How and Why?
Chapter 10: Dinner
A/N: Hello people. I'm very sorry this took so long but I got stuck due to illness (I won't creep you with gory details) and this is a pretty cool chapter. Interesting... Important to the plot(sorta). I'm also sorry this is short. The next will probably be short too, but then it's Sakura-chan's birthday. I think that's gonna last 2 chapters cause it was too long to put in one on the plot. Thanks for sticking with me this far. On a not 'I'm sorry' note Welcome to Chapter 10! Woo! Enjoy and R&R.
Disclaimer: I'm sure a mangaka with her own anime series could write faster than me. (still sorry, by the way.)
It was a bit frightening to realize that no matter how much he'd told himself he hadn't been paying attention, he was still completely dead on about her schedule.
When they made it to Sayuri's promptly at six, as Shino predicted, they were ushered into the dining room for dinner.
He however, didn't expect to see his father in the dining room sipping his drink and waiting for them.
"Hello, Shino. Sakura. How are you both?"
Sakura smiled. "Good, Aburame-sama. Haven't heard from you in a while. Have you actually been working lately?"
"Actually, I have. Don't think I like it too much. And you?"
"Regularly. I love it. I was in the daycare today."
"You like children."
"God, I love kids. they're just the cutest."
"You don't say. Hear that Shino. She loves children. Get to work."
Shino managed to turn a shade remarkably close to the color of Sakura's hair. "Shut up."
Sayuri came in with some glasses of tea for Shino and Sakura. "So what are we talking about?"
Shibi smirked. "Oh, Sakura having children."
Sayuri dropped her tray on the table. "Sakura! I understand getting married, but doing that while your so close to your wedding is unthinkable. Do you want to impress Shino by looking like a blimp on your wedding day?"
"First of all mother, I'm too young for having babies. Two, he'd still be impressed with my looks because I wouldn't be the only one who'd have something to do with that! It's not like I can conceive children by myself!"
Shino looked horror struck. "Sakura!"
Sakura looked back at his pink face sheepishly. "Sorry, Shino. Didn't mean to scare you. So, mother, why did you invite us? Since you both obviously have ulterior motives in this little dinner."
"Sakura, don't be so dramatic. I can invite you over to dinner whenever I want to. I am your mother. I just wanted to talk to you about the wedding. I found this great catalog for dresses and I was thinking for the date you could-"
Sakura groaned. "Why do you have to butt in. I thought I told you I was doing all that myself! You know, because it's my wedding."
"I don't get why you're so mad! I was just trying to help you. To make things easier on you both."
"Like making us live together right after we get engaged. What if we'd already planned where we wanted to live. Or what if we didn't want to live together till after the wedding."
"Why?"
"I like traditions."
"What traditions?"
"No sex till after you get married for one. Living together, sharing the confined space, just makes abstaining harder."
Shino tapped Sakura's shoulder. "Um, bit uncomfortable over here."
"Sorry, hun, I'm proving my point. She's," Sakura pointed to her mother, "too nosy."
"You shouldn't be complaining. Why are you so mad?"
Shibi stood up and walked over to eye Sakura critically. "Yes. Tell us. Why are you so mad?"
"Because I..."
"Are lying with my son and are planning to back out of the wedding. Like I always suspected."
"Puh-lease! I wouldn't lie about something so serious."
"Then why don't you-"
Shino stepped in front of Sakura, finally over her previous comment, defensively. "You have no right to tell Sakura what to do. How does this seem fake. Like she said, we had no complaints when you both conspired and had us live together. She can say and do whatever she wants."
"I'll be the first to admit, you defending anyone in a verbal fight like this is rare. But I still don't trust this. You're not nice enough for someone like her. You are nice. But she'd want someone more affectionate."
Sakura smirked. "Obviously you didn't see how Sasuke was when I said I liked him."
Shino looked at her. "You see. Why would she agree to something like that. I'm not amazingly cool or social or rich or something petty like that. I certainly don't have every girl in every village fawning over me like Sasuke and Naruto do."
"Maybe you tricked her. Are you disillusioned yet, Sakura-san? How bout you Sayuri-san. Surprised at anything?"
Sakura wrapped herself around Shino's torso from behind and glared at Shibi defiantly. "For you information, I was mad because I already picked a dress and was going to show you all on my birthday. Including Shino. I'm pissed because mom ruined my surprise. I'm a little more pissed at that obvious insult to my intelligence. I'm not so idiotic, to be tricked into something like a wedding. Oh and just to officially kill any surprise I ever have again, I wanted to tell you when I showed you the dress that I'd like the wedding in early August since it's a sleeveless dress, mother."
Her mother looked shocked at the rant but smiled after a few seconds. "Of course honey. Why don't you all sit down while I go into the kitchen and finish up a few last minute things.
Shino was still in shock wondering about the dress Sakura had supposedly bought, so he just excused himself to the bathroom as Sayuri left the room.
Shibi tapped Sakura on the shoulder when they'd both gone. "Could I speak calmly with you for a moment. Somewhere other than here, in case they come back. If you don't mind."
"Not at all. The backyard has a fence and is rather large. Lets go."
"What did you want to talk about?"
"I don't like showing remorse publicly." He tilted his head proudly. "But I'm not that rude. I'm sorry I insinuated an insult to your intelligence. I didn't realize you'd see it that way. I do believe you're lying still, but that's not an excuse. I don't like that you probably think I'm an intrusive asshole much, either."
"I don't think you are, my soon to be father-in-law. Do you wanna know a secret?"
"You don't really have a dress."
"No, I do. It's freaking gorgeous. This wedding thing... it did start as a lie."
"So I'm right. And I can go kill my son now for lying."
"I'd prefer you not. Allow me to explain. The only person I've ever truly loved hates me. Really, it's terrible. Called me a fucking obsessed bitch the last time I saw him. Shino, however, loves me. He just doesn't realize it yet. I'm not near as oblivious or happy as you clearly think I am. I realize that I do love Shino, just not in the same way. I also know that I'll never have what I desperately want, so I'm going to take whatever happiness I can scrape up and share it with someone who loves me. Once he figures out he loves me of course. We're both alone, so we make good company. I don't think I'm an obsessive bitch, but I don't really see any way I could've come out of that confession without you thinking I'm a completely selfish one."
"Actually, I don't really blame you all that much. You're a lot smarter than most girls. I do think you'll stop beating yourself up for, I'm going to guess here, Uchiha Sasuke and love Shino eventually. I just hope he can realize this and wait for you. Maybe you'll even change before he starts to realize he loves you. You two certainly do make good company. I guess, as long as you plan to go through with it, I have to approve."
She smiled. "Thank you. I've never actually had a father. I just have one little issue here."
"What's that?"
"If we're going to be agreeing on this whole marriage thing and you really are going to be my father-in-law I'm not going to be keeping up on this 'Aburame-sama' stuff, no matter how much Shino begs me to."
"What did you have in mind." He frowned. "I'm not changing to 'Daddy' or anything. My own son doesn't even do that."
"Of course. I would never dream of calling you that. My, my. I'm starving." She smirked mercilessly. "Lets go get something to eat, Chibi-san."
"AH! Hell no! Absolutely not!"
"Would you prefer Chibi-chan?" She batted her eyelashes at him.
"Damn you!"
"Yeah yeah, I know. To the fiery depths of hell. Lets go Chibi-san. I'm still hungry over here."
"You can't call me that! Do you and your mother think this shit up together."
"No! That's totally unfair." She looked back at him from the door way. "I thought of it first. Mom totally got it from me this time."
"You mean people tire me out."
"Whatever! You know you love us."
"I do."
"Of course you do. We invite you to dinner so you can take a break from your not-working and have a nice, fun and refreshing fight."
"Right. That's why I like you, huh?"
"Yep. You're bored and you like drama. That's pretty much it.
*Still Sakura's POV*
Amazingly, the rest of dinner happened without incident and finally, at 7:30 it was time to go. Sakura was almost amazed that Shibi didn't persist in his questioning despite the fact that he was now in on the whole family deceit thing.
Shino and Sakura walked for around 10 minutes in silence before he finally broke down and asked what had been bothering him, she'd guessed, all dinner. "Did you really go out and buy a dress for a fake wedding? I don't understand why you'd buy one if you know we aren't really doing this."
"Sure I did. I figured mom would bug me about it eventually. Might as well cover all the bases. Be the excited bride and all that. I'll show it to you tomorrow, kay?"
"Sure. Where did you hide it?"
"That's easy. You'd never go into the bathroom's closet because it has tampons in it. I guess it can go in my closet now."
"I guess that's true. Wouldn't want it to wrinkle. Has to be pretty as you when you show it off to Ino as bragging rights." Sakura smiled sadly as the conversation floated back into a comfortable silence.
He deserves better than me. Someone grief stricken looking to exploit your love for my own comfort. I should let you find a way out, let you go. If you find a way out, I'll have to. I'm such a terrible person for doing this to you but I promise, if you ever, I'll let go. It's not like I'm losing the love of my life. No. This, what I'm doing, doesn't make me a terrible person. The fact that I can still hear Sasuke's voice in my head while I've decided I'm going to let you realize you love me... That makes me a terrible, ugly person.
As she walked up the steps to their apartment, she accidentally sighed aloud and said, "Shino I'm sorry."
Of course that made him concerned. Apologizing for nothing at all. "What's wrong, Sakura? Are you sick? You didn't say anything else on the way home. Did dad say something mean to you again? Why are you saying sorry to me?"
"No Chibi-san didn't say anything at all to me. Shino, do you think I'm a good person?"
He reached out and touched his palm to her forehead under her bangs. "No fever. No dad. Why would you even think something like that without a hallucination inducing fever. Of course you are! You're a great person. Wonderful. Look at all the patients you help by being a doctor."
She snuck a hug. "Thanks Shino. It's sweet of you to think so. Oops. Made you blush again. It's 8, right. I'm gonna take a shower. I gotta get up early and go into work. Not looking forward to waking up at 4:30 and going in at 5."
"Why did you ask me that?"
"Oh just starting to worry I get a bit too mean when I'm tired in the morning. I shouldn't complain anyway. I have to go in early because another nurse has pneumonia, after all. It could be worse. I could be sick or something." She smiled again. "Thanks for the concern. You worry too much. Though it's pretty nice."
"You are a good person."
"I'm gonna take my shower now. Hey do we have the stuff for peanut butter and jelly?"
"Yeah. I'll make it while you're in the shower if you want."
"Aw, you're the best Shino. I'll be out in a second. Are you gonna make it for me then go to bed?"
"Most likely. I don't really want one right now."
"Alright. Still the best. Goodnight, Shino." She gave him another hug then ran off to get her pajamas and take her shower.
Chapter 10: END
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