STAR WARS - ITASAKU AU - FOOD (for thought) - Part II (blamed entirely on Vesperchan)

The suns had not risen when Sakura arrived at the hangar, passing through the main door this time with a nod to the attendant who had been expecting her. Once inside, she made her way to Uchiha Itachi's speeder bay. Sakura looked around the tomb-silent hangar, her brows furrowed.

"He got called away. I'm filling in," said a deep, gravelly voice that appeared next to her out of nowhere.

Sakura shrieked and jumped to the side, and the giant, blue-skinned man letting out a quiet 'oomph' as he jerked backwards.

"Easy," he said, lifting a hand. "I'm—"

"Master Hoshigaki Kisame!" gasped Sakura, taking a step back, her eyes wide. "I'm so sorry! You startled me."

Rubbing at his chest, he chuckled. "Just fine, kiddo. My apprentice will be here a bit later. I'm here to get you started."

Nodding and swallowing, Sakura stepped closer to the damaged speeders; one Itachi's, the other Anko's favourite.

Tilting his head to the side and cracking the vertebrae in his neck to loosen up, Kisame planted his hands on his hips and stared at the long gash that marred each vehicle from the previous day's joyride. Sakura flushed.

"Do you know how these work?" he asked, glancing down at her.

"Theoretically," said Sakura.

"Hmph. You need more than 'theoretically' out there when you're being chased by... We'll start from the inside and work our way out. Pop the hood," he instructed.

Biting her lip, Sakura looked between him and the speeder before setting her shoulders and planting her little feet on the duracrete floor. With intense focus she scrunched up her button nose and furrowed her roseate brow, which then beaded with sweat.

Kisame was covering a yawn when he glanced down at Sakura to see what was taking so long, only for her to clench her fists and jaw; and suddenly the hood on the speeder popped open with a bang, nearly blowing it off its hinges.

His bushy brows shot up to his hairline and he barked out a laugh.

"I meant to use the latch inside the cockpit, but I suppose that works—"

—and then the rear bumper fell off.

—followed by a mirror, which dashed to pieces on the duracrete floor.

Sakura's face turned ashen as her hands flew up to cover her mouth. She whipped around to stare at Kisame with comically wide viridian eyes.

"I broke it worse!" she breathed, horrified, barely above a whisper.

Kisame promptly roared with laughter.

Oh, if only Itachi hadn't sworn him to secrecy...

But Kisame keeled forward and caught himself on the side of the speeder, still laughing so hard tears trailed down his cheeks.

... for, a decade earlier, Itachi had done the exact same thing.

(Meanwhile, Sakura was hopping around trying desperately to lift the heavy bumper back on to the speeder. And failing miserably.)