Sasuke sat on the couch inside the cabin, drying his hair with a towel. He felt pretty stupid. Sakura had thrown a fit when he tried to offer her the pocky. Like he had expected that to make it all better. What the hell had he been thinking.
Flash back
"What the hell are you doing?" She shouted, knocking the very pathetic attempt at an apology out of his hand. He seemed to be in shock as the small box of pocky fell into a puddle.
She quickly turned around when she realized he wouldn't answer, and stromed back inside. She knew if she didn't get away from him soon she would crack. She always did. That was why it had taken so long for her to call it quits.
Sasuke felt anger bubble up in his chest as she slammed the door, startling the ducks. One duck in particular was so startled, it flew directly at him, he threw up his arms, the keys slipping out of his now wet fingers. He froze as he heard the tell tale 'plunk' of the keys hitting the pond, and falling to their doom. "Fuck." He cursed, kicking the direction the duck had taken off in. He stalked over to the pond and began searching for the keys.
He was unsuccessful, not surprisingly as he had not seen them hit the water, and had no idea where to look. Now completely soaked, he made his way to the cabin. Now he had no choice but to stay.
end flash back
Sakura gently stirred her tea, trying to keep her thoughts off of the boy in the living area of the cabin. 'Just great, I came here to get over him, and now he's stuck with me. Fan-fucking-tastic.' She thought sourly, taking a sip.
Her now dead phone was sitting on the counter beside her, alerting her to the helpless situation she was now in. She hadn't spent any time alone with him in several months, and it was even harder for her to imagine doing so now.
She picked up the second mug of tea and made her way back to the living room. "Here." She said quickly, offering him the bitter green tea, she knew it was his favourite. He seemed surprised as he recognized the smell coming from the cup. "Is this-" "It's all that was in the cupboard. That's all." She said hurriedly.
She most certainly was not going to admit she had brought it up here herself. Not to him at least, perhaps, when she got back, Ino would get the information out of her. But he would never know.
He nodded stifly, of course he hadn't been foolish enough to think that she had...'had what? Bought the tea to remind her of me?' He thought bitterly, 'Naruto is not just a lying idiot, but a dead one when I get home.'
Night fell quickly on the cabin. After having finished her tea, she had fled his presence. Now, though, she had to decide whether or not to go take him a blanket or not. She knew that, at least as a polite gesture, she should. But, then again, when had he ever done such for her? Or rather, when had he done so since they had begun to date? He used to, when they were just friends, he was nicer then.
She sighed and flopped down on the small bed, "Let him find his own damn blankets." She wasn't going to show him that kind of generosity, not when he wouldn't show her the same.
Sasuke frowned as he watched the clock tick past eleven. He hadn't heard any movement from the room she was in for almost two hours. He flipped open his phone and dialed the dobe's number.
"Y'ello?" Came a very sleepy voice, allerting him to the fact he had woken up the idiot, not that he cared. It was all Naruto's fault anyway, right?
"She left me on the couch without a fucking blanket." He heard a small, confused pause, followed by a chuckle.
"Oh boo hoo teme. You did that to her for almost two years."
"I did not. I always-" He was cut off abruptly, "-no you didn't. At least not after you started dating. You used to do that, back when we were younger."
"I-I...that was to keep anyone from suspecting we were going out! You know I-" "-yeah, yeah. I did. She didn't. All she saw was you treating her like she was less of a friend." He growled at being cut off a second time. He wasn't the most patient person ever.
"Grrr...whatever dobe. She didn't have to leave me to freeze." He was almost surprised by the response he received. "Yeah, well, you reap what you sow teme." There was a soft click, indicating that Naruto, of all people Naruto, had just hung up on him.
He snapped the phone shut and tossed it at the wall. He rolled over to face the back of the couch and shut his eyes. He doubted he'd get a decent sleep, but he could damn well try and spite her.
Sakura woke up early, weighed down with guilt at not having given Sasuke a blanket the night before. She climbed out of the small bed with a sigh, grabbing a spare blanket from the closet. It was about three in the morning now, and if she at least gave him the blanket now, he might not end up sick.
She snuck into the living room, tip toeing to the couch, only to find it vacant. She checked the whole cabin with a frown, finding him gone. Even his car was gone, although, as she stepped outside, wrapped in the spare blanket, she could see broken glass from his driver's side window.
Wow. He broke into and hot wired his own car to leave because she didn't bring him a blanket sooner. "SNOB!" She shouted into the chilly air, tears forming in her eyes, "IT'S NOT VERY NICE TO BE THE ONE BEING TREATED LIKE DIRT, IS IT!"
She drove to school monday morning, having spent the rest of the weekend up at the cabin, with a dim outlook for the day. She was determined to get her classes changed first thing. There was no way she was going to sit near him again. She was far too angry.
It had taken surprisingly little to convince the office to change her schedule, although she had been unable to bring herself to leave Anko's class. She was the best teacher the school had, and the only one without a set seating arrangement. So, Sakura could sit as far away from him as she wanted.
Naruto spent the morning looking for his pink haired best friend, they had always been in the same class, ever since kindergarten. So it came as a nasty shock to him, when he got literature after lunch, and she told him she'd changed all her other classes around.
"This is because of Sasuke-teme isn't it!" He shouted, causing everyone to trun and stare, Sasuke included. Sakura glared at the blond and shook her head, "I wouldn't let that bastard chase me out of anything. I just wanted a change. That's all." She wouldn't speak to him after that.
A month passed, and the whole school had now figured out, via Naruto's loud-ass mouth, about what had transpired between Sasuke and Sakura. He was now being avoided by the fangirls, who spent most of their time attacking Sakura.
Sasuke would fume silently as he watched bimbo's (Like Karin, and her drones) torment Sakura. He knew Karin was extra pissed because he had now given up the status of 'Uchiha heir' and torn up the arranged marriage contract. The damn piece of paper that had been the reason he couldn't openly date Sakura. He had never been ashamed of her.
After a particularly nasty run in between the two, he couldn't take it anymore. He tracked Karin down during the lunch break, destroyed her with insults, and wound up suspended for a week.
Fugaku glared at the figure standing on the door step. The little twit (which had always been his opinion of the girl) that had caused the suspension of his would-be heir, was standing there, demanding to be let in. No doubt so she could try and worm her way back into Sasuke's graces.
He pushed the intercom button and said roughly, "Get off my property." He was surprised when she began to hammer on the door, screaming, "Oh hell no! Let me at that spoiled brat! I need to give him a piece of my mind! How the hell could he go and do that!" Fugaku was about to repeat himself when Mikoto walked by and casually opened the door with a grin.
"Oh, Sakura-chan! Oh it's been forever! Please, come in! Let me get us some tea." Her words seemed to have take the pinkette off guard long enough for her to be dragged through the house and into the kitchen by the Uchiha matriarch. "I really just came to-"
"Oh, don't worry, there will be planty of time to scold him later. You and I need to have a girl talk!" Mikoto hummed as she boiled water for the tea.
Sakura sat at the counter, smiling for the first time in a while, "Well... I know... it sounds stupid. I just can't help it." She had told Mikoto about the incident at the cabin, and been moderately surprised that Mikoto had not been shocked. "I've always loved him. Ever since he stole my crayons on the second day of kindergarten."
Mikoto smiled softly, "Oh, trust me, I know what that feels like dear. It was the same between Fugaku and myself, though he stole my pencil case."
Sasuke huffed at the tv in his room, all the good channels had been blocked when he got suspended, and grounded. His internet had been cut off, his game stations had been taken away, and his father had dumped millitary school brochures on his desk as a threat against any further disobedience.
He stood up slowly, turning off the tv and tossing the remote behind him, and made his way towards the stairs. The one thing he was still allowed to leave his room for was food. If nothing else, it was a way to pass the time of his incarceration. When he stepped into the kitchen he nearly choked on his own spit, and dashed back out the door before either his mother or Sakura could spot him. What the HELL was she doing here?
"Fugaku and I dated in secret too, when we were in the tenth grade. From what I've heard and seen, Sasuke takes after his father far too much. And for that, I'm sorry dear." Sakura raised an eyebrow at Mikoto and sighed, "Don't be. I was the one silly enough to believe he would treat me very well." The matriarch shook her head and placed her hands over Sakura's, "No, I am very sorry. I tried to teach him that he didn't have to be so cold. But, he's just always tried too hard to please his father."
Sasuke quickly took his eyes away from the table, where he had been looking from his hiding place, and swore as he caught a glimpse of not only Fugaku, and Itachi, but Itachi's wife as well. They seemed to be eaves dropping too. And Fugaku did not look happy. Fuck, now he was going to get punished for this too, no doubt.
Sakura nodded sadly. "That may be true, I noticed, how he would hold onto each thing he was told to do, but, that's why it's my fault, Mikoto. I know that Mr. Uchiha doesn't like me. And, if I hadn't asked Sasuke out, then the arranged marriage might not have been forced on him. I should have just stayed quiet."
Fugaku furrowed his eyebrows as he listened to his wife's confession to the young 'twit'. Surely he wasn't being that hard on his youngest son. He was just trying to prepare him to take over the family business, which was now not going to happen, thanks to the pink haired girl. He was about to walk off in a manly huff when he spotted Sasuke peeking around a cabinet into the kitchen. In a vain attempt to prove himself right in his own mind, he searched his son's face, looking for the cool indifference that would prove Sasuke didn't care for the twit and had merely been trying to disobey him. He didn't find it. What he did find, shocked him.
Sakura stood from the table quietly, having finished her tea, "Thank you, Mikoto, for the tea. I should be going though." The matriarch shook her head, "You haven't done what you came to do yet. You still have to knock some sense into my boy." Her voice was stern and motherly, making Sakura stiffen slightly. "OH, no, really, don't make me! I was angry when I found out he threw away his future, but, I don't think he'll listen to a single thing I say."
Mikoto stared down the young, flustered pinkette and sighed. "Very well, I can't make you, although, you may not get another chance. Fugaku has been making arrangements to-" "I have changed my mind about that." Fugaku cut his wife off, before she could finish her sentence, storming into the room angrily. He was furious that instead of finding what he had hoped to find, he saw that his son was very much in love with the pink haired girl.
He had recognized the pain in his son's eyes, as he had felt that way when his own father had tried to come between him and Mikoto. After some gentle prodding from his oldest son, whom had agreed to reclaim the titl of Uchiha heir, he decided to give them a chance. Besides, Sasuke was dragging his ass at school anyway.
Sakura's eyes widened, as Fugaku passed the table, and went into the hallway, only to pull Sasuke into the kitchen by his arm. 'Oh great, I come here to talk sense into him, and instead I not only blow our cover to the whole clan, but I get him in further trouble. FUCK.'
Sasuke averted his eyes from everyone as his father dragged him into the room, forcing him into the most akward situation ever.
"I was watching Sasuke as he spied on your conversation just now," Fugaku stated dryly, tightening his grip as said boy tried to get away before he could be scolded, "and I have decided that, perhaps, I was asking too much of him." Mikoto gave her husband a warning glare as their eldest stepped into the room, with his own wife close behind.
"What father means, mother, is that he was being twice as hard on Sasuke as he had been on myself." Itachi stepped in casually, preventing the arguement before it could start. "I didn't know, when I passed the torch to Sasuke, that he had his own plans, and so I take it back."
Sasuke glared at his brother ferociously. He was such a LIAR. He had know that Sasuke had plans. He dumped that crap on him not more than a week after he had agreed to go out with Sakura. "It'll help you over your 'infatuation'" he had said. Never once considering that perhaps his little brother was more than just 'infatuated' with the pinkette.
Mikoto watched her youngest glare and turned to Sakura, who seemed to be in genuine shock. "Don't try and sweet talk me young man." She said sternly, helping Sakura back down into her seat. The poor girl would fall over if she stayed standing like that.
Fugaku cleared his throat, silencing the reply on his eldest son's lips. "As I was saying, I was too hard on the boy. Only because I see so much of myself in him." He released Sasuke, fairly certain that he would be too shocked to move anyway. "Which is why he will remain the heir. However, I will not force him to marry miss Kanchen (Karin.)"
Sasuke turned to his father with startled eyes, he had no clue why his father was being so generous, but he found himself unable to question it. Fortunately for him, Sakura regained her tongue at that moment. "Why not? I was under the impression you wanted to merge companies?"
All attention was drawn to the pinkette, and Sasuke's eyes went from shocked to panic, afraid of his father's answer.
"Their company has gone bankrupt-" He started, haughtily, earning another glare from his wife, a silent warning. "-And, I can't do to him what my father tried to do to me." He said defeatedly. The room stayed silent for a few moments as Sasuke gathered his wits and courage. When he had them, he ventured a question that less than two hours ago had been cause for the threat of military school. "So I can marry whoever I choose then?"
His question hung in the air, making Sakura curse herself for feeling a sudden hope she was certain would be crushed momentarily.
"Ye-" "I choose Sakura." He interrupted his father as soon as he heard the possitive answer forming. There was another moment of silence, and then there was a loud 'thunk'.
Sakura had fainted. "Oh dear!" Mikoto sighed, picking up the young pinkette immediately, "Poor girl, she needs to rest. Sasuke, you could have used more tact." She playfully scolded her son, although it was easy for everyone in the room to see how happy she was. "I'll take her to my room, she can rest on the bed, and I'll take her home when she wakes up." He said calmly, taking his future-wife from his mother's arms.
Inside his chest his heart was hammering double time as he walked carefully up the stair to his room.
Sakura woke up a few hours later, warm and cozy in a giant bed she almost didn't recognize. She was about to freak out, until she noticed the batman sheets on the bed. Oh. She was just in Sasuke's room.
She climbed out of the bed gingerly, nearly falling over as her head began to swim. "Ow." She whispered, bringing her hand up to her temples.
Sasuke had dozed off on the couch in the living room about an hour ago, after his mother had dragged him out to a jewellry store, and several other 'romantic places' to prepare him for the next evening. She had demanded he propose properly to Sakura, despite the fact that they were not even old enough to marry. She'd wanted him to do it tonight, but he'd casually reminded her that Sakura had smacked her head on the floor and would porbably have a bad headache when she woke up.
Sakura stumbled into the hallway, looking for anyone, she needed to go home. Her mother was no doubt frantic after not having heard from her daughter in hours. She failed to find anyone upstairs, but could make out the form of someone on the couch, just down the stairs. She looked at the spiral staircase and head spun again. "Hello?" She called out, deciding not to risk the stairs.
He awoke with a start, at first, unsure of what had awoken him. He listened for a moment, and heard Sakura call out from the top of the stairs. "Can some one take me home, please?"
He jumped off the couch and was up the stairs as fast as he could go. Before she could even blink, he had her wrapped tightly in his arms. "What are you doing up? You hit your head pretty hard, you need to lie back down." He picked her up when she didn't respond, and carried her back into his room. He placed her on the bed and sat beside her.
She looked at him, slowly recalling all of what had happened earlier. "Did you...did you meant it?" She asked hesitantly, refering of course to when he had told his father he chose her. He seemed surprised by the question, but was all too eager to confirm it. "Yes."
She fell back on the bed, blushign furiously, processing the turn of events. How could she be sure he wouldn't hurt her again though? He saw the question in her eyes and sighed internally. "I promise I'll treat you better. We won't have to hide it this time." She didn't look altogether reassured, so he decided perhaps his mother's obsessive need to plan the 'most romantic and sweet thing and Uchiha has EVER done' for the next night.
"I'll prove it to you. Tomorrow. After school, meet me at the gates. And...the dobe is miserable, change your classes back. I don't think I can take anymore of his whining."
Sakura walked out of the office the next morning, shaking like a leaf. They hadn't been happy to have to change her classes back, but they had done it. Now she was scared as hell of facing Sasuke, who's suspension and grounding had ended the pervious day. She didn't want to find out if she had hallucinated the whole conversation last night.
She approached the calculus classroom and bit her lip as she entered, and was tackled instantly by her best friend. "Sakura! You listened to teme! YAY!" He shouted, dragging her over to her favourite desk set by the window. "You get the window seat!" He brushed off the chair and pulled it out for her, making her smile. "Thank you Naruto."
Sasuke walked into the classroom to find Naruto taking the seat beside Sakura, and he felt the usual prick of jealousy. He fought the urge to kick the dobe out of the chair he had planned to take, after all, he had spent the majority of yesterday with the pinkette, and would be stealing her after school. Speaking of after school:
"Let's go for ramen, just like old times!" Naruto exclaimed, making Sakura blush and stutter, "I-uh...I have plans after school today Naruto." The blond frowned, "Bullshit! Who could be more important than your best friend!" His loud voice was begining to draw and audience as students filed into the room. Sakura swallowed hard and looked between the blond and Sasuke, wondering if she was actually allowed to tell him where people might over hear.
When he noticed her hesitance, Sasuke took matters into his own hands and bonked the dobe on the head to get his attention, "With me you idiot. We have a date." His voice hadn't been raised, but it seemed to echo through the room after he spoke.
The fangirls all looked crushed, and Sakura blushed harder. So she was allowed to broadcast it then? 'Wait till I tell Ino!' She thought excitedly, as she caught a small smile from Sasuke. Oh god she could die happy right now. He was smiling at her.
Sakura bolted from the room at lunch, promising to be early and save seats in the next class, so she could find her only female friend. When she saw the blond she shouted in joy, and sped up, planning to tackle her. "Innnnoooooo-piiiiig!" She called out as she got closer, gaining the attention of the whole hallway. "Forehead! What's got you so happy?"
Sakura skidded to a halt infront of Ino and grinned from ear to ear, "He asked me out! We have a date! And his dad doesn't mind!" It took the blond a moment to realise just who the pinkette was refering too, and then she squealed.
"Oh my gosh! You're dating publicly now!" While Ino had never been in on the secret relationship while it lasted, she had been one of the first to be informed after the break up. Sakura had been certain she was going to loose her only female friend when she brought it up, but the blond hadn't been mad. At least, not at Sakura. She'd been furious with Sasuke, but unable to vent her rage.
Sakura nodded happily, hugging her friend. She hadn't felt this good in a long time.
Sakura waited by the school gates for five minutes, then she saw Naruto and Sasuke running up to her, hitting each other as they got closer, in that destructively playful way boys interracted. "I want to go for ramen today though!" Naruto whined as Sasuke beat him to the pinkette and put his arm around her waist. "We can go out for ramen tomorrow dobe. Now stop complaining, this is what you wanted, isn't it?"
That silenced the blond male. All he could really do was nodd. "Well, I mean, yeah. But I haven't spent anytime with her in forever!" Sakura rolled her eyes at the blond, "Naruto, if you wait till tomorrow, I'll buy the ramen." In a flash he was out of there hair with a "Hell yeah!" floating on the air. "Good work." Sasuke said witha smirk as he lead her to his car (the window had been fixed a while ago.)
They pulled up to the theaters and Sasuke led her in, not letting her see the title of the movie they would be seeing. When the opening credits began to roll, she was schocked to find that they were watching the chick flick she had been dying to see since the summer. Sasuke hated chick flicks.
The restraunt they went to after the movie had finished was modest, with a welcoming feeling in the air. Until their waitress came out. "Karin?" Sakura asked cautiously. She had not expected to see her tormentor working as a waitress. And Karin hadn't expected to see them here together. Sasuke was suspicious as they ordered their food, cautioning Sakura to watch out for spit and such.
When their meals arrived, neither wanted to be the first to try to food. The smirk on Karin's face as she walked away had just been too disturbing. With silent agreement they decided against touching the probably tainted food and left the restraunt.
As the walked through the park, each enjoying a hotdog from a stand on the corner, (Sasuke had tried to convince her to go to another restraunt, but she had insisted that hotdogs would be fine, and he gave in,) Sakura couldn't help but wonder what was next. The evening had already been everything she had ever wanted and more. She was a little worried that perhaps this was all a dream, and without realising it, she had muttered aloud, "If I'm dreaming, I never want to wake up again."
Sasuke smirked and took her spare hand in his own. "You're not dreaming." She blushed, and looked away from his intense gaze. Once they had finished their 'dinner', he pulled her over to a bench and made her sit down. Now came the hard part. He was pretty certain he'd have no pride left if he read what his mother wrote, but he didn't have much of a choice. When it came to their emotions, Uchiha men were not well versed. His mother had insisted, as she gave him the paper, that this was what his grandmother had made his father say when he proposed.
He cleared his throat and tried his hardest to repeat the words he had memorized, but it was so very hard when she wouldn't stop looking at him. "I know that I can be...a little rude," He started, trying to keep a blush off his face, because his father had reminded him that morning that Uchiha men do NOT blush. Although his mother had casually mentioned that he had blushed when he asked for her hand.
"but I l...I really li...fuck." He had chocked on 'love', just as he had known he would, and 'like' just sounded wrong. He could see the fear building in her eyes as he took longer to form his words. His handles fumbled in his pocket, searching for the ring box he could have sworn he'd had a minute ago. He panicked when he didn't find it, "Shit." He got off his knees infront of her and began searching frantically for the ring box. His mother would KILL him.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked hesitantly as he began to search the grass around them. She caught a flash of movement to their left and saw the girl from the hotdog stand running towards them, waving something about in her hand. "Hey!" She called out, getting Sasuke's attention as well. His heart did a backflip in his chest as he saw the box clutched in her hand. "Oh thank god. I left it at the hot dog stand." He stood up and walked over to the girl, who had stopped about ten feet short.
"You're one of Neji's friends, aren't you?" She asked, handing the box the the flustered and dirty Uchiha, "Unfortunately." He replied, opening the box to make sure the ring was still there. The pretty white gold band with the heart shaped diamon glittered up at him happily. "Aren't you younger than he is? Aren't you too young to get married?" She asked, earning a shrug in return. Yes, he was definitely one of Neji's friends.
"Maybe. Doesn't matter though." He turned around and walked away, giving a simple "Thanks."
Sakura watched the exchange silently, utterly confused until she caught a glimpse of the ring inside the box. 'Oh god. Is he going to?' She thought in a panic as he walked back over to her, looking nevrous.
He got back down on one knee before her and held out the box.
"I love you." He said quickly, relieved and worried now that he had finally gotten to say the words.
He flipped open the box and offered her the ring, "Will you marry me? When we've graduated?"
Sakura launched herself into his arms, "Yes! I love you too! But if you ever-" "I won't." "Good. Or else I'd have to castrate you." He stiffened at the threat, but shrugged it off. Not like he was planning to hurt her ever again anyway.
the end
