NB: The large italicized portion is a flashback/memory... pick your poison...

Chapter 3: Kiss My Daddy Too


Sakura was thankful that Itachi-san was asleep because she dissolved into tears even before she was out of his office. She didn't really think she could survive without being around Setsu. It had only been seven months, but she was so attached to the little boy that it didn't seem to matter how long she had known him. His sweet smile, trusting eyes and affectionate, open personality had endeared her to him from the moment she had gotten past his rather sturdy barriers.


Sakura didn't know why she was nervous, after all, the male she was desperately hoping she could impress was only three... Still, Sakura could not deny the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach or the anxious feeling in her chest.

The little Uchiha had been attending the daycare for about two months and she had yet to see even a glimmer of a smile from the dark eyed child. Sakura had watched him draw away from the other kids despite their attempts to include him, and her heart broke every time she saw him peering anxiously out the window for the return of his father. Sometimes he would be at the window from hours on end, tirelessly waiting, and if a minute passed his normal pick-up time, he would curl in a corner and cry quietly. Nothing Sakura ever did then would console him. In fact, he wouldn't even look at her.

It was only when his father arrived that the little boy would tumble towards his parent, swiping madly at his eyes to hide his tears. From Uchiha Itachi's aggrieved expression, though, the single father always knew. And it never failed to make Sakura's chest ache for the two males... but more for Setsu.

Uchiha Setsu, the boy who had stolen Sakura's heart, was currently staring resolutely out the window, a fearful expression on his face. Biting her lip Sakura clutched the container of dango that she'd made, hoping that her plan would work. She drew close to the boy, who, as per usual, did not acknowledge her presence at all.

"Hey... Setsu-chan," Sakura said softly, pushing a warm smile to her face. The little boy turned sad brown eyes in her direction, and gave only one blink. It was more than he'd ever given her in her relentless two month pursuit, so Sakura forged ahead. "I brought you something."

Typical of a toddler, Setsu perked up - only marginally, however - at the promise of a gift. Still, he did not speak. Sakura had never heard the silent little boy speak.

"It's dango," Sakura said, presenting the box she had put the freshly made dango in. She opened it to show him the two sticks of dango inside, one with two balls and the other with three. The first stick had the hiragana for 'U', 'Chi' and 'Ha', and the second had the kanji for 'Se' and 'Tsu'on it.

"See, I made it specially for you," Sakura continued slowly with a smile. Setsu's eyes widened, if only slightly, and he reached out a hand. He jerked it back before it reached the box and looked up at Sakura with imploring brown eyes.

"F-For me?" he asked. Sakura's heart clenched and then jumped a little at the sound of his almost mournfully husky voice. It sounded like it hadn't been used in a while.

"Yeah, for you. See? It has your name on it. Uchiha Setsu," Sakura said patiently, taking his hand and pointing out the symbols.

"C-Can I taste it? Please?" he asked timidly, eyes round with anticipation.

"Of course! I made it for you, so that means it's your's Setsu-chan," Sakura said with a grin. She leaned forward and beckoned him closer, a conspiratorial smile on her face. Setsu leaned towards her, still as solemn as ever. "You don't even have to share them with anyone," Sakura whispered, and snickered for effect.

When she pulled away, Sakura snuck a glance at Setsu and felt... she didn't know what she felt! This was simply because Setsu was staring at her with an expression of wonder and... and something else she couldn't really place (it was grudging trust, but she didn't want to peg it too fast). She wiggled the box of dango temptingly in front him, and after only a moment's pause, he reached forward and took up a stick.

He turned it over and studied it, his eyes widening when it finally registered that it was actually for him. Looking up at Sakura for confirmation, Setsu placed the stick of dango into his mouth when she nodded. He bit into the doughy dumpling and chewed a huge smile spreading onto his solemn face when the delectable flavours began to spread over his tastebuds.

"Uwaah!" Setsu exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air in delight. He turned to look up at Sakura, his eyes shining happily. "Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan it's yummy!"

Sakura couldn't help grinning in response.

"It is, isn't it?" she chuckled. She leaned closer to him. "I will make some more for you soon. Would you like that? Would you like more?" Sakura asked

"Uh huh! I wanna eat it f'rever an' ever!"

"Okay, but you have to promise me something first..." Sakura whispered, scuttling closer to him. He looked up at her with large enquiring eyes. "You will have to smile for me, ne?" Sakura said softly. "As long as you smile, I will make dango." Setsu nodded, then frowned. Sakura could actually see the wheels turning in his tiny head as he processed her request.

"B-but... what if I cry?" he asked, pulling away from her. Sakura pretended to think.

"Well," she said after a moment. "That does sound like quite a problem, doesn't it?" she asked. When Setsu nodded, his tiny face serious, Sakura continued. "I suppose, there is only one thing that could be done."

"O-one thing?" he repeated.

"Un," Sakura agreed. "I would have to do … this," she said, tugging him into the circle of her arms and hugging him close. "Just relax, Setsu-chan," she murmured when he stiffened in her arms. Gradually, he sunk against her, tentatively wrapping his arms around her waist. Sakura rubbed gentle circles on his back and pressed her cheek to his. "Daijoubu desu, Setsu-chan. Daijoubu desu."

Setsu didn't let her go.

It started as a tiny sniffle, so small that Sakura didn't notice it at first, but then when the second one came, followed by a single tear she was instantly alerted. The pinkette hugged the now trembling three year old closer to her body and that did it. Setsu erupted into heart wrenching sobs, his small frame shaking as he clutched Sakura's waist, his little fingers digging into her sides.


The memory did not help Sakura in the least. If anything, it made her cry harder, until she was leaning against the hall wall for support, her hand clasped over her mouth to stifle the sounds she was making. Setsu was... special. Sakura felt alone. All the other occupants of the house were sleeping, and she was in an unfamiliar place, and... and everything was overwhelming... but Setsu was there.

Sakura found herself staggering back to Setsu's bedroom, her mind murky and grey. She was so consumed by her feelings that she neither saw nor heard the elder Uchiha following her. Sakura slipped past the door to Setsu's room, leaving it ajar in case Itachi-san awakened. She wearily crawled into bed with Setsu, curling her body around his tiny, warm one. She wrapped her arms around him, smiling over a sniffle as he snuggled closer to her in his sleep. When she woke up, she would decide what it was she wanted to do.


It was still raining when Itachi sounds of laughter disorientated him for a minute, but then memories of the previous night quickly flooded his mind. He peered over at the clock, and, seeing that it was 10:33 am, his heart jumped in his chest at the notion that he might be late for work. Then he realized that it was Saturday.

He still had to inform Sakura of his decision. His stomach clenched a little at the thought and he forced the feeling away; he was not about to get nervous over something as 'trifling' as this.

The smell of coffee wafted from the kitchen and all the way to the upstairs, and Itachi immediately concluded that either Sakura was a 'coffee person' too, or Setsu had been talking about himagain. The dango stunt would have been punishable if she hadn't been such a good cook - he had to face it, it had been in his top three dango brackets, and the other two in that range were gourmet.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Itachi ran his ran his hand through his hair - he hated bed head - and made his way to the bathroom to freshen up before heading down stairs.

Around twenty minutes later, he was walking down the stairs and into the kitchen where Setsu and Sakura were doing who knows what. When he appeared in the doorway, Setsu instantly noticed his presence and waved happily.

"Tou-san!"

"Good morning Setsu," Itachi said gently and walked over to his son to give him a greeting kiss on the forehead. Setsu giggled delightedly in response and pushed himself closer to his father, throwing thin arms around Itachi's waist. Itachi stood still, nodding his acknowledgement to Sakura over Setsu's head as he enjoyed his son's embrace. Sakura had already begun preparing his coffee for him - he knew it was his because she already had a pretty-much full cup next to her-, and Itachi was a little shocked to see her putting all the things he liked inside it. Setsu haddefinitely been talking about him again.

Itachi would have told Setsu to stop doing that, but the memory of her excellent dango halted him before he so much as opened his mouth. Maybe her coffee would be just as good.

"Good morning! Aren't you going to kiss Sakura-chan good morning too?" Setsu asked innocently, his eyes wide with hope. Itachi felt his back stiffen and the base of his throat warmed at the notion, but he instantly shoved it to the back of his mind. He was being utterly ridiculous. But her lips were extra rosy this morning.

"No," he answered shortly, annoyed that Sakura was trying to hide a giggle behind her hand, and Setsu pouted in disappointment. Sakura by then had her lips folded together, her green eyes sparkling with amusement.

"B-but why?! Sakura-chan even made coffee for you!" the four year old wasn't finished yet. "'Sides it would be ... not civilized to have bad manners, that's what you always tell me Daddy," Setsu admonished. Itachi scowled down at his son, and was met by a frighteningly potent glare from the four-year old. He was definitely an Uchiha...

He couldn't exactly adopt the 'Do as I say, not as I do' attitude with his above-average son; he was not his father, and therefore refused to adopt the same bad parenting techniques Fugaku had used. So he would have to pocket his pride for a mere split second and touch his lips to Sakura's... forehead... It was not the end of the world. A little voice in his head reminded him that he would have the opportunity to smell her 'peaches and sunshine' scent and maybe even taste it? Where had that thought come from?

This was purely an effect of his late sleeping, slightly stressed nerves, and exposure to Sakura and his son's camaraderie, Itachi managed to convince himself. He gave Setsu an annoyed glower, because he hated having to give in, worse to a four year old, and stalked around the counter to do his duty.

Sakura clearly thought he was going to ignore his son's argument, because she was still looking rather amused at his discomfort. Itachi realized, as she turned to hand him his coffee, that this was a prime opportunity to horribly embarrass her. He smirked inwardly. He took the coffee from her and set it on the counter in one fluid motion, then, with the same hand, cupped the back of her head and pulled her closer, pressing his lips quickly, but firmly, to the skin of her prominent forehead.

She squeaked in surprise, her body stiffening and flapped her hands in a flustered attempt to fan herself...? As far as Itachi was concerned, the flapping of the hands (which he had seen Setsu use, come to think of it) was a rather useless motion and only broadcasted how affected she was by his actions. She cleared her throat and moved away from Itachi forcing a smile onto her now very red face.

"Setsu do you want any coffee?"

"Setsu does not drink coffee, surely you know that," Itachi answered, stepping closer to Sakura to close the gap she'd put between them. Giggling, Setsu grinned at the pinkette.

"Sakura-chan is so silly! Give her another kiss like you do when I am silly, Tou-san," the little boy said with a grin at his father, calmly reaching for his tiny mug of cocoa and taking a sip.

"What?! I mean...no it's fine, Setsu! Your Tou-san should save all his kisses for you because you are... very... silly!" Sakura said overly cheerfully... and Itachi raised one dark eyebrow. She wasdefinitely affected. Which made him want to repeat the action. Her face was a darker colour than her hair already, and Itachi vaguely wondered if it could get any redder than it already was.

"Are you disrespecting me Haruno-san? Was I not acceptable enough?" he said icily his black eyes cold but there was hidden gleam of mischief in their black depths. Having not been in close proximity with him for any extended period of time, Itachi was confident that she would not see through his ruse. She took the bait and flusteredly waved her hands, which were now clutched tightly around a wooden spoon.

"I-I, of course not Uchiha-san..." she trailed and he stepped closer to her.

"It's Itachi, and was I not acceptable?" he repeated calmly looking directly into her green eyes"Are you too good to receive a good morning kiss that Setsu desired, or do you just want to go against my son's wishes. Was his request so grossly out of order?" he drilled relentlessly, glaring at her like he did his incompetent paralegals at his law firm. She was visibly intimidated, and when she turned to Setsu, obviously to make some request of him, Setsu immediately let it be known where his loyalties lay.

"Yeah! What my Daddy said! Go Daddy!" he cheered, a frothy moustache from the cocoa clinging to his upper lip. Quirking an eyebrow Itachi continues, feeling immensely satisfied when Sakura continued to squirm underneath his steady gaze.

"Will you refuse Setsu?" he asked bluntly and immediately the pinkette deflated, her shoulders drooping and her hands hanging limp at her sides. She was rather adorable.

"I-I, oh stop it! Fine!" she huffed and Setsu cheered happily a huge grin splitting his face.

"Yay! Another kiss for Sakura-chan!" Itachi smirked inwardly then leaned forward looking directly into Sakura's eyes. He placed his thumb and index finger on her chin and tilted her head forward brushing his lips against her heated forehead, but slightly dragging them across to her temple in a move that Setsu would not see. She immediately turned away and reached for Setsu.

"Setsu-chan do you want me to give you a morning kiss too?" she asked, desperately trying to lighten the rather awkward moment. Giggling Setsu nodded happily and leaned towards Sakura, his cocoa forgotten in lieu of getting a kiss from his second favorite person in the world.


Sakura heard herself ask Setsu if he wanted a kiss from her and knew the question came from her desire to escape this awkward moment. Itachi-san had been strangely adamant about giving her a kiss, and Sakura could have found a more effective way of deterring him, if she was being honest with herself. Still, the only true method she had come up with would involve seriously confusing Setsu, or offending his father.

'Yeah, you know you wanted that kiss,' her perverted Inner self said as she made her presence known for the first time in weeks. 'Ooh, come on Itachi-san, more, more, gimme more,' her Inner teased.

"Stop!" Sakura commanded her Inner as she walked over to the vehemently nodding Setsu so she could give him a kiss.

She pushed all thoughts of her Inner away and smiled sweetly at Setsu. Now this she truly didn't mind. She would give her darling Setsu kisses any day, any time. He grinned exuberantly at her, stretching up and pursing his cute little red lips. Sakura chuckled before pressing a motherly peck to them.

"There," she said, warm loving feelings spreading through her heart. How could she ever leave or push away this darling creature?

"Aren't you going to give Tou-san a morning kiss too?" Setsu asked happily, his eyes reflecting his childish innocence. Sakura glanced at Itachi out of the corner of her eyes and instantly regretted it. The older Uchiha had an utterly smug expression on his hatefully gorgeous face, his dark eyes silently challenging her to take up Setsu's offer and daring her to refuse.

'Kiss him. I will drop-kick you to Suna if you don't,' Sakura's Inner growled.

"Oh, shut up, you," Sakura barked back inwardly.

"Do I have to?" Sakura asked Setsu, trying to sound playful but was failing in epic proportions. Setsu nodded seriously his eyes wide with earnesty.

"Uh huh, 'cause it's polite and Tou-san always says that we must be polite, 'cause it's civilized."

"Very good Setsu, it is indeed proper to return a greeting when given one, Sakura-san," Itachi said pointedly, the smug expression growing even more smug if that was possible.

Sakura sighed in defeat; she couldn't stand up to two Uchihas at once. Two gorgeous ones at that.

'Yeah, yeah,' her Inner jeered. 'It's even harder to stand up against yourself, isn't it? Two of yourselves too. That's what? Four against your measly conscience?' Sakura ignored her Inner as best she could and turned to Itachi-san... who towered deliciously over her.

"Fine, but only because I must set an example for Setsu," she muttered, more to herself than anyone. She tiptoed and fleetingly brushed her lips against Itachi's defined jawline.


"I see you do have some semblance of manners after all," Itachi said smugly, feeling rather satisfied at Sakura's extremely flustered appearance... as well as the feeling of her soft lips on his skin. The pinkette turned her back to Itachi and smiled at Setsu.

"Yaaayy!" Setsu cheered happily, oblivious to the undercurrents. "See, it was good, right Sakura-chan?" Itachi waited for her response, but the wily pinkette did not answer Setsu's question, instead changing the subject. To her defense, the question could pass for the rhetorical... but Itachi was still displeased.

"Setsu-chan what do you want for breakfast?" the four year old tilted his head to the side in thought and after a couple seconds he excitedly made his request.

"Pancakes! Can we have pancakes, please Sakura-chan?"

"Of course sweetie," Sakura smiled and made a point not to ask him if he wanted pancakes as well. Itachi scowled inwardly. He would not have it. He was determined not to be ignored and to fluster and embarrass her as much as much as possible even though the little voice in his head insisted that he was only doing it because he liked getting a rise out of the pinkette in order to keep her attention on him. That, however, was clearly not the case.


Sakura's eyes widened in shock as she tried to jerk to a halt. She had realized too late that Itachi-san was directly in her path, and still ended up slamming into his muscular chest. She had just put Setsu down for a nap after they had had breakfast and had played a board game (which Setsu won fair and square) and was exiting his room only to realize that his father was lurking in the doorway.

"Ah! So sorry," she mumbled quickly, leaning away from him. "I didn't see you there," she added, chuckling sheepishly. He only stared down at her, forcing the memory of their chaste but not-so-chaste kisses in the kitchen to surge to the forefront of Sakura's mind. She blushed like an idiot, straightening her clothing unnecessarily apart from the sake of giving her hands something to do.

"Right," she mumbled awkwardly, trying to sidestep him. It didn't help that his dark eyes followed her every movement, or that he turned to follow her as she walked down the hall. Sakura waspainfully aware that Setsu was asleep and that she was in the sole presence of his very disconcerting father.

Sakura walked to the living room, which was surely expansive enough that even if she had to keep his company, he could stay a reasonable distance away from her. That was not to be, for when she sat on the sofa, he sat on the cushion directly to her left. Okay then.

"So..." she muttered, wanting to say something, but not really having anything to say. She was made more aware than ever that she was really and truly here only for Setsu. Now that his presence was removed, she didn't really know what to do with herself. For some strange, unidentifiable reason, the notion comforted her.

"Hn," Itachi-san responded a deep, thoughtful and rather disconcertingly unreadable expression on his face as he continued to stare at the pinkette. Just as she thought he wasn't going to say anything else he continued.

"I have a proposition for you." Sakura's eyes widened, pink eyebrows raising in surprise.

"You do?" she squeaked out feeling extremely uncomfortable under Itachi's dark gaze and his rather too-close-for-comfort presence. She was all too aware that he was definitely not unattractive or ugly...far from infact. And he had sinfully long eyelashes...

"Yes," he confirmed, but did not continue. Sakura facepalmed inwardly. Okay, so Itachi-san was definitely not a conversationalist.

"Wh-What is it?" Sakura asked. "Because if you ask for another kiss, I-" She stopped rambling when a rather amused light appeared in his eyes. It vanished before she could really take much note of it, but she knew she had seen it.

"You would what, Sa-ku-ra-san?" he asked, his velvet tone sending a little shiver down Sakura's spine. She was suddenly incredibly thankful that Ino was not around to see her now... blushing furiously as she was. Now that Setsu was not here, Sakura drew for her failsafe defence. Anger.

"I would refuse, of course! Setsu is not here to guilt-trip me into it now, so that had better not be your proposition," Sakura spat angrily, narrowing her viridian eyes at the Uchiha. To her annoyance, the amusement she had seen in his eyes made its way to his lips, tilting them at one corner in a most infuriating smirk. To make matters worse, one of his dark eyebrows rose as he stared her down, not the least bit perturbed by her display.

"Hmm," he murmured. "Are you certain?" he asked. Sakura was about to respond when Itachi-san continued, stealing her opportunity for righteous fury.

"I need someone to stay here with Setsu. He sometimes complains that the other children are not nice to him. I do not want that for my son... and I thought that, since he is attached to you, you would be right for the job," he said, and Sakura felt the weight that had been clinging to her shoulders dissipate into nothingness.

How had he known? Had he known? Sakura didn't care. She could be with Setsu. She wouldn't have to be away from him. She wouldn't have to share her attention with the other kids. She wouldn't have to push him away. She felt tears pricking her eyelids, forcing their way to the front of her green orbs. A heavy pressure built in her forehead as gratitude flooded her body. Suddenly, fear froze her. What if this was only another of his little ways to torture her? What if his face held that smug little smirk that let her know he'd won? Her head turned woodenly as she forced herself to look at him.

There was no smirk.

He was perfectly serious.

It was not until his visage blurred to the point where he was just a dark blob before her that Sakura realized she was crying. Then her arms were around his broad, warm shoulders and she was sobbing into his shirt.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" she cried. "Thank you. Thank you, so much."


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