Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Story Rating: T

Summary: In order to restore the Uchiha clan to its former glory, Sasuke is given a special permission by the impatient elders. Part 3.

The Perfect Candidate

Part 3

Sasuke knew that he should have expected that Sakura might be at the flower shop as Ino and her were on friendly terms now, yet he couldn't stifle the subtle feeling of surprise when she ran smack-dab into him just as he entered. He wasn't prepared to see her so soon after she had rejected him and ran out of his apartment, leaving him bewildered and rather incensed. He planned to clear his head first and get some insight on why would she act like that, then make a move but he didn't count on another encounter with the confusing woman.

Now, his plans would have to be scratched and remade, though he supposed he could seize this opportunity and use it to his advantage.

"Sakura," he said her name and with great satisfaction observed the delicate shade of rouge colouring her cheeks. "Are you alright?"

"Ah, yes, I'm okay! Sorry for running into you! I guess I should look where I'm going," she gave a small laugh, her gestures jerky and nervous as her eyes avoided looking into his own.

"It's fine," he replied curtly.

"That's... good... Uh..." Sakura clearly found herself at a loss of what else to say. Her eyes darted back to Ino, who was leaning nonchalantly on the counter and watching the two ninjas blocking the doorway with rapt attention. The blonde didn't look all that inclined to interfere and Sakura cursed her mentally before shifting her attention back to Sasuke. "Um... I'm going home... so..." she gestured that he was taking up the space and she couldn't walk out of the shop.

"I'll walk you," Sasuke offered unexpectedly.

"Eh?!" Sakura gasped. "You really don't have to, I can walk alone!"

He ignored her, putting an arm around her and steering her with a hand on the back to fall in step beside him as he exited the shop. Sakura frantically threw a pleading glance over her shoulder to her friend, but Ino just grinned and waved cheekily. There was no getting out of this for the medic.

Sakura sighed and relaxed, accepting his company and after a while Sasuke pulled his hand away when he was sure she was done with her protesting. For a moment, they walked together in silence. It was getting late, the dusk quickly approaching the peaceful village. Soon, the street lamps would be lit, but for now they could still see the path in the last, soft rays of the day.

Sakura quickened her pace but Sasuke wordlessly kept up with her. She gritted her teeth. Even though she decided to pursue him again, she had no idea how to start. It just felt so strange and she was irritated with the loss of the easy camaraderie they had shared before this day. She couldn't help but blame Sasuke for it.

Sakura risked a glance at him and met his calm gaze taking her in intently, as if he was memorizing every detail of her appearance. She was unable to fully suppress the blush, so she quickly looked away, hiding her eyes beneath the fringe she now sported.

"A-are you hungry, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, trying to get rid of the awkwardness of the situation.

Sasuke thought about it. He supposed he could use a meal as he had had only an old riceball he had found in his fridge. He nodded slowly.

Sakura smiled. "Then I could make us something to eat. What do you think?"

"As long as it's not ramen," Sasuke stipulated.

"I'm not Naruto!" she pouted. "I thought I could make yakisoba. With tomatoes," she added temptingly, knowing Sasuke's strange weakness for the red, succulent fruits.

It seemed that all the talk about food made Sasuke really hungry, because he licked his lips. "Sounds tasty," he commented.

"You bet!" she laughed.

And that's how Sakura found herself in the kitchen, busy with the dinner preparation as her guest made himself at home in her living room. She was glad she had moved out of her parents' house after the war. Otherwise she would never invite Sasuke for the fear of them embarrassing her to death. She loved her parents, but sometimes they were a bit too much.

Sakura shook her head to free herself from the silly thoughts. Concentrate! she called onto her focus. She had this chance to prove to Sasuke that she was a wifely material and she would do everything it would take to succeed! Shannaro!

The noodles were ready and she was just cutting some vegetables and meat when Sasuke wandered into the kitchen to see how she was doing. She was humming a familiar, catchy tune as she worked, no doubt unaware that he was there. Sasuke smiled, watching her sway her hips a bit to the rhythm. She was wearing a green apron and her hair was gathered into a high messy ponytail that exposed her nape to his observant gaze. He stared harder at that place, appreciating the delicate arch where her neck met the shoulder and the way her pink hair was lightly brushing the skin there. Noiselessly, he closed in onto the cooking kunoichi.

Sakura placed the chopped pieces of meat and vegetables into the skillet and watched them sizzle, when she stiffened. Someone was right behind her and she had a good idea who might it be.

"This looks good," Sasuke murmured, dangerously close to her ear as he nosed around her nape, enjoying her scent. His voice vibrated throughout her body and she swallowed, afraid to even move a muscle.

A hand passed by her side, grazing her hip and reached for one of the tomato pieces she hadn't fried yet. Sasuke stepped back and when she whirled around to face him, popped the fruit into his mouth, chewing it thoughtfully. Her eyes followed the bob of his Adam's apple as it went down his throat.

"Delicious," he commented and licked his fingers from the reddish tomato juices. Sakura's mouth felt dry like a desert all of a sudden.

"Sasuke-kun..." she started, unsure of what she even wanted to tell him. Damn him for taking away her ability to think and turning her brain into mush!

"You should probably focus on your cooking," he reminded her and seated himself behind the kitchen table.

"R-right!" she quickly went back to monitor the food. She didn't want to burn it because she was too distracted by... other things.

Sasuke smirked triumphantly. His experiment gave him a reaction he was looking for. She was definitely anything but indifferent to him and he planned to exploit it some more.

But before he would partake in the dessert he was hoping for, first he would enjoy the food prepared by her.

Sakura inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled through her mouth to stop herself from hyperventilating. What was that? What did he think he was doing? The disoriented woman was screaming inside her head, even as she calmly added the noodles to the fried contents of the skillet and stirred before covering it and lowering the heat. She knew that recipe like a back of her hand, her mother had made sure of that, so she did all of that automatically as she thought about Sasuke, trying to puzzle out what he meant by behaving so, dare she say it... flirtatiously. Sakura felt warmth rising on her cheeks as she considered the implications of that and quickly squashed the feeling.

She grabbed the bottle of sauce and added a copious amount to the dish. It was almost ready. After a few more minutes of the food steaming, she split it into two portions and placed it on the plates.

"Dinner's ready!" she announced and put the fruit of her culinary labours on the table. "Let's eat! Itadakimasu!"

"Itadakimasu," Sasuke said with more reserve as he took his first tentative bite under her furtive gaze.

Sakura held her breath, waiting for the verdict. It was her best recipe (though to her defense she was too busy with her career to bother learning something more complicated) but she was still nervous that he wouldn't like it.

Sasuke chewed meticulously, then swallowed. "It's good," he complimented and took another bite.

"Thanks!" she gave him a pleased smile and also dug in.

She was so happy that she felt like she was glowing from the inside. It was a bit silly, but she couldn't help it. She passed the first requirement to be a good wife (that's what the magazines said, anyway), so she had a right to feel happy about it.

The meal was going in a more relaxed atmosphere until something brushed against Sakura's foot. Confused, she withdrew it a bit, but then the sensation returned. She recognized it as a bare foot and looked quizzically at Sasuke who was seemingly absorbed with only eating his food.

Sakura gasped when the foot moved up and rubbed against her ankle, then trailed halfway up her calf, before going down and repeating the motion.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" she finally asked.

"Yes?"

"Stop doing it."

"What do you mean?" he questioned innocently, never stopping the rubbing motion on her leg.

"That. Stop doing that," she ground out, getting more flustered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he shrugged, but there was a hint of a smirk on his face.

Sakura pushed with her unmolested foot against his to shake it off, but it came back unrelenting and with reinforcements. She was fending off the playful attacks, pushing and shifting her legs to escape, all the while the frustrated redness was seeping onto her face to the enjoyment of her opponent.

"Sasuke-kun! Stop!" she whined.

Finally, she realized she had no chance of winning as he was taller and therefore had a longer reach. She made to stand up, unknowingly pouting cutely, with the intention to take the empty plates to the sink, but Sasuke beat her to it.

"I'll take care of this," he told her.

"You don't have to do it, you're a guest!" she objected.

"It's the least I can do," he replied nonchalantly and began his self-appointed task of washing the dishes.

Sakura sighed and let it be. It seemed that today he did whatever he wanted and she had no way of influencing his decision. She wondered what's got into him but there was simply no plausible explanation.

Damn him for being so confusing! First he was flirting, next pestering her with his feet, then he was all sweet, washing the dishes for her!

The water was turned off, signalizing that Sasuke was done. She looked on as he dried his hands with a dishrag, before she also got up. It was already time to go for him, though she kind of wanted him to stay a bit longer.

Sasuke noticed her stare and a suspicious glint appeared in his eyes. He walked... no, stalked up to her, his focused gaze trapping her in place, then raised a hand and rubbed the corner of her mouth.

"You had a bit of food stuck here," he explained.

"Ah..." she uttered faintly, his closeness making her instantly heat up.

Sasuke didn't take away his hand, but instead cupped her cheek. The other hand gripped her shoulder and Sakura realized that with the table right behind her, she had no way to escape.

The only question was – did she want to?

"Sakura... It's time for my dessert," he murmured, leaning in.

But you don't like sweets, Sasuke-kun, she thought absently and closed her eyes in a breathless anticipation.

Sudden knocking to the door disrupted their critical moment and Sasuke growled, annoyed as she pushed past him to see who it was. He took a while to collect himself and think rationally, as he really couldn't slaughter the person who had ruined the mood.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and walked out of the kitchen to see what was the matter. Sakura was pulling on her boots, obviously in a hurry.

"There's an emergency at the hospital, I need to go," she informed him.

"Of course," he said in a monotone, hiding his annoyance with the unwanted interruption.

Sakura frowned, apparently sensing his quiet discontent. "I'm really sorry, Sasuke-kun," she straightened up. "At least we had a good time together, right?" she added hopefully.

"Aa," he agreed shortly.

They stepped outside and Sakura locked the door. He turned to leave but she called out to stop him.

"Sasuke-kun!"

In a flash, Sakura was right before him, standing on her tiptoes. Sasuke's eyes widened when he felt her lips brush against his cheek lightly.

"G-goodbye!"

And she was gone.

Sasuke touched his cheek dazedly. A big smirk spread on his face.

In the end, he got a kiss, even if it wasn't exactly like he had imagined it to play out.

"Koharu-sama, Homura-sama," a masked shinobi knelt before the two elders in a shadowy room. "I have news about the Uchiha situation."

The old woman waved him on as her partner sipped on his tea. The only source of light was a small lamp, which illuminated the shogi board between the two elders.

"Out with it," Koharu ordered impatiently. It was her move and she needed her head in the game if she wanted to beat Homura.

"Uchiha Sasuke shows signs of interest in his teammate, Haruno Sakura. He had a dinner at her place and after she was called to the hospital for emergency, she kissed him on a cheek," the shinobi dutifully reported.

"Figures he would go for someone he already knows," Koharu sighed heavily and made her move.

"It's actually a good thing, you know," Homura pointed out drily.

Koharu sent him a withering look. "Good and bad," she corrected. "We can't allow this to continue."

"Yes, you're right, of course. What a shame," Homura agreed, then cleverly took out one of her most important pieces with just a pawn. "Looks like it's going to be my win again, Koharu-chan," he teased.

In response, the old woman sprang her trap, killing one of his generals and a few minor pieces. "Oh, really? The game is still on, Homura-kun," she said overly sweetly.

Homura winced, regretting his momentary arrogance, and concentrated on the board.

The elders played several enjoyable rounds of shogi that evening. Dealing with the Haruno girl could wait until the morning, anyway...

To be continued...

AN: I think I'll wake up tomorrow and see hundreds of mistakes here. I'll probably need to edit it again.

Reviews would be nice :)