Chapter Twenty-One
Words between Women
"Why am I having tea with your mother?" Sasuke glanced at Sakura, who looked like she was about to pull her hair out. The honest truth was that she was frustrated with everything Uchiha related--himself included. He had previously tried his hardest to get her to understand his brother but it had been to no avail.
She had stated to him while looking down at him haughtily, "I will not chase a man who does not want me." And that had been that. No amount of cajoling or explaining had been able to move her. It was so much easier to deal with Saku. At least she knew him well enough to know that whatever he did was for her own best interests. Saku actually listened to him. Sakura, on the other hand, was as stubborn as a mule. He wondered how Itachi and Sakura would ever make a relationship work when neither one was willing to bend. A relationship, much like a sword, must have some bend or it will shatter when put to the test. If they would just stop being so damn stubborn for just two min-. Sasuke's train of thought broke off when he noted Sakura was looking at him expectantly. Judging from the look on her face, the young man decided she wouldn't like his answers.
"Because she gave you the imperial Uchiha command," Sasuke smirked, ducking quickly to avoid Sakura's bear swipe. He'd seen the damage she could do, and he was sure Naruto had developed some brain damage thanks to the many smacks to the head he'd received.
"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked as they continued to wander aimlessly. Sakura didn't speak; simply kept going. Sasuke toyed with the idea of asking her back to the mansion, but decided that wouldn't go over well. Perhaps he could get her to spar with him. Surely that would take her mind off her woes.
"I don't care, Sasuke. Anywhere is fine. I just want them to have plenty of time to talk."
"Well, since they're talking--"
"I have no desire to discuss Itachi." Sasuke blinked. He hadn't been about to say anything about his brother just yet. He was bored and itching for a good fight. Saku always put up a good one and he thought that maybe the same would be true of her counterpart. But Sakura's mind was nowhere near violence at that time, he realized. Her thoughts were centered on Uchiha Itachi, and he began to wonder why. Why, if she had no desire to chase after him? Was the lady protesting too much?
"So…you're running?"
"There's nothing to run from." She stated seriously, but Sasuke saw a flicker in her eyes that belied that claim. "We have no relationship to speak of whatsoever which makes me wonder even more why I have to endure tea with the woman who called me fat."
"You know, believe it or not, this is my mother you're talking about. Not some random woman." She had said 'the woman' with a edge that bordered on disgust that didn't sit well with him. Yes, Sasuke knew what his mother was like but he also knew that she always meant well. His mother loved her children with a fierceness that was oftentimes smothering but he didn't begrudge her that. That was her job after all, to be a mother.
Sakura sighed and ran her fingers threw her hair, throwing it into a messy array.
"I meant no offense, but she just rubs me the wrong way. You were there when she called me portly. Portly! I am not putting on weight. If I'm putting on anything it's muscle. Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes at her harping on her weight.
"Well, if you were so bothered by it why didn't you speak up for yourself? From what I can discern you don't have a problem any other time."
Sakura's mouth opened but no sound came out. For a moment she was at a loss because she couldn't figure out why she had let the Uchiha matriarch degrade her so. The memory flooded her senses and she snapped back to attention.
"Because I was supposed to be pretending to be someone else. Someone who, when they were in those shoes, would have let her say what she wished."
Sasuke just shrugged. "I don't know if it would have mattered that much."
"The whole point is moot since I can't go back and change things."
Sasuke nodded absently, trying to figure out how to bring up the topic she actually wanted to talk about--Itachi.
"Tell your mother that I regretfully--" Dark humor allowed a smile to grace her lips. "Decline her invitation."
"No." Sasuke replied immediately. Now, Sasuke was by no means a coward. When he had issues with his mother he let her know candidly what his issues were and they dealt with them. However, this was a matter that did not concern him, and he was not about to throw himself in between two women with such forceful personalities. No, Sasuke was no coward, nor was he anyone's fool.
Sakura narrowed her eyes at her ebony haired teammate, placed her hands on her hips, then turned and looked at him expectantly. "Why not?"
"Because some battles you have to fight on your own." He walked away from her then, knowing that she was anxious and furious at the same time.
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In the end Sakura decided that it was just too bothersome to deal with the wrath of the Uchiha family so the next day she dragged herself along in order to meet with the woman who had summoned her.
"You're late."
Sakura glanced at the clock that graced the hallway of the Uchiha estate and saw that she was, in fact, three minutes early. She bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood so that she wouldn't contradict the woman. She knew she had been summoned there so that Mikoto could argue with her about her son, perhaps degrade her a little, and warn her to stay away from her family. So she decided to keep the arguments to a minimum until it was necessary to lay them out. Although, later she would realize that her expectations had been far off the mark.
"My apologies. I was under the impression that you had said 11 o'clock--not earlier."
Mikoto looked at the girl whose face radiated sincerity. The older woman bristled, wanting so badly to pick a fight, but knowing that now was not the time. She simply turned on her heel and walked down the hall, sensing Sakura following behind. The air around them was thick with tension.
It wasn't long before they reached the living room. Mikoto slid the door open and the women entered. With a flick of her wrist the Uchiha Matron indicated that Sakura should sit. Sakura gingerly lowered herself into a blush burgundy chair, the only offsetting color in the otherwise white room. Several paintings hung on the walls that looked as if it had been splashed with white and burgundy paint. They drew her eye for some reason. At a glance it looked as if they could have been done by a child but as she studied it more she began to doubt that a child could put so much passion into a work of art. It moved her to the point of wanting a closer look, but Mikoto had begun to pour the tea, and Sakura was afraid that were she to even breathe wrong she'd find a kunai protruding from her throat. She noted with slight jealousy that while Mikoto was much older than her, the fingers gripping the teapot were long and graceful, showing only the slightest hint of age.
The silence between the women continued as Mikoto began slowly pouring tea into each of their cups. Sakura briefly wondered if it was poisoned, but shook off her fanciful imaginings. She brought her cup to her lips, slightly tasting the warm brew that was more than satisfactory. She focused on the tea instead of the silence that filled the room, though the oppressive feeling was making her rather uncomfortable. Mikoto was the first to speak and Sakura found herself glad that the woman had finally done so, even though the topic she brought up was a slightly distressing one.
"It has been brought to my attention that there are two women in the village that look exactly like you."
Sakura nodded her head, seeing no need to deny the information. It was information that was easily verified. "Ah, I see word travels fast."
"Are you the woman who was engaged to my son?"
Sakura briefly thought about evading the question but decided at the last minute to take an honest approach.
"I am not."
"I see." Sakura wondered did she really? Did she really understand what had happened? Or had she come to some conclusion close to it? She found herself wanting to understand this woman who was Itachi's mother. Sasuke's mother. "Have you met me before then and I did not realize it was you?" Again Sakura hesitated. Answering this question would lead to why she was posing as Saku in the first place and that was information that she could not divulge. So Sakura merely smiled at the Uchiha matriarch, causing her to frown in return. "I asked you a question, did you not hear it?"
"I heard it, but I have chosen not to answer. Pardon my rudeness." Sakura lowered her eyes demurely, but this did not appease Mikoto.
"Just because you ask for pardon does not mean you will receive it." Her tone indicated she was unimpressed and a tad bit irritated by her response, but there was nothing that Sakura could do about that. The woman was not entitled to some information so she would have to deal with it.
"I'm aware of that."
"And yet you still refuse to answer my question. That is an answer in of itself."
"Perhaps." Sakura smiled in a way that she knew was infuriating. For some reason she was beginning to enjoy teatime with Uchiha Mikoto. She reminded Sakura of Sasuke, who was also easily irritated by evasive tactics. Running circles around the Uchiha was something Sakura found herself becoming increasingly good at. It was easy to see that Mikoto was intelligent. Matching wits with her would be no easy feat, but Sakura didn't exactly feel inclined to go toe to toe with the woman. Instead, she realized that she had spent entirely too much time around Hatake Kakashi, because the course of action was reminiscent to the path that he would probably take in a similar situation.
Evade.
Evade.
Infuriate.
Evade.
That was all that was rushing through her veins at the moment. Of course she had learned from the master….
Mikoto's eyes narrowed on Sakura, though she forced her lips not to form a smirk. "I have brought you here to answer my questions and you will not leave until you have served your purpose."
"So…I'm being held hostage."
"Call it what you will." Mikoto said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. Sakura's mouth dropped open. The woman had just openly admitted to what in essence could be termed kidnapping so that she could interrogate her for information. The woman was…a piece of work.
"Who are you?"
Sakura blinked, startled. "Is my name of any importance to you?"
Mikoto's brow raised. "I would not have asked the question if I didn't deem it of some relevance. And let me remind you that you are the one to answer questions, not I."
"Then in turn I will tell you that you catch more flies with honey."
"Who would want to catch a fly when I have you before me?" Sakura made a valiant effort to keep a grin from spreading across her face when the woman deliberately ignored the idiom.
"Exactly." Sakura said, staring directly into the older woman's eyes. Mikoto glared at the Sakura look-alike and didn't know whether or not she was an idiot or a genius. What she did know was that she had been in the room with the girl for roughly twenty minutes and she still did not know her name. "I believe you wanted to speak to me about your son." Sakura said, changing the subject. Mikoto, aware of what she was doing, allowed it.
"My son tells me that he has every intention of marrying Haruno Sakura and I must admit that this worries me. Haruno Sakura is in love with Hatake Kakashi."
"Yes, I have heard this same thing." Sakura said, nodding her head. "I can understand why such a thing concerns you."
"Can you? I find myself at times wondering at the wisdom of my son's actions." Sakura made an encouraging noise. "He's brilliant and yet--"
"He acts without thinking?" Sakura supplied, although she knew that couldn't possibly be the case. This was Uchiha Itachi that they were talking about.
"On the contrary--he thinks too much. To him choosing Haruno Sakura to be his wife was a logical choice. He never said any such thing, of course, but I know my son. He was not using his heart when he decided to pursue that woman." Sakura blinked at the venomous note in Mikoto's voice. It spoke of how much she had truly despised her counterpart. That much hate could be poisonous.
Sakura found that she didn't agree with the woman. She knew without a doubt that Saku and Itachi had held some form of affection for each other. Just as she knew that Saku wouldn't agree to marry a man who cared nothing for her. There had to have been something there. In a small way Sakura could admit that she was jealous of the relationship that Itachi had with Saku--especially since she doubted she'd get the opportunity to have such a relationship herself. "You disagree?" Sakura realized that she must not have been masking her facial expressions since her thoughts were so easily voiced.
"I do."
"Why?"
"Well, I can't speak for Itachi. I don't know him all that well, I can however speak for the other party."
"You know her well?" Mikoto asked gently, but Sakura knew she was still probing for information.
"I would say so."
"And based upon such knowledge, you truly believe that she loved my son?"
It may have been a question or a statement, but Sakura wasn't sure which. She did know for certain that Uchiha Mikoto did not believe it was a love match. Not true love, anyway. That much was obvious.
"I believe that she cared for him as much as she was able. I've met your son…and he strikes me as the intelligent, not to mention handsome type. It's not hard to believe he would catch her attention. It was probably quite easy to be swept up in his charm."
"Speaking from experience?"
Sakura's eyes widened. Maybe she was. She wasn't sure. It was an issue that she refused to allow her mind to probe too deeply into.
"I'm sorry. I don't understand the question."
"Then I will speak plainly. Do you desire my son?"
Sakura froze. A cold sweat slid down her back. She wasn't joking when she said that she would speak plainly. Sakura found that blunt also seemed to run in the Uchiha veins. That shouldn't have surprised her, because the entire Hyuga household was blunt, and the kunoichi decided that it must be a Clan thing. She sighed and spoke. There was no harm in telling this woman the truth.
"Yes."
"Then as his mother don't you think you owe me something as simple as your name?"
She had a point. There was no denying it. "My name is Haruno Sakura."
Realization dawned quickly on Mikoto as she recalled her son's words to her. "I will marry Haruno Sakura or I will marry no one." A smile came unbidden to her lips as she discovered the secret that Itachi had been hiding from her.
"I see."
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Sakura left the Uchiha home with a somewhat different opinion of Uchiha Mikoto. Yes, the woman was still…well, she guessed she was overbearing might be too strong of a word. Perhaps overprotective. Sakura frowned thinking both words fell short. Strong willed! That was it! The young kunoichi idly wondered at what made her the way she was. She also wondered how different she was from her Sasuke's mother.
After Sakura told her what her name she noticed a change in her. Whereas before she had been slightly hostile, the moment she mentioned her name the woman seemed intense and very engaging. She had questioned her tirelessly about her background and her relationship to Saku. Mikoto hadn't believed for one second that they were sisters, but that was her story and she was sticking to it. It wasn't like anyone would go through the trouble to prove her wrong. Then again, one never knew.
In the end, Sakura decided that while first impressions were important--because she would never forget being called portly. Her second impression was just as important to unraveling the mystery of Uchiha Mikoto. She knew that it was a mystery she would have to unravel because she knew that this would not be the last time she appeared before the woman.
Sakura had insisted that it was unnecessary for the older woman to escort her out. She remembered quite well how to get out on her own. Mikoto had relented, and that was how she found herself face to face with Uchiha Itachi in the hallway of his parent's home.
His hair was bound neatly at the nape of his neck. His dark eyes bore into hers and she could feel the unasked questions in his gaze. She didn't answer them, though. Instead, she simply inclined her head in acknowledgement and stepped around him, continuing on her way. She half expected him to grab her arm and stop her from passing, but no such thing occurred. She walked by him unmolested and disappointed.
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"Mother, why was Sakura here?"
"That is some greeting. I would have, of course, preferred a 'Hello, Mother' or a 'How has your day been?' but I suppose that will do."
A smirk appeared on his face after being properly chastised. Itachi walked over to his mother's side and placed a kiss on her cheek. She smiled at him affectionately especially when he greeted her properly.
"Hello, Mother. How has your day been?"
"Utterly lovely. I invited Haruno Sakura over for tea. I learned quite a bit."
Mikoto looked at her son pointedly. He said nothing in his defense which irritated her a bit, but that was to be expected of her son.
"Am I to assume that this is the woman you desire to marry?"
"Mother…there has been a change of plans."
"What change of plans?"
"I do not intend to pursue Haruno Sakura."
"Oh? I never pegged you for a fool. Perhaps in my old age my intuition is losing it's edge."
"Mother." Itachi had never been one to show his exasperation, but Mikoto could almost see him sigh in irritation and roll his eyes.
"Or maybe something else is going on that I should know about." She paused, waiting for words that she knew would not be forth coming. "I had tea with that woman and I realized two things when our time together was done. The first being, she is a strong woman--worthy of standing by your side. The second is that she would stand by your side if you would let her. I don't know what changed your mind. I'm not exactly sure that I care, but you should unchange it before she does something stupid, like marry your brother or that Hyuuga boy."
"My personal affairs--my love life… is none of your concern Mother."
"Perhaps if I had made it my concern to you before, you would not have made the mistakes that you have."
"You call your actions with my ex-fiancé not making it your concern?"
Mikoto sniffed delicately and turned her nose up at her son. She waved his words away with a gentle flick of her wrist.
"That's neither here nor there." She ignored his laughter. "The point is--that one is a keeper."
"And why is that?"
"That's rather simple. She only sees you."
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"How was tea with Mother?"
Sakura glanced at Sasuke, allowing a smile to appear on her lips. "Enlightening."
"She didn't eat you for breakfast?"
"I'm not sure that I'm what she likes to eat."
Sasuke paused, shook his head of the disgusting mental picture, and continued, "So, did you see Itachi? He was supposed to stop by today."
"I suppose that's why you wouldn't help me get out of my 'tea date'."
Sasuke just shrugged not bothering to reply. "So did you guys talk?"
"No, we didn't."
Sasuke's lips curled in disgust. "Am I going to have to lock you two in a closet somewhere?"
"The only thing that will accomplish is one of the two of us getting raped. I'm not sure which."
"…" Sasuke looked green, like the time he ate a rotten tomato and spent three days puking his guts out….
"What?"
"Nothing. Let's just go. We have to see Saku off."
"She's leaving already?" Sakura said tossing Sasuke a surprised glance.
"What reason does she have to stay?"
Sakura closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. She supposed things hadn't gone right with Saku and Kakashi. When she had returned from her walk with Sasuke, Kakashi hadn't been there. She waited up for him but he either didn't come home or he came in after she had fallen asleep and left before she had arisen. That itself was a sign. Now Saku was leaving and the only people to see her off would be her and Sasuke. They had decided it would be for the best if Naruto didn't know what was going on. Naruto would have persuaded her to stay. He was just like that.
So Sakura guided the young Uchiha to the field of lilies where Saku was waiting. It looked different from when she had last seen it. The flowers looked wilder, more beautiful than she remembered. She paused, allowing the wind to blow it's sweet fragrance to her nose. She inhaled and for a moment she felt a sense of calm overtake her. It was then she realized that this was a peaceful place for all the chaos it had evoked.
Saku waved at them as she saw them approach. Sakura waved back and Sasuke immediately closed the distance between them and his teammate. As soon as he had reached her he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly.
"Be good Sasuke. Don't drive everyone too crazy? Okay?" Saku asked with tears in her eyes. She hugged him back, knowing that this might be the last time she would ever get to hug Uchiha Sasuke.
"Where's the fun in that?" Saku let out a watery laugh and Sakura smiled sadly at the scene that played out before her. It was kind of lonely. She wasn't able to say goodbye to her family, or her friends. She could imagine what that felt like. She hadn't the chance to say goodbye to Naruto and Sasuke. A pang of guilt spread through her heart. All this because she was too selfish to leave. Maybe--
"Don't." Saku said, interrupting her thoughts. Sakura was surprised to see Saku staring directly into her eyes. "I'm going because that's what I want to do. It's the right thing to do." Sakura nodded her head while Saku glanced around her. "Itachi isn't coming?"
"I didn't tell him you were leaving." Sasuke stated. "I thought it would be better this way."
Saku nodded. "It is."
"How are we going to explain your disappearance?" Sakura asked. "There are people who know that there are two of us."
"I'm sure whatever you come up with is fine. I already informed the Hokage of my departure but--"
Sakura sensed the hesitation in her counterpart. "But what?"
"It didn't seem like she thought I would be gone long."
The trio glanced at each other uneasily, but instead of dwelling on things they didn't quite understand yet Sakura decided that now was the time to make her request.
"Saku?"
"Yes, Sakura?"
"I need you to promise me something."
"What?"
"Promise me you'll take care of my boys. I haven't said much about it but I've been worried sick about them. Tell Kakashi I'm fine. He worries so much. Tell Naruto I love him and tell Sasuke…tell Sasuke that everything will be okay. Tell him, tell him…."
Saku placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "It will be alright. I'll take care of them." Sakura nodded and took a step back. "Of course, I'll expect you to do the same."
"Naturally." Sakura replied, elbowing Sasuke, who was grumbling about not needing to be taken care of.
Saku took a step away from them as petals of the flowers dancing around her legs, then paused. "Sakura?"
"Yes?"
"Don't give up on Itachi. It would be sad if neither of us had a happy ending."
Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but it was too late. Saku was already gone.
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She brushed Sasuke off after Saku's departure, needing some time alone to think. He left her alone willingly enough but, of course, had to leave with a irritating comment or two. A smile came unbidden at the thought.
Sakura came across a small café and was currently eating something sweet that looked good on the menu and tasted even better than it looked. Her mind was centered on Uchiha Itachi. She had told her Kakashi that she wanted to stay for Sasuke's sake. She had convinced herself that her motives were altruistic. But were they? Were they really?
Uchiha Itachi had turned her world upside down with the tale of how he had saved his clan from utter annihilation. One man made such a big difference in this village. The man had the type of charisma that she had only ever attributed to Naruto. And the truth was she wanted to know him. Yes, she was attracted to him. That was a given, but she really wanted to know him, to understand him. And yet how was she supposed to do that? The mutual attraction she thought they had he had so casually brushed off. Sure, Sasuke said that for some reason or another Itachi thought that their parting was for the best, but if that was the case why wouldn't he talk to her about it? That's what people did. They sat, socialized, and if they had some sort of problem they addressed it. No, it had to be something more going on. It was tempting to just let her pride overrule her intelligence, but that would be running away. And while she would not chase after him she would understand why he had so coldly pushed her away.
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"I'm sure you've been informed of Saku's departure." Itachi raised a brow at the Hokage statement. He knew of no such thing. "So, that leaves the other Haruno here. Have you made any progress with her?"
"No." Itachi said curtly. Tsunade frowned at his tone. "Look, responsibility comes with obligation. You know that better than anyone. Just like you know what will happen if you do not marry a Haruno Sakura. So--"
"I will not force a woman to stand at my side for political reasons."
"No one's asking you to force anyone into anything. In fact, if you even considered forcing her then I assure you, you won't live long after it."
"Do not threaten me."
"Do not disrespect me. The words I speak are for your own good, for the good of your clan, for the good of this village. Do you find her that distasteful? Or is your heart still tied up in knots over your fiancé? Excuse me, ex-fiancé."
"I am not here for you to pry into my personal life."
"You no longer have a personal life. Not when the security of this village is at stake."
"You cannot force my hand on this matter."
"I damn well can."
"Who I marry and who I do not is clan business."
"Shall I go to your clan on this issue then? Are we really going to go there?"
Itachi's eyes narrowed. He didn't like being backed into corners. In fact, he usually didn't allow for such circumstances to occur. So it was time to turn the tables.
"If this is what you desire then tell her. Tell her that you brought her here so that you can use her as your pawn. See if she responds favorably to it. She deserves to know the truth, does she not?"
Tsunade sneered at the man that she had spent much of her time arguing with. "So be it. Bring her to me."
A/N: My thanks to BlueArcticWolf for looking over this for me. : )