Querencia

Chapter Nineteen

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The gala was situated in the upper west side of the city in a glamorous ballroom that overlooked the entire city. Just as last year, the gala was nothing short of impressive. Mikoto had always made sure of that.

The hallway that led into the main event was decorated with rows upon rows of fresh flower arrangements. Sakura saw that there were roses, orange blossoms, peonies, baby breaths, and daffodils. As they reached the ballroom, everything was decorated in an elegant color scheme of gold and creams. It was absolutely stunning.

Pulling the chair out for her, Sasuke asked, "Do you want anything to drink? I have to go talk to one of the marketing directors. I'll get you one on the way back."

With a smile, Sakura nodded. "Sure."

"Good, because I needed an excuse to get myself one too." Bending down to lay a gentle kiss on her forehead, he added quietly, "I can definitely use a little bit of alcohol to get me through these kind of events."

Eyes narrowing, she gave him a playful shove. "Oh, quit it, Sasuke. It's not even that bad."

"Well, that's because you just have to sit around and look pretty. You don't have to listen to any of old men nag at you all night long about business."

"I'll let you know being pretty is not an easy task."

"Hn, whatever you say sweetheart." Sasuke snorted.

Sakura watched with twinkling eyes at Sasuke's retreating back. Laughing internally, she prayed for his sake that those older men don't give him too harsh of a time tonight. After spending so many years with him and his family, she had heard her fair share of complaints from them about these people.

"Since my foolish brother has left you for some silly business small talk, I'll take it upon myself to be your personal bodyguard." Itachi said as he slid into the empty seat to her left. Looking equally dashing in an all black tux, he gave her a wink, along with a small smile. "Tsk, tsk. He should know better than to leave you to fend for yourself among all these wild wolves."

"Itachi," Sakura began with a laugh, "I think I can handle myself just fine."

"They're very ruthless, little sis."

Continuing to laugh, Sakura agreed. "So I've heard."

"And relentless. Therefore, I can't just abandon my lovely sister in law, who's clearly in a state of distress stemming from the sudden environment she's been thrown into."

"Itachi, you're making it sound as if I'm some type of animal on the Discovery channel."

With a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, he took a sip of the red wine in his hands, "Honestly in our world, you might as well be."

"If I can survive through my high school years, where girls are at the height of their insecurities and nastiness, I think I can survive a corporate charity gala."

Shaking his head, Itachi said, "No no. What you dealt with where kittens. Now you're coming to face with the big cats and they have claws."

Smacking him on the arm, Sakura snorted. "Okay I think that's enough, Itachi. You're so dramatic sometimes."

"Okay, I hear you baby sis. I'll stop." Itachi rose his glass up in defense. Taking yet another sip, he asked, "How's Sasuke treating you thus far? Have any faults of his that you want to tattle tale on? I'll make sure to whip him into shape."

"He's wonderful." Sakura replied. "And shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't you be keeping a close eye on me and nagging me for any faults I make?"

"Oh, that's completely unnecessary." He told her off with a wave of his hand. "You're literally an angel."

"Not always."

"But generally speaking you are. Honestly, not to blow your ego up, but Sakura, you're honestly the greatest thing that has ever happened to him."

At that comment, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little taken aback. But at the same time, her heart swelled up in such warmth and love. In her eyes, she was the lucky one to have had someone like Sasuke in her life. Sakura didn't believe that she would be able to find someone that's even a fraction of what Sasuke was. He was just simply everything she could have dreamt of.

"Alright, enough of all this mushy girl talk." Standing up from his chair, he extended a hand out to her. "Now we shouldn't just sit around and talk about that foolish brother of mine all night, should we? Since we're already here and dressed up for it, how about a dance, baby sis?"

Smiling as she took his offer, she nodded. "Why, of course."

.

In the middle of a slower, jazzy song, Sakura felt a familiar hand slide up her lower back. Moving her eyes from Itachi's face, she found that Sasuke had returned from his little business adventure.

"Thanks for keeping her company, Itachi. But I think I got it from here."

"Sure thing, little brother." Itachi replied as he handed her off.

As Itachi stepped away and left them alone, Sasuke took over and began to lead her in the slow dance, hands guiding her.

With her hands resting comfortably on his shoulders, Sakura smiled up at him. "Took you long enough to escape. Did you catch any ladies along the way?"

Rolling his eyes, he told her, "No, I didn't. But they did try."

"Of course they did." She laughed.

"One of the many reasons why I hate these things."

And Sakura understood him. After being Sasuke's plus one to these things for so many years, the whole aspect of these charity galas have gotten kind of old. It was always the same miniscule food and the same music. The same old men flirting with the same young ladies. The same young ladies chasing after the same young bachelors. The same stories and gossips with the same people pretending to care about the charities and not the fact that the whole event was going to be featured on the front page of the papers.

Despite their dislike for these events so much, they couldn't just come. One, Sasuke's role in the company was too big for him to be missing from these events. Second, these were the things that Mikoto looked forward to planning so much. They had to come and support her. She would have been heartbroken if they weren't present.

Just as they turned into their second dance, Fugaku and Mikoto began walking up to the mic. As the Uchihas took their place, the music from the band began to soften away.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. We hope that everyone has enjoyed their time together here for this meaningful event. The turn out of this year's annual charity gala was double of that last year."

A round of polite claps rippled throughout the ballroom as Mikoto continued to talk on about the event and it's milestones. Every now and then, camera flashes would appear as the press took pictures.

"But," Mikoto began with a smile, "that is not the only thing that I would like to talk about tonight. As you all must have known by now, I have two lovely sons of my own. Itachi has helped me with this program when he was by my side in Japan. While overseas in China, my youngest son, Sasuke has helped me with the major preparations here. Without the two of them, a splendid event as such wouldn't have been possible."

As she spoke about her sons, the press began to advert their attention from the Uchiha Matriarch and to the people she spoke up. From their seats, both Itachi and Sasuke gave their respected wave of the hand.

"While it was lovely to have the assistance of my boys in this planning. They weren't really qualified in the little details." Mikoto told everyone with a smile, gaining polite laughs and smiles from the audience. "They couldn't distinguish between the color white or cream to save their lives. And that, was when I decided that I need a girl's opinion. For that, I would have to thank a lovely young lady, who has been with us for many years, Miss. Haruno Sakura."

At the mention of her name, everyone's attention was pointed in her direction, much to her embarrassment. Even the press was now fully captivated with her presence. Beside her, both Itachi and Sasuke clapped as did everyone else. Only difference was that Sasuke took her hand in his afterwards, attempting to calm her nerves.

"Which is why it is with my biggest pleasure to announce that my son, Sasuke, and Ms. Haruno Sakura are engaged."

And everything went wild after that.

.

Stomping furiously in the hallway to the private and secluded dressing room apart from the ballroom, he nearly ripped the double doors of its hinges as he entered with Sakura following closely behind. He had put on a fake front of happiness after his mother had turned his life into a mess. Sasuke knew better that to put the family image and reputation at risk while in the presence of the media. He was lucky that Sakura had managed to school her shock just as equally good.

Continuing to stomp into the room, he heard Sakura call out for him but he ignored her completely. Eyes glaring daggers at his mother for the first time in his life as his mother had hardly done anything in her life to anger him. Annoy him? Yes. Anger? Never, that is until now.

"Ma! What were you thinking?" Sasuke began, his face flushed. "How could you just make such a big announcement like that without confronting us about it?" Running a rough hand through his hair, he breathed deeply through his nose. "I thought I also made it clear that marriage will come into play when both me and Sakura are ready for it. I know I've allowed you to come into our relationship as you please Ma, but I had specifically requested that you left this topic for us to decide on."

"You guys are so in love," Mikoto cried out in response. "I love you son, but sometimes you need a little push in this area. I was not going to wait another twenty years for the two of you to get married. It took almost two decades before the two of you started dating!"

"I understand you're very excited to welcome Sakura into the family, Ma. But you have to remember and understand that it also her decision to either accept or reject the notion." Sasuke sighed exasperatedly. "Marriage is definitely not a one sided thing and can not be a one sided thing."

"But, darling…"

"There is no excuse, Ma. Sakura is very much entitled to her own choices. And she deserves so."

"I agree with Sasuke on this one." Itachi chimed in from the side, an equally displeased expression on his face. "Sometimes you just have to leave it for them to decide mother. Especially decisions that concerns their future and their lives. We know you love to play in these situations but sometimes you really need to take a step back and let them handle it themselves."

Being chided like that by her own children had Mikoto a little sulky, leaving her to sit down in one of the chairs in the room with a small pout. Sighing at his mother's child-like antics, Sasuke rubbed a tired hand over his face. As he did so, he felt a tiny, warm hand on his lower back. Turning to face her, Sasuke couldn't help but feel so embarrassed at his mother's action. Feeling his emotions, Sakura tilted her head and gave him a reassuring smile.

After talking it out a little more with the family, Sasuke decided he had had enough for the night, so he and Sakura took their leave. The car ride home had been awfully quiet and a little tense, maybe even a little awkward. Once they made it inside, Sasuke without a word, bent down and carefully took her heels off of her feet.

As he undid her shoes, Sakura took this moment to really survey his actions and posture. Even an hour later, the rigidness in his shoulders were still there. His lips were pressed into a straight line and there was almost a permanent frown on his face. When he set aside her shoes and stood back up, Sakura reached out for him tentatively. Wrapping her arms around his torso, her eyes made contact with his.

"You know," she began softly, "I really don't mind marrying you. I hope you know that."

Sighing heavily for what seem like the hundredth time that night, Sasuke shook his head but returned the embrace. "I know but that's not the point, Sakura. My mother shouldn't have done what she did. She should have respected your choice and that's the end of the story. Also, I know you girls like to be purposed in fairytale like settings. And she kind of ruined that for you…"

"I mean, this whole relationship has been a fairytale come true so it's not too bad."

"But,-"

"Nuh uh," Sakura shushed him quiet. Eyes twinkling, she said, "Alright I know it's been a crazy night but I think we can drop this conversation for now. All you need to know that I love you and I do not object the idea of marriage despite my previous stance on the matter."

"See! You-," Sasuke began to argue but he was yet, once again shushed.

"Okay, stop being butthurt and stop whining." Sakura hushed him. Dainty fingers traveling from the their place on his lower back to the base of his neck, she continued, "I'll let you know that I'm wearing a fabulous matching set underneath this dress that I know that you would appreciate greatly. Now how about we forget about all this craziness and relieve some of this stress of yours, hm?"

.

Sasuke wasn't sure how he managed to do it, but here he was, standing in the middle of a jeweler store on the outskirts of town, asking for advice from his brother and his opinions on rings.

"What happened to Naruto and being your wing man?" Itachi questioned with an amused raised eyebrow.

"Like that idiot knows anything about diamonds." Sasuke scoffed.

"So, you're actually going through with it? Considering how you showed your displeasure last night, I thought that you would have rejected it."

"And make mom and Sakura a laughing stock? No." He sighed. "I know mom was just looking out for us but sometimes she needs to know her boundaries."

"What are you going to do about it now? Is Sakura okay with it?"

"She is. But she deserves to have the full experience. Mom completely beat me to asking her hand in marriage."

Nodding in understanding, Itachi finally understood the situation. "Aa. So, what's the plan, little brother?"

Eyes fixed on the endless rows of diamonds and gems all around them, he said, "First things first, I need a ring."

.

It had been roughly about a week since the sudden announcement of their marriage had happened, and the gossip everywhere she went was still burning strong. Everywhere she went, whether it was the hospital ward, the main building, or even just getting a muffin from her favorite coffee shop, she heard the muffled talks behind her back.

Ayame had to leave for a business trip with her father right after the gala, so thankfully, Sakura was saved from the never ending questions that was going to head her way. She would have another couple days to prepare herself before Ayame would return.

And for the most part, Sakura had left her cell phone on silent or sometimes even completely turned off. The only people that she had answered calls from where from her parents, and surprisingly, they were so calm about it, not to mention happy.

Sighing, Sakura closed the file that she was reading and cleaned up her desk. With all this crazy drama that Mikoto had suddenly thrown her and Sasuke into, she couldn't focus anymore. Taking a glance at her watch, she saw that it was actually quite late, it was almost time for dinner.

The walk to the main building and Sasuke's office had her feeling like she was an animal inside a zoo. The stares that followed her every step were bafflingly uncomfortable, and the hushed whispers annoyed her. As she entered the top floor, she was surprised to that Sasuke's personal assistant and secretary still haven't left for the day.

"Working late, hm?" Sakura greeted them with a light smile and eyed the pile of documents that was placed all around them.

The two of them bowed in respect to her and nodded. "The gala had gained a lot of …. interest. So more companies are agreeing to our proposals with the contract."

She nodded numbly. Standing there for another awkward minute, Sakura finally got herself to bid them goodbye and headed to his office.

She had heard about it. While their marriage announcement had created an uproar, it was a good one. While many young ladies were sad to see the most eligible bachelor in Japan get hooked, they were happy that he had finally found someone. There had been rumors apparently of their marriage and that it was bound to happen. She had seen the articles, and all the kind comments that the people had sent. It was good publicity for the company, judging by the way their stocks rose by a significant twenty percent.

Closing the door quietly, she raised a single eyebrow at the sight of an empty desk. Considering how his assistants were still working hard, she for sure thought that he would still be here. Not to mention, if he had already left for the day, he would have at least attempted to get her to stop working and come home with him.

But as she surveyed the room a little longer, she realized that he had fallen asleep on the sectional he had in the room. Full suit still intact, he had a pile of documents on the floor next to him with his hand reaching out for them, even in his sleep.

Shaking her head, she smiled at the sight.

Walking over to him, she carefully placed his hand back onto his chest and carefully undid his tie. Then she pulled out a light blanket, hidden in the closet and draped it over his body. After she was sure that she hadn't woken him up, Sakura proceeded to taking all of the documents around him and transfered it to the desk.

Taking a seat at his desk, she began organizing all the files back into their correct order, placing the finished ones to one side and the unfinished ones in front of her. Then opening his email, she began to work.

Sure, Sakura hated every finance and business course she ever took in college thus far, but that didn't mean she didn't catch up on some of the information. Not to mention being with Sasuke all these years had taught her a something or two in the business world. Simple things like looking over contracts and answering emails were little things; things that even Naruto could do even if he wasn't a business major.

Glancing at Sasuke's sleeping form one last time, she smiled and continued to work away at his desk.

.

Like every morning, they were running a little late, not by much though. And the person who was to blame was none other than Sakura herself, the queen of sleeping in until the very last moment.

So there he was, standing by the kitchen counter, sipping at his black coffee as he watched a pink blob fly around their apartment frantically. He was already dressed and ready to go, with the documents he needed for work at his side. Peeking at his watch though, Sasuke smirked. What Sakura didn't know was that he had purposely set all the clocks and watches in their house to an hour ahead. And it was quite amusing to see how crazy stressed Sakura had went.

When she saw him calmly drinking his coffee, Sakura gasped loudly, "Sasuke! What the hell are you doing? We need to hustle! You have a meeting to get to in like 20 minutes!"

Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "I'm the one leading the meeting, am I not? I think they can wait a little."

"That's abusing your powers, Sasuke."

"One of the perks of being the CEO here."

Shaking her head as she walked over to him, Sakura said with a light laugh, "You're not wrong there."

"Of course not. I'm never wrong." He countered back.

"But you are wrong about your tie." She quipped just as fast as she came up to him. Setting everything that she was carrying down on the counter, she went to work on adjusting his tie. For an incredibly meticulous person, Sakura was always amuse to find his tie crooked. Honestly, she had an inkling that he only left it like that so that it would be an excuse for her to fix it, which she didn't mind.

As her dainty fingers did their job in putting his tie into place, Sasuke took this moment to really look at her.

Sakura with her bright pink hair and emerald green eyes was a major source of light in his life. Just her presence within the room was enough for him. She always made him breathe a little easier, smile a little easier, and live a little easier. She was the first thing he saw when he would wake up in the morning and she was the last thing he wanted to see before he fell asleep. She was simply put, his everything.

Reaching out to tuck a lock of pink hair behind her ear, he cupped her warm cheek in his hand. Thumb caressing the planes of her cheekbones, Sasuke leaned in close and gave her a tender kiss on the forehead. Then staring into those mesmerizing eyes of hers, he said softly, "I hope you know that I don't think that there's a single day that I can live without you, Sakura."

Taken aback by his sweet words, a flush of pink graced her features.

"I know that I'm not exactly the most romantic guy out there in the world but I do try." He told her with a chuckle. "But I hope you do know that I'm trying my best because you of all people deserve to be loved and cherished in such a way."

"Ever since the first day I met you in kindergarten, I knew that I wanted you to be apart of my life one way or another. And as years has passed, you've become more than an anchor in my life, and before I knew it, you became my home."

"Sasuke…," she mumbled through sudden choked tears, emotions rising high.

"I also know that my family is a pain in the ass sometimes, and I apologize for that. But I will do my best to protect you and shield you from all the pain. From them and from everything else in the world that dares turn your smile upside down."

Laughing through tears that were threatening to drop, she said, "You make it sound as if your family is out to kill me. They're very lovely, Sasuke, just like you."

"I promise you that I'll be there for everything you need. I can be your rock to support you through the hardest of times. I can be your sun on days where it's a little to hard to smile. I promise to never love you any less, if anything I promise to love you more."

And as he said so, Sakura watched through teary eyes as he pulled out a velvet box from his pockets. With her hands covering her gasp, she watched as he bent down on one knee and asked, "Will you marry me, Sakura?"

{A/N}: So this chapter was a bit of a monster... not super long but long enough, yes? I should be studying for my PCAT, which is in like 12 hours, but here I am updating this. I apologize beforehand if there's any errors, I'll fix them later this weekend. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter because it was a fun one to write. I also have a poll on my profile on what you want me to write next after this story so please vote!

Per usual, leave me a review telling me how you think and wish me the best of luck on my PCAT tomorrow!

Thanks to: chizuruyamamoto, Emily da great, Mejima, misssbehavin, ILoveSxS, FlowSoreto, MademoiselleRED, BookWormFT, Bsmiles123, Thatbabefiona, Nahilliam, FeistyAya, CelesteYuuki, and multiple guest anons.

Special thanks to FeistyAya & the guest anon that reviewed every chapter thus far in their binge read. I enjoyed your guys' reviews very much!