A/N: Hooray for another chapter! This is the last part of the Flashback!
Fugaku groaned as he woke up. He felt the beginnings of a hangover.
Kami, when was the last time he drank enough to get hungover?
When he really realized and felt the consequences of Orochimaru's betrayal.
That was months, almost a year, ago but the company was still going through the rough aftermath of everything. He hasn't had a drop of alcohol since. So why did he drink yesterday?
At the moment, he can only say he had no idea why.
He groaned again as he sat up, the covers falling to his lap. He rubbed his face with his hands. Something on his hand caught his attention but he refused to acknowledge its presence right now. He needed to get something for this headache.
Looking over at the nightstand, Fugaku spotted the aspirin he'd left out after taking it when he'd first arrived at the hotel a week ago. Luckily, he'd also left the water bottle right next to it. He quickly downed two tablets and sighed, waiting for the medicine to take affect.
While that happened, he slowly starting acknowledging the events of yesterday and everything that led to this moment.
Starting with the naked body next to him.
Even looking at the bare expanse of back that was exposed because he was sitting up, he felt no tinges of regret or shame. For some reason, he just knew that this was and will be the first and last time he'll ever be unfaithful to Mikoto.
Was there something wrong with him?
Maybe. Probably.
He had just cheated on his wife with a woman half his age and he hadn't even hesitated going for it last night. They hadn't asked any personal questions and none was offered but he was sure she was around his sons' ages or maybe even younger than them. But she didn't seem like it.
Because really, there had been something that drew him to her. He just couldn't explain it.
Nor did he want to try to.
The longer he stared at her beautiful back, the stronger his inspiration to draw something became. So, for once in a very long time, he acted on it.
He looked around for a piece of paper and something to draw with without getting out of the bed. Then he turned back to her, tugging down the covers the slightest bit, and when she showed no signs of waking up, he starting drawing.
Fugaku wouldn't blame her for not even moving one bit. It was close to six in the morning and they had stayed up pretty late last night. Doing things.
The only reason he was awake was because his body's been trained since a very early age to wake up near dawn.
Using the curves of her back and waist and the color of her hair and eyes as inspiration, he started drawing. He remembered all the emotions that'd flashed through her eyes since he first seen them two days ago.
She'd told him that he'd stuck out like a sore thumb at the convention and that she couldn't stop finding him everywhere she went in the large warehouse with her eyes. He understood why. He didn't exactly look like the type to be interested in body art, he knew that, and with his attire, he'd be easy to spot in the crowd. He had come directly from a meeting, that day, indulging in one of his guilty pleasures after the meeting had gone well.
He confessed that he'd also kept finding her, too. Her bright pink hair made her stand out like a beacon. She only laughed, her brilliant greens eyes sparkling, and said, "And I thought I was the only one going crazy."
He started sketching the trunk of a large sakura tree, following the curve of her waist and upper back as a guide. Then with quick strokes, he added branches that'd span across her shoulder blades.
He remembered kissing the hollow space between it last night and was tempted to do it again but this time he had enough self-control to not act on it.
Fugaku didn't remember the last time he'd drawn anything. He'd been immersed in the business world and the family company since his father had passed it down to him. Sure, he'd been preparing to take over the company since before he even understand what it did. But he'd also known that drawing was more than just hobby for him.
He loved art. It had been his escape from reality, from the strict household he'd grown up in. He'd been really happy when he saw that his otouto also shared his love for art, though in a different medium. Madara had always loved films and cinematography.
Fugaku had entered and won many art contests in his youth, same with Madara. He'd won many amateur film contests with his little crew of friends who shared his passion.
But even though their parents had allowed them to continue their hobbies, there had been an unspoken expectation and rule that one of them would be one day taking over the family business. So when it was time to start preparing for college and subsequently, the road to taking over the company, Fugaku put his sketchbook down and picked up a business textbook.
With that decided, Madara was allowed to continue with his passion. The younger Uchiha had thrown a fit and yelled at Fugaku for throwing away his passion and shouldering all the responsibility but Fugaku hadn't budge.
Although he wouldn't be able to continue pursuing art, he'd rather be the one to do it than have Madara go through it. He'd seen the looks on his otouto's face when he was creating his films and that was enough for him.
Something about this woman in his bed was making him lose his inhibitions.
For years and years, he ignored the urge to draw but here he was, slowly making what was sure to be a new masterpiece.
He was soon done with it. He added the finishing touches, adding in a proverb that he felt she was the epitome of, before finally getting out of bed to get ready for the day. He was flying back today.
But before he started, he called the front desk to get him some papers.
Sakura stirred as she started waking up.
She needed to find some painkillers. Stat.
As if her prayers had been answered for once, she spotted a bottle of it along with a bottle of water the moment she opened her eyes. She blinked the sleep out of them before sitting up to take the pills.
She held the covers to her naked chest as she looked around.
She was alone.
She sighed.
What was she expecting? To wake up next to him and have breakfast in bed together?
Scratch that, she spotted room service on the small table across the room. Well, at least he thought to feed her before he high-tailed and left.
She knew that he was leaving today but she didn't realize that he'd be gone before she woke up.
Sakura spotted a yellow, legal-sized envelop on his bedside table, along with a small note on it. She reached over and picked up the note, she read it and let out a small laugh. All it said was that he was sorry to leave before she woke up but he had a place to catch, and that he had already checked out but she can stay as along as she needed.
Pragmatic man, he was.
Sakura felt out of place alone in a hotel room that wasn't hers so she pulled herself out of the bed and trotted over to the bathroom. Looking around for the little complimentary hotel toiletries, she burst out laughing when she saw that Fugaku had left his own travel-sized toiletries for her to use.
Pragmatic but considerate.
She took a long relaxing shower before stepping out of the bathroom, wrapped in a white, fluffy towel, to gather her clothes.
She was suddenly so glad that she had been dressed nicely since that made the walk of shame not so much a walk of shame. She was going to look like someone who was starting out her day properly.
Phew, dodged a bullet there.
She groaned. But she'll definitely get shit from her roommates. She hasn't checked her phone yet, but she was sure that it was full of messages that were both worried about where she was and if she was okay, and lewd elbow-nudges.
Sakura rolled her eyes.
But she wouldn't have it any other way. She was very lucky to have found roommates that she became friends with. She shuddered as she thought of some of the roommate horror stories that she's heard from other people.
Dodged a giant bullet there.
Slipping on her panties and bra, she flipped her wet hair over and started towel-drying the long pink strands. She flipped her hair back when she dried it enough and combed through the tangled strands with her fingers, bringing a few to her nose. Sniffing it, she smelled the masculine shampoo Fugaku had left.
Great, now she smelled like dude. Scratch that, she smelled like man.
Taking a bigger whiff, she concluded that it wasn't all that bad. It was actually pretty intoxicating, if she was being truthful. It was a very mature scent, nothing like the cheap cologne she'd smell in passing at school on campus. Seems like she snagged a good one.
She got lost in the memory of his big, strong hands on her body before she caught herself fantasizing about a man she'll never meet ever again. She shook her head to clear her mind.
Sakura pulled on the pencil skirt she had no idea why she'd packed, but thanked kami she did, and the simple t-shirt she'd paired it with. She left it untucked and gathered all her hair up to twirl it in a bun, securing it in place with a claw she had in her bag.
Grabbing her concealer from her makeup pouch, she went back into the bathroom to cover up some of the marks she'd spotted earlier when she was showering.
Looking at all the love bites she had, she snickered, thinking about how she'd have called anyone crazy if they'd told her that Fugaku was such a passionate lover when she first saw him. But it's always the quiet ones that surprise you the most, right?
Oh kami, she'll never hear the end of it from her roommates, especially Michelle, when she tells them what happened. Her eyes glanced down at the counter where she'd taken her jewelry off. Maybe she won't tell them everything that'd happened yesterday.
Sakura finished covering all the visible marks to her satisfaction and put all her jewelry back on except one piece. She just grabbed it and slipped it into her makeup pouch with her concealer. She was putting on some chapstick when the yellow envelope caught her eye again.
She already half-knew what was inside. So, reluctantly, she reached over and picked it up. With a deep breath, she pulled out the contents.
She gasped when she saw what was on top.
It was beautiful. No, more than beautiful, it was absolutely breathtaking.
Goodness, he'd told her that he was very interested in art but he never mentioned that he could actually create his own masterpieces, because that was what this was. A masterpiece.
For some reason, she felt her eyes water as she looked it over. There was a quality to it that she couldn't explain, like it was expressive yet repressed at the same time. It was heart-wrenching yet calming, thought-provoking yet simple. There were so many contradicting feelings she was getting from looking at the drawing.
He'd drawn this for her as much as it was for himself.
It was so overwhelming, so much so that she had to put it down to gather herself.
A few more tears escaped before she pulled herself together.
She gave it another glance and decided right then and there, she was getting it on her body. This was what she's been looking for in a tattoo. She traced her finger over what was the curve of her waist.
"The most beautiful flowers flourish in the shade," she read aloud.
Sakura starting tearing up again. She didn't know why she was so emotional right now but she felt like this proverb resonated with her. She never would've used it to describe herself but once someone else used it, she couldn't deny how touched she felt.
She sniffled as she quickly put it away. She'll deal with the complicated feelings for it later. Sakura sighed when she saw what the rest of the papers were. She'd expected them but that didn't make them any less disheartening. But don't get her wrong, she was glad he was being responsible and had gotten them together on such short notice.
Looking at the forms, she'd thought back to how many times she'd checked his hands yesterday. She let out a humorless laugh. No one can tell her just how ironic it was, that even though he didn't have a ring on yesterday, his personal life left very much a mystery, he definitely had one on by the end of the night.
And she was the one to put it there, as he did for her, too.
The forms mocked her.
Petition for Divorce
'Annulment' was checked off along with 'irreconcilable differences', and all of his information had been filled out, complete with his signature.
She broke down in hysterical, defeated laughter.
Talk about crazy night.
But hey, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Right?
A/N: Teeheehee. I'm pretty sure some of you guys saw this coming but did you think I'd go there? No? Well, I did. Gotta keep you on your toes, don't I?
I wonder if you guys will ever tire of me pulling shit like this...*tears*. That'll be the day you guys leave me. No, please don't! If you do, please leave quietly, my heart can't take it any other way!
Also, side note, I made the main Uchiha branch to just have Fugaku and Madara. Izuna and whoever else can be cousins *sweatdrop*. I think I unofficially made Izuna Shisui's father in my head, and Obito's father is yet another unspecified cousin.
Thanks for reading and please review!
Updated – 1/30/2016 (Ha! I put it right this time! Go me!)
