50 SHINOBI-THEMED CHALLENGE

03. Tossing a coin

Sakura and Itachi are at odds as to where they should go for their third date, so they decide to flip a coin to decide who it is that gets to decide.

"Look. I chose the first one, so you chose the second one. Therefore, I get to choose the next one."

"Sakura-chan, you should not have decided where we were to dine on that first night we spent together. It was I who requested your company, not the other way around."

"Yeah, and I bet you were going to pay for us both too, weren't you?"

"I would do no such thing."

"My sweet, sweet, Itachi-kun," she said all too sweetly, stroking the his cheek from across the table they were seated at, before she pinched the area, pulling a hiss from her partner's mouth, her saccharine smile dropping once she had his reaction. "I know when you're lying, Uchiha Itachi. I've known you my entire life, so don't even try."

"I would have," he admitted.

She let his face go.

"That's what I thought." she finished by crossing her arms across her small chest.

It didn't matter at that moment what was between them, Itachi had a need for the woman he knew to be the love of his life, so he pounced across the table and its contents, and made for those full lips her mouth held.

Sakura was pushed against the back of the couch, where Itachi enjoyed the taste of her delicious mouth.

"You witch of a woman," he began before kissing her deeply once more. "I do not know what sort of spell it is you placed upon me the day you were brought to this world, but I thank you for making it so that I have someone as special to me as you are."

Sakura's mouth remained hanging as low as it could possibly go.

"Is this it? Have I finally taken the words straight from your mouth? Have I silenced the great Haruno Sakura?"

"I… Itachi… I didn't know you felt that way about me..."

"Have you been blinded since birth, my dearest Sakura-chan? Have you never seen for yourself the care I put into your protection?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you not realize when you were but a child and the village was attacked? It was I who saved you, my love. I made sure no enemy would find you, so I..."

"Took me to that cave..."

"Do you remember now?"

"Remember that? Of course I do, you buffoon! That is the exact reason I became a kunoichi! I wanted to save everyone else the way my hero shinobi did that night!"

A full smile crossed Itachi's handsome features before he drew his beloved to him once more.

"My darling, my love, my sweet, sweet Sakura-chan..."

The moment was ruined when Sakura broke through Itachi's beautiful speech by hitting him on the side of his head.

"You Baka!" she all but screamed. "Do you know how terrified I was that night!?"

Itachi's face dropped, as though not understanding.

"Not only was I barely any age to comprehend anything at all, but when what a four year old comprehends as a monster takes her away from what she thinks to be safe without a word or even showing his face, that four year old is going to freak the hell out!"

"Sakura-chan, I thought you said that moment inspired you..." Itachi trailed off, extremely confused.

"Yeah, it did," Itachi's featured grew more and more confused. "After someone else found me and took me back to my parents and explained what the fuck had just happened!"

Realization dawned on the elder of the pair.

Sakura thumped the man across the back of the head once more.

"Baaaaaka!" She called into his ear, before giving his cheek a light kiss. "You made me who I am today because of that night."

"You forgive me, then?" Itachi's face bore the look of need – the need to have her forgive him for the actions of his younger self.

"I still love you, don't I?"

A moment passed before either one realized the exact words Sakura had used, and the other only realized once Itachi's face, the first to realize, grew to immeasurable happiness.

"Don't look at me like that," the pinkette looked away, hiding the slow-rising blushing. "We've both known for a long time."

"But you've never told me aloud, Sakura-chan."

"Really?" she looked to him with feigned innocence.

The raven-haired man scoffed at the woman he had grown to love throughout his entire lifetime, causing aforementioned woman to giggled right along with him.

"My Sakura-chan," he smiled.

"'Tachi-chan, I lo..." she began, only to be stopped short by the sight of her lover standing to move before her and kneeling upon his preferred knee.

The baffled pinkette's hands flew to cover her ever-gaping mouth the moment she realised what was happening.

"Sakura-chan," he began. "Would you do me the honour of..." he paused ever-so momentarily to open the tiny ring box he had presented before his love. "...joining me in terrorizing my foolish otouto whilst he is tested to become a jounin?"

Sakura was slightly stunned at the question she had been asked and, thinking she'd heard wrong, examined the contents of the tiny box before her to find an official invitation to be one of the special few jounin to test the new examinees.

The was a pause between them before Sakura leapt from her seat and pounced on the man she thought was about to propose to her, though she knew he wasn't short off asking her.

"Of course I will, you Baka! Hell, this is even better than the proposal I thought you'd ask about."

"So you didn't want this?" he asked, holding an extravagantly decorated engagement ring in his other hand.

A burning sensation hit Itachi's face after the sound of Sakura's slap hit him.

"You're definitely lucky that I love you, you absolutely horrid Baka!"

He pulled her down to his level for quite the passionate kiss.

"I can honestly say that I am the luckiest man to have you, my Sakura-chan."