Flecks of Grey and Blue
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters just the idea.
Sera: A one shot turned to two.
Sasuke: You've just ruined my reputation…again.
Sera: Nya? Oh so what. At least now you can bake. Add that to your list of accomplishments.
Sasuke:…shut it!
--
September 23rd
I can't believe I still make the long walk all the way to this district. It seems that in the nine years since graduating from Konoha Elementary, that scarcely anything seemed to change.
"I cant believe you Ino-Pig."
Ino rolled her eyes.
"Why are you still following me?"
Sakura lifted a brow in question as though the answer were oh so obvious.
"I wanna see if it's true."
"Whatever ya loon. Ah! There's the path to the bakery just over there!" The blond ran forward, her purse swinging on her arm.
"Stop running Ino-Pig!" Sakura ran after her. "You're acting like a kid in grade school, what's up? That determined to get your lie over with?"
"Lie?"
Sakura fell into pace beside a now walking Ino.
"Well yeah. Sasuke S. Uchiha is never nice to anyone except his family and Hinata and Neji-and only them because they grew up together-but anyone else? Nope."
Ino stared at her pink haired friend for a moment, her cheeks slightly flushed from her run and from something else.
If Sasuke was only nice to Hinata and Neji, whom weren't in his family, then why?
She remembered his bright wide smile and pink cheeks-from that day nine years before.
'It's on the house!'
"I'm not a liar." She said. "C'mon, lets get there before it closes."
-
Sasuke stood at the counter, head resting in his hands, the fingers of his free hand tapping on said counter. His white apron was a bit wrinkled and splotchy with flour- along with his cheeks from baking. People that came into the bakery would try not to look at the flour covered fuming lad, his mother didn't seem to notice, but it was apparent that he was waiting angrily for something.
"So late."
"Who's late Sasuke?"
He sighed.
"No one, mom. No one."
Mikoto giggled behind her hand, her son was just so strange sometimes.
"Anyway, I'm closing up the shop early today. So if you and your "late" friend want, you can just hang out here."
"Hn."
"What was that son? I didn't here you?"
"Hn…" His eyes narrowed.
"Huh? What?"
"…sure…"
The sound of bells chiming at the door stopped Mikoto's teasing-Sasuke ducked behind the counter. She turned her head and greeted the two new comers.
"Welcome to the Uchiha Bakery."
"Hello."
"Hi."
Both girls gave an awkward greeting.
"Um, is Sasuke's strawberry cake ready?"
Mikoto tilted her head, smiling.
"Actually it is, it's waiting for you on the counter."
Sakura stared flabbergasted as Ino skipped to the counter and collected her tiny box holding the tiny strawberry cake.
"No way."
"Hm?"
Sakura looked up at Mikoto still a bit shocked.
"Sasuke-Kun bakes these just for Ino? That's so hard to believe."
Mikoto smiled.
"Yes well, my son is full of adorable surprises. Why, when he was just three years old he actually wanted to get his nails done with me, just so I wouldn't leave him at home with his brother…and then there was this one time with a pink dress-"
"Cease and desist your horrible unmanly accusations woman!" Sasuke stood, suddenly forgetting to hide where he did every year on this day. He had a finger pointed at his mother.
"Sasuke?" Ino asked from beside him holding the box.
"Sasuke-Kun!" Sakura went into fan mode.
"…uh…" He was embarrassed from appearing from behind the counter and now his mother was laughing at him. He did the only thing he could. He crossed his arms across his chest and: "Hn?"
--
Sakura had long since left the small bakery after a call from her mother to get home. It was just Sasuke and Ino now, Mikoto had long since disappeared behind the swinging door to the kitchen of the bakery, still laughing.
"So why were you hiding behind the counter?" Ino asked sitting across from him at one of the small round tables at the bakery. She sipped the coffee that Mikoto had laid out for them along with snacks.
"I do it every year."
"Why?"
He leaned forward, leaning his head in his hands with a bored expression, his grey eyes slightly flickering. It was always strange to Ino, how you couldn't tell that his eyes were grey unless you were this close to him, so close you could almost feel body heat, usually his eyes looked like black pools.
"You want the truth?"
"That's why I asked."
He smirked.
"I like to see that surprised look on you face."
She was slightly taken a back.
"Surprised look?"
"Every year, when you see that box, you always get this look on your face like you didn't expect it even though you did. It's…cute."
"Cute?" She blushed. "You think I'm cute?"
"Hn."
She smiled.
"Was that a yes 'Hn' or a no 'Hn' because I really wanna know."
He slightly blushed.
"A Hn is a Hn. Not a yes, not necessarily a no but just Hn. I hate it when people ask that. "Yes or no, what is it Sasuke-Kuuuun?" Always the same damn question, Naruto and those damn fan girls."
"You're changing the subject."
"I aint changed nothin'! The cute conversation was over when I Hn'ed an answer. It's not my fault you failed to realize what I meant."
She giggled.
"This is the most we've spoken in years…ya know what, you're kind of a dork."
"Hey!"
She lifted her hands in defense.
"In a good way, I promise!"
"Yeah yeah yeah-well your no Ms. Sunshine yourself." He looked up at the time realizing it was getting late. "Hey, isn't your mom waiting for her yearly strawberry cake? I spent a good while making it perfect, you should get it to her."
She sighed.
"You didn't know then?"
"Know what?"
She smiled.
"Mom died six years ago from cancer, so it's just me and my dad."
"So who has been eating those cakes then? Why didn't you tell me?"
She shrugged.
"I leave the cakes at her grave for one, as a present for her, and two-I didn't tell you because I still liked coming here every year. Doing something routine just for mom is nice."
"C'mon." He said standing up. "You don't want to make you mom wait on her birthday."
Ino's face went a range of emotions: Sad, shocked, and happy.
"Ok."
--
"Dwaah? You mean, you and the Sasuke Uchiha went to visit your mother's grave? I don't believe it!" Sakura said Monday morning, sitting under the shade of the usual tree. This time however she and Ino were joined by Temari Sabaku whom was giving Ino suggestive smirks.
"So you and Sasuke huh? When did that happen?"
Ino blushed.
"It didn't. He's just a friend, I swear!"
Sakura rolled her eyes in disbelief.
"…now I know your lying. The Ino-Pig I know would have jumped at the chance at being around him for a longtime….not any of this 'we're just friend's' crap. Give me a break."
Temari shrugged.
"I dunno, Uchiha's a bunch of mysteries if your askin' me…his brother's better anyway."
Ino rolled her eyes.
"Because you're dating him. Hey, where is Itachi-sempai anyway?"
"Out with a cold."
"Ah."
A moment later someone walked in the way of the sun light casting shade on the three girls. They looked up to se Sasuke there.
"Sasuke-Kun!" Sakura greeted. "Are you going to sit with us?"
Temari nodded.
"Yo, what's up In-Law?"
Ino lifted a brow.
"In-Law?"
Sasuke sighed.
"She and Itachi are practically married, so she calls me in-law and I call her 'sis'."
"Since when?"
He thought back.
"About two years which reminds me, why aren't you in class?"
Temari shrugged.
"What? Cutting class a crime or something?"
"Anyway-what are you doing over hear Sasuke? Aren't you supposed to be with Naruto in the library studying today?"
"Nah, the dead-last ditched me to go to a concert with Neji and Shikamaru. The idiot will never learn anything with skipping school."
Ino nodded.
"Yeah."
Temari sighed.
"Well that's all well and good but aren't you gonna sit with your girl?"
"Huh?"
Sakura nodded.
"Yeah, Sasuke-Kun, are you just going to stand there or are you going to sit with us? As much as I love to watch you stand all cool, it's a bit annoying to look up every three seconds. A girls gotta eat!"
"Hn." He sat between Ino and Sakura blushing slightly. "Like this then?"
Ino smiled.
"Yeah, like that."
"Oh wow Ino! You were right about Sasuke-Kun!"
Everyone turned to look at Sakura.
"Huh?"
"His eyes are grey! Like you said, definitely his best feature."
Ino turned bright red and Sasuke smirked.
"So you like my eyes?"
She nodded.
"That and you make on hell of a Strawberry cake."
He laughed, wide smile, cheeks turned slightly pink, grey eyes sparkling with flecks of blue-like Ino said.
"I guess I do, don't I?"
Sakura pouted and turned to Temari, she reached into her pocket and handed the contents to the older girl.
"Hardy har har-so you win this little bet."
Temari smirked.
"Whatever, it better all be here, Haruno."
"It is!"
Sera: Meh, I just wanted to end it all cutesy. So much fluff!
It's never stated whether Ino and Sasuke end up together is it? Hn, I wanted it to end openly like that instead of full blown "I love you my Sasuke-Kun" "Not if I love you More Ino-Chan!"
The bet was fun…Temari PWNS.
I don't think I made Sakura all that different from her original personality though-it's an AU so she' got to have some differences in character.
Sasuke was so OOC though, it couldn't be helped, besides this is a world where his family is alive and together. He's still mysterious and popular with the girls but he's not as rough around the edges. I made him tough on the outside but sweet on the inside.
Ino was fun-I liked writing her, she was more mature in this fic, like I imagine she would be at the age of sixteen, like in this story. She likes Sasuke but not for the reasons the fan girls do. She likes him but not for his looks, though that is just an added bonus.
Temari and Itachi are made to be only one year older then them so the age groups were squeezed tightly together.
The bakery idea came from the simple fact that Sasuke hates sweets, so I thought it would be ironic if he hated eating them but was a master at baking. A complete contradiction in itself. At first the story was going to be Sakura-but that's oh so common in fluff, then it was going to be Hinata-but I write her so often, I wanted to concentrate on someone else and the kick-ass blonde came to mind.
Thanks so much for reading and please comment. No flames please!