Again, with the obsessions. OMG ITACHI ITACHI ITACHI KANDA KANDA KANDA ULQUIORRA ULQUIORRA ULQUIORRA. So there. Okay, now that that's done, I will continue with the story.
Seriously. What would happen if I kept ranting instead of typing the chapter…? I guess we'll never know.
(I'm kinda guessing it would involve you guys and large, blunt objects and a whole world of pain for me…)
Just in case I forgot last time, (nope, I didn't), disclaimer: IF I OWNED NARUTO IT WOULD BE CALLED ITACHI. Maybe. And the plot might move a little bit faster. And, unfortunately, it would probably be shojo. Heh…
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"Lady Sakura," a soft voice called. "You must awaken at once!" Despite her quiet words, the maid whipped the sheets off of Sakura with surprising force and all but stuffed her into a regal crimson gown.
"Eh?" the rosette-haired girl blinked groggily as she was handed over from one servant to another.
"There is a young man waiting to see you, my lady!" one of the younger maids chattered as she brushed Sakura's hair.
"And he is very handsome," another chimed in. Sakura's eyes widened but before she could say a word, she found herself standing, flustered and only half-awake, in front of Sasuke Uchiha.
"L-Lord – "
He stopped her, smirking gently. "My name is Sasuke," he said, meeting her half-lidded eyes. "Won't you use it, Sakura?"
Suddenly, she was completely awake. "Of course, S-Sasuke," she stammered. "But why are you here?"
He knelt dramatically and took her hand but deadpanned his words. "Your fair visage dwelled in my dreams as I slumbered, so that I could not wait until tonight to visit you."
She refrained from rolling her eyes and instead pasted a small smile on her face, waiting impatiently for him to arrive at his point.
"Would you honour me by taking a walk with me?" he finished solemnly.
She allowed her smile to grow a little. "Yes, my – Sasuke," she replied demurely. "Permit me to alert my mother…"
"I am present, daughter," the older Lady Haruno spoke up from her place at the top of the stairs. "I am not yet dressed for the day, but you may certainly go out. Go, then, and let me not keep you."
At a gesture from their mistress, the maids politely shepherded Sakura and Sasuke out the door.
"Shall we take a stroll around town?" Sasuke gallantly offered his arm to Sakura, who took it with a cheerful laugh.
She nodded, neatly skirting a damp patch of grass and inhaling a deep breath of fresh air. The trees in the distance gave off a woodsy smell which recalled the visitor she had entertained the night before.
As she remembered Itachi with a blush, her hand rose unconsciously to her lips. Sasuke mistook her action for remembrance of the first kiss Itachi had stolen, and his brow creased.
"My brother seemed very interested in you," he remarked suddenly. "You have never met him before?"
She shook her head. "Perhaps he has seen me somewhere, but we have never spoken before last night," she replied softly.
He scowled, unappeased. "He should have asked to be introduced first, before asking for a dance. Come to think of it now, so should the Hyuuga."
She shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "There was no time. I understand he was attempting to evade a few of those… creatures masquerading as ladies. Lord Neji was saving me from the crowd; besides, you introduced us afterwards."
He chuckled and seemed satisfied with that, so she held her tongue and said nothing else.
"Sakura!" a familiar female voice exclaimed just as a male voice called, "Uchiha!" They turned to see Tenten and Neji exit the exquisitely-carved doors of a large mansion.
"Tenten, Lord Neji!" Sakura cried happily. "How are you today?"
"Very well, thank you." Neji inclined his head coolly. "Tenten an I were headed to the theatre. To where are you bound?"
Sasuke placed an arm around Sakura's waist and drew her in close to his body, extracting a startled sound from her. "We are simply taking a walk to enjoy the morning air," he said.
"How sweet," Tenten sighed, clasping her hands in front of her. "Come, Neji. We mustn't keep Lady Hinata waiting. We are very sorry, but we must be on our way now!" Neji hailed a nearby carriage and held the door open for his fiancée. He tipped his hat and she blew a kiss, and they were off.
"Would you like a frozen sweet, Sakura?" Sasuke inquired, gesturing toward a vendor on the streets.
She smiled in confirmation and beamed when he placed the precious sweet in her hands. "Thank you, Sasuke!"
He nodded, took her elbow, and led her back to the Haruno home as she ate. "I will see you tonight," he told her briskly. "May I kiss you goodbye?"
Flushing darkly, she presented her cheek to him. He pressed his lips to the side of her face and, as she turned back to look at him, to her mouth in a chaste kiss.
"Sasuke!" she squeaked in mortification. He merely smirked and whisked away.
"The courting has begun," the Haruno matriarch said to herself quietly. Raising her voice, she beckoned to a maid. "Inform my daughter that the master and I request her presence in the dining hall."
"Yes, mistress." The maid bowed. Lady Haruno watched her go before retreating to said hall, where her husband awaited her.
"My lady," the meek voice of a maid brought Sakura out of her thoughts. "The master and mistress wait in the dining hall to break fast with you."
Sakura raised an eyebrow as she glided into the room. "Is it not a little late to be breaking fast?"
"Ah, daughter, we are actually having a very early dinner," her father told her, eyes twinkling amusedly. "You may need to eat something later to keep you until supper."
"Yes, Father," she murmured as she slowly and gracefully sank down into the chair at her seat.
She had just raised her cup of tea to her lips when her mother exclaimed that Sasuke Uchiha had begun courting her daughter; only the training ingrained into her mind from birth kept the hot liquid within her mouth.
The Haruno patriarch's eyebrows rose slightly, but he only commented, "He is a good man, daughter."
Swallowing with difficulty, she nodded obediently. "Yes, Father. He has asked to see me again tonight."
A maid approached her once she had finished speaking, waiting patiently to be noticed.
Sakura turned to her. "Yes?"
"The countess Tenten requests your presence in the Hyuuga household, my lady," the girl reported dutifully.
"Very well." Sakura stood quietly, wondering what Tenten wanted. "If you will excuse me, Mother, Father, I shall visit Lady Tenten."
"Of course, dear," her mother chimed. Her father grunted his permission. The maid reappeared with Sakura' hat and gloves, silently handing them to her. "Take care, and convey my greetings to the countess!"
"I shall, Mother," Sakura promised as she opened the door, not noticing the maid start as she remembered something suddenly. She strode quickly in the direction of the Hyuuga mansion, and Tenten was just greeting her when the maid caught up, panting.
"My lady!" she coughed, straightening up with difficulty. "Before Lady Tenten's messenger arrived, a woman asked me to deliver this to you as I was coming back from the market!" She held out a white envelope, which Sakura took cautiously.
"Who was it?" Tenten asked curiously.
The maid's forehead wrinkled as she thought. "A viscountess, my lady, but her name escapes me…"
"What did she look like?" Sakura inquired, speaking softly so as not to frighten the memory away.
The girl's face brightened. "She had fiery red hair – I remember thinking that she looked like very bad luck, my lady, but if I might say, it had no style at all. It was short on one side and long on the other!"
Tenten's lips tightened. "Karin," she muttered under her breath. "Thank you for remembering," she told the maid, who bowed, recognizing a dismissal when she heard one, and ran off. "Sakura, come in."
She ushered her friend into the parlour and pushed her down eagerly. "Would you like some tea?" Without waiting for an answer, she sent a servant scurrying off for the drink.
Waving the mysterious letter, Sakura began. "If you don't mind, I'd like to look through this… Would you excuse my horrible manners?"
"Sakura – " Tenten tried to stop her, but it was too late.
Sliding a dainty hand into the small white envelope, Sakura withdrew a sheet of yellow paper and scanned the loopy handwriting which covered its surface. Her eyes dimmed and narrowed, and she inhaled sharply through her nose.
"What is it?" Tenten demanded, glancing worriedly at her friend's pale face. She had a feeling that she already knew what it was.
Without a word, Sakura handed her the letter, letting the envelope flutter to the ground. She sank back into the couch, eyes looking lost and troubled.
"She claims that Sasuke is only courting me because his brother shows interest in me," she whispered. "Tenten, tell me it's not true. I know that brothers can be very competitive, but tell me he feels something for me…"
Tenten tore her eyes from Karin's letter, chocolatey brown orbs alight with anxiety. "Sakura, I'm not going to outright tell you that he doesn't feel anything for you," she said gently.
"Tenten…"
"Sakura, you know me better than that."
"Of course I do!"
"So I'm not going to tell you that he doesn't feel anything for you."
"I sense a 'but' in there."
"I had wanted to break the news to you before you had a chance to hear it less pleasantly. Forgive me; I do not know how to say this after Karin's blunt, callous words. Nevertheless, I will soften it as much as I can. The first night we met, I sat beside Neji, across from you and the Uchiha. Do you recall?"
Soundlessly, Sakura nodded. She straightened up, knowing what Tenten was attempting to say.
"While you and I were talking to each other, I kept an eye on Neji and the Uchiha. Neji mentioned Uchiha's brother, and Uchiha replied so quietly that Neji could not hear his answer. That may be when Karin heard," Tenten continued softly, pouring some more tea into Sakura's cup.
"And you heard, even though Lord Neji did not?" The crimson-clad, pink-haired young woman raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"No." Tenten shook her head slowly. "My father's mother is partially deaf, so my family and I – we can all read lips." She looked up, eyes watery. "I am afraid that Lord Sasuke is indeed competing with his brother. That is not to say that he feels nothing for you," she hastened to repeat, emphasizing every word.
"I see." Sakura stood up quietly, placing the empty cup down on the table. "Thank you for telling me this. I must bid you farewell now."
"Sakura…" Tenten stood as well and placed a soothing hand on Sakura's arm. "You are strong. You will find a way through this somehow, and Neji and I will support you every step of the way."
"Thank you," Sakura whispered. She squeezed Tenten's hand before slipping out the door. Tenten watched forlornly until she was out of sight.
Sakura decided that she needed to clear her head; sighing, she turned off the street and into a public garden to take a walk. As she walked, she tried in vain to stem the flow of bitter tears.
A cool finger wiping away those tears startled her out of her misery. She looked up into familiar, fathomless eyes gazing back at her calmly and gave a gasp of consternation.
"Sakura, why do you weep?" Itachi asked. He was slightly shocked when she turned away from him and ran, tears streaming down her face anew. It was not until later that he discovered her glove in his hand.
"Lady!" one of the elderly maids cried as she caught sight of Sakura's tearstreaked face. "Child, you look horrible! Would you like me to bring you a warm drink?"
"No, thank you," Sakura murmured as she climbed the steps to her room. She laid down on her bed and fell into a fitful, troubled sleep, only to awaken hours later when a maid shook her awake.
"Lord Uchiha is here to see you!" she exclaimed, fluttering about nervously. "Housekeeper sent me up to wash your face!"
"I can wash my own face," Sakura snapped, splashing said face with frigid water from the basin which the maid held.
"Your gown, lady – " the maid began.
"My dress is perfectly fine," Sakura replied testily, softening the rebuke with a rueful smile. "I apologize for my awful mood. Take me down to see the lord."
"Yes, my lady." The maid bowed and led her down the stairs.
Sasuke waited at the bottom, clad in white and blue. "Sakura, you look ravishing tonight," he told her as she descended.
"Why, thank you!" she beamed, monitoring his expression closely. When he gave no sign of noticing her vacuous smile, her heart sank. "Shall we go?"
"Of course." He gallantly offered his arm and they swept out into the darkening evening.
The night flew by, and Sasuke suspected nothing – he made comments on neither her too-bright laughter nor her brittle, false smile. She began to wonder whether this smiling, gentle young man was really the young lord's personality, or if it was merely a pleasant veneer meant to ensnare the woman who had piqued his brother's interest.
"Thank you for taking me with you tonight," she murmured demurely as she allowed him to escort her back into the house. As he bowed, she caught the muted flicker of boredom in his eyes.
Her rosy lips curled upwards in grim satisfaction. Once she showed meekness and Itachi lost interest in her, she had no doubt that she would be discarded without hesitation.
With the sense of realization overwhelming her, she bid him a hasty farewell and retreated to the sanctuary of her bedroom. She threw herself facedown onto her bed and wept bitterly into her pillow.
She uttered a shriek when a large, warm hand landed on her back, rubbing soothing circles through the fabric of her gown, but before she could do anything more, she was lifted into a black-clad lap. Rainwater and pine flooded her senses.
"Wh-why are you here?" she demanded shakily, pushing in vain against the marquess' broad shoulders.
"You forgot your glove this afternoon," he replied, placing it on her night table. "Why do you weep?" When she continued to sob, his face hardened. "It is my foolish little brother, is it not?"
She nodded and tried again to slip away; this time, he let her go. "He – he's only courting me because of his rivalry with you," she sobbed quietly. "I have no intentions to be a pawn in your game. Please leave me alone!" Her voice shook but her gaze, like a green beacon, fixed evenly upon his face.
"I see," was all he said, studying her carefully.
"Please leave," she requested tersely when he made no move to go.
Still his eyes caressed her. "I will leave you," he told her quietly, "on one condition."
Her body trembled in response to his intense gaze. "Wh-what is that?" she quavered, crumbling under his careful scrutiny.
"Let me kiss you goodbye, and Sasuke will never hear your name from my lips again," he stated flatly.
Hesitantly, she raised her face upward, closer to his. "Very well," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"Sakura, open your eyes," he ordered, his voice rough. "I want you to look at me."
Emerald eyes flew open and obediently fixed upon his face (and somewhere in the back of her mind something whispered that it was, in fact, very attractive).
Without warning he claimed her lips with his, gently tasting her and feeling her tense form relax a little in his arms.
"Sakura," he murmured, and pressed warm kisses to her cheeks, to her nose, to her forehead. Nuzzling her neck, he felt his actions slowly lull her to sleep. Silently he laid her on her bed and arranged the covers over her.
Stealing one last kiss, he fled the room.
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Yay! More ItaSaku! And Sasuke is a jerk. As to why Sakura didn't confront Sasuke right away, she wanted to make sure that he didn't actually like her. Thanks to my awesome betas, and I'll see you next time!!