Title: A How-To Guide on Rambling

Summary: Because everyone deserves the opportunity to explode, even (or especially) when it's not in one's nature to do so. Itasaku. Oneshot.

A/N: Nothing like trying my hand at a humor fic after so many years. :) I wanted to make this canon (pairing aside), but I always find writing canon to be way too challenging.

Do note that the tone is meant to be lighthearted, so I tend to gloss over the more serious facts… such as the massacre and the relationship between the two brothers. For the latter, let's assume that they made up some time before Sakura's first meeting with Itachi.

Please note that I have taken liberties with the plot surrounding the Uchiha massacre, and that most of it is entirely of my own creation.

Disclaimer: All Naruto characters obviously do not belong to me. For once, though, I actually have high expectations writing a fic. :D

ramble: verb. to speak or write at length and with many digressions.

It was a sunny October day as cherry blossoms and colorful leaves fell from their respective trees. As the weather was noticeably better than that of last week's heavy rains and humid weather, Sakura dreaded having to spend a good few hours on such a pleasant afternoon stuck underground with a notorious S-class ex-criminal.

Sakura sighed, making her way towards the exit of the hospital.

Itachi Uchiha was being held in prison cell nine, although his presence there was only a matter of formalities. He would be released shortly after confirming his mental health and the accuracy of his statements, the latter of which were being verified by the Hokage herself as Sakura leisurely walked towards the tower.

According to the Uchiha, and contrary to popular belief, he had not been the one to murder his entire clan in cold blood ten years ago at the age of thirteen.

It sounded like a fantastic lie in the making had he not expanded on his story.

What had happened that fateful night was that the Uchiha heir had been following a carefully laid lead (a false one, he would learn later on) pertaining to the death of his cousin and friend, Shisui. It was not a known fact, but Itachi was not at the scene of the crime and obviously suspected foul play when he was named prime suspect.

Meanwhile, Madara Uchiha, one of the founders of the village and the clan, had taken Itachi's momentary distraction to launch a cold-blooded massacre on his own descendants, his reason being that they had failed in taking over the village. In the hundred (and then some) years that the oldest Uchiha had not been present, the rest of the Uchiha clan had done little to overturn the village other than baseless planning. Madara's frustrations had resulted in the bloodshed of every member save for the absent Itachi and, by Madara's calculations, his little brother Sasuke.

In return for their lives, Madara fully expected to be able to make use of the brothers' "fresh" eyes, as he called it; however, Itachi's quick thinking and apparently false betrayal of the village to avenge his family and protect the village eventually prevented such from happening.

It was only recently that Itachi had returned with letters of correspondence with Jiraiya and an official letter signed and marked by the Third. The current Hokage, who was none other than Sakura's shishou Tsunade, learned that not only had her perverted sannin friend been keeping her in the dark, but that Madara had until recently been at large in the Akatsuki organization.

Now, however, the matter had been dealt with and Madara's body disposed of by Itachi himself.

As Sakura passed the two ANBU guards stationed in front of the underground prison's entrance, she gave a slight nod to both in recognition before passing them and opening the door.

Walking down the stairs, Sakura began humming a cheerful tune to herself in an attempt to cheer herself up.

If all went well, she thought optimistically, then maybe she could leave in less than an hour to enjoy the rest of the afternoon outdoors, possibly with a medical text.

With that thought bringing her hopes up, Sakura quickened her pace and found herself in front of Itachi's cell.

Itachi himself had no chakra cuffs on him, nor any chains within the cell—there was no reason for them, as the evidence he provided for his safety had been proved real. It roused a short round of protests which were almost immediately cut off by her Shishou. She had reasoned that it was highly disrespectful to act in such a manner to someone who had provided the Leaf village crucial information and protection in a time of need. The least the village could do in return was begin by treating him with the respect he deserved. After that argument, no one dared to say anything, although Sakura had heard some grumbling as they left the meeting two days ago.

Itachi sat, patiently awaiting her arrival, on the stone bench with his arms crossed, eyes closed, and head touching the cool back wall of the cell. It was no surprise to Sakura when he opened his eyes and scrutinized her briefly as she walked through the unlocked entrance.

Sakura took a single, calming breath before getting into her professional, no-nonsense medic character.

"Hello Uchiha-san. How are you feeling today?"

The Uchiha gave her a flat stare before responding.

"Fine."

"Have you felt depressed lately?"

"No."

"What about mentally insane or having uncontrollable urges to do harm?"

"No."

"Post-traumatic stress disorder?" At this, Sakura laughed sheepishly at the look on the Uchiha's face. If she were anyone else, it would have been unnoticeable, but years of being Sasuke's teammate had made her privy to the subtlest flickers of emotion across even the most emotionless of beings. There was a slight (and by slight she meant nearly nonexistent) look of irritation and incredulousness.

"No," he responded with finality, as if he could end the conversation.

Sadly, there were tons of questions remaining to be asked. Sakura also tested Itachi in the standard method used during ANBU routine checks for sanity and mental health. The elder Uchiha seemed familiar to the procedure and thus gave no further complaint. She added one last question for her own amusement more than anything else.

"Are you bothered by anything?"

She had expected another incredulous look, or perhaps a look of why she was stating the obvious. Instead however, she received a look that was a mix of shock, surprise, and question. He did not reply immediately, which led her to think that there was more than meets the eye.

"… No. Rest assured, anything bothering me is not related to the matter at hand."

Sakura was not entirely convinced.

"Are you sure?"

The look he gave in response was all too familiar to her. It was an expression that she herself would often sport, and she had learned to just let it out, but his lackluster response showed his hesitance to share any details.

"I am certain." At this point, Itachi had a slightly annoyed twitch in his eye, one which would have been more prominent on his younger brother Sasuke, but was noticed nonetheless.

Luckily, she had finished her short questioning and only needed to do a quick check-up of her patient.

"Well then, Uchiha-san, I can sign for your formal release from these cells after I perform a checkup on your vitals."

Raising her hands which had been directed with chakra, Sakura motioned for the Uchiha to stand up. He did so without complaint. As her palms touched the Uchiha's clothed chest, Sakura pumped chakra through his system, checking and double checking to make sure the Uchiha was fit and physically healthy.

To no one's surprise, Itachi had no health problems, injuries, or the like on his person.

Stepping back, Sakura allowed her green healing chakra to fade from the palm of her hands. Taking a slip of paper out of the medical shoulder bag she had taken from the hospital (in case of an actual injury), she hastily signed and handed the form out for Itachi to take.

"You're free to go now, but I would advise against walking around aimlessly, though I doubt you need to be told that. The village as a whole is still in the dark about the events concerning your return, and Tsunade-shishou most likely wishes to keep it that way. Sasuke told me this morning that he was either going to be training behind the Uchiha compound or eating out at Ichiraku's with Naruto. It's probably best if you meet up with him, though hopefully you'll be discreet if it's at Ichiraku's. Oh, but before you leave," Sakura said, opening her medical bag again and shuffling through its contents, "there's something… personal I want to give you."

Having rifled through her bag to no success, Sakura huffed and flipped the bag upside down, emptying it of all its contents. Medical supplies, tools, and countless papers tucked in several folders greeted the elder Uchiha's sight. Seeing nothing that could be of his interest, his curiosity was piqued when Sakura bent down to retrieve a dark blue, spiral-bound notebook and attempted to hand it over as well.

The notebook was about five inches in width and seven in length. There were no markings on the front cover, and altogether it looked brand new.

Confused though he didn't wish to admit it, Itachi inquired, "What useful information does this notebook contain?"

Smiling, Sakura answered, "Absolutely nothing, of course! You've probably noticed it, but it's brand new."

His unspoken question of then what's the point? was obvious to Sakura, who continued.

"It's simple, really. I asked you if you were bothered by anything. It was obvious that something is, or has been, troubling you. The look you had was one I sported often in the past, but I've come to terms with these pent-up feelings and problems through this method. After all, most people can only take so much before they explode. Even if you are a private person by nature, Uchiha-san, it's certainly not healthy to keep your feelings pent up all the time. To be honest, that notebook was originally meant for Sasuke since he's almost as bad as you, but I've learned that he usually vents and rambles in the form of sparring with Naruto or someone else from the Rookie Nine. You, however, don't seem to be the vent-your-anger-and-feelings-out-through-sparring type."

At this, Sakura pushed the notebook upon his person, making him grab onto it lest it fall. After the notebook was in the designated person's possession, Sakura smiled.

"I haven't answered the real question, have I? The purpose of that notebook is to let you ramble about whatever insignificant or personal problems you have with your life." After a moment, Sakura added, "It's surprisingly effective for everyone I've recommended it to, including myself."

With that, Sakura proceeded to pick up her belongings from the floor into her bag before turning around to go, leaving behind an incredulous and tongue-tied Uchiha.

(To her Inner satisfaction, Sakura assumed that she had made a record of sorts in unintentionally provoking the elder Uchiha to making so many emotions cross his face.)

"See you around, Uchiha-san."

Itachi Uchiha was rarely, if ever, dumbfounded by events surrounding his life. And even then he usually found a solution to his problems after an hour or two of meditating.

This, however, was one of the few occasions where, after one whole week, he had no idea how to proceed.

How was he supposed to use this notebook to let himself… "explode," as Haruno-san put it? Was he supposed to write it in the format of a mission report? Haruno-san made it clear that he should just "vent" his "feelings and problems," but how formal should the writing be?

Itachi wasn't dumb—no he was far from that. But he was hopeless when it came to people situations, or when it required him to give small talk. He had no idea how to approach the situation, especially when there was no specified audience to write for.

Then, recalling more of the conversation he had had with his brother's teammate, she had mentioned something about the notebook originally being meant for his otouto.

Maybe he would go visit Sasuke later in the afternoon.

For now, he would train behind the Uchiha compound.

– x –

It was close to five o'clock in the evening before the elder Uchiha had a chance to talk to his younger brother.

Sasuke had just finished taking a shower after training with Naruto when he heard a light knock on his door. Opening the door, he found his brother waiting.

"Nii-san?"

An awkward silence ensued until his otouto broke it.

"Is there a reason why you are looking for me, nii-san?"

"Hn." Removing the navy-colored notebook from behind his back, he presented it to his brother with a questioning look.

"Haruno-san gave this to me to use the other day and told me that it was originally meant for you. What am I supposed to do with it?"

Sasuke glanced down at the all too familiar notebook in his brother's hand.

He had been eating at Ichiraku's one day with Naruto a few months ago when Sakura had joined them, carrying the same navy-colored notebook. After Naruto's routinely loud greeting of "SAKURA-CHAN!" and a death-grip hug, Sakura sat down next to the empty seat on Sasuke's left, while Naruto returned to eating in the seat on his right. Pointedly ignoring Sasuke's questioning look, she ordered her usual bowl of ramen. Then, she turned to Sasuke and handed him the notebook.

Of course, he refused to take it without first knowing what it contained, and that was how he learned how his teammate vented out her pent-up emotions contained by her Inner. Even then, Sasuke didn't take the notebook, stating that he didn't need it.

Hopelessly stubborn, Sakura had shoved it at his chest anyway, telling him to try it out before saying no.

One week later, however, Sasuke ended up returning the notebook in the same condition that Sakura had lent it in.

Now, the notebook was in his brother's hands and if he were to be honest, Sakura might have made the right choice this time.

Sasuke understood how his brother might find it hard to start writing in such a notebook. After all, it never occurred to him to use it during the week he had been forced to take it. His brother, though, was even more emotionless that he was, and Sasuke had never seen his brother let loose his emotions or any random comments he wanted to say. There was such a strong filter between his brain and his mouth that whatever he said, it was said for a reason. As he recalled Sakura saying, it wasn't healthy to keep so much inside. Unlike him, his nii-san never thought to vent out his frustrations through training, as he believed doing such distracted one from being in their peak condition.

Therefore, the only thing to do was offer him advice.

"You… just write."

When his response was met by his brother's blank stare, Sasuke proceeded to elaborate.

"Sakura told me that it was even more laid back than a diary. She once showed me a page of her writing in her own notebook. It didn't make sense to me, but it seemed as though there was no brain-to-hand filter. Whatever she was thinking, she just wrote it down. If, in the middle of a sentence, she thought of something that distracted her, her sentence would be cut off and a new topic started."

After processing what his otouto had said, Itachi simply nodded in thanks and left for his own room.

You… just write.

If it was in his nature, Itachi would have snorted. As it was, telling him to just write was easier said than done when he had no idea what to write about. He couldn't blame Sasuke, however; his brother had only been trying to give advice on something he had never done before.

Then, a thought occurred to him.

If he didn't know what to write, maybe writing to Haruno-san would teach him how to… ramble.

With that, Itachi began a letter describing certain people he had become acquainted with in the last ten years.

One week and two days after her amusing encounter with her teammate's brother, Sakura received a neatly rolled up scroll in the evening after her shift at the hospital.

She had pulled a weeks' worth of fourteen-hour shifts, and to say she was tired would be an understatement. All she wanted to do was take a nice, hot shower to loosen up the tension and stress she had accumulated and curl up with a nice medical text in her extremely comfortable looking bed right now. She was definitely looking forward to her day off tomorrow.

But if the scroll was an emergency from her Shishou, those plans would have to be put on hold.

Sighing, Sakura removed the scroll attached to a rather majestic crow.

Do crows even perform messenger duties nowadays?

Sakura brushed the question aside in favor of opening the scroll to see its contents. Said crow sat perched on her open window, as if waiting for a response to bring back.

Untying the knot that held the papers together, Sakura discovered that official matters were far from the subject of the papers. In addition, the "scroll" was merely neatly ripped pages from the perforated spiral notebook she had given Uchiha-san over a week ago.

Picking up the paper at the top, Sakura began reading.

Dear Haruno-san,

I am still at a loss for what to write in this notebook of yours, so I was hoping you could look over what I have written to see if it is satisfactory. I decided that since I have not been a proper shinobi in the village for ten years, the only topic I have left to discuss that might be of interest is the members in Akatsuki.

At this, Sakura grinned to herself. I guess I needed to explain more clearly to Uchiha-san what I meant by rambling, she thought, making a mental note to reply before she continued reading.

As you know, Madara had disguised himself as Tobi, so you therefore know about Madara's characteristics. Let me acquaint you with how the "Tobi" part of Madara acted.

Tobi was a very interesting individual. At first glance, he seemed to act as if he had never grown up—mentally, of course—past ten years of age. He also had an irritating habit of referring to himself in third person and gave hugs on an hourly basis. None of the other members of Akatsuki, save Pein, Konan, and Zetsu, knew of Madara hidden behind the mask Tobi wore, so they had no idea what he was truly capable of. On missions, he was mainly useless, though you would never find him injured—not even with a scratch.

Deidara was Tobi's partner. He had long blonde hair that was always up in a ponytail. If he let it down, it would be the same length as my own. He has an irritating habit of saying "yeah!" or "un!" at the end of each sent—

Sakura burst out laughing. She hoped this wasn't how Uchiha-san truly rambled. It sounded so formal! Although she could tell he struggled to make it more interesting by providing Tobi and Deidara's irritating habits, the letter was basically a list of facts about each member in paragraph form. Turning the page over and skimming its contents, Sakura could see that the older Uchiha had continued his nearly unbiased description of each member in the organization.

While this was useful and interesting in its own right, if he were to attempt to ramble in this way, he might as well write about himself. Sakura noticed that he had said nothing about himself in the following two pages of his letter.

At the end of the letter, Sakura read:

My apologies if this letter was too long. It has been a while since I have written to anyone in such a manner. My correspondence with Jiraiya, as you saw, consisted of short and succinct due to the absolute secrecy the job required. I would like to hear a reply from you as soon as possible, preferably through the crow messenger I have used to send this letter.

Sincerely,

Itachi Uchiha

If Uchiha-san wanted a reply with a how-to guide on rambling, then Sakura was more than happy to give it.

Rummaging through her dresser for her own notebook, she skimmed each page until she came upon one of the many (many, many) pages describing Sasuke's arrogance. In reality, it was just an angry tirade about his insensitiveness and lack of intelligence in the social department.

Sakura ripped the page out of her notebook.

Then, turning to a clean page, she began writing a reply.

Dear Uchiha-san,

I'll be frank with you: you're too formal! There doesn't need to be any structure to your writing. I understand that writing a letter may require a more coherent thought process, but if you truly wish to ramble, you need to abandon a thought process entirely.

Why don't we try this? If you reply to this letter, reply in whatever manner you wish, as correspondence between us requires a more structured format to communicate. On another page, however, attach a page of whatever ramblings you have had in the last week. I say in the last week because it will give you more time to get used to the emotions you've been suppressing before you attempt to write it all down. Just go with the flow of your thoughts and don't stop to think about what's going onto the paper. After you finish, don't try to proofread it—the purpose of rambling isn't to think; it's to feel.

I've attached a page of my personal ramblings with this reply. You may find it amusing as you know the subject of my ramblings very well, but please don't share it with anyone else (you'll know what I mean when you read it).

Sincerely,

Sakura Haruno

P.S. Haruno-san sounds too formal. "Sakura" or "Sakura-san" is perfectly fine with me.

Satisfied, Sakura rolled up the two sheets of paper, tied it with the string Uchiha-san used for his message, and attached it to the crow. As soon as the crow felt the new weight on his leg, he flew off to deliver the response to his owner.

Sakura looked forward to next week.

Itachi could hardly believe his eyes.

This was what she called rambling?

It sounded nearly as bad as when his brother's teammate Naruto attempted to talk while eating ramen!

He read through bits and pieces of the messily written scrawl on the paper.

SHANNARO! Nearly beat Sasuke's ass today—he was seriously asking for it, that bastard. Doesn't he know that I hate it when he calls me annoying? Weak, I can prove wrong, but annoying is just a freakin' matter of taste—or opinion or whatever. Yeah. Saw Hinata today and she told me about how useful the notebook has been for her. Hell yeah! Another person benefiting from my ideas. She and Naruto are so cute!

Wait I'm getting off-topic! It'd be ok any other day, but this is ME beating SASUKE UCHIHA, the sometimes-biggest asshole in Konoha. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to talk to him for a week without having him reply with some scathing remark. I feel like showering now—Crap, I think my shampoo is almost out.

Ugh, now I have to go to the grocery store. At least I can buy vegetables while I'm at it—didn't Ino's mom have something for me? I better go to the flower shop and check on my way. I can brag in front of the Pig anyway. Well, anyway. SHANNARO!

Itachi had always considered Sakura-san to be a highly intelligent individual, whose thirst for knowledge nearly matched his own. He had never imagined this… unfiltered side of her.

However, as Sakura's ramblings briefly mentioned, the method seemed to have helped Hinata with her people skills. If he recalled correctly, he had seen the Hyuuga heiress hanging out with Hana's younger brother Kiba and the loud Yamanaka girl just the other day. The quiet girl seemed to be joining in the conversation just fine, and could, surprisingly, keep up with the verbal attacks between the Yamanaka and Kiba, who were known for their big mouths.

He would give Sakura's method of rambling a try.

The next day, Itachi attempted to ramble about his tea.

Tea is calming.

He nearly winced. The sentence sounded almost elementary.

He continued.

Two small spoonfuls of honey. With Hanami dango. The tea was scalding hot, and I nearly burned my tongue. I thought it might be a bad day.

On Tuesday, Itachi tried to ramble about the clouds.

It didn't work, but it may have turned out much better than he expected.

Today is peaceful. It was much better than yesterday. The mission Hokage-sama sent me on yesterday—

Here, he paused. It wasn't the vocabulary he usually used, but…

—sucked. The "honorable lady" known as the Daimyo's daughter clung to me like a second layer of skin. Such impudence. Could she not tell I do not like touching?

But to appease my employer, I clenched my teeth and bore through it. It made me understand why my otouto would hit Naruto sometimes for no reason. It was very irritating. I will request and recommend Genma for such a mission next time.

Putting such hidden thoughts into words, as childish as they sounded and as petty as the complaints were, surprisingly made him feel better.

As the week progressed, Itachi found it easier to write about whatever topic came to mind, or whatever secret complaints he had about his day-to-day activities.

Sakura-san had been right: it did help him. While not obvious, it did lighten up his day when he was able to pour out all the things that he had kept in for so long.

Now he only wondered why he hadn't started this earlier.

Once Saturday came around, Itachi carefully ripped out his weeks' worth of ramblings and a clean sheet of paper to write on.

Dear Sakura-san…

This time, instead of making the letter a long one, he wrote a few sentences thanking her for her sheet of ramblings from last week, and that he would return said sheet in addition to attaching what he had written in the past week.

At the bottom, Itachi wrote:

P.S. You may call me "Itachi-san" as well, if you prefer.

At the time a familiar crow with rolled up notebook paper appeared at Sakura's open window, Sakura just happened to have Ino over for a friendly visit.

"I'm telling you, Forehead, Shikamaru is just so. DAMN. LAZY! Can't you do something about it? You were such a miracle worker when it came to Hinata and her shyness, and I thought that was incurable."

Sakura laughed, pouring herself another glass of the wine Ino had brought over on this particular Saturday night. If Ino had been able to find someone to go partying with her tonight, Sakura doubted her friend would have stayed to hang around at her apartment. Unfortunately for Ino, most of their friends were on missions or had decided to retire early tonight, much to her friend's dismay. Sakura, on the other hand, consistently turned to glance at the window, hoping to catch the familiar shadow of a crow. What will he write about this week? Sakura thought, smiling to herself.

Ino, noticing that Sakura attention had drifted elsewhere, started at her friend suspiciously.

"Sakura… have you got yourself a man?!"

At that, Sakura turned sharply towards Ino, mind back in the moment.

"What? No! Why would you think that, Ino-Pig?"

Ino smirked. "It's as obvious as day… or night, at this time. You were just daydreaming about someone, weren't you?"

Before Sakura could come up with a retort, Itachi-san's crow landed on her open window sill and gave a single 'caw.'

Scrambling up from her seat, Sakura nearly ran for the window before realizing Ino was still present. Looking behind her sheepishly, she was met with Ino's knowing glance.

"It's not what it looks like, Ino, I swear!"

Untying the papers from the crow's leg, Sakura opened up the papers and skimmed the letter before going to Itachi-san's ramblings of the week.

She burst into giggles at the mention of the Daimyo's daughter.

Curious, Ino made her way over to the window where Sakura stood, trying to peer over her shoulder. Because of the distraction provided by her reading material, Sakura almost reacted too late. Hastily folding the papers up and away from her friend's view, Sakura quickly stuffed them into her pocket and returned to her seat, motioning her friend back. Ino remained by the window, arms crossed, a questioning and curious look on her face.

"Who sent that letter?"

"It's not important, Ino… and I'm technically not allowed to tell."

Ino looked surprised.

"And why not? It doesn't look anything like a mission scroll, and I know it has something to do with a guy."

Scrambling over to Sakura's side, Ino put both hands on the table in front of Sakura and demanded to know what the letters were about. Sakura only shook her head.

"Sorry, Ino. I'm positive the person who sent me these would kill me if I shared them with someone else." Then, taking pity on her friend's curiosity, Sakura let loose a clue. "You know how I helped Hinata ramble about her life, since she needed it after all the harsh criticisms her uncle used to force onto her?"

Ino nodded.

"Well, I offered to help someone else with the same. Their situation and background are definitely different from both Hinata's and mine, but it seems as if rambling's helping them just like it's helped us."

Ino nodded again in understanding, satisfied for the moment. Sitting back down, she began to think, and Sakura knew it was only a matter of seconds before her friend would open her mouth again.

Sakura wasn't wrong.

"But if it's only that, then why do you seem so excited to read about this person? And besides," Ino said, glaring at Sakura, "you never answered my original question: it's a guy, isn't it?!"

Suddenly, Ino's eyes shined with excitement.

"Oh my god, Forehead! You're finally attracted to the opposite sex! The last time you mentioned anything about a guy, it was Sasuke, and even you know how long ago that was. It's about time you moved on to better men!"

Resisting the urge to throw her hands up in the air, Sakura reluctantly conceded. If it stopped Ino from questioning her actions, then so be it.

"Sure, whatever you say Pig."

As the days turned into weeks, the letters between him and Sakura-san increased in number and decreased in response time. Now, they replied to one another within a day, sometimes within hours if Sakura-san had time between her hospital work and missions and if he wasn't on a mission. (Ever since his return, his missions were few and far in between as the Hokage wished for him to help prepare for the upcoming Chuunin exams. It provided a more peaceful passing of his days, so Itachi did not complain.)

Sakura had suggested learning more about one another, and had decided on a game of sorts. In addition to exchanging their ramblings (or whatever ramblings they had, as sometimes the interval between messages was too short) they would add a topic that they wanted to know from the other person.

Sakura started.

Favorite food.

And thus, Itachi responded and asked about her.

Hanami dango. Favorite book.

The Medical Dictionary: Sixth Edition. Favorite color.

Really, Haruno-san, a dictionary? Black. Favorite jutsu.

Well, you know me. Why am I not surprised by your favorite color? Don't have one—I prefer channeling chakra into my fists and feet instead. Your favorite book this time, Itachi-san.

The History of Military Tactics. Favorite place.

And on it went.

One day, about a month after Sakura's initial check-up on Itachi's health, the two met coincidentally at Ichiraku's. Sakura had promised to meet up with her teammates for lunch, and Itachi had been nearby working on preparations for the Chuunin exams when he spotted his otouto and Naruto. They had been coming from opposite directions and when their eyes met, surprise flashed across their features in recognition.

"Itachi-san! Are you here to join us for lunch?"

"Ah."

Itachi was just about to say it was a coincidence— that he was working nearby— but Sakura smiled and nodded in understanding, as if she already knew what he was about to say.

"Tsunade-shishou told me you were working nearby today. I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised."

Upon hearing both voices, Naruto and Sasuke turned around to look at what was happening behind them before sharing a look together. It was Naruto who spoke up for the both of them.

"Sakura-chan, when did you two get so familiar? You're already using first names with each other!"

Sakura blushed, but it was gone in an instant. Itachi wondered if he had imagined it, but it surprisingly made him pleased about it nonetheless.

"Naruto! We're friends! I was helping him with something he was having trouble doing. You can just ask Sasuke. After Itachi-san got the hang of it, well, we just ended up maintaining contact."

With that, Sakura sat down next to Naruto and ushered Itachi to sit down next to her. Sakura ordered a bowl of miso ramen. Itachi ordered the same.

It was silent while they ate, except for Naruto's loud slurping. Sasuke hit him over the head.

"Ow! Teme, you bastard! What's the matter with you?!"

Sakura answered for him.

"The matter, Naruto, is that your slurping is obnoxiously loud."

With a pointed look that made Naruto cower, Sakura went back to eating her ramen. Naruto cautiously continued eating, making sure to contain his love for ramen with quieter slurps.

Itachi just smirked at Naruto, and his eyes soften minutely when they came upon Sakura eating her the egg in her ramen.

Sasuke just looked from his brother to his teammate. He gave Sakura a knowing look, as if he already knew what was going on.

Sakura just shrugged.

How could he, when Sakura herself didn't think there was anything?

It became increasingly obvious to Sakura that, whether or not it was mutual, there were definitely non-platonic feelings involved.

Maybe Sasuke and Ino had been right.

After their accidental meeting with her teammates, Sakura began to seek Itachi-san out.

It wasn't hard.

By being the Hokage's apprentice, Sakura simply asked if she could see Itachi's schedule. Though her mentor gave her a suggesting look, Tsunade complied, knowing that revealing such information would result in no harm done. Sakura then either waited past the end of or rushed out early from her hospital shift to meet up with Itachi at night. He, being the gentleman he was, would offer to walk her home and she agreed, enjoying the company.

Sakura almost felt like a stalker.

Itachi, on the other hand, gave no indication that he noticed these out-of-the-way and more than coincidental meetings. He simply listened attentively to whatever Sakura had to say during the day, making remarks every so often. Sometimes, Sakura would start off by asking what he did during the day, and Itachi would recount his day's work to her, though in far fewer words.

Both had stopped sending messages, knowing that they could meet up after work; however, both still rambled in their respective notebooks, and sometimes shared them on the walk home. They would share a laugh if what was written was anything humorous.

Therefore, exactly three months from their first meeting, it was to Sakura's shock that she heard a 'caw' come from the window. She almost missed it had she not turned off the faucet while brushing her teeth. Looking out of her bathroom towards the window, she saw Itachi's messenger crow.

Why would he send it out at this time? We just saw each other an hour ago, Sakura thought, confused.

Opening the contents of the rolled up papers, Sakura saw that they were ramblings that he had offhandedly and occasionally shared during their nightly routine. She saw nothing special about them until she reached the end of each.

The first commented on how nice her hair was the other day.

The second said he knew that she had intentionally asked for his schedule, as he had done the same. It was through Tsunade that he had discovered that it was mutual. Sakura made a noise that was a cross between interest and embarrassment at being discovered.

And it went on and on. In each bit of his day to day unfiltered entries, she was mentioned at least once, sometimes about the same things.

Sakura couldn't help but blush at all the compliments.

At the bottom of the stack was a clean sheet of paper, with only a few words written on it.

Dinner?

I'll pick you up at 7pm on Saturday. I see from the schedule that I got from the Hokage that you are available.

Was this a date?

Unable to hold back a grin, Sakura grabbed a pen from her bedside table.

Instead of ripping out another sheet of paper, she simply wrote one word at the bottom of the invitation.

Yes.

A/N2: You don't know how many mini-scenes/plots came into my head while I was writing this. I had so much I wanted to add, but motivating myself to write this much was already a feat itself. I'm kind of disappointed at how little humor was actually written, but I'm still proud of my accomplishment. I consider it a pretty big milestone, and currently the pride and culmination of my writings so far. :)

Actual word count: 6143

Obviously you've read this fic, or you wouldn't even bother reading this A/N.

So, review if you wish. And if you don't, well, that's okay too!