Author's Note: I would have updated yesterday, but a storm knocked out my internet and for that I am sorry. Enjoy the chapter and please review. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 26:

Oh Yeah, By the Way

"Oh Yeah and By The Way Im going to make you cry
18 with a face like that,
Kick it twice in the eye
And don't you go home to Daddy"

~"Oh Yeah, By the Way" by The Killers~

Saturday nights at the Uchiha household used to be the most anticipated part of the week when Sasuke was growing up. The entire family would sit down to eat a home cooked meal made by his mother and then they would talk about their week or perhaps thoughts on the future. It was rather enjoyable since Sasuke was never able to see much of his father and mother during the week no matter how hard they tried to make time to see him. However, times changed and Saturday night dinners were more repulsed than revered. Topics at dinner slowly twisted from how school life treated him to if he had chosen a university to attend. The warm feeling of togetherness was now met with an icy chill.

Sasuke came downstairs and sat at the dining room table after hearing his mother making stir fry in the wok in the kitchen. The smell of the cooked beef lingered up into his room and made his mouth water. Mrs. Uchiha sauntered into the dining room with a large bowl of steaming white rice. She placed it down on the table and wiped a small trickle of sweat from her brow. At first she didn't notice her youngest son sitting at the table and left to bring in another dish of food for dinner. She almost jumped at the sight of him the second she entered the room once again. The woman set down her dish and went over to give her son a quick kiss on the head.

Mikoto Uchiha was a kind, easy-going woman that worked long hours during the week as a Realtor. She wasn't particularly fond of her job though it brought in quite a large sum of cash. Sasuke often wondered what his mother would have done if she didn't have the job she did now. He liked to believe that she could have been a chef with her own fancy restaurant. Her cooking was the only good part of the Uchiha family dinner.

Eventually the rest of the family made their way downstairs and sat at their usual spots at the table. Sasuke's father, Fugaku Uchiha, made himself comfortable at the head of the table and losened his tie around his neck. Itachi sat across from his brother and rubbed the sleep from his eyes after waking from a nap. Mrs. Uchiha brought out the main course of the meal and set it in front of her husband. She sat at the opposite end of the table and told everyone to dig in.

Sasuke scooped up a large helping of rice and meat, then shoveling the food into his mouth. Like every other meal his mother had made, this one was just as good. The meat was tender to perfection and covered with the right amount of sauce. He did not let this meal go uncomplimented and told his mother that the food was delicious. Mrs. Uchiha was very pleased by the compliment and continued to empty her own plate. The family ate in silence after that though Sasuke knew that it wasn't going to be that way for long. It was only a matter of time before his father brought up college and his future.

"Have you heard anything from the University of Konoha yet Sasuke?" Mr. Uchiha asked, not even looking at his son. "Surely they have sent your acceptance letter already."

There was no question that he believed Sasuke could get accepted in the top school in the area. It was blasphemous to think that he couldn't get in at all.

"I received my acceptance letter early this week," Sasuke replied. "They already offered to take me in with a baseball scholarship which will help with the finances."

His father nodded his approval and took a sip of wine his wife set out for him. He swirled it in the glass before taking a tasteful gulp. "Do you know what area you wish to study in?"

Sasuke took a deep breath. What did he want to study in college? He had told Sakura's father earlier that he wanted to major in business or economics. However, if he did that, there was a slight possibility that he would end up like his father. Sasuke didn't want that to happen. He loved his father, he truly did, but the man was blinded by his ambition to climb the corporate ladder. Sasuke couldn't choose to live a life like that though he knew that he was expected to do so. Sensing her son's sudden inability to answer the question, Mrs. Uchiha smiled faintly and spoke.

"I'm sure we will be happy with whatever you chose honey," she told Sasuke. Then looking to her husband, "Right Fugaku?"

Mr. Uchiha looked at his wife sternly and shook his head. "No, not if he chooses something frivolous like teaching or art. What he needs to do is pick something that would guarantee him a large salary, stable insurance, and a happy lifestyle."

The expression on Sasuke's mother's face quickly changed from a smile to a frown and narrow eyes. She smoothed her cloth napkin on her lap and folded her hands above her knees. Sasuke sat back in his chair, watching the whole event unravel.

"So you're saying that you want him to follow in your footsteps, am I right?" Mrs. Uchiha said. "You let Itachi do what he pleases, but you will have our other son be pushed into a life he may not want?"

"Itachi chose the right path on his own. He did not need my assistance to push him onto it. Sasuke on the other hand has yet to even consider the thought of going into the corporate world," Mr. Uchiha explained.

To Sasuke, this was pretty much how his Saturday night dinners with his family went. His father was accustomed to favoring his older son over his younger one. Itachi had always had better grades and more opportunities laid out before him. He chose the life of a lawyer and that made their father proud. Sasuke on the other hand did well in school and did what he could to get the same opportunities as his older brother. However, this did not please his father as he thought it would. It just made it worst that he hadn't decided on a major yet. He ignored his father like usual and sipped from his cup. His parents continued to argue over his future and the bickering was slowly coming to a halt. In a moment, they would be back to being a "perfect" happy family.

"As long as that girlfriend of his doesn't hinder his studies, I think he would excell at a business major," his father added to the argument. "It wouldn't be long before they part ways."

Sasuke's ears perked upon hearing this and narrowed his eyes at his father. This was completely new to the discussion. His father was attacking his relationship with Sakura now? Sasuke did not want to hear anymore of that if he could help it.

"Do you have a problem with Sakura dad?" he asked.

"Not at all son," his father blatantly said. "She does have a good head on her shoulders I'll give her that and it's excellent that she plans on majoring in the medical field. However, she would not make a good businessman's wife."

Sasuke almost spat water out of his mouth at that comment.

"Isn't a little early to be thinking about marriage?" he retorted. "Sakura and I aren't even thinking about that sort of thing yet anyway."

"And good thing too," Mr. Uchiha said. "Look son, you both are young and are entering a new stage in life. Who knows how long you to will be together? Things change and I wouldn't doubt that there would be a time in your life in which Sakura wants to go one way and you want to go another. You're just going to have to accept the fact that you two might not last as long as you think you might."

Sasuke stood, pushing his chair out of his way. He slammed his hands down on the table making the glasses shake. Saturday night dinner had already taken a turn for the worst, but now it was becoming a complete disaster. Glaring at his father who sat completely unnerved by his son's sudden movement, Sasuke wrinkled his nose with disgust.

"You know nothing about me and Sakura," Sasuke snarled at him.

Mr. Uchiha placed his napkin beside his plate and folded his arms across his chest.

"I know more about you then you think," his father stated. "In fact son, I know that you will eventually break up with Sakura like the way I said."

When Sasuke didn't say anything, Mr. Uchiha continued on.

"This very same thing happened to me when I was in college," he said. "And without a doubt it'll happen to you too."

Sakura stood in front of her father's study with her hand wavering over the door knob. Mr. Maeda's business card burned in her back pocket and Sakura bit her lip with hesitation. In her head, she had constructed at least a hundred different ways of asking her father for permission to take the internship with Kaji Dance Company. They all sounded stupid and not good enough to use on her father. In the end, she decided that she was going to make it up as she went and here she was at his door. She could hear him typing away on his laptop inside and gathered up the courage to go inside. Knocking on the door, she made her way into the room.

Her father glanced over his shoulder at her and closed the document he was working on. He swiveled around on his large office chair and smiled at his daughter. Sakura returned the smile with one of her own and sat in another empty chair in the room. With a quick boost of confidence, the rosette spoke.

"How are you daddy?" she asked to get the conversation going.

Her father chuckled to himself and patted his daughter's knee. "Daddy, huh? You must want something from me."

Sakura slightly paled and faked a laugh.

"Am I really that easy to read?" she asked.

"You only call me daddy when you want something hon," her father said. "Now tell me what it is that you need."

"Yesterday after the dance show, I was approached by this man," Sakura started. "He's from the Kaji Dance Company and acts as on of their managers. He asked me if I wanted to join the company as an intern. And before you say anything, I checked the Kaji website and he is a legit employee. His picture is right there on the site."

"How long would this internship last?" Mr. Haruno wondered.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. I'll have to ask him. Oh, just think dad! I could be dancing with professional ballerinas!"

Her father wrinkled his nose as he thought. He looked hesitant to respond to her request and Sakura took that as a bad sign.

"I don't know Sakura," he said. "What about college? What if the internship interfered with your attendance at the University of Konoha? You have to get a degree if you want to be a nurse."

"I know, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Sakura replied. "Plus I had always dreamed of doing this as a little girl."

Her father shook his head and the rosette's heart dropped into her stomach.

"I'm sorry Sakura, but I don't think you should go through with the internship," Mr. Haruno said. "There is a good chance that it'll take away from your studies and I know that we both don't want that to happen."

"What if I want to take the internship and not go to college?" Sakura asked, becoming suddenly bold.

"Excuse me?"

"Dad, all my life you wanted my to go into the medical field and be a nurse. But that's not what I want to do, it's not what I want to pursue," she explained. "Dad, I want to be a professional dancer. By taking this internship, the possibility of becoming one grows closer. The statistics of interns transferring into full-time dancers are really high with Kaji Dance Company."

"I don't care," her father roughly stated. "You are not to take that internship and that's final."

"Can't we just try out the internship for a little bit and see how it goes?" Sakura pleaded, trying a different approach. "If they offer me a position, then I won't take it and go to college like you want me to."

Her father held up a hand to stop her from going on and frowned. This meant that the discussion was over. Sakura had lost and knew that her father's word was law.

"My decision is final Sakura," he said turning back to his computer. "I'm sorry, but you can't take the internship."

Sakura walked out of the room with a huff. Going up to her own room, she slammed the door behind her. Sitting on her bed, she took out the business card in her pocket and stared at the phone number printed on it. How dare her father deny her of her dream? Hell, she was eighteen now and could make her own decisions. He didn't have a say on her life anymore. She took out her cellphone and dialed the number on the card. It rang for a few seconds before a male voice answered the phone.

"Hello, Mr. Maeda?" she said gleefully. "Hi, it's Sakura Haruno from Konoha High school. You gave me your business card and offered me an internship with Kaji after seeing my performance at a dance show. Yes, the one at Konoha. I would like to tell you that I am very interested in the internship and was wondering when I could start."

Author's Note: Neighbors is getting close to ending soon, just thought I would let you guys know. I'll update when I can and please review. :)