Chapter ten
Petitefeeme: And here is the tenth chapter ^-^ Please read and enjoy. And big thanks to Sukki 18 for her kind review.
The marriage was beautiful. Hana was literally glowing with happiness and Shisui had smiled during the whole day.
It was also a busy day as the girls had to help the bride change into her different wears, the work being tedious and long with all those precious layers of colourful silk and the hairs having constantly to be reordered with each time a different set of jewelleries.
Finally the sakura petals were thrown to the now married couple and the reception began.
"I hope my wedding will be simpler…if I have one day." Sighed tiredly Kara as she sipped her glass of grapefruit juice.
"She looks so happy and serene." Commented Sakura beside her, looking dreamily at the huge smile on Hana's lips "I hope I can be like her one day."
"With Sasuke perhaps?" asked coyly Kara, not resisting the urge to taunt her friend.
She smirked as Sakura sputtered in her glass of punch before glaring at her, a dark blush dusting her cheeks.
"Ah! Taunting Sakura without me?" smirked Ino, appearing beside them.
"And you leaving your flirting?" taunted back Sakura, trying to overcome her embarrassed blush.
The two began bickering playfully and walked away, leaving an amused Kara in their wake.
She looked around, noticing Hanaka and the boy playing not too far away.
After making sure they weren't in trouble, she turned and almost squeaked when she came nose to nose with Itachi Uchiha.
She took a step back and looked at him expectantly.
"Uchiha-san? Do you want something?"
She was still a bit irritated with his attitude but she couldn't simply dismiss him. It would be too rude.
"I…apologize for the way I treated you earlier." He said with some difficulties, but otherwise looking sincere "Let me retry my demand."
He looked at her straight in the eyes, his dark grey black eyes boring almost painfully in her own green ones.
"You have captured my interest and I would like to know you better. Would you allow me to take you on a date next week?"
Kara's mouth at that point was hanging down so shocked she was at the unexpected declaration. When she realised she had been gapping at him for five whole seconds, she blushed in embarrassment and looked away.
She looked back and saw his slight tensed, expectant posture. His eyes were hopeful and she became afraid.
Should she say yes? He seemed honest enough. But what if it didn't work? What if she made a fool of herself? What if he suddenly decided she wasn't the one and leave her? What if they got married and the moment she told him about her clan, he would walk away? What if he wasn't strong enough? Her clan was very strict on that point. Would he understand even? What if? What if?
At that point Kara's face was cherry red. When she opened her mouth to answer something, she found out she didn't know what to say and began hyperventilating. She caught Itachi's incredulous and slightly worried gaze and felt herself tear up. She was so pathetic.
Suddenly she felt a cool and grasp her own and turned to see Hinata.
"She would be delighted." Smiled the Hyuuga heiress "How about Wednesday at eight?"
Itachi looked at her, perplexed, before turning his questioning gaze to her.
Reddening further (if that was possible), feeling definitely faint, Kara nodded wordlessly.
"Very well." Said hesitantly Itachi, looking between the two girls "I'll see you next week then."
He walked away and Hinata led the poor distraught girl to a sit.
It took several minutes and two glasses of fresh water to reduce Kara's glowing face to a pink hue.
"I'm sorry Hinata." She said meekly once she was able to speak again "You must think I'm some stupid girl who doesn't even know…"
She would have ranted for hours if her best friend hadn't interrupted her.
"Kara-chan." She said firmly "Do you remember how I was reacting around Naruto?"
Kara nodded meekly, knowing better than to speak.
"I hope you remember how you helped me then?" the black haired girl added, seeing her friend nod again "Good. So you'll understand the drive that pushed me to help you like you helped me."
Kara smiled tenderly and said softly:
"Oh Hinata! I don't know where I'll be without you."
They hugged tightly, but Hinata crushed the tender moment by adding mischievously:
"Well, without me, you'd be still blushing and hyperventilating and Itachi would have started thinking you were crazy."
Kara huffed indignantly and slapped the girl on her arm. Hinata laughed in mischief, her boyfriend definitively rubbing on her.
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Sasuke was glaring heatedly at the guy talking innocently to Sakura. She laughed sweetly and he turned even more emo, if that was possible.
He felt someone slide beside him and turned to glare at the foolish intruder only to see Kara.
She smiled and he lost his glare, instead looking at her irritatedly.
"What?" he snapped at her when he saw she wouldn't speak.
Kara only smiled more, much to his irritation. Damn this girl being able to understand him. He should have pushed her away when they were young.
A pinch of guilt made him want to shake his head at the thought. He was being stupid and he knew it.
"You'll never progress like that." Finally said his sister figure (though he would never admit it to anyone).
He looked at her, an eyebrow raised, and she giggled at his annoyance before explaining:
"You're always playing the part of a big iceberg. Never speaking and never showing any feelings. It's okay for me or Naruto as we're with you for a long time now and I don't plan to get involved romantically to you. But for Sakura it's more complicated."
She let him digest the information before continuing:
"You and she want something more than friendship." She said, ignoring his embarrassed glare "But you act exactly the same way as you are with us, if not more frigid."
She looked very seriously at him before adding:
"You need to open up to her. Show her that you can also be human. She's very taken with you and her feelings are pure. But you hurt her more than one time and if this continues, I will certainly not side with you."
She was almost glaring at him before sighing.
"At least." She said before walking away "If you feel you cannot commit yourself to her. Give her a clean break so that she can move forward. She deserves a man that can make her feel loved and happy."
At the mention of another man with Sakura, Sasuke's expression turned dark and dangerous. He was so eatten up by jealousy that he missed Kara's smirk as she discreetly walked away.
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Sakura was enjoying herself, having finally gotten rid of Ino.
She was chatting with a young chuunin Inuzuka when she felt an all too familiar threatening aura behind her.
"Err…" said the man she was speaking with "I think I'll leave you two…yeah."
He scurried away, his nin dog hot on his heels, tail between its legs.
Sakura schooled carefully her features before turning to face a sombre looking Uchiha.
"What do you want?" she asked a bit rudely, still sore with the red head incident.
She wasn't expecting him to grab her arm and drag her away.
"Hey!" she screeched in anger, trying to tug her arm back "What do you think you're doing bastard! Let me go!"
Far from the crowd he finally released her and she stepped back, rubbing her wrist.
"You rude brute." She began, seething in anger "Doesn't it suffice that you're a cheating bastard?!"
She wasn't prepared at all when he kissed her softly.
He surrounded her frame gently with his arms and the pink haired girl became overwhelmed by his soft demeanour, feeling her knees weakening.
"If one day I choose a wife." He said in a whisper against her ears, caressing her cheek with his thumb "There will be only one I offer my heart to."
She looked tearily at his face, so different from his usual emo one. He was softly smiling at her, his eyes staring at her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
"Oh." She said, letting her tears fall "You baka."
She kissed him back.
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"Oh!" cooed Kara "That's so sweet! You make Sasuke appears in a new light."
"And I'm sure he would kill me if he knew I told you that." Groaned Sakura
"You're doomed nonetheless." Replied carelessly Kara "Knowing Ino, at our next gathering she will torture those informations out of you."
Sakura cried waterfall tears and Kara smirked cruelly, almost cackling to add to the dramatic effect, but a moment later they were laughing at their silliness.
The two were currently walking to the hospital, having for two or three years now decided to take a stroll outside when they had a free hour together. Walking eased their minds and brought fresh air in their tired, clinical aerated brains.
"I might pass between the nets." Said Sakura mischievously "Since she is so focused on you."
Kara sighed. Since Ino knew that Itachi Uchiha would be taking her on a date, she was acting as if the brown haired girl would enter a war instead of date. She even managed to bully everyone (apart from Hana who was in her honeymoon with her new husband) into gathering at Kara's house to get her ready.
"Don't mention it." Groaned the brown haired girl "I still don't know why he asked me out. I'm just so plain and…"
"Ah no!" exclaimed Sakura "Don't begin again. It's rather Itachi who is lucky that you chose him and don't try to sell yourself short."
Kara grinned sheepishly and was about to reply when they heard a sneer.
They turned to see the red head that had emotionally attacked Sakura at the festival.
"What do you want?" asked Sakura, barely refraining to insult the girl.
"You're both pathetic." Said meanly the girl, smirking cruelly "Itachi-kun and Sasuke-kun don't deserve wenches like you. I don't know what you did to get their attention but I'm sure it wasn't honourable."
"How dare you talk about honour you…" seethed Sakura, running to the red head, fist raised before Kara could restrain her friend.
The girl only smirked before disappearing, her cackle reasoning in the air for a few seconds.
"Where are you you cowardly bitch!" yelled angrily Sakura, scanning her surrounding, her eyes projecting streaks of lightning.
She was stopped when Kara placed a hand on her arm.
"What!" she exclaimed, not having the patience to even deal with her friend by now.
"Calm down Sakura-chan." Said strictly the brown haired girl "You're playing right into her hands. We're in a genjutsu."
She made a handsign and dissipated the illusion.
"How…?" said Sakura in a disbelief tone.
"You were too angry to notice." Smiled reassuringly Kara "But what surprise me is that I only sensed her genjutsu so late after it was surrounding us. It was thinly woven and discreetly, as well as gradually put. I hate to admit it but this girl is really good with her genjutsu."
"Not for long." Said seriously Sakura, taking deep breath to calm herself "We have to do something about this whore."
"Don't take rash action." Admonished Kara "This situation calls for planning, stealth and to be cunning. She's perhaps the worst bitch we know but she's still a Konoha shinobi. A misplaced physical attack and she could throw us in prison for treason."
"And of all I should know the laws." Groaned Sakura "I work with Tsunade-shishou after all! I know an unjustified attack on a fellow shinobi can be seen as treason."
"And that's exactly what she wants." Finished Kara "Don't torture yourself with this now. Instead focus on the operation we'll have to do in thirty minutes."
Sakura nodded and together they made their way back to Konoha hospital.
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Kara was observing peacefully Hanaka and the boy running around in the garden, chasing each other, deep into their fantasy world, battling dragons and rescuing princesses (ninja style of course).
She smiled as she thought of the progresses the little boy had done. He didn't have recurring nightmares anymore and was able to have a full night sleep without waking everyone in the middle of the night, screaming.
He received Naruto and Kara's affection gestures really well now and was at that point even seeking them. He also seemed to have become really taken with Hanaka, fiercely protective of the little red haired girl. That made Kara smile more than anything else.
His health was now near perfect, and he was running around like any boy his age without any problems. He still seemed deathly afraid of clinical area but Kara guessed it couldn't be helped until he was much older.
"Children!" she called serenely "Who wants cakes?"
"Me, me!" yelled Hanaka, rushing to grab the slice Kara was giving her "Arigato Aneki!"
Kara smiled before bending down to give the boy his slice of cake and a kiss on the forehead.
She froze and blinked when she heard a faint whisper coming from him.
She fixed her gaze on him as he smiled and stretched his lips to say louder, his voice a bit hoarse:
"Arigato."
There was a moment of speechless silence.
Then tears of happiness trimming down her face, Kara hugged the little boy, kissing repeatedly his face.
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"That's wonderful!" exclaimed happily Tenten.
Even with their busy schedules, the girls, minus Hana who was on her honeymoon, had met for lunch at a local restaurant. There they were sharing news.
"I'm so happy for you." Smiled Hinata "This is a huge improvement."
"Hai." Answered Kara smiling happily, excited "He even told me his name: Kotoki."
"That's a beautiful name." said Aimi "It means 'child of winter' no?"
Kara smiled and nodded.
"As much as the news calls for rejoicing." Said seriously Sakura, though she had a smile on her face "I would like to know what we're gonna do about the red head."
"Let's not rush into it." Advised wisely Tenten, making the pink haired girl pout and Kara smile knowingly.
"We have to plan our next course of action very carefully." Provided Aimi "Does someone have a plan?"
"It has to be out of Konoha, in a remote location." Said Ino carefully "And when we're done we have to make all clues disappear."
"We will need strong alibis." Added Hinata "And I'm sure that for the rest, if we don't attract attention, Tsunade-sama will cover us."
"I might have something in mind." Smirked Ino "Let me think about it for a few days and I should have some form of a plan."
"Sounds good to me." Said Tenten getting up "Well, I have to go girls. Neji wanted a spar."
"And a bit of snuggling." Added mischievously Ino.
Tenten blushed in a second and almost tripped. When she regained her balance, she glared at the laughing girls before exiting the restaurant, her nose held high in a dignified manner.
Her friends only laughed more.
Kara :…Oh the irony. After helping blushing and stuttering Hinata for years, I am rescued by her in the same type of situation. -_-
Hinata : I really liked this chapter ! ^-^
Kara : You're liking it a bit too much for my tastes.
Hinata : Stop being so tense ! You have a date with Itachi dammit ! Be a bit happy !
Kara : T-T
Hinata :…Alright ::big sigh :: Please review if you liked this story as much as me XD !