Chapter 3

Sasuke Uchiha was not a chatty man, nor was he an overly polite one either. He didn't kiss up to people and he didn't compliment them unless he meant it. To do anything else would be asinine and fake.

However, Sasuke Uchiha was also a smart man, and although he sometimes earned it when his older brother Itachi referred to him as his 'foolish little brother', Sasuke was, overall, a very intelligent man. And an intelligent man would not be rude or insulting to the woman he might end up sharing the rest of his life with. Sure, he would always be himself, always be somewhat of a recluse when it came to social venues, but he was dealing with someone who could, potentially, enter a marriage agreement with him. Thus, he decided that the best way to go about it would be to respect the woman at all costs.

No, he wouldn't be kissing up or pretending with her; that would end in disaster. Sasuke had thought it over extensively, and while he would try his hardest to be kind to her, he would also be honest. He would not pretend to be someone he wasn't and he wouldn't try to change his whole personality to accommodate this new… partner. If it didn't work out, he would simply go against his parent's wishes and return to Japan.

Even if he knew doing so would be suicidal.

Sasuke reminded himself of his promise, trying to weigh himself down to earth. More likely than not, things between him and Sakura would not work out. More likely than not, she would eventually become a path that could have been but wasn't, an opportunity and a relationship missed because something was bound to happen. She would either hate him or he would think she was annoying. One of them would back down and decide not to make such an outrageous agreement. Something bad always happened.

But as Sasuke parked his car, locked it, and made his way down to the meeting they had set up, he also could not help but feel hopeful that everything really would work out. Some people called him emotionless, but he knew that wasn't the case; he just had trouble expressing those emotions.

Turning into the entranceway of Ichiraku's, he opened the door and stood scanning the room. She wasn't hard to locate with her pink hair. It was as if she took pieces of cotton candy and made a wig. He didn't mind at all, he just thought it was unusual. Though perhaps if they ever did become a couple it would come in handy – it would serve much like a lighthouse beacon and he would be able to find her from anywhere. Strategically speaking, Sakura's hair was ingenious.

She had turned to him, marginally swiveling her body on the barstool she sat on and gave him a smile before turning back around to put the pen and parchment in front of her into her purse. Sasuke eased his way onto the stool next to her, opened his mouth and then…

"Hey, teme! What can I get for you, buddy?" His idiot of a best friend had to ruin everything. If he had realized Naruto was working this shift, he would have told Sakura that it didn't work out with his schedule and they should meet at a different time.

But apparently, he wasn't the only one annoyed at the blond waiter, for Sakura looked murderous.

"Naruto, you baka! I said to act like you didn't know me!" She was turning red, he noticed, much like her own hair.

"I didn't pretend to know you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, waving his palms in the air as a sign of denial.

"Then why'd you call him a 'teme', hmm, Naruto? I knew you didn't like this idea, but you don't have to go and insult him!" Sakura retaliated. Sasuke's eyes traveled back and forth between the two, his mind trying to catch up. Finally, it hit him.

"You know him?" He asked perplexed to the woman sitting beside him.

"Sasuke, it's not like that." Sakura turned sharply towards him at the sound of his voice. Now it was her turn for denial. Apparently she preferred shaking her head over wailing her limbs, unlike Naruto. "It's just, I didn't know who you are, you know? I thought it'd be better to be safe than sorry, so I asked him to check you out… Please don't be offended!"

"I'm not…" he started, but he was cut off yet again from the idiot behind the bar.

"I told you, Sakura-chan, I DON'T CHECK OUT GUYS!" Silence descended in the restaurant, people glancing nervously at the loud-mouthed worker who happened to finally be too loud for his own good. Sasuke watched Sakura squirm in her seat uneasily as he mentally cursed. Everyone was staring at them, and he loathed the circumstances that put him in this situation. Although he thought that bright pink hair worked for Sakura, he didn't like attention, and was one of the reasons he was so happy to not be born with bright colored hair.

And then, when it seemed like nothing could go worse, the dunce started to look between Sasuke and Sakura and then back again. A light bulb went off in his head, and you could tell by the expression on Naruto's face. Then he spun, gaping at the pastel colored girl.

"You're going to marry this emotionless jerk?!" He stuck his hands out, motioning at Sasuke. Although his voice was not as loud as before, he already had everyone's attention. And this time, Sasuke's swearing wasn't silent.

Slowly, conversation began to pick up again, most choosing to ignore the spectacle and return to their meals.

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke said tersely as he leaned over, hoping to calm the hysteric man. Naruto looked like he was close to hyperventilating.

"Wait, what's the meaning of this, Naruto?" Sakura's soft voice came, as if using one would encourage Naruto to do the same. Then she looked to Sasuke. "You know each other?"

Before he could reply, Naruto cut him off for a third time that evening. "Well, yeah, Sakura-chan. We've been friends for even longer than I've known you."

"Why haven't I met him, then? Or heard of him?"

"Well, I…" Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I didn't think you'd get along."

Dang it - Sasuke knew it was too good to be true. Naruto might have never been the brightest bulb in the box, but he knew people. If he said they wouldn't get along, there must be a reason as to why. But for the short time Sasuke knew Sakura, they had gotten along perfectly well. It was quite the conundrum.

"So… you two are getting hitched?" Naruto broke the silence.

"We agreed to talk about it." Sasuke replied, still staring at Sakura and wondering what on earth could be so wrong with her that Naruto thought they'd be at each other's throats.

"But teme, I didn't even know you wanted to get married. I would have set you up with someone… I thought you would have come to me before going speed dating." He stuttered out the word, as if it were strange and foreign. Then he laughed, relentlessly, earning offended glares from his two friends.

"It's a recent idea." Sasuke responded. Now Sakura was eyeing him worriedly.

"I said I wanted this to be real; I don't want to get married to you because you decided to do it on a whim."

"It's not; it's much more than a whim, believe me. I have my reasons, and I'll explain them to you." He ground out, leaning his head into his hands. All this doubt, all of this confusion was simply annoying.

"Yes, tell us your reasons, Sasuke." Naruto suggested, with his hands under his chin as he leaned over the bar. Sasuke stared at him in aggravation before turning back to Sakura.

"Do you wanna go someplace more… private, now that you know I'm not a serial killer?" He suggested. She looked back at Naruto, who still leaned over the counter considerably too much, and nodded her head eagerly, grabbing her purse and jacket before hopping off the stool. Naruto, unfortunately for him, was stuck behind the counter and was not able to follow.

"Wait! Come back guys, I'll give you a discount!" He yelled once he realized he was being left behind and would not continue to hear what his friends were talking about. They ignored his offer and continued out of the building.

Once the door had closed, Sakura looked back and sighed before turning to Sasuke, a shy smile plastered to her face. "Well, that was hectic."

After leaving Ichiraku's, both Sasuke and Sakura walked side by side in silence, neither knowing what to say or where to start. They eventually came to a park. A bench overlooked a small pond in one of the more isolated areas. Sasuke motioned towards it, deciding it was a good place to talk, and Sakura seated herself on the right side. He joined her, sitting close but not too close. He wasn't sure what to do, considering he had never been in a similar situation before.

"I've known Naruto for nearly nine years." Sakura said suddenly. He nodded for her to continue – perhaps if they talked about their mutual friend, things would become easier and they would find some common ground.

"I first met him when I started college," she continued. "I was going med-school and used to stop by Ichiraku's all the time. That was, of course, before it became so big. Naruto was my waiter, and we'd strike up a conversation every once in a while until eventually we became friends. And I've been good friends with him ever since." The wind blew some dead leaves across the path by their feet. It was chilly outside.

"I've known Naruto since I was seven." Sasuke began, staring out over the water. "I came to this park every time my father took me with him on a business trip. I was always here when he was in meetings, and Naruto was always here because he had been living in the rooms above the restaurant with his foster family." His mind filled with old memories with every word he spoke. "Later Teuchi adopted him, saying Ayame always wanted a younger brother, and I'd make sure to come here every time I visited."

"That's sweet." Sakura chimed in. He wasn't sure how to respond – he didn't think it was sweet; it had just been convenient at the time.

"You're a doctor." He stated, recalling her mention of med school.

"Yes, I'm a neurologist." He raised his eyebrows, impressed. She was smart.

"Impressive."

"Thank you. What do you do?" Sakura asked him, tucking a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear, still staring straight ahead. The water seemed to calm both of their nerves.

"I work for the family business. My father's the head of the company, but he's planning on extending it. It's part of the reason I'm here." He explained, feeling unusually chatty. Now she gave him her full attention.

"Here with me or here in America?" she asked.

"Both. Technically, I'm here on a business visa, but I'm not able to stay permanently on that. I applied several times for an immigration visa, but it's not going through." He mumbled out.

"…so you figure if you get married, you'll get a spousal visa and be allowed to stay."

"Exactly."

"But isn't that going a little extreme?" She turned her body so she was fully facing him, tucking one leg under her. "You'd be willing to get married to someone you don't know just for your family's company?" She pried. He frowned.

"It's not just that. I need to get away. My life is boring - I want something different than that, something new. And although I want to have a family of my own, I just can't picture myself marrying anyone." He tried to explain, but she continued to look distressed.

"So you decided to just settle with whoever comes your way?" Sakura was upset, and he had made her upset with his poor word choice. Maybe that was why Naruto didn't think they'd get along; perhaps Sakura was too emotional?

"Sakura, it's not like that either." He looked her in the eye, hoping to convey what he couldn't with words, hoping she'd understand. "I want this marriage to be real as well." She nodded, not quite satisfied, but appeased for the moment.

Dusk was coming, and the hues of a dull sunset reflected over the pond. They focused on the scenery while it seemed like Sakura collected her thoughts and he waited for her to do so. And then again, she was the one to break the silence.

"The reason I asked you, the reason I told you I needed to get married… is because I don't want to get married." Sakura started, leaving him baffled and confused. He narrowed his eyes slightly at her.

"You said…"

"I know what I said, and I'm not going back on any of it." She shook her head and decided to settle watching a little boy play with his mother, the opposite direction of where Sasuke was seated. She smiled faintly. "I grew up in a rich family; they had their own company, much like how your parent's own their own. Everything was fine, I loved them and they loved me, and it seemed like they supported my every decision. They helped me through med-school, didn't protest when I decided to branch out and get a place of my own… But about two months ago they called me over to have dinner with them, and told me they had arranged a marriage for me. They said that they had given me time to choose someone and settle down, but seeing that I'm already 27, they thought I'd never get married.

"The guy they want me to marry is twice my age, Sasuke." She finally looked back at him, but tears glistened in her eyes. He became uneasy, but instead of fidgeting he remained completely still; he hated seeing girls cry. Sakura didn't seem to notice.

"I thought that if I could find someone I actually liked, someone I got along with, I'd be able to marry them instead of someone I hardly know or like. If I get married, I want to do it on my own terms, not theirs." She said in a small voice, but it was laced with an undertone of determination. She paused, catching her breath as he processed the information. He then found the question that mattered most to him and asked it carefully.

"If you had to choose for yourself, would you have ever gotten married?" He asked quietly. She sniffled on her tears, and he handed her a handkerchief. He wished he could turn away, but he needed to see her face as she answered. Sasuke needed to be able to look her in the eyes and see if she spoke the truth, because if she didn't, he knew it would never work out.

"If I had to choose, I would have waited until I fell in love naturally, not forced. I would have wed that person and we would start our own family, grow old together… I just wanted to marry someone I loved." She looked up at him apologetically, not wanting to insult him. She didn't love him, she barely knew him. But she was willing to try, and that's what mattered. And so he decided to give her something he only gave on the rarest of occasions – he gave her a smile.

"In that case, I think this agreement might work out."

Sakura found herself blushing yet again in front of Sasuke, and this time she decided to try to cover it up by pretending there was something in her eye and brushing it out with the handkerchief he had given her. He didn't seem to pay it much mind, luckily for her. She stared down at her feet, suddenly remembering the list she had prepared earlier. If they were going to really consider this marriage thing, they needed to discuss some things, and quickly. If they didn't make a decision soon, she was afraid that she'd be forced to marry the old man her parents had chosen for her. He may have been good for the company, but not as her husband. She was also afraid that if she and Sasuke decided not to tie the knot, she wouldn't have enough time to find someone else that would.

And that would be disastrous.

So Sakura reached down to her purse, grabbed the list and held it between herself and Sasuke, who looked at it with slight curiosity.

"It's a list." She answered his unspoken question. "I thought about everything I wanted to discuss with you and wrote it down." He nodded his head, as if urging her to continue, but she didn't know where to start. Instead she busied herself with fixing her coat more securely around her in the cold autumn breeze.

"Are you cold? We can move somewhere else."

She shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine."

"Alright." He stared at her, as if daring her to make a move. When she didn't, he decided to move things along himself. "Can I see the list?"

Sakura nodded, handing it to him. His dark coal eyes scanned the paper in silence as he read it slowly, taking time to briefly think about every item. When he neared the end his eyebrows rose, which she cringed at, but he didn't say a thing. He merely nodded and handed it back to her. He looked away, folding his arms around him in his grey jacket.

"I won't ever force you, and I expect you to do the same for me." His deep voice finally spoke. "Anything intimate or romantic can come later or else we'll mess this up. We can do things at our own pace." Sasuke said the words factually, but Sakura swore she saw a shade of pink tint his cheeks.

"I agree."

"But I want kids someday." He said suddenly, glancing at her before turning his gaze away quickly.

"… How many kids?"

"Just a couple, but I wouldn't be upset if we had more." He slowly faced her again when she didn't respond. "Sakura?"

"That sounds good to me." She smiled, looking back down at the list in her hands. His eyes softened.

"So, I guess we should discuss money next?" Sakura stated, but it sounded like a question, as if she was unsure of herself.

"Money isn't a problem; I earn more than enough for the both of us, though I don't spend much of it." Sasuke replied.

"I earn enough money as well with my job, so I don't think it will turn into a problem. We should discuss larger purchases together, but the little things shouldn't be a problem…" Sakura trailed off. Sasuke nodded his agreement, but she continued to stare at him.

"What is it?" He finally asked, becoming stiff.

"What exactly is your job? I'm assuming you didn't tell me your last name earlier because your family owns the company you work for, and you didn't want to be stuck with a gold digger?"

"Exactly. I'm a CEO for our company, Uchiha Corps." Sasuke smirked, but it was swept off his face when Sakura blanched at his words. "Is there a problem?" He asked, slightly concerned with her reaction.

Finally, she answered him quietly, looking away with lidded eyes. "I just realized why Naruto didn't think we'd get along."

So here's chapter 3. This one's dedicated to Bandana Bandit for being my first reviewer on the last chapter and guessing what was going to happen. I'm either very predictable or they're very intuitive; probably both.

But I'm not exactly trying to make this one all guessing games, so if you come to the conclusion of what's going to happen next, kudos to you! I'm having fun just writing this.

Again, thanks for the reviews! They're appreciated, believe me. ;)