Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters and I do not make any profit from this fanfiction.

AU It involves a clueless Uchiha and a persuasive Sakura. Because let's face it, sometimes, love is a tricky game.

This is more focused on Sakura's part.

Enjoy and let me what you think!

A love that's meant to be

 

In the beginning, he was just a crush - and not only hers. But it wasn't surprising as he was such a skilled and handsome shinobi. There was no way that his tall figure could pass unnoticed when he didn't actually mean for it.

Itachi Uchiha thought that it was ridiculous to stay only in the shadows in his own village. He would protect it silently, but not avoid its citizens. Besides, his best friend, Shisui, was so cheerful and outgoing outside the missions that he could barely get some peace at times. He liked it, however, because Shisui helped him forget about the clan's pressing issues.

Calm, polite, mysterious out of the gates of his clan's district - it was no wonder girls and women fell at his feet. Itachi considered them to be amusing and not mature enough, in spite of their age. He wasn't taking them seriously. Regarding girls, he was totally right. Their so called love was a mere liking; and their lack of understanding spoke for themselves. However, women were more intelligent - they were trying to make it to the top of one of the oldest and strongest clans in the village.

The Uchiha heir had no love experience, but he wasn't a fool. His career made him see beyond their tricks and their tactics of attracting him were laughable.

Sakura Haruno liked him also, but she had never had the courage to show it - especially since she was so self-conscious about her wide forehead. In addition to this, she knew that there was nothing she could impress him with. At the age of twelve, her only asset was her knowledge and intelligence.

Still, Shikamaru was so without even trying! Life wasn't fair.

Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi's brother, was very good in class, too. Moreover, he was one of the best in the class. He was so young, but he was already working on mastering Fire Jutsus - and they were the same age! In comparison to him, she was a nothing.

And she tried improving; she just couldn't. The pink-haired girl was a regular person with no special features. Her parents owned a shop and didn't support her in becoming a shinobi. She wanted to prove them wrong, but there was nobody to help her evolve. She wasn't a genius, a great meant to be a ninja. She was striving for getting better and every day was a challenge.

Falling in love with an awesome shinobi from a clan with so much history wasn't good for her heart. Skilled as she was, Sakura realized she couldn't stand a chance. She had hoped that this feeling inside of would just go away. But she saw him frequently when he picked up Sasuke from school. It was as if Kami did want to torture her.

Oh, and things got worse…

She'd been assigned on the same team with Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails container, the noisy and hyperactive ninja, and Sasuke Uchiha, the user of Sharingan, the prodigy of Uchiha clan. That day, she was both uplifting happy and downright sad.

Sakura had gotten the chance of getting closer to Sasuke, thing which might have helped her with Itachi. However, under the guidance of Kakashi Hatake, she looked rather like a burden to her team than a valuable member.

Sasuke had been nice and praised her intelligence at the time, but it wasn't enough. She wanted to be strong! How was she supposed to speak to Itachi until she was powerful enough to protect herself?

"You're Sasuke's teammates, are you not?"

Sakura looked at him admiringly and nodded slowly. She lost, for the moment, the capacity of speaking. He was intimidating without even trying. His onyx eyes were darker than his younger brother's eyes. But they still held certain warmth. His long hair was caught in a ponytail; it looked so soft that Sakura was tempted to raise her hand and touch it. But she didn't have the courage.

"Nii-san, I thought you said we have to hurry," Sasuke said, walking.

"Eh, Sasuke. It isn't nice not to say goodbye to your comrades."

Itachi was still looking at Naruto and Sakura but was oblivious to her intentions or course of thoughts.

"Tch. Whatever. Bye Sakura, Dope!"

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the insult, but he said nothing. As far as he understood from his brother, he and the blonde had a special bond whereas the kunoichi was there to give them a balance.

Sakura waved her hands and blushing, she said "Bye Sasuke, Itachi-kun."

Sakura's heart fluttered every single time she saw the dark-haired man. She thought she loved him. The six-year difference scared her a little bit, but not enough to make her run away. Yet, watching him in action when he had once saved her team's asses changed her perspective.

She couldn't get to look so effortless while destroying the enemies.

The mission was supposed to be C-ranked. In reality, it was an A-mission. They weren't prepared for such a task. Not as a team, and not as individuals. It caught them by surprise - in ninja's world, it was never a good sign. Naruto looked on the verge of making a move, Sasuke appeared ready for a fight, and Kakashi seemed concerned.

In front of them were five persons.

An attacked had been launched by the enemies, but Kakashi stopped it.

"Sakura, protect the client."

"Hai," she responded, sounding more confidently than she felt.

With a kunai in her hands, she stood in front of the client, assuring him he's going to be fine.

"Fire style: Grand fireball Jutsu." She could hear Sasuke saying.

"Shadow clones Jutsu," Naruto yelled as if it offered more power to the technique. To her amazement, there were about a hundred of clones and she couldn't believe it was the same boy who hardly passed the Academy's final exam.

And then there's Kakashi's voice muttering "Chidori."

She gripped the weapon in her hand tighter and realized how pathetic and vulnerable she must have looked. She focused on being vigilant, but there was nothing that could have happened because her boys were keeping the enemies at a safe distance. She sighed briefly when she saw that the men were down. Sakura made the mistake to put her weapon aside.

Out of nowhere, two half-masked men appeared, threatening her life.

"Get back," she told her client.

One of them threw lots of shuriken at her, but Sasuke helped her by dodging them. Meanwhile, the other distracted them by attacking Kakashi. They were strong and had a plan.

"It's the end," she hushed under her breath, scared and hopeless.

She felt tears forming in her eyes, but Sakura couldn't let them out. She thought her life was going to end, that her parents were right, that she disappointed her teammates… she closed her eyes for a second.

"Run," she encouraged the one she had to protect. He didn't have to die, too.

He listened to her advice, putting distance between the attackers and him. Sakura got punched in the gut; it made her fly in the air few meters.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto screamed.

The man didn't stop. He was coming for her again. She got up on wobbly legs, but he just slapped her to the ground. He had a strange oversized knife and was prepared to chop her alive. She inhaled sharply and tried to get away. He put his foot on her ankle, restraining her. She whimpered and closed her eyes once more. Sakura couldn't look at his mischievous grin anymore.

The Haruno girl waited.

Cling. Metal to metal.

She wasn't dead.

Looking up, she saw Itachi Uchiha in front of her, with his sword out and his Sharingan activated. His eyes were an intense crimson with three black tomoes. He inspected her out of the corner of his eye, and deciding she was fine, he concentrated on the man in front of him.

He despised Konoha's enemies. However, he could not look with anything but disdain to those who aggressed women. Sasuke's teammate was more an inexperienced kunoichi. She'd rather pass as a citizen than as a fighter.

He caught the man in a Genjutsu and noticed how the little girl got frightened when she heard him screaming. He turned to her.

"Are you hurt?"

"No…" She said, after hesitating a second or two.

Itachi offered Sakura his hand and she happily reached for it. The contact was short, but enough to send shivers through her spine. Her friends helped her further.

That day, she understood two things: Itachi was out of her league, and she should have given up.

She tried not to care, but it was just impossible. Sakura saw him quite often and when Sasuke started inviting her and Naruto at his house things got worse. She didn't saw him every time she went over, but each time she noticed another thing about him.

He adored green tea and had a sweet tooth. He had a very strange sense of humor. His voice was less rough when he was talking to his family.

Sakura observed things which made her like Itachi even more. Thus, she was always on her mind. She was shy, young, and naïve and he couldn't have guessed her sentiments.

It was funny considering he was a genius. He saw things like this coming - but, apparently, not with her.

One Christmas, because she had a fight with her parents, Sasuke suggested in a very awkward manner that maybe Team 7 members should celebrate together. Since Naruto didn't have a family, he was excited and was looking forward to it. Sakura was grateful for Sasuke's kindness. She hadn't expected to find in him such a supportive friend.

At the age of fourteen, she knew that she could rely on him. Still, she didn't disclose her big secret to him.

Sakura agreed and, to everyone's surprise, brought gifts, too. They were not very special, as she didn't know Sasuke's family well enough. However, Mikoto was surprised to see her bringing dango - which was Itachi's favourite - and a set of kunai for her elder son.

He thanked her and looked oblivious to the fact that she was blushing like crazy when he smiled to her. But it didn't escape his mother's eyes.

She had been charmed by his handsome smile; and although she didn't understand why Mikoto insisted that she should stay right beside him at the table, she was thankful.

But she's not glad when Izumi Uchiha entered the house and behaved so familiar with Itachi. It was obviously they had a special relationship. Sakura didn't know how to compete with an Uchiha. And she was good…

"And you are?" She asked, forcing a smile.

"Sakura Haruno."

"Oh. I've never heard of the clan," She said innocently and the atmosphere tensed.

Naruto, the overprotective friend he was, had been prepared to say something. But Sakura brushed off Izumi's comment and added:

"I'm Sasuke's teammate."

"Ah. It's sweet that you guys are so united. That's how comrades should be like, ne, Ita-kun?"

His lips curled in a small smile and Sakura wanted to punch something - preferably Izumi's face. But she was no idiot. Izumi had Sharingan and was already a Jonin. She was a newly graduated Gennin. She had a long way to go.

"So, what's your element?"

She chewed nervously on her lip. She didn't know.

"Excuse me," she said, getting up.

"Did I say something wrong?"

It was the worst Christmas ever. She cried all the night. She'd improved in the last two years, but not enough. She was behind both Sasuke and Naruto.

That Christmas was instructive. She learnt it was time to give up - because she was no competition for Izumi. That girl was strong, beautiful, funny, and not invisible! Her appearance was normal and her voice wasn't too high pinched. It was the opposite of her.

Sakura's look was anything, but regular. Pink hair, green eyes, and a voice too thin. Not to add the lack of femininity. She waited, and waited, and waited, but Ino, her best friend, was wrong. She wasn't going to bloom anytime soon.

She wasn't a flower, to begin with, despite her name.

I'll stop this. I don't stand a chance.

At the age of fifteen, Sakura's self-confidence was lower than ever. Naruto was trained by Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannins, and Sasuke was helped by his father and Kakashi. He was a freaking warrior!

Where did it leave Sakura?

Somewhere behind, alone. She couldn't be mad at them - they wanted to improve. But she needed assistance, too.

"Why don't you ask for it, Forehead?" Her blue-eyed friend asked one day.

"Who, Pig? Everyone is busy."

"Now, now. If you want to bloom, you have to find someone you admire and convince that person to help you. Then, boom."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She wanted to believe Ino, but it wasn't as simple as that.

"Try, Forehead. You'll never find out if you don't try."

Meanwhile, the new Hokage arrived in town, along with Naruto and the Ero-sennin. The Godaime was known as The Princess Tsunade, a renowned medic, and a hella strong woman. She was the kind of woman Sakura wanted to become.

After lots and lots of entreaties, and a testing period, she accepted. Being the apprentice of the fifth Hokage was very hard. It involved getting punched and chakra drained a lot. But she accepted happily everything, having in mind that it was for evolution.

Itachi was less and less on her mind, but he was still there. Like a contagious disease, she couldn't get rid o - and she trained for being a medical ninja.

Although Sakura said she'd be giving up, she cared. That's why, with the occasion of Itachi's birthday, she bought him a gift - a very rare scroll she'd put her hands on thanks to her shishou.

Typical, he didn't see anything strange in this. It was as if, for the sole motive that she was Sasuke's teammate, she couldn't be attracted to him. It was ridiculous, especially since every other person seemed to be aware of her feelings. She wondered if that's what love was… loving one despite him not knowing it.

How could be this Uchiha clueless was beyond comprehension!

At the age of seventeen, Sakura was a strong woman who inherited the Will of Fire of Tsunade. She was now the head medic of the hospital and had a pretty hot-headed temper. She was also a very skilled shinobi - shattering the ground, creating tactics, and smashing the enemy were a common and simple things for her.

Sakura Haruno had become an independent woman, who didn't need to be protected by some guy. Not that they were courageous enough to come close. Because there always were Naruto and Sasuke, and even Kakashi-sensei. And her strength, which was said to rival the Godaime, was another reason to keep the distance.

Not that she cared. She had other matters to focus on; and they were not tall, handsome, Sharingan users with lovely bangs. Growing up, she got more mature and realized she wasn't infatuated with Itachi. She appreciated and admired him; and in the few times they spoke, she found their conversations to be interesting and intelligent. He was intriguing her.

He was Itachi of the Sharingan, but Sakura wanted to get to know the man behind the title.

Even if it meant to eavesdrop once in a while. In fact, who could praise he listened to an Uchiha's discussion and stayed alive to tell such a story? It tested her capacities and was fun. He was an ANBU, and although she wasn't Jonin, she succeeded in mastering chakra control. She could shut it down so he didn't know she was there.

But engaging in such actions wasn't always happy.

"How can't you see that she's into you."

"Shisui, you're being ridiculous. We should not discuss it any further. But you find her interesting, too. Now, my friend, why is that that you're being stupid?"

"I'm merely acting according to her behavior. She didn't say anything."

"But she proved it!"

Sakura stepped on a seasoned branch tree and it cracked under her weight. Her eyes widened immediately and the men inside stopped talking. She fled from the place in a rush, making a detour to her house, so they could not figure out was her.

The pink-haired teenager was devastated. Itachi Uchiha, the one her heart ached for, was interested in someone.

After the conversation, Sakura drowned herself into work. Her friends were worried and her shishou knew something was wrong, but said nothing. The patients in the hospital could see that she lost her sparkle, that her eyes were dull and she looked sadder than ever. The nurses tried to cheer her up but in vain.

Shisui was the only one who, with his dry and dirty jokes, brought a smile on her face. She was surprised he was trying so hard. Bur Sakura liked the Uchiha in a brotherly manner. He looked like Sasuke, but had Naruto's spirit - he was simply amazing.

He tried to find out why she was so down, but Sakura didn't find the bravery to say the truth. He appeared concerned about her wellbeing. Shisui knew, however, when to cease his insistences.

"Ne, Saku-chan, whatever it is, you shouldn't let it put you down," he said smiling. "Give it time and you'll find a way to solve it."

"Haha," her laugh was dry and her tone hoarse. "If only you knew, Shisui."

At eighteen-years-old, Sakura was taught a lesson by her more experienced friend.

"Forehead, stop this destructive way of living!"

"What are you talking about, Pig?" Sakura asked while checking the documents in front of her.

"About this! It's your effin' birthday and you're here, working. It's ridiculous. You should be outside, getting drunk and laid with a random guy and dancing your life out."

A pink brow rose. "I'd rather not. It's clear we have different opinions regarding what's considered appropriate for-"

"Well, clearly we do. I wouldn't prefer dying and having a boring life. Sakura it's ridiculous. Just go and tell him how you feel and "

"It has nothing with him," The medic interrupted her friend.

"It has everything to do with him. Let's not talk about your obviously ineffective way of forgetting about him. Spit it out and tell him what you feel like. Dammit!"

"I won't give into a childhood crush!"

"Crush?! Do you hear yourself? You've been after him for six years! I've had tons of crushes, Forehead. You are in love. I can't get why you won't admit it!"

"Because he likes someone else," Sakura muttered.

"What are you talking 'bout? It's been two years, Sakura. And he's still single. What the…?! Who would let a piece like him slip through his hands?"

Silence.

"If he doesn't see how great you are, he's an . I'll be here for you, and Naruto will probably attempt to murder him if he hurts you."

"… ." She repeated while laughing. "That's a good one, Ino Pig."

She was really doing it. It was too late to run away. Sakura inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. Her heart was beating fast and her head was dizzy. Her palms were sweaty and she was very nervous. If she didn't know better, she'd say she had a panic attack. But that wasn't it.

It was an incipient phase of a disease, called "face Itachi Uchiha and disclose your feelings towards him".

I've got this. She was thinking while knocking at his house's door.

He was the one opening it. Sakura avoided him as much as she could; but he was oh, so handsomely breathtaking. His long jet-ink colored hair framed his pale face. And that sparkle of curiosity in his dark orbs.

He was godlike impressive. His dark grey shirt fit him well, pinpointing his lean and masculine body. He was so tall that she had to look up to talk to him. If she hadn't been so anxious, Sakura would have observed that Itachi looked relieved to see her.

"Sakura." He said, and she melted.

The way his mouth rounded her name, rolling it out of his tongue as a sweet thing made her lose contact with reality. It was funny that he had such a power over her.

His lips curled up while his head inclined ever so little.

"Yes, I want to-"

"Oi, baby cousin, who's there? Ya gonna lose your turn."

She heard Shisui and face palmed her mentally. Sakura didn't consider the fact that he might be occupied.

"I could come la-"

"Ne, Ita-kun, is it important? I still want you to win!"

Izumi's voice made Sakura clench her teeth. Out of all people, Kami-sama had to bring that girl. Shisui appeared in the doorframe, and as soon as she saw Sakura, a shower of understanding washed his face.

"Tell the others I finished for today," Itachi told his best friend, his eyes never leaving Sakura's.

"No, no," she started mumbling. "I don't want to disturb you. We can talk later."

"Relax. There's no trouble."

Shisui walked away and left them alone. Itachi closed the door and waited. Sakura moistened her lips, which attracted his attention to . Without her even noticing it, his Sharingan activated. It was a strange silence.

"I… I don't really feel comfortable talking here. It's quite personal."

He nodded once, acknowledging her problem. They both knew that his friends could hear them - they were exceptional shinobis.

"Come."

He gave her his hand, and she took it shyly. It felt as warm as years ago. She squeezed it softly, to make sure it was all real.

Itachi took her to a very nice place. She liked it a lot. It was private and gave the impression of intimacy. She believed it was his training place - there were some targets on the trees. The small place in the forest was lovely.

They both sat on the ground, face to face. She exhaled noisily.

"Today is my eighteenth birthday," she started. "And there's something I didn't dare to tell you." She saw that he wanted to interrupt her and added quickly "Please, don't speak. I have to say it until courage leaves me."

Sakura looked at the hands in her lap. His eyes were scanning her.

"I have certain feelings for you. I thought it was just a childhood crush 'till a friend of mine opened my eyes. I… I don't know how you feel about me, but I can't hide how I feel about you anymore. I don't want to."

She closed her eyes.

"I know that you might see me just as your brother's teammate. But, isn't there any chance you'd consider me something more? Because I'd be thrilled to hear that you want to give us a shot."

"You hold romantic feelings for me?"

Blood started rushing to her cheeks. Sakura couldn't believe he was forcing her to repeat herself.

"I like you a lot and I've liked you for some time now."

"I see," and with that, he got up and her heart stopped.

Thinking he was going away and she started cursing her idiocy in mind. She doubted he saw anything. She stood straight beside him. Itachi came closer, and his height intimidated her and made Sakura cringe. He was dominating her!

The air left her lungs and she was sure her face was a bright pink. Sakura lifted her face. She could see the tomoes in his eyes. His hot breath was tickling her skin. She swallowed.

His intense gaze was hypnotic. His hand found its way to her waist.

"I like you, too."

Her lips parted and her eyes fluttered shut. The kunoichi couldn't believe her years. It looked like a dream.

He watched her face, memorizing every edge of her face. Lowering his head, he caught her lips with his. A gasp escaped her lips and he drank it. Itachi's lips were soft and his kiss tender - as if he was afraid not to break her. She put her arms around his neck and enjoyed the way he deepened the kiss.

It was a nice. She was feeling safe, satisfied. The future wasn't a ruin, as she had thought for a while.

From the bushes, Ino and Shisui looked at the lovers. They weren't surprised at all. These two knew that the clueless Uchiha and the persuasive Haruno were meant to be.