Dreamcatcher
By Airyo
The Guardian - 7
"So you stop people from bothering Hinata. Why is keeping it a secret such a big deal?" Naruto asked, scratching his head in confusion. "Don't girls like it when they have a guardian angel?" Itachi's eye twitched at being called such.
Sakura nodded in agreement, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"I'm sure Hinata would appreciate your efforts. You're a gentleman, unlike these two idiots, so she won't think poorly of your actions even if they seem questionable to you. I mean, It's not like you suddenly attacked her with your lips or anything, neh, Itachi-sensei?"
There was a pause.
Itachi took a sip of tea, neglecting to respond.
"SENSEI, YOU DOG!" Naruto and Sakura screamed in unison.
"That would be Kakashi," he muttered to himself, thankful that he'd reserved a private room at a restaurant that catered to ninja. The muffling jutsus were the only reason he hadn't stoppered their mouths with sizzling meat from the grill.
Itachi eyed the matching grins of wicked glee on Naruto's and Sakura's face with trepidation. It clashed horribly with the stars in their eyes as they clasped their hands in a rather...fangirlish way. Itachi tuned them out when they started chanting the children's song about trees and the progression of courtship. (And just what was it about Team 7's recent obsession with trees?) Sasuke sat back and crossed his arms, smirking in a way that was somehow more irritating than the screeches of his louder cohorts.
"I'm surprised you held out so long," Sasuke said, nodding sagely. "You've been repressing all your urges for far too long that your body feared that your genes were in danger of extinction. And your primal instincts took over."
"It's happening! It's finally happening!" Naruto yelled in the background, sounding far more waterlogged than Itachi was comfortable with.
The stoic genius glanced around the private booth, weighing the cost of property repairs against the satisfaction of reminding his decidedly-not-cute students that while Uchiha Itachi might have developed a soft spot for a girl, it did not mean that he had gone soft. His was a grievous problem, and he did not see the humor that they found so easily.
A dark aura descended down on Team 7. The three gulped, belatedly realizing their folly of Taking It Too Far.
"I have a thing! A thing that I need to get the thing to do the thing for the thing," Naruto declared as he leaped out the window without bothering to open it first. Sasuke had been replaced by a rather nervous patch of genjutsu that inched itself out the door. Sakura was flirting furiously with a jounin in the adjoining booth, which was quite the feat considering she had to punch a hole in the wall to gain access.
Realizing that she was alone with her rather irritated teacher, Sakura dragged her incredibly confused target into the room and peering around her human shield.
"I will not be paying for this," Itachi said flatly.
"I've starting including property damage in the budget years ago," the pink-haired girl offered, smiled winningly. The effect was greatly diminished by the fact that she was hiding behind a jounin, who was desperately trying to squirm out of her clutches in order to escape the force of the Uchiha glare.
Sakura hushed her protesting shield and proceeded to drag him towards the door, keeping the jounin between her and Itachi the entire time. She paused just before exiting, peeking over the shoulder of her shield.
"I'm really happy for you, sensei" she added with a solemn expression, "All of us. I guarantee that she doesn't hate you. Just talk to her, okay?"
She was wasn't lying, and Itachi found the knot of tension in his stomach loosen.
"I thank you for your support. Even if it is an unwarranted over-reaction," he said with nod. He took another sip of tea. "Now go before the boys think I've gutted you for violin strings or something equally dramatic."
Sakura gulped. "You really need to stop hanging out with Ibiki. It's bad for my health." She disappeared out the door.
He shook his head - Team 7 probably thought they'd gotten away with saddling him with the bill, even though he had intended to treat them. Despite their attempt to abuse his dignity.
Vindictively, Itachi made a mental note to schedule Team 7 psychological evaluations.
After a moment, he edited said note to include an appointment for himself as well.
AN: More Team 7. Sorry...(THAT I'M NOT SORRY). Also, you guys are mean...so quick to say that I'm cruel. :P