Aah, another chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Some tests were coming up, and I couldn't even put my pencil down for at least an hour!
So to make it up to you...yeah, I'll just stop talking now...
"...I think we should think about this for a while, Sakura. I know that we were really starting to get to know each other, but I still want time to decide." What a jerk!
"I see. But Sasuke-kun, I've already made my decision- I think we should get a divorce." Sasuke's eyes widened. He looked scared...
"You can't do that! Why?! Let's talk it over, okay?" I shook my head no.
"No, Sasuke-kun. We don't need to talk it over. Can't you see how simple it is? You were cheating on me behind my back and I found out. I faked suicide, and you proposed to someone else without a second thought. Now, if we get a divorce, you won't be cheating anymore, and I can move on with my life. Simple, isn't it? And we both become happier than we are now!" It made perfect sense to me.
"But you don't understand! You don't know how attached I became to you after we got married. Please let me explain!" He had on that same pleading look.
"NO! Why can't you just accept reality?We could be happier-"
"But no one else will be. My parents, your parents, Naruto, Ino...None of them would be happy."
"Sasuke! This is about us, our marriage. They don't mean anything, not in this situation."
Sasuke looked horrified. Then, the most unexpected thing happened. He started to cry.
Sakura, don't be affected by him
Don't be affected
Don't be affected
Don't be freakin affected!
But I couldn't help myself. I turned to face the window where my mansion was, not wanting him to see the tears that cascaded down my own cheeks.
He walked over and wrapped his arms tightly around me, still crying loudly. After five minutes, we both calmed down a little.
"Sakura-chan, what will it take for you to stay here and be mines?" What was today? Valentines Day? No way...
"Sasuke, that's not an option right now. You have a wedding coming up soon, and I want to go on with my life without you. How about we let go for a while and find another special someone?"
"But two years apart is long enough to last a lifetime-"
"Sasuke, if we could live without each other when we weren't married, we could do the same now. If the whole 'other person' thing doesn't work out, then we can reconsider getting back together, okay?" I gulped. This plan sounded worse by the second.
"I don't want another person in this relationship. And reconsider? As in only thinking about?" he looked really angry now.
"Yes, reconsider. Maybe one of us is okay with the 'other person' plan-"
"More like the intruder plan," he scoffed, frustrated.
"Stop that! You were okay with letting Chika intrude in this relationship to help you let go! Why can't you let me have a shoulder to cry on?" I was near tears again.
"Chika never intruded into any of this, okay?! You were the one who intruded here!" Traitor tears...
I regained my composure and sighed. "Do you mind explaining?" I hissed.
"Chika and I were together ever since junior high. We were ready to tell my parents that we were engaged after high school, but they beat me to it, saying I was engaged to you. Do you know how hard it was for her to accept that?" he yelled.
"That wasn't my fault," I was still calm, "Did you seriously think that I would want to get married? I thought you would at least understand! I've explained it to you so many times!" Lost the calm demeanor...
"Then leave! Maybe you are right- we'll all be happier."
Was he kidding?!
"Fine. The divorce papers will be in your office tomorrow, Sasuke." I walked out, passing Mikoto on the way.
She held my wrist and pleaded, crying.
"Sakura-chan! I don't want to have that slut around as my daughter-in-law. She threatened to kill Aki, my grandson. She's crazy!"
I stared at her calmly, hiding my tears. I was really close to Aki. (Itachi got a divorce five years ago, I found out.)
"Uchiha-san, I am sorry, but as of tomorrow, I won't have any relations to the your family. Please tell Aki that I wish him the best of luck!"
I forced a smile, and turned away.
I was depressed.
For a whole week after the divorce, I couldn't get out of the house.
My friends came over, bringing tons of sweets and horror movies to watch with me, my sister and Suigetsu included.
I had a nice time, but I felt...dead.
Every time they all went home, I would stop and think: Why do I feel like this? I 've dated two other guys, and their break ups had no effect on me...
"Sakura-chan!"
I snapped my head up to see Naruto standing there, waving his arms like a buffoon.
"Yes, Naruto?"
I liked having Naruto around- he always brought Hinata with him, and we'd goof off and take my mind off the divorce.
I returned to work after a week's vacation, and everyone in the hospital was happy to see me healthy again.
"I'm fine. Just the shock of divorce, ya know?" I smiled and told them.
How I wished for that to be the truth. Unfortunately, some people have less luck than others.
I sighed- I've been doing that a lot since after the divorce.
"Momoka, can you give Hiro-san his next appointment date?" I asked one of my best (friend) nurses.
"Hai, you can go to the next patient now, Sakura-sama!" she smiled to cheer me up.
I was slightly grateful that everyone had sympathy for me.
No one close to me except my deceased mother would understand how I felt. At least they bothered to show me comfort.
Why was I so depressed about this divorce anyway? I should be happy. Unless...I'm really starting to fall in love with Sasuke.
Or maybe I'm already in.
Huh.
I was starting to suspect that theory every day, and every day proved the theory to be more and more correct.
But every time I thought of this, I would hit myself in the head, thinking of how dumb it was.
He isn't yours anymore.
He never was yours to begin with, dumbass!
Why are you still trying to figure this out?
It's over.
Then I would cry, and someone would hug me and tell me everything would be okay.
Day of Sasuke's and Chika's Wedding (Sasuke POV)
This doesn't feel right.
The thought of what Chika and I are going to do tonight freaks me out.
I knew she wouldn't hear any objections, so what can I do?
The only person I want standing next to me is...
"SAKURA?!"
"Yes, Sasuke?"
Why was she so calm? I couldn't even sleep after she left!
"Sasuke, you look horrible! Hahaha, aw, you're in such a cute suit...Smile! Don't look so constipated on your wedding day!"
Sakura touched my cheeks and laughed heartily.
Was this a joke of some sort?
I reluctantly smiled...just for her.
"Hey Sasuke! The ceremony is about to start!" yelled Chika's brother. Great.
"Alright, I'll be there. Just...give me a few more minutes!" I replied.
"Sakura, we can get remarried today...Would you like that? I would," I said, turning to Sakura.
"No, Sasuke. It's Chika's turn now."
Suddenly, the smile and cheerfulness slipped away from her face to reveal the sad, miserable one.
With one last glance toward me, she turned around and walked to her seat at the front row.
Stupid priest...
One of my brother's friends (Hidan) is in charge of the part of the priest.
He dragged on and on, making me slowly lose all the dignity I had. Seriously, this guy was cursing like there was no tomorrow!
"Sasuke?" he asked.
Crap, my turn to say "I do."
But...I don't want to. It felt weird, finally getting to marry Chika. There was no love, not like the wedding with Sakura.
Sakura stared up at me, expecting me to say those dreaded two words.
Something glinted in her eyes, though.
Was it remorse?
"Sasuke!" Hidan was mad now. Crap.
"I..."
Maybe it was fate. Or true love.
"...don't."
Gasps and murmurs spread throughout the crowd. My parents beamed at me, and Itachi smirked and mouthed "Awesome."
"Hn. I'm sorry, Chika. We can still be friends, but this isn't right. I feel more comfortable with Sakura being here..."
"STOP!" a woman's voice rung out.
"You promised my daughter you'd let Sasuke marry her, Fugaku. Either that, or Aki dies, remember?"
The woman resembled...
Crap! It was Chika's mother.
She grabbed a knife from her pocket and put it a few centimeters away from Aki.
Itachi seemed to not care that his son was about to die in a matter of seconds.
"D-Daddy! Save me!" Aki whimpered. Sakura frowned, but did nothing to stop the madwoman.
"Shut up, idiot!" the woman said. The knife touched Aki's throat.
Father sighed and mumbled, "Let us talk this out, Midori-san-"
"Talk?! I've done enough talking! First, it was Akemi and Itachi, remember? Now, it's Chika and Sasuke! Do you not see how miserable that pinky's making the poor boy? Why can't you let my little Chika help?!" she screamed.
"Midori! Akemi didn't like Itachi, so we set her free. I don't want our generation to torture this new one!"
"Oh, but Fugaku! It wasn't just Akemi and Itachi or Sasuke and Chika. There was me and you, too. You ran off to marry that whore-"
"Mikoto is not a whore! This has gone on long enough, Midori! Let go of the past!"
I'd never heard this side of my parents' story. Maybe this was why my dad was always so overprotective of Mom...
"Fine, just keep the filthy kid! Let's go, Chika! There are better men in this world that would just die for your attention."
Chika ran to catch up with her mother. I stepped down the altar and walked to Sakura.
She didn't seem to notice that I was headed her way, because she ran over to the crowd that had formed around Aki.
"Aki-kun, are you okay?" she asked.
"Sakura-nii-chan! That lady was so scary!" he cried.
Itachi walked over and picked his son up. He walked outside, and motioned for me and Sakura to follow him.
Outside (Sakura's POV)
"Someone has to get married today, or else Hidan's going to explode on me at work tomorrow," Itachi stated bluntly once we were clear of the crowd.
"Who will?" I asked him.
Surely he wasn't suggesting...
"You and Sasuke, of course."
...but he was.
"I don't mind. It'd be a great relief for me," Sasuke said. The brothers looked at me, and Aki slowly turned his gaze from his dad to me.
Crap!
Just wait until he finds someone else, I warned myself.
"I'm not okay with it. Please try to understand that this isn't the life I want. I don't want children of my own, nor a love life. The only thing I need right now is work and my siblings and friends are more than enough to handle," I said.
"We don't have to have children just yet, Sakura. And you'd still work at the hospital, and I'll still work with Itachi, if you want. And siblings and friends? You can still hang out with them," Sasuke tried to convince me.
"No, Sasuke. I don't want to get married."
Without answering, Sasuke lifted me up and took me back to the altar.
"This woman and I will be wedded today," he told Hidan and the crowd.
So after saying our vows yet again, we went home and changed for the party.
"Sakura, I'm very happy with what I did earlier, and I know you are too."
"What do you mean?"
No way was this jerk a mind reader.
"I saw it in your eyes when I looked down, Sakura-koi. True love."
He smirked that stupid smirk again.
"Fine, so maybe I do love you. It still doesn't mean you can force me into marriage."
"Actually, it does. You weren't that high in the air when I carried you, right?"
"Sasuke-kun, it was six feet in he air. Yes, it was very high to me."
Seeing as I can barely reach his lips when I'm standing tiptoed, I added to myself.
"Oh, right."
Was he leaning closer?
NO!
And we kissed for the third time.
It was very passionate, unlike the gentle one at the altar. I liked this one a lot better.
So I wasn't afraid of love anymore, okay? I'm obsessed with it, especially with this man.
As we stepped into the living room of the mansion, all eyes stared at us.
Sasuke gave me a confident smile, and we danced.
Slowly, everyone else in the room was dancing: Ino and Shikamaru, Neji and Tenten, Naruto and Hinata, Karin and Suigetsu, Fugaku and Mikoto, even Itachi and the very-much-sane Akemi!
I was kind of sad that my dad didn't show up at the party, even though we told him a few hours before it began.
But I didn't need him or my stepmom to ruin my special night.
This was still the best party ever, as Sasuke and I danced, his arms wrapped around me and my hands on his chest.
"Look around, Sakura," Sasuke said, "it's your happily ever after."
I couldn't help but to let a few tears escape and run down my cheeks. Sasuke held me closer
Those words sounded so beautiful...
My happily ever after.
That's the end, unfortunately.
I wanted to make it a lot longer, but I'm saving that for the sequel.
IF I GET OVER 25 REVIEWS FOR THIS STORY (TOTAL), THE SEQUEL WILL BE PUBLISHED!
Yes, the sequel will be about 10-15 chapters, for anyone who wants to know!
pinkmuffinz