I've received either reviews from several different people or the same anon reviewing under different names. Either way, this person/these people seemed to have an issue with Sakura and Itachi continuing to use 'san'. So I'm here to explain that you guys have pretty much been asking about exactly what I was writing about. Congrats? That will be addressed in this chapter so please don't worry.
Also, I've received a few messages from people complaining that I'm trying to "sound cool" by using Japanese. Although I understand where these individuals are coming from, I'm here to tell everyone that I actually speak the language so I'm not just throwing random terms out there.
Anyway, I apologize for the rants but this has been bothering me for a few days. In lighter news, I'd like to announce that those wishing for fluff will be granted with such.
Enjoy!
Fancy Footwork
Chapter 15: Spice
"37.6 degrees," Itachi read with a grim expression. Sakura hugged the covers to her chest as she watched him set the thermometer on the nightstand. He sat on the edge of the bed while he examined the instructions on the bottle of cold medicine he had picked up at the nearby pharmacy. After a moment, he twisted the lid off and shook two white pills into his palm.
"It says to take 2 of these capsules every six hours," he informed her as he deposited the medicine in her hand. He turned to retrieve to the glass of water he had placed on the nightstand earlier. He even went through the trouble of holding the cup up to her mouth to help her drink.
"Try to get some sleep, Sakura-san," Itachi said as he pushed a few stray locks of hair out of her face. When his fingertips brushed her skin, his expression tightened with concern again. She wanted to ask him not to worry, to smile for her. But her throat felt like it was made from sandpaper and her head felt impossibly heavy. Itachi stroked her head a couple times before patted her hand and stood. Even if she had wanted to resist, her entire body was so heavy and worn out that all she really could do was sleep.
"38.6 degrees. It's going up," he said, rousing her from a heavy sleep. His voice sounded thick, far away. When his mouth moved again, she could barely make out to the words past the deafening pounding in her ears. Her whole body ached and the ceiling spun as she tried to look up properly. With the whole world tilted on an angle, Sakura reached out to grasp the sleeve of Itachi's shirt. As she took deep breaths, the world slowly righted itself though the nagging ache in her temples refused to lessen. Itachi leaned over to press his forehead to hers and she stared at his long eyelashes wonderingly. They were probably longer than hers. He said something again before his lips brushed her left temple.
The next time she woke, her head seemed less likely to explode. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. The entire inside of her mouth tasted like sand. Squinting against the sunlight touching the foot of her bed, Sakura rolled onto her side. Fighting against her still-aching body, Sakura forced herself to sit up. She took a few careful breaths through her mouth before she slid out from under the sheets and stood. Cold immediately assaulted her body with startling brutality. Shivering furiously, she half-ran to the bathroom. Even the toilet seat felt intolerably icy against her feverish skin. She washed her hands sluggishly before she poked her head out of the bathroom. The apartment was silent except for the sound of the refrigerator humming. When she glanced at the foyer, she saw that Itachi's shoes were still lined up right beside hers.
"Itachi-san?" she called, her voice barely rising above a raspy whisper as she walked through the apartment. When she peered into the living room, she saw black clashing against the light sofa. Taking a few steps closer, she saw that it was Itachi sitting on the sofa, a book still open in his lap. He had glasses on, something she had never seen before. She stood watching him slumber peacefully for a minute before she shuffled to the linen closet and pulled out a blanket. Trying her best not to wake him, she carefully moved his book to the coffee table and draped the blanket over him. She settled on the opposite end of the couch, drawing her knees up to her chest. Placing her head on top of her knee, she watched Itachi's peaceful expression as he took a deep breath and exhaled.
"Yeah, Deidara. I'm not going to make it today."
Sakura blinked a few times, bewildered. She lifted her head to find that she was curled up on the sofa, the blanket now lying on top of her. When she reached out, she felt that the sofa was still warm beside her from where Itachi had been. The floorboards in the hallway creaked as Itachi walked past, his cell phone held up to his ear.
"Her fever hasn't gotten any better. No," Itachi said. Sakura put her head back down, snuggling against the soft blanket. Her eyes slid shut as she listened to the steady tick of the clock hanging above the doorway.
"That's fine. Alright," Itachi said, sliding his phone shut. His feet padded across the floor. She could hear him set his phone down on the coffee table before his breath brushed against the top of her ear. His cool palm pressed against her forehead for a moment. There was a pause before she felt his arms slide beneath her and easily lift her up. Sakura pretended to still be sleeping as he carried her all the way back to her bedroom. When he gently laid her down on her bed, she was surprised by how cold her sheets felt against her skin. She must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing she was aware of was the drip of water. Something sloshed before she felt a damp cloth settle over her forehead.
"Sakura-san," Itachi whispered into her ear. Sakura willed her eyes to open and she found Itachi sitting on the edge of the bed again. He still had his glasses on.
"Do you want to try eating something? I made some okayu*," Itachi softly said. Sakura shook her head, still tasting sand in her mouth. He let out a weary sigh before he looped his arm around her waist and helped her sit up. When he handed her a glass of water, her fingers felt limp, nearly dropping the cup. He said something to her that she couldn't quite understand through the haze fogging her mind. She could see the way his lips moved as he spoke but she just stared, unable to make out individual words. Finally, he lifted a pill to her mouth and she obediently parted her lips to let him drop it onto her tongue and then another. His hand moved to the back of her head as he lifted the glass to her lips and tilted it. The cool water that washed down her throat felt like a blessing. His fingers gently wiped the corner of her mouth before he helped her lay back down. As he took the empty glass and moved to stand, her fingers grabbed onto the back of his shirt.
His mouth moved as he spoke, pulling up into a smile. When her hold refused to loosen, he sat back down on the bed. The sound of his voice, indistinct but warm washed over her as he stroked her hair, lulling and pulling her back to sleep.
Her dreams were a tangled mess. Faint glimpses of a face flashed past. She recognized the thin lips, the slightly wavy black hair. There was a mole on his left cheek, right by his mouth. His thick eyebrows rose when he laughed and his hands, the hands she had always loved so dearly, were always moving animatedly as he spoke. But the images rushed away as she reached out, just barely grazing them with her fingertips. A strangled noise of frustration rose in her throat as she called out to him. Called and called until her voice grew hoarse.
"Dad," Sakura gasped as her eyes snapped open. She slowly wiped at her face with her sleeve as she felt tears trickling down her cheeks. There was a soft numbness over everything as she tried to orient herself. It took a minute to remember that she was in her room, that she was sick. The inside of her mouth tasted dull and numb, like she had been eating cotton. There was the clang of metal from down the hall that she recognized as a lid knocking against the side of a pot. She peeked past the curtains and found that Itachi's car was still parked underneath a streetlight. Itachi had cracked the window, leaving a warm breeze to seep into the room.
Sakura swallowed, trying to wet her parched throat. But when the raspy feeling didn't go away, she reluctantly pulled her legs out of the tangled sheets and got out of bed. The floorboards were cool against her bare feet as she slowly made her way down the hall.
"Are you hungry?" Itachi asked as she stumbled into the kitchen. She shook her head as she shuffled over to a cupboard to take down a cup and fill it with water. He leaned back against the counter to watch her greedily gulp down the refreshing drink. Something bubbled on the stove, releasing the soft fragrance of rice into the air that made her stomach gurgle pleadingly. Sakura coughed, trying to hide the noise as she set the cup in the sink. Itachi smiled but he didn't comment as he reached out to touch her forehead.
"Your fever's gone down quite a bit. How are you feeling?"
Sakura wrinkled her nose as she tugged at her wrinkled clothes.
"Gross. I kind of want to take a shower," she admitted. After a moment, she blushed upon thinking about her own words. Taking a shower in the upstairs bathroom of the dance studio was very different from taking a shower while it was just her and her boyfriend.
"Alright. Be sure to dry your hair when you're done. I'll have dinner ready when you're finished," Itachi calmly replied. She mentally berated herself as she shuffled to her bedroom to grab a clean change of clothes. As she walked down the hall, she caught a glimpse of Itachi sitting on the couch with a book. Her blush rose to the surface of her cheeks again and she hurried along.
A warm shower did wonders for her. As she stood washing the sweat out of her hair, the sweet scent of strawberries rose in the air. Steam filled the bathroom as she shut off the water and ran her fingers through her short bob. Despite his less-than pleasant demeanor, Hidan was obviously skilled. No matter which way she ruffled her hair, it always managed to look stylish. Sakura walked out of the bathroom, dutifully rubbing her hair with a towel. She tossed the towel onto the washing machine before she peered into the kitchen. Itachi was carrying a white bowl into the adjoining dining room. The steam that wafted off it made her mouth water.
"I'm sorry to bother you. I'll do the dishes later," she said as she sat at the wooden table. Itachi gave her a look as he pushed the warm bowl of rice porridge towards her.
"Just eat, Sakura-san," Itachi sighed. He propped his chin up in his hand as he watched her eat. The quiet scrape of her spoon against the bowl broke the silence. He poured her a glass of water, pushing it closer to her hand.
"Is it good?" he asked. Sakura set down her spoon to look up at him.
"It is but why are you still here, Itachi-san? I thought you had classes," Sakura responded, turning to look at the calendar hanging on the wall.
"It's Saturday. And I don't have classes on Fridays. It sounds like you want me to leave," Itachi pointed out. At this, her eyes grew wide as she shook her head. Itachi chuckled.
"I'm teasing you. You should finish up your dinner and take your medicine."
After finishing her food and taking the pills, Sakura climbed back into bed. She lay patiently as Itachi took her temperature. The furrow in his forehead that she had worried would grow permanent finally smoothed out as he read the numbers.
"37.5 degrees. How are you feeling?" Itachi said, touching her cheek with the back of his hand just to make sure.
"Much better," she replied and he let out a sigh of relief.
"I have dinner plans with my uncle. Are you going to be alright?" His tone made it perfectly clear that he would much rather stay with her but she nodded. She had eaten up enough of Itachi's time already.
"Thank you, Itachi-san," she tiredly said. When he touched his lips to her forehead, Sakura frowned at him. He looked puzzled until she shyly raised her finger to point at her mouth. The look he gave her in reaction made her flush. But he didn't laugh at her. Instead, he took her face in his hands and leaned in. He was unsurprisingly gentle that day too, holding her carefully and his lips almost chastely matching hers.
"Get some rest. I'll be by to check on you in the morning," Itachi said, already moving away from her. Gathering up what little strength was left in her arms, Sakura grabbed onto the front of his shirt to drag him back down. As they stared at each other, Itachi's eyes round with surprise and Sakura's wide with horror at what she had unthinkingly done. Itachi raised an eyebrow at her, silently awaiting the excuse she was fumbling for. Feeling her face grow hotter and hotter, Sakura slowly loosened her fingers.
"Um well I was just thinking we haven't had much skinship*… and…." Her words slowly drifted off as she watched the corner of Itachi's mouth curl up into a smile.
"And?" he prompted in a low voice that promptly sent her heart speeding into a frantic rhythm that threatened to explode straight out of her chest. Biting her lower lip, Sakura carefully reached out to the front of his shirt again and carefully grasped the white fabric with just one hand.
"Can I… can I hug you?" she softly asked, looking down, anywhere away from the absolutely criminal expression on his face. A startled laugh escaped Itachi's mouth. Hurt by his reaction, Sakura let her eyes fly to Itachi's face. But the look he wore wasn't cruel nor was it mocking.
"Why are you laughing at me?" she demanded, growing a little annoyed. It had taken a lot of courage to even be able to ask something like that in the first place. Lips jutting out in a pout, Sakura huffed and released him completely.
"Sakura," Itachi said in a low voice. Something about his tone, a tone she had never heard before, made the back of her neck begin to feel uncomfortably hot in a way that had nothing to do with her slight fever. The warmth of his palms on her cheeks suddenly felt a million times hotter.
"No, I just felt like we don't cuddle or hug like other couples do," she amended nervously, trying to inch back. Her shoulders bumped the headboard and she nervously bit her lower lip, eyes darting to Itachi's face hovering dangerously close to hers. Her disjointed attempts at words were cut off as Itachi suddenly closed the little distance between them. The unexpectedly rough brush of his tongue over her lips made her gasp. And she thought she felt him chuckle a little before his tongue swept over hers. Her arms flopped down uselessly like overcooked noodles. When Itachi did finally pull away, Sakura struggled to catch her breath. Chest heaving, she peered up at him through her eyelashes. Itachi was breathing a little too quickly as well as he sat up straight. Unable to tear herself away from his eyes, Sakura struggled to remind herself how to breathe properly.
"That's not fair, Itachi-san," she managed to say after a while. Itachi looked at her questioningly. Using every bit of her willpower to tell herself not to turn scarlet, Sakura sat up.
"That wasn't a hug," Sakura pointed out.
"Oh man. Did she really say that, yeah?" Deidara groaned, leaning heavily on the bar. Itachi sat with his elbows on the counter, rubbing his face vigorously with his hands. To Deidara's left sat Kisame who was slurping ginger ale through a straw.
"It was her face, Deidara. The face she made. I felt like some awful, lecherous old man," Itachi sighed, his tongue loose from the three beers he had tossed back. He thought back to the rosy flush of her cheeks, her damp hair splaying across the white pillow. The scent of her fruity shampoo flooding his nose forced him to work so very hard to restrain the urge to bury his nose into her hair. She was so small and trusting and the little noise she had made in the back of her throat –
"Kya, Itachi-san, not there," Kisame yelped in falsetto.
"It's okay, Sakura-san. I'll make you feel good," Deidara said in a very deep voice. But as the two sat chortling into their drinks, Deidara suddenly set his glass down and looked over at his rather morose friend.
"Wait. Do you call each other…" Deidara trailed off, cringing. At this, Itachi signaled the bartender for another drink and then raised his eyebrows at Deidara, clearly not comprehending the question.
"Kya, Itachi-san," Kisame repeated, peering at Itachi from over Deidara's shoulder to flutter his eyelashes.
"Go fall in a ditch, Kisame," Itachi flatly said. Kisame seemed unperturbed and shrugged.
"Don't tell me you still call My-chan 'Sakura-san'. No wonder you feel like an old pervert, yeah. You sound like one!" Deidara sighed, rolling his eyes. He gulped down the rest of his scotch and smacked the glass onto the bar. The remaining cubes of ice inside tinkled merrily while they knocked against each other. When the bartender slid Itachi another beer, Deidara banged his fist against the wooden counter.
"Listen, man. You've been going out for like- what? A billion years now?" Deidara asked.
"Almost four months," Itachi corrected.
"Same thing, yeah. Okay, four months. And you're still calling My-chan that? You're her boyfriend, not her mailman," Deidara criticized, clucking his tongue disapprovingly. When he shook his head to emphasize his point, his head lolled back and forth, giving the impression of a rather judgmental bobble head. Kisame frowned as he slid off his seat to take the open spot on Itachi's right.
"Actually, Deidara, unlike you and me, Itachi's not an asshole. His parents actually raised him to be a gentleman," Kisame pointed out.
"Are you saying I'm rude, yeah?" Deidara snapped, punctuating his accusation with a belch. The bartender shot Deidara a disapproving look before he resumed wiping glasses clean with a white towel. Itachi and Kisame exchanged exasperated glances.
"I am, idiot. And I'm pretty damn sure Sakura-chan's too embarrassed to try saying Itachi's name here. Hell, she still calls you Deidara-san," Kisame continued. Deidara squinted like seeing better would help him think better.
"You're right. She should be calling me 'Dei-nii' or something, yeah," Deidara agreed, sounding a little insulted. Kisame coughed loudly to mask his snicker.
"Anyway, Itachi, it's not like our little kitten's the only girl you've ever dated," Kisame said. At this, Deidara's head bobbed up. With both his friends pinning him with prying looks, Itachi sighed heavily and took a gulp of his beer.
"But she's so innocent and… and… cute. And… I don't know," Itachi grumbled, running his fingers through his hair.
"Itachi, shut up and relax. If I had an adorable girlfriend like My-chan asking for more skinship, I'd be doing a happy dance, not punishing myself. Don't worry, yeah," Deidara assured him. The effect of his words of wisdom were dampened somewhat when Deidara reached for his drink and missed a few times.
"But work on the name thing, Itachi. You sound like an Amish couple or something," Kisame added with a little grimace.
Sunday morning, Sakura was sitting on the sofa in a pair of light blue sweatpants and a t-shirt under a soft grey cardigan. A bowl with some traces of okayu lingering on the bottom sat on the coffee table next to a still-steaming mug of barley tea. The entire apartment was quiet except for the muted rumble of the washing machine and the occasional dry rustle as Sakura flipped a page of her book.
Around 10, there was a knock on her door. Polite. Just three moderate raps. She stood, wrapping the front of the cardigan around herself as she went to open the door. She left the chain in place ("Just in case of serial killers, rapists and door-to-door salesmen," Kisame and Deidara always warned her) before she peeked outside.
"You're looking a lot better," Itachi said as Sakura popped the chain free and swung the door open wider to let him inside. A little pink box from the nearby bakery hung from his right hand. He handed it over to her as he shut the door with his elbow and slipped out of his shoes.
"Um… I wish I could say the same for you, Itachi-san," she responded, eying the dark circles under his eyes. She thought she saw his mouth twitch oddly when she said his name. But dismissing such things as paranoia, Sakura peered into the box and found thick slices of buttery castella wrapped in a fancy plastic wrapper.
"I asked the girl who works there and she told me softer bread would be easier for you to digest," Itachi explained rather needlessly. Sakura beamed as she looked up at Itachi.
"Thank you. I love castella!" she said. She automatically rose on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss and he ducked his head to do the same. But when their faces drew closer together, Sakura hesitated for a moment, remembering the scalding feel of his tongue invading her mouth. Just the memory made it impossible for her to look at him without turning the color of a tomato. And because he was Uchiha Itachi, he seemed to read her mind perfectly.
"But I thought you were the one who wanted more skinship," he teased and Sakura scowled at him.
"I'm withholding skinship until you stop being so mean, Itachi-san," she replied.
There it was again. A little shift in his expression, his smile fading the tiniest bit.
"Is something wrong?" she asked. Itachi blinked a few times, as if he were waking from a short nap before he shook his head.
"Did you have breakfast yet? I can't eat this all by myself," she hurriedly said, trying to smooth over the awkward moment. As she hurried towards the kitchen, she felt oddly light-headed as the ceiling rushed past her eyes. When she realized what had happened, she found that her head was leaning against Itachi's chest. He had an arm hooked under each of hers. On his right foot rested the cake box, balancing rather precariously. Sakura looked down and found that her feet had slipped out from underneath her.
"Are you alright?" Itachi asked as he helped her stand back up. He bent over to retrieve the unharmed box before he rubbed his foot along the spot on the floor where she had nearly fallen.
"I was just a little dizzy for a minute," Sakura explained rather calmly. But as she began heading for the kitchen again, Itachi promptly locked his arm around her knees and lifted her up. She put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself as he carried her back to the living room and set her on the couch.
"A sick person should rest," he sighed when she looked up at him with a bewildered face colored bright red. He watched her for a moment before he took the blanket pushed off to the opposite end of the couch. With an easy flick of his wrist, he wrapped the blanket around her before he headed to the kitchen all by himself. A little dazed by Itachi's sudden impatience, Sakura complacently nestled into the blanket and closed her eyes for a moment.
The light scrape of a cup being placed on the coffee table was the next thing she heard. Her eyes fluttered open as she watched Itachi place a second cup down and then sit on the sofa next to her. Their gazes met and a slightly exasperated smile spread across his face.
"You're such a light sleeper," he remarked as he picked up one of the warm mugs and deposited it in her hands. The sweet fragrance of honey and lemon reached her nose. She took a careful sip and then hummed approvingly.
"How's your fever?" Itachi asked as he draped his arm over the back of the sofa. Sakura cheerfully took his left hand and pressed it to her forehead.
"Well you seem fine now. I was considering telling my parents you couldn't make it to dinner tonight," Itachi said. When she raised an eyebrow at him, Itachi shrugged.
"I thought you might be too tired," Itachi clarified. Sakura wrinkled her nose as she peered at him over the rim of her mug. But her response dissolved in the back of her throat as she heard a soft tap on the window. Itachi looked at her with curiosity as she handed the mug off to him and padded barefoot to the window. Misty rain was tapping against the panes. She pressed her fingertips to the glass and watched droplets race down on the other side. The dark asphalt outside was covered in a thin layer of rippling water. As she followed the wobbling trail of a single drop streaking down the window, Sakura sensed the blanket shift over her, settling to cover her arms too. Itachi rested his hands on her shoulders and she felt the light brush of his mouth on her right temple.
"Are you alright?" Itachi inquired and she somehow knew that he wasn't asking about her cold. Her head turned just the faintest bit to look at her phone sitting innocently on the arm of the sofa. When she leaned her head to the side to press her cheek against the back of his hand, her answer was clear. Or at the very least, it was clear enough for him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered against her hair as they watched the tears slide down the glass.
A few hours later, Sakura sat in Itachi's car, bundled up in a jacket over her cardigan over a long-sleeved shirt. Each yawn and each clearing of her throat drew his gaze until she groaned and then threw her arms up in the air.
"I had a cold, not SARS, Itachi-san," she sighed. Instead of laughing at her attempt at humor, Itachi kept his eyes locked firmly on the road.
"Is something bothering you, Itachi-san?" she queried. The rigid lines of his straight shoulders and his hands clamped onto the steering wheel at 10 and 2 were strange. She was used to him leaning back easily, left hand resting at the very top of the wheel while his right hand drummed leisurely on his thigh or even sneaking over to hold hers.
"No, I'm fine, Sakura…san," he replied, drawing out her name oddly. Confused but still a little too tired to badger him, Sakura closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the window. The brush of his hand touching her forehead as he moved her bangs out of her eyes woke her.
"I'm sorry to wake you. But you probably shouldn't sleep here. You can rest in the guest room upstairs," Itachi softly said. She ran her fingers through her hair once before she shook her head.
"No that's okay," she yawned as she popped the door open and hopped out of the car. When she made her way up the stone path and knocked on the front door, it almost immediately swung open.
"Good afternoon, Fugaku-san," Sakura greeted him and he nodded.
"Is that Sakura-chan? How are you feeling honey?" Mikoto called as she walked out of the kitchen while wiping her hands on her apron. Her smooth black hair fell into Sakura's face as she grabbed her in a warm hug.
"Itachi-kun mentioned that you weren't feeling well. Come to think of it, you're a little pale," Mikoto continued. She pressed her hand to Sakura's cheek.
"Well you feel fine. I'll make some tea. You just relax," the woman declared as she steered Sakura into the kitchen and plopped her down on one of the stools lined up at the island.
"But Mikoto-san, I can help. Besides, who'll make dessert?" Sakura weakly protested. Itachi sighed as he walked into the kitchen and seated himself on the stool to her right.
"Ignore her, mom," Itachi suggested. While Mikoto's back was turned, Sakura jabbed Itachi in the arm with her pointer finger. He shrugged unapologetically.
"I know poor Sasu-chan was worried sick about you missing school, Sakura-chan. I was going to send him to your place with soup if Itachi-kun hadn't called," Mikoto told her as she placed a tea bag in a cup and poured hot water over it. Smiling, she placed the mug down on the counter in front of Sakura.
"Sasuke-kun was worried?" Sakura repeated, raising an eyebrow at the prospect. Mikoto giggled as she opened up the lid of a pot bubbling away on the stove. The fragrance of beef stew rose into the air, making Sakura's stomach gurgle longingly. She glanced at Itachi and saw him smiling, having clearly heard. Mikoto perked up a second before the lock in the front door clicked.
"I'm home," Sasuke called from the foyer. He quietly greeted Fugaku sitting in the living room before he made his way down the hall.
"Kaa-san, do we have any ice packs in the freezer? That idiot Naruto ran over my hand," Sasuke groaned as he plopped his duffel bag down in the doorway and stumbled over to the sink. He paused to accept a kiss on the cheek from Mikoto before he went to wash his hands.
"I think there's one left. But don't be rude, Sasu-chan. I know Sakura-chan's here very often but you should still say hello," Mikoto said, taking her son by the shoulder and turning him around. From the way Sasuke's eyes widened, it was clear that he hadn't even noticed her in the first place. When Sakura lifted her hand in a feeble wave, Sasuke wiped his fingers across his mouth before he pointed an accusatory finger at her.
"Where the heck have you been? Naruto's been groaning about how you must've died!" Sasuke demanded. Sakura stared at him, unsure of quite how to handle his strange anger.
"Um… I was sick and sleeping… so I didn't answer my phone?" she slowly answered. It was only then that Sasuke realized that both his mother and his brother were looking at him as if he had gone insane. Sasuke cleared his throat as he tried to lower his arm nonchalantly.
"See? I told you not to worry so much, Sasu-chan. Now go get cleaned up before dinner," Mikoto ordered, shooing Sasuke away to spare him any further embarrassment.
"Mikoto-san….one of your sons is rather odd," Sakura commented after Sasuke had scrambled out of the room, struggling to hide his blush. Mikoto laughed.
"Only one of them?"
Dinner was a rather calm affair. Mikoto's stew was like ambrosia when Sakura finally got to taste real food for the first time in a few days. Still, she was very much aware of everyone's eyes on her so Sakura restrained herself from gobbling down everything including the bowl (which she was very much inclined to do so in her ravenous state). As they sat at the table eating dinner, Fugaku look at his eldest son.
"So, how's your week been, Itachi?" Fugaku inquired. Itachi chewed the mouthful of food in his mouth and swallowed leisurely. He calmly patted his mouth with the corner of his napkin before he looked up at his father sitting at the head of the table.
"I've had a rather good week. But I have an announcement I'd like to make," Itachi said. Barely giving anyone time to prepare, Itachi glanced at Sakura for a moment and then continued speaking.
"Sakura and I are dating."
Sakura nearly swallowed her spoon. Her hand froze mid-air as she struggled not to bite the handle right off the spoon. Directly across from her, Sasuke looked to be in the same dilemma. Mouth clamped firmly shut, Sakura stiffly turned her head to look at Itachi. He raised his eyebrows at her like he had no idea why she suddenly looked torn between throttling him and having a meltdown. Then, dreading this more than anything, Sakura peeked a glance at Mikoto and Fugaku who had remained wordless. To her surprise, Fugaku continued eating his dinner with the most serene expression while Mikoto was smiling cheerfully.
"I know, honey. We've been waiting for you two tell us," Mikoto explained when Sakura stared at her.
"Oh," Sakura faintly said. Sasuke eyed her with concern like she might pass out in her soup.
"I had a feeling you knew, mom. But I only felt it was appropriate," Itachi said and Mikoto nodded. Feeling a little silly for having worried so much, Sakura dug happily back into her meal.
"So, I hope you know this, Sakura-chan. But we're really hoping for at least two granddaughters," Mikoto suddenly added. Itachi had to clap Sakura on the back to stop her from choking to death.
When it was time for Sakura to go home, leftovers were neatly packed into plastic containers and wrapped up for her to take with her. They stood at the front door to say the usual goodbyes.
"We'll see you next week. Somehow dinner didn't feel right without some of your dessert," Fugaku said.
"That's right. I've been craving that blueberry cheesecake you made," Mikoto chimed in as she hugged Sakura tightly.
"Ah, let me get that for you," Sasuke said, taking the plastic bag filled with leftovers from her. Grateful but puzzled, Sakura let Sasuke walk her to Itachi's car. When she climbed into the passenger's seat, Sasuke handed off the bag and then lingered, not closing the door.
"Everything okay?" Sasuke asked quietly, shooting a furtive glance at his family. But Itachi was busy talking to his parents so there was no chance of them being overheard.
"Um... yeah?" she replied, a little thrown by the sincerity ringing in his voice.
"Well, that's good. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow in school?"
"Yeah," Sakura responded with a smile. He eyed her a little unsurely before Sakura lightly punched his arm.
"Good night," said Sakura. Sasuke seemed to get the message as he shut the door.
"Night," he gruffly replied as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and headed up the stone walkway to his house. A few seconds later, Itachi opened up the door and settled into his seat. He snorted quietly as he buckled his seatbelt and started the car.
"What?" she demanded.
"What's the face?" Itachi queried, putting his arm over her seat so he could look behind as he backed out of the driveway.
"Sasuke-kun is acting weird," she admitted.
"Sasuke is weird," Itachi corrected. She giggled as she curled up in her seat, snuggling into the hood of her purple sweater. After a night of hearty food and a fair amount of good-natured teasing on Mikoto's part, Sakura was feeling significantly better. She almost forgot all about what had been bothering her in the first place until her cell phone buzzed from inside her cupped palm. The car veered slightly to the left as Itachi's elbows locked. Sakura's mouth was still open mid-laugh as she stared blankly down at the illuminated screen. To her immense relief, it was Sasuke's picture that popped up.
"Hello?" Sakura said in a shaky voice.
"You left your jacket here," Sasuke told her. Sakura looked down to pat herself and realized that she had done just that. Smiling sheepishly at Itachi who shook his head disapprovingly, Sakura shrugged.
"Sorry about that. I guess I'll come pick it up next weekend," she sighed. But she heard Mikoto's voice in the background interrupt.
"Ah, no that's okay. Mom says you should keep warm so I'll bring it with me to school tomorrow. Later," Sasuke replied before he hung up. Sakura tried to hide that her hand was still shaking a little as she dropped her phone into her lap.
"Do you want me to call your phone provider? We could get your number switched, or just have his blocked," Itachi offered as they took an exit off the highway. The familiar blue sign with white numbers whizzed past, mixing in a sleepy blur with the orange street lights. Sakura made a noise in the back of her throat as she shook her head. When Itachi let his car roll up in front of her apartment complex, they watched a stray cat hop off a trash can and glare at them before wandering off into the night.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
So he reached over to brush her bangs out of her face and kiss her brow. When he pulled back, she smiled shyly up at him. The way he looked at her through his thick eyelashes was still as breathtaking as the first time she had seen him.
"Itachi-san, thank you for taking care of me," Sakura said as Itachi shut the front door behind them. When she turned back to put her shoes away, she caught the oddest expression on his face that quickly gave way to his usual calm look. She set her shoes down and reached out to brush the back of his hand with her fingers.
"Itachi-san?"
He stood staring at her for a solid minute. Then he dropped the white plastic bag in his left hand and took a step toward her.
"Sakura-san," he said.
"Yes?" Sakura replied.
"Sakura?"
"What is it Itachi-san?" she sighed, growing a little annoyed with his game. But he was looking at her like she had grown another head.
"Sakura."
"Itachi-san, if you call my name one more time, I might leave you for Sasori-san."
"So you don't care if I don't call you 'Sakura-san'? You're alright with just 'Sakura'?"
Sakura blinked owlishly at him.
"Why should it matter? Either way, it's my name, right?" Sakura queried in response. He smiled in a way that managed to look exasperated and relieved all at once.
"You're right," he sighed as he pulled her into a hug. Sakura pressed her face into his chest, inhaling the fragrance of grown-up cologne and soap.
"Then…" Itachi began and she looked up at him.
"Try calling my name," he requested.
"Um… Itachi-san?"
He shook his head.
"…..Uchiha-kun?" This was met with another rejection. Sakura pursed her lips as she tried to understand what it was that he was expecting.
"What do you call my brother?"
"Sasuke-kun," she easily replied. When Itachi raised an eyebrow at her, she promptly flushed.
"You're three years older than me! And that's too… embarrassing," she protested, her voice trailing off to a whisper. She shook her head furiously. Itachi let out a drawn-out sigh.
"I'm not letting you go until you say it at least once," he insisted. Sakura scowled at him.
"No," she flatly said.
"Sakura."
"Nope."
"I'll kiss you if you don't."
"Fine."
"With tongue."
"…uh…um…Itachi….Itachi-kun."
The way he smiled down at her was surprising. He looked so utterly happy that she couldn't quite understand. But it wasn't overflowing with the tenderness she had always come to expect. It was such a proud expression, almost smug. Then, a wicked thought crossed her mind that some kinder part of herself immediately tried to suppress.
"So… you want us to call each other more familiarly, right?" she cautiously asked just to gauge his reaction. Itachi nodded. But his smile faded when she reached up to poke his nose.
"Then how about Ikkun? That sounds familiar enough."
Itachi's left eye twitched.
"No."
"But Ikkun sounds cute. And no one else calls you that. So it would be super-familiar," Sakura pointed out while batting her eyelashes as innocently as possible. For the first time ever, Itachi actually glared at her. The full force of his irritation was in reality a very frightening thing and she immediately regretted her decision to tease him a little.
"Ikkun," Itachi repeated. She had to stop herself from giggling when she watched his eye twitch again.
"Ikkun," he grumbled a second time. When he glanced at her, Sakura widened her eyes, trying to look as cute as possible.
"…..If Kisame or Deidara start calling me that, I might actually kill them," Itachi warned her.
"That's okay," Sakura laughed as she rose on her tiptoes to peck him just for being so sweet. Itachi's mouth twisted down into a frown as he regarded her for another long moment. Then he tweaked her nose, making her squeal.
"I'm guessing you're going to stick with Itachi-san then?" he surmised. Sakura thought very hard for a moment.
"Itachi-nii?"
Sakura watched all the color drain out of his face. He suddenly turned away from her, hurriedly trying to hide his expression from her. Sakura rose on her toes and caught a glimpse of the red spreading up the back of the neck and toward his ears. But before she could say anything, Itachi turned back with his usual calm expression.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Itachi said as he bent over to kiss the tip of her nose and then released her. Scowling fiercely with one hand over her nose, Sakura let him slip out the front door. When she poked her head outside to watch him walk down the stairs, Itachi paused to wave her back inside, miming rubbing his arms to tell her that it was too cold for her to be outside. So she reluctantly shut the front door and locked it before scrambling to her bedroom to peek out her window. She lifted the edge of the white curtains to see the headlights of Itachi's car flicker on. It was too dark for her to see Itachi, but his headlights blinked a couple times in greeting before he drove off.
Haruno Sakura slept oddly peacefully that night. Even though her phone wasn't on silent, she wasn't yanked cruelly from her dreams by the fear that it would ring. When she woke at precisely 7 am the next morning, she scrolled through her recent calls and found that no one had tried to contact her during the night except Deidara who had texted her a photo of one of his pet goldfish claiming that it looked just like Kisame.
After the usual morning run with Kisame and Sasori (Deidara had refused to get out of bed), she took a shower and had toast for breakfast. As she passed her mirror, she caught sight of her left ear and paused to examine it. The piercing in her cartilage from the previous month had grown less tender, less pink. When she poked at it, it didn't ache like it used to. So after a moment of thought, she switched out the clear stud she had on for the silver cuff and matching skull she had gotten for her birthday. After she had dried off, she combed her fingers through her bangs, pulling them over towards the right and tucked her hair over her left ear. During the short train ride to school, she felt someone's eyes pass over it wonderingly and she peered up from her book to look around the crowded train. But all she saw were the sagging heads of sleepy businessmen on their way to work along with some kids her age with uniforms from different schools.
"Senpai! Haruno-senpai!" someone shouted as Sakura slipped through the doors to get off at her stop. Sakura glanced back to see a hand squeezing past the people packed inside the train. She pulled out her left earphone in case someone called her again. After a few seconds, a vaguely familiar face popped through. Just as the double doors began closing, he elbowed his way onto the platform. His dark hair was ruffled, tie crooked. Sakura eyed his wrinkled blazer and sighed.
"Haruno-senpai! You're coming to school today? Are you feeling better?" he babbled as he stumbled up to her.
Sakura stared at him for a moment.
"I'm Konohamaru! You know? Moegi and Udon's friend?" he said. Sakura blinked a few times as she eyed his spiky black hair and wide grin. After a moment, she recognized him as the kid who was always popping into the student council office to bother his two friends. Sakura nodded once to acknowledge him before she stuck her earphone back in and headed up the stairs leading out of the subway station. Konohamaru walked happily alongside her, hands wedged leisurely into his pockets and elbows swinging. The way he stared happily up at the sky reminded her of someone but she couldn't quite remember who. She was surprised that he didn't chatter the whole walk to school from the way that he had so eagerly introduced himself. But she didn't really think on it too much until the front gates of Konoha High School came into view.
"SAKURA-CHAN!" a familiar voice yelled over the sound of her music. Sakura turned her head just in time for Naruto to come charging at her and engulf her in a tight hug. Puffing her cheeks out, Sakura struggled to breathe as Naruto began sobbing dramatically about how he had worried that she had died horribly. Sakura frantically looked around the schoolyard but found that most of the others students were used to such dramatics and simply went on their way. So she let out a strangled sigh of relief when she saw Sasuke walking towards them. She didn't even need to say anything before Sasuke calmly approached and grabbed Naruto by the ear.
"Let her go, moron. She can't breathe," Sasuke snapped. Naruto looked at Sakura's purple face with wide eyes before he promptly dropped her. Sakura scowled as she rubbed at her ribs.
"Shut up, you jerk! You weren't even worried about poor Sakura-chan?" Naruto shouted, wrenching his red ear free of Sasuke's grip. As Naruto continued complaining while jumping up and down, Sasuke handed Sakura her neatly folded jacket. She accepted it with a sheepish smile.
"Thanks," Sakura said as she hugged it to her chest.
"Naruto-nii-chan!" Konohamaru exclaimed and Naruto seemed to finally notice him.
"Hey there, kid. Sakura-chan, this is Konohamaru. He's on the basketball team with us," Naruto said, ruffling Konohamaru's dark hair. It was only then that Sakura saw the similarities between the two. Literally, they were complete opposites: dark-haired and blonde. But the way they grinned so hard that their eyes crinkled and the sounds of their loud laughs were nearly identical. It was clear that Konohamaru idolized Naruto. When Sakura glanced over at Sasuke, she caught him rolling his eyes at the spectacle.
"One Naruto is bad enough," he muttered, looking her way. She giggled.
"Hey, Sakura-chan, what's that?" Naruto suddenly demanded. The change in Naruto's tone was what finally claimed Sakura's attention. She turned her head to look at him just as a light breeze ruffled her short hair.
"OH MY GOD! SAKURA-CHAN'S TURNING INTO THAT SCARY RED HAIRED GUY AND THAT WEIRD BLONDE DUDE!" Naruto howled, clutching his head as if the world was ending. Sasuke, who quickly recognized the earrings as her birthday presents, observed them with interest for a moment. He met Sakura's gaze and they both shrugged.
"Goodness, what's all this noise? Sakura-chan, how are you feeling?" Hinata quietly said as she walked up to them. The sight of his girlfriend did little to calm Naruto. If anything, it renewed his loud panic.
"Hinata-chan! Sakura-chan's becoming a hoodlum!" Naruto sobbed, pointing wildly at Sakura's ear. When Hinata's nose wrinkled with confusion, Sakura pushed her hair aside to reveal her left ear.
"Oh. Well Sakura-chan's already told me about that. Come on, Naruto-kun. We should get to class," Hinata calmly said as she took Naruto by the arm. She spoke to him in soft, soothing tones until Naruto's loud wails were reduced to quiet grumbles as they headed into the school together. Konohamaru looked back and forth between Naruto's retreating back and Sakura before he hurriedly bowed at Sakura and ran after his idol.
"Huh. And to think after almost 13 years of suffering, all it would take to finally shut that Naruto up was a girlfriend," Sasuke snorted. Sakura playfully shoved him as they began traveling down the path to the main school building.
Sakura truly began regretting her long absence only after classes had ended. It would take a little extra work to catch up on all the lessons she had missed, but when she opened the door to the student council office, the veritable mountains of papers stacked around the room were a truly terrifying sight. Udon and Moegi peered around her elbows with expressions of pure terror as they awaited some sort of verbal lashing for not getting enough work done. But Sakura looked around the room (including Shino who was peacefully napping on the sofa) and just shook her head. As she weaved her way through the chaos to her desk, she nudged Shino awake with her foot before taking a seat.
"I guess we'll have to divide all this up into fourths," Sakura paused to look at Shino sleepily rubbing at his face.
"Thirds," she amended.
"Wait, Kaichou, since Hyuuga-senpai graduated and we all moved up, doesn't that mean we need a new member to take over the position of historian?" inquired Moegi. Sakura barely glanced up as she began sorting through the top layer of files sitting on top of one of the less horrifying large stacks.
"We'll get to that next week. Let's focus on getting this work done first," Sakura said, gesturing to the chaos around the office as if it would be so easily forgotten. When the large pile on Sakura's desk had shrunk enough for her to see over it, there was a quiet knock. Shino had been sent home nearly an hour earlier since his main purpose seemed to be to take up enough room to make the office feel unreasonably cramped. Since Moegi and Udon were engrossed in reading through their own work, it was Sakura tossed her pen aside and sat up to stretch her back.
"Come in," she called out as she firmly stamped a rejection into a sheet and handed it off to Udon. When the door creaked open, Sakura waited for someone to speak, probably to report that some sports team had accidently broken a window and that they needed the student council to pay for repairs. But when there was silence.
"Can I help you?" Sakura asked as she picked up another piece of paper.
"Probably."
Sakura looked up.
"Oh, is it that late already?" she asked, glancing down at her watch. Itachi was standing in the doorway with one hand in his pocket. The other was holding up his cell phone. His silver tie was hanging loosely, sleeves rolled up. The top few buttons of his shirt were popped open to reveal his collarbones.
"I'm sorry. My battery died," Sakura explained as he held up her dead phone. Itachi took a few steps into the room, drawing Udon and Moegi's curious stares. He walked up to her desk and plucked the sheet she had been holding out of her hands.
"'Equipment replacement request form'?" Itachi read out loud. Sakura tapped the untidy words scrawled on the lines.
"The basketball team needs new jerseys and basketballs," she sighed, taking the paper back. From the messy slant of the words to the ink blots on the bottom of the page, she could tell that it was probably Naruto who had scribbled out the words before hurriedly shoving it into the mailbox outside. She glanced over the numbers and punched in a few figures into her calculator before she reluctantly took a pen and scrawled her signature in the bottom right corner.
"Ready to go?" asked Itachi as he surveyed the still rather messy office. Sakura flipped through the rest of the papers on her desk for a moment before she nodded. They had gotten enough work done that she didn't feel too guilty leaving anything for the next day. When Sakura set down her pen with a sort of finality, Moegi and Udon's heads popped up expectantly.
"Good job today, you two. You can go home now." As soon as she spoke, there was a flurry of the two gathering up their things and hurrying out the door. In less than a minute, the room was quiet, leaving almost no indication that there had been two extra people working there. Itachi blinked.
"Perceptive, aren't they?" Itachi chuckled. He watched as Sakura pulled on the blazer she had tossed over the back of her chair. With an almost imperceptible sigh, she picked up her school bag, glanced at him and then handed it over with an expression of martyrdom. She had given up on trying to carry anything around her boyfriend. Sakura cast another look around the office to make sure she hadn't left anything behind before she and Itachi walked into the hall. She locked the door, jiggling the handle to be sure before they began walking to his car.
Kisame had gone out for snacks. Everyone had stuffed wrinkled bills into his hand as he headed out to the convenience store. So the rest of the crew was taking a rather long break. Sasori was making the most of this temporary time of quiet. He was lying on his side with his back to everyone. With his arm thrown over his face to block out light, he was slumbering surprisingly peacefully for someone lying on the hard floor. Sasori was still recovering from the months of coffee and sleep-deprivation leading up to his final project. With an A under his belt and job offers flooding in from different designers who had attended the fashion show, Sasori's dreams were blissful and plentiful. Deidara was lying next to him in a much less elegant pose, mouth hanging open in a quiet snore.
"My back is killing me," Sakura groaned as she plopped onto the floor next to Itachi. She handed him a bottle of water before she twisted the top off her own and took a big gulp. Itachi sighed in response as he reached back to re-tie his short ponytail.
"I'll give you a massage, My-chan," Deidara said as he rolled across the floor towards her. Neither of them looked up as Itachi kicked him in the chest, sending him rolling back towards Sasori.
"I'm hungry. Where's Kisame-san?" Sakura complained as she threw herself onto the floor. Itachi raised an eyebrow at her.
"What's gotten into you?" he commented. Sakura pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I want to EAT! I'm so hungry I could die!" she moaned, rolling onto her stomach.
"Quit your whining, little squirrel. Your favorite Kisame-chan's back!" Kisame exclaimed as he burst in through the door. He held two bags in his hands, one of which he threw at Sakura. She let out a little cheer as she dug through the contents and found a paper bag filled with still-hot steamed buns.
"You're the best!" Sakura declared as she tore into one of the buns with gusto. Itachi put his arm around her shoulders, yanking her close. She stared up at him with bewildered eyes and bulging cheeks.
"Why is Kisame the best? That doesn't feel right," Itachi quietly said. Deidara and Kisame made gagging noises as Sakura scowled up at him.
"Please let me eat or I'll become very unpleasant," Sakura replied with a fierce little glare. But Itachi seemed unimpressed. He didn't loosen his hold on her, only leaning in closer while Deidara and Kisame threw their arms over each other's shoulders to grimace in sync.
"Is Kisame really the best?" Itachi demanded again. Sakura swallowed the chewed up food in her mouth and took a calm breath before she spoke.
"Ikkun."
The laughter that exploded from Deidara and Kisame echoed, filling the entire room. When they saw Itachi's shocked expression, they only threw their heads back further to roar so hard that Deidara actually fell over. Kisame collapsed next to him, his chest heaving as he tried to breathe past his chortles.
"IKKUN!" Deidara hooted as he sat up to point at Itachi.
Itachi's face suddenly darkened as he looked down at Sakura. Batting her eyelashes as innocently as possible, Sakura broke out her secret weapon.
"I'm sorry. It just sort of slipped out… Itachi-nii."
The laughter bouncing around cut off with an abrupt choking noise. This time, Itachi didn't have the chance to hide his expression as a blush clearly rose to his cheeks. A low snicker rose from Deidara and Kisame slapped him in the back of the head as he clearly struggled against his own urge to laugh again.
"Oh man… you're whipped, Itachi. So whipped, yeah," Deidara said before he burst into peals of laughter again, prompting Kisame to follow. Itachi looked blankly from his friends who were reduced into stupid fits of laughter and then down to his girlfriend smiling up at him with impossibly adorable eyes.
"I give up," Itachi groaned. But instead of releasing her, he threw his other arm over her and rolled over, pinning her beneath him.
"Hey! I'm feeling really violated! …And I'm still hungry!" Sakura protested while Kisame and Deidara began crying from laughing so hard.
*Okayu is rice porridge commonly eaten when ill. It's the Asian version of chicken noodle soup.
*Skinship is a term that usually refers to physical contact. In this case, Sakura means they're not as lovey-dovey as she'd like to be.
Reviews please! Let me know what you liked. Let me know what you want to see in the future. Because, as most of you know by now, reviews (and coffee) equal motivation for writing.