Crimson Genii

1. - Meeting the Family

-X-

Really, she should have seen it coming.

But Sakura really couldn't blame the woman for her mistake. After all, Sasuke was her teammate, and it was the obvious question to ask.

It had begun as such a joyous occasion. Sasuke's birthday had always been, since they were little, a nice excuse to go to the Uchiha District and have a taste of his mother's awesome cooking. Naruto had practically been adopted by the lovely woman, and Sasuke's father had to grudgingly agree to his youngest friends, seeing how well it did to his usually brooding humor.

However, there was a regular absence in Sasuke's birthday parties that never failed to sting the young male, and Sakura knew he was just trying to save face in front of his parents. His older brother, Itachi, was always away on missions, thusly failing to be there to share a nice relaxed moment with his otouto, among friends, colleagues and classmates.

This year, Sakura had been roped by Naruto to help Miko-baachan with the details of a surprise party for their best friend. The awesome pair went in the morning to help their surrogate mother to prepare and decorate the garden with blue ribbons and some well-placed balloons, in order to get a festive environment to celebrate Sasuke's coming of age.

When they finished, Naruto had surveyed the area with a foxy grin that never failed to make her giggle.

"This looks awesome," he had uncharacteristically whispered to her, but she knew better. Her brother only whispered when he was pulling a prank, when they were about to ambush Kakashi or when they were about to perform one of those overwhelming tricks that never failed to give victory to Team Seven on their missions.

"Yeah, Mikoto-baa will love it," she had whispered back.

"And Sasuke will hate it," Naruto shot back. "We'll have to run from his wrath tomorrow in our sparring session."

"Ha! As if we can hold our ground against him," Sakura scoffed petulantly. "But if Kakashi joins him, we'll be in real trouble."

"Nah, he won't," Naruto waved dismissively. "I'm positive he'll be so engrossed with Icha Icha that he won't notice when we kick Sasuke-teme's ass into next century."

Sakura had to giggle at Naruto's outrageous remark as they slipped off their sandals and padded to the kitchen, where Mikoto was waiting to serve them some breakfast. Sasuke wasn't back from his mission with Kakashi, offering the perfect opportunity for his teammates and mother to plot a party at their leisure.

Sakura was still laughing when they entered the kitchen, but her giggles were cut short when she noticed the two males sitting at the table.

"Oh! Good morning, Uchiha-sama, Itachi-san!" she greeted, bowing respectfully to Fugaku, who was reading a scroll, looking up when Naruto bounced to him.

"Fugaku-jiji!" Naruto saluted with a grin. "Itachi! I thought you were on a mission!"

Sakura lowered her eyes when Itachi's dark eyes trailed over her, detailing her informal outfit and short ponytail. Wisps of roseate-colored hair framed her face, and her sweatpants and tank top were required by his mother in order to work in the garden without any mishaps. But as always, and without fail, his sharp glance made her blush.

"Now, now, Naruto," Mikoto wandered over with a smile. "Is everything set back in the garden?"

"Yup! Sasuke won't know what hit him!" Naruto said enthusiastically, making his female teammate sigh.

"Mikoto-baa, do you need any help here in the kitchen?" Sakura asked, pointedly ignoring Itachi's gaze as he ate slowly and focusing her eyes on the female's dark eyes, which were dancing in joyous excitement.

"Sasuke and Naruto told me you know how to make some tasty onigiri, is that true, Sakura-chan?" the elder woman asked, clasping her hands when she nodded, blushing again. "Excellent! Shisui is coming over and I know Hana likes onigiri. Do you think you can give me the recipe?"

"Better yet, Mikoto-baa, I'll make them myself, that way you can focus on other things," Sakura smiled. Of course she knew Shisui's significant other liked onigiri; she had told her when she visited the moron at the hospital, under the pink-haired medic's care. "I can give you the recipe after the party, if you still want it."

"Sakura-chan, are you going to make your special onigiri?" Naruto perked up with a giddy grin. "Yay!"

"Come on, Naruto-kun, they can't be that good," Itachi said flatly, not missing how the petite kunoichi bristled and narrowed her eyes. Naruto looked at the Uchiha Heir with a horrified glance.

"No, seriously, Itachi, you say that because you haven't tasted them," he sniffed, beaming at his sister, who lifted a brow.

"You just say that because you are a shameless free-loader, Naruto," she said dryly, making Mikoto laugh and even Fugaku snort behind the scroll. "Saa, I'll get going to get the ingredients then, Mikoto-baa."

Narrowing her eyes once more to the youngest Uchiha in the room, she nodded at his parents, rapped her knuckles on Naruto's head and departed.

"Ah, Sakura-chan is so cute," Mikoto sighed in content. "She is so thoughtful and nice; I can see why Sasuke likes her so much... she's the perfect girlfriend for him, don't you think, anata?"

Fugaku only grunted noncommittally, engrossed in his reading. Naruto was too busy eating to notice how the elder Uchiha son narrowed his eyes in displeasure.

-X-

The party had been quite the success. Sasuke's eyes promised a painful retaliation to his teammates when they gleefully pounced on him. Nonetheless, with his parents in the picture he only could accept their boisterous demonstrations of affection with a modicum of graciousness, as most of their friends were there as well.

But when Itachi slipped out to the garden to join the celebration, Sasuke stopped trying to look mad and sat contentedly with his comrades, just after his aniki flicked his forehead as he congratulated him for his eighteenth birthday.

Sakura narrowed her eyes again when she saw him talking to his cousin, who was laughing at something he had said, earning Hana's indignation and an onigiri stuffed into his mouth. Itachi's dark eyes glinted with amusement, shaking his head once when Hana offered him one of Sakura's rice balls.

Surely the bastard knew how to offend a lady's cooking, her inner self pointed out in disgruntlement, and she had to agree wholeheartedly.

A little while later, she excused herself with Tenten and Hinata, making her way to the large house and a bathroom. She had drunk too much tea talking with her kunoichi friends.

Sakura sighed as she went around her business. Who was she kidding anyway? He had really hurt her feelings by undermining her onigiri. He hadn't had the opportunity to try them because he was always busy on missions, but that didn't give him the right to say such thing, especially in front of his parents.

But after almost six months of a hidden relationship with the Uchiha Heir, he had specifically told her that everything he said to piss her off or offend her in front of other was merely a decoy. A lie. A deception that it had been pronounced in order to avoid inquisitive stares and awkward questions, all along the taboo topic that their liaison was.

But he knew perfectly that the pink-haired young woman that he was involved in a torrid romance with was rather sensitive when it came to things that regarded her skills.

Sometimes, only sometimes, Sakura asked herself how insane she was to keep putting up with Itachi's sneakiness and having to steel herself when she only wanted to press herself to him and inhale his incredibly masculine cedar and spearmint scent and letting his warmth to surround her, making her forget everything but him.

Loving an Uchiha wasn't easy, as Hana had said once to her while she kept vigil over Shisui's critical condition, but when they loved you back, you could expect everything.

Sighing once more and finger-combing her hair to get it a little presentable, she stepped out of the bathroom in time to notice a black shirt in front of her nose, pushing her back inside the bathroom so quickly that she only had time to let out a surprised gasp.

Looking up, she knew who was expecting her. "Ita--mhphh!"

Of course, she should have expected his sudden way to make it up to her, cornering wherever he caught her unaware, kissing her stupid and giving her a tiny, slight smile before continuing on his merry way.

But his kiss was deep and passionate, as usual, with a hint of that spearmint--wait.

His mouth actually tasted like her onigiri, because the added Suna sesame seeds she bought were part of her special recipe and the Furikake brought from Wave was the well-kept secret of her rice balls' flavor.

And by the breathless taste of it, he had consumed a few to have still the taste in his mouth.

Disengaging from her mouth slowly, Itachi trailed the seam of her lips with his tongue, tasting the chocolate pocky he had noticed her eating when gossiping with Tenten and Hinata.

"I think I am going to request some of those for my next mission, of you do not mind."

She sighed, shooting him a one eyed-mock glare.

-X-

They were at the door, Sasuke less disgruntled and broody than usual. Naruto was prattling about something about Kakashi's mask, as usual, when Sakura noticed Itachi coming behind his brother accompanied with his mother to bid them goodbye.

"So, see you tomorrow, teme! And don't worry; we won't make you wear our gift in the training grounds!"

Sakura snorted. "Come on, baka, let's go."

"Thank you both for all your help," Mikoto said happily. "You looked beautiful with your dress, Sakura-chan. I'm sure your boyfriend loved it."

Sakura only could blush at such statement. Sasuke only rolled his eyes.

"Kaa-san, I told you, Sakura is not my girlfriend."

"Maa, maa, one thing it's what you say and another it's what you think," Mikoto shot back, winking at Naruto. "Come by tomorrow, Naruto-kun. I'll have some bento for you guys for your mission."

"Thank you, Miko-baachan!" he said with one of his foxy grins. "I'll come picking them up and this moron tomorrow morning!"

"Sure thing, Naruto-kun," she said with a smile. "Be careful, alright?"

"Good night, Mikoto-baa, Itachi-san, Sasuke," she said respectfully, before starting to make her way out of the District with her blond brother. She could still feel Itachi's piercing gaze on her back, but she knew that it wasn't wise to look back.

Especially when she knew that Itachi wasn't really thrilled by his mother's observations.

-

- Tenna' ento lye omenta -

-XxX-

AN: Hi again!
This time I'd like to give a shout out to Paws-Bells -praise her genius!- for her incredible and well thought-out plots, the wonderful pair Just Enough for their awesome story and my lovely RapturesRevenge for her kindness in betaing this collection. Thank you guys for the non-massacre universe!. ;D