Hello readers !

++++ this is the edit version of the original release ++++

Sorry for the delay, I had a lot going on these past days and it was just crazy.

MAJOR THANKYOUS FOR Lady Rini for Reviewing on every chapter released so far (3).

Anonymous (Anonymous because i have no name.) ← signature, reviewed twice. I thought Sasuke would look nice in speed skating attire, I've drawn it myself... its yummy looking.

Derp: Reviewed Twice. Yeah, I can view from which country someone sees my story. I was a little smitten to see some dutch viewers. ^_^ I know how big speed skating is over there.

Hakumei: Reviewed once. Glad you didn't find it hard to read. I have my good and bad days for writing but I keep cranking out chapters.

Resax: Glad you like the story. :)

This chapter is thank you to you four for your efforts to drop me a little word. With out you I would have given up on this story all together.

Sakura went about her morning following her day she spent with Sasuke in total bliss. Humming and floating around the house she shared with Ino, even baking cookies which Sakura never got around to doing due to her schedule sometimes. Ino popped her head from the mountains of books in the living room and gave Sakura a strange look.

"Ok, what did you do with the real Sakura." Ino poked her pen at the base of Sakura's spine under the skull threateningly.

"Hmm? Stop that Ino, you can hurt someone like that." She swapped at the offending poking pen. "Not my fault you procrastinated on school work."

"After class tomorrow I'm going to go to Tsunade-sensei and ask for a tougher training regiment." This made Ino drop her pencil before going back to her own studies with a smile on her face. All is right in Ino's universe as long as her best friend ice skated, they lived together in harmony and she finishes this homework on time. All that is left for the young blonde girl to ask for is her boy friend to do something kinky and elaborately romantic for her; fat chance that happening with her clueless boyfriend.

"Sounds good forehead girl."

The Uchiha clan had their annual wine tasting and Sasuke was more or less demanded to go. Naruto tagged along as the only orange speck in the whole party where men wore black suits and women breezy white summer dresses. Sasuke stood at his fathers right hand side as he was obligated to shake hands and greet most of the people who were walking around. A orchestra played light music to add to the light and flavorful atmosphere which went with the sampled wines ranging in the hundreds from eager wine agents brought to the event.

Delegates of states, diplomats, Royalty from near by countries and their very own Fire Daimyo were there, the high society elite clans like the Hyuuga attended also.

When the greetings were done, the wine was being passed around and it gave Sasuke the chance to sit down with his father and at least listen to the conversation going on at their table.

"Where is Itachi, Mr. Uchiha?" The Fire Daimyo asked and this made Sasuke shift his eyes to his father, wondering how he will handle pressing question, it must have been more than just a minor thought to the guests that Sasuke was standing in a place normally Itachi held every year next to the Uchiha clan leader.

"He couldn't attend today, Attending school and all." Fugaku casually brushed it off and Sasuke diverted his attention to Naruto who was making a funny face at a wine sample that was getting passed around the table.

"Blegh, tastes like acid."

"Wine is acidic... thank you for stating of obvious dobe."

"Where's the beer?" Sasuke only lowered his head with contempt.

An hour and a half later and after countless small talk conversations with the important people at the party. A shy Hinata ushered Naruto away in a manor that made Sasuke curious. Naruto had no connection to the Hyuuga family as far as Sasuke knew, so this was something new to him. While excusing himself from the present company he had, he sneaked around outside of the club house on one of the world class golf courses in the Uchiha District. Near the limousines he spoted the two talking and getting rather close till Sasuke felt a hand drop on his shoulder making him jump.

"Hello there Sasuke-kun." Same a smooth voice from behind.

"Sai..." Sasuke acknowledged with a little bite of a grunt.

"Is that how you greet all your cousins?" Sai smiled a plastered on smile which made Sasuke even less pleased. Whenever he spoke to Sai it never turned out good, he simply disliked the guy. He was a year older and generally gave him the creeps. Sai motioned to Hinata and Naruto. "They really hit it off at the party Saturday night. When Naruto gave up on you showing up, and when the Hyuuga got a few drinks in, they hit it off pretty quickly." Sai's fake smile broke and he looked to Sasuke with something Sasuke couldn't quite place. "Congratulations on the position."

Sasuke blinked suddenly and narrowed his eyes. "...Not sure where your getting at, cousin." gruffness was soaked in his tone.

Sai laughed casually, leaning on the younger mans shoulder. "You know exactly what I mean, you are such a simple person to understand, specially next to your brother... you were your brothers shadow, yearning for your fathers praise,... you wanted your father to look at you just like he did with Itachi. Now you have it." Sasuke shrugged Sai's touch from his shoulder.

"How do you know?"

"Word travels fast. The old men will gather tonight to talk to your father, and it doesn't seem good."

Sasuke sighed and looked around the place, he spotted Naruto once again by the limousines with the Hyuuga heiress making out and it only served to remind him of a pink haired girl he spent some time with at the Ice rink. Turning his attention away from both the scene and Sai he started to walk back inside where people were starting to file out. "I will see you tonight I guess." He said to his cousin.

He thought about school and the proposal he had with his father all rest of the day till evening where he found himself slipping on some traditional attire with the Uchiha emblem embroidered, and layers in colors of the clan. With a Hakama-shita, Hakama pants set, he topped it off with a Haori jacket completing the fine Japanese set. He went out with his father and grandfather Madara to the ancient looking Dojo.

Inside was a long wrap around table and the trio sat in the middle on the cushions on the floor, Sasuke Sat between his father and Grandfather, the sitting place for the next leader of the clan. The Clan was an ancient clan, A Samurai class clan from the earliest recorded time for the country, and a very successful one even through war which was attributed to their men who trained as Samurai when born with the physical keenness and the body-linguistics like all the main branch men- which included Sasuke's.

As all the men of importance were invited along with their proteges, Sasuke took note of all of them. Half wore traditional clothing like him, the other wore business suits as if they were just returning from work or simply hated traditional murrmurs died down once fugaku knocked on the wooden table in front of him, one of the last words he heard was. "would it hurt to get chairs?" Said one self entitled business suited man who earned Sasukes attention.

The council of Uchiha's were getting a rift between them, the main branches and the subbranches. The main branches chose to keep more traditional and kept training their bodies and answering their usefulness with sport. While the rest did in academics and business- in recent hundred years of peace time, business has been good for them. The Clan had wealthy business men, Politicians, Deans of colleges, respected scientists, bankers, and business tycoons. With success like that, and moderate peace times, it was no wonder why they were starting to feel more entitled to the clan than the older power of the sword the Samurai men once wielded in more turbulent times of war and insecurity- the traditional times.

"So you were serious about your replacement, Fugaku." Said another suit in a rather unimpressed tone. Next to him was Sai who only smiled at Sasuke when his eyes drifted to him.

The whole meeting went as a blur. Sasuke sat stone faced while accusations and doubt about him as next ruler crossed many mouths in the room, mostly by the less traditionally dressed men. It was to redundant for Sasuke's direct attention, that was till a question was aimed directly at him. Sasuke rose his head an inch and spoke. "I am the same flesh and blood, and only three years Itachi's junior, I have that much time to learn what I can and to say I am not one for the job now will be pulling your chips out before the cards are dealt." the room full of men were silent for a moment before going to their immediate neighbors and started to whisper. Both the traditionalist Uchiha and who Sasuke called the Uchiha Entrepreneurs went along with this till his father called them all to order to discuss some more recent events and goals to keep their prominence. Sasuke only observed the lingering looks he got from the old and young in the room, Traditionalist and non and could see the doubt in their eyes; it almost read "You're not a Itachi..."

He swallowed this in and focused on his father the rest of the night silently, looking forward to the day that he would wipe those looks off those faces, they will not doubt the young son of Fugaku again.

Weeks went by and the schools let out for the summer. For Sakura, summers meant extra training with her extra time, for people like Ino and her crew it meant jobs and weekend parties. Sakura trained intensely with new vigor and progress. With her coach Tsunade, they tackled weaknesses she had in the judging system and pushed her body to be ready for the olympics in the coming spring. Sakura was only days away from her re-entering into the international competitions leading up to the Olympics.

It meant she spent the whole day inside the rink much to Sasuke's horror or pleasure as he watched her from the window of his office overlooking the rink- luck would have it that his father would give him the smaller office with such a view.

Sasuke's summer was spent doing less important paper work for his father, and when he wasn't doing that he was watching the pink haired temptress in her pony tails, skin tight leggings, tank tops doing stretches or bending over to help a smaller child as she would tutor them on the side. It was of course an irritating but infectious situation for him, soon just waiting from above wasn't enough for him.

The next day he went out to the rink side and didn't find her there. Only by over hearing some younger girl who he recognized as one of the skaters Sakura tutored did he find out that she was at a major competition. He watched that competition when he got home on the TV with his mother who kept up with it, she found it strange that her youngest son was suddenly so interested in such a thing. He was glad that Sakura won that competition. He couldn't help to crack a smile when Sakura was over joyed on the TV about her results and this smile wasn't missed by a ever observant mother beside him.

When asked about what made her career turn around, a candid Sakura shrugged her shoulders, smiled brightly and said it was her little secret. This comment went to the controversial side and she submitted to a drug test that same night, said some news casters a few hours later- she passed.

Sasuke went to the plex a few days later, he was skirting around some press people and crowds as Sakura had returned to training. He went right to his office and went to work, going back to spying on the Pink haired figure skater from above. He would have to try another time to get her attention. He spent his normal Thursday doing what he normally did which was do some work with his father till noon, eat lunch, and skate with Naruto and the speeders.

Naruto kept going on about his dates Hinata Hyuuga, who told him was a Ice dancer and friends with Sakura since one of their dates were at Sakura's welcome home party.. 'Such a small world...' Sasuke said to himself. While the two skated around in a few more circles. "Can you stop talking to my butt dead-last?" He grumbled to his best friend over his shoulder. Their formation had it so Sasuke was in front and Naruto in back as they whipped around curves.

Sasuke only heard a laugh before Naruto sped up and passed Sasuke while slapping his butt in the process. This caused Sasuke to wobble and fall, and crashing into the cushioned wall. He didn't move from there, keeping on his butt while crossing his arms over his chest, sending death glares at his infantile friend.

Karin giggled lightly and offered her hand to Sasuke. He accepted it and the two spent the rest of the speed session in a normal fashion. It was her talking about he recent race meets and how she was winning all of them. Sasuke simply kept slipping glances at the red headed girl, seeing how different she wad from another girl who tempted him from afar.

Even later when Karin was between Sasuke's thighs, taking the Uchiha's hardened member in her mouth after practice in side his private locker room, he ran his hands through her hair, gathered the choppy tresses in a pony tail and used the halogen lights from above to play effect on the color when he squinted his eyes down at her so it would appear pink.

His lips parted erotically in a silent gasp when he climaxed powerfully, the feeling resonated through his mind numbly as Karin licked her lips like a sex kitten. She adjusted so his head was in her lap while she brushed her fingers through his freshly shampooed hair lovingly.

"Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

"I know about what you need in a wife." This made Sasuke's eyes spring open and he looked up at her a bit shocked.

"how did-"

"Only a handful of women in the world fit that quality, Sasuke-kun... And how we are right now it only makes sense that I get a gold medal and become your wife."

"I don't care what you do with yourself, Karin... We are not a couple now and you know it."

She sighed childishly and pulled her hands from his wet hair to cross over her chest. "You know I love you, and I know your wife has to be a Olympic gold medalist." She smirks. "I got myself training in five races for next years games, so I have five chances." She said proudly.

Sasuke sat up from her lap and started to dress in his normal street clothes so he can get back to work and that was uneventful and normal. By sundown he clocked out and was on his way to his car, looking forward to dinner for he had not eaten since eight hours earlier. His car revved up, blasted his favorite tones and zoomed out of the parking lot. The upholstery was all brand new from Naruto's last prank with the snow and it made his car have that fresh new car scent that he loved.

Cruising at a speed that a speed skater like him was comfortable with on the freeway, about eighty miles per hour, when a unexpected person turning into his lane made him swerve onto a off ramp. He instantly stomped on the break pedal, nothing happened to his horror. He tried again and again only to find it futile. A stop light was approaching fast. Yanking his emergency break now, he heard a snap from under his car and the dials on his dashboard started to tick and a warning beep rung through. "Oh Shit! NO STOPP!"

When the car reached the bottom of the ramp, a traffic light was right there to greet him, He missed the one car who was waiting there by a few inches and he sailed through the crossing traffic if by some mere pass of luck he did not t-bone any and he hopped over a median which rattled him out of control of his steering. Barrel rolling, Sasuke lost all sense of up and down, only the terrorizing sound of crushing metal.

When the car stopped rolling, he had felt that the car actually did so by hitting something. Either if his car was upright or not, he unbuckled his seat belt and landed on his head on the ceiling. The car was upside down, so he did what he only thought he could do at this point which was crawl out of his opened window. An explosion was the last thing Sasuke remembered hearing before blacking out.

Many sounds came through much later, the constant beeps from somewhere to his left, a few random dings from over head. A drone like voice of a woman announcing a few things to 'staff'. The smell of sterilization filled his senses next and a wash of white blinded him when he eventually opened his eyes.

An angel glowed before him, with a innocent and loving stare as she seemed to be surprised he woke up. Her green eyes lit up and she put a hand over his own. "Don't move Sasuke-kun." She said, like a calm chorus to his ears. She suddenly looked sad and Sasuke roamed his eyes along his own body. Both feet wiggled below and his arms were both there. He only felt an itch on his forehead and a mild pain in his chest. A clear drip was leading into one of his arms, which he assumed was suppressing his pain and made his mind loopy.

"Where am I?" He asked with a dry throat. The angel leaned forward and brought water to him which he craned his head to drink from.

"The Konoha University campus hospital." She answered, but it looked like she wanted to say more. "Your mother is here too... I'll get her." He tried to grab for her but she was to fast and when she moved from the direct light, he held his breath as he saw that her hair was pink, and it was Sakura Haruno.

She did not return, instead his mother rushed to his bed side looking pale and older than she normally looked. It wasn't a sight Sasuke was accustomed to seeing from his usually radiant mother. She wrapped her arms around him delicately and cried upon his chest. A nurse later walked in quietly and put a clipboard at the foot of his bed. "Mr. Uchiha?" this made him raise his eyes to the woman with dark hair.

"I am your Nurse Shizune, you were one lucky fellow you know that?" He blinked up to her and she sat down in a chair on the other side. "You only suffered two broken ribs, a concussion and a broken hand. How you managed it I don't know but you can be released tomorrow after we finish up a few more scans to see if you got any internal injuries and we can go from there."

The Nurse looked down at the crying woman and her expression grew more grim as well. "Unfortunately, your father had a similar accident and didn't make it out so luckily" Shizune was a seasoned nurse and she still can't get over how hard it is to deliver news. "He passed away a few minutes ago with serious injuries and burns."

His mother ripped into another loud series of cries and Sasuke lowered his head as well, watching his mother with out much way to make her feel better. Shizune got to her feet and quietly left the room, passing a concerned looking Sakura and a strange gray-haired man in the hall.

"Sakura-san, right?" This caught the girls attention and she turned to face the older gray-haired man who had his hand fishing his police badge from his pocket. "I am Kakashi Hatake with the Konoha investigations department. My little daughter is a fan of yours... but I need to ask you a few serious questions about tonight.

Sakura nodded silently and answered some of the mans questions to the best of her knowledge. Most of it was 'how did you find him?' 'what did you do after the accident' 'what is your relationship with him?' She revealed that she had found him struggling to crawl out of his half opened car window on the car when he passed out. She had drug him out entirely after something under the hood of the car exploded and called for emergency dispachers on her cell phone. Her relationship? She blushed at the thought and looked to her lap. "...A minor acquaintance..." Is all she said.

Kakashi nodded and jotted down some notes. While keeping an aire of professionalism, she knew his questioning was over when he asked for her autograph for his daughter. She agreed and gave him one. After that the officer left leaving Sakura alone to eye the door where Sasuke was in with a frown.

She knew the news about Sasuke's father, from the comotion going on over the police's radios she knew of another car explosion on the other side of town, and now she found herself back with that infuriating man she met a few weeks ago as she didn't feel right walking away from him in such a state.

Sakura was in her thoughts mulling over what happened when it all started for only a few more seconds when a loud, "Hi Sakura!" came a voice and startled her and made her look up to see the loud blonde she met before at the rink and her welcome home party as her friends date. "is the bastard in there?" and she just looked at him flabbergasted by his bluntness.

"...Sasuke Uchiha is in that room." 'If that is what he meant' she thought.

"Oh good, I hope he is awake..." Then waltzed right in there tactlessly, it only made her sigh. Though only moments later, she heard Mrs. Uchiha laugh softly and sigh a still sad sigh. Through the open door he left behind, she got up to peek inside. What she heard made her gawk and rage to drag the blooming idiot out by the collar when she heard Naruto making a pass on Sasuke's mother. "Just wait till I tell Hinata!"

"Can you stop hitting on my mother!"

At least Mrs. Uchiha had stopped crying.

"Hey! You don't know, I always hit on his mom! I am not serious! OOW Sakura-chan stop! NO don't call her!"