Title:The Arranged Marriage

Author: Praecipula

Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto and the lyrics to 'Talk Me Down by Troye Sivan'

Rating:M

Pairing: Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki (SasuNaru)

Sidepairing: Itachi x Tenten / Neji x Gaara

Author's note: I lost this chapter when my PC crashed. I had no choice but to reformat. Frankly, I didn't want to write it again. *facepalm* But thank gods I wrote the outline on my father's laptop and I got to retrieve it. It still sucks though. Anyway, thank you for the reviews!

Chapter 9: Battle of Pride

Karin gave one last pat on Sasuke's back before pulling away. There was a tender smile on her face as she ran her eyes over the Uchiha's body. "It's been a long time Sasuke. I haven't heard from you since high school graduation. The gang missed you, especially Suigetsu." Then she turned her eyes to the silent Naruto. "Hello Naruto, I saw from news you finally came home."

Naruto smiled a little. "Uh yeah, I won't be staying for long though."

"Why?"

Sasuke's pressed a hand on his back, causing Naruto to stiffen. "He's just here for vacation Karin. What are you doing here?"

"Always the unpleasant one, are we? We moved here since two years ago. Manila finally tires me out. Anyway, what are you two doing here?"

"Kushina gave us a promo and Naruto wanted to come."

Karin beamed while she linked her arms around Sasuke in with an air of someone who had constantly done it. "That's great! Why don't you come with me to La Presa? We have a strawberry farm there; you have to go before you go home. How about it Naruto? I'm coming back tomorrow and you can hitch a ride with us."

Sasuke gazed down at her. "We?"

"Suigetsu's here too." Karin looked at Naruto expectantly. "So Naruto?"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke in turn, coaxing his reaction but seen no amount of resistance. He shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind. Sasuke would want to go."

"Great, I'll meet you here at seven tomorrow okay? I'm really glad to see you two. It'll be fun!"

Naruto watched impassively as Karin hugged Sasuke again before bidding her goodbye. They waited until she was out of the lobby before they entered the elevator. He kept quiet the entire ride, unable to decipher the ugly churn in his stomach. There was only one word for it though, jealousy. But why? Technically speaking, even though they were engaged, they didn't have any form of romantic relationship. Sasuke could date whoever he wanted. And Naruto was not a saint over his stay in America.

But he couldn't help but focus on the monster eating away his rationality at the moment.

Sasuke grabbed his hand as they were in front of their rooms. "Are you okay? We don't need to go if you don't want to."

Naruto stared mindlessly at his room's doorknob. "It's fine. They're your friends."

The hand slowly retracted. Naruto listened with the pulsing cadences of his heart as Sasuke's door clicked open. He couldn't breathe and before he knew it, he was already rambling.

"Actually Sasuke, I want to clear things up. You shouldn't have kissed me. I'm not here to make this work with you. I made it clear from the very beginning. Whatever you're doing with this sudden care for me, I don't want it. You and I, we lost our friendship seven years ago. I'm not the same person Sasuke. We had our own lives through those years and it's not gonna be fix right away. I know this arranged marriage is important with our companies but I can't do it. I don't want to force any of us into entering marriage that we will have to deal with for the rest of our lives."

Sasuke's shadow drew closer. "Naruto."

Stilling himself, Naruto tightened his hold on the doorknob, never looking back. "Stop trying to make it work Sasuke. I can at least be civil with you but this…your touches or affections, I won't accept it. You ignored me when we were in high school and you never explained shit. I already assumed that you didn't want me. It's fine though. I've moved on. You can shove whatever reason you have down your throat. I'm done with it. The only thing I want to ask from you is you stop desperately salvaging our engagement for our parents. You're not like this Sasuke. You never let anyone force you into things you don't want."

"Is that what you really think?" Sasuke asked with a quiet voice.

Naruto's jaw tightened. "Yes."

"Whatever I say, it won't change your mind?"

He heard the smudge of pain, and felt it but he was too numb to care about anything. The linked arms kept flashing through his mind. "No. It's too late for that.

"You already made up your mind then." Sasuke opened his door but paused. "Do you want to go home now? Or you want me to leave?"

Naruto still didn't brave looking at the other. "We already promised Karin we'll come with her. We should go."

"Okay. Whatever you want."

When he heard the door closing behind him, he finally opened his room. Pressing his back against the door, Naruto fought the overwhelming urge to take back everything that he had said. How much of a coward could he be? It was not his intention to hurt Sasuke after making so much progress in their messed up communication. Throughout the day, he was grateful for at least falling back to how they were in their childhood and to have the kind of friendship with Sasuke again. He figured that even if they couldn't have any romantic relationship anymore, they could perhaps be friends again.

Because it's what he failed to do back then. His pride, it seemed, took the height of Eiffel tower and simply refused to amend to something he didn't even started. And now it reared its nasty self again.

With dawning horror, Naruto finally grasped why he came back. It was not to break the marriage. He only wanted to try reaching out to Sasuke properly and to understand what had happened.

The next morning, Naruto woke up early and went on his routine mechanically. He put on his jean and the thickest jacket he had, choosing to ignore the much thicker one Sasuke had given him. The bags on his eyes stubbornly clung to his face no matter how much he dunked it in cold water. He exited his room and went straight to the buffet. Grabbing only a toast and an apple, he walked towards the lobby to eat and wait for Karin.

When Sasuke finally joined him on the couch, Naruto kept munching on to his apple and tried to appear busy by scrolling through his phone. The page he was browsing in had lots of foxes on it and was more than enough to distract him. A fox greatly resembling Kyuubi almost caused him to call out Sasuke's attention. Fortunately, he had bitten his tongue before he embarrassed himself. For god's sake, they only got together for one day and he was already comfortable with him.

Sasuke didn't even get up for food. Naruto peeked at the corner of his eyes to see what the other was doing. It was an action he regretted dearly when Sasuke's eyes met his.

"Uh..apple?" Naruto offered to cover up what he had done. Sasuke blinked at the fruit. To his surprise, Sasuke took it without a word. Mentally cursing at himself, he tried returning to what he was previously browsing but only hearing the teeny tiny noises Sasuke made as he eat his apple.

Finally, Karin's figure entered the lobby before Naruto's mental breakdown could create more damage. She ushered them to the truck parked in front of a hotel. Naruto recognized the driver as one of Sasuke's closest friends in high school. The two chatted a bit while Karin told him of La Presa.

When they were on the highway, Karin turned back to the backseat and grinned at them. "You'll love the place! And since we're all friends here, you get free strawberries."

Silence.

"Yes, that's what I thought."

Naruto did not want to appear like he was forced into coming since he was the one who took the offer. Judging by Sasuke's continued sulking; it was in his hands to at least make conversations. "That'll be cool. Mom loves strawberries."

Karin's deflated smile returned. "You can get as much as you want Naruto. I know a lot of people assume that since Baguio City is famous for their strawberries, you can get it cheap but they're wrong. Those with qualities are a bit pricy."

"Be thankful. She usually charges others double especially in this season." Suigetsu remarked from the driver seat.

"Yeah you be thankful I do or we won't have anything to eat." Karin pinched Suigetsu's ear. "I'm the pregnant one and I'm the one working, you useless punk."

"Hey, I farm-"

"You're pregnant?" asked Naruto while he eyed the woman's belly like he had an ability to gauge whether there was a fetus in there or not.

Karin blushed, her hand coming up to rub her belly. "Ah yes, two months so it's not really visible yet. We supply the hotel you're staying in with strawberries. No matter how much this place's products come in cheap, money can still be hard to earn."

"Somehow I feel proud Suigetsu managed to convince you." said Sasuke. Naruto glanced at him, trying to decipher his tone.

"Ha. One of my life's biggest regret."

Karin calmly put her hand on her husband's arm. "What did you say?"

Suigetsu smiled at her fondly. "I mean, If I could go back and court you sooner, I would have. Don't get mad Karin, the baby."

"He gets paranoid too much." said Karin with a roll of her eyes.

Naruto slowly leaned back, the turn of events shocking him. So yes, he was a bit grateful that after all he wouldn't be seeing Sasuke flirting with Karin but he could clearly remember Suigetsu and Karin fighting a lot back then. The two did not just get along. If there was any couple who could rival the animosity between him and Sasuke then, it was the two. And yet, they're having a baby.

The ride to La Presa took an hour and a half. Naruto was almost ashamed that Karin did most of the talking. They got out of the car and he was instantly in awe of the place. Strawberry fields stretched infinitely in front of him. La Presa was colder than the city itself, causing him to bury his hands in his jacket's pocket.

Karin posed in front of the arc with the place's placard. "Welcome! A lot of people come here as this was where a famous television drama shoots." She turned her back and guided them to the tiny shacks beside the field. "Our house is there by the way."

Suigetsu scratched the back of his head. "Yeah it's not really big or anything but at least we have a home."

Naruto ran his gaze over the shack. Despite being small, the house managed to exude comfort. It was not cramped with furniture, the meager belongings kept to a minimum to the things the couple would only use. But it was decorated creatively, with flowers hanging on the door and uniquely carved mini statues scattered. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." Karin smiled cheekily and gestured to the walls. "We still try to decorate it somehow."

Sasuke tore his gaze away from the window where the strawberry fields could be seen. "One of our company actually needed strawberry supplies. Perhaps I can convince you to make a contract with us."

Suigetsu's hands stilled from making their drinks. "Wow that's…"

"We have good strawberries Sasuke." Karin took the packet of juice from his husband and held his hand. "Suigetsu show him."

"I will. Come on man, we have the best here."

Naruto's lips curved into a soft smile as Suigetsu eagerly motioned Sasuke to the field. He sat on the bench outside and watched the two tours around. Wanting to take a picture, he was about to take out his phone when Karin sat beside him and handed him a juice.

"Sasuke's a great man. He was not responsible to help us." She sipped her own drink, stretching her legs languidly. "We really need to up our income though, for the baby. I have…a hard time conceiving."

"Can I ask something?"

"Of course. Go ahead."

"Why—" Naruto breathed deeply. "Why are you living like this? You were rich then."

Karin shook her head. "Not me. Just Suigetsu. I was a scholar back then."

"Oh."

"Nah it's fine." Smiling, she squeezed his knee. "His parents didn't like me for him. They made him choose and he chose me. Even I can't believe how lucky I am to be loved by him. Sometimes I feel guilty though, for taking him away from his family and the life he had grown up with."

"But it's his choice." Naruto whispered, laying his hand atop hers. "And I'm sure he will never regret it."

Karin did not answer and instead looked at the pair of men. "Did you two fought? I noticed you were deliberately ignoring each other.""

It was already in the past. Naruto knew he shouldn't meddle in someone else's life and that Karin had clearly moved on. Yet he couldn't kill the curiosity. "…How could you let him go?"

"What do you mean?"

"In high school. I don't think a person who managed to creep into Sasuke's heart would be able to let him go easily."

Karin frowned. "You two…still haven't talked?"

"There's nothing we need to talk about." His mouth automatically uttered the words. Naruto immediately want to punch his face for saying contradictory statements.

The hand on his knee tightened. Karin put down her drink and held his hands. "Oh, Naruto… we weren't a couple then."

"I saw you that night. Remember-"

Karin shook his head to stop the blonde. "I do but I assumed Sasuke cleared it up to you. You see, we always bullied him back then about not having a girlfriend and still being a virgin. He and Suigetsu got really drunk then so I dragged him to one of the rooms. He was…calling out your name so I teased him about losing his virginity to me that night to relieve his frustrations. I'm really sorry you misunderstood it."

"Why? Why would he be asking for me?" Naruto laughed drily. "He was the one who ignored me in the first place."

"Was he?" Karin asked tersely. "We always guessed that it was you who didn't like him. You never approached him then Naruto."

"I tried once. And we almost killed each other when he won't tell me anything."

"I honestly don't know Naruto. No matter how much we bugged him then, he seemed adamant not to talk about it. But he really loved you, at least from what I saw. He was almost a stalker when it comes to you. Whenever someone messed up with your events' budget, he wouldn't stop until that someone shut up and leave you alone. He even went as far as moving our office to SV 405 so he could spy the stage where you always perform."

"You're lying." Naruto gritted out. "He didn't care about me then."

Karin's lips pressed into a thin line as she cocked her head in Sasuke's direction. "He does Naruto. You might not believe me now; we were never close in the first place. But it seems unfair to me that after being his friend for years, he still can't be with you when you're all that he wanted then. Did you know he entered a deal with Kakashi when you failed to pass your History exam and wouldn't be able to play in the finals? Kakashi agreed to give you a second exam if Sasuke spent extra hours in the campus journalism. It was a major blow to his finals but he didn't care."

Naruto remembered the scene where Kakashi finally told him that he could take a second exam after a week of literally begging on his knees. He had assumed it was because his teacher took pity on him or was worried too about the Basketball team. The thought of Sasuke helping him because they both knew how much Naruto treasured second chances shattered his carefully crafted defense crack by crack.

"It's not. It can't be me. I would never…I would never treat him like that."

"I used to hate you know. I never understood why someone like you could reduce him to that." said Karin. "You never even glance at him in hallways. But Sasuke always insisted you were truly a good person."

Naruto let out a sigh of frustration. "Why didn't he-"

Suigetsu's loud call cut him off. He ran to them and lifted his wife from the bench to hug her tight. "We got it Karin! Sasuke liked our produce."

"We'll contact you soon for the contract." said Sasuke.

Despite the formality of Sasuke's voice, Karin still drew him in an embrace gratefully. Suigetsu joined and the three did a group hug that was so awkward it hurt. "Thank you so much Sasuke. This means a lot to us."

"What are you talking about? It's business." Sasuke murmured uncomfortably. He saw Naruto standing quietly on the side and thrust a basket in front of him. "I bought you your strawberries, Naruto."

Naruto gazed at the basket blankly. "Thank you."

The couple went on to prepare a lunch for them. Suigetsu cooked his specialty. If Naruto wasn't experiencing an Armageddon, he would have eaten all the food but he couldn't even swallow his water properly as it was. Sasuke was giving him worried looks and it only fuel up the ache in his chest. Karin acted like nothing happened and for that Naruto was grateful. His mind was currently tripping all over itself, trying to come up with a plausible excuse why Karin's revelation would be lies.

After the lunch, Naruto excused himself by saying he wanted to tour the place. He debated with himself while he walked. Should he ask Sasuke now? Was it okay to take the risk? Going around the place mindlessly, he was surprised when he saw he was already too far from Karin's house. He retraced his steps, still having not come to terms with what he would do.

"You didn't tell him then? Why?"

Naruto halted when he heard Karin's voice. Instead of entering the house, he remained on his feet.

"You shouldn't have told him anything Karin." answered Sasuke with barely concealed anger.

"Why are you still like this Sasuke? I thought you decided to pursue him then. We arranged everything. You worked hard for it. Seven fucking years and he didn't even-"

"I have my reasons."

"Bullshit. Don't you think it's unfair that you never explained anything?"

"He doesn't need me and I don't have the right to change his plans. He's living his life and I'll only complicate it."

"You're a coward. I don't blame him. You never fought for him in the first place. This-your attitude, this is all to protect yourself."

"It doesn't matter. It's done."

"You don't really understand, do you? If you just talk to him, you'll know how much you screwed everything up. I'm your friend Sasuke. I always want the best for you but he's also a person too. Give him a fair fight. Don't always presume that you're the hero because in this case, you definitely turned into a villain."

Suigetsu pushed the door open unceremoniously, shocking the three people around. He glanced between Karin and Sasuke. "What are you two screaming about?"

Sasuke's eyes locked on the tense figure behind Suigetsu. "Naruto…"

"Are we staying the night?" asked Naruto quietly.

"Do you want to?" Sasuke stepped closer.

"We disturbed them enough. I want to go home now."

"Okay."

The urge to scream at Sasuke at the moment threatened to consume him but Naruto crushed it. The couple didn't argue with them anymore. Karin walked them to Suigetsu's truck and gave Naruto one last hug. The entire ride was quiet. Fortunately Suigetsu didn't try asking them about anything. Naruto was sure he would snap at each minute pass.

When they reached their hotel, Naruto waved at Suigetsu and left the two friends talk to hurry for his room. He shoved his things in his bag and went down to the lobby again. Cursing when he realized Sasuke had the key, he waited by the car and counted the seconds. After ten minutes, Sasuke appeared and headed to driver seat.

Naruto stopped him. "I'll drive first. It'll be easier for me to drive through the zigzag road."

Sasuke handed him the key without saying a word.

The whole ride back to Manila was spent in Sasuke sleeping or Naruto with his earphones on. It was a far cry from when they going to Baguio City. And Naruto honestly didn't mind the silence. It was better than spewing what his brain was busy picking on at the moment.

They interchanged seat in the Pangasinan again, had a quick dinner then they were on the road again. When Sasuke finally parked in front of the Namikaze Manor, Naruto was ready.

Naruto spoke with an almost inaudible tone. "Why? Answer me honestly this time Sasuke. After what Karin told me, I've been trying to wrapped up my head why everyone we know thinks I'm the bad guy. I was the one who was abandoned like a puppy Sasuke." He turned to Sasuke, expression pained. "I was the one who had to fucking move to America in order to stop feeling like shit. So why?"

"When I saw you proposing to Hinata, I was so mad with you then." Sasuke didn't look at him, his hand still on the steering wheel. "Since we were kids I always thought you were mine alone and to...see you promising her just as you promised me, it hurt a lot."

Naruto growled in disbelief. "You know I wasn't serious!"

"I was a kid then and I admit it was sheer stupidity to not clear it up with you. But what was I supposed to do? All my life the people around me told me that I'm the best but the person I treasure more than anything else clearly doesn't think that if he seek other people out."

"Are you crazy? I couldn't even step out without you by my side. I needed you the most."

"It was irrational of me, I know. But it seemed unfair. You were already my world and everything then but I wasn't in you."

"That's a lie." said Naruto softly.

Sasuke finally faced him. Naruto couldn't even find it in himself to argue when Sasuke reached for his hand. "Then I become afraid that you're only staying with me because of what our parents told us. I was frightened and guilty that I'll be holding you back from making your own decisions. If you want to be with someone else, who am I to disagree? I wanted you to control your own life Naruto even if it means I have to walk away from you. And you did. You grew up so amazingly. Back in high school, I was always watching you and seeing you pursue your passion, make me never regret my decision. Remember when I said I wanted to be a pilot and dad said I can only work at Uchiha Empire? You told me you'd follow me then so I won't get bored. I don't want that Naruto. I never wanted to hold you back from your dreams."

"My dreams…" Naruto repeated numbly.

"But when we went to that farewell party at the bar and I saw you with Sakura, I knew then that I could not let you go. No matter how much I made myself believe you were better off without me, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. So I decided that, fuck with selfless love, I want you all to myself. I want to make you fall in love with me and be with me by your own choice. But I was too late. When I called your house to ask you to dinner, your mom told me a record label offered you a career in New York. God, I wanted to stop you." Sasuke's face crunched up in pain and the hand holding his tightened. "I came to your mom and begged her stop you because I could not live with the fact that you'll be worlds away from me. It was fine when we were in school because I still got to see and watch over you. But America…

Naruto's lips trembled. "Mom knew?"

A lace of guilt started appearing on Sasuke's eyes but he never looked away. "Kushina asked me to let you fulfill your dream and that we needed to grow up. I didn't want to listen then, I didn't want to do what she wants. For years I've already sacrificed my happiness and now that I have the courage to go after what I want, the world is teaming up against me. But she promised me that when the right time comes, you and I will be together." Sasuke breathed deeply, closed his eyes. "That was the only assurance I had for seven years and I clung to it."

Seven years. And these people expected that a one-sided decision would be enough to soothe pain?

"While you were away, I was always with your parents to ensure that they never forget there's someone else waiting for you. And when you came back...everything fell back into place. The waiting, the pain...all of it was worth it because you were finally in front of me. But you wanted to break the engagement and for once, I didn't want to do what you want. Kushina told me that you might still harbor some feelings for me but you keep pushing me away and I was confused. Did you really move on? Were you finally with Hinata?

"Why didn't tell me?" asked Naruto angrily.

Sasuke's jaw tightened. "Because there's no point anymore. You don't want me and no matter how much it hurt, I fucked up badly and I-"

"Karin's right. You're a coward." Naruto snapped and snatched his hand back. "I guess we're the same then because all this time, I didn't want to ask you again because I was too frightened to hear that the problem lies with me."

"I didn't want to hold you back." Sasuke whispered with a pained voice.

"Who the fuck are you to decide shit for me?"

"Naruto—"

Naruto was now breathing heavily, hand gripping the front of his jacket as futile effort to protect himself. "No, you listen Sasuke. I feel like I just pained over something that doesn't deserve it. I always considered you to be more intelligent than me but why couldn't you just tell me honestly from the very start and avoid all this?"

"Naruto tell me what to do to make it all better." Sasuke started reaching for him again but Naruto leaned back. "I can't let you go again."

"I don't know Sasuke. Isn't this what you want?" said Naruto bitterly.

Not letting the man say another word, he pushed open the car and headed straight inside the mansion. He heard Sasuke exited too but did not even glance at him anymore. It was already eight in the evening, his father probably still in office but Kushina was definitely in her room. Naruto entered her parent's bedroom and saw her sitting on the bed.

"Naruto, what-"She got up, startled.

Naruto levelled her with a calm look despite the raging hurricane tearing his insides apart. "Why didn't you tell me Sasuke came after me before I went to the states?"

Kushina's breath hitched. "He told you?"

The look on her face confirmed it all. Naruto bit his lip, wanting desperately not to break down. "Mom, I know I never told you how much I love him because you already know. How could you stop him like that? He was all that I wanted. Even until the last minute, I was still hoping he cared for me. "

"If I let him, would you have still pursued your dream?"

"Honestly mom? I wouldn't have gone at all because he was my only dream."

Kushina wrapped her hands around herself, head bowed. "Then I'm glad for what I did. Naruto, I was so proud when you finally found something that you love to do. You deserve your career." She pointed to her chest with trembling hand. "Me and your dad, we never got to experience any of that when we were young. And no matter how selfish you view me now, I won't ever regret letting you go."

"Why does everyone assume that they know what's better for me?" Naruto's voice rose for the first time in front of his mother. "Mom, I know you're being guilty for what you did to Sasuke and me. I understand that you want to make up for that but I can't be that person that would correct all this. I may not have shown how much it hurt me in the past but I was. I cried for him, I was just a kid and I cried for him. I honestly thought there was something wrong with me that's why he couldn't love me back. And to learn that all of that wouldn't have happened if both of you just shut the fuck up and gave me a choice in the first place? How am I any different from you at that time? You should have let me make the decision whether I want to stay here and be with him."

"Naruto…"

"I understand that you never meant to hurt me intentionally. But you did mom. I'm not angry; I've had enough of it. What I only wish now is that you start trusting me for real. Trust me to handle my life and trust me to make better decisions."

"I'm so sorry." Kushina sobbed.

Naruto nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry too mom. I'm sorry that I can't let you decide this time for me."

He quickly left her room, not wanting to say anything more that he would later regret. She was still his mom and Naruto loved her irrevocably but right now, all he could think of was the idea of Sasuke's sacrifices for him. It was an idea that had never crossed his mind. He didn't even hope for it. All this time, he believed that he was simply not good enough. How was he supposed to deal with it?

Glancing at the front door, he noticed his bag pack that Sasuke must have left there due to his sudden running away. Even the sight of it hurt him because it only fueled the revelation of Sasuke's feelings for him. He ignored it and went to his room. He was about to call Jiraiya when his door opened. Expecting to see his mother, he was surprised when Minato entered instead.

"Son."

Naruto eyed him. "Dad, did you know too?"

Minato sighed. "Yes."

"Are you happy now then? That I'm successful but can't love anyone for real?"

Minato shook his head. "Your mom and I always wanted the best for you even when you were young. She wanted to let you come back on your own but the guilt ate her away. Sasuke was waiting for you patiently and you never got into any serious relationship. It was clear she messed up so bad by doing this…"

"It's not that easy dad." Naruto weakly sat on his bed and buried his face to his trembling hands.

"But it was the only thing we had."

Mikoto stopped putting peanut butter on her apples when she heard the television turned on in the living room. She put down the jar and peeked from the kitchen. The sight of her younger son slumped on the couch puzzled her. Sasuke didn't live with them anymore and had his own apartment where Itachi constantly crashed in. "You're early Sasuke. I thought you and Naruto are gonna stay there for a week?"

Sasuke stared at the screen blankly. "It's over mom."

Glancing at the TV, Mikoto was beyond disturbed when she saw it was Mr. Bean playing. Her son must be really out of his mind if he didn't even notice it. She wiped her hands on her apron before she approached him. "What do you mean?"

"I told him everything and he," Sasuke's head dropped. "…got furious."

Mikoto understood immediately. She ran her hands through his hair like she always did when he was still a kid. "What did you expect? He already had a life without you and to be confronted with what could have been, it would shock him greatly."

"Was I really wrong to give him up?" asked Sasuke.

Mikoto's eyes softened. "You love him Sasuke, it could never go wrong. What you fail to take into consideration was how much time you wasted waiting for him. When both families agreed to this marriage, we were just thinking about how to secure your future and we made a mistake because as parents, we failed to guide the two of you. We assumed that since both of you love each other, you'd make it out of any problem."

"I was too late. I hurt him." Sasuke rubbed his face angrily.

"Naruto's very hard to read. But if you see even a slight hope, don't give up now. All your sacrifices would be put to waste. Be honest with him Sasuke. Never cover up anything again."

"What happened?"

They both looked up to see Itachi standing with a scowl. Since Sasuke went to Baguio, her oldest son returned home with the excuse of not being used to his little brother's apartment alone. He must have come down to check on the apples she told him she would prepare.

Mikoto gestured to her son. "Sasuke confessed to Naruto."

The scowl on Itachi's face deepened as he run gaze over his perfectly unscathed brother. "Shame, I don't see any bruises."

"Itachi." She said sternly but the man continued.

"I was right, wasn't I Sasuke? I told you should have at least confessed to him before he left. Now, you're just trusting his parents would do everything for you since they promised you Naruto. He's not a thing. You should have let him decide. Did he say he love you?"

"No." Sasuke averted his eyes. "He…he moved on."

"Do you believe that?" Itachi demanded.

"What, you want me to force him to lie?" Sasuke snapped.

"Then why don't you stop moping around here and fight for him for once. How will you show him you love him if you're this weak?"

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

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