A/N: Well, this is the first chapter of one of my new stories… I'll be posting the first chapter of another story as soon as I get it back from my beta! Okie dokie, enjoy!

"Well, it's now or never," stated Sasuke cynically. "Let's just get in, get out and get home, okay?"

"You sound as though you're going to war, or something," commented Sakura.

"There will be a war if I'm stuck in the same room as him," replied Sasuke, sounding angry.

Every year, Sakura thought exasperatedly.

"With who, your brother?" she asked. "Don't be so bitter, Sasuke-kun, it's not like he intentionally tries to show you up."

"I know, and that's what I hate about him," he said. "He's so perfect without trying to be…"

"Oh, don't be silly, Sasuke-kun!" exclaimed Sakura with a giggle. "He's not perfect, he's just better than you."

"Yeah, and that makes me feel so much better…"

"Good, now, come on," she commanded, taking his arm and pulling him toward the building.

"Wait a minute," replied Sasuke, pulling his arm free and looking Sakura up and down. "I thought I told you not to wear that?"

"And I thought I told you I like this dress," she remarked. "It looks good on me…"

"It's tacky…"

"It's pink, Sasuke-kun… Now, if I started dressing like an Easter egg, that'd be tacky… Until then, what I'm wearing is not tacky."

"Well, it's too pink," he complained.

"You're just angry that I forced you to come here tonight," she accused, knowing it was true. "Now stop being a baby and take it like a man."

"I'm not being a baby," he argued, trying to keep his manly pride.

"Whatever," she replied with a sigh, walking off without him. "I guess I'll just go show Itachi my dress… I'm sure he'll think it's pretty…"

Then, she saw Sasuke rush by her and storm into the building all on his own, slamming the door shut behind him.

When she saw the door shut, she couldn't help but laugh in spite of her husband…

Works every time…

When she entered the large hall that the family room was being held in, she was engulfed in the chatter of her in-laws, the music from the live band and the excitement of the whole party.

She stared up at the large banner that hung from the ceiling that said, "Welcome to the Uchiha Family Reunion, 2007!" and sighed.

If Sasuke had his way, he probably would have ripped that banner down and force fed it to his entire family by now…

"Hey, little bro," she heard that all-too-familiar voice holler and she smirked happily.

She looked around to see Sasuke, looking very unhappy, being approached by his older and much more favored brother and his mother.

She approached her husband and stood by him.

Later, she would just tell him she was there for "emotional support"…

"Hey, Itachi," she greeted. "Hi, Mom…"

"Hello, Sakura-san," replied her mother-in-law.

"Hey, Sakura-san," Itachi said, smiling. "How're you doing?"

"I'm great," she replied. "And yourself?"

"Finer that fine, dayer than day and smarter than ever," he replied with a chuckle.

She giggled and nudged her husband in the arm.

"Still pouting?" she asked.

He didn't answer.

"Hey, Sasuke, you haven't seen Mom for a while, have you?" asked Itachi. "Why don't you two go and talk?"

The younger Uchiha gave his brother a warning glare while he let his mother take his arm and they walked off.

"When was the last time I saw you?" asked the elder Uchiha. "The last reunion, wasn't it?"

"Uh, yeah," she answered, "I think so… With Sasuke-kun being so busy with work and all…" She let her sentence trail off.

He nodded in understanding. "Yeah, he's always been a hustle-and-bustle type of guy, hasn't he?"

She nodded in agreement.

Then, the sound of her favorite song caught her attention and she smiled slightly.

"Oh, don't tell me, let me guess… This is your favorite song, isn't it?" asked Itachi.

She inquired, "How'd you know?"

"You told me at the last reunion," he answered.

"That was a year ago…"

"Why are you so surprised?" he asked, smirking.

"Every time this song comes onto the radio, I have to tell Sasuke-kun it's my favorite, but he never remembers…"

"Well, I like to listen carefully to what you say so I'll always remember it…"

"You do that with everybody?"

"Nah, only with you…"

Her interest was piqued by that statement, but she didn't ask further.

"Well, in celebration of my remembering, will you treat me to a dance?" he inquired.

"Um…" she mumbled, her cheeks burning up. "I-I'm married…"

"Well, would it change your mind if I told you that I dance with the promiscuity of a three year old?"

"Hm, that's a convincing argument…"

So, she took the hand he offered her and walked with him to the dance floor where he awkwardly placed his hands on her waist and hers on his shoulders.

"So, is there a possible future Mrs. Uchiha in your life?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"Not yet, but I do sort of have a crush," he answered.

"Oh? I thought crushes were for teenagers, not grown men," she teased playfully.

"Well, I guess you can say I'm a fifteen-year-old at heart…"

Then, she realized how close they were suddenly. He arms were wrapped around his neck and his hands her maybe an inch or two above the curve of her rear.

She blushed slightly and she felt him clear his throat.

They both let go of one another and tried to regain their composure.

A lady walked onto the stage and said, "Dinner is now ready, so feel free to have a bite to eat!"

"W-Why don't we, um, sit down and eat something?" asked Sakura, still blushing.

Itachi nodded and they walked toward the buffet.

When they sat down, Sakura felt a little less awkward… A little…

"So, uh, what's the name of this girl you like?" she asked, poking at her food half-heartedly.

"Oh, um… It's not very important…"

She nodded, not in the mood to pry into her brother-in-law's love life.

She looked around to find Sasuke, but couldn't find him.

"I think he went out with Shisui-san to have a cigarette," Itachi told her, taking a pulling one of his dango from the stick with his fingers and putting it in his mouth.

"Oh, okay," she replied, regretting hanging out with him…

She didn't understand why her heart raced in such a way when she looked into Itachi's eyes while they were dancing… She didn't understand any of the reactions she was seeing in herself while she was around him when none of these things happened when she was around her own husband…

Then, she felt a pair of hands place themselves on her shoulders and she knew Sasuke was back.

"Are you ready to go?" she heard her husband's slurred words.

She could smell the wine and smoke on him and knew he was obviously drunk.

"Sakura-san hasn't finished eating her dinner," Itachi answered for her. "Why don't I drop her off when she's finished?"

After a few moments, she felt Sasuke's hands disappear as he said, "Lay one hand on her I'll kill you."

She wasn't surprised to hear such a thing from him. It wasn't love that made him say such things; it was possessiveness, pride, ego…

When her husband was gone, she said, "I'm sorry, Itachi… He's been under a lot of stress with work and all… He never used to be so temperamental…"

"No need to lie on his behalf, Sakura-san," he replied with a smile. "He's always been like that…"

"He still has no right to treat you, his own brother, like that…"

"That's just the way brother's are… Now, him treating you the way he does is wrong," he told her. "I've seen the way he talks down to you, the way he looks at you when he thinks nobody's watching…"

She shook her head.

"It's not-"

"Let's just enjoy our wonderful dinner and forget about all this, shall we?"

She nodded and began to eat; feeling a little more appreciated than she usually did with Sasuke.

A/N: Like it? Hate it? Tell me in a review! XD