"Sakura-dear, what are you wearing?" Came Mikoto's voice, and Sakura who was sound asleep, had to stop herself from having a heart attack, as she sat in bed and stared at the elegant woman smiling down at her.

"Mikoto-sama…." She started.

"Oh, excuse me dear, I am very sorry, I did not mean to wake you, I was informed that Itachi had gone out so I assumed you left with him. I just came in to put this gown in your closet. It's for tomorrow's event." Mikoto explained. "But when I saw you wearing …. What is this that you're wearing dear?"

Sakura blinked.

"Ah, it's well, they're some pjs that I bought yesterday, they're nothing fancy but…"

"Oh, why would you need that dear, have you not found the nightgowns I bought you?"

"Yah… Yah I did…." The girl said awkwardly, unable to find a proper way of responding to the question. After all, saying that the nightgowns revealed more than they covered and that she was not at all comfortable with Itachi seeing her that way might not be exactly what the woman hoped for. "It's just that, you know, with Itachi having gone out I didn't see a reason to waste one of those, um, lovely nightgowns."

With that Mikoto's face lit up.

"Ahh, I see." The Uchiha matriarch said with a nod. "Well, then dear, your gown and your shoes are in the closet….."

"Thank you so much Mikoto-sama you didn't have to."

"Oh Sakura-dear, I wanted to. You're my son's wife, and the future mother of my grandchildren." She said with a sneaky smile. "Now get some rest darling. I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that the woman headed for the door leaving Sakura to fall back to the bed with a sigh and dull thud.

.

Sakura once again twitched, her mind going from peacefully asleep to extremely annoyed before she even had time to realize that she was awake.

Tenten gave a low whistle. "So that's what the bedroom of the Anbu vice president looks like. Talk about decadence."

"The entire house is insane." Ino chimed in. "I can't believe that Sakura gets to live here."

"I can't believe that anyone gets to live here, this place is the kind of place you see in the movies."

"Having a sex addiction does pay off…. Who knew." Ino pushed on.

"I do not think that Sakura-chan has an …. A…. addiction." Hinata's voice echoed.

"That's because you did not see what I saw. The girl's terrifying, even poor Itachi-Taicho was a little taken aback. She was attacking him I tell you. And in his very own bedroom." The blonde explained.

"Wow. Who knew." Tenten commented.

"You people do know that I am right here, right?" Sakura finally snapped sitting up in her bed.

The three girls standing in her/Itachi's room, diverted their eyes to her, both Tenten and Ino seeming disaffected.

"We're very sorry, Sakura-chan." The Hyuuga said with a bow.

"Well, we tried waking you up, but you wouldn't, so we figured we'd just hang out here till you do." Tenten explained.

"Yah, you were probably passed out from chasing around your husband too much." Ino said with a smirk.

"Why are you people here?" Sakura snapped, she really did not want to discuss anything that had to do with her so called husband after the uncaring way he's treated her the night before. It is true that she was exhausted though, she did have difficulty sleeping what with her mind having decided to show her every possible bad scenario that could take place at the Uchiha gathering.

"We're here to save your future, Forehead."

"And how do you propose to do that, Pig?"

"We have a plan." Ino declared.

"No. Absolutely not." Sakura screamed, waving her hands in front of her face defensively as she jumped out of bed. "Nothing good ever comes out of your plans. And I can't risk anything going wrong today."

"What's happening today?" Tenten questioned.

Sakura gave a sigh.

She was prohibited from sharing certain things with her friends, but she was quite certain that talking to them about this was not going to affect her mission and hopefully won't anger her beloved husband/*lord Satan.*

"There's this party…"

"Oooh, a party…." Tenten and Ino sang.

Sakura shrugged, "no, not the good kind."

"How come?"

"It's a gathering at the main house; I'm supposed to meet many of the higher-ups of the Uchiha clan."

"Oh," Ino started. "That sounds rough."

"I don't think many of them were at the wedding." Tenten commented.

Hinata nodded. "My father told me that there were more of the Hyuuga higher-ups at the wedding than there were Uchiha higher-ups."

At that the other three girls looked at Hinata in surprise.

"Really?" Tenten whispered.

"I don't get what's wrong with those people. I mean yah I get it he's their genius heir but he's found a woman he loves is that too much of a crime." Ino snapped.

"You're just saying that because you wanna marry Sasuke." Sakura pointed out.

"You bet I do. And when I do those old geezers better respect it. I mean I still don't understand what kind of magic spell you've put on Itachi-taicho to make him fall for you. But he did, so they should just stop being asses." The blonde declared.

"But you must keep in mind that this might actually be a first for them. I don't think I've ever heard of an Uchiha heir ever marrying someone from outside the clan." Tenten reasoned.

"Hai," Hinata started. "And Sakura-chan is going to one day become the clan matriarch. A clan matriarch from outside the clan, my sister was saying that some of her Uchiha friends are really upset about it."

Sakura shook her head contemplatively, her eyes darkening.

"You know, things happened so fast I don't think I had time to actually think everything through."

Hinata waved a hand in front of her face. "I am sorry Sakura-chan, I didn't mean to upset you. I am sure you will prove yourself to them and become a great matriarch."

Suddenly all the training she was being put through was starting to make sense. It wasn't that she needed to look good in front of others; it was that she needed to assume a huge responsibility. Before the wedding she just wanted to get things over with. She was scared that if she stopped for a second and considered the ramifications of her actions she might choke up and not go through with it. But now, it was clear, *I am the future Uchiha matriarch.* She pondered. *No wonder the Uchiha have a problem with me.*

*Yah, a pink haired matriarch, poor clan didn't even see it coming.* were Inner's two cents on the matter.

"I have to admit though Uchiha-Taicho is very brave. I always knew he was battle-brave but I never took him for the romantic type who would do away with all the rules and challenge his clan for the woman he loves. Winning his clan over won't be easy Sakura, but at least you will have the support of the man you love doing it. That's very lucky." Tenten announced.

Sakura gave a weak smile. "H…hai."

"Come on Forehead, the guy took on his entire clan for you. They say that even his father isn't talking to him. You should be flattered." Ino intervened.

Sakura blinked feeling the weight of all of the things she left unconsidered. Yes, she knew that he agreed to marry her because he had to, and she knew that he must have endured a lot for it, but she hadn't really considered how hard it must be for him.

She nodded. "It's just that I wish he'd talk to me more about what it's like for him to be taking on all of those people." She replied and it was the truth. She really wanted to know what he thought, they were both in this together and yet he did nothing but avoid her and give her orders.

"I am sure he's trying to protect you, Sakura-chan." Hinata reasoned.

Tenten nodded her agreement. "And don't you worry, I am sure everything will be fine. He's their heir, their genius, if it were anyone else they might have removed him from his position for taking an outsider as a wife, but they won't really do that with him. They need him; he's the vice president of Anbu after all." She finished with a wink.

"Yup, it'll be fine Forehead. They'll forgive him; he's way too valuable to them. That's why he did it, because he knows that he could do whatever and he'll still be their little prodigy." Ino stated. "So stop worrying, you'll get worry lines and then I'll have to stop hanging out with you. I can't have friends with stripes on them." She finished haughtily.

Sakura's expression turned from one of extreme gratefulness to one of mild annoyance at Ino's trademark manner. You see she'd lure you in with some nice words, then bam you'd get the insult when you least expect it.

"So what are you saying, pig? If we were to, you know, get some frown lines, or God forbid some wrinkles, you'd stop hanging out with us?" The pink haired Kunoichi questioned, her mood discernibly lighter.

At that Ino's eyes widened.

"You plan on getting wrinkles?" She questioned in utter shock.

"I don't plan on…."

"Oh, God I knew it! With your low levels of self-care you'd probably start looking like prunes in no time."

Sakura twitched. "People grow old Pig. You'll grow old too."

"Never." Ino said offhandedly as if this wasn't even serious enough for her to consider.

Tenten nodded. "Yup, you'll get old."

"It's a natural part of life, Ino-chan." Hinata weighed in.

Ino eyed them with escalating rage.

"How dare you insinuate….."

"And you know what else," Sakura interrupted, "You'll get wrinkles." She whispered in a ghostly tone.

"Noooo!" Ino finally snapped.

The next 20 minutes were spent in an attempt to prevent Ino from murdering Sakura, while Sakura strived not to laugh herself into hysterics. It had been a long time since she's laughed that hard and she was very grateful to her friends for it.

"Alright, alright…" Tenten started.

"No, not alright, say it….." Ino ordered.

The three girls rolled their eyes collectively.

"I said say it…." The blonde ordered. This was her only term if she were to stop her tirade.

"Fine, you're not gonna grow old." Sakura started.

"At least not as old and prune-y as you will, Miss: 'I don't believe in sunscreen.'" Ino commented.

"I do believe in…"

"Continue," Ino interrupted.

"Alright, you are so beautiful, it is insane to even imagine that your beauty might fade or that time might dare to mar something so perfect." Tenten recited what she was made to memorize.

Ino nodded sagely, "Yup, I am at a level of beauty so high for the plain likes of you to even understand."

"You know what…"

"Go on…" Ino interrupted Tenten, gesturing for Hinata to proceed.

"Your beauty is too ethereal it puts everyone else to shame, and with how much effort you put into preserving it, it would be almost impossible for you to look a day older." Hinata declared.

The blonde once again nodded, with a huge smile. "Damn right I won't. Future prunes telling me I'll get wrinkles…."

"Alright, let's change the topic before she snaps again." Tenten suggested.

"You're right." Sakura agreed. "You were talking about a plan, what's the plan? And what do we need a plan for?"

At that Ino's expression lightened.

"Well, my dear, married old lady, we need a plan in order to save our futures from getting flushed down the toilet by your tyrant husband."

"What?"

"You see, after he announced that we're not really Anbu yet and that we're still to qualify, I started looking for any information about what the Anbu qualifiers are like. But for the life of me I found nothing. No one would talk. But during a visit to the library I found something. On average, Anbu accepts no more than 30 people every year."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Wait, there were over 300 newbies in that hall." She declared, horrified.

"Exactly, which means that only 10% of those who made it this far will be accepted. Can you even imagine how tough those qualifiers are gonna be?"

A moment of silence descended on the room where the four girls gulped in horror.

"Wha… What can we do about it?" Sakura questioned.

"Nothing. We can do absolutely nothing but go through it and hope for the best." Ino said brushing a hand through her hair and smirking.

Sakura was about to snap at her but the blonde pushed on.

"We can however, try to go in prepared by gathering as much information about what goes on during the qualifiers as we can."

"But you said you couldn't get anyone to talk."

"That's because they're all scared of your dear hubby and of the Anbu. We need to talk to someone who isn't scared of anything. To someone who's strong and reckless enough to talk."

"And who might that be?" Sakura questioned.

"I'll give you a hint, he's tall, he's flirtatious and he likes ogling women and writing porn." Ino sang.

"Oh, come on, Jiraiya-sama will never share any information with us." Sakura objected.

"Then we'd better find a way to convince him, cuz he's our best shot."

"And how would we do that exactly?" Tenten questioned.

"We have boobs, he likes boobs, I say we're one step ahead of him already." The blonde said confidently.

Sakura sighed. "You might actually have a point. So when do we go talk to him."

"I was thinking we'd go right now, but since you have your little party tonight, we could postpone it. We'll stop by at midnight, that's when the master pervert starts his day anyway." Ino suggested.

Sakura nodded.

"Before we leave you to prepare for the big party do you wanna go get some breakfast?" Tenten questioned.

"I'd love to." Sakura twitted.

.

Sakura spent the rest of her day arranging her clothes in a closet that Itachi had previously allocated for her. This simple task afforded the girl a much needed escape from her thoughts. Sakura was scared that if she didn't keep busy at all times she might actually let her mind wander to what might transpire at the Uchiha gathering.

With a sigh, Sakura finally closed the closet door and leaned back against it allowing herself to slide downwards so that she ended up sitting on the floor.

*I can do this.* She chanted in her mind.

Before her inner self could doubt her assertion a knock on the door caught her attention.

"Come in." Sakura allowed.

A second later Sakura's trusty maid Hana came in with a little silver tray in her hand.

The girl made her way to Sakura her eyes giving away how inappropriate she found the fact that her lady was sitting on the floor.

But the girl, polite as she was, said nothing of the matter.

When she reached Sakura the girl bowed down and presented the contents of the tray.

"This… wha….." Sakura started as her eyes travelled over the jewelry box sitting on the tray.

"Itachi-sama sent this to my lady." The girl said with a happy smile.

In the box lay a beautiful diamond necklace and a matching bracelet and earrings.

Sakura had never owned anything like that before, so it took her a moment to register the fact that she could actually take the shiny things into her hands.

"Thank you Hana." She said with a smile.

The girl returned the smile, "And there's also a letter for my lady." She added, producing the aforementioned item and placing it in Sakura's free hand.

"From Itachi?" She questioned.

"I believe it is from Shisui-sama." The girl said and Sakura saw the distinct traces of a blush as Hana mentioned Shisui's name.

*That weird playboy. He probably made a pass on her.* Sakura pondered as she watched the girl bow and walk away.

It took Sakura ten long moments to get over the fact that Itachi sent her such expensive things. She wasn't really one to wear such things. She was more the battle gear sort of girl and she felt uncomfortable with the fact that she was going to be walking around with a fortune around her neck. But it was pretty and shiny and Inner Sakura was doing a happy dance, so Sakura wasn't about to complain.

Putting the jewelry box down, Sakura shifted her attention to Shisui's letter.

Do not freak out kitten. I'm gonna be there to hold your hands and offer all the comforting hugs and kisses and sensual massages that you want. So don't you worry. Just remember, do not speak unless absolutely necessary. I mean, do not speak unless spoken to. Actually, if you can manage it just do not speak at all.

Love, Shisui.

P.S. I bring my own massage oils.

"Fine. I'll keep my mouth shut." Sakura muttered getting to her feet. It was about time to get ready anyway and Shisui's little letter gave her the push she needed to get up and get dressed. She didn't plan on taking him up on his offer of hugs and kisses and sensual massages but the knowledge that he was going to be there gave her some comfort.

*Why not take him up on the offer.* Inner Sakura whined. *I never had a sensual massage. It's not like our dear husband is offering any.*

With that, Sakura opened the giant bag that Mikoto had placed in her closet the day before.

The girl had to take a second to collect herself at the beauty of the dress.

It was a lilac colored evening gown; the exact shade of lilac that Ino always told her would work best with her hair color.

It was amazing and had sort of a regal air to it and Sakura found herself automatically thinking of wearing her hair up just to showcase the plunging neckline and put Itachi's jewelry on clear display.

*Wow. This is getting exciting.*

*Better start getting ready.*

.

"All done." Hana cooed. And Sakura thanked her lucky stars, for she knew that Itachi had been waiting downstairs for half an hour.

It wasn't her fault though. He was the one who came half an hour early.

She was told to be ready by four thirty and it was four thirty.

Still she felt the need to rush.

*Better not run too fast.* Inner warned as Sakura contemplated hurrying down the stairs.

*You're right, I look elegant, I need to carry myself like a lady.* Sakura agreed.

*What lady? Are you getting your gender changed?* Inner Sakura paused. *I just meant that you're not that good with walking in heels.* She paused again before breaking into a fit of laughter. *Laaady.* She repeated. *Well at least you have a sense of humor.*

Sakura valiantly stopped herself from punching her inner in the face.

"Thanks Hana." She said to the girl who helped her get ready. And with that she walked out of the room. She hated to admit it but inner Sakura was right. Walking in heels truly was a challenge.

It took slightly longer than usual for Sakura to reach the bottom of the stair case. But once she did she had to take a long moment to steady herself as she almost missed the final landing.

*That was close.* She sighed.

With that she headed to one of the living rooms where she knew Itachi would be. The door was open so Sakura walked in only to wish she hadn't.

Itachi had his back to her, but that wasn't what bothered her. What bothered the girl was the fact that he was having a conversation with a stunningly dressed Eri Uchiha.

The woman was wearing a long red dress, and unlike Sakura who chose to wear her hair in a ponytail, Eri's raven locks were allowed to cascade freely down her back.

Had Sakura seen this woman down the street she would have stopped and stared.

And by her side Itachi, dressed in a black suit, and looking every bit like the Uchiha prince he was, made the whole scene look like a picture in a catalog.

What truly bothered Sakura was that feeling that she got looking at them. The feeling of not belonging. Yes, the scene was perfect; two gorgeous raven haired creatures standing side by side. And there she was the pink haired menace that was about to impose on the scene.

It didn't take long for Eri to finish her sentence and Itachi to turn around to face Sakura.

"Hey…" The pink haired menace uttered. "Sorry I took too long….."

Sakura trailed off as she watched her husband make his way to her before doing something that surprised her to no end.

Itachi gave her a slow once over before taking her hand in his, kissing it, and saying, "you look beautiful, Sakura."

Sakura had to consciously prevent herself from blushing as she reminded herself that he was playing the part of the loving husband. And if he was gonna be that charming then by God she needed to up the ante.

"Thank you, Itachi." She said with a happy smile, before giving him an admiring look. "You look so handsome yourself. Thank you so much for the jewels." She finished.

"I am glad you liked them." He said in the same raspy tone he used before, and Sakura was starting to get an idea of why that man was considered to be so dangerous. His level of commitment was legendary; it was like he turned into a completely different person just because Eri was in the room.

Speaking of whom,

"Shall we head to the main house?" Eri offered, effectively putting a stop to the compliments.

"Eri was under the impression that Shisui would be here to escort her. However, we cannot wait for him. We should get going." Itachi said.

Sakura nodded, following his and Eri's lead and walking to the door.

The main house was just a short walk from Itachi's house and it wasn't long before the girl found herself staring at the front door of the imposing property.

Guards all around bowed down to Itachi as they walked towards the door.

And a quick knock was all it took for Mikoto to appear and beam at them.

"There you are, dear. Ah Sakura dear you look amazing. I knew this color would be great on you." The Uchiha matriarch declared happily, before taking a second to notice Eri standing silently on Itachi's side. The girl bowed respectfully upon meeting Mikoto's eyes. "Eri-chan, a vision in red as always." The older woman said with a smile. "Come on in, all of you."

Finishing with a welcoming gesture Mikoto moved to the side to allow the trio to pass.

With that Itachi placed a hand on Sakura's lower back and gently and rather intimately led her inside.

The hall was huge, but Sakura didn't have time to marvel at the beauty of the lavishly decorated room, courtesy of the numerous guests who jumped out of nowhere to greet them.

All Sakura could hear was "welcome, Itachi-Sama" and "congratulations."

Sakura watched carefully as Itachi greeted his clan members.

Sakura had to take a second to stop the goofy smile that threatened to cross her face. Those people were way too elegant and too ridiculously sophisticated to be standing around and not posing for their pictures to be taken by some famous photographer.

*Wow.* Sakura marveled. *I've never really hung out with Sasuke's family before. But Naruto was right; the big clans really do look like they're from a different planet. It's not just how they look, but the way they act. It's like they're in some period piece what with all the curtseying and the measured words.*

Speaking of which, Sakura had to remind herself not to talk too much.

She had decided to just dole out smiles paired with brief thank you's to everyone who attempts to congratulate her.

However, Sakura did not have many chances to practice her thank you's courtesy of the fact that the well-dressed well-wishers seemed to have words of congratulations only for Itachi.

"Congratulations, Itachi-Sama." A well-groomed older gentleman with pronounced wrinkles, said with a measured nod.

"We wish you all the best, my dear nephew." A woman announced without a trace of a smile on her face. Sakura actually doubted that the woman could smile. She had frown lines etched so deep in her forehead that Sakura was certain the woman's face was stuck like that.

*She has a resting grumpy face.* Inner commented.

And with that the grumpy auntie and uncle walked away without even casting a glance at Itachi's bride who was standing expectantly by his side.

The rest of the greetings went a lot similar.

Sakura would stand ready to return any and all greetings but the best she got was a brief sideways look from Eri when she came alongside her father to offer her congratulations. And even that wasn't a very friendly look. It was more along the lines of a 'why-the-hell-do-you-still-exist' kinda look.

As a matter of fact, and much to Sakura's surprise, Itachi actively attempted to include her a couple of times. He would subtlety snake his arm around her waist and say, "we are both very happy you could be here with us today."

However, his attempt would always be greeted by nothing but complete disregard for Sakura as the well-wishers proceeded to talk to Itachi as if Sakura wasn't even there.

Having lived her entire life being a pink haired kunoichi Sakura often stuck out like a sore thumb. Even on battlefields. Thus the girl frequently hoped to be a little less noticeable. Invisible, however, was never something she wished for.

*It's like I'm a ghost.*

A few minutes later, it was Mikoto who took pity on Sakura. The Uchiha matriarch came to the girl's rescue and struck up a whispered conversation.

"Hey, dear." Mikoto started. "Why did Eri come along with you and Itachi? I was under the impression that she would arrive alongside her parents."

Sakura blinked.

"Oh. It's just that she thought Shisui would come along to escort her from our house. That's why she came." The girl answered. She was just glad to be talking to someone instead of standing awkwardly next to Itachi. Hell, by that point Sakura would have gladly agreed to partake in a discussion about how best to conceive Mikoto's grandchild.

Mikoto gave the girl a pensive look.

"Shisui said nothing about that, dear. I am sure he made no plans to escort Eri."

"Well, I am sure it was just a misunderstanding. Anyway she came along with us so it ended well."

The woman gave her a disapproving look. "Sakura, you are Itachi's wife now. This was your first time arriving to a formal event as husband and wife. Her tagging along with you definitely undermines your union. Itachi should not have arrived with two women by his side. It should be just you dear. You should make sure of that." She finished sternly. Actually, the woman was being sterner than Sakura has ever seen her act before.

And with that said, she quickly shifted to her normal light yet composed tone, raising her voice a bit as she said, "I am so happy to have you for a daughter, dear. I am sure everyone here feels the same way about having you in our family. Now, Itachi darling when you're ready, let's introduce your bride to our guests."

Itachi who was talking to a young looking couple, turned around and gestured for Sakura to walk along with him.

When they were out of earshot he spoke, "All you need to do is to greet them."

"I know, but even that becomes very hard to accomplish when they won't even look me in the eye." The girl replied with a nervous laugh.

Itachi paused for a second, "would you like to have a drink?"

Sakura blinked confusedly. "I thought we would walk around so you could introduce me to everyone."

"We can do that after dinner." He replied calmly.

Sakura couldn't help but give him a grateful smile.

"I would love a drink." She sang.

"I will be right back." Itachi gave her a nod and headed to the other end of the room to get them drinks from a passing waiter.

Watching him leave Sakura couldn't help but marvel at the strange man she was married to. At times he would be very cold to the extent of rudeness, while at other times he'd act in a manner that is more along the lines of playful and even dangerous. However, on some rare occasions she's watched him act attentively and understandingly.

*He's kept me by his side since we've got here. He's trying very hard to include me. I guess he needs this marriage to work. We both do. We need his clan to approve of me and accept me as one of their own.*

*Impossible.* Inner weighed in. *You know what I realized though….*

*That some thoughts are better left unexpressed?*

*No. That our husband might actually be the most handsome man in a room filled with Uchiha men.*

*Way to focus on what's important.* Sakura mocked.

*No honestly, look at him over there with his black suit, and broad shoulders… Wowza!*

*I'm done with you. I was trying to have a serious thought and look what you do…..*

*Well, enough with your serious thoughts. Yah, yah, you have to prove yourself and your husband has numerous personalities. So what? He's hot!*

Sakura rolled her eyes, and was promptly snapped out of her mental reverie by the sight of Shisui standing next to her and eyeing her wonderingly.

"Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours little kitten." He said with a mischievous smile.

"W…what? Nothing really, just normal thinking and stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary. It's not like I have an alter ego or something… what? No… wait…. Yah.. no…."

*Shuuut upppp.* inner Sakura sang.

Sakura cleared her throat and smiled at Shisui.

"You're very weird." He complimented.

"And you're very late. I thought you'd be here to support me."

"And here I am. It's just that I ran into someone on the way here."

"Oh.. A friend of yours?"

"No, actually I've never really met her before. But once I did kitten, I was struck. So I ended up following her around for a while. When I eventually caught up with her I expressed my fascination with her assets and indicated that I was simply following her around due to my sense of national duty. I mean, it is both Anbu and police department duty to protect such valuable treasures. Suffice it to say that she did not appreciate my sense of patriotism." Shisui narrated, ending his speech with a swift touch to his left cheek to indicate just how unappreciative the woman was.

Sakura grinned.

"That seems to be how most of your stories end." Itachi's smooth voice interrupted from behind Sakura.

The Uchiha heir handed Sakura a glass of champagne.

"I blame you." Shisui said offhandedly.

Itachi gave him a disinterested look, but Shisui pushed on anyways.

"If I had my wingman with me, none of this would have happened."

"He's your wingman?" Sakura questioned, in awe.

"Yes."

"No."

The two Uchiha replied in unison.

"I am not saying he is the best wingman out there, but he does the trick. I mean, kitten, as a rule it is better to hunt in packs."

"I am not sure I like this analogy, Shisui." Sakura deadpanned.

"Come on, dating is a lot like hunting. There's a lot of waiting and watching and then when the time is right you pounce."

"You're such a romantic." She accused.

"I am the best type of romantic little kitty. I am the realistic kind." He declared with a grin and waited for his two companions to react to his cleverness, yet all he received were bored looks. "You're such an unappreciative bunch, aren't you?"

"It's just that dating and hunting should never be likened to one another. I am actually sorta glad that you don't have a wingman anymore." Sakura commented.

Shisui gave her a mock sneer. "It's not like I need a wingman anyway. I can get any woman I want on my own."

"The slap on your face is a clear testament of that." Itachi intervened.

Sakura was actually glad to see yet another side of Itachi. He looked kinda relaxed and seeing him being human and having an actual conversation was something else.

Shisui gave a dramatically exaggerated frown.

"Hey, that was a mishap. Mishaps happen, little cousin. Plus, I am, after all, the most handsome Uchiha of them all." He declared, sweeping hand gestures and all.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at that one.

"See, even the kitten agrees." Shisui declared triumphantly, as Mikoto started ushering the guests into the dining room. "I am the most handsome Uchiha aren't I, kitten?"

"That's undebatable of course." She said with a mischievous grin and watched as Shisui puffed his chest out and walked to the dining room ahead of his two companions.

Still laughing a bit Sakura turned her attention to Itachi who had offered his arm to her by way of escorting her to the room, and much to her surprise she noticed an elegant eyebrow arched in her direction.

"What…"

But that was all she managed as Itachi's face quickly reassumed its inexpressiveness, leaving Sakura to marvel yet again at that character she married.

*I swear he has like nine personalities living within him. I can't even compete with him in the realm of alter egos.*

*So let's recap. He has a playful personality, a stern asshole personality, a king of darkness personality, a helpful friendly personality and the newest addition is a childish personality.* Inner Sakura surmised as Sakura nodded.

Sakura's internal reflections were interrupted though, the second she stepped into the dining room.

Calling it huge wouldn't do it justice. The room was the size of Sakura's entire apartment, with a round expensive looking table dominating the middle portion, and giant wall sized mirrors adorning the walls. The ceiling was also so high that Sakura had to keep looking upwards and taking deep breaths.

What was even scarier though was the fact that aside from a few seats, the table appeared to be fully occupied, with dark haired, stern looking, Uchiha who happened to have fallen completely silent the moment they walked in. Without saying a word, Itachi led Sakura to the top of the table. Sakura felt eyes piercing through her as Itachi pulled out her chair. She sat down on his right hand side before he assumed his position at the top of the table.

By Itachi's left sat his mother, next to her was Shisui who was giving Sakura a meaningful look and mouthing the word "breathe."

This reminded Sakura to do just that.

*Damn it, forgot to breathe.*

*Such a smart one you are.*

With that, Sakura turned around cautiously to check out the person sitting on her right. The girl was silently hoping for someone who would be uninterested enough so as not to pay close attention to her table manners.

When Sakura saw her neighbor though, she couldn't help but grin.

"Hey Sakura." Sasuke said formally, but with a gleam in his eyes that showed her that he fully understood her predicament.

"Hey Sasuke." She replied, relief seeping into her voice.

*I completely forgot Sasuke would be here.*

*Your brilliance continues to amaze me.*

Before coming to the dinner Sakura had many concerns. She was scared she'd spill something, say something wrong, use the wrong fork, or even attempt to eat something that wasn't edible.

But ten minutes after she sat down, Sakura realized that she needed to worry about something completely different: silence.

And it wasn't the comfortable sort of silence either. It was more along the lines of the loaded silences that occur when people are attempting to ignore the elephant in the room. The elephant in this case being Sakura.

Mikoto attempted to strike up a conversation a couple of times, and it almost worked, people almost started talking about current events at one point and at another a conversation about the weather almost took off. But on both occasions the conversation stalled after the person speaking inadvertently took a look at Sakura. With that, the silence returned, only to be perforated by the sounds of cutlery sliding across plates.

It was pure torture.

*They really have a problem with me don't they?* She pondered.

*Yah well in their eyes you kinda snuck up out of nowhere and stole their heir. Not to mention that you're the Hokage's apprentice and with how bad the Uchiha have been getting along with the leadership of Konaha lately, this has been a true blow. You've known that since the start.* Inner reasoned.

*I did. But I guess… I don't know… I was hoping they'd understand why this had to happen.*

*They understand nothing. They were told nothing. All they know is that you and the dark prince fell in love and got married despite what the Uchiha elders wanted. You should be thankful they're here.*

Sakura stifled a sigh, and raised her eyes from her plate to take a quick account of the occupants of the room.

They were all looking at their plates, and doing their best to avoid her presence. It was as if they meant to say that while they were sitting with her at the same table, they weren't really happy about it and would've loved to be anywhere else.

Sakura shifted her attention to Itachi, who was calmly eating his food. It was as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

*I guess when you spend your entire life being that stoic, it becomes habitual to ignore your surroundings.* Inner commented.

*But it must be hard for him. Marrying me for the sake of his family, only to be met with such disapproval.* Sakura reflected. *This sucks… I have to do something.*

*Just eat your food, keep your mouth shut and get out of here safely. That is what we were advised to do.*

*But this is too much… I can't just stay silent….*

*Don't!* Inner warned but it was too late.

Sakura had made up her mind.

She put her utensils down and cleared her throat.

The girl blanched as all the people on the table shifted their attention to her.

Steadying herself, she took a deep breath and smiled; a big warm smile that caused a few inexpressive Uchiha to actually give her a confused look, "I am so happy to be here." She declared in the most gracious tone she could muster. For his part Shisui gave her a surprised look as his eyes tried to convince her to hold her tongue. But once again it was too late, she was doing this.

"I know that our marriage came as a surprise to all of you. But I am more than thrilled to see that you have all come tonight to bless our union…"

Mikoto's eyes widened for a second before a calm smile rested across her lips as she watched Sakura admiringly.

"You have no idea how much your approval means to me. Thank you so much for being here tonight."

And with that Sakura gave a small cautious nod.

Complete silence greeted her words, and for a second Sakura's heart started beating fast.

"I agree." Itachi's voice echoed causing Sakura to remember to breathe yet again. "We both appreciate your presence here today." He added covering Sakura's hand with his and causing a shiver to run down the girl's spine at the unexpected warmth.

Sakura smiled.

And just like that things started moving again.

Various people across the table started mouthing congratulations yet again. And one woman even congratulated Sakura.

Things were finally picking up and Sakura felt herself relaxing in her chair, as Shisui gave her a quick wink and Sasuke gave her one of his rare nods.

"Such a wonderful bride." Came the voice that caused the silence to descend on the room once again. The occupants of the room shifted their attention to the doorway, and watched as the man who spoke walked calmly into the room.

The man was tall, and like almost everyone else in the room he had raven hair. His appearance was more distinct however. He had much longer hair and was dressed in battle gear instead of a suit. He looked slightly older than Itachi, however, there was a lot about his appearance and even the way he spoke that struck Sakura as similar to that of Itachi's.

"Glad to make your acquaintance, Sakura-san." The man stated as he made a beeline for the girl. The entire table watched, as the man took the girl's hand in his and kissed it. "My name is Uchiha Madara.. I am Itachi's uncle."

Sakura gulped. Something about the man was oddly intimidating.

"A….a pleasure to meet you Madara-sama." She muttered.

Madara smiled, still holding both Sakura's gaze and her hand.

"You are late." Itachi's calm voice once again echoed.

Madara's smile widened.

"My apologies dear nephew…" The man stated, finally letting go of Sakura's hand and giving a curt bow to her husband, before turning around and walking to the other end of the table to assume his seat. "Mikoto-sama…." He greeted as he passed by the hostess. "It's just that I had hoped to convince your father to come tonight." The man said in a deep tone. "Alas, my attempts have failed. Looks like you still do not have his approval. Which is such a waste, if you ask me, given how much potential your bride seems to have."

Sakura's eyes widened.

It was like the man wasn't cognizant of the fact that there were other people in the room.

He sat down and looked Itachi straight in the eyes. And just like that Sakura knew that no one else in that room mattered. It was Madara and only Madara that she needed to worry about at the moment.


Yup… I updated again… I am as surprised as you are… really…

But after reading all your amazing reviews I couldn't help myself.

Thank you all so much!

So… Tell me…. What do you think of Eri so far?

I plan on updating regularly from now on. But since I have another ongoing ItaSaku story I'll post a new chapter of that one before I post the next chapter of this story.

Wish me luck.

Your reviews help me write faster ;)

Please Review.