Ramen. She wants ramen.

He turned around and faced the stove, wiping his face with a handkerchief. The only orders that were coming in were desserts and only Shino, his pastry chef, was occupied. The sauce that he had been working on earlier was slowly burning and no one even bothered to turn off the heat. Then again who was he to blame. Sakura Haruno just walked in the house.

Ramen. When was the last time he made ramen? Fucking hell. He was sweating his balls.

Konohamaru stepped towards him, clearing his throat. "Uh… Chef?"

"Seriously? Who orders ramen from a fine dining restaurant?"

"I do!"

Sakura's voice rang in the seemingly crowded but not so busy kitchen, prompting Naruto to turn in a rather ungraceful way, bumping into Konohamaru as he did so. Her head poked tentatively from the kitchen window, a huge smile on her face, rendering him speechless.

"Long time, no see, eh, Naruto? Wow your kitchen's pretty big! Very clean, too," her eyes were everywhere; the counter top, the stove, the carts, the pots and pans, the plates, the floor; even the window from where her head now peeked into was not saved from her scrutiny.

Konohamaru cleared his throat, snapping Naruto back into the real world.

"Ah," he cleared his throat too, feeling like he had swallowed a whole cup cake. "What kind of ramen, may I ask?"

Resting her elbows on the wooden counter of the kitchen window, Sakura gazed curiously her old friend just a few feet away. He was taller, even she could tell minus the chef's hat. She could assume that he was quite buff, based on the size of his uniform and how the fabric fit nicely around his chest and arms. The visible skin of his face and neck showed that his tan was still there, though that left her wondering how he kept it if he was always indoors - then again maybe it was natural; she never really noticed. His narrowed face and strong jaw definitely highlighted the whiskers on his cheeks. Had he grown.

Shino walked in between them holding a freshly baked chocolate sponge cake, suddenly making at least four people draw a collective deep breath, Sakura included. Konohamaru took the opportunity to step on the edge of Naruto's shoe.

"Don't look at me like that," Naruto muttered under his breath. "She's not-"

"I don't know. Surprise me." The edge of her lips curved into a smile before she disappeared from the window and walked back to her seat.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

Naruto turned away from the kitchen window, taking off his hat. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recall if all the ingredients he needed were present in his kitchen. Then faced his staff and started giving orders: Lee to prepare the noodles. Konohamaru to prepare the toppings while he was to prepare the broth.

Immediately, he discarded the burnt sauce from the stove top, grabbed a medium sized pot and turned on the flame. Never had he felt so exhilarated; the feeling of his blood pumping through his veins and his every movement linked with precision, he moved through his kitchen with speed, checking Lee's work and Konohamaru while simultaneously dealing with his own.

"Chef Uzumaki, Ms. Haruno has quite the nicely shaped derrière," Sai's monotonous voice resonated through the kitchen. Apparently he had turned on the emergency direct dial; one that did not require anyone to push any buttons to receive the call on the other end.

Naruto could not hold back his laugh. "That's quite an observation."

"It cannot be helped, Chef. Her little visit through the kitchen window had her posterior jutting out and calling."

"Sai, are you checking her out?"

"Will I lose my job, sir?"

"Most probably."

"Then it is a no. Though I feel I must defend my actions. I was merely doing the checking out for you. Like say, right now your fair lady is starting at her cell phone with furrowed brows, looking very concerned indeed. Her eyes darken, a frown forms on her face - what hast thou happened oh esteemed Chef of the highest that hath brought sorrow upon thy lovely maiden?"

"Sai what the f-."

"-wither are the flowers and chocolates, where is thy knight in shining kitchen utensils-"

"SAI! Put the god damn phone down."

"Yes, sir."

Ten Ten placed the bowl on the table, slowly opening the lid and releasing the scent. A faint smile spread across Sakura's face, lowering her face to inhale the delicious scent.

"Please enjoy your meal," Ten Ten bowed before heading back to the kitchen.

Sakura poked meticulously at the contents of the bowl. The scent was fairly new to her, at least, based on what she remembered. There was a good mix of pork and vegetables; nothing out of the ordinary, but the arrangement was very appetizing.

Meanwhile in the kitchen Naruto stood leaning against the counter, eyes locked on a random tile on the floor. It didn't take long to make the dish, thanks to Lee and Konohamaru, and he had confidently brewed a flavorful broth, one that he was sure she hadn't tasted before.

"She has sipped the soup!" Sai's voice echoed in the kitchen once more. Lee and Konohamaru were huddled together by the kitchen window, peeking outside. "She has tasted the noodles! She is eating the pork as I speak!"

"What's her reaction, though?" Ten Ten inquired, trying to peek at the little space left in between the two chefs.

One long moment after, Sai's voice responded.

Naruto did not know how he knew that she was crying, but he knew that it wasn't because his ramen was bad. He had tasted it and it was delicious. Back then anything he considered delicious was just as delicious, if not more, for her. Sai did not even need to say it.

The carpeted floor silenced his heavy steps and in no time he had reached her table. She did not even bother wiping her tears, and the departing customers were shooting looks at her.

"Is there something the matter, Miss?"

Sakura looked up suddenly, surprised to see him there. She propped one elbow on the table, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand. "Since when did you start calling me miss?"

"That's rude," he could not help but comment, his gaze drifting to her elbow. He saw that the ramen was hardly touched.

"So is interrupting my meal, Chef." She looked away and picked up the spoon, scooping a good amount of soup and slurping noisily in his presence. He stood by, wondering when she was going to wipe her tear-stained cheeks. At least she stopped crying. She picked up her chopsticks and ate, not giving away the slightest bit of indication about how she thought about the dish.

Within a few minutes, she had picked up the bowl and emptied it, carefully placing it back on the table before tilting her head to his direction. "Enjoyed yourself?"

"Did you?" he retorted, ignoring the slight pang in his chest.

She took a deep breath and took the table napkin from her lap. "Did you come here for my commentary?"

"No but I'm not going to pretend that I didn't want to make sure you're alright."

"Really now?" she dabbed the napkin on her lips and cheeks, unperturbed. "Pretty sure that's none of your business." She made a move to grab her purse but he put up a hand.

"It's on the house."

"Careful, Uzumaki. People may think you're paying me for a positive critique."

"You can't critique when you're emotional, Sakura-chan."

She suddenly got up from her seat, eyes narrowed. "Thanks but no thanks." Pushing a couple of bills to his chest, she looked into his eyes. "I can pay for my meal, and you can keep the change."

Naruto could feel her fingers through the paper before she turned around and let go, leaving the notes to fall slowly to the floor.