A/N: Random note. I recently gained an amazing love for Akatsuki. Love them love them love them! Is anyone caught up with the manga? I don't want to spoil it but around chapter 508 something really sad happens T_T GO READ. I love how many online manga websites there are! LOVE.
To be honest, Ino wasn't surprised to find herself alone in bed, considering that's what happened after the first night.
Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes to help them adjust to the light of the morning sun shining into her room, noting a loud commotion coming from downstairs. After crawling out of bed, she snatched a light blue coloured bathrobe from the "robe-hanger" and treaded down the stairs, wondering what would be waiting for her.
Once reaching the very last step, Ino glanced at the kitchen to see what the source of all the noise was, and her jaw dropped as she saw a certain someone cooking in her kitchen, shirtless.
Wow! He sure looks yummy.
Ino could not help but agree with her inner voice. Now that she could see Itachi in proper lighting, his figure was definitely what anybody, female or male, would call delicious! His strong back looked irresistible, especially since she had a fetish for sexy backs, almost inviting Ino to run her hands across his skin, even from afar. Sure, being with him the past two nights gave her the idea that he had an amazingly strong and muscly body since she could feel every little bit of it, but she hadn't felt him with her eyes until now.
Wanna stop drooling, Ino?
She hastily shut her mouth, only to reopen it a second later.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Good morning to you, too."
He did not bother looking up from the eggs he was scrambling in a frying pan to see Ino walking across the apartment towards him.
"I said, what the hell are you doing?"
"Cooking. Is it hard to tell?"
"Who said you could?"
"I have to ask to eat?"
"Hmph."
Ino marched away from Itachi to her bathroom, deciding to take a refreshing shower. Upon entering the rather large bathroom, she removed her robe and entered the motion-detecting shower stall.
Do you realize this is the second time you fell asleep after a night with a customer?
Scorching water shot down at her skin and flattened her bright hair to her head.
And BOTH times have been with the SAME guy?
She shampooed her hair with what left a very fruity scent stuck to her.
And up until the day before yesterday you have NEVER done that before?
After rubbing soap all over her body, she rinsed it all off just a minute later.
And today was the first time a guy stayed until sunrise?
Once done with her cleansing, she stepped out of the stall and toweled herself down before putting a new robe on, this time orange and extra fluffy.
Just who IS this guy?
Itachi looked up from his not-yet-fully-cooked eggs to see Ino storming off and entering the bathroom. He was still staring at the now closed door as he heard water splashing, a sign that she was taking a shower.
He had no idea what had gotten into him. Something about her just attracted him with an unbelievable amount of force. Like moths to a flame, as people said. Itachi knew he had finally gotten her out of her shell, a shell that apparently had only existed around him, for a reason he still did not discover.
By the time he heard the water being shut off, the Uchiha had set up a lovely display of a large variety of brunch foods on Ino's glass dining table. A large plate covered in scrambled eggs, a stack of french toast next to an even bigger stack of pancakes, a small plate of bacon and sausages, a bottle of ketchup, a jug of syrup, and finally a carton of milk along with a jug of orange juice. No pulp.
"I would thank you for the food, but then again, it is all from my fridge."
He was digging around the cupboards for cups when Ino's quiet entrance forced him to turn his head around and look at her.
Fresh and clean from her shower, she looked even more beautiful than when she was dressed in her favourite outfit with makeup on her face. Her long glowing hair was still damp and a bit wavy as it stretched down her orange bathrobe, and was shining. The fragrance from her hair could be smelled even from over a metre away, and Itachi enjoyed this. All he wanted to do was sweep her up in his strong arms and kiss her.
Ino slipped into the small space between Itachi and the counter, and opened the cupboard to the right of the one he had been looking through and extracted two plain glasses. When she turned around he was right infront of her, less than half a foot apart. Her face lined with his upper chest, she slowly lifted her head up to meet his eyes, but first taking in all of his body. Ino refrained from reaching up to touch his neck, and resisted even more from giving his neck a gentle kiss. The Yamanaka noticed his loose hair falling around his bare shoulders; this was the first time she saw him without his hair tied. Finally, she looked into his red eyes.
"Good morning." Itachi placed his hands on top of the counters on either side of Ino, trapping her to a further extent between the counter and himself.
"You already said that." Ino could feel the heat from his breath and his body, which increased her heart rate, making her breathing unsteady.
"You didn't."
"Fine. Good morning. Can you move now?"
"Hn." He removed his grip from the surface of the counters and moved to the table dressed in food.
Ino, now relaxed from being released, saw exactly how much food was piled on the table and glared at Itachi. "Are we feeding the whole world? Or did you just feel like wasting all my food."
"I didn't know what you preferred for breakfast so I made a variety." He took a seat at the table, ignoring the daggers in Ino's eyes.
"Well, as nice as that was, you didn't have to make so much of everything. I'm not a pig."
"But your na-"
"I'M NOT A-" She took a deep breath to calm down and regain her grace as she sat down across from Itachi, "I mean, I am not a pig."
Despite what she had just said, Ino stabbed a piece of toast with her fork and stole a rather large bite, ignoring the chuckles coming from the man across from her.
"Wow, this is amazing!"
Itachi chuckled and took a pancake for himself to start off his breakfast.
They ate in a somewhat comfortable silence. The only sounds coming from the knives and forks clinking against the plates. Finally, they were both finished eating. Full from the rather large intake of food, Ino and Itachi both leaned back against their chairs, Ino's eyes closed.
"So," Ino spoke with her eyes still shut. "When do you plan to get out of my house?"
"When I feel like it."
Ino opened one eye to look at Itachi. "When are you going to pay what you owe?"
"At the end of the week."
"WHAT?" Her other eye flew open, unable to believe the nerve of this man.
"I want you for the week." Stated Itachi, as if it was the most obvious statement in the world.
"The whole week?"
"Hn."
"You're joking." When Itachi didn't deny it, Ino sighed, "Fine. But you're paying for right now too. After all, it is my food you're eating."
Ino ignored the playful smile lurking on his face as she placed all the dishes, cups, and cutlery into two piles, one for each hand, and carried everything without any lack of grace to the kitchen.
Itachi followed Ino and watched her settle the dirty dishes into the dishwasher as he said, "Let's go out."
"Out where?" The blonde continued her duty of filling the dishwasher.
"For a walk."
After turning the machine on, Ino faced Itachi. "Together?"
He nodded.
"What if I said no?"
"You wouldn't."
He was right. She couldn't say no. Not only because morning walks were quotidian in her lifestyle, but running into him outside unannounced would be even more troublesome then going outside with him.
They were walking side by side, with a decent foot of space as an invisible barrier between them. Itachi's hands stuffed inside the deep pockets of his jeans just as Ino's hands were stuffed in the pockets of her beige coat. Despite the bright sun and the flowers blooming all around, it was still cold in temperature, even though it was March.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." Ino's hair, now dry and in her usual long ponytail, was swaying from side to side with every step she took.
"When did you decide to do this?"
Ino shrugged with a bored expression on her face, as if she had already heard this question numerous times. "About... two years ago? When I was eighteen."
"So, you're twenty now."
"Yup! Fun, flirty, and fashionable; that's what they say about twenty. But then again, I was already like that before turning twenty..." She faced Itachi with a grin. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-five." His smile challenged Ino's. "I don't know what they say about twenty-five."
Ino automatically replied with a giggle, "Wow. They say twenty-five is the age when girls start to worry about their age. But since you're a guy, that doesn't apply."
"Does anything apply?" Itachi looked at her questioningly.
"I'll just say that you're the youngest yet." Her gaze dropped down his body and back up, a suggestive look on her face. "If you know what I mean."
Amazed by this girl, he chuckled, and looked up at the sky as they walked along the trail. "Why?'
"Why are you the youngest I've been with?"
"No. Why did you start this... job."
"It shows me how much I'm worth. I always knew I was worth a lot, but I just needed to make sure others agreed with me."
"How long do you plan on doing this?"
"As long as I want, I guess." Ino stopped walking for a moment to bend down and pick up a daffodil, then proceeded. "Jeez, enough questions? I didn't know you liked to talk this much."
Itachi did not acknowledge her gesture for jokes, "Is anything going to stop you?"
"Nothing that I know of right now."
"You don't want to get married? Have a family?"
"Nope."
"What about love?" He stopped walking to question her. "Don't you want to love? And be loved?"
Noticing his stop, Ino took a step back to be level with him. Looking around, she saw that they were in the exact spot they were in during their first encounter. Finally, she glanced up, as she always did when addressing him, and stared hard into Itachi's eyes, her own eyes shining as a challenging smile was born on her lips.
"I don't need love."
A/N: Extra information! I'm almost finished writing this story now. In total, this story will contain about 13 or 14 chapters. Just letting you know :)
Don't forget to review! Pretty please! :) :) :)