My One and Only

Chapter 4

Sakura was so excited! She was about to be thirteen and 6 months old. That meant she would officially be a lady. She couldn't get married yet, the legal age for that was 15, but young men could now appropriately court her. Her parents had thrown a large tea party and invited all of their friends to celebrate. It wasn't officially called her party or recognized as such, but it was the thought that counts.

Night had fallen and most of the adults were dancing. The ones that weren't were sitting down at a table resting their eyes. It was quite late, she usually only stayed up until this hour at parties. She was huddled near the food area, discreetly tasting the sweets and making sure her mother wasn't watching. She'd get an earful from Mebuki to watch her weight if she knew how many sweets Sakura had already indulged in.

She was in the middle of closing her eyes and smiling in bliss when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Startled, she opened her eyes and turned in the direction she assumed the person to be standing. She was even more surprised to find Itachi Uchiha had been the one to request her attention. He was the youngest general in history and said to be a monster on the battlefield. He was also the heir to the Uchiha throne, so she was quite surprised he would ever be at a celebration like this.

Her family was quite high up in terms of status so of course, they were acquainted enough with the royal family that they got invited to royal events, but still. This was just a party to celebrate her becoming a lady disguised as a tea party. She was also slightly scared, considering all the things she'd heard about him. What could he possibly want with her?

"If I may ask, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" Itachi quietly said, holding his hand out to her. Of course, she said yes, because who would be crazy enough to say no to a killing machine, and off they went to a small corner near the official dancing area. He was silent the entire time they waltzed but had a small content smile on his face that slightly crept Sakura out. Finally, the music came to a stop and another song was about to be played when he opened his mouth and asked, "Would you accompany me somewhere more private?"

So as the next song came on, Itachi led her through the halls of her own home and into a small room off to the side of the ballroom. Once there, he simply stood before her and asked her to turn around. She nervously did as instructed, not really knowing what to expect, but didn't have the guts to say no or try to run away. She felt his fingers mover her shoulder-length hair to the side before feeling cool metal press around her throat. 

Sakura looked down to find a medallion with the Uchiha clan symbol attached to a small chain had been placed around her neck and opened her mouth in surprise. His hand grabbed her upper arms and turned her around to face him. "That's my necklace. It means I am courting you," he explained even though she already knew exactly what it was. This was usually done after a few months of courting to signify that things were serious, but he had done it when they barely knew each other. Everyone always said that Uchiha Itachi did things differently and now she could see what they meant.

She didn't really know what to do or say so she simply stood there staring at him in surprise. "I'll see you later." He quietly whispered to her before leaning down and stealing her first kiss! Itachi left Sakura there gaping at him as he quietly left the room and the Haruno mansion, now that his business there had been completed. 

Sakura touched her fingers to her lips and stood still for a few more minutes before also leaving the room in a slight daze. She returned to the desserts table, none of the servants lining the halls nor the nobles in the ballroom missing her newly acquired jewelry. Safe to say, everyone knew just which Uchiha the necklace belonged to without having to look at the I.U. engraved on the back of the small fan.