hear her heart-beat, I started doing this to see if I could find it!" He began to rub his head all over his hands in a motion that would look oh-so-wrong if done to Hinata's chest… area.

"Tomorrow, I want you to march back over to that girl's house and tell her you're sorry..." I said.

"But I was only trying to help!" He replied back.

"Maybe she… took it the wrong way..." I drawled on, yawning. "You can sleep on the sofa if you want; I'm going to bed..."

"Nah, I've got an early mission... Ja ne, Sakura-chan!" He said, walking out of the door before I even had a chance to reciprocate the goodbye.

"So... he just came over here to moan..."

I awoke to the sound of a repeated banging on my door, I glanced at my clock, and it read "10am". I sighed and got up to answer the door.

I reached the door and opened it, seeing an impatient postman tapping his foot; he held a small parcel in his hand.

"Are you Haruno-san?" He said sighing, grabbing his pen from behind his ear.

"That's me." I said with a light-hearted smile on my face.

"Well, you gonna' sign or not?" He said with an impassive look on his face. I gave him a narrow eyed look and took his clip board and pen from his hand and then signed for it with a sloppy signature. I took the parcel from his hands and closed the door, walking over and sitting down on my sofa.

I removed the brown paper packaging and stared at the small, wooden box in my hands. On the lid, there was one meek carving in the left hand corner, some sort of Kanji, but I couldn't read it as it was too small. It just looked like a small chip had been taken out if you weren't looking at it up close.

On the sides there were carvings of cherry blossom trees and the same discreet Kanji in the left hand corner. It looked to be a stunning family heritage. I outlined the shape of the carvings with my finger, feeling the cold texture of the wood.

This couldn't really be for me, right?

I lifted the lid and felt a surge of overwhelming emotion.

As there, sitting at the bottom of the box, was the hairpiece from yesterday.

I picked it up, my hands shaking with curiosity, fear, and most of all; awe.

I went over it with my fingers, feeling everything from the small diamonds to the smooth paint of the Sakura trees.

I looked back down into the box and saw a small little piece of paper, I picked it up and saw the words:
One of a few.

Written in beautiful calligraphy-like hand-writing. I looked from the writing to the expensive gift, curious about who would have given me something like this on no occasion whatsoever.

And most of all...

Who knew that I wanted it?

As the day went on, my mind drawled across all the people it could have been.

Neji had forgotten to get me a birthday gift... but then had given me one a week later. It could have been his way of saying sorry. I highly doubted it, considering the price. But Hinata being in a shop I was in made me suspicious.

Naruto saw my eyes glisten at it, and then grimace at the price. But he is too much of an airhead to even notice. And taking the price into account again, it couldn't have been him. Plus, Naruto would just hand me it straight out, he wouldn't have went to all the trouble of being secretive. He would have showed off to Sasuke the fact he bought me something nice. So I could rule him out of the picture.

Ino kept going on about she needed to buy me something to "bizz" (her words) up my hair at formal events. It wouldn't have taken Ino too long to save up, as her family did own the only floral store in the whole of Konohagakure, and everyone had been at least once. But she wouldn't have delivered it. I'm sure she would have put it in the box, and went to the trouble, but she would have handed it to me over coffee at the hospital.

The way the gift was delivered and the secretively of it all was definitely a Sasuke-like move. It all seemed to fit into place with him. The delivery, the heritage-like box and if he would have bought it, it wouldn't even have put a dent in their family's fortune. It would have been just about the same as paying for a family dinner out. He could have paid up-front. But he couldn't have known as he had his clan mumbo-jumbo for the youngest son.

Then, in all suspicion and disbelief, my mind stumbled upon Itachi. Everything was in the right place in order for him to do that. The ceremony was for the youngest son, Itachi was the elder. Everything was right. Even what Sasuke had said...
"And, he has a way of... charming things..."

Everyone knows if you want to charm a woman; buy her jewellery and extravagant gifts and shit. Everything made sense...

Apart from one thing...
Why would he want to charm me?

The day at the hospital just dragged on... from checking up on healing patients to performing some lifesaving procedure. Every day at the hospital was so tiring and I would usually just come home and collapse into bed.

But today was different. I had to sniff around a little in order to get some clues on who might have bought me the gift. I refused to even think about the older Uchiha male unless everyone else had been definitively ruled off of the list.

I went straight over to Naruto's place, sitting down at his kitchen table with a knowing smirk on my face. If I knew anything, silence always cracked Naruto into spilling the beans.

"Did you apologise to Hinata?" I said, breaking the building tension.

"Yeah, I explained the whole thing, including what you said to me... She said she understood. And then I said I was only trying to help and then I said I was really sorry, and the she said, on no, it's okay, it was my fault. Only she didn't said it like that she said it like," He got his fist clenched and then brought it to his chest, putting and innocent look on his face and a high pitched voice, "I-it's o-okay – "

"Okay, well that's good." I said, cutting him off short, not want to hear anymore stupidity. I gave him a deadly look, my eyes narrowing, and face moving closer to his. "Did you know, Naruto, I got a beautiful gift today. Do you know anything about it, Naruto?"

"N-no..." I continued to stare him out, and he simply sat back and looked at me, as if agitated. "Where is this going...?"

"You never fail to surprise me, Naruto..." I sighed.

"I don't get it Sakura-chan." He said with a confused look.

"Oh, you don't have to... just forget about it, Naruto..."

"Oh... okay... want some ramen?"

I could definitely rule him off the list.

I decided to head over to Ino's next, as her flower shop was in-betwee the Hyuuga Compound and Naruto's. And then just beyond was the Uchiha compound.

"Hey, Ino." I walked in, the small bell ringing. I walked up, leaning on the counter casually.

"Oh, hey, Sakura." Ino said, looking up from her magazine at last.

"Oh, yeah, Ino!" I said, sounding like I was remembering something. "I was out yesterday and I saw this beautiful piece of jewellery, and I was–"

"That's right! We need to go shopping! When? Tuesday? Sounds good." She looked at her calendar before letting me reply to the conversation with herself. "Yup, I can make Tuesday." She smiled.

"Uh-Okay." I said, walking out. This wasn't really suspicious behaviour for Ino, she was always so... controlling anyway. But I didn't get anything out of her... I definitely wouldn't have put her at the top of the list.

I began knocking on the gates to the Hyuuga compound, having Hinata answer.

"Oh... hey Hinata... about yesterday, Naruto can sometimes be... you know... stupid." I stated blatantly.

"Yeah... that... he apologised... i-it's okay..." She stuttered, smiling.

"Um, is Neji in the compound...?" I asked.

"I think he is taking a break from training, I-I can take you to him if y-you want..." She replied meekly.

"That'd be great!" Gleaming, I followed after her and was led into a big open area to see a wheezing Neji.

"Konobanwa, Neji-san." I said, sitting next to him.

"Uhh, hello, Sakura..." He replied, slightly confused.

"What was Hinata shopping for yesterday?" I asked him, a sitting Hinata blushing.

"Erm... how should I know...?" He replied, moderately more confused. "What were you shopping for, Hinata-san?"

"I uhh..." She said, eyes going wide and face red. "N-nothing r-really." She squeaked.

"Are you two hiding something?" I said, looking back and forwards.

"What?" Neji replied with a question, raising an eyebrow.

"What were you shopping for? Hinata?" I turned to her.

"I-I wasn't.. I-I ju-just..." She trailed off.

"Just answer Hinata, because we're not hiding anything, right?" Neji said.

"Yeah, Hinata." I prompted, as she went even redder, raising clenched fists to her chest.

"Hinata, just answer her..." Neji said, sighing.

"Well, Hinata?" I said, smirking, knowing I was close to something.

"Hinata?" He said, looking at the impassive, scarlet girl.

She cracked, squeaking out, "If Neji-san must really know, I was shopping for underwear!" She began to turn pure, beet-root red, biting her bottom lip. I looked back over to Neji; he was trying to suppress a blush as he gazed at Hinata. I didn't even want to know what he was picturing. All I could be sure of was that it was doubtfully them.

I began to trudge over to the Uchiha compound, checking my watch for the time; it was seven fifty. Walking in I saw a painter drop a red bucket of paint when he fell from his ladder. I went and helped him up; giving him a smile for the "thank you" he threw.

I knocked on the door to find Itachi Uchiha was the very one to answer. Oh joy.

"Is Sasuke– " I was interrupted as he touched my face with slender finger, flicking it off; he held it up in front of my face. I examined his now red finger. It must have been paint.

"I-it's r-red paint." I managed to choke out, probably scarlet from the contact. What the actual. Itachi Uchiha had just. He had. Touched. Me.

Seeing my embarrassment he simply spoke out, not giving my red face any recognition, "He is in his room." He then turned, walking in the direction of his room. I began to remove my shoes, slipping on my slippers, beside them sat Naruto's, as we were regulars.

I walked into Sasuke's room, he sat up from one of his books, and I sat beside him on the bed. Rigid. Completely rigid. I was completely rigid.

Seeing my blushing face and rigid movement's, he placed a hand on my shoulder. Sighing he said, "What happened... this time?"

"He touched my face." I said robotically with wide eyes, remembering the feeling, it sending shivers up my spine.

I turned to face him, smiling, "Your freaking brother touched my face. His finger on my face..." I said, drifting off.

"Tch. He is such a flirt..." Sasuke mumbled.

I sighed, before attempting to regain composure by changing the topic. "Anyway," I said, shaking the thoughts from my mind. "You see, yesterday I was looking at something... it was the most extravagant hair piece I've ever seen, with painted Sakura trees, and for some of the blossoms... were diamonds. You see, I was looking at it yesterday... it was very expensive."

"Yeah?" He replied, confused.

"I got it as a gift today. In a small wooden box with Sakura trees on both sides and a small, unreadable Kanji in the left hand corner." I said, conspiracy building up. I have to admit, he looked slightly surprised. "Where were you yesterday?" I said with narrow eyes.

"At a clan ceremony for younger brothers...?" He replied, knowing he had already told me several times.

"So... are the elder brothers allowed to attend?"

"Uh, no... why?"

"So your brother was in this house by himself... all day? And no one actually knew where he was?" I said, hoping the answer would be no.

"Exactly." Sasuke replied, knowing what I was getting at.

As he said that, my heart dropped, knowing all the evidence was now pointing at one man.

Uchiha Itachi.

I decided not to believe myself. Sitting in Sasuke's room, with his brother in the same house, all evidence pointing to him.

I began to sweat cold sweat, breathing heavily, eyes open wide. I couldn't believe it.

It wasn't true.

"Uhh, Sakura, are you... okay?" Sasuke said worryingly.

"What if it really was your brother?! What if he really did?! Your brother?!" I shouted with a mix of excitement, nerves and disbelief.

"Obviously–" Sasuke began suggestively, until the very man we were talking about entered. Well fuck this. Had he been listening? "Yeah?" Sasuke asked, clearly agitated at his rude entry. He completely ignored his brother's question and rested his eyes on me. I felt my inner-soul dazzling. He was staring right at me.

"Will you be dining with us tonight, Haruno-san?" The way he rolled my name. It was chocolate for the ears. Even Sasuke picked up on the slight change in tone, and because he noticed, I knew that I wasn't just being paranoid. He looked from me to Itachi and back again, changing the expression each time. An awkward glance for me, as he must have seen the redness in my cheeks. And one sadistic look for his brother. One that said, "Stop mentally torturing my best-friend, you ass."

"I- uhh." I blinked, my mind going blank.

"No. We want to walk around to Ichiraku... But thanks. Tell Okaa-san not to cook for me either." He answered, saving my back. I couldn't even express how much I wanted to like, I don't know, date the fuck out of him and pay for loads of stuff for him at that moment. I could have hugged him until he was dead.

"You better treat, Sasuke." Itachi said, closing the door and us listening to his footsteps on the wood. At the moment they became distant, I let out a long sigh.

"Sasuke I could eat you right now." I said, hugging him tightly.

"So I guess I'll treat?" He said awkwardly.

As we were walking along, casually linking arms, we saw Naruto walking in the same direction. It wasn't a surprise; he practically lived off ramen.

"Naruto-kun!" I called out, waving like an idiot.

"Sakura-chan! You going to Ichiraku's to?" He said, his mouth taking the form of an 'o'.

"Yeah." I said, winking. "Care to treat?"

"Yeah, yeah..." He muttered, Sasuke and I smiling.

"Hey ojii-san," Naruto called out as we stepped into the shop. "Three bowls here." He sighed.

"You treating Naruto?" Teuchi called out with that charming smile.

Naruto pursed his lips together tightly, before squeezing out a silent, puffed-out "yes". He was always so stingy.

"Haha, coming right up." Teuchi said, doing stuff I couldn't even name with the strings of noodle. Teuchi set the bowls of steaming Ramen in front of us moments later, and the smell was so mouthwatering I could almost sympathise with Naruto's addiction.

"So what are your favourite flowers, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked slyly, pretending not to care. Completely out of the blue and totally suspicious. He hadn't even looked at the Ramen yet.

"And why would you want to know, Naruto?" I said suspiciously, attempting to treat him as a potential suspect depending on his answer.

"I'm only curious..." He replied, blushing slightly.

"Well, I guess I like daffodils... Now it's my turn to be curious. Why would you want to know that?"

"Well... I... Uh- was wondering what flowers to buy Hinata... I thought it would be a nice gesture?"

"Aw, that's cute Naruto, but don't buy her daffodils. Buy Hinata her favourite flowers."

"I suppose... I just want to make her feel good..." He smiled his big cheesy grin.

"That's what she said!" Sasuke said, choking on his slurp of noodle.

"I don't get it. I said it. Not she." Said Naruto, with an equation like voice.

"Yeah, you said "make her feel good", that's what she said." He smirked.

"Did Hinata say that?" Naruto asked.

"No she did." Sasuke stated, his smirk dissipating.

"But who is she? Where's Hinata?" He asked, spinning 360 to check for her.

"Naruto never mind, just shut your hole..." Sasuke face palmed.

"That's what she said." I couldn't help it.

I stepped into the shower, letting the piping hot water seep in over my skin. I stood for a few minutes in pure peace until my fantasia was interrupted by the sound of Naruto and Sasuke rummaging through my cupboards and fridge for my okonomiyaki.

Or my Yokan! What if they were smart enough to look in the vegetable drawer?

"Sasuke- teme! I found them!" I heard through my non-sound proof walls.

Well that was depressing.

I heard the doorbell ring. And the sound of them mauling my munchy food.

"Sakura, the door." Naruto shouted in.

"I'm in the shower," Of course, he already knew, "Can you get it?" It was silent for a moment.

"Sakura, the door." He called again. I sighed and lazily threw a short, skimpy towel around my figure.

I walked past them as they were sprawled out on my sofa reading Tankobon and eating my slaved away food. What were friends even for?

My hair was dripping wet, my towel was barely big enough and my cheeks were rosy from the hot steam of my shower. Sexy. I just hoped it was someone like Ino...

Oh the dear rude post man.

"Flowers. Uh- flowers... Here, sign for them." He said awkwardly, handing me the pen and clipboard.

"Thank you," I smiled. He awkwardly nodded and hurried away.

I looked at the flowers and breathed in the scent deeply.

Daffodils.

"Naruto did you send me these?" I asked, highly unlikely, I'd been with him the whole time.

"What?" He said, him and Sasuke looking up. They both smirked.

"Probably your secret admirer who got you the boxy thing." Naruto said going back to his manga, smiling. That's when Sasuke burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked angrily, aggravated that I had to get out of the shower for these asses.

"Nothing..." He said chuckling.

"Tell me!" I said pouting.

"Your postman definitely has a thing for young pinkettes." Naruto said smiling.

"You did not just say that... wait until I'm dressed you little fool..."

I ran in and quickly got changed into my casual wear.

Flowers. Ino! I could inquire about people who bought daffodils!

I poured a jug of water and picked them up to put them in; as I did a little note fell out.

You have the cutest stutter. In the same, bold, beautiful writing.

A/N

Okay! So. Where to begin.

I started this fic like 3 or 4 years ago, and reading back over it made me cringe. I have made a lot of edits to it, so as to fit in with my probably and hopefully now more mature writing style. I edited all of the stupid clichés and needlessness and all the too quick to jump the gun flirtatiousness out, and replaced it with, what I hope you'll find, a better flowing story, more slow moving, better characterisation, less filler-ish settings and other shit.

So yeah, I edited it a lot and I hope that you've perhaps found this not as much as a cringe ridden read as what it was before. I've basically recrafted the whole fanfic, adding and taking things as I saw fit. I've also decided to compress more chapters into one, as I realise now that I like the idea of a more flowing story and chapters that average about 5000 words as opposed to like 5 1000 word chapters.

I really intend to finish this fic, and now that I've made the edits I'm a lot happier with it. It seems way less childish now, and when I first began to write this I really had no coherent plot planned out, so after making the edits, it fits in with the now coherent plot I have.

This story, however, I still feel lacks depth and an actual good solid story line, and so if you even so much as half enjoyed this, I'd be thrilled if you could check out my other fic, "Our Understanding", which I literally slave over. *Shamelessly advertises a good product as opposed to this lump of shi-*

I'm also going to point out that this is such a long AN and I apologise. I just wanted to get all of that brilliant stuff out of the way. Kudos to you if you read this all.

– xl3utterflyx