Pastries and Prejudice

Weeks passed by after Sasuke and Sakura’s pastry skirmish. Sasuke had high hopes that such a fiery female would quit. He never expected her to return, bringing along her sharp tongue. Their interaction later waned to that of silent abhorrence. Sakura refused to utter a respectful word to her new boss, and Sasuke refuted with equal spite.

But a Haruno never gives up, no matter how difficult the circumstances may be. Only one mantra helped her get through those tough days, encouraging the floral female to complete the day.

‘This is for medical school… this is for medical school… this is for medical school…’

…And such a mantra was especially essential at that one moment. Sakura quietly ground her teeth, carrying a platter of tea and sweets. Nerves of all sizes peeked out from underneath her rosy locks, pulsating wildly as she neared the patron.

“Finally! I thought you never get here! You’re as slow as a freakin’ slug,” the woman moaned, lifting her prim head from perfectly manicured hand.

“I’m sorry…” Sakura grumbled crossly under her breath, plopping the plate and kettle roughly onto the small table.

The woman’s red orbs scrutinized the items warily, staring at them as if they were contaminated with germs only she could possibly see.

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes, there is! The portion size is so much smaller than what I usually get. You didn’t munch on these, did you?” She asked, accusation inundating from beneath her black frames. “That would explain why you seem even fatter than the last time I saw you…”

“Trust me, lady, I did not such thing!” Sakura said, annoyance straining against her polite voice.

“Excuse me? Is that how you address your customer? Lady?!” The pink maid swiftly renounced the woman’s ruder title, forcing herself to address the annoying woman as ‘ojosama’. Her fingers played with her red locks as she said, “Thank you. Help these days… so incompetent!”

The pink-haired girl did not utter a single word, wondering just how much better off the world would be if she wrangled the woman’s pale throat.

But Sakura restrained herself. By the looks of it, she was not the type of woman Sakura should mess with. Her tight, navy blue skirt was far shorter than anything she’d ever seen, and her fleecy, white shirt was a cut lower than was acceptable. High blue stilettos wrapped around her manicured feet. Jewelry of varying extravagance draped her wrist and neck, glimmering in the fluorescent lighting.

There were several words Sakura could use to describe such a person: slutty, aggravating, uncouth, terribly boorish in demeanor…

But there was one thing Sakura could not deny – one attribute Sakura terribly envied.

‘Affluent.’

The woman, no matter how garishly and ostentatiously she was dressed, was clearly rich.

‘And the personification of the snobby upper class… and lucky me. I get to wait on her.’ Sakura was deep in her own thoughts, broken only by the growing incessancy of the woman’s nasally voice.

“Excuse me! Waitress, are you deaf?”

Sakura shook herself out of her reverie, returning her attention to the impatient girl. “I am sorry, ojosama. Whatever do you need?”

“I want you to take this tea back and get another one,” the redhead said, pushing the sterling teapot towards her. “It’s not the right temperature!”

“Why? I just gave it to you. It still should be piping hot like you wanted it,” Sakura challenged, placing her pale hands on her hips.

“It’s not hot enough. Go get a new one,” she ordered, her red orbs blatantly annoyed by her resistance.

With a harsh scoff, the waitress retorted, “It’s perfectly fine. I have the blisters to prove it’s hot enough.”

“No, since I am the customer, I am always right. So take it back,” the woman said, pushing the tea towards her.

“No, since I am the maid, catering to your every whim, I would only bring the best. So this is staying right here,” the pink maid insisted, pushing the steaming kettle back.

The woman roughly pushed back. “Just take the damn kettle!”

Sakura did not back down, pushing the kettle against her resistant hand. “You will drink this tea and like it!”

Electricity flew all throughout the air, crackling in the calm, café air. The teakettle wobbled back and forth, volleyed in between the two female’s hands. Both remained adamant in the battle, refusing to move a single inch.

For a few moments, they had reached an impasse.

Finally the kettle moved. The pot topped onto the floor, releasing almost all its contents onto the floor. The red-haired woman shrieked, sliding her chair back to avoid the liquid mess. “Oh my god! Look what you just did!”

Sakura’s temper flared. That was the last straw!

Sakura’s black flat shows stomped over the steaming tea towards the redhead, yelling it was her fault.

The woman’s features suddenly matched the color of her hair, rage flooding into her fiery eyes.

Their argument transcended all throughout the café, reverberating in the general placidity. Pink and red clashed violently in their verbal war, catching the attention of every customer and employee.

Their argument even reached the ears of the owner of the establishment.

“Haruno Sakura.” The girl visibly flinched at the harsh enunciation of her full name. Cursing both herself and the woman under her breath, she willed herself to turn around to face a furious pair of frozen obsidian.

“What just happened here?” Sasuke asked sternly, his eyes pointedly glancing towards the mess.

Just before the pink maid could open her mouth, the woman raucously said, “It’s all your new girl’s fault! She spilled my tea on the floor!”

“What?!” Sakura gasped in disbelief. “That’s not…”

“Get her another one.”

Sakura was immediately taken aback, staring at the Uchiha with surprised eyes. “B…but, it wasn’t even-”

“Get her another one now, Sakura!” Sasuke ordered with a slight growl, his eyes cold and grave. Finding herself in a daze – shocked by such a demand – with a loud grunt, Sakura stormed off, pushed the impassive Uchiha aside.

“I’m so sorry that happened,” she heard Sasuke apologize. “She’s very new here and is still learning the ropes.”

“Hmph! New indeed. Scrawny brat… how dare she speak to me in such a tone! The nerve,” Karin said. Sakura quickly bit her tongue, trying to suppress her growing need to punch that woman right across the face.

“Don’t worry. I got the tea,” Naruto said, zooming passed her. She froze in her place, blinked, and turned around. Naruto presented the steaming pot to the female patron with the utmost grace she did not know he possessed… while the dark-haired Uchiha was cleaning up the mess.

“What is going on here?” Sakura confusedly wondered aloud, gawking at such a foreign sight. “Is it Opposite Day or something?”

“Phew… that was close one!” Naruto wiped a tiny droplet from his face, releasing a relieved sigh.

“Naruto, why were you nice to that witch? I’d thought you all would kick her out, not cater to her every whim or fancy.”

Naruto simply gaped at her with palpable disbelief in his blue eyes before something clicked. “Oh! Of course. I guess I forgot to mention it! That’s Karin, heiress of huge fortune and benefactor of this café. She tends to drop by to see how things are doing… or to see Sasuke, I guess. If we want to secure her cash in our pockets, we need to keep that she-devil happy. Trust me. When I was in the same boat as you, I reacted far worse! She’s so annoying…”

“Wait a minute. Why’d you say ‘to see Sasuke?’” Sakura asked curiously.

Naruto gasped. “You haven’t figured it out yet?!” Sakura lamely shook her head, a wave of mystification flowing into her features. Naruto scratched his head, mumbling something under his breath, before leaning close to her ear. His breath warmed her, pushing certain words inside…

Her eyes bulged; her breath was stuck in her throat. Her mouth hung wide in shock. “WHAT? Girl…”

“Ssshh!” Naruto clamped her mouth shut, stealthily glancing over to his superior. Sasuke was still cleaning the large spill, unaware that any of them had exchanged even a breath of air. A sigh escaped the blonde’s lips as she turned his attention to his female friend.

“Don’t talk so loudly! We’re trying to keep that fact on the down low,” Naruto said in a hushed voice, lifting his hand from her mouth. Seeing inquisition rush into her green eyes, Naruto elaborated,” Two reasons: one, we think their relationship is secret. Maybe trying to keep everything professional or something stupid like that…”

“Okay. What’s the other reason?”

“Um, we’re not entirely sure if Sasuke and Karin truly are an item.”

“Then why did you say they are?!”

“Hey, hey! Come on! Don’t yell at me like that,” Naruto said, covertly watching Sasuke to see if he caught any of it. “We all just kinda assumed. That’s all. Don’t they act like they would be together anyway? Look at ‘em!”

Sakura complied, turning her gaze towards her irritating employer and equally irritating customer.

She felt her resolve waver for a split second, her poise slowly crumbling.

Beyond the array of café tables, she could see everything. While he wiped off the remainder of the mess, Sasuke glanced up, muttering something her ears could not possibly hear, with an unknown anomaly appearing over his lips.

It was an aberration, a creature the attacked his face, morphing it into the most terrifying sight imaginable – a smile.

Sakura had not seen Sasuke smile for a long time, not since they were kids. She felt her lips contort to a grimace, feeling slightly disturbed. Just why was she like that? Certainly it couldn't be because the stolid boy was smiling... and at that demonic woman of all people.

She thought she cared less that he may be seeing some rich woman. She did not care one bit.

Still the sight could not help, but stir an unknown hurricane within her when she saw her red claws creep over Sasuke's white shirt, gently fingering the fabric in a rather seductive fashion. She found herself even more annoyed to see him remain completely still, not move a single inch.

Sakura shirked her head away from the sight with a harrumph, growling, "Can’t see why he's with someone like her. I mean, I don't even know why she was complaining about her stupid tea. I was the one that got drenched in smoking hot water for gods sakes..."

After hearing that simple gripe, dark poison oozing from her irritated lips, Naruto looked over to his friend.

He did agree with her when she spoke about her attire. Her uniform was sopping wet. Her once pristine apron was sullied by splotches of brownish stains. Droplets of the liquid dripped down the hem of her skirt, sticking against her tainted socks. Her skin was slightly red, pinkish from the heat of the tea.

Sakura growled once again under her breath, cursing the woman for not believing her when she believed the tea was hot enough.

'And I get firsthand experience just how hot it was. Lovely...'

"Sakura-chan!" Sakura dismissed her aggravated haze, looking up to see the source of the voice.

A girl trotted towards Sakura, her bluish skirt flouncing as she neared her. Her long, black locks cascaded down her uniform attire, her bright pools of lavender sparkling under the fluorescence.

"S... Sakura-chan, I, um, found another uniform for you. You would probably want to change out of those wet clothes," the girl said, offering the uniform in her small hands.

"Aw, thank you, Hinata-chan! I need that," Sakura said with a breath of relief, gratefully taking the clothing from her hands.

"Well, um, do you want a ride to your apartment today? I, um, can take you."

"No, that's quite alright!" beamed Sakura. "I'll just get there myself."

The dark-haired female meekly nodded her head, trotting back to work.

As she watched Hinata disappear in the crowd of customers and employees, she glanced back to her male companion. His disks of bright blue nearly bulged out from his eyes, gawking at her wet form.

"What’s the matter with you?" she asked.

"...You know Hinata?" He asked. Sakura tentatively nodded. "But why didn't you tell me?!"

She simply blinked, confusion flooding into her features. He gazed at Naruto for a few long moments, eyeing the nearly manic gleam in his eyes, blossoms of pink forming in his cheeks...

Soon something clicked.

"Oh! That's the Hinata you were talking about so much? How come you never said it was Hyuuga Hinata in the first place? I knew her!"

"Because I never even knew her last name!" Naruto half whispered, half screamed. "You should have known better. How many Hinatas do you even know?"

Her emerald spheres whirled in a perfect circle. She sarcastically relented, "I am so sorry, Naruto, for my ignorance! How will I ever make it up to you?"

"Easy," Naruto said with a silly grin on his face. "You could totally hook me up here! Maybe even say you could use that ride."

"Why would I do that? My apartment is not that far from here."

"So I can hitch a ride to my place. Duh."

"But you live nowhere near my house!"

"So? There's some room in your apartment for me to sleep on the floor."

Sakura gently socked him shaking her head "I’m changing!"

As the soaking female left off, Naruto yelled something incoherently, something about her reconsidering or along those ridiculous lines.

Her orbs of forest green whirled into a circle, diving for the girl's bathroom she knocked once.

"Someone's in here!"

“Oh... You've got to be kidding me!" she griped, staring at the locked door with horror in her very eyes. How she cursed the Uchiha for his cheapness! Couldn’t he afford more than one bathroom?

'Especially since he has some rich benefactor that nearly molests him in public...'

As she stomped away from the bathroom, calling the Uchiha every name that popped into her fuming mind, she finally found blessed salvation.

"B...bathroom?" It stood completely vacant, enticing her to draw closer and to enter. She would dashed in to answer the bathroom's call... If it weren't for its precarious location.

She glanced up, a grimace contorting her wet features. Of course with her luck, the only available bathroom would be in Sasuke's office.

'Bastard… keeping something like this to himself.'

With indignation still deep within her soul, Sakura deliberated she would use it. After all, she was already in trouble for her skirmish with Karin. She couldn’t possibly get in any more trouble!

As Sakura rushed inside her boss’s private luxury, stripping off the wet clothes like layers of her own skin, she tried with all her might to dismiss the pain her mind, weight in her chest.

“Karin and Sasuke, huh?” Sakura bemused bitterly under her breath, fighting a certain tightness that appeared in her throat.

Sakura only supposed it was a matter of time until someone got through to Sasuke… but she couldn’t help but wonder why some skimpily dressed bimbo?

‘I guess a way there are several ways to a man’s heart: through their stomach, with cash, or in between their pants…’
||__{~v~}__||

Sasuke willed himself to not move, feeling a cold hand stroke his shoulder, circling down around his shoulder blades. He vigorously cleaned the wet floor as fast as he could, trying, but evidently failing, to clean the mess any faster.

"You know, Sasuke-kun, I missed you," Karin whispered in a husky voice, her fiery fingers chilled his back.

"I just saw you yesterday. It wasn't that long of a time," Sasuke reminded her, nearly glaring at the cloth for taking such a terribly long time to absorb the mess.

"I know that, but that was for business. I haven't seen you really for anything... more than that."

Finally finding victory over the spill, Sasuke quickly slipped from Karin's roaming hand and settled in the seat in before her. "Tea?"

A flicker of disappointment rolled into her eyes, but quickly disappeared as she sweetly said, "Of course! I'll have anything from you."

He bit his tongue, concentrating on pouring the contents onto each of their cups, ignoring the lustful glimmer in Karin's eyes. As she took one dainty sip of her tea, Sasuke bluntly asked, "Why are you here?"

The contents of the hot liquid spilled out from her mouth, falling onto the just cleaned floor. She looked at Sasuke in surprise. He remained unmoving in his question, not seeming he will withdraw it anytime soon. "But... why would I come here for a specific reason? You know I just love to see you."

"Karin, please tell me why you're here," Sasuke said firmly.

Karin sighed, her red painted fingers twirling her uneven locks of garish red. "Fine. I came because I brought a certain guest with me. He so terribly wanted to see you."

"Oh really? Who?" asked Sasuke, though he already idea to the answer to his question...

“Hello there, Sasuke.” He immediately felt his muscles tense as a figure emerged from the shadows. His long, black locks cascaded down over his neat business suit. His dark, black eyes were cold, glazed with only slight amusement. It even sent shivers down the cold Uchiha’s spine.

“Uncle?!”

“Yep,” Karin remarked passively, taking a lazy bite out of the dessert. “It’s your uncle, Uchiha Madara.”

Sasuke could not utter a single word. Deep in his chest, a deep pain unfurled, one he tried hard to dismiss. He could barely breathe, slowly drowning in this age-old ache…