i. start
The lights went out and the elevator skidded to a halt.
The only two occupants stared at each other—startled wide green eyes clashed with apathetic dark obsidian eyes.
"Shit," the woman hissed, "I thought this only happens in movies."
Green eyes that were already wide went wider, this time in hysterical panic. But what left her lips next almost made him laugh.
"Oh God! What if there's a bomb planted in here? What if a demon comes out and eats us alive?"
He raised an eyebrow at her but she wasn't paying attention to him at all.
"You're not really a romantic, are you?"
She turned to him, green eyes wary yet curious, her shoulder-length pink hair gently bounced with the movement.
"What do you mean?"
"Normally girls like you would be thinking how romantic a situation this is."
It took her a couple of seconds to realize what he was implying.
"Well—I don't know you."
He snorted but inside he was reprimanding himself for talking.
"Won't that make things, as girls like you say, hot?"
Green eyes glinted dangerously.
"First of all, you should know I'm not most girls. Secondly, you make it sound as if you want me to want to make out with you here."
Well, now that she had put it that way... he thought, maybe she's right.
"I don't mind," he admitted honestly, smirking.
She looked horrified and he refused to acknowledge the emotion he felt at her disgusted reaction to be disappointment.
ii. aftermath
Six months later—
It was perfectly normal Monday morning.
Or so Sakura Haruno thought until...
"FOREHEAD!" Well, nothing new really. Her best friend of seventeen years was never known for her, uh, loudness for nothing.
So she continued to walk along the corridors of the white-painted walls of the hospital she'd been working at, since her internship during college, despite the familiar holler calling after her.
Eventually, the loud woman caught up to her. But what she said next surprised her.
"I can't believe you're already getting married and I just found out today!"
What? Sakura wondered if her friend could possibly be high (or at least drunk) on a Monday morning. And she would've probably commented on it had not long years of friendship gave her immunity to her blonde friend's eccentric crazy antics but that didn't stop her from rolling her green eyes at her incredulity.
"That would be because I'm not, Pig," she responded, not failing to add the affectionately nickname she knew always riled the other woman up.
Only she didn't achieve that effect. Ino—Pig—Yamanaka had completely ignored the insult thrown at her to continue her early tirade.
"I mean you didn't even tell me you're engaged already, much less that you have a boyfriend."
Okay... something definitely had slipped something on her best friend's coffee this morning. What other reasons could possibly explain her current actions?
"You know perfectly well that I don't," Sakura scoffed, "Otherwise, I would've told you that at the earliest possible time."
But Ino completely ignored her and continued as if she didn't utter a single thing to contradict her dialogue.
"Oh, if only you had told me sooner I would've stopped setting you up to blind dates and whatnot, you know." Baby blue eyes glared at her pink-head next to her, "Really what a waste of time."
To say that Sakura Haruno was puzzled would be an understatement. Just what could possibly be Ino Yamanaka be harping about, because she was absolutely clueless.
"So how long have you been engaged, huh? No! Correct that, how long have you known each other and been dating?"
Sakura finally stopped walking and so did Ino.
"Ino, I already told you. I don't have a boyfriend and most importantly, I'm not engaged!"
Blue met green, and the eye contact lasted until Ino realized that her friend was truly serious, leaving her sputtering of shock.
"B-but—the invitation said..."
Green eyes narrowed.
"What invitation?"
"I found this on my mail just before I came here," Ino pulled out a cream envelope that anyone could not mistake as anything but to be a wedding invitation.
Sakura took the envelope and opened it. The gasp that left her lips was quickly followed by a soft thud of paper meeting tile.
To Miss Ino Yamanaka,
You are cordially invited to witness and celebrate the union of
Sakura Haruno
and
Sasuke Uchiha...
.
.
.
"WHO THE HELL IS SASUKE UCHIHA?"
It took several moments until her friend seemed to regain her voice.
"You mean... you don't know him?"
"Absolutely not! I haven't even heard of that name before!" this was appalling. What kind of joke was this?
"But the invitation says—"
"Oh, I'm perfectly aware what the invitation says and I—"
"SAKURA-CHAN! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE MARRYING THE BASTARD!"
Two heads turned toward the voice and was not surprised to see another blonde approaching them.
"The bastard?"
"Yes! I didn't even know you know him."
"Actually, I d—"
"I received the invitation just this morning and I can't believe when I saw it. I literally stared at it for a whole hour to the bizarreness of it all!"
"Naruto—"
"I can't believe both my best friends are getting married! And I'm best man too! Talk about the size of the world!"
Sakura somehow felt guilty at the sight of her other best friend's enthusiasm and excitement over the matter that she had momentarily forgotten her anger, but as much as she didn't want to spoil his fun there was no other choice before the matter got out of hand.
"Naruto, I'm not. I don't even know the guy! I've never met him or heard of his name 'til this very morning."
..."What?"
Before she could explain further, her phone rang. Green eyes scanned the caller id first before answering. A groan escaped her lips as she briefly closed her eyes.
It was her mother.
Please don't tell me my mom received one of these prank invitations too!
"Hey, mom—" she tried to start off casually, hoping her mother was calling for reasons wedding invitation unrelated.
"Are you pregnant?!" was the shrieked greeting Sakura received upon answering her phone.
But apparently luck wasn't on her side today unfortunately.
"No, mom. I'm not," she decided to go for calm, cool, collected because it's always the best way to placate her mother.
"Then pray tell, darling, why I received a wedding invitation of your wedding to a man you never told us you've been seeing? When you visited us last week, you said you don't have a boyfriend!" Mebuki Haruno's tone had turned accusatory and the volume of her voice raised with every word.
Next to her, both Naruto and Ino cringed, obviously having heard the angry tirade.
"Mom..."
The bastard sent an invitation to her parents too! Oh my God! The nerve of that guy! How dare he do this to her? This is appalling!
iii. the man
Name: Sakura Haruno
Age: 25
DOB: 28 March 19XX,
POB: Konoha, Japan
Address: Unit 7 31 Nakagawa Street, Konoha Park, Konoha 46271
Mobile No: 362-9349-6372
Occupation: Nurse, Konoha Medical Hospital
Parents: Mebuki Haruno (Mother); Kizashi...
And more.
But one of his personal favourites was her love life, or rather, the lack of it. And as of the moment, she was single and readily available to be swept off in another man's arms.
In his—Sasuke Uchiha's—arms. To be specific.
He knew that what he was doing was wrong. But he could hardly care.
He flicked through her profile once more just because but unnecessarily. The board had already been set anyway; it's only a matter of time now.
Outside his office he could hear some commotion.
He smirked. She didn't disappoint at all.
The door of his office was flung open and came in a woman whose face was flushed in anger. Behind her, Naruto was trailing after her, an apprehensive expression on his face.
iv. refusal
They had no history together. No past, no memories, nothing.
And thus she, Sakura Haruno refuses to marry this arrogant insolent man who was Sasuke Uchiha.
A marriage―no, any relationship built in baseless nonexistent ground had no future, no direction but a road to failure. And she refused to have a fail marriage; no, Sakura Haruno won't have it.
This man whoever thought he was would just have live with it, find another woman he could ensnare to such ridiculous arrangement he called marriage, and she'll forget everything he did.
"You must understand, Sakura-chan. Teme is just desperate. And you know what they say desperate times calls for―" the fury filled glare directed at him froze his tongue.
"Desperate?" she whispered in a disbelieving hiss, "you call... what he did desperate?" this time her voice raised incredulously, "he forced me to into marriage with him, taking advantage of me during my drunken stupor to make me sign an agreement that will ensure I marry him that I didn't have any recollection of when I woke up the following morning, sent out wedding invitations to my friends and relatives without my knowledge, and this list can go on forever but what he did wasn't a mere desperate move and you know it!"
.
.
.
"A relationship must be built on mutual understanding, not on distrust and deceit. I thought someone with the level of your intelligence you'd know this, Uchiha-san."
His eyes narrowed at her perfectly disguised insult.
"Well, you don't want to marry me and I don't want to marry you either, nor any women at the moment. I believe that's mutual enough for us, won't you agree?"
What a fucking smartass. She was aghast. "You don't want to get married? Why force me into such an arrangement then?"
"Because either this or forced marriage."
"But isn't that a better option? At least yours parents know the girl—"
"Pfft. And get stuck with a clingy, spoiled rich brat who wants nothing but fame and money from?"
She didn't understand his life but she felt sorry for him. He must've had life harsh if he had to resort to this.
"Come on, Sakura. What have you got to lose?"
"The chance to actually meet someone I'll fall in love with and marry. And don't make it sound like I'm some gold-digger because I'm not."
For some reason, Sasuke didn't like her argument but he didn't tell her that.
"Easy, fall in with me then."
"Easier said than done."
"Look, if this doesn't work you know we can always—"
"I'm not going to have a failed marriage! I've told you that before."
"Well, how about I make you fall in love with me? Should I fail to do so until the last minute of the wedding, you're free to go runaway bride on me."
She gasped.
"That would be a scandal!"
"Look, if we cancel the wedding it'll be a scandal nonetheless."
v. argument
She never had a boyfriend, and Naruto told him that she had endless suitors. So he couldn't understand her aversion to be involved in any romantic relationship.
"What's the point of dating someone if it's not going to last? Why be some boy's girlfriend when you know it will end someday? Why physically and emotionally attach yourself to someone when you know it's not going to have a direction? What's the point of falling in love if it'll break your heart in the end? Why go out with someone you'll break up with eventually? Why waste time to someone you know you're not going to marry? And even if you do marry, who's to guarantee it will never end? Marriage couples can divorce legally."
Suddenly Sasuke realized why this woman, this beautiful woman, never had a boyfriend, never been kissed, still a virgin, and vehemently refused to marry him.
She was scared of commitment. It wasn't just the lack of history between them. It was also the fact that she was scared of commitment. No—scared would be the wrong word to describe it. She wasn't really scared but apprehensive. She'd probably seen enough couples break up and became miserable. And she didn't want to experience that. She wanted assurance of a long-lasting and healthy relationship.
But he wasn't sure if he could give her that guarantee. Because he wasn't sure if he could give her what she wanted.
Did he choose the wrong girl?
vi. reasons
"When I was a... child I fell in love. At least I think I did. But he left and I never got to tell him how I felt. I haven't seen him for two decades now."
"You still love him?" the thought was unwelcomed.
"No—I don't think so. But I still think of him."
"He broke your heart?"
"Sasuke... he took my heart with him when he left and he didn't even know it."
"His name?"
"No. No. No! You're not going to track him down, okay? That part of my life is done, gone! I don't want anything to do with him anymore."
"But you said he took your heart!" how are you supposed to fall in love with me then?
"Let him have it."
"The hell I will. His name now Sakura."
"Or what?"
"Or I'll hunt your elementary school, look for all the classes you belonged to and hunt down every boy in the list."
"You wouldn't," she gasped out, unable to believe this man.
"Try me." She knew better to think that his threats were empty ones. She knew he'd follow through with no second thoughts.
"How are you supposed to be know he's in my class anyway? And that were in the same grade?"
"Sakura, you said you were nine. Girls that age always go after boys their age."
Shit. Stalking gone bad to its finest.
vii. coax
"Fall in love with me," he coaxed her softly as they danced in each other's arms, basking at each others' warmth. To his ears, it sounded like a plea—an agonized beg and it was.
Startled green eyes looked up to him and he could see it in them. The doubt, the apprehension, the anxiety, the uncertainty, and the pain, the ache her childhood sweetheart brought her. The myriad of emotions made it hurt to meet her eyes but he did.
"I'll never leave you," he promised her because he won't. He'd always stay with her or he'd bring her along with him. He would never leave her.
Their eyes continued to stay locked with each other and it wasn't until several later when she responded.
"You say that now but—"
"Marry me, and I vow to stay by your side."
"Sasuke," she sounded breathless and hesitant but he knew he was almost there.
"You say we're incompatible because we have no history but this... this will be history tomorrow and the years to come."
"I... It's not enough. Nothing will ever be," she told him and disentangled herself from him, walking away, leaving him.
Sasuke released a sigh, heavy with weariness and frustration. Briefly, he closed his eyes and swallowed. Why must she be so stubborn? Playing hard to get... and ugh, it's what he loved about her. The thrill, the challenge, but she was a persistent player as he was.
viii. the day
The wedding day arrived and everyone was there. Everyone but the bride herself. And this worried Sasuke. What if she didn't turn up? Would he be able to bear it? A part of him knew he wouldn't because he was already in love with her, he fell in love with her when they first met in that blasted elevator because she was different, a breath of fresh air from the suffocating world he lived in.
And he wanted her, needed her even, to give him that fresh air as respite from everything, the responsibilities, the pressure, the expectations... to live, to continue with his life. Because she was Sakura Haruno.
Beside him, his best man looked almost as equally nervous. But he could never understand how Sasuke felt because Naruto wasn't the one waiting for his bride-to-be to arrive. The bride-to-be who didn't want to marry him in the first place. Shit! He knew it was a bad idea but he still did it.
Itachi had been against it—reprimanded his younger brother to manipulating anyone into anything. He should've listened but he was so engrossed with his need to marry her that he didn't think of her at all. All he thought was himself, himself and no one else.
"Sakura-chan," he heard Naruto whisper beside him and Sasuke's head shot up to the entrance and sees her.
She's here!
At the bride's appearance, everyone hurried to their places. It was time.
When Sakura's father handed her to Sasuke with a firm nod, he took her hand in his and led the way to the altar before the priest.
But Sasuke wondered if she showed up because she finally fell in love with him or...
Simply out of pity.
So when the priest asked him the question.
He answered, "I don't," gazing into Sakura's veiled face. The audience gasped, even the priest. Sakura seemed scandalised.
"At least," he continued, "not until you tell me you've fallen in love with me."
She crossed her arms against her chest, huffing in annoyance.
"Why do you think I'm here?"
He breathed a sigh of relief.
And confidently he said, "Then I do."
The End.