Arranged
Chapter 1: A Life Altering Mission
She could have screamed. She could have cried. She could of broke down the walls in that damned office. She could have fought off every last ANBU operative that came her way. Kami-sama only knew, she would have taken on the Godiame herself. She couldn't have let her life be decided for her like this. Could she?
She did.
No, she didn't fight, scream or cry like she would have all those years ago when she was madly in love with the Uchiha prodigy. Sakura was almost a woman now. She stood tall and strong like the Hokages' faces upon the mountain. She remained composed when given the news.
She was betrothed.
Her life had been arranged.
Not an hour after she had gotten home from her last mission searching for the remaining members of the Akatasuki was she notified to meet the Hokage Tsunade in her office. It was of great urgency. And when put like that by her mentor, Sakura knew it was not to be taken lightly. She arrived quickly and efficiently.
But before she walked through that red door everything was the norm.
The classic image of her sensei popped into her head. It was as clear as day. Shizune-san would be begging Tsunade-sama to finish her reports while the Godiame would sip slowly on her warm sake, ignoring the pleas of her eldest apprentice. Usually Sakura would chime in and motivate the drunken Hokage to finish if not one report.
She remembered how she smirked before she walked through that door. But everything was not as it should of been.
Tsunade was clearly sober, with her fingers laced gracefully on her desk and a glance calm yet strained. Shizune sat in a chair in the corner of the office with eyes trained downward and her small pig companion nestled into her. Sakura could nearly taste the tension in the air. The glint of humor from her previous thoughts left her eyes and was replaced by the deciplined stare that was expected of the Godiame's top apprentice. As Sakura expected, Tsunade gave a small smirk in an attempt to relieve the building mental pressure.
She attempted to return a smirk, but couldn't. Something wasn't right.
Tsunade sighed in defeat. She asked Sakura to sit, which she respectfully declined. It was futile. The news might as well be given straight forward.
She wasn't a child anymore. She was a young woman and a strong willed one at that.
Plain and simple. "You've been betrothed."
Stillness. Silence.
"I'm sorry?"
Another sigh. Tsunade rose and Sakura immediately stood at attention.
"You, Haruno Sakura of the honorable Konoha jounin, have been charged with a life altering mission. You are hereby betrothed to a high-ranking official of Suna. The purpose of this mission is to strengthen the alliance between both villages. I'm sure you will fullfill your duties with the utmost integrity."
Silence.
Dead Silence.
Shizune shifted a bit "Sa-"
"Understood."
Everyone looked to the pink-haired kunoichi. Her face tense, cool and beautiful. Even Tsunade's eyes nearly twitched when she saw her youngest apprentice begin to bow.
"I humbly except the honor given to me through the proud villages of Suna and Konoha. When shall I leave?"
Tsuande cleared her throat. "You'll be escorted by jounins Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino and Temari. You'll depart two days from now."
Sakura stood straight and saluted "Hai!"
Tsunade nodded and Sakura was dismissed.
AUTHOR NOTES:
Well, not the greatest first chapter but there rarely are for amature writers. At first I was going to make this into a big outburst scene with emotion. But then I thought that it might be more interesting to show more of Sakura's dicipline.
For those of you who are worried about the timeline and ages, the next chapter will tell a bit more about Sakura's age and appearance. In the author's notes I'll post everyone elses.
R & R,
Jocelyne