Pastries and Prejudice

‘That loser… That stupid loser!’

Sasuke could not believe his eyes. Of all people he could have brought, Naruto brought her.

A girl from his past. A girl he thought he certainly did not want to see again.
Naruto was not the only person he knew ever since he was young. There had been one other person that was a part of his past, a past that he had been trying to forget…

||__{~v~}__||

Sakura and Naruto were both his closest friends, being with him through everything. Sasuke once was willing to tell them everything – no matter how trivial it was.

That is until the day of his parent’s death. He was only seven years old at that time.

When he heard the news, Naruto had given him the space he needed… for a time. He was much too worried over Sasuke’s wellbeing to stay away for long.

Sakura was a different story. The moment she heard of his parent’s demise, she had been trying to talk to Sasuke, reach out the distraught young boy in some way.

Then came the day he and his older brother were to live with their uncle and newest guardian, Uchiha Madara. Word had spread quickly of the relocation of the orphaned Uchiha boys throughout the town of Konoha. Naruto had been the easiest to avoid. Whenever Naruto neared him, Sasuke could hear his loud, rambunctious mouth and easily evade him.

Sakura had been the most difficult. Sasuke had tried to delay the goodbyes as much as he could. He was hoping he didn’t even have to say goodbye to her at all.

But meeting her was inevitable. It was the night before their big move, and Sasuke sat morosely in his backyard, gazing up at the stars.

‘This is my last night…’ his younger self thought sadly, feeling an aching tightness twist his abdomen.

The last night he would gaze up at those stars. The last night until he thought he would see his friend, Naruto, again. Whether he wanted it to be or not, it would also be the last night until Sasuke thought he would see Sakura again.

“Sasuke!” The Uchiha froze at the sound of the female voice, forcing his torso to turn around. Running towards him as fast as her thin legs could carry her was certain pinkette he had been desperately trying to avoid.

“Sasuke, I’m so glad I finally found you,” huffed the perspiring girl, wiping a bead of sweat from her large forehead. “You know I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Oh really? Um… sorry, Itachi and I were busy with packing and stuff,” Sasuke said, feeling pangs of guilt over his lie.

“Oh yeah… You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?” Sakura said sadly.

“Tomorrow morning actually,” Sasuke informed her. He watched as a gasp escaped her lips, gloom welling up in her childlike, green eyes.

“Tomorrow?! I haven’t seen you in weeks, and you’re leaving tomorrow?!” She moaned in despair. “To think, I wanted to talk to you about something…”

Sasuke instantly felt his defenses rise, his veneer hardening into an indifferent mask. “What did you want to talk about?”

Such an asinine question… Sasuke knew full and well what she wanted to talk about.

“I just wanted to talk about what happened with your parents,” Sakura said softly, treading closer to her dark-haired friend. “You never told me anything about what happened.”

“I told you it was nothing…” Sasuke began saying, but was promptly interrupted by the pink-haired female.

“The death of you parents isn’t nothing! You haven’t even told Naruto anything. He only sees you occasionally while I barely see you at all!” Young Sakura shouted then added quietly, “It’s like… it’s like you’ve been trying to avoid me.”

Her bright green orbs glowed in the darkness, staring onto his dark orbs. Sasuke felt his whole body paralyze in his place – unable to move a single muscle.

“Look, Sasuke, if there’s anything at all, you can talk to me about it. We’re friends, right?” Sakura asked quietly, taking a tentative step closer to him.

All words failed him. He did have something he wanted to say. Something about that night he wanted to tell someone – anyone really. He knew he shouldn’t. This secret was meant to be to the taken to his grave.

But as the pink Haruno drew nearer, Sasuke felt his seven year old resolve to waver, tipping over the thin line between telling and keeping his mouth shut.

“Let me help you. You don’t have to do everything alone…” She whispered, her hand reaching out for him.

What was Sasuke going to do?

Was he going to explain what was eating him on the inside? This secret that he himself barely understood?

Or…

A loud slap echoed in the stillness, transcending high into the inky darkness. Sakura intrinsically drew her hand back, rosy from the impact. Her green eyes were wide, regarding the livid Uchiha in shock.

“S…Sasuke?”

“You have no idea what it’s like to lose your parents,” Sasuke snarled. His fists were clenched into two angry balls, and his dark eyes glowed ominously in the night. “You have no idea, Sakura! Stop acting like you do! It doesn’t matter how hard you try, you just won’t get it! You know nothing about me or my life!”

After his outburst, Sasuke panted heavily, eying Sakura warily as awaited further response. She remained completely still, staring blankly at him. Moments continued on in silence, her blank green eyes locked onto his cold, dark orbs. The wind rustled their tendrils, and the moon fell beneath the cloak of roaming clouds.

Finally Sakura moved. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. Her hands dropped to her side, as did her gaze. “I see… I guess I don’t know you as well as I thought. That’s what you really think of me, huh?” Sakura snapped her head up, anger ravaging her pools emerald. “I’m just some stupid girl, who can’t understand anything.”

Sasuke could no longer utter a word. He had never seen her so angry, especially at him. He could only gape at her, feeling all intellectual thought leave him.

Sakura took his silence as response. “I see… Well I guess this is goodbye, isn’t it? Have a wonderful life, Sasuke.” With an abrupt turn, Sakura stormed off, leaving him to his lonesome once more.

Her head did turn once. It was for only a fleeting moment, but Sasuke was able to catch a glimpse of her eyes.

Those green eyes did not gaze at him with any anger, rage, or spite. They did not scorn him for his actions or curse him for his cruelty. This emotion struck his heart far more than any of those emotions could.

In her set of green exuded… sadness.

The moon escaped the cloud’s veil, illuminating Sakura’s waning figure. Droplets of silver pooled into her eyes, inundating down her rosy cheeks.

Such a sight paralyzed him in his place, cementing his feet to the ground. He could not move, could not speak. Sasuke could do nothing, but watch as a droplet of moonlight streamed down her face, splashing down to the ground.

The darkness enveloped the pink-haired girl’s figure, leaving the young Uchiha completely alone. With an annoying sting of his eyes, Sasuke raised his gaze upwards, staring right into the cold blackness.

There were no longer any stars shining up in the sky.

I was way out there
on the wrong side of town
and the ones that I loved
I started pushing 'em out
then I realized
That it was all my fault…

||__{~v~}__||

The dark-haired male recalled that he did eventually return home to Konoha. That time, his return was completely different. His brother, Itachi, would not join him.

His fists clenched at the very thought of Itachi.

‘That teme... Leaving to America to study… freakin’ bastard…’

That had left Sasuke at the hands of Madara.

But the loss of his brother was not the only thing that changed. When Sasuke came home, Naruto welcomed him back with open arms, happy to see his best friend again.

Sakura? Well, she certainly reacted otherwise…

Sasuke quickly shook his head, his mind taking himself back to the present. He remembered that a girl was standing right before him – a very angry girl by the looks of it.

‘It seems Sakura is still mad at me…’ Sasuke realized. Sakura’s green eyes glimmered with rage, shooting daggers into his very person. Her fists were taut, and her mouth was pressed into an angry line. ‘This is going to be troublesome.’

“Uzumaki Naruto, you better not tell me he is my boss!” she shouted, turning her anger towards the nervous blonde.

“Hey now… no need to be angry, Sakura. I did say we’re in front of the boss… my boss to be exact,” Naruto nervously soothed, edging away from the irate pinkette.

“So… you’re the girl Naruto told me about? Huh,” Sasuke noted apathetically, ennui settling over his features. “Never knew you of all people would be desperate for a job.”

“I am not desperate!” She cried defensively.

His dark eyes rolled in a circle, his skepticism further irking the pink-haired female. Dismissing her offense, Sasuke dryly stated, “Well, Naruto, just get her a uniform and get her started.”

“SHE HAS THE JOB?!” The blonde male exclaimed, euphoria glittering in his placid blue pools. Sakura’s expression blanched, gawking at him with the utmost shock in her eyes.

“Consider it her tryout. It’s not guaranteed she has the job just yet,” Sasuke replied, turning his gaze back to the sheet of papers. “Just go, dobe. Before I change my mind.”

Naruto’s face exploded with bliss, a smile spreading over his face. “YAY! Let’s go, Sakura-chan! I have lots to show ya!”

Just before she could reply with any words of protest, Naruto swiftly clasped his hand around her thin wrist and tugged her out the door.

Once the door finally closed shut, silence slowly diffused throughout his office, disturbing him far more than the noise, especially in his disgruntled state of mind. He leaned back in his seat, allowing a low cough to escape his throat.

“I must be out of my mind…”

Allowing a girl that despises his very being work in his establishment – a failing one at that? Sure, the revenue lately had not decreased, but it was still far from able to save the place.

He did have doubts that Sakura truly would take the job. It seemed like the only reason she was there was because she did not even know he owned the place. Sasuke even was making her work at the worst time.

‘Yep… Sakura is not going to make it…’

Or so Sasuke hoped.

||__{~v~}__||

“Naruto, did I forget to mention how much I hate your right now?” Sakura spoke through her teeth, staring at her reflection in complete terror.

Her blonde friend replied cheerily, “Fifty one times. I counted.”

“Well then. Let me repeat this for exactly the fifty-second time today: I hate you, Naruto.”

“Ah, you don’t mean that! You just don’t like you’re new uniform, do you?” Naruto teased.

Sakura failed to respond, her eyes fixated on her stainless reflection. She gently moved her hips, watching as the blue material swished and gently swipe against her milky thighs. Long, white socks rose to her thighs, laced simply by a single red string. Her eyes then examined the rest of her blue uniform: a white apron blemished with only a large red bow.

No matter how much Sakura wished to deny it, the facts were absolute.

“I look like a freaking maid!” She cried, her eyes deluging with horror.

"Well what do you expect, Sakura-chan? You're working at a maid cafe. Girls have to kind of dress the part. I have to dress like some sort of butler, but I'm not complaining."

"Yeah, but you have no style whatsoever. This uniform demeans my very character. Is that butt of a boss a pervert or something?"

Naruto shook his head, assuring her that his friend is not that sort of person. She nodded her head in acknowledgement, still thinking quite the opposite.

With a roll of his electric blue, he told her, "Sakura, you look adorable! You shouldn't fuss and be happy you have a job."

"Whatever..." Sakura watched as Naruto stepped forward, fussing with the white headpiece atop her short, pink locks. She promptly slapped him away. "Okay, come on! Aren't you supposed to get me started or something? Not doll me up."

With a nod of his blonde head, Naruto gestured her away from her glassy reflection and outside. She followed him with a pout on her face, her fingers clasped against the hem of her dress.

"Okay! Now it’s time for Cafe 101 by Uzumaki Naruto-sensei!" He proclaimed happily, crossing her arms behind his head. "Are you ready?"

"Sure, Naruto-sensei. Can we get this over with? There's only so much of this my soul can handle," she replied hastily.

"Trust me. You should consider yourself lucky. You're going to work at the busiest times of the day!" He informed, beaming.

Her expression blanched. Her heart nearly ceased beating. "What?"

"With his many people, you'll learn the ropes in no time!"

The pink-haired maid nervously nodded her head, trying to suppress the butterflies that fluttered in her abdomen.

She deliberated she shouldn’t be so nervous. Just how bad could her first shift be?

||__{~v~}__||

Dead.

That was how Sakura felt at that moment.

Impossibly and irrefutably dead tired.

Her mind could no longer think. Her muscles refused further movement. All the Haruno could do was lay her head against the tabletop, trying to find a flicker of her drained willpower to stand up and move.

Even with Naruto's assistance that rush hour made her head spin. Taking so many people's orders, carrying all those plates, actually remembering which table the orders needed to go to... It was way too much for her too handle on her first day.

'And that butt-face even makes me do clean up duty. Bastard...' She bitterly thought, cursing him for making her work that hard.

A loud grumble ripped through the placid air, making her release a loud groan. 'And curse him for having such good looking food! It was making me even hungrier just looking at it,' she whined, turning her frazzled pink head to the other side.

Suddenly her head rose up, her sea green eyes glittered ravenously at the sight. She could not believe her eyes. 'It's so... Beautiful.'

Sitting completely unprotected and out in the open was a whole cart of delectable looking sweets, almost glittering before her hungry eyes.

She did find the food simply amazing in appearance. She was so jealous of the various customers that got to sample such delicacies.

'...well Sasuke did tell me to clean everything, didn’t he? He never specified how I’m supposed to clean.'

The famished female anxiously looked around her surroundings, noting that she seemed completely alone. She scurried towards tiny cart, examining each lovely looking pastry.

'Which one should I start with...' When she kneeled down, a broad smile formed over her lips. A little treasure was hidden in the midst of the mouthwatering sweets.

A beautiful slice of cake sat on a pristine platter, glazed with sugary white icing and decorated with a single strawberry. Such simplicity attracted her, sending droplets of liquids to roll down the corner of mouth.

'I'm going to eat you first!' She quickly swiped the pastry off the cart, trotting down towards the table with a fork in hand. She licked her lips, staring voraciously at the tiny pastry. 'Well, time to eat!'

Just when the fork was going to plunge into the cake, a voice made her halt. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Her lids slid over her irises. She slowly turned around, hoping with every fiber of her being that the voice did not come from whom she thought it came from.

A curse floated in Sakura’s mind as she greeted, “Ah, good evening, Uchiha. What are you doing here so late?”

“It’s my restaurant. I have the right to be here,” he stated without embellishment. “You don’t need to be here. I should be questioning why you’re still here?”

“What does it look like? I was cleaning this place up like you told me to!” She said.

“Really? How does eating cake have anything to do with cleaning?” He challenged, pointedly glancing over to the perfectly untouched strawberry pastry.

“Well that’s easy! I’m helping clean the plates of the food that’s on them.”

Sasuke stood in his place, unimpressed by her assertion. “Your sophistry fails to even amuse me… No eating while on the job, Sakura.”

“But this I’m practically done cleaning. I deserve some sort of indulgence.”

“Your job is done once you walk out that door. Now… I’ll be taking that.” Sakura froze in her place, watching as a pale hand dexterously snatched the pristine pastry and walked away. Her eyes widened in horror; her abdomen moaned in protest.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She asked, her eyes fixated on the retreating plate.

“When I say no eating while on the job, I mean it.” All breathe rushed out from her lung as she watched him tip the plate over, dropping the cake down the garbage bin. Sakura bounded from her seat, racing towards the falling delicacy as fast as she could. Sadly it was too late.

Sakura stared glumly at the garbage receptacle, filled with only that tiny cake. She sniffled once, mourning over the loss.

“So why don’t you just go home already? I need to close up already…”

Sasuke refused movement, her eyes fixated only on that delicate cake. Sasuke stared at her still person for only a few moments. He then released an annoyed sigh, and began walking away.

‘My cake…’ Rage surged into a pair of green eyes, forcing her fists to clench. ‘My cake!’

This poor female was unable to think clearly, logically, without any true perception. She blinded by rage, lusting for vindication in response to the loss of her food. With her vision clouded, the irate pinkette blindly reached for the cake and promptly tossed the pastry at a dark head.

The Uchiha froze, slowly wiping a glob of icing off his dark hair. He then turned around, his aggravated obsidians boring into a pair of equally livid emerald. He stormed closer to her, glaring with the most murderous intent in his eyes.

Sakura did not back down, staring down the taller male with as much composure as she possibly could.

But that was not enough to brace herself for Sasuke’s counterattack.

The Haruno tensed, gingerly wiping off as much of the creamy substance as she possibly could. Moments passed by as Sakura recollected her fallen poise, gawking quite stupidly at the pie tin in Sasuke’s hand. Triumph flickered over his sullied features, a condescending smile curving his lips.

Adrenaline pumped into her veins, turning her rosy face to an angry red. “You teme!”

And so began the pastry war. Both figures rushed towards the cart, throwing whatever sweets they could get their hands on. Éclairs were depleted of their cream, tossed carelessly at a person’s face. Fruity substances flew threw the air, staining their clothing with an unsightly blemishes.

Once the cart was emptied, both competitors froze, glaring at the opposing side down. Green orbs were alight with insolence, further irking the proprietor of dark, angry eyes.

“That’s what you get for taking my cake away,” Sakura stated obstinately, standing her ground atop the creamy floors. “You’re just lucky I wasn’t wearing my uniform or else you would have been creamed.”

“I think it’s too late for that, isn’t it? I think I’m not the only one that got ‘creamed’.” Perplexed by such a statement, Sakura turned her creamy pink head towards her surroundings. Her expression splintered as horror took its place. All her hard work… was a total waste. No longer were the tiling sparkling clean. Everything and anything was blotched with all sorts of grime.

“I want to see this mess cleaned up. Now,” Sasuke ordered, storming off to clean himself off.

Sakura complied with a roll of her eyes, glaring at the tiled floors.

‘Yep. It’s official,’ Sakura mused, gripping the mop tightly in her sugary hands. ‘This is the worst job ever!’