Title: silk kimono
Author: pawsbells
Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi
Type: Continuous (Complete)
Genre: General/Romance
Word Count: 7439
Theme: LJ Community, 50shinobi theme #39, silk kimono
Rating: M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older)
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.
Summary: AU. She was one of the youngest Neurosurgeons in Tokyo, sweet, innocent and extremely good in what she does. He was the youngest ever to assume the role of Superintendent-General, a coldly emotionless genius who was taught from birth to take anything he wanted—one of the most influential men in Japan. They were never supposed to meet; their worlds so vastly different that it was a literal head on collision when their paths crossed and that left them both shaken and wanting for more. She had always been oblivious and wary of the opposite sex, he simply would not take 'no' for an answer. This Christmas holidays was going to be something neither would forget.
A/N: This is probably the longest one-shot in the history of one-shots. It had simply gotten out of hand and had taken me an entire week to complete it. I was like a speed demon typing away on the laptop, trust me. My classmates thought that I was insane. I think I am, in a way. Again, enjoy if you can, folks.
Chapter Last Revised on: 22/12/07
Chapter 5
Despite Ino's fierce protests, Sakura insisted on attending work the next morning.
No matter how messed up her personal life had been the past few days there were still a lot patients depending on her and she would not fail them just because she was having some sort of self-induced crisis.
And so Sakura had bravely sucked up all her upset and heartbreak and went back to the hospital bright and early. Work was her only sanctuary, the only distraction powerful enough to keep her from thinking about Uchiha Itachi.
Tsunade was not at all surprised to see Sakura when she emerged from her car in the practically empty TUH staff car park.
"You are going to come even earlier than the Dean next time, aren't you?" Tsunade's voice was dry as she went over to the younger female and the two tightly bundled up forms started to huddle together as they fought the unbearable cold and strode briskly into the warmth of the hospital.
The normally cheerful and genki Haruno Sakura could only give her boss a wan smile, and the busty blonde knew immediately that something was wrong.
Amber eyes became slightly concerned.
"Did anything happen during the holidays?"
Sakura's darkened eyes gave away everything even before she shook her head.
"Sorry, Tsunade-sama." The pretty pink-haired female apologized quickly as the paths to their respective offices became different and they had to split. "Nothing happened and I need to go now. I will talk to you later, alright?"
The blonde could recognize an avoidance tactic from as far as a mile away and since it was Sakura who was doing it she realized what was happening even before the young Neurosurgeon could open her mouth. She wasn't about to force the troubled young woman to say what she wasn't willing to, of course.
Tsunade nodded, then remembered something else.
"Oh, and I want to thank you for the pair of cruise tickets. I am definitely going to enjoy them; that is if I can get my leave." The blonde joked wryly with a discreet roll of her eyes. Sakura's smile became a little livelier at her remark.
"I'm sure you would get your well deserved break, Tsunade-sama." Sakura was sincere as usual. "I'll see you later."
Tsunade nodded.
"Later."
The blonde turned into her office, got out of her coat, hung it and then proceeded to stare at her desk with appalled horror.
The paperwork on her desk were piled sky high, which was what would naturally happen when one keeps avoiding the documents and refusing to go through them.
"Fuck!"
He didn't get to read her file until well after one in the afternoon. There had been a meeting with the board at the Public Safety Commission first thing in the morning and by the time it was over and he could return to the Keishicho the requested file on Haruno Sakura was already waiting neatly on his desk.
He spent half an hour going through the hastily gathered information; committing certain facts to memory and generally learning as much as he could about her. She was twenty-two year old this year, born on March 28th and evidently a veritable genius as well; being one of the youngest and most accomplished Neurosurgeon in Japan and very popular with her patients for her deep caring and wonderful bedside disposition. She appeared to be single, had friends from all different walks of life and her sweet and loyal personality had won over for her many allies who were equally steadfast and would remain that way for life.
It became more and more apparent that his blind accusation last night could not be any further from the truth.
The memory of her hurt emerald gaze, large and doe-like in her pain refused to leave his mind. He didn't want it to leave. He more than deserved the guilt.
The Uchiha found himself leaving the precinct and driving towards her place of work at three p.m. He reached Tokyo University Hospital an hour later and was immediately recognized by the nurses as a VIP. Unlike Sakura who was mostly too busy to watch the news or even to read the occasional newspaper, only listening to the news on radio and therefore only knowing names and not faces, these nurses easily identified him on sight.
He didn't really care; this visit wasn't on official capacity after all. A brief enquiry on the whereabouts of the location of Sakura's office later saw him walking purposefully down one of the many hallways of the large hospital, heading directly for the Neurology department.
The Pediatric ward was right beside her department, and his long, ground eating strides had been about to take him past that zone when the soft strains of her familiar voice floated over to him. He backtracked immediately, and after a stolen glimpse into one of the children's ward was treated to the sight of her in her most natural environment; telling a story to a group of enthralled youngsters, pitching her voice and changing her expression to suit the different characters within the fairy tale as the story progressed. Despite the fact that she was smiling and playfully engaging the children he could clearly see her physical distress. Her eyes were puffy and slightly ringed with the fatigue of denied sleep and the brightness in her eyes was a little muted than normal.
Like him, she had probably not slept last night.
Had probably spent it crying over his careless remark.
Onyx eyes hardened with harsh self-recrimination. The Nara was right. He should leave her alone if he had even a shred of conscience within him but he just couldn't. Uchihas were born to take what they want after all, and now that he knew just how rare a find she was nothing could keep him away.
Not to mention that his sub consciousness had already made the decision to claim her as his from the very beginning.
"Sakura. I knew you would be here."
A deep masculine voice interrupted his thoughts and had him focusing upon the scene with sharp scrutiny.
The newcomer was probably a doctor as well; the white overcoat he had on was exactly like Sakura's. The male looked roughly his age, was good looking in a rather distinguished manner and Itachi did not like the way he was addressing the small pink-haired female with such familiarity.
He changed his mind a split second later, and decided that he completely abhorred the male when Sakura looked up and smiled brightly at the sight of the other doctor.
"Shouwa-san, what brings you here?"
The brunette doctor arched a brow as he waited for her to bid farewell to the pouting children. After promising them that she would visit again tomorrow, Sakura gestured for the other doctor to join her as she started towards her office.
Both were unaware of the silent form that shadowed them quietly.
"What else? You, of course."
A slightly startled look crossed her face as she stared at the other doctor.
"Me?" She asked, quite bewildered, not really understanding what the male meant.
Itachi did though, and obsidian eyes narrowed with hidden fury at the male's daring. It was obvious to him now that she was so very genuinely innocent; which certainly explained why she was still single and untouched until he came across her. She wasn't playing hard to get; it just never occurred to her that there were scores of men who would like to know her better but had given up when she had remained unresponsive to their many subtle hints.
And this male was the latest in trying his luck because something had changed within the beautiful pink-haired female after she had returned from the Christmas holidays.
The unconscious sensuality in her movements was more pronounced than ever; the way she swept away the wisps of pink hair that escaped her French braid was carelessly sexy, the sway of her full, feminine hips seductive as well as the almost unnoticeable, unwitting pout of her lips all made the males around her sit up and take immediate notice.
The chase was on.
Her sexuality had been fully awakened, and men wanted her.
Thin lips flattened into a firm line as he watched the doctor attempt to woo his beautiful colleague.
The resulting surge of fierce possessiveness that flowed through his veins was simply unbelievable. He was moving before he knew it.
One moment Sakura was busy wracking her head trying to find a way to nicely decline Dr. Shouwa's invitation to dinner tonight the next there was an arm wrapped tightly around her waist and nudging her to sidle close to a lean, taut body. Sakura was so surprised by the suddenness of everything that she didn't even think to fight the gentle prod that brought her small form to rest against the warm, sleekly muscular surface.
"She will not be having dinner with you tonight, Doctor. Perhaps you should try your luck on someone unattached, hm?" The dangerously silky voice and that hint of dark contempt were so eerily familiar that Sakura froze.
What was he doing here?!
A small flush of embarrassment appeared on the face of her co-worker as he instantly recognized the tall male. His eyes flew over to meet Sakura's stunned emerald gaze. Shouwa had no idea that the pretty pink-haired female was romantically involved with one of the most powerful men in Japan, and it was obvious from the male's cold gaze that he had no intention of sharing her with anyone else.
"Superintendent-General-sama…! I- I'm sorry! I had no idea that Sakura- that Haruno-san was taken." Sakura could only watch with blatant disbelief as her colleague all but bent over backwards trying to accommodate the man standing most imposingly beside her. The Neurologist opened her mouth to inform her acquaintance that what the Uchiha implied was not true at all but a glance at the unyielding raven-haired male beside her made her close her mouth again. The frigid glitter in obsidian orbs appeared so coldly haughty and commanding that instincts told Sakura she didn't want to know what he would do to poor Shouwa-san if truly angered.
And so Sakura kept silent and allowed herself to appear as passively as she could beside him. This was between herself and Itachi after all; there was no need to drag anyone else into the fray and Sakura would honestly prefer to be alone if he starts accusing her of god-knows-what again.
"I will take my leave now. You must be here to look for Haruno-san; I shan't intrude upon your privacy any longer." With a deep bow and not sparing another glance at Sakura, the other doctor backed away quickly and all but set off towards the end of the hallway in a great hurry. Sakura waited for him to disappear around the corner before slowly transferring her attention to Itachi.
He was staring at her most intently, the previously icy gaze completely replaced by something else. Something warmer, and a lot gentler.
It alarmed Sakura.
She looked away from him quickly.
"Please let me go." She tried to sound as cold as she could but what came out was a hitched whisper. Sakura winced inwardly. She was such a weakling.
Onyx eyes darkened.
He did not like the way she was avoiding him but the pure sadness in her gaze prompted him to respect her request. His arm loosened slightly but did not drop from her waist, and immediately she slipped completely away from his grasp, edging nervously away from him. He clenched his jaw at her show of blatant distrust.
"Can we talk?" His normally tranquil voice was slightly strained. Her defensive actions affected him more than she knew.
She looked at him with mild suspicion. The petal-haired female was still trying to figure out how on earth he had managed to locate her workplace. "I don't think-"
He was not about to allow her to avoid him.
"Let's take this to your office first, or would you like for us to remain here where anyone could walk by and see us?"
His wild guess at her hesitation proved to be on the spot as usual. She had no intention of letting everyone in the hospital know what was going on between them and definitely wanted to keep his unwanted visit as low profile as possible. It was too bad for her that half the building was already aware of the Superintendent-General's unexpected arrival and news was spreading fast that he had been enquiring about her office but moments ago.
Emerald eyes narrowed slightly. Sakura was fully aware that his intention was to get her alone but there was nothing she could do to refuse him and they both knew it. Quietly resigned to her fate, she turned away from him and started to walk down the empty passageway.
"Follow me."
The short walk to her office was made in utter silence. Sakura moved as fast as she could but he kept up with her easily, his lean form brushing against hers as he moved closer to her than strictly necessary. It was all she could do not to shy away from him. Sakura nearly wilted with relief when her door came in view and he opened it for her, ushering her into the small, cozy room before ducking in himself and closing the door firmly shut behind him.
It didn't take long for Sakura to realize what a mistake it was to bring him here. Her office was already tiny and cramped as it was and although she never really minded it his powerful presence in her little sanctuary made her feel trapped. Sakura moved quickly to put her desk in between them in an effort to regain some control over the situation.
He was not at all intimidated by her, unfortunately. Her large doe-like eyes and worried demeanor made him want to take her into his arms instead but it was obvious to him that she would not be receptive to such gestures—at least not for now.
"What do you want?" She asked then, with as much fierceness as she could muster. She looked only about as fierce as a belligerent kitten trying to protect herself.
Onyx eyes softened and he took a step closer to her. She looked at him warily but he was undeterred. Five more steps later he was standing by her table, towering over her diminutive form as she looked back at him with as much bravery as she could gather. She was learning fast that giving him an inch would result in him taking up an entire mile, and thus she was not going to back down from him from now on.
He never wanted her to, anyway.
"I wish for your forgiveness." He had been in the wrong last night and he was not at all shy to admit it. "My behavior last night cannot be excused and you were hurt by my carelessness."
He looked straight at her.
"I am sorry, Sakura."
The pretty young doctor had no idea how to respond to this sudden change of events. He was apologizing to her! And he sounded so very sincere, his beautiful eyes dark and soulful and she quickly found herself trapped within his onyx gaze. Her hurting heart softened despite her mind's fierce urging not to give way. Sakura just could not help herself; the fact that he knew he was in the wrong and had chosen to apologize for his actions without prompt spoke a lot for him.
Distrustful emerald eyes relented slowly.
Sakura had honestly decided after last night that she didn't want to see him ever again. She had crawled home straightaway after that encounter with him for a good, long cry and although Ino had insisted on accompanying her home Sakura had put her foot down and told her best friend to spend the time with her boyfriend instead. It had been Christmas after all, and she did not want to make anyone else miserable if she could. And so she had made the trip back to her apartment by her lonesome and for the whole of last night the normally sunny pink-haired female had been the very epitome of misery. She didn't eat, couldn't sleep and kept tearing pathetically.
It had been all she could do to conceal her overwhelming pain to go to work today, and just when she had fully immersed herself in her work and thought that she would be able to keep her thoughts firmly away from him after all; he just had to make an appearance and dig open her raw, fresh emotional wounds.
Sakura was really beginning to regret the chain of events that she had personally started when she had agreed to go up to the hotel suite with him two nights ago. All she wanted to do now was to heal and to forget about her feelings for him and she felt so tired, so drained.
She just wanted him to leave.
He probably came here to apologize only because his honor and status as a rather important figure in Japan's society just would not allow for this situation to end on such an abruptly unfinished note.
Sakura slumped dejectedly.
"I forgive you." Her voice was small, and so oddly defeated that he frowned inwardly. He didn't like seeing her like this. Her beautiful emerald eyes were starting to glimmer with unshed tears, her pink, rosebud lips were trembling with agitation and she looked so distraught that he couldn't understand why. Then she looked at him with an odd sense of steely resolve that made his well-honed instincts go off in a most unpleasant manner.
"You should leave now." Her voice held steady and Sakura was proud of that. Hunching slightly and shoving her hands into the deep pockets of her white overcoat, the young doctor started to squeeze past the Uchiha to get to the door as if their conversation was over. "I forgive you already, so you don't have to feel guilty anymore. We can all pretend that this whole thing never happened."
He stilled.
Then before Sakura could slip completely past him, his hand moved and latched firmly onto her elbow. She tried to remove her arm from his hold but he was not letting go. At last, she lifted her head reluctantly to look at him.
The turbulent obsidian that stared back at her made her breath hitch.
"I did not come here just for you to ask me to leave." His soft voice was deathly calm but the look in his eyes stated clearly that he was anything but. "And I most certainly do not wish to pretend that nothing has happened between us."
Sakura could only stare at him. Before she could completely interpret what he meant, there was a knock on her door before it opened.
"Sakura, I heard from the Nurse Matriarch that there was a high-ranking officer of the law looking for you." Tsunade's brisk voice flooded into the room. "Is there a problem of any- Oh!"
The blonde walked into the small office just in time to see her employee standing before the Uchiha, her forearm clasped in his hand and both so near to each other that it was most intimate. The Dean started to frown slightly. Nobody had bothered to tell her that the guy who came was this high-ranking!
"Good afternoon, Tsunade-san. It's nice to see you again." The tall, handsome male switched his attention to the woman who had just walked in, his voice back to being very polite and impassive once more. Sakura looked up at him sharply, clearly surprised. He concealed his emotions so well that it was almost unbelievable.
Tsunade nodded and returned his courtesy. "I would say the same; Superintendent-General, but is there a problem here?"
Itachi shook his head. "I'm not here on official business, Tsunade-san." His gaze flitted briefly to the petite female beside him before retuning to the Dean. "I am here to see Sakura, actually. Please do not be alarmed by my visit."
Now the blonde was eyeing Sakura with deep interest, and the pink-haired Neurologist was quick to realize how this looked. She quickly shook her arm free from Itachi's grasp and in view of the presence of a third party he let her go.
"Uchiha-san was just leaving." Sakura blurted out immediately. The last thing she needed was for her boss to know what had happened between herself and him. "Aren't you, Uchiha-san?"
He knew what she was trying to do. If he left now with this matter unresolved between them it was probably going to be very hard to get to her once she had the chance to regroup and think about what was going on. She was most determined to kick him out of her life but unfortunately for her he simply wasn't going to budge. For some reason or another, this sweet little female of his seemed to suffer from quite a low self-esteem and was most convinced that he wouldn't want her, or at most, wasn't serious about her and thus was doing everything she could to protect herself.
He was going to have to convince her that he wasn't joking when it came to her, and in order to do so her presence was most required.
Onyx eyes gleamed with stubborn determination.
If she didn't want him to remain at the hospital, then…
"Actually," Sakura bit off an alarmed squeak when his arm came up and wrapped itself snugly around her waist. Itachi was completely unperturbed, and he looked at a gaping Tsunade as if his blatant intimacy with the little pink-haired female was nothing out of the ordinary. "We were planning to leave for the day, Tsunade-san. We were just about to request for your permission to let Sakura off a little earlier today."
Sakura's jaw unhinged at his completely untrue statement. He was a member of the Law! How could he lie so effortlessly like that?!!
"We were not!" The petal-haired doctor sounded most outraged. How on earth did things degenerate to such an appalling level??
Sakura was stubbornly not cooperating but Itachi was hardly fazed. He already had a most convenient answer for the Dean.
"Sakura is always such a workaholic, isn't she?" Itachi took a blind stab at the truth. "I was working at getting her to leave a little earlier than usual but she's not keen on cooperating."
Tsunade appeared bemused by the entire situation. With the Superintendent-General dressed in a charcoal grey suit and tie and Sakura in her own doctor's attire, they both made a truly beautiful picture just standing next to each other. Maybe there's hope for Sakura, after all. The blonde conveniently decided to ignore the fact that the pink-haired female was looking quite disgruntled.
"Well, Sakura's always the first to be in the hospital and the last to leave." The older female remarked at last. Sakura could only stare at Tsunade in an utterly betrayed manner. "What's your relationship with my Neurosurgeon, may I enquire?"
Onyx eyes gleamed.
"We are currently seeing each other."
Sakura's jaw literally hit the floor at his smooth reply. What was he doing?! Her hard-earned reputation was disintegrating right before her very eyes. The pink-haired female squawked in protest.
"We are most certainly not!!"
She was completely ignored by the Uchiha.
"As you can see, she still needs some convincing." Itachi spoke calmly, a complete counterpoint to the clearly panicking woman beside him. "I was hoping that you would relent and let her leave early this once…?"
Contrary to popular belief; the Dean was not a slave driver. She just acted like one to keep the rest of the board from getting on her back. Sakura was one of the most diligent doctors she had under her and of course and blonde was more than happy to let her off early. Before she could give the go ahead however, Sakura butted in. The pink-haired female was most displeased with the way they were speaking about her as if she wasn't there. She was not a little kid!
"I do not want to leave with him; Tsunade-sama, don't let him fool you! We are not involved in any way whatsoever!"
"We are not?" The Uchiha asked in a suspiciously bland manner. The glint in his eyes told a different story of course, and Sakura was so stunned by the muted gleam of mischief in the normally cool, distant gaze that she could only stare. "That wasn't the impression I got two nights ago when we were in my-"
"Let's go." Sakura blurted out so quickly that Tsunade's brow went straight up. The fact that her employee was bright pink in the face quickly told her that somebody had been most naughty on Christmas Eve. Amber eyes started to gleam with hidden laughter.
These two would be good for each other.
On all the occasions that the Dean had seen the Uchiha genius during official functions, the younger male had always been coldly serious and seemingly unemotional and detached from the rest of the world. The fact that Sakura's presence could relax the stoic Uchiha enough for him to lightly tease her…
Tsunade wondered if Sakura knew just how rare it was for the head of the TMPD to behave thusly.
The saying was true after all. Even the most heartless of men could be tamed by the right woman. The blonde shook her head inwardly. She started to back out of the small room when the Uchiha started to help the obstinate petal-haired female out of her doctor's coat and into her outer winter apparel instead. Cheeks still flagged with bright pink, Sakura appeared to be whispering furiously to the powerful young man who proceeded to help button her up despite her many unhappy protests.
Tsunade smirked. Judging by the way the normally distant Uchiha was so blatantly laying claim over Sakura; she was as good as permanently stuck with him.
But it truly was a good match.
"Enjoy the rest of your day, Sakura."
By the time he escorted her out of the hospital and into the car park, Sakura was feeling such an overwhelming mix of embarrassment and confusion that she no longer knew what to think of the entire situation. More than four different stations of nurses and doctors had spotted her leaving with the powerful Uchiha; the handsome raven-haired male guiding her movements intimately with a warm palm on the small of her back despite her very best efforts to sidestep him. The resulting muted squeals and giggles from the younger females made Sakura twitch and the fact that Itachi didn't seem to mind at all the rumors that were flying about over their heads made Sakura bewildered and very agitated.
He wasn't the one who was going to have to field all the incoming questions tomorrow morning. She was.
Sakura batted away his arm the moment they were out of sight of the hospital staff. When he relented, the pink-haired female started to head towards her car at a brisk trot, intent on ignoring the Uchiha. He wasn't about to be ignored, however. With a quick stride and a lunge, he snagged her wrist and easily tugged her to a stop.
"My vehicle is on the other side."
Sakura frowned slightly at him, more than a little annoyed by his arrogantly pushy manner.
"I don't care. Let me go home."
It was as if he had selective hearing or something.
"Very well, I shall take you there." He started to steer her towards the opposite direction. Sakura tried to stall him immediately.
"There is no need." She blurted out quickly. "I drove here today."
He merely looked askance at her, his gaze quietly watchful.
"I insist."
"Wait! But what about my car?" The beautiful pink-haired female protested as he led her firmly towards his beautiful black Jaguar.
"Someone can collect it later."
Sakura bristled at his dismissive tone.
"You can't come here and do this." Her voice was pitched low but her distress was most obvious to him. He stopped immediately at her tone and looked at her.
"Would you have listened to me if I did otherwise?" Before Sakura could open her mouth to deliver her instinctive reply, he interrupted her calmly. "Be honest, Sakura."
Her mouth quickly snapped shut.
If he wasn't so obstinately insistent and adamant in looking for her, she would have done everything within her power to avoid him till kingdom come.
And somehow, he had known it.
The look on Sakura's face must have conveyed her unwilling acknowledgement for his point, for wordlessly he started to walk again with her in tow. Unlocking the car, he opened the passenger door for her and surprisingly enough she got in without a fuss. Sakura was starting to resign herself to the fact that there was nothing she could do to deter him; it would have been easier trying to convince an elephant to dance the cha-cha. Might as well wait and see what he wanted from her.
Sitting gingerly against the plush interior of the expensive car, Sakura eyed her surroundings warily as she waited for him to get into the vehicle. Sliding into the driver's side and closing the door, the Uchiha proceeded to start the car with a languid precision that accompanied him in everything he did. The sleek vehicle purred to life. Long fingers curled lightly around the clutch of the Jaguar after he eased its brakes and coaxed it into smooth movement.
Sakura was so reluctantly fascinated by the elegant yet pragmatic manner in which he drove that she could not help but stare curiously at his hands as they guided the vehicle with great expertise. Then one thing led to another and she found herself admiring the way his charcoal grey suit complimented his form; the quietly tasteful, well-fitting clothes showcasing his leanly muscular body most perfectly in the way that it was meant to do. When she finally realized what she was doing she quickly turned her attention to the passing scenery outside, cheeks tinting pink with slight mortification. She hoped that he didn't noticed.
But of course he did.
She would never know but at that exact moment in the silent, enclosed atmosphere of his car he was so perfectly attuned to her that it was almost unbelievable. Her unease and confusion seemed to radiate off her in tensed waves and as much as he wanted to do—or say something to calm her down now was simply not the time. He knew that she was definitely going to try to fight him with everything she's got and he had no intention of inciting her to a quarrel while he was navigating their way through the late-afternoon traffic and unable to concentrate fully on her.
His pink-haired lover was just going to have to wait for a little longer before he could make everything up to her.
The interior of the Jaguar was silent for the next forty-five minutes or so until Sakura could take it no longer. For the vibrant pink-haired female, silence was certainly not golden and she simply could not tolerate awkward stretches of stillness like the one she was currently in.
"…How did you know where I work?" Her voice was tinged with grudging curiosity.
Itachi gave her a brief glance before returning his attention to the road.
"My position allows for certain privileges." He answered simply.
Sakura frowned as she mulled over his statement.
"You had someone investigate me?" She asked incredulously at last, her normally soft voice pitched an octave higher in her surprise.
He didn't have to be a genius to pick up her growing agitation.
"I did not send for anyone to investigate you. To investigate implies that a most extensive enquiry has been done to verify your background. I did no such thing." He corrected calmly. "Instead I merely made a request for all your known information to be collected and passed on to me. Public records, bank statements and the such."
Sakura's frown deepened. She didn't care about any official definition or what the hell; poring through her public records and bank statements sure as heck counted as an investigation to her!
"But that's an invasion of privacy!" The petal-haired female sputtered. Suddenly it didn't quite bewilder her anymore that he knew his way to her apartment and didn't even have to ask her for her address.
The Uchiha was unfazed by her displeasure. Turning into her underground car park and easily slipping the Jaguar into the nearest slot, Itachi cut off the engine and turned his entire attention to the petite female.
"You are right; and I would apologize for my rudeness but I wouldn't mean it if I did." Intent onyx eyes stared into hers. "I had only your first name and physical description, Sakura. This was the quickest way to locate you and I wasn't about to throw it away."
The look that he was giving her was so oddly compelling that Sakura had to fight not to be pulled in by his gaze again. The beautiful petal-haired female blinked and looked down at her hands.
"Why are you even bothering to look for me anyway?" She mumbled. He was special to her because no matter how she tried to control it her heart sang with giddy joy whenever she was near him, but for the life of her she could not understand why he was so determined to find her. He was such a famous, influential man. Women probably threw themselves at him all the time and she was just one among millions, and not even exceptionally beautiful or sophisticated.
So why?
Ridiculously long, sooty lashes swept down partially and concealed his thoughts from her. His eyes were half-lidded.
"You know my reason why, Sakura." His soft purr affected her so much that she bit her lips and prayed inwardly that he wouldn't realize the power he held over her. She was so busy fighting not to look at him that she didn't see that the attraction clearly went two ways; he was deeply affected by her presence as well in a way that none had ever managed to induce within him.
Sakura shook her head with difficulty.
"No." She denied immediately. "No, I don't know at all why you are doing this to me." Emerald eyes darkened as a most painful thought occurred to her.
"Please, if this is just a game to you, please just stop." Her voice was now reduced to a whisper. "I have no experience in anything like this before, so please find your amusement somewhere else and leave me alone."
Almost immediately after her sad declaration, obsidian eyes sharpened and stared hard at the pretty pink-haired female. She looked so dejected.
"What makes you think that this is just a game to me?" His voice was deceptively calm but there was an odd tone in it that made Sakura pause.
"What else am I to think?" The young doctor asked him in return, clearly starting to get distraught all over again. "You approached me for no reason whatsoever that night at the party and showered so much attention on me even though we didn't even know each other. Then we had our one night and when it was over you came looking for me even when I saved you the trouble and left before you woke. And now you appear at the hospital today and all but imply to all of my colleagues that we are an item when we are clearly not. Of course this is a game to you! What else could it be?"
"It was never a game to me, Sakura."
Emerald eyes widened with shock.
"…what?"
In response to her bewilderment he reached over and brushed his lips against hers. His kiss was so startlingly gentle that she didn't think to fight it. He sighed softly and she looked at him. Not for the first time today she saw the lines of stress that were etched onto his face, as well as the slight weariness in his eyes. She was stunned to finally realize that this was affecting him as much as it had her.
She did not protest when he leaned his forehead against hers, his nose nudging her cheek slightly in a gesture of affection. She felt herself relax slowly as his wonderful rainwater scent surrounded her.
Then Itachi began to speak.
"I wanted you the very moment I saw you walk into that ballroom. You were alone among the large group of people and you looked so composed and graceful in your Juni-Hito even though you were actually quite intimidated by the people around you and your attire was all but weighing you down. I had been most intrigued.
"Aoishi had been my excuse to approach you and once I had the chance to interact with you I knew that I had to have you that night." Onyx eyes warmed slightly at the memory. "You tasted so sweet and innocent, and I was simply charmed by the way you would blush and stammer so becomingly whenever I touched you."
As if on cue, Sakura started to pinken. But Itachi wasn't done yet.
His eyes narrowed slightly upon her.
"That night with you was never meant to be a casual relationship. I never intended to let you go just like that. I made the mistake of not asking for your name; I had assumed that you would still be with me in the morning. It was my fault. You had been very…distracting that entire evening."
A small smile curved on his face as she blushed harder. The gentle warmth in his eyes made her breath hitch. Formerly distressed emerald orbs softened.
"I was furious with myself when I realized that you were gone and that I had no way to look for you. You simply left without a glance, leaving behind no form of contact whatsoever."
He made her sound as if she was hardly affected by him and Sakura shook her head immediately to interrupt, the glint of tears appearing in her eyes. They were both such silly people, she was realizing that now.
"You never told me your name either, and I thought that all you wanted was just a 'no strings attached' type of relationship." Sakura whispered huskily. "And I agreed to go up with you because there was…something about you that made me feel so special. I didn't want to leave when morning came about but I didn't think I could bear it if you were cold and distant and could not wait for me to get out after our one night was over. It would break my heart."
Then she smiled wryly to herself.
"It didn't make much of a difference any way. My heart still hurt in the end. I don't think that I'm made out for casual relationships."
Onyx eyes were fiercely intent as they burnt into hers.
"You won't be indulging in any one night stands from now on. That night with me was going to be your one and only experience; I'm going to make sure of it."
His firm vow made her look at him with gentle hope. The glittering obsidian softened slightly at that sweet expectation on her face. Itachi tilted his head slightly to nuzzle her cheek and she acquiesced to his affection.
"I meant what I said when I told your Dean that we were in a relationship." He remarked eventually. She stared at him, not really comprehending what he was trying to imply. There were so many possibilities after all.
Itachi pulled back to look at her properly.
"I cannot promise that I won't hurt you again, but know that it will never be intentional on my part."
Emerald eyes softened at his declaration. He knew his mistake and was trying to assure her that it would never happen again. Just like that, Sakura came to her decision. She had no idea where this was going to take her, but if he was beside her the entire way she didn't think she would care. Oh, she knew very well that she was way in over her head whenever it came to him, but there was simply no other way for her. This was how she was after all; to love with all her heart and to live with no regrets.
No regrets.
Sakura gave Itachi a small, tentative smile.
"I have never done this before." She whispered in that exact same manner that she had two nights ago.
His eyes glimmered with gentleness.
"I know."
Sakura took a deep breath. This was insane. Her friends were definitely going to protest about this newest change in her life but for some reason she was quite certain that they would not be able to cow Itachi no matter how hard they tried.
It was going to be a rather interesting experience; that was for sure.
"I would probably care too much." She warned softly.
Dark onyx orbs warmed.
"I wouldn't mind."
He edged closer, the slight smile on his lips working very well to distract her.
"And…and I'm probably not going to be the typical girlfriend."
"Good. You won't bore me then."
He was now so near that she could see the slivers of cobalt blue in his eyes. Her heart started to race.
"And I would probably-"
"Sakura." He interrupted her babblings softly. Her brilliant green eyes grew large.
"…yes…Itachi?"
It was the first time that she used his name. It had never sounded better. His gaze darkened hungrily.
"Talk later."
He leant in and closed that last inch between the two of them, pressing his lips briefly against that delectable mouth of hers before slowly starting to nudge her open. Sakura's eyes slipped close as she gave way to him. The kiss was so tender that it brought tears to her eyes.
The pretty little doctor was pink in the face when her lover pulled back. His lazy smile widened at that slightly dazed look on her face. Immediately she tried to hide her flushed features from him but he would not allow it.
"This is embarrassing." She muttered. The fact that she was still so bashful after everything that they had done clearly delighted him. He brushed his lips against her petal-soft cheek to show how pleased he was with his current standing with her.
"Don't be." His velvety voice was husky. "I happen to like you as you are."
She looked surprised—but in a pleased way.
"You do?"
His eyes glinted with lazy amusement.
"Would you like me to show you how much?"
It didn't take long for Sakura to pick up the hidden meaning in his silky purr. She started to turn bright red, and soft, rusty chuckles spilled from him. The handsome raven-haired male leant in further and nuzzled the side of her neck with his nose. She shifted and sighed at his affectionate behavior.
"I like you the way you are too." She admitted softly. He could be so intimidating sometimes but Sakura had decided that she wouldn't change him for anything in the world. Every aspect of him made her heart beat so hard with happiness and she hoped that one day she would be able to let him know how much he mattered to her. Now was not the time though, but it would probably be one day soon.
"I know." Her proclaim was so sincere that he knew without a doubt she meant exactly what she said. She didn't have a conniving bone in that sweet body of hers, and in the harsh, realistic world that he had lived in for so long her innocence was something so rare and precious that he knew that he would do anything within his power to protect it now that she was his.
He touched a lock of her soft pink hair before closing long fingers over it and giving it a gentle tug.
"If you agree to be with me, know that I will not let you go easily." His voice was serious, and his eyes steady as he pinned her gaze with his.
She gave him a tremulous smile.
"I was hoping for that, actually."
Onyx orbs glinted.
"You will not be disappointed."
Her heart sang at his unspoken vow and somehow, she just knew that he would keep his promise.
"I know."
::owari::
Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:
Once again, Shouwa-san is purely a figment of my imagination. He was created just for the occasion, so as to speak.
---
Don't hit me for saying this again (and I know that I am being very anal about this, just bear with me); Itachi is completely, ridiculously, utterly OOC in this chapter and I really have to apologize about that. This last installment gave me a gigantic headache when I was editing it. I just cannot see a happily ever after any other way, so I will just apologize for the over sappiness of this chapter before someone comments about how lame it is.
---
Silk kimono is officially completed as of this chapter. There will be no sequel; this was supposed to be a one shot and I have already over exceeded my limit as it is. There will be other fics of course, but it is highly unlikely that I will do a continuation for this. Thanks for staying with me from the beginning to the end; I simply loved all your kind comments and helpful, encouraging feedback.
----------
Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic, thank you.
--paws