dedicated to: EVERYONE
prompt: Victorian England because formality is the shit, yo
rating: M
summary: Sai gave her a year to agree to his proposal. And he'll make sure she accepts, while keeping his womanizing cousin Sasuke out of the picture. But Sasuke just can't seem to keep his hands off what Sai wants to claim, and will do anything to ruin her.
Love Me Dearly
"You're going to marry this man."
Sakura looked up at the tall man in front of her. She was originally looking down, but forced herself to look up to see his face in fear of her parents punishing her later for being "rude."
The man had fairly dark hair, grayish skin, but a charming smile that dazzled her to the core. "Hello," he said, the corners of his mouth rising to form a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Haruno-san. My name is Sai." He then took her hand in his and leaned down to press a kiss against her knuckles.
Her suitor wasn't ugly, but he wasn't the most attractive man in the world. He was fairly pleasing to the eye, but she didn't feel a spark between them.
This definitely wouldn't work out.
The thought that she would marry this man and share his bed made her shiver. She wasn't ready for commitment. At seventeen, she still had a whole life ahead of her. She wanted to marry for love, not because she was forced into it.
"You too," she muttered softly. He released her hand and stepped closer to her before putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I think we'll get along quite well, don't you think, Haruno-san?" he said, this time addressing her parents. Her mother, Mebuki, smiled politely in agreement, while her father crossed his arms and gave a nod of approval.
"Good." He released his hand from Sakura's shoulder and it was then that she realized how tense she was feeling by his touch. "Then we'll meet together again sometime, just the two of us." He took her hand in his again and pressed his lips to her knuckles once more. "Farewell, Haruno-san."
He turned to leave, and Sakura felt calmed and relieved. Her mother went up to her and said, "What do you think? He's a good match, isn't he?"
"I—" Sakura began.
"Oh, he's simply wonderful. He's got the looks, the money, the status…everything!"
"I don—"
"I approve of this man," her father said. "He is respectable in behavior and a good man at heart."
"I don't want this," Sakura said, finishing her sentence. There was a pregnant pause hanging amidst the air, and Mebuki began, "What, Sakura?"
"I don't want to get married to him," she said. "Or to anyone. I want to marry on my own free will."
She flinched, expecting the stinging slap that never came. Opening her eyes slowly, she only saw disappointment on her mother's face and cold anger on her father's.
"Control your manners," her father said before leaving. "I must take leave."
Her mother opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She then followed her husband and gave a stern look that told Sakura, We'll talk later.
Sakura sighed before plopping down unladylike onto the sofa cushions, fiddling with her skirts. Sprawled on the couch, she stared up at the ceiling and let out a breath of frustration.
"I hate my life."
.
.
.
"Fuck! You're so…tight," Sasuke shouted as he pried open his mistress's legs wider open for better access. She shrieked in pleasure, her cries piercing his ears as he struggled not to cover them.
"S-Sasuke-kun!" she shouted. "Oh, Sasuke-kun!"
He didn't say anything. In fact, he had forgotten her name a long time ago—but he was drunk, and she was seduced, so they ended up in his bed, their clothing scattered across the room.
The woman under him wasn't particularly beautiful. He'd had more attractive women, but she wasn't that bad. Anything was up to par as long as she had decent breasts.
He kept pushing in her even further with each thrust, moving her back a couple centimeters more with each thrust.
His hands were still on her knees, prying her legs further apart. All he wanted was his cock sheathed in a woman, and he had that.
"Sasuke-kun, I think I'm going to cu—"
He drowned out her voices, his voice harsh. "Don't you dare cum before me," he growled through his teeth. She screamed again as he thrust even harder into her, hoping to achieve his release as quickly as possible.
Sasuke felt a certain feeling down in his manhood, and kept pumping into her even faster. He knew what was coming.
"Fuck!" he shouted, pulling out of her before he spilled himself over her stomach. He collapsed, breathing heavily, and turned his back away from the woman. Sasuke felt her mouth kissing his neck and his back softly, and he attempted to push her off, but she held him even tighter.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun," she whispered softly, placing her arms around him. Her breasts pressed against his bare back, and he felt her nipples harden as his wet stickiness on her stomach became chilled on his skin.
He wanted to have some alone time to himself, but he couldn't find his voice or his clothes, so he let the subject go.
…But her perfume smelled awful.
.
.
.
Sai, she found out, was three years her senior, making him twenty. He looked older than twenty. More experienced. More mature.
Yet she still didn't want him.
Her mother had put her in her very formal outfit, meant for balls and special events. Sakura knew how serious her parents were about this if she was being dressed in her gown.
"I can't breathe," Sakura complained as her mother stringed her waist garment even tighter to slim her waist and accentuate her full breasts.
"It's fine," Mebuki said, tugging the strings even harder. Sakura gasped for air, reaching for the fan on the dresser to fan herself.
"You must behave yourself. I won't be there to accompany you while you and Sai-san take a stroll in the gardens. He is a proper man and I will not have you embarrassing this family. This is incredibly special, Sakura, and you mustn't behave improperly."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes, mother."
"Good girl." She patted Sakura's shoulder and turned her around. Sakura felt as if her lungs would collapse.
Her shoes were small and she took very little steps, knowing that at that pace she wouldn't be able to keep up with him and that she would become a burden during their walk.
"Let's go, Sakura. He's waiting for you."
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.
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"You look absolutely beautiful, Haruno-san," Sai said. He took a small box from his coat pocket and opened it, revealing a sparkling silver bracelet. Sakura's eyes widened, and he noticed it, smirking.
"Hold out your wrist," he said. Sakura did as she was told, still unable to believe that someone would spend money on her—especially money like this!
He hooked the bracelet around her wrist and she admired it. "Do you like it?" he asked.
"It's lovely," she said. She smiled at him. "Thank you."
"Anything for you. After all, we are to be married, and I will be able to buy you even more lavish gifts," he said.
Sakura froze. Marriage. He was serious.
"Something wrong, dear?"
"No, nothing." She took a deep breath, her waist continuing to crush her. Sai pressed the topic no further, and held out his arm for her to link hers through. Hesitating, she finally did, and he took small steps in order for her to walk easily. They made no pace whatsoever.
"So tell me about yourself, Haruno-san," he said. "What do you like?"
"What do I like? A lot of things. But I also dislike many things, too."
"Oh? Like what?"
"Well, first of all—I don't like spicy food."
"That's understandable," Sai said. "I, too, have no preference for spicy foods."
"But I do love flowers. Especially lilies."
"They're beautiful," Sai commented. "Just like you, Sakura."
It was the first time he had addressed her by her first name. Sakura blushed, not knowing what to do, and Sai, too, turned red from embarrassment.
"My apologies—I shouldn't have addressed you so intimately that soon…"
"Don't worry about it," she said. "Well, what do you like?" If she was going to be married to this man, she at least had to know something about him…
"I love to draw. To paint. Art is my avocation. I'll spend hours in my study just drawing in my sketchbook. That reminds me—" he began. He took his arm away from hers and pulled a small notebook from his coat pocket. "Would you kindly sit over there?" he asked, pointing to a bench in front of a beautiful collection of flowers, shrubs, and growing trees.
"Here?" she asked. She wanted to sit down. Her feet ached and her breathing was becoming harder to do.
"Yes—perfect. Now, sit like that. No, move your arm back a second. Fantastic. Stay there," he said. He reached for a piece of charcoal in his breast pocket and held the stick up in front of his face, closing one eye. "Don't move," he said. "I'm measuring the proportions."
Sakura felt uncomfortable having Sai look her up and down, even if it wasn't sexually. As an artist, she knew he had to do this, but just having his eyes trail her body made her uncomfortable. She moved.
"Stop! Go back to the position before," he said. "I've almost got it."
She attempted to move back to her previous position. "How long must I sit like this?" she asked.
"Just a couple minutes, sweetheart." She saw his hand move fast, sketching out her outline, and then the backgrounds, and then the shading…
A couple minutes passed, and then Sai said, "Alright, you can move now." He walked over to her and showed her the picture that he had drawn.
"Oh my goodness," she said, her hand pressed against her mouth. "This is—this is amazing! How did you learn to draw like this?"
He shrugged. "I just learned. It was a hobby."
"You're wonderful at it." The sketch looked exactly like her. It looked like a photograph.
"Would you like it?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to say yes, but instead replied, "Keep it. It's your work—and it's beautiful."
"Like you," he murmured. She tried to ignore his comment before he tucked the charcoal back into his breast pocket and his sketchbook with the picture dated back into his coat pocket. He sat down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched.
"Haruno-san," he began. "You're so incredibly beautiful. I'm lucky to be with you right now." He then took her hand and led it to his knee, putting his hand over hers. "I'm growing even more attracted to you by the second."
"Oh," she began. "I—"
"Shh," he said, covering her lips with a finger. "Don't say anything. I know that you may need some time to be accustomed to me. I understand. But we have all the time in the world."
"Sai-san, please…"
"Haruno-san, please call me 'Sai-kun.' It's an intimate suffix. I would appreciate you getting to know me more intimately." He then leaned in closer to her. His lips almost pressed hers. Not knowing what to do, her heart rate sped up and her breath became even quicker.
He was half an inch away.
Then she blacked out.
.
.
.
"I'll keep in touch," he lied as he led her out the door.
"You better! I'll be waiting for your messages," the woman he had had last night said, smiling before leaning to kiss him goodbye. He accepted it, then wiped it off quickly with the back of his hand.
Closing the door, he sat down on an armchair, both arms outstretched on the sides. He slouched, massaging his temples, and then staring blankly at the coffee table in front of him.
"My cousin's getting engaged soon, and I'm still here fucking women every night." It's not that Sasuke didn't mind having sex—he loved sex. He was just jealous that his cousin, a twenty to his twenty-two year old self, seemed to be more successful than he was. With Itachi, his older brother, ruling over him for most of his life, his only pleasure was taking things from his cousin, acting as the Itachi to the Sasuke in a different parallel.
"I'm not going to settle down. I don't want to settle down," Sasuke said. "I want to have fun. I'm not going to let myself get attached to one woman when there are so many other playthings out there."
With his first time having been at fourteen, Sasuke was a veteran at sex. He knew all the techniques, all the sensitive spots on a woman, and how to please them while pleasing himself. He'd had many women the past eight years, with his good looks and seductive charms. And for the most part, it was fairly easy.
"I'm not jealous," Sasuke attempted to admit to himself. "I'm not jealous at all." He twitched. It wasn't working. "I'm not jealous!" he said, a little louder. But the tiny voice inside of his body kept reminding him, "Stop denying it—you are jealous." And the voice wouldn't go away. Instead, it raised its volume and repeated over and over again…
"Shit!" Sasuke shouted, abruptly rising from his chair and kicking the leg of the coffee table. "Fucking hell."
His shin began to throb, and he sat back down, clutching it. He cursed again under his breath, and bit his lip.
"I think I should meet him again—if his fiancée turns out to be a hag, then I won't mind, but if not, then…" the voice came back, and the throbbing became even worse.
He sat back in his armchair and breathed heavily until the pain started to go away.
.
.
.
"Haruno-san. Haruno-san, are you alright?"
She fluttered her eyes open softly, her eyes slowly getting bigger with each blink. He loomed on top of her, and worried that he may have taken advantage of her while she was out cold, sat up suddenly.
"Where am I?" she asked, looking around.
"You fainted and I carried you back home. You're in your bed right now. Your mother came to visit you a few minutes ago. She brought you some tea—let me pour you some," Sai said, leaning over to give her a cup of steaming, soothing liquid.
Pulling the blankets over her, she felt her chest and made sure her garments were still there. They were, fortunately, but he had loosened her waist binding so that she could breathe easier. She felt the breath coming back to her and took deep gulps of it, as if she had just held her breath underwater for a large amount of time.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said. She took the cup and nodded her thanks. "I hope I didn't spoil the evening for you."
He waved it away with a hand. "It was nothing. I enjoyed it, as I hope you did, too. Perhaps, in the near future, we could have another arrangement such as this."
He was a nice guy, Sakura knew. He was friendly, sweet, caring, and decently handsome. But she knew that she couldn't marry him, because she didn't love him. She would only make both of them unhappy. And she didn't want that.
"You oppose, don't you?" he asked.
Sakura's dazed stare confirmed his suspicions. He made her put the cup down and then took her warm hands in his own and looked into her eyes.
"Haruno-san, I understand that you may seem uncomfortable with me right now. I've only just appeared in your life like this and am asking you to accept me in such a short period of time, but I know that we will get along quite well, and I'd be pleased to have you by my side for the rest of my life."
"I—"
"I understand. You don't have to make a decision right now, but by the end of the year, I'd like an answer. I'll give you that much time. Until then, I will do anything to win you over—woo you, spoil you, pamper you…anything you wish, my darling."
Sakura couldn't bear to look in his eyes anymore. She turned away, and he let go of her hands.
Then, all of a sudden, her mother barged in, her voice shrill. "Sakura! Are you alright, dear? Sai-san informed us as soon as you fainted, and he brought you back here. Do you feel feverish?" she put her hand on Sakura's forehead, which she shoved away.
"I'm fine, mother."
"What a gentleman, he is, isn't he?" Mebuki said. She turned to Sai. "You are a fine young man for my daughter."
"Thank you, Haruno-san," he said, smiling to her.
"He took such great care of you and wouldn't leave your side for two hours now, making sure you were alright."
Two hours? Sakura thought. She bit her lip in nervousness as she looked at Sai briefly, his face stoic and expressionless. My goodness.
"Thank you," Sakura said, her voice a low whisper. Her eyes met with his for a moment, and she saw something click in his irises. He gave another one of his charming smiles, and put his hand on top of hers.
"No need, my lady. It was a pleasure being with you today." He then kissed her knuckles, as if he hadn't had the conversation with her just a few moments ago, and then stood up.
"I must go now," he said, addressing both Haruno women. "Thank you for having me here."
"Oh, no, thank you," Mebuki said, blushing a little bit. "Please, do come and join us again soon!"
"I will." He turned to Sakura. "Feel better soon, love."
His awkward terms of endearment made her feel uncomfortable. She squirmed in her bed under the covers, and once he left, shutting the door on the way out, her mother squealed unladylike.
"He is wonderful! I can't wait for you two to be together. I should arrange the wedding right now, with the pace you're going at!" Her mother clasped her hands. "But anyway, Sakura. Are you really alright? Your father was very worried about you, although he didn't admit it."
"I'm fine." Sakura unlaced her waist garment—not an easy feat for one person to do—and attempted to get out of bed, her head still spinning.
"Sit back down, missy," her mother said, pushing her back onto the bed. "Now here's some tea that Sai brewed especially for you—the finest from his gardens, may I add. It's got wonderful healing properties that will benefit you. Drink it up! Drink it all up!"
She thrust the cup into Sakura's hands and she took it, ignoring the hot sting against her palms. She sipped slowly, her lips burning, but nonetheless, she finished it and handed it back.
"By the end of the year, I'd like an answer."
He thought he was being generous by giving her a year. But he should have known a year wasn't enough. Nothing would ever be enough.
.
.
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Sai had just gotten back from the Haruno manor and sat down onto a loveseat. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"She's a nymph," he muttered to himself. "So beautiful, yet so withdrawn from everyone." He stared up at the ceiling, remembering how he watched her sleep so peacefully during her cold state. Her hair hung in front of her face, a few strands tousled while others curled slightly at the ends. Her cheeks were rosy, and the top of her full breasts heaved up and down with every strained breath, leading him to realize she was having trouble breathing, the reason for her fainting.
Hoping that she wouldn't wake up, he turned her on her side slowly, making sure she did not stir, and held his breath, cracking his fingers before slowly reaching to untie her waist garment. She muttered something in her sleep, and he froze, waiting for a couple seconds before he got to work.
The laces were strung tight and he winced. How much pain did women put themselves through? He then unknotted the knots, unstrung the strings, and took them out of their criss-crosses. He loosened the garment halfway when he saw that she was breathing easier, and sighed, his heart speeding up while his manhood heated up.
She had a wonderful, curvaceous body—with or without the slimming binding. Not only that, she had a beautiful face and a sweet personality, though it wasn't quite open to him yet.
Sasuke has no problem with things like this, Sai thought. Sasuke knew women inside out—literally. He had dealt with women his whole life, while Sai was still the awkward one around females.
But Sasuke would have tainted this innocent maiden within the hour, and he wouldn't let his cousin get anywhere near what he hoped to claim as his own. He wouldn't allow it. Sasuke had already taken everything from him as a kid until a young adult—why should Sasuke have to take everything that was already marked as his own?
"I'll make you mine, Sakura," he vowed, talking to himself. "I won't let anybody take you away from me." He clenched his fist. "I promise."
He swore he could hear Sasuke's teasing voice next to him. He turned around. There was nobody there.
The voice still echoed:
"Good luck."
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Sasuke couldn't believe he was doing this. But his feet had dragged him to where he was standing now, and as he raised his hand to knock on the door, he dropped it. Then, he let out a huge breath, running a hand through his hair and muttering, "Come on, Uchiha, don't be a wuss." He raised his hand again and bit his lip, finally deciding to knock on the polished oak wood.
He heard footsteps coming and thought to himself, I can still leave while I have the chance. But he stood his ground firmly and the door opened slightly.
"Sasuke?" Sai answered, his surprised expression quickly turning into one of distaste. "What are you doing here?"
Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't find the words. "May I come in?" he said with unusual but forced politeness.
Sai didn't want to seem like the bad guy, so he stepped aside and let his cousin in unwillingly, thinking what the hell he was doing in his house.
"Sit," Sai said, pointing to a chair. He didn't want Sasuke to touch any of his things, but he didn't want to seem like a rude host either.
"I'll stand, thank you," Sasuke said. He was only a couple inches taller than Sai, and his height made it even more acceptable to boss him around. Sasuke smirked slightly.
"So," he began. "Congratulations."
Sai looked up. "For what?"
"For becoming a man, that's what. I heard you've got some fine young pussy now, don't you?" Sasuke said, trying to hide his jealousy for his cousin as much as he could without losing his cool. "Tell me, is she good in bed?"
Sai wanted to lunge at his throat. His fists clenched, and Sasuke saw his cousin's knuckles turn white. Fantastic. He was angered by this statement. Clearly, he cared for this girl.
"That's none of your business."
"Oh?" Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow. "As your cousin, I think I should know who my in-law should be."
"I don't think of you as my cousin."
"Ah, but we are," Sasuke said, taking a step closer to Sai, looking down at him mockingly. "By blood. And nothing—nothing at all—can alter blood ties."
Sai wanted nothing more than to land a blow on Sasuke's cheek. Instead, he dug his nails into his palm even harder and felt the skin break. Sasuke was amused at seeing his cousin attempt to hold back.
"What's her name?" Sasuke said. "Is it fitting for a prostitute?" He wanted to see if he could drive Sai closer and closer to his breaking point.
"Her name is Sakura."
"Sakura…" Sasuke began. "It's not a whore's name. It's too beautiful to be a whore's name."
"She's beautiful. She's nowhere near a whore."
"Then describe to me. What does she look like? How does she make you feel?"
"She…" Sai began. He immediately lost all anger. His fists unclenched and his voice softened. "She's amazing. I don't know how else to describe it. She's…she's sort of like a lost soul. Doesn't know where to go. But those feelings are hidden underneath this wonderful girl—with lovely green eyes and soft pink hair. And she's got these lips. They're rosy, just like her cheeks. And her body…she's stunning. She makes me want to do anything for her. It's like I'm under her spell she doesn't even know she's casting."
Sai's voice kept getting quieter and quieter until he realized what he was saying. His immediately flew back into a rage.
"Damnit, Sasuke!" Sai shouted. "Why would you do this to me?"
Sasuke smirked. He liked Sai acting like this. The calm, cool, collected Sai losing himself over a girl.
"I'd like to meet her someday," Sasuke said, smirking even wider.
Then, he turned his back and walked out the door.
Slight changes!