The Uchiha Fraud
Chapter Four
"I'm sorry for barging in on you like this," the woman babbled, grasping Sasuke's face in her hands as she grinned. "I arrived at your home and imagine my surprise when the place was empty! Oh! If only your father could see how much you've grown. You too, Naruto-kun!"
"Don't I look hot, Mikoto-san?" Naruto snickered, straightening his posture.
Sasuke slapped the blonde upside the head, muttering an insult under his breath.
"Ah," Mikoto agreed, hugging him. "Your father would be so proud! Which reminds me, he sends his regards! I bet your poor mother is worried sick."
Naruto grinned. "Nah, she's fine. Mostly busy with the Uzumaki Ramen shop that she opened a month ago."
"Kushina always took her love for things to the extreme," Mikoto mused.
"That's my mom!" Naruto beamed.
"Idiot."
Sakura observed the three quietly, careful not to bring any attention to herself.
Thankfully Sasuke had provided her with a biography on his parents; it would've been a disaster had she mistaken the Uchiha matriarch for anyone else. Uchiha Mikoto, a gorgeous woman even in her forties, was wife to Uchiha Fugaku and currently resided in the United States. As the woman talked animatedly to her son, Sakura watched the heir's expression who—seemingly irritated with his mother's gushing—was content and made no move to stop her from her rather… exuberant display of affection.
"You could have waited," Sasuke commented, running his fingers through the tangles in his hair.
Mikoto looked guilty.
"You can't stop a mother from wanting to see her baby," she huffed. Her eyes widened slightly as she suddenly noticed Sakura. "And who is this?"
"Sakura," Sasuke answered as his mother's eyes brightened in understanding.
"Oh! This must be…" Mikoto smiled warmly. "Sasuke-kun, you should've said something earlier!"
"You didn't ask."
"Nonsense!" She motioned towards Sakura. "Come here, dear. Let me have a look at you!"
The pink-haired woman stiffened, eyes sliding towards Sasuke who silently urged her towards his mother. She set down the magazine in her hands, smoothing down her clothes as she made a move to stand up. Sakura walked closer to the woman, and found herself tugged by her arm and was instantly engulfed in a tight hug. She reluctantly hugged back, inwardly relieved that Sasuke's mother was extremely gentle and kind—not at all what she imagined.
"Nice to meet you, Uchiha-san," Sakura bowed, after the woman had released her grip.
"Uchiha-san makes me feel old," Mikoto laughed, patting Sakura's head affectionately. "Call me Mikoto! Sasuke-kun told me about your engagement a year ago, but never mentioned anything about the wedding."
"Ah, that's—"
"You wouldn't have been able to attend," Sasuke intervened. "You were in Australia."
"It's the thought that counts!" She retorted, frowning. "What's done is done, but I assume you took a lot of pictures? We're going to talk about this when we arrive back at your house; I want to see the wedding that I missed out on."
"That's why we're here," Sakura interjected, clearing her throat quietly. "Sasuke-kun and I were picking up our photos."
Sasuke glanced at her, before nodding in agreement.
"Is that so? Wonderful!" Mikoto exclaimed, latching onto the girl's arm. "We have much to discuss! Let's hurry along now. Sasuke-kun? "
He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Let me grab the photos. Get the car, dobe."
"Already on it!" Naruto replied, snatching the set of keys that were thrown at him.
"Shall we?" Mikoto tugged Sakura towards the front door, already chatting about how lucky her Sasuke-kun was to have such a beautiful wife.
It was hard to imagine that someone as emotionless as Sasuke came from such an energetic and talkative woman. But she wasn't one to talk; no one in her family had pink hair.
Uchiha Estate
.
"Would you like anything to eat?"
"Sasuke-kun, you've asked me that at least five times already," Mikoto sighed. "Your father made sure that I ate well on that long plane ride. Now, you didn't answer my question!"
Sakura fidgeted next to Sasuke, whom she had taken a seat next to on the love seat.
Thinking that taking the wedding pictures with him was already bad enough, Sakura didn't fully prepare herself on how to "act" like a couple with her husband. Her position on the couch didn't give her a good angle to silently communicate with him through her eyes. Earlier when Sakura had first sat down, she debated on holding Sasuke's hand but the idea seemed ludicrous… and judging by his expression, she wasn't looking for an early death wish.
So the poor girl kept her hands folded in her lap.
It didn't help that Mikoto seemed to be watching them like a hawk.
"We vacationed in Milan, Italy after the wedding," Sasuke answered smoothly, completely unruffled. "We spent the weekend there."
"Italy! I've always wanted to visit," Mikoto said to Sakura. "There were a few fashion shows that were held there that I wanted to attend, but my husband—stubborn as he is—wouldn't let me. It's a shame."
"I'm sure you'd love it, it really is beautiful," Sakura assured.
"I bet," the woman sighed.
"How long are you planning on staying?" Sasuke asked, having relaxed though his posture remained slightly stuff.
"About two weeks," Mikoto said thoughtfully. "Your father doesn't like me being away for too long, so maybe a week at the least. He gets very protective. It's not too much trouble is it?"
"Of course not!" Sakura smiled. "Sasuke-kun told me a lot about you, so it's nice that you're finally here."
"Oh, but I assumed…" Mikoto trailed off.
Sasuke cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable.
It took a few more seconds for Sakura to realize what exactly Mikoto had been referring to. Attempting to distract herself from blushing too much, she grabbed her cup of tea off of the table and took light sips—all the while avoiding Sasuke's eyes. He made no move to say anything, already used to his mother's habit of getting caught up in her own little world.
"Don't mind me! It's just a mother's wishful thinking," she waved off, giggling. "I hope my staying here doesn't hinder any chances of grandchildren in the near future. You are thinking of kids though, yes?"
Sakura choked on her tea.
Did mothers usually talk to their sons like this?
"Twenty-three is a bit young, mother," Sasuke stated, patting Sakura's back which caused Mikoto to squeal with delight. "And Sakura is still studying to become a doctor."
"Yes, that's true…" Mikoto said to herself, brows furrowing. "Ah, I guess a few years wouldn't hurt. Perhaps I'll just have to convince Naruto-kun to pop me out some grandchildren! If memory serves me right, he's been dating that Hyuuga?"
"She'd probably faint before they got anywhere," Sasuke commented, smirking.
It was nearing ten at night when Mikoto decided to retire to her room, claiming that she was exhausted and the jet lag was catching up to her. Thankfully Sakura had managed to relax during their conversations, making sure that she delivered the stories of their "past" as effortlessly as possible. Mikoto seemed to have believed her, and as the talking dragged on, Sakura started to believe it herself too.
She was a tad bit jealous that Sasuke had no problem with it.
His expressions remained guarded and he never hesitated.
It seemed to come naturally for him.
.
.
.
When Sakura entered her shared room with Sasuke, she heard the shower running and decided to change into her clothes before he walked out. Digging through the drawers, she realized that the maids had folded all her clothes neatly, organizing them by color and sleeve length. Most of her luggage had been unpacked, and various pictures of her and Ino had been set on the vanity along with the new wedding picture that laid rather innocently on the nightstand by the bed.
The bathroom door opened, revealing Sasuke in his pajama pants and t-shirt.
"You can use the bathroom," he stated, towel hanging around his neck and hair still dripping wet. He walked past her towards the other side of the room, opening what seemed to be a small closet before pulling out a few white feather pillows.
Sakura watched for a while before walking into the bathroom, carrying out her nightly routine.
.
.
.
It was a while before Sakura emerged from the bathroom, deciding on a last minute shower since she hadn't taken one since last night at her house. She had settled with wearing cotton shorts with an oversized t-shirt to wear to bed, deciding that her usual attire was inappropriate and rather uncomfortable. The only other time Sakura had slept in the same room with another male, was when she was over at Ino's house.
But Shikamaru at that time slept on the floor.
And suddenly she was supposed to sleep in a bed.
.
With Sasuke.
.
"Here," he stated, tossing a pillow at her which she caught.
She blinked in confusion before noticing that he was putting another pillow in the middle—acting as a wall between the two sides of the mattress. "I can sleep on the floor," Sakura suggested, standing awkwardly by the end of the bed. "And in the morning I'll just crawl back up so your mom doesn't—"
"Don't be stupid," Sasuke interrupted, not looking up as he continued to arrange the bed.
"It was just a suggestion," Sakura replied, annoyed.
"She'll know."
"That's ridiculous."
He shot her a look.
"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to sleep? You're leaving early tomorrow morning."
"What?" Sakura eyed him. "Where?"
"My mother wants to spend some time with you," he replied, eyes already closed. "And stay on your side."
"I'm not going touch you in my sleep," Sakura muttered, hesitantly crawling in the bed.
Sasuke snorted, switching off the lights.
.
.
Sakura remained stiff as a cardboard, afraid that she'd annoy him as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position. It was silent in the room, and the sounds of her controlled breathing seemed awkward and loud. After counting to one-hundred, Sakura was still wide-awake—and uncomfortable.
She didn't realize how exhausting it was to stay still.
"Go to sleep already."
"I am!" Sakura replied defensively, glaring at him before moving onto her side. "I just can't get comfortable."
It became silent once more, save for Sakura's constant movements.
Sasuke stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. His mother was observant when she wanted to be, and so far things weren't going as smoothly as he planned. He thought back to the conversation earlier with him and his mother, noticing that Sakura was too hesitant in her actions. He realized on the love seat that she was attempting to capture his attention, but always making eye contact would be be too suspicious.
At Iwa's photography, when they were standing with each other—she had been hesitant then, too. Always glancing over when she thought he wasn't looking, seeking his approval for every small action she did. He couldn't have that, so before he realized it…he found himself blurting out—
"Compromise."
Confused, Sakura switched on the light to stare at him. "What?"
"An agreement," Sasuke responded, eyes still glued to the ceiling. "Work to settle—"
"I know what it means," she said hotly, sitting up. "But what do you mean compromise?"
"Stop hesitating."
"What—"
Sasuke shot her a look that signaled her to be quiet. "During the next two weeks we act like a married couple," he started, "and in return I give you whatever it was you needed, but you have to act like a wife to an heir. Things work differently in an upper class environment—spouting insults at anyone wouldn't bode well for my family's image."
"What if they deserve it?" Sakura countered, raising a brow.
"Compromise," Sasuke repeated. "What I gave you, the information booklet with all the descriptions and backgrounds—it means nothing if you can't apply it. Likes, dislikes, habits, etc."
"So you're saying I have to become an expert on the ways of Uchiha Sasuke?" she asked bitingly, noticing how his expression darkened at her sarcasm. He opened his mouth to retort, but Sakura interfered before an argument could start. "Okay. Hypothetically, let's say I agree. Then how am I supposed to know know everything?"
"Observation," Sasuke suggested. "Isn't that the first thing you learn about being a doctor? You can't prescribe the proper medication without observing the symptoms first."
"So we're just going to observe each other?"
"Aa."
In retrospect, what he was proposing was logical.
They needed to work in order to help each other out, because if Sasuke was able to act naturally and she was always second-guessing herself—things would get nowhere. She would be ultimately helping him with his problem by acting like an obedient wife, and in the end she'd have her tuition paid for. It made sense. And although they knew the basics things, they'd just have to learn it again by teaching one another.
It was a compromise.
Which also meant that she'd have to endure any future asshole-y episodes with him in the future, along with people like Iwa Seiji who look at her as an object. Being a doctor and helping others remained one of her life-long goals, so going through with this would be well worth it in the end. There wouldn't be another chance like this in the future for her, so Sakura took it.
.
"Fine," she agreed, earning a nod from Sasuke. "Tomorrow, then."
"Hn."
.
Though a part of her was reluctant to admit it - he was right.
Things wouldn't be able to work if things continued as they were.