A/N: Uh-oh, Itachi's got a date! Will it go well? Read and find out!
Itachi pulled into the Ichiraku's parking lot, tapping his fingers to the beat of a random song that was playing on the radio.
For once in a long while, he was in a fairly good mood. He was finally going to get some answers. This wasn't another false lead, this was for real and he'd be able to get some information in- oh, about four minutes.
He got out of the car and headed into the restaurant to meet with Sakura.
Once he got inside, he cringed at the sound of two little brats screaming in the corner.
Drown 'em, he thought bitterly. No, no, I doubt Sakura-san would like to talk to me after I got blamed for the death of two kids.
"Oh, Itachi-san!"
He turned and saw Sakura, holding the hands of the two kids that had been screaming.
He wanted to slap himself.
"Hey, Sakura-san," he said, putting on a fake smile... he hated smiling... "How've you been?"
"I'm doing alright, thanks," she replied. "These two cuties are Kisa and Sayu."
"Oh, so you babysit on your days off?"
Sakura nodded and ruffled the girls' hair. "Their mom is neighbors with my mom."
Itachi nodded. "Well, shall we eat?"
Sakura nodded and the girls jumped up and down with excitement.
He looked at the kids in puzzlement. Was eating so exciting for them?
He dismissed the thought and headed for the table where Sakura and the kids had first been sitting at, then took a seat.
Sakura sat on one side, but the two girls squished into the bench where Itachi sat and giggled at him.
The kids' clothes were well-used, it was easy to see. They looked like little hoodlums, if it weren't for their toothy grins.
One of them, a red-head with green eyes smiled wider at him, showing off her two missing front teeth. "The tooth fairy came!"
"Did she?" he asked, quirking a brow. "How much money did she give you?"
"Oh, she didn't give me money," the girl said, smiling wider yet, if it was even possible, "she told Mommy that I was a good girl and for her to give me a big hug and a kiss for her when I woke up!"
Itachi looked at Sakura curiously.
She nodded, smiling warmly.
He looked back at the girl and ruffled her grimy hair. She giggled and touched her head happily.
A waitress came by and took their orders.
Itachi watched the girls look through the menu, looking as if they were in awe at how wonderful everything in it seemed.
Finally, they each chose a bowl of miso ramen.
When they got the food, the kids wolfed down the ramen in mere minutes. Itachi could only stare in amazement and disgust.
Suddenly he wasn't very hungry.
He looked at Sakura again, who smiled apologetically and took a few nibbles of her dango.
He remembered the reason they were meeting up and he cleared his throat. "So, how long were you and Sasuke dating?"
She swallowed slowly and answered, "Two years."
"Two years ago... he'd just come back from his three years in Europe, right?"
She nodded. "I begged him not to go, but he wouldn't hear it. I was so sad when he left."
"He was so adamant about going to Europe," Itachi added, "he wouldn't listen to our parents, either."
Sakura nodded, a look of nostalgia on her face.
"You love him?"
She looked up at him abruptly and shook her head quickly. "No! No, I don't love him. I-I hate him."
He nodded, not quite convinced.
"I hate him," she repeated softly, as if to convince herself as she stared into her food.
The little blond girl stared at Itachi's food longingly and he pushed it in front of her and her sister.
The feeding frenzy started all over again.
"They act as if they haven't eaten in years," he commented.
She smiled apologetically again. She said, "Uh, check please."
Itachi took out his wallet and pulled out enough money to pay for the entire bill plus a fairly decent tip for the waiter.
Sakura protested, "Oh, you don't have-"
"It would be my pleasure," he cut-in, placing the money on the table.
The kids stared at the money in amazement.
He blinked in wonderment and handed them each a few dollars, saying, "Why don't you go buy yourself an ice cream before we leave?"
The kids looked up at him as if he was their greatest hero and ran off to see what flavors they had.
"That was very kind of you," Sakura commented.
He shrugged. "It was just a few dollars."
"Not to them," she corrected. "That must've meant the world to them."
He shrugged again and waited for the girls to come back with their ice cream cones.
"Why don't I drive all of you home?" suggested Itachi, standing.
"Beats taking the bus," replied Sakura, standing, as well.
Itachi unlocked the doors and got into the driver's seat while Sakura took the passenger's and the kids took the back.
Sakura gave him the directions as he drove and they finally made it to Sakura's house.
Her house had two floors and a balcony on the second floor. Beside it was a house that was at least half the size of Sakura's house and it looked to be in desperate need of a paint job.
"Is that their house?" he asked, staring at the weather-beaten bungalow.
Sakura nodded. "I'll go walk them to the door."
She stepped out of the car, got the kids and walked them to the door, where they ran inside excitedly.
Sakura walked back to the car and poked her head through the window. "I want to thank you. I had a great time today."
"It's mutual," Itachi replied and watched Sakura walk into her house.
He backed out of the driveway and started for his apartment, smiling... this time, not a forced smile. A real one...
A real smile... How long had it been since he'd smiled for real? He couldn't remember the last time.
A/N: Aw, I think Ita-kun's in love! ... That means more torture! XD
Stay tuned for the next chapter and don't touch that dial or I'll saw your hand off! n.n