Chapter 4

Summary: Sakura's boys are ridiculous, and Ino is helpful. Shisui has a good memory.

When Sakura met her team the next day for some quality bonding time/training, she was immediately bombarded by questions and accusations.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, rushing towards her and hugging her before pulling back and looking her over. Sakura blinked in confusion.

"Naruto?"

"What did that bastard do to you?!" he demanded, looking at her intently.

"What are you talking about?" she asks, brow furrowing at Naruto's panic.

"That Uchiha! Did he destroy your innocence?!" Naruto was shaking her now, growing more and more frantic. Sakura shoved him off of her and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Naruto!" she scolded. "You shouldn't talk like that. Shisui is a nice guy."

"But he'll hurt you like the heartless Uchiha he is! I just know it!" Naruto wailed, eye's wide and lower lip trembling. Sakura looked to her other teammates for help, but just received similar upset looks.

"He's right," Sasuke said with a wince, obviously hating to agree with Naruto. "Shisui's a degenerate."

Sakura glared at him. Naruto flapped his arms around in a wild gesture to get her attention again.

"We saw him go into your apartment with you after your date!" he exclaimed. "What was he doing? Huh?!"

Sai made a comment about unplanned pregnancy statistics that Sakura chose to ignore.

"You guys are so insufferable!" Sakura shouted, a tick developing in her eyebrow. She had wanted to mess with them that night but she didn't expect them to be so overbearing. "My love life is none of your business."

"Maa, we just want to make sure that a Konoha shinobi doesn't have to go missing due to any… unsavory behavior," Kakashi gave on of his eye-crinkle smiles that looked more threatening than cheerful. Sakura sighed in annoyance, and walked over to each of her boys to give them a solid thump on the head.

"Sakura-chan! Ouch!"

"Hmph."

"..."

"Maa…"

"Now!" Sakura clapped her hands together. "Let's do some training!" Each of the males saw the evil glint in her eyes and gulped. This would be less of a training session and more of a beat-down.

Sakura made her way down to the Yamanaka flower shop, freshly showered and on her way to meet Ino. She felt loose and pleasant after her training session (see: utter clobbering) with her team, and was now excited to see her best girl friend.

When she entered the shop, the little bell at the door chimed, alerting Ino to her presence. The moment Ino saw her, her face lit up and she spoke a few words to her mother at the counter before bouncing over to Sakura and taking her arm.

"Sakura, come on!" She steered the two of them up the stairs and into the apartment on top of the store. Once they were in Ino's room, they both plopped down on cushy beanbags. Just as Sakura was about to say something, Ino beat her to the punch.

"So!" she started, a certain devious look in her eyes. "A little birdy told me you were seen at that tea shop we were planning on going to- together might I add- with a mysterious, handsome man. Spill."

Sakura stared at her for a moment before laughing a little at the earnest look on Ino's face. Ino just huffed and gestured for her to go on.

"Okay, okay," Sakura placated, "I went on a date."

"With who?" Ino gasped excitedly. She was leaning forward in her beanbag, all attention on Sakura.

"Uchiha Shisui," Sakura answered. Ino squealed at this, urging her to give more details because they hardly ever got to have "actual girl talk."

"Well, I had heard of him before, but I only met him about two weeks ago, when he stopped by the training grounds Team 7 was at in the Uchiha compound," Sakura began her explanation, a small smile on her face. "He was really charming, and I immediately wrote him off as a fuckboy." Ino snorted at this. "We didn't talk much, but a week or so later we met again at Sasuke's house for dinner. He was a total flirt and I was a little embarrassed by the attention, but it riled the boys up so much- it was hilarious! And at the end of the night, he asked me out. I said yes."

"I thought you said he was a fuckboy? You normally wouldn't go for that type," Ino questioned.

"Well, it was sorta just to mess with Sasuke and Naruto, but also because he's really hot, and even though he was flirty, he was also sweet. I just wanted to see more," Sakura shrugged and grinned shyly. Ino told her to keep going. "Okay, so we went out for tea and stuff in the afternoon a couple days later, but we ended up staying out pretty late. And get this- my team was stalking us the whole time! Even Kakashi was there! So I invited him in when he walked me home."

"Oooohhh," Ino giggled and waggled her eyebrows. Sakura swatted her on the arm playfully and rolled her eyes.

"Save it. So, we talked a bit more and then he asked if he could kiss me." Ino gasped. "I said yes because he was a total gentleman all night and really fun to talk to. He was… an awesome kisser."

"Oh my god!" Ino grabbed Sakura's hand. "He asked to kiss you? Instead of just going for it? That's so cute! Ahhh, I'm so happy for you, Forehead!" Ino smiled widely, genuinely excited for her friend.

"Yeah, it was pretty great," Sakura agreed. "We started making out, and then he asked me out for another date after my shift the next day. And, wow, he showed up and gave me a daisy that I put behind my ear. Too. Adorable. And he was so nervous! I don't think he's used to 'romance' other than suggestive flirting."

"That means he's totally into you! I need to meet this boy," Ino said determinedly. Sakura shrugged, but didn't say anything. Ino thought for a moment, then came to her conclusion. "You should take him to the Spring Festival!"

"That… actually sounds like a great idea," Sakura agreed. Ino beamed at her.

"Of course! And Team Asuma always goes together, so we can meet up and you can introduce us. I'll help get you ready too!" Ino was on a roll, getting really excited about the idea of dressing Sakura up. She never wanted to be all girly with Ino.

"Okay, okay, I yield," Sakura rolled her eyes with a fond smile on her face. They got to planning for the festival, and Sakura couldn't help but feel so lucky that Ino was her friend.

A couple days later, Sakura was at the Uchiha main house once again, as requested by Mikoto. The two were in the kitchen, making dango together and chatting about the goings on of the village. Mikoto had all of the latest gossip and loved sharing it with Sakura, who just shook her head and laughed.

"Oh, and Sakura-chan," Mikoto started. Sakura hummed in acknowledgement as she kept working. "Shisui should be here any moment- he's getting back from his mission today."

Sakura perked up and turned around to see Mikoto smirking at her. She felt her face heat up at the knowing look the Uchiha matriarch had on her face. "You know, I think-"

"Home sweet home!" A cheerful voice called out from the living room, cutting Mikoto off. A dirty yet exuberant Shisui pranced into the kitchen, giving Mikoto a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, Mikoto-baa," he grinned, then turned to see Sakura. "Sakura-chan!" He looked like an excited puppy as he stepped over to give her a similar kiss, this one on her forehead.

"Hey, Shisui- welcome back," Sakura greeted him, smiling softly at his little kiss.

"Yes, welcome back Shisui-kun," Mikoto said. Shisui just kept smiling. He noticed the dango they were making and tried to snag some, but Mikoto slapped his hand away. "Not until we're done. Also, you're filthy- get out of my kitchen." She scolded him like a child. Shisui pouted, but did as told, walking away from the kitchen sullenly. He stopped at the doorway abruptly when he remembered something.

"Oh! Sakura-chan, I have something for you, but I dropped it off at my house before I came over here. Would you like to come over?" He scratched the back of his neck idly, and if Shisui was any other man, Sakura would think that he was nervous about inviting her over. But come on, this was Shisui.

"Sure, of course. Lead the way," Sakura agreed easily, following Shisui out of the home after telling Mikoto she'd be back soon. Mikoto had just waved her off and given her a wink which left the younger woman flustered. Damn her and her implications.

The pair made their way to Shisui's home, chatting lightly about the mission the Uchiha had just been on. Some information was classified, but he did tell her about the shenanigans his team members had gotten into while they were away. Who knew Genma had zero alcohol tolerance and a penchant for karaoke?

Shisui opened his front door and gestured for Sakura to enter first with a dramatic sweep of his arm. Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed, but went ahead nonetheless. Shisui followed right after her and they made their way to the living room.

"You can sit down, I'm just going to fetch your gift from the kitchen," Shisui told her. He exited the room, leaving Sakura to her own devices. She sat down on the couch that was pushed up against the far wall and looked over to the small table beside it. There was a framed picture of three young boys- Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke. Sasuke was staring up at Itachi with starry eyes, while Itachi appeared to be sighing at Shisui who was trying to balance a kunai on his head. All in all, it was a cute picture, and Sakura looked at it fondly.

"Watcha smiling about?" Shisui asked as he walked back into the living room, a small box in his hands.

"Just this picture," Sakura nodded towards the photograph she had been observing. Shisui looked at it for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face.

"That was taken on Sasuke's fifth birthday. He was so excited to get to spend the day with his big brother and super-awesome older cousin," Shisui explained, then sighed. "Too bad that childish awe is all gone. At least for me. He still worships Itachi-chan."

Sakura laughed softly at that. Yeah, Sasuke definitely still held his brother up on a pedestal.

"Anyways," Shisui started, snapping Sakura out of her musings, "I have your present!" Shisui handed her the box and told her to open it. Sakura smiled and did so. Her face lit up when she saw the contents.

In the small paper box was four pieces of green tinted mocchi. "It's honeydew flavored," Shisui told her. "I've never seen it before, and on our first date you told me you liked honeydew, so…" He trailed off awkwardly, still smiling at her.

"This is so sweet of you," Sakura looked up at him, gratitude shining in her eyes. "I honestly forgot I had told you that. I'm surprised you remembered." Shisui just shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad you like it. I'm still kind of disgusting from my mission, so I'm going to take a quick shower. You're welcome to stay, I won't be long," Shisui said, looking at her for an answer.

"If you really don't mind…" Sakura was a little nervous about the idea- she didn't want to intrude.

"Of course I don't. Just make yourself at home," he waved her off before heading to where she assumed the bathroom was. Sakura just made herself comfy and looked around for something to do.

About 20 minutes later saw Sakura sitting on the couch, reading a book on genjutsu she hadn't seen before. It was by an Uchiha author, which had immediately piqued her interest. The Uchiha hardly ever shared their knowledge, even if it wasn't about their doujutsu specifically. Stingy bastards.

When Sakura heard footsteps coming from the hallway Shisui had disappeared down earlier, she looked up from her reading and had to stop herself from gaping.

Shisui stood there in loose black sweatpants, his upper body completely bare save for the towel hanging from his neck. His hair was partially dried, but still damp, and a few pieces stuck to his forehead and curled around the sides of his face. His skin was flushed from the hot shower, and a few water droplets rolled lazily down his torso.

"You okay there?" Shisui asked. Sakura eyes snapped back up to his smirking face from where she had been gazing at his sharp hip bones peeking out from his waistband. "Maybe I should go shirtless more often, huh?" He teased her, stepping towards her and settling himself down on the couch next to her. "You like the book?" He asked her, gesturing down to the forgotten reading material in her lap. Sakura's face heated up at being caught staring so blatantly. She was a medical professional who saw dozens of naked bodies on the daily, yet she was so captivated by the sight of Shisui's toned abs, and his broad chest, and-

Anyways, Sakura shook her head to keep from getting off track. "It's really interesting," she said. "There's a lot I don't know about genjutsu, and this is very enlightening. I mean, I knew there was a lot of medical science behind it- you have to use chakra to alter the brain functions, even if most people do it instinctively- but this goes into a lot of depth about how altering the qualities of your chakra when invading certain parts of the brain can change so many aspects of the illusion, and-" She stopped herself and looked away. "Sorry, I'm rambling," she mumbled in embarrassment. She felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and turned her head back to Shisui.

"Don't worry, it's cute how excited you get," he assured her. When she didn't look convinced he continued. "Besides, I'm partly a genjutsu specialist. Your 'rambling' about it may just save my career one day," he joked, nudging her playfully. She smiled shyly back at him, feeling a bit better about her sudden nerdiness. "Now, what were you saying about chakra qualities?"

Sakura beamed and began her explanation on the functions of each part of the brain and how they reacted to chakra. Shisui didn't always follow, and asked a lot of questions, but both found that they enjoyed discussing the subject with each other. Being able to match one another with their intellect was something that both appreciated. And, Shisui thought, Sakura's eyes looked really pretty when they were bright with the prospect of sharing knowledge.

One genjutsu discussion and a mini makeout session later, Shisui and Sakura were lying sideways on the couch together, cuddled up and ready to doze off. Then, Sakura remembered her question for Shisui.

"Hey, Shisui?" She started. He hummed and opened his eyes to look at her. "Would you like to go to the Spring Festival with me?" He blinked at her and smiled lazily.

"Of course I would," he murmured sleepily. He tipped his head down to give her a slow, sweet kiss. "Do you want me to pick you up?" Sakura shook her head.

"Ino and I are going to get ready together, then meet her team at the park by the memorial stone. You could meet us there too?" She explained. Shisui nodded. "Perfect. Ino is excited to meet you."

"As long as she doesn't try to strangle me for 'tainting' you, I'd love to meet your friends," he chuckled. Sakura swatted him playfully on the arm. "What? I'm pretty sure Kakashi-senpai tried to set up a trap for me in the ANBU locker rooms. Your team is brutal."

"Yeah, but they've been with me since my genin days; it's too late to get rid of them," she said, snuggling further into Shisui's chest and closing her eyes. Shisui just sighed in mock disappointment and held her close as they both drifted off to sleep.