Story 7

Prompt: Romeo and Juliet – Requested by Ukatoemania
Rating: T

Congratulations if you got the part you wanted. If not, better luck next time and we hope to see you on opening night.

Montague Household:

Montague – Nara Shikamaru

Lady Montague – Sabaku Temari

Romeo – Uchiha Sasuke

Benvolio – Rock Lee

Abram – Sarutobi Konohamaru

Balthasar – Tomo Udon

Capulet Household

Capulet – Akimichi Choji

Lady Capulet – Yamanaka Ino

Juliet – Haruno Sakura

Tybalt – Sabaku Gaara

Nurse – Tamura Tenten

Sampson – Inuzuka Kiba

Gregory – Sabaku Kankuro

Peter – Aburame Shino

Other Roles:

Mercutio – Uzumaki Naruto

Prince of Verona, Escales – Momochi Haku

The County Paris – Isobu Yagura

Friar Lawrence – Hyuuga Neji

Friar John – Hirakawa Sora

Auditions start tomorrow and be sure to bring your own lunches.

–Hatake Kakashi

"Yes," she cried happily, fist thrown in the air as she jumped up and down in her spot. A huge grin was plastered from ear-to-ear, despite the cheek strain that had plagued her since the news. "I can't believe it."

"So you keep saying," her best friend replied in a mutter, rolling her blue eyes. "You know, it's not that big a deal. It's just the community theatre, Sakura."

Not even Ino's whining could destroy her happy mood. "You're just saying that because you're stuck with playing my mother. Then again," she said with a slight purr, fully intent on riling the blonde girl up. "You do look old enough to play a middle-aged woman."

It gave her the reaction she'd been hoping for: Ino growled with annoyance and stormed off ahead, tightening her hold on her bag strap like she was taking all her anger out on it, or possibly even restraining herself from lashing out at her. Whatever. Sakura couldn't have cared less in that moment, because damn it, her mood was so damn high that nothing could possibly bring her down.

Looking over at the dark-haired boy who was also leaving the theatre hall, her smile widened. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke-kun."

He looked over at her and like every other time their eyes connected, her heart skipped a beat and her stomach somersaulted, leaving her breathless. Gods, that boy was beautiful. Although he was kind of quiet and kept to himself, there was a reason why he was given the main part – and it wasn't only because he was good looking. It was because it was obvious he was passionate about the things he cared for and one of those things happened to be theatre, which may have influenced her decision to join just the tiniest bit.

And now…

Nodding, he copied her wave of farewell and left through the same doors Ino had stormed out of.

And now…

She was his Juliet, and he was her Romeo.

Inside, she squealed with happiness.

Inside, she wept oceans of tears.

Why did the Gods hate her? Had she done something awful in a past life to deserve such a horrific fate? Damn it, just as she landed a major part as her crush's love interest, something happened to rip them apart. They were like the real-life Romeo and Juliet. Minus the death and feuding clans.

It was only the first day of rehearsal, but being the low-budgeted theatre that it was and because it was the summer holidays, they only had a handful of weeks to prepare themselves for the big showing of a timeless classic, Romeo and Juliet. Still, it was the first day and already, something had gone wrong. Something major that instantly had her happy mood vanishing, had her feeling like all the oxygen had been vacuumed out of the room.

Standing beside their theatre director was a boy she'd only caught glimpses of, yet they all knew exactly who he was and given the fact that his younger brother wasn't there with them, then that only meant the worst.

"Unfortunately, Sasuke won't make it to rehearsals because he was hospitalised overnight. There's no telling how long he'll be gone, or if he'll make it back in time for opening night," their director said in his lazy drawl.

There was a chorus of 'what happened' and 'what are we supposed to do now' behind her, but Sakura was unable to focus on any of it as her heart broke and her stomach plummeted. Not only did she miss her opportunity to finally have her first kiss with the boy she'd been in love with for as long as she could remember, but he was in such a bad way that he'd been hospitalised.

A finger jabbed her in the side, forcing her to meet shining blue eyes. The smile on Ino's face was vindictive and sly as she said quietly, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

"Settle down," the director raised his voice, but once again lowered it once he had their attention. That was Hatake Kakashi for you, though. Never one to exert any more energy than was necessary. "Since Sasuke is in hospital, his older brother, Itachi-kun, has kindly offered to step in and take his place."

Sakura couldn't help but frown. Just her luck. "What's wrong with Sasuke-kun?"

The boy by his side, Itachi, gave her a smile, one that eased her worry for him ever so slightly. "Appendicitis, it appears. While he is already receiving the best medical care, our parents believe it would be best for him to not continue with theatre for the duration of summer, to avoid any unnecessary stress."

Unnecessary stress? How dare he. Sasuke loved theatre, even if he wouldn't outwardly admit it and his presence alone was what dragged everyone else in there. After all, if the cool Uchiha Sasuke, a boy who didn't get involved in much, was passionate about something that seemed so lame to everyone else, then that meant it had to be cool. And he proved them right because every summer since joining, without fail, they'd made fun memories.

"No way," a loud voice yelled from the back and instantly knowing who it was, she sighed with annoyance. Damned Naruto. As if her day wasn't bad enough. The only reason he joined was to try and outdo Sasuke. So far, however, it was the latter who received all the major parts, whereas Naruto was always left with little speaking parts due to never being able to remember any of his lines. Kakashi had actually taken a huge risk in giving him the part of Mercutio. "Itachi's way too old to play Sakura-chan's boyfriend."

The colour drained from her features.

How the hell had she forgotten about that when it was just said? It was all the heartbreak, worry and disappointment, Sakura decided. It was making it impossible to take anything in, like one of those slow-motion moments in movies, when it got all dramatic or somebody the main character loved died.

"Actually, Itachi-kun has only just turned eighteen." Smiling, Kakashi added, "So he is just barely five years older than you all."

But… But he was a man. Romeo and Juliet kissed and got married and… How in the hell was she supposed to do that with him? Yes, she knew in the original play, Juliet was only thirteen years old and Romeo was a few years older, but he was Sasuke's older brother and so much older than her and it didn't feel right.

"I don't mind taking Sakura's place," Ino chirped up, smiling innocently. "If she's too shy to work with Itachi-san, that is."

Green eyes narrowed on Ino, but the blonde was too busy playing the concerned friend to notice, throwing an arm around Sakura's shoulders in a show of friendship. It didn't matter how hard she fought against the hold, because Ino was having none of it, instead holding her in place.

"Oh?" Kakashi questioned, his eyebrows raising. "Have we lost our Juliet, too?"

It felt like everyone was looking at her with accusatory stares. After all, it was no secret that she was in love with Sasuke – she wore her heart on her sleeve for everyone to see, and didn't care in the slightest. Acting like she was in love with his older brother made her stomach turn, but theatre was… It was something Sasuke was passionate about and disappointing him was out of the question, not when she knew he would already be so disappointed with himself.

It was that thought that had her saying, "No. I'm still Juliet."

The arm around her vanished and she didn't fail to notice the look of annoyance in Ino's eyes.

"It's still wrong," Naruto demanded, shoving his way through the group to get to the front, where he openly glared at Itachi. "He's too old to be kissing her."

While it did make her a little uncomfortable kissing someone who was five years her senior, Sakura knew that it was just acting. Sasuke would still receive her true first kiss. It wouldn't just be an act with him.

"Shut up, idiot," she snapped and hit him upside the head, effectively shutting him up. "We can't let Sasuke-kun down now that he can't do this. He'll never forgive us."

Kakashi smiled at her proudly. "Exactly. As for Naruto's statement, obviously, our version of the play will be toned down considerably." Scratching the back of his head, he continued almost nervously, "Meaning no sex scenes and nothing more than a peck on the lips during the party scene and towards the end, if that."

It eased some of her worry, somewhat.

Nervousness aside, he then said, "Now everyone grab a script and we'll go from the top."

"Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."

"That's great, Hanabi-chan. I knew you were the right choice," Kakashi complimented both himself and her, eyes creasing encouragingly as the young girl look to him.

Standing at one side of the stage was a girl no older than seven years old. She was confident, speaking with a clear voice that was set at just the right volume, said with just the right amount of… Sakura wasn't sure what the word was. She wanted to say snobby, but she liked Hanabi's older sister, Hinata, a lot and they were great friends, so she didn't want to think something so horrible about her sister. However, it was the truth. The formality she'd grown up with prepared Hanabi for that moment, allowing her to deliver the prologue to the play perfectly.

Sakura had the feeling she'd be given a much bigger, more challenging part next time.

The two cast as Sampson and Gregory, otherwise known as Kiba and Kankuro, entered the stage once Hanabi stopped speaking. The former seemed to lose his words for a moment, his dark eyes searching through the audience of other characters, until Kankuro nudged him with his elbow, muttering something to him.

"Oh, right. My bad." He scratched the back of his head, grinning wolfishly down at Kakashi. "Want me to go again?"

The older man sighed. Unlike most places, due to the limited time they had to practice and perform, they were told if they had the part more or less on the spot, unless several people were auditioning for the same part. "You auditioned with this scene yesterday, Kiba. How could you have forgotten the lines so quickly?"

Kiba shrugged, arms dropping to his sides. "I don't know. Slept."

Sakura risked a glance at Kakashi. While he was a laid-back man who seemingly didn't care for much, it was obvious to her that he cared for the classics. It made her wonder how quickly he would get annoyed if they were to mess up the performance.

"Just…" He flicked a page in his script. "For now, we'll practice with scripts, just in case you've all slept since yesterday."

How unprofessional, was what Sasuke'd say to that. How annoying, was something else he'd say. However, secretly, Sakura was glad they were allowed to read from their scripts and smiled gratefully when one was handed to her, only to freeze in taking it when her eyes met Uchiha Itachi's.

She swallowed.

Nobody knew much about Uchiha Itachi. They knew he was Sasuke's brother. Knew that he'd starred in a load of adverts while growing up (she was sure there was a baby calendar somewhere he'd been the star of, too), but that was where it stopped. He didn't care much for theatre – at least, that was what Sakura believed. It was Sasuke's thing. Unlike Itachi, who more or less dropped off the face of the earth after becoming a recognisable face on their television screens, Sasuke continued on from that, taking his place and going a step further by joining the theatre.

"Would you like to rehearse quietly while we wait for our scenes, Sakura-chan?" he asked kindly, still holding onto the script.

Green eyes moved to the thick booklet between them, wondering why her hand wasn't responding to her. Damn it, either let it go or take it, her mind screamed at her. Stop being such a weirdo.

Itachi must have noticed her uncertainty, because he smiled at her and took the seat beside hers, slowly placing the script down onto her lap. "Sasuke tells me you're a good actress," he said. "I look forward to working with you."

"H-He did?" she all but squeaked, surprised. "Sasuke-kun said that?"

His smile warmed. "Yes."

"That shows thee a weak slave, for the weakest goes to the wall," Sakura vaguely heard Kankuro say proudly, chest somewhat pushed out.

"Remember you're not re-enacting the movie," Kakashi called out to them all, ignoring the girls as they whined in dismay.

Suddenly seeing Kiba biting his thumb at the guys playing Abram and Balthasar, Sakura covered her mouth, attempting to hide her giggle at how ridiculous it seemed. Like the day before at the audition, he overdid it, throwing in a goofy noise that had many in the audience snickering, though they silenced themselves at Kakashi's warning glare. It wasn't scary just yet, but she wondered how far he would have to be pushed before he did get scary.

By her side, Itachi lifted his own script to look at it and she spotted that his parts were neatly highlighted, much like her own. It had her smiling up at him, some of the nervousness shifting, taken over by a strange happiness. Most people simply highlighted the name of their character, but like her, Itachi had highlighted the entire speech.

Maybe working with him wouldn't be as hard as she'd originally thought?

Tybalt was as scary as he was in the movie, if Sakura was being totally honest.

The guy playing him was Gaara, his presence alone screaming that he was superior to the rest of them, his expressions carefully contorting with each emotion his character experienced. When he was angry, such as during the fight scenes, it made her heart stop, made her want to shrink back in her seat, because holy crap, she could actually feel his intense hatred.

However, the whole persona shattered as Gaara glared over at Kakashi. "You…" He scowled. "You want me to pretend to stab people with my finger?"

Jab, jab, jab.

She was probably laughing harder than she should have been, but…

"The props will be ready at some point," Kakashi assured them all, then ordered, "Romeo, join Benvolio on the stage and be a lovesick puppy."

Itachi was already halfway up the stairs, though did send a fairly amused glance their way (she pretended not to hear the swoons behind her – as the lead, she got to sit right at the front beside Kakashi and the other lead, whereas the others were all behind them). Once he was centre stage, he looked around himself, quickly skimmed through his lines, before nodding once to Benvolio (otherwise known as Rock Lee).

Surprisingly, Lee had been great in the previous part, especially in his fight against Gaara. While they were great friends outside of the theatre, it was hard to believe it when they'd gone at each other so intensely, perhaps even taking the fake fight way too far.

"Good morrow, cousin," Lee greeted loudly, his optimism shining through.

Instead of responding with equal optimism and smiles, Itachi was languid. Sombre, even. "Is the day so young?"

"But new struck nine."

"Ay me, sad hours seem long," he said with a sigh before gesturing in the direction his 'parents' had left in, demanding, "Was that my father that went hence so fast?"

Itachi was an amazing actor, Sakura noticed instantly as she became enraptured in his performance, which she truly was beginning to believe. He seriously did look like a lovesick puppy who was pining after his love, who was depressed that he couldn't be with her. Why had he stopped acting? There'd better be a damn good reason, Sakura inwardly grumbled. She would've paid good money to see him in a play or a movie.

Lee was just as great, sure, but… compared to Itachi's level of acting–

She hid her gasp of surprise, green eyes falling to the script resting on her lap.

Uchiha Itachi was at a higher level than them all, was clearly one of the best at what he did, perhaps even surpassing Sasuke, who'd always played the leads and stole the show. Was that why…? Sakura shook her head. How ridiculous. Surely there was another reason as to why Itachi had given up on acting? Surely it wasn't so his brother was in the spotlight rather than himself? But…

She couldn't recall a time when Sasuke hadn't played the lead. She couldn't remember what his losing face was like, or if he was a sore loser. What she did know was that he was competitive. Massively competitive.

Sakura's gaze returned to Itachi as she saw him in a whole new light, lips parting with her surprise. If he'd given up acting for his younger brother, when he was clearly amazing at it, then…

She couldn't help but smile as their eyes met, though wasn't surprised that he didn't return it. Being the professional that he was, he remained in character, but once his scene was over, he returned to her side, smiling down at her.

During the first rehearsal, they got through the first four scenes of the play (they would have completed the first act entirely had it not been for others complaining), each of them feeling equally drained as they left, dragging their feet. Kakashi was a hard ass. Plain and simple. Everything had to be just so and if he spotted a mistake during rehearsal, he didn't think twice about pointing it out and then making them start from the beginning of the scene. The second rehearsal consisted of the next ten scenes, with more painstakingly helpful tips on how to improve their acting.

Sakura rarely ever got nervous while performing. She'd had a couple of leads in the past and was used to the pressure, was used to "maybe you could try this" or "well, you see, the character is…" and blah, blah, blah. Performing in front of such a small group that was mostly made up of her friends was nothing to her. Opening night was when the nerves would kick in, possibly the night before when they rehearsed with all the dramatic lights and costumes.

"By opening night, we'll have the music ready to play in the background for the extras to dance to, but until then, we have to improvise," Kakashi told them. "Are you both ready?" They nodded once, watching him for a moment longer as he added, "You just met for the first time and feel an attraction – Sakura, that means-"

"I know what it means," she snapped irritably, cheeks burning.

He smiled, though they couldn't see it due to his mask. "Good. Action."

It was scene five, the infamous party at the Capulet's house where Juliet first met Romeo and they'd just finished eyeing each other from across the stage. After thoroughly reading through the script for what felt like the hundredth time, and making several notes on how to present herself, Sakura liked to believe that she was better prepared than she was yesterday. Instead of focusing on the movie (they'd all secretly been doing that) and trying to act all mystical like the actress had, she came across as graceful, yet outspoken. Strong, yet a hopeless romantic.

Standing to the side of the stage (for Capulet and Tybalt were on the other half, discussing Romeo's presence at the party), she noticed Itachi approaching her confidently, his gaze somewhat similar to the first scene with Rock Lee – a lovesick puppy. And then his hand came to her side, stopping her from moving away as he told her softly, "If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this, my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

It took a lot to hide her blush. The way he'd spoken had seemed so real, so believable. Turning her back on him, Sakura glanced over her shoulder, saying, "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much. Which mannerly devotion shows in this, for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Am I the only one who thinks everyone is talking a load of shit?" she heard Naruto yell from the second row. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him leaning over her chair, his arms folded over the top of it and his eyes narrowed. "I can't understand any of it."

"Shut up, idiot," Ino snarled in return.

It was genuinely that her heart began to pound when Itachi closed the distance between them, circling her until they were face to face, standing just that little bit closer than what was appropriate.

A smirk played on his lips, replying, "Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

She tried her best to hide her sudden nerves. Usually, performing in front of the group didn't bother her – they all made a fool of themselves at one point or another. This was different, though. Acting or not, she was about to have her first kiss. She was about to give her first kiss to Uchiha Itachi.

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer," she said, unable to mask the breathlessness of her reply.

"Louder, Sakura."

Knowing that Juliet was supposed to feel attracted to him, she pushed aside her nerves and watched as he stepped even closer, though they didn't touch, teasing the audience as they bit back their growing smiles. For a split second, she wondered if she was doing it as well as he was, because Itachi truly looked smitten with her for a few seconds, and like he could sense that, he raised his hand slightly, fingers brushing along hers in encouragement before it slipped away.

"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do: they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

It was wrong to feel weak at the knees, wasn't it? "Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

Her heart definitely skipped a beat as he leaned down, their difference in height giving her a few extra seconds to try and collect herself, but all attempts were wasted as his lips grew closer, as she heard the others murmuring to one another until Kakashi told them to shut up.

"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purg'd."

Just as his lips brushed to hers, Sakura's hand shot between them, almost sticking her fingers up his nose in her rushed attempt to stop the kiss.

"Sorry," she said apologetically, glancing over to Kakashi. "It just feels…"

Fortunately, the man seemed to understand. "Forget the movie version, Sakura," he told her and stood, climbing the stairs so that he was on stage with them. "Your kiss with Itachi-kun doesn't need to be as… passionate. You're still only a kid."

She almost argued that she wasn't a kid, that she was a woman, but wisely held her tongue. Instead, she nodded in thanks, then smiled up at Itachi apologetically, taking her hand off his mouth. "I'm sorry."

"You have every right to be nervous," he assured her.

True, she supposed.

Noticing her continued nerves, Kakashi offered, "How about this? Itachi-kun, when you go to kiss Sakura the first time, to give the impression that it's passionate, place your hands on the sides of her head, shielding the kiss from view. You don't even have to kiss, though you obviously can't do that for every kiss in the play."

That sounded so much better. Grinning up at him, she waited for his response, and couldn't help but feel a wave of relief as he nodded, asking, "For the second, while it is something those in theatre try to avoid, I could turn one of our backs to the audience. Sakura-chan could then play up that she is being kissed."

She instantly thought of a romance movie she'd watched recently, where the girl's arms had limply hung by her sides, the passion of the kiss leaving her unable to respond. "That could work."

"Just make sure to build the tension," Kakashi reminded them, going back down the stairs. "And don't be afraid to use the stage. The extras will be staying near the back, so that they don't get in your way or steal the spotlight."

Nodding, she turned back to Itachi.

It had to get easier this way.

It didn't.

It'd been a whole week now and they were nearing the end of the play. The final scene had to be the real deal. It had to be a real kiss. There was no way around it.

Sitting back in her seat and ignoring the man by her side, her knee bobbed up and down, nails finding their way to her teeth as she nibbled on them. Kakashi sent her a warning glare to stop, but she didn't. Not when the nerves were making her stomach churn, not when the human sized moths in her belly were making it impossible to eat anything. Gods, she was going to kiss Sasuke's hot older brother, Uchiha Itachi.

On stage, Itachi was clutching a staggering Naruto, who'd just been ruthlessly stabbed by Gaara (who seemed to enjoy stabbing him a little too much, in her honest opinion), before the blond shoved him away, features twisted in pain.

"I am hurt," he yelled at them. Dramatically coughing and pretending to cough up blood, he took another step towards the edge of the stage, blue eyes heavy as they looked out at the crowd. "A plague a'both houses! I am sped. Is he gone and hath nothing?"

Lee was frowning, showing his concern as he stared at Naruto's back. "What, are thou hurt?"

Pressing a hand to his side, the blond groaned melodramatically and swayed. "Tis a scratch! Tis a scratch. It might look like a gaping hole, but it's just a scratch. Honestly."

By her side, Kakashi rubbed his aching temple, muttering under his breath, "Don't screw with the classics, Naruto."

A single glance behind herself told Sakura the others found Naruto highly amusing, many of them smirking at one another mischievously. Crap. Were they intentionally going to get on Kakashi's nerves? When she was the one who had to sit next to him? She bit her lip, eyes going back to Itachi. Maybe she could get him to switch seats with her. He'd been doing an awful lot to help her out lately, from helping her rehearse and memorise her lines, to walking her to her mother's car when rehearsals finished late or backing her up with her suggestions to Kakashi, even improvising with her if she forgot something.

It hurt to admit it, but Sakura couldn't see Sasuke treating her so kindly. He would have gotten annoyed. Would've demanded her to grow up and stop dragging him down. Sure, for the first few tries, he'd be patient, he'd wait it out. But some scenes, she and Itachi had to go over them at least ten or eleven times, from start to finish. Sasuke wouldn't do that for her. Not like Itachi was.

The thought filled her heart with a strange emotion.

They were screwing with him. Badly.

Every rehearsal, Sakura witnessed Kakashi's patience dwindling. She witnessed him going through breathing exercises to try and remain calm, his grip rhythmically tightening on his script and notes.

First, it'd been Mercutio's death, with Naruto jokingly and over-dramatically dying on the edge of the stage, having been warned many times not to throw himself off it to add to the drama (he'd suggested it every time they went over the scene). Sure, it'd look good on the night, as that area would be in total darkness and it could signify him being gone forever, with Romeo joining him in the darkness in order to avenge him, but… It was only pissing Kakashi off.

Then, Juliet's nurse (Tenten), made overexaggerated gestures about the marriage between her and Romeo. Sexing it up, in simpler terms. Tenten was one of the older kids (fifteen, Sakura believed), so clearly knew more about it than she did, but what she did know was that the things she implied had the other older kids either snickering or blushing.

And now…

"Romeo murdered my cousin, my beloved, protective cousin," Ino yelled angrily at him, but then made many snicker when she suddenly added much more calmly, "But that's fine." Beside her, she noticed Kakashi placing his head in his hands. Naruto grinned brightly from his seat. "You win some, you lose some."

Prince, who was played by Haku, didn't falter for a second, his expression remaining in character as he tried to save the scene before Kakashi exploded. "Benvolio, who began this bloody fray?"

Catching on, Lee left the extras who were posing at officers and approached the Capulet and Montague patriarchs and matriarchs, frowning. "Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo's hand did slay. Romeo, that spoke him fair, bid him bethink how nice the quarrel was, and urg'd withal your high displeasure; all this, uttered, with gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bow'd, could not take truce with the unruly spleen of Tybalt deaf to peace, but that he tilts with piercing steel at bold Mercutio's breast-"

Before he could continue the long winded speech (which, unsurprisingly, didn't seem like hard work to him – Lee actually seemed to enjoy it since he got to act out what he was saying without looking weird), he was interrupted when he took a breath.

"He shall die," Ino's voice boomed around the theatre hall. "Romeo shall-" She cut herself off and clutched her chest dramatically. "Oh, but he's so pretty. My daughter is such a lucky girl." Anger took over her features once more and she stomped her foot. "Off with his head!"

"Ino, you are not Queen Victoria-"

"Who the hell is that?" she demanded angrily. "I was being the Queen of Hearts."

There were several sighs of annoyance and disbelieving expressions.

"Either way," Kakashi drawled, "Juliet's mother doesn't know about the relationship with Romeo. It's forbidden and secret, remember."

"I was breaking the fourth wall."

"Well, how about you leave the fourth wall alone?"

"You're so boring!"

The lights were beaming down on them and Sakura found herself feeling even hotter than usual, repeatedly dabbing her brow every time she came off stage, gulping down bottles of water in preparation for her insanely long speeches. No, she wasn't complaining. It was an honour to play Juliet and she felt so beautiful in her costumes – Kakashi's friend (Rin, Sakura believed her name to be) had done a spectacular job on them).

Like she'd said previously, her nerves always showed on the opening night.

Feigning death, Sakura listened to the lengthy speech Itachi made. Not once had he faltered that night, not even when they noticed Sasuke sitting in the audience, clearly sulking about losing his part in the play. If anything, it seemed to strengthen their mutual decision to do their best, neither wanting to let Sasuke down.

Her heart was pounding as she felt Itachi pick her up, but she made sure to stay limp in his hold, arms useless as he tried to wrap them around him, showing a desperation to once more feel the embraces they'd shared throughout the play. Sakura could hear people in the audience sniffling when he added more emotion to his words, when he allowed his eyes to water and momentarily lowered his head to her neck, body shaking.

Gods, he was an amazing actor.

And as much as she didn't want to think it…

He was so much better than Sasuke.

She felt him pull back, could feel his breath on her lips. She wanted to open her eyes, to look at him and see what he looked like so close, as he was no doubt even more beautiful, but refrained.

It was time.

Her first kiss. During rehearsals, he'd pretended to kiss her, knowing how unsure and uncomfortable she was. Now, they were going to have to kiss. There was no way around it.

Hand hidden from the view of the audience, he gave a reassuring squeeze.

"Thus, with a kiss, I die," Itachi murmured.

Sakura found herself holding her breath when he kissed her softly, with an almost tender brush of his lips and she was so angry that she had to hold herself back from responding. She was supposed to be dead, after all. Well, seemingly dead.

Her first kiss.

With the brother of the boy she'd once had a crush on.

Fortunately, Itachi lowering her back to her bed gave her a few seconds to collect herself, his long hair hiding her face from view. She could feel the blush on her cheeks, tried to calm her breathing.

Her first kiss.

It took everything to focus on those surrounding her, to focus on the shift in her death bed to know when Itachi had finished his poison and died beside her. It was easier when the others began to speak and counting in her head, going over the lines, she awoke with a stretch, eyes going to the two friars.

"O comfortable Friar, where is my lord? I do remember well where I should be; and there I am. Where is my Romeo?" It felt stupid saying it, as he was right next to her, but Sakura kept up the act.

"I hear some noise, lady," Neji told her. "Come from that nest of death, contagion and unnatural sleep. A greater power than we can contradict hath thwarted our intents. Come, come away. Thy husband in thy bosom there lies dead." She made sure to look distraught, a heartbroken sob leaving her as she gazed down at Itachi's lax features, leaning over him, even giving him a shake for good measure. "And Paris too. Come, I'll dispose of thee among a sisterhood of holy nuns. Stay not to question, for the Watch is coming. Come go, good Juliet, I dare no longer stay."

Green eyes never left Itachi's face and Sakura felt so proud of herself when tears filled her eyes. It took a few seconds longer than she'd hoped, but they fell, followed by another wail of loss. When she noticed that Neji had left the stage, she took that as her cue to continue.

"Go get thee hence, for I will not away." Taking one of Itachi's hands, she held it tightly in both of hers, squeezing and feeling oddly comforted at the faintest of pressure she felt in return. "What's here?" She moved one of her hands, opening his enclosed fist and holding up a small bottle. "A cup clos'd in my true love's hand? Poison I see hath been his timeless end. O churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after?"

The nerves came back at full force as Sakura shifted over him, throwing the small bottle across the stage in a show of anger, before that anger crumpled into despair, showing her heartbreak at being left alone.

"I will kiss thy lips, haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die with a restorative."

Her hand came to his face, not daring to hesitate as she gently ran her fingers over his relaxed features, taking perhaps a few moments too long to trace them all. It must have looked convincing, though, because she could hear her mother crying in the audience. Her own tears didn't stop as she lowered her face to his, even as she brushed their noses together like she'd seen in movies and while his lips were shielded by her face, she felt him breathe out through his mouth, though when she looked back to his lips, they were closed again.

Was it wrong that she was excited to kiss him?

Closing her eyes, Sakura gently pressed her lips against his, too nervous to add too much pressure, but then, more than likely surprising Itachi, when she sat back and was prepared to speak her line, she once more leaned down to kiss him a final time after looking out at the audience in devastation.

From backstage, she heard one of the extras yell, "Lead, boy, which way?"

She knew that was her cue to wrap it up. Sitting up, she looked around, hand falling to Itachi's side only for her to pause, green eyes going wide as she spotted the weapon.

"Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger." She picked it up, holding it in front of her face as she admired the blade. "This is thy sheath."

Many in the audience gasped as she shoved it into her chest, the dagger seemingly sinking into her sink when in fact it simply pushed the fake blade into the handle, giving the impression that it was in fact stabbing her and when she yanked it out, fake blood was coating it, along with her dress.

"There rust and let me die."

Making a show of rolling her eyes to the back of her head, she fell against Itachi, inwardly grimacing and apologising when she heard his breath leave him harshly at her sudden weight. Of course, she'd forgotten to ease herself down, instead going for the drama by dropping dead. It was difficult focusing on the others going through their final lines, especially when she was on top of Itachi, doing her best not to crush him beneath her weight. She could feel his breath on her neck and ear, could feel the steady beating of his heart and in response, her own began to pound once more.

How was it possible to grow feelings for someone in the space of a few short weeks?

But then she heard Haku's final speech, his words causing her nerves to grow again. "A glooming peace this morning with it brings, the sun for sorrow will not show his head. Go hence to have more talk of these sad things; some shall be pardon'd, and some punished: for never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

And then the crowd erupted, but she could no longer hear them, not as the curtain was drawn and she was allowed to sit up, smiling shyly at Itachi as he also sat up, returning her smile warmly.

"Well done, Sakura-chan," he told her quietly. "You were extraordinary."

He was…

"So were you." It was hard meeting his eye. They were so close, fingers brushing.

He was her Romeo.

There was a party to celebrate the successful show and they were all supposed to get changed into their after party outfits, but Sakura found herself standing outside of Itachi's changing room, still wearing her final costume, which was covered in fake blood. As he was so much older than the rest of them, Kakashi had given him his own room (it was actually an office, but he didn't seem to mind), whereas the rest of them had to share.

It reminded her of the age difference. The five-year age gap. She was thirteen, he was eighteen. Was it okay for her to… Well, have a crush on him? Was it okay for her stomach to be in knots at just the thought of seeing him? Was it okay for her heart to skip beats whenever he looked at her? His kindness throughout everything, even when she was stressed about giving her first kiss to him, had been heart-warming. If he'd ever felt annoyed with her childishness, he never said anything. He was so patient.

There was every chance it was just a crush. Every chance he saw her as just a child. But… What was she supposed to do? Ignore her heart? Even if he rejected her, she had to tell him of her feelings. There was no telling if she'd ever see him again.

With that in mind, Sakura quickly and firmly knocked on the door, smiling when it opened a couple of seconds later. Itachi was already changed, clothing smart and casual for the after party, which had already started. All their family and friends were there, waiting for their arrival so that they could congratulate them.

"Sakura-chan," he greeted, surprised. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you."

Nodding, Itachi pushed his door further open and stepped to the side, allowing her entry, but she noticed that he didn't shut the door even as he followed her into the makeshift dressing room. His costumes were hanging neatly on a rail to the left of the room, the final costume covered in drops of blood from her dagger.

He leaned back against the desk, hands coming to rest on the ends of it as his outstretched legs crossed at the ankles. It was a relaxed stance, she noticed. Peaceful, even. "What would you like to discuss?"

Nerves got the best of her. "That was a good show tonight, wasn't it?"

Dark eyes softened and he nodded. "It was. I enjoyed working with you, Sakura-chan." Smirking slightly, he admitted, "I wasn't thrilled when Mother insisted I take Sasuke's place, as I had wanted to spend the summer relaxing before going to college in the fall, but I am glad she did. I had more fun than I originally thought I would."

She did not swoon or feel weak at the knees. Honestly, she didn't. "You didn't want to…?"

When she trailed off, he sighed and shook his head, almost apologetic. "It has been many years since I did anything remotely related to acting, as it's not what I want to do with my life, therefore, I found it pointless to continue." His words sounded well thought out, more rehearsed than the lines they'd spoken only ten minutes ago. "But I realised there would be many people who would be disappointed with Sasuke's absence, and I didn't want it to possibly affect any chance of getting future parts he wants."

That was still a kind thing to do, she supposed. He'd given up his entire summer for the sake of Sasuke's reputation, not wanting him to appear as unreliable. Sure, appendicitis was serious and it couldn't be helped, but he'd still backed out just as they were starting rehearsals. It wouldn't look good.

"So, what are you really here to discuss?" he asked with a chuckle. "It can't possibly be my life story – that would bore you to tears."

"No, it wouldn't," she argued quickly. Too quickly. Eyes widening, Sakura sucked in a sharp breath, calling herself all kinds of names in her mind. "I've had a lot of fun getting to know you."

His earlier smile returned.

"Actually, I…" She shifted and dropped her gaze to the ground, rubbing her arm restlessly. There was no hiding the blush on her cheeks, but maybe, just maybe, it would look endearing. "I like you, Itachi-san."

"Sakura-chan."

Nervous green eyes glanced up at the dark set opposite her. They softened at the sight of her anxiety and Itachi smiled warmly at her. "Y-Yes?"

He approached her and reached out, ruffling her hair. It made her both angry and upset, as it meant he wasn't taking her seriously. It meant he only saw her as a kid. She'd been right about the age difference being a problem.

"How about, for now, we work on a friendship?" he suggested softly. Hesitantly, she looked up at him, view somewhat obscured by the hand still resting on her head. "I believe it was once said that every relationship must have a strong foundation. Don't you agree?"

It… wasn't an outright rejection. Sakura smiled, though hid how brightly she wanted to grin up at him. While he was saying no to a romantic relationship now (no doubt because of the age gap), Itachi was saying he wanted to build a friendship that could potentially benefit a romantic relationship in the future.

And that made her feel even happier than him saying 'yes'.

A/N - As you can tell, I struggled a little with this one. It was so hard not to write it out as a script and I actually reread Romeo and Juliet. I wanted to do a something different to the usual warring clans thing, too. Oh and I know that Tenten and some of the other characters don't actually have surnames, so I used either their voice actor's name, or something to do with their character.

Also, I hope you all noticed something about Sakura, but if not: like Romeo, she's fickle, don't you think? One moment he loved Rosaline, just as Sakura loved Sasuke and then upon meeting Juliet, he instantly fell for her, just as Sakura more or less instantly fell for Itachi.

I was really unsure about the age difference and several times, I was going to change it, but I realised it fit well with Sakura's childish personality and fickle heart.

Anyways, I think I'm gonna wrap it up here before I start rambling again.