Author's Note: Huge thanks for all readers of this fanfic and can't be any happier to read everyone's reviews! Will try to continue developing this story and really hope everyone will like it even more. Chapter 3 is dedicated to all of you guys!
Chapter 3: Between Reality and Fantasy
Sasuke's POV
"What happens if I run away now?"
Sakura pulled my sleeve and whispered to my ears in panic, just few seconds before entering the private room where my parents and older brother were. I glared at her and didn't know I was capable of panicking as well.
"I will kill you." My threatening voice sent my message clearly to Sakura, who responded by taking in a few deeper breaths before calming herself down.
"You told yourself you'll pull yourself together, Sakura, and that is what you will do."
I glared at her one last time, a way for me to remind her that tragedy would befall her if she were to screw things up. Once Sakura looked like she wouldn't break down from nervousness, I took her hand in mine and tried to do what seemed to be comforting to me.
"Everything will be fine." My words brought a small smile on Sakura's face, which had its own way of making me feel better. Because I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous at all.
"I must not let them see through me."
Sakura and I were greeted by my obviously excited mother, who looked as if she had waited forever for us.
"You two are finally here! Have a seat." I pulled Sakura's seat for her before settling down on my own. My parents sat in front of Sakura and I while Itachi was beside me. I took a glimpse of my older brother and noticed the amused look he had on.
And it did not make me any less nervous.
"My name is Mikoto Uchiha, I've been looking forward to meet you. Sasuke refused to tell me anything more about you." I almost sighed at the thought of how my mother had been pestering me to tell her more about my 'girlfriend'. The night before I first met Sakura, my mother knocked on my bedroom door in the middle of the night just to force me to tell her what my 'girlfriend's' name was.
Of course, I had no choice but to ignore her and told her to go back to sleep.
"I'm Fugaku Uchiha and I must say Sasuke had been keeping your identity a complete mystery." My father's choice of words was beginning to make me over-think, wondering if he was suspecting anything at all. "Glad to finally see that Sasuke's girlfriend is not imaginary."
I caught Itachi laughing at my father's last statement before he introduced himself, "And I'm Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha. I hope my brother has been nice to you so far, we all know he can be difficult sometimes."
I sent a glare towards Itachi, who completely ignored my discontent towards his insult. I turned my attention back to Sakura who was so calm that it was as if she was a different person from the one who was panicking few minutes ago.
"I am Sakura Haruno, a pleasure to finally meet everyone." Sakura pulled off an elegant self-introduction and was being an entirely different person from the fierce woman back in the restaurant. At that point, I was confused as to which Sakura was the real one.
As we waited for the food to be served, my parents were interrogating Sakura, asking a bunch of questions about herself or her life in general. Even though some questions were unexpected, Sakura handled it perfectly.
To think my mother would ask Sakura if she would like to have children in the future. Who in the world would ask that during the first hour of meeting a new person?
Neither of my parents meant any harm though so there wasn't anything to be worried about yet.
"So, how did the two of you meet?" My mother asked the question Sakura and I had been practicing for after the food was served. Sakura looked at me and judging from the meaningful smile she gave me, she wanted me to be the one to talk.
It was only fair though since she was talking for almost an hour already.
"We met in Kyoto few months ago when I went there with Shikamaru. He said two of his friends happened to be in Kyoto and I went with him when he met up with them. That's basically how we met."
It was true that I went to Kyoto for three days with Shikamaru few months ago and my family were aware of it. It was a random short trip we decided on during one of the weekends. And since it was just the two of us during that trip, I assumed the lie we told was 'safe'.
"You know Shikamaru as well, Sakura?" My mother asked, looking like she was expecting a story from Sakura.
"Yes, I met him through a mutual friend few years ago." And technically, that wasn't a lie. I mentally sighed in relief, seeing how smooth our act was. I secretly looked at my watch, and was beyond glad it was almost 8PM. I knew my father had to attend a meeting at 9PM so it was one hour before we can drop our act for the night.
"I'm definitely going to ask more about the two of you when I see Shikamaru next time. I'm sure there are more interesting things between you two that you're too embarrassed to share about!" I cursed in my mind at my mother's words and made a mental reminder to inform Shikamaru about it.
The last hour went by without any major problems. My mother was obviously pleased with Sakura while my father wasn't very expressive. I was worried that he might not reconsider the ridiculous marriage arrangement he made.
However, when we were outside of the restaurant and my mother was busy chatting with Sakura, my father came over to me and said, "You found yourself a nice woman, Sasuke. Don't worry too much about the engagement plans with Karin for now."
With that said, my father said his goodbyes to Sakura and got into his car to where his meeting would be held.
"I guess we should get going too." My mother opened the passenger door of Itachi's car and turned to Sakura one more time before getting in. "I'm really happy to have met you, Sakura. Do tell me if Sasuke is not treating you well, I'll make sure he'll be taught a lesson."
"I will, Mrs. Uchiha. A real pleasure to have met you." Sakura's words and smile was obviously genuine and I could see that she did enjoy the conversations with my mother. They got along better than I thought.
And before Itachi got into his car, he gave me a smile which obviously had a hidden meaning behind it. But as usual, I had no idea what was in my older brother's mind.
I chose to ignore him for the time being. After all, it had been a long day for both Sakura and me.
And trying to decipher what my older brother had in his mind was the last thing I wanted to do.
Sakura's POV
At some point during dinner, I had naturally dropped my act and was being myself during the conversations.
Before meeting Sasuke's family, I was expecting them to be arrogant and unfriendly but they turned out to be complete opposite of what I thought they would be. They didn't ask much about my family background and just wanted to know if I had any siblings. I thought typical rich people were very concerned about people's family history and stuffs like those.
Either they truly didn't bother with such things or they had somehow stalked me already.
But they were genuinely nice and sincere, and that meant a lot to me. Throughout dinner, they listened to me attentively whenever I spoke, making me feel appreciated.
Their kindness made me guilty for helping Sasuke lie to them.
I was so engrossed in my own thoughts that I wasn't paying attention as to where Sasuke was driving me to. I was snapped out of my thoughts when the car suddenly stopped and Sasuke turned the engine off.
"Where are we?" I looked through the window and saw what seemed to be the sea. It was dark and I could only catch few glimpses of the waves. I stepped out of the car, following Sasuke to one of the wooden shelters by the beach.
Once outside, the sea breeze caressed my skin and the smell of the ocean became evident. I also noticed we weren't alone and I saw several people around the area, simply relaxing under the wooden shelters scattered throughout the beach.
Sasuke found an empty shelter few steps away from where he parked the car and I settled down beside him. Neither of us spoke for a few moments and were just taking in the ocean in front of us. I stole a glance of Sasuke and instantly wondered what was in his mind.
But of course, I couldn't even begin to guess what he was thinking. At that moment, he felt so distant even though we were physically so close. It was like he was in a completely different place and I could never reach him.
It was as if the world was reminding me how we were two people from completely different worlds and the only thing connecting both of us was the lie we lived out together. There was a mixture of guilt and sadness as I let myself drawn in the reality.
"Thanks for today, Sakura."
The sincerity and surprising gentleness behind the way Sasuke called my name made my heart skipped a beat. I turned towards him and saw what I believed was a small smile on Sasuke's face as he looked straight into my eyes. It only lasted for a mere second but I knew I didn't imagine it.
Sasuke turned his focus back to the sea in front of us as he spoke, "I can see that my parents like you. My father might not be as obvious as my mother but that's just how he is. You can just ignore Itachi, I doubt he have any significant opinions anyways."
I found myself mesmerized by how Sasuke looked as the moonlight shone onto his raven hair. His dark eyes seemed deeper under the night skies and his relaxed self was comfortable to be with.
I forced myself to look away from him, not wanting my mind to haunt me with thoughts that shouldn't exist in my head. I looked up to the starry skies, wondering how much different my life would be from then onwards with Sasuke and his family in the picture.
"You have a great family." I restrained myself from expressing my guilt for lying to Sasuke's family, not wanting to make Sasuke thought that I no longer wanted to help him.
Partly because our 'business deal' could get me through college while another part was wanting to know where I would be in life with this arrangement.
"They are." Sasuke's words was simple but I could feel the emotions behind them. Most people would assume the family behind the well-known Uchiha Corporation would be cold and unloving. But the truth was, they really care about one another in their own special ways.
The men in the Uchiha family were not the expressive type but Sasuke's mother was there to be the outspoken one. Sasuke's father, being the strict member of the family, obviously wanted to make sure his family members were alright. I could see how concerned he was about Sasuke from how he was trying to get to know me better. And the way Itachi tease and make fun of Sasuke during dinner showed the meaningful siblings relationship he had with his one and only younger brother.
"Itachi is as annoying as ever though." I laughed at Sasuke's remarks about his older brother, who probably was one of the very few people who could easily gain the upper hand over Sasuke.
"You're rather annoying yourself." Seeing how fun it was to tease Sasuke, I just had to do so. I didn't bother containing my laughter when I saw the glare Sasuke was giving me.
We spent the next hour just taking in the comfort of each other's company. Sasuke would rant about Itachi once in a while and I would tell more stories about my own family.
At some point, it felt as if Sasuke really cared to know more about me. And it left a warm and fuzzy feeling inside me.
Sasuke's POV
"What do you want, Hyuuga?"
My tone was murderous as I picked up my phone which rang at bloody 9 AM on a Sunday morning. Sunday had always been my day off, where I would allow myself to sleep in and not allow any alarm to wake me up unless there were something important planned.
And even though Neji Hyuuga was aware of this, he didn't care at the very least.
"I heard you got yourself a girlfriend. How did I not know this earlier?" Neji pretended to sound hurt and it disgusted me to a whole new level. I didn't bother asking how he found out about my new 'relationship' and assumed my father must have told Neji's uncle, Hiashi Hyuuga, about it.
"You better have something important to say." My words served as a warning to Neji, asking him to quit his crap and cut to the chase.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Neji sounded amused over the phone and I wished there was a way for me to send a punch towards his face. "I called to say that Karin Uzumaki is requesting for an urgent meeting with the two of us regarding the newest real estate project."
I sighed upon hearing the name of the insane red-hair. The Uchiha, Hyuuga and Uzumaki Corporates were collaborating in a luxurious real estate project since two months ago. It being a rather new project, there were indeed many concerns and issues we had to address to all the time.
And the fact that Karin Uzumaki was the representative from her father's company, it added stress to both Neji and I.
"Where and when?" I groaned in annoyance as I pulled the blanket off me, allowing the cold air wake me up unwillingly.
"At that French café near Uzumaki corporation at 12 PM. And you should bring your girlfriend along just to piss Karin off." Neji hung up without a warning, leaving me to reconsider what he had just said.
Without a second thought, I took dialled Sakura for our next date.
Sakura's POV
"Remember, don't blow your cover. Karin might be mentally problematic but she is definitely not dumb."
"Yes, this is already the third time you are warning me about this." I rolled my eyes as Sasuke parked his car near the café where I was going to meet his 'fiancé' and his close friend, Neji. My peaceful Sunday turned into a showdown with my crazy 'love rival'.
Though I was curious as to what kind of person this Karin woman was. Sasuke made her sound so horrible that I had to see for myself.
As we stepped into the café, Sasuke took my hand and got into character immediately. He did it so naturally that it almost felt real. But of course, who was I kidding?
It had always been dangerous if one was not able to distinguish a fantasy from reality.
I followed Sasuke's lead and was brought to a table for four in the far end of the café. A pair of red eyes glared straight at me before I could completely prepare myself for what was to come.
Completely ignoring the obvious tension in the air, the man with a pair of unique white eyes, whom I assume was Neji, stood up from his seat beside Karin and reached out his hand for a handshake as he introduced himself.
"You must be Sakura. A pleasure to finally meet you. Sasuke talks about you all the time." I shook Neji's hand and greeted him properly despite a slight confusion. Based on my understanding, Neji should be unaware of the relationship between Sasuke and I.
But I acted naturally and tried to not be bothered by such minor details. I couldn't afford to give Karin a chance to notice that something was wrong.
The red-haired woman continued glaring at me as she introduced herself as well, making things very much uncomfortable. But of course, I wasn't going to let that show on my face.
"I'm Karin Uzumaki and I am very busy so I will go straight to business today." The frown on Karin's face turned into a smug smirk as she said the next words. "I hope you won't be too lost because I doubt you'll understand anything we'll be discussing, Sakura."
Her insulting tone made it obvious that she wanted to make me feel less of myself. But I was prepared for such remarks from her and surprisingly managed to control my emotions rather easily.
Despite wanting nothing more than to send a punch straight to her arrogant face, I smiled at Karin and responded gracefully, "I'll be alright. I understand how important this project is and want nothing more than to see it go smoothly."
Neji smirked at my response, in a way that told me he was impressed with how I handled Karin so well.
Sasuke placed an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, much to my surprise. I remained as calm as I could as he reached over me and placed a soft kiss on my cheek.
It took all my self-control not to blush like mad.
"Thanks for being so considerate." The soft and gentle look Sasuke was giving me made me relaxed once again. It seemed to also be his way of telling me that everything was going to be alright. There was a kind of trust Sasuke was putting on me that I was not going to let go.
Karin, who was angered, cleared her throat and demanded the discussion to start immediately.
"I ain't got the whole day over here!"
Karin should take some anger management courses for her own sake.
Karin stormed out of the café once the necessary discussions were done. Neji openly expressed his amusement right after Karin left, saying that the mad look on Karin's face made his day.
The three of us left our seats shortly afterwards and parted ways in front of the café's entrance. Neji seemed convinced of my relationship with Sasuke and seeing how it could piss Karin off, he couldn't be any happier about it.
"Where are you headed off now?" Sasuke's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and that was when I noticed that we were still holding hands. It made me nervous out of nowhere and so suddenly that I was speechless for a second.
But the next voice was neither from Sasuke nor I.
"Sakura?"
I turned around upon hearing the much too familiar voice. The confusion in the voice was evident and I knew I wasn't ready to face what I was about to.
Once turned, I saw Naruto who was completely dumbfounded by what was in front of him. But what I didn't expect to see was the hurt in his eyes.
With my hand still in Sasuke's, I was about to say something but wasn't given a chance to.
Because Naruto had left off without another word.
"Naruto!"
Author's Note: Stay tuned to the next chapter if you want to see what happens next! Do remember to review and click the follow and favorite buttons. Thank you for reading and have a nice day!
