A/N: Sorry if it took me long to update! I was pretty busy with some things.
Read and enjoy!
oOo
Chapter III
"The assassin was found dead outside Kirigakure," said Aburame Shino, who stood alone inside the Hokage's office giving his report for the mission he was assigned three days ago.
"Dead," Tsunade repeated to herself, her mouth forming a thin line at the news. "Have you confirmed the identity?"
"Yes, I am positive that it is him. He had the same scent when we first encountered their group. My bugs have left a distinctive scent upon him and I was able to track him down using that scent which can be only be detected by the bugs of same the same specie."
Tsunade nodded at his explanation. "In what state did you find him in?"
"His body was mangled. It looked like he was killed using a large bladed weapon," said Shino. "It seemed to me that the person behind the assassination wanted the latter dead to avoid further complications."
"I see," said Tsunade, her face set in a serious expression. "You're free to go. Please look for Shikamaru and send him to my office immediately."
Aburame Shino nodded, placed his animal-painted mask back on his face and left the Hokage's office.
After the bug user has left, Tsunade opened the hidden drawer underneath her desk table and took out a bottle of her favourite sake. She poured some on a small cup and gulped it at once. Not contented, she set aside the cup and drank from the bottle straight. It was already half empty when she heard a series of knocks from her door.
She immediately hid her bottle sake back to its original location.
"Later," she murmured to herself. The alcoholic beverage is the only thing that calms her nerves when she's stressed out and tensioned from all the Hokage duties she has been doing for the past nine years.
"Come in."
A tall, lazy-looking Nara Shikamaru entered the room. "You sent for me, Hokage?"
"Yes," said Tsunade. "We need to discuss Takamura's case."
"Yeah, I heard his father went ballistic on you," commented Shikamaru smirking.
"Good thing his son didn't die or else we would be having some economic troubles," said Tsunade who started massaging her temples. "I have to give credits to Shino and Sakura for saving the man."
Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "Shino is weird but definitely good. Well, you trained Sakura after all."
Tsunade smiled a bit. "I can see myself in her."
"Well, I heard she's expecting a child," said Shikamaru.
"Yeah, I got surprised when she married the Uchiha after all what happened between them. I guess she truly loves him," shrugged Tsunade. She was thinking that Sakura deserved someone better.
"It's been years since you pardoned him."
"He had helped defending the village against Madara."
"But he attacked our village too before it," reminded Shikamaru. "Not to mention the other crimes he had done like Danzou's murder, affiliation with the Akatsuki, frustrated capture of the eight-tailed jinchuuriki and the attack at the Kage Summit. You have to talk with the other Kages so he would be wiped off on the Bingo book."
"I know. Team 7 asked me to reconsider his case," said Tsunade. After the last war against Uchiha Madara, her priority was to reconstruct and rehabilitate the village again. "To imprison the young Uchiha again would be futile. He could break free if he wanted to, considering the state of our village during that time. He was free to leave Konoha after the war but he stayed in our village."
"Weird guy," commented Shikamaru. "Too bad he can't be an Anbu captain, isn't it?"
With intelligence and skills to boot, Uchiha Sasuke is more than qualified to be an Anbu captain like his late older brother, Uchiha Itachi, who had gotten the title at the mere age of thirteen.
"You said so," said Tsunade giving off a bitter smile. "But he can't hold a high administrative position. It is against the special conditions we have drafted for the safety of Konoha."
"The Uchiha was really lucky to have Team 7 behind him all along even after he defected from them especially Naruto."
"Yeah, the kid never lost his hope that he would be able to bring back the Uchiha to the village. Stubborn kid." Naruto never ceased to amaze her; he had the unique qualities of being a great Hokage someday.
"Shikamaru," Tsunade's voice turned serious. "Takamura's assassin was found dead. That leaves us with no solid piece of evidence to get our hands on the man behind the assassination."
"I see. We're on a dead end," frowned Shikamaru.
The case would have been closed because the assassin was dead if not for the fact that their client belongs to an influential family in Konoha and that their prime suspect is a citizen of another village. It was really fortunate that Shino and Sakura was able to save the guy or else the client's father, who is a daimyo, would have cut off a significant supply of rice and wheat to the village.
Something really needs to be done with the ownership of lands on the future. It should not belong to a few people alone.
On the other hand, they can't just hold of a citizen from another village especially one in which they are not allied with. What they have is still a supposition and breaking into another village could seriously undermine the international relationship between neighbouring countries.
"Troublesome," sighed Shikamaru. "We need to have a solid piece of evidence first against our prime suspect and even though we have it already, we can't just pick the guy and haul him here in Konoha and imprison him. That decision rests with the Mizukage of their Village. It is not within our jurisdiction to put him on trial and punish him unless he was an international criminal or hade done the crime within Konoha's boundaries."
Tsunade massaged her temples and leaned back to rest her mind for a few seconds. Although quite young, Nara Shikamaru had proven himself equal or better than other qualified shinobis to become her military advisor and strategist. "That's why I sent you here, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru scratched his chin thoughtfully. "We can send an investigating team to Mist Village and secure a substantial piece of evidence against the suspect. Once proven, arrest him then discuss the matters with the Mizukage."
Tsunade nodded, liking the idea.
"We are expecting at least five million Ryo to be paid by our client for the mission," added Shikamaru. This payment would be stored as government funds to be used for projects to develop the village. "And we also need a spokesperson."
Tsunade thought for a second, "Shizune."
"Alright, together Shizune and a special Anbu investigating team would be sent there. The Mist Village is still a dangerous area even after the administration has changed."
"Naruto, Sasuke and Sai would accompany her," said Tsunade who immediately took out an official looking paper and began scribbling on it.
"Hokage, may I leave now?" Shikamaru asked having served his purpose. He would go back to sleep.
"Fine. Leave," dismissed Tsunade. "Please summon those three on my office before you went back to your own things."
"Hey, why me?" Shikamaru groaned out loud. He had already done his part; it's not part of his job to find those three, right?
Tsunade stopped writing and rested her chin against her hands. In a sweet, deadly voice, she asked. "Are you questioning my orders, Nara Shikamaru?"
The Konoha advisor and strategist made an involuntary step backwards. "No, Hokage."
"Good," smiled Tsunade. She pointed her red-coated fingernail to the door. "You can leave now."
oOo
Adjusting the lens of her microscope, Sakura exhaled a forlorn sigh. "I really miss being out in the field."
Ever since she was assigned to do the research work about cellular regeneration, the Godaime had stopped giving her Anbu missions. Apart from her, the only ones who knew about her study are the Godaime and Shizune. She was given a time span of eight months to find an alternative way of speedier but safer cellular regeneration. One of the drawbacks of speeding cellular regeneration more that its normal mode was that it shortens the life span of the person doing it. This research could help them heal more patients with complicated and fatal cases.
Tsunade had tried it during their encounter against Orochimaru. It was unknown how much of her life span had shortened after using it. Furthermore, it is an open secret that despite her youthful look between 30-40 years old, she was not getting any younger and she was of the same age with Jiraiya. She was hiding her true age behind a technique that makes her young.
She was already on her fifth month of research and experimentation and so far, it was yielding good results. Even after she finished her research work, she wouldn't still be able to accept Anbu missions considering her pregnancy.
A series of knocks on the door stopped her from her musings.
"Yes?" Sakura opened the door a little revealing her blonde friend, Yamanaka Ino.
"You have a visitor," Ino said in a cheerful tone.
There was something in the tone of Ino's voice which she didn't like. "Who is it?"
"It's the Takamura guy; he said he wanted to talk to you."
"Why?" Sakura frowned.
"I do not know," shrugged Ino but she raised a blonde eyebrow at her.
"I'll follow," said Sakura. She closed the door and fixed her things. Before leaving, she sealed the contents of her research work inside a scroll.
She reached the lounge area in a few minutes to find an auburn-haired man sitting patiently on one of the couches.
"Sakura-san," Hideki stood up and greeted her with a small bow.
Compared to the last time she saw him, he was now casually dressed in dark pants and plaid green shirt and he looked fully recovered.
"What can I do for you?"
"I came to invite you for lunch."
Her sweat dropped. "I've already told you that I'm already married."
He just smiled at her reaction for he had anticipated it already. "I know. I'm not asking you out for a date. I would just like to thank you for saving my life and apologize for being rude the other day."
"Oh," Sakura muttered to herself. "You really don't have to."
"It's not really what you think. It's just going to be a simple lunch, that's all. If you like, you can bring along a friend of yours." He casted a glance behind her.
Sakura turned around and found Ino watching them with a knowing smile and gave a thumbs-up.
"Excuse me for a moment," said Sakura before walking up to Ino.
"What's with that smile and that thumbs-up?" Sakura hissed at her. "I'm already married, Ino-pig!"
To her surprise, she found that it was not only Ino who was watching them but other young trainee medics and nurses. They were looking at the guy with a longing and smitten look painted all over their faces.
"Hey!" Ino called out to Hideki. "Sure, we're going!"
Sakura gasped at what she did and pinched her hard on the side.
"Ouch!" Ino shrieked at her. "What was that for?"
Sakura grabbed Ino and talked in a low voice. "For you being such a flirt! You're dating Shikamaru, aren't you?"
"I am not flirting with him!" Ino disagreed with a toss of her long blonde hair. "The guy said it's just going to be a friendly lunch. And I'm not cheating over Shikamaru because I'm just going to chaperone you."
"And so that makes me the cheating one?" Sakura huffed at her.
"Oh come on, Forehead! It's just a friendly lunch. You're not cheating on your dear Sasuke unless you're guilty of liking that guy, are you?"
"Of course not! That's ridiculous, Ino-pig! He was just a patient."
"Then there's nothing wrong with accepting the lunch invitation," argued Ino. "Come on, Sakura. I'm hungry and I know you're hungry too."
"No, I'm not," said Sakura but unfortunately, her stomach didn't agree with her.
"See?" Ino smirked at her. "Oh come on, Sakura! Don't overanalyze things."
Ino was right. There is nothing wrong with accepting the lunch invitation because as Hideki had said earlier, it would only be a sort of thank you from him. And it would be the three of them going out so it wouldn't look like they're going out on a date. Moreover, she's really hungry from working non-stop since morning. Naruto and Sasuke would still be in at the Hokage building, probably discussing their mission or they could be training out somewhere again.
"Okay." Sakura rolled her eyes when Ino jumped in glee. She turned to Hideki who was watching them with interest and spoke in a professional-like voice. "Yes, we're accepting your lunch invitation."
Much to Sakura and Ino's surprise, they entered a classy Japanese café and restaurant later on. They didn't even have to look for a table; they were ushered to a special place reserved for them. Sakura thought that they would just be eating in a simple restaurant like Ichiraku Ramen, which is the most popular eating place in Konoha. The restaurant has a quiet ambiance with a seating capacity of twenty to thirty people. As she looked around, she noticed that people here looked quite serious and refined. In fact, she saw the Hyuuga clan leader, Hinata's father in a far corner, discussing some matters with a group of official looking guys from another village.
It dawned upon her that the small restaurant was not meant for many people, it's for those who can afford it.
"Wow!" Ino gasped as the array of foods laid before them.
Silently, Sakura agreed and she felt her stomach grumble in anticipation at the sight of the delicious-looking foods.
"I do not have any idea of what you may like to eat so I just ordered the usual favourites of the people and some of this place's specialty ones," explained Hideki. "Is there something you like to order?"
The question was meant for Sakura but it was Ino who answered. "No, it's already enough for us."
"Yeah," answered Sakura. It was pretty obvious that Ino can't wait to eat.
"Alright, let's eat then."
They started eating in silence with Ino making some positive comments now and then.
"You two have been friends since childhood?" Hideki asked trying to start a conversation.
"Yeah, since our genin days," said Ino helping herself to a serving of crab. "We see each other as a friend and competitor."
"It's more like of a friendly competition," said Sakura, shoving a dumpling on her mouth.
"Competition on what?"
"Trivial things," waved off Sakura. "It was silly."
"Things like skills and who's a better kunoichi and over a boy too. We fought over Sasuke back when we were young like other girls of our age," recalled Ino with a smile. "She got the upper hand then because she was in the same team with him."
"The Uchiha Sasuke," Hideki said.
"Yeah, her husband. I outgrew that childhood crush when he left the village but Forehead didn't," said Ino with a reminiscent smile.
"Because you realized that you've got no chance against me," retorted Sakura playfully.
It was Ino's turn to retort at her. "Ha! I just don't want to waste my pretty face on him. And besides, I'm prettier than you." She tossed her long mane again.
"I beg to disagree," smirked Sakura. Both of them had their fair share of admirers too.
"Fine, we're both but I'm sexier," said Ino in return. "And you can't disagree with that, Forehead. I can't wait to get you see all big in the next few months."
"Big?" Hideki asked quite bewildered.
Ino looked at him. "She's pregnant, you didn't know?"
For a split second, Sakura saw disappointment and defeat flashed across his face but he instantly replaced it with a smile she could trust as genuine. "Congratulations, Sakura-san."
"Thank you, Hideki-kun," smiled Sakura.
"Your husband is very lucky to have you," he said looking at her with a longing expression.
"Speaking of your husband, Forehead," whispered Ino who had momentarily stopped eating. "He's walking towards here."
"What?" Sakura spun around instantly and her eyes widened in shock as she watched Sasuke strode towards them, his dark, and onyx eyes unfathomable as it bored straight to them.
He was not alone. Naruto and Sai were walking a few feet behind Sasuke, clearly sensing the foreboding aura emanating from him.
Suddenly, the restaurant area felt like it had dropped some degrees lower despite the warm weather. Even the people inside have stopped eating and talking as they paused to look at the Uchiha. Even the Hyuuga leader had temporary halted his conversation to glimpse at him. Some of the female staff of the restaurant had stopped doing their jobs, gazing at him with love struck faces Sakura wished she could punch out.
She didn't know if it was Sasuke's good looks and body or it was the aura he was emanating that now that captured the people at still.
Or both.
It's as if the mere presence of the Uchiha was enough to silence the whole restaurant.
oOo
Stopping by their table, Sasuke surveyed the three with an unreadable expression on his face.
Ino squirmed on her seat, obviously discomfited under the Uchiha's gaze.
"Sasuke," said Sakura softly, walking slowly towards him.
"Uchiha Sasuke." Hideki Stood up bowed and offered a handshake. "I'm Takamura Hideki."
Blatantly ignoring the offered handshake, Sasuke turned to Sakura as if he did not hear the guy spoke. "We were looking for you."
"You were?" Sakura's brows shot in surprise as she looked at him, Naruto and Sai.
"The staff told us you went out on a date," said Naruto in an accusing tone. He looked at the guy and frowned. The man is their client, the son of the daimyo who was nearly killed just the past week. Their mission brief was discussed already by the Hokage and it seemed like the guy's family is willing to pay a substantial amount to put the man behind the assassination behind bars.
"I thought a date comprises a man and a woman only. How come there are three of you?" Sai asked innocently.
"This is not a date!" Sakura hissed out at them. "We are just having a simple lunch out here."
"Simple lunch," repeated Sasuke to himself as he gazed at the table before them, noting the different dishes laid upon it. Does twenty various menus count as simple?
"Ino, tell them!" Sakura turned to her suddenly quiet best friend.
"Huh?" Ino exclaimed surprisingly as Sasuke, Naruto and Sai diverted their attention to her. She was really trying to make herself inconspicuous. Seeing that she has to explain their side, she started. "At first, it was just really Sakura who was invited and he told her that I can come along. I told Forehead to accept the lunch invitation since I see there's really nothing wrong with it, seeing that it was just like a sort of thank you and a -"
She stopped momentarily as Sasuke's eyes narrowed upon her.
This is enough, Sasuke thought. He forced himself to bit back a retort he was sure that would make her burst into tears and run to Shikamaru.
He grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her to leave when he felt that something was holding them back. When he turned back to look, he was infuriated to see that the Hideki guy caught Sakura's arm, purposely holding her back.
"What are you doing?" Sakura asked shockingly and wriggled her arm free out of his touch.
Hideki looked at him directly. "Your wife and I are not dating. I just invited her for lunch as a sort of gratitude for saving my life and I want to apologize to her for being rude. Please don't get mad at her."
Now this guy was making him look like the villain, thought Sasuke incensed.
"I'm not talking to you," Sasuke snapped coldly at him.
"Ooh!" They heard the people cooed in excitement.
Tension filled the atmosphere as everyone watched in anticipation what would happen next. Sasuke's dark, onyx eyes were staring coldly at Hideki as if he was worth nothing but a pest he had to squash.
"Sasuke, let's leave," whispered Sakura pleadingly. She could see that Sasuke was already angry with the way his muscle jaws were clenched tight. Hideki's fine-looking face would surely be reduced to something like a mashed potato if Sasuke decided to strike him right now. The guy was a mere civilian and he stood no chance against shinobis like them let alone a powerful and a skilled one like Sasuke.
People were watching over their scene like it was an action-romance-drama series on the television. She shouldn't have listened to Ino. It was really a bad idea to accept the invitation after all. She has to explain it to Sasuke at home, not here where there are lots of people hanging on to every bit of word they were saying.
oOo
To her consternation, Inner Sakura popped up. "Wow, can you believe it? We are torn between two gorgeous guys! Yay!"
Inner Sakura pretended that she was in the middle of a tug of war between Sasuke and Hideki, her arms being pulled on opposite sides.
"Would you please shut up?" Sakura mentally yelled to her alter ego. "You're not helping matters at all!"
oOo
"Sasuke, let's go." Sakura whispered, tugging at the hem of his shirt. "Please."
Sasuke relaxed a little but he didn't budge from his position and eye glaring against Hideki.
"Wow, look at these foods!" Naruto exclaimed at the top of his voice. He sat on the empty chair which used to be occupied by Sakura a while ago and grabbed a dish. He turned to Hideki and grinned. "Hey, can I have some?"
Hideki blinked at the question and turned to Naruto. "Sure."
"Thanks! You're my friend now," grinned Naruto. He gave Sakura a fast, meaningful wink before gesturing to Hideki again. "Hey, why don't you join me here? Come on!" He forced the guy to sit across from him. "Sai, join us too!"
Understanding what Naruto meant her to do, Sakura pulled Sasuke away from the table. Although Sasuke resisted at first, he gave in and allowed Sakura to get them out of the restaurant.
oOo
Sakura gently closed the door of their house and turned to face Sasuke who was looking at her with a frosty, calculating stare. "Sasuke, we are not dating."
"Yamanaka said that he invited you alone." Sasuke forced himself to calm down. A while ago, his fists were really itching to punch and kill the man if not for the fact that they were in a public place and the guy was a mere, vulnerable civilian.
Sure it was the three of them eating but he saw the way that guy looked at Sakura as if she was the only one he can see. Even Sakura's flirtatious blonde friend Yamanaka Ino had said that it was really Sakura who was invited and she just happened to be like a chaperone. It means that the guy really has a thing for her.
Upon seeing them talking so close, an odd feeling rose within him. Something like fury surged within that made him want to use the Amaterasu and burn the bastard into ashes. Sakura was not meant to be with any other man aside from him or Team 7. He felt like he has this precious item that belonged only to him was being taken away or shared by someone he did not want to.
It was something peculiar that he had never ever felt before.
If his assumptions were correct, they had met when the guy was sent to the hospital and Sakura was the medic who was assigned to him. As far as he was concerned, there is an existing code of ethics between medics that forbids any romantic relationship between a medic and his or her patient.
"He was your patient."
"Yes, he asked me out on a date after he had just recovered on the hospital but I already told him that I'm married," admitted Sakura.
So the guy was really after her and had asked her out beforehand without him knowing. Did Sakura forgot to tell him about it or she purposely hid it from him? What does she mean that she declined the offer because she was already married? Does that mean that if not for the fact that she was married already she would have accepted the date right then and there? He did not force her into matrimony and if she still longs to enjoy being single and date other guys then she should have not accepted it in the first place.
He sighed inwardly. So many questions were running inside his mind now.
"You still went out with him a while ago," he accused.
"He invited me but it would be just for a simple lunch as a token of gratitude because I was able to save his life," explained Sakura. "He said that I can bring along a friend if I wanted and Ino heard it so she persuaded me to accept the invitation since there's nothing really wrong with it."
She looked at him straight into the eyes, never betraying his gaze, willing him to believe in her.
With the way she was looking at him, it seemed that she was telling the truth. Even though he still doubted her, a voice inside his head was telling him that Sakura was not the type of woman to cheat behind her husband.
"Have it occurred to you what other people may say?" Even though what happened between the guy and her was not a romantic date, it was still not right. What she had done was unjustifiable. She was a married woman now and to be seen dining out with another man aside from him or their friends would be seen as an act of infidelity. "You are now carrying the Uchiha name. You are disgracing it."
Sakura flinched at the words. Sasuke is pretty sensitive about his clan and is immensely loyal to it. Being the remaining Uchiha, he had sworn to revive the Uchiha clan and restore its dignity and honor. "I'm sorry."
News travel fast, he was sure that before the end of the day most of the Konoha residents would have known what happened and the real story would have been modified. They would be the topic of gossip-loving people for at least a week.
What is done is done.
Suddenly, he noticed that there was a small smile playing on her lips.
"What's funny?" There's nothing funny about what she did.
A mischievous smile was playing on her face. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
"Jealous?" Sasuke repeated the word questioningly as if he had never heard of the word before.
"Yes," quipped Sakura.
"No, I am not," said Sasuke. He was jealous? That's ridiculous. Such word is not inside his vocabulary. He had never known of such thing.
To his annoyance, Sakura raised her brow at him jovially. "Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not." He repeated with emphasis.
"Yes, you are."
Sasuke ignored her and decided that he would just train outside to release the tension and anger building up inside him. They had already settled what has to be settled and it was enough. He did not have to engage in a nonsensical conversation about something as inconsequential as jealousy. "I'm going to train outside."
He was almost on the door when he felt her arms snaked from behind him and around his waist. He felt her head rested against his back.
"Sasuke," she spoke out his name softly. She tightened her arms around his waist. "I've always loved you."
She released her arms around him and pulled him to face her. Then, she linked her hands to his neck, tiptoed her feet and yanked his head to her.
Sasuke was stunned as Sakura pulled him to kiss. At first, she was kissing him gently then it turned passionate, her hands holding his neck in order for her to reach his face despite the huge difference in their heights.
His earlier plan of training forgotten, Sasuke responded to her fervent kiss by kissing her back, capturing her mouth in full. She let out a little moan of surprise as his tongue tasted her lips and explored further inside her mouth. He caught her lower back as he felt her get weakened by their passionate kiss and pulled her body upwards to him, continuing their kiss. With her feet off the ground, Sakura placed again both of her hands on his nape for support, her slender fingertips stroking his thick, black hair while she let him continue explore her mouth.
After a few seconds, she felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen and pulled out her lips from him to breathe. Sasuke placed her on the ground and paused to catch his breath too.
They looked on one another and it was evident with the darkened color of their eyes that it has just started.
It had been difficult for him after their first night of marriage. His body seemed like it wanted her physical presence now and then. It was something that the hormones inside the human body do that made it an instinctive thing for him to do things he had never had an experience with beforehand.
Sasuke could not control himself any longer and grabbed her small waist towards him and started kissing her again, his hands tracing every curve of her still lean body. On the other hand, Sakura seemed out of control too as she slid her hands under his shirt and Anbu vest, feeling his hard chest and the abdominal packs. She removed his Anbu vest with ease but when she tried to yank his dark, blue shirt from him, she found that it was not easy since their arms were over one another.
"Damn," he heard her curse impatiently.
A small laugh escaped his lips at her futile attempt and he momentarily removed his lips from her and pulled his shirt off for her. Then, he pulled her again, locking their lips, her fingers playing with his naked upper torso sending shivers of desire streaking thorough out his body. He grabbed her waist and hoisted her against him, holding her little waist to keep her from falling.
Now that she has some support on her waist, she dangled her legs and crossed it behind him. Her face was now level with his and she kissed him fully, soft whimpers coming every now and then as she felt his hand wander inside her white medic coat.
Out of his own volition, his feet slowly dragged them towards their bedroom, their clothes being removed one by one and tossed to the floor as they reached the confines of their private room.
oOo
Sunlight streaked across the window, blinding him with the sudden burst of bright light. With his eyes still half-closed, he was about to get up from the bed when he felt something heavy above him. He opened his eyes fully and saw Sakura lying above him, blissfully asleep, her head nestled sideways against his chest and her arms behind his shoulders.
The events of the past day replayed inside his mind and he chuckled to himself in disbelief that they had skipped dinner and slept for more than eight hours, too tired after what happened yesterday afternoon. Their scattered clothes on the floor leading outside their bedroom door were enough proof of the intensity yesterday.
Tracing the contour of her spine, she moved reflexively and buried her face to the crook of his neck. She was still sleeping soundly as manifested by the rhythmic movement of her chest against his and the little, funny snores coming from her.
He glanced sideward at the alarm clock beside him.
6:15 a.m.
Their mission to the Mist Village would resume in less than an hour. He needed to prepare his things for the mission.
Carefully so as not to awake her, he gently pushed her from him and laid her gently on the pillows, covering her naked body with the blanket. He grabbed a bathrobe and went to the bathroom, showering for a few minutes then dressed up in his full Anbu gear. After slipping into his uniform, he started picking up their scattered clothes from their bedroom leading towards the receiving room of the house. He folded them neatly and placed it on the laundry hamper and walked towards the kitchen to prepare himself some coffee.
After finishing his coffee, he took his animal-painted mask and was about to place it on his face when the doorbell rang.
He walked towards the door and opened it revealing a young man in a printed uniform holding a big bouquet of flowers.
"Ohayogozaimasu!" The young man greeted happily and bowed before him. "Delivery, Sir! Flowers for Uchiha Sakura!"
Sasuke frowned, annoyed to be disturbed so early in the morning. "I think you are mistaken."
BLAG!
After these words, Sasuke slammed the door shut to the poor man's face. He was about to return to his mission preparation when the doorbell rang again.
"What?" Sasuke asked irritated.
"S-sir? C-can y-you please just sign these as p-proof that I was able to deliver these f-flowers?" The delivery man stuttered, cowering under the Uchiha's piercing stare. Shaking, he handed him a paper and pen to sign.
Sasuke snatched the pen and paper from him, signed it and shove it to the delivery man. Upon receiving the signed form, the delivery man scampered away leaving the flowers at the doorstep. Sasuke picked it up. It was a fresh bouquet of big, pink lilies. A card was inserted between the flowers, he took it out and read.
I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to you and your husband.
Takamura Hideki
Crushing the card, Sasuke threw it to the floor along with the flowers eyeing it with dislike.
"Stubborn bastard," he muttered satisfyingly as he stomped upon the beautiful lilies, grinding it with his wooden slippers until they were crushed. Not satisfied that he can still see it, he brought forth a small amount of chakra to his chest then breathed enough fire from his mouth to burn the flowers.
However, just as he released the fire from his mouth, he felt Sakura's presence. She had already awakened and was now walking towards him.
"Sasuke? I heard the doorbell rang, who was it?" Sakura yawned rubbing her eyes. Wearing nothing but a silk bathrobe and hair dishevelled, she slowly walked towards him. She squinted her eyes at what seemed like a little fire burning upon their doorstep and the faint outlines of what seemed like flowers within it.
"What have you done to those poor flowers?" She cried in shock at the little "horrible" scene.
"It was from him," said Sasuke in a low voice, his face set in an expressionless facade. He looked at her and waited for a reaction.
"Oh," gasped Sakura in surprise as she understood whom he meant. She shrugged her shoulders and hurried to the kitchen. "Wait! Have you eaten yet? I'm going to cook some -"
He raised a hand to stop her. "I'm in a hurry. We are leaving for Mist Village."
"Alright," sighed Sakura. She watched him slid on his sandals.
When he was about to place his mask on his face, she run to him, tiptoed and planted a soft kiss on his mouth before pulling the Anbu mask to his face.
"Take care," she said in a little voice, clearly surprised and embarrassed by what she just did.
Good thing that the mask hid the astonished look on his face, he nodded at her and slid the door open.
In a blink of an eye, he was gone.
oOo
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