summary Just kind of stupid...


"Oi."

Sakura loosened the laces on her boot, yanking the tongue straight. She rubbed her thumb along a fraying bit of thread. These were old. She should've replaced them a while ago.

"Oiii."

"What, Inuzuka?" she retorted, not looking at him.

"I brought you a present. Aren't you gonna even look at it?" Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned to face him. She pointed a finger at him.

"I swear to god, you're so annoying. You-you...you..." Sakura trailed off. Because there was a kitten tucked into the front of his jacket.

"Oh," Sakura let out a squeak. The kitten mewled at her.

"Say hi to your future-mommy. Look how happy she is to see you," Kiba cooed as Sakura reached out with both her hands. She closed her hands gently around the kitten, who squirmed. And as soon as she had a firm grip, Sakura kicked Kiba in the stomach. He doubled over in pain as Sakura cuddled the cat to her chest.

"Still not my cat, Inuzuka," she said, smiling when the kitten let out a yawn.

"...kay," Kiba grunted from the floor.


"How was your weekend, Haruno-sensei?" Kurenai asked, spinning around in her chair once.

"This one's cute too," Sakura said, leaning across the desk. She took a sip of her water as Itachi flipped a couple pages. He pointed to something.

"You said that he's not really flashy, right? I think this kind of pattern would suit him better," he countered.

"Hmm..." Sakura hummed. She leaned a little closer to get a better look. Itachi pushed the magazine closer to her. When he glanced at her, he did a double-take. His hand twitched toward her, but he stopped.

"What? Do I have nori in my teeth?" she asked.

"No. There's an eyelash on your face," Itachi replied. Sakura rubbed at her cheek. When she looked back at Itachi, he shook his head. As Itachi moved his hand, Orochimaru passed by, a notebook tucked under his arm.

"Oh my. Haruno-sensei. You have an eyelash on your face," he noticed. Sakura lifted her chin. Orochimaru brushed it away.

"There you go," said Orochimaru with a smile. Sakura beamed in return.

"Anyway, go back to that last page," she requested, sliding back over toward Itachi.

Tsunade waved her arms behind Sakura. She mimed slicing her hand across her throat. Orochimaru arched an eyebrow. Tsunade pointed at Itachi and then Sakura. Orochimaru's eyes widened. Both his eyebrows rose this time.

'Really?' he mouthed.

Tsunade nodded.

"Oops," Orochimaru said out loud as he walked toward the back of the room.

"Haruno-sensei!" Kurenai called in a louder voice this time. Sakura and Itachi both looked up. Just in time to see Tsunade shoot her a murderous glare. But Kurenai was undeterred. She grinned, cheek in her hand.

"How was your weekend?" Kurenai asked again.

Lee peered out from behind the magazine was reading. Kakashi leaned back in his chair, peeking past his phone. In fact, all eyes were on Sakura as they waited for her response. Shikamaru was watching her too, but he slunk down low in his seat, trying to hide behind his lunchbox.

"It was nice. We had dinner," replied Sakura, glancing up from the phone.

"We?" Kurenai and Shizune asked in unison. Because Shizune hadn't seen them at the bar on Valentine's Day. Asuma leaned in on his elbows too, shooting grins at Kakashi.

"Yeah. All four of us," Sakura answered.

Shikamaru slid down even lower in his seat as heads swiveled to shoot glares like lasers at him.

"We went to a really nice ramen place. But Inuzuka and Nara- I mean- Nara-sensei had to go. Something about the router at someone's house not working. So I guess they went to help," she then told them, giving one shoulder a shrug.

Suddenly the eyes on Shikamaru turned kind again. Asuma reached over to clap Shikamaru on the shoulder. Tsunade gave several deep nods, arms folded across her chest.

Itachi's eyes darted across the room. And then he looked at Sakura. She seemed quite oblivious to the grins and knowing looks that flashed around the room. His eyebrows scrunched together as he thought. When his eyes landed on Shikamaru, Shikamaru put his head down on his desk.

As Itachi tried to come up with some kind of excuse, Sakura's phone rang. Haku's photo lit the screen up.

"Ah. I have to take this. Excuse me," she announced. She got out of her seat, raising her phone to her ear.

"Hey! How'd it go?" she asked as she walked out of the faculty room. The door slid shut behind her. Itachi rolled his chair over to Shikamaru to grab his arm. Shikamaru didn't look him in the eyes.

"Nara-sensei?"

"...Uchiha-sensei."

"Does everyone here know?"

"Know what?"

"That you're in love with Haruno-sensei? Yes, my friend," Lee answered for him from across the room. Shikamaru covered his head with his hands. But then Shikamaru suddenly sat upright. He swiveled to glare at Asuma.

"I only told Asuma-sensei!" he protested. Asuma raised both his hands.

"I don't keep secrets from my wife," Asuma replied.

Itachi let out a long groan.

"Well think of it this way, Uchiha-sensei. Everyone here's on your side," Shizune offered with a smile.

"Speak for yourself. I'm just here for the gossip," Tsunade called out as she crunched through a carrot.

After an awkward silence, Kurenai asked, "So... any luck?"

Itachi sat up, eyes moving around as he thought. And then his shoulders slumped. Everyone let out a sigh.

"That girl," Kurenai grumbled, shaking her head. The other teachers muttered amongst themselves. Shikamaru reached over to pat his shoulder.

The door opened and Sakura re-entered the room. She hesitated, reading the heavy atmosphere.

"Woah. What happened?" she inquired.

"You're dumb," was all Shikamaru told her. Eyes narrowing, she took a menacing step toward him.

"What'd you say?" she growled.

She pinched both his cheeks.

"Owowowow I mean you're great! Super-pretty! OWWW!" Shikamaru howled.

The bell rang to end lunch and Sakura released him. Everyone moved around gathering their things to get ready to head to their respective classrooms. As Sakura stacked her lunchbox together, Itachi tapped her arm with the magazine. He had circled a few of the images in marker.

"Thank you. I'm awful at shopping for other people," she told him. Itachi smiled.

"No problem." And then his smile faded as he glanced down at his watch. "Oh, before I forget, I wanted to tell you. I think we might have to cancel our plans for this weekend. Sorry," he added.

"That's alright. Is everything okay?" asked Sakura.

Itachi rubbed the back of his neck. "My little brother is coming to visit. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable if he's around," he told her.

Sakura's eyebrows rose. "But you said the gallery opening's this weekend. You can't miss it. I don't mind if your brother comes with us," she insisted.

Behind her, Tsunade grimaced. Shizune shook her head.

"It'll be more fun with the three of us. Besides, I want to meet your little brother. I've heard so much about him," added Sakura. She reached out and took the magazine from him. She lightly hit his forearm with it. "Okay?"

Itachi let out a long breath. He slowly nodded. "Yeah. Sounds good."


When the shinkansen arrived, it was barely past dawn on Saturday morning.

Sasuke got off the train, hefting his backpack over his shoulder. His headphones rested around his neck as he glanced around the platform. It was largely deserted. A few people got off, heading in different directions without hesitation. He glanced down at his phone.

He didn't understand why his brother insisted on living in this little town. It was insanely far from Tokyo. He might as well have been living in another country.

Sasuke looked around again. It was so early that the stores around the station weren't even open yet. As he sent his brother another message, Sasuke heard footsteps. He lifted his chin just in time to spot a woman running from the far end of the street. A fuzzy white dog jogged alongside her, long pink tongue hanging out.

"Uh... excuse me. Hello!" Sasuke called, taking a few steps toward her.

As the woman drew closer, he saw that she had pink hair tied back in a ponytail. She slowed as she drew nearer. Pulling her earbud out, she came to a stop in front of him. The dog stopped too.

"Hi there. Are you lost?" she asked.

Sasuke froze. That was a face he had seen many times on TV. And a voice he heard playing from the kitchen many times over.

The woman just smiled at him. She dabbed at the sweat gathering at her hairline. But her head tilted a little as she looked at him again.

"Wait... are you... Sasuke-kun?" she inquired.

Sasuke jolted a little. He nodded.

"Wow, you look just like your brother! Was he supposed to pick you up or are you trying to get to him?" she then asked. Sasuke blinked a few times. He looked down at his phone.

"Um. He said he'd be here," Sasuke managed to respond.

"Hmmmm..." She craned her neck, looking up and down the street. The big white dog wandered up and nudged his hand. Sasuke patted the top of the dog's head a few times.

"Hang on," she said. Sasuke watched her reach over to her armband. She unwrapped the velcro to pull her phone free. And then she tapped the screen to pull up her contacts. Suddenly, his brother's face filled the screen. It was a picture of him eating a slice of pizza, eyes wide with surprise. It had obviously been a candid. After several seconds, the call connected.

"Hi. Did you oversleep?" she greeted him. She put him on speakerphone.

"I'm running a couple minutes late to pick up Sasuke. Why? Is everything alright?" Itachi's voice responded.

The woman smiled as she met Sasuke's eyes. "Uh well... I think I found your brother. He's waiting at the station looking very sad that his big brother forgot him," she responded. Sasuke scowled, ready to protest that he didn't look sad. But she raised her finger to her lips, winking at him.

"Oh. You're with Sasuke?" Itachi responded. They could hear keys jingling. "His train got here early. Could you tell him to wait for me? I'm just about to leave."

"Nope. I just can't leave this poor, helpless youth. I'm gonna feed him. Come join us when you're ready, grandpa," she retorted. And then she hung up before he could respond. She turned to Sasuke, lowering her phone.

"Okay. So, I'm-"

"Haruno Sakura. I know," Sasuke cut her off. Still a little shell-shocked.

Sakura paused as she took that in. And then she smiled.

"Well... looks like your brother's on his way. In the meantime, I can't cook to save my life. So I'll buy you breakfast. My treat," Sakura told him.

She took him to a little family restaurant not far from the station. It was one of the only places that opened this early. In fact, the owner was just unlocking the front door as they approached.

"Good morning!" Sakura called. Sasuke trailed a little behind her, staring all around at the buildings and the narrow street. He was glad he hadn't brought a suitcase.

"Oh. Sakura-chan. Shouldn't you be running?" Chouza responded, turning to wave at her. There was a clean white apron tied around his ample stomach.

"I made a friend so I'm buying breakfast. What's good today, Ossan?" she inquired. The owner held the door open for her. Sasuke bowed as he walked in after her.

"I'll whip up something good for you. Do you want coffee?" Chouza said, walking in after them. He scratched the top of Akamaru's head.

The inside of the restaurant was small but clean. Posters from her old competitions covered the wall behind the register. The Akimichi family had been one of the reasons she had been able to afford to start traveling to her competitions during her junior seasons. They had loaned her money to buy her plane tickets. They had done fundraisers with special menu items to help her pay for hotel accommodations. They had never asked for anything in return though.

Sakura turned to look at Sasuke.

"Coffee?" she asked.

"Uh... yes. Just black...please," he responded.

"Mine with skim milk, Ossan," Sakura added, turning back to Chouza. He gave her a thumbs up. He gestured around the room.

"Sit wherever you'd like," he instructed them before he headed into the kitchen.

Sasuke followed Sakura to sit at a booth by one of the windows. He settled across from her, listening to the vinyl squeak as he moved. He left his backpack on the floor, eyes flickering back and forth from her to the rest of the dining room. The white dog trailed after them. It settled down on the linoleum floor, laying down beside Sakura's seat.

"So, Sasuke-kun, you're in high school?" she asked.

Sasuke leaned forward in his seat a little. "Uh. Yes. I'm a second year," he replied as politely as possible. He fidgeted with the front of his t-shirt. Unsure of where to look. He didn't want to stare at her like a creep.

"Second year, huh? Must be busy," she mused. Almost to herself.

"Yeah. I guess," Sasuke said in return.

There was a lull in the conversation. They could hear pots and pans clanging in the kitchen. Chouza humming to himself as he cooked their food.

Sasuke's eyes wandered around the room until he found all the posters of her taped to the wall. There were even some magazine covers. He looked back at Sakura, who just smiled.

"Um... do you... are you still... y'know... skating?" he asked.

Sakura considered this. "Well, not professionally. But in my free time, yeah."

"Cool."

Sakura glanced out the window before she looked at Sasuke again. "Hey."

He lifted his chin.

"If you have time this weekend, you can come watch me practice," she offered.

His mouth stretched into a smile. He looked even more like his brother now.

Itachi burst into the restaurant several minutes later. She had texted him the location, but even without that, he would've found his way eventually. There were only so many places to eat in a small town like Konoha. And they had frequented this establishment enough that he was considered a regular too.

"Good morning, Sensei. You look frantic," Chouza chortled from the counter. Itachi bowed in greeting, still trying to catch his breath.

"And then, your brother goes, 'Wait. You have to wash rice?'" Sakura said.

Sasuke snorted into his spoon. He wiped his mouth with his napkin, still snickering. They both looked up as Itachi approached the table. He leaned against it, letting out a deep sigh.

"Hello. Care to join us?" Sakura greeted him.

"...Sure," Itachi sighed. He motioned to Sasuke, who scooted over to make room for him.

"Chouza-san-" Itachi called, raising his hand.

"Pancakes and coffee. I know," Chouza said over his shoulder, already heading to the kitchen.

Itachi sagged against his seat, still panting. Sakura pushed a glass of water across the table to him.

"You're out of shape, Sensei," she teased. Itachi chuckled.

"I'm not that out of shape. You just make me look worse," he responded. He took a sip of the water. And then she pushed her plate over toward him. Itachi shook his head.

"No, it's fine," he tried to refuse. But Sakura nudged the plate again. Sighing, Itachi picked up a triangle of toast and took a big bite. Akamaru's head poked up between Itachi's legs. He gave a start.

"Oh. Hey there, buddy," Itachi greeted him. He took another bite of his toast before dropping the rest in Akamaru's open mouth. Akamaru's head retreated back under the table.

"Sorry I'm late, Sasuke. I slept through my alarm," Itachi then said, turning to his little brother.

Sasuke shrugged, quite cheerful. "I got free breakfast. Also, I can't believe you didn't tell me that you know Haruno Sakura, Nii-san."

Itachi made a face. Sasuke caught the look. "Don't worry. I won't tell mom. She'd try to move down here just to see her every day," Sasuke assured him. Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger at the very thought.

"Wait, what? All I heard is that your mother likes figure skating," Sakura inquired.

Sasuke's eyes gleamed. Itachi buried his face in his hands.

"Mom likes skating. But she loves you. She's gone to almost every Japanese nationals that you competed in. And she drove all the way to Fukuoka one year for the Grand Prix," Sasuke explained. Sakura smiled at how Itachi's head sunk lower.

"Do you remember when you did that ad campaign for... hang on... was it a toothpaste, Nii-san?" Sasuke wondered.

"Mouthwash," Itachi sighed, not looking up.

"Oh yeah. Our mom bought like... 20 of those. We had super-fresh breath for, like, a year," Sasuke recalled. "And she also has a bunch of posters of you that she refuses to unwrap because she doesn't want them to fade or something."

"Sasuke please stop talking," Itachi groaned.

Sakura giggled, feeling a little embarrassed as the list went on. "Well, Sasuke-kun, I'm flattered. Remind me to sign something for you mom so you can take it home," she told him. Sasuke got the message and decided to stop tormenting his brother.

They finished their breakfast. Sakura fed Akamaru the last of her hard boiled egg. She looked up at Itachi, smirking.

"We can't tell Inuzuka we fed Akamaru this much. He'll kill us," she said. Itachi mimed zipping his mouth shut. And Sasuke watched this interaction with interest.

"Okay, here's the plan for today," Itachi declared as Chouza cleared their plates away.

"We're heading to a gallery opening tonight. So I'll show you around town before then. If you're tired later, I could drop you off at my apartment and you can rest. Or... you could come with us," Itachi listed.

Sasuke glanced up from his phone. His thumbs stopped typing.

"You should come with us, Sasuke-kun," Sakura suggested.

Sasuke looked back down at his phone. "Oh... well... uh, I don't know much about art."

"Me neither," chirped Sakura with a smile.

When Sasuke looked over at his brother, he saw Itachi smiling too.

"I know museums probably aren't your favorite thing. But I'll treat you to dinner afterwards," Itachi added.

Sasuke hesitated. Because that sounded like a date. An art gallery opening. Dinner. He stared at Itachi for a long time, trying to signal him with his eyes. But his stupid older brother just waited for an answer. And Sakura reached out to tap the back of his hand.

"It'll be more fun with all of us," she encouraged him. Itachi just nodded.

"Uh... sure?" Sasuke finally decided. He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth.