Hello you guys. Unfortunately, there may be a delay on the 4th of July chapter. Maybe if I had worked on these before hand, this wouldn't have been a problem. -.-'Gomenasai!

Alright, lets get this show on the road. By the way, I hope Sasuke's 'primping' isn't too much for you fangirls out there.

This chapter includes sugary fluff and sweet emotions. Nothing but raw puppy love. :3

CHAPTER SIX: Jokes? Not Today.

The raven-haired Uchiha sat on his bed, completely alone in the mansion. Concentrating solely on the piece of paper in front of him, he formed each calligraphy letter slowly, wanting to get every word right without messing up. He nodded silently to himself and signed his name, pleased that he had finally perfected it.

He struggled to walk to his desk, shuffling through dozens of crumpled rough drafts and error-ridden pieces of paper that he had thrown on the floor in frustration. Waving the letter in the air to make sure it was dry, he folded and carefully fitted it into an embossed envelope, running his tongue across the adhesive to seal it shut.

"There." Sasuke said to himself as he carefully wrote her name on the front of the envelope.

"Perfect."

Now all he had to do was somehow get her to read it.

Sasuke sighed deeply. This would be the day. He blushed bright red, but cursed himself, still trying to deny the way she made him feel. Ever since the family 'incident', Sasuke had vowed to find a focus in life. He had no hobbies, and there wasn't a person that he lived for, so he dedicated his life to his studies. There was nothing besides that anyways. But maybe if she accepted, this girl could change that.

Picking up a comb, the raven ran it through his blue-black hair thoroughly; making sure it was shiny and free of tangles. He slipped the metal cuffs over the shells of his ears, fastened the lobster clasp on the cross pendant around his neck, and spritzed the perfect amount of an enticing, sweet-smelling cologne. To top it all off, he applied a steady stroke of black eyeliner on each upper lid.

For once in his life he was nervous, afraid that his 'curly-haired beauty' might turn him down. At first he was stubborn, not wanting to accept the fact that he had 'succumbed' to love.

But nevertheless, it was time to execute the plan.

To Sasuke, love was a disease. And he had been fatally infected.

Kat scowled, looking at the couples in disgust. She couldn't stand how cruel and ungrateful girls got all the sweet and caring guys. Or perhaps, the way Sasuke got all the girls to fawn over him, even though he couldn't care less about them. She didn't even want to think about him right now, but she couldn't get him to leave her thoughts.

"Stuck-up bastard. Any girl who's in love with him is stupid...Did I just insult my own intelligence? Whatever. All of this will be even worse at the dance..." she pondered as she stacked her school papers and put them neatly into her backpack. Slinging it over her shoulder, she began walking to the school's doors, only to hear a soft 'thud' behind her.

Turning around, she saw that it was a piece of parchment rolled up to look like a scroll, with a purple ribbon tied around it. Obviously, it had fallen out of her backpack, since she was the only one standing there. Unrolling it, she found it to be a note addressed to her.

Katarina,

As soon as you read this after school, meet me under the oak tree by the memorial bell. I'm not playing with you, this is important to me. I'm anticipating this, so don't make me wait. If you don't come, I'll assume that you want nothing to do with me. If so, I understand. And one last thing; this is something of a personal affair, so don't go talking about it to others.

Signed,

You don't need to know that right now.

Katarina cocked an eyebrow. Someone actually wanted to see her? Either this person was out of their mind, or blind. Or both. And the way the letter was worded. 'Personal affair'? What did they mean by 'personal'? But whatever. An invite was an invite, and since she had the time, there was no reason why she shouldn't go. Besides, by not seizing this opportunity, she could have been missing out on some sort of 'dream come true'. But lets not get too carried away here.

Rushing to the girls bathroom, Kat quickly fixed her hair and coated her lips with a ruby colored gloss. She took a deep breath, and stepped outside the school, running to the memorial bell.

About 20 feet in front of the destination, she stopped and peered behind one of the walls, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person who was supposedly waiting for her. What she saw shocked her slightly.

The person's face wasn't visible at all. All she could see was his clothing, which did NOT consist of their school uniform. Katarina wondered if he even went to her school at all. He wore a tight black shirt with three thin sets of chains that hung from each shoulder, and there was a collar with a ribbon on it around his neck. Each ribbon had a white cross stitched onto it. His pants were fairly tight and hugged his hips, which were accentuated with a studded leather belt. But the strangest thing of all was that the stranger was holding a black parasol that was cascaded with onyx beads, using it to shield himself.

There was no one else around, only her and the 'foreigner'. Kat was almost too scared to approach him. The way he dressed excited her, but made her wary at the same time. But a strange sensation encouraged her to proceed forward. She walked slowly in small steps toward him, her heart pounding hard, and her throat dry, making it difficult to swallow. She stopped a ways in front of him, not taking another step unless she had to.

From under the lacy parasol, the unknown male smirked sexily.

"So you came."

Katarina said nothing. She froze stupidly, her words stuck in her mind.

"Well? Don't you have something to say to me? Or are you just being shy?" His hand reached forward and unexpectedly stroked her cheek, making her jerk away. Kat could only emit a gasp of shock.

"So…." She said uncomfortably, struggling to find something to say. "You're the one who wrote that note, a-aren't you?"

He gave an even wider smirk. "Here." He said, handing her a fancy lilac envelope. "That'll explain everything," the stranger paused for a second. "darling."

A soft maroon blush tickled Katarina's cheeks as her eyebrows furrowed. Romance?! Was that his definition of a personal affair? She reluctantly accepted the envelope, but kept a close eye on him, even catching a glimpse of his reddened face. Succeeding in opening it, she gently tugged on the piece of paper within and unfolded it. Another note? No, it was a rather lengthy letter. Eyeing him suspiciously, she began to read it to herself slowly, and with each word her blush began to grow.

Dearest Katarina,

Though I surely thought that something like this would never happen to me, I believe I have found myself experiencing intimate feelings for you. You know who I am, though I don't show my face, and I was sure that you would figure out who I am by now. But perhaps I was wrong. Please, under all circumstances, do not take my feelings lightly. Though I tried to make them disappear, I don't think they'll be subsiding anytime soon.

I keep dreaming of proclaiming my affections to you, whispering sweet somethings in your ear, and most of all, kissing those soft, plump lips of yours... I've never desired anyone else, and I want to make you my first love, Katarina-san.

I can tell by looking into your eyes that something isn't quite right in your life. As if something's wrong, or missing. If you accept me as your own, I can promise to fulfill you, and will treat you with the utmost respect. Any part of me that you may desire is yours and yours alone. I vow to mend your heart if you mend mine.

By you reading this, there is only one question that needs to be answered.

"Will you take me as your lover, Katarina-san?"

She could only stand there, dumbfounded. Was this guy serious?!

"B-But I don't even know who you are!"

The stranger smiled and revealed his face, moving the parasol to expose himself to the bright sun. Those onyx eyes. That pale white skin. And that damn cockatoo hairstyle.

"Sasuke?!" she screeched out, taking a step backwards. "U-Uh…This is a joke right? Y-You don't really mean this! R-Right?" Kat said, laughing nervously and waiting for him to say something along the lines of, 'Of course I was only kidding.'

"Jokes? You've got to be kidding me. I'm serious." He said, taking a step towards her.

"So, are you gonna take up my offer?" he crooned softly into her ear.

"What?! You're out of your frikkin' mind! Have you seen my face lately?!" Kat said, pointing to her rather large nose.

"Yeah. What's wrong with it? I like what I see." The raven said, trying to reassure her, but she continued to stare at him in disbelief. "Kat, please. I'm loosing my patience." he said through gritted teeth, cupping her chin in his hand. "I'm serious. Do I have to beg on my knees for you? 'Cause I will if I have to. Whatever it takes to get you to say yes."

"I...I-I don't believe you." She responded, tears beginning to sting her eyes. No one could ever love her, she had learned that years ago.

The Uchiha blushed a lovestruck shade of red, and as a last resort, dropped pathetically to his knees. Katarina's eyes widened.

"I'm dead serious, Katarina. I've never felt lower than this before." He proclaimed, stooping to a level he never thought he would reach.

"I can't even look at you without feeling pain in my heart. I want you so bad; I can't even deny it anymore. I hate you for making me feel this way….But I love you because it feels so good." Sasuke said, digging his nails into her back as he kneeled in front of Kat. Unable to hold in his mixed feelings of anger and passion, two tears spilled out his obsidian orbs. He scowled and turned away, ashamed of himself for blurting out his emotions like some sort of soap opera actor.

"See?! Do you see what you're doing to me?!" Sasuke spat angrily, lazily beating a fist against her shoulder.

Instead of being shocked or even angry at his words, Katarina stepped forward and firmly wrapped her arms around him, gently stroking his back as she began to shed her own tears. He attempted to squirm away from her affections, though she only held him tighter. Sasuke ended up relaxing into her touch, chin resting on her shoulder. Minutes later, he unexpectedly dug his nails into her back, painfully this time.

"W-Why haven't you answered me!" he asked, trying to cover his flushed face with his bangs. Kat said nothing, only standing there, confused once more. "Don't leave me like this!" he begged, forming tears clouding his eyesight.

Katarina harshly grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him roughly back into her arms again, trying to force some sense into him.

"I wasn't, and I'm not going to." She said boldly.

He opened his mouth to object, but closed it soon after, for he really had nothing to say. The tan-skinned girl continued to calm and soothe him, running her hands up and down the Uchiha's back in a loving manner. Sasuke pushed away from her, a questioning look on his face.

"What does this mean?" he asked.

"W-Well..." she stuttered, a large blush creeping over her face. "I suppose it means…" She took a deep breath and pushed those three words out of her throat shakily. "It means I…I …It means I love you, alright?" She blurted out, turning her head.

Sasuke smiled brightly, his first real smile in years.

"So you feel the same."

Hopefully none of you thought Sasuke was too out of character in this chapter. Well okay, I know he was, but he has to be for it to work out. Sorry if it disappointed you. Also, I'd like to know if anyone would like me to write a Sasuke and Katarina lime. If so, leave a review saying so, please. Honestly, if you do, I WILL write one!

I haven't uploaded any chapters for MONTHS and I'm starting to feel like a real loser for making empty promises about the 'Fourth of July' chapter. But somehow, I WLL make it up to all my readers. :)