Title: Accidents Do Happen
Author: Nyaaan
Pairing: Itachi/Sakura/LovePolygons
Genres: Romance/Comedy/Family/Lemon-ish?/SliceofLife
Note: Author-san is pretty down lately so I decided to distract myself and update a chapter. I'll be happy, you'll be happy everyone will be happy. Yay ~ here is the Chapter 5. Thank you for the wonderful reviews minna-san. It did cheer me up. Anyway, life goes on … and on and on and on. :D
Warning: Some of it is a series of flashbacks to answer some of your questions.
Chapter Five: Bribes
A few years back:
A six-year old Sakura is sitting on one of the swings in the park. She's waiting for Sasuke and Naruto to come. She's kicking the pebbles that are on the ground to ease her boredom. They're supposed to be here by now.
'They sure are late.'
Footsteps…
'Finally...'
She's expecting to see Naruto's spiky blonde hair or Sasuke's black chicken-butt hairstyle but instead of those its Itachi Uchiha that appeared. He's carrying a book with him, his dark orbs staring at Sakura. Sakura tilts her head. Itachi interpret it as 'do-you-need-something-look?'
Itachi is somewhat tall for a nine-year old so he's towering over Sakura.
So this is her huh?
The only female friend of his little brother.
'What's the name of this squirt again?'
She sure looks odd.
She's got that glasses that is too big for her face, her forehead is huge too and her hair is pink. It's his first time seeing her up-close since he tends to stay in his room to study whenever she and that Naruto-kid invades their home.
Pink.
The same kind of pink he saw on the flamingo statues that are on his mother's garden. Sasuke caught a cold so he's there on his behalf since his precious mother won't stop pestering him to be a chaperone.
He eyed her.
Weird.
The blonde kid that sticks to her like a shadow is not on sight. So it'll be that kid and him. The trio promised each other to go to the "Cherry Blossom Festival" but since Sasuke can't make it, his mother asked him to go. He hates festivals but what really ruins his mood is that:
…He has to wake up at an ungodly hour of seven in the morning just to escort a strange-looking kid. She's not even his friend for god's sake.
The girl spoke.
"I know you. You're Sasuke-kun's onii-chan!" she beamed. "Where's Sasuke?"
"He can't come today." is his short reply.
An instant disappointed expression ruins her joyful face. "Is that so?"
"Hn." is his shorter reply.
He's about to go home since he changed his mind but she's frowning way too much for his liking. After a few moments of contemplating he sighed.
"Since I'm here, I can accompany you." He offered.
Sakura's face brightens up. "Really?! You'll do that? Thank you, Sasuke-kun's onii-chan."
"I have a name you know."
Her brows creased a bit. She's sure he heard his name before. What was it again? She can't remember but it certainly has a "chi" in it.
Think. Think. Think.
Ah!
"*Butachi?"
(*Buta – in Japanese, means pig.)
"Who's 'Butachi'?"
"That's your name right?" Sakura said.
A blank stare...
He doesn't like this kid. Maybe it's a petty reason but fist impressions have a strong effect on him. After all he takes pride in his name and she just ruined it by adding pig.
"It's Itachi. I-ta-chi. If you can't remember, at least be honest about it. Don't name people base on your perceptions, kid."
Itachi can't wait for this day to be over.
.
.
.
The pinkette and the blonde is in their house again. He's about to U-turn back to his room when the pinkette spotted him.
"Oh. Itachi-san!"
'Shoot.'
He ignored her.
"You should join us. We're having fun coloring the coloring book Mikoto-san bought us."
'Do not make an eye-contact.'
"What's your favorite color?"
Another silence.
"What do you eat?" little Sakura shoots another persistent attempt to engage him in a conversation.
'Seriously?'
"Food." Itachi finally spoke.
"Really? Cool. Me too. I eat food everyday!" Sakura replied in a chirping manner.
'Are they really having this senseless conversation?'.
"Are you really a male?"
"That's a silly question." Meanwhile an inner battle is taking place in Itachi's mind. He wants to squish that plump face of hers and make her cry.
"You're too pretty to be a guy. Ah—"
"What?"
She gives him a stare similar to sympathy and shock.
"Are you a homo?"
Something in him snapped.
.
.
.
"Sakura?"
Sakura's face is as red as tomato. She faces Sasuke.
She put a letter on his locker asking him to meet her in the clinic. It's lunch time so the room is vacated, a perfect time for her plans to commence. She's been planning this for months now with the help of Ino and Naruto.
This is it.
The moment of truth.
"S-Sasuke-kun, I like you." Sakura is gripping the hem of her uniform tightly. Today is her twelfth birthday and she finally gathered enough courage to confess. She's blushing so much and her heart won't calm down.
'This is it. I've said it.'
She starts twiddling her thumbs. What will happen now?
"Sakura…"
"Yes?"
The Uchiha smirked. "You think I'd fall for that? I know its April Fools today." he flicks her forehead while chuckling then turns his back from her.
'What?'
Did she just confess at a wrong time? How idiotic can that get?
Smile is her automatic response.
Sakura is laughing awkwardly while waving her arms. "Ha-ha, Of course it is. April Fools!" she swallowed the lump in her throat making sure her voice is not wavering. "I'll come up with something convincing next year."
Who would have thought smiling can be this painful?
"Thank you." she heard him utter that before he walks away and disappeared from sight.
Sakura's eyes widen, there's more to that words.
Wow.
So he does realize that confession was real.
The room suddenly feels small of a sudden. She finds it hard to breathe, with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. At least that kind of rejection is not humiliating but the effort of Sasuke brush it off to save their friendship hurts.
Such kindness … it hurts.
Tears began to flow despite her smile, a soft sob found its way to her being. She removes her glasses to wipe it away; she's on the process of calming her emotions when she heard one of the clinic's bed creak.
'What? Someone is here?! Nooooo! The clinic is supposed to be empty during lunch time!'
The last thing she needs is an audience. She didn't notice the nearest bed is occupied since the white curtain is blocking it.
Behind the white curtain is no other than…
Drumrolls.
Uchiha Itachi.
"He rejected you huh?"
Whoosh.
An arrow right in the feels.
"S-So what?" she spat.
He can laugh all he wants. After all she got this feeling Itachi is not fond her from the start. She glares towards his direction but to her surprise he's not there anymore but is now standing in front of her and is way too close.
To the point her forehead bumped on his chest.
But then again, either her forehead is too huge or he's just too close. Sakura ordered herself not to meet his eyes, she's pretty sure he's ready to mock her now. She just stared at the buttons of his uniform.
Yes, buttons.
…because buttons are interesting when you're facing this kind of situation.
"You did good hanging in there."
Sakura remained silent for an unnaturally long period of time.
'Eh?'
' EEEEH?!'
She meets his eyes with a wtf-look obvious on her face.
Sincerity is there which means he really meant what he said.
"What? You're trying to cheer me up now? I'm okay!"
'Okay that was too forced but there's no way she'll cry in front of itachi.'
"…"
Itachi fell silent, staring sharply at the pinkette's tear-stained face before releasing a soft sigh, questioning, "…Then why…are you crying?"
Despite her resolve, fresh tears are streaming down in rivulets over her pale skin and dropping with a plip-plop down onto the floor and even on Itachi's shoes. Her expression melting into one of shock, Sakura breathed…
"W-What?" She hastily rubbed at her face with the back of her hand, an action Itachi consider as very defensive. "Are you blind? I'm not crying!" she angrily declared while stomping on his foot over and over and over again.
Itachi just stared at her with a calm look on his face.
'Sayonarra, my foot.'
Here he is trying to do something good for this world and what happened? He became a tool of relieving her stress. And, did he just hear something crack? His foot hurts, how can someone so small stomp like a hippo?
Great…
She'll pulverize his foot if this goes on.
"It takes strength to smile when the person you treasure in this world turn down your declaration of love. You'll cry a lot, be in pain a lot but one day, you'll get over it and you can smile again."
A gentle poke on her forehead left Sakura marveling in genuine confusion.
"I mean it. I think you did a good job back there."
Itachi did his best to filter his words as much as he can. He doesn't want another assault, his foot had enough for today. He finds pleasure in teasing people but he finds it really satisfying if it's her. But today, somehow he doesn't like her crying face.
It annoys him.
"You can cry here till you're fine." Itachi said while spreading his arms wide open.
'This is probably enough compensation for those years of bullying her.'
His words found its way to the chink of her armor, shattering her defenses. New waves of tears appeared as Sakura let out a heart-wrenching cry tugging on Itachi's shirt for support.
That day, Sakura broke her heart for the first time.
Some girls are only good as a 'bestfriend-material'. It sucks to be in the friendzone.
The moment she finally calmed down she gaze up to utter a simple 'thank you.'
His face is priceless.
Once is enough to realize hugging Itachi is a no-go because when they parted from that said hug…
He looked at her like she ran over his dog or something.
.
.
.
"I saw what you did there, Itachi." Kisame grins with a teasing tone.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He looks away.
"Come on Itachi. We're really close yet you're keeping things from me." Kisame feigned a disappointed face.
"Close? Do you know how close we are? If I have a friend and that friend of mine has a pet dog and that pet dog has a pet … and the pet of the pet dog has a pet, then that's it. That's how close we are."
"You're really an expert at offending people, buddy." Kisame frowned.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Itachi replied with a smirk.
"So… what's with you and that cute girl?"
"She was crying."
"Who's crying?" Deidara's head peered from the window.
"It's Miss None-of-your-business." Kisame guffaws."I saw our Itachi here hugging a girl. A girl!"
"Wait. What? Seriously? My, my our Itachi-chan's springtime of romance finally appeared." Deidara seems happy with the news.
Somehow, this conversation is making Itachi's head ache.
"It was a one-sided hug, okay? I'm just doing the right thing."
"Hugging her must be the rightest thing then?" Kisame is sounding more and more like a shipper now.
"Do you like her?"
Silence.
"No."
"You hesitated!" Kisame and Deidara chorused.
Itachi just shrugs his shoulder.
The two male keeps on staring at him.
"Shut up."
"What? We're not saying anything?" Kisame muttered.
"You're thinking. It's annoying."
"So what do you really feel about her?" Deidara is all-serious and curious now. It's not every day you'll be able to extract such information from the famed iceberg.
Itachi became more serious than he usually is all of a sudden.
"If I am to describe my feelings... I want to make her angry, bully her-" he eyed the two idiots listening to his answer. They seem to be dissatisfied and disappointed, Itachi continued.
"…if she cries, I'll comfort her then be appreciated."
Shaking his head, Deidara pat Itachi's shoulder. "Somehow, I feel sorry for her. So she's been the object of your sadistic streak eh?"
"What?"
"What do you expect, it's Itachi." Kisame sighed.
.
.
.
Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura are getting ready to attend Itachi's graduation. Sakura and Mikoto designed a bouquet to give him after the ceremony.
"I can't believe we'll be high schoolers this spring." Naruto beamed.
"Yeah, you barely passed your subjects" Sasuke said. "Such a pity, you don't have to repeat a year."
"Teme."
"Dobe."
"Stop that now, we'll be late." It's Itachi's graduation. She heard he'll be studying abroad. She feels sad because even if their interactions with each other are irrational at times, he became one of her important persons too.
Even though they don't share that same emotion.
Sakura is carrying the bouquet and some other stuff when Naruto volunteered to help her.
"A lady shouldn't carry that much. Leave it to me Sakura-chan!"
"Don't treat her so femininely, if she gets sexy it'll be creepy." Sakura just smiled before planting a hard whack on the Uchiha's head then walks away.
"That poisonous wave of a bastard like you is keeping her that way, Sasuke."
"I prefer her that way."
"That way? She looks like a caterpillar with those clothes and those hideous glasses makes her look like a—"
"If you're going to defend my honor, make sure I'll like what you're spouting."
Naruto just grinned sheepishly.
.
.
.
Sakura chase after Itachi. He suddenly disappeared from the event hall.
'Where did he go?' With the graduation gift in her hand, she starts looking for him around the school. She's been running around for a couple of minutes now when he saw him on the rooftop.
'Gotcha.'
She's about to approach Itachi, who's facing at the opposite direction when he spoke.
"I'll be going away but I'll come back for you."
'Eh? Is he talking to me?' Sakura tilts her head.
"Itachi-kun…" a female voice spoke.
Sakura don't know what to do but she ended up hiding behind the wall. Eavesdropping is wrong but her curiosity is all piqued up now. She listens intently.
"I don't know if it'll work out between us though." The soft wind is caressing her dark hair as she spoke. "I have a dream to fulfill and, I just can't wait for you."
'Anko-senpai?'
"I won't change my mind. I'll come back for you."
Throb.
Sakura blinks owlishly. What was that? She put her palm on top of her chest. Did it just 'throb'?
"If it's what you want." She smiled.
"You know, taking over the company has always been my priority, but someone helped me decide that I am capable of straying from that shadow…" Itachi edges closer towards the sitting Anko then leans down. "I can't lose you, Anko."
She caresses his cheek, smiling reassuringly. "You won't."
Their shadow slowly lost its distance becoming one under the setting sun.
Sakura let out a bitter smile.
She'll never see that side of him because it only belongs to the person that possesses his heart.
And it will never be her.
The small box she's carrying fell down soundlessly on the cold hard-ground.
Forgotten.
.
.
.
"N-Nephew?" Naruto didn't expect to see Itachi here.
He laughs trying to hide the awkwardness but it's still there. "It's for my future nephew, Ino and Shikamaru's kid." Naruto shakes his own hand inwardly for that.
"Oh, Shikamaru's future kid. I see." He walks past Naruto hen stood next to Sasori. "Oi, give it to him. I'm sure we can still find that toy. We don't want to mess with a pregnant woman."
With a heavy look on his face, Sasori finally raised the white flag deciding to just vent his frustration to the innocent burger, stabbing it repeatedly with his fork.
"So I'm guessing, you're with Shikamaru today."
"No, I'm with Sasuke and Sakura. They're at Ichiraku's at the moment when Sa – Ino , called Sakura about wanting that freebie penguin from Happy Meal."
"I see. Can I come with you? I have something to tell Sakura."
"Yeah sure. But what about you're uhh companion Itachi-san?" If looks could kill, he'd be dead by now. It seems he's already on that Sasori-guy's blacklist.
.
.
.
Sakura loves food.
…because there are types of food that deals with any emotions.
Depressed?
Fried food.
Happy?
Baked goods.
Lonely?
Ice cream.
Food is the absolute answer to anything.
With Sasuke trying to initiate a conversation, he asks. "You're hiding something from us, aren't you?"
"Nope." She unyieldingly stares back.
It became a stare-off with Sasuke as the loser.
That's one of Sakura's scary skills. She can stare straight to your eyes even if she's lying. She sighed inwardly; a pregnant woman keeping too many secrets will not be healthy.
"What do you want to eat now, I'm sure you're hungry and that idiot is not yet back too."
"Pizza."
Sasuke snaps. "You can't have pizza every single day. I saw pizza boxes in your apartment ,your office too. It's unhealthy!"
"Yes I can. That's the beauty of pizza, Sasuke-kun. So many different toppings, it's like you're eating a different food every day. Please?" Sakura is using that puppy eyes, Ino taught her.
"Stop that. I'm not falling for that, I know you're a pro at begging but spare me that look. It's bad for the baby." Sasuke is genuinely upset with her. Sasuke's is trying to be firm here but Sakura always wins. She has this way of making you feel bad without doing anything to make you feel bad.
She's too damn sweet, that's what it is.
Sasuke's mouth pull's down into a frown when she saw her lips quiver.
'Fuck females and their hormones!'
"No pizza?"
"No pizza." Sasuke emphasized the 'No' with remorse.
"I'm asking nicely Sasuke-kun."
"I can't." is his short reply.
"What do you mean you can't?" there's annoyance in her voice now that makes Sasuke a bit nervous. "You can, and you will if you love your hair!"
'Good Lord, you calm the stormy seas … calm her raging hormones too.'
"No."
Her eyes turn deadly as she pulled his hair like it's a ready-to-harvest carrot.
At that exact moment, Naruto, Itachi and Sasori arrived.
The three male just stared at them as Sakura continues to teach the younger Uchiha how a pregnant woman's order is absolute.
The moment her sea-foam green eyes caught his dark eyes, the world seems to stop.
"I-Itachi."
"Yo." He mocked a salute with a smile.
.
.
.
She managed to finish her meal with ease, even though memories of that night filled her mind she was able to act like nothing is wrong. She excuses herself for awhile since she's feeling sick and is currently in the bathroom.
She's about to go out when something red caught her eyes.
'Eh? Isn't this the man, Itachi's friend?'
"Umm—hello. Sasori-san. It's kind of rude to be hanging around the female bathroom you know."
"Give me back my Pogo."
"Excuse me? That penguin is mine now and I'm not giving it away for anything." Sakura is puzzled.
"Are you sure about that?" Sasori asked.
"Yep, pretty sure." Sakura turns her back ready to walk away when the red-head blocks her way.
'What's wrong with you?!" That straight-face of his is scary.
"I want my Pogo."
"You can't have that! But if you ever have something worth thinking for, I'll think about it." She adjust her glasses, staring at him intently.
"What would you do if I told you… I know what you did two-weeks ago."
.
.
.
End of Chapter 5
A/N: Hello guys. Thank you for reading the Chapter 5, stay happy.
A LATE HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU Consuelo ~ *confetti*
Again, thank you for the inspiring reviews. I'm tired and sleepy now. The Chapter 6 will be updated this weekend since Weekdays are busy as hell.
No worries. Be happy!
-Author-san