Author's note:
Longer chapter this time since I got such awesome feedback.
Let me know what you think about this one in a review, it helps me a lot to improve my writing.
I listened to some 'ehru' songs while building this chapter, I recomend you to listen to it.
-Hope you all recognise the song in this chapter :3-
He carefully watches her. Green eyes, pink hair, pale skin. It only brings him memories from the past; pictures of a burning village, the smell of blood and a little girl crying for help. "Tonight is not a night for memories."
His eyes follow every movement she makes. Her soft hands tremble slightly when his uncle Madara empties his cup of sake and smirks at her, waiting for more. Madara has laid his eyes on her, on the pretty, cat-like girl. But Madara is the predator, and she now is only a scared kitten. And Sasuke cannot stand it, because he feels like he needs to protect her.
Sasuke now realises how beautiful she has grown up and he wishes to see her face beneath all that makeup. She's wearing a crimson kimono that suits her little, curvy body, and he knows that it matches his Sharingan color.
It bothers him that she tries so stubbornly to avoid his eyes, but he knows that she does it for their best. She is a geisha, the so-called 'Nightingale', and he is an Uchiha and probably the next heir. Any kind of relationship would be impossible, so he really appreciates that she does not talk to him, that she stays on the other side of the table. It would be impossible to keep his feelings at bay if her forest greet eyes met his onyx orbs while saying his name.
"Uchiha-kun, are you enjoying the night?" The blonde geisha sits next to him again and beams at him.
"Hn."
The young Uchiha is not stupid. He knows that this girl -not like he bothered with learning her name- is trying to flirt with him, and that makes him utterly uncomfortable. His social skills are practically non-existent so he doesn't really understand women. His life is about training and spending time with his family. Women never appeared inside his mind, and he didn't want any distractions either. "I just need to keep improving as a shinobi".
But that blonde geisha is not taking the 'I'm really not interested in you'-hint. She smiles again at him, cheekily showing off her neck while pouring him some sake, so he would take a peek at her creamy skin. Sasuke shots her a deathly glare, but she just giggles."Why won't she understand that I don't like her?"
"Aw, Uchiha-kun!" She giggles playfully again. "You are such a meanie!"
"Sasuke is only a little boy." His slightly inhebriated cousin Shisui laugs and then he sits the blonde geisha on his lap. "Don't you prefer a man?"
"But Shisui-kun!" The blonde giggles again. "I thought you had already forgotten about me!"
"I would never." His cousin smirks at her, and Sasuke finds the scene nauseating.
"Sasuke is not here to play, Shisui." Madara's deep, raspy voice fills the room. "He is under probation."
Sasuke slightly nods. He has a mission for tonight, but there haven't been any clues abou the Senju spy. There were only the Uchiha and the Uzumaki inside the room. The Senju allies are Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Nagato, two powerful shinobis. Sasuke doesn't personally know either of them, but Naruto -the blond loudmouth- seems to be friendly enough. He's also eighteen, and he has also lost his parents to the war. Sasuke might not like it, but it's the first time he has met someone so similar to him, yet so different.
"I'll go outside for a while." Sasuke suddenly says, getting up and grabbing his katana.
The room is too filled with happy voices and the smell of sake. He notices forest green eyes watching his back, but he just slides the door and lets the cold air clean his face. Madara has already talked to the Uzumaki, and they agreed on being allies too. Naruto, the Uzumaki's heir, is not something to be taken so lightly though. His Uncle openly underestimates him, and it is not good that Madara shows off his incredibly swollen ego. The blond shinobi has some hidden power, something Sasuke can't tell, and that's definetly what they have to take care of.
Sasuke takes a few steps into the ryoriten's garden and stays still, letting the moonlight bath his dark hair, but keeping his eyes alert. He can't forget about his mission.
"Yo." A male voice greets him.
"Uzumaki." Sasuke nods.
"We shouldn't have such formalities. We're only eighteen after all." Naruto shruggs. He speaks like nothing that he says is a big deal, and Sasuke somewhat envies his light spirit. "Weren't you having fun? Those geishas are pretty beautiful, your Uncle sure has good taste. The Nightingale has only been to a handful parties."
Sasuke refuses to talk. Why should he be so familiar with a boy he just met? His fingers graze his Kusanagi. Naruto seems to sense his concern.
"You don't need to act like the great Uchiha Sasuke, heir of the Uchiha clan, with me." Naruto laughs softly. "I know how the pressure feels. Being alone sucks, right?"
"You know nothing about me." Sasuke says nonchalantly.
"I don't say this because I pity you." Naruto steps next to him. His sparkling, blue pools gaze at the starry sky. "You probably love your family more than anything, just like me. But you still have them here, unlike me." His smile turns a little sad, and Sasuke wonders why is the blond so open to him. "I just feel that we would make a great team together."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Sasuke says annoyed, trying to avoid Naruto's familiarity.
"Because I don't like your uncle. He is brutal, and he likes tyranny. I want to avoid blood-baths at all costs, even if I have to deal with people like him, no offence." The blond's voice turns into a whisper. "And I accepted the allies proposal because you are different, and you could really help me out on keeping this 'peace'."
"You didn't ever meet me before this meeting." Sasuke glares at him.
"I knew what I needed to know when I looked at you." Naruto shruggs and laughs casually. "Should we spar any day soon?"
"Hn." Sasuke lets his lips curve into the smallest smile. It's time to go back in the room. He now needs to check up on her.
"Welcome back Sasuke, Uzumaki-san." The older Uchiha, the one with the ponytail and the gentle smile, greets the boys when they come back in the room.
"Uzumaki-san? Hell, no!" The blond boy laughs. "Just call me Naruto, Itachi-san. It's the name that my mother gave me, and I like to remember it."
Sakura watches them as they both sit down on their cushions. Sasuke stays silent like he's been the whole night, while Naruto starts talking in a lively way with Itachi.
She has been trying her best to keep herself away from Sasuke. When those onyx eyes grew wider, she knew that he had also recognised her. And it is painful, not being able to even say a word to him. It is like being a caged bird.
She wants to ask him what has he been up to all these years, if life treated him well, if he finally found the happiness he desired so much. But just looking at his stoic face, she knows that he hasn't had an easy time. Sasuke has grown up and is now a handsome, tall man, a really really handsome man that turns her stomach in a bunch of playful butterflies.
The thought of her mission suddenly kicks into her brain. She hasn't succeeded yet to anything. She doesn't have an Uchiha as her danna. She doesn't know who the heir is. Sakura can only pray that Sasuke stays out both of her missions.
Sakura briefly looks at Ino. Her blonde friend acts playfully and pulls up an admirable job. They both know that Ino is not acting as a geisha should act, but they also know that Madara didn't pay for a formal party. Ino has met Uchiha Shisui before, and she knows what men like them want. It is a shame that the best geishas in Konoha end up behaving like mere toys just because Uchiha Madara ordered it. She should be dancing with her beautifully decorated fans and doing the tea ceremo-
"Oi, Sakura-chan." She hears Madara's deep, authoritarian voice.
She forces her lips to curve into a sweet smile even when her eyes show her true inner feelings. Uchiha Madara knows that she is scared to be in this party, and it somehow amuses him. He gives her a smirk. "And to think that I, the apprentice of Senju Tsunade, is scared to face some slightly inhebriated man." But actually it was him, the boy that helped her when she lost everything, the one that had her utterly shocked. Why did she have to find Sasuke here of all places?
"Your Okaa-san is always talking about your beautiful voice." Madara points to a little, brown painted shamisen. "Why don't you show it to us? We would love to listen to you."
Sakura peeks at Ino, her confused green eyes pleading her to find an excuse. Her friend nods in understandment.
"Uchiha-san, she is quite uninspired right now. She hasn't been able to practice for three days because of a bad cold." Ino says sweetly while replenishing Madara's cup of sake.
"C'mon, little girl. I just want to hear your voice." Madara ignores Ino's excuse. "I thought you were called 'The Nightingale' for something."
"Sakura-chan, I'd to like to hear a song too!" Naruto says. He beams at her, and her heart suddenly feels warmer. She doesn't know him very well, but she has been told that he is kind to geishas.
"Sakura-san, it'd be a pleasure listening to you tonight." Itachi's gentle voice surprises her. His dark eyes smile at her.
Obito and Shisui agree too, and so does Nagato nodding lightly. Everyone is looking at her with anticipation. Everyone but him. His beautiful, onyx eyes rest on his cup of sake. He says nothing, and she then gives in.
"Hai." Sakura mutters and carefully grabs the shamisen. "Would you like any song in particular, Uchiha-san?"
"Whatever you feel right now, sweetie." Sakura slightly flinches at the nickname, but nods.
She grabs the ivory bachi and starts trying out some random notes till she finds the inspiration she needs. Since Sakura can't talk to him, she will make the music talk for her. Her eyes find his, and then her voice appears softly.
Home is behind the world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow, to the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Mist and shadow
Cloud and shade
All shall fade
All shall fade
When her voice disappears, the only thing that matters for Sakura is those widened onyx pools. "I hope you remember me too, Sasuke." She suddenly hears some applauses, they make her come back to the real world. Ino has concern in her eyes, so does Naruto, but everyone is delighted.
"You sure have a beautiful voice, little Nightingale." Madara praises her with a smirk.
"That was awesome, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grins at her. "You really are talented."
"I enjoyed the song, Sakura-san." Itachi gently smiled at her. "I guess it means something special to you."
Sakura blushes a little bit and shooks her head. Her lips curve into a sweet smile once again.
"I am glad that you all liked it." She bows her head politely.
"Now, now, now, my friends." Madara calls their attention. "The party is coming to an end and I must say that I still have something in mind." He clears his throat when the silence fills the room. "It is true that I wanted to meet you, Naruto, Nagato-san, but I also had another plan." His severe eyes lay on Sakura, and she inwardly shivers. "You might ask yourselves why did I pay for the youngest and most famous geisha in Konoha."
"Uchiha-san, I'm only a little girl." Sakura says softly, lowering her gaze to her lap.
"Yes, but you are such a talented little girl."
Then Sakura realises it. He knows something, maybe not the whole truth about her, but definetly something. And he is going to take care of it. Her heart clenches with fear, she is in a room full of Uchiha wolves waiting for the cute kitten to become vulnerable. "If I could only trust Sasuke." Her eyes quickly peek at him, but he seems to be pensive like he has been the whole night. Sakura grazes the daggers on her tights trying to boost some confidence into her.
"It would be a waste to let you spend your time with some random man from some random clan. You deserve someone powerful to protect you and make sure that you are safe." His deep voice seems to caress her skin. "Someone like me."
"Is he asking me to-?"
"I'll talk tomorrow morning to your Okaa-san. She will be glad to accept me as your danna."
"No, no, no, no, no-"
"That will not be possible, Uncle." A male voice suddenly emerged from the shadows.
Just when her world is about to fall appart, Sasuke opens his mouth and frowns at his Uncle. The older Uchiha seems amused at his nephew's reaction. Everyone in the room stares at the trio, no one dares to break into the tense conversation.
"And would you tell me why, my dear Sasuke?" Madara's voice is playful, and that makes it even scarier.
"Because I already decided that I will be her danna." Sasuke's face remains stoic.
"Oh, you already decided." Madara smirks, his eyes hiding something. "Well, then you can take the little girl. I have Sayuri-chan after all." He then looks at Sakura, who is too shocked to even think. "What do you say, Sakura-chan? Do you want the Uchiha heir to be your danna?" His dark, cynic laugh reaches her ears. "Not like you could choose something else either."
Everything clicks into Sakura's mind.
Sasuke, the Uchiha's heir, just declared his intentions of becoming her danna.
How could she kill the boy that helped her back then when everything she had was shattered and destroyed? She still remembers those gentle, black eyes.
"My name is Sasuke. What is your name?"
"I don't-... I don't have a name."
When she first accepted to learn the geisha job, she knew it would be hard. She actually knows that it keeps being hard even when you understand the ceremonies and the music, the clothing and the makeup, the relationships and the parties. Being a geisha is the hardest job a girl could have, because geishas can't have their own destiny. And she is starting to understand how painful can that be.