Chapter 10

"Was Hiro your lover?" Sakura asked as soon as they were in Sasuke's car. The vehicle was much cleaner now that she'd spent hours cleaning it, but the interior, including the upholstery, had been ruined.

"My what?" Sasuke asked as he swung the car into the street.

"Why do you always say that when I ask about your personal life? You can see all about my life, but I know nothing about you. What was Hiro to you? You obviously know him well."

"Not as well as you think," Sasuke said, looking in the rearview mirror at Kenji as he chewed on his fingers and stared out the window. "Where did you get that coat Kenji is wearing?"

"Tsunade," Sakura said quickly, giving her mother-in-law's name. "What about Hiro? Would you rather that I didn't take food from him?"

"Hiro is a brilliant chef, so of course you should take his food. Can Kenji choke on that?"

Instantly, Sakura turned around in her seat, entangling herself in the seat belt, only to see that Kenji wasn't chewing on anything. "I guess that means you don't want to talk about that side of your life," she said heavily as she turned back around.

Sasuke didn't answer but kept his eyes on the road—and his mind imagining ways to murder his little brother.

"Have you ever thought of going to a therapist?" Sakura asked softly. "Being gay is nothing to be ashamed of, you know."

"Where do you think we should park?" Sasuke asked as he pulled into the lot of the mall. Since it was a mere two days before Christmas, there were few places. "Looks like we're going to have to hike," Sasuke said cheerfully, as he found a place that looked to be half a mile from the stores.

Sakura was sitting still, not moving an inch, and when Sasuke opened the back door behind her to get Kenji, she still sat where she was.

"You going with us?" Sasuke asked, somehow pleased by her disgust with his refusal to talk about his personal life.

"Yeah, sure," she said as she climbed out of the car, then stood back as Sasuke unfastened Kenji from the car seat and inserted him into the new stroller.

"Maybe I can change," Sasuke said when Kenji was strapped into the stroller. "Maybe I can find the right girl and she could change me." With that, he started pushing Kenji toward the stores.

"Right," Sakura said as she hurried after them. "And tomorrow I'm going to go the other way."

"Could be," Sasuke said. "I guess stranger things have happened. Now, where do we begin?"

"I have no idea," Sakura said, looking at the huge crowds moving from one store to another, their arms straining under the weight of the bags they carried. "Shopping isn't something I do a lot of." She was feeling as though he'd snubbed her, and she hated the way he laughed at her every time she asked him a personal question.

"I think Kenji needs a new coat, so where's the best shop?"

"I really have no idea," she said aloofly, turning away from him to look at the crowds. When he didn't speak, she turned back and he was looking at her with an expression of, I don't believe a word you're saying.

"There's a BabyGap—"

"Where would you like to buy Kenji's clothes? Money no object."

For a moment Sakura hesitated; then she gave a sigh and pointed. "Down that aisle, take a left at the second intersection, four stores down on the right. But it's no use going there. The clothes cost much too much."

"Would you let me worry about the money?" he said.

For a moment she squinted at him. "Is this the way you ordered your lover around? Is this why he kicked you out?"

"My last lover threatened to commit suicide if I left, so do you want to lead or follow?"

"Why?"

"Because I don't think we can travel through these crowds side by side," he answered. He was having to speak almost into her ear to be heard over the noise.

"No, I meant why did he threaten to commit suicide?"

"Couldn't bear the thought of living without me," Sasuke answered, then thought, and my money. "Could we continue this later? Kenji is going to be hungry soon, you'll be dripping milk, and I'd like to watch a football game this afternoon."

With another sigh, Sakura gave up, then turned and started making her way toward the baby store.

Sasuke watched her moving ahead of him and Kenji, and he felt better than he had in weeks, maybe in years. He wasn't sure what was making him feel so good, but something was.

It took them several minutes to make their way through the crowds to the little store at one end of an aisle off the main artery of the mall, and as soon as Sasuke saw the place, he admitted that Sakura had taste. If she was going to fantasize about what to buy her son, then she was going to start at the top.

The walls were full of double rows of the most beautiful clothes, for boys on one side, girls on the other. Each set was a whole outfit, with shirt, trousers, hat, shoes, and jacket to match. By the time Sasuke made his way into the store, Sakura was already looking up at the expensive little sets with stars in her eyes. As Sasuke entered, he saw her put out her hand to touch a little blue jacket, but she withdrew it as though she couldn't allow herself such a pleasure.

"So what do you like?" Sasuke asked, maneuvering Kenji between the stands of clothing.

"All of it," Sakura said quickly. "So now that we've seen it, let's go."

Sasuke ignored her. "I like this one," he said, holding up a yellow-and-black set that had a matching raincoat. Little yellow boots had eyes on them, and he knew Kenji would like trying to get the eyes in his mouth. "What's his size?"

"Nine to twelve months," Sakura said quickly. "We have to go—"

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, for Sakura's face seemed to drain of color.

"Out. Now," she gasped, then tried to hide behind him.

Sasuke found he rather liked her hands on his waist and the way she hid behind him, but when he looked up, he saw nothing but another woman with a baby about Kenji's age entering the store.

"It's Ayame Teuchi," Sakura hissed up at him. "Her husband owns a restaurant."

Sasuke didn't see what this information had to do with anything in the known world.

"We went to prenatal classes together," Sakura said; then she tightened her grip on his waist and started to pull Sasuke out of the store, using his big body to hide her from view of the woman.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sasuke whispered down to her, then nodded toward Kenji, who had managed to pull eight boxes of shoes off a shelf and was now busily eating the ties off two mismatched shoes.

"Heaven help me, I have failed motherhood," Sakura gasped; then, crouching low, she made her way back to her son.

"Hello, Mrs. Teuchi," the shop clerk was saying in a fawning way. "I have your order in the back. If you'll just come this way, we'll see if it fits little Anika."

Sasuke recognized that tone of voice, since he'd heard it many times. It said that the clerk knew the woman and knew that she could afford anything in the shop. The snobby little clerk had not so much as asked Sasuke and Sakura if they needed help when they entered, so he suspected that Sakura was known to the girl. Konoha was a tiny place, and even though this mall was a few miles out of the town, Sasuke guessed that it was known that Sakura couldn't afford the clothes in this shop, therefore she was ignored.

"Let's go!" Sakura said as soon as the woman had disappeared into the back.

"I have no intention of leaving," Sasuke said, and there was anger in his voice.

"You don't understand," Sakura said, nearly in tears. "Ayame married the richest boy in town, while I married—"

"The most likable boy in school," Sasuke said quickly, and instantly there were tears of gratitude in her eyes.

"Did she marry Haruki Teuchi?"

"Yes. I told you, his father—"

"When we get home, I'm going to tell you all about Haruki Teuchi and his father; then you won't be hiding from any woman who had the misfortune to marry either one of them. Now, help me here," Sasuke said as he began pulling one outfit after another off the shelves and slinging them over his arm.

"What in the world are you doing?" Sakura gasped. "You can't—"

"I can buy everything now and return them later, right?"

"I guess so," Sakura said, hesitantly; then as she began to think about what he was saying, she picked up a little outfit with a blue teddy bear on the front of it. "I just love this one."

"Think quantity and forget about choosing."

Sakura giggled, then got into the mood of pulling clothes off the racks and plonking them down onto the sales counter. There were yellow overalls with a red giraffe embroidered on the bib, a red shirt, a red-and-yellow jacket, with the most adorable red-and-yellow sandals to match. For once in her life, Sakura didn't look at a price tag as she tossed things onto the counter.

When the clerk returned, Ayame behind her, she stopped so suddenly that the baby carriage hit her in the heels. "Sir!" she said sternly, then opened her mouth to let Sasuke know that she didn't appreciate the mess they had made. But Sasuke held up a platinum American Express card, and the woman's frown turned into a smile.

###

"Did you see her face?" Sakura was saying as she licked her ice cream cone. She and Sasuke were sitting on a bench by the fountain in the mall, Kenji in his carriage between them. All around them were bags and bags of clothes for Kenji.

"Of course, I'll have to hear the lecture from that snippy little salesgirl when I take all of it back, but it was worth it to see Ayame's face. And you were marvelous." Sakura was swinging her legs back and forth like a child, licking the ice cream before it melted and smiling as she watched Sasuke sharing his cone with Kenji.

"Was she really awful to you in class?"

"Worse than you can imagine," Sakura said cheerfully. "She couldn't wait to tell me every rotten thing Kenichi had done at school. Not that she was there, but her husband was. Heavens, that must mean he's as old as you are."

At that Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "I hardly think I'm at death's door yet," he said archly.

"Got ya," Sakura said, laughing. "Oh, but you were wonderful. But you shouldn't have told her that you and I were an item. You don't remember what Konoha is like. Within two hours everyone in town will think I'm living with some great virile hunk of a man and they won't have any idea of the truth."

"And what is the truth?"

"That you've been having an affair with Hiro, of course."

"I did not say—"

"And you didn't deny it, either. Hey! What are you doing?"

"I'm putting a new shirt on Kenji, that's what. I'm sick of this worn-out thing."

"But we have to take them back, and—" She broke off to stare at him. "You have no intention of taking these clothes back, do you?"

"None whatever."

"I wish I could understand you. Why did you agree to stay with Kenji and me in my leaky old house?"

"To give Naruto a chance with you," Sasuke said simply.

"I didn't think you'd tell me the truth. Come on, Kenji, let's go see what the bottom half of you has done." She took the handles of the carriage and wheeled Kenji toward the women's restroom.

When he was alone, Sasuke looked around the mall. Two weeks ago he would never have believed that he would be spending his Christmas holidays like this. Usually he celebrated Christmas at some extravagantly expensive resort, and his customary gift to the woman he was with was a pair of diamond earrings. Her gift to him was something in bed. Maybe he was getting old, but sometimes he wished the women would shell out for a tie or a pair of socks.

"You are getting old, Uchiha," he muttered, then got up to give his place on the bench to a woman who looked about ready to deliver twins. He picked up the bags, then walked a few stores down as he waited for Sakura, and he saw in a window the perfect dress for her to wear on her date with Naruto tonight.

Sasuke didn't hesitate in entering the store, and immediately three attractive saleswomen ran to help him. He told them he had about five minutes, and he wanted the outfit in the window with shoes, and jewelry to go with it.

The tallest of the women, didn't bat an eyelash. "Underwear?"

Sasuke nodded curtly. "She's about that woman's size," he said, glancing at a shopper. Minutes later he'd signed the charge slip and the clothes were in the bag.

"Big one," Sakura said as soon as she saw Sasuke, referring to Kenji. "Sorry we took so long. What did you buy now?"

Sasuke grinned at her. "I bought you something to wear tonight."

"You—Oh, I see. Gay men are good at that, aren't they? I mean, you like to choose women's clothes, don't you?"

Sasuke bent over her until his nose was almost touching hers. "Do you know the words 'thank you'? Or is my wanting to hear them more evidence of my sexual orientation?"

"Sorry," Sakura murmured. "It's just that I—" She broke off, her eyes wide as she stared at something behind Sasuke. The next minute, she pushed him aside, stretched out her arms, and squealed, "Ino!" and a very attractive young woman came running toward Sakura.

Sasuke stood to one side as he watched the two women hug each other and talk over the top of one another, their words tumbling out in a cascade.

"How long—"

"When did you—"

"Why didn't you—"

"This is Kenji," Sakura said at last, then stepped back to show her friend her son.

But the woman only glanced at the baby in the carriage, for her attention was on the gorgeous man who had his long-fingered hand on the back of the stroller. "Who is this?" she breathed, and Sasuke was quite pleased to be seen as a handsome man. Sakura sure didn't seem to notice!

Sasuke couldn't help himself, but he picked up the woman's hand and kissed the back of it, then looked at her with what he'd been told were very seductive eyes. Since the woman looked as though she were going to melt and run down into her shoes, he felt good.

"This is Mr. Uchiha and he's gay," Sakura said in a cold voice.

"But I'm thinking of changing," Sasuke practically purred.

"You can practice on me," the woman said, and looked at Sasuke with hot eyes.

"Is Kenji all right?" Sakura said sharply. "Mr. Uchiha is Kenji's nanny. Gay men are good at that sort of thing, you know."

"I've been thinking of having a baby," Ino said, never taking her eyes off Sasuke, "and I think I'm going to need a nanny."

"How about a maternity nurse as well?" Sasuke said in a low voice.

"Honey, I need a donor."

"Ino, could you disentwine yourself from my nanny so we could go get something to drink? You can manage Kenji by yourself for a while, can't you?" she asked Sasuke, her lips a tight line as she glared up at him.

"I might be able to handle him," Sasuke said, his eyes still on Ino, as though she were the woman of his dreams. "You two go on. Kenji and I will take these packages to the car, then I have some, ah, personal shopping to do." He made the last sound as though he meant to buy something sexy and silky.

Before her friend could reply, Sakura firmly took Ino's arm and led her to a nearby pub and sat down heavily in the nearest empty booth.

"I want to know everything there is to know about him," Ino said eagerly.

"So what brings you to Konoha over Christmas and why didn't you tell me you were going to be here?"

"I'm in a mall, not in Konoha, and I'm here because I live six miles away," Ino said slowly. "You want to tell me what's going on? Are you having an affair with him? Or do you just look at him like he's a work of art?"

"Do you have to come on to every man you meet?" Sakura snapped as she grabbed a menu and looked at it. "Are you hungry?" When Ino didn't answer, she looked up.

"Out with it," Ino said. "I want to know everything."

"I've already told you everything. He's gay; he has no interest in me as a female, and we talk like two old hens. That's the end of it."

"I want details," Ino said as she ordered two cups of coffee from the waitress.

"No, give me a large orange juice. Milk production, you know."

Ino gave a slight shudder. "No, I don't know and don't want to know. Now, get on with it. Are you sure that hunk is gay?"

It didn't take Sakura but a moment to get over her unusual reticence with her friend, and she was quite annoyed with herself for feeling what could almost be described as jealousy at Ino's reaction to "her" Mr. Uchiha. And his to her, she thought with a grimace.

"I think his ex-lover came to the house this morning," she said, then described Sasuke's encounter with Hiro. "There was lots of eye rolling while Hiro was kissing my hand. There was definitely something going on between them. And the day before, Mr. Uchiha kept glaring at two men at Baby Heaven. He paid no attention to the saleswoman, who was a knockout, but gave a hundred percent of his interest to the two men."

"Okay, so where did you find him?"

"He found me. I just opened the door and there he was. Naruto brought him over and gave him to me."

"You mean like an early Christmas present?"

"Sort of, but don't get any ideas. He really is gay."

"He doesn't seem gay."

"And what stereotype do you have in mind for a person to appear gay?" Sakura asked defensively.

"Hey! Don't jump down my throat. I was just asking, that's all. Gay or not, he's divine, and I want to know all there is to know about him."

"I don't know much, really. Naruto insisted that his cousin needed a place to stay and to recover from a broken heart, so I let him stay."

"He could mend his broken heart in my bed any day he wanted to."

"You've been reading too many romantic novels. There is nothing between us, and there never will be. I told you: he's gay. Besides, he's very elegant, isn't he? When I first saw him, he had on a suit that probably cost more than my house."

"Sakura, this cup of coffee is worth more than that rat trap of a house of yours. If you set it on fire, the fire would put itself out out of pity."

"It's not that bad."

"It's worse. Tell me more about him."

"He's odd, really. He doesn't say much, but he . . ." She looked up at her friend. "He brings me luck. Isn't that an odd thing to think about someone? But it's true; he brings luck to Kenji and me. Since he arrived, some lovely things have happened."

"Such as his going on one knee and telling you he can't live without you, and—"

"Stop daydreaming. First of all, Kenji adores him."

"Hmm . . . What else?"

"I don't know how to explain him. The truth is that I don't think I understand him myself. It's as though he's a . . ." Her head came up. "He's a bit of a turtle really. Or maybe an armadillo. He has a hard outer covering, but I think that inside he's really quite soft. I don't think he realizes it, but he adores Kenji just as much as my son adores him."

For a long moment, Ino leaned back in the booth and stared at her friend. "Are you in love with him?"

"Don't be ridiculous. He's a nice man and we have fun together, but he really is effeminate. He likes to shop and cook and do all the things that men don't."

"You mean, all the things that Kenichi didn't like, don't you? Look, Sakura, I know you were the only girl in school who graduated a virgin, and I know you were saving yourself for your husband. I also know that you gave yourself to a drunken addict—Don't give me that look. I know Kenichi had his good points, but I'm a realist. You've been to bed with one man, lived with one man, and all you know is the kind of man who doesn't know how to open a refrigerator. There are other kinds of men, you know."

"Why are you always trying to make a romance out of everything? I didn't guess that the man is gay; I was told so. By Naruto."

"Dr. Naruto? Now, there's a hunk. You know, your Mr. Uchiha reminds me of him."

"They're cousins."

"Ah, I see. So what happens next? Do you keep living with this gorgeous hunk who you can't have or do you have to return him after Christmas?"

"I have no idea."

At that Ino laughed. "Sakura, you haven't changed. Only you would be living with a man and have no idea why he's there or how long he means to stay."

Sakura didn't answer that, but looked down at her empty glass.

"Okay, I'll lay off. What about the other men in your life? What happened to that beautiful used car salesman?"

"Oh. Kiba. He owns the Cadillac dealership. He's very rich, I suppose." Sakura gave a sigh.

"I can see how you'd consider him tedious. Poor guy is only handsome and rich, so of what interest could he possibly be to you?"

"He's of more interest to himself than to anyone else. He seemed to think he was doing me a great favor by showing up every night. He kept calling me 'Kenichi Senju's Widow' as though he were saying that I was an untouchable."

"Welcome to small town life. Why don't you get out of here and go somewhere where no one has ever heard of Kenichi and his problems?"

But before Sakura could reply, Ino looked as though someone had stuck a pin in her. "What time is it?"

Sakura looked around to find a clock but didn't see one.

"I have to go," Ino said urgently as she gathered her things and started sliding out of the booth; then she saw Sakura's face. "Don't tell me you don't know?"

When Sakura shook her head, Ino gave a grimace. "Didn't you see the signs? They're all over the mall. You know Candlelight Gowns? That shop in that's about to go out of business?"

"Out of my league," Sakura said, finishing her orange juice and sliding out to stand by Ino. "I could never afford to even window shop there."

"Nobody could afford that place. I don't know how they expected to sell those ritzy dresses here, but they did. Anyway, everyone knew they were about to go under, but it seems that some mysterious buyer from Suna, no less, has bought the place and to launch the new shop, they're giving away a Dior dress."

When Sakura said nothing, just kept walking beside her friend, Ino said, "Hello! Dior. Doesn't that do anything to you?"

"No, I'm more into Pampers and Huggies. Why would anyone want a Dior dress?"

"You poor baby," Ino said. "You know, I have a theory that having a baby takes away about fifty points on a woman's IQ. I think she gets them back when the kid goes off to school, but until then she's an idiot."

Sakura laughed. "You just think it's true, but I know it is. So what do you want with a Dior dress?"

At that, Ino rolled her eyes to let Sakura know that she was hopeless. "Come on, the drawing's about to begin, and you have to enter the contest."

"Me?"

"Yes, and if you win, you have to give me the dress."

"All right," Sakura said, "that's a deal."

But first Sakura had to find Sasuke and Kenji, and an hour later, the three of them were standing in front of the fountain in the center of the mall and waiting for the drawing to be held. And when they drew Sakura's name, somehow, she wasn't surprised. In the last few days it was as though nothing but good luck came her way.

"Ino is going to be so happy," Sakura said as the crowd turned around to look to see if the winner was in the audience.

"Why?" Sasuke asked, smiling down at her, Kenji in his arms.

"Because I promised her that if I won, I'd give her the dress."

Sasuke grabbed her arm as she turned away. "You did what?"

"I have no need for a dress like that. Where would I wear it?"

"Oh. I forgot to tell you. Naruto got tickets to the Amaterasu Ball for tomorrow and he wants you to go with him."

For a moment Sakura just blinked at him, as though she didn't understand what he was saying. Then she grinned and said, "I hope Ino doesn't mind having a dress that's been worn once," and the next moment she went up to the podium to accept her prize. She wasn't surprised when she found out that the dress was in her size and that the prize included a free hair and makeup makeover by Mr. Deidara from Suna on the night of her choice. When she told them she wanted it tomorrow night, she wasn't shocked to hear that Mr. Deidara was going to be in the Konoha area tomorrow.

When she said all this to Sasuke, he said, "That's because Mr. Deidara is probably Joe from the local beauty shop. He went to Suna once, so he now bills himself as being from there."

"Still . . ." Sakura said, "a great many odd things have happened to me since . . ." She looked up at him.

"Since Naruto started courting you?"

"Naruto? Courting me? Are you out of your mind?"

"I think you're missing something if you can't see what everyone else can. Dr. Naruto is in love with you and wants—"

"Oh, you are ridiculous. Look, it's nearly time for lunch and I have to feed Kenji, so we better go home."

Sasuke didn't answer her, but put his hand on the small of her back and half pushed her into a very nice

Italian restaurant. They were first served bread with a dish of oil from a bottle filled with garlic cloves.

The oil was much too spicy for either of the adults, but Kenji sucked the oil off three pieces of bread.

After lunch they went to three toy stores, and amid Sakura's protests that grew weaker by the minute, Sasuke bought Kenji sacksful of toys. In the car on the way home, she wailed, "How am I going to repay you? You must return all those clothes and you have to take back those toys. There is nothing you own that's dirty enough for me to make the kind of money that I'd need to repay—"

"Naruto's going to pick you up in an hour, so you'd better hustle to get ready."

"Hustle?" Sakura asked, sounding as though she'd never heard the word before.

"Mmmm," was all Sasuke said as he swung the car into the driveway. "You have to nurse Kenji before you go or you'll be in pain all night, and—"

"Would you mind!" she said, annoyed. "I think I know my own milking needs better than you do."

She had meant to put him in his place, but instead, she'd made herself sound like a cow. When he didn't say anything, she looked at him sideways and said, "Maybe I should apply for a job at the local dairy," and they both burst into laughter.

But as she got out of the car, she said, "I can't go. I have nothing decent to wear out with a doctor," and Sasuke thrust a heavy dark green bag into her hands. Sakura opened it only enough to see that something gorgeous was inside. "How did you know that I love lavender?" she asked softly.

"Intuition. Now go and feed Kenji and get out of here."

"Mr. Uchiha, you are my fairy godmother," she said, smiling up at him; then she put her hand over mouth at the use of the word fairy. "Oh, I didn't mean . . ."

"Go!" he ordered. "Now."

Grabbing Kenji from him, she ran into the house, and all three of them were smiling.