A TornButterflyWings/TayMor Collaboration
Snowfall
This is redone completely, however, we decided to keep the very first opening paragraph. Enjoy, and please review!
Chapter 1: Snowflakes
The soft tinkle of Christmas carols and the general hustle and bustle of last-minute shoppers seemed to wrap and weave itself into the snowy winter air. Sticking his hands deeper into the pockets of his black coat Itachi scowled slightly as he partially glared at the bright Christmas decorations and wreaths that adorned every inch of the snow covered street. Christmas was his least favourite season; it was way too cheerful and it was supposed to be a time when families gathered and no one was alone.
Itachi was a man that knew what he liked. Christmas was not it. It was never something he enjoyed, and his family was the main contributor to his dislike of the season. It was like they had an aversion to anything honest. The season, from he could remember, was filled with pretentiousness, arrogance, and fake charity. He knew his parents only donated the copious amounts of money to outdo the donations made by the other members of their society circle. Nothing they ever did was without some selfish motive behind it.
Itachi could not help but despise the season. He'd stopped going to his parents' Christmas dinners ever since he became an adult and could actually refuse, and worse now that Sasuke was also an adult and tended to skip out on those as well, there was no incentive for him to return. Everywhere, he could could see the contradictions to what was supposed to be the Christmas spirit, the season which basically revolved around honesty and selfless giving.
Itachi stalked down the sidewalk, paying little to no attention to the people bustling around him, or the slightly tinny sounding plethora of Christmas carols and jangling bells of the salvation army members. Even though it was only around 1:00 pm the sky had began to darken and a chilly wind nipped at his exposed extremities. A a few vendors selling various toys and other Christmas paraphernalia that he had absolutely no interest in, walked up beside him, trying to convince him to buy something. The vendor was a horrible salesman, that alone did not help his mood whatsoever. He shook off the vendor and crossed the crowded street which was filled with bustling shoppers and impatient motorists. As he stepped onto the sidewalk on the opposite side to which he had been walking a flash of pink caught his attention before it was blocked by a familiar green item.
His dark eyes took in a woman with a large fur coat wrapped around her shoulders and a bright green designer purse clutched in her heavily ringed grasp - he knew it was designer since he'd sketched that very design some four weeks before. She passed the form of a pink haired female huddled in the corner of a deli doorway without even a glance, despite the girl's pleading green eyes.
Itachi shook his head, but it was not until he was several steps past the girl that he identified the very thing he loathed in that woman in himself. His steps faltered, and he turned, his hands still in his pockets as he let his gaze settle on the young woman.
She was obviously hungry, if the way one of her pale hands gripped her stomach was any indication. Her eyes, however, sparkled brightly despite the fur ensconced woman's snub. Itachi stood there for a second, hating that he had done the very thing he hated. He could hear Sasuke's well used question ringing in his head.
"So, what ya gonna do about it?"
It was usually something he said to be defiant, but right now, the question was rather pertinent. So, he had identified that hated indifference within himself. What was he going to do about it?
Itachi decided, in that moment, that he knew the right thing to do.
He turned back and began walking back in the direction in which he came until he was standing in front of her. Her head barely reached the centre of his chest, and was covered by damp, limp pink hair, that, even though dirty, seemed less awful than it was because she was smiling. She hadn't seen him yet, preoccupied with rubbing her hands together and pressing close to the deli door in an attempt to get warm.
It was his duty as a person with more than he needed, Itachi realized, to give some of what he had to someone who had nothing. He should take her for nourishment, but even though his reputation could get him anywhere, he had a feeling that no establishment would let her in dressed like that even though it was indeed Christmas. He had to clothe her first.
Itachi glanced at his chrome watch. He was already five minutes late, since he had to return to the Aka Tsuki building to ensure that the fashion show was prepared for adequately. Hmm. He would not be able to operate as efficiently if his thoughts were filled with this cold slip of a female who was hungry at Christmas. He stepped closer to her, waiting until she noticed him before he held his hand out to her.
"Come." She blinked at him, green eyes confused. She glanced from his hand to his face, then back again. Itachi, seeing that she didn't seem to understand his command, reached forward, and wrapped his gloved fingers around her thin wrist.
"What do you think you are doing?" The pink haired waif snapped testily as Itachi gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her along the crowded street. He ignored her.
"Who do you think you are? Do you think that because you are obviously wealthy you can just-" Itachi stopped and turned slightly so that he was looking over his shoulder at the young woman. A flare of uncharacteristic annoyance rose up in his chest but he easily dismissed it. Obviously she would be skeptical and terrified, after all he was just a stranger who had suddenly taken her by the hand and was dragging her off to who-knows-where.
"You are cold," Itachi answered simply and continued walking. He vaguely heard her sputtering something about rich people, but paid it no attention. The Uchiha couldn't place exactly why he wanted to help the cold waif... maybe it was because he was rather tired of the fakeness that surrounded his experience of Christmas, or maybe it was because he thought it was his 'duty' as an Uchiha to make sure that the pinkette did not die on the streets when he could help without losing anything. It was perfectly logical. He had the ability to help, so whyever not?
Itachi pushed open the door to the closest suitable looking clothing store, frowning slightly when he saw the amount of shoppers bustling up and down the pristine floors. Immediately the head attendant on the first floor of the store recognized him and she sauntered up to the Uchiha.
"May I help you sire?" she asked, her voice disgustingly sweet. Itachi felt the corners of his lips curl slightly in disgust and his black eyes hardened, his mask even colder.
"Hn. You may," he answered shortly, well aware that his gloved hand was still grasping the girl's cold wrist. She was no longer tugging at his grasp in efforts to escape, however.
"Oh wonderful!" the blonde attendant chimed, but her smile faltered slightly when she noticed Itachi's hand on Sakura's wrist.
"I need a coat, gloves and a scarf for her," Itachi answered, his eyes falling on Sakura's head of slightly matted pink hair. The attendant visibly grimaced and Itachi fixed her with his trademark Uchiha glare until she cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"I-I'll just..." she muttered and hurried off to gather the items Itachi had requested.
Sakura felt her indignation immediately fade as the man pushed open the door to a clothing store and the warm air of a commercial heater enveloped her chilled frame. Her head swiveled to and fro as she took in the racks of glittering and bedazzled clothing, shelves of multi colored shoes and bags. Her hands instantly reached out to stroke the fur of a coat hanging on a rack next to her. The plush material felt extremely foreign underneath her slightly calloused fingers and the pinkette blinked her eyes rapidly, overwhelmed to the point where she found it necessary to force back unwanted tears. She wasn't totally oblivious to the mostly disdainful stares of shoppers as they walked passed her and she cringed slightly, anger burning in her green eyes. It wasn't as though she could help her situation. Sakura didn't have much time to feel any anger because the man had taken her by the wrist again and was pulling her towards a nearby benched used for trying on shoes.
"Sit," he commanded, his voice deep and velvety. Sakura complied but feeling extremely confused. What was he doing? As she tried to figure out why he would have taken her into a store when she obviously had no money she felt something warm and soft slide onto her hands. The pinkette looked down and noticed a pair of black woolen gloves piped with a deep crimson material.
"Why are you doing this?" Sakura asked, her brow slightly furrowed. The man ignored her question and ordered her to stand up. He retrieved a black coat from the pile of clothing that the snooty attendant had given him and draped it over her shoulders. Sakura jolted slightly when his hands brushed her shoulders while putting on the coat. She was definitely not the type of female to swoon over males she hardly knew, or any male for that fact but she couldn't deny that the man was extremely handsome and that fact was intensified by his rather close proximity. She had been too busy protesting before to really notice his features but she did now. He had an aristocratic looking nose, high cheekbones, cold mysterious black eyes and an impassive expression. Long black hair fell over his shoulders and onto his back and his spicy scent filled her nostrils as he leaned forward to wrap a pale pink scarf around her neck. Sakura hardly had time to register what he was doing before he grasped her by the wrist again.
"Come," he ordered and smoothly tugged her towards the front of the store where the checkout counter was situated. He noticed a pair of green ear-muffs on a rack beside the counter and picked it up and placed it over her ears.
"I want all of those," the man demanded before handing the cashier some type of card. It wasn't until he was leading her out of the store that Sakura realized he had bought clothing for her. A total stranger had, for apparently no reason, bought brand new clothing for her. No matter how skeptical or weary she was off him she couldn't go without thanking him. She was homeless but she wasn't without the basic manners.
"Wait!" Sakura blurted, stopping the dark haired male in his tracks. He seemed to sense that she wanted to say something and tilted his head slightly. "I-I...thank you for these," she mumbled, gesturing to the new clothing on her frame.
"Hn," he grunted, giving her a short nod, before turning and continuing his trek down the sidewalk. He paused only to retake her wrist in his gloved fingers.
Itachi felt self-satisfaction simmer inside his being. His single glance in the girl's direction told him that the coat, gloves, scarf and ear-muffs he'd purchased for her were very much to her liking. The warmed air from the clothing store had lent a nice colour to her cheeks, and Itachi knew that she was not freezing anymore, at least.
He tugged lightly on her wrist to get her to step up her pace before pushing open the door to a rustic, homey looking restaurant. It was the one he had left some thirty minutes previously. Their Christmas special this year was a series of heartwarming soups. Soup was a good meal for the starving female whose wrist he had in his grip, because, not only did it distribute heat quickly due to its predominantly liquid state of matter, but the meat inside it would no doubt be warm, soft, and easy to eat. Soup also tended to be very filling, and nutritious, and was therefore the best choice of a meal for her.
A blast of warm air wafted over Itachi's face and body as he opened the door and pulled the female in behind him. The scent of the restaurants rich, rustic fare had permeated the air, and Itachi heard a rather conspicuous rumble from the stomach of his new charge.
"Sit," Itachi said, indicating one of the closest empty booths to them. She gave him a disbelieving glance, but did as told. Itachi sat before her, not even having to call a waitress over before one was running over to him.
"W-Welcome back to Hi no Kokoro," the waitress said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. To her credit, she did not make any openly derisive expression when her gaze passed over the pink haired girl he had with him.
"Thank you. I would like to order a medium serving of your... Winter Hearth soup," Itachi said, pulling the name from memory.
"Very good choice, sir. What type of meat would you like in it?" the waitress asked, her pen at the ready.
"I think the beef would be satisfactory," Itachi said after sending a discerning glance in the direction of the woman seated across from him. "Also, please send a basket of fresh bread sticks and butter, please," he added. By the way the girl's sparkling green eyes lit up, he had made all the right choices. The girl waited until the waitress moved away before she spoke.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice small and sounding a little choked up. Her eyes were telling him that she was grateful, though. She seemed unable to grasp his act of kindness, and Itachi could not fault her for it, because regardless of what people said, everyone did not show others the Christmas spirit.
"You were hungry," he said in explanation. They sat in uncomfortable silence until the waitress hurried back over with a tray balanced on her palm.
"I am sorry for the delay, Uchiha-sama," she said in apology, setting the tray down on the table in front of the pink haired woman. "I assume that since you just left, this bowl is for... your... friend?" she added, smiling kindly at her. "Enjoy your meal," she chirped, setting down the cloth lined bread basket filled with steaming, golden breadsticks beside the bowl of soup and walking off.
Sakura felt her mouth begin to water when the waitress placed the bowl down on the table and she noticed the thickness of the liquid and the delectable aroma wafting from it. The soup looked wholesome, and was a deep reddish-orange colour, complete with chunks of soft beef, carrots, potatoes and what she barely recognized as some type of pasta. She looked up to the man... to Uchiha-sama, and then back at the soup.
"Eat," he said simply, leaning back in the booth. "If it is not sufficient, you may have more afterwards." Sakura paused only a moment before she reached for the bowl, took up her spoon, and took a tentative taste of the steaming soup before her.
It was utterly amazing.
Perfectly salty, it was warm and thick and the flavor of beef and carrots was deep-seated in it. It settled warmly on her tongue, and Sakura could feel the heat sliding down her throat and into her empty stomach when she swallowed. She dipped the spoon back in the bowl, and then she forget everything else outside of her and the bowl of soup. Not even reckoning with appearances, Sakura dug in with desperate gusto, anxious to get every drop of that heavenly meal from the bowl and into her empty stomach.
"Do not eat too quickly," Uchiha-sama said quietly from his side of the table. "You will get sick," he added, just in case she argued, which she had to admit, she had been about to. Sakura forced herself to pace the speed in which she ate, but she was still done the medium sized bowl of soup and six of the buttered bread sticks within minutes. She wasn't completely full when she was finished but it was better than nothing.
"Th-Thank you," she said at last, resting down her spoon. The words felt inadequate, but before she could add anything, the waitress - who must have been watching their table like a hawk - was back.
"Wow, you must have been really hungry, huh?" she asked warmly. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked. Sakura opened her mouth to say that she was fine, but she never got the chance to speak.
"She is not quite full yet, so please bring another bowl... maybe the Chicken and Sweetcorn soup this time," Uchiha-sama said. The waitress gave him a nod and a smile and skipped off to get the second part of the order. Sakura stared at the man before her, trying to figure him out. How... Why...? She didn't even know what questions to ask. No one had ever done anything like this for her before.
Sakura busied herself with a breadstick, not wanting to stare at Uchiha-sama for the entire time it would take for the waitress to return with the soup.
"What is your name?" The question, strangely enough, was so unexpected that Sakura's head jerked up in surprise.
"My name? Uh... Haruno Sakura..." she informed him. "And... and yours?" she added.
"Uchiha Itachi," he responded.
"H-Hajime mashite, Uchiha-san," Sakura said, giving the man the brightest smile she could muster. "Thank you so much for everything... I... no one has ever... just, thank you!" she exclaimed, feeling her eyes sting a little.
"Hn," Itachi responded. The waitress chose that moment to reappear with Sakura's second bowl of soup for the evening. Sakura grinned up at her before happily digging in.
The crackle of static over the restaurant's radio system interrupted Sakura's concentration on the food before her, as a reporter's voice took the place of the soft music that had been playing. Itachi had not even notice the music's presence until it was replaced.
"-misi Kyoko, reporting. The Konoha Meteorological Centre has reported a snow storm approaching the city from the north. Residents are advised to stay at home until the twenty-seventh, as the storm is expected to last through Christmas day and the day following..."
Itachi stopped listening there, actually a bit relieved. He was so late for work that they would never get everything ready for the fashion show on time. Now, however, they wouldn't have to.
Itachi's relief faded, however, when he took note of the fear displayed in Sakura's green eyes. She probably had nowhere to go.
"If you don't have anywhere to stay for the duration of the storm, I would advise that you come with me," Itachi said, his tone alone conveying that she did not really have a choice. Why should she stay out in the cold with a heightened chance of death when she could be safe and warm at his home. Her green gaze flicked over his face and she backed up against her seat, pink brows pulling together.
She didn't trust him, but that was to be expected. It was for her benefit that he was doing this. The idea of leaving her here when she could be safe at his house went against everything in him, so it was up to him to prove to her that he would not hurt her. That she had nothing to fear from him.
"I shall not do any harm to you," he added so quietly that she almost didn't hear him; but she did and her head snapped up, her eyes searching his face for any trace of dishonesty. When her distrustful expression didn't relent he leaned forward slightly, his gaze direct.
"You have my word."
Third time's the charm? Let's hope so! Please review, and let us know what you think! Sorry for all the confusion! We know it has the similar scenes to the old one, and it is meant to be, but we tried to focus on writing it differently.
