Thank you MarchIII, nobodysperfect2133, mbravesgirl7, and Cruisegirl86 for such wonderful words! And also to everyone who is following the story and has added it to their favourites. Much love!
Chapter name dedicated to the infamous peril of every person ever, since Sir William Shakespeare decided that it's a fantastic idea to point it out for us. Cheers! :P
Enjoy! :)
CHAPTER 7 – To Be or Not To Be
One month later.
The doors to the elevators open and Sakura steps out. A moment later, the door to 10A opens as well.
"Hey guys," she greets. "Where are you going?"
"Shikamaru is freaking out," Sasuke winces. "He wants to propose."
"Okay… Wow. That's great, right?"
"Not really," Itachi gives a strained smile. "He wants us to talk him out of it."
"What?" she stares. "Why?"
Sakura has met Temari once, when she'd accompanied Shikamaru to 10A. She is a tall, blonde, green-eyed female Hulk. Very quick to lose her temper, sharp tongued, and an incredible chef. Naruto says that Shikamaru is scared of her because Temari is Mrs. Nara two point O.
"He believes that he's conforming to societal conventions despite being smarter than that," Itachi explains.
"That … makes sense."
"You should come with us," Sasuke says, suddenly inspired. "You can be Team Switzerland."
"But I'm not Team Switzerland," she frowns and crosses her hands across her chest. "I'm Team Shikamaru."
"That's even better," Sasuke beams. "He's expecting us to list out all the reasons why he shouldn't go through with it, and if you support his idea then we are free to counter him!"
"I think you're spending way too much time with Naruto," she tells him and Itachi laughs.
Sasuke shoots her a glare. "It's a good idea. Come on, this is a big decision for him. You're his friend. Hinata and Naruto are also going to be present."
"And friends are supposed to help with big decisions," Itachi adds.
Sakura rolls her eyes. "Where are we meeting them?"
xXx
Sakura has never been to Naruto's place before this. It's a studio apartment near their office (Itachi points out the building as they cross it), and it's every bit as you'd expect his house to be. The space is exploding with colours, there are no distinct boundaries to the layout, and he has potted plants everywhere. The place is, literally and figuratively, brimming with life.
Hinata is the only person who has arrived when they enter. Sasuke heads straight for a red beanbag to snuggle in, Sakura and Itachi take the other two seats on the orange couch, and Naruto seats himself on his desk, his legs dangling listlessly.
They make small talk until Shikamaru arrives twenty minutes later, looking a little wild.
"Oh, good, you're here," he says, catching Sakura's gaze. "I wanted to talk to you, too."
"I get it," she says instantly.
"What?"
"Why you think you shouldn't propose," Sakura explains.
"Oh. No. No, it's not that," he shakes his head. He drags Naruto's desk chair near Sasuke's beanbag and takes a seat.
"Well?"
"I had quite an interesting conversation with Temari's brother." His eyes are narrowed as though he's trying to figure her out.
"Okay…"
"Sakura," he says seriously, "do you know where Temari is from?"
"Not really, no."
"She's from Suna. Her brother is Sabaku Kankuro."
Sakura tenses. "No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes," he says forcefully. "Would you like to know what he said to me?"
"No."
Shikamaru ignores her. "He told me how he knew one Haruno Sakura in college."
"Well, yeah," Sasuke says coolly. "Sakura went to college in Suna. We know that already."
Sakura licks her lips. She's suddenly feeling a little hot under Shikamaru's heavy stare.
"He said and I quote, 'we called her Pinkette because she was a tiny little thing'."
Naruto and Sasuke start laughing. Hinata and Itachi, on the other hand, sitting on either side of her on the couch, feel how tense Sakura becomes. So they keep quiet.
"You were a 'tiny little thing' because you were fifteen when you went to college," Shikamaru finishes, effectively shutting up the laughing men and leaving an uncomfortable silence behind.
"You're kidding," Naruto finally says in surprise. "He's kidding, right?"
Sakura stays silent. She can feel Itachi's eyes on her, and flushes a bright red.
"We've got two of you?" Naruto continues and shudders at the thought.
There's another bout of silence.
"We …" she says and clears her throat. "We're here to … to talk about Shika. And whether he should propose or not."
"Yeah!" Sasuke grabs on immediately. He's been shooting her odd looks since Shikamaru's 'revelation'. "Shika, just do it."
Shikamaru's eyes widen as he remembers his predicament. "I can't," he croaks out.
"Of course, you can," Hinata says encouragingly. "You love her and she loves you."
"Exactly," Naruto quips in. "You guys are already living together, why not make it legal? That's the only thing that will change, right?"
"I brought you together to tell me how I shouldn't do it," Shikamaru snaps.
"They're saying that because I'm on your side, and they feel they're now free to tell you how they truly feel," Sakura tells him.
"You are?"
Sakura is distinctly aware that Itachi hasn't uttered a single word yet. "Itachi told me that you don't wish to conform to societal conventions."
"Yes," Shikamaru says carefully.
"The convention being that two people who love each other get married, making their union a legal contract, and stay happily ever after? Because I get it. Love isn't, you know, a real thing."
"Not exactly that. The convention being that marriage is nothing but a man-made institution designed to keep two individuals associated with each other, originally for procreation, but which is now taking a turn towards being a trend. It's a business. The individuals who get married don't need to join their assets, and this is keeping aside the inequality that takes place in the event of a divorce. So tell me this: why should I buy into this notion when I can stay with her without getting married, anyway?"
Five pairs of eyes stare at him in silence.
Itachi is the one who breaks it. "Everything is a business," he says and Sakura has no choice but to look at him. He's calmly assessing his friend. "You can either wish to believe in it or you don't. Either you can decide not to marry her as a personal protest against the commercialized institution of marriage, or you can decide to marry her because you want to spend your life with her. Of course, you can do so without ever getting married; however, the process of a marriage itself is what makes it meaningful. The conversations that take place because of it between the two individuals are of great value for personal growth and is a testament towards the relationship that they share.
"Yes, you can stay with her as you are currently doing, or you can talk with her about which lilies to choose for the table, which cake to pick, whom to invite, whom to not invite, do you like that cousin enough, or whether you want a pre-nup, what are your retirement plans, and since you're involving the government anyway, then why not make yourselves a recognized team in the eyes of the law?"
Itachi catches Sakura's eyes before she can look away. "Wouldn't you agree?"
She slowly nods. "I suppose."
"Besides," Itachi turns to Shikamaru once more. "There are better things to protest in the world, Shika. Pick something else, and stop making excuses just because you're chickening out."
The air breaks and Sakura giggles. Naruto whistles and Sasuke smirks.
"You're a cocky asshole," Shikamaru states.
Itachi shrugs coolly. "I know. A cocky asshole who understands marriage better than you so-called well-adjusted humans."
"Shit. Okay. I'm going to do it," Shikamaru says nervously. He's starting to break out a sweat. "Tonight. I'll do it tonight."
Amidst the cheers that follow the announcement, Hinata suddenly puts up a hand. "Do you even have a ring?"
Shikamaru turns a deep red. "Yeah. I bought it two weeks ago."
"You bought the ring and then wanted to cancel the proposal?" Naruto gives him an incredulous look.
"Like he said," Shikamaru mutters and points at Itachi, "I was chickening out."
xXx
Later that night, Sakura gets out of her bed and walks to the front door. Itachi is standing on the other side, wearing his home clothes.
"Can I come in?"
Sakura frowns. It's past midnight. After Shikamaru's decision, Naruto had insisted that they celebrate. He popped out some wine. Soon after, Shikamaru announced that he needed to leave if he was going to propose tonight, and then everyone started leaving, too. During the entire car ride back home, they kept the radio on.
"Yeah, of course."
The place has begun to feel a little empty since Kakashi and Uncle Obito left. She almost wishes that they return. As soon as she sits on the couch, Itachi speaks.
He doesn't join her. He chooses to stand, his hands crossed over his chest. "Why didn't you tell me?"
She knows what he's referring to. She's been waiting for this since they left Naruto's apartment.
"I … I didn't know how to."
He frowns, displeased with the answer. "You asked me why I wasn't in the programme for gifted individuals because you were."
"Yes."
"Why did you ask me if I regret graduating the traditional way?"
Sakura bites her lip.
"Do you regret it? Is that it?"
He still doesn't sit down. For the first time, Sakura feels his overwhelming presence. It feels as though Itachi is filling up every corner of her apartment, staying right where he is. It's disconcerting.
"Kakashi said that it's a gift."
"Do you regret it?"
"I was the youngest in pre-med."
"Do you regret it?"
Sakura gulps. "I … people want this, you know. People want to feel special."
"Damn it, Sakura," Itachi hisses and takes a step forward. "It's a simple question!"
"But it's not!" Sakura fires back. "It's not so easy."
"Explain."
"I know that people think this is not a big deal," she says shakily. "I mean, it seems such an easy decision, right? You've got a gifted child, you skip grades. You give them an environment where they can grow intellectually. Itachi, did you never stop and think why your mother didn't allow your father to put you through this?
"You've got to realise the implications. You don't know how it feels to be suddenly taking high school graduation exams when you're fifteen. When everyone is looking at you differently because you're the weird kid who skipped grades. I wasn't even legally an adult and I had to go to college. I had to stay with my father's friend because it was illegal to stay in the dorm. When everyone else was enjoying their freedom, I was studying because I couldn't do what they could. Everyone felt threatened by me so they shunned me out.
"All the adults around me started talking how I'd do great things in life. How I'd become successful and carve out a name for myself. How popular I'd be because of my work.
"And … I know that Kakashi meant good. I know that he did it because he believed in me. He said that I was special, and he always made me feel good about it. But 'special' meant different things to different people. 'Special' for me in school and college meant 'weird'.
"So no, I don't know whether I regret it or not, okay? I've been trying to figure that out my whole life. And with the shooting … everyone is making me feel … it's like high school all over again. The adults around me are, once more, expecting great things from me."
Itachi's stare is intense. He's holding her gaze the way he always does. It's more comforting than anything else and gives Sakura the confidence to continue her spiel.
"You told me it is what it is. You told me that it's okay not to be a hero. You told me how I can live my life on my terms. You showed me that. Itachi, you took the path that I couldn't. I asked you if you regret it because I wanted to know whether it would have been okay to choose wanting to be ordinary."
Itachi takes a deep breath. His hands come loose to his sides, and he lets the silence press on between them.
"I do regret it."
Sakura startles. "What?"
He looks ashamed of himself and Sakura's chest tightens.
"Sakura, I'm very proud of what I possess. I know my mother thought about the emotional implications it would have on me, even more so due to my social ineptness, but I was ready to deal with them. If it meant that I'd get the chance to pursue knowledge the way I really wanted to, I was okay with it. I'm not saying that your struggles don't mean anything, of course they do.
"Sakura, I had to deal with sitting amongst individuals who cared very little about things that truly matter. During high school, they were only interested in dances, Prom King and Prom Queen, which party to attend, which Professor is the hottest, which girl has the best ass, and such trivial things that annoyed me to no end. You know what I wanted? I wanted to visit Switzerland to see the Large Hadron Collider. I wanted to visit India to understand how they play with dome structures in their architecture. I wanted to pursue various degrees because I was interested in nothing else. All my Professors knew that I didn't belong there, in those classes. They stopped bothering to teach me after a point, because honestly, they had nothing to teach me that I didn't already know.
"I chose Business Administration only to have a documentation that proves that I understand business. I built a company eventually because that was the quickest way I knew how to make enough money to do the things that I have truly wanted to do in life."
Sakura smiles sadly. "Such as visiting India?"
He mirrors it. "Yeah."
"You know it's cheap to go there, right?"
Itachi chuckles and Sakura feels some of the weight lift off her chest. Just enough to be breathable.
"You wanted an ordinary life," he says, sobering up. "But let me tell you, it's honestly not all that it's cracked up to be."
"Did you at least become the Prom King?"
"Be serious."
"I am."
"No, I didn't become the Prom King, Sakura," he says impatiently. "Why would they make an arrogant, cocky bastard the Prom King?"
Sakura frowns. "I thought that's the prerequisite."
He rolls his eyes as if he can't believe how much of an idiot she is. That's a big feat, considering she did skip grades and he didn't.
It is what it is, he'd said. She thinks she understands what he meant by it.
Sakura got to live the life that Itachi has always wished for, and he lived the one that Sakura has always chased. Neither of them were satisfied by what they'd been dealt with.
All Itachi has managed to come up with, to make himself feel better about his situation, is it is what it is.
Looking at Itachi, standing in her living room in the middle of the night, Sakura feels a rush of affection and sympathy for him. She wishes that there was something that she could do for him, somehow make him feel better. She also realises that the only thing that will make him feel better about this is for him to successfully execute his plan so that he can do everything that he's been wishing for. It's a long-term plan, but she has no doubt that he will pull it off.
Not knowing what to do in the moment, however, is a completely different point. Making a quick decision, she gets to her feet and stalks to him. Before Itachi can do more than becoming suddenly aware of her proximity, Sakura wraps her arms around his waist and tucks her head under his chin. Itachi tenses for the smallest of a moment, but returns the hug eventually.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he mutters quietly, his lips ghosting the top of her head.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, too," she offers sadly. "Deciding the best ass is quite a difficult task."
She feels him smile. "How would you know? You barely had boobs in college."
Sakura laughs and slaps him on his back for good measure. "You jerk!"
"You started it."
She pulls her head back to look him in the eyes, but her arms stay put. "I honestly don't know how you run a business with that attitude."
"I get the work done," he assures her.
"How much money do you make now?"
Itachi groans. His arms tighten around her, though. "Why the hell are you obsessed with that?"
"I'm not obsessed," she retorts. "You said it yourself earlier. You're trying to make the money you'll need for everything you want to do. Naturally, anyone will ask your bank balance."
"No, they won't," he frowns at her.
"You don't know that," Sakura tells him in a soothing voice. "You don't know these things."
"You're materialistic and manipulative," he mutters, eyes trained above her head. "Wonderful."
Sakura scoffs. "Hardly the worst person out there. And there's nothing wrong with asking someone how much money they make. I don't know why it has to be such a sensitive and personal topic."
"Yeah?" he challenges. "How much do you make?"
Sakura tells him the figure instantly.
His eyes widen and then narrow. "And you'll only make more after you finish residency?"
She nods happily. "Yep. Unless I get a promotion before that."
"Like what?"
She shrugs slightly. They still haven't let go of each other. "If I become, say, the Chief Resident. They will increase my responsibilities, because then I'll be managing all the residents and my group of interns and performing all my surgeries and helping Dr. Orochimaru with his research."
He stares for a beat of silence. "That's a lot of stuff to do."
"Says the CEO."
"Touché."
"Your turn," she reminds him. "Bank balance."
Itachi tells her the figure after a moment's consideration. "That's the salary I've set for myself," he explains. "I have to divide the funds in an organized method. Capital, profit, salaries, logistics, rent, and so on."
Sakura is impressed. "You said the business is going well. I think you'll get a salary hike before I do."
He smirks. "Wanna bet?"
She feels a rush of excitement. "What does the winner get?"
Itachi hms under his breath in thought. Then he smirks again. "A date of his or her choice. Of course, the loser pays for it."
She smirks back. "Deal. Just so you know, I am materialistic. Be ready to splurge, genius."
xXx
She loses the bet a few days later.
When she enters 10A with her own keys (she'd demanded the emergency keys from Sasuke to be on equal ground), Itachi is closing the refrigerator door, holding a juice box in his hand. Sasuke is snuggled on the couch with his phone.
Sakura stalks towards Itachi and jabs him in the chest with her finger. "You knew."
He raises his eyebrows. "I know many things, Sakura."
She positively snarls. "You knew I'd get a salary hike as compensation for undergoing emotional and mental trauma. You run a company! There's no way you don't know this clause. The HR told me it's textbook."
Itachi grins. "Oh, that." He flicks the tip of her nose. "Shall I pull up a list for date night ideas?"
"Wait, what?" Sasuke says from the couch. Itachi and Sakura turn to him. "You guys are going on a date?"
"It's a friendly date, Sas," Sakura rolls her eyes at his blank expression. "I lost a bet."
His expression clears and he snickers. "Why would you bet against him? He always wins."
Itachi rubs the side of his nose in a mock imitation of embarrassed modesty.
Sakura narrows her eyes at him. "You knew," she repeats with a growl.
"And now I know how much money you make," he gives her a manic smile. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't empty your account on my behalf."
Sakura glares at him for another few moments for good measure and then stomps to sit beside Sasuke. He shrugs at her as if to say you had it coming.
Itachi soon disappears in his bedroom to shower and change out of his work clothes.
"So listen," Sasuke suddenly whispers urgently. "We're throwing a surprise party for Itachi this Saturday. Please tell me you can make it."
"What's on Saturday?"
"Well, technically, Itachi's birthday is on Friday," he says. "But the party is on Saturday for obvious reasons. I mean, apart from you, we have a holiday on Sunday."
"Yeah, Sherlock," she grumbles at the unnecessary reminder. "I'll keep it free."
He beams. "Great!"
"So who all are coming for this thing?" she asks with interest. Sakura has never met anyone besides Naruto, Shikamaru, Temari, and Hinata from their social circle. She has already gathered from their conversations that there are others.
"People from work," Sasuke replies. "Itachi's only non-work-related friends are you guys."
"What about Kiba?"
Sasuke waves a hand in dismissal. "He's Naruto's friend." His phone chirps and he checks it. "Shit."
"What happened?"
Sasuke sends a quick reply and then hesitates. "Uh, I don't know if you know this, but Itachi has a few exes."
"Izumi?" Sakura asks, remembering the only name Itachi had given during that awful dinner – the only long-term relationship he's had.
Sasuke exhales. "Yes, that's one."
"Oh. Who else?"
"You know how Itachi doesn't really understand these things quickly, right? So whenever he dated someone, it always blew up in his face. He never understood where he went wrong, or how he ended up upsetting the other person. After every failed attempt, we'd sit down with him and explain it."
"Hang on," Sakura interrupts. "Surely, the women he dated knew this?"
Sasuke begins to look a little uncomfortable. "Izumi did. That's why it even lasted that long. She was always trying to become his friend, and Itachi kind of went along with it."
"Okay…"
"I mean, it's not like no one knew. Itachi has a tendency to offend people. I can't even completely blame them, you know? He truly can be difficult at times. He's way too arrogant sometimes and doesn't have a filter."
Sakura frowns but doesn't say anything.
"Anyway," Sasuke hurries on, glancing at Itachi's bedroom door once. "There's this one woman Itachi dated when we first moved here. He was working in this company called Kizoshan. It's a huge company –"
"I know," Sakura interrupts. "They're pretty famous."
"Yeah, so he dated the CEO's daughter."
"What?"
Sasuke nods, wincing. "It only lasted for a few months, though. And she kind of … well, Itachi broke up with her. She didn't take it well. She's been trying to meet up with him, but he kept blowing her off, you know?"
"What does that have to do with this party?"
"That's the thing," Sasuke presses his lips together in irritation before continuing. "She knows it's his birthday this week, and Naruto just texted me that she might gate-crash."
"How does he know that?"
"Oh, shit, right," Sasuke rubs his forehead with his palm. Sakura feels a little bad for him now. He seems to be stressing out over this whole event – meaning, Itachi's life. "So one of Naruto's friends – Gaara – he works at Kizoshan. Gaara heard it from Kim who is pretty close with Samui – that's the CEO's daughter."
"Why don't you just tell her not to come?"
"Sakura," he says patiently, "don't you think Naruto already tried that? He keeps trying to tell her to back off because she hounds on him every time they meet through friends, to ask about Itachi."
"But it's your apartment," Sakura says, exasperated. "I'm sure you can keep one person out."
"Obviously, I'm gonna try!" Sasuke defends. "But you never know!"
"It'll be fine," Sakura reassures him, taking in his wild eyes. "I mean, it's just one person. Even if she does come, I don't see how that's the end of the world. If Itachi blows her off, like you say he does, he'll just do it again."
"She's not a good person," Sasuke admits. "She wasn't very nice to him. I don't want her here because Itachi will not like it."
"How about we talk to her?" Sakura suggests. She doesn't really want to do that, getting involved in this way with Itachi's ex, but looking at Sasuke's obvious concern and distress, Sakura thinks well, what the hell.
"You mean before the party?"
"Yes. Let's meet up with her, and explain that she shouldn't bother Itachi anymore."
"Sakura, she's a powerful person in the business industry. She is capable of ruining Itachi's image easily. You know how hard he's been working for this company. If we mess it up for him, he'll never forgive us."
Sakura sighs. "I hate politics."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"I'm surprised, though," Sakura frowns. "Itachi isn't the kind of person to hold back a comment or two, why hasn't she already, you know, taken it personally?"
"It's different when he says something mean, and it's different when I say it."
The way Sasuke's face scrunches up in disgust is enough to let Sakura know that Kizoshan's CEO's daughter has some tasteful bedroom preferences.
Sakura shudders.
Itachi's bedroom door opens and he stops when he sees the two of them wearing identical, stinky expressions.
"What's wrong with you two?"
"Sasuke just told me a dirty joke," Sakura replies instantly and Sasuke rolls his eyes.
"Okay," Itachi drags out. "Dinner?"
"Let's order," Sasuke says, already picking up his phone. "I'm too tired to cook for you two useless people."
Sakura thinks that is an unfair comment to make about two gifted individuals.
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