Sweet Cherry – 4
She feels cold and dry when she wakes up to a vision of a bright, white ceiling. Everything looks blurry, so she refuses to stop her vehement blinking until she sees clear again. A rough sound releases her throat, begging for water. Next, she tries to move her limbs. Her fingers and toes are intact, even if rusted. Her head moves slightly from left to right, and back, then up and down. These movements leave a dizzy feeling, so she stops.
She is alive, and that is all that matters.
Her senses come to life slowly, so she listens to a slight snoring sound from her right. It is familiar, giving her the comfort that slows down her stressed heartbeat. Her lips are too dry to smile, yet it does not mean that she is not smiling on the inside.
My husband, she thinks as she falls into the dreamland again, accompanied by his soft snoring sound that feels like a well-missed lullaby.
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The next time she wakes, she feels much stronger. Her lips are still dry, but her stamina has come back, altogether with her clear vision. She does not hesitate to raise her head and to look to her right, to maybe spot the person she expects to see, but there is only an empty chair. A feeling of longing follows, and she sighs, laying her head back on the pillow.
Just as she is reminiscing the evening of his birthday to remember what has led her to this place, the door to her hospital room opens. She raises her head to see who the visitor is, and she cannot help but be alarmed.
"Oh, dear God!", her voice is hoarse as she expresses her concern. "What has happened to your face?"
The man is just as shocked as she is as he hurries to her side and bends down, holding her hand in his.
"Answer me first. How are you feeling?", he asks, his free hand brushing her cheek. He looks troubled, and it is his bruised and bandaged face that tears her heart apart. As it is obvious that she lost the control over her tongue at the sight of his state, he tries again.
"Sakura."
She gulps and says, "I am fine, really. Not perfect, but I feel healthy." Her voice sounds rough and her throat feels dry. Just as she opens her mouth to ask him if he can bring her water, she finds herself in between his warm chest and safe arms. She feels that he is gentle in holding her, that his embrace is earnest and his sigh next to her ear is one of relief. The grip on her night gown tightens on her back, the heartbeat inside the man in front of her grows faster, and she wonders what he has been through after she lost her consciousness that night.
She wants to ask him, but he hurries out of the room to look for a doctor.
It is then that she notices the longing in her chest.
.
.
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The doctor says that she has overcome the worst of the poison, orders her to reside for a few days longer in the hospital, and exits the room after about half an hour, leaving the couple alone. She still sits on her hospital bed as he settles on his chair with a loud sigh. He leans back, and they share looks. This situation feels surreal, so there are no exchanged words for a while. The silence is easy to grasp, but difficult to break. There is a question that is yet to be answered, though, so he speaks.
"Don Haruno", he says.
She is taken from her daze, blinking and furrowing her brows.
"Papi?"
He clears his throat, resting his hands on his knees. He looks away shortly, then back at her questioning face.
"My face", he breaths out. She detects the way he is uncomfortable with telling the truth, and it takes her a while to understand.
He watches her looking down on her hands, shocked, then worried, sad, irritated. Her hands find their way to her mouth, and she gasps out loud, "Oh, Papi!" He jumps from his seat as she does from her bed, throwing the bedsheets aside. Just as she corners her bed to rush towards the door does he hold her by her arm to make her stop. She gives him an angry snarl, but he does not step back.
"What has gotten into you? You have to rest, not to run around the hospital!"
She attempts to pull her arm back, but he does the same with strength that dominates her own. "Let me go! My poor Papi must be worried sick!" She pulls harder. "I must call him!"
"The one who is sick is you", he has become angry, so has his voice, thus she startles a little. "Now sit down here –"
"But my Pap –"
His patience fades, so he carries her to the bed himself. She wiggles and punches and kicks in his arms, but he does not give in. It is as he almost throws her down on her bed, presses her wrists next to her head, and tells her that he will bring her a telephone that she gives in.
There is a blush on her cheeks as he leaves the room, which is a remnant of his boldness when he pushed her on the bed.
.
.
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He cannot deny the jealousy inside his chest as he watches her speaking to her father. She sounds and acts with much more worry than before – when she talked to him. She sounds friendly, and loving, and caring. Although he would love to snatch that telephone from her hands, he feels satisfaction in her happiness and joy as she talks with her father.
"Yes, Papi, of course. Yes, he is here to protect me and treats me well, don´t worry."
His brows furrow as he listens to her talking, and he is sure that there is nothing as irritating in this world than to listen to his spouse´s conversation about him with his in-laws.
"Yes, yes, Papi. I love you. I will speak to you later."
Her call ends here, and he watches her holding her hands to her chest. She is holding back, but he knows to give her thoughts space. It is an uncomfortable situation for both of them, so he needs his distance as well. He suspects she feels a guilty conscious for what her father did to him, though he is not sure. There is also her concern and uncertainty about whether he holds a grudge against her father, and therefore, against her.
They silently sit again, and it is her who speaks first this time.
"I am sincerely sorry about…", her eyes leave his gaze to look over his face. "…This."
He sighs. There is still jealousy, though he is slightly satisfied that she is at least caring about him – even if not as much as about her father.
"There is no reason to apologize. I would do the same if it was my daughter."
Before he can comprehend what he just has said, her mouth stands open in a little gasp. There is an astonished silence as her cheeks turn red, and his ears do the same, eyes widening at the realization of his words. They do not look away, though, but hold the other´s eye in place with their own.
There is gratitude in her smile, combined with the shy bite on her lower lip. She is fluttering her eyes at him again - the same way she did when they danced on the day of his birthday. He does not know how to react, though he is relieved that he does not trip this time.
She cannot hold his intense gaze so she looks away, but the shy smile does not leave her lips for a while.
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Fin.
Beat´s Note: Here we go with the fourth chapter. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! I love the idea of protective Kizashi. I feel like this chapter was a little rushed, is it true?
My comments on the latest reviews:
Different from other arranged marriage stories: Ah, yes my friends! I cannot express how much I love it that you appreciate this type of arranged-marriage-fic. I truly try to make them get closer slowly, without hatred. I will add little drama at some point, though, because every couple goes through some little quarrels.
Last chapter being "heavenly": Three words: I love you.3
Worried Sasuke and what will happen to Sakura: Aw, yes worried Sasuke melts my heart. I love to express how much he cares. As a man who grew up in a place where men are supposed to protect the family, he takes Sakura´s well-being as his responsibility. This is why he does not resent Kizashi for punching the hell out of him. He understands. Sakura is healthy again, by the way. She is not poisoned in the next chapter.
The couple´s distance because of the business transaction: Yes, yes, yes. They will work it out, but they cannot pretend to be complete strangers to each other. This takes time, especially if they have to learn to love each other. As to right now, they slowly start to grow fond of each other as partners, friends, and maybe even little love interests. They got used to live with the other person, which is why the longing takes place. They only have each other to protect themselves, and the huge responsibility towards themselves and their family strengthens their bond.
Does Sasuke feel like he owns her because she took his last name? Heh. Let this be one of the next prompts, shall we?
Sakura trusting Sasuke, but being a dangerous catch: Sakura is the only daughter of Don Kizashi. As she grew up, she learned to be tough and to protect herself as the daughter of one of the most dangerous Dons out there. This is why she stands her own ground, but also respects her father´s choice of spouse for her, because she knows that Kizashi loves her deeply. She knows that he must have made huge researches about this choice, so she respects it dearly. He is her Papi, after all.
People loving my style, my content, how I make them interact, the SasuSaku moments… : I am so glad you like how I write this! This is not the usual style I write in, so I am so happy that it turned out to be a good one! Love you all, guys! Please tell me if it feels rushed, odd, etc.!
Hating that my chapters are so short: I am a little sorry about this, but I have a few reasons. First, I have many other stories I am working on, as well as some little art projects on Tumblr. Sasuke Week is about to start, and there are many other events I would like to participate in. The worst thing is that my exams will start next month, and after that I will have an internship. I aim for short chaps because of this, since I can update sooner and keep myself motivated enough to write one chapter in one go. I hope you understand!
I made a Don Uchiha fanart and posted it on my Tumblr. Go have a look if you want!
IMPORTANT: Please, please! If you have any cute married life prompts, do tell! I have some in mind, and I google real life couple moments (honestly, this is so embarrassing) so I can fill the chapters until the lovey-dovey stuff can begin.
Love you all! Thank you so much for your great support! Please keep on with these awesome reviews!
- Beat ^^
