Okay, maybe it was getting out of hand. This was her seventh time visiting the cute little bakery in two weeks. She couldn't help it!
A month ago Sasuke was pointing it out to Naruto who promptly burst into laughter at something Sasuke mumbled under his breath. Rolling her eyes, Sakura mentally saved the location of this pop up sweet shop for later use. After Naruto was done laughing, he was practically blue in the face and even Sasuke had a small smirk.
"What on Earth did I do to get these two idiots as best friends?" Sakura had quietly asked herself. She shot them a questioning look and all she got in return was Sasuke shaking his head and Naruto bursting into another fit of laughter. Well about a week after that Sakura ventured into the shop to find the most beautiful desserts and the most delicious smells laced around her. Her mouth was watering before the door had closed behind her. Her eyes widened and pupils dilated in excitement, she browsed the treats in the glass case.
"Cupcakes with chocolate shavings, fruit tarts topped with juicy berries, chocolate and matcha covered fruits and pretzels, handcrafted truffles in various cute shapes, mini layered cakes, and so much more!!! I've died and gone to heaven!" Sakura though eagerly. "Sakura-chan! It's so good to see you!" The delicate woman's voice had interrupted her inner thoughts. Bright green eyes clashed with soft dark brown eyes. "Mikoto-san!" Sakura exclaimed with surprise. Another look over the beautiful older woman and Sakura noticed the overly girly, frilly pink apron on the matriarch with the bakery's name "Doki Doki Waku Waku" in a neat curve.
After her many free samples along with her hefty purchases, Sakura became a regular at Mikoto's little bakery. And Sakura didn't regret any of the extra pounds her boys have so pleasantly pointed out her having gained since. She continued to enjoy the sweets, especially after bad days at the hospital. Today was no different.
The bell rang as she entered the shop in the early morning, she had just gotten off her 12 hour shift at the hospital. Knowing Mikoto, she would see how exhausted Sakura looked and would offer her the fresh batch of pastries Sakura knew she could smell baking. "Ohayo Mikoto-san!" Sakura cheerfully shouted towards the back since she didn't see the woman in the front of the store. Sakura waited patiently for the matriarch to make her way to her as she did when Sakura came by early in the mornings. Minutes were ticking by. "Mikoto-san!" She shouted again, a little louder. Silence greeted her.
Worried about the well-being of her practically third mom, Sakura opened the door to get across the counter and walked hesitantly to the back. "Mikoto-san?" Sakura said as she rounded the corner into what she could tell was the prep station of the kitchen. She saw no one but all the supplies were out and leftover dough sat freshly mixed. She looked past the ovens and noticed the giant refrigerator door cracked open. Eyes widening slightly, she rushed over to the door and swung it open. The worst scenario of something heavy trapping the older woman flooded her mind. "Mikoto-Sa-" her words died on her lips at the sight in front of her.
Her hand was brought to her mouth to cover her smile and lightly tinted cheeks. "This must've been what Sasuke was telling Naruto, that loud mouth." Sakura thought to herself. There in front of her, frozen at the realization he was no longer alone, was Uchiha Itachi. His silky black hair was tied into a high man bun to keep the flour out, he was dressed in black joggers and a black tank top (casual considering he wasn't expecting to run into anyone while he was helping his mother get started for the day in her bakery, she had went out to get a few more ingredients needed for the day), but that wasn't the best part. And no it also wasn't that he was covered in some areas with flour, sugar and what looked like the occasional splotch of cream. No. It was the bright pink, frilly apron that Mikoto would wear, but it was obviously made bigger. One would say it was made to fit the most deadly shinobi of Kohona perfectly.
She cleared her throat and tried to keep her eyes on his face and not on his ridiculously clothed person, or his ridiculously delicious muscles flexed tensely. He too cleared his throat and pulled out the earbuds that must've allowed her to sneak up on him, even while shouting his mother's name. "Sakura-san." He said pointedly. "Itachi-san, I was expecting your mother." She lightly informed him. "Hn" Was the only answer she was going to get from him it seemed. An awkward silence passed by, each of them checking out the other. Although Itachi is much more discreet he noticed her scrub bottoms fitted her a little closer these days. "How enticing." He thought, smirking to himself. Sakura blushed suddenly as the cold temperature finally registered to her. They were in a refrigerator after all and she was blocking the exit.
"I'm so sorry," She quickly apologized and moved out, holding the door wider for him to walk out with the large trays of berries in his hands. He walked around her and looked back to make sure she closed the door but also caught an eyeful of Sakura's backside in her tightly fitted scrub pants. "Ahh, So," Sakura started hesitantly. "When will Mikoto-san be coming back?" she asked turning to face him, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. She quickly stopped when she felt like she looked like Naruto opting to clasp her hands behind her back instead, puffing her chest out a little. The Uchiha lifted an eyebrow at her sudden change of posture, it would seem she wanted him to look at her but he knew of her obliviousness. "Kaa-san went out to grab a few more ingredients." He said softly. Efficient, short, and to the point. She didn't notice his gaze linger on her scrub clad figure, she was too busy looking shyly at the half made sweets around her.
An alarm went off behind her, making her jump slightly. She heard his little exhale as he smirked his lips. He was laughing at her, or as laughing as said Uchiha would do. Irritation bubbled in the pinkette but before she could say anything he was closing in on her. Her eyes went wide again. "Itachi-sa-" She was cut off when he pressed her against the oven to reach past her, stopping the alarm. Frozen in her spot, with Itachi's chest pressing against hers, she barely heard him lightly say "Excuse me" before lifting her up behind her upper thighs with ease and setting her on the counter left of the oven.
She watched as his chest and shoulder muscles moved and flexed as he lifted the puff pastry sweets out, letting them cool on the right side counter. Chocolate, strawberry, and apple scents suddenly filled the room and her mouth began to water again. She told herself her mouth was watering because of the scents and not the glass of tall, dark, and handsome closing the hot oven. Her face blushed furiously. "What is wrong with me?! I've seen Itachi so many times and never have I acted this way!" Sakura berated herself. She heard the dark little chuckle in her mind and almost groaned out loud.
"It must be us getting this glimpse of a smoking hot domesticated Itachi that has our ovaries tingling in desire!" Inner popped up, comically fanning herself and purring. This situation has officially gone from innocent to deadly. When Inner Sakura sets her eyes on something, she has to have it. This time, it happened to be the Uchiha Itachi. Alas, Sakura couldn't front her Inner on her taste. The longer Sakura stood in the room the more she wondered how delicious the cream on the older Uchiha would taste right off him. Another blush flushed her cheeks. Itachi turned around to look at her after scooping the dango balls out of the steaming water on the stove top across from her seated position. He was closer to her now, standing about a half a foot in front of her considering the kitchen was small and was not made for more than one person to be on the same side.
Sakura quickly looked down in hopes that the Uchiha didn't see her blush but he did. She knew by the small smirk on his face and the slight narrowness of his eyes. "Sakura-san, although being in this predicament with you has been… a treat, I need to be sure of your secrecy." Sakura snorted at that. This caused Itachi to narrow his eyes further, smirk gone. When Sakura looked up at him she paled slightly and threw her hands up between them. "No! No! I would never! I was just thinking- I mean it's not me- I wouldn't say anything. I just heard before-" Itachi quirked his eyebrow. He found himself physically expressing more with this kunoichi than he ever had in his life. Interesting.
"Heard what Sakura?" He interrupted her. She was too flustered to notice the drop of the honorific. "W-well, uh," "Get it together woman! Don't let this smoking hot man think we are slow!" Inner bellowed. Sakura took a deep breath. Itachi waited patiently knowing she was going nowhere without him learning what she knew. "Okay well, about a month ago I heard Sasuke and Naruto laughing, well as much as Sasuke laughs you know how he is," She was still rambling. A light pink dusting her cheeks, Itachi felt she looked rather cute that way. He moved closer to her, his hips touching her knees. "Sakura." He said lightly in a warning voice.
She swallowed. "Why is this so fucking hard?! It's not even my fault! It's those IDIOTS." Sakura shouted mentally to herself. "S-Sasuke was just pointing over to the shop, that's all." Sakura laughed nervously. Itachi placed both his hands on either side of Sakura, leaning over her slightly making her face red and strangely enough, her eyes glazed over. He stared at her with his own darkening eyes, seeing her linger on his lips. Before Itachi could interrogate her for a more solid answer or even just touch her more he heard the front door ring again.
"Ita-chan! I'm back! I even got more- Oh!" Mikoto had walked into the back of her bakery to see her favorite young woman (hopefully soon to be daughter in law) sitting on a flour covered counter with her Ita-chan placed directly in front of her with his arms trapping her there. The look on the young woman's face was embarrassment but also relief. The matriarch decided to ask her eldest about it later. "Am I interrupting?" She asked coily. The pinkette immediately turned the shade of Sasu-chan's favorite food and she even saw her eldest's skin warm a hardly noticeable amount. A devious smile spread across her lips, oh how interesting indeed.
Itachi cleared his throat and backed away from the pinkette, giving her enough space to slide off the counter. "N-No Mikoto-san! I was just here to see you and pick up some pastries before I went home. Mikoto noticed the pinkette looked a little more tired than normal even with her obvious adrenaline spike. She concluded the girl must've just got off a long day of work. With a warm smile on her face, Mikoto grabbed a small box and filled it with the fresh pastries that were cooling during her son's little talk with the talented kunoichi. "Here you go Sakura-chan, be sure to rest up and come back soon, okay?" The matriarch smiled sweetly, allowing the girl an exit. Sakura hastily took the box, thanked Mikoto profusely, and said quick good-byes to her and Itachi before flying through the front door. Flour all over the pinkette's butt. "Was Sakura-chan's scrubs getting a little tight?" Mikoto questioned herself. She decided to shrug it off.
Mikoto turned to look at her son who was still staring at the door Sakura just left from, a small smile on his face. She raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay Ita-chan?" she asked curiously. "Of course Kaa-san." Itachi replied. He looked at where Sakura had been sitting and unbeknownst to himself, let out a small chuckle before moving to coat the dango in a sweet and tangy sauce he had made earlier. Mikoto looked to the same spot to see the outline of the young kunoichi's bottom and Itachi's two hands in the flour. She sighed with a knowing smile. Little did her boys know, when their father met her she was baking that day and although he had tried to flirt with her he was left covered in flour and her light laugh following him out the door. Maybe her eldest would follow in her footsteps by marking his love with flour also.
"Kaa-san?" Itachi asked quietly as he washed the berries. "Did you know Ita-chan, that Sakura's favorite food is tempura?" There was a slight silence. "No, Kaa-san. I did not." he started softly. "But I will remember for future reference." Mikoto hummed lightly, "Your brother is also back from his mission, I saw him while I was out shopping. I think I can handle it here if you want to go home and greet him." She missed the vicious gleam in her son's eye. "Thank you Kaa-san," he untied his apron and hung it on the hook of the back door. "I think I will." Itachi gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek. He had a busy day ahead of him it seemed. He walked slowly through the streets, his feet knowing the way home.
First, he would find his little otouto and teach him a lesson for sticking his nose in places it does not belong.
Second, he will ask around about the best tempura restaurants in town.
And maybe, just maybe, he would coerce Sasuke into giving him the address of his cute female teammate and see if she would like to get dinner together.
Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the story! It's set to just be a one shot right now but maybe if I can find the time I'll do another chapter about the tempura date! Please review and let me know what you think!