Engagement On Hold
Summary: (AU) Uchiha Sasuke is Konoha High's reigning prince. Haruno Sakura is…? Who is she again? What happens when the guy everybody knows finds himself engaged to the girl nobody knows?
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama
Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Itachi/Sakura (What's wrong with me? I don't really know.)
Author: pei-chan
Beta-reader: Ruru Kitsuneko
Disclaimer: Wouldn't it be nice if Sasuke and Sakura were really engaged in the Naruto series? Then again, that would only occur in our dreams… ne?
Chapter 14―Uchiha and Haruno Dinner
"What is this?" Sumire shrieked. "Ayame! Get over here!"
A petite, pale-skinned, auburn-haired girl came running from the left of the corridor. "Yes, Sumire-sama?" Ayame inquired, a lump stuck in her throat; nervous of the damages that Haruno Sumire Sohma Sabaku might do to her. "What is it… that you need?"
"Why is Sakura wearing that ridiculous outfit?" Sumire snapped angrily at the maid, pointing an index finger inside a distinctive room that belonged to her daughter. Inside was Haruno Sakura, wearing black baggy pants and a simple red shirt. It was simple—not stylish, but casual clothes that were completely inappropriate for a semi-formal dinner. She was wearing something close to her usual hairstyle: two separate pigtails that were braided and her usual moon shaped spectacles. She was sitting comfortably in a red egg chair, staring at them with an apathetic expression on her face.
Ayame took the time to observe Sakura's attire from top to bottom. She turned her attention back to the aggravated Sumire. "She looks fine, ma'am," she replied, her anxiousness stepping up another level.
"Are you blind?" Sumire shrilled, "The Uchihas are coming to have dinner with us, and you can't even dress my daughter with the proper attire! She's supposed to wear something semi-formal―not casual!"
Ayame sweatdropped and laughed uneasily, "But―that is… um…"
"Calm down mother. Don't blame Ayame for this." Sakura stood up from her comfortable seat, feeling that it was time for her to disrupt the ongoing conversation before her mother completely lost it. She had to admit that it was really amusing to see her mother blow her wits off, but she didn't want anyone to get fired for her stubborness and selfishness. Yes, she actually admits that she's selfish. "I wanted to dress like this." She shrugged carelessly.
"Sakura," Sumire sighed with exasperation. "Why do you do this to me?"
"What?" Sakura shrugged indifferently. "If they can stand this unique side of me, then this engagement might really be worth it."
"Do you really want to embarrass yourself that much?" Sumire asked, her head whirling in turmoil at her daughter's attitude.
"If they can't stand me being this way, then that just means that I'm not meant to be a part of their family," Sakura smirked smugly. Not that I want to be a part of their ludicrous family, she added mentally. She ended the conversation there by walking away, not bothering to listen to her mother's comments and reprimands any longer. Not that Sumire will have any more comments for her daughter, since Sakura won't give her the attention she wanted.
"Just call me when time for me to show up. I'll be at the garden… arranging my speech," Sakura muttered bluntly in a flat tone of voice.
"Speech for what?" Sumire frowned.
"'How to be nice to the Uchihas'," Sakura stated, her voice oozing with dry sarcasm. That was the last thing that Sumire heard from her daughter, as Sakura was now out of her sight.
Sumire sighed once more, "What am I going to do with you?"
A knock on the door was heard.
"Come in," a muffled reply came from the other side.
The auburn-haired Ayame emerged from the other side of the door as it opened, "Sumire-sama, the Uchihas have arrived."
Sumire nodded firmly, "Did you bring them to the living room?"
"That's already been done," Ayame stated bowing her head slightly out of respect.
"Very well. Call Temari, Kankuro, Gaara and Sakura and tell them to go down to the living room as well." Sumire stood up from the black office chair she was sitting on. "I'll be heading over there now myself."
Ayame nodded and closed the door behind her to do the job that Sumire had entrusted to her.
Sumire sighed as she flopped back down into her seat. One might think that just because she was in her office, and sitting in her office chair, she would be doing work like a normal business woman even at home; however, this was Sumire. She wasn't the type to work. In fact, she didn't really take her job seriously at all.
It was a miracle how her company was able to stay afloat. It was all thanks to her late husband, Haruno Sora. He was the one who knew how to handle the business, since Sumire was only able to experience the world of luxury when her grandfather sold a huge property that they owned, which became the starting line of their escalating prosperity.
Sumire was unlike both her husbands who had their family line full of popular and wealthy people.
Glancing towards a simple silver picture frame, Sumire's lavender eyes softened at the family picture composed of the seven-year-olds Sabaku Temari (who was smiling slightly at the camera) and Sabaku Kankuro (who was grinning innocently and holding up a peace sign) sitting right beside each other, the six-year-old Sabaku Gaara (who was scowling with his arms crossed was turned away from the camera) sitting right beside Kankuro, the youngest daughter, five-year-old Haruno Sakura (who was giving her happiest smile) on the lap of her father, Haruno Sora (who was giving a grin like Kankuro, with a peace sign of his own), Sumire (who was elegantly sitting on her spot, with a gentle smile on her lips) sitting right beside her husband, and Sakura's great-grandmother Yukiru Kimisato (who tried to smile as noticeably as her wrinkled face would let her, but it turned out quite nicely) sitting right in the very middle of the picture, right in between the Sabaku children and Sumire.
A contented sigh escaped Sumire's smiling lips, at the thought of a past memory replaying in her mind.
Everything was still normal at that time. Well, not completely normal. Sakura was living with the Harunos, in her great-grandmother's house along with her father, Haruno Sora. The Sabaku trio was living in their father's mansion, refusing to leave there to live at the Haruno manor. Sumire had no choice but to stay with them, being the concerned parent that she was. She didn't want to leave them alone and left the business work to her husband. It may have seemed as if the couple was divorced, but it was just the way their life was. They were only able to see each other during the weekends.
"I'm slacking off again, eh, Sora," Sumire giggled at the thought.
Sasuke grunted inaudibly, still not liking the idea of this so-called 'dinner' that they were going to have. Why must his parents force his relationship with that girl? Couldn't they understand that they didn't like each other?
"Ah, would you look at that," Itachi spoke, breaking the silence in the four-apartment sized living room.
Sasuke didn't like the amused tone that he was using. It was only succeeding in ticking him off even more.
"I can't help but think that this is the second time we've been in this room," Itachi commented with an unnoticable smirk as his head turned from the left to right, observing the room with watchful eyes.
"You're right. It's that time when we first announced Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan's engagement." Mikoto clasped her hands together in a delighted manner.
Sakura-chan, Sasuke thought irritably, his eye twitching in the process. His mother really needed to stop getting too familiar with his fiancée. It wasn't doing his brains any good. He didn't need his mother forcing this engagement on him any more than they already had.
"Hn, that family is still the same. They're always late," Fugaku stated with a frown. He didn't like people who made him wait. He wasn't the type to be patient.
"Did you say something, Fugaku-san?" a cold, yet sneaky voice asked right behind him.
Uchiha Fugaku turned around along with the rest of the Uchihas and saw Gaara, staring at them catatonically. He was leaning against the wall beside the doorway motionless.
No one turned away from each other beside the fact that they were all staring intently at one other: the Uchihas' dark eyes and Gaara's light green ones. No one spoke, until…
"That wasn't me," Gaara stated calmly closing his eyes.
"That was me," another voice said.
The Uchihas turned towards the opposite side of the room, and saw Sabaku Temari walking towards them with a scowl.
Temari approached the Uchihas and flopped herself on the sofa that wasn't occupied by anyone in particular. She shrugged, "Really. If you want to blame someone, blame―"
"Temari―I demand a rematch!" Kankuro came running from the other side of the door, alerting everyone in the room of his presence.
Gaara's eyes stayed closed, not ignoring his siblings' dispute.
Temari seemed bemused, and gave her younger brother an impassive look. "Can't you just give up? You know that you can't beat me."
"Want me to prove that to you?" Kankuro snarled.
"Later," Temari waved her hand carelessly, gesturing a complete dismissal of the subject. "Right now, that's not important. Didn't you notice who's here right now?" Temari scowled when realization dawned on her. "Oh yeah, to remind you, it's Temari-neechan! Get it!"
"Whatever," Kankuro grumbled.
Temari slouched more comfortably on the sofa she was sitting on, crossing her arms, which added to her strict position. "Honestly, you and Gaara have no respect! I'm blessed with two disrespectful brothers, who don't know how to respectfully address their elder siblings."
"At least Sakura calls you nee-chan," Kankuro said.
"It doesn't matter! She's not my real sister, if you recall," Temari scoffed. "The fact is that my real siblings don't respect me."
They're not real siblings? Sasuke mentally asked himself.
"You're not the only one Temari-san," Itachi piped up, suddenly including himself in the conversation that was supposed to be only for the Sabaku siblings.
Temari turned her attention towards Itachi, "Really? Your younger brother doesn't respect you either?"
"Actually, he can't even say my name without cursing or threatening to kill me beforehand," Itachi stated, not feeling offended with his younger brother with the statement that he uttered at all. In fact, he was actually glad of the fact.
Temari couldn't help but sweatdrop when she saw the older Uchiha's smirking figure. She couldn't possibly understand what was so amusing with your own sibling cursing whenever he/she says your name… not that she wanted to know. She would rather stay in the dark and remain ignorant.
Sasuke didn't deny it. He stayed as impassive as before. It was true. There was no point in denying it. He wouldn't want to deny it either. He was fine with it. He heard a sigh from someone sitting beside him, and saw his mother looking at him anxiously.
Mikoto was silently giving Sasuke the message of apologizing to his brother for doing so.
Sasuke turned away from his mother. Nope, he wasn't guilty at all.
"Being the eldest is such a complicated thing," Temari sighed, "It also gives me a headache."
"I agree," Itachi nodded.
Sasuke and Kankuro rolled their eyes in annoyance.
Gaara stayed as motionless as before. He didn't move an inch, and was completely not caring that his older sister was talking about him at all.
"Mother's slow as always," Kankuro said with an inaudible grumble, but there was someone who heard his last words.
"What's this I'm hearing, Kankuro-kun?" a deviously cheerful voice said from behind the said boy.
"Absolutely nothing, Mother," Kankuro dismissed his past statement without a second thought. He didn't need to turn around to recognize who it was sneaking up behind him.
Sumire entered the room with a cheerful smile. "Did you give the Uchihas a warm welcome?" She eyed her family carefully.
"Sure," Temari drawled with a shrug.
"Yeah," Kankuro said hesitantly.
"Hn," Gaara sounded nonchalantly.
They're bad at lying, Sasuke thought with a sweatdrop. Anyone would know the truth by just listening to the sounds of their responses. He wasn't fooled, and he knew their mother wasn't either.
Sumire continued to give an unwavering smile. If she did know they were lying, she had a good reason why she ignored it. She just accepted her children's answer with a smile on her face, even though it was quite conspicuous that they were indeed lying.
"Now, where's Sakura?" Sumire asked, looking around the room for any sign of her youngest daughter.
"Right here," Sakura said, standing right behind Sumire, leaning on the doorway. She pushed herself away from the doorway and straightened herself in a standing position. She walked further inside the room, before standing right beside her mother.
"Sakura, you're late," Sumire whispered in an exasperated sigh.
Sakura shrugged indifferently. "What? I was busy" —she gave her mother a mocking smile— "practicing my speech."
Sumire could just feel her head throbbing in pain. She was getting a migrane. Her daughter was really something. Really something. Producing a sigh, Sumire reluctantly asked, "And what kind of speech is that?"
Sakura's secretive smile grew into a grin, or rather―a sly smirk. That vanished in a mere second into an innocent smile and said, "The 'How much I hate their guts that I want to throw them out of this house' speech. Sadly, the 'How to be nice to the Uchihas' wasn't working for me, so I decided to change it." Thank goodness they were talking in low whispers. If not… Sumire didn't even want to know. "It sounds much better, doesn't it?"
Sumire's lips twitched in response. Sakura was really trying to infuriate her mother in any way possible. The worst case scenario was that it was working perfectly.
Sakura walked towards the Uchihas, ending her mother's reprimanding speech before it even got started.
"Sakura!" Sumire called out for her daughter to stop. She didn't want her daughter showing an unnecessary rude behavior just to prove her displeasure with her engagement with the younger Uchiha.
However, Sakura made no motion to utter any profanities of her annoyance when she saw something about her fiancée's attire.
Disappointment came to her when she noticed that her fiancée was wearing plain six-pocket khaki pants and an even plainer sleeveless turtleneck black shirt covered by a light-blue cotton hooded jacket with the Uchiha family emblem embroidered on the back. A thick black leather leg band was on his left thigh over his pants, which made the overall effect of the ensemble: total casual plainness. Coupled with his somewhat scruffy, but expensive sports shoes, you could now safely describe his outfit as: 'casual.' It seemed that the 'speech' that she spent time trying to organize was long forgotten the moment she saw the similarities between Sasuke's clothing — and hers. Or maybe, she didn't really organize a 'speech' in the first place. It might have been a hoax just to annoy her mother.
Stomping towards the direction where Sasuke was sitting comfortably, Sakura placed a stern hand on her hips. "What the hell!" she exclaimed angrily.
"What's your problem?" Sasuke asked indifferently. He didn't give a spare time for Sakura to start yelling at him.
Sakura leaned forward, so that her face was right by his level. However, the consequence of this was that their faces were quite close. Not that the two of them noticed this. Sakura was too busy glaring at Sasuke, and Sasuke was too busy mocking Sakura with an indifferent look.
"Are your trying to copy me?" Sakura asked, scowling.
"Copy you?" Obsidian orbs narrowed. "What makes you think I would want to copy someone like you? Who would even want to copy a person such as yourself?"
Oh, he did not just say that!
Sakura stiffled a growl, then said in a low voice, "Why are you wearing those clothes?"
What she meant was… why her 'dear' fiancée was wearing casual clothes, while the rest of his family ― along with Sakura's ― were wearing semi-formal attire. Consequently, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke were the only ones that were wearing casual clothing. She defined it as copying for she didn't expect Sasuke to dress up in casual clothes as well.
"What are you talking about? I always wear these types of clothes. It might be you who's not usually wearing those types of clothes." Sasuke turned away with a sneering smirk. "How desperate," he added in a soft murmur.
"You insolent prick!" Sakura yelled in anger. In a low and dangerous tone, a straightforward threat came out of her mouth. "I wanna slap you… so much."
Sasuke looked at his fiancée's eyes, glaring at him with utmost hatred — which he dismissed quite easily. "I would like to see you try."
"Ah!" Sakura snapped, that mocking statement clearly shredding the last of her control. She straightened herself in a standing position once more, before bringing her face away from Sasuke's. That was when she lost the unspoken battle and started spitting out curses of vulgarity.
Sasuke could only turn his head away crudely. He really wanted to plug his ears to block Sakura's shrilling voice as she kept spouting nonstop, redundantly cursing him.
"You damn bastard! Who do you think you are! Idiotic moron! Go to hell!" Sakura shrilled angrily.
Sumire rubbed her temples with a breathy sigh.
Temari, noticing her mother's discomfort, tried to cheer her up the best way that she could. "Well, at least she's not saying how much she hated his guts!"
Actually, Sakura thought otherwise.
"I hate your guts, and every last fiber within your very being!" Sakura screeched.
Temari sweatdropped. "Okay… I stand corrected," she drawled.
This isn't starting as well as I thought, Sumire thought, rubbing her temples to ease her head from the pain… the pain that was going to keep building if this continued.
"Well, do you have something to say?" Sakura snarled, "Or, do I have to keep talking for you!"
Sasuke stood up, now being a couple of inches taller than Sakura was that she had to tilt her head upward to get a good look at his face. "You're annoying," he said, giving her a cold glare that made her stop ranting completely.
Mikoto couldn't fight the urge of slapping her palm against her forehead. "Maybe, Sumire-chan was right about this idea afterall," she was talking out loud, not caring who might have heard her. Afterall, it wasn't like the children whom their plan was for weren't both busy trying to snap each other's heads off to pay attention to what she had said.
I only hope that her idea will actually make things better, Fugaku thought hopefully praying that their wretched plan would actually work.
From here on in, things will get even more interesting, Itachi thought with a smirk. He knew that there was something that was going to happen later. He just knew it.
"Why thank you for understanding! I knew about that fact long ago!" Sakura retorted, unaffected by Sasuke's insult. She actually took it more lightly, and accepted it. Well, not without giving her fiancée a piece of her mind by screaming at him once more. "Why don't you tell me something I don't know!"
Sakura looses her temper too easily, Kankuro and Temari both shook their heads with a knowing sigh.
No one knew what Gaara was thinking, though. He hadn't opened his eyes once ever since he closed them. Maybe, he wasn't thinking at all. Was he sleeping… or not?
Sakura couldn't help but drum her fingers on the table throughout the course of their dinner. She was restless. It was the only thing she could do that wouldn't be that unladylike at the table. She didn't like this dinner one bit, and her mind wasn't changing. Not one bit. In fact, she was getting more and more infuriated with every passing second.
They were all sitting on a long rectangular table with her mother sitting at the head, for she was the host of this little dinner gathering, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto sitting beside each other at Sumire's left side, followed by Itachi and Sasuke who were sitting the furthest away from Sumire. At Sumire's right side were her children―or foster children, whatever she might call them―and they were sitting in the order of oldest to youngest. Therefore, Temari was the one sitting closest to her mother, next was Kankuro, then Gaara, and lastly Sakura.
Their parents were all chatting with each other cheerfully, as if they had forgotten their children were even there. Not that they even cared. They were all silent, minding their own business and eating their food quietly.
Is it me, or did they just stash me in this seat so that I'll be right across him, Sakura thought with a huff. Well, she should look at the bright side. At least, he wasn't talking to her, much less paying any attention to her at all.
Why am I here again? Sasuke asked to himself dryly. His face remained impassive as he kept on eating like nothing was wrong.
What kind of dinner is this? Temari thought, grumbling to herself.
They're the only ones talking, Kankuro thought with a snarl.
Meat… again, Gaara thought, eyeing his food imperturbably. Yes, he didn't care about the situation at hand. What mattered to him was that he was eating, and he sure wasn't satisfied with his food. (Are you a vegetarian, Gaara-chan?)
Itachi… no one knew what he was thinking. In fact, it would be better off that no one knew what was going on inside that brain of his.
"Wait," Mikoto said after a fit of giggles. Something just occurred to her. "I wonder: why did you ask us to come back to the country at this time? You even notified us on such short notice that I had to rush back, so that I wouldn't miss it."
Fugaku nodded, also wondering about the same thing. "Why did you want the dinner to be today―during a weekday no less?"
Itachi and Sasuke eyed Sumire as well, interested in her answer. She must have some valuable reason for planning this 'dinner' at the last minute.
Temari and Kankuro stopped their movements and gave a concerned glance at their little sister at the other end of the table before exchanging a meaningful glance with each other. Even Gaara stopped staring at his food and glimpsed at his little sister's, watching her reaction. This wasn't left unnoticed by the Uchihas, as they became even more confused about the situation.
Sakura remained calm and emotionless, and gave an intent gaze at her mother, waiting patiently for what she was going to say. Even she was curious on what her mother's reply would be.
Sumire, noticing the apprehension that she created, decided to break it, by giving them the reply that they wanted. "Oh nothing! It's nothing special―really. I just wanted us to have the Uchiha and Haruno dinner today."
Gaara didn't need to think twice. Immediately, he turned to look at his little sister, who was sitting right beside him. Oddly, he didn't know what she was feeling because her facial expression was blank. She was looking at her plate that was still filled with luscious food. Gaara noticed that she wasn't eating a lot, and only ate bits of food through the course of dinner. She might not even finish her meal if she kept this up.
She's alright, Gaara thought in relief.
However, that didn't last long when Sumire said something that she shouldn't have said.
"From now on, this day will be when we'll spend the time to have a family dinner together," Sumire chirped with a grin.
"You mean we'll be doing this every year?" Mikoto asked.
Sumire nodded without a thought.
Mikoto clasped her hands together and smiled. "That's a great idea!"
Sasuke turned his head away, apparently, despising the idea. Great! This was just what he needed… a new tradition that would tie him with this family. This was just great!
Suddenly, a hand slammed loudly on the dinner table startling everyone, and interrupting everyone's statements from being completed. Everyone's attention was stolen by the girl that slammed her hands loudly on the table. The Uchihaswere all giving her looks of utter confusion, wanting a brief explanation for her rash actions.
She didn't care if they thought of her as rude. No. That didn't matter to her right now. What mattered to her was something other than that. Their thoughts were the least of her worries.
"Excuse me… I think… I need some fresh air…" with that said, she walked away from the table, ignoring everyone's gaze as she trotted towards a door within the room that would bring her out to a separate veranda in the manor.
Sasuke noticed something as she passed by. He saw her lower her head, trying to hide something from everyone in the room, but he noticed it.
A wet and moist teardrop fell down her cheek.
When the door to the veranda closed, and Sakura had already exited the room, many questions formed in the Uchihas minds. However, only one person was able to ask one question.
"What's wrong with her?" It was Mikoto that asked this question.
With a sigh, Sumire's shoulders slumped down and a gloomy expression replaced the earlier cheerfulness. "That's my fault," she admitted, regretting what she had said earlier.
"What do you mean, Sumire-chan?" Mikoto asked, trying to adjust to the situation.
Sumire gave a breathy sigh and explained sadly, "Today is actually my late husband's death anniversary, Haruno Sora, Sakura's father."
Immediately, all became silent. They all understood, but more questions lingered within one side of the table.
"But, why did you invite us to come here today, if the occasion today was so important for your family?" Mikoto did the talking, for she seemed to be the only one who was willing to do it.
Sumire regarded Mikoto with a pained glance, and it was then that Mikoto immediately understood. Mikoto's face softened.
"Every year… during this time… we always came together to have a dinner exactly like this. It was a way for us… to… spent time together." Sumire paused, as she took a deep breath, encouraging herself to continue. "But… even with that time we spent together, Sakura's still off within her own world, torturing herself with the past. It was because she didn't feel like she belonged to the family, since she had always lived with her father until he died."
Mikoto's eyes softened even more as she heard this. She gave her friend a sad smile, while the rest of the Uchihas kept quiet as a sign of respect, and let Sumire speak until she was done.
The Sabaku siblings already understood the situation. That was why they didn't protest about their mother's idea for they knew that the whole point of it was to help their youngest sister. It was already difficult to see her truly happy, for she would always torture herself in any way possible. An example of this was dressing herself up as a geek in Konoha High. She always tried to find a way to make herself unhappy, thinking that she didn't deserve any kind of happiness.
Maybe… just maybe, that might have been the reason why Sumire had arranged Sakura's engagement with the youngest Uchiha sibling, Uchiha Sasuke, in the first place.
"I just thought that… maybe… if I invited your family… that might help her to finally… move on… since… we'll become one family afterall." Sumire forced herself to giggle to lighten the mood within the dining room, in which she knew wouldn't do much to lift the heavy air around the room.
After a couple of moments of silence, Mikoto nodded, "I understand."
Finally getting fed up with the tension contained in the room, he stood up from his seat. If they weren't going to do anything, but just sit down and mope around, then he would do it for them. He wasn't just going to sit around and do nothing. If there was something he could do, he would do it.
"Gaara," Sumire looked up at him with great concern, when she noticed him suddenly standing up. Apparently, she didn't know what was on her son's mind. Well, it was actually quite difficult to figure out whatever Gaara was thinking. He was her son, but not even she knew what was going on within his mind.
"If none of you plan on doing something, then I will," Gaara muttered in an oddly casual tone. He was about to start retracing Sakura's steps and follow her to the veranda located just at the other side of the door of the room when a stern voice stopped him within his tracks.
"No," a terse and calm voice stated.
Gaara simply narrowed his emerald orbs and gave the person that stopped him an imperceptible glare. He didn't like what he just said. He wasn't going to let himself be ordered around just because he was the head of the Uchiha family. Alas, he didn't say anything, but just kept glaring silently at Uchiha Fuguaku, waiting for an explanation that would back up his order. It better be reasonable.
Even if Fugaku noticed the glare that Gaara was giving him, he didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, he called out for someone else, "Sasuke" ―Sasuke immediately gave his father his full and undivided attenion― "You go," he ordered.
Sasuke was immediately taken aback by this that his face momentarily showed his shocked, but it was covered immediately with a frown, "Why me?" Normally, he wouldn't question his father's decisions, but this time… it was different.
He didn't know anything about this situation. He didn't even know all the details—hell, he didn't even know any detail. He just knew the gist of the situation. How the hell was he supposed to comfort her if he didn't even know what her problem was? Heck, he didn't even know how to comfort a girl for he had never done so―ever.
"You are her fiancée, are you not? You will be spending the rest of your life together" ―Sasuke couldn't help but cringe when he heard this. 'Spend the rest of your life together'―that was definitely going too far. Besides, he wasn't willing to― "So you might as well know how to comfort her within any kind of situation," Fugaku explained in a firm tone.
Still, Sasuke's mind didn't change. "But Father―"
"Think of it this way, little brother… you're deepening your relationship," Itachi stated wryly with a smirk.
"I didn't ask for your opinion, you bastard!" Sasuke retorted.
"Sasuke!" his mother reprimanded with a keen look. They had never acted this way before whenever they came to someone else's house, manor, castle, whichever you prefer, but still, that didn't mean that she would tolerate it just because it was for the very first time.
Itachi, still wanted to blow his little brother's fuse even more and decided to give him one last push, "But if you can't do something as simple as this, then are you going to remain to be a person who only knows how to hurt other people, but knows nothing on how to comfort others?"
A flash of what happened two days ago when he met that mysterious girl again replayed in his mind:
"Don't speak to me… as if you know everything about me," she spoke in a low voice that revealed all the flooding emotions that she was feeling. It was upset, furious, offended, and sad. "Because by far… you still know nothing about me. Absolutely… nothing." Her voice was shaking with what seemed to be―an admission guilt?—as she spoke those words.
Sasuke mentally shook his head, dismissing those unnecessary thoughts from making him focus on reality.
"You're pathetic," Itachi added smugly with a cocky smirk.
"Itachi!" his mother reprimanded once more, but this time, it was to her older son. They didn't need to start fighting now―not in front of the Harunos. That would be rude! While the Harunos were busy contemplating about the tense situation, her sons could only joke without remorse.
"Shut up!" Sasuke hissed angrily. Whirling around, he cursed under his breath as he stomped towards the door that would lead him to the veranda outside where his fiancée was at the moment.
Only knows how to 'hurt' others? He'll show them. He knew how to comfort others because if he didn't…
Her eyes were glistening even more with wet tears of anger that were swiftly forming at the base of her eyes.
… Then how was he going to apologize to that girl that he had unconsciously hurt because of his prying curiosity.
When the door closed and Sasuke was out of the room, Itachi thought that it was the perfect time to prove his point. "Now, you see what I mean, Temari-san. My 'dear' little brother can never say my name without cussing or threatening me beforehand," Itachi stated with great amusement staining in his voice.
Temari nodded. "Yeah, he seems to really hate your guts," she said imperturbably.
Itachi smirked, "You have no idea."
Really. How could these two talk about things like that when they were in front of their parents? Maybe, it wasn't only their parents now who had no shame, eh?
She was staring at the night sky that looked so much like the sky the night before with her arms crossed as she leaned forward on the veranda's marble railing. The soft whistling breeze of the air seemed to soothe her quite well. However, her calm serenity was cut short when she heard the door swing open behind her, alerting her that there was a new presence that invaded her privacy.
Not bothering to look who the person was standing behind her, she spoke speculating that she already knew who it was. "Gaara-niichan, can't you at least give me a little privacy―even just once?"
"I'm not Gaara," a familiarly husky voice replied coldly.
Sakura's eyes widened. She knew whom that voice belonged to. Knowing who it was, she instantly turned around and gave Sasuke a glare, "What are you doing here?" It wasn't a question; it was more like an aggravated statement.
He wasn't good at these things, but if he didn't do it, who knew what his father might do? In any case, he needed to comfort his fiancée. Problem was: how? Oh well, might as well go with the flow.
"I was asked to find out what's wrong with you." He was lying. Well, that was only half true, but if he didn't know what was wrong with her, then how was he supposed to comfort her? He did know the gist of it, but he needed to find out from her what was bothering her. Afterall, who would be the best judge of her feelings, but herself.
Damn, he really didn't know what to do in these kinds of situations.
Sakura's green eyes narrowed into a dangerous and warning glare. "Go away," she hissed. Her voice was shaking with anger.
"I can't do that," Sasuke replied coolly.
She clenched her hands into tight fists on the marble railing. "Why the hell do you want to know?" she snarled, getting even more aggravated by just watching his calm composure.
"Because" —how was going to put this?— "I was told to," he said, not really knowing what to say, so he just told the truth.
Wrong answer.
"Fine then…" she muttered in a low whisper. "Since you want to know so bad… I'll tell you," she scoffed in disdain… more to herself.
Sasuke remained silent, and stayed a couple of feet away from her, giving her space.
She turned away from him, and lowered her gaze to the ground, shadowing her eyes behind her light hair. Her hands were shaking every now and then because of the intense feelings welling up inside of her. She didn't want to tell him, nor did she want him to butt into her business, but… she really wanted to tell someone―anyone about it.
Without knowing, she poured out all her feelings that she had tried so hard to imprison inside her to the person she least expected to say them to.
"I couldn't" —she paused as she stiffled a sob— "I couldn't even say it." Her sobbing became more coherent, and Sasuke took notice of the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I thought… it was just like any day. He would always go on a business trip… just like always. I was so busy doing homework that I didn't even tell him, 'Goodbye.' I thought we were going to see each other again, so I thought that maybe I could just talk to him next time. So I…" It was then that her tears cascaded freely down her cheeks.
She didn't notice the footsteps coming closer towards her.
"I really… miss him…. so much, but I couldn't even say 'Goodbye,' even though I usually did so. I only cared about what I was doing… about myself. I didn't even know that it was going to be the last time that I would see him." She took a gasping breath, turned towards Sasuke and gave him a snarl, "Now that I've told you what's wrong with me: are you happy now?"
"Is that… why you feel so guilty?"
Sakura's pained expression faltered when she heard this. She watched him approach her until he was right beside her, his elbows plopped on the marble railing and his gaze on the ground. His expression was really hard to determine. She wasn't sure if it was sympathy that he was feeling, or he was just curious. Nonetheless, she didn't reply for her actions spoke for her. She turned away from him, as a sign that he was right.
"Were you close to him?" Sasuke asked, as he looked at her from the corner of his eye, watching her nod her head. She was still sobbing, but it wasn't as frequent as before. He stayed silent for a couple of seconds until he felt the right moment to speak once more.
"Consider yourself lucky that at least you're close to your father and that he was able to make some time for you," Sasuke spoke, his mind distant at that very moment.
Sakura turned to him with a concern frown. She didn't wipe her tears off her face yet, so right now, she looked like a complete mess, but that wasn't what was in her mind at the moment. With his last statement, she understood. Turning away from him once again, she smiled sadly. No time, huh?
It was funny that the richer people were, the unhappier they seemed to be. Uchiha Sasuke, was only one of these people. Sakura couldn't really say that she wasn't one of them because in a way… she was also unhappy.
"If you want to cry, then cry… if it makes you feel better," Sasuke spoke, not losing his calm and cool composure.
Sakura took his suggestion to heart and started sobbing once more. It was the first time in a long while that she had allowed herself to cry in front of someone―much less her fiancée. Imagine, letting the person she had sworn to hate… comfort her, but she couldn't deny that he did have a unique way of comforting someone.
Just then, a finger brushed against her cheek. It trailed upwards until it was just below her tear-filled eye and under the thick lenses that obscured her eyes. With a gentle caress, he wiped the tear that was threatening to fall.
Sakura immediately looked at Sasuke―who was looking at her with the same expression that he had right when he walked through the door―with a watchful and shocked expression. She was trying to search something with the way he looked at her, but she couldn't find it. However, his small gesture couldn't help but make her blush, making her uneasy with the situation that they were in.
"But then, if you keep crying, your face would look more messed up than it already is," Sasuke smirked. He wasn't insulting her, he was being sincere. Well… maybe, he was, but only he would know what his little statement really intended.
As she saw the playful smirk form on Sasuke's lips, Sakura couldn't help but give a small laugh. She knew that she should be offended, but she wasn't. Even when she tried to force herself to be irritated, it didn't come. It would be quite difficult for a stranger to know what she was really feeling at this moment because she was crying and laughing at the same time.
Even she didn't know. Somehow, her heart felt at ease, but still tears wouldn't stop forming from her eyes.
Yeah, he really had a unique way on comforting someone.
Sasuke took a folded blue handkerchief from his pants pocket. He brought it up to her, encouraging her to take it. "You should wipe those tears off your face. You might bump into a pole in that condition, seeing that you already have bad eyesight."
She gently took the blue handkerchief from his still hand. She closed her eyes and took notice of the footsteps that she heard as she dabbed the piece of cloth on her face, wiping her tears, so that she wouldn't look too much of a mess.
She opened her eyes and turned around to see Sasuke looking at her. He was just right in front of the door, and he could just go inside.
"You don't need to give that back, you can keep it," he said in the same cool, husky voice that he always used. He closed his hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it, when―
"Wait," Sakura said. She waited for Sasuke to stop before she continued. "Thank you," she whispered softly with a sincere smile tugging at her lips.
"Hn," Sasuke smirked. She didn't see this though, because his back was facing her. Somehow, he couldn't help but have this feeling of déjà vu that he had been in this kind of situation before.
Her expression softened as they stared at each other. A small smile tugged at her lips as she murmured softly.
"Thank you."
No, it couldn't be. She couldn't be…
"But," she said before he could even flinch, "That doesn't mean that I like you now."
Nah, it was impossible. It just couldn't be.
Sasuke opened the door and said nothing; however, before he walked through the door, he turned around and gave her a smirk that she would see, "You're still annoying, too."
Sakura only continued to smile at him. She was actually smiling at his insult―for once. She only took notice of the feeling that she imagined he had when he said that. It was a mystery, and she couldn't help but become curious about it. There she had a feeling of easiness when she saw his smirk―even if it was for mockery.
It didn't take a while before she followed Sasuke inside the manor, but this time, she was smiling like nothing happened. He'll always be a jerk, though.
After that, the first 'Uchiha and Haruno dinner' ran even more smoothly. The edgy atmosphere around them had eased a bit, when Haruno Sakura came back with a smile on her face. Odd. It was like she wasn't upset to begin with―like her emotional breakdown didn't even happen. She wasn't mouthing out any protest through the course of dinner after that. Sasuke didn't look too annoyed anymore either. In fact, he was calmer and more at ease than when he came in the house.
Maybe, all they needed was some alone time to talk to each other.
It seemed that their plan was actually running even better than expected. Maybe, they didn't need to use those people anymore.
But, this was Sumire we're talking about. She wouldn't put her brilliant plan aside when she worked really hard on putting it together. No matter what, she would bring her plan into action. That… starts now.
Sumire had already calmed down somewhat and was now back to her old self. She wasn't the type of person who kept moping around and feeling sorry for herself. She had a plan to set into action first. "Well then, now that that we're done with dinner, it's time for―"
"For us to leave," Sasuke interrupted rudely with a sarcastic remark. Hey, you can't keep a guy from hoping.
"For them to leave," Sakura muttered sardonically, giving her mother a nonchalant stare from the corner of her eye.
In fact, the two of them had said this at the same time. Finally, things were going back to normal. The two of them were back to normal… so it seemed.
"No, but I know very well that the two of you will like this very much," Sumire chirped with enthusiastic anticipation. She might be expecting too much, and her expectations might only end up in vain. Well, she wouldn't want that, now, would she?
Sasuke frowned cautiously.
Sakura narrowed her eyes into a questioning glare.
They were both thinking the same thing.
What is she planning?
Mikoto had to blink a few times to understand the situation. It was after a couple of confused seconds that she, now, had her own smile on her lips. "You two will be so thrilled when you find out what we have in store for you."
Her smile… was it more in the innocent side or the devious one. No, it was definitely one of those devious smiles.
Now, Sasuke and Sakura became even more suspicious. Thrilled… of what they had in store for them? Not really. They were more in the lines of being oddly nervous. Those words had a different effect on them.
They're definitely planning something bad. They just knew it! They didn't like this feeling. Their parents were sending these vibes that were saying in big, bold letters: 'We want to see you suffer for our own pleasure! You are our children―make us laugh.'
But that would be going too far now, would it?
Sakura crunched her face into an observing frown.
Sasuke twisted his face into a frowning glare.
Just by analyzing their parents… nah―that was what they were definitely saying.
And they didn't like it. Not at all.
"To deepen the relationship between our families, we arranged counseling for the two of you," Sumire smiled secretively, but Sakura and Sasuke didn't pay any attention towards that―whether she was hiding something from them or not―that wasn't their main concern. All that registered in their minds was the word 'counseling'.
"WHAT!" Sakura exclaimed in a shrill voice; her mouth hanging open in shock as she slammed her hands on the dining table loudly and curtly. "This is an outrage! What do you mean by―counselling? We don't need―counseling!" She bit her lip, trying to suppress the growl that was coming from her mouth that would prove very rude in front of everyone. She was trying to restrain herself from growling. She might grit her teeth so hard that she might shatter them to pieces, but that would be going overboard.
Sasuke continued to frown, but refused to say anything. He didn't like the idea either. He didn't need to say anything though, since Sakura was already fine complaining by herself.
"What is this?" she hissed with an aggravated glare. "Why makes you think we would need something so silly that it won't even work?" she sneered.
"'Won't even work?' Dear, dear, dear Sakura, that just gives me further confirmation that there is definitely something wrong with your relationship with your dear fiancée, Sasuke-kun," Sumire stated with a cunning smile.
Sakura scoffed, "Haven't you understood the facts of where exactly our relationship stands? It's very simple," she smiled bitterly. "I can't stand him, and he can't stand me. That's how simple it is." Her smile vanished and was immediately replaced with a confident glare.
Sasuke said nothing about the matter; however, his face showed no other signs of emotions. His stony expression remained a barrier to his real feelings.
"That's why we arranged a marriage counselling in the first place," Sumire replied confidently. She remained unfazed by her daughter's convincing and true words.
Marriage counseling? Sasuke thought cautiously.
"What the―! We're not even married yet! Why would we need something as crazy as that?" Sakura was losing it. Now, it was her mother that was giving her migranes. "This is nuts," she sighed and slumped further down the chair she was sitting on.
Suddenly, she felt something step on her foot from underneath the table, coaxing her to focus her attention towards the person in front of her. She looked up and saw Sasuke's cool and mysterious dark eyes staring at her silently. She blinked, embarrassed with the fact that he was staring at her so intently. It was then that she saw him nod his head slightly.
What? He couldn't mean that, but his simple actions and intent stare told her otherwise―but still! She didn't like it. Her mother always had twists in her plans that always made things even more complex. She knew that this one would definitely be one of those plans.
Reluctantly complying with Sasuke's silent request―even though she didn't know why she was actually agreeing with him in the first place―she sighed in defeat and grumbled, "Fine, but I doubt it'll work."
Sumire fought the urge to chuckle for she might blow her cover. "You shouldn't talk like that, dear Sakura, your might regret those words later."
Itachi smirked, The fun begins right about… now.
"Since it's your counseling, we're going to leave you alone in peace with your counselors, so that you'll be more confident." Mikoto smiled gleefully. Funny how fast her mind changes, since she had been hesitant about all of this before. Now, she's oddly excited about it. Ah, mothers can really be a pain.
"But we should introduce you to them first. I think you've already been acquainted with them, Sakura dear," Sumire stated knowingly. She couldn't help but notice the frown that her daughter was giving her. Oh, she couldn't wait to see the look on her face. The anticipation was killing her.
"You can come in now, you two," Sumire said as the door behind her opened to reveal two familiar faces that made Sakura's mouth drop open in shock.
Sakura was surprised. Damn, she was more than surprised―she was shocked. Why were the two of them here―again? Most importanly… why did it have to be them?
Sumire was already contented with seeing the annoyed and shocked expression that was on her daughter's face, which was quite a rare occasion. Oh, how she missed them. It was fun seeing her like that anyways. It was like she was her innocent and small child once again. Sakura still was, but she was trying very hard to get passed that.
"Well then, let's leave these two love birds alone." Mikoto took the lead and stood up first, encouraging the others to do the same. If she didn't, no one would move and they would get nowhere.
"I trust that you two can take care of things," Sumire said, standing up also and following the others that had already walked out of the door in which the two came in by.
The two girls nodded, "Oh, don't worry! Leave it to us!"
When everyone had already left, Sakura decided that it was best to ask the question that she was pondering in her mind right now. "You two again?" Sakura asked, her tone hinting a trace of mockery that was directed towards the two counselors that were in the room with her besides Sasuke.
Peitsuru scoffed, "What's that supposed to mean?" She brought a hand to her hip for an added effect.
"I can't believe you two… can be counselors?" Sakura asked in sardonic disbelief, crossing her arms with a firm look. "Why? Can't mother afford someone else for a change?" She was getting sick of seeing them, and it was only their third meeting.
"That's because we're the best―that's why!" Peitsuru chirped cockily.
"We're expensive too," Ruru nodded haughtily.
"Cocky witch," Sakura rolled her eyes as she muttered this under her breath.
"Can we just get this over with?" Sasuke muttered impatiently. He just really wanted to get it over with. It wasn't like anything was going to change. How could these two even get him and Sakura to actually 'like' each other or even feel infatuated towards the other? He knew very well that you can't force other people to like someone so easily.
This would definitely just end up in vain. He knew that much for certain.
"Before that," Sakura cast a suspicious glare towards the Kitsuneko sisters. "What is it again… that you specialize in?"
"Sexual counseling," Peitsuru replied confidently with a smile―too confidently. Not good.
"WHAT! SEXUAL COUNSELING!" Sakura exclaimed. Her head was starting to spin, making her feel queasy.
"What the hell," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
"Are you two ready?" Ruru asked with a smile.
Those words―really gave them the shivers. It seemed like it had some hidden meaning… something not worth mentioning.
"I'm out of here," Sasuke stood up and started walking out. He wasn't going to stand by this though. 'Sexual counseling―they've got to be kidding!' There was no way―he was going to agree to that!
"I'm right behind you," Sakura agreed, standing up and trailing behind. She wanted to get away from them. She didn't feel good already with their unwanted presence. She knew quite well that getting away from them was the best solution.
Before Sasuke reached the door, however, Ruru's voice stopped them. Sakura stopped just right behind Sasuke when Ruru spoke:
"You should know that if you leave now, you will be forced to do something more… erotic. Try to escape and we will make sure you'll really be together―in bed." Ruru's eyes glinted with maliciousness and a goodly dose of triumph.
Peitsuru clapped happily at her older sister's bluntness. She really admired her for it―even though it was kinda… slightly perverted at times.
Both Sasuke and Sakura cringed. They both blushed at hearing those words. 'Together in bed'? They flushed even redder, embarrassed by the perverted imaginations that went to their heads. Great.
"Like you could force us into something like as that," Sasuke countered with a cold stare.
"I could," Ruru replied calmly. "I could even have it videotaped for future generations and also give it as a present to your parents. What do you say?" She smiled smugly.
Sasuke grunted and rolled his eyes. Suddenly, Sakura―who was standing right in front of him―started to collapse. He noticed that she was losing consciousness. Her body slumped backwards and fell, but before she even hit the ground, his body unconsciously moved on its own. He encircled his arms around her shoulder and waist; a small yet thoughtful gesture that Sasuke did without even knowing why.
He kneeled to the ground, giving him more leverage in supporting his fiancée's unconscious frame, not wanting to drop her. Great. She just had to go and faint on him. She needed to wake up soon, 'cause… he couldn't handle this situation alone. Well, even if she did regain consciousness sooner or later, it didn't change the fact that they had no choice but to do what these counselors told them to do.
They had no choice from the very start… did they? This was getting even better. Great―just great! Sexual counseling? The thought of it just made Sasuke want to hurl. But before that, he would wait for Sakura to regain consciousness first.
In another room, where the rest of the Uchihas and Harunos were located, everyone's eyes were glued on a 50-inch plasma screen. What were they watching? Simple. They were watching the oblivious couple in the dining room with their 'counsellors'. Well, what they're doing could be classified more as… spying, since there were hidden cameras in the dining room, so that they could watch everything that was happening in the room as it unfolded.
Kankuro whistled when he heard the truth. It was his way of teasing his mother that she was going to get into trouble… soon.
"Sumire, what was that we heard about 'sexual counseling'?" Fugaku asked impatiently, drumming his fingers on the couch he was sitting on.
"You said that it was marriage counseling?" Mikoto frowned questioningly.
Sumire laughed mischievously, "Oh, did I say that. Silly me. I must have forgotten." She was in trouble now.
That meant… all her plans would be for nothing.
Itachi decided to make an excuse that his parents would be sure to believe. "But if you look at it more clearly, marriage counseling is almost the same as sexual counseling, since there is also sexual intercourse in marriage." Damn, why wasn't he embarrassed saying that? Could it be because he was just as dense as a rock, or he just didn't care?
Mikoto blushed, hearing her son mutter those erotic words. He was 21. He was old enough for this, but she couldn't help but feel embarrassed on how calm he was when he said it. She didn't want to wonder about what Itachi ever did with his free time. It would be too much to bear.
"But I must say―they're good," Itachi smirked, amused with the incredible skills and unpredictable tactics the two girls possessed. They were right. They really were professionals. "Mother, I think I know what career I want to have in the future."
Mikoto shook her head in shock. "You want to do their job!"
Itachi tsked, "What pain they inflict―"
"What?" Mikoto asked quickly. She couldn't help but want confirmation on what she just heard. Maybe, she was just hearing things.
"I mean―what pain they elevate," Itachi said quickly, trying to cover his last sentence.
Now, Mikoto was sure what her son had said―and it didn't make her happy. She was looking at Itachi with a disgusted look on her face. "Why?" she paused, engrossed at the moment. "Why am I blessed with two sons?" She sighed in dissatisfaction. "Why couldn't I have had daughters instead? They are so much easier to raise."
She, then, saw an image of her youngest son's fiancée, Haruno Sakura, screaming at her son. She was quite fond of the girl for speaking her mind and being herself. She should be mad or annoyed with the girl for cursing at her youngest son, but oddly, Sakura's short temper was actually one of the interesting things about her. She really liked the girl―specifically Sakura―even if she was screaming curses of vulgarity—it was part of her charm. Well, it was better than men.
Yes, a daughter would've been nice.
Whose fault was it that she had sons? Hm, who was it? Well, let's have Mikoto decide that.
"It's all your fault," Mikoto sniffed after a couple of sobs, turning towards her husband, Uchiha Fugaku.
"What?" Fugaku shook his head, not understanding why he was suddenly brought into their conversation.
Someone save me, Sakura pleaded mentally with a groan. Yes, she had regained consciousness, but in her opinion, she would rather become unconscious again than be tortured like this.
What those two were doing―or rather―making them do was torture!
"Now, to start things off, I need to know: how far along is your relationship?" Ruru asked calmly with a smile on her face.
Sakura really fought the urge to wipe that smug look on her face. It was just calling to her: 'Beat me up―why don't you! I definitely need a good beating!' Even though she really wanted to just beat the two of them up so that she wouldn't have to deal with this insanity, she had this feeling that… she shouldn't. This really confused her.
Please―just let me faint. Just let me faint―one more time. She prayed in her mind. She knew that it wasn't going to work though, but it couldn't hurt her to try.
Sasuke raised a skeptical brow. What kind of question was that? They couldn't possibly be serious about that? How far their relationship was? Well, that was one question that they both had the same answer to. "You've got to be kidding me," Sasuke grunted, rolling his eyes.
"Answer the question if you don't want us to make you do things that you prefer not knowing," Peitsuru threatened with a wicked smile. Oh, she was really doing a good job―a very good job indeed.
Sakura gave a sardonic look before deciding to answer that annoying question that everyone seemed to ask her. "I don't like him," she said honestly, even if it was such a blunt statement.
"I don't like her," Sasuke said soon after.
Feeling that a challenge coming from her dearest fiancée, Sakura thought of another negative comment to say: "He's irritating."
"She's annoying," Sasuke said flatly. Was he really just trying to piss her off, or was he just saying his honest opinion? Maybe it was both.
"I can't stand him." Sakura stood up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table to emphasize her aggressiveness, glaring daggers at her fiancée, who was sitting just across from her. Their seats were positioned facing each other, thus, forcing them to not only look across the table from each other, but to 'look into each other's eyes'—gag! "He's a bastard and an egotistical jerk that only thinks about himself and no one else. I just can't stand him!" she exclaimed with a shrill of irritation mixed with anger. It didn't occur to her that she was ranting now, and that the person that she was talking about was right in front of her, looking at her nonchalantly, which just made her even more mad.
Sasuke stared at Sakura's infuriated figure apathetically. His crossed arms just added to his cool composure. "Thanks. It was nice to hear your… honest opinion of me." He didn't sound grateful though.
They were back to square one again. It seemed like Sasuke's efforts in comforting Sakura had been all in vain. Nothing seemed to change. It was all the same. Maybe… but not quite.
Sakura was just furious at how easily he could pretend that nothing ever happened. When they came back, he was back to his old self. It was like he didn't even comfort her in the first place. It annoyed her greatly that he was treating her like he used to. It was like he hated her or something.
"Please sit down Sakura-san," Ruru asked in a kind manner.
Sakura sat down with a gruff, not bothering to argue. She'd deal with him later. That is, if she ever got a chance to.
"Well, it seems like we have to start from the basics then," Peitsuru brought her index finger under her chin, completing her thoughful expression.
"That seems so," Ruru nodded.
Peitsuru smirked at this. Oh, this was going to be fun. Forced relationships were really her thing! Oh, this was going to be great!
Leave me alone, Sasuke and Sakura whined in their thoughts as they saw that smirk. It had a hidden meaning within it, and they couldn't help but groan at this. Again and again, this always kept happening to them. Why, oh, why?
"First, you two should be sure that you're comfortably seated," Ruru instructed calmly, just like how a professional counsellor would do.
"I'm fine," Sakura replied impatiently.
"Hn," Sasuke sounded, irritated.
"Now, Sakura-san, please stretch your hand towards the middle of the table and place it there," Ruru said, keeping the same calm tone as before. She was really used to this.
Sakura gave her a frown, but did what she was told anyway. She stretched her hand forwards and placed it in the middle of the table. She realized that her hand was quite close to Sasuke's reach. Whatever, she just wanted to get this over and done with.
"Sasuke-san, please place your hand on top of Sakura-san's," Ruru's slow paced intructions continued.
"What?" Sasuke asked with a frown, not liking the idea.
Ruru grimaced in a state of mockery. "If you can't do a simple gesture such as that, then maybe―"
"Just do what she says―damn it!" Peitsuru snapped. She didn't like it when they were being interrupted with their sessions.
Sasuke gave a snarl before placing his hand reluctantly on top of Sakura's own.
The warm feeling of his hand on top of hers made her flush and feel a foreign feeling at the pit of her stomach. This happened as soon as she felt his gentle hand touch hers. Why was he having this affect on her? Her negative expressions vanished, and it was replaced with embarrassment and nervousness. She tried her best to calm herself down, but she only became even tenser.
"Now, Sakura-san, place your other hand on top of Sasuke-san's," Ruru continued with her instructions. This time, something was different though. She was ignored. She waited for a couple more seconds, expecting a movement from the said girl, but she remained in the same position.
Sasuke looked at Sakura sitting in front of him with watchful eyes. His impassive expression momentarily faded when he saw something that he had to observe more carefully. Was it just him or was his fiancée…? He couldn't help but smirk at Sakura's innocent expression. She might be a school geek, but he couldn't help but think that she looked really cute like that.
Ruru noticed that Sakura had this spacey expression and—what's this? Was that a small red tint in her cheeks? Oh, the girl was blushing. Sexual counseling always works―and it never fails to bring two people together! So far, everything was going smoothly, maybe, even better than expected.
Time to take it up a notch, Ruru thought with a sneaky smile. She nodded towards her little sister's direction. Peitsuru immediately knew what her older sister meant without her even saying it. Oh, the fun was going to get even better.
"Sasuke-san, I'm not going to tell you what you should do, but touch Sakura-san intimately and passionately―without being perverted!" This time, it was Peitsuru's turn to say the instructions. Here was the not-so-gentle stage, and she specializes in this stage the most, which made her quite excited.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. If he were to do this, this would take forever, and he wouldn't be able to go home. They wouldn't leave him alone anyway if he didn't finish this soon. Question was: how?
He looked at Sakura, who was able to overcome the anxiety within her even for the moment to look up and stare at him with those innocent green eyes. He couldn't help but remember the time when he almost kissed her in the hall. That time, she was also looking at him with those eyes.
Oh, might as well. At least this time, he had a more rational reason of doing this. Then maybe, they would finally leave them alone―him alone. If he could only be left alone by giving them what they wanted, then that's what he'd do.
He brought his free hand to the nape of Sakura's neck, making her frown at him in confusion. He squeezed Sakura's hand that was under his other hand. This alerted her, and she became more baffled to what he was doing. However, before she could react, he drew her neck forward towards him. Tilting his face to the side and closing his eyes, he brought his lips to her rosy ones and kissed her as gently as he could.
Well, this was something that didn't happen quite often.
Not only were the Kitsuneko sisters gawking in shock, but also the Uchiha and Haruno family in the separate room, where they were able to watch every detail that happened.
TBC
A/N: :Cackles: My first cliffhanger for this fic. Wait. Is this the second? Meh, no matter. Damn, I'm really not good with romance. I don't know… writing that simple kiss really made me uneasy. Yes, that was the first kissing scene that I've ever written. Cut me some slack, will ya! There rest of the kissing scene will be in the next chapter… maybe.
Chapter 15―Marriage Counseling
"Locking them in a room all by themselves: are you out of your mind?" Mikoto exclaimed, her mouth agape.
"What's wrong with that?" Sumire asked innocently.
Mikoto shook her head in disbelief. However, before she could speak her mind, Itachi beat her to it:
"Mother, why do you need to worry? They're engaged anyway. This will happen to them sooner or later, so I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Itachi commented cleverly.
"But they're not of legal age yet. They're still 16," Temari protested, bringing herself into the conversation. She was worried about her sister.
Mikoto sighed in relief. At last, there was someone who saw things her way.
Itachi eyed Temari's worried expression and smiled slyly. "A thousand bucks that they'll do it tonight."
Temari blinked in shock for a while before grinning. "Two thousand―that they'll do it within the next two hours." She couldn't back down from a bet when money was at stake.
"They're both prudes anyway," Kankuro scoffed, standing up from the ground―where he was sitting comfortably before, watching the entire incident in their Plasma TV―and approaching the two of them. "Five thousand that they won't do it."
"Ten thousand," Gaara chipped in.
"Gaara, you want to be in this too?" Temari blinked in shock. Usually, Gaara wouldn't care about these things.
"Ten thousand," Gaara repeated. "That they wouldn't dare do it because I'll kill them if they do," he threatened with a narrowed gaze. He seemed serious. Heck, he might really be serious.
Updated: January 18, 2007
EDIT: I condensed the some of the sentences after coming to a conclusion that they were unnecessary. The redundant verbs have been changed as well to ease the reader's vision. I apologize for pouring acid on those delicate tissues.