Chapter 7 – I'm Not A Child
They went to many places together and every time they went out, it was different.
For their first outing, they went for a calming walk in the park situated right in the centre of Konoha. It was so big that the walk lasted for hours and they'd had to stop every now and then, grabbing cups of coffee or hot chocolate to warm themselves up in the cold weather.
The next time they went to an art museum. Then coffee. To the library. The cinema. A simple drive through the less populated and more countryside part of Konoha. A picnic in a random field which was filled with so many flowers. Bowling. They did so many things together and during those times spent together, they opened up to each other. Sakura told him things she'd never told anybody before and in response, Itachi also opened up to her.
It felt so damn good being able to finally talk to somebody who truly understood what post traumatic stress disorder was like. There were no words to describe to somebody who didn't know the feeling personally, so they could never really understand her. But Itachi did. He understood her pain so easily that it hurt but at the same time, made Sakura feel so relieved.
Nine weeks had flown by quicker than Sakura thought possible and every Saturday, without fail, she and Itachi would spend the day together. The discussion of her relationship was strictly off-limits and thankfully, Itachi never brought him up.
Hidan also didn't know of her meetings with Itachi. She was playing with fire, Sakura knew that, but just because she was with him, it didn't mean she couldn't have friends. They'd made up since that incident at the bar. Well, it was more like Hidan had picked her up the following Friday and had taken her out, spoiling her until it was more or less forgotten.
It made her feel so cheap, accepting his gifts so easily. However, she knew she had to keep in mind that Hidan didn't know how to show how he was feeling, unless what he was feeling was hysteria, anger or downright insanity.
Standing up, Sakura tugged her leggings up and over her hips. She was wearing two pairs of them instead of one because there was nothing she disliked more than people being able to see her underwear. Most leggings, when stretched, showed way too much and it was a hell of a lot more comfortable wearing two pairs. Not only that, but it kept her warmer in the cold weather, too.
She walked over to the shabby chic white wardrobe and pouted thoughtfully, trying to find a nice top to wear.
It was a Saturday, meaning she would be seeing Itachi again. Where they were going, she had no idea. He liked to act all mysterious and make her wait until they arrived at the place.
However…
Sakura's hold tightened on the wardrobe door.
They never went anywhere that was sophisticated and she was beginning to get the feeling that Itachi saw her as nothing but a child. Did he? It would explain why he took her bowling and to the park. Then again, an art museum was sophisticated and mature, right?
Right?
Grabbing the first long-sleeved top she could find, Sakura sighed and shut the wardrobe, slipping the long–line top on and trying to banish the thoughts from her mind. So what if Itachi saw her as a child? Sure, it was a little upsetting because Sakura liked to think she was rather mature for her age. But what if that wasn't the case? What if she was childish?
She looked at herself in the mirror on her dresser and paused before reaching for the hem of the shirt and pulling it over her head, dropping it to the ground carelessly and going back to her wardrobe. It was probably because of how she looked, wasn't it? That was what Hidan always said, anyway. That she looked like a child because of how she dressed, because she was always drowning her figure in loose, baggy clothing.
Damn it, she had curves!
It wasn't that Sakura wanted Itachi to see those curves, because she couldn't care less about that. No, what bugged her was that she was being treated like a child just because of the way she looked, when she was anything but. It pissed her off so much because it felt like he was brushing off everything she'd been through, even though Sakura knew that wasn't the case. What she'd been through had forced her to grow up quickly, to think more like an adult instead of a child.
She had always had to take care of her parents. She had always had to take care of herself, even if it hadn't always seemed that way. When they were too drugged up to even know what was happening around them, Sakura had stopped them from doing anything stupid. When her mother almost overdosed on that… that god awful stuff, she was the one who tried to drag her into the bath, who eventually had to get a large bowl of cold water to pour over her. Six years old and she was saving her mother's life!
Sakura took a deep breath and willed the images and the thoughts away. They were hazy, those memories, due to rarely thinking about them. Nobody other than herself and her mother knew of that incident. Not even her father. It had been 'their little secret', though suggested in a less… gentle way.
When they finally left her, Sakura swallowed hard and looked through the wardrobe once more, though soon walked over to her second wardrobe. This one had the more fancy clothing in it, though most of the clothes were not suitable for a stroll in the park or for bowling. More like dinner dates or parties.
Neither of them considered their outings as dates. Sakura knew that for a fact. Itachi was always careful of how he worded his sentences, of making sure there was always a respectful distance between them. And no, it didn't upset her, because Sakura understood. Not only that, but she was also in a relationship with Hidan – and even if it wasn't a real relationship, she was still somewhat seeing him. It would be so disrespectful of her to date Itachi behind Hidan's back.
Sakura found something else to wear fairly quickly, much to her happiness and as she pulled out the red dress, she smiled and made her way over to her dresser. Leggings would not match the dress, but black tights would do. They wouldn't be as warm as the leggings because of being so much thinner, but then again, Sakura was trying to make an effort. She was trying to make Itachi see that she wasn't a child just because she probably looked like one.
Really…
Once the leggings were off and she was stood in her underwear, Sakura regarded herself in her full length mirror. Did she really look like a child? Yes, she would admit that she wasn't the most curvaceous girl in school, but she wasn't the smallest, either. There was one girl in her year who had to be the thinnest person Sakura had ever seen! No curves at all.
As for herself… Well, her breasts were a decent size, she believed. Or were they? Was a b–cup a good size, or did guys find them too small? As for her hips, they were slightly wider than her chest, but not in an attention demanding way.
It was with a sigh that Sakura reached for the tights that were laying on her dresser, but just as she did, there was a single knock on her door. Whoever knocked didn't give her the chance to tell them that she wasn't decent, because they walked in almost immediately, making her shriek in horror and try pathetically to cover her body.
"Sakura-chan, Pakkun wants to–" Naruto quickly ducked, just dodging the book that was thrown straight at his head. "Shit, Sakura-chan!"
"I'm getting dressed, you idiot!"
He turned around, keeping his eyes off her. Sakura could tell that he was blushing, though. The tips of his ears and the back of his neck were tomato red. "Uh… Pakkun wants to go for his walk, but I can't find his harness."
She growled under her breath, clutching her dress tightly to her chest. "It's by the front door and if not, then it will be in the kitchen."
After a single nod, Naruto all but ran from the room, slamming the door shut after himself and leaving Sakura to groan as she buried her face into her dress. How humiliating. Naruto had caught her in her underwear and assessing herself in the mirror. What did he think of her now? Did he believe that she had been admiring herself?
Why the hell couldn't that idiot knock properly and wait for an answer?
Taking a deep breath to will away her humiliation and anger, Sakura slipped the dress on over her head, tugging at the end of it and smiling to herself. She enjoyed wearing dresses just as much as she enjoyed wearing jeans and baggy shirts. Why? Because they made her feel pretty.
The red dress was known as a skater dress and it had three quarter length sleeves as well as a high neckline. It was on the short side, which was why she would be wearing tights underneath it. To go with it was a thin, black belt and as Sakura fastened the belt around her waist and got a look at herself in the mirror, she instantly felt better about herself. The belt definitely helped to make her appear more curvy and feminine.
"Sakura–chan?"
Naruto's voice was hesitant, just like his knock. Sakura sighed. Why did she feel so guilty for snapping at him the way she had? He'd invaded her privacy! "What is it, Naruto?"
"Itachi's here."
Already? Sakura looked back to her reflection and snatched the tights up from her dresser, bouncing around as she pulled them up and over her hips. Next came her ankle boots. They had a bit of a heel on them, but they went so well with her dress, in her opinion and despite the four inch heel, they were comfortable.
"Tell him I'll be five minutes!" Sakura replied, scanning the room for her bag. Once it was found she was carelessly throwing everything she needed into it.
Fortunately, after getting out the shower, the first thing Sakura always did was her hair and makeup, so she knew she didn't have to worry about that. Her hair was straightened and left down and for once, she hadn't brushed her bangs back and instead left them to cover her forehead completely. Thanks to Ino accompanying her to the hairdressers, she'd gotten a hairstyle that suited her.
Her makeup wasn't exactly natural, but it wasn't too much, either – well, Sakura hoped that it wasn't too much! Foundation was used to even out her skin tone and cover up the one stubborn spot she had found on her chin. Along with the foundation was powder (to make sure she wasn't shiny), mascara (damn she loved the new one her favourite brand brought out – it made her eyelashes so long and thick, yet not clumpy!) and her top eyelids had thin lines of eyeliner going across them.
However, did she wear lip gloss or not? She didn't want it to seem like she was putting too much effort into their outing, just in case she gave Itachi the wrong idea. Sakura froze and eyed herself anxiously. Maybe he'd already think that? She was wearing a dress, for goodness sake! And heels!
Damn it…
"Sakura?"
Oh shit. It wasn't Naruto. "Just one second, Itachi!"
"I just wanted to inform you that Naruto-kun has left and you will need to lock up behind you, so make sure you have your keys."
Nodding once to herself, Sakura grabbed her keys from her bedside table, frowning when she noticed a dirty mark on the white wood. As she pulled a makeup wipe out of a packet and wiped at it, she murmured, "I'm decent, so you can come in if you want."
A pause. "I don't think that would be–"
"I feel rude having a conversation with you when there's a door between us," grumbled Sakura, still rubbing away. "You don't have to come in, just open the door!"
Eventually, he did so, but paused at the sight of Sakura. "You are going to ruin the wood by using that sort of wipe."
Sakura stood up straight and narrowed her eyes at Itachi, waving the makeup wipe in the air with annoyance. "Naruto spilled a bit of my tea when he brought me some this morning. He said that he'd cleaned it up, but apparently he hasn't." Then, she paused, glancing down at herself when she noticed that his eyes were on her. "It's not too much, is it?"
A small smile pulled at his lips and Itachi shook his head. "You look beautiful."
Beautiful.
Beautiful!
She couldn't help but blush and smile shyly and her bad mood about her bedside table being dirty quickly vanished. Itachi had called her beautiful! Not pretty and not hot, but beautiful. Oh, that was so much better than him seeing her curves. It was so much better than appearing older.
"But I can't help but wonder why you have dressed up for me."
Her breathing stopped and Sakura's eyes dropped to the makeup wipe in her hands. She fidgeted with it, easily tearing it up into strips. "I… I just like dressing up every now and then." When she risked stealing a glance, she saw that Itachi had raised a disbelieving eyebrow, making her sigh. "I'm not a kid."
Another pause. This one dragged out ever so slightly. "Excuse me?"
"That look!" she couldn't help but snap at him, feeling incredibly frustrated. Even though he was labelled as a genius – a prodigy, even – it was like Itachi could be so dense when it came to the opposite sex. "You're looking at me like I'm a little kid, Itachi. It's… It's degrading. I'm not a child."
She never had been.
He sighed and Sakura wanted nothing more than to get a look inside of his mind. What was he thinking? Was she annoying him? Was she making something out of nothing? "You are underage, Sakura, not to mention you are currently in a relationship. It is much easier to look at you like you're a child."
What did that even mean? Sakura had to hold back a growl of frustration. "I'm only five years younger than you. Not ten!"
"But you are still only seventeen." His voice was firmer now and his eyes were serious.
"So what?" she all but yelled, her hands coming down to her sides harshly and the torn up makeup wipe fell to the ground. There wasn't a chance in hell that she was backing down. "It's not like we're together or sleeping together or whatever!" Even though she was blushing madly at saying such a thing, Sakura stayed strong. She had to get her point across to the stoic Uchiha. "We're friends, Itachi. Friends look at each other as equals, but right now, you keep looking at me like I'm a child. Like I'm below you!"
She was stunned when his blank mask cracked and realisation flooded his eyes, but seeing it eased some of her anger away, allowing her the chance to calm down. As she did, she watched him. She watched as he seemed to think about what she had just said and finally, when he had reined his emotions back in, there was no anger left inside her.
"I didn't realise that I was upsetting you," murmured Itachi quietly, his eyebrows knitting together.
This time, it was Sakura who sighed as she sat down on the edge of her bed, frowning up at him as she did so. "It's not that you're upsetting me. You probably don't even know you're doing it half the time! It's just that I…" She shook her head, her frown deepening. "I grew up a lot quicker than others my age, Itachi. Just take a look at how different I am to Naruto or Sasuke-kun! I'm more mature than your brother. Doesn't that tell you something?"
After a moment of thinking about it and wondering if it would be appropriate or not, Itachi entered Sakura's room and sat down beside her on the bed, though kept a respectful distance between them. "It does. Please forgive me for making you feel that way, Sakura. It was never my intention to upset you or make you feel like you're below me."
She offered him a small smile. "I'm kind of used to being told that I look like a little girl, you know? And sure, you haven't made any comments or anything, but… That look in your eyes always makes me feel worse than actually hearing those comments."
Itachi's eyes dropped to the floor, his eyebrows knitting together. "Forgive me."
Over the past nine weeks, Sakura liked to think that they had become friends. It was more herself than Itachi who went into details about their past, but he did open up a little bit. She knew that she had to keep in mind that, half of the things he'd seen or done, couldn't be discussed. There wasn't only that, though. During the past nine weeks, she'd also come to realise that Itachi was a very private man and sometimes, he had difficulty putting his thoughts into words.
She wondered what happened to make him that way, but sadly, knew that she would probably never find out. It was probably something to do with ANBU, after all.
Glancing up at him, Sakura bit her lip. From what little she knew of ANBU, she knew that they did all the dirty work that nobody else wanted to do. They did things that haunted them for the rest of their lives – but only if they were lucky to get out alive. How could a man such as Uchiha Itachi, who was asking for her forgiveness for something so small, be a part of that? What had he been made to see or do?
"It's fine. I forgive you." She smiled, just wanting to take that troubled expression away from him. It looked so wrong seeing it on his face. "Anyway, what are we going to be doing today?"
He looked up at their change of topic, smiling down at her softly. "I don't think you will want to go now."
Why? Was it childish? Oh, Gods. Had she gone and messed up their plans for the day? How long had Itachi spent planning it? Now she felt awful for bringing it up. Wait, no. It had had to be brought up, hadn't it? Otherwise there could be miscommunication somewhere down the line and–
Sakura took a deep breath and calmed her thoughts. "Just tell me."
"Ice skating," murmured Itachi. "There is an ice rink that is opening today and it is supposed to be much bigger than the last."
But that would mean… "You booked in advance? To make sure we could get in if it's too busy?"
He nodded.
Feeling awful didn't even cover how Sakura now felt. Being ungrateful for anything made her feel sick to her stomach. Even if she didn't like a gift somebody had bought her, she accepted it gratefully and made use of it because thought, time and effort had gone into buying that gift. She was grateful that somebody was even thinking of her in the first place.
"I want to go." Sakura smiled brightly. "Though I have to warn you: I've never ice skated before."
Itachi looked amused, much to her happiness. "I can teach you. It's fairly easy to pick up."
Just knowing that she was going to be on her ass most of the day, Sakura once more looked down at her outfit. "Is this okay for ice skating? Or should I change?"
Like when entering her room, Itachi regarded her outfit. "You should be fine in that, although you may get cold."
"I'll just wear a big jacket, then." She was smiling again and standing quickly, grabbing her bag. "Come on, Itachi! I want to go ice skating!"
He could only chuckle as he followed her out of the room, pausing as she grabbed a thick, black jacket that had fake fur around the hood from a hook by the front door.
It was cold, but not overly so.
Sakura watched as Itachi made sure her skates were secure before tending to his own. They were both rentals, though unworn since the arena was only just opening. It made her grin like a child (despite her earlier outburst) because she and Itachi were currently the only ones inside the building. How he'd managed that, Sakura knew that she would probably never know.
Oh, it was huge!
It was the kind of ice rink you would see in the movies or on television – ridiculously large with an insane amount of benches surrounding it. The ceiling was made entirely out of glass, allowing them to look up at the stormy grey sky, although she was very much aware of the fact that she wouldn't be looking anywhere but at the ice. Already, she could tell that she was going to make a fool of herself.
Speakers surrounded the ice arena and they were already blasting some of the newly released songs, most of which were in the top forty charts.
"Here." Itachi held out a pair of gloves to her. "In case you fall. This way, your hands won't get too cold."
She put the plain gloves on without hesitation, inwardly smiling at the fact that they were red. The same shade as her dress, in fact. It was a shame that she'd had to put on her winter jacket, but it wasn't too bad, she supposed. Much better than being cold, anyway.
As she stood, Sakura wobbled ever so slightly on the skates, but it didn't take too long to grow accustomed to them. On the carpeted floor. Being on the ice was completely different and she felt like a terrified cat as she clung onto the side, unable to fathom just how the hell Itachi could glide so easily across the ice. He was smiling as he stood before her and held out his hand, which she took without another thought.
"Why am I not surprised that you're a genius at ice skating, too?" Sakura mumbled sarcastically, though kept a tight hold of Itachi's hands. "Don't let me fall!"
He chuckled and pulled her closer, surprising her for a moment until she managed to balance properly on the ice. "Never." Watching how she fought the urge to hunch over, he smiled. "Relax, Sakura. I will catch you if you fall."
And then they were skating.
Well, Itachi was the one putting in all of the effort, but it still took her breath away. It made her feel… It was hard to explain. Giddy. Happy. Breathless. His skates moved in time with the beat of the music, making it easier for her to know what to expect and as the beat of the song grew faster, Sakura swallowed hard and did her best to keep up with Itachi.
He was skating backwards and keeping a hold of her hands, holding her at arms length as he guided her around the large rink. They only finished their first lap by the time another song came on.
"I take it you've been ice skating before?" mumbled Sakura, though she never took her eyes away from her feet.
It was magnificent, watching the ice disappearing beneath her skates, but so very terrifying at the same time. One wrong movement and she would be on her ass or her face. Hopefully the latter rather than the former if it did happen.
"When we were younger, my mother used to take us both to the old ice arena."
Her eyes warmed and warily rose to meet his, just in case she slipped or caught one skate on the other. "Really? I can't imagine Sasuke-kun ice skating."
He chuckled, seeming amused by the memory. "He wasn't very good at it. Our mother always tried her best to teach him, but Sasuke had little patience for something like this. He always thought that it was too feminine."
Sakura joined in his laughter and shook her head. "That doesn't surprise me at all." Then, her laughter faded and she tilted her head to the side, her bangs shifting as she did so. "You seem pretty good at it, though. Don't you feel the same as Sasuke-kun? That it's too feminine?"
"No," Itachi answered simply, only sparing a single glance behind himself before he was helping Sakura turn the large corner. "I enjoyed our trips to the ice arena because it was the only time we got to spend together as a family, despite the fact our father never joined us." There was a pause. "When Sasuke finally decided he didn't want to ice skate any longer, our mother took us swimming instead."
Envy bubbled inside of her, but Sakura did her best to smother it. It had always been obvious to her that Sasuke was a spoilt brat. Knowing that Itachi had greatly appreciated his mother's efforts made it easier to push away her anger towards Sasuke's ungratefulness, though didn't really help towards her envy.
Of course she was jealous! After the childhood she'd had, it was only natural. Even after everything that had happened, Sakura wished that her parents hadn't been addicted to drugs and alcohol. She still wished that they'd gone out and earned money through clean, honest work. Life for the three of them could have been so much different, so much better! They could have been a real family.
The closest memory Sakura had to a family day out was when she was around nine years old and they'd visited the park. Halfway through the day and she noticed her father stalking off to the side of the park, sparking her curiosity. She'd watched wordlessly as he shook hands with a shady looking character, as he seemed to exchange something.
Only hours later, when they were both high, and she realised it had been a drug deal.
They'd taken her with them to make it seem less suspicious.
"Are you ready to try and skate alone?"
His question startled her and slammed those memories out of her mind. "W-What? You said you wouldn't let go!"
Itachi smirked down at her. "I said I wouldn't let you fall."
Damn it. It was the truth. "Does it hurt?"
"When you fall?" he questioned and when she nodded, he appeared thoughtful. "Not always. It depends on your tolerance for pain and how you fall or land." Seeing her wariness, Itachi offered her another soothing smile. "If it looks like a nasty fall, I will do my best to catch you, Sakura."
How could he ease her fear like that? It was ridiculous! But something about his words… They were spoken earnestly, like he truly meant every word.
"Try not to stray too far just in case I do need to catch you," warned Itachi after a moment. "Are you ready?"
Slowly, with a determined expression, Sakura nodded. She liked to think that she'd gotten the hang of how to skate thanks to the lap and a half around the rink with Itachi. It would be her balance that'd cause any problems. It was still difficult balancing on ice. Anywhere else and she'd be fine, but on ice…
"Okay, you can let go now."
When he did, after picking up a safe amount of speed for her, Sakura couldn't help but smile as she continued to glide over the ice. It was only when she began to slow down that she looked determined once more and started biting her lip. One foot in front of the other. Glide, not walking.
And then that same, childish smile returned.
She was doing it!
She was ice skating!
Itachi was skating by her side, watching her with a small smile. The glee on her face was bordering on childish, as was the awe and though it probably sounded odd, it made him feel… happy that he was bringing her such joy. Sakura hadn't had a childhood and that was partly why Itachi had been choosing quite childish things to do. Telling her that wouldn't be the right thing to do, though. It could possibly upset her further.
He'd rather Sakura believed he'd been thinking of her as a child than knowing he was really trying to give her a second chance at a childhood. There was no telling how she would accept it.
Just as they were about to turn around, Itachi reached out and took one of Sakura's hands, easing her into the bend and once they cleared it, he released her, watching as she grinned and skated faster.
It was after taking note of her reactions on their first outing that he decided to try and give her the childhood she never had. Did that sound ridiculous? Sure, Sakura was now seventeen years old, but everyone deserved to have a childhood, no matter how old they were. And seeing the pure joy on her face, the happiness, confirmed his thoughts.
You never would have thought that Sakura had such a rough start in life, not when she was smiling so brightly, so beautifully. The smile lit up her entire face, making her appear so much younger and carefree.
"This isn't as hard as I thought it would be, Ita–"
Just as she tried to turn and face him, just as the words left her mouth, Sakura's left skate got caught behind her right, but before she could fall face first into the ice, Itachi caught her with ease, steadying her and waiting until Sakura found her balance once more.
"I told you that I would catch you." He smirked at her surprise. "That would have been a bad fall if you landed wrong."
Yes, it would have been, Sakura thought numbly and looked away, blushing ever so slightly. She would have gone flat on her face and, knowing her luck, she probably would have busted her nose or something equally as horrific.
"How am I doing?" she asked and looked back up at him.
"Very well." His smirk widened. "You are picking it up quicker than Sasuke."
Once more, Sakura was grinning. "Can we go again?"
Finally, Itachi let go of her. "As many times as you want."
"Are you hungry?"
Sakura looked up as she pulled the skates off, wriggling her toes to try and ease the pain ever so slightly. Who'd have thought that ice skates were so uncomfortable? Then again, the ones she and Itachi were wearing had never been worn before, so had not yet been broken in.
It had been an hour since they arrived and a few minutes ago, others were allowed to enter the ice arena. Sakura didn't fail to notice that they seemed to be quite stuck up. No, not stuck up, but they looked as though they belonged to a higher class than herself and were very wealthy. They reminded her of Sasuke, in a way. Possibly Hinata, too.
"A little," she admitted, watching as Itachi slipped his own shoes back on. "Do they serve food here?"
He nodded once. "There is a food court. I will go and bring us some food."
Sakura reached for her jacket, which she had removed half an hour after arriving. "Here, I'll pay for half–"
But he was already leaving.
She rolled her eyes. Whenever they went out, Itachi was always the one who paid and always ignored her when Sakura offered to pay half. He didn't even bother to argue with her, either. He just ignored her like her offer was so absurd that he couldn't even form a reply.
However…
Smirking to herself, Sakura counted how much change she had and once she believed she had more than enough for whatever he was going to buy, she slipped the money into Itachi's jacket, which was laying beside her own.
See how he liked that.
It was five minutes before he returned with burgers and chips. The wrappers around them had her eyes widening a fraction. Sakura was stunned. "There's a McDonald's here?"
"Yes," replied Itachi as he sat down beside her on the bench and placed their tray filled with food between them. "There is a food court just through those double doors."
After taking a moment to absorb the news, she nodded once and turned in her seat so that she was facing Itachi, crossing her legs Indian–style. To keep herself from revealing anything to him, despite wearing tights, she pushed her skirt down between her legs and made sure not to move too much. It amused him and once again reminded Itachi that Sakura was a very dainty girl.
"This is delicious," she all but groaned, swallowing a bite of her burger. "The McDonald's in town always overcooks my burgers! How did you know I like cheeseburgers, by the way?"
He paused, taking his time to swallow his mouthful. "You have mentioned it before. They are your guilty pleasure, or so you said."
Yes, they were. Sakura loved the double cheeseburgers the best and had ever since Naruto bought one for her when they went to a drive-through.
"Oh, look!" Sakura suddenly grinned, waving her hand up in the air. "It's Hinata. Hinata!"
Looking rather alarmed, Hinata quickly turned to look over at who was calling her name, though smiled politely and waved shyly in return. Behind her were two others. One she knew to be her cousin, Hyuuga Neji and Sakura was guessing that the younger looking girl was either her younger sibling, or his. She looked more like Neji than Hinata, though, if you asked her.
Neji was saying something to her, frowning over at the sight of Itachi, but Hinata shook her head and placed her hand on his arm, quietly saying something to him in return. Whatever it was, it reached him, because he soon turned away and made his way onto the rink.
Sakura blinked in surprise and looked to Itachi. "Do you know Neji-san?"
"Vaguely," murmured Itachi in response as he looked away from the Hyuuga family and over to Sakura.
"Is there some kind of trouble between you both? He seemed quite surprised to see you."
"Not at all."
Pouting when she realised that Itachi wouldn't be going into further detail, Sakura quickly finished her meal and drink, waiting patiently as he finished his.
"Can we go back on the ice?"
He smirked. "Wait five minutes. You don't want to upset your stomach."
It was reluctantly that she nodded and to keep herself busy, Sakura once again slipped on the skates, smiling gratefully when Itachi checked to make sure they were secure again. Then, she watched him putting his own on.
"There is something I have been meaning to ask you."
Huh? She wondered what. "What is it?"
"My parents are hosting an annual dinner party next Sunday afternoon, through to the evening."
Sakura's eyes brightened immediately. Considering it was winter and they were due to have snow any day now… "The White Party!" When he nodded, she grinned. "Sasuke-kun tried to invite both me and Naruto last year, but you can only have one plus one. I think he went alone in the end…"
There was a pause as Itachi regarded Sakura's expression. "I would like for you to be my plus one for the evening."
Raising an eyebrow, a smirk pulled at her lips. "That wasn't asking, Itachi."
He also smirked. "Will you be my plus one for the evening, is what I meant."
"Hm, I don't know…" she teased. "It's a pretty big event and we'd be photographed together nearly every moment we're there… People may get the wrong idea."
Going along with her teasing, Itachi sighed. "I suppose you are right. It wouldn't be such a good idea since you are five years younger than–"
"I was kidding!" Sakura told him quickly with her eyes going wide in horror. "I'd love to be your plus one!" There was a pause as she watched him chuckle. "But why?"
"Why?"
"Why did you ask me?" she asked quietly. "I mean, you could take any girl you liked, right? Maybe even one your own age. Why me?"
He gave her another smile. This one was small. Peaceful, even. "Truthfully, I wasn't planning on attending, even though I know my parents would strongly disagree with my choice. Our conversation earlier today made me think." Another pause and he regarded her silently. "I don't want to see you as a child and I don't want you to think that I am treating you like one."
A frown settled on her features. "I didn't force you to ask me, did I? I'm sorry if I did. I didn't mean–"
"No," Itachi silenced her worrying easily and his smile remained in place. "I asked you to accompany me because I enjoy your company. You are a good friend to me, Sakura. Not a lot of people are as patient as you are."
She didn't think she could grin any brighter.
A/N - I wasn't planning on updating, but I'm not sure how many of you have checked out my profile and I don't like the thought of just leaving you all like that. Anyway, the reason why I won't be updating for a while is mainly because of fanfiction. I'll just copy and paste what I put on my profile:
Fanfiction isn't working properly for me, so I'm not too sure when I'll be updating next. Not only that, but I recently got a job, which exhausts me so much!
28/08/15
Okay, so it still isn't working and I have emailed the support address many times about the error. Not had a single reply. I even made a new account to see if it was just my account or not - and it is. It seems to be only my account that isn't fully working, so I don't know what that means or what to make of it. I'll try updating with a chapter later and see what happens or whether it changes anything. At the moment though, I just don't see the point in posting my stories onto a website that isn't even working properly.
Turns out that it's not only my account, because quite a few others are experiencing the same problems as I am.
It's not all bad though! Like I said: I got my job! Not only that, but instead of going back to college, I'm going to university instead!
Oh and for those of you who have given me advice on the kitten. I've tried replying to you all, but like I said, my account is working properly and I've been really busy with work. She's about ten weeks old and was taken away from her mother way too young, though was soon thrown on the street (probably because of her bathroom habits). She's fully litter trained her now, though and there are no more accidents.
Surprisingly, it was the older cats who taught her to use the litter tray. She'd follow them into the room we put the litter tray in (by the back door, there's a small room that was once used as a pantry - gives them some privacy) and she watched them go. Eventually, Tinks (that's her name) picked it up and now she only uses the litter trays, holding her bladder if it's not clean enough.
Also, she's now going upstairs, but that's only to sleep next to our older cat, Strike. I think Tinks looks at Strike like she's her mother, because she's tried feeding off her a few times (another sign that she was taken away from her mother too early).
We've decided we're going to keep Stinky Tinky, because she's so settled now and loves playing with our cats. She's part of the family now!
Thank you so much to those who sent me advice. I've been following what you all said and I'm sorry I haven't been replying. I promise I'm not being rude or ignorant!
