When Mothers Meddle

Chapter 10- Hibiki

Sakura

Sakura's neck prickled as soon as she stepped through the door. Itachi's sharp eyes honing in and making her skin light up with the need to touch him and be touched by him. In the week they'd been back from their fake mission he'd gone on a real mission. She'd missed him and tonight she was going to make up for that.

She was making her way through the crowd, focused on him and memories of his mouth on her body when her shoulder was bumped hard. The jolt pulled her out of her rather sexy thoughts, chakra gathering in her fist before she realized what she was doing. She quickly released the chakra and turned to apologize, tightening her fist and letting the chakra gather again when she saw who it was.

Hibiki stared her down, his Sharingan spinning.

He hadn't approached her since that evening he'd cast a genjutsu on her, but she'd seen him, watching her when she was in the market, and it hadn't gone unnoticed that the few Uchiha who still saw her were more surly than usual.

"Sakura," his voice was so clipped it nearly drew blood, "we are watching you."

"Hibiki-san," Sakura pasted on a smile, "if you have a problem with Itachi and I having dinner then I suggest you take it up with him. I do not control who he spends time with."

In a flash his hand was her arm, his grip hard and bruising. Anger flashed to her belly and she ground out her warning through clenched teeth. "I suggest you let me go. Not even Hibiki Uchiha gets to assault the Hokage's apprentice."

"Shut up, you stupid little no—"

"Hibiki, I suggest you take your hands off my girlfriend. Unless you'd prefer me to demonstrate why you shouldn't be manhandling her in the restaurant."

Sakura flushed, forgetting Hibiki entirely for a moment as she met Itachi's gaze. They'd made no attempt to hide their relationship but neither had they announced it. His public declaration made her heart squeeze with nervousness while making her want to jump into his arms at the same time.

The moment was broken, but Sakura knew they'd just crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed. The curve of Itachi's lips told her all she needed to know as he turned his attention back to the hateful man at her side.

Hibiki's hand relaxed around her arm, his fingers still wrapped around her firmly. "Itachi—"

"This is not the place to discuss clan business," Itachi glanced around him, "perhaps we can meet tomorrow? Before the clan meeting." Itachi slipped his fingers under Hibiki's hand, spinning his own Sharingan at the older man for just a moment, and then brushed Hibiki's hand off her. "Don't ever lay your hands on Sakura again. You will regret it."

The warm hum of her chakra soothed Sakura as she healed the bruises Hibiki had caused. She followed Itachi to their table, all too aware of the silence around them. Hibiki had chosen to make this scene here, to embarrass Itachi and cause problems.

"Has he been giving you problems?" Itachi poured water from the pitcher into her glass and signaled the waiter they were ready to order.

Still shaken from the encounter, and reminded of her last encounter with the hateful man, Sakura longed to tell Itachi everything. Instead, she smiled at him and shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. How was your mission?"

Itachi

Dust bloomed around Itachi's feet with each pounding footstep.

Hibiki's confrontation, at a restaurant no less, and to Sakura instead of himself was the final straw. The man was going to leave her alone, leave him alone, and his whining sniveling genin daughter could cry herself to sleep. With a father like Hibiki, she wasn't likely to find any man willing to marry her anyway.