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Once upon a time, when Shisui was a mere boy of eight with a younger, injured Itachi hanging off his back, and a toddler Sasuke running dizzy circles around his feet, something magical happened.
A little girl, no older than Sasuke’s three young years, with hair as bright as spring and the exact shade of cherry blossoms, stood fiercely in the face of a hunkering, older kid, shielding a small blond boy from his wrath.
“No!” She spread small arms out protectively. “Leave him alone!”
“Get out of the way little girl,” the stout kid scoffed, grabbing hold of one of her arms and yanking her aside. She skidded into the mud with an outraged cry and just as quickly jumped back to her feet and tackled the bully.
“I said leave him alone !” She thumped her tiny fists against his head and clutched perilously onto his hair. The boy shrieked, teetering left and right in hopes of dislodging her.
The rosette responded with a battle cry and proceeded to smack him rapidly. Finally, with a mighty bellow, her fist struck him squarely in the eye and sent him on the ground with a cry of outrage.
“Humph!” she said victoriously, hands on her hips. “ Loser! That’s what bullies deserve!”
She turned to her companion, who’d just begun to wipe his tears off, and offered him her hand. “Come on, Naru-kun,” she told the sniffling boy and helped him to his feet. “Let’s go home.”
Even from their distance Shisui could tell he was injured.
Sasuke, who’d been fussy all morning, and who’d spent the last fifteen minutes in an inconsolable rage at Itachi’s injury, had miraculously quieted down. He was staring wide eyed after the small girl and her friend.
“Damn,” Shisui said at last. “She’s fierce!”
He watched her walking away and felt pride for this stranger who’d taken on a boy twice her size to protect her friend.
She seemed like a mighty kunoichi in the making.
It wasn’t until years later that Shisui encountered the pink haired girl again. She was a ninja now, he could tell from the neat coiling of her chakra and the silent footsteps of an assassin in training.
Her long hair was gathered at her nape in a delicate ribbon, reaching her mid back. Her eyes were a wide green rimmed with dark liner and she smelled like strawberry chapstick.
She introduced herself as Haruno Sakura, and promptly directed a beaming smile at Sasuke as she revealed herself as his teammate. His cousin, the astute and refined person that he was, scoffed disdainfully.
“Sasuke!” Itachi chided immediately, taking offence on behalf of the rosette, although she didn’t seem offended at all.
It took Sasuke longer than socially respectable to bow down and apologise. At twelve he was insufferable; moody, rude, and downright scathing at times.
To his other side stood a blond kid who vaguely reminded Shisui of the boy Sakura rescued in her youth. He rubbed awkwardly at the back of his head and stumbled all over himself declaring that he was Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konohagakure.
Sasuke sighed blithely but refrained from further comments under the watchful eyes of his brother.
Aunt Mikoto had invited Sasuke’s new teammates to dinner and required Shisui’s assistance in the kitchen. Shisui was very good at chopping vegetables, scaling and filleting fish, and making tasty broth.
Haruno and Uzumaki seemed nervous in her presence, the former blushing constantly and the latter talking in a high-pitched, nervous tone.
But the tension broke with the arrival of food.
“This is tasty!” Sakura gushed, casting her eyes to Mikoto as she tried the fish.
Mikoto offered a polite smile. “Shisui-chan made the fish, he's quite good at that.”
Sakura had looked at him then for the first time that day. “It’s delicious,” she said more reservedly. “Sasuke-kun, do you like fish?” she asked, tone livelier.
Her crush was as obvious as daylight, even without the permanent blush staining her cheeks. Her eyes couldn’t seem to stray away long enough from Sasuke, who clearly didn’t welcome her advances.
She was a cute girl. His cousin was either an idiot or gay, but Shisui supposed only time could tell.
One thing was for sure: he wanted nothing to do with that drama when it arrived.
When the news reached him from Itachi’s mouth five years later that Sasuke was, in fact, gay, Shisui couldn’t say he was surprised.
He spared a thought for the poor rosette whose heart must be broken by the news but otherwise paid it no heed. ANBU had been taking over his life and commitments. He’d seen Team Seven only a handful of times since he’d met them, and each time he was only certain of two things: Sakura loved Sasuke. And Naruto most definitely loved Sasuke, too.
It was a trainwreck in the making—Itachi would gossip about it worriedly over the years.
“I don’t get it,” Shisui would tell him as he sharpened his tanto. “Your brother is a complete asshole to them.”
Itachi would only sigh and pass Shisui his weapons to clean. “It’s how he shows he cares.”
“Coulda fooled me,” Shisui muttered.
The news didn’t spread, not quite, but it became apparent that there were underlying tensions in Team 7 now. Shisui became privy to them when he was invited by Itachi to attend a lunch with them.
Hatake Kakashi, perpetually late, perpetually exhausted ex-ANBU looked completely drained. Shisui really felt for him. “Sensei-dom being hard on you?”
Kakashi’s blank stare said it all. “I’m not sure anymore if this is a nightmare or a punishment from the gods or both. I’d like to know what I did to deserve it and how I could atone for it because I’m ready to beg forgiveness.”
“You’re so dramatic, Kakashi,” Sasuke responded impertinently.
“Right,” Naruto pouted. “We’re not Rock Lee or Neji I-have-a-pole-up-my-ass Hyuuga. Show some appreciation!”
Shisui nearly choked on his noodles trying to smother his laughter.
What really clued him that something was off was that the usually chatty Sakura was now deadly quiet. She ate her tempura in silence, her eyes fixed on her plate and avoided meeting the gazes of her teammates.
Itachi and Shisui shared a look.
Itachi cleared his throat softly and attempted to coax some cheer into her. “Speaking of appreciation… Sakura-san, I heard you’ve taken down an S-class criminal last month. Sasori of the sand, was it?”
When she nodded mutely, Shisui tried to help his cousin out. “Wha—for real? That’s amazing! I knew you were strong, Haruno-san, but that’s impressive by anyone’s standards.”
“Ne, ne, Sasuke and I took down Deidara from Iwagakure, too!” Clearly the boys didn’t enjoy all the appreciation going to their female teammate. Even Sasuke seemed to bristle with jealousy that the rosette would earn his brother’s and cousin’s attention.
Before Shisui could open his mouth to respond, Haruno’s palm came down on the table with a soft thud. “Excuse me,” she said, withdrawing her hand to reveal a wad of bills. “But I have to go.”
Shisui’s eyes trailed after her. He didn’t like it when people were so dejected they had to leave from social gatherings.
“Excuse me, too,” he said without too much thought to what he was going to do. “I’ll be right back.”
He caught up with Haruno just around the corner onto the mainstreet. She seemed confused as to why he’d followed her. Shisui could understand. They didn’t exactly know each other.
“Yes?” she said, brows furrowed.
Damn, Shisui hadn’t really pondered what to say. His eyes cast around unsurely, and by a stroke of luck landed on a dango stand. “Dango!” he exclaimed, probably sounding like an idiot. Judging by Haruno’s wide-eyed stare, she certainly thought so. “Haruno-san, I heard you love sweets. Would you care to let me treat you to some?”
Stumped, the rosette’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she settled on a hesitant, “U-um, I suppose?”
“Awesome!” Shisui beamed, and hastily led them towards the stand.
He was about to have the most awkward conversation of his life but he restrained himself from ordering sake and asked for two peach teas instead.
Haruno watched him cautiously as he ordered and only seemed mildly alarmed when he turned to face her with an enthusiastic smile. “So!”
“So…?” Her hands twisted together nervously. “Did you need something, Uchiha-san?”
“Yes, for the love of heavens don’t call me that,” Shisui winced. “Just call me Shisui.”
Bewildered, Sakura remedied, “Err, okay then, Shisui-san, did you need something?”
“Well of course. Sweets,” he deflected to buy himself a moment. “Who doesn’t need sweets?”
Haruno’s lips were beginning to lift in an amused smile. “Kakashi-sensei hates them.”
“He is an old, miserable man. Of course not,” Shisui agreed, and Sakura let out a startled laugh at that. “Anyone who consumes that much porn is devoid of all joys.”
“He’s not that bad,” Sakura chuckled, taking pity on her teacher. “He’s actually quite nice when Sa—um, when we’re being good students.”
“When Sasuke and Naruto aren’t being brats?” he guessed with a smile.
She fidgeted a little. To his surprise, a blush lit her cheeks and she looked down. “... you’ve heard too haven’t you?”
“Heard what?”
“That… that Sasuke is… that he's…”
“—gay?” he finished for her. Her face dipped further in shame. “Yes, I’ve heard, what of it?”
“It’s humiliating,” she whispered. “I’ve chased him all these years and now I feel like a fool.”
“There’s no way you could’ve known,” he said kindly. “Sasuke is a very private person. And he's allergic to feelings.”
“Am I an idiot for loving him?”
The question confounded him, but Haruno looked genuinely upset, her eyes misty and her voice faint.
Luckily, Shisui had some practice at dealing with crying young women. “No. Haruno-san … we can’t control who we love. You’re not an idiot, it just means you have a big heart.”
“I can’t even face my friends without feeling like they’re laughing at me in secret,” she confessed, wiping hastily at her eyes. “S-sorry, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, you probably think I’m so lame now.”
“Nah,” he dismissed easily. “Believe me, I’ve heard of more embarrassing things happening to my friends and no one was laughing behind their back. You’re still young, in a few years you’ll look back and find this really silly.”
“Really?” she said hopefully.
“Yes, really. You’re already on your way to becoming a legendary kunoichi. Believe me, boys will be the least of your troubles in the future. Tsunade-sama didn’t take you on as an apprentice for you to worry your head with silly little Sasuke. Get out there and make a name for yourself, you’ve got plenty of time to chase boys. Or rather, they’ll be chasing you. Either way, what I’m trying to say … It's nothing to lose sleep over. Sasuke is such an ass anyway, you would’ve suffered terribly.” Shisui ended his spiel just as their sweets arrived.
Sakura muffled a chuckle and her bearing looked incredibly lighter. Shisui took it as a win. “I think I needed to hear that even when deep down I knew it … thank you, Shisui-san. You’re really nice.”
“That’s me,” he agreed with a smile. “Now eat up. I don’t want to hear anymore Sasuke nonsense. You’ll find yourself a real man one day and this will all be something to laugh about.”
And so they shared dango, chatted about earth techniques and Shisui bid her farewell on a light note. She looked happier and he felt accomplished. It was a win-win.
ANBU took Shisui away soon after on a mission that lasted way too long. A couple of years in Iwa’s wilderness felt like an eternity.
Undercover work was his forte, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it one bit. Unfortunately, whatever ANBU required of him, he’d execute perfectly and without complaints. That was the life he’d chosen for himself.
It had been a mentally taxing mission. When slipping into a new personality, some lines tended to become muddled. He’d made friends, some he’d genuinely liked whose only fault was that they were born the wrong nationality.
The mission was going well; he’d gathered some vital information and made extensive reports to Konoha. It only went wrong when he crossed a unique sensor’s path and he read fire chakra in Shisui’s signature. There was no evading what followed because the bastard had sprung a trap for Shisui.
And Shisui had fallen into it.
Hours later he’d found himself in an interrogation cell, spitting blood and broken teeth and with aching ribs and lungs and gut, eyes blindfolded and iron bands circling his wrists.
They were still hot and they burned on his skin.
The only thing he had going for him was that they hadn’t yet figured out that he was an Uchiha. It seemed the blindfold was a stroke of luck on their part and nothing to do with his sharingan.
Shisui was glad. If they knew, they might rip them out. He’d heard many horror stories from the Third War, enough to give him nightmares.
“Ready to talk?” Someone yanked him by the hair. Stars danced behind his eyelids when the same hand slammed his head down on the metal table and held him there. “Red, grab me my favorite.”
Something metallic clinked and Shisui held his breath, preparing for the pain that was to come.
A heavy weight settled on the back of his neck and Shisui found he couldn’t raise his head anymore.
His bare back was covered in sweat, and his nose gushed blood like a broken faucet. Konoha would figure out something was wrong by tomorrow; any fluctuations in his daily reports would surely clue them in. Shisui just had to stay alive until then.
When something leathery caressed his back, he knew what was coming.
Shisui locked his jaw and swallowed against the pain. Just get through today , he chanted to himself.
Just get through today.
By the fifth day of torture, Shisui was beginning to lose hope. His days were filled with pain, and his nights with cold water and more agony. Sleep deprivation kept him quaking, and hunger was a clawing thing in the pit of his stomach.
His interrogators were no longer trying to extract answers. Now they seemed to be taking sadistic pleasure in his pain. He wondered if they planned to torture him to death.
Everything hurt with breathtaking intensity.
Grime and blood and sweat and dirt clung to him like a second skin. His throat burned with thirst. At this point he was just waiting to pass out so he could find some momentary relief.
A sudden commotion roused him from his half comatose state. Just as the iron brand came down on his back.
Shisui growled, thrashing hard against his confines but to no avail.
And then came the explosion. The ground rocked so hard his teeth rattled and he was sent toppling over with his chair. The man who’d been torturing him since day one let out a surprised yelp.
“Wha—“ Gurgling followed, some screaming, the grating sound of metal squeaking and finally, another explosion that made his brain rock inside his skull.
Shisui braced himself, wondering what was coming.
When he felt a hand on him, he flinched. But it was gentle, cradling. His confines snapped. Small hands coaxed his head onto something soft, and soothing chakra touched the oozing wounds on his back.
“W-who’s there?” he rasped, lips cracked and dry.
“Shh, I’ve got you,” whispered a vaguely familiar voice as she peeled his blindfold off. Light flooded his world for the first time in days making him wince.
He looked bleary-eyed at a masked, pink haloed figure.
“This is Tiger of ANBU unit Ro,” the feminine voice said. “Vicinity is cleared of enemies, but we have to get moving. I’m going to carry you now.”
Before Shsiui could get another word out, he was effortlessly lifted in a fireman’s carry over her narrow shoulders. He grunted, but otherwise held fast as she took a leap, and punched her way out of his cell.
Debris came raining down and Shisui’s eyes widened. There were only two people who could punch through walls. And he doubted the Hokage would personally come to his rescue.
Haruno Sakura.
The revelation was oddly startling. Had she joined ANBU in his absence?
He’d ponder that later, he decided, feeling faint and nauseous. The jostling of his exhausted body proved too much, and soon he passed out cold over her back.
He hated undercover missions.
When Shisui regained consciousness, he was in a dark cave.
The sound of metal against metal caused an involuntary shiver to race down his spine, a faint echo of a drafty torture cell and hot iron on his back.
When Shisui cracked open an eye, Tiger—no, Haruno Sakura —had a man by the throat pinned to the rocky wall.
In a move that jolted Shisui, Haruno’s other hand went to her captive’s head and she effortlessly snapped his neck. On the ground, too close to Shisui for comfort, was another lifeless body.
“You’re awake,” she stated. “We need to move. We’re being followed.”
Haruno didn’t wait for him to rise to his feet and he found himself on her back again without any memory of how he’d gotten there.
“I can walk—“
“No,” she denied. “We need to move fast and I can’t afford to coddle you right now, soldier. Hold on tight.”
He was too tired to be indignant.
And so he let her.
Haruno Sakura, he would later learn, was an ANBU captain.
He’d only been gone two years . The only person who’d gained a promotion that fast in the history of ANBU was Itachi and Shisui himself. Somehow it refused to compute in his brain.
But he understood, despite himself, the next time he met her out of uniform. Haruno had changed. It seemed like a lifetime ago when they had dango together in the corner shop of the entertainment district and she was feeling feeble and embarrassed.
This Haruno carried herself like her every stride echoed power. She was sure, confident— beautiful .
Everywhere she went, heads turned in her direction.
And now she was coming his way. Shisui straightened unconsciously, even when his ribs ached in protest. “Haruno—“
“Sakura, please. I think you’ve earned that,” Sakura said. “Can we talk?”
“Um,” he fumbled to hide his surprise. “Sure. Here?”
“No,” she decided with a smile that did good things to the shape of her mouth and the glint in her sea-green eyes. “I was thinking we can get some dango?”
His eyebrow arched curiously, but he nodded his assent.
She took him to the same place they’d visited two years prior, and placed an order before picking a corner table. She graciously offered him the corner seat and gave her back to the open space of the bustling cafe.
Artfully, Sakura swept her hair back in a hair tie, exposing the delicate curve of her throat and steepled her hand under her chin. “So Iwa, huh?”
That was the first time she’d acknowledged her identity as Tiger since they’d returned from Iwa last week.
“Not as strange as ANBU,” he jerked his chin at her. “When’d that happen?”
“Almost two years ago,” Sakura said, surveying him with shrewd green eyes. “You’d disappeared a few months prior, Itachi mentioned a mission. And then you never returned. I thought you were dead at first, but with my current rank I was able to gather that you were undercover.”
“You asked about me?” he wondered in surprise.
“Is it so strange?” she countered. “You’re Itachi’s cousin.”
Something about that rubbed him off the wrong way. Not Sasuke’s cousin—but Itachi’s .
“And you and Itachi talk much?”
Sakura didn’t fidget or blush, she held his eyes resolutely and simply offered, “Yes. We’re friends.”
How much had he missed in those two years? “I see…”
“How are your wounds?” she asked before he’d had the chance to gather his thoughts. “They really did a number on you.”
Phantom pain lanced through his back, but he was proud he didn’t flinch at the memory. “Healing thanks to you. Did you need something?”
The irony wasn’t lost on Shisui. It felt like a replay of their encounter from a couple of years ago, only with their positions reversed.
“Hmm, sweets of course. Who doesn’t need sweets?”
He blinked at her lilting tone, and her playful smile. Was she teasing him?
Shisui crossed his arms casually at the edge of the table and offered her a smile of his own. “Hatake Kakashi, or so I’ve heard.”
They shared a chuckle and Sakura passed him a drink when it arrived. Sake.
“The reason I invited you here is quite simple,” Sakura said, raising her drink. “You’re home safe after a long mission, and that calls for a toast.”
He blinked again, taken aback.
Thankfully, Sakura elaborated. “The truth is Shisui-san, that I’m indebted to you.”
He nearly spluttered. “Indebted to me—Sakura-san you just saved my life. If anything, I’m indebted to you.”
Her smile stirred something warm and fluttery in the pit of his stomach. “What you said to me two years ago really resonated with me. It pushed me to pursue ANBU more seriously. I’d been wasting time trying to fit somewhere that clearly didn’t fit me. I feel like I’ve finally found my calling.”
How strange Haruno Sakura was, he marvelled as he raised his drink. “I suppose that does call for celebration. To being alive and finding our places then.”
Sakura grinned and clinked their glasses together. “Cheers, Shisui-san.”
And together they shared a drink, sweets, and bid each other goodnight on a happy note.
Shisui went home with thoughts of a beautiful pink haired woman and how far she’d come from that little girl he glimpsed at the park once upon a time.
The next time they met, it was because Shisui sought her company. She seemed pleasantly surprised, remarking that people usually only came to her when they needed something but never for her charming companionship.
Shisui promised her he’d set out to remedy that.
They went to a pub he frequented with his ANBU teammates in the past, and marvelled at the familiar jovial atmosphere he missed so much.
“Pick your poison,” he told her.
“Hmm. I’m feeling like something sweet,” she decided. Shisui returned later with two beers and a perspiring glass of pink cocktail full of crushed ice and topped with berries.
“White rum,” he offered her the glass.
Sakura took a cursory sip and giggled. “Oh, that’s sweet .”
“Sweet ladies deserve sweet things,” he said offhandedly. Sakura simply chuckled and took another sip.
“You’re a funny guy, Shisui-san,” she decided.
“So I’m told.” Shisui grabbed his beer, and couldn’t decide if Sakura appreciated that subtle advance or not. “So how goes the bustling Konoha life?”
Sakura nearly snorted, which Shisui found fascinating. “Yeah right, like I see much of it anyway. I’m breathing, sleeping, eating hospital work and ANBU missions. This is my first outing this month.”
“Huh,” he hummed faintly. “No social life then, I presume.”
“Hardly,” she bemoaned. “I meet up with Itachi for tea sometimes. And with my best friend Ino for the occasional sleepover.”
Itachi again. The way her voice dipped over his name was unusual, Shisui decided. The absence of the suffix was a little jolting. Suddenly he had a flashback to the way Sakura used to say Sasuke’s name in the past.
It couldn’t possibly be… “Do you and Itachi get tea frequently?”
“Only when he's free,” Sakura answered after a beat, giving away nothing. “I enjoy his company.”
Oh dear, it might actually be...
“A lot?”
“I would say so, yes.”
They stared at each other for a moment. “Why?” she finally asked suspiciously.
“Oh.” Shisui jerked back before he put his foot in his mouth. “Ah, nothing,” he laughed. “I guess my curiosity got the best of me.”
“Why do I have a feeling you’re drawing all the wrong conclusions?” Her nails drummed on the table, and although her question felt loaded, her eyes were light and inviting.
How curious. “What conclusion do you think I’m drawing?”
“Ah, it doesn’t matter,” she finally deflected with a light chuckle and raised her drink yet again. “Thanks for this, it’s delicious.”
“Anytime, Sakura-san,” Shisui told her and refrained from flirting with her until he got to the bottom of what was happening.
It would be god awful if she and Itachi turned out to be dating and Shisui made an advance.
They met up the week after, and the week after that and the week after that.
Shisui was taken by her intelligence, by her witty banter and by the smooth expanse of her milky legs. He was taken by the shape of her mouth and the curve of her breast and blush in her cheeks.
He couldn’t ask Itachi the burning question in the back of his mind for fear he’d ruin whatever connection he had brewing between him and Sakura.
Sakura talked of Itachi frequently, but she never implied it was romantic.
Could it be that she’d gone ahead and pinned her feelings on yet another Uchiha? One who wouldn’t reciprocate them either?
Deep in his heart, hope blossomed that that may be the case. But would Itachi really be so blind to a beautiful woman’s affections? Sakura was strong and dedicated and pretty and she laughed genuinely and drank heartily and chattered excitedly. Everything about her was animated and lively, and day in and day out Shisui craved her company.
If his cousin rejected that then he was an idiot, which was a thought Shisui never expected to have.
“Stop spacing out on me,” his pretty companion demanded. Her hair was down in a tousled mess, her eyes rimmed with dark black liner. Frankly, the neck of her dress had no business stooping enticingly like that.
“Sorry,” Shisui gave a knee-jerk response. “I was thinking it’s strange you never have plans on the weekend. I can’t be the only person chasing your company.”
The blush on her cheeks was faint and could be mistaken for a light alcoholic buzz. “You’re chasing my company?”
“Don’t let it get to your head,” he cautioned but couldn’t resist the smile that bloomed on his face. “Is that so strange?”
“Maybe,” she decided cheekily and sipped her beer. “Ahhh, that’s refreshing. I hate chunin exams. I can’t believe they made me stand all day in the sun to proctor them.”
“It could’ve been worse,” Shisui consoled. “They could’ve given you a genin team.”
“Oh gods,” Sakura said faintly. “No thanks.”
“Right? But Tsunade-sama is proposing I take one. I’m not sure I’m ready for that,” Shisui admitted. “Maybe in a couple of years? I mean I remember Kakashi-senpai and how he looked ready to keel over all the time.”
“In all fairness,” Sakura said, “Kakashi-sensei has shitty luck. I would’ve tossed us in the ocean if I was in his shoes.”
“Naw, you can’t have been all that bad. Sasuke was rude, but I mean, you should see the rest of my cousins. They’re horrendous. They make Sasuke seem like an angel.” Shisui’s cousins were the definition of pole-up-the-ass. All raised with the same holier-than-thou mentality and bred to think they’re the best, it was no wonder he couldn’t stand any of them.
“Funny how you and Itachi turned out so sweet,” Sakura mused. “You’re so lighthearted and he's the kindest soul I’ve met.”
Shisui bit the inside of his lip, tired of wondering, and then he took the plunge. “So is that your type then? Dark, broody Uchiha men?”
Sakura jerked like she’d been struck. “I don’t have a type!” she gasped with offence.
He found her reaction confusing. “Right,” he said, unconvinced.
“I don’t,” she stressed.
“Of course,” he supplied sarcastically.
She glared at him and it was beautiful how fierce a single look could make her. “Fine then, what about your type?”
“My type?” Shisui echoed quizzically. And where on earth could she be going with that?
“Yes. Surely you have one,” she demanded.
Ha. Maybe he was that obvious. Shisui decided a confession was in order. “Let’s see…” he began, taking a steadying sip of his drink. “I like my women strong and capable. You know, the kind that sends other men running. I prefer them funny and intelligent, someone that can hold an interesting conversation. Looks wise I’m not picky, if she has nice eyes or a pretty smile that’d win me over.”
Sakura’s reaction was to gape, but she recovered quickly, her cheeks glowing. “I-I see,” she said and offered him a tentative smile that spoke volumes. She must’ve known. She must’ve known he meant her.
But she made no comment about it for the rest of the night or any of the nights after.
Shisui was going crazy.
Was he in over his head?
Or was his best hope actually to wish to be the next one in the line of Uchihas to garner Sakura’s affection? When was his turn?
He supposed there was one way to find out, and he’d been procrastinating out of cowardice. He needed to know.
It was time Shisui made a move.
He met her after her shift. She was freshly showered and smelled like a pink cocktail which definitely didn’t help his painful case of attraction. She smiled sweetly at the sight of him and chatted happily about nonsensical things on their way to the restaurant.
Shisui was taking her to dinner.
He was going to make his intentions clear, goddammit.
Sakura seemed clueless of his plans, teasing and riling him up with clever words and a sharp tongue. Poking fun at him seemed to be a great enjoyment of hers but he didn’t mind. She took his comebacks too well.
He held the door open for her, and guided her by the small of her back. Sakura didn’t seem perturbed by this.
“You look lovely,” he complimented her when they were settled and he had a chance to observe her under the warm lowlights.
Her cheeks darkened faintly, which made him want to reach forward and caress them, but he restrained himself. For now.
“Thank you,” Sakura said somewhat demurely. “You too.”
“I look lovely?” he teased, earning a smack on his arm.
“You get what a I mean,” she grumbled, which only caused him to chuckle. She was beyond lovely. Everything about her was warm and inviting.
“You’re so cute when you’re riled up,” he told her and, to his great pleasure, her blush deepened.
“Shut up, Shisui-san,” she groused without heat, grabbing her menu to shield her expression. He kept chuckling quietly to himself until she retaliated by kicking his shin under the table.
“Alright, alright, I’m sorry ,” he said, stifling his chuckles. “No more laughing, I promise.”
“Better not,” she warned without bite, her lips suppressing a smile. “Now let’s order please, I'm starving.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
They ordered dessert.
Sakura’s infamous sweet tooth matched Itachi’s, Shisui was amused to note. In a matter of minutes their table top was covered by at least five different types of delicacies and a teapot.
“Are you trying to put me in a sugar coma?” he wondered—he was fully justified to, in his humble opinion.
Sakura only hummed happily around a mouthful of chocolate. “Oooh, this is good. Just the right amount of sweet.”
“Just like you,” Shisui told her with a smirk. The poor woman nearly choked, coughing into her fist to clear her airways.
“Don’t say things like that when I’m eating!” Sakura gasped, her face the shade of her hair.
“Oh my bad, I’ll wait for you to swallow,” Shisui said. “Then I’ll tell you that you’re the right amount of sweet.”
“Gosh, stop flirting,” she whined, her cheeks incandescent. The sight of her lip caught between her teeth did things to him.
“Or what?” he wondered seriously.
Sakura chewed her lip for a moment.
“Or… or I’ll think you mean it,” she mumbled at last, looking at him from under the curve of her dark lashes.
Shisui blinked. She had to be kidding.
“I do mean it,” he told her, figuring bluntness was his best strategy. “Every word. From the moment I met you.”
Sakura’s eyes were a little wide as she stared at him. “So all this time…”
“Yes, all this time I was flirting.” Shisui shook his head with a rueful smile. “Not joking.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” she pouted, setting her fork down. “All these weeks and I’m driving myself insane wondering what your advances meant. You’re cruel, Shisui-san.”
“ I’m cruel?” he spluttered. “I just spent all those weeks wondering if you had a thing going for Itachi and if I’ll ever measure up!”
Sakura’s mouth opened and closed. Finally she said, “Wow. We’re both utterly clueless aren’t we. Huh.”
Shisui's heart gave a leap. Could it be then… “I really like you.”
The smile that graced her face at that was breathtaking. “I really like you, too,” she murmured shyly.
Lightness swept through him, dizzying and marvellous. He reached for her hand across the table to take it in his. His lips touched her knuckles gently. “Say it again,” he beseeched.
Sakura’s grin widened. “I really like you, too.”
“I might need you to say that one more time. Like are you sure, really, really sure—“
Sakura had moved her plate aside and too swiftly, she was inches from his face. The warmth of her breath was his only warning before he felt plush lips on his own.
“I really, really like you,” she said against his mouth, her hands cradling his cheeks.
Shisui leaned into her kiss, pleased and wanting. She tasted as sweet as dessert, and she was certainly more appealing.
But their contact ended regrettably too soon. Sakura drew back with a smile and grabbed her fork again. “I hope that settles it.”
“Yes. Quite thoroughly,” Shisui said, feeling a little breathless. “Though, I might require another demonstration later. Just in case I have trouble remembering.”
Sakura had a coy smile on her face now. She sucked the chocolate off her fork for a moment. If she was doing it to rile him up, she was certainly succeeding. “Fair enough. I’m sure that could be arranged... I’ll just have to ensure the next one is unforgettable then, wouldn’t you agree?”
This woman was going to be the death of him.
And Shisui was going to relish every moment of it.