Sasori sat at his computer looking through pictures. None of them were very interesting really. Mostly regular mundane pictures of normal life, so boring. Not was he was looking for. He was just about to tab out when a flash of pink caught his eye.
"What's this?" He murmurs to himself. He clicks on the picture to enlarge it. A sassy looking long haired blonde looks at the camera with her arm around a girl with the most expressive eyes he has ever seen.
"Beautiful." He almost smiles as he stares at the vibrant green eyes looking back at him in pixelated beauty. This is what he had been looking for.
He clicks on the blonde's link, Yamanaka Ino. He searches her friends list, there it is pink and green, Sakura Haruno.
"I found you." He smiles then and starts scrolling through her pictures.
Shisui is sitting on the couch when they walk into the house through the back door.
"Cherry blossom!" He yells and runs at her picking her up and twirling her around laughing and smiling.
"Shisui!" She kisses him on the cheek. "How is my favorite Uchiha?" She smiled up at him.
"I knew I was your favorite! Man is Obito gonna be jealous! I'm going to call him right now to tell him." Shisui pulls out his phone from his back pocket and hits a button.
"Don't you dare you little mongoose!" She laughs at him then claps her hands over her mouth when she hears Obito answer the call.
"Hey, Obito guess what? Guess who is over at the main house? Sakura! Get your ass over here! By the way, she said I was her favorite Uchiha, in your face!" Shisui hangs up. "He'll be right over."
"Shisui, you are such an ass!" She is laughing at him though.
"I've been telling him that for years but he doesn't want to believe me," Itachi said turning around from the computer smiling at Sakura.
"Oh, Itachi, can I speak with you please? Before dinner?' She smiles at him tentatively. "Uh, maybe come to my room, I need to change my pants."
Itachi's eye twitches and Shisui burst out laughing.
Sakura facepalms, "I mean! Let me change my pants but meet me in my room in 5 mins after I put pants on!" Her face is beet red as she runs out of the living room.
"Soooo, does she want you to wear pants or not, she wasn't very clear on it." Shisui laughs and Itachi walks slowly down the hallway toward Sakura's room.
Itachi knocks and she bids him enter.
He smiles at her and makes his way to her bed to sit down. She pats down her newly changed pants and throws the muddy ones in the hamper. "Itachi," she starts as she sits next to him on her bed," I um, we went out to the old fort today, you know the one Sasuke and I made when we were kids?"
He nods.
"Well, I had left the bracelet you gave me, a long time ago, I hadn't realized how valuable it was till I showed it to Sasuke today um. I have it here." She pulled the small wooden box from her shirt and handed it to him.
"Sasuke told me your mom gave it to you to give to your wife. I was 9 and you were only 14 so I'm sure it was a mistake. I wanted to give it back to you so you could give it to the woman you want to marry." She smiled and made to stand but his hand brought her back down to sit by him.
He smiled at her a little and took her hand. "I care about you. You've always been family to me."
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks Itachi."
She rose from the bed her hand still in his, "Let's go see if your father is home, I'm starving!"
He squeezed her hand and only let go of it when they reached the kitchen. Sasuke was watching them and seemed to relax when he saw Itachi put a small box into his shirt for safekeeping.
Shisui watched Sasuke watch Itachi then turned to Sakura and smiled grabbing her by the waist drawing her close, leaning her far over bending backward like a dancer and whispered into her ear, "Vixen, you drive us men wild." and he kissed her on the nose, twirling her around laughing.
Shisui always knew how to make her smile no matter what. She grinned at him, tapped him on the nose and went to find Mikoto to see if she needed help setting the table or anything before Fugaku got home.
Shisui turned back around to find Sasuke and Itachi glaring at him. He laughed and followed Sakura through the door.
Sakura put the last dish on the table as Fugaku walked through the door.
"Sakura dear!" He hugged her and kissed her cheek," So good you could finally make it to dinner, you must come more often my poor wife misses her only daughter."
"I promise I will, I'll be moving back next semester so you will be seeing a lot more of me soon." She patted him on the shoulder on the way back to the kitchen.
A moment later Obito arrived with Madara who both kissed and hugged her with huge smiles on their faces. Once everyone sat down and said thank you for the food Sakura poured Sasuke's tea for him. As she reached to pour Itachi's he stopped her saying he would be glad to do it and took the teapot from her.
Madara raised his eyebrow and gave Itachi a knowing look but quickly looked at the lampshade when Sakura quirked her eyebrows at him. Shisui stifled a laugh as a cough and Fugaku sneezed.
Dinner was delicious, Sakura had never eaten so much before, or since the last time, she had dinner with them. She sat on the couch complaining to Shisui someone would have to roll her to her room. When he offered, Sasuke walked by and scooped her up off the couch and walked her to her room as she fake hit him in the back grinning the whole way. Everyone laughed and made jokes as Sasuke shut the door to her room behind them.
"It's late Sakura, get some rest. Want to see the new art exhibit in the village proper tomorrow morning? I hear it is really different, it had mixed reviews, kinda makes me want to see it more."
"That sounds great! I would love to." She hugged him good night and he left her room leaving the door cracked just a little bit behind her like he used to do when they were kids. She rolled over in her bed and looked out of her window to the treeline and smiled. It was good to be home again.
She woke the next morning to a tapping on her door before Mikoto entered her room and sat on her bed.
"Morning pumpkin, I know you and Sasuke have plans to go to the museum this morning, I hadn't gotten a chance to tell him, we will be going to a private viewing with the Konoha police department and select members of the Konoha council tonight. It is the usual formal event the family goes to so I wanted to know if you wanted to go shopping for a new dress with me this morning and get our hair done together. Kind of a girls morning out? What do you say, dear?"
"That sounds like a ton of fun! Yes! I would love to go! Thank you so much" Sakura was excited, she never did girly things.
Sasuke and Itachi had expressed interest in joining them shopping but Mikoto told them to bugger off and find their own entertainment for the morning much to Sakura's amusement.
Mikoto and Sakura went to store after store, tried on dress after dress. Mikoto had found a beautiful Black and Lavender dress that was both form fittingly appropriate for her age and flowed like water over river rocks around her ankles. Sakura would not have picked the dress she got but was encouraged to do so both by the fact that Mikoto was paying for it and that Mikoto told her she looked like a princess fairy and that she had to get it.
It was short in the front, long in the back with dark green silk covered in sheer white pinching panels in the front and back falling from the waist. The bodice was made of crystal beads and white silk flowers. It was a bit too flashy for her but Mikoto said she looked like the goddess of spring with her pink hair.
Next, they went to the salon. Sakura chose a very simple updo that went well with the delicate design of her gown. Her hair was curled and swept up and tied with white and silver ribbons to trailed down her bareback. Mikoto chose a simple bun with long bangs to one side. They smiled at one another, they were ready.
The two women went home with their hair done and their dresses wrapped, to walk into chaos. The Uchiha men were a good looking bunch to be sure but very few knew what went on behind the scenes to get to such perfection. There must have been seven ties thrown over the back of the couch, Itachi had three more around his neck trying to figure out which one to wear. Sasuke had on one vest only to take it off to try on another adding the one he just took off to a pile of what could be no less than 10 vests. Fugaku was in his room no doubt making a similar mess and Shisui couldn't find his left shoe and was walking around twirling a pocket watch around his finger getting in everyone else's way.
"Stop!" Commanded the Uchiha Matriarch. Everyone froze.
"Itachi, the red tie, Sasuke the dark blue vest, and Silver tie. Shisui, your shoe is in your back pocket. Everyone out of the living room! Sakura and I need to get dressed and my husband is in our dressing room so out out out, into the kitchen, outside out out out!"
"That was awesome." Sakura clapped her hands and grinned at Mikoto.
"Years of practice my dear, you'll learn." She smiled at Sakura, " Now then, strip down and let's dress you back up!"
Mikoto handed Sakura a white down dressing cloak with green and blue iridescent feathers along the collar of the white ermine. "Wear this dear, it complements the dress, cover yourself, the lady of the house of the Uchiha never reveals her dress until she steps foot into the event. It is tradition."
"But Mikoto, you are the Lady of the House of the Uchiha." Sakura looked surprised that she would be granted this honor.
"And you are my daughter, welcome home dear, we hope you come home to stay very soon. We will step out together tonight." Mikoto patted her hand and draped the cloak over Sakura's shoulders.
It was beautiful. Sakura felt like nothing less than royalty if a bit self conscious.
Sakura road with Fugaku and Mikoto in the limousine while the others followed int heir own vehicles.
The gallery was lit up like a Christmas tree, that was what Sakura first thought when she saw it. Little sparkly lights adorned the walls to the entryway, waiters with trays of champagne milled about. Sakura craned her neck looking around trying to figure out who the artist was but couldn't see anyone who might fit her idea of an artist of this caliber.
Fugaku led Mikoto on his arm up the steps of the gallery. Itachi came to Sakura's side at the hand motion of his mother and took Sakura's arm in his and led her after his parents. They came to stand side by side on a catwalk overlooking the exhibits below and Mikoto unlatched her cloak and Sakura followed, an attendant came and gathered their cloaks, Sakura never felt more ridiculous as people oohed and ahhed over their dresses and hair. Her face was red, and she tried to hide behind Itachi's taller form but he held her arm firm preventing it.
"Come Sakura, you look absolutely stunning, do not hide, let them look." And he smiled down at her with his eyes shining. Dread began to grow in the form of a sharp pain in her side.
Their grand entrance complete they moved down the elegant stairs into the gallery to admire the art.
Sasuke found them soon after they had entered the main floor of the gallery taking her arm from Itachi and placing her arm in his instead. Itachi inclined his head to his brother and smiled, making his way over to Shisui.
"The runt is laying it on thick, isn't he? What's gotten into him?" Shisui inquired handing Itachi a glass of champagne.
"He found out I had given Sakura my grandmother's bracelet when I was 14 yesterday." He told him.
"You what?" Shisui drooled a little champagne out the side of his mouth to the amusement of two women walking by who giggled. Shisui grinned at them shamelessly and winked.
"Why the hell would you do that Itachi?" Shisui came back around to the main subject.
"I love her," Itachi said.
"She kept it all this time, so, she had it when she was dating your brother for almost three years?" He asked incredulously.
"She had left it in the fort they had made in the old Uchiha grounds by the old compound. She was nine when I gave it to her, she didn't know it was real, or what it meant." Itachi's face was noticeably blank.
"Does she know now?" Shisui asked, he couldn't help it, he really wanted to know.
"Yes," Itachi said.
"Come on, tell me what she said, what is happening, you're trying to kill me with the suspense, aren't you?" Shisui looked at his cousin with false pain in his eyes.
"I have the bracelet, she gave it back to me after Sasuke enlightened her to the meaning behind it. My mother heard her give it back to me while we were in Sakura's room, my mother was outside on her way in to collect dirty laundry and overheard us talking, Sakura doesn't love me but I love her. She looks beautiful tonight doesn't she?" Itachi's eyes followed Sakura around the room. His weren't the only ones.
"Uh, but if your mom overheard, she must know that Sakura didn't understand the gift and that she hasn't accepted your proposal." Shisui countered, bringing Itachi back to reality.
"Of course she knows, but she wants Sakura to marry one of us, an Uchiha, and as she so bluntly put it to me two hours ago, why not me since I have been in love with her for the last ten years." Itachi's mouth twitched.
"Sasuke clearly still has feelings for her, she broke up with him remember, because he had smothered her. How does your mom think that will go over, if Sakura does end up choosing you, or a different Uchiha for that matter?" Shisui did not think this was a good idea.
The immediate family had told the rest that Sakura and Sasuke had broken up because he had been too clingy, smothered her too much. Most believed it because Sakura was strong and intelligent and it seemed in character. Sakura had agreed to the story, not wanting to humiliate Sasuke.
``I'm going to need something a little stronger tonight, let's find the bar." Shisui and Itachi wove their way through the crowd to the bar.
Sakura and Sasuke were moving slowly around the gallery hand in hand looking at the art, it was very unusual like the reviews had said. They were human body parts, cut into artistic slices and set back together in the most unusual designs. Sakura found it absolutely fascinating. Sasuke did not.
She was leaning over to get a better look at a hand that had been cut open to reveal the common palmar digital artery, ulnar artery and nerve, and most of the tendons.
She turned to Sasuke trying to draw his attention to the hand she was inspecting but he was looking off into the distance, eyes glazed over. Was that his 6th glass of champagne?
Obito happened to walk by at that moment to compliment Sakura on her looks and she asked Obito to see Sasuke to a seat in the corner so he could enjoy his last glass of champagne without falling over and sharing it with others by spilling it on them. Obito laughed and took Sasuke by the arm steering him to the cushioned seats along the back wall. Sakura smiled her thanks and turned back to her inspection of the hand.
She knew she wasn't supposed to touch the glass but she couldn't help drawing the tendon lines with her nail. "Such beautiful surgical precision, it is a delight to see." She said to herself.
"Do you think so?" A drawling low voice asked beside her.
Sakura looked up to red hair and amber eyes, "Sasori?" Sakura choked. She hadn't been expecting to see him here of all places.
"Sakura." He bowed to her from the waist. "What was it you were saying about the surgical precision? Why do you find it beautiful?" His amber eyes seemed to shine brightly as he spoke with her, trailing over her hair, her bare shoulders, her dress, down her legs to her open toed crystal shoes and back up.
Her breath caught in her throat. He seemed different tonight. Of course, she had only seen him in art class once and then a second time outside of art class when it had been canceled and he had asked her out to coffee but...he seemed almost dangerous tonight in his black suit, black vest and black tie. The only ornament in his dress, the blood red ruby stick pin for his tie.
Sakura licked her lips self consciously and his eyes followed the movement of her tongue.
"I uh, was just talking to myself. I thought the precision of which the artist made their cuts on this hand was beautifully done because it was done with such raw precision." She blushed. Most men would find it odd for a woman to speak of a human hand as such but Sasori seemed to be pleased with her statement. His eyes shone brighter as he looked at her and nodded.
"Indeed I find that the steady hand of the artist is reflected in the precision displayed before us, tell me, what do you think of this piece here." He guided her to the next glass case his hand resting on the bare skin of her lower back, warm and weighty, his thumb caressing her with little circles as he moved closer to her on the pretense of pointing out a specific part of the piece before them.
She bent forward slightly to see what he was trying to show her. "See how the artist was careful to expose the papillary muscles, see the white and bluish hue?"
"I see" she smiled at him. "Such intricate work, that could not have been an easy task, steady hand indeed!" She was fascinated and he could tell, it was written all over her face. Her eyes absolutely glowed with interest, he pulse raced with excitement, her smile shown her joy, he was mesmerized. She was a work of art.
"You speak as if you have some familiarity with the anatomy of the human body, are you perhaps in med school? I had thought you came from the psych building but I could be mistaken." He knew he wasn't. He watched her from the second story window on the second day talking to her Psych teacher after they got out of the car together, watched her walk into the building and come out after his class, watched as she practically ran to the art building and how her teacher had sat under the tree watching her. No. He was not mistaken.
"I switched to Psychology but I was pre-med before I moved. I am going to go back, after this semester. I'm going to move back to Konoha and take up pre-med again." She told him as she further inspected the heart before her.
Sasori stood beside her and nodded, his hand on her lower back caressing her soft skin and watched her. He liked how expressive she was, her whole body told some form of an emotion. The eyes were easy of course and fascinated him, her mouth to be sure, she moved her lips back and forth when she was thinking, sometimes biting her lower lip, sometimes pursuing them as if questioning herself.
Yes, Sasori was fascinated by this new...Doll. She looked like a forest fairy. All sparkly silver dressings in her pink locks, the dark green with the sheer white silk over top. Long beautiful legs shown from the front, with a gentle sloping of thick silk over her bottom to fall gracefully to the floor. Yes, he liked the look of her. He found he was no longer interested in looking at his pieces to find out what she liked most about his art. He found what he wanted to do most was to look at her, this living breathing art before his eyes. This living Doll under his hand.
"Sakura dear, I have been looking for you. I must admit I had not noticed you among such...company." Madara practically sneered at Sasori as he snaked his arm around her waist and drew her from Sasori to himself.
"Madara, please allow me to introduce," Sakura began.
"I know who he is my darling girl, Akasuna no Sasori." Madara was looking at Sasori like he was something unpleasant on the bottom of his shoe.
"Lord Uchiha, tell me, how is your dear little brother Izuna nowadays?" Sasori smiled a grotesque sort of smile at Madara.
Madra gripped Sakura's waist a little too hard at that, but she didn't flinch, she had expected it. Izuna, Madara's younger brother had been killed in the take down of Akasuna no Dokuhebi. So he had been Sasori's father.
"You bastard, I should have killed your father instead of bringing him in the scum sucking fuck that he is. Stay away from my niece! If I see you around her again I will gut you like one of these grotesque pieces you call art and display your body in the village square!" Madara spun on his heel propelling Sakura with her.
"It was a pleasure to see you Sakura, I look forward to having coffee when you get back to campus next week," Sasori called after her in his low drawling tones.