Hello everyone! Sorry I've kind of dropped off on my updates for SLK. I still have it all plotted out for the most part, I just needed a change of pace. I went through a lot of personal stuff recently too and after I got out of it I decided I wanted to work on something new for a while. I'll go back and finish SLK over time though :)

This is my first Naruto fanfic, so if anyone seems OOC or anything, chalk it up to that. Haven't determined an update schedule yet. It's up in the air due to freakish heat waves in my area, which make it too hot to sit at the computer and write. Will work that out as time goes on. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

He hadn't noticed the shy waitress the first time he followed Naruto to the cafe. Truth be told, he hadn't even noticed her any of the other countless times he'd gone with his loud friend. The first time she caught his eyes was just in the last week, when they were there for lunch between classes. Naruto was busy boisterously recounting some story from his physics class, where the professor had somehow created a spherical vortex using metallic powder and a magnet field... or something. Sasuke was never terribly good at paying attention when Naruto was speaking. No, instead of listening, he had been gazing out the restaurant's front windows, where the sun was just beginning its descent for the day. The light hit the sidewalks outside in a peaceful manner, reminding Sasuke of early childhood, days spent sleeping on his mother's lap as she read some book about flowers. He remembered the sound of the gentle breeze, the way the whole earth seemed to thrum with peace and happiness, the way his mom's soft hand used to brush through his bristly hair...

A loud crash snapped him out of his reverie. It even caused Naruto to cease his energized chatter. Both men turned to look around the edge of their booth. One of the waitresses—a pale girl with blue-black hair—was trembling as she gazed at the floor, where a plate of food had slipped from her hands and splattered across the floor.

"I-I'm so sorry!" The waitress stammered. A man with a fierce moustache and beady eyes—Sasuke assumed he was the man meant to receive the now-broken plate of food—turned red with rage.

"Are you stupid? How hard is it to put a plate on a table?!"

The waitress bowed slightly, still trembling, "I'm so sorry for my clumsiness. Please, let me have the kitchen make you another plate right away!"

The man wasn't satisfied, "Like I want to stay in your trashy establishment for another minute! Tell them if they want to stay in business, they should hire people who aren't totally useless!" He stood, his friends following suit. As if to punctuate his statement, he picked up his water glass and dumped it over the girl's head before storming out. She sank to her knees, pushed her wet hair away from her face and began cleaning up the mess on the floor. The cafe, now smothered in awkward silence, slowly returned to tentative chatter.

"Geez," Naruto whispered under his breath so only Sasuke could hear him, "that guy took things a little too far, don't ya think?"

Sasuke blinked, continuing to observe the shaking waitress. Suddenly, she glanced over to him for just a moment, making eye contact. He flinched; her eyes were the color of pearls. As if even more embarrassed by being seen in her state, she quickly gathered up the rest of the broken plate and scuttled away into the kitchen. Sasuke felt a strange twinge deep in his stomach; there had been tears in the waitress' eyes. He and Naruto hurried to finish their food, eager to get out of the gloomy atmosphere.

When Naruto wasn't looking, Sasuke slid a few extra bills in with the check.

He hadn't thought of that encounter since the day it happened, nor the girl who had been so cruelly humiliated. A month later, it was exam week at college and he was too busy being swamped in piles of textbooks so deep he could almost build a fortress around his desk. One night, he was just starting to doze off, the study guide's words blurring together, when his smug older brother entered his room.

"Oh dear, little brother..." Sasuke could almost hear the playful condescension in Itachi's soft voice. Itachi slipped past the crowded desk and sank onto Sasuke's bed silently, wearing one of his usual gentle smirks, "are you getting tired? Even when you have so much homework left?"

Sasuke peeled his cheek away from his palm, blinking gritty eyes, "No. I'm fine."

Itachi's eyes crinkled as his smirk widened, "Are you sure? I can't get you anything? A snack, perhaps, or a glass of water...? Or maybe..."

Sasuke bristled at his brother's rare talkative nature. He swiveled his chair around to glare at Itachi with what he hoped was a menacing expression, "Or maybe what, Itachi? I'm too busy to play your weird games..." Itachi pulled something from behind his back and displayed it in both hands proudly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow—it was nothing more than a shiny, dark brown package.

"Tada...!" Itachi exclaimed quietly. "It's very expensive coffee. The CEO I met with today offered me some when the trade went through nicely. He said it was his favorite. Want some?" He shook the bag, smiling pleasantly. A warm feeling embraced Sasuke's stomach, dispelling his irritation, and he bit his lower lip.

"Yeah. Thanks."

Itachi nodded and left, heading for the kitchen. Sasuke leaned back in his chair, idle thoughts and memories drifting through his sleepy mind. He sighed, thinking of a certain rainy weekend from years ago.

It was a Saturday. He was seven, waiting for his parents to get home from one of their fancy company parties they were always attending. Itachi had been trying to get him to go to bed, but he wanted his mom to tuck him in. Even if he loved his older brother, nothing was better than his mom's gentle voice reading him a short story before he drifted off.

Then, the phone rang.

Itachi had answered, "Hello, Uchiha residence." Sasuke waddled over to his big brother, trying to make out the words being frantically spoken on the other end of the line. Is it mom and dad, he had mouthed at Itachi. Itachi had simply shaken his head curtly, still listening. Sasuke felt his stomach drop when Itachi's eyes suddenly went dull, although he wasn't sure why. "Yes," Itachi had said thickly. "Yes, I understand. Please do."

Sasuke didn't remember much after that. Itachi had insisted he go to bed, begged him with a wavering voice. He explained that their dear mother wouldn't be able to put him to bed tonight and Itachi had something important to do now. So please, couldn't Sasuke do him a favor and just go to sleep? Sasuke remembered staring out his bedroom window as Itachi left the house, getting into one of the family's cars with one of his father's employees and speeding away. He remembered snuggling a stuffed toy and falling asleep in the early hours of the morning.

He remembered the next morning, when Itachi returned home with red rimmed eyes and the vice president of the company. When Itachi had simply pulled Sasuke into his arms before sinking to the floor, quaking terribly. Itachi's voice had cracked as he explained that their mother and father wouldn't be coming home again. Something had happened on the way home. It wasn't Sasuke's fault, of course not, never say that again. It was a truck driver. It was some misplaced road work signs. It was the rain. Don't worry, Sasuke, of couse Itachi would never leave. He had responsibilities to take up now. Like raising a little brother when he himself was just a child.

Sasuke shook away the grim memories, smiling ruefully as he thought of how mothering Itachi had become after that. Of course, his older brother still possessed their father's strict personality traits, like being extra hard on Sasuke when Itachi just knew he could do better. But there were moments like this one, when Itachi would hum a song their mother taught them softly as he fiddled in the kitchen, making coffee for his tired little brother.

"Darn it!"

Sasuke jolted, not realizing he had started dozing off again, when he heard a sound like breaking glass and Itachi's tepid curse. He pulled himself out of his chair and meandered down the hallway. Itachi was in the kitchen, rubbing the back of his neck with slender fingers. The coffee pot held in his free hand was shattered along the bottom; there was broken glass and water littering the floor below. Hearing Sasuke's footsteps, he looked up from his mistake sheepishly.

"It would uh," he glanced back at the broken glass. "It would seem that the coffee maker is broken. I must have been more tired than I thought as well."

Sasuke hid a laugh with a fake cough before speaking up, "Well... I still need to study, and I'm not getting anymore energized. Wanna hit a cafe I know of?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed warily, "C...cafe?"

Sasuke shrugged, "It's not fancy, CEO-level coffee, but it's coffee."

Sasuke's skin prickled with realization as the bell on the door jingled. A flash of blue-black hair moving around beyond the service window reminded him of the last time he had been here, when that poor waitress had been reamed beyond reason. He hoped nothing like that would happen again, especially at such a late hour, when the types of people who did such things were asleep.

"Is everything all right, little brother?" Itachi nudged him forward so he could close the door.

"Yeah."

"Well, why aren't we sitting down? Aren't there any staff here?"

As if on cue, the waitress poked her head through the window, waving a hand, "I'll be with you in a moment! Please, go ahead and seat yourselves."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at Itachi, expecting to see his sophisticated brother mortified at the prospect of seating oneself. Instead, Itachi's eyes had gone owlish as he drank in their small surroundings.

"It's quite charming for such a small hole-in-the-wall. Look at those newspaper clippings on the wall; do you think this quaint little place has really been here that long?"

Sasuke shrugged again, "Who knows? Let's sit over there." He led them to the same booth he had sat in with Naruto the last time he had been there. Itachi continued to peer around, no doubt storing up the most insignificant details for conversation with the higher ups at work. Sasuke almost cringed as he thought of Itachi's soporific voice droning on about the types of places the middle and lower class ate at.

The doors leading to the kitchen bounced open as the waitress came out, hands full of menus, place settings and water glasses. She stopped at their table and began to lay out the various items, "Thank you for your patience. My name is Hinata. I'll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with any drinks?"

Hinata. The name filed itself in Sasuke's mind. That was a pleasant name. He noticed Itachi's eyes narrow curiously at his silence and cleared his throat, "Just black coffee, for now."

Hinata nodded and turned to Itachi, "And you?"

Itachi glanced over the menu, "The same for me. Also, do you happen to have anything sweet?"

Hinata smiled, "We have pie. Do you have a flavor preference?" Itachi blanched before looking sidelong at Sasuke, who only responded to his brother's floundering gaze by resting his chin on his thumbs, hiding a smirk with knit fingers. Itachi's dark eyes flashed, knowing Sasuke was teasing him in the quiet Uchiha way. He looked back at the waitress.

"S... surprise me, please."

Hinata nodded once more and turned to go, calling over her shoulder, "I'll be right back with your coffee." As soon as she was out of earshot Itachi gripped the plexiglass table cover, tweaking it so Sasuke slipped, cracking his forehead on the table.

"Ow! F—... Itachi!" He hissed, holding his face.

"A-are you alright?" Hinata was back. Sasuke peeked at her through his fingers, the tips of his ears turning just the faintest shade of pink. Itachi raised a hand, waving it in a dismissive gesture.

"My brother is just tired from studying," he smiled with oozing sweetness. "You'll have to excuse him." Sasuke glared. Hinata made a small hum of understanding as she set down two white mugs on the table. Sasuke pulled his hands away from his face, sighing imperceptibly at the sight of fresh coffee pouring out in front of him. When she had filled both of their mugs, she reached back to the tray on her arm and set a plate of cherry pie down in front of Itachi.

"Please enjoy. If you need anything, just call for me." Faster than they could nod, she was already making her way back to the kitchen. Grumbling, Sasuke pulled the mug of coffee to his lips. Itachi picked up a fork and prodded the pie, then took a cautious bite.

His eyes flashed again, "It's good. Tart, but still sweet." Noting Sasuke's lack of acknowledgement towards his pie assessment, he nudged Sasuke's foot under the table, "Like a certain precious, little brother I know."

"Hn."

The rest of their late-night coffee break passed in relative silence, with the occasional refill of coffee and a request for a second piece of pie on Itachi's part. When Hinata brought them the check, she mentioned that she was switching shifts with the next waitress, so she hoped they would have a good night. When Itachi opened the bill folder, something slipped out into his lap. His eyes flicked over it before another of his condescending smirks bloomed on his face. He lifted his hand towards Sasuke.

"I believe this is for you."

Sasuke held out his hand, receiving a piece of paper folded around... a small lollipop. Raising an eyebrow, he smoothed the paper out to examine the purple ink scrawled inside.

Good luck with your Military History exam. I hear that tasting a strong flavor while studying can help you remember things.

There was a cartoon bunny doodled next to the script. Sasuke knit his brows in confusion. How would Hinata know that his next exam was for his Military History class? He shrugged and stuffed the note into his pocket then turned his attention to the lollipop. It was cherry-flavored.

He growled when he noticed Itachi's patronizing grin.

Friday rolled around, with spotty rain showers and bursts of glimmering sunlight. The lecture hall for Military History was grim. Sasuke leaned forward, resting his cheek in a palm, eyes closed drowsily. The day was almost over. There were only two more hours. They were exam hours, but still. He thought of the weekend. Would he finally be able to get some rest? The professor entered the classroom and walked calmly to his desk, which was stacked high with exam packets. Sasuke opened his eyes a sliver to see how much longer he could cat nap for. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, the clouds outside parted and a blade of sunlight filtered in, illuminating the blue tones in the black hair of a girl sitting much closer to the front of the room. The drowsiness was gone in a snap. Sasuke frowned. It couldn't be...

She turned to the person sitting to her right, exposing her pale face and even paler eyes.

How had he never seen her before? This whole time, she had been in the same class as him! He recalled slipping the extra money in on the day she had be scolded by the irate customer. Sasuke slumped forward, holding his mouth with one hand and hiding behind the other. What was a waitress who worked in a dinky little cafe doing at one of the top universities in the city? Had he embarrassed her further by giving her a large tip, insinuating that she needed it?

His cool demeanor returned in a scowl. What if she was just pretending to be poor as some sort of weird experiment? Seeing what it was like to be a commoner? His scowl deepened—that seemed like something Itachi would do.

Then, there was the matter of the cherry lollipop and the note. Good luck on the Military History Exam? That meant she knew him already! She knew he was in the same class as her. How long had she known? Did she just happen to recognize him the night he went with Itachi? Or had she been watching him for a long time? A chill went up his spine. Maybe she was one of those girls from around campus who claimed to be part of his "fan club"? Had he opened the gates of Hell by sneaking in the extra money?

"Hey, uh... are you okay?"

Sasuke nearly jumped when the student next to him nudged his shoulder. They continued to observe him, concerned.

Sasuke straightened up, adjusting his shirt, "Yeah, I'm fine."

They smiled cautiously, "Okay. The exam is starting. Good luck."

The exam seemed to drag by. The clock's second hand oozed like molasses, dripping down one side of the clock before crawling its way back up the other. Sasuke pulled his hand from his bangs, silently scolding himself for once again pulling on the already-messy hair. His scalp tingled. The essay question, the last part of the test, glared up at him from the paper. The letters seemed to stand from the page and dance, mingling together. Why am I so distracted?

He glanced over the edge of the desk, down several rows to the left. Hinata's hair slipped from her shoulder for the umpteenth time in the last hour, dripping down her arm and onto the desk. She shifted in her focused hunch, just enough to brush the locks away. Thoughts of her having been aware of him for an unknown length of time twisted in his stomach. He thought of Sakura, who, throughout grade school, had seemed to be everywhere he was. Always. Eventually, she had grown out of the rude habit, but he didn't want to relive that experience.

A buzzer at the front of the room rang, causing several students to startle. The professor tapped his desk, "You have thirty minutes!"

Some students turned with curious expressions when a loud thump! resounded throughout the lecture hall, but other than one dark-haired guy who was busy rubbing his forehead, there wasn't anything amiss.

Sasuke had never finished an essay question so quickly.