Named after a favorite Harlequin romance series as well as inspired by one of its books, "The Viscount and the Virgin" by Annie Burrows, Hanaru Uzumaki enjoys her independence and her career - but while her brother and best friends all have significant others, she gradually comes to realize that halfway past twenty, she's getting older and missing out on life due to issues with men. So the dashing but troubled Itachi Uchiha, the most eligible bachelor, comes into her life. Who loves nothing more than a good love story - but not devoid of certain obstacles?

Disclaimer: obviously, nothing is mine but the main OC herself.

Chapter One

Wedding

The colors of this place: pink, black, gray and white. Perfect for the couple getting married today - why was she not surprised?

Here she was in a chiffon dress with a subtle plunging neck like the other bridesmaids, colored charcoal gray, and round little smoky quartz in the ears. Just look at the beautiful pink-haired woman in her wedding dress as she adjusted her headband of pearls and crystals, then the choker of mauve silk rimmed with dripping pear-shaped jewels like the ones in her ears. The bodice of the dress had exterior boning and three-dimensional flowers of her name, whilst the skirt was satin and touching the floor. She was really beautiful, the admiration in her eyes evident with its verdant glow.

Hanaru Uzumaki eyed the ring around Sakura Haruno's finger with dismay, at the rich gold detail and five round diamonds within. Small but still a statement.

For the hundredth time: why would her best friend marry that bastard?

She had grown up with Sakura Haruno, her younger brother Naruto, as well as Hinata Hyuuga - who was also a member of the bridal party - when they were all at birth to childhood, up to now. She was the elder by three years, given otouto was the same age as the girls and the one whom a certain pinkette in front of her was marrying today. The bastard...she has no idea what she's getting herself into.

When she told her brother her concerns, he'd just laughed. "Sis, don't let what happened when we were kids affect Sakura's choice. If she loves him and he loves her, it's all that matters. We just have to be there for her." Hanaru really wanted to agree, but because of that one time he spoke of, it was unforgiveable in her book. Everything Sasuke Uchiha told her about her parents - and herself to her face - wasn't going to be amended just because he was marrying one of her best friends, a fellow successful doctor at the general hospital, apprenticed by her grandmother none other. Who, by the way, was here with her husband Jiraiya.

Ino could not stop her gushing; Hinata could not stop her blushing, based on the subtle toy of her fingers against each other as the time to leave the dressing room approached so they could all go to the church. That was when the blonde woman - Ino had her platinum hair in its favored high ponytail while Hanaru herself had her red-streaked yellow locks cut at the shoulders and loose - glimpsed the plain silver band with the single blue diamond. Naruto proposed to Hinata, his longtime love, a month ago, and their date had been set for next year in the middle of autumn. Every one was either with each other, getting married or engaged - or broken up after high school. Every one had their lives and doing well...

...except she had no luck with a significant other.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Billboard?" Ino asked, handing the bride her bouquet last. All of them were to carry roses of pink - and she meant HOT pink. "You're getting the man you always wanted...but I've yet to catch up to you..."

Hinted was the little competition they still had. When they were both girls, Ino and Sakura fought over the heart of Sasuke Uchiha, then the greatest object of the hearts around. Then later in high school years, Sasuke faced trouble at the hands of a gang to which Sakura had kicked some ass before his eyes. Nobody messed with a furious rosette - how about that? A flower with more power than you'd think. To be witnessed like that in the eyes of the man she'd madly been in love with for a long time...perfect, right? It's much more than you would think it is. She's been with the same guy who insulted our family, has a stick up his ass like the rest of his family does.

Sasuke Uchiha was supposed to go into the law firm like his "perfect big brother" they'd all heard about for a long time, but Hanaru never spoke directly to Itachi Uchiha face to face. For a few occasions before, she wanted to, but she would not be a fool. She'd seen how he, like his brother, had fangirls at every turn. That would never be anything new; there were other heartthrobs around the world with similar crises. She was familiar with what kind of man he was in public eye and based on what his brother said: cold, indifferent, and controlled.

It was nothing new that the firstborn in one of the oldest families would have the majority of responsibility on his shoulders, which was what made Sasuke so bitter because his aniki had sooner stopped paying attention to the little brother who used to idolize him and try to be like him - but his brother had crushed his dreams of joining the family firm. And why?

"'Because you don't have enough of what it takes to be an Uchiha,'" Sasuke mockingly quoted his brother when he told Naruto, who in turn relayed it to his elder sister who had her own reasons to not stand his longtime rival-turned-best-friend. "Foolish - he called me foolish! But no matter; I'll show him wrong by doing something else that makes me happy!"

What no one saw coming - save for those closest to him - was that he grew interested in the medical field and became a doctor at Konoha General just like Sakura.

The bastard never told anyone WHY he wanted to do this, but he'd stated, "Hn, I have my reasons." It was like he trusted no one at all. That was what he had: trust issues. Sometimes she wondered why her brother and best friend put up with him.

Now they were all aged twenty-four - Hanaru herself was twenty-seven and single, practically a hag - and one couple marrying today, a few engaged, and others simply happily together as they were.

Sakura's father was beaming ear-to-ear when his daughter and her bridesmaids arrived to be taken to the church, where her groom was waiting as well as the others they'd known all their lives. The affair wasn't grand, but it wasn't small either. Although Hanaru had to admit, along with Sasuke - and this is only one thing she would ever agree with him upon - that she wasn't looking forward to seeing any other Uchiha family members there to witness one of their own marrying an outsider. As far as she was aware of, his parents approved of their younger wedding someone who did well for herself despite humble upbringings, but their elder was yet to do the same...

When they arrived at the church, the space was well-done with the colors of white, black and pink. The arch was draped with black curtains, as well as roses, lilies and others in shades from hot pink to light pastel, and from pew to pew was a small bouquet holding six pearly pink roses wrapped with black ribbon. Hanaru peeked this through the doorway when it was being opened for the bridal party to begin their procession. Sasuke stood there in a black tux, and beside him was best man Naruto, along with Gaara and Suigetsu Hozuki. It was obvious why between him and Naruto, and Gaara was fond of the Uchiha - to a degree, but put up with him because he was close with Naruto. Suigetsu, a strange oddball with sharp fish-teeth, always had Sasuke's back for his own reasons. It wasn't like Hanaru was around the Uchiha as much as her brother was.

First, Naruto linked his arm with his blushing fiancée, and despite this being Sakura's day, the Hyuuga might be thinking about their day in the coming year.

Suigetsu and Ino? Nothing special to say since neither were acquainted well. The bride and groom did have the right to choose who to have in their parties.

Which left Hanaru herself with Gaara. His brother and sister were among the guests invited. Pretty much everyone in their crowd was there, as well as their old teachers and superiors. "Good to see you, Gaara," she said softly as they began to proceed down the aisle which was white and strewn with vibrant petals.

"And to you, Hana-chan," he answered politely, but there wasn't time to converse as they separated to take their places. And now for the best part...

The harp was being played when the bride made her entrance. Onyx eyes belonging to the groom lit up as he watched her glide down until she stood before him. That alone was enough to make Hanaru and everyone else melt. Naruto was right...

The couple had chosen a modern Christian service rather than traditional Japanese standards, so their vows exchanged were from their own hearts.

"Sasuke-kun," the bride breathed as she looked upon him with a gaze as though she were a young girl again fawning over him, "when we were kids, I was one of those who chased after you." He winced, but it was gone immediately as the soft laughter arose, before all was silent for her to continue. "But as we grew up, I saw that you didn't want a girl who wanted you for the way she imagined - I wanted you for you, and I wanted to prove to you that I was the one for you. You're my best friend, and no one can ever be lucky to marry such a person for the rest of their lives," she finished with a tear going down her cheek, which she reached to wipe.

"Sakura-chan, it's true that when we were younger," Sasuke answered, somber but sincere, "I was appalled by you and your infatuation with me. But, like you, I grew fond of you, I grew to love you, the longer we were together. You are one of my best friends and one I am happy to be blessed to spend the rest of my life with."

Hanaru barely felt the burning of her own tears - and the clench of her own heart when she became aware of her loneliness at barely thirty years old.

The rings were exchanged, followed by "You may kiss the bride."

Applause erupted for the happy couple. For the time being - and she did mean for the time being - Hanaru could breathe a sigh of relief, but if the bastard so much as touched her friend in a way she didn't approve of, and her brother would certainly agree with her on this, then she would go at him with razor blades and hot sauce.

Serious, burning, mind-numbing pain is just what he needs.

The reception was fun, and let's say the bride did the planning with this given the groom wasn't much of a party animal, duh. Everything was set under a beautiful tent of billowing, draping white fabric, the inside ceiling hung with black chandeliers. The tables were all set with black linens, topped with centerpieces made of tree branches draping with pink roses and candles, the bases surrounded with more of them. Even the cake - white and three-tiered - was rimmed with black ribbons and spiraling with the same hot-toned flowers. Overall, this was a splendid compromise of two opposites that attracted.

When it came to the bouquet toss, Hanaru had been the one to catch it, having anticipated one of the others - but luck had been on her side today for fateful reasons. Sakura beamed at her when she saw who the winner was, though Ino had been counting on it, and so had Tenten and Temari who were among.

Then the voice of one of the photographers who was taking pictures of the event called her over, so she could have a shot taken with the "gentleman who caught the garter". But when she caught sight of WHO it was who had snatched the sweet thing of white lace accented with a pink ribbon, her world tilted then and there.

Itachi Uchiha.

What hand was fate using with her now? Was She playing with her on purpose? And Grandpa Jiraiya as well as Dad always said nothing happened by accident...

But she wasn't going to get her hopes up if she were given an opportunity with him. Not only that, but what would make her so special if he took interest in her?

His dark eyes he shared with his younger brother regarded her unblinkingly, but his smile was reserved and passive. The same one she saw with the others every day when on the television or newspapers when he won a solid case and got another perpetrator behind bars - or acquitted someone wrongly accused. The Uchiha were VERY good at this, but it did beg why the elder brother talked the younger down the way he had. Unless there was a reason.

To stand beside him, holding her best friend's bouquet before her - and how hilarious it was to see him holding up his sister-in-law's garter which his brother had tossed - made her body temperature rise a bit. It was slightly intimidating, to say the least.

But she also wasn't Kushina Uzumaki's daughter for nothing. Which meant she shared enough of what her brother had.

"Embarrassed to hold up the garter your brother tossed - and you didn't think you'd actually catch it?" she asked after the photographer got what he needed. She sensed him stiffen at her question, saying nothing. For a moment, she wondered if she asked the wrong thing...

Then his velvety, baritone voice rattled her senses. "I was counting on it, yes...but my little brother was the one to not see it coming. You should have seen the look on his face." The smile grew wider by an inch. Hanaru swallowed.

He had caught the garter on purpose; he wanted to make a little scene at his brother's wedding like this? She didn't know what to make about this, but a small part of her was laughing a little. "And what about you, Uzumaki-san?" he asked, leaning in by an inch. "Your purpose for catching my sister-in-law's bouquet?"

"I'm one of her best friends, so I have no special or...jealous reason," Hanaru replied smoothly, drawn into those dark pits. "The only complaint I have is the fact she's marrying a certain bastard called your brother..." She didn't know everything other than what Sasuke had told her and Naruto, so maybe bit by bit, she wanted to try and understand.

Itachi looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Hn, my foolish brother did make a wise choice in a wife," he said. "I have no need to interfere. In fact, the majority of our family could care less."

Of course. All the attention on you, the firstborn. He felt left out.

She was the elder sister, but Naruto was able to prove he was as equal as she was. That was what made their sibling bond unlike most in Konoha or maybe in the entire country - or the entire world.

But that didn't appear to be the case with the Uchiha brothers.

As she continued to gaze deep into Itachi Uchiha's smoldering irises, she decided maybe that his brother didn't know him as well as he thought he did - but she'd been wrong before.

~o~

Thank the gods no rabid fangirls attacked him or his brother at the latter's wedding. Per custom to family attending, he was in the front row with Fugaku, Mikoto, Shisui and others, but as ever, Sasuke avoided eye contact with him, and his smile to their parents and cousin was forced.

But the one he gave when his bride walked towards him with her father was purely genuine.

Everything about this event had been planned to perfection, in his eyes. Itachi saw good taste everywhere he went, and Sakura Haruno, now Uchiha, had just that with help from Yamanaka-san, Hyuuga-san and Uzumaki-san especially. Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't the kind to pay attention to the details commonly best left to the women. But to have his signature black and gray was a gesture for his behalf. The number of guests to attend besides supporting members of the Uchiha - himself included - there were also every one of Sasuke and Sakura's friends. Naruto, hyperactive and ecstatic, was nudging his best friend every now and then, earning a roll of the eyes and a mutter of "dobe", which the elder Uchiha's keen ears caught from where he was sitting.

Uchiha were known to love much stronger than anyone in existence, but with that love also came immense hatred if their loved one was taken away from them. It did not matter if it was familial or romantic.

Which was why Itachi took his part as seriously as his brother had done.

He'd witnessed from afar his otouto's relationship with his childhood friend and fellow doctor. No one saw it coming years ago when Sasuke announced his intentions to become what he was now. He chose to rebel against our family and forge his own path. Itachi closed his eyes then, still feeling the sting of hate from his brother when they rested upon him that day. Mikoto, their mother, was enthralled, however, and Fugaku had at first wondered why but relented, and said, "From now on, you walk your own path and not the footsteps of your brother." That was it; that was what Sasuke got instead of what he should have gotten from his older brother.

Sasuke will never understand why I did it.

In short: he deserved the hate spit at him ever since.

Even now, at Sasuke's wedding, the brothers weren't able to speak to each other. Itachi had to keep up the face that the public knew, for appearances' sake. He wasn't lying to Uzumaki-san when he told her he was among those to compete to catch the garter when it was tossed. It was also amusing to watch little brother fish underneath his new wife's dress, flushed madly like the child who used to get the flick to the forehead from his aniki. Even more when the newlywed saw WHO caught Sakura's garter.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, curling his lip then and there before changing it back to stoic - but the fire remained in his eyes.

He had been expecting Naruto, his best friend whom he trusted more than anyone. Even the blond glowered at him.

And not to mention open his mouth as he was ever prone to do. "Well, good luck finding whoever to put that thing on, weasel," he said, making the other groomsmen and childhood friends burst into guffaws, but Itachi wasn't fazed. He merely lifted his chin and smirked, before turning his attention to see the bride turning her back and counting down to three before throwing it backwards to be caught - and the ladies had a bit of a clash, between Yamanaka, Hyuuga, and the other women, but it was Hanaru Uzumaki who snatched the prize.

She'd grabbed without trying too hard.

He was impressed.

It was a shame what happened to her and Naruto's parents many years ago.

It wasn't surprising, either, that he and the lovely woman were asked to have a picture taken with the two catches in hand. To stand so close to her radiated off body heat exchanged. He swallowed it down and held up the garter - this would attract more fangirls attention for sure - just in time for her to surprise him again by speaking to him. Or rather, asking, "Embarrassed to hold up the garter your brother tossed - and you didn't think you'd actually catch it?"

Was she being shy and just breaking the awkward silence, or was she just like her brother in the sense? She might very well be making fun of him, and he wasn't going to let her get to him, either. "I was counting on it, yes...but my little brother was the one to not see it coming. You should have seen the look on his face," he told her with a smile that brought forth a slight tinge of pink on those cheeks. Wide eyes were blue as her brother's. Her sunny hair also matched Naruto, with the exception of stark red streaks amidst the shimmery tresses. She could not be a natural, even though her mother had been with her infamous tomato hair and matching temper that earned her the title of "Red Hot Habanero" across Konoha.

"And what about you, Uzumaki-san? Your purpose for catching my sister-in-law's bouquet?" If it was to grab my attention and try to get close to me. The thought rose unbidden, but it wouldn't be the first time, either, that a female would have crafty means to try and get into his pants.

But it was nothing of the sort. "I'm one of her best friends, so I have no special or...jealous reason. The only complaint I have is the fact she's marrying a certain bastard called your brother..." Hanaru stopped then and there, keeping her eyes locked with his. She'd just admitted she hated Sasuke more than he realized. It almost made Itachi want to chuckle. Half of the population worshipped the younger Uchiha - notably rabid hopeless romantic girls - but others lifted their noses and turned away at his attitude.

However, they did come enough to watch him marry the woman he loved, to see more to him than what was let on. What made his little brother truly unique was his emotional, human side that very few to none amongst the Uchiha would ever drop their pride to show. Except cousin Shisui.

Who had begun to take note of the way Itachi was aware of: he had remained in Hanaru Uzumaki's presence more than he realized, gazed into her eyes more than he should have. It was the first time the Uchiha heir allowed a woman to...speak to him the way she had, as though he were a human being and not Itachi Uchiha, successful lawyer and celebrated "hero". These people I am proud to protect - they sometimes do not understand I have more than they deserve to know.

Shisui wasn't going to let this go when the celebration was over - or even after. Itachi was prepared for the infamous twenty questions and tips.

But before the night was over, and right after a sumptuous course presented in thanks to Karin - one of Sasuke's friends and a cousin of Hanaru and Naruto - there was a big surprise that no one, not even himself, saw coming until it was shown on the slideshow presentation that was presented, showing the shots of the ceremony as well as the cuts to certain faces in the crowd who watched. Some were happy, others devoid of emotion - including those who disapproved and were hiding it well.

Among those to smile, amongst Uchiha besides Shisui and the ever beaming Mikoto, Fugaku did manage one of his own.

Tsunade and her husband Jiraiya were keeping it cool, but the woman who mentored Sakura and helped her get into medical school was giving it all she had to not pummel Sasuke and threaten his life if he so much as thought to make the girl who was like another daughter to her sad one time.

Everyone else was neutral in the eyes.

All in all, everything was put together so beautifully; Sai had outdone himself with the art he treated with the photography.

At the end was the greatest surprise of all when there was a video of Sasuke smiling as he had done when the vows were taken. He was in a light blue collared shirt and sitting at his office desk when he picked up a small photograph to hold to the camera...an ultrasound. Cries of joy broke from the crowd as well as turning to their tablemates to begin the conversation. Itachi felt Shisui nudge him at their table and share a laugh that Sasuke had "done it".

"We're having a baby."

So, Hanaru this time around will be expanded, but right now we get to know Itachi, and he and his family are prestigious lawyers with "sticks up their asses", which isn't anything new. In talking to my boyfriend about this, he agreed that lawyer for this wonderful Uchiha was more believable. It's also vital to this story in terms of how "scandal" in the title will go.

Nothing like threatening Sasuke if he hurts her best friend, huh? XD Taken from a threat on the wedding day in the movie "Norbit".

The simple image of this main couple meeting at the wedding of Sasuke and Sakura was what set the foundation of bringing this fic to life, which had happened last November, but I never found inspiration until now. The moment where they caught the garter and bouquet and had their picture taken, as well as speaking for the first time, was based off of a moment in "Chemistry", an episode from The New Batman Adventures. In addition, the showing of the video and ultrasound was also from a Four Weddings episode, "...and Dracula's Castle".

Reviews appreciated from now to the end. :)