Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. And I didn't in the previous chapter or whatever other chapters I've been forgetting my disclaimer. This is getting annoying…

This took forever, you guys… gomen. But! Here it is now! I hope you enjoy what I managed to write in between studying, exams, and all sorts of random work. Another thing that had me preoccupied is that I'm currently working on a doujinshi—not sure if I'll make an account and post it up on deviantart yet, but we'll see. Enjoy chapter 18 :]

oooo

Previously

"Little brother." Sasuke heard the unmistakable voice address him. His heart rate quickened as it beat uncontrollably in his chest. A lump formed in his throat as he swallowed it down. Turning, he saw the man: onyx met onyx, eye met eye, and brother met brother. It was undoubtedly Uchiha Itachi.

Sasuke could feel adrenaline shaking his hand in a gentle tremble. An uncountable amount of memories flooded his mind. "Your useless"—"Happy Birthday, my dear accident"—"Hands off me, you filthy accident"—"You shouldn't exist"—"Your existence makes me vomit"—"The only thing the Uchiha look forward to is your funeral" The memories pained him, and tugged at his heart. He could feel heat radiating off his body as his bitterness rose up into a form of rage. This was the same man who spoke all those things—his brother. Words wouldn't slip from his lips, grunts wouldn't rumble in his throat; Sasuke was completely frozen.

Sakura looked up at her fiancé with a worried eye, and her eyes then veered to his brother. Her emerald orbs widened at the resemblance: both were tall, dark haired, and placid; Itachi's placidity, however, had somewhat of a playful gleam to it, as if his lips would spread out into a friendly grin at any second. She couldn't imagine the man being the one who caused Sasuke the amount of pain that he had. Did he always look like this?

"Itachi…" the younger Uchiha swallowed hard after mumbling his answer, lifting his chin as a show of false confidence. He rebuked himself for making it so growingly obvious that he still feared the pain that his brother could easily inflict on him. The memories were boiling in his mind as if he had heard them only days ago, and yet it had been thirteen years.

He looked into the eyes of his brother: they were clouded over with some sort of emotion. It's undoubtedly his pompousness… Sasuke mused, his jaw clenching as he continued to observe his brother. He looked different. The unfamiliar was uncomfortable to Sasuke, his uneasiness showing further as he took in a deep breath, his eyes straining to keep his brother under a constant vigil. He noticed Itachi's lips curve down into a slight frown, his eyes undoubtedly taking on a look of pure remorse. "Have I done this to you?" He questioned, his voice nearly shaking with emotion.

"Done what?" Sasuke retorted, his remark coming across in a snapping tone. Sakura looked up at him, surprised by his ruthless behavior. It is really terrible, and I don't blame him for being upset… but he should give Itachi a chance… she frowned, gently placing her hand on her fiancé's arm. His tensed nerves immediately calmed under her touch, a gentle breath easing out his lips. Itachi shook his head slightly, his darker mop of charcoal hair shifting as he did.

"Forgive me, act as if I said nothing," he requested simply with a slight bow of his head. Sasuke straightened his shoulders, trying to remain with some show of dignity, though he could feel his legs edging him into walking—maybe even running—away from his problems. His brother breathed in a sharp breath, peering into the other's onyx eyes. "I...—"

"Don't," Sasuke interrupted him, raising his hand in a gesture for Itachi to quiet himself. He then continued. "I'm… not ready to discuss that," he said with professionalism, taking away any sort of bond that could possibly be formed between him and his brother. Sakura held back a frown that threatened to show on her face. She knew she shouldn't involve herself in the matter, and she knew the hesitance of her fiancé was completely normal, but did he trust anyone aside from her? Itachi seems so sincere… Sasuke, please don't be cautious for no reason… "Where are Fugaku and Mikoto?" He questioned with no emotion. There was no reference of parenthood towards them.

"They are here," Itachi answered, his voice holding a more sincere, brother like tone rather than professionalism. "They will be joining us for dinner—but I must explain something to you before you see them, Sasuke," Itachi quickly added. Sasuke looked at him with skepticism.

"What might that be?" Itachi took a deep breath, preparing himself for an explanation. A frown spread on his lips—a frown full of remorse, sadness, regret. Sasuke clenched his jaw, fighting feelings that tempted him to pity his brother. I can't show him any sign of weakness… He can't know the control he still has over me. He told himself inwardly, commanding his emotions to be silent and hide themselves.

"They do not know you are here…" Itachi mumbled with embarrassment. Sasuke's mouth dropped into a slight gawk. How unprofessional can he be?! What will they… they don't even know I'm here—what will they say?! His heart pounded within his chest. What would his father say? What would his mother say? What would they do? "And to make conditions worse," he continued, taking another breath, "they don't know of the letter either."

"Are you serious?" Sasuke blurted out, losing the self control he had earlier forced on himself. Not only had Itachi not told them that his little brother—who they abandoned thirteen years ago—was coming to Tokyo, he didn't even tell them that he had invited him! "How do you plan on explaining my arrival to them?" He mumbled, seeing if Itachi was even thinking about the reality of the situation.

"Well," Itachi began slowly, his eyes veering around the room as he thought. Sakura watched him. He takes even longer pauses than Sasuke when he talks… she observed, swallowing a lump in her throat. Seeing him was somewhat intimidating, and she was anticipating what the rest of his sentence would be. "I told them Kakashi would be coming," he stated with simplicity, "but it seems that you brought someone else." His eyes were focused directly on the pinkette, who responded by cowering behind her raven haired fiancé. Sasuke looked at Itachi directly, a serene placidity overtaking his features.

"My fiancé, Haruno Sakura; I apologize for the late introduction," he stated professionally, slipping his arm around the slim waist of his beloved. Itachi smiled at the young girl and bowed his head slightly in a form of respect.

"Uchiha Itachi," he introduced himself, "It is wonderful to be anticipating a beautiful young lady's arrival in our family." Sakura stifled a giggle at the over elaborate way of the simple greeting: "welcome to the family." She bowed her head, leaving it hung as she caught her breath, trying to remain calm and professional so that she wouldn't make Sasuke look bad.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," she breathed hoarsely, her nerves overtaking her voice. She rebuked herself for being so very sensitive to nerve wracking moments, but she quickly gathered her confidence and clung to Sasuke's arm loosely rather than hiding behind him. Itachi smiled once more, giving her a silent nod, and then returned his attention to his little brother.

"Does she know of the incident, Sasuke?" He frowned harshly, pity filling his onyx eyes. Sasuke nodded solemnly, his eyes veering down to the delicate woman.

"Yes, she does. It's a shame that it had to be Fugaku," Sasuke said simply, "I'm sure the Yamanaka's would have kept her mother alive." Sakura turned her head slightly in attempt to ignore the present conversation. She still didn't tempt herself with dwelling on painful thoughts; memories of her earlier college year would come back to haunt her—the self inflicted pain, the torture from Ino, the death of her parents—and that seemed to be the Uchiha's conversation.

"Will you, Sakura, be all right with seeing my father?" Itachi asked with sincerity, seeming to understand why the girl would want to avoid the man at all costs. Sakura seemed a bit taken back by the familiarity in which Itachi treated her, but she soon remembered that he was already considering her a part of their family. "If not, please, do not force yourself. You will be rightfully excused from any contact with him whatsoever." Sakura shook her head, her pink tresses flowing off the sides of her face as she did.

"No, it's all right," she smiled. "I'd rather be there to support Sasuke," she explained, looking up into the eyes of the raven, who didn't seem to be paying attention to the current situation at all. Sakura followed his eyes and met what was capturing his attention: a black piano, seeming to glitter in heavenly light from the sunset's glow peering through windows in the room. "Sasuke?"

"Hn?" He responded, looking down at her quickly. "I'm sorry, were you talking to me?"

"Not exactly, just about you," she giggled. Itachi watched as the two interacted, a smile raising on his lips. He nodded at the piano and then addressed the young man, eyeing the instrument with an obvious wish in his mind.

"If you wish to play it, take your liberty, Sasuke." Sasuke looked over at him, some sort of surprise clouding over his eyes. His eyes veered back to the glossy black piano, and he took a bit of a deep breath.

"I'd rather not touch your property—"

"Please, what's mine is yours," Itachi smiled loosely. "Trust me, no one even touches that piano—I heard from Hiashi Hyuga that you played at their estate some years ago." The raven nodded solemnly, his mind retracing back three years as he recalled the event. "I had no idea you took on piano."

"It was to ease pain—fill a void—things of the sort," Sasuke explained. "And then I developed a passion for it as I got older. Music is also what brought me and Sakura together—music and an elevator, wasn't it?" He looked down at her for confirmation and received a reassuring nod.

As time continued on, the two Uchihas and the Haruno exchanged words with each other, mostly the story of how Sasuke and Sakura ended up engaged. Of course, they left out a few minor details (A/N: Chapter 11. Heheh) for the saving of an extensive three year long story, but ultimately the situation was explained, and Itachi could see how much Sasuke loved the poor commoner, and how much she loved the disregarded raven.

After further conversation, Itachi and Sakura, through taking sides, were finally able to convince Sasuke to play at least one song on the piano before they departed to ready themselves for serious conversation at dinner. "Just one, and that's it," Sasuke mumbled, feeling pressured by both his brother and his fiancé into doing the annoyingly unpleasant. Sakura giggled and sat beside him; she had always found enjoyment in watching his fingers move across the keyboard, hitting every note with expertise. Itachi stood at the other side beside Sasuke, handing him sheet music.

"Play this," he said simply, a smile playing at his lips. "I think it will sound familiar to you." Sasuke's eyes widened upon seeing the paper and the notes written on it. His mouth dropped to a slight gawk, surprisingly not taking away from the placidity in his face.

"This is the song at that ball…" he mused, his onyx eyes scanning the sheet as he carefully placed it in his view. "Weren't you ignoring me?" He looked up at his brother, frowning intensely as his confusion hit him. If Itachi were ignoring him, he most definitely would not remember a silly comment about a song Sasuke had liked.

"I'll explain later, Sasuke; we'll stick with the fact that I liked that song too," he smiled mischievously. His appearance touched Sasuke's heart, and the sincerity in his voice softened his appearance from professionalism to that of a comfortable family member. Things were different and years had passed. Itachi has changed… I know that, and I should trust him… he confirmed in his mind, nodding firmly in a response to Itachi's comment. Lightly, he placed his fingers on the keys, the tone of the song flowing out as immaculate music, sweet on the ears of both its listeners.

oooo

"Sasuke, hurry up!" Sakura whined, calling into the bathroom. "You're taking forever!"

"There's a bath in here too you know," he retorted mischievously, obviously having no intention whatsoever to hurry his pace in showering. Sakura groaned, leaning on the door of the bathroom. She tapped his finger to her chin as she thought of some possible way to make her soon to be husband hurry his pace in the shower. I could flush the toilet… she mused, and then realized the flaw. Scratch that, the door's locked… she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ooh! Just hurry up!" She repeated, throwing her arms in the air as she gave up on thinking of forceful ways to get him out of the shower. There was no answer for some time, but she continued to wait in front of the door.

"What do you say?" His voice sung out tauntingly. Sakura frowned harshly and took a deep breath.

"Please?" She whined into the bathroom, knowing exactly what her stubborn fiancé was wishing for.

"Exactly," Sasuke responded with victory, turning off the shower water. Sakura giggled and slumped down beside the door, texting Tenten as she waited for the man to finish dressing. A sigh eased out of her lips as she ran her fingers through her pink mop of hair. Dinner would be soon, hence them both washing up. Will I look presentable? Sakura wondered, hoping that Sasuke's parents wouldn't know her as a poor commoner right when they saw her—then she would really be a problem for Sasuke. "Stop worrying," Sasuke mumbled through the door. Sakura jumped up a bit.

"How do you always know?" She laughed, her emerald orbs dancing as she watched her fiancé exit the bathroom, his hair still damp and smelling of the fragrant shampoo he had used. She blushed, noticing he had walked out without his shirt, only clad in his dress pants.

"Because I know you," he smiled, leaning down and planting a kiss on her forehead. His finger twirled a strand of her pink hair as he spoke. "And I know you worry over the silliest of things." Sakura frowned slightly, but quickly replaced her expression with a smile as she tipped her head up and granted his lips with a short kiss.

"I'll be right out, okay? Can you pick out something rich looking for me, please?" Sakura begged as she stood up, gathering her things for her shower. Sasuke shook his head.

"No, you're going to be yourself," Sasuke frowned. "Don't start getting nervous, Sakura. Be yourself—we've been over this," he persisted, a sigh easing out of his lips.

"I know, I know," she assured him that she had been paying attention to years of conversations he had had with her in attempt to boost her self confidence. She had always felt like the inferior poor girl, but she had gotten better and didn't feel quite so inferior. However, the anticipation of being in the presence of the Uchiha family turned her stomach in knots of nervous tension. "But can you please pick out my clothes? Just this once?" She lifted her finger and pouted her bottom lip, obviously begging. Sasuke turned his face from her, knowing her goal; he could still feel those adorable, emerald puppy eyes peering at him, however, and he complied.

"Just this once," he repeated firmly, but the fact that he had complied anyways made Sakura grin.

"Thanks, Sasuke!" She tapped his cheek with one last kiss and locked herself in the bathroom as she began to shower. The water rolled off her pale skin in gentle caresses. Her fingers enmeshed her hair lightly as she thoroughly scrubbed in her shampoo and conditioner, the sweet aroma diffusing throughout the room and replacing the earlier scent of masculine body wash. Her razor glided along her body with her hands guidance, ridding her body of the small amount of hair that had grown over the night. After washing the suds of soap off her body, Sakura scrubbed in a good amount of body wash, the fragrance matching the scent of the perfume she planned on using when they went down to dinner.

Stepping out of the shower, Sakura dried her body and hair with the soft towel provided in the bathroom. Once she dressed herself in a T-shirt she managed to steal from Sasuke, and her own pair of shorts, she strode out the bathroom to see what Sasuke had managed to pick out for her to wear. "I'm all done," she announced her arrival. Sasuke took a double look at her.

"Isn't that my shirt?" He noted, sitting up on the bed and staring at her. She nodded impishly and sat beside him.

"Mhm! But I took it because it's comfortable to sleep in," she explained, a smile curving on her lips. He just grunted, not seeming to care whether she took his clothing or not. He loosely pointed to a dress he had laid down across the bottom of the bed.

"That's what you're wearing," he explained. Sakura looked over at the piece of clothing, her eyes sparkling in delight. It was simply elegant: a long, black dress with subdued ruffles seeming pinned up to the middle of the dress, creating shadows and folds all the way down. A bow was tied to the side of the dress, more towards the back than the front. No sleeves accompanied the dress—it was elegant, simple, and strapless.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, her hand reaching down and feeling the fabric of the dress. It felt expensive and well made; her fingers slipped down the length of the black material as she continued to admire the dress.

"Not as beautiful as the one who'll wear it," a soft smile filled his lips as her stared at her tenderly. Sakura looked back at him and smiled back with an equal amount of love.

"Sometimes I think you're too nice to me…"

"There's no such thing," his smile widened, and he planted a gentle kiss on her temple. A content sigh eased out her lips as her hands stroked through the soft mop of charcoal hair. Sasuke wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissed her once more. "Come on, let's get dressed. Dinner will be in about an hour and I don't want to rush in getting ready."

"Okay," she nodded, agreeing with him completely.

oooo

The two stepped down the grand stair case, Sakura's heels causing subdued echoes of their clicking with every step. Her hand was tucked in the crook of Sasuke's arm as she steadied herself, concentrating with every movement, hoping that she wouldn't fall. "This dress is really long, no one would notice if I wore sneakers…" she whispered to Sasuke, still looking straight ahead.

"Are you serious? Do you hear the sound those shoes are making? Of course they'd notice…" he mumbled back, stopping himself from looking at her. They were trying to give off the appearance of a serious, richly dignified couple: that wasn't the case. "Besides, you told me to pick out your clothes…"

"Have you no compassion?" Sakura frowned teasingly, purposely making her voice sound more proper with some sort of failing accent. Sasuke chuckled under his breath, looking down at her sweetly. Sakura poked him, her eyes widening. "You're ruining the act…!" She whispered hoarsely. He only rolled his eyes.

"I don't even know why I agreed to this…" he mumbled, running his fingers through his fixed hair.

"Sasuke!" Sakura gasped, "You're going to ruin your hair," she lamented, pulling his arm back down to his side. He sighed harshly.

"I don't want to play this game anymore…" he responded in frustration. "We would be better suited acting like we always do. You did well at school—you're respectful." She frowned and sighed, trying to regain any sort of past confidence she might have attained. She was going to meet Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha: the same people who ruined both hers, and Sasuke's life. It was both intimidating and nerve wracking.

A servant met them at the end of the staircase. "Hello, master Uchiha and Ms. Haruno," the servant greeted them, granting them both with a slight bow. They returned his respect with a nod of their own and the servant continued. "Please, allow me to be the one to lead you to the dining room," the servant smiled, professionally leading the engaged couple to the room in which they would dine.

"Itachi's servants are so refined…" Sakura whispered to Sasuke lowly in admiration. He nodded solemnly.

"The discipline of your servants is a show of your own character in some cases. Itachi has worked hard to retain his status," Sasuke mused. When they arrived at the dining room, they found the older Uchiha brother seeming to give out orders in a similar way as Sasuke, treating his servants with an unexpected respect, however still remaining with his superiority as a leader. It was something like a good king would react with the workers in his house. "Brother," Sasuke called out to him, allowing the familiar title to slip from his lips. Itachi looked over at Sasuke, his eyes wide in amazement, but a smile followed after his shock.

"Are you feeling better?" Itachi questioned, the same smile continuing to spread on his lips. Sasuke gave him a curt nod, a brief smile forming on his own lips.

"I'm getting accustomed to it," he explained. His elder brother nodded in understanding.

"That's definitely good to hear; now then, come and sit over here—actually, no, reactions would be quite better if you stood standing when mother and father arrive—would you mind that?" Itachi looked over at the couple: raven and pinkette, as they both looked back at him, and then at each other. After incoherent and silent musing, they assured Itachi that they were fine with standing. However, Sakura had taken her liberty to lean on her fiancé, resting her feet from the hurt of her heels.

The table was set with silverware, plates, wine glasses and bottles to fill them, and delicious food. Sakura breathed in the delectable aroma of the food before, forcing her drool back into her mouth. She looked up at Sasuke: he seemed used to it. I can't believe I forgot he was rich at a time like this… she rebuked herself, now trying to ignore the smell which seemed to be being perfectly wafted towards her nostrils.

Sasuke nudged Sakura lightly, motioning for her to stand up straight. "I hear footsteps…" he explained under his breath, receiving a quicker reaction from his fiancé from that fact. She breathed in sharply, standing up straight and resting only her hand in the crook of Sasuke's arm to support her. She swallowed a growing lump in her throat; tense knots formed in her stomach as her nerves began to shake. This was it. Her eyes veered over to Itachi: he seemed completely calm and placid. The aura was so torturous to her, and it only intensified as the door was slowly opened by a servant to present the two honored guests: Mr. Fugaku Uchiha and Mrs. Mikoto Uchiha.

They entered with an unmatched rich dignity, their clothing expressing their obvious wealth perfectly. Mikoto's flamboyant dress was delicately wrapped around her body, complimenting her skin and figure without flaw. Her face was delicately touched with makeup, giving her face a rich glow. Fugaku's formal wear fit him perfectly—he had obviously gotten it expertly tailored to his exact size. Pinned to the pocket of his suit was the symbol of the Uchiha: something he wore with great pride. Sakura swallowed. This is undoubtedly the rich world… her emerald orbs widened as her fear intensified.

Sasuke felt her shifting beside him; rather than allowing her hand to rest in the crook of his arm, he encircled her waist and steadied her. His actions alone were enough to tell her "everything would be all right." Mikoto's eyes met the face of Sasuke and she gasped, still maintaining her womanly elegance, but contempt clouded her eyes.

"It's that boy…" she breathed in near horror.

oOoOo

Gomen'nasai… another cliff hanger. :s their conversation was supposed to be in this chapter, but I was starting to reach my word limitation for making all these chapters in consistent lengths—so! Be looking forward to that. Once again, I thank all of you supporters who continue to follow me as this story comes to a close. I wanted to comment on a review someone made—about it feeling like finishing a good anime and not knowing what to do with yourself? Arigato for that—really. That means a lot. Don't forget to R&R! Arigatogozaimasu for your support.

InaGaTa