It was an extraordinary summer morning in Konoha. The sun was gleaming with all its might, the villagers were sheltering under available shade while enjoying delectable pieces of ice Popsicle and watermelon. The sweltering heat was bad enough for creatures of all types to avoid stepping outdoors in fear of being stripped into dehydration and the residents of Konoha didn't mind the fact that they had to stay indoors under fans and air conditioners.

All except...

"Dear lord Buddha." Shisui scowled as he walked through the empty streets of Konohakagure. Beside him, his best friend smiled lightly. "It's not even that hot. Wait till they step into Suna."

"That said...the back of your shirt is clinging to you, Shisui."

"Manly sweat, that's what it is!" He rebuffed, wiping his sweat matted brow with his hand.

Itachi was accompanying the master of the body flicker technique into the village to shop for new packs of kunai and shurikan. There were no A-ranked missions as of late, owing to the current peaceful status of the villages and they were not about to sink low enough to find someones pet poodle for them. Or as Shisui said.

So why were they out at this unforgiving time of the day?

"I can't believe you trained all the way through this morning." Itachi murmured as his friend halted by a vending machine to buy a cold drink. In comparison, the ANBU was not soaked, considering that he preferred to spend his free time indoors, reading books.

"...Oh hush. Is it bad if I want to work a little harder?" Shisui retorted, tossing him a cold soda can. The drink let out a calming 'fizz' noise as he cracked it open and Itachi stared blankly as his friend took large gulps out of it. "Maa~ that felt good!" He burped loudly, having emptied it in a matter of seconds. "Gotta get me another one."

In general, Shisui was one to work hard on himself. He never passed up an opportunity to improve himself or to perfect his techniques -much like a certain teammate of his brothers. But he was working harder than usual and Itachi knew there was a good reason behind it. He hadn't told him about of of course, but with all the years they had been together, Itachi more or less noticed the reason for his distraction.

"Ah, Itachi kun, Shisui kun!"

Itachi smirked, amused as his friend promptly choked on his drink. Spluttering and coughing, he whipped around to face a familiar pink haired girl with surprised emerald eyes. "Oh my, are you alright?!" The medic asked worriedly as Shisui attempted to clear the soda from his nostrils and he quickly stepped back.

"Don't sneak up on people like that Sakura Chan!" he blurted, staring at her with wide eyes. The flustered expression was evident on his face and Sakura just stared at him, mildly confused.

Haruno Sakura.

Ever since a mission seven months ago that rendered him wounded enough to be wheeled into the ER, Shisui had developed an unlikely attraction for the feisty apprentice of the Fifth Hokage. According to his words, when he woke up he found himself staring at her angelic face. After an arduous five hour long surgery, she had fallen asleep next to him and he had come to that face.

Long pink eyelashes fanning her pink tinted cheeks and her locks falling gracefully over her face. He couldn't help but brush some away from her face -accidentally awakening her. The way her bright green eyes opened sleepily, and the way her supple lips pulled together into a lazy smile -he found something swelling inside him.

"I'm glad...I was so worried, Shisui kun."

He was smitten.

From that moment on, he found herself noticing her more. The way she pulled her arms behind her and stuck her tongue out, doe eyes gleaming with mischief. Her concern hidden behind her screams as she punched her teammates into the wall for getting hurt on missions. The way tears gathered at the corner of her eyes when she was relieved.

The way she clasped her pale hands in front of her chest. How her beautiful eyes blinked slowly when met with a confusion ...like she was doing right now.

His avid description of her was enough to let Itachi know that Shisui had fallen hard for the girl who was many years younger to him. Of course, she was by no means just a girl any more -she was a full grown woman. A gorgeous woman who held the eyes of many men within Konohakagure.

But for all that she had never had a boyfriend. According to sources, her work was apparently more important than consorting with men.

"...Shisui kun. Are you alright?" she asked and he smiled nervously. Cue his hand reaching out to scratch the back of his head -something he always did when he was flustered.

Itachi continued watching in amusement.

"...Y-Yeah. Hot day huh?" he started lamely. Itachi could almost see him mentally slapping himself. For his reputation as a womanizer he was definitely not doing a good job right now.

"Very." She agreed with a tired huff. "...I'm on the way to the hospital. There are a lot of cases of hyperthermia...I have to tell them the same thing every single time you know. People don't ever learn. Mou..." She glanced back up to him, her eyes hardening and Shisui faltered. "You! I'm talking to you!"

"M-Me?"

"You have a habit of getting in and out of the hospital on regular basis one way or another." She scowled, pointing a finger at his face. Her nails were cut short -her work prevented her from taking proper care of them. And yet her hands were petite and flawless -despite how she pummeled them constantly into the earth and dipped them into chemicals.

"Believe me, its not for the reason you think." Itachi spoke up, keeping an innocent face as Shisui shot him a warning glare.

"Whatever reason it is I swear Shisui...if you are wheeled into the hospital because of a heatstroke I'll dunk you in a world of pain." She hissed dangerously, "The way you're sweating already, I wouldn't be surprised if you faint on the spot!"

"...I'm drinking liquids." he held up the can of soda with a grin, his awkwardness slowly melting away as he continued talking to her.

"SODA DOES NOT COUNT AS PROPER LIQUID INTAKE! GO DRINK SOME FRESH FRUIT JUICES!"

"Yes ma'am."

It always went like this. Each time they confronted he'd freak out, only to slowly calm down as she kept talking to him. She had the power to dissipate awkwardness -Itachi suspected that years with Naruto probably instilled that in her. She was a female version of him anyway -just a more hot tempered one.

"That aside...what's that princess?" Shisui asked as he glanced down at her free hand in which she held two bentos. "Hungry are we?"

"Aa. I forgot." She held up the container wrapped in a pretty blue polka dotted cloth. "This is for you Shisui kun."

Itachi swore that his friend had never seen his friend blush as quickly as he did now. "F-For me?" he stammered as she handed it to him. It was hot and his delicate nose picked up the scent of freshly fried chicken and other delicacies inside. His stomach grumbled and Itachi's smirk grew wider.

"I accidentally made too much for lunch. I forgot that kaasan and tousan went out of Konoha to visit their relatives..." She scratched her cheek sheepishly, "The neighbors always cook a lot of good stuff so they often bring them over. So along with the food I cooked..."

"O-Oh..." he looked down at the box in his hands, his cheeks tinted red.

"Mikoto San always cooks for her two boys so I was wondering who to take it to. Naruto was eating ramen with Hinata when I found him so..." she continued listing, "...And then I realized that you always either ate at Itachi kun's place or takeout and decided that you needed it. Besides, its been a while since I took over a bento for you."

Shisui had no parents or siblings to speak of -in the last war he had lost both of them in battle and since then, Mikoto had taken care of most of his mealtimes and as such until he grew old enough to cook. But even though he was a good cook unlike Itachi, he preferred to not waste time cooking a one-person meal for himself.

Eating by yourself was lonely.

Ever since Sakura found that out through Sasuke, she had made it a point to cook for him whenever she could. He always appreciated her kind gesture but in recent times, he was more aware of that fact. No matter how busy she was she always took time to look out for him.

Her kindness was one reason he was infatuated with her.

Itachi had always suspected that sooner or later Shisui would fall for the girl -she had a special charm to her and always looked out for everyone the best she could. Though exceedingly obnoxious during her genin days, she had grown up to gracefully shed away that part of her and instead, adopted a warm smile to share with everyone.

Perhaps his friend had always liked her. He recalled Shisui saying that she was his favorite once, long ago. He had dismissed it then because he was one to be openly flirtatious with everyone. But he spent a lot of time with her soon after she began making bentos for him and he often talked about her -just not in a smitten way as he was now.

...Perhaps it took just that one moment of weakness to realize that.

"What's with that flustered expression?" Sakura burst out laughing, "I always make food for you don't I?"

"A-Aa..." Shisui laughed with her, albeit shyly. "...It's just...you take really good care of me Sakura Chan. I'm really grateful for it."

"...what's with you today?" she giggled and then to his shock, gently patted his cheek. "Maa, you're right. I do take care of you a lot but that's because you're a hopeless twat. So you better. Okay? That aside...your face is really warm. You better go home soon alright?" She turned to Itachi, "I don't have to chastise him because he looks out for himself. Why don't you learn?"

"A-Ah...yeah." He grinned. "Thank you."

"I nearly forgot again. Itachi kun, Hokage Sama is calling for you." The ANBU nodded, thanking her for her message. "Ja. I'll be off. See ya!"

Shisui looked down at the bento in his hands before panicking and looking back up at her back that walked steadily away from them. "S-Sakura chan!" he called, making her falter in her steps. As she turned to him with a confused expression, he swallowed hard. "G-Good luck at work today!"

Her eyes widened in surprise before a ringing laughter escaped past her lips. "Seriously. What's with you today?" She beamed at him, "Thank you!"

"...Nice one Sherlock." Itachi smirked as she walked out of earshot and Shisui's ears turned warm. "I think you really got your message across this time."

"Shut up you pickled cabbage. I don't need to hear that from you." he looked down at the warm bento in his hands. A smile spread across his lips and he held it tightly. "You know what. I'm going to go eat this right now."

"...Never thought I'd see the day where Shisui the Great falls in love with someone." Itachi looked up to see his little brother approaching them, a deadpanned look on his face. "Oniisan, Kakashi's calling you."

"I know, Sakura-San told me." Itachi rubbed the back of his neck. "Sasuke you really should address the Hokage with respect even if he was your sensei..."

"Explains the bento." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, ignoring his brother. "...You know. You should tell her."

"Hell no." Shisui grumbled, "How do you even know anyway? I haven't told you!"

"You don't need to. Its quite obvious. Everyone knows you have the hots for my teammate. Even Naruto the dense block. And he's not happy about that." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "...Sakura is the only one unaware of it, courtesy of how you always act around her."

"How I act?! I'm not exactly out to spill it to the world you know!" Shisui snapped, turning on his heel to walk away from them. His clan mates followed him. "Besides...I don't know how to approach her. I'm about six years older than her in case you forget. She only sees me as her friends, brothers best friend."

"Undoubtedly." Itachi agreed. "But its been nearly a year now and unless you do something she's going to get taken by someone."

The words made him stop in place and his hands tightened around the bento. "I know." He said quietly.

Seeing his overconfident friend suffer moments of insecurities over a girl he liked was a lot like seeing Naruto mull over Hinata during the period he realized his feelings for the shy Hyuga heiress. How was it possible that Naruto-types were such a commonplace?

"Let me tell you something. Sakura is not an easy one to crack. She's turned down several requests without even batting an eyelash." Sasuke folded his arms across his chest. "And some of them have been guys who are much older than her."

"...are you trying to make me feel better or just enjoying whacking my ass with the spade of reality?"

"All I'm saying is that my teammate likes sincere men." Sasuke ignored him with a snort, "If you're going to confess to her, might as well work to make it a reality. Besides, she likes you. Whether she holds romantic feelings for you or not is not known to me."

"Maa, with your history with girls is something to consider too." Itachi added, making him sulk further. "...But I think you should give it a go."

"...how?"

"For starters...ask her out to lunch." The two brothers said in unison and the master of the body flicker technique felt a bead of cold sweat run down his temple.

"...and in all, just keep hydrating yourself." Sakura beamed at the genin who was sitting upon the consultation table, pulling her stethoscope out of her ears. "I'll prescribe you some glucose sachets. Dissolve them in a glass of water and drink every four hours as required." She pulled out her notepad, writing it down quickly.

"So I'll be okay right?" The twelve year old looked up at her worriedly.

"Of course. You have no idea how many patients I tended to today on count of fainting. The heat is really something." She smiled as she handed the paper to the child. "Remember, keep drinking water."

"Yes doctor. Thank you!" She waved cheerfully as the boy walked out of the room. Once he was out, she let herself fall into her seat with a sigh. This heat really was no joke; she was barely into three hours and she was already exhausted. Now that it was steadily approaching past midday, it was getting unbearable.

And the A/C in her room was broken.

She didn't have the heart to alert the repairman; he was an old man and he had done a lot of work as it was today. She could tolerate a day without it.

"Ugh..." she pinched the bridge of her nose. She had a headache.

Over the course of three hours she had dealt with twice the amount of patients she regularly consulted, a third of them all heat exhaustion related. Most of them were shinobi and few being ordinary workers.

"Sakura Sama." The door opened and her assistant peeked in, "It's almost time for lunch. Will you be taking your break?"

The pinkette glanced at the clock.

She was right. Might as well take a break.

"Rain, I'll be on my break now. Please direct the patients to Seiko for fifteen minutes." She nodded and the nurse bowed, turning to leave. "O-Oh and I thought I should let you know..." She paused, "There's a man waiting outside for you."

"Hah?" She blinked in surprise. "A man?"

"An Uchiha." She specified with a grin. "He's been pacing back and forth for over half an hour and when I asked him he asked me if you were on your break yet."

Sakura blinked slowly. Whoever could that be? An Uchiha waiting for her break?

"I think he said his name was...Sui...Sishu..."

"Shisui...?"

"Yeah, thats him!"

A smile spread over her face immediately. Shisui was waiting for her break? "Send him in." She maybe on her break but she wouldn't send away any of her close friends waiting for her.

In a matter of few minutes, the door opened and a nervous looking Uchiha peeked in. "Hey petal." he greeted the girl who approached him.

"Shisui. Please come in." She gestured him in hurriedly, closing the door behind him. As he walked past, her nose caught the smell of freshly applied cologne. It seemed he had showered and freshened up before visiting. "Rain said you were pacing the place back and forth." She giggled, "Any particular reason? You usually just come barging in like Naruto."

"Well..." he rubbed the back of his head hesitantly and she noticed that he had one hand behind his back. "I was sorta wondering...since you were on your break and since you got me lunch...why don't we eat together..?"

The pinkette blinked owlishly before grinning. "Of course! But what about Itachi?" she inquired as she cleared her desk.

"He's with the Hokage for some task." Shisui said, seemingly relieved. His friend told him to ask her out to lunch but that didn't make sense considering she already made him his. So eating together was more or less the same thing...was it not? "I hope I'm not intruding." he said earnestly.

"Oh Shisui, eating lunch with you? I have all the time in the world." she laughed.

Even though she was likely to be saying that for fun, he felt relieved at her words.

"Besides, its not every day I get to share a meal with you." she added as he pulled up the chair in front of her, placing the bento on the desk. "It seems there aren't many missions available these days huh?"

"Aa." he agreed quietly. "But you seem to keep out of boredom with the hospital duties."

"True." She paused, looking intently at the Uchiha. "Shisui I have to say, you've been acting rather strange lately." she said, making him freeze in place.

It had come to her recent notice that he was acting rather awkward around her. He stopped wringing his arm around her, flirting with her and mostly anything to do with physical contact since months. Then again as she observed, he avoided girls in general. The ever so playful Shisui wasn't a flirt anymore.

Part of it was worrying. It wasn't like him to pass up a playful comment.

Had she done something to irk him?

Unlikely considering how nice he was to her.

And then it struck her. "Shisui. Could it be that you have a crush on someone?" She blurted out. To her surprise he quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks flushing a warm color. "I'm right!" she said excitedly, leaning forward. "I'm right aren't I?!"

...She was sharp.

"...Aa." he nodded, "That I do."

"Wait. Don't tell me." she mischievously pointed at him, "I noted that you aren't playing around with girls recently. Is it because of her?" Shisui's silence confirmed it and she let out a gleeful laughter. "How cute!"

This was turning unnerving. His love interest was amused over the fact that he had a crush while unaware that she was the guilty one. "What? You never thought that I would leave all the girls in the world for one?" he scoffed, turning his nose high up.

"Yep."

...ouch.

"For a girl to drag YOU away from that..." she rested her chin on her hand, gazing at him with an amused expression. "...She must be quite a woman."

"...You have no idea." He said dryly, staring right at her.

"Well...ask away." She said as she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest with a smug look. At the confused look on his face she raised an eyebrow. "Don't play dumb. You came to ask for advice right? It all makes sense now; you acting so weird lately."

Shisui sat there. And stared. He stared long and hard at the pinkette sitting in front of him, wondering what just happened. His love interest assumed he came for lunch because he needed advice on how to confront her.

Part of it was true -he did need proper advice. But he was definitely not about to consort that with the girl he liked.

"...No actually." he backed down, stirring the rice with his chopsticks. "I just wanted to eat with you."

"...Hoh?" she looked surprised. "...Most of the times when the guys want to eat with me they need some kind of advice with relationships or something."

"I'm not most guys." he huffed, pushing his lower lip into a pout. "I really do want to eat with you."

Sakura blinked owlishly. "...You're so strange." she laughed softly as she reached over and finally plucked her chopsticks off the table. "Fine then. But you can always approach me if you need something. That said...how's the food?"

"...As usual. Amazing." He scooped some savory chicken into his mouth. "You have no idea how good this is."

"Flirt."

He just smiled at her.

And so it began.

Every day for a week, Shisui appeared at the same exact time to eat with her. She was grateful for the company and he had the most amusing of conversations with her. He always bought her a little something along with the mealtimes -one day it would be a flower and the other it would be a cute mini plushie or a delectable sweet.

She wasn't sure which day he would bring which.

"...let me cook for you." he suddenly said one day, taking her aback. At her questioning expression, he had elaborated. "Considering I don't have missions to go to these days..and since you're working so hard its not fair that you have to cook for the both of us. I'll do it."

She reluctantly accepted. But it happened to be one of the best things she had done.

Sakura hardly ever got to taste Shisui's cooking since he rarely stepped into the kitchen. She had tasted it once when she went on an uncommon mission with him to gather intel on Akatsuki a long time ago -he made hotpot on the mission. And she remembered having gushed over it throughout the entire meal, flustering him.

He always made something new and delicious for her -always urged her to have more.

"You're a doctor and a medic nin," he would say as he scooped her some of his rice, "You need to eat more! Especially considering how sick you look!"

She soon found herself consorting with him out of work. He took her out to dinner at times and they hung around frequently. He never spoke of the girl he had a crush on and she began to suspect that perhaps the female in question was she. But that couldn't be possible right...? Shisui was nice to just about anyone.

But she enjoyed his company. And he knew he enjoyed hers from the way he frequently sought her out.

The nagging doubt in her mind wasn't the biggest issue though.

Walking through the hallways of the hospital one night, an episode of light-headedness gripped her and she swayed. "Sakura-Sama?!" A nurse quickly rushed to her assistance. The doctor looked flushed and was breathing in gasps.

"I'm fine...today was an especially hot day..." She said as she stood up straight, rubbing between her eyes.

"May I bring you some water?"

"...Iie..I'm fine..." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. Despite her words, she felt exceedingly nauseous. What was going on?

"...You know...these foreign recipes for desserts are really good." Lying on his back on the veranda, Shisui said absentmindedly as he flipped through the cookbook. "Lemon sorbet...blueberry cheesecake pie...carrot cake..." he craned his head to look at his best friend who was seated cross legged beside him. "Hey, what should I make tomorrow?"

"You sound like a housewife. Didn't you already make a cake?" Itachi responded, amused as he sipped at his cup of tea. Beside him was said slice of his creation and Itachi had to admit that the creamy chocolate cake was extremely delicious. He took another large bite. It was the second slice he was helping himself to -since he possessed a sweet tooth. Besides, it really was very good.

He hadn't seen Shisui properly in a while since he took up his advice to getting closer to her and so, chose to visit him in his home tonight. To his surprise, he found Shisui engaging in extremely domestic practices -his house wasn't messy for one and the smell of freshly cooked food wafted through the entire building.

Shisui's father was one with a high rank within the government prior to his death and so, his house was among the largest within the Uchiha estate. To be living alone in such a large house was lonely and he only used his own quarters.

Today though, warm lanterns were lit. And for the first time, Shisui seemed happy in his own abode.

"I thought tomorrow was the starting of the summer festival." Itachi said, "Why are you cooking? She's probably going to take the day off."

"Yeah but...I'm still going to bring her over for something." He pouted, flipping another page. "Oh! This parfait looks really good!"

"If you keep this up you'll end up being a civilian." Itachi joked as he scraped off another piece of the cake.

"...I don't really mind." Shisui mused, "You know I don't really have much eye for shinobi duties. The only reason I became a shinobi then was to help my parents with the war...and then because our clan started talks of a coup."

"Aa." Itachi agreed as he watched the fireflies fly about in his garden. It seemed to be tended to now and he was relaxed, hearing the sound of cicadas. It was one of his favorite things about summer -the sound of those critters around seemed to always have a calming effect on him. "..It would be nice to live the civilian life."

"The Uchiha heir can't take a break huh?"

"...Well...Sasuke really wants to take my position. Unlike me he's really interested in keeping our clan mighty and strong." he laughed, "...Tousan is thinking about it. To let the second son take the position is unorthodox don't you think?"

"...I know for one thing...I'm definitely going to stop going on missions once I get married." Shisui said and Itachi looked at him curiously. "...Or even if I stay, I'll stick to taking light missions." A small smile formed on his face. "...I'd like to be with my kids as much as possible."

"...I'm impressed." Itachi finally grunted with a smile, "...So Konoha's cherryblossom finally soothed Shisui of the Storm.*"

Besides the name 'Shisui of the Body Flicker technique', he was given the title 'Shisui of the Storm' as a result of awakening the Susanoo at a young age. He was brash, relentless and as unpredictable as one and with Susanoo, one of Konoha's more elite. He earned the Mangekyo as a result of witnessing his mother get murdered infront of him.

It was a dark night when it had happened and the security alerted too late. He was found wailing in the corner, rubbing his blood soaked eyes as the assaulter burnt away alive in the black flames of Amaterasu.

He was just four years old.

"...Itachi. What's wrong?" His worried voice broke Itachi out of his thoughts. "...Did something happen? You're making that face again."

Years by and he still knew immediately when he was feeling downcast. "...Iie. I'm just thinking." Itachi looked up at the bright moon. "...She's not yours yet but that girl really brightened things up for you."

Shisui blinked owlishly before shyly scratching his cheek. "Maa...she has that kind of attitude." He said with a grin. "...She came over a couple of times...and well..." he looked around the dimly lit veranda.

"...You're happy." Itachi noted and Shisui barked out laughing.

"That I am!"

"And just been a week. I wonder what a lifetime with her will turn into." He teased, making the man whack his shoulder. "That aside, how's things going with her anyway? Please don't tell me all you're doing is taking her out to eat."

"...I take her desserts and gifts too." Shisui protested weakly. "And I take her home from work. She's bound to notice sooner or later right? After all I did tell her that there was a girl I liked..."

"You didn't tell her. She guess that on her own." Itachi snorted, "She's a sharp kunochi. Its only a matter of time before she realizes. But you need to prepare some backup in case she rejects you."

"Way to cheer me up you asshole." He scowled. "I'm still trying to find a way to confess and you're slamming me with nightmares of rejection."

"That aside...when does she get off work?" Itachi slapped his hand away, raising an eyebrow. "Do you take her to dinner and then straight home?"

"...Either that or she crashes at my place and I cook for her. I'm kinda jobless anyway." Shisui shrugged, grinning.

"...You'll really turn into a stay at home dad at this rate."

"Shut it."

The ringing of a phone caught their attention and Shisui shifted back into the house. "Uchiha Shisui's residence. You know who's talking." he answered cheerfully. "AH~ Hello Sakura chan!" Itachi watched as his expression changed from cheerful to excited and quickly drop to worry. "...A-Ah...I'll be there immediately!"

"...What happened?" Itachi asked as his friend quickly gathered to his feet.

"Sakura chan isn't feeling well." He said quickly, "I'm going to go pick her up. You can take some more cake for Mikoto San and Sasuke chan if you'd like!"

"In the Yukata?" His words went unheard as his friend had already disappeared into the night, leaving him in the veranda. Letting out a sigh, Itachi picked up the remaining plates. He might as well wash the dishes before the hopeless one returned.

"Sakura chan!"

The pinkette looked up wearily to see Shisui running towards her, worry etched all over his face. She was sitting under a tree near the hospital, awaiting him. Part of her felt guilty for calling out to him so suddenly but she felt so weak at the moment and the first person to pop into her mind was Shisui. "Gomen ne..." she smiled tiredly as she slowly gathered to her feet.

Her numbing knees faltered and she swayed. He was beside her within seconds, supporting her weight. "...Don't apologize. You're flushed..." he said, his eyebrows pulling together into a heavy frown. She looked as tired during lunch today -he had half thought about asking her to take the day off but he knew she wouldn't listen. "Was work really tough today?"

"...Just a little. I'm feeling extremely tired as of late..." She confided.

He had been preparing nutritious food for her every day so anemia was completely out of question. Perhaps she was overworking herself a bit too much. If there was one thing she was famous for, it was the effort she put into being a medic nin.

"...Again...I'm really sorry for calling you out here."

"Tch. Don't apologize. Stupid." he muttered, feeling her forehead. "...You really need rest at this point." He looked at her disorientated expression worriedly. "Hey Sakura...hear what I'm saying?"

"...ah." she nodded numbly, rubbing her eyes.

She was clearly in no condition to walk. "...Hey...maybe we should go back into the hospital." he said gently to which she shook her head.

"I'm fine. I just need rest that's all." She said quietly.

"...In which case..." he turned and couched down, "...Get on."

If Sakura weren't so tired she would've protested vehemently against being carried around like that. It was flustering to say the least. But she was exhausted and nauseous -with her wobbly knees she definitely couldn't get far. With a sigh she allowed herself to wrap her petite arms around his shoulders, swallowing hard as he easily lifted her up.

"For having monstrous strength you sure are light, princess." He said as he began walking. To jump on the rooftops would mean she'd get dizzier and she already looked half about to pass out. Sakura did say that she was just tired, but part of him wanted to turn around and walk into the hospital.

Still...he'd take her word for it.

"I don't know whether to be offended or grateful." She muttered into his shoulder. She hadn't been carried like this since she was a genin and hadn't allowed herself to be. But his shoulders, though hardened and well defined through years of rigorous training, were comfortable and she found herself nearly nodding off within seconds.

Sakura had never been this close to Shisui before. He still had the scent of that cologne he regularly used -today it was faint and she smelled the masculine undertones well. That and something else. It was warm and held a bright aura to it.

Chocolate cake.

"...Have you been baking cake?"

"...You're sharp." he laughed, "...And yes. Chocolate cake. Its supposed to be for tomorrows dessert. But..." He faltered, "...I think you should take the day off tomorrow."

"...Why?" She asked despite yawning loudly. Shisui smiled. She was so cute.

"Well...I don't know if you recollect but the summer festival starts tomorrow evening." He said. Her hands tightened together and he knew she was surprised. "You forgot didn't you?" He laughed again. "Sakura chan you're so careless."

"Aaa...that's why Utake asked me out." She said aloud and his shoulders tensed.

Who?!

"...Who's Utake?" He asked carefully.

"...A fellow Doctor at work." She said in an even voice.

He faltered.

"...did you accept?"

"...No." she said after a moments silence, "...I felt a bit bad for turning him down but..." She buried her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling in his scent. "...I wanted to spend the day with you to be honest."

His heart did a wild leap at her words and he felt warmth spread up to his cheeks and coat the tip of his ears.

"...If you don't mind that is."

"Of course not!" He said quickly, "...T-To be honest...I was going to ask you to accompany me. Did you buy a Yukata?"

"I have an old one."

"That won't do." he pouted, "...Yosh. Let's go Yukata shopping with me tomorrow! It's on me!"

Sakura felt a small smile tinge her lips but at the same time, guilt plagued her. "...thank you but I ...really couldn't." she said softly, "I'm putting you through so much trouble already. First the cooking and now this..."

"Don't be stupid." He stopped, jumping a little to adjust her upon his back. "...Call it a date and we'll even it out." he said slyly. "...That is...if you can go. You're really warm, Sakura."

"I'm fine." she insisted, letting her eyes flutter close for moment. "...I just need some rest...that's all." And slowly, she drifted off to sleep upon his shoulder and he walked on, a smile etched on his face.

When Sakura came to, she found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Rubbing her eyes blearily, she sat up slowly. Something felt cool on her forehead.

"...Eh." she blinked as she saw it was a clean white hand towel. She was being treated for a fever, she realized as she felt cooling pads pressed to her neck. Where was she? A look to the side revealed Shisui sitting beside the bed, his face buried in his arms.

Asleep.

She was in his house.

'His room...' she thought as she looked around the spacious room. It had modest furnishings -his bed was rather large and the sea blue comforter matched the color of the walls -the curtains being allowed a lighter color. There was an earth colored desk pushed to one side with various scrolls and pens scattered on it and two large bookshelves stocked with numerous books.

He must be an avid reader, she realized as she saw more stacks of books by the corners.

She had been to his house twice but she hadn't ever stepped foot in here to respect his privacy, despite given permission to explore his spacious abode.

Like the rest of the house, there were barely any pictures, except those consisting of his family and friends.

She glanced at his side table. There were two pictures -one consisting of him and Shisui. Both clad in chuunin vests. She picked it up, smiling at it. While Itachi adopted a calmer expression, Shisui was grinning widely at the camera, holding two peace signs high up. The other one was of his family.

Keeping the other one down, she held it up to her face. He looked so small as he stared at the camera, midway through a laugh in the arms of his father. His mother was right next to him. 'She was so beautiful..' she thought in awe as she brushed her fingers over the picture. And little Shisui looked just precious.

Too cute for words in fact.

He looked happy then and he looked happy now. But she knew that things would've been different if he still had his parents. Sakura gazed down at the sleeping boy with a sad smile.

He was a good man.

She troubled him a lot, she realized as she replaced the picture back where it was. He had gone through all of that to not just get her back from the hospital safely, but stayed awake to tend to her fever.

Without thinking, she reached out to run her hand through his messy tuft of raven black hair. It felt soft to touch and she let out a giggle. It seemed to be enough to awaken the shinobi who cracked open one onyx eye sleepily.

"...Sorry." she said as he sat up, stifling a yawn.

"Is that your favorite word?" He asked with a lazy smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "...How do you feel?"

"...Better. Thanks." She beamed at him, "...I took your bed and prevented you from sleeping. I really troubled you this time."

He ignored her and instead, reached out to caress her cheek, making the tip of her ears turn red. "...You're still warm." he frowned. "...Sakura. Maybe we should get you to the hospital."

"I'm the head doctor silly." she swatted his arm away, "...Besides, I'm fine. Its just a mild fever thats all."

"You're about as stubborn as Sasuke when he becomes sick." He raised an eyebrow at her and she puffed her cheeks out, averting her gaze. "...But I'm not a doctor so I'll take your word for it. I'll make you some breakfast." he stood up, his Yukata shuffling gently against the chair as he rose.

"Breakfast...wait! What time is it?!"

"Relax. I called the hospital and told them that you're taking a day off." He said without a beat and she blinked slowly. He paused at the doorway, "...Last night. Your fever flared up really high. So I decided to." he explained. "...Guess I made the right call with you."

"...Uhm..." she faltered, unsure of how to respond. "Thank you..." she finally responded, swinging her legs off the bed. Her clothes were still intact and she looked down at the wrinkled pink shirt and shorts, her nose crinkling up.

To think she had fallen asleep in these clothes are venturing around in the hospital...

"...The bathroom is right down the hallway." He said as if hearing her thoughts. "Feel free to take a bath."

"...I honestly put you through so much trouble..." she stood up to bow at him properly, her long pink hair falling over her shoulders. "...I apologize. And thank you."

"Relax. You're going to the festival with me in return." He stuck his tongue out playfully before disappearing down the hallway. Sakura stood in his room, blinking slowly as she registered his words. Festival?

And then memories of the night before rushed back to her and she covered her mouth quickly, a heated blush rising to her cheeks. "Oh my god..." she hid her face behind her face.

She had to get a piggyback from him.

Little did she know that the man was as affected as she was as she walked down the wooden hallways. Finding the bathroom was still a bit tricky considering the size of the house. "...Shisui's parents were really important people huh..." she thought as she ran the hot water into the large tub.

A knock sounded on the door and she jumped, covering her chest quickly out of instinct. "I don't have any female clothes of your liking lying around...so I'm leaving this Yukata outside. Please feel free to wear it." Came Shisui's voice and she choked out another thank you. "Oh and don't stay in there for too long. Remember, you have a fever."

At this rate the only words she'd be able to say were 'Sorry' and 'Thank you'.

She wondered who the kimono belonged to as she scrubbed her body free of all grime and dirt she accumulated over yesterday. As it seemed, Shisui took proper care of his skin, she noted as she picked up the herbal shampoo. "It smells just like him."

Somehow, the thought was appealing to her.

As she soaked in the hot water after cleansing her body, she began to think of her situation.

To anyone, the way Shisui acted would definitely come off as attraction. He had always taken care of her before of course, but recently he was tossing in extra. He cooked for her, always escorted her home and frequently looked out for her well-being as he did last night. Obviously she did feel guilty about how much he was doing for her, but it couldn't be helped if he wanted to do it.

Besides...that mention that he liked a girl the very first day they ate together..

Another wave of dizziness gripped her and she shook her head. "Strange...I've only been here for a couple of minutes..." she murmured as she rubbed her eyes. Perhaps Shisui was right. She couldn't spend much time in here.

Even if it was the most comfortable bath she had taken in ages.

'Living the life of ultimate luxury.' She thought, bemused as she slipped out of the hot bath water, deciding to leave it behind if Shisui wanted to dip in. The thought of them sharing a bath somehow made her giggle. Such inappropriate thoughts about a man who was great deal older than her. 'Six years isn't much though...' She mused internally as she wrapped a towel around her lithe body.

Sliding back the door revealed the outer door was shut -Shisui must've closed the doors to give her privacy while she dressed up.

That said, she glanced down and with her slender fingers, carefully lifted the folded Yukata off the waxed wooden floor. It was made of silk; that was the first thing she noticed. In the dim lighting, she made out intricate patterns of gold and silver flowers etched out on the soft red cloth.

She bought it up to her face, inhaling in the scent.

It was warm and bright -smelled faintly of floral essence.

Motherly.

'Could it be...?' she thought, eyes wide. Shisui wouldn't entrust her with his mothers Yukata would he?

A knock came upon the outer door. "Sakura chan? Are you out of the bath?"

"A-Ah...I'm not dressed yet!" She stammered out and she heard muffled laughter.

"Take your time. I'm waiting in the dining room."

Flustered, she looked down at the Yukata again. 'I'll ask him later.' she decided as she pulled the soft fabric around herself. As she tied the obi around her waist however, she was gripped with nausea yet again. '...Again...?' she thought as she doubled over, trying to focus her swimming vision. Perhaps it was high time she visited the hospital.

She made a move to approach the door, only to trip over her own feet, landing unceremoniously on the ground. 'What's going on?' She thought, her thoughts becoming disorientated steadily. 'Dammit Sakura...get up...' she forced herself to get back upon her feet, staggering towards the door.

She needed to calmly approach the dining room and tell Shisui she need to go to the hospital. Fainting now would just send him into waves of panic yet again and he barely woke up.

But her body betrayed her, giving way just as she slid aside the outer door. The bright sunlight hit her in the face and that was the last thing she remembered before the world went dark.

"...Its a heatstroke."

"...Heatstroke..." Shisui repeated, staring at the Fifth Hokage. The very thing Sakura had warned him about; she had succumbed to it. He glanced at the girl who was lying on the futon by the veranda -Shizune was busily wiping cool water over her face.

When Sakura hadn't appeared in the dining room nearly half an hour after he had called, he went back, worry inundating him. When he saw her lying on the floor, his heart had nearly jumped out of his chest. She was burning up yet again, her breathing was uneven and she was completely disorientated.

So he had run to find the only person he knew could help her.

The fifth who now no longer assumed responsibility of the position.

She had scared him. She truly had.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine. Though heatstrokes can be deadly she isn't in a critical condition right now." The busty blond sighed exasperatedly when she saw the expression on his face. "...What is she doing in your house anyway Shisui?"

He explained the occurrences that happened last night and she listened calmly. Sakura was definitely stubborn as a mule. She had probably instilled it deep in her that she of all of people couldn't suffer from it and thus, ignored all the obvious symptoms. Tsunade herself had suffered a more severe version of it years ago when she was roaming out of Konohakagure.

'If it weren't for Shisui's efforts it would've gotten bad.' she realized as she glanced at her unconscious student. 'Could it be...?'

"...She's going to be okay right?" Shisui asked quietly, not looking up to meet her gaze and the Fifth stared at him. Even Shizune spared him a worried glance. His fits tightened. "...I heard heatstrokes could really cause bad side effects...so..."

"Shisui." Her tone was even and he slowly looked up to her. "You took good care of her. Its not severe because you did. Heatstrokes can happen to anyone. For Sakura, it was only a matter of time. The child has a history of fainting too." She placed a hand on his shoulder with an encouraging smile. "Don't worry. She'll be fine. She'll come to in a few hours."

So he waited.

Come late afternoon, her fever had come down almost completely and Shizune stopped rubbing her with cool water. "She'll be fine. Just let her rest and keep mopping her forehead with a washcloth." she told him before she took her leave. "And pour periodic sips of cool water down her throat."

And he did.

Come late evening, she still hadn't woken up and he was beginning to worry yet again. But Tsunade said she would be fine -so he continued sitting beside her, mopping her forehead. She looked beautiful in the last beams of orange light of the day and he smiled down at her, brushing a few stray strands of pink locks away from her face.

"You're really worrisome you know?" He murmured as he shifted so that he faced out into his garden. "You tell people to take care of themselves and even end up punching them when they get injured. And then you end up getting sick yourself and hiding it from the very people who care about you." He paused, "...You're really something."

His words were met with silence. Cicadas began to cry out following the nightfall and he started to glimpse at the first fireflies of the evening.

"I can't ...lose anyone anymore." he spoke up again as he watched the streaks of orange disappear from the sky. "...I've lost too much. Even if you can't be mine...all I ask is that you are well."

Unknown to him, she was slowly stirring out of her sleep. His words had reached her even though she hadn't yet opened her eyes and she found herself turning her face towards his voice. Slowly, her eyes cracked open as they got adjusted to the dimness that steadily grew. She made out a figure clothed in a yukata sitting at the veranda, his back turned to her.

The Uchiha symbol was printed bold and proudly on the back.

"...Shisui?"

His head whipped around immediately, eyes wide. It could've been the fact that she was still somewhat bleary but she thought she saw tears in his eyes. "Sakura!" he crawled over to her worriedly, "Are you alright?!"

"...Of course...but what happened?" she blinked slowly, looking around. There was another contained of cold water next to her and she was still clothed in the red yukata. Had she passed out again?

Shisui thus explained to her what Tsunade had informed him and she listened intently, her eyes imperceptibly widening. A heatstroke. With her of all of people. She fought the urge to slap her own forehead in dismay. Tsunade was going to kill her when she recovered properly!

She had atleast treated two cases of severe heatstroke since this damn summer started. To think she would ignore her own symptoms and put Shisui into trouble...

"...She's going to murder me..." she wailed, burying her face into her hands. "I'm dead! I'm so dead! Shisui, kill me before she does!"

He responded by reaching out to flick her temple with a deadpanned look and she scowled at him. "Stupid."

"Che." She miffed, "...Come to think of it...the festival..." She trailed off as she glanced outside. Most of the orange had now disappeared and the brightest stars were now visible in the sky. It seemed that it was still early. "We can still make it."

"We're not going." Shisui rebutted with a tone of finality in his voice and Sakura stared at him in disbelief. "You haven't eaten anything the whole day and you just recovered from a heatstroke. You're resting."

"...Well...the festival will go on for another week..." she murmured, her eyes fixed outside. From the distance she could hear beautiful traditional music playing and murmurs of crowds. "...It'll be a lot more festive on the first day though." She glanced at him, "...Sorry. You wanted to go badly."

"Well if you had taken care of yourself this wouldn't have happened." he said snobbishly, crossing his arms over his chest and she felt a tick in her eye. Why did she feel bad for this guy again? "If you're going to drop like roaches all the time I'm going to have to sign you up in the hospital permanently."

"Did you just compare me to a roach you twat?" The pinkette growled, her eyes gleaming dangerously as she held a hardened fist up and he promptly paled. It was as if he had completely forgotten that she was the fifth Hokage's apprentice and despite falling ill still had the power to knock him to the other side of the garden.

And then suddenly, she stopped. And a giggle escaped past her lips.

"..W-What?" he asked hesitantly, his nails digging into the door in fright.

"...I just remembered...this is the first time in months you teased me like that." she looked at him curiously as he averted his gaze. "...I've been meaning to ask you. You've been acting strange for a long time. I know it was because of a girl but..." She faltered. What was she asking him exactly?

He raised his eyes back up to look at her expectantly and she gripped the hem of the yukata nervously. "...Whose Yukata is this by the way?" She redirected the question.

"...My mothers." he said after a moments hesitation and her eyes widened. "It was one of her most loved Yukatas."

"...Y-Your mothers..." she stammered, looking down at herself. The woman had been extremely petite indeed to have worn dresses of this stature. But that was hardly the issue here wasn't it? "Your mothers Yukata...you can't just give it away to a girl like that even if she had nothing to wear! It's the last memory you have of hers!" She chastised him.

His eyes never showed a bit of hesitancy -for once they held complete confidence. If that was the right word to describe his calm face as she rambled on.

"...You're not just 'some girl'." He finally said, effectively hushing her up. "I don't just bring 'some girl' into my home, cook meals for her and let her explore my room. I don't let just 'some girl' wear my mothers kimono or stay up all night mopping her forehead."

She stared at him, her eyes wide. What was she supposed to respond to that?

"For a kunoichi you're pretty sharp, having noticed I liked someone right off the bat by my expressions. But as a woman you're pretty dense." he said, deadpanned and she flushed a deep red in the face.

"...May I ask...how long..."

"...Since that mission that landed me into the ER."

"...oh."

An awkward silence followed and she clenched a hand in front of her chest. The beating of her heart was so loud she wondered if he could hear it. A while ago it was palpitating because of the heatstroke. So what was the reason it was beating for now?

'Idiot...you know why.'

"...I'm not forcing you, you realize." He spoke up again and she glanced at him silently. It was dark now and she could hardly see his expression. "...I'm just...letting you know how I feel about you. I get that you'd have hesitations considering my uh...history of flirting with women." He shifted uncomfortably. "...So ...I understand if you want to think it over."

She was thinking it over.

"...You don't let just any girl wear your mothers yukata." She repeated his words, "...I understand."

"...You do?" He allowed himself to shift a little closer to her.

"I do." She smiled nervously, scratching her cheek. "And uhm...how do I say this...? I suppose I do like you too...Shisui."

There was a long pause.

"...you know there's a huge difference between the 'I find you adorable' kind of like and the other where you want to roll around in the meadows smooching."

She turned beet red. "OF COURSE I KNOW YOU IDIOT!" She screamed, swinging her hand at his face and he quickly ducked to avoid being hit.

"So which one is it?" he grinned coyly. "I know I'm crushingly adorable but I can be a damn sexy man when I want to too-"

She cut him off by edging closer to him and without warning, pressed her soft lips to his. He froze completely in his steps, completely caught offguard by her actions but a few seconds in, he kissed her back, letting his eyes flutter close. Her skin felt warm against his cool ones and she rested her petite hands upon his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"...Okay...wow." he breathed as they finally pulled apart, mildly disorientated. She looked just as flustered, keeping her eyes downcast as she fisted her hands into his yukata. "...I really didn't expect you to do that but...that was...good." He cleared his throat. "...I thought boys were supposed to do the first kiss."

"Well you took my first kiss anyway so you're clear."

"...You have no idea how smug you just made me." he laughed softly, owning to the stillness of the empty house and she scowled, lightly hitting his chest. "...And...I'm really happy right now. Really. And relieved."

He was interrupted as a loud crackling sound exploded high up and the next thing they knew, a bright orange color filled the sky. "...Fireworks? So early!" Sakura exclaimed as another one erupted. He smiled along with her as an array of colors began erupting in the blue-black sky, signalling the official start of the summer festivities.

"...Should I carry you to the roof?" he asked, turning to her. "...since we're a thing now I suppose you won't mind me picking you up randomly."

"I will mind being pulled off my feet randomly." she huffed, making him snicker. "For a guy who couldn't talk to me properly a week ago you sure have guts." And with that, she let her head fall on his shoulder. "...Let's watch it from here. I don't feel like moving."

And neither did he.

As the colors of summer spread its wings over the sky, Sakura found herself in the warm embrace of the confusing man who won her heart. Unknown to them, a figure slipped away from the compounds of the house, disappearing into the darkness.

"Did it work?" Sasuke asked his brother as he approached them.

"...Aa. Its a good thing we had them set off the fireworks early after all."

Authors Notes:

Dear lord, 10,000 words. I must really love you guys.

This oneshot fic was written as a result of many requests PM'ed and asked through reviews. I hope you all enjoyed reading through it. Although I initially wasn't a big fan of ShiSaku, writing this fic was fun and it turned out so cutesy I have to say that I now adore them.

-Sails the new ship into the wild seas-

Also yes, I'm aware. I suck at kiss scenes. Never have written one before but I think I shall attempt more of those in my currently running story 'Hourglass'. (Cutesy ItaSaku anyone?)

I think I might just write a sequel or a new story altogether for this new couple.

Your reviews encourage me to keep writing~

Owari~