Chapter 6
That afternoon was the first time we met Naruto. He had just moved into town after 'his custody was given to his godfather, Jiraiya-san', according to him. We learned that his parents had died. It was years later when I learned that his mother died giving birth to him while his father died in the line of duty.
Ino came that afternoon too. It annoyed Sasuke very much that she was there though. It was funny really. Even back then Ino was…how should I say…clingy to her 'love' interests. It was hard not to laugh watching Sasuke. Ino would often send me a glare. She was jealous of me at that time although we got along good…whenever Sasuke wasn't in the picture. I'm not sure if back then we were considered 'friends' but we did stuff together, especially when she learned that I knew the language of flowers.
I pulled Ino to play with me at the seesaw. Ino was peeved of course but I mentioned the latest things my mother taught me about bouquet making and Ino was all ears. I saw Sasuke sigh in relief. I met his gaze. It was telling me, "One annoying blonde down. One to go." I had to force myself not to laugh. But then I proceeded to play with Ino until she was picked up by her father. I walked over to where Sasuke and Naruto were at the monkey bars. It seemed that in a weird way they got along.
XxXxXx
Itachi stood in front of the door. He could hear music being played from beyond the door. He fought the urge to raise an eyebrow. From where he stood behind the door, Itachi could tell that Sakura had the music on a pretty high volume, not enough to burst the eardrums. He briefly wondered if Sakura was going to hear him if he knocked and was tempted to just open the door. His manners won out in the end as he raised his hand to knock.
"Come in," Itachi heard her immediate call from the inside. Without missing a beat, Itachi reached for the knob and opened it. He was instantaneously assaulted with the music, jazz instrumentals. It came as a slight surprise since he never really pegged her as the jazz type. His gaze immediately roamed the room, seeing as different glass sculptures and such were there. There was also some untouched glass of various colors stored in an organized manner in a shelf near Sakura's work bench. His eyes then landed on Sakura, who had her back to him. It was also then that he noticed a big golden Labrador beside her, the same one that had accompanied her to his brother's grave.
"How can I help you?" Came Sakura's voice. It was enough to snap him out of his thoughts.
"Haruno-san,"
Sakura immediately stilled, not having expected him to be there. She reached over for her remote and turned the music off and proceeded to turn of the burner she was using. With Aki's guidance, she was able to turn towards his direction. "Uchiha-san," She acknowledged before standing up. "This is most certainly a surprise. Is there anything I could help you with?"
Itachi kept his eyes on her the entire time. "Is there some place we could talk in private?" He knew that no one could hear their conversation but he knew that people wouldn't be as prudent enough as to leave them alone with their eyes. Itachi knew very well that Sakura's friend and business partner, Ino, was glancing their way every now and then.
Sakura started walking towards him with Aki by her side. "Of course. Follow me to our office." Itachi opened the door for her when he noticed that she was reaching for the door. "Thank you," She said as she passed him.
She led him further down the corridor. "Please make yourself comfortable by the couch. Would you like some tea?"
"That's fine, Haruno-san. I do not wish to-"
"If you are refusing because you think it would be too much trouble, please rest assured that it is no trouble at all. I am only blind, Uchiha-san, not totally invalid." Sakura interrupted as she proceeded towards the kitchenette.
"I did not mean it that way. I apologize for implying as much. Tea would be nice. Thank you." Itachi replied. He wasn't prepared for Sakura's interruption and silent reprimand.
Sakura let out a sigh. Perhaps she was being too harsh towards him. Her barriers always go up whenever people would tend to either look down at her or take pity at her disability. She was capable of living just like any normal person could. But this was Sasuke's older brother. He was just being polite and she had immediately cut him off.
"If you are curious on how I manage, feel free to come beside me and watch." She told herself that she would give him the chance to see for himself what she had initially judged that she cannot.
Without much debate, Itachi walked up beside Sakura and leaned against the counter, watching her move around the kitchenette with ease. He noticed that the dog remained faithfully by her side. He could tell that the dog was alert with his master's movements but didn't do anything.
Itachi watched as Sakura took out a box filled with different flavors of tea. She turned to him and showed him the box. "Which flavor would you like to have? I am in the mood for chrysanthemum but which would you like?"
"Chrysanthemum would be fine." He replied. She offered him a smile and her hand immediately took a bag. He saw that the compartment was labeled 'chrysanthemum'. He was intrigued how she knew. Sakura then brought the bag near her nose to verify if she had the correct bag. She smiled as she opened the zip lock bag and took a few teaspoons of dried petals and placed them inside the tea pot. She then proceeded to place some hot water and set everything up in a tray. She gathered all the necessary utensils and got some milk, honey, lime, and sugar.
"I'm not certain how you take your tea so here is what we have." Sakura said as she took the tray with everything and slowly made her way towards the couch.
Her load was lifted from her hands by Itachi. "I know that you are a little apprehensive accepting help from me but it must be heavy. I will carry it there."
Sakura gave him a nod and took her place on the loveseat while Itachi set the tray in front of her and sat on the couch. Sakura then started preparing their tea. "Are you like your brother, Uchiha-san, who doesn't care much for sweets? Or are you like your father who doesn't take anything else with his tea? Or, perhaps like your mother who like a bit of honey and a bit of lime?"
"You seem to know all my family member's preferences." Gabriel commented. "I take my tea with two teaspoons of sugar and a bit of milk."
"Ah! You are like me then," Sakura smiled and started to prepare. "Mikoto-san is one of our frequent visitors here. Where do you think she gets the flower arrangements that she puts around your house? She also comes to ask advice how to care for flowers for her garden. Fugaku-san comes every now and then to accompany your mother. He came one time to ask for some assistance when he renovated his home office, then eventually the patio."
Itachi reflected on her words. How could this girl, this young woman be so involved with his family without him knowing? "You were Sasuke's best friend."
Sakura nodded as she offered him his tea. She then offered Itachi a smile. "He talked a lot about you, you know. Sasuke-kun really looked up to you."
"I came here to apologize for judging you like I did when we met at the office."
"Don't worry about it. It is nothing new. Thank you for the apology though."
They allowed silence to envelop them for awhile. "Why glass?" Itachi suddenly asked.
Sakura tilted her head to the side. "Why glass what?"
"Why did you choose glass as your medium?"
Sakura smiled. "I lost my sight because of glass. It was a way of conquering my fear."
"Haruno-san, I would like to see what you were going to show me the other day." Itachi said.
Sakura gave a nod. "Aki," The dog's ears perked. "Please get my bag." Aki treaded towards Sakura's desk chair and got her bag for her. Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Aki is a special dog. He was well trained before my cousin gave him to me. My cousin was there when they were training him."
Aki nuzzled his nose against Sakura's leg. Sakura got her bag and scratched behind his ears. "Thank you, Aki." She then motioned the dog towards Itachi. "That is Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke-kun older brother. It's ok. You can go say hi." Aki walked towards Itachi and nuzzled Itachi. He patted the dog before he returned to Sakura's side.
"Yes, he is one special dog." Itachi commented.
Sakura giggled. "Believe it or not, Aki was one of the reasons why I pushed myself to get up every morning. After the accident, it was really hard for me to adjust. I was so young and I believed that the whole world had come to an end. I wasn't conscious when they buried both my father and Sasuke-kun. I didn't even learn of their deaths until a month after. Long story short, my elder cousin, Kakasi-nii, stood by my side and taught me a lot of things to help me have this confidence to live. He gave me Aki to help me, especially when he had to leave Japan."
"That was why I didn't see you at the funeral. I would have remembered you. Although now, I couldn't imagine what you had to go through."
She smiled and pushed the topic aside. She then passed the electronic tablet she always brings for presentations. She had already put it on the appropriate file. "This was supposed to be my presentation. Feel free to view it at your own pace and ask questions. Everything is there."
Itachi started to go through the presentation. He saw the plans that Ino and Sakura had designed. He had to admit that the proposed plan fit his specifications. Sakura waited patiently for Itachi. She kept scratching Aki behind his ears as the dog lazed at her lap.
As the presentation progressed, Itachi knew his father had spoken correctly. He knew that hiring Sakura and Ino for the ball would be the best option that he had. They only had two months left before the annual winter ball was held. He didn't think he would be able to find another person to organize the event with the given time left. He doubted that his current PR committee will be able to do the job since he was still trying to reevaluate everyone's performance.
"Haruno-san," Itachi said as he glanced back at Sakura. "I would like to hire you and your partner to help with the winter ball."
Sakura nodded. "I will talk to Ino about it. When will the event be?"
"It will be held on December 20, from 6 pm onwards."
"Alright. I will mark it on our calendar. I am assuming you will have the final say in every decision."
"Yes," Itachi answered. "You will work alongside my PR committee but all pertinent decisions will be made by me."
Sakura gave a sigh of relief. Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Thank goodness. I don't think that it would turn out well if we would have to let that woman who works for you make the final decisions. I just have a feeling that she would oppose Ino and I. It would be no problem for us to work with her though, as long as she doesn't make the final call."
"Come to the office at 8 am on Monday. We can fix all the details then."
Sakura contemplated for awhile. "Is it okay if we talk about it now since you are already here? I have an appointment elsewhere at that time and I would like to start with any glass sculptures that would be needed as soon as possible. I am working on another major project due next month. Now, don't get me wrong. I am confident that I can finish everything by that time or I wouldn't have accepted your order."
"Very well. We shall talk about the details now. I already approve most of your plan."
"I'll get Ino."
XxXxXx
As soon as Itachi got home, at his penthouse apartment, he got himself a glass of wine. He walked over to his window, overlooking the city. He had only planned on apologizing to Sakura for his behavior that day. He didn't think that by the end of the day, he would have crossed out another pointer in his to-do list, and changed his view towards Haruno Sakura drastically.
Itachi looked out the window although he wasn't really looking beyond. His thoughts drifted back to when Sasuke was alive.
It had been a hard day. It was past sun set when Itachi found himself crossing the front door of their house.
"Tadaima," He called out as he took of his shoes. He could hear the padding of small feet scurrying towards him. He looked up just in time to see his younger brother jump towards him.
"Welcome home, Aniki." Sasuke exclaimed as he clung to his dear, older brother.
Itachi offered the younger child a gentle smile as he placed Sasuke back on his feet and patted his head. Sasuke smiled back at him while their mother walked towards the two of them. "Welcome back, Itachi-chan. Why don't you freshen up? Dinner will be ready by the time you finish."
Itachi nodded. As he made his way upstairs, Itachi noticed that Sasuke was quiet. He knelt down in front of the boy and ruffled his hair. "Do you want to play, Sasuke? I'll teach you basket ball. Would you like that?"
Sasuke's face lit up and started to pull his brother towards the court at the back of their house by the hand. Itachi let himself be dragged. Mikoto smiled as she watched her boys head out. It was moments like that that made her love being a mother. It warmed her heart to see both her sons cling to each other for support like brothers should do. She was proud of Itachi for being the best big brother he could be for Sasuke, while she was proud of her youngest for keeping her eldest rooted. Sasuke seemed to inspire Itachi to strive to do his best to give a role model to his younger brother.
"So how was the first week in school, otouto?" Itachi asked as he dribbled the ball to show his brother how it was done.
Sasuke was imitating Itachi's actions with another ball. "It's ok, 'nii-san. Girls are gross." Itachi couldn't help but smile as Sasuke scrunched his nose. "They wouldn't go away. I had to glare at them. I did the glare you and 'tou-san would usually do."
That comment got Itachi to snicker and laugh a bit. "Did it work?"
"Yes. But then after awhile, they were at it again. Girls are so stupid."
"Hn,"
Sasuke was silent a bit. He had stopped dribbling. He looked up at Itachi, whom only quirked an eyebrow in question. "There is this one girl though, 'nii-san. They were mean to her. They crowd around her more and they call her names. There were some who hurt her."
Itachi stilled at what his brother was saying. He knew that bad things could happen but to have his brother witness someone being bullied during the first week of classes was something else. He wondered what that little girl did to have merited that sort of treatment. Itachi remained silent as he waited for Sasuke to finish his tale.
"I remembered what you said. I wanted to be like Aniki. So I went to the girl and glared at the other kids. I told them to go away." Sasuke then met Itachi's gaze again. "You know what, 'nii-san? That girl? She's not like the other girls. She's not trying to grab at met. She just smiled at me when she realized that I made the other kids go away. She thanked me. She told me her name is Sakura. I guess it's because her hair is pink."
Itachi had been so proud of Sasuke at that moment. Sasuke had done something noble by standing up for another. If Sasuke had been given a chance to live longer than he did, there wasn't a doubt in Itachi's mind that he would have turned out to be a fine, handsome young man.
Unconsciously, Itachi closed his eyes. Remembering his late brother always brought this feeling of loss. After Sasuke's death, he had a hard time adjusting. He wasn't one who vocalized what he felt. He was the silent sort of person. It was difficult to watch his parents grieve, to hear his mother crying when she thought he was asleep. It was worst when his father was away on business. Although Itachi never saw his father shed tears, he knew that the loss took its toll on him much deeper than he showed. Itachi would catch glimpses of his father looking at their last complete family picture with the rawness of loss in his eyes whenever he was at his home office at the dead of night.
There were times growing up that Itachi would find himself willing to give up anything, even his very life, to have Sasuke back. During the first few years after his brother's demise, Itachi would find himself holding those feelings around the time of Sasuke's death anniversary.
Now, after all these years and meeting Sakura and having witnessed the person she turned out to be, it made him remember moments that were too painful to look back to. Her loyalty to Sasuke, always acknowledging him as her best friend was something that touched Itachi in a very deep way. No wonder his parents cared so much for Sakura.
She invoked his silent reminder that Sasuke was gone but never forgotten. And in a way, Itachi had forgotten Sakura. He tried to hide from the pain and that caused him to lock himself from his memories of his beloved brother. In a way, Itachi realized that he had never allowed himself to properly grieve. As that thought came to pass, Itachi opened his eyes and set his glass of wine down at the coffee table. He sat himself and placed his face in his hands. His elbows were on his knees. It wasn't long before years of grief overwhelmed him. Tears that he had never consciously shed for his brother finally came to surface.
(to be continued...)
