Why did he go in there? It wasn't his type of place. Sasuke preferred restaurants that were not so…what was the word he wanted?

Showy?

Ostentatious?

Annoying, he thought, his fists tightening with the need to hit something...or someone. I should've kept walking.

How did he end up at this infuriating eatery? It was after a mission and, despite miles of whining about how hungry he was and how he was going to eat every last noodle old man Teuchi had, Naruto bolted out of Hokage Tower like he'd been set on fire, yelling, "Gotta get home to Hinata! Later, ya bastard!"

Sasuke watched him skate over Konoha's rooftops until his own stomach reminded him how long it'd been since he'd had a meal. His feet were automatically taking him to his favorite curry takeout when he heard Sakura's voice in his head.

There's a lot of variety in Konoha. You should really take advantage of it. You eat the same food at the same place all the time, Sasuke-kun. Trying something different every once in a while won't kill you.

Purposefully, he took another road and discovered a place he'd never seen before. Lifting the noren flap, he nodded to the waitress and perused the menu. The food looked good. Lots of choices. Lots of things that were definitely not his usual curry. He placed his order and settled in to wait. A quick glance at the sea of tables set off alarm bells in his head.

Candles.

Flowers.

Couples.

A date place?! He sighed, knowing it was just his luck to randomly wander into Konoha's most romantic restaurant. With his order already in, he decided to stay, but when his gaze landed on one particular table, his spine stiffened.

"You're funny. Did anyone ever tell you that?" purred a man, his expensive suit straining against his biceps as he made to tickle the chin of his dinner companion.

"No, I'm not. You're just a good audience, Kagami," Sakura said, jerking away from his fingers. "Now, where did she—"

I should've gotten curry, Sasuke thought, whirling around. "Hey!" he barked at the waitress. "Where's my order?" He didn't need to work up an angry scowl to move her along—it was already on his face. As she darted into the kitchen in a panic, Sasuke turned his scowl back to the tables.

"Listen, you're hot." Kagami didn't seem to notice when Sakura startled at his blurted confession. "I mean it. You're the hottest woman in Konoha." He leaned closer. "But a lady like you must hear that all the time."

"Not as often as you might think," she joked with smile, twisting in her chair to scan the crowd.

Sasuke hated how her skin glowed in the candlelight, how the dancing flame reflected in her eyes.

"Sir? Your order's ready now," the waitress said timidly, holding a bag out to Sasuke. He snatched it from her, threw some ryō on the counter, and stalked out.

His breath fogged in the chilly night air, making him look like a charging bull as he stalked the late-night streets of the Leaf. His stomach wasn't rumbling in hunger anymore—it was roiling with anger. He seethed all the way home, plowed through dinner without tasting it, and threw himself into bed where he tossed and turned.

Plink!

He sat up at the sound of a rock striking his bedroom window.

Plink! Plink! CRACK!

The last pebble hit and stuck in the glass, splintering it like a glistening spiderweb.

Who the hell is that? Like I need this? He threw open the sliding door and stuck his head over the balcony rail, ready to barbecue with a Grand Fireball whoever thought this was a smart way to get his attention.

"You're home!"

Sasuke swallowed his Katon when Sakura grabbed him from behind, wrapping him up in a hug. "Kakashi said I should let you sleep, but I know you, Sasuke-kun. You need, what, two, maybe three hours a night? I don't know how you do it, really. But you're home!" She squeezed him again. "Oh…sorry about your window. Guess I don't know my own strength," she said sheepishly.

For a moment, his anger evaporated. Her elation was contagious. But when she smiled, looking too much like she did in the restaurant, his anger came back tenfold. "I guess you don't know much at all," he said coldly, removing her hands.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Her confused look made him falter in his pique, but she attempted another smile and he iced over.

"It's late, Sakura." He went inside, leaving her standing on the balcony alone. He ducked under the covers, feeling strangely sated.

"Sasuke, what's going on?" His eyes snapped open at the steel in her voice. "I'm not leaving until you tell me."

"Go home, Sakura."

His blankets were yanked off. "No. Not until we talk."

He was up and inches from her face in a second. "And if I choose not to, what will you do?" he snarled, a little surprised at how hot his anger was. She backed up a step and he pursued. "I don't owe you anything."

Her eyes were big as they searched his face, but full of concern, not the guilty remorse he wanted. "Sasuke-kun, I don't know why you're angry, but if I did something, I'm sorry."

"If you did something," he chuffed in disbelief. "Like you don't know." Sasuke was stumbling blindly through his temper, words pouring, unedited, from his mouth.

"I don't know! So, tell me why!"

"Why?! You sit at restaurants with idiots, smiling and looking beautiful, and I have to watch?!" He stepped back, shocked at what he'd said. They gaped at each other for a second. Sakura was the first to recover.

"You were at the restaurant tonight? Sasuke-kun, that wasn't an idiot. I mean, he was an idiot, but he wasn't my idiot. He was Ino's—she's been crushing on him for weeks. Kagami was on my ANBU squad once or twice, so she made me invite him to dinner. She wanted to crash and do her Ino thing." She sighed and looked away. "But he paid more attention to me than to her. After a while, she said she had to go to the bathroom and then bolted. Left me sitting there with that moron for over an hour."

The rock in Sasuke's stomach moved up to his throat when Sakura smiled bashfully, flipping her hair from her shoulder in that so-inviting way.

"Do you really think I looked beautiful, Sasuke-kun?"

He shrugged, unable to make eye contact, his face burning hot.

"Maybe we can go to dinner tomorrow?"

"Maybe."

She squeaked and wound her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his chest. "You know I love only you, Sasuke-kun," she breathed, squeezing him tighter before dashing out the door. "G'night!"

Once she'd disappeared into the darkness, Sasuke regained the ability to move. Crawling into bed, he thought about where they'd go for their first date. The place had to be perfect.

Burrowing into his covers with a grin, he drifted off, knowing exactly where they'd go.

Takeout curry.

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