Cuisine

Chapter 1

Sakura slammed the door of her car with a tired flick of her wrist. She was beyond exhausted; today had been a day like no other. She spent the better part of the entire day whirling like a dervish, in and out of emergency rooms on various floors checking charts, x-rays, administering various medications to patients; she was tired of it all. She didn't want to think about the day that had passed her by. It took too much effort. Slowly she dragged her feet up to her apartment. It was the one place that she was assured refuge from the troubles, worries and stress of her life. Opening the apartment, she dumped her keys into a bowl and proceeded to kick off her shoes. She dragged her bedraggled self to the sofa and flopped onto it. Snuggling into the plush leather, she exhaled slowly relishing the feel of the cool leather against her overheated skin. Just as she was about to leave the world of the conscious behind, the phone rang.

And rang.

And rang.

And rang.

She cracked one eye open and cursed. She couldn't even lie down on her own bloody couch for more than five minutes without somebody bothering her, could she? Grudgingly she looked at the phone, and debated whether she should pick it up or not. The moment she decided to pick it up, it stopped its annoying wail. Pleased, she further snuggled into the couch and relaxed. Once again, the annoying tone began and she abruptly got up and snatched the offending object out of its cradle and held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Forehead child! Watcha doin?"

"Passing out on my couch but then you decided to call and ruin the moment. Tell me, what's happening?"

"Please tell me you did not forget about our weekly dinner."

Oh shit! Thought Sakura, I forgot about the dinner today. Damn it! Dinner with Ino, Hinata and Tenten was a weekly affair. Every week, one of the girls picked out a restaurant and the other three joined her in sampling the cuisine. It was a college tradition that had continued into their working lives. With college threatening to split the four girls apart, Ino came up with a brilliant idea to keep them in touch with one another.

She had first suggested a day in the spa and salon, but Sakura had instantly slammed the idea. She never knew when she might be needed at the hospital throughout the day and so did not want to give her commitment to a routine that was fixed. Then Ino suggested they all get dogs so that they could meet up to take them for walks in the local park but Hinata pointed out that they shouldn't use helpless animals as excuses to meet up and spend some girl time. When Tenten suggested they all go hunting at her family estate, Ino pointed out that she wanted to keep her lunch, not lose it. And that bit of sarcasm gave birth to the fabulous idea that they should meet for a meal. Ino pointed out that they all needed to eat at one point or another so why could they not share it at least once a week together and then as often as they could? Each of them would get an opportunity to pick out the restaurant every week and so nobody would feel left out as if their own personal choices did not have a say in the matter.

The concept was an instant hit with the other three girls and each one of them tried their very best to make the dining experience an exceptional one. Sometimes, the choice was fabulous and the restaurant was an instant hit with all four of them, each of them having their tastes catered to, making it a restaurant that all four of them would revisit over time. Other times, the restaurant fell far short of everyone's expectations; be it the ambience, the ingredients, the seating arrangement, the prices or God forbid, the wine. Sakura could forgive many things but one thing she absolutely could not forgive was cheap or pungent wine. Lately they had been to a restaurant where she had ordered a bottle of wine hoping that it would be palatable only to find out that it would be better used for fumigation.

Wincing at the memory, she turned her attention back to the phone. "No Ino, I haven't forgotten about it."

"You're such a liar, Sakura. You completely forgot about it. Don't you dare lie to me, your best friend since Kindergarten. How could you?" said Ino dramatically. "I know you totally forgot about our girl's night out and trust me; it doesn't make me feel better at all. I know you're always up to your neck in work, but please do take a little time out and spend it with your dear friends who would not know how to navigate life's turbulent waters without you."

"Shut up, Ino. You're making it very difficult for me to want to meet with you right now and suffer your over-bearing personality.' she snarled.

'How's the wedding planning going? Got any more brides from Hell? How are Tenten and Hinata? When are we meeting up and which restaurant is it this time?" fired Sakura quickly, remembering that Ino was the happiest when answering questions rapid fire.

"Whoa! Slow down, speed racer. You love my personality a lot, thank you very much. Don't forget the amount of times my over-bearing personality has saved your non-existent arse from crappy situations and even worse, your own decisions. The wedding planning is going just fine. The bride this time wants Birds of Paradise to be released at the moment she and the groom kiss. I didn't even know that there were so many species to choose from. The question right now is not how to get them here to Konoha but rather, would they survive in this climate?" Ino rambled, "Lucky for me, Stephanie was just over-joyed to find out that there is a species of Birds of Paradise that she is sure has been named after her. Now she insists on calling herself Princess Stephanie. Why do I end up with the maniacs?" lamented Ino.

"Because you're one yourself?" supplied Sakura politely.

"Don't you be getting all bitchy with me, Sakura-chan! You can never hope to take over my seat of resident bitchiness." said Ino with a smirk. "Anyways, cutting the Q and A round short, you better make an appearance at 8 at the Tanuki. I've got a table reserved under Yamanaka. Get into the restaurant and sit yourself down. Order a glass of whatever snobbish wine you prefer polishing off this evening and glue your juicy tush to the chair. I want to see you sitting down at the table when I make my entrance. No bathroom breaks or hiding out in the cubicles till we get there. Tenten and Hinata are coming together so you can meet up with them once you are there. Don't and I repeat DON'T wear something that I would be ashamed of seeing you in. Please Sakura! You dare come in that lab coat thingy that you did last time and I will disown you on the spot. Do I make myself clear?"

Sakura sighed. She was used to the flamboyance of her best friend, but on days like this it just made Sakura want to bury her under 10-feet of sand. "Yes Ino, as crystal. Then I guess I'll see you guys there in a bit. Ciao. Bisous. "

"Bisous to you too. Love you." chirped Ino.

Sakura shut the phone off and debated whether she should take a small nap first before she had to meet up with the girls. A quick glance at the watch told her that this would not be the best course of action as it was 6:47pm. Cursing quickly, she made her way to the bathroom. Damn that Ino-Pig, she thought, she doesn't know when to shut the hell up. Stripping herself of her skirt and blouse she quickly made her way to the shower and turned it on. Ah! Bliss at last!

Wearing a pair of elegant blue lace shorts, a peach button down blouse and her black-and-white polka dotted 5-inch stilettoes, Sakura finally felt woman and confident enough to take on the evening at the new restaurant. She glanced in the mirror, her viridian eyes roaming over her bubblegum pink tresses and an overly large forehead. She scrunched her button nose and pouted her pink, plump lips. Knowing Ino and her taste, she was sure that the restaurant was good but she didn't know what to derive from the name. Tanuki, she thought. Who names their restaurant Tanuki, especially if it's up and coming? Forget about sending out the wrong signals. It really doesn't send out any signals at all. I don't even know what sort of a place it is. Mentally sighing, she just hoped that she would not regret going to this place.

She grabbed her metallic champagne clutch and inspected her blood red nails one last time looking for any smudges or smears. Satisfied that they were perfect, she grabbed the keys and headed out her door, long legs pumping extra hard to keep her balance while walking.

She got into her Volkswagen Eos, thankful for the money that came in as Konoha's top rated medic, only second to her Shishou Tsunade. If she wasn't earning as much as this, she wouldn't have been able to afford this honey of a car. Flooring the accelerator, she sped off.

Gaara was overwhelmed with nerves as he walked through the Tanuki. Today was the soft opening night and everything had to be perfect. Depending on the outcome today, his restaurant's name would either shoot to fame or be dropped down six-feet below, never to be seen again. He just hoped that everything was in order. From the waiters and their platters to the sous chefs shouting out their orders to the doorman on watch, everyone and everything had to be perfect. He usually wasn't such a stickler for rules but even he had to admit that some standards had to be met when a person undertook an entire venture on his own shoulders.

He lifted his watch to take note of the time and then widened his eyes. It was 7:37 pm and the restaurant would be opening at 8pm. He willed his nerves to calm as eyes aquamarine eyes swept the room once again to make sure that everything was in order. Blood-red hair fell into his eyes as he sub consciously shook his head, trying to get rid of paranoia-inducing thoughts. He slipped his mask of arrogant confidence over his features. Straightening his shoulders, he calmed himself. Of course his restaurant would do well, he was Sabaku no Gaara for crying out loud. All the pieces were in place. He would do well without a doubt.

'Gaara-sama, what are you doing? Your diners will be arriving shortly. Don't you think you should be waiting to welcome them into the establishment? There is no one but the doormen at the doors currently.' she said worriedly.

'Where are Kankuro and Temari?' snapped Gaara. 'They were supposed to be here an hour ago and they still haven't made their appearances. Get the both of them on a conference call for me.'

'Yes, Gaara-sama. Right away.', replied Matsuri as she hurried away. A minute later his phone was ringing. Picking it up he snapped into the mouthpiece, 'Where the hell are the both of you'll? I ask you'll to come an hour early for the opening night and you both still can't find the time in your busy schedules to lend your support to your youngest brother. The both of you'll suck as siblings.'

'Relax Gaara, we know the only reason that you actually wanted Kankuro and I there was because you hate dealing with the hordes of screaming culinarians demanding you to tell them about the newest recipe of whatever it is you happen to be making at the time.', tittered a female voice on the other end of the phone line.

'Or maybe it's because he can't deal with the hordes of screaming fan girls begging for a taste of what they think is his luscious body,' chuckled a male tone on another end. 'Don't worry baby brother; Kankuro here is going to show you how it's done.'

'I don't know what's more disturbing. The fact that you're talking about yourself in the third person or the fact that Matsuri is listening in on this conversation, seeing as I asked her to put the three of us through.' said Gaara dryly.

There was dead silence on the other end.

'Gaara, you asshole. Don't say shit like that.' Kankuro snarled from the other end. 'Your jokes fucking suck. Temari was the one who called me up and then we had to wait for you to connect through.'

'Really? You think I'm lying?', Gaara sounded as though he was the cat who ate the canary and the cream, 'Matsuri, please do me the honor of saying hello to my narcissist, pig-headed brother who plays with himself in the same way he plays with his wooden puppets.'

'Hel- Hello, Kankuro-sama,' the terrified squeak of his assistant filtered through the phone line and Gaara had to keep himself from smirking. If any of his staff saw that he had facial expressions under that cold exterior even if they were smirks, they would think him human and therefore would try to get overly familiar with him. Gaara didn't like many things, but one thing he absolutely detested was familiarity from people. Swathing his features in cold nonchalance, he waited for Kankuro to reply. He could almost feel the wrath of the Kabuki-Master over the phone and wisely chose to remain silent.

'Hello, Matsuri-san. How are you doing this fine evening?' Kankuro asked through gritted teeth. That younger brother of his was many things, but most of all he was a prick. 'I'm sure you have done a wonderful job tonight on the restaurant. I leafed through a couple of the advertisements that Gaara sent me and I must say, you have outdone yourself this time.'

'Tha- Thank you, Kankuro-sama.' stuttered out the poor P.A. She hated to get in between the "Sand Siblings" as they were affectionately referred to by everyone who knew them but she was more often than not dragged into their little games of superiority. She mentally panicked as she decided what she should say next.

Temari saved her the trouble of embarrassing herself by intervening. 'We are on the way, Gaara. Kankuro left his workshop by the time I called him and I am already in the street that leads to the Tanuki. Look out for me; I'll be there in a couple of minutes.' she butted in, trying to solve the awkward tension that was now slowly but surely escalating. 'Gaara please cut the call and make sure you are in the front when I enter. If I see you skulking around like a raccoon, you are going to get it from me.' she warned. 'This is your restaurant and you are damn well going to behave like you own it or I will tell Naruto.'

Gaara winced. He hated it when either of his siblings brought up Naruto but she was right. It was only because of him that Gaara was able to set up a restaurant in Konoha. Even after Naruto knew what had happened between Gaara and his father in Suna, he offered Gaara refuge in Konoha and made the pathway clear for him to start his own restaurant. Of course, it also helped that Naruto was the Hokage but Gaara had never been more grateful for the loud-mouthed blond's help as he was that day. Naruto showed him that no matter what people's pasts' are tainted by, there was always a second chance waiting for the ones who deserved it. Although Gaara highly doubted he deserved that second chance, he was glad that Naruto gave it to him anyways. The least he owed him was to make sure that he was standing at the front doors when the crowd came in, leaving aside the fact that he thought it was potentially crippling as these people had the power to judge him without even knowing the first thing about him. He would be friendly with his patrons but he had to keep up his defenses tonight or people would be able to see right through him. Sighing he brought himself back to reality.

'Alright Temari, I'll see you in a bit.' Without saying Bye to Kankuro, he cut the call. He wasn't sure the puppet master would have anything nice to say to him, but he was sure that Temari would threaten him into playing nice tonight. She knew that they couldn't afford to have anything to go wrong and one misstep by any of the siblings might bring down their house of cards before it was even constructed.

He made his way out to the front and waited for the clock to strike 8.

Ino Yamanaka had it on good authority that the Tanuki was the restaurant to be in on this particular Saturday. She had heard from Kiba that the restaurant was going to be the new 'it' thing for a very long time to come. The famous dog-breeder had called her up with the information provided she went on a date with him the following weekend. But she quickly shot him down, knowing that her GNO (Girl's Night Out) was long overdue even though it had only been six days since the last one. With the way their lives had become so hectic, Ino wasn't surprised that it didn't seem like years and years before they met (although sometimes it really did feel that way). She did promise him a date the following weekend though, but he had whined and tried to get her to change her mind. Ugh! Ino hated it when Kiba whined. He sounded exactly like his gigantic, Alaskan malamute-Siberian husky cross breed, Akamaru. If she wanted a whiner, she would have bought herself a dog. She really didn't need this kind of stress from the male persuasion.

She planned to let her hair down tonight along with her three other friends. All four of them needed this. Her business in wedding planning was booming and the she couldn't be happier. She knew that she made the best decision when she decided to expand her Mother's small florist business throwing a wedding planner i.e. herself into the mix. After all, who wanted to buy flowers on a large scale unless and until they were involved in some kind of festival or celebration? And which celebration was able to bring in the joy and the big bucks better than a wedding?

Ino was most definitely a romantic at heart but she was also materialistic. Which better way to combine the big bucks and the romance than becoming a wedding planner? She loved her job and she loved the challenge it brought her. She was also certain that none of the ideas that she had ever used for any of her client's weddings would she use for hers. Her wedding would be the Wedding of the Century! Just as long as she found a suitable guy to end up with.

Kiba was crossed off her list; he just didn't know it yet. She really didn't have the heart to tell him anytime soon, after all, he had just provided her with a fabulous place to let herself go for the night. She would let him down gently later.

Kankuro swerved into the parking and got out of his car cursing Gaara. Dammit! The red head knew exactly what buttons to push. He knew his younger brother knew that Kankuro had a crush on his P.A., so he never failed to seize an opportunity showing Kankuro in poor light, making life difficult for Matsuri in the process. The poor girl was frightened out of her wits dealing with Gaara on a regular basis; she didn't need to think that the Kabuki-Master was someone that she needed to watch out for as well. Albeit not in a threatening way but in a salacious one.

Kankuro couldn't wait for the day Gaara took interest in a girl. The way he would be teasing his brother would not even begin to scratch the surface of the mountain of payback debt he was so sure that Gaara had accumulated. Although if he knew Gaara as well as he did, being his brother and all, he would say that Gaara had an exponentially greater chance in having sex with a rock than he would in dating a woman.

Kankuro knew that no woman had so far been able to remove the cold façade that was Gaara. They either threw themselves at him with little to no restraint or they played hard to get. Of course, with the former opportunity Gaara took advantage of it six ways from Sunday. But if the girl was looking forward to a post-coital cuddle session, then she was sadly mistaken. Gaara was a selfish bastard. He took what he wanted without hesitation and didn't care about the consequences. He didn't think that he needed to bother in the first place.

With the latter choice, Gaara just did not bother. He didn't need to. Who did, if you had a string of beautiful girls throwing themselves at you? If however, he encountered a vixen that was playing hard to get but at the same time tried to beat Gaara at his own game, he threw his heart and soul into the match until he won and left a severely emotionally shattered girl in his wake.

Of course, that lethal and more dangerous strategy came with a price and in this case it was the nickname, 'Shukaku'. When Gaara became Shukaku it was like he was a completely different entity. His behavior exhibited signs of Multiple Personality Disorder, but Kankuro could never be sure. Of course, after knowing and witnessing what Gaara went through with their father, it was a surprise that he had remained sane this long.

Kankuro may have been many things but he was not a bastard. He knew how hard and long it took Gaara to achieve the road that he was currently on and he would be damned before he let Gaara's dream come crashing around his ears. After everything his brother went through, he at least deserved this much. Kankuro would do whatever he could to make sure that dream would come true.

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