Sakura couldn't sleep that night. She was terrified. Being seen by her beloved's family, she loathed it. But she'd do whatever it took.

She spent the night staring at her bedroom wall, counting the minutes as they went by, each feeling slower than the last. There were times when she thought she may fall asleep, but she could never truly relax. She ran through her mind over and over again what Sasuke's father would think is appropriate training, how she could impress them and make them believe Sasuke was breaking her down into a servant.

The opposite, she quietly thought to herself, the opposite could not be more true.

It came as a surprise when her bedroom door opened. Less of a surprise was Sasuke telling her to get up. He was trying to keep the emotion from his voice. She knew he would be struggling with today as much as she was, yet listening to him speak as if he didn't care about her hurt worse than anything they'd experienced together. She got up and kept her head down, as he'd advised her to do. 3 pairs of shoes were in her sight. Already, Itachi and Fugaku were judging them. She followed Sasuke a little behind, still with her head down as he brought her to the basement. The older Uchiha followed behind her.

"Sasuke claims he's a sadist." Itachi informed his father. She listened closely, though she stared straight into the air before her eyes. Sasuke chained her to the back wall. The two had little experience there, both of them preferring areas where he could move around her, enjoy every aspect of her body. She obediently allowed herself to be shackled to the wall, her feet cuffed just over shoulder width apart and her wrists up over her head. She wasn't sure why he'd taken her to this wall- perhaps it had more to do with their evaluation.

"Is that true, Sasuke?" She noticed his cheeks flush.

"Yes, Father."

"And how does she respond to this pain?"

"She.. uh.. enjoys it." His father simply gave a nod and waited for him to begin.

He hit her with a thin metal rod. Right across her chest. She luckily still wore her bra and underwear, but she knew soon she'd lose them. The metal hurt worse than the plastic she was used to. He struck her again and again, soon her chest glowed. She whimpered in pain at the last few strikes, her skin to throb. With the end of the rod, he tipped her chin up to look at him. He struggled to keep an emotionless face, she saw the remorse behind his eyes.

"What are you?"

"I.. I'm..." smack. Right across her face. They hadn't discussed that, the metal rod stung and she'd unfortunately bitten the inside of her cheek.

"I said what are you." He snapped, his voice cruel with no sign of sympathy. A stream of tears stung her new mark.

"I'm Master's personal slave..." She confessed. He smiled. It wasn't his usual smile, it was darker. Sinister. She never thought she would, but she hated this smile.

Once again, the rod struck her face. The tears rolled heavier.

"Who do you belong to?"

"I.. I.." Before she could get the words out, she felt his hand grip around her throat. Finally, something familiar. His thumb pressed into the side of her neck and his voice dropped low, in that same low tone that turned her into putty.

"I don't like hesitation. Next time I ask a question, answer it or else. Now who do you belong to?" She held his eye contact.

"I belong to my master..."

"Who is?"

"Y-you.. You are my master." He released her throat and she looked towards the floor. Her face hurt terribly. She wanted to throw up.

"Not bad, Sasuke. You've been studying many tactics it seems." Itachi praised his baby brother, walking closer to Sakura.

"She's still got a lot to work on." His father commented. He looked down at the young girl with a disapproving scowl, Sakura felt judged by him though she was unsure as to why. He continued speaking.

"Tell me, has she experienced intercourse?" Sasuke shook his head.

"Not yet, Father." Once again, her face felt hot. They won't notice, she thought to herself. Her face was already red from being hit so many times. Fugaku's questions felt like an invasion of her privacy. What she and Sasuke did, at least in her mind, should stay between them and them alone. Maybe she was wrong about that. Just maybe, privacy was a luxury she was not meant for.

Sasuke unshackled her from the wall and didnt catch her when her legs crumpled up underneath her. She crawled obediently behind him as he followed Itachi with Fugaku at his right side.

"She isnt clear for intimacy until she passes this examination." He informed the younger boy. Sasuke simply nodded. In truth, he'd been nervous to ask her about the act. He'd thought of it many times and studied many different ways they could go about it- yet nothing had happened to this point. His father and brother left the basement, leaving the younger two behind. Sasuke turned around, lifting her back to her feet, to his equal.

"Sasuke-kun?" She asked after the door click shut.

"Yes?"

"What does he mean by 'intimacy'? I thought we already were." He blushed, his eyes glancing slightly upwards.

"Well, uh, he means.. sex.." Now it was her turn to blush.

"O-Oh... I.. I don't want him to know if we do that!" Sasuke smiled a little at the outburst, though he agreed.

"Our relationship should be private... and it is. The real one, anyway." She pouted.

"Did I pass the test?" Sasuke shrugged.

"I'll find out during my studies tomorrow. I think." He looked towards the door, to the right of it a clock ticked the seconds one by one.

"What time is it?"

"Time to begin preparations for supper." She stepped back from his hands and waited for him at the door. He watched her walk and only approached when she stopped. He led her out of the room and ordered her to begin dinner.

Tonight it was just her in the kitchen, which she found odd. In her time at the manor, she'd almost always prepare dinner with Izumi. Perhaps she'd gotten sick, or perhaps Itachi had decided to take her back for what she now assumed was intimacy. With or without Izumi however, she was fully capable of serving a complete meal to the Uchiha. She brought out the main course, noticing a girl seated next to Itachi. She wore a deep green dress and a pearl necklace, her make up ensuring her face porcelain and flawless with ruby red lips. She quickly fetched the girl a plate of food, apologizing for not bringing it out with the rest of the meals.

"I should hope you're sorry." She coldly snapped. Sakura simply bowed her head, making her way into the corner of the dining room. There she would wait for them to finish eating and one by one clear their dishes for their desserts and, for everyone except Sasuke, a glass of wine. As Sasuke was still underage, she would bring him a glass of water. She spent the entire meal listening to their conversation. Primarily it focused on the wedding between Itachi and the nobility girl. Sakura's mind flooded with questions. What about Izumi? Weren't they in love? Where'd she go? It wasn't until she'd finish cleaning and doing the prep work for tomorrow's breakfast that she was allowed out of the kitchen. Sasuke waited for her in the hall.

Just as he did every night, he led her down the familiar way to the bathroom and locked the door. He stripped to his boxers and she stripped down completely.

"Sasuke-kun? I'm confused..."

"About?"

"Well, that girl. At dinner, she was talking about marrying Itachi-san."

"She is marrying him."

"But I thought- well then, where's Izumi-san?" She watched the slight tension in his face.

"Let me bathe you." He walked to the tub and turned the water on. She stood behind him, staring at his well-toned back. Fear nestled into her body.

"Please, Sasuke-kun. I want to know." Silence. For several long moments, the two said nothing, the only sound being heard was the running water. Finally he stood up.

"Because Itachi and Izumi... they're not in love." She looked at him with more confusion than before. He sighed, knowing full well that he had to tell her the truth.

So he did. Every heart-wrenching detail.

"So... I'm just your pet... and we aren't... I mean, we were never..." Sasuke was quick to shake his head, his hands cupping her face.

"Don't you dare think that! I do love you. Sakura, you know exactly how I love you." She nodded.

"I love you too, Sasuke-kun." She sat in the bath as it filled to her waist, higher than normal. She didn't notice he'd left the drain plugged in that day. She sighed happily as the scalding hot water met her skin.

"Why did you...?" She began her question, though she trailed off as she felt his hands scrubbing shampoo into her hair.

"Today sucked. I thought you'd like it this way."

"I do..." He smiled slightly. The two remained quiet as he finished washing and conditioning her hair and scrubbed her body clean. He left her in the tub as he pulled the drain out and turned, getting her towel ready for her. He sat back on the edge of the tub, this time in front of her instead of behind. Towel ready in his hands, he easily and in one fluid motion, scooped her out of the tub, wrapped her up, and held her on his lap to dry. Water dripped down her face.

The two looked into each other's eyes. There was a darkness that neither one of them had seen, though they couldn't break the silence they'd trapped themselves in. They leaned in to a kiss. Sasuke scooped one arm under her legs, his other around her back. They continued kissing as he stood up. He broke away from kissing her, the lingering taste still persisting in his mouth.

He always kissed her after her bath. But there was something different about tonight.