Hello Hamburger Veterans! :) I have, at last, updated IILWD! I apologize for the 5-month wait and appreciate your patience but you should have gotten used to it by now. I am sad to say that my tardiness will continue on since I have boldly signed up to 3 AP classes as well as 2 (maybe 3) after school clubs- I have not much free time nowadays but I believe I can still manage to sneak in a few minutes or hours every once in a blue moon!
Announcement: It is currently September 11 and I would like to give my condolences to those who have lost someone in the 9/11 attack. It was a tragic moment in history and I found it necessary to share some words pertaining to it during this day. And no, I am not going to bother with any of those conspiracies that people love to constantly blabber about; my belief in them is minimal if not non-existent…
Honestly, I was only 5 during 9/11 and I have no memories or recollections of it but hearing stories and watching clips just give me the sensation that I'm reliving it and no matter how many times I see it, I always get these waves of emotion whenever I see footage of the tower's collapsing, it is just something surreal.
This day is very impactful and let me just say that those who died are gone but not forgotten. I am speaking whole-heartedly when I say that I admire the heroes of that day and I grieve for the loss of innocent lives. In 100 years, I am sure this day could still be one of infamy not only because it was a tragedy but also because it was a day where the world was united.
Rest in peace to 9/11 victims and live-on America.
Thank you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Remember to read and Review and enjoy!
I'M IN LOVE WITH DANGER
"You make mistakes… but… because of those mistakes… you get the strength to stand up to them… that's why I think you are truly strong."-Hinata Hyuuga
It was our first date and I was extremely nervous, I was already 17 but I was still having nervous jitters.
That day, I had tried my absolute best to look good for him. I had to beg my mother to take me to the mall so I could buy something suitable, and I ended up buying a pale pink spaghetti strap dress, that stopped right above my knees. I wore some flower-printed ballet flats and my hair was put into loose curls.
I really tried so hard for him.
I finished preparing myself early and was only waiting for him to arrive. The knock on the door notified me that he was here and I quickly rushed out to the door(almost tripping over my living room rug) after I cursed myself for my clumsiness, I straightened myself up and casually opened the door.
And he was there, wearing a loose shirt of his favorite rock band and some dark straight jeans. His hair was as messy as always, he honestly looked as if he just rolled out of bed and wore whatever he first laid eyes on. But that didn't matter to me because that was just how he was: carefree and rugged, and at that time, my teenage-self only cared for that.
I muttered a shy hello as he unashamedly checked me out. I never felt so self-conscious in my whole life but when he said, "Hey, you look nice," all nervousness went out the door. I smiled coyly and enjoyed my very first date with him at a monster truck show. I didn't even like monster trucks but he did and that's all that mattered to me.
I only cared for him and had actually thought he really cared for me but I would later on realize that he never cared for me…
After the trip from the Konoha Bar, Tsunade had to drop Sakura off at the University so she could retrieve her car and pick-up Akira. They both planned to go to an Italian restaurant afterwards, along with Akira, to celebrate Sakura's new employment.
She was absolutely elated; she hasn't felt so proud and happy in quite a long time.
The whole world seemed livelier.
Everything just held a more brighter tint to it, the grass seemed a lot greener, the sky appeared much bluer and the sun looked more… sunnier!
Sakura hasn't felt this relaxed and merry for some time now.
Maybe this is the beginning of a much more organized life…
While entering the daycare, the usual young female staff member, Hana, welcomed Sakura with her usual smile and greeting. "Good afternoon, Ms. Haruno. You seem awfully happy today."
Sakura nodded cheerfully, "Well let's just say my day hasn't ever been in its brightest in quite a while."
Hana nodded, happy to see the young mother in an unstressed state. Haruno Sakura was known throughout the daycare as being a single mother who worked as if she had the weight of the world on her back. Hana often pitied the woman, she could tell the days when Sakura was stressed out more than others. Just the past couple days were clearly some hectic ones, it was all reflected in her red eyes and forced smile; Sakura has been shedding too many tears.
However, her aura was a lot lighter and brighter. She was practically beaming out rays of sunshine and rainbows.
It was nice to see the always tired Sakura, relaxed and happy for once.
Hana kindly chatted with the pretty single mother for a couple minutes before leaving to retrieve Akira. He was currently playing with two other boys and a girl at the building blocks station. When she called out his name his head whipped towards her and he knowingly went to her side, waving goodbye to his friends.
She led the boy to the front desk where his mother was waiting for him, a joyous scene was displayed by the mother and son as Sakura brought her arms out towards him with a warm smile plastered on her lips making young Akira elatedly run towards the arms of his merry mother. The room held a warm ambiance in result of the loving display.
Sakura smiled her usual tender, affectionate smile when she held her son in her arms while her son held a content smile on his small lips.
Hana patiently waited for the two to finish their fond embrace, chuckling as Sakura awkwardly apologized. "Oh, no worries," Hana smiled at the still-embarrassed mother, "you clearly adore your son, there's nothing wrong with that. I hope you both have a really good afternoon." The woman said, bidding them a warm-hearted good-bye, which Sakura returned.
She waved at Hana while holding her son's hand tightly and exiting the daycare.
Akira talked animatedly during the ride home, a rarity since he was usually asleep after a tiring day of playing and learning.
"…And then Rin told me that he saw a dinosaur in that amusement park! But he said that it was fake and that it was only a robot that was a part of the ride but he said it still looked so real! I want to go to an amusement park one day, mommy! Can you take me?"
Sakura laughed at her sons blabbering story-telling and nodded, "I'll take you to an amusement park one day."
"Really?!" He exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, Aki, Just wait a little while more and mommy will take you to an amusement park. I promise." I'll promise you the world if I could… Anything for you, Aki.
Akira squealed with delight and recounted more stories of the amusement park his friend went to during the whole trip home, even when they were entering their apartment.
"Mommy, when you take me to the amusement park can we go to all the rides? Rin said he couldn't go to all of them because his dad was scared of some of them but you're not a scaredy cat so can we go to all of them?"
Wanting to tell Akira that she needed to get ready, Sakura tried hard to quiet her son, nodding at everything he said until he quieted down. "We'll go to all the rides when we go to the amusement park but as for now we have to get ready to go to a restaurant."
Already his usual calm and composed self, Akira eyed his mom, completely puzzled, "Restaurant?"
She nodded, bending down on an eye-level with her son, "Yup. Granny Tsunade and I planned on going to an Italian restaurant and she'll come to pick us up in about 30 minutes, okay?"
Her son nodded, giving her a smile as his mother ruffled his hair and planted a soft kiss on his forehead.
"Alright, now I'm going to go change into something else, give me a shout if Tsunade comes, Okay?"
"Alright." He chirped.
Sakura beamed at her son, "Good boy."
Now what to wear…
Her eyes shifted through the clothing in her drawers as she dug through it, pulling out some shirts, then folding and putting them back in neatly. She smiled approvingly as she found a light pink blouse with black buttons. She then skimmed through another drawer that held her bottoms and immediately found a slim black skirt. Her final outfit piece was in her closet which she scurried over to, slipping on some black wedges with the cutest bow in the tip.
She did a couple twirls and look-ups as she admired her attire in the mirror, completely pleased with it. The Rosette turned to her vanity but jumped up in surprise as she saw Akira in the doorway, he stared at her curiously.
Sakura welcomed him with a smile and she modeled her look in front of him, "Is it too much?"
He shook his head, "No… you look really pretty, mommy."
She chuckled, watching him as he made himself comfortable in her bed. He usually came to her side when he had nothing to do and it didn't bother her one bit. Why would it? He was her cute little Aki-Pocky.
Having decided to not leave her hair down, Sakura was working on her hair, humming a merry hymn while doing so. She was only putting it up in a simple low bun, tying a black ribbon over the black hair band that held her bun in place top add some more spark to it.
She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, satisfied with the result.
Her emerald orbs drifted to her son who was playing around with her cellphone that she had aloofly thrown in bed, she examined his clothing critically before asking, "Do you want to change, Aki?"
He shook his head, concentrated on playing "Bricks" on his mother's cellphone. His mother clucked her tongue in mock disappointment until a loud knock echoed through the hall ways from the front door.
Sakura quickly grabbed her black clutch purse as she went to answer the door with Aki closely following her, still playing Bricks.
Sakura greeted her professor/godmother merrily, "Hey, Tsunade."
The older woman gave her a curt nod. Her hair had been left straight down while she wore a black cocktail dress and had on some black stilettos. Sakura couldn't help but envy the 50-something year old woman, she bet that when she becomes Tsunade's age she would already be pruning however Tsunade seemed to defy the laws of aging considering that she looked so young and stunning despite her age.
Akira greeted the older woman as well and was immediately brought into a suffocating embrace from the woman. "Hello, Akira. My I feel like you grow every day. I hope you're doing well."
He dipped his head in consent while in the tight embrace. Letting out a breath of air when she finally let go of him, Sakura laughed at them both. Tsunade was a very strong woman and it never ceased to amuse the rosette how Akira struggled within the tight, loving embrace of the older woman. "Alright, let's go. I'm seriously hungry, and the food is on Tsunade."
Tsunade rolled her amber eyes, "Don't push it, pinky."
Sakura only giggled and locked the door behind her as they exited her home.
The restaurant was called Sapore d'Italia, and boy was it fancy.
Now Sakura felt like she and Aki were supremely under dressed. Tsunade chuckled as she witnessed Sakura's awe. "You really, need to get out more Sakura. This is the second place you're drooling over." A mocking smirk spread over her lips as Sakura spluttered in embarrassment, immediately denying the allegation.
The place was so brightly lit and everything seemed so extravagant to Sakura's commoner eyes.
"Buona sera!" A cheerful waitress suddenly hopped in and welcomed them, shooting them a dazzling smile, "How may I help you?"
Tsunade lifted three fingers, "Table for three, please: two adults and one child."
The waitress nodded and led them through the restaurant which Sakura inwardly gawked at (not making the mistake to do so, openly in public).
The place was huge and lavish, the walls were painted a rich red and had various copy-cat portraits of famous paintings (Mona Lisa, Danaë with Nursemaid, Bacchus and Ariadne , and many more she couldn't name) adorning them. The whole floor itself was made of white marble and there was one big crystal chandelier in the center of the high ceilings with smaller crystal chandeliers surrounding it in fairly-spaced intervals. Various table-clothed tables were scattered around the room, some bigger than others, all of them having either candles or roses in its center.
The gawking had stopped when the waitress dropped them off in a 3-seat table, all of them seated themselves and both Sakura and Tsunade chuckled at Aki, whose head was barely over the table. The waitress smiled and fetched him a small booster seat that raised him up enough for his elbows to be placed on the table.
The young waitress handed them each a menu and told them she would return later to take their order bidding them an Italian "see you later".
The moment Sakura's eyes met with foreign words she muttered to her mentor, "Alright, Tsunade… You're going to have to help me decipher this fancy Italian menu."
Tsunade lips tugged to a smug smile, "There's a description for each underneath in small-print."
"Oh! I didn't even notice them…"
"Pick one from each category. This is going to be a meal." Tsunade added.
Sakura nodded still reading the menu. Gamberi e Lenticchie— Sautéed jumbo shrimp with lentils, celery, in a fresh herb lemon sauce… That sounds good.
Paccheri alla Scarpariello —Neopolitan large rigatoni with cherry tomato, garlic, basil, oregano, Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano… I guess that will do even though I don't know what half this stuff even is.
Capesante al Limone —Seared sea scallops, served with spinach, fresh mints in a lemon wine sauce… Ooo~! Sounds good to me!
Sakura looked over at her son who, judging by the perplexed look on his face, clearly did not understand a thing on the menu. She giggled and went over to help him until the waitress came. She gave them a smile before asking, "Do we have our orders yet?"
Tsunade was the first to order, she ordered each dish very eloquently, her voice had never once jumbled up the foreign words, something Sakura admired and envied, "Conchiglie ai Frutti Di Mare, Risotto Vongole e Zucchine, Cassuola di Tonno, and some red wine please."
The waitress nodded, writing down the order before turning to Sakura, Sakura inwardly frowned, I'm totally going to be butchering these words. "Um, I would like a Gambe-rry e Lent-itchy, Pac-cherry alla Scar-pa-rye-lo, Cape-san-tea al Lemon and some ice tea, please." Sakura nervously looked up at the waitress writing the orders down but she could just tell that the woman was trying hard to hold back a laugh. Her lopsided smile and quivering lips said it all.
"Alright mam, and what would the little boy like?" The waitress nudged her heads towards Akira and before either Sakura or Tsunade could help him out, Akira ordered rather comically. "I would like macaroni with Sprite, please."
Sakura doubted that the restaurant even sold macaroni much less Sprite, a soft drink. However she was caught by surprise as the waitress nodded, giving the table a bow before walking away.
"They actually sell macaroni and sprite."
"Pasta and ginger ale are the same thing to them, Saks." The blonde woman said, grinning at Akira, "Nice job, Kiddo. You did better than your mom."
Akira chortled, "Really?"
The older woman nodded, shooting a teasing glance at Sakura whom never wanted to sink and melt into a seat as much as she did that day. She frowned, holding her head down so Tsunade wouldn't notice her embarrassed blush. "Whatever, Tsunade. I'm sorry I'm not so use to the rich life." The young rosette pouted.
Tsunade shook her head, looking over at Akira as he still had a proud grin splayed across his lips. Kids and parents, these days…
The waitress eventually came with their first order and Akira's macaroni (pasta), having her never-ending smile on as she said, "Buon appetito!"
Seconds after she left, the two women began to eat. Sakura moaned in delight as the sumptuous and foreign flavor titillated her taste buds. "It's so good…"
Tsunade chuckled as she was eating her meal, smiling amusingly at how Sakura practically devoured her food. It was something new for the rosette and Tsunade could tell that Sakura liked this new environment that was reserved for those who had fortune and luck.
Tsunade wished Sakura could get this lifestyle for herself and believed whole-heartedly that the rosette could have done so a lot sooner if it weren't for some obstacles that have come by, hindering Sakura's dream more and more.
The biggest obstacle to have bombarded her life was that man.
It was obvious that Sakura was still haunted by her late-boyfriend who was also the father of Akira…
That man had never held any form of reverence towards Sakura no matter what the poor, love-struck rosette tried to do. Tsunade clearly recalled him even stating that Sakura was only "temporary".
Sakura on the other hand, held her upmost highest admiration towards him. She remembered how Sakura would always defend the man when Tsunade was irked by him and how she always spoke so highly of him saying things like "he's the one" "We'll be together, forever"… In the end he only resulted in being the no-good scumbag that Tsunade has originally seen him as.
Clasping her hands together and bringing them under her chin as she propped her elbows onto the table, amber eyes examined the rosette. From her exotic pink hair to her exuberant emerald eyes down to her pastel hands that was loosely holding her silverware. Sakura was pretty and young… She had her life ahead of her but she was stubborn and broken.
"Sakura, I'm a bit curious here… How's your love life? Is it still non-existent?" She joked with the last bit however was pretty serious with the question as a whole.
Caught by Surprise, Sakura shortly choked on her drink, her son quickly patted her back and Sakura thanked him before shooting a harsh glare at Tsunade. "I don't see why it matters."
"I'm just curious. I personally think you should go accompany yourself with men here and there. There really is nothing wrong with it."
"I don't need one."
Tsunade rolled her eyes as she took a swig of the red wine, "And why is that?"
After eating her second meal, Sakura placed her silverware down and kept her a stern gaze with the elder blonde, "Because I can do anything they could do, all by myself." Her words were spoken with a firm finality, signaling to the older woman that she was hell-bent on her ideals.
"It wouldn't hurt, Saks."
Sakura shook her head. She had no desire to be in this topic— not one ounce of desire.
Smiling and thanking the waiter who brought her last entrée. She dug into her third, and final, meal, speaking in-between bites. "Men are no-good scum bags. Remember you told me that once?"
"It was directed to that no-good idiot of a man that you were so infatuated with back then. You know that."
Sakura scoffed, "Whatever, in the end, I'm doing fine on my own."
"Says the girls who just got a job today," Tsunade muttered smartly, "Nevertheless don't you think it would be good for Akira?"
Said boy perked his head up from the game- already being finished with his food- at the mention of his name, he was playing on his mom's cellphone the whole time, being enthralled with the bricks game while his mother and Tsunade were having grown up talk. Sakura told him that they weren't talking to him and he shrugged, returning to the game.
Sakura turned her gaze towards Tsunade, arching an eyebrow for Tsunade to explain herself, "And what good would it do for my son?"
"Well the boy will need more masculinity in his life."
"I'm pretty tough…"
Tsunade chuckled, "Well you are but you're not manly."
"He can gain those attributes from his buddies."
"Sakura, someone is going to have to teach him things you can't. The day will come when you can't do something for him that a man could have."
Stubborn as always, Sakura disagreed, "I'll be able to work through it when the day comes."
Finally groaning in exasperation, Tsunade rubbed her temples to soothe her nerves. Grumbling "So stubborn." loud enough for Sakura to hear. "At least keep the thought in mind, you are still young and beautiful. I'm sure many men are lining up for your hand."
Sakura had once again disagreed with a slow shake of her head, "No one would want to be with a used car."
Taken aback by the rosette's comment, Tsunade only stared wide-eyed at her star pupil and special god daughter. "Sakura-"
Sakura abruptly rose up from her seat, smiling sadly at Tsunade. "I believe it's getting late, tomorrow I have a busy day ahead of me and I'll need plenty of rest. Don't worry about driving me home, I'll haul a cab back. I really appreciate everything you've done for me, Tsunade, really… I'll see you tomorrow." She bowed respectfully towards Tsunade before she left the older women, being followed dutifully by her young son who gave a swift hug and curt wave towards Tsunade.
Young Akira had long ago quit the Bricks game, aggravated with how the ball went faster and faster until it flew to the ground making it game over.
He brought his gaze towards his mother. They were both sitting in the back seat of the cab and it had been a quiet, mellow ride, throughout it all his mother seemed… sad.
"Mommy, why are you sad?"
Sakura let out a chuckle, inwardly soothing herself down, and ruffled her son's hair, "I'm not sad, Aki. Mommy's just thinking about the day she has ahead of her."
Her son stared at her before he muttered a soft "okay". In the end, he believed her as always, he couldn't tell that she was lying and forcing the smiles she was giving him and he really wouldn't be able to tell at such a tender age. Sakura was grateful for his naivety. She didn't want her son to be swallowed up by her distress, never.
A sudden yawn came from his lips causing the rosette to let out an honest giggle. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder and kissed his forehead softly, "Go to sleep, Aki. I'll wake you up when we're home."
"Okay, Mommy."
Heaving heavily, Sakura rushed through her apartment bumping into various things (tables, wall corners, couches, etc…) here and there. She was already donning her work uniform that had fit her quite nicely. The cute cream blouse and light pink knee-length pencil skirt hugged her petite figure flatteringly.
She made sure the skirt was accordingly placed just below her bust and she tied the light pink bow onto the collar just like Ino had. Though the long spandex socks that went beyond her skirt hugged her legs a bit tootightly, it wasn't too bothersome and her modest black heels were something that would take a while to get use to but it was nothing she couldn't handle however running around in them wasn't exactly the greatest.
Her lessons at school had finished earlier than usual and she made sure to remind Tsunade to pick-up Akira afterwards. Tsunade promised she wouldn't forget and even wished her good luck right before she exited the classroom. Sakura was really grateful for everything Tsunade has done and made a vow to herself that she should make it up to her mentor someday.
Everything was going well however Sakura had made the ridiculous mistake of thinking that she could go to the local coffee shop for a drink then go home to change into her uniform and then go to her newly acquired job and make it right on time (if not sooner). She really didn't expect time to go by so fast she swore one moment the clock in the coffee house read 11:45 and then when she exited and was at her car, the clock read 1:45. She didn't plan for it.
But things never go as planned, especially for trouble-prone Sakura which was why she was currently zooming through the roads of her town like a crazy maniac. At least that was what it seemed like for her sense she was in a panicked state of mind in all honesty, her driving was smooth and not over the speed limit — fortunately enough.
"Dammit! I'm going to be late for work!" She groaned out, continuing to babble to herself as she anxiously drove to her new work, "Not a really good first impression for such a great job. Agh! I'm so screwed!"
She really wanted to rip her hair out right now, only managing not to do so with the thought that she'd look like a physical wreck once she arrived at work which would be an addition to her already bad impression.
Heaving a nervous sigh as she arrived, Sakura tamed her hair down a bit before speed-walking into the bar. She was immediately met with a perplexed Ino. The blonde raised a delicate eyebrow as she caught sight of the exhausted Sakura, smiling lopsidedly as she addressed Sakura's state, "Well you sure are a hot mess."
Sakura blushed, bowing apologetically, "I'm sorry, I just didn't want to be late for my first day of work."
Ino chuckled, "Late? Sakura you came earlier than scheduled. It's barely 1'o Clock and we expected you here by 2."
Puzzled, Sakura whipped her head up, " 1'o Clock? I was certain that it was nearing 2…" A memory of her son playing around inside her car in the morning struck making her gust out a low groan in embarrassment. Aki...
Ino chuckled, "But it is okay if you came early! There is no problem with that. I can give you the newbie tutorial early and then you can get straight to work right after!"
Sakura gave a sheepish nod, rubbing the nape of her neck, "Thanks."
"But…" The Rosette was deterred by Ino's sudden addition, fiddling around anxiously as she waited for the blonde to continue, "You can't expect looking like that when serving our most dignifiedguests!"
Sakura blinked, not knowing what Ino meant until the blonde suddenly dragged her into a room labeled: Personnel Only.
The room was large and luxurious –much like the rest of the building. The walls were painted a light green and the floor was made of the same cream marble floor as the rest of the building. It had a huge white vanity with bright light bulbs adorning the upper edges of it, they were the only light source there but it was enough to brighten the whole room. The vanity had stretched out against the whole left side of the wall that it resided on and there was one big shoji screen across the right corner of the room, Sakura believed it was for changing purposes considering there was some article of clothing hanging over it the screen.
Ino abruptly cut off her observations, pointing forward, "Look at the mirror."
Sakura did as she was told and inwardly groaned in disgust. I'm atrocious.
"Not quite the looker, yet," Ino gave Sakura a small smile, "Let me fix you up a bit." She suggested good-naturedly as she seated Sakura in a French stool facing the vanity.
Ino quickly got to work, brushing Sakura's tangled tresses rather quickly. Her lithe hands expertly sectioned pieces of hair before wounding them around hot rollers, one by one, sectioning and wrapping until her whole hair was filled with nothing but rollers.
Blue eyes that were intently looking at Sakura's hair slid to her face and smiled approvingly. "Wow, you have a very fair and beautiful face. Not much make-up is needed here however a couple touch ups can enhance it a bit more. You don't mind some make-up on you, do you?"
"No not at all." Sakura replied kind-heartedly, "I'm just not really use to it."
"Don't worry! I won't cake it onto you. You're honestly a natural beauty but those bags under your eyes aren't too flattering." She giggled as Sakura blushed. Ino rubbed some concealer under her eyes, lightly dabbing some powder and blush onto her cheeks, "So tell me about yourself, Sakura." Ino said, trying to spark a conversation with the rosette.
Sakura was unaware of what to say, not many bothered to ask her about herself, "Um… What do you want to know about me?"
"The good stuff, have a boyfriend or something?" Ino grinned mischievously as she said that, proceeding to putting small amount of mascara to darken Sakura's eyelashes as well as adding rosy gloss to make her lips shine.
"Afraid not nor am I in a hunt for one, I have a young 4-year old son though and I have my priorities set on his welfare more than my own."
"Oh." Ino stopped momentarily, shocked by her new knowledge of Sakura. Sakura took that as her chance to glance up at the mirror and was surprise to see a fairly largeenhancement to her face. She looked a lot... brighter.
"What's your young child's name?"
Still admiring herself, she absentmindedly answered, "Akira."
"He's a boy?" Ino shot Sakura an admiring look, "Must be tough, no wonder Tsunade speaks so highly of you, she has always said that you were a rock of a woman."
Sakura didn't know how to respond to that. It seemed like Tsunade spoke of her often. She really does care…
"I think your hair should be done curling." Ino said suddenly, she slowly began to remove each hot roller from Sakura's hair and ran her hands through her hair to loosen the curls. She smiled in satisfaction at the result and pulled half her upper-hair back, clipping it down with a rhinestone hair clip shaped as a flower, "All done!" She stepped back allowing the rosette to see herself.
She grinned as Sakura looked at herself in awe. "You did great, Ino!"
"All in a day's work." Ino smugly stated, rubbing and blowing her nails cockily as Sakura continued to compliment her work.
Ino gave Sakura a bit more time to admire herself before she linked their arms and pulled the rosette out of the room. "All right, time for Waitressing 101."
Ino handed her a pink notepad and pen, "Those are your tools. You simply go to a waiting customer and ask what he would like. Remember good posture, words, and smile. Don't slouch, mumble, or even falter those rosy lips down, got it?"
The blonde made the job seem like a battlefield, making Sakura a bit unsettled. But the rosette nodded nonetheless and followed Ino as she went to a middle-aged male customer that was already propped into a seat, Sakura observed the blonde as she greeted him. "Hello, Mr. Satoshi. How are you doing this fine day?"
The man glanced up at the two women, he smirked at the sight of them, "Very good now, what with being met with two gorgeous women."
Ino giggled, "How kind. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Maybe a lovely night at my place?" He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, Sakura was already cringing in the inside, having small regrets of taking the job. Don't tell me I have to go through this, all afternoon…
"So you want the usual green tea and scones?" She chimed in casually.
Satoshi sighed, "Of course."
"Alrighty, lovely Sakura here well bring them up to you when they're ready."
Satoshi shot the rosette a joyous grin, "Sakura is this lovely woman's name?"
Sakura nodded, her lips tugged up as she gave him a warm smile. "Yes, I'm new to this workforce, so please excuse me if I make any blunders."
He chuckled, "Oh no worries, I could never get mad at a pretty face like yours."
Ino jumped in, shooting Satoshi a charming look, "Oh, Mr. Satoshi you're such a doll. Well we got to get up and going, I'm teaching Sakura here the ropes of being a waitress and it'd be great to finish it quickly so she can get working."
The man nodded, "Carry on then."
Ino praised Sakura while they walked across the place, "You did great, Sakura. I'm sure you'll be a great asset to the bar."
The rosette blushed, timidly looking down at the ground, "Well I admired how you worked and eased the conversation. He was flirting with you and you managed to wave him off without upsetting him."
The blonde snickered, "It's all in a day's work, my friend. Don't be surprised if you get some cat calls and whistles, though I can't say it's supremely common. It usually happens when men are either drunk or just trying their luck but there are those, like Mr. Satoshi, who are resilient flirters. But I wouldn't worry about them because you get pretty use to waving them off."
The blonde stopped before placed the order on an order wheel that was standing on a small granite quartz counter on the right wall of the building. She called out softly, "Jugo, we have an order."
The face of a young man suddenly appeared. Emerald eyes met fiery red-orange ones, "Is this the new waitress you spoke of?" His voice spoke softly.
"Yes, Jugo. This is Haruno Sakura and Sakura this is Jugo Taka, the head chef."
Sakura bowed in greeting, "It's a pleasure to meet you Jugo." She brought her hand over the counter and he took it giving it a soft shake.
"The pleasures all mine." He gave her a kind smile while picking the order up, "Hm… Scones and Green Tea, I'm going to say that it's for Mr. Satoshi?"
Ino consented with a dip of her head, "Of course."
"I'll ding it down once I'm done."
"Thanks, Jugo."
"Alright, now Sakura you see how we all basically memorize customers? Try to do that, at least with our regular customers. Satoshi is a regular customer and there are a couple more regulars who I'll point out to you throughout the day, kay."
Sakura nodded, noting it all keenly into her head, the rest of the hour Ino and Sakura had been practicing together. Sakura managed to not mess up and many of the customers were kind and lenient.
By 4 o' clock Sakura had already got the hang of things, only minimally asking Ino for help.
Ino grinned and patted Sakura in the back after she had just given an order to a customer, "Not bad, not bad at all! You're doing great, Sakura. Tsunade wasn't kidding when she said you were a fast learner."
The rosette thanked her, "I'm honestly shocked I'm doing as well as I am. I usually have clumsy feet."
"Maybe waitressing is your calling." Both girls giggled, joking with one another. The two having already formed a close bond throughout the few hours they've spent with one another.
"Hello, Anyone gunna tend to me?" A clamorous voice abruptly echoed throughout the bar, making all heads in the vicinity turn towards the cause— a tan, blue-eyed young blonde. Sakura barely noticed how Ino rolled her eyes, mumbling to her, "Let's get back to work."
Ino didn't even give the rosette a chance to respond as she hastily strode over to the blonde male.
The blonde was a fairly handsome (not to mention rich-looking) young man, he wore an orange button-up shirt with its sleeves rolled up to the elbows as well as some black dress pants his attire was accompanied with a black tie around his neck and a shiny (expensive) Rolex watch around his wrist, his sun-kissed hair was spiked up and he wore a cheeky grin as Ino went towards him. "It's about time, talk about lousy service."
"I apologize for the inconvenience, Sir, but you can make yourself to a seat all by yourself, you know."
He shook his head, "Then what's the point of having you stand by the door?"
"So I can tend to any new guests, special receptions or VIP's."
The young man scratched his head nonchalantly, "I'm a VIP, aren't I?"
Letting out a long exhale, Ino rubbed her temples to soothe her nerves, "Naruto, just tell me what you want."
"A steaming bowl of ramen, please!"
Shooting a warning gaze towards him, Ino growled out, "Naruto…"
Having sensed Ino's foul mood he raised his hand in defeat, "Alright, alright, you Scary Woman. I actually just wanted to make a reservation for the whole bar for the following Friday night."
Bewildered by the request, Ino repeated him for confirmation, "The whole bar…?"
Naruto gave a curt assent of his head, grinning all the while, "Yes, every corner and crevice of it for Friday night, please!"
"May I please know the occasion?" Now being in a more professional state, Ino wrote his reservation in a notepad as she asked him the question.
"A welcome back party!" He had raised his arms in delight, his eyes were now merry slits. Sakura was so enthralled by his lively nature. She could tell Ino held some sort of friendship with him considering that she was more open with him— having not even bothered to mask her annoyance.
"Hm… right. Well the price will be quite hefty considering the reservation is in 3 more days, when you should have known that it ought to be made much earlier, like 2 months earlier. Also it'll be in a Friday Night, one of our busiest nights if I may add and don't forget that-"
He had zoned out through it all and waved her ranting off when she only kept continuing, "Yeah, yeah. Just accept my card and make the reservation." He waved his debit card right before her face. The veteran waitress merely rolled her eyes and pointed to the Credit card terminal plopped onto the podium that she stood at.
As Ino, wrote down some paper work, Naruto roamed his eyes over to the vicinity. His vision was immediately captivated by the sight of pink. He unconsciously blushed as her exuberant emerald orbs connected with his, she smiled towards him only causing his cheeks to further redden, mouth to go dry and his hands to sweat. She was an angel…
"Naruto!"
The blonde returned his gaze towards Ino, her eyebrows were arched in confusion as she studied his nervous state, "You alright?"
He only nodded, not being able to speak a word for once, it took him a couple throat clearings before he could ask, "Who is she?" nudging his head towards Sakura's direction.
It took mere seconds before catching on and Ino couldn't help but giggle, "She's our newest employee, Haruno Sakura." She wriggled her eyes suggestively at him, "Quite the pretty thing, huh?"
He immediately agreed, "You got that right?"
Ino swore that she could the hearts in his eyes, the wicked smirk that she tried hard to tame leered over her face as she continued, "It's a shame she already has a kid." His reaction was what she was hoping it'd be; Shocked and speechless, a true rarity when it comes to the Knucklehead.
Naruto spluttered and jumbled his words very surprised by what Ino just said. "Are- Are you serious?!"
"Yup but don't worry she's single as well." She added off-handedly.
"Single… and with a child?"
Ino nodded, now scrutinizing his reaction. So what now, Naruto?
"Well what a pity… whoever left her sure was an idiot. Even I wouldn't make such a mistake."
Smiling in approval, Ino agreed, "I know, I pity her but she seems to be toughing it out. I admire her."
"Think she's willing to give me a shot?"
Ino laughed, making Naruto briefly feel self-conscious (only briefly). "Don't get your hopes up, Naruto. It's too early to even be saying such things and besides she isn't really searching for a man at this moment."
Naruto seemed to understand where Sakura was coming from however… "Nevertheless, that doesn't mean I can change her mind! Believe it!"
Ino rolled her eyes, Oh brother… "It's not that simple you knucklehead."
"Just watch!" He strode over to a table not too far from Sakura and waved his hands, "Hey waitress!"
Sakura stopped from tending to customers, shooting Ino a confused look. The veteran waitress simply waved her on, signaling her to wait on the blonde.
She gave a kind smile to the blonde, "Hello, Sir-"
"Naruto, please. I am Naruto Uzumaki!" He introduced, grinning at her cheerfully. Taken aback by his sudden introduction Sakura slipped out her own introduction, "My name is Sakura and I'll be your waitress for today."
"…How about every day?"
"Huh?"
This was the start of Sakura's world being turned upside down…
Well the ball is starting to get rolling! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I was frankly really proud of it because it was over 6 thousand words (a record)!But yeah please don't forget to read and review and if you sneezed during your reading, Bless you!
Thank you all, and see you later Hamburgers!（＾＿－）≡(||]