Non Mass, AU.
Two chapters fanfiction, unbetaed.
Disclaimer : I own nothing.
Synopsis : A tired Sakura just wants to have a nice birthday, go home to eat, wash herself and sleep. She was unimpressed by those hindrance a.k.a Uchihas. Itachi would beg to differ; a new threat has been found in Konoha and everyone was fooling themselves.
(flashbacks)
Annoying Uchihas
"Sakuraaa-chyan!" shouted a smiling man with sun-colored hair bright blue eyes and draped in orange garbs.
This was Uzumaki Naruto, the optimist member of Team 7. He looked like the sunshine and his personality was as bright as the sun. Naruto was one of her closest friends, even if she had founded him quite bratty and annoying as a teen. Now, her friend was closer on his path to hokage. He managed to prove himself to Konoha and the whole world. Uzumaki Naruto who had been known as the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki was a true hero and one of the kindest souls on this earth.
"Shut up dobe, we're in a hospital!" hissed a frowning man with dark midnight locks and pale flawless skin, his smoldering eyes glaring intensely at the blonde.
Uchiha Sasuke was her first love, he was the sexiest man in Team 7. If Naruto was the day, Sasuke would be the night. People and a younger Sakura always found him mysterious and beautiful. However, after working with him in team 7, Sakura found that he was a socially awkward man, with a personality bordering (and touching that border) the Tsundere-line.
"What did ya say teme?!" furiously shouted the blonde.
Sakura hit Naruto on the head, she turned to Sasuke's smirking face and brutally pinched his arms.
"Honestly you two, this is why I always ask you to wait for me OUT of the hospital." said Sakura.
She rolled her eyes and gripped their hands. Offering an apologetic nod to the secretary who was giving them the stingy eyes. They walked out of her workplace, and she let go of their arm.
"So, what is it?" asked Sakura as she stretched her arms.
She had a tiring day and a more tiring week; she was planning on taking a warm shower, having some food and falling asleep in her soft bed.
"Sakura-Chan! Don't tell me you forgot!" loudly said Naruto as he comically pointed his index on her.
She blinked in confusion. Was it her fault that she hadn't been to her home since two or was it three days? She forgot to take her planner for that shift and then things happened.
Since Tsunade-sama went on holidays with poor Shizune, Sakura was the only one managing the hospital. She had seen Ino earlier in the week, but after that the blonde had been occupied with clan business and was working on some poison for Shizune.
Even if Sakura wanted to see her, it had been impossible because of some stupid chunin who ate bear liver and got maimed by the dead-bear's father - or was it its mother? Who cared about that, in the end Sakura had to intervene in a lengthy procedure, that could have been easily avoided if they just had eaten fish. Honestly, every academy students knows to NOT eat bear liver.
Hence, Sakura was pretty tired, and she didn't even know what she had to do. She tried hard not to think about the big pile of laundry waiting for her at home; this will have to be done by tomorrow's Sakura.
"Hn." said Sasuke.
"What? What do you mean I promised to hang out with you today? I don't remember that!" said Sakura as she crossed her arms on her chest.
She may not know the day or what she was supposed to do today, but Sakura would never ever have forgotten a promise made to her friends, especially if it was a promise to team 7 or Ino.
"Sakura-Chan! " shouted loudly Naruto. "You promised to come, dattebayo! Ino's the one who's organizing the whole thing." finished Naruto, his voice getting higher as he spoke.
Sakura put her hands on her hips, her green eyes narrowed on the blond.
"Na. Ru. To."
He squeaked.
"Why are you lying to me?!" darkly asked Sakura.
The blond panicked and decided that the best way to dodge her green glare was to put innocent Sasuke in front of her. Sadly, he forgot Sasuke wasn't one to follow.
"Let me go, usuratonkachi!" said Sasuke as he shook Naruto off him.
"Teme! Can't you be helpful here?" spat Naruto as he advanced toward the Uchiha.
Sasuke continued to glare and also approached his harsh face to the blonde's tanned one.
"She already knows you were lying, dobe. Great work, I can see you're a shinobi." sarcastically said Sasuke.
"Oh, yeah at least I can speak to my teammate, Teme. You can't even say words; you're a caveman, dattebayo!" said Naruto in a mean bratty tone.
Sakura fixed the pair with a deadpanned expression. How was this her life? What did she do to be their babysitter? Wondered the pink-haired woman. She remembered a time when every time they fought, her teary eyes founded Kakashi-sensei's dead panned face. Their dispute had her worried each time and she hadn't been able to understand why her sensei wasn't doing anything.
Now, she acknowledged his genius mind and agreed with him; this will never change, Naruto and Sasuke will always behave that way with each other.
"And you both wonder why people say you're gay for each other?" exasperatedly said Sakura.
Their faces were a few centimeters apart, the words they said may have been mean but the twinkle in those blue eyes and that warmness in those dark eyes were unmistakable - they were enjoying themselves.
The two turned around, the face they made was comic enough to make her snort. Naruto looked at her as if she had destroyed Ichiraku Ramen, and Sasuke's face was paler than a ghost and his eyes widened.
"W-w-what! Sakura-Chan, nobody is saying that, dattebayo! Tell me it's not true!"asked Naruto as he put his hands on her shoulders and started to shake her.
"Sakura." said Sasuke with his arms crossed and a dangerous expression on his face.
However, Sakura wasn't phased by them; she was used to her team's dynamic. She pushed Naruto's arms of her, ignored Sasuke and focused on what was important.
"Whatever. Why are you two here?" asked the tired pink-haired medic-nin.
Naruto's blue eyes, full of panic, turned again on Sasuke's annoyed face. The young Uchiha merely let out a exasperated sigh.
"Yamanaka arranged a surprise birthday party."
"TEME! It was supposed to be a secret!"
And… they were arguing again.
Sakura nibbled her rosy lips, she desperately wanted to go home, take a relaxing bath, eat food and sleep in her cocoon of drapes. However, Ino's future temper tantrum would be annoying as hell… Wait a minute.
"What do you mean by birthday party?"
The look full of pity that Uchiha Sasuke gave her nearly, put the last nail on her social life's coffin. If Naruto had been the one to give that look at her, she could have grudgingly accepted it.
But, no, Uchiha Sasuke — a.k.a. Sir Training is my Life a.k.a. Master Social necessities, I don't need it a.k.a. Dr Human shouldn't spend too much time with other human — was giving her that pitiful look. Her social skills were better than Uchiha Tomato Lover Sasuke, goddammit.
"Happy Birthday Sakura-chyan!" Naruto eagerly interrupted her with an affectionate hug.
She forgot her own birthday, dang it.
She hugged her friend back and gave a mean glare at Sasuke, he snorted. Right, she certainly didn't look dangerous right now. One, Naruto was hugging her, and Sakura sadly noted that her feet were no longer touching the ground. Two, her cheeks were squashed by Naruto's shoulder and three, she was tired.
"Happy birthday, Sakura." softly muttered the Uchiha, with open warmness in his eyes for a few seconds.
"Thank you guys." tried to say Sakura, but her gruff voice was muffled by Naruto's hug. "Let me go, Naruto!" she gently pinched his arm, and he wisely let her back on safe ground, but his left hand snatched her right hand.
"Sakura-chyan, let's go!"
He suddenly started running with the Uchiha.
"W-wait!"
"Hn." said Sasuke as he instantly followed them.
"Yes I'm coming, I was not protesting Sasuke-kun, but let me just go home and take a shower." asked Sakura.
They continued running and ignored her.
"Guys!"
A few moments later, Sakura was in bar surrounded by their infamous gang Konoha 13, sat at the table, with a birthday cake in front of her with a single candle lit on it. Ino had put on a ridiculous red and white cone with a pink pompom on Sakura's head as soon as she entered the bar. Her drowsy eyes looked fondly at her friends, and she blew the small candle decorating the pale pink colored cake, the group cheered loudly.
"Now, let's get this party started! Let's go dance !" shouted joyfully Kiba.
"K-Kiba-kun ! It's time to give Sakura-san her present." said Hinata in a soft tone, her face blushing with everyone's eyes on her.
"Yeah, dog-breath! How could you forget Sakura-chan's present?"
"Interesting. Weren't you the first one to get up dickless?" said Sai with his fake smile, riling Naruto.
"Ok guys, stop it." Said Ino with a dark glare. She turned back toward Sakura. "Here you go forehead girl! This is a present from Team Asuma and most importantly by me."
Ino pushed two small packs in the surprised medic's hands. Sakura opened the present under the sparkling eyes of Ino.
"Oh, those earrings are so cute! Thank you, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji."
The small earrings were discreet and simple looking, however the ruby was eye-catching enough for Sakura who didn't put many jewelry. She opened the second box, and her jaw nearly dropped — a nice set of dangerous silver senbons and two bottles of poison.
"No way! Are those Suna's Red Salamander's Flame!" gushed Sakura.
Ino giggled.
"I knew you would recognize it at first glance forehead. Isn't it beautiful?" asked Ino with a smirk and a flip of her ponytail.
"Yeah." breathlessly answered Sakura, her eyes on the flaming red colored poison. "Oh my god, you guys, you got me two bottles!"
The quantity of independent research that she wanted to do on this poison was humongous, sadly she didn't have time to go to Suna - or even to merely work on it. Now that she had the poison, she will be able to spend so much time having fun, there were so many experiments that she wanted to develop.
"Forehead girl, you're drooling."
Sakura blinked and blushed under the eyes of her friends. Thankfully for her, Tenten interrupted the awkward moment.
"So, what does it do?" asked the weapon lover.
Ino and Sakura shared a delighted giggle.
"One drop of Suna's Red Salamander's Flame can make someone burn from the inside out." started Sakura, her tone going serious. " At least, that's what the rumor said. According to Shizune-senpai's published research, when a single drop touches your skin, you will experience nothing at first. One hour later, you will feel a itch inside your skin, a simple itch won't make you , three hours later you will feel as if someone's burning you from the inside out."
"A little slow, I guess. But it could be intriguing to see." said Tenten with her arms crossed.
"Yeah, but I know that Sakura will be able to do something better with it. That is, if she can make a remedy first." teased Ino with a wink.
"Y-you d-don't have the a-antipoison ?" softly asked Hinata.
Sakura turned toward Ino as well.
"Nah, I believe in her big forehead. I'm sure that she will be able to make it." shrugged Ino.
"Troublesome." muttered Shikamaru.
"Whatever, I guess, it's our turn." shouted Kiba.
Sakura blinked.
"Wait. You all brought me a present ?!"
"Are you going deaf, ugly?"
Sakura sent that idiot her glare of doom.
"H-here Sakura-san !" interrupted a blushing Hinata.
"From Team Kurenai, hope you like it." said Kiba with a confident grin.
Akamaru barked joyously, and Shino offered her a nod.
Sakura opened the package, she found two scrolls inside it. The first one, which was larger, contained a B-rank genjutsu 'Kurenai-sensei was happy to give it - said Kiba with a wide grin.' The second one which was more decorated was an official invitation to the Aburame Clan.
"Shino-san, are you sure?" asked Sakura, twinkling her green eyes at him.
Shino nodded approvingly. "Why ? Because you're a great medic and my clan believe in you."
Sakura instantly gave him a small bow.
"I will do my best." solemnly said Sakura.
"What is it, dattebayo ?" eagerly asked Naruto.
"Sorry Naruto, I can't tell you the specific details." said Sakura.
"Yosh !" Lee eagerly pushed Naruto. "It's now our turn."
Lee took a bulky parcel out of nowhere and set it on the table - he nearly took out the cake but Choji's reflexes save it. The weight of the gift made the table groan.
"Idiot!" Tenten gently whacked his head. " Be careful about the furniture! We're not repaying for the destruction of another bar." scolded Tenten.
"Sakura-san! I hope this gift will meet your youthfulness! If it doesn't, I will run 1,000 laps around Konoha!"
Sakura and everyone else sweat-dropped.
"Lee. Calm down." said Neji.
Sakura accepted the package. She nearly blanched at the bright red-orange colored leg warmer - that was Lee's gift for sure.
"T-thank you." said Sakura.
"Look under those for the rest Sakura-san." said Tenten in an exhausted voice.
Sakura took the horrifying leg-warmer out, and she put them gently on the ground. She took out the nice set of kunai in the package.
"Wow !"
She admired the quality of the sharpened kunai, a warm feeling washed over her at the small cherry-blossom engraved on each of them - Tenten had devoted many hours perfecting them. They felt easier to operate than the regular one.
"Were they made with a different material?" curiously asked Sakura.
"Tenten made them for your hand only, Sakura-san. She spent many hours on them." explained Neji, his arms crossed and his eyes giving Tenten a fond look.
Tenten blushed and laughed sheepishly.
"Neji helped me, a lot." said the weapon mistress.
Ino smirked and opened her mouth, surely to tease Tenten, but Sakura halted her with a pinch on her hips. She ignored the small squeak and the glare sent by her best friend, choosing instead to thank Team Guy, again.
"Well, now! It's time for your team's gift!" chirped Ino, clapping her hands.
Sakura and the others turned toward Sai, Naruto and Sasuke.
"You are right Beautiful." said Sai as he gave his fake-but-still-true smile.
His head rotated toward Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto and Sasuke shared an awkward moment and shifted their heads mechanically toward Sai. The pale guy forcefully continued to smile, nervous sweat dripping from his temple.
"Hahaha! Yeah, dattebayo! Where is her gift Teme? " awkwardly continued her blond teammate.
Sasuke scowled and harshly glared at Naruto. It may have been due to tiredness, but Sakura could have sworn she saw a scorned Mikoto-sama instead of Sasuke.
"What. The. Hell. Dobe."
Sasuke, bless his soul, was no liar. He was also bad at social cues like those. Sakura would have laughed if it wasn't for the rising temper of Ino, the gorgeous blonde was glaring daggers at Sakura's teammate.
"You three! How could you not buy a gift for her birthday ?!" shouted Ino, her hands on her hips and her cheeks flushed in anger.
"So lame Dudes." added Kiba with a smirk.
"How could you Naruto-kun? I can understand Sasuke-san and Sai-san's lack of youthfulness, but not you Naruto-kun."
"Ehh ?! Why, just me, dattebayo!" shouted Naruto as he pointed his fingers at Sasuke and Sai. "They are also our teammates, dattebayo !"
Suddenly, Sai awkwardly fake-coughed. He gave her an open scroll with drying ink on it. She carefully took the scroll from his hand and looked at the cute drawing of her team.
Naruto doing a Rasengan, Sasuke scowling and invoking his kirin from his sword. But also with Kakashi engulfed in the cutest dog pile ever with Pakkun on top, Yamato was on the other side making a Cherry Blossom tree from his hands. Sakura was in the middle cracking the earth.
She smiled tenderly.
"You forgot yourself, Sai." scolded gently Sakura.
He blinked, took back the drawing, and there it was — above Naruto, and near Sasuke's Kirin — a cute Sai was flying on his bird-drawing.
"It's perfect thank you." said Sakura with a grin.
Sometimes, she was jealous of his hands; Sakura could draw schemas of the human body, but she didn't have that talent of his. Ino interrupted her musing.
"Thank god for Sai! Honestly, you two-" started Ino, however Sakura cut her.
"Drop it, Ino. They were busy, and Sai's drawing is perfect."
"Hell no, Sakura, you're always too forgiving! It's your twentieth birthday for god's sake! " continued Ino, poking Sakura in her forehead - right on her seal."Besides, I told Naruto - two times! I can't believe you didn't buy anything. And what about you Sasuke-kun?"
Sakura tiredly gazed at her teammates. Although they hadn't been able to see each other this week, she knew that they all had been busy.
Two weeks ago, Team 7 had been called in the newly instigated Rokudaime's office. Kakashi decided to put team seven at the center of a new project - a new frontal-assault squad; a secret project. She nearly punched Kakashi's smiling face when he told them that they had one month to be ready.
This project was one of the main reasons why the members of her team were all tired; they were all trying to train and keep it a secret, meaning that their normal workload had too also be done.
For her, it meant maintaining her work in the hospital, train with her team, plan with her team. Thankfully for her and her parents, Sakura left her family home and was now living in a nice apartment. (It had been a good idea, now they all could live peacefully - her parents could have full nights and she could come and go whenever she needed.)
For the rest of her team, they had it hard - with Naruto already learning the ropes from Kakashi. However, the one who must be struggling the most, was her broody social-awkward teammate, Sasuke Uchiha.
Poor Sasuke was still living with his parents, his elder brother — he even had an elder cousin who nearly lived in his brother's room — according to Sasuke's rare rants. (That relationship made Sakura pause; was everyone gay in the village? Or is she the only one who seems to see those ambiguous moments? Was she getting crazier? Maybe. She needed sleep after all.)
Sasuke-kun had to be really careful about the project. He lives with the Head Chief of Konoha's police force, two notorious ANBU members and his mother.
Yep, poor Sasuke-kun.
"Tch."
Sasuke harshly glared at Ino.
"Whatever. Let's go dance guys!" said the blonde woman, avoiding the Uchiha's eyes.
… And they were all gone, except for Sasuke and Shikamaru. Choji had gone to the counter; the rest were dancing around. Oops. Sakura did a double-take at Shino, who still had been here; How could she have been able to see him, when he was nearly one with the wall? Thank god, he can't read her mind, thought the pink-haired woman.
"Sakura."
Sakura blinked and turned toward Sasuke-kun; he looked conflicted with himself. His lips were downturned, but his eyes weren't narrowed in an angry frown; no Sasuke was frustrated and conflicted.
"What is it Sasuke-kun?" muttered Sakura, her face closer to his.
He clenched his fist on his sake cup.
"I didn't remember. Your gift, I mean." said Sasuke.
She gave him a small shy smile; he was the cutest. She took the sake cup out of his hand and grasped his palm in hers.
"It's okay. I understand."
She locked her eyes with his, trying to let him know they both had been busy. There was no need for gifts; she was happy with to spend time with them. The frustration left his body, and his dark eyes were warmer.
"Hn."
They calmly drank their cup of sake, watching their friends and specially Naruto dance around. Sakura let out a giggle when she saw Ino teaching Sai how to twerk. Sasuke's eyes twinkled mischievously, and he smirked evilly - ah blackmail, we love you, thought Sakura.
""Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
Sasuke's face, which had been peaceful, changed into his annoyed one.
"Shisui." greeted Sasuke, voice devoid of pleasure.
"Sasuke." spoke another authoritative voice, deeper and colder.
Instead of frowning, Sasuke's expression was happier, he relaxed more.
"Nii-san!" greeted Sasuke with a warm tone.
Sakura hadn't needed to turn around however, one of the men sat directly in front of her, and forced the second man to sit next to him, and in front of Sasuke. Shikamaru was still fast asleep - or faking it, she bet he was faking it.
Sakura carefully analyzed the two men. She heard of them, but it was her first time meeting them. She may have done a surgery on them, but Sakura didn't recall every patient she had. Furthermore, they were elites from Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai - ANBU; they were those who hurt and rarely got hurt, they were the one exclusively healed by Tsunade-shishou - for now.
She may encounter them in the foreseeable future, if Kakashi-sensei's ambitious project bears fruit.
"So, Sasu-chan." said the first man with a mischief aura and a grinning face. "Is that your lover?"
Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other, before a frowning Sasuke turned back to face the curly haired Uchiha. Sakura bit her bottom lip, her wry face tilting to the side.
There was a time when she was crushing hard on Sasuke. It is true that Sakura sincerely loved Sasuke, and if anyone asked her, she would truthfully tell that yes, she loved Uchiha Sasuke. However, the pink-haired medic wasn't in love with him - or maybe she had been, how can she be sure? They did kiss that one time; it hadn't felt wrong, but it hadn't felt right. It was two pieces of flesh, warm and humid, meeting shyly for the first time.
Sakura loved Sasuke, because he never lied to her. He was the only one who was harsh with her, he was the one who bluntly told her that she had to be better. He may have ruthlessly crushed the pink-haired wannabe ninja, but he had a critical role in her continuous growth as a capable woman. Sakura trusted Uchiha Sasuke with her life, and he trusted her back.
Sakura dearly loved Sasuke-kun platonically. She trusted him with her body, with her mind and her soul. And she sincerely trusted Naruto too.
"No." harshly responded Sasuke.
He closed his mouth, glared and hesitantly continued.
"She's my teammate, Haruno Sakura." And because, Mikoto-sama had properly taught him some manners, Sasuke managed to introduce them to her. "Sakura. This is my nii-san, Itachi. The annoying one is Shisui."
Under the table, Sakura placed her hand on his tight and squeezed lightly. She was fiercely proud of him, he was doing better socially. Sasuke gently pinched her hand and rolled his eyes. She smiled, he was adorable when he was embarrassed.
"Hello, Shisui-san, Itachi-san." said Sakura in a steady voice, which took a lot from her too - those two pretty impressed.
Sasuke's brother stoically nodded. She noted many differences between him and Sasuke. They did look similar, put Sasuke's brother's chiseled jaw was more angular. He had the prettiest eyelashes she had ever seen - she wasn't going to be jealous, nope, no way in hell. Oh, who was she kidding? She would kill to have those eyelashes and that hair! It looked so silky - silkier than hers or Ino's. She frowned a bit, maybe not as silkier as Hinata's.
"Haru no Sakura. That's a cliché, right Itachi?" started the annoying man named Shisui. "But I guess, it does fit you though, Sakura-chan."
Her left eye twitched. She met Sasuke's dark orbs, urging him to do something before she starts breaking tables or bones. He blinked.
"What do you want, Shisui." demanded Sasuke instead of asking.
The annoying one with curly hair grinned slyly and promptly took their bottle of sake; calmly pouring himself a cup.
"Well… As I already said, I just wanted to see your lover, Sasuke. I actually thought she was a civi at first, though." said the man as he laughed easily.
Sakura's fists clenched under the table. Now, she knows why Uchiha should stay expressionless, taciturn, silent, calm, etc. It was for their goddamn health. Sakura tightly leashed her chakra, she was not going to lose her control.
Sasuke, who knew her sometimes better than herself interrupted the annoying man.
"Tch. Did you lose whatever brain cells you still had?" he sneered. "A pink-haired kunoichi, named Haruno Sakura. Can't you recognize the fifth's apprentice?" stated Sasuke with a better than thou tone.
The two Uchiha in front of her blinked, and their weighted gaze lingered on Sakura and her prominent forehead. Right. Her dishevelled hair had grown tremendously, reaching her shoulder blades; she hadn't had any time to go to a stylist, and her seal was hidden behind her swept hair.
She bit her bottom lip and frowned severely. She really needed to take better care of herself, Sasuke's scolding eyes looked at her. She could feel the judgement in his grave eyes as he fixed her rough bottom lip, the dark circles under her eyes, and her windswept hair.
He sighed. He opened his pouch and promptly took a small elastic. Sasuke silently asked her to turn around, and she was too tired to argue and did as his eyes told. She could feel Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi's eyes on them. However, Sasuke disregarded them and carefully set her hair in a low ponytail. Some sidebangs refused to cooperate and decided to frame her pinched face.
Hopefully, she looked like a normal human being.
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." warmly said Sakura.
"Hn."
They both turned toward Shisui and Itachi. Sasuke's brother was as stoic as ever, honestly, if it wasn't from the small movement of his eyes as he looked at them, she would incorrectly thought he was a dead body. A sexy dead body.
Sakura drank from her cup of sake, she really needed to sleep.
"Jeez, you too. Are you sure you're not a couple?" asked Shisui, more seriously.
She could feel Sasuke's pent-up anger, as Shisui's dark orbs fixed Sasuke and her - judging their closeness.
"No, we aren't." cut Sakura.
They wouldn't understand, thought Sakura. Team 7's bond was a deep bond, they were more than friends, more than teammates, but not lovers, they were family first. Sakura had always dreamed of younger siblings; and although Sasuke and Naruto had always protected her, she protected them too.
Sakura had always known love. Her dear parents loved her, and they gave her everything they could, they nourished her with all their love. They never managed to give her siblings though, but she had met Ino. Ino, who had saved her from her shyness, Ino, who had given her genuine friendship and love. Then, she had met her team; it had been hard at first, but with Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-kun and Naruto - Sakura had truly felt blessed.
People may think that she's useless, that she was spoiled. And they were right, she was spoiled - spoiled with Love. However, Sakura had never been dumb; she did have her moments, but her brain and her heart were strong.
"He's my brother." firmly said Sakura.
Sakura had love.
She had a loving, sweet, annoying family. ( "Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto's face scrunched up. "How come you and Sasuke always manage to prepare your bento? Aren't you tired after training?" privately asked Naruto.
"What do you mean, idiot? My mom makes it for me."
Sakura froze.
Was she stupid? Naruto was an orphan. No one cooked for him, shit.
"HAHAHA. Yeah!" he gave her a radiant smile, his eyes crunched more than usual.
"Naruto, that was thoughtless of me, sorr-"
"Eh ?! You don't need to apologize, Sakura-chan ! Man, could I eat some ramen ! Oy. Kakashi-sensei, can we go to Ichiraku?"
From that day onward, Sakura always took two bento - one for Naruto, and the second one for her. Then, she started to take three - "eating is a good prevention against chakra exhaustion, Kakashi-sensei!" scolded Sakura.)
Her dear parents supported her, fully. ( "A first affinity for raiton, and a smaller one for fire. Well, that's interesting." said Kakashi-sensei.
She smiles brightly at Sasuke.
"Congra-"
"Shut up." coldly muttered Sasuke.
Sakura flinched.
"What the hell teme! She didn't say anything wrong!" shouted Naruto.
Sakura fixed her broody teammate; he was trembling in anger. His face was paler, his eyes contained so much anger inside them. Sakura seized Naruto's arm. The scowling blonde met her saddened eyes, and she shook her head.
"Whatever. Kakashi-sensei! Teach me a wind jutsu, dattebayo!"
Two hours later, after they had finished training with Kakashi and Naruto, Sakura stopped Sasuke.
"S-Sasuke-kun." she bit her bottom lip, should she ask him why he was so angry? Will he tell her she's annoying? She squeezed her hands on her qipao. "Are you okay?" asked the pink-haired kunoichi.
His angry eyes, fueled by hatred, turned on her. She trembled in fear, but tried to stop it. He was her teammate. She shouldn't - no she wouldn't be afraid. She looked in his furious eyes, trying to convey her feelings.
He must have understood her. Because his shoulder dropped, he turned around, averting his eyes - her eyes were on his back, and more precisely on that condemning red and white uchiwa.
"Every Uchiha has a dominant fire affinity." darkly said Sasuke.
She knew he wouldn't explain more, but he didn't need to. Sakura perfectly understood that for her complexed teammate, he felt abnormal, he was different. He was not his brother, and he didn't know how to communicate with his father. And maybe, there were other variables unknown to Sakura, but she wanted to comfort him, to tell him that it's okay, everything will be alright.
She wanted to hug him, to proclaim that his dad should be proud of him, that the clan elders wouldn't criticize Mikoto-sama.
She couldn't.
Her opinions didn't matter to him. Sasuke-kun didn't need her.
She clenched her fist and watched his back - he was walking away.
"Wow! That means that Sasuke-kun is special!" shouted airily Sakura, in her fangirl voice. "I knew you were the best, Sasuke-kun. You wield fire chakra and lightning. You'll be the Lightning God, shannaro!"
What the heck was she saying ? Sakura felt her cheeks blushing and hoped that Sasuke-kun won't look at her now. This was so embarrassing! The gods weren't with her, however. Sasuke's face turned slowly toward her, his eyes hidden by his hair, but she could see his smirk.
"Thank you, Sakura." said Sasuke-kun before leaving her.
He was so cool. )
Sakura felt love deeper than anyone else. The mood forged by the two Uchiha in front of her was annoying her, even if Sasuke's brother was completely silent and wasn't speaking.
After she stopped Shisui's teasing, the pretentious sexy Uchiha was looking at her with such an intensity, that she was afraid he would use his mangekyou on her. Sasuke-kun had told her many things about Uchiha Itachi's ability with genjutsu.
"Brother… Is that so?" asked Shunshin no Shisui, he gave them a sly smirk behind his cup of sake.
"Yes." firmly finished Sakura.
"Mmh. What do you think Itachi ? Do they look like siblings?" asked Shisui, with a teasing smile."Don't they look too close, what do you think, Nara ?"
Sakura blinked and quickly glanced at Shikamaru, he seemed as annoyed by the conversation as Sakura. At least he didn't have dark circles under his eyes, thought Sakura. She inspected her face on the bottle of water, and… yep, even with the lights and the people, she managed to see her horrifying face.
She looked like a ragdoll with pronounced eye liner.
"Troublesome." said Shikamaru as he got up and went toward another table, abandoning them alone.
Sakura couldn't believe he fled - leaving her, alone with the three Uchiha. She watched with envy as he flopped down on another table, snoring lightly. She needed sleep, dang it!
"What do you want." demanded Sasuke, again.
"No. Really Sasuke, don't you think you're too close to each other ?" asked Shisui, in a tone more severe than before.
Sasuke only pressed his lips tighter, his fierce scowl deepening. Sakura was as confused as her teammate.
"You really are innocent." said Shisui as he looked at the both of them, stunned. "You, you both seriously don't see it?" asked Shisui, his tone flabbergasted.
He instantly turned toward Sasuke's brother.
"Itachi, you see it too, right?"
Sakura's green gaze turned toward the stoic Uchiha. She watched as his lips moved, but something made them freeze, and he didn't spoke. Instead, he gave a small nod, his eyes suddenly focused only on Sasuke.
She scowled, she couldn't believe that boy. She would have thought him innocent, if it wasn't for the way he shifted his eyes away from Sakura - like she was a pest. What an arrogant man.
"Sasuke" continued the annoyance that was Shisui Uchiha. "Look how close you are sitting to each other, her hand is on your tight - you aren't being discreet." Sakura retracted her hand and flushed a bit. "We know you're not a womanizer Sasuke, but to stranger, you look like a couple."
"We do not!" interrupted Sakura.
"You do. You may say he's your brother, but with colorings like yours, nobody will think that. You don't have any blood tie."said not unkindly Shisui.
Cold Killing Intent flashed. She suddenly snapped her head toward Sasuke, his sharingan was turned on, his eyes were burning with passionate rage.
"Get out."
Sakura did not say anything.
She had understood exactly why Sasuke-kun was angry, before he abandoned their village, no one except for Mikoto-sama and Team Seven, knew he was hurting. The apparent lack of attention given by their clan had deeply hurt Sasuke, who had constantly wanted to be better for them.
Uchiha Itachi finally spoke.
"We apologize, Sasuke." softly expressed the warm deep voice of the Clan Heir.
Sasuke's fists were clenched, but he turned off his Sharingan. He was annoyed, but he wouldn't go against his big brother - the clan heir. And, he couldn't go against one of the strongest shinobi of their era, Shisui Uchiha.
They were not strong enough, not yet at least.
Tactical retreat it was then, thought Sakura.
She properly finished the bottle of Sake and took Sasuke's warm hand in hers. He instantly looked at her, but she didn't look at him. No, Sakura's unforgiving gaze — angered by their words, by her lack of sleep — looked at the two goddly powered Uchiha with scorn.
"I don't know why you both think you have a right to come during MY birthday party, insult my friend, and think that we will obey you. Tch." she was really spending too much time with Sasuke. She wasn't that dramatic, was she? "Come Sasuke, let us go. We have better things to do. I'm sure that your mother will love to know how my party went, right?"
Sasuke blinked and smirked.
"Hn."
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi paled.
She got up, triumphantly sending her own smirk at the two foolish Uchiha.
"Really?" shouted Sakura, properly capturing the attention of many people in the bar." WOW, your brother is so kind, Sasuke-kun!" continued to shout gleefully Sakura in an airy loud voice. "He's going to pay everyone's round for my birthday! What a kind man, right everyone ?!"
Uchiha Itachi's lovely mouth dropped a bit, as everyone around them shouted in ultimate happiness - Ino the loudest.
"Let's go Sasuke-kun, I'm pretty knackered." said Sakura with a beaming smile.
Sasuke's amused orbs found hers.
"Now, I know why you're Kakashi's favourite."
And they shunshinned away.
- To be continued