...Chapter Eleven...
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Green orbs narrowed, scrutinizing her hairline in the mirror. She frowned as she poked at it, now almost squinting.
"Hmmm…"
She sighed, realizing she would have to get her roots touched up; they were just barely starting to show. Her eyebrows had always been light enough and thin enough that she could apply a little pencil and they appeared blonde, but, her hair had to be done. She'd make an appointment ASAP. There was no way she was getting in to see her stylist today; hopefully though, he could pencil her in within the week.
She drew away from the sink, done with her makeup and hair. As she put her things away she gave herself a once over in the tall mirror to her right. She was right, the new white jeans she'd bought worked well with the pink gauze top she'd purchased for herself in The Keys the summer before last.
She turned on her heel and exited her bathroom; well, she called it her bathroom because her mother had her own, but, in reality it was the house bathroom. It just happened to connect to her room.
She grabbed her bag off her bed and headed out, closing her door before going down the stairs. She was halfway to the front door when someone called out to her.
"Sakura."
She raised a brow and turned toward the living room, which was directly to her right. "Mother?" she called back.
"In the kitchen; come, join me."
She did so, walking through the living room and into the dining room before finally making it into the kitchen. There, at the small breakfast table sat her mother, reading her favorite French paper and drinking her morning espresso as if nothing was out of the norm.
She looked up at her daughter briefly. "Good morning. Have a seat and eat some breakfast with me before you go to school."
"Morning," she murmured as she set her bag on the counter; her actions were slow. She felt unsure and a little worried; her mother rarely ate breakfast with her. Lately she'd been more busy than usual, so, there had to be reason for this.
She nodded a thank you as the cook set a plate before her, as well as, a cup of coffee. She reached for the table napkin and placed it in her lap.
"School has been going well, I presume?"
She nodded as she dropped two sugar cubes into her coffee and a splash of milk before mixing it. "Yes, mother."
"Grades?" She flipped a page, skimming the lines.
"I'm passing," she replied dutifully before she set her spoon next to her and reached for her fork to start her meal.
"Very good."
She sounded pleased as far as Sakura could tell. So…
"Are you busy this evening?"
"I have plans, yes." Her response was quick. She took a bite of her eggs.
"I'll need you to reschedule them."
At this she raised a single brow, curious, but patient.
"There's a gala tonight at the museum your father has vested some time and money in. They expect me to attend since he's away in Europe on business; however, an unexpected emergency will have me busy this evening. I'll need you to attend in my place."
Sakura nodded slowly as she finished chewing her food. "Alright… what's the dress and time?"
"You're expected to be in formal wear, so is your escort. This is a suit and tie event. It starts promptly at seven and ends at ten."
Promptly was code word for be there on time and escort meant she had to bring a male counterpart. She resisted the urge to sigh; this wasn't something she could say no to, nor, even consider asking about. "What if Naruto is busy or, I can't find someone I feel comfortable going to this event with?"
Vivian nodded as she set down her paper and took a sip of her espresso. "I've left you a note on my desk with all the details, should you forget. Included is a number you can call should you not be able to find an escort of your own.
"Now, I have to go. I have a plane to catch, but, I'll be back by Friday night; probably late." She stood as she spoke and Sakura followed suit respectfully.
Vivian came around to her side of the table and gave her a kiss on the head. "I'll see you then. Goodbye."
"…Bye," Sakura replied as she walked away; her eyes followed her until she left the kitchen and she could see her anymore. Even then, though, her eyes stayed on the wall.
She sighed, slumping down into her chair with her chin in her open palm, wondering what in the world she was going to tell Sai.
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"Hey, Naruto!" Sakura caught up with the blonde just in time as he was rounding the corner for lunch. She really hated running in heels, but, she wanted to talk to him before he got wrapped up with his friends, their friends.
He stopped before going in and turned to face her, smiling immediately; although, it wasn't his usual brightness. "Hey, Sak."
She paused only a second as she caught the look. "…Are you alright?" she asked, question monetarily forgotten.
He nodded and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… soccer's been a little tougher than usual lately. That's all." He frowned. "I'm sorry I haven't been around. Things have been… hectic."
Sakura nodded with a sigh, understanding. "Don't feel bad; I've been busy myself… I didn't want you to think I was ignoring you," she said it even as she just realized that to some people it might seem that way.
He shook his head and dropped his hand. "Nah. I know how your schedule works." He smiled and Sakura couldn't help but wonder if it looked a little forced. "Are you coming to lunch with me?" He pointed to the cafeteria doors.
"I would like to, but, actually… I wanted to ask you something first."
"Shoot."
"My mother turned my plans upside down tonight and now I have to go to a museum gala on her behalf." She sighed again, tightening the hold on the books in her arms. "Anyway, I need an escort by seven. I know it's a little last minute, but, are you free?"
"Ah… Sak…" It was his turn to sigh. "I'm sorry. I can't. I've got a game tonight." He looked genuinely disappointed.
"You can't skip it? Not this once?" She knew it wasn't a big game; surely Gai could stand to go one night without his star player.
He shook his head. "Nah. My dad's coming."
When he said that she knew there wasn't much convincing him. She didn't have the heart to anyway. His dad wasn't as busy as hers, but, he usually only made it to the big games and Naruto loved it when he showed up. It wouldn't be right.
She nodded. "I'll find someone else."
"Do you know anyone else?" He raised a brow.
"I'm not going to ask one of your friends, if that's what you mean." She smiled cheekily as she glanced towards the cafeteria.
He chuckled. "Yeah, I can't blame you there. I wouldn't want to break someone's legs for touching my girl anyway." At this his placed his arm over her shoulders, his free hand in his pocket and headed towards the open doors. "You'll find someone though. I'm sure your mother left you a number to call."
She rolled her eyes as she allowed him to lead her. "Doesn't she always?"
Her pressed his lips to her forehead and pulled her closer, smiling and sighing at once. "Well, I'm not worried. All you have to do is find someone you can deal with for a few hours that knows how to dance."
Inside of five hours?
Not likely.
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Sakura tapped her pencil on the table as her head half laid on her arm; she watched as the paper under it lifted in a slight bounce each time she did. Next to her Ino was actually quiet for once, her ears plugged in with headphones as she drew out her daily assignment for Rin. She could faintly hear the muffled music coming from the little speakers.
She was done with her own and otherwise occupied by her own thoughts.
Who was she going to get to go with her? Granted, anyone her mother picked for her would be fine; they would behave and be cordial and dance… but, she had never really liked going with someone she didn't know, someone that was all but chosen for her. There was no logical reason for it, she knew. It wasn't a date, she certainly wasn't committing to them. It just… felt better going with a friend, or, Naruto for that matter. If she had to go then she wanted to go with someone she could at least have a good time with.
She sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them again she found herself focusing on a point beyond her pencil. Rin was talking to Sai about something as he handed her his sketch for collection. Sakura slowly sat up and placed her chin in her open palm, elbow on the table as she kept her eyes on the dark-haired artist.
He smiled at their teacher just before she walked away and onto the next student. She watched as he flipped his sketch pad open and went to work on another piece, or, perhaps to start a new one. His dark orbs were diligently stuck to the paper before him, his hand moving furiously across the page as always. Sometimes he stopped or slowed down; he would narrow his eyes and scrutinize whatever he was working on before continuing at the same pace once again.
Suddenly, his eyes came up off the pad and he looked at her. He seemed to stare at her almost blankly and she couldn't help but offer a small smile. He smiled back and she felt herself grin at the silly way his eyes closed when he did so.
He slowly looked away and went back to work; her eyes remained fixed on him as she deliberated with a sigh. She still hadn't told him about the change of plans… She didn't really look forward to it, especially after their whole I'm-not-a-flake convo. Still, he had to understand; this wasn't her fault. This was her mother. And anyway, she would much rather be cooped up in her parent's study working with him than go to party she was now obligated to attend. If she could she would just ask him to go with her.
Even as the thought hit her she stilled, her eyes locking back on him across the room as he packed away his supplies.
"Good work, Sakura," she heard Rin say as she picked up her slip of paper and moved onto the next student.
"Thanks…" she said automatically, her mind elsewhere.
She could kill two birds with one stone; she could make up for her mother dumping this on her causing her to 'flake' out on Sai, as well as, get herself a likable escort. She might have to buy him a suit, but, otherwise it would work out.
Of course, there was the small factor of him agreeing to it…
"You coming, Sak?" Ino called as she started to leave.
"Um," she replied, looking away from Sai rather quickly. "I have something to talk to Rin about. I'll catch you later?"
"Sure," she replied with a smile. "Don't forget about Friday's party though."
Sakura nodded as she left, not really hearing her. She didn't look away from Ino until the blonde was gone; she didn't move much beyond slowly packing her things away in her bag until everyone else left as well. Sai had stayed behind, washing brushes for Rin; she hadn't counted on that, but, now she was thankful for it. She didn't have to go running off to find him.
"Hey, let me help you," she murmured as she came up next to him and grabbed a few brushes off the pile. She took one half of the sink and turned on the other spout. Warm water ran through her fingers and she rubbed the color out slowly.
"Thanks," he replied as he worked. "You looked preoccupied today."
She handed him a few clean brushes so he could set them on the paper towel on his side to dry. "Yeah… I was." She ignored the warmth that shot down her arm as their wet skin touched in the exchange. "My mother gave me some bad news today. I need to talk to you about it."
"Is that why you stayed behind?"
"Part of it." She smiled softly as she rinsed a few more. "There's this gala at a museum my parents have invested some money in; it's something my father has an interest in, anyway." She handed him a few more. "But, she told me this morning she can't go," she sighed out, "so, I have to go in her place."
"So you can't work on the project tonight."
She nodded and looked over at him. "Yeah… basically. But, there's more to it than that… I need an escort and… Naruto isn't available and I really don't want to take anyone my mother has picked for me, so…" she edged slowly, "…would you like to go with me?"
His eyes drew up to hers and he stopped working almost immediately. She wasn't really sure what kind of a reaction that was, or, what it meant.
She spoke quickly. "Look, you don't need to worry about getting a suit or anything. I can take you this afternoon and get you fitted and pay for everything. You don't have to dance if you don't want to and there'll be food, and—."
"I'll go."
"… You will?"
He nodded.
She smiled.
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"You should come in," he murmured as Sakura pulled into his driveway.
Green eyes met his before glancing up at the house. "Are you sure…?"
He nodded and he opened the passenger side door of her car. "Yeah, my mom is home, but, she won't care. And Sasuke isn't going to bother you if that's what you're worried about." He paused, trying to figure out the right way to explain why not. "He was having a bad day when you came in that Sunday…"
She raised a brow. "I'd hate to see him on a good day."
"It wasn't you, trust me. At any rate, even if it was you, he wouldn't try anything with mom here." He stepped out of the convertible and shut the door as he looked down at her. "Coming?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess I will." She got out and followed him up to the house as she slid her purse over her shoulder. "We're still going to have to make time to go get your suit fitted. How long did you want to be here?"
"Actually…" he started to say as he opened the door.
"Sai? Is that you?"
"Yeah, mom!" he called back.
"Come here for a moment before you go upstairs!"
He glanced over at Sakura. "I'll introduce you. I'll need to explain to her about tonight anyway." Not that he wanted to… His mother had a way of… managing things in her head in such a manner that was never quite true and entirely too optimistic for his own good.
When they made it into the living room he found her sitting in her favorite chair with her nose in a book; reading glasses were firmly in place. Despite the fact that she had called him there she wasn't looking up at him.
"Mom—."
"One second," she replied, eyes scanning the page before her. "And… alright. Done." She closed the book and set it on her lap. Her smile was infectious when she looked up at Sai. "I wanted to tell you that a package came for you. I believe it's those new oils you wanted."
He raised a curious brow. "The ones we ordered yesterday?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess they have pretty quick shipping." Her gaze moved away from Sai and onto Sakura. For a moment she just stared at her, eyes slightly wider than before; then she just smiled curiously, dark depths narrowing. "Who's this?"
Sakura smiled and reached out with her hand. "Sakura Haruno. I go to school with your son."
"Very nice to meet you," she replied as she shook her hand. She briefly glanced at Sai before looking back at Sakura. "Would you like something to drink? I could get you a glass of tea or brew you a cup of coffee."
Sakura shook her head. "No, but thank you. We just stopped by to drop off his things."
"Oh, are you going somewhere?" She turned her questioning gaze to her son.
He hesitated briefly; Sakura wouldn't have taken much notice, but, his mother knew him well enough to know he had. "Sakura's invited me to a gala tonight; it's a black tie event and she needed an escort."
Sakura smile sheepishly at his mother. "I've already told him he doesn't need to buy a suit. I wouldn't expect him to when he's the one doing me the favor."
"I see," she replied, smile still firmly in place. "Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about that. Sai already has a suit he can wear. It's not the first time you've been to a formal function, is it?"
Sai frowned, not entirely liking the look in her eyes. "No…" he replied, "it's not."
"Since you don't have to go out for anything, would you like to stay for supper, Sakura?"
"We're going out to eat actually," Sai replied before she could respond. "We'll be here long enough for me to change. Sakura still has to change at her house."
"Well… not really," Sakura jumped in. "I packed my dress and makeup in the car before I knew Naruto couldn't go with me." She rolled her eyes. "He takes forever to get ready and I have to plan accordingly."
"Great," his mother replied with a clap of her hands as she stood up. "You can both change here and then go out for your meal. Oh, you don't mind if I get a picture, do you?" she looked over at Sakura. "I've wanted a good excuse to get a picture of him in a suit, and honestly, a young man always looks better in a good suit with a girl next to him."
"Um… sure," Sakura agreed, all the while wondering if the look Sai was giving her constituted as a glare. "I'll go get my stuff."
Sai turned and watched as she left. When the door shut behind her he turned back to his mother. "What are you trying to do?"
"Nothing." She smiled innocently.
Somehow he doubted that. "I'm going to go to my room and change. I'm sure you won't mind finding her a room to do the same in…" He walked away and towards the hall.
"Not at all."
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"Here you go, hun. Are you going to need any help zipping or buttoning up?"
Sakura shook her head as she stepped inside the room Mikoto opened for her to use. "No, but thank you. It zippers on the side. Oh, and I appreciate you letting me use your bathroom as well."
She chuckled. "Well, I do have the better vanity."
"That I'll agree with completely." She nodded, recalling how much counter space she had and how bright the room had been; makeup was always much easier to apply when one had a lot of light.
Sakura turned around and got a better look at the room just as Mikoto was closing the door. "Um, wait… is this Sai's… um…"
"Studio?" she asked, hesitating.
"Yeah, that's the word," she replied as she snapped her fingers and glanced about. Her eyes turned back to Mikoto. "Are you sure it's alright if I change in here?" She felt a little like an intruder.
She nodded. "Yeah, he won't mind. And if he does he can get mad at me." She winked at her, causing Sakura to smile. "If you need anything just yell for me." After Sakura's nod she softly shut the door.
Alone for the moment, Sakura looked about for a place to hook her dress on. Along one wall was a large work table and a chair. She opted to sling it over that and began to change.
It was strapless and simple with a crinoline sewn into the lower half to make it flow; pencil dresses were nice, but, she loved the way skirts moved in the forties and fifties, and tried to buy something of the same style for events with dancing.
Now that she was done she looked about for a mirror. A flash caught her eye on the table and she glanced at it, sighing when she realized, yes, it was a mirror, but, it wasn't large enough. She started to turn away so that she could ask Sai's mother about getting a look at herself in one, but found herself stopping again.
She didn't really feel comfortable looking through his stuff, even his art; however, all the stuff of the table was out in the open and scattered in a mess of sketches. So, it didn't quite feel like she was invading his privacy.
There were a lot of his family and some of other people she'd seen at school. Some were of animals and plants. Some were of places she recognized and others she'd never been to. Some of them weren't even real. All of them were really pretty and full of rich details and shadowing. She couldn't help but smile a little as some, or, raise a brow at a few others.
Her fingers came across something thick under another the next sheet she moved to pick up. She placed it aside and found herself scrutinizing a brown notebook. Without too much thought she flipped it open and began looking at the pages. At first, she wasn't really paying all too much attention to what she was looking at; not really. But, as she turned page after page she became aware of the fact that every sketch was of a young woman. Then she found herself staring at a portrait.
Of herself.
She went back and forth through page after page, looking and looking; although, she wasn't really sure what she was looking for. If she'd seen this book perhaps a week ago she would have called stalker for sure, but, these images were not recent; a fact only signified by the date on the bottom of the pages. That and, Sai was just… Sai. He drew people. It didn't mean anything, right?
Her fingers trailed over the one page, caressing the date. It was from freshman year; they all were.
She flipped through it again, once more not really sure why or what bothered her about the pictures. What was it? She realized she'd felt this way before at the art center when he'd drawn her. Something about all of these images struck her; they spoke to her. But what was it she was seeing that she wasn't actually able to… see?
"Not everything is as it first appears, not unless you look closer… or just look."
Sakura stilled as her eyes locked on the current page. She looked at the shadows, the lines, the curves of her own features; she followed through the detail on her own eyes, the way her lips curled in gray-black and the strands of her own hair. Every detail was there, but, with every stroke Sakura realized what she saw, what she saw in every piece of work he'd ever done.
Sai drew feelings; he drew what he couldn't understand. And this book what'd been trying to understand, to figure out…
Was love.
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The drive was met with some level of silence, but, it wasn't uncomfortable. Sakura had been a little worried about what the Uchiha household considered formal wear, but, when he'd come out dressed in what her mother would have called above reproach, Sakura had found herself taking pause. He didn't fill it out the same way Naruto would have, but, while Naruto looked right in a suit… Sai just looked… elegant in one.
"How much farther?"
"Not much," she replied as they rounded a corner further into the city. Everything was dark and lit up; the streetlights were on and there were a handful of cars on the road, but, not many overall. She could see the brighter lights coming from the museum just at the end. "It's just down there." She pointed where the red banners were up on the larger, older looking building.
"I don't think I've been to this one before."
"The museum?"
He nodded. "I go to quite a few."
She wasn't too surprised to hear that. She imagined he spent a lot of his weekends in museums, art centers and libraries.
When she pulled up and stopped the car a valet came out and opened the door for her. She grabbed her things as quickly as she could, offered him a brief thank you and joined Sai on the curb.
She smiled softly and took his arm when he offered it to her. Once they scaled the steps and made it inside Sakura gave over her invitation to the door man and they were directed into the main room where their coats and her bag were taken by a woman working the coat check for the evening.
A cascade of light lit the room as people danced and mingled. There were servers walking around with platters of champagne and finger food. To one corner was a bar and a small buffet table. The atmosphere was a familiar one that Sakura found herself falling into it very easily, just as she always did. She smiled, she conversed, she laughed and she gave her hellos on behalf of her parents. Sai, to his credit, didn't look bored at all; which, was much more than she would have gotten from Naruto, and much more than she could have expected from anyone else she would have chosen. He didn't talk much, but, when he did he was polite and what he said was taken well by her parent's associates and friends. Overall, despite her mood earlier in the day about the event, she could safely say she was happy.
"You've been awesome tonight; I wanted you to know that." They stood off to the side and she found herself just watching people, a drink in her hand. She'd done her part and now she could relax until the party was over.
"I didn't mind," he replied, hands in his pockets.
He looked fairly comfortable, she decided and perhaps a little too good in that tux. There'd been more than a few women in attendance giving him an eyeful; it was a bit different than what she was use to. Then again, she wasn't use to seeing him act like a human being either. Of course, most of the time she saw him was at school where many people treated him like second rate scum to begin with…
She sighed.
"Are you alright?"
She looked over at him. "Hm?... Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Her eyes traveled across the crowd and towards the people dancing. It was then she realized she'd been so busy smoozing the whole night on behalf of her mother she hadn't danced once. It was actually one of the few things she enjoyed at these events.
"Do you want to dance?" she found herself asking him.
"I would…" he began slowly, actually sounding a little nervous for once. "But… I don't know how."
She smiled. He didn't sound embarrassed at all, but, in his own way she could tell he was put off. She supposed if she wanted to she could just find another partner; it's not like anyone would say no, but, for some reason that didn't sit well with her.
"Come on," she murmured as she took his arm, dragging him off and away from the party area.
"Where are we going?" he asked, not sounding worried or concerned in the least.
"I feel like taking a walk and I'm sure you're tired of staring at the same hundred or so people." She slowed down to a more even pace as they rounded the corner, only then realizing she'd been power walking out of there a little; which, was silly seeing as how she wasn't running from anyone. "Besides," she added, "you said you hadn't been here before. Might as well take a tour."
"Have you been here before?"
She nodded as she clasped her hands behind her back. Blonde waves bounced around her features. "When I was little my dad brought me here a few times, but, that was when I still in elementary school... and obviously a bit younger."
Sai stopped as they came to the first exhibit on his right. He looked up at the large skeletal structure of a triceratops. Part of the head loomed over them.
Sakura looked up as well, eyes analytical. "You know, some paleontologists don't think they used their horns for defensive posturing at all, but, rather for mating," she explained.
"No, I didn't," he replied as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye.
She nodded. "The same goes for the stegosaurus. They think the plates on their backs were far too brittle to be a defensive weapon; they're now considering the possibility that they were used to help regulate their body temperature."
He couldn't help but smile a little bit. "And the T-rex?"
She gave a grin as she looped her arm through his. "Well, as far as I know they're still safe, but, they are starting to wonder about those little arms of theirs. I've read they're revisiting the initial idea that they were for tickling a mate during breeding." She shrugged. "But, who knows."
"I doubt we really would without the aid of a time machine," he replied as he pulled away from the dino and moved onto another.
And much of the rest of the expedition went that way; Sakura talked about the things they saw and Sai commented, sometimes adding his own opinion or offering what he knew as well. They stopped only once they made a complete round back towards the party; they stayed far enough away that they could hear the music and see some of the going-ons without really being a part of it.
Sai leaned back into one wall and looked towards the event. It was about a half an hour towards the time the party would end and the last of the people would go home. Next to him, Sakura stared into a glass paned exhibit.
The events of the night weighed on him, but, he wasn't unhappy. If someone were to ask him why he'd come, he supposed the best response he could have come up with was, I didn't have any plans; yet, there was a part of him that knew that wasn't quite the honest answer, just the best one he could come up with.
But, there was something bothering him; it was something that had been since he'd spoken to her that day in the library. It was only tonight, for some reason, she'd let her guard down long enough to let it bleed through.
"Sakura," he said softly, only continuing once he felt her eyes on him, "why do you hide your intelligence?"
There was a long silence after that question and he wondered what was working in her head as he stared up at the ceiling, watching as the hanging exhibits swayed only slightly. He imagined there was a draft somewhere not far away.
"I think I have an answer for you," she said instead. "About what you asked me when we went to lunch." She was quiet again and turned around so her back was pressed into the glass behind her. She sighed and he listened. "When I little people use to come by the house and say how wonderful I was and how proud my mother must be." She smiled wanly. "And at the time I thought to myself how pretty they were, like my mother. I didn't really understand at that age who they were aside from my mother's friends. But, I eventually came to the conclusion that my mother and those women weren't like any of the other women I saw out and about. So," she said with another sigh, "I asked her about it one day; I asked her in front of her friends. They thought it was adorable and told me about how wonderful my mother had been as a model, how amazing she'd been and how they all had aspired to her likeness even after she retired.
"All I could remember from that day was how they used the words had, was, before, retired and the look on my mother's face. They couldn't see it, but… her eyes…" Sakura's lids shut and her head tipped down.
After a moment she looked back up, but, not at him. Her eyes were elsewhere, on something else without really looking at it. "My mother is a very proud woman. She would never admit to her friends how much they'd hurt her that day, whether they meant to or not. She would never say how much she wished she could have raised me properly and continued to have been a model… When she stopped, my mother was on the top of her game; she was the best. The only reason she quit was to take care of me…"
Sai watched her quietly; part of him wanted to say something, but, he didn't. He could sense she wasn't finished yet.
"If I hide how smart I am it's not intentional… I suppose I'm so use to being this person I'm expected to be, that my mother expects me to be, that everyone expects me to be that I just… hide it. Maybe I worry if people knew they would either be intimidated or …"
"Consider you a nerd?" he offered.
"…Yeah… maybe," she half whispered.
"And Ino?"
She shrugged. "That's easy… I tolerate Ino because she's not going to be the first person who's like that in my career. If I can't deal with her then how can I make it in an industry littered with hellcats and backstabbers?"
"I guess I just have one more question then."
She finally looked over at him, eyes questioning.
"Are you happy?"
She stared at him for a long while, but, not too long. Her eyes held his, stirring within him something he wasn't sure what to call, but, he couldn't quit find the will to look away from her even if he wanted to.
"…no," she whispered. "But…"
He waited.
"Right now I want to dance… will you dance with me, Sai?"
At that moment, even if the fact that he couldn't dance stood as a sound reason to say no… he found he didn't want to.
AN :: OK, so, I managed to actually update before the end of the year! Yeah for me! Only four more chapters, guys. Maybe five, but, I really want to keep it at fifteen. Anyway, I'm going to be removing KMI and I've decided to keep LCA on hiatus until I'm back in the mood for yaoi -sighs-. If you read my profile you'll find more details, but, I do have plans for another Sas/Sak fic I really want to work on. It'll be about ten chapters if I work it out right. I already have the prologue written. –grins- I'm just not sure if I want to post it until after this story is complete or not.
Anyway, thanks for reading and let me know what you thought as always. I kind of wonder if this chapter was a little broken. I normally try not to do a lot of page breaks in one chapter, but, I didn't want to split this in half.
Much love, though.
—Blade