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Sakura knew better than to venture out alone at night, but her mother was feeling rather ill so she accepted the shopping duties. She stepped along the pavement and stayed underneath the streetlights. In her hands, she held the list of neccessities and her mother's wallet.

The doors of the grocery store opened automatically and the girl filed through with some other late-night shoppers. She pushed the cart along and dropped a milk carton inside. Before she could react, another cart collided with her and startled the girl.

"I'm really sorry about that!" The shopper responded.

She looked up and felt an immense amount of blood rush to her cheeks. The young man was absolutely gorgeous! She couldn't pull her eyes away from him and laughed nervously as he picked up some of the contents of his cart that spilled on the floor.

"I've never seen you around here before," She stated, playing with a pink strand of hair.

The young man turned to her and smiled. "Yes, I actually moved here a couple days ago. I'm still settling in - I moved here from Kiri. My name is Utakata." His pale, golden eyes shined confidently as he extended his hand.

"I'm Sakura Haruno. I live here... Well, I bet that's obvious since I just said I haven't seen you around here." She was babbling, but his eyes shined with a strange interest in the pinkette. Before she could spout on about more nonsense, she grabbed his hand and shook it happily. "It's nice to meet you!"

He smiled softly and grasped the handle of his cart. "Yes, it's very nice to meet you too. It's getting late, but I hope to see you again." The wheels of his cart squeaked away as he turned the corner into the next aisle.

After she lost sight of the handsome man, she released her breath and collapsed over her cart. Although her breath was stabilizing, she couldn't stop the strong pounding in her chest. She had never met a man so gorgeous before! He looked like the lead in a romance movie or a model for a male-fashion magazine.

"Utakata... I really hope I see you again!" She thought dreamily.

...

Itachi stood patiently as Sakura hurried through her morning ritual. He could hear her heavy footsteps beyond the door and a short 'bye' to her mother. The knob turned and the pink-haired freshman rushed to Itachi's side.

"I'm sorry it took me so long," She apologized.

Itachi smiled. "It's okay. Are you getting ready for your exams?"

She nodded and walked along their usual route. "Yeah, I'm sure that I'll pass. What about you?" Why'd she ask that? Of course he would be ready.

"Oh, if it isn't the late-night shopper! Hello, Sakura-chan." The voice rang out behind them - surprising Itachi.

Sakura's cheeks reddened and she turned swiftly on her heels. "Utakata! I'm surprised you remember me."

Utakata smiled and hitched his backpack over his shoulder. "I could say the same to you. Are you headed to school?" It seemed as though he hadn't even acknowledged Itachi's presence.

She nodded as her eyes drifted off to his clothing. Konoha High School's uniform? He's a student?! "Utakata-kun! I didn't know you were enrolling here!"

Utakata ran his fingers through his brown, neck-length hair. "Well, we did only speak for a minimal amount of time. How about I walk with you?" After he had spoken, he had finally noticed the Uchiha standing silently. "Oh? Who is this?"

"I'm Itachi Uchiha. It's a pleasure to meet you, Utakata-san." Hopefully, this guy was too stupid to notice Itachi's jaw tighten and his polite words run through clenched teeth.