Arranged

Summary: Arranged marriage in the twenty-first century might have been uncommon, but not unheard of. "Doesn't she look lovely, Sasuke-kun?"

Notes:

i) ATTENTION READERS: Until and unless I get a proper response, this fic is on HIATUS.

ii) This wedding was supposed to happen in chapter one. I can't believe it took me four to get here.

iii) It might look like the wedding was an excess, but I needed to write those moments; that was two people signing their life away to relative strangers, and especially for a girl, it's a terrifying moment.

x

You gazed into my eyes

What could I do but linger?

I ran my hands all through your hair

And a cootie bit my finger

x

The first dress fitting was canceled because Sakura had to assist in an impromptu surgery.

The second one was canceled because there had been a terrible bus accident and all hands were needed on deck.

The third time, Sasuke had to fly to Iwa for an emergency conference because Itachi was sick.

The fourth time, Mikoto put her foot down and decided that come hell or high water, this fitting was happening. Her will turned out to be indomitable.

Since the Uchiha were the traditional sort who believed in the ways of the old, they were going to have a Shinto ceremony. Personally, Sakura was appalled by the idea of wearing white just to show that she was ready to conform herself to the ways of the family she was marrying into. She believed herself to be a strong, independent individual and the thought of acting on such a submissive belief made her stomach churn.

Hinata had given her a soft smile and said, "But isn't it up to you to decide what the color means?"

At Sakura's dubious look, she had continued, "Every culture has its own representation of a color, Sakura-chan. If you were having a western style ceremony, you'd still be wearing white."

Sakura promptly decided that the white of her kimono would not represent submission, but hope. Hope for a future that was best for her, where she thrived.

Several shades of white silk lay strewn in the boutique, but none seemed to satisfy Mikoto. Mebuki walked around the shop examining various fabric and Sasuke sat in a corner looking like a very annoyed deer caught in headlights.

Sakura eyeballed the ivory cloth and held it against her chest. Ino had been roped up into a last minute shift exchange so Hinata was the only one with her. Sakura gave her a hopeful, questioning look.

"Um…" Hinata started, looking terrified and uncomfortable. Saying 'no' to something still made her restless.

Sakura sighed and eyes the ivory with narrowed eyes. She liked the white of her lab coat, but didn't know the specific shade of it. She looked at the pool of silk strewn about the shop and randomly pulled one out. She draped it across her shoulders and whirled around regally.

From the other side of the room, Mikoto gasped. "Oh," she said, eyes glittering in a whimsical wonder. "Oh."

"Uh—," started Sakura, not knowing what had happened. Hinata and Mebuki were looking from Mikoto to Sakura, silently gauging the situation.

"My dear," Mikoto glided forward, her dark eyes asparkle, and spoke as if she confided a deep dark secret, "This is the one." Then she whirled around and set her eyes on Sasuke, "Doesn't she looklovely, Sasuke-kun?"

Immediately, Sasuke's manner changed from one of piqued annoyance to that of ingravating servitude that he usually supported in front of Mikoto. "Yes, mother."

The fact that he only ever slanted her a fleeting glance didn't escape Sakura. With narrowed eyes, she decided to have a talk about it later.

Turned out, the shade she chose was porcelain and when she looked in the mirror, she saw that it made the cream of her skin look radiant. Mebuki had tears in her eyes.

Next, they went through the customized embroidery catalogue and Sakura was surprised to feel an actual flutter of excitement in her chest. She ignored it in lieu of thoroughly examining the archive. After a long discussion, it was decided that the uchikake over robe would have a scarlet lining and the jacket would have an embroidery of twining branches of cherry flowers, a seamless ripple of koi and elaborate peony and chrysanthemums on the hem and sleeves. In the center of the back of the garment would be a white crane.

The kakeshita would be a sheer chiffon silk with elaborate pattern weave and the most flimsiest embroidery of cranes—"Mates for life," Mikoto gushed giddily.

For the wataboshi, they selected a sheer white fabric—stiff, but flowing. As Mebuki held it above Sakura's head, the tears that had been swimming in her eyes began to stream down her cheeks. "My baby," she whispered, and then brutally blinked back the torrent and arranged her face in an expression of stern efficiency that was her norm.

And so, the measurements were taken and the kimono was commissioned. It was now Sasuke's turn to be fitted.

Since the Montsuki was less elaborate, it only took a small while for the cloth to be selected and the measurements to be taken. Sasuke grimly bore through it all, holding tight to the bare threads of his dignity.

As he stood there silently, holding his arms up and his legs apart, Sakura felt a sudden urge to walk up to him and slide her arms around his waist, lean the side of her face onto his chest and just…hold on. The notion took her by surprise and she swiftly shook herself out of it.

When it came time for the payments to be made, Mikoto subtly tried to hand the manager her credit card but Mebuki fluidly intercepted it.

"I'm going to pay for my daughter's dress," she said sternly, but not unkindly.

The two of them started at each other for ten humming seconds, then Mikoto graciously retreated.

Hinata put her hand on Sakura's arm. Her eyes were shining and Sakura felt a lump form in her own throat again. Oh god, she thought, this was actually happening.

x

She caught Sasuke just as Mikoto was about to climb into the passenger seat of his car.

"Hey," she said, "Can we talk?"

Sasuke looked at his mother, who smiled expectantly and said, "I'll wait in the car, darling."

Sasuke followed Sakura to the park where she bought a boat of takoyaki and thrust it in his hands. "Eat," she commanded.

Sasuke frowned, not liking the tone of her voice. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked crisply.

She looked at him thoughtfully, then led him to an empty bench nearby. "I want to know the story, you know," she started, "behind your indentured servitude to your mom?"

Sasuke's face darkened and he dropped the tray of takoyaki in the space between them. "It's called being a good son," he corrected darkly.

She stood her ground before his glare, eyeing him narrowly and slid closer in a challenging manner. "Really?"

"Yes," he replied tersely.

"Okay," she said, leaning back and popping a ball in her mouth.

He frowned, not knowing what all that was about. "Is that all?"

She gave a negligent shrug of her shoulders.

His frown morphed into a scowl and he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "My mother…she was—always on my side, okay?" he snapped. "I love her for it."

The heat of his glare lent the weight of truth to his words and Sakura nodded stiffly. "Okay."

"Is that all?" he snapped again.

In response, she gave him a dispassionate stare which might have hinted a growing vexation. "No," she said rigidly, "I want to know when she was always on your side."

"When my father played favorites," he replied crisply.

"Oh," she said, taken aback. "Oh."

Sasuke folded his arms and leaned back on the bench with a stubborn frown. Feeling a cocktail of shame and discomfiture, she took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry."

Looking at his face right then, closed off and rigid she felt a sudden ball of fiery anger flare in her chest. "Well if your dad ever tries to pull that off in front of me, I'm going to rip him a new one."

She looked at him expectantly and he looked straight ahead. So she stuck a toothpick in a takoyaki ball and held it up to his lips in an apology.

They sat there like that for a few long moments and then Sasuke reluctantly took the toothpick from her hand and took a small bite. Sakura's lip quirked in half a smile as she stared at him.

x

Sasuke stood at the French windows of his apartment that looked over the city. Konoha had a long history of violence and infamy—his great grandfather had once conspired to eliminate the entire foundation of the village and rebuild it from the ashes. The insanity that ran in the Uchiha bloodline was notorious. He wondered if it was that insanity that had made him want to hold on to Haruno Sakura today.

His father had never been a great parent—with Itachi, it was too much responsibility at too young an age, and with Sasuke, it was too little, too late. As a child he'd always craved for Fugaku's affection; he'd worked hard for even a tiny shred of it, only to be coldly snubbed. He was grateful for his mother and brother, for always being there to hold him. He realized now, that Fugaku was not a bad person; just misunderstood and awkward, but Sasuke couldn't love him with all his heart like he did his mother and brother. His heart was small, and he wasn't afraid to admit it.

Today, when Sakura had insinuated his…mollycoddle tendencies, it had been like a slap in the face. It had made him want to bury her in caustic words and acrimonious rejoinders. He hadn't wanted to tell her of Fugaku's negligent nurturing but they'd just had dress fittings—for their wedding. She was going to be his wife, and he couldn't stand the thought of living like a closed book hiding behind unresolved daddy issue's.

She hadn't laughed or made fun of him, and for that he was grateful. In fact, he was glad that it was Sakura he was getting married to; despite her sometimes loopy tendencies, she was a good person. He could imagine spending the rest of his life with her. He could imagine waking up to her. He could imagine, someday, actually falling for her.

x

"Three weeks, boss!" Ino chirped from across the body. Her hair was tied up in a scrub cap and her gown was spattered with a little bit of blood. The steady beeping of OR machinery was her solemn backdrop.

Sakura grimaced behind her mask. She didn't need a reminder of that when she was wrist deep in someone's gut. "Shut up, Ino." She peeled her way gently through the layers of skin and tried to locate the source of the internal bleeding.

"You, shut up!" Ino shot at her. "Aren't you excited?" she asked.

"Mmm," said Sakura, completely tuning her out now that she was in a precarious situation. She located the source and clamped it shut. Breathing a sigh of relief, she finally tuned back in.

"Whoa, you were actually gone for a little while there weren't you?" Ino asked.

"As you should've been, Piggy," she replied, beaming.

"Witch," Ino mumbled, flashing her a mock glare.

x

In the past few months, Sasuke had continued with his 'courtship'. Since both of them were busy people with unpredictable schedules, these 'dates' had been far and few between. One time, he took her to a restaurant. They had eaten in an unbreachable, awkward silence. The other, he took her to the Hokage mountain, Konoha's notorious Mount Rushmore. They'd sat in comfortable silence and looked over the city. Then he'd produced a thermos of coffee and silently handed it to her. It had just the right amount of cream and sugar. She'd felt her heart flutter.

Another time, he'd taken her to the aquarium. It had been one of the loveliest experiences of her life. They'd sat in the middle of the hall with all the kids bustling about and talked.

"Why do you like tomatoes?" she had asked.

"Why do you take your coffee with cream and sugar?" he'd countered.

"Touché," she's said, impressed.

This time, he'd taken her boating at the lake. Located a few miles outside of Konoha, it was a wide stretch of murky blue with a park retreat around it. They sat on the grass and looked ahead; Sakura at the rippling water and Sasuke, at the sky.

"How do you come up with these things?" asked Sakura.

He closed his eyes and leaned back on his arms. "Come up with what?"

"Where to take me every time."

"The internet," he said impassively.

"Huh," she said, unimpressed.

"What did you expect?" he asked, semi-opening one eye and tilting his face to look at her.

She shrugged, thought about it and said, "I guess I'd have done the same."

He turned his head back and closed his eye again. Sakura stared at him, and once again, was hit by the sudden urge to wrap her arms around him, to feel the length of his body, the solid warmth of him, against her. She swallowed and clenched her hands into a fist. Without warning, he turned and she was caught in the act of staring at him.

"What?" he asked, curiously.

Like a child caught with his hand in a cookie jar, she panicked and floundered for something to say. "N—Nothing. Just—I was wondering—I wanted to know if, you were, you know…" she left the sentence hanging expectantly.

He fixed her with an amused stare. "Yes…?"

Eyes wide, she said the first word that popped into her head. "Virgin?"

The two of them stared at each other, Sasuke in raised browed wonder and Sakura with the wide eyed shame of someone who'd succumbed to temporary insanity. "Um…" she started, stopped and looked straight ahead at nothing in particular. Her cheeks burned a light shade of pink.

Sasuke felt his lips tug into a smirk. This was a conversation that he would have willingly wanted to have right after he'd volunteered to dance in the nutcracker and legally changed his name to Buttercup Posy-Pants, but it wasn't every day that he had a chance to tease Sakura. It was she who usually made fun of his flustered countenance. So he said, "You really went for broke there, didn't you?"

Taking a deep breath to reign in her agitation, she looked at him reproachfully and said in a measured tone, "Well, I want to know."

He shrugged. "No."

"Okay."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

Blindsided, Sasuke blinked back his shock. "Really?"

"Yes," she replied crisply.

He said nothing. The fact that he said nothing at all made Sakura fidget. He just…looked. At first he held her gaze for a long moment, then he looked up; he looked down; he looked all around. This was done with such deliberate languorous insolence that she began to feel like she was being perused for purchase. "What?" she asked waspishly.

"Thank you, for telling me," he said.

Suddenly feeling inadequate, she snapped, "I came close, ok? But it just didn't—I didn't—"

He put his hand on the small of her back, gently and she stopped; took a deep breath and looked out at the lake again. His hand remained at her back, and she didn't ask him to move it.

"It's silly, right?" she asked eventually. Her voice was strangely muted.

'No,' said Sasuke, feeling something very warm and very odd in the vicinity of his heart. "I think that might be the least silly thing I've heard in years."

Later, they took a boat ride around the lake and talked about trivial things. She told him about her interest in general surgery, and he told her about Hana, Karin and Suigetsu's daughter. She asked him how he met them and he clammed up, which annoyed her.

"Stop acting like I've stuck you in the butt with a fork," she snapped. "It's just a question. If you don't feel like answering, just say so, but don't ignore me. Okay?"

He gave her a long sideways look. Then he paddled the boat extra hard and mumbled, "Okay," all the while avoiding her gaze.

x

The day before the wedding, Sakura got assigned the night shift at the ER. A couple who'd gotten into an accident was bought in. The man was relatively unharmed but the wife was three months pregnant and bleeding profusely.

She spent five hours in an Operating Room fixing the damage. By the time she got out she was exhausted, so she went into the on-call room and crashed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she remembered what day it was. Tomorrow, she thought, she would be sleeping in someone else's home; her name would be Sakura Uchiha; and her entire life would be turned inside out.

x

Sakura wasn't the only one unable to sleep. With his hands linked behind his head, Sasuke stared at the ceiling above his bed.

Tomorrow, he was going to don his wedding garments and pledge his life to another person in an elaborate ceremony. She was brilliant and vibrant and so full of life; a complete antithesis of his own. He would share the rest of his life with her; sleep with her, eat with her, share his home with her, have children with her. He wondered how it was going to work out—if it was going to work out at all.

x

She was woken up by an annoyingly cheerful Ino. "Wakey, wakey, Billboard Brow."

Sakura groaned into the pillow.

The side of the bed dipped as Ino sat down beside her. Sakura purred in contentment as Ino ran her fingers through her hair. "You're getting married today," said Ino softly.

Instantly, Sakura's stomach dropped and a swarm of mutant pterodactyls started flapping in their wings in her belly. A terrible premonition of failure quivered through her. "I think I'm going to puke," she mumbled blearily.

"Baloney!" said Ino, inarguably. "You're going to go out there, marry that hunkalicious man and live happily ever after!"

Sakura swallowed bile, groaned and buried her head in the pillow again.

x

The entire day was a never ending beauty countdown plan. She arrived at the Salon at 8; Mikoto, Mebuki and Ino in tow where they were promptly separated. She was led to a small room with an oblong bed in the middle and relaxing music flowing out from hidden speakers.

She was asked to take her clothes off and lie down. What followed was the most traumatizing experience of her life. When she limped out, Ino gave her a lopsided grin. Sakura shot her a murderous glare.

Her hair was washed and tied in a towel, her face was plucked and primed, massaged and kneaded. There was an hour of massage therapy followed by a manicure and a pedicure. By the time all that was done, quarter of the day was gone.

She was then helped into the juban undergarments. Over that she wore the kakeshita, which was tied around her body like an elaborate gown. She was then led to a comfortable looking salon chair where a team of specialists applied her makeup and teased and twisted her hair into the traditional hairstyle of the Edo Era. Once the updo was complete, tsunokakushi was gently pinned onto her head. Once the headpiece was on, lacquered combs and delicate metal kanzashi ornaments were positioned at just the right angle in her hair, so that every time she moved, each ornament trembled and swayed precariously.

When she finally stood up, her head felt like an entire continent was dangling on for dear life on there. Mikoto and Mebuki sat smiling at her from just across the room as Ino helped her into the uchikakerobe. On the porcelain of the silk, the embroidery was intricate and beautiful; sinuous branches of cherry trees twisting up and around the robe, the sleeves falling in long bells down past her arms, the hem falling fluidly down to cover her feet, which were encased in three inch powder white pumps. From the back, the collar of the kimono dipped elegantly, revealing the nape of her neck.

Ino helped put the oversized wataboshi over her head and Sakura bowed her head to carry the weight of it.

When all was done, Mebuki stood up and walked to her. Her face was contorted into a trembling smile as she handed Sakura the ceremonial fan and fixed the tassels at the collar of the uchikake.

Under the heavy layers of the shiromoku, Sakura's legs felt brittle, like ice ready to crack. Her stomach curled into a tight ball of suspended unease as she walked out to the car.

x

Sasuke was waiting for her as she was led to the hotel room with her small procession. He looked arrestingly handsome in his montsuki. The sleeves of his haori dipped low as he held his hand out to receive her. Fugaku and Itachi stood vigilantly in the corner with her father and Naruto. Kizashi looked ready to burst into tears and Naruto smiled at her brilliantly.

A registrar sat across from them with a marriage certificate and legalizing documents. The nervous tremors in Sakura's major organs became serious quakes as she took the pen and signed her name on the document. She watched Sasuke as he took the pen, for any signs of hesitation, but if he felt any, he didn't show any outward signs of it.

Beneath the tough focused exterior, Sasuke was a bundle of nerves. This was, he thought, a start of a new chapter in his life. He had no way of knowing how it would turn out, if he'd made the biggest mistake of his life or if this might be the best thing to ever happen to him.

After the papers were taken away, the Priest stepped forward and explained the various steps of the ceremony.

Half an hour later the procession finally began. The sanshin led the party a small walk to the shrine. Sakura, who was decked from head to toe in heavy garments was barely able to walk, and was very grateful for Sasuke's arm, in the crook of which she'd stowed her hand for support. It was a small thing, but it helped.

When they arrived at the shrine they were led to the main chamber, where as the ceremony started, all in attendance bowed for the Shubatsu-no-gi, as the priest purified the bride, groom and the assembled party. Sakura felt like her head piece might fall off when the priest touched her bowed head with the purification branch and held her breath.

The minister started the Norito-sojo; held out a scroll of ancient text and announced the marriage to the Hachiman Okami deities. Just as Sakura's legs were starting to cramp, the prayer ended and everyone in the room bowed. She gasped as her ornaments dangled precariously and through the hazy veil of the wataboshi she saw Sasuke give her an alarmed look. Not wanting to speak, she reached out her hand and squeezed his reassuringly. The pterodactyls in her stomach had finally calmed down to domestic butterflies again and there was a tingle in her chest as the priest announcedSan San Kudo.

They stepped towards the altar in unison and with impressive coordination sipped sake three times from three differed sizes of cups. Then Sasuke took the scroll the priest had handed him, turned slightly in her direction and started reading the vows.

"We make this vow respectfully, before the Hachiman diety," he said loudly, clearly. "We, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke are humbled to be able to make our vows on this auspicious day, and to become husband and wife with the blessing of Kami-sama."

His eyes slanted to her as he said the next words, "We swear before Kami-sama, to love and respect each other forever, and to strive to bring our family prosperity," here he paused and made sure she was looking at him, understanding the meaning of his words.

"Moreover," he said, and his voice carried over the audience at large, but his words were just for her, "we swear never to veer from the true path of matrimony."

Sakura felt her eyes brim with tears. In his words, was the underlying message that this marriage, no matter how it came to be, was not a sham; not a mere word or a simple relationship. It was a silent promise that said, he was, and would from now on be, Sakura thought with bemusement, a headache for her forever.

His gaze didn't leave hers until the priest handed them the tamagushi branch and they bent down in front of the altar to say their individual prayers. Sakura closed her eyes and prayed for a content life; for her and for Sasuke.

Sasuke prayed for a life not marred by his mistakes, for a happy family and a content life.

They placed the branch on the altar and bowed twice, deeply and clapped twice, then bowed once more. They stood up, and the rings were bought to them, hers by both Ino and Hinata, Sasuke's by Itachi.

As she offered her hand to Sasuke, she felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter turbulently. He slipped the band into her ring finger, and then offered his own. She took the ring from Hinata and slipped it onto his finger. There, she thought, relieved. It was done. She was done.

The procession applauded uproariously and under the veil Sakura felt light headed, like she was out of her body but somehow in it, too. She stumbled a little to the left, feeling a faint and Sasuke caught her by the waist.

Up front in the crowed Mikoto's eyes shone with gleeful tears which were mirrored in her sigh of contentment. Mebuki stood tall and proud while Kizashi sniffed into a napkin. Naruto clapped his hands proudly and on her side Hinata quietly sniffled in the sleeve of her kimono. Ino whooped.

The applause died down and Sakura had a brief premonition of what her life was going to be like. Being married to Sasuke would be like living on the fringe of a tornado, and she was going to be caught up in the whirl.

x

tbc