BAKA!

The whole thing started out innocuously enough.

The first time it happened was Monday. Sakura had just returned from a successful month long assignment in Kirigakure and had decided to treat herself to some of her favorite anko dumplings from Dangoya for a job well done. It was late afternoon when she arrived at the small shop, and since she had missed the lunchtime rush, the cozy eatery was mostly devoid of customers. That suited the pink-haired kunoichi just fine, and she eventually settled down in a quiet nook of the teahouse with a platter of the delicious red bean mochiko goodness, nibbling on the sweet, chewy treat and contentedly sipping on fragrant ocha as she wrote down her final notes for the mission report. It had been a simple B-rank diplomatic exchange with Mist to promote the growing relations between the two villages, and since there was no confidentiality factor involved, it was perfectly acceptable to work on the report in public - not that there was anyone around interested enough in her work to try to see what she was doing.

Sakura made quick work of her task, eager to get back to the rest of her meal. She was nearly done when a shadow fell over the table that she had been occupying, and a plate of kuri dango and a cup of steaming green tea were placed on the setting opposite of hers. Lifting her head to see the person who had approached her, Sakura's green eyes widened slightly when she quickly identified the lean, raven-haired male.

"Uchiha-san!" she greeted the twenty five year old ANBU Fukushousui immediately, her voice pitched an octave higher in her surprise, hastily scrambling out of her seat out of polite respect towards the more senior member of Konoha's ninja hierarchy.

The Uchiha heir immediately waved her back down. "At ease, Haruno-san," his voice was quiet but firm, hinting of the steady authority and ease of leadership that he held over a good number of Leaf's shinobi and kunoichi, herself included. "I'm not on duty right now, and like you, I am only here to enjoy my tea break. Is this seat taken?"

"...No, it's not taken. You may have it, if you wish."

Sakura reluctantly sank back down onto her seat even as the male opposite her did the same on his side, obviously taking up her invitation. Then, she watched with bewilderment as her teammate's older brother proceeded to settle in and commence with his meal. The pink-haired medic was definitely baffled, to say the least; there were so many empty tables strewn around the teahouse - why did he choose hers out of all the others?

"How are you, Haruno-san?" the long-haired nin asked by way of making polite conversation, and Sakura was so confused that she stared at him blankly for a long while before it finally occurred to her that he was waiting for her reply. Face heating up slightly with chagrin and embarrassment, she quickly blurted out.

"Thank you for asking, Uchiha-san. I'm doing fine," she replied cautiously. "I just returned from an assignment earlier today. It's good to be home after so long in Kiri."

His gaze lightened minutely with recognition. "I remember that mission. You were placed in charge of the small contingent sent over for the diplomatic exchange."

She was only briefly startled that he was aware of her mission - the parameters were hardly of high security importance, after all - and then she recalled that all incoming missions had to go through the ANBU to be checked and ranked first before they made it to the Hokage and the Mission Assignment Desk; it actually wasn't all that strange for the Vice Commander of Konoha's Black Ops to be aware of all the goings on that occurred in his village.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, I was. Mizukage-sama was quite pleased with exchange. It was a good mission."

There was an awkward pause after that, and Sakura quickly busied herself by reaching for her teacup and taking a deep draw of the warm, soothing concoction even as Itachi calmly ate his dango. As she did so, she could not help but peek over the rim of her cup at the dark-haired shinobi. This man sitting before her was one of Konoha's S-Rank legends, and his fearsome battle prowess and impressive strategic genius often preceded his name. There was a strong sense of self-possessed assurance and quiet, controlled power shimmering around him like an invisible mantle, and it really attracted her attention and fascination as a fellow ninja and warrior.