I OWN NOTHING!
The ballroom was grand. Covered in lavish decorations smelling of rich foods and expensive perfumes. Nothing less would be expected of an Uchiha affair. In front of him stood a long table with four chairs, one medium at the far left, one large silk covered chair fit for a king, or in this case Fugaku Uchiha, and two more medium chairs sat on the right. Past the table and down several stairs sat three more tables, three seats at each, none of which were filled yet, each table was draped in cyan silks with a centerpiece filled with numerous flowers. Three dozen tables sat beyond that, each was positioned so every person that sat would have no other choice but to look directly up at the Uchiha's table. Even farther a grand dance floor sat, however despite the music playing, no one dared to set foot on it. The guest of honor had yet to show up.
And no one out shone an Uchiha.
The guests walked around aimlessly making idle chit-chat being sure to smooze the right people. Young woman gathered in crowds around young and old men from old families, in their revealing dresses hoping to catch the eye of an heir or two. Already married woman pulled their daughter's dresses down to show more cleavage, hoping to find their daughter a 'good' husband.
Meanwhile, nameless servants, dressed in equally revealing black skirts or too tight slacks and button up shirts, ran around catering to the people's every whim. Pumping the smell of alcohol and cheap perfume into the air.
The man gouged themselves, the woman starved. All the while drinking till they could barely stand up right.
But the party had only just begun.
Black eyes scanned the crowd, disguised with the attire, the smell, the PEOPLE. Knowing his potential 'wife' was standing out there, probably in a slutty dress with way to much makeup, made him sick to his stomach. It was impossible to tell which one of the young ladies would be his dates.
Peaking over the balcony he saw that the first table had filled, a blonde girl sat with two other men. A boy maybe a little older than himself and a man, probably middle aged, dressed in desert wear. He looked vaguely familiar. Which wasn't all that surprising, the Uchiha's didn't invite nobodies to be potentially incorporated into their family.
The girl was decent looking, with her lean long body and gentle curves, she would be considered 'sexy' by most standards.
The table next to her was soon filled as well a young girl who he immediately recognized as a Hyuuga. If the piercing white eyes of all three hadn't been a big enough clue. He already knew the stuttering mess that was going to be a candidate. Hinata was her name, she was present at many galas and was always dropping things and shuttering in apology. If they were choosing on appearance she would never be considered. Not that she wasn't beautiful by anyone standards. Her black hair was cut in an A-bob and was an inky-black. Her eyes a lavender-white and her body an amazing hourglass figure. But the stuttering implied weak, which was something an Uchiha must NEVER be. Fortunately for her, the name Hyuuga implied money.
Old money, which spoke volumes about her chances.
Dark eye's dragged to the table on the far right. Where only two people sat, neither of which could be a potential match. A middle aged couple sat, both good looking, a man with almost obnoxiously blonde hair and a woman with equally as bright red hair. Their appearances alone nearly screamed of new money. Both were smiling and laughing despite the fact that the orchestra had stopped playing and the lights had dimmed and the room was almost dead quiet; implying the upcoming descent of the Uchiha's. The couple sat unconcerned as the minutes passed by and yet their daughter had yet to show up.
'Where is she?' This would not bode well with his father.
The last of the guest were sitting when the east wing door cracked open and a tuft of almost obnoxiously blonde hair rushed into the room crossing the dance floor and rushing to sit by the couple….
Sasuke's breathe caught in his throat. His mind raced trying to process exactly why there was a boy sitting at one of his 'mates' tables. His body was tense and he couldn't look away from the boy. Paritially because he couldn't believe his parents had listened to his pleas about not wanting a woman but mostly because the boy was gorgeous. His eyes traced every nook and cranny of the blonde until gravitating to the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.
They were the color the sky ought to be.
'No way, no way! My parents did not throw away years of Uchiha tradition that say that any Uchiha pair had to be able to produce children!'
He just couldn't believe it. He couldn't. It was too good to be true.
Lost in his own thought, Sasuke failed to her the music start to play.
"Sasuke… SASUKE!" A firm hand was placed on his shoulder.
Onyx eyes glared at the pale hand before rolling it off his shoulder.
"What?" Sasuke practically growled out.
"That was your cue." Sai said with a smirk.
"Damnit!"
Sasuke hurried toward the stairs leading down from the balcony. His cousin following behind him, his parents already standing behind their respected chairs. Mikoto, Fugaku, Sasuke and then Sai, it went this way at ever Uchiha gala.
By this time the room was dead silent. All the guest rose from their seats as the final Uchiha stood behind his chair. No one dared to breath as the four bowed their heads slightly in unison before all the Uchiha's but Fugaku sat. Several moments later the rest of the room sat as in unison as possible.
The eldest Uchiha cleared his throat to the already silent room. The people visible stiffened at the almost glare he sent out as he looked over the people.
The silence was heavy, when suddenly a slight giggle reverberated thought the room. Bouncing off the walls as if it had been a booming laugh instead of a stifled chuckle. All eyes widened as the searched around the room for the person who had dared to laugh at Fugaku Uchiha.
Sasuke's eyes homed in on the beautiful boy, he had a slight smirk etched across his face and his eyes danced in mirth and without a doubt Sasuke knew exactly who had just laughed.
Luckily for the blonde no one else seemed to have noticed.
Several minutes later Fugaku once again cleared his throat, a glare piercing into the crowd daring someone to make a sound. This time not a noise was made. Satisfied with the silence the eldest Uchiha finally spoke.
"Friends, family, business partners. We are here today to celebrate my one and only son's sixteenth birthday!" A short pause was allowed for applause. "And as per tradition it is time for Sasuke to begin his search for his bride."
Sasuke flinched at that. He was only 16 for Christ's sake! Though he was a lot more excited about this now than he had been before. He glanced at the blonde boy before his eye's snapped back to his father.
"So without further ado, I will now present the three choices." The Uchiha gestured toward the first table that held the blonde girl.
"The first is Temari no Sabaku, second in line to be president of Suna."
Well it wasn't hard to see why she was chosen. Power, pure and simple, 'President' was just a politically correct way of saying dictator. The Sabaku's had been in charge of Suna for generations. They had a tendency to not be of completely sound mind which made them a little hard to pair off, although their stunning good looks helped ease the friction this caused. Still no one wanted a crazy in the family. Not that the Uchiha family tree wasn't without a few nuts among the fruits, if you catch my drift.
Sasuke's own brother, that was burnt of the family tree, had turned into a loon. Leaving the day before his sixteenth birthday and into the forest. Apparently he had adducted a man-servant as well, no one knew what happened to them although they were presumed dead and Itachi was never mentioned and it was often pretended that Itachi had never existed in the first place. Sasuke had been only 5 at the time and when confronted by his father claimed to not even remember his brother. But that was a lie. He remembered everything about Itachi.
After the applause for the first choice had died down Fugaku once again began to speak.
"Next is Hinata Hyuuga the Heir to Byakugan Corp and next in line to be the head of the Hyuuga Clan."
The girls face blanched at the mention of all her future responsibilities and her movements were unsteady as she stood to take a bow. If not for her supreme blood-line she would have been a considered a joke. But no one underestimated a Hyuuga. Not even one as feeble as this.
The applause died down and all eyes were cast on the table where no girl sat. Only two people no one recognized and an all to-bright boy.
"And last but not least…."
A/N: trust me it a bit more of a cliffhanger than you would think
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