La Vie est belle
by Hiwaga ng Tala

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

Chapter 2

Terms and Conditions

"I Didn't fall in love with you. I walked into love with you..."
- Kiersten White

Sakura woke to the steady beep of a heart monitor.

Her nose was instantly filled with the overly familiar scent of disinfectant consistently hanging on the air.

She knew in an instant that she was inside Konoha's hospital. The question was how.

Sakura racked her brain, digging her memories in search for an answer to what caused her current disposition. She was quite confused. The last thing she remembered was passing out in the middle of a field from chakra exhaustion.

Some patrol must have found her and brought her here.

Now that she was level-headed, Sakura couldn't help but berate herself for how she acted. It was understood that she was not expected to have the greatest reaction to the news, but draining herself to the point of unconsciousness and leaving her body so unprotected was just plain stupid.

She could only thank her luck that it was a Konoha shinobi that found her and not some hunter-nin out for her head.

She mentally shivered at the thought.

Her eyes adjusted to the blinding florescent lights, taking in her surroundings. She was currently occupying one of the private rooms, probably in level three. She was dressed in one of those thin and itchy hospital gowns as she laid on the single bed with needles sticking from her arms.

She wondered how long she was unconscious.

She positioned her body in a sitting position just before the nurse came in - holding a bag of dextrose. Her body felt stiff from the lack of activity.

"Sakura-sama you're finally awake! We have been so worried when Uchiha-sama brought you in unconscious. It has been three days since then!"

Three days? Wow she must have really pushed past her limits. "Akita-san, was Sasuke the one who found me?"

"It was Itachi-sama." Sakura had to cringe at that.

How fortunate of her. Out of all people, he was the one who found her in such embarrassing state. She wanted the floor to open and just swallow her whole.

The nurse left soon after replacing her IV drips.

When Sakura was alone once again, she began to contemplate her situation. She was bound to marry Itachi whom she barely knew, produce babies with him, then spend the rest of her days in the confines of their mansion as a house wife.

How was she going to survive this?

She wasn't the type to be strapped down and perform the roles of a Matriarch! She barely had time to cook for herself, moreso for anyone. She doubted feeding Itachi hospital rations is acceptable.

Her head was aching from all of these complications.

She knew that she didn't have a choice, it was either this, her Shishou gets kicked out, or the whole Uchiha clan vacate Konoha.

As much as she was furious with everyone right now, she had to view this matter with a mature approach. Choking those stupid old bags and throwing boulders at their houses won't solve a thing. So the least she could do was lessen the impact of this arrangement in her life.

If they're persistent then so be it, but she won't let them take away the life she worked so hard to build

Sakura was in the slow process of mentally dismembering Uchiha Kane when the door of her ward suddenly opened.

Everything happened so quickly that one moment she was in her happy world then suddenly her vision was filled with a mass of yellow mop. Her attacker crushed her chest with his weight that she was having a hard time breathing.

"Dobe, you're crushing her."

The weight vanished as Sasuke held Naruto by his collar, untangling him to her.

"BUT TEME YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I AM FOR SAKURA-CHAN!"

"If you don't stop you'll choke her to death."

Naruto composed himself, realizing how Sasuke was right.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. It's just we were so worried about you! You've been in a coma for three days!" Naruto whined childishly, displaying his best 'pouty' face.

"It was just severe chakra exhaustion Naruto, but thanks for the concern. Let's have ramen when I get out of here."

The jinchuuriki beamed at that.

"You bet Sakura-chan! I haven't had any since you passed out. I swore that I'll never eat one until you wake up! Thank God you did, I almost died!" He declared in most exaggerated fashion.

"Dobe you don't die from ramen deprivation."

Sasuke rolled his eyes while Sakura just giggled at her best friend's unhealthy obsession.

They chatted for a while but they too bade her farewell, before Sasuke dragged Naruto out to let her rest.

Sakura fell asleep soon after they were gone, still not fully recovered from the strain she went through.

By the time she woke up, the sun had already said its farewell. The stars twinkled beautifully on the night sky.

There was another person in the room.

Sakura turned to the source of energy and found Uchiha Mikoto placing flowers in the hospital vase. She found the sight quite odd.

Sensing that she was already awake, Mikoto turned to her, beaming.

"Good Evening, Sakura-chan."

Sakura welcomed her with a toothy smile. "Good evening, Mikoto-san."

"Are you hungry?"

She was about to say no but her stomach protested wildly, making the Uchiha laugh.

The Matriarch pulled two of her packed bento boxes out of her pack. Handing one to Sakura as she sat on the chair across Sakura's bed.

During their meal, her teammate's mother engaged her in small talk, talking about the silliest of matters and most trivial of affairs. Sakura didn't mind though. She somehow reminded her of her mother - only less violent and more refined.

It had been three years since she lost her parents when Pein attacked the village. They were one of the unfortunate casualties. The feeling of loss was great but she endured. Her life carried on, but it was during these moments that she is reminded how badly she wanted them back.

"You know Sakura-chan, I wish I had a daughter, and I wish that she would be just like you; even the pink hair."

They both laughed at that.

Mikoto was such a nice woman. If only all Uchiha were like her.

After cleaning their mess, Mikoto prepared to leave but before she got out of the door, she looked at Sakura with all sincerity in the world.

"I know that you are extremely strangled by the arrangements our clan made. First and foremost, I want to ask for your forgiveness on behalf of my clan." She paused for a while as if contemplating her next words. "Darling, I am aware how hard it is for you to carry this burden. If only I could do anything about this."

Mikoto loved Sakura. Ever since Sasuke brought her home when they were twelve, Mikoto grew fonder and fonder of that sweet little girl. She didn't mind taking Sakura into their family, but seeing her hurting brought pain to her heart as well.

"Sakura, I know that you don't view Itachi that way, but I can promise you that he's a good man. I hope that you won't hate him for this."

Mikoto hugged her before departing.

Sakura was left staring at the door in astonishment. She knew the matriarch have always been extra kind to her, but she was not expecting Mikoto to be this kind.

Sakura digested the woman's words.

Did she hate Itachi?

Hate was such a strong word and she did not know him enough to form that judgement. She actually still didn't know what to think of him except that she respected him.

She was going to be honest and say that she felt a tinge of anger towards him as an initial reaction when the news broke out. Sakura wanted to provoke him into battle and make him cancel the engagement. But she also realized after that this was not his doing nor his choice in the first place.

They were both victims of unfortunate circumstances, so at the very least, she could empathize with him. Between the two of them, Sakura was aware that Itachi still had the shorter end of the stick.

Sakura figured that maybe the reason why Itachi was so indifferent towards this matter - or at least she felt he was, since he hadn't even approached her since this whole thing started - was because he lived his whole life in service of others, so trivial things like his marriage was just another sacrifice he had to make. Sakura began to feel bad for the guy. Nobody deserves to be treated the way he was.

'And not to mention, he'll be marrying me.'

Sakura winced. Now she really pitied the man.

Collapsing on her bed, she closed her eyes - deeming that it was enough thinking for the night.

Sakura was casually walking along the marketplace, grocery shopping since she had nothing in her apartment but instant ramen.

'I'm turning into Naruto.'

She had been discharged from the hospital two days prior. Since she was still free from her duties, Sakura took her time to declutter and do laundry since she usually didn't have enough time for that. After she got home, Sakura took her time to cook herself a nice dinner.

She was washing her dishes when three sharp knocks came from her front door. She opened the door to her house and found an ANBU standing outside.

"Tsunade-sama requires your presence." Sakura knew what it was for already.

By the time she reached the Hokage's office, everybody was already present. She bowed to Tsunade before standing on one of the sides.

One of the Uchiha spokesperson started, "we are here today regarding the Uchiha clan's proposal for an arrangement to unify the clan heir Uchiha Itachi to Haruno Sakura."

The room was filled with deafening silence as Tsunade remained mute. Her idle posture screamed indifference. Her aura cold.

Uchiha Kane stood up. "Tsunade-sama, we would like to hear your response to our offer."

"Did you even give me a choice?" The slug sannin's voice pierced room.

"Just think of the good of the village."

"The village or your clan?"

Danzo shot the Hokage a warning look, but she didn't give a damn. The pressure was so thick that nobody dared to speak.

Sakura raised her hands out of nowhere, putting all eyes on her. "If I may, Tsunade-sama."

The steadiness of her voice thankfully did not betray her pounding heart.

"Go ahead, Sakura."

She stood taller, back straighter, and her eyes: daring. She focused her orbs directly to the clan leader, the height of the moment strengthened her bones.

"Fugaku-sama, I am aware of my role as a loyal citizen of Konoha, and though it is against my will to marry your son, I will do so, in service of my village."

The crowd burst in mild surprise, expecting that there would be much more resistance than this.

Sakura stood there unwaveringly, her eyes still trained on her target. She was not finished.

"You have me. But let me make it clear to all of you and I will only say this once - I will not be stripped off my shinobi duties, even as a Matriarch. You've stated your terms and this is my condition. It's a win-win relationship."

Roars of protest from the clan elders filled the room but Sakura found herself uncaring and unmoved. Her gaze unyielding as Uchiha Fugaku scrutinized her with his eyes.

"With all due respect Sakura-san, you do not have the power to ask that of the Uchiha clan."

Uchiha Kane can't seem to keep his mouth shut. Sakura wanted nothing but to jump that asshole and show him power.

"I believe my apprentice has made herself clear. It's either that or nothing. You can vacate your area if you're not in favor of this." Tsunade interjected.

Sakura sighed a breath of relief. Her Shishou had her back.

It was a while of unbearable tension before the clan head decided to speak.

"It will be discussed within our clan."

It was a stalemate.

Uchiha Fugaku stood up then bowed to the Hokage before he asked to be dismissed.

Everybody started to leave except for Itachi and Sakura, who were requested to stay behind.

Sakura and Itachi stood side by side as they faced the Hokage. Both occupied with their own thoughts.

Throughout the years she had known him as Sasuke's teammate, Sakura thought that he was a decent guy. It was true that his conversational capacity was close to non-existence, but he was polite - even to those who disrespect him. Though he was majorly apathetic about a lot of things, he only sought the best for his village.

"Sakura, send me your monthly report in two days, update me on the happenings inside the hospital." Tsunade handed her a folder. "Another thing, I also need you to look into this file. During an escort mission to Iwagakure, one of Kakashi's charges abruptly died without any visual cause except for a scratch located at his leg. I believe it was poison"

Sakura opened the folder to have a general assessment of the matter.

"As for you Itachi, inform your subordinates that your mission is postponed until further notice."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

The sound of his voice broke Sakura's musings.

Yawning, Tsunade mumbled. "You two can leave, unless you want to join me." She pointed at the familiar white glass bottle.

Sakura and Itachi had no plans for such a thing so they left their Hokage to find amusement alone in her favorite beverage.

On their way outside of the tower, Sakura found herself pondering if she should thank him for picking after her mess and retrieving her on that field.

After everything that happened, she wanted nothing but to avoid contact with him unless absolutely necessary. She was still embarrassed of her foolishness, and not to mention, his intimidating aura didn't help at all. Something about him made her feel so uneasy, but if she was going to marry the guy she couldn't go on like this. Plus, he deserved her gratitude.

"Itachi-san, I heard that you were the one who found me. Thank you." Her heart was pounding but she kept her face relaxed.

Itachi stopped in his tracks before he positioned his body towards her. "Aa."

His lack of response brought discomfit to Sakura, but he was Uchiha Itachi so it was only to be expected. They continued their trudge in silence.

Their short trip was soon brought to an end as they reached the bottoms stairs. They were already parting ways when she heard the gentlest of voices break out.

"You should be more careful next time."

Caught by surprise, Sakura turned to him but by the time that she did he was already gone.

"I know." She whispered to the wind.

Sakura's pride was a bit bruised by his statement but she knew he meant no harm.

He was right after all.

AN: Here's Chapter 2 for you!

For those who thought that Itachi was OOC. I want to emphasize how this is a non-massacre fic. It was stated in the manga how by nature Itachi is a pacifist and quite laid back. The only reason he was a sadistic older brother in the manga was because he had a role to play. Since the massacre didnt happen, there's no reason for him to act harshly towards Sakura. :)

Note: Sakura's outfit is the same to canon Sakura in 'The Last."

Special thanks to my wonderful beta La moonlight lily, without that amazing person this'll be filled with typos and errors.