Introducing: Uchiha Sasuke X OC
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I'd get rid of all the useless plot holes and fire Kishimoto for his stupidity. Since I don't, I can only pray that Kishi does not enter the realm of Gary-stu with his buddy Sasuke.
Promises…
It's funny how more than fifty percent of them can be broken so easily. Even the smallest promises can mean so much to one person or the next, but mean so little to someone who doesn't need to rely on that sort of promise.
Shame, really.
The ring on her finger was the very essence of her shame. Sometimes she thought it best to end the relationship altogether. Theoretically, it would be much better for her health and would lower her stress. However, the nagging voice in the back of her head liked to tell her she would regret it later. Which one was right? The devil on her shoulder or the angel?
"I'd like to get to work, Hima. If you still want to talk, we can do it when I get back tonight."
She pursed her lips. How foolish could she be? Wasting five minutes thinking about promises…
Ridiculous.
"You're right… Let's talk about it when you get home, Sasuke."
As they both looked towards the living room clock, the superior of the two stood up, brushed off some imaginary dust on his unwashed suit (due to the fact that he came home late at night and had forgotten to change) and quickly left the house. No good-bye was included. Typical.
Hima grabbed her cell phone and slowly tapped the buttons on the mechanical device.
'Have a good day at work.'
"One million yen says he's not going to text you back," a voice added from behind Hima.
She glanced towards the door. It was unlocked and open. That voice belonged to only one person. It didn't matter if he broke the door coming in anyway.
"It was rhetorical so it doesn't matter if he replies or not, Juugo."
"I really don't understand why you've decided to stay with him up until now. Don't rings indicate the birth of a new marriage that flourishes within a family? It's an undying form of dedication and happiness. So far, I see none of that with you and Sasuke." Juugo paused for dramatic effect just to spite her. "No offense, Hima. It's better if you just let him go."
"The reason I've put up with him to this day is the very same reason you are still his friend despite his lack of affection towards people close to him." It's not like she hadn't heard those words coming out of Juugo's mouth before.
"I pity you."
Okay, that one, she never heard from Juugo.
"Why is that?" It was a statement towards the big question. Hima didn't like being pitied and Juugo knew it. Suigetsu was getting there, but the best their relationship as friends could go was when they spew everything out as drinking buddies. Not the best… but still worth it. Sort of.
"Why is that you say…" Juugo paused to wonder. "I don't live with Sasuke, nor am I married to him. I don't manage a house with him or tend to his needs. That's all you, Hima. How about you tell me why is it that you're pampering him."
"I've never complained about it…" Yeah. Bad way to shorten Juugo's scolding-to-come.
"You did before. Prior to your life now, you hated arrogant guys. Sasuke is the very definition of arrogant, don't you think?"
Hima walked to the kitchen as she left her unanswered guest to watch her attentively. "Black?"
"Jasmine is good. I don't like the bitterness of black tea."
"Sugar and honey help."
"Sugar and honey are bad for you."
"Mhmm, yeah. Seems that way. I guess good things all have a bad side." She left the kettle on the stove to heat as she exited the kitchen after preparing the loose jasmine in a bowl.
"Do you want me to stop lecturing you?" He asked, just to liven up the conversation and get back to what they were talking about.
"You may not need to anymore. I might just file a divorce real soon if this continues."
"Oh really?" He didn't seem surprised. Nor did she. The irony of it all.
"He and I are just too different. Perhaps we don't make a compatible couple after all." She sat next to Juugo on the couch he so graciously took over when she went to the kitchen.
Juugo was pretty weird from the start. He had his moments of kindness, but then again, the whole anger management classes didn't help his increasingly dangerous personality. However, despite all that, he was a serious guy; someone who thought of Sasuke differently than anyone else and had every right to lecture the Uchiha's wife about what were the correct things and what were the wrong.
It was a friend thing; a privilege which she lost oh so long ago.
Honestly, Hima wasn't sure if she knew Sasuke anymore.
"I will tell you this, though," Juugo added out of the blue. "You shouldn't make such decisions of divorcing Sasuke on a whim."
"But… didn't you say-"
"Its true that I suggested you break off the whole thing with him, but if that's not what you want, then you'll simply regret it later. Everyone has the free will to choose what they want to do. If you ignore that and just base your decisions on someone else's advice, then that's no different from a person who has no free will. The reason your relationship with Sasuke is going downhill isn't because he's ignorant and cocky, Hima. You know, of all things, the guy has some problems with communication from the start. All you're doing is expecting that things will get better instead of taking a chance to make sure of that."
Hima was ashamed to say he was totally right.
The psychotic Juugo was fucking right.
"Why don't you take the actions that best suit you?"
The silence after his statement faded as the kettle in the kitchen alerted the two that the hot water was ready to become tea.
"I guess you're right. I'd probably go insane without you, Juugo," Hima whispered as she quickly ran into the kitchen to turn off the stove.
Half of her was running because she wanted to avoid Juugo's penetrating stare.
The other half just wanted to drink some tea.
- - -
The city lights switched on as Sasuke walked around the corner with Suigetsu next to him.
"Up for a drink or two?"
Ahh, the wondrous offer was so tempting.
"I can't. Hima's complaining is far worse than a hangover. Plus, we have work tomorrow, dumbass. You can call out sick, but financial problems are going to get you sooner or later," Sasuke replied indifferently. It was always like this… 2 years of marriage completely sucked. No joke.
"Mood fucker."
Sasuke brushed it away as they stopped and waited to cross the street. They were so close to the bar, it wasn't even funny…
The temptation must stop.
At that moment, his phone rang.
If it was Hima, he was seriously going to scream.
Karin.
The ID read Karin.
"Yeah."
"Do you want to spend the night together, Sasuke?"
Suigetsu rolled his eyes at the scene. Sasuke was still indifferent, but he knew the dude was up for some action. It was better than Hima and her whiny self.
Maybe he was being a little rude… well, he never liked her anyway. He didn't particularly like Karin either.
Was this a sign he was turning gay?
Nawwww.
"I'll be there. I'm coming home from work so it'll take a while."
"I can wait. I don't know about you, though. I'm wearing red tonight."
Sasuke pulled Suigetsu as they ran through the street and caused some traffic.
Suigetsu cursed at him afterwards and threatened to tell Hima about his fling with Karin.
He almost threatened.
An angry Sasuke was a scary Sasuke.
No. Joke.
- - -
Home was eventful. The night was cold and the moon was up. He wanted to sleep. The Uchiha had some trouble fitting the key into the lock, but he did so after a few klutzy tries.
He quickly shut the door and took off his shoes. Sasuke then went to the kitchen and took a peek in the fridge for some ice-cold water.
When he closed the fridge and made his way to the living room, the silhouette of a person sitting on the couch leaned towards the table made his heart skip a beat.
As he turned on the lights, his panic was replaced with frustration.
"I thought you were a robber or something. Don't scare me like that."
No answer.
"Did you stay up just to make sure I get the whole damn lecture or something?" His witty reply bested his prick of a demeanor.
Hima turned to face Sasuke. "Not really..?"
"Oh," He unintelligently responded. "Okay then… I'm going to bed."
"Before that," she began as she waited for Sasuke to give her his attention. He did, but the expression on his face wasn't very husband-like. A dark frown crossed his lips as he glanced Hima's way.
"Can you come here and sign this?" She ignored his brash look and held out the pen that was in her right hand before.
He came closer and took a look at the papers on the table. "What's this?"
"These are divorce papers. I already filled out my part. Since we have no children, it was simple enough for me to fill out some of the parts where you'd have trouble with."
"Divorce papers?" He looked through the documents. "We're getting divorced? Since when do you have the right to tell me if we should divorce or not."
"Well," she responded calmly. "I've decided I no longer want to be with you anymore. It takes two people to create a relationship and one person to end that relationship."
"Have you thought about living expenses for yourself? Taxes and a place to live matter too. Not to mention insurance," Sasuke countered. His heart was pounding due to the sudden change of personality. Hima always depended on him. She would be the last person to ever take charge like that let alone ever leave his side. This was unreal.
"I made calls to some friends of mine. They said that it would be alright to live with them for the time being. Plus… You know that offer I got a week ago? A school a few blocks away needed a counselor to replace the one that quit. I'll probably take up on that offer and look for another part-time job. I'm sure I can manage."
"What if you can't?" Now Sasuke was starting to panic… Who was going to cook his meals and do his laundry? So what if his suit was unwashed for two days and he had forgotten to change? He was only rushing because he didn't expect his night with Karin to be so long…
Damn… I really am an asshole, aren't I?
"There's no reason to file a divorce, Hima. We can talk about it in the morning-"
"There are many reasons to file a divorce, Sasuke. We could, perhaps, talk about it in the morning, but work always came first for you. I'd like to talk about it now and get this over with."
The thought of an unorganized life frightened Sasuke more than ever. This was not funny… not funny at all.
"When you decide to marry someone, Sasuke, you make a promise to yourself. That promise is something that can last for eternity unless you think otherwise. It's a promise of commitment and trust to the person whom you marry. A ring symbolizes that promise. When feelings change and relationships drift apart, that indicates things will no longer work out up to that point on. It was a hard decision for me, but I've made my choice. I've been trying so hard to keep our relationship together, but your affairs and foolishness only push me to the point where I no longer want to be with you."
Ouch. His chest was throbbing like hell.
Either that was cupid's arrow telling him how cute Hima looked with a calm demeanor or his conscious telling him: I TOLD YOU SO. I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO. WHERE'S YOUR GOOD KARMA NOW? HA. HA. HA.
This… was so embarrassing…
"…I can change."
"Too late."
"Give me a chance."
"To mess up again? I'm good. Just fill in your part and sign the papers."
"Did you know all this time I was with another woman?"
"Four months ago. It was obvious. I just decided not to say anything is all."
"This is humiliating…"
"I know. It'll all end soon if you could just cooperate."
"What if I don't want to cooperate?" He frowned.
"Then continued to become humiliated. I'm still leaving you whether you sign or not." She replied.
"You can't do that... There's bills you have to pay and-"
"Oh, I won't be paying them." Hima smiled as she handed Sasuke the pen.
"We can go to court for that… After the tax collectors…"
"Then I'll explain why we can't pay our bills. All because you can't sign the divorce papers."
Sasuke wanted to rip his hair out.
The pain was so worth it.
He was going to have to play the jackass card.
"I get it now." He half-heartedly smirked. "You're jealous that you haven't gotten any action since we got married, right? I can-"
"No, Sasuke," she interrupted. "I can guarantee you, I've lost whatever feelings I had for you. We just aren't meant for each other."
He was so freaking out. Even sex couldn't work! My god… He didn't know whether he should admire her or curse his damn luck. What happened to the Hima who complained 24/7?
There was no other choice… He had to…
The only thing that might make Hima stay was to…
Sasuke swallowed hard as he lowered to the floor. His head touched the ground as he spoke an extended apology.
"I'm sorry for cheating on you with Karin, I'm sorry for taking you for granted, I'm sorry for being a bastard, I'm sorry for-"
"Okay."
"…Okay?" He raised his head.
"Okay. I forgive you."
"W-what?" He bluntly responded. "Whaaat?"
"I made a promise to myself, Sasuke. I had no objective of divorcing you. However, if I were to ever do something, nothing is stopping me from doing it. That is the very definition of making a promise to myself. The only one who can break that promise or keep it, is me." She stood up, took the papers from Sasuke's hands, and trashed them. "Well, I'm going to bed. It's 3 a.m. in the morning."
Sasuke quickly snapped out of his flustered trance and grabbed Hima's hand. "Wait… What promise?"
She blinked. The disappointment on her face was visible as she frowned. Sasuke almost hesitated to tell her to forget about what he said. Almost.
"I promised to be with you forever. Baka."
Somehow, the tough guy act was useless as of now. She managed to make him speechless.
That was a big feat.
"Well, that is… until you said you slept with Karin. That hit like a ton of bricks… I think I lost the remaining respect I had for you."
Sasuke's grip tightened. The thing that hit like a ton of bricks right now was probably her words. "I'll change."
"I honestly don't care if you change or not. Don't make such rash decisions based on your whim. If you can't change, then what's the point of promising you will?"
"I'll change," he repeated.
Hima exhaled as she pursed her lips. "You're like a dog obeying its master's orders. It's actually pretty pathetic."
"This is how a desperate guy makes his wife stay."
"Smooth."
"It's working, isn't it?"
"Sadly…"
Sasuke reached out to grab her other arm and brought her closer to him. "You honestly think I'd really sign those papers even if you forced me to? The jackass thing comes with the whole package, Hima."
"Well then, I want my money back," she taunted.
"No refunds," Sasuke smirked.
Hima scoffed. She had an irking feeling she was going to get gray hair soon.
However, not before they went into their room and the clothes went flying.
Requested one-shot with bland information. Did what I could.
Today's lesson?
Don't make promises you can't keep. Make promises that last for a lifetime.
R&R?
Mucho lava~
Peace.