In-law In Waiting
By Maria Szabo
Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto Masashi and his publishers. This is a work of fanfiction and no profit is being made save that of enjoyment.
Sakura was waiting at the Uchiha compound gate when he came out, his face shadowed in sorrow.
She reached out impulsively and took his hands in her own. "What did he say?"
"He said no. He won't take the treatment." There was an undercurrent of anger in Sasuke's voice. He loved his brother, but often did not understand him. "He's giving up!"
She squeezed his hands gently. "Itachi has been ill for a very long time. And what treatment we could offer would only delay his death, perhaps for a year or so."
"He shouldn't give up."
Sakura raised her hand to catch a tear that had welled from the corner of his left eye. "I know that. You know that. But look at who we trained with."
"Yeah, that idiot."
"Stop that. Naruto is our Hokage now. Show a little respect!"
Sasuke's mouth tugged into a half-smile. He leaned his forehead down to touch hers, closing his eyes as he breathed in the scent of her shampoo. "Itachi wants to talk to you. I'll take you to him."
A dusky gloom met her eyes as she made her way to Itachi's bedside. The light hurt his eyes. They'd been sensitive to it even before the disease intensified.
Sasuke had wanted to wait just outside the door, but Itachi had sent him on an errand, to fetch an heirloom from their storehouse. The trip would not be long, but would give the elder brother time to speak with her in private.
There was something about the head of the Uchiha clan that wasn't quite right, that made those who knew him uneasy. A former child prodigy, he had difficulty getting close to others, a trait that even years of shinobi training could not counter. Fortunately, the Uchiha were not known for being outgoing and cheerful, so outsiders put it down to family. Yet there was something more, something very wrong, about the man.
"Haruno-san, thank you for visiting." Always proper, too proper. After all, the man was practically her brother-in-law. "I apologize that I could not give Sasuke the answer he wanted. Or, I suspect, that you wanted?"
Her inner Sakura was raging. Jerk! As if I care! But she merely bowed her head, as if in agreement.
Itachi chuckled, very softly. "These eyes are not so worn that they cannot see what you are really thinking. Please know that I bear no ill will towards you, despite what you may believe."
Actually, that was what Sasuke believed. But no matter. She leaned forward, so that Sasuke would not hear. "I just want to know why. Why did you keep this illness a secret for so long? If we'd diagnosed it early on, you might have had a chance at life now."
"I had no choice. I was only 17 when my father was killed. The clan was highly factionalized at the time and although I was the heir, if I had not already established my reputation, I doubt the clan would have recognized me." He stopped to take a shuddering breath.
"Can I get you anything? Water…?"
"No, let me finish. The illness had already started, but I had to hide it to keep the Uchiha clan from turning on one another. You've seen what happened with the Hyuuga. I swore that would not happen to us." He looked up at her with those calm, piercing eyes, so similar to Sasuke, yet with a sheen of iron beneath them. "My goal was to stabilize the clan. If I died young, so be it. Shinobi are not assured of a long life anyway."
"Perhaps not, but still, we could treat you now. If only for Sasuke's sake."
"It's for his sake that I'm doing things this way. He's old enough now to take over the clan—older than I was, and more established. If I linger, there is more time for the opposition to gain traction. I won't have that."
Stubborn, stupid man! Oh, he and Sasuke were branches off the same tree, that was for sure. "He'll miss you."
A gentle smile graced his lips. "Perhaps. But he has you, Haruno-san.
"Is this what you were looking for?" Sasuke entered the room so silently that they did not notice he was there.
"Yes." Itachi took the box with trembling hands, a delicate lacquered box decorated with an intricate design of violets. "Do you recognize it?"
The younger brother squinted. "Wasn't this mother's?"
"It was. Do you know what it contains?"
"No."
Itachi carefully pried off the top, fished in the box for a moment, and came out with a ring, gold with a large ruby surrounded by sapphires. "This was the engagement ring that father gave to mother, as his father did before him and before that."
"Yes, but that's for the eldest son…"
"You will soon be, brother."
"Stop talking like that!"
"Haruno-san," Itachi dodged the subject by turning his attention to her. "Did you ever wonder why I didn't permit your marriage to my brother?"
She thought about it all the time, but wouldn't give Itachi the pleasure of knowing that. "I suppose."
"It was because I didn't want any opposition when the time came for him to take my place. I would not marry, I would have no children. Sasuke was my heir. And some in this family would find your bloodlines unacceptable."
"I see," Sakura felt that was at the heart of the matter. "So, what is the point of this conversation, then? If you do not want to be healed, why do you want to speak with me?"
"Because I have seen how much my brother loves you. If I sanctioned your union too early, I would have problems within the family. If I died and he decided to marry you regardless, he would face those same problems. But now? Who is going to question the request of a dying man?"
"You…you mean…"
"The ring…you…" Their questions stumbled over one another, the words lost in the confusion.
"Haruno Sakura, you will marry my brother Sasuke this evening, upon the rise of the new moon, in the sight of the Hokage and the united clans of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."
He would have gone on in that fashion for a good while, but had the breath knocked out of him by Sakura's impulsive embrace.
"Hey!" Sasuke protested, jokingly.
"It's alright," she replied, grinning like a fool. "He's practically my brother-in-law, right?"
FIN
Author's note: Hope you enjoy. This was written for a prompt in an LJ community for Sakura/Sasuke. The setting was to be an AU where the Uchiha massacre never took place.
PS: No, I haven't forgotten "Love is Blonde!" One more chapter—and I got stuck on a plot point and am having to write around that.