I am seriously ticked off at Kishimoto for this last chapter. WHAT WAS HE THINKING????? He's a perv, seriously. Stupid Karin, stupid Sasuke, stupid Kishi.
For some reason, I'm really into SasuSaku now. It's second only to my OTP, ItaSaku, and ItaSakuSasu is my OT3. ^^
Disclaimer: I think it's pretty obvious, considering the way I'm ranting about Kishi being a perv. Stupid Karin. (I don't really hate her, by the way. Just… not with Sasuke. I ship SuiKa.)
- - -
The Haruno heiress hummed to herself as she brushed her hair, gazing at the large glass-panelled window into the already bustling street.
She swallowed her breakfast and stepped out into the gentle sunlight, relishing the warmth on her skin. Most young women would have brought a small parasol, but Sakura decided that she would risk the unsightly tan for the pleasure of the sunlight. She sighed happily.
"It is a nice day to be out, is it not?" A middle-aged woman smiled kindly, her onyx eyes twinkling cheerfully.
Sakura returned the smile politely. "It is indeed," she replied, racking her mind and trying to figure out why this woman seemed so familiar. "Pardon my ignorance, but have we met before?"
The woman shook her head, flicking dark ebony hair over her navy-clad shoulder. "Your friend is calling to you," she pointed to where Tenten was waving energetically from her front door.
"Oh!" Sakura curtsied gracefully and joined Tenten reluctantly. The elegantly-dressed lady had seemed so familiar… If only she could recall why!
"Hello, Sakura," Neji nodded as Tenten led her into the parlour. "I heard that you met Lady Hinata last night."
"Yes, I did," Sakura beamed. "She is so kind; you are blessed to be related to her!"
"She told us that you told her everything," Tenten added, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know why, but I instinctively trusted Hinata," Sakura admitted quietly, shrugging. "I met Naruto Uzumaki as well."
Neji sat up straight. "Did you mention Itachi Uchiha in front of him?" he demanded quickly.
"Yes, I may have," Sakura answered after some thought. "Why?"
"Don't you know?" Tenten asked, startled. "Naruto Uzumaki is Sasuke Uchiha's best friend! The only time they're apart is when Naruto is with Lady Hinata!"
"I fear that Sasuke may already have realized that he has been duped," Neji told her gravely. "All of your hard work may have been for naught. Naruto will have told him everything."
Sakura's heart dropped. "No," she whispered. "I'm so stupid!" Tenten and Neji watched worriedly as tears slid down her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry," Tenten murmured, reaching out and touching her friend's arm hesitantly.
"It matters not," Sakura said bravely, raising her head. "The worst that can happen is that Sasuke will be angry with me for deceiving him. 'Tis not all that bad."
Unconvinced, Tenten rang for hot tea and biscuits. Gratefully nibbling one, Sakura dried her tears.
"Uchiha has no right to be angry with you," Neji reminded her gruffly. "He was the one playing games in the first place."
"You can always calmly point out that he was back with Karin right after he left you," Tenten added helpfully. "Actually, it's all his fault for leaving you in the first place!"
"If Naruto tells him that we saw him and Karin together, he'll probably be ready with an excuse," Neji said practically.
Sakura shook her head slowly. "No, Naruto ducked under the table when I said that," she remembered softly. "He did not heart it."
Neji wrinkled his nose. "I do not want to know what Uzumaki was doing under the table."
"He was picking up – "
"I said I don't want to know, Sakura."
"Anyway, that's one more thing with which you can blackmail him," Tenten suggested with a wicked gleam in her chocolaty eyes. "If it comes to that," she amended when Neji glared at her.
The pink-haired heiress laughed at Tenten's words and Neji's reaction. It was only when a servant came in to inquire where the master and mistresses would like dinner that she realized the time.
"Oh, I should have been home before noon!" she sighed ruefully. "Forgive me, Neji, Tenten, but I must depart."
"Go, then, with our wishes for the best of luck in dealing with Uchiha," Neji told her solemnly as Tenten bade her farewell.
"And do not be afraid to blackmail him a little," the brunette added behind her hand so that Neji did not hear. Sakura giggled and exited with a light heart.
Her joy evaporated when she discovered the visitor her father was entertaining. They looked up at her arrival.
"Sakura, there you are," her father remarked jovially, but her eyes were glued to the man beside him.
"Hello, little one." Kabuto's glasses reflected the sunlight streaming through the windows.
"Lord Kabuto," she replied, politely extending a hand as custom dictated.
He took it and bowed obsequiously over it, to Sakura's utter dismay. "You seem unhappy to see me," he observed keenly, pulling away.
"I – I am surprised, certainly," she stammered, masking her loathing with a veneer of maidenly confusion, the discord felt by a girl being courted for the first time (as if having Itachi appear suddenly from her room would not have chased all of the "maidenly confusion" out of her mind!)," but pleasantly so." She wondered if perhaps he could detect lies, for his eyes flickered briefly to hers, but his gaze was nowhere near as piercing as Itachi's, and she met it defiantly.
Kabuto smiled unexpectedly. "I have been speaking to your father on the subject of marriage, Lady Sakura," he told her. "What do you think?"
"We would not match; I fear I am too spirited for you, sir," she replied lightly, but could not dissuade the shiver that ran up her spine.
"I think not," Kabuto answered quietly; his eyes promised something menacing – to break her, perhaps.
Dismay, tinged with fear, filled her. This was what Hinata, with her sharp lactescent eyes, had foreseen and tried to prevent the night before; now her efforts were in vain.
"Perhaps you will need time to think," her mother spoke up when Sakura said nothing.
Kabuto bowed graciously. "Of course," he said smoothly. "I will visit again soon – in three days, perhaps – in time for the ball. You may give me your answer then. If that is settled, I shall be off. Farewell, earl, countess, little one." With a tilt of his hat (regained from the maid), he left silently, though with a step not quite so stealthy as Itachi's – or Sasuke's, even.
"Well, what do you think?" the count asked of his daughter.
Sakura trembled finely. "I will think outside," she told him quietly, already making a beeline for the door. "Give me a few days to think this over. I will give you my reply then."
But it seemed that people were loath to leave her in peace; she had scarcely taken a step into the public gardens when she was accosted by none other than Sasuke Uchiha himself.
"Sakura!" He grasped her arm gently, tugging her backwards into his chest.
"Yes, my lord?" She waited patiently and said nothing more, knowing that her silence made him uncomfortable.
"Naruto told me that you thought I was… intimate with the viscounts," he said bluntly.
"Is that so?" was all she offered in a detached tone of voice, no matter how much she would have liked to let even the smallest bit of acridity seep into her voice.
His hands clenched into fists in frustration. "It is not true," he ground out from between gritted teeth.
She cocked her head curiously. "Did I say that?" she mused, as if to herself.
"You impertinent wench!" he chuckled suddenly, his face softening. "I just wanted to let you know that I will still escort you to the ball that the Hyuuga are hosting in three days, if you wish it."
She ducked her head, slipping out of his hold. "If my lord will grant me time to think it over…" she murmured.
"Of course," he smirked generously. "I will seek you out in two days' time, then. Be ready." His scent enveloped her as his cloak whirled and he whisked away.
"Hyuuga… ball…?"
- - -
"I didn't remember, honestly, or I would have told you!" Tenten defended herself apologetically when Sakura mentioned it accusingly the next day.
"Our apologies," Neji interposed calmly. Only those who had known him for a while could have heard the slight, rueful undertone in his voice.
Sakura smiled softly. "It's all right," she sighed. "I just overreacted." Rubbing her temple with her fingertips, she added, "He really caught me off guard. What should I do?"
"Find someone else to take you," Tenten suggested promptly. When Sakura stared at her in bewilderment, she explained, "Tell both of the men that you are not interested, and back up your statement by going with someone else entirely unrelated. Hopefully – hopefully – that will deter them."
"It will only succeed if you chose someone who will not be intimidated by Uchiha, though," Neji said pensively. "As for your invitation, I am sure I can persuade Lady Hinata to procure one for you. Wait here."
He disappeared for a few minutes, before returning with Hinata in tow. She held out a silver-embossed envelope, Sakura's name penned in an elegant script on the front.
"I hope you can make it," she murmured, looking directly into the green orbs of her friend. "Nine o' clock this Thursday night; please bring a partner." As Sakura took the invitation, Hinata grasped her hand. "Sakura," she whispered so that no one could overhear, "bringing the older Uchiha brother will not solve anything. Make sure he stays away from you."
Sakura's eyes widened. "How did you – " she stammered, but Hinata put a slender finger to her lips. "Thank you," she breathed, bowing gratefully. "I will attend."
"If you'd like, Neji and I have a friend who would be delighted to escort you," Tenten offered. "Be here tomorrow at noon, and we will introduce you."
"Thank you!" Sakura told her in relief. "He – he will understand that I am not interested in being courted, won't he?"
Tenten waved a hand. "He won't mind," she said carelessly, dispelling Sakura's anxiety.
"Words cannot express my gratitude," the pink-haired heiress began, but Neji and Hinata silenced her with a look.
"Then say nothing," Tenten said gently. "We will always help a friend in need."
"The way your eyes sparkle is thanks enough," Neji added. Hinata merely nodded.
"When this is through, then you may relax and say your thanks," she cautioned. "Your troubles are not over yet. They may not give you up without a fight." Everyone knew who they were. "As I am mostly responsible for the trouble Naruto has caused, it follows that I should do what I can to remedy it. My apologies."
"You needn't worry about that," Sakura sighed in relief. "I am grateful enough that this can be fixed."
Hinata inclined her head, giving a fluid, ladylike shrug. "If that is all, I shall take my leave. Sakura, Tenten, cousin."
Neji nodded in reply as the women bade Hinata farewell. The sapphire-haired woman glided through the open doors to disappear into the labyrinth that was the Hyuuga household with a carelessly graceful poise which Sakura envied.
Noticing this, Neji looked over. "It took a long time for Lady Hinata to get where she is now," he remarked offhandedly. "She was once a timid girl who could not stand up for herself."
Tenten straightened up. "That mercenary Uzumaki changed a lot of people in this household," she commented quietly. "You used to be an emotionless bastard." She looked completely unabashed by her crude language. "Now, not so much." At Sakura's curious expression, she added, "Yes, he is a mercenary. Lady Hinata had to go through a lot of trouble to get her family to allow him to court her."
Neji shrugged, seemingly unfazed by his fiancée's name-calling – save for the way his left eyebrow twitched irritably. "What can I say? He has a gift for changing people."
"Well," Tenten tossed her head, "he hasn't changed the Uchiha. On a different note, what will you wear?"
"I haven't thought about it yet," Sakura confessed. "After all, I just learned about this yesterday."
"Wear a green dress," Tenten advised dryly. "It will go well with your escort's clothes." With that puzzling statement, she proceeded to drag her friend and fiancé to the gardens for a small luncheon.
When Sakura returned, flushed with pleasure, to her home, she swept up the stairs (trying to imitate Hinata's grace, though she would never admit it) to her room and threw open her wardrobe.
She kept Tenten's words in mind, but her only green gown was very plain and was a few stitches behind the current fashion.
As she ran her fingers wistfully down the length of the silky, expensive material of the skirt, a voice whispered in her ear, "Lower the neckline and tighten the waist. If you add some silver embroidery to the front and bottom, you will outshine all the others with your radiant beauty."
Jumping a little from surprise, she whirled, laughing weakly. "Itachi, you flatterer! And where did you get such a sense of fashion?" Nevertheless, she took out a needle and thread, preparing to follow his suggestions.
He swept a dramatic bow, lips twitching ever so slightly. "My lady mother requires a hand with her clothing sometimes, and as she lacks a daughter…" He shrugged nonchalantly.
Sakura put a dainty hand to her lips as her laughter strengthened. "You poor man!" she cried through a mouthful of pins, spreading the dress out and arranging it artfully. "Might I persuade you to help me?"
"Certainly, my lady." Large, long-fingered hands slid over hers, taking the pins and deftly pushing them through the cloth. She shivered at the warmth transferred from his body to hers and the feel of his breath on her neck as he murmured, "You will have to sew, I fear. My mother never trusted me with her clothing and a needle."
"A-all right," she stammered, threading a needle. As she stuck it through the cloth of the dress, she was acutely aware of his gaze on her face.
"For what do you need this gown?" he inquired.
Her eyes never left her work as she replied, "The Hyuugas' party."
"Ah," he said softly. "Perhaps I shall be there as well. However, you must not be offended if I do not greet you; it seems that mercenary Uzumaki has told Sasuke of your plan."
She jabbed the needle into her finger and hissed in pain. Itachi took the dress out of her hands gently, taking the needle and finishing the seam with tiny, neat stitches. Sakura looked up in bewilderment.
"You said you couldn't sew!" she exclaimed accusingly; her eyes widened in realization as she caught a glint of amusement in his onyx orbs. "You liar!"
He merely tilted his head, smirking at her as he finished the rest of the sewing for her. Taking the dress from him, she inspected it and was amazed by the precise, even stitching. "I envy your mother, if she is the one who taught you to do this! No one, not even my escort, will be able to see these stitches!"
"And who is to be your escort?" he asked, suddenly serious. "My brother?" Something dangerous glimmered softly beneath the surface in his eyes.
"No!" Sakura hastened to assure him, a little too loudly. "Tenten and Neji are going to introduce me to a friend."
"But you will not become involved with him?" Itachi questioned keenly. "It would not do to have yet another pining suitor." At her expression, he nodded. "Yes, I was informed of the marquess Kabuto's offer. He would be a most unfitting husband for you."
"I… agree," she murmured, threading an embroidery needle with shimmering, silvery thread. "I said as much to him." Looking up, she narrowed her peridot eyes. "I don't suppose you can embroider, as well?"
Itachi gave a deep-throated chuckle, holding up his hands in an appeasing gesture. "No, I cannot embroider fancy designs to save my life – and 'tis the truth!" he added in response to her skeptical, unbelieving snort.
Keeping a suspicious eye on him, she turned to her work. He watched appreciatively as silver vines and tendrils blossomed under her skilled fingers.
He had lied a little; with a carefully premeditated layout (which was generally done by his mother) he could embroider sufficiently – that is to say, for a man – but nothing he could do could match the way Sakura designed as she worked. Her patterns changed often on a whim, and not one metallic flower was the same as another.
Had Sakura known this, she might have commented that a gentleman would tell a lady the truth, but hadn't he said again and again that he was no gentleman?
"Will you be bringing a partner?" she queried absently as her fingers flew.
He sighed with the air of one who had encountered this same question many times. "My mother will wish me to, but I am tired of these vapid women who cling to anyone at whom their equally vapid mothers push them. No offense meant to your gender," he added with a quick glance at her.
"None taken at all," she replied, allowing herself a small, sardonic smile that surprised him somewhat. "I know exactly the kind of which you speak, and I thank anyone who will listen that I am not one of them."
"I am grateful for that as well," he chuckled, onyx eyes locked on her flashing needle. "You must be careful, or someday you may find a most uncharacteristic proposal escaping from my lips."
She met his eyes, asking slyly, "A proposal? Or a proposition?" Suddenly, she laughed, tossing her head. "But nay, I fear I have heard too many proposals in the last two days."
Despite the light tone of their jesting, he caught the uncertain undertone in her voice, and she heard the very serious warning he had given her.
"Sakura – " Her breath caught in her throat at his tone. When she looked up at where he stood, towering over her, his dark eyes glimmered with something that sent shivers down her spine. "If you ever need something, do not hesitate to come to me. Do not ever doubt that I will help you." He swooped down and stole a gentle kiss from her.
"Ita – "
But she was alone.
- - -
I just now realize that most girls Sakura's age would need to be escorted around by a chaperone, but I wasn't able to work that into the story. So I guess it will be technically incorrect. I apologize for my disgusting oversight; it's totally my fault. Feel free to flame me; school just started and I have tons of homework that could just… mysteriously disappear…