Thanks for all the reviews guys I love you all
I don't own Naruto
Recap:
"What?" She asked in astonishment turning to look at him. He stared at her blankly. Focus Sakura. This is your teammate's brother. What would he think if he knew you were secretly hate-crushing on his brother? She reasoned with herself.
Sakura shook her head, sharking away thoughts that she dared not acknowledge.
"Okay sure. I'll grab Naruto. Thanks for the invite Uchiha-san." She said smiling warmly at him then she turned away reaching behind her as she went to pull the elastic ban from her hair.
Totally oblivious to the way the lighting in the corridor was playing beautifully over it. She shook her head and instantly her hair curled around her face like a contemplation of pale pink flowers.
She was wearing a light green shirt which was perfect for the weather since it was spring in Konoha, and a light brown cargo pants that stopped just below her knees.
She walked with her back straight and her hips swaying unconsciously yet provocatively all the same as she walked down the hall unaware of the pair of onyx eyes that wondered after her.
Oh! She loved spring so much! Long walks in the park, the way the atmosphere had this fresh cool scent to it, waking up early to the chirping of birds and so much more. More Naruto to hang out with less Uchiha's around to kill the sunshine and to top it all off, a wonderful hospital with gracious patients waiting to be greeted by her in the mornings.
What more did life have to offer? Sakura wondered as she halted in front in front of the elevators and summoned the lift. When the doors eased open Sakura stepped in and pushed the button that would take her to the ground floor of the hospital.
She would go home to her apartment put on a nice kimono, since anyone invited into the Uchiha compound –especially to have dinner with the head Uchihas had to dress formal.
She would have dinner sitting beside Naruto –because that way she could stab him with her chopsticks if he decided to slurp his ramen and she would ignore Sasuke like normal, finish her dinner thank Mikoto and her husband as well as their elder son for having her and Naruto over then she would drag the blonde, blue eyed ninja off by his ear and they would head their separate ways home.
But that was not how it went…
Sakura finished dressing in her light green kimono at six thirty and finished putting the finishing touches to her make up just as her door bell rung signaling Naruto's arrival.
Such a gentleman, he was never late not even by a second. Quickly Sakura put on her flat sandal –since it was a long walk to the Uchiha's compound and her kimono didn't give her enough room to stretch her legs –and went to answer the door.
Naruto was grinning like a cat when he saw her. "If I weren't already smitten I'd have asked your father for your hand in marriage." He said taking in her appearance from her up swept hair, showing off her elegant slender neck to the tips her of pinkish-white toenails.
"Yea and is you don't want me telling Hinata you'd better get your tongue back in your mouth and take my hand." Sakura said swatting Naruto behind his very mess blonde hair.
"Can't a guy give you a compliment?" Naruto asked while he cocked his elbow for her to take. Coming down from the three small stairs that lead to the door of her apartment Sakura took his offered hand.
"No, I don't think so. Not when it's not coming from the right guy." They turned right heading into the heart of Konoha. The street that Sakura lived was lined with trees on both ends parting slightly to show the houses that were sitting among them like they had been there as long as time it self.
They would have to walk through the market, pass Ino's flower shop then walk about a quarter of a mile to reach the Uchiha compound.
"Oh Naruto? We have I mission, I asked Sasuke's brother to tell him to meet us at the Ramen shop but he invited us over instead." Sakura said quickly when she saw Naruto open his mouth to speak again. He just didn't know when to give up.
Sakura suddenly frowned a she recalled Itachi saying he had something to say to her. What could he possibly want to say to her? The sun had sunk a few minutes earlier leaving the sky with a purple-ish-orange color signaling the coming of night.
Sakura inhaled as they passed Ino's flower shop and sigh wistfully at the beautiful scent of lilac and honey mixed with the raising smell of the coming night.
The pave wasn't as crowded as it would be on Friday nights but she didn't care it made walking much more comfortable at least she didn't have to be squished next to Naruto and by the end of the walk they wouldn't be that sweaty.
"Anyways our mission entails trailing the Akasuki. There has been a sighting of one of its member in the Iron Village. Tusnade-sama thinks their digging for some sort of secret information. We have to find information on what it is that their looking for and we have to find out what it is before they themselves do." Sakura said and turned to find a sober Naruto looking at her.
"What?" She demanded.
"Couldn't Tusnade-baa-chan find someone to replace you I don't like the idea of having you around with the Akasuki in the same village and I'd shuddered at the thought of them being just mere yards away." Naruto said unaware of the way Sakura's fist clenched and unclenched.
She hated when he treated her like that –as if she were some babe in a cradle. She knew he only meant well because he cared about like a sister. But enough was enough.
She was twenty years old not twelve and she was quiet capable of turning the average ninja into but a pile of flesh and bones.
"As insulting as that sounds Naruto, I'll pretend that I didn't hear you say that."
It took them thirty minutes to reach the Uchiha compound during which Naruto kept his opinion to himself and his mouth shut. And she knew it was very difficult in his part. Everyone who knew Naruto knew that he could go no more than two minutes without noise but he did and it made Sakura feel guilty.
And she decided to make up for what she did; she would pay for the Ramen the next time they had lunch at Ichiraku's. The reached the gate of the Uchiha compound which was more like a complex with houses scattered on both sides of the road that seemed to go on forever. Most of these houses had a tree or two in front of them and now in the wake of night most of them had lights turned on.
Sakura could hear mothers calling their kids –boys mostly, girls were always with their mother learning to do things that a young lady should do –to come for their dinner.
They passed the now empty park and two intersections later they arrived at the one story house with a beautiful wooded rosewood porch running around the entire house and gleaming the color of honey mixed with red die. The path that led to the steps of the house was outlined with on both sides with Joseph-Coat plants and Jump-And-Kiss flowers leading right up the porch rails where it then fanned out to form a beautiful lawn.
Sakura walked with Naruto calmly up to the door then Naruto knocked twice. They waited beat then the door was slide opened by Sasuke. He was wearing a white dress shirt that was opened at the neck and folded at both sleeves up to his elbows along with a black dress pants he was also bare feet.
He was handsome, she would give him that but he just wasn't what she would go for. She knew why most of the girls in the village went after him but she just didn't know what they saw in his cold blank stare. And his stuck up-ness that always seemed to say 'I'm higher than you are'. That wasn't her thing she wouldn't ever go for that.
"Mother's been waiting for you guys," He said then walked away. Damn Uchihas and that was exactly why she'd never found him appealing. She'd figured that if half on the girls in Konoha –who imagined themselves to be in love with him –were placed in the same team with him then they'd see that there wasn't anything appealing to an Uchiha. They always think their so full of themselves, Sakura thought as she joined Naruto to take her sandals off.
They had been to Sasuke's house before of course on countless occasions but somehow this one seemed different and Sakura couldn't quite understand or place a finger on why. She walked in ahead of Naruto her feet touching the cold polished wooden floor in the hallway until they encountered the frizzy carpet in the living room.
"Sakura it's so good to see you! How are Huriki and your mother doing?" Mikoto asked racing forward to take Sakura in a motherly hug. Mikoto had long since been great friends with Sakura's father and to her, Sakura she was like a second mother. It was always pleasant to be around her and during those times Sakura had often wondered how this petite woman stands three Uchihas in one house?
But now the raven haired woman had never looked more beautiful, then she did now in her pale pink kimono. Her hair was long, down to her shoulder blades and she had a bang which made her look younger than she really was.
"Their both fine." Sakura replied smiling as she returned Mikoto's hug. Mikoto always made her feel safe and at home unlike her husband Fugaku Uchiha, he was totally different situation. If Itachi Uchiha made her feel like a pathetic rabbit that needed protection, Fugaku Uchiha made her think at times that he hated her.
"We I'm glad you can join us for dinner. Come on through to the dinning area." She said walking ahead of them into the direction that Sasuke had went. There was a coffee table and deep red cushions set out so they could sit the placemats Sakura noticed was the same color and pattern which was loops.
"Make yourselves Comfortable," Mikoto said. "Fugaku, Itachi! Dinner's ready." Sakura shivered when the first man walked into the room and she quickly scurried to the table to take her seat which was furthest away from him. Naruto followed suit but just as he was about to sit next to her Mikoto said, "Why don't you sit beside Sasuke dear I'm sure it'll be much comfortable," she chuckled, "I remember the last time you sit beside Sakura it seemed as if you were going through a pained dinner."
'Great. Just great.' Sakura thought as Uchiha Itachi took the cushion beside her.
'But hey! Look on the bright side he's sitting next to his father that means you get to sit beside Mikoto' Inner Sakura said cheerfully. Sakura didn't know Uchiha Itachi that much so she didn't have to go through the polite necessity of making small talk with him.
Naruto on the other side of the table was filling in Sasuke with the details to their mission of which Itachi seemed very interested with. Sakura sat with the four men feeling left out and wondered if she should go and help Mikoto bring dinner to the table. Deciding that if she sat there and let the thought sink in then she wouldn't move at all, Sakura quickly got up and made her way to the kitchen.
Mikoto was struggling with two large glass bowls of Domburi. "Here let me take one." She offered as she quickly took the bowl from the older woman.
"I get the feeling often too, honey, it's like they forget we're there," Mikoto said smiling warmly at her. Sakura blushed then turned away from the woman then left the kitchen with Mikoto trailing her heels.
The two women set the food on the table in record time then they sat down. One taking the end of the table and the other her former position.
"So Sakura, I heard you've applied for leave from the hospital?" Mikoto asked when they were well into their meals. Sakura had almost forgotten, she had but that had been so long that she herself had forgotten, much less Tusnade-sama, Sakura mused silently.
"Yea I did but I don't think I'll be getting any," She said quietly. She could feel their eyes on her. Not Naruto's mind you nothing could pull him away from his food –well that was nothing except Hinata.
Mikoto shook her head and was about to say something else but something stopped her. Sakura shrugged and went back to eating her food. Naruto surprisingly didn't slurp anything but then Ramen wasn't on the table so slurping was out. Sasuke had a bored expression on his face, one that Sakura was accustomed too. Sasuke only ever wore that expression when he was thinking really hard about something and she hoped it didn't involve her.
Itachi on the other hand seemed like he was in a far away land, Sakura didn't care too much to observe his expression. As far as she knew he didn't have any. She never looked to the head of the table during the entire meal.
Dessert was a chocolate cake that Sasuke chowder down on like there was no tomorrow.
"Easy there little brother, save some for everyone else. At the rate that you're going there won't be any left for our guests." Itachi teased his brother and Sasuke in return growled then glowered at his sibling.
Sakura hid a giggle behind her hand. This to Itachi sounded very beautiful. The evening finally came to a close Sakura got up and helped Mikoto cleared away the table of the dishes. Then she shoved up her kimono sleeves and borrowed one of Mikoto aprons and started helping her with washing them.
Itachi sat outside on the steps of the porch and stared out at the stars which once he would have thought were beautifully coordinated across the sky. But not anymore…
Some one had stolen that beauty as well as the color of the world.
He heard the door slid open but didn't turn to see who it was. He didn't have too.
"What so you want?" Sasuke demanded bracing on the wooden rail and trying very hard to ignore his brother.
"It's about Sakura." Sasuke's brows furrowed at this. What did Sakura have to do with his brother?
"That mission that the hokage is sending her on," Itachi begun and paused he still hadn't moved since Sasuke had stepped out side. He still had his elbows propped on his knees and half his face concealed behind his hands.
The famous Uchiha poise.
"What does that have to do with you?" Sasuke demanded.
"I want Sakura to return to Konoha just the way she's leaving not a single scratch nor bruise when she returns because if she does come back with those or worst I'm coming to you.
He hated when he brother threatened him because he knew that Itachi would go through with it. A shiver ran up his spine…
"We had a wonderful dinner Ms Uchiha," Sakura said as the older woman kissed both her cheeks.
"Oh and Naruto? You can go on ahead Itachi is going to take Sakura home." At Mikoto's words Sakura's eyes widen.
Wait.
What?
No, this couldn't be happening to her. She didn't want to be alone with him…
Sakura watched horrified as Naruto grinned leaned in kissed the older woman then muttered. "Thanks mum." Then to Sakura. "I'll see you in a couple of days Saki," Naruto said and leaned in and kissed her too then he was gone in the blink of an eye.
She turned back to see Mikoto was replaced by Itachi Uchiha his eyes as cold as ever. "Are you ready?"
"I…yes." She turned to begin walking only to have him take her hand….
I did like this chapi but guys plz still tell me wat u think