Sakura woke up in a large king sized bed without a trace of her lover. His side of the bed had been neatly folded and his sheets were already cold. She could hear him talking in the kitchen. Sakura frowned. Out of all the days he has to get a call, why today? We're supposed to spend the whole day together and he promised last month that he would take the day off. Sakura pushed off her warm sheets and winced slightly as the cold air enveloped her. Grabbing her robe, she slipped out into the kitchen where Itachi was talking on the phone.
She stood by the doorway to their bedroom and waited patiently for him to finish his conversation with his best friend Kisame.
"Alright. Alright. I understand. I will be there as soon as possible," Itachi said before hanging up his cell phone.
"Is there a new case today?" Sakura probed curiously.
"No it's the same murder case. But Kisame said that Shikamaru has found some evidence that might crack the case," Itachi said while pouring some coffee.
"But you're not going to work today right?" Sakura asked. Itachi looked confused.
"Why wouldn't I be going into wor-" Ringgg. Itachi flipped open his cell phone.
"Superintendent General Uchiha speaking," Sakura sighed, knowing it was futile. Itachi would have to work on his case no matter how much she wanted him to stay home.
Sakura knocked softly on the door to alert her presence before stepping into the tastefully furnished room belonging to none other than the Superintendent General Itachi Uchiha. Sakura thought that the dark blue walls and huge oak desk gave a certain aura of superiority. She blushed as she recalled the vivid memory of Itachi pounding into her on his desk. The large fight they had that day ended up in wonderful make-up sex. He had been ruthless in manhandling her and it secretly turned her whenever Itachi dominated her. However, she knew that she was one of the few people who had seen under Itachi's cold façade. She didn't mind the slightest when Itachi was rough, but she had also been never touched as gently when she was with Itachi.
Itachi glanced up briefly to acknowledge his lover before resuming typing on the computer. Sakura walked slowly toward Itachi's desk with a couple Japanese bentos. The pronounced stress lines etching across his beautiful face did not escape Sakura's keen eye.
"I was hoping you would eat some lunch with me," Sakura said softly. Her worrisome tone seemed to escape the Uchiha as he did not even spare her a glance from his computer screen.
"Not right now. I am very busy," the Uchiha said monotonously as he continued typing. Sakura frowned but did not give up.
"Please, Itachi. You have been wearing yourself thin these past couple of week with this new murder case," Sakura said in a firmer tone.
"I'm fine," Itachi insisted.
"Itachi, you have been coming back late every night now and sometimes you don't even come back at all! As the head medic of Tokyo University Hospital, I'm telling you now that this isn't good for your healt-"
"I told you I was busy. You may leave," Itachi said in a commanding tone. Sakura stared at him in shock. I've been trying for days to get him to get off his ass to take a break and spend some time with me, yet he only brushes me off like I don't mean anything to him. Her eyes hardened. Maybe she didn't mean anything to him. Just who does he think he is? He just ordered me to leave? Sakura turned stiffly away from his desk and started walking out.
"Wait." She stopped in her tracks. Her hope started to flare to life. He had remembered? Had he really remembered that today was that special day? The day that she had spent almost a week preparing for? "You can leave the take-out here," Itachi said nonchalantly. Sakura's shoulders drooped. As fast as her hope had come, it had gone. She was right all along. He had forgotten. He had forgotten their 2 year anniversary.
The drive to back to the hospital was quite long. Much too long in Sakura's opinion. She wanted to throw herself into her work so she could forget all about this horrible day. As soon as Sakura spotted her best friend, Ino, she wanted to rush over to her and tell her everything. But Ino was currently talking to the dean of the hospital, Tsunade, so she waited patiently before she got the chance to confide in her best friend away for a couple moments. The second Tsunade turned her back around, Sakura ran toward Ino and collided into her.
"Forehead, what are you doi-"
"Oh Ino. He forgot about our anniversary today!" Sakura cried as heavy tears began to run down her face. Ino stood completely still as she processed what Sakura had said. Then, she started patting Sakura's back in a slow, soothing manner and stared at her best friend in quiet sympathy. If Shikamaru ever dared to forget about their anniversary, she would punt him straight across Japan. Sakura gratefully took the tissues that Ino handed to her and blew her nose.
"There, there" Ino cooed gently as Sakura's sniffles started getting louder.
"Sakura, it's okay. You can do so much better than that sorry bastard. Any guy would be lucky to have you," Ino said gently. Sakura shook her head vigorously.
"I'm not sure if I can leave him, Ino" Sakura sniffled noisily. Ino frowned. She made a mental note to kick Itachi's ass the next time she saw him for making her best friend hurt so much.
"Why not?" Ino asked slightly bewildered. Itachi may be one of the most powerful and influential individuals in Japan. But Ino saw him as an arrogant workaholic who did not care for Sakura in the least.
"You can stay with Shika and I after you move out your stuff. Honestly, Sakura I don't even understand how you could stay with him for so lon-"
"Because I love him," Sakura said quietly. Ino was taken aback by Sakura's quiet but sure declaration. Her cerulean eyes widened at the thought of Sakura falling in love with the egotistical prick.
But then she thought of Shikamaru.
In their childhood days, Ino would've never guessed that when she grew up she would end up with the extremely lazy male (who also worked at Tokyo Police Department). Back then, Ino knew that it was a wonderful feeling to fall in love. But when she realized she had fallen in love with the Nara, she despaired over the fact that she had fallen for someone that was so lazy. But as Ino came to know Shika more and more, she realized that he was actually a kind person who cared immensely for his friends. Ino sighed. Love was so confusing. She hoped that Sakura would not regret her decision for falling in love with the Uchiha.
But deep down inside Ino's heart, she knew that you don't choose who you get to fall in love with.
I'll give him one last try Sakura thought as she lit the candles. One last try to prove that he's not a complete ass. She was standing over the beautifully organized table she prepared in the apartment she shared with Itachi. She was expecting him to come home a bit early to share a romantic dinner (and hopefully a romantic night). The table was lit with a few rainwater scented candles and it had a simple vase filled with red roses in the middle. Sakura had spent most of the evening preparing Itachi's favorite dinner- Yakitori, Udon, and Tempura. Plus, she had made Dango which was Itachi's favorite dessert. Sakura knew that her normally stoic lover had a secret sweet tooth. And last but not least, a bottle of Itachi's favorite red wine sat in a chilled bucket.
Sakura dashed into their bedroom and checked herself in the full length mirror one more time. Her short silk crimson dress hugged her feminine curves and her long pink hair was swept up in an elegant French bun with a few tendrils framing her heart shaped face. If I must say so myself, I look pretty damn good. Sakura affectionately touched the emerald necklace that hung elegantly around her neck that Itachi gave for her last Christmas. The necklace matched her eyes perfectly. It was her most prized possession because Sakura liked to think that it symbolized her commitment to their relationship.
Sakura retrieved a box under their bed and brushed off the slight layer of dust on the white box with the green bow. She smiled remembering how she had struggled for a few days to come up with the perfect present for Itachi. She smiled deviously. Haha as soon as Itachi opens this, he is going to have a heart attack. I wonder what Itachi will get me. Sakura went back outside into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She briefly admired how well she put together the dinner and waited in anticipation for Itachi's arrival home.
"I can't believe we finally solved the case! Let's go to the bar boys! First round is on me!" Kisame hooted as he entered the TPD building. Itachi looked at his best friend and second in command with mild amusement. A drink sounded good right now.
"About damn time. It was so troublesome." Shikamaru muttered under his breath. Neji, Shino, Kiba, Shisui, and a few other officers nodded in agreement. They could all use a drink after catching the murderer-Kabuto- and throwing him in jail. It had been a hell of a long night. Sasuke walked in the room and was surprised to see his older brother there.
"Itachi, shouldn't you be with Sakura?" Sasuke demanded to know. Itachi looked at his watch. If he went home now, it would be slightly earlier than usual. He knew Sakura would look forward to seeing him. Suddenly he started to get a hunch that he was forgetting something. But before he could ponder it, Kisame grabbed his arm and announced the he was driving them to the bar.
"Itachi. I said shouldn't you be at home with Sakura since it's your-" Sasuke started to say impatiently but was cut off when Kisame made an announcement about going to the bar. Itachi looked at his younger brother as he was literally dragged out of the building.
I'm sure Sakura will be able to wait a while Itachi thought.
Sakura looked at the clock. It was almost 1:00 in the morning. It was clear that Itachi was not showing up. Sakura stood up slowly and winced as the blood came rushing into her legs after sitting down for so long. She blew out the half melted candles before slipping into her bedroom and curling up into her bed for a long cry.
She cried for a good hour and by the time she finished, her eyes were red and sore. She slipped on an old night shirt of Itachi's after pulling over her crimson dress. Sakura threw the crimson dress on the floor, knowing it would be wrinkled when she picked it up in the morning. But at that moment, Sakura could not bring herself to care. Her nimble fingers took out the elegantly crafted French bun and the cascade of rose colored curls fell across her back. After shaking out her curls, Sakura laid back down on the empty bed feeling more alone than she ever had.
Her last thought before succumbing to a pitiful slumber was he doesn't love me.
Itachi looked at his watch impatiently. Its 2:15 in the morning. When am I going to get out of here? Itachi thought with a hint of annoyance. Kisame and all the other boys were clearly drunk. Sasuke had not come with them because he said that he had to go visit Naruto because he was sick. Itachi wondered what Sasuke was trying to tell him before they got separated by Kisame. He shook his head and took a long swig of alcohol before deciding to slip away from Kisame and the others.
The drive back to his and Sakura's apartment caused a huge headache for Itachi. By now, he was sure that he was forgetting something. He shook his head. Whatever it is, I'm sure I will figure it out tomorrow Itachi thought tiredly. As soon as Itachi stepped into their apartment, he knew something was dreadfully wrong. He immediately spotted the table and his heart lurched. Rainwater scented candles. His favorite dinner. His favorite dessert. There was only one reason why Sakura would go to such lengths to prepare such a special assortment.
It was their anniversary. And he had forgotten.