Title: Memento Mori
Summary: A modern AU in which there are things that go bump in the night.
It's up to Team Seven to figure out if there is just faulty plumbing or something more sinister lingering in houses, mansions and undergrounds. Of course, sometimes you need back-up, and thats when you call someone who's a lot more in touch with things that go bump.
For ItaSaku week 2023. Chapter 1 - Prompt - Trapped together (Genre: Horror)
Like all of the newborn main branch Uchiha before him, Itachi was kept away from the world even at birth. From his birthday till four, he never stepped foot outside of the Uchiha Compound. The compound covered over 100 acres and housed multiple families – the main branch and others where 'talents' were predicted or foreseen. There were sparse adults and fewer children, but he was not allowed to play with others. Not yet. One day, his mother promised.
Every night he'd be ecstatic when his father returned for the evening. At least until he hit six. His father began training him from the seen and unseen. He'd be told stories - of misshapen figures, disfigured faces, shadows awaiting to pull him into the depths of darkness; until he'd break into tears, and his mother would usher him out the door to play as she scowled at his father.
It led to Itachi meeting Shisui.
He'd fled to the woods, to the stone he'd declared his thinking place. There he sat, sobbing.
He'd felt more than seen, but he looked up from his tears and into the eyes of an older boy.
Itachi had been so amazed at meeting another boy that he had stopped crying. For so long, Itachi had been waiting for Sasuke to become less of a burping mess so he could play, but now, a chance, like in stories, to make a friend.
He'd ignored it. The pungent smell of the forest floor, the hint of decay drifting upwards to his nose. Instead, he'd pursed his lips before smiling, "Hi, my name's Itachi," then, "What's yours?"
"Shisui," the boy had said, and then he'd walked closer. "What are you crying about?" Shisui asked as he sat on the ground beside the rock, not touching Itachi.
Itachi quickly wiped his eyes. Not wanting to look like a crybaby, his father had declared he was. "Nothing." He then extended his hand just like in the television shows. "Let's be friends." Because that was what children in books became upon first contact.
Shisui laughed like the wind. He quickly came up with the most fantastic game to play. And that evening, as Itachi headed home. Shisui whispered, "See you tomorrow."
And against all that had been ingrained in him, Itachi smiled back. "Till tomorrow."
Shisui quickly became the best person Itachi had ever met. Not that Itachi had met many people.
Shisui knew everything. He had tons of different games to play. The funniest jokes, and when Itachi repeated them to his family, even his dad would laugh! Shisui knew the easiest and hardest trees to climb in the forest. He also told the best stories. When the world was dark and quiet, he would lean in and whisper into Itachi's ear.
Itachi would shiver as if the words were burying themselves deeper and deeper within his soul. Even on the humid summer nights, his breaths would just about come out as puffs like a winter day. It didn't occur for him to check. Not after hours of walking gravestones on his expeditions outside the compound, listening, waiting with bated breath. Not even after all the lessons. From his father. His grandfather. Even his mother had sat him down, attempting to describe something far beyond her comprehension.
Shisui was his friend. Only friend. A secret friend.
Shisui had ushered him to silence as they'd hidden in the trees, letting Itachi's mother walk underneath, calling him at seven. At eight, Shisui snuck past his father and begged Itachi off of cutting firewood and playing instead. At nine, they'd both curled as tight as they could under the rock enclave to watch his grandfather's car drive away, only to giggle at having avoided the man altogether. Each little thing a pile of dirt.
And then, at ten, Shisui had grabbed his hand with his frozen own and dragged him through the yellow-leafed woods, going further and further than either had gone before – past the compound fence.
Shisui had laughed then, laughed so loud that even the roar of the waterfall before them was quiet in comparison. His eyes had shimmered in the light of the dying sun.
"Do you trust me?" Shisui asked, pitch dropping conspiratorially.
The words stung like a shovel tip against soft earth. In and further in.
"Trust you?" Itachi asked, blinking as if he were the one staring into the light.
Shisui's grin pulled at his lips as he tried to remain stoic. "Trust, you know, the thing all friends have."
Itachi felt the mist of the waterfall then, the cold wetness forcing clarity to his thoughts. The same particles that should have been stopped by his companion standing before him, wetting his cheek. Real. Itachi had thought. So real. Every interaction they'd had, from holding hands in winter snow after making snowmen to climbing trees to watching Shisui's scabbed knees bleed. But he hadn't touched the blood, had he? No.
He'd stared into his friend's eyes, a foreign freight in his chest. "I trust you." Itachi could feel the word leech deep within. Because if he could not trust Shisui, then who was left?
Suisui's smile sharpened like a spade like he knew what he should not. "Next time we come this far, you should bring Sasuke. I'd like to meet him."
The words bring a chill. The waterfall mist turned to snow. And Itachi sniffed to stop his nose from dripping.
For a moment, breath escaped him. And in a second of terror, he almost ran. Ran far, far away. But he knew now. If he fled, it would doom his precious brother awaiting his return.
The smile on Shisui's face stiffened like a finely sharpened blade.
He found the words somewhere, underneath the dirt already heaved aside. "Do you trust me?" Itachi asked. He couldn't stop them from coming, just like he could not change the choice placed before him.
The smile on Shisui's face softened, softened to something almost genuine. Almost. "Yes. I trust you with all of my being." The words cracked through the bone, right to his very chest cavity.
Itachi raised one hand and touched the shoulder of his constant friend from childhood. He felt him, truly. The soul that once resided, the heart that once pulsed within.
And then he pushed him over the cliff.
The eyes — no, empty sockets dripping red with blood — widened in surprise. The mouth twisted in anger and fury. And the scream, the scream brought Itachi to his knees in terror.
But there was no splash. No crack against the rocks. The dead boy is gone.
The lack of goodbye leaves a gaping wound in its wake. The dead are supposed to go with closure. To not follow the natural order bears consequence. His heart hurt, his lungs squeezed, and he coughed blood for the first time.
He then understood what his family had so feared and the strictness they'd ruled over his life. For while the Uchihas may be rich, they were cursed. Cursed with darkness, despair, and death. The die was cast long ago. Traded and bought with their souls, a contract they'd never signed but somehow agreed to and were bound forever by it.
"So?" Sakura prodded, poking Itachi with one green-painted nail on the shoulder. "Seems like there should be good ghosts. You just said that some of them expand using love, care and kindness – those sound like good things to me. I'd like a nice ghost for a change."
Itachi coughed into the black satin handkerchief he always kept on his person. His attire was black, minus the white and scarlet Windsor knotted tie. Pein required some form of branding, after all. He wiped the blood away, not showing even a single drop left behind. He smirked as she stepped at least six feet away.
"Are you sick?"
"I'm corona-free," Itachi said, tucking his hand behind his back. He cleared the graveyard spacing between them and smiled. Not a genuine smile, no, he hadn't smiled like that since youth, but something just shy of it. A bit crueler. Sharper. "Promise. Took the test just this morning."
Her nose wrinkled, "I swear, if I catch the flu, I know who to sue." She returned to her suitcase full of equipment and dug through it for wires.
From behind, he admired the lax casual wear. He'd never seen his coworkers in anything but business attire. Her jeans had enough holes that he might have thought she did hard labor in them, except there was not a spec of mud. Her crop-cut sweater shifted as she bent over, revealing a sliver of milky skin.
The only one who showed skin in their company right off the bat was Hidan, and even then, Pein had reportedly had words about the lack of tie and an unbuttoned shirt.
Hidan, of course, had many words to say back. His flesh and blood were a packaged deal, and he wouldn't allow any dictation on his clothing.
Needless to say, Pein usually sent Kakuzu ahead to disperse the clients before Hidan arrived… assuming the clients were there, to begin with… Their team usually dealt with far more unsavory things than ghosts.
Itachi lingered to watch her set up, leaning against the library's bookshelf. He took a deep breath to catch even the slightest whiff of something not quite right, but alas, nothing.
"Getting anything?" Sakura asked. "Is this room gonna be hot? Should I set up something else?" She stood on her tippy-toes, placing the next piece of equipment – an elongated-looking camera – on the bookshelf, showing off a belly button ring.
Maybe he should work for his brother instead of Pein. The hipster look did have its appeal.
"I'm afraid not. Nothing in this room." And he lingered still. His usual partner, Kisame, would have already sniffed out the problem on his own if Itachi was moving too slow, and they'd remain there until resolution. It was strange to be in such normal company. He hadn't, not since college, and even then, most of his time had been spent keeping an eye on the occult club to ensure the enthusiastic members didn't make trouble for him.
The most normal of them all was Konan. The majority of his fellow coworkers were not the most… reassuring.
She raised her gaze to meet his. Her eyes were wide, and her smile bright. Innocent. "Which room then?"
"I suspect the nursery." The whole place looked and smelled like maggot-infested fish soup. Kisame was going to be sad he missed this. Fish was his favorite.
She blinked wide-eyed. "Do you think it is upset about the new baby? That the scratch marks were really from the ghost? Naruto said they were likely from the cat."
"Unlikely the ghost. But the cat's declawed," Itachi said with a shrug. "So could have been a stray. More likely, the babe's mitten came off, and his parents had forgotten to trim the nails. Enough for that much blood and cuts, though… some were old."
"Wait!" Sakura began shoving things around in the suitcase before pulling a handheld video camera free. "Can you say that again, so I can get that on film?"
"Me, accuse the parents of neglect?" Pein would shit himself. Accusing the client of anything… ha. Not even when they summoned demons were they allowed to raise hell. Even if they murdered their own family, they had to go to Pein first to make the call. Itachi held her hopeful gaze with his own straight one.
The green light on the video camera flicked on, and she raised it to her face.
"I concur with Naruto. It was likely a cat. Scratches and other animalistic behavior disqualifies a ghost. You'd be seeing a lot more vile things, demonic in nature. Runes on the wall, wax burns on the skin, things of that nature if this were another supernatural occurrence." And demons cost much more to expel; he would have had to alert Pein immediately to such a presence.
The green light flicked off. And her eyes narrowed to slits - much like a kitten just opening its eyes. Adorable and so naive.
He walked over and leaned in, watching her pupils dilate. "The child isn't in any danger from them . I can assure you that the ghost in the house is the largest threat. In fact, it could be the overarching cause."
She gulped. "Cause?"
"The kind ghost you so dearly want to meet may be drawing on either the parents or the child. Either can result in neglect. Depends on their power. How much love they've actually absorbed from their interest." Itachi then poked her head. "It's important to withhold judgment, especially public judgment," he motioned to the equipment, "until we've all the information and have dealt with the ghost. Ghosts can change people, make them something they are not. My team always follows up with another house visit; I'll ensure the child is checked on."
She smiled then, relief showing in the crow's eye feet of her eyes. "Sasuke said your team was good."
"We sell ourselves on our professionalism, even under trying circumstances." Death was always a trying circumstance.
Sakura giggled, "I suppose we don't quite give off that vibe. Being, well," she motioned to the equipment.
"Nonsense, you look equipped to gather evidence and conduct a thorough investigation."
Her cheeks pinked, and she tucked some hair behind her ear. "Thanks."
A scream from Naruto came from upstairs.
"I got touched! Here in the upstairs hallway! Come quick!"
"Dope, that was the cat."
"Oh."
Sakura gave a groan.
Itachi gave a light cough to clear his throat. "But while you might be professional, I'm afraid the rest of your crew may not quite yet be at that level."
Her scowl deepened.
"I think I'll explore the rest of the house. See if Sasuke has pinpointed a better location for you to set up more equipment." Yes, the whole point of him being here was to see how developed his brother's abilities had become. "I bid you adieu, Sakura."
"Catch ya later, Itachi."
Itachi froze at the doorway and glanced back in alarm.
The young woman had already returned to work, connecting the electrical wiring.
"Has Sasuke not taught you anything?" he asked.
She blinked and turned back around in confusion.
"Always say goodbye," he told her.
Sakura let out a snort. "Oh, that, yeah. You're clearly not a ghost, Itachi. So I'll see you later."
His eyes narrowed, and he stepped back into the room. "Sakura," he attempted to replicate his father's condensing tone. "It matters. The more leeway given to a ghost, the more it takes from you."
"You're not a gho-" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine, I bid you adieu. Happy?"
No, not in the slightest. Just what kind of crew was Sasuke running? Surely his brother wasn't being so negligent. Not all ghosts were obvious and his brother was not that talented to distinguish, especially if it were to be a close friend. "Yes." With that, he swept out of the room to find Sasuke.
He found Sasuke in the master bedroom, along the side of the wall shared with the nursery. The young man's brows were furrowed in concentration.
Itachi sat on the chest at the end of the bed, watching his brother stare with his eyes unfocused.
From here, the scent of fish was barely a waft, like it could be the sea. The foulness hidden by the air freshener sitting on the wardrobe.
The shadow in the corner was fractionally off. It was what his brother's eyes had caught. But it was just a symptom of the more significant problem next door.
Eventually, Sasuke blinked and gave a sigh before finally noticing Itachi. When he did, he flinched.
Itachi couldn't help but smile. The idea of his brother spooking in this field didn't bode well. Maybe he would put this all behind him. Go live a life as normal as he could. Out of the two of them, he was the only one who could. What a shame to waste it.
"What do you think?" Itachi asked.
Sasuke snorted, "I asked you to come so you could tell me what you thought, not the other way around."
Itachi rose from his seat and stood next to his brother; from the corner of his eye, he could see the shadow shift, creep just a bit closer towards them.
His brother's scowl increased, noticing it too. His head just about turned -
Itachi captured his brother's cheek before he could stare directly at it. "Keep it at the side of your vision."
The wind blew outside, causing the shadows from the tree outside to move. The corner took the opportunity, creeping even further towards their feet. It did not recede when all the other shadows did once the wind stopped. Smart. A little too aware for Itachi's liking.
Sasuke's nose flared and scrunched, finally picking up on the fish. It was a tad bit stronger now.
"Well?" Itachi prodded, removing his hand from his brother's face.
"It's not this room, else it would have come to our shadows… So it's a bit stuck. But it must be close."
Perfect.
Sasuke rapped the wall. "Want to check the nursery with me?"
Not too bad. "Would love to."
They made their way out of the bedroom.
"I got thermal and night vision in the study where they think they saw shadows in the hallway, Sasuke," Sakura said from down the stairs. "Should I set up more or follow you around?" Her head popped into view, and she waved her handheld camera. "We get more views if I follow you around. More views mean more money. Pretty sure our viewers don't care about ghosts, just a dark and handsome man who scowls."
Sasuke scowled at her but then sighed. "Fine."
"Awesome. I think we should start with a live stream, yeah, get people excited for the real deal?"
"Whatever," Sasuke said with a shrug.
The green light came on.
Sakura held up her fingers, "Connecting to wifi, good. Live streaming in 3…2…1" Her fingers counted down. Now both a green and blue light glowed on her camera. She pulled out her phone to check its screen and gave a thumbs up.
"Greetings all! Today we are streaming live during our setup and walk-through. Unlike most clients, this one has lived in this house all their lives. It was handed down to them. They had no signs of anything supernatural until the baby girl was born. Since then, creaking floorboards have become the norm. They see shadows and hear voices. They found wounds on the baby recently and called us in to investigate. Because of the safety concerns for the newborn we've brought in a special guest. Want to introduce our additional ghost hunter for this episode, Sasuke?"
Itachi glanced at his brother.
Sasuke shrugged, then pointed a thumb at him, "This is my older brother, Itachi. We are just about to explore the nursery." He then motioned them forward, down the hallway.
Itachi motioned for Sakura to go first.
"No, I got the camera, the point it -"
"Ladies first," Itachi insisted as Sasuke got further away.
She sighed. "Thank you."
"What are you doing, dope?" Sasuke asked at the entryway to the room.
"Don't be a bast-"
"We are live, Naruto!" Sakura yelled to drown out the curse word.
"I'm checking the EMF readings."
Itachi watched them all trickle into the room. His brother hadn't even attempted to block the door from shutting in on them. How foolish.
Itachi leaned upon the threshold, watching all three of them argue over the fact Naruto had unplugged the clients' wifi nodes so that he could get a solid reading on the room. All of them were completely unaware of signs screaming that something wasn't quite right.
Even if they couldn't smell the rotten fish, even someone normal should have felt the hairs on the back of their neck rise from the amount of attention. The stuffed animals were cute for a child, surely. The fact that every stuffed animal in the room was turned towards them instead of the crib couldn't possibly be a bad sign, right? Even the ones that had fallen over were turned so they could watch them.
But no. They were still arguing over the small annoying device that had blipping lights on it.
The ceiling had shadows, darker than they should have been. The contrast in the entire room was too much for a northern-facing window.
And the walls. The walls with smiling bears and balloons seemed almost ominous, likely because the glints of the eyes were opposite of the sun drawn in the fake sky.
And then there was the general unrest feeling swelling as if the room itself were breathing.
So yes, if they didn't have the nose to smell the overwhelming rotten fish soup, which many didn't, then other instincts should have kicked in.
Itachi watched his brother be more occupied with his comrades and a foolish device that looked as trustworthy as a white lie.
"What do you think, Itachi?" Sakura asked, turning the camera to him. "Does your team use EMF readers?"
"Such things usually only get in the way of the job," Itachi said with enough of a reprimand that Sasuke raised his head to look. A flush crept upon his brother's face.
"Just put it down, Naruto. Stop being stupid," Sasuke urged.
"In the way?" Sakura asked.
"Of instincts."
"You can't measure instincts. You can't prove ghosts with a gut feeling," Naruto said, chest-puffing.
"Hmm." The corner of Itachi's gaze fell to the rocking chair to the side of the room. The same wall was shared with the master bedroom. The shadow underneath the chair shifted back and forth as if sitting and rocking, watching them just like the teddy bears.
It was time to assert for himself his brother's skill. The proof that Sasuke could do this line of work and should continue on this venture with his pack of useless electronic devices or perhaps more useless friend.
"Let's test the theory, shall we?" Itachi asked. And then he turned fully to the rocking chair and smiled. The rotten fish became like damp earth, a little pile of dirt.
The movement in the shadows completely stopped.
And then he did what someone like him shouldn't. What had been trained against in the Uchiha household since day one. "Hello," Itachi greeted, "I'm Itachi. What's your name?"
The door slammed shut. The device in Naruto's hand screamed and blinked red. Stuffed animals flew from the shelves. Diapers blew off the changing table like a gust of wind had hit them. And the rocking chair was pushed back so hard that the back went directly into the drywall.
Sakura initially had been a bit nervous, with Sasuke wanting to investigate this room in particular and Itachi suggesting this was it. She'd even shivered when she'd walked in, her nerves getting to her.
But then, Naruto had to be annoying. Touching the clients' things! Unplugging the wifi and baby monitor equipment was rude. What if they forgot to set it back up correctly, and something were to happen to the little girl! But at least her fears had been put at ease. The feeling she'd had all but dissipated. Everything had been fine. The nursery actually was a bit cute with all the stuffed animals. The room had seemed fitting for a young baby girl. The baby was probably safe here, and they'd catch the bad, ugly ghost downstairs.
And then Naruto had to give his opinion to Itachi. Which... she agreed with. The whole point of their operation was to measure ghost activity. Fakes and frauds tended to hype people by talking about cold breath or a chill in their spine. But viewers wanted proof, reality. A chill didn't happen unless you saw it on the thermal imaging or got a room reading of negative degrees.
In fact, Itachi's words had made Sakura think maybe he wasn't as professional as his suit and tie had led her to believe. After all, professionalism was science. To reject science like that…
But then he'd said to test the theory. Sure. She was all for the scientific method. But how did he plan to try something immeasurable?
And before she could ask, things went to shit.
The whole room seemed to turn against them. Her body felt like something had hooked her up to an electrical current, and she didn't even know where to point the camera, everything going off at once.
She'd spun several times just to capture it all. And when she'd review the footage later, she'd realize pointing the camera in the direction Itachi had been facing to say hello would have given her hell-a-better imaging of the fucking human-shaped shadow towering at 6ft before the chair that she definitely didn't see when she'd been there.
But no, in her madness, she'd zoomed her camera in on the EMF - squealing like a caught pig and blinking as red as an ambulance siren. And then she'd turned the camera to Naruto, who yanked and banged upon the door, attempting to get out. To no avail.
"What did you just do?" Sasuke hissed. Sakura whipped around to her friend. His hair looked like he'd just been electrocuted. It spiked in so many directions that even the gel he'd used to tame it had given up.
"What are instincts telling you now?" Itachi asked casually as if no floating diapers or a Naruto were screaming behind him, attempting to break down a door. His hair was flat, not even a tiny lift from what felt to be wind emanating from one corner of the room.
"My instincts are telling me to get the fuck out—" Naruto yelled. A stuffed fox whammed into the back of his head, making him hit his nose against the frame. In retrospect, the lightest tap tended to cause him to have a nosebleed, but that fact was forgotten when a waterfall of red gushed from his nose when he turned around, slid down the door, and began wailing.
There went the level head she'd been attempting to keep. It finally hit her that they were trapped. Trapped in a room with something supernatural that could very well kill them. The world got a bit fuzzy as she started hyperventilating, her camera hand dropping to her side. Later review of the footage would show that even the toys under the crib, like the wooden choo trains, were moving.
Itachi kept her from passing out completely. His hand firmly grabbed her shoulder while squeezing. "Deep breaths," he said, "Focus on what you are experiencing. I've merely amplified what was already present in the room. The goal should be to hone your instincts so you can pick up on even the slightest traces. To be in the business long term, you must learn to understand and trust your instincts."
Already present? Guaranteed there had been no floating stuffed animals. Also guaranteed she'd have an irrational fear of them for the rest of her life.
He ended up wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "Deep breaths." He urged in her ear. "Count down with me. 10… 9… Out loud, Sakura, what comes after 9?"
"8," she whispered. Were they going to die here?
"Good, next," he urged her. The warmth of his chest spread through her. She hadn't even realized how cold she was.
And she continued to count down with him. Slowly and surely, until she had the decency to realize her camera had been hanging limp at her hand and not capturing anything.
"Thanks," she said, flushing and giving him a half hug.
He moved away then.
She raised her hand back up to capture the ongoing chaos. Less floating diapers, still a bleeding Naruto on the floor, and Sasuke… Sasuke's knuckles were white from his gripped fists, and he was staring down the rocking chair.
"Get it to go away, Itachi," Sasuke demanded.
"No."
Sasuke turned then to look at his brother.
"You need to be able to remove them yourself. Do it."
"I-I"
"Prove to me you can do this or give up your business and live a normal life."
Sasuke's tightened fist trembled, and he turned to the chair. "Why are you here? What is it you want?"
The chair pounded into the drywall again and again.
In the footage, there would be a voice barely discernible without Itachi and Sasuke telling her what captions to put. My necklace for her.
Over and over, at each slam of the chair.
And then Sasuke began to walk forward.
No! Sakura wanted to scream.
But he held himself confidently, and after the next bang, he grabbed the rocking chair and threw it onto the ground, tipping it face up. Without a moment of hesitation, he began ripping at the drywall. Pulling chunk after chunk out, reaching his hands deep inside.
Then, he pulled from the wall a wooden box, carved upon which was a rose.
He looked at the wall of the room, eyes slightly unfocused. "We'll give it to her. It is in safe hands. Farewell and safe travels.'
The house seemed to let out one loud creak, and it was over. The diapers fell to the floor, the stuffed animals stopped dancing, and Naruto fell backward as the door behind him opened.
Everyone, but Itachi, let out a shuddering breath.
Sasuke turned to his brother, dark eyes searching as he extended out the box.
"Well done, little brother."
They took some time to inspect the box, although it was fairly typical. Inside, in red velvet-lined internals, laid a necklace of a golden rose. Fine-crafted jewelry.
"It's to be given to the little girl," Sasuke said, shifting his feet. "That's what the ghost wanted."
"Ha!" Sakura declared, pressing a finger to Itachi's chest. "I thought you said there were no nice ghosts."
Itachi pointed at Naruto, whose nose was pinched and was looking up to stop the bleeding, and then at the rocking chair. "What part of that interaction struck you as nice."
Her mouth opened and closed. "But it was attempting to give a gift."
"There is something to be said for paying for peace of mind. I suspect it might cost more to patch the drywall and feel safe in this house than the gift was worth. Especially if the clients see the footage."
As it would turn out – they'd been watching the live stream.
"But the ghost is gone, right?" Sakura looked between the two Uchiha. "For good." She clarified.
"Yes, they've passed on."
"So what is there to be worried about? The place is safe."
"It is," Itachi said, "but life is rarely so straight forward."
When Sakura followed up six months later with Itachi, she found out that the family had sold the necklace within 24 hours. The family home in under two weeks. But they were happy. At least, it seemed so. Not a single mark on the baby's arms or legs. And the girl giggled and laughed as it jingled its plastic keys at Itachi.
Itachi hadn't even smiled but merely poked the girl's forehead. At which she'd burst into even more laughter.
He then looked up at Sakura. "Ready to go?"
She gave a nod, thanked the couple for the follow-up, and they left the house.
As they got to their separate cars, Sakura leaned against her hood. "You know, Itachi, the fans really dig you. You should guest star more often."
"And what would be the approximate form of payment for such a job? I did the last one for free, you know."
Sakura looked at his sleek black BMW and then at the rusted '85 Volkswagen she was sitting on. She picked at the chipped paint. "Well, how about a drink?"
"A drink?" he asked as he crossed his arms.
She raised her gaze and gave him a smile. "And some wonderful company?"
His half smile appeared, and he leaned over his hood. "Only if you're the company."
Her face heated, and she tucked a loose strand behind her ear. "Yeah, I'll be the company."
"Well, take care and farewell," he said, opening the door to his car.
"See you later," she said.
At his immediate scowl, she winked. "Drinks at 8, say on the dive bar on 6th? If you need, you know, a down payment."
A full-fledged smile greeted her then. He glanced at his watch. "Well, then I'll see you at 8."
"At 8," Sakura confirmed.
"Don't die until then," he said as he climbed in and shut the door.
It took him pulling away from the curb before she realized she'd not only flirted with her best friend's older brother, but she now had an official date with him.