Crossroads
Callista Miralni
disclaimer: only plot. You can find all the fun things I used as a reference to build this story on pinterest: /callistamiralni/crossroads/
Sasuke took one look at her before he slammed her book shut.
"What the hell Sasuke-kun?"
Ignoring her furious jade eyes, Sasuke leaned across the table. "We're leaving."
"Sasuke-kun, we still need to finish this assignment-"
"That is due on Wednesday," he interrupted. "When was the last time you took time for yourself?"
Sakura opened her mouth to protest (I went shopping with Ino-chan on Saturday baka) but she glanced down at her planner and realized with shock it had been over a month since her best friend dragged her to the capitol for a six-hour shopping spree.
He swept her belongings into her bag and hoisted it over his shoulder with his own. "C'mon," he gently tugged her out of her chair. "Let's go."
Her cell phone buzzed with yet another text. Despite her tipsy state, Sakura elegantly picked up her phone to read the message before deftly composing a reply.
Tenten caught a glimpse of the screen. "Sasuke-san's awfully concerned about you."
Sakura laughed. "Really, Tenten-chan? He's my best friend."
"He knows we're out together." Karin interjected. "It's not like he's your boyfriend."
During the entire exchange, Ino said nothing.
"If it bothers you so much, I won't text him back. Geez." Sakura rolled her eyes. She gave her friends a fond smile. "Want another shot?"
The next morning, Sasuke hunted her down at Karin's apartment and only left once the girls had been fed and adequately hydrated. At that moment, Ino knew what everyone else didn't.
Sasuke cared. Maybe a little too much.
This was the worst party she ever attended.
People awkwardly huddled around the beer pong table, talking loudly to fill the silence. The cooler was only filled with beer and all the hard liquor mysteriously went missing. Despite the instructions to dress up according to the theme of "office hoes and CEOs," hardly anyone felt the spirit of of the occasion.
To make matters worse, Ino was completely drunk and Sasuke was well on his way to joining her. Only Naruto seemed remotely sober and that was a chilling thought.
She wished she hadn't volunteered to be the designated driver.
Sitting on the couch next to Sasuke, she politely declined the beer he offered her. On her other side, Naruto was uncharacteristically silent.
"Sakura," Sasuke drawled. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she responded, all too aware of Naruto's arm draped across the back of the couch behind her. "You know, Sasuke-kun, I don't think I've seen you this drunk before."
His pale skin flushed and immediately Sakura wondered if he was aldehyde dehydrogenase II deficient.
Someone turned on bad rap music and people started grinding on each other, pulling bystanders into the crowd. She tensed.
"Relax, Sakura-chan," Naruto finally said something. "You're too stiff. No one is going to bother you with us around."
Kiba brushed past her, causing Sakura to shrink into the couch. The heat of Naruto's skin warmed the back of her neck and she couldn't tell if she was blushing from the close contact or not. Pulling out her phone, Sakura opened up a game and started playing to pass the time until Ino and Sasuke were ready to leave. Naruto leaned in to watch her play and she discreetly pressed closer into Sasuke's side to create space between them.
Her actions did not go unnoticed. Sasuke turned to her and took in the sight of his two best friends cozied up together on the couch. Naruto struggled not to betray his elation while Sakura masked her discomfort with her determined focus on her game.
What to do? Naruto would kill him for ruining his so-called "moment" but Sakura subconsciously depended on him to protect her.
"Sakura-"
Her relief when he addressed her was paramount.
"Let's go."
-sasuke-
-one week later-
His mother flipped through the lifestyles section of the newspaper over breakfast.
"They're taking the bait. Every thing is going according to plan," she said as a greeting.
Sasuke buttered a slice of toast and thanked the butler for pouring him a glass of orange juice. "Really? What makes you think that?"
Uchiha Mikoto tossed the weekend edition of People magazine at him. The bookmarked page was a two-page spread dedicated to him and Sakura walking around the city. One of the biggest photos was a shot from last week's gala of him kissing her cheek.
Celebrity surgeon Haruno Mebuki's youngest daughter, Sakura, seen with film director Uchiha Fugaku's youngest son, Sasuke, around the city. Last spring, Uchiha Sasuke declined to comment on the status of his love life at his father's premiere of Vindication.
He vaguely remembered the reporter asking him about his life now that he was in college. "No comment" was a frequently used response that evening.
Could his lack of a response then stem from his need to protect Haruno Sakura from the spotlight? Who knows?
Sasuke snorted at the last comment. "Incredible," he remarked to his mother. "The press managed to string two completely unrelated occasions together."
"Everyone loves a good conspiracy," his mother said as she sipped on her tea. "You know what to do, Sasuke-kun."
Bowing his head, Sasuke murmured, "Of course."
-sakura-
Sakura switched her cell phone from one ear to the other. "No, Ino-chan, I have not read the latest issue of People. You know I don't read that stuff."
"Well you should," her best friend huffed on the phone. "You and Sasuke-kun have a two-page spread. I can't believe some of the things these people print. Whatever happened to good journalism?"
"What do you mean?"
The sound of ruffling pages filled the phone. "It says you guys are in a secret relationship and have been since at least last spring. Ridiculous."
"What if I was in a secret relationship with Sasuke-kun?" Sakura tried to make it sound like a joke. "I have been spending a lot of time with him lately. Almost more than what I spend with you."
"Puh-lease," Ino said. "You've always spent more time with Sasuke-kun than me because you guys were study partners. It would take a lot more than the paparazzi to convince me."
"Saki-chan," Misa poked her head around her bedroom door. "He's here."
Hastily, Sakura said goodbye and left her phone on the desk. Sasuke waited for her in the living room, looking at all the portraits hanging on the wall.
"You really do look like Kazuto."
"Shouldn't it be the other way around since I'm older?"
Sasuke grinned before taking a seat next to her on the couch. "They took the bait."
Sakura nodded. "What should we tell them?"
He smirked. "Why say anything when you could simply show them?"
-naruto-
The second summer gala was in three days. He didn't know why Sasuke called him to come to the city but here they were, standing in a jewelry shop in the middle of the mall.
It was awkward to be around his best friend right now. The memory of a dozen flashing lights, of Sasuke pressing the soft kiss to Sakura's cheek, of the rosy flush of her cheeks and the slight curve of her fond smile looped through his head. In the end, he couldn't do much more than dismiss it as a gesture between close friends.
He ignored the matching boutonnière and corsage.
"Are you going to tell me what this is all about?"
"Nope," Sasuke said, popping the 'p' in his reply. "Just help me look for a ring."
"If you would tell me what this was for, then I can help you."
Sasuke ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. "I knew I should have asked Ino instead."
A saleswoman approached them and asked if they needed assistance.
"Yeah, I'm looking for a woman's ring. He's-" Sasuke pointed to Naruto with his thumb, "absolutely no help at all."
"That's because you won't tell me who it's for!"
"It's a surprise," Sasuke explained.
The saleswoman looked a little perplexed. "Perhaps if you describe her to me, I can help you find something appropriate."
Sasuke fell silent, considering her words. Truthfully, Naruto wanted to know who this woman was to have Sasuke of all people buying jewelry for her.
"She's incredible," his best friend said so softly, Naruto almost didn't hear him. "She's got so many sides, it's hard to find a single word to describe her. She's beautiful but she doesn't realize it. She tries so hard to be strong and never admits she needs a shoulder to cry on. She's smart as hell and incredibly modest. She's witty, vivacious, and amazing and I'm lucky to be a part of her life."
There was one person Naruto immediately thought of who fit his description but it was ridiculous to think Sasuke would be buying a ring for her of all people.
The saleswoman smiled softly before she slid open the glass case and retrieved a single ring from the display. "She will love this."
Naruto couldn't help but think she would.
"You didn't even look at the price."
Sasuke shrugged. "It was perfect. Why bother looking elsewhere?"
Naruto tensed. Should he mention what was on his mind? Did her dare accuse his closest friend of stealing what he thought to be his?
He kept his mouth shut. Jumping to conclusions solved nothing—it only created problems. "I hope your mom likes it," Naruto said.
"My mom?"
"Isn't that who you bought the ring for?" He said mildly. "I've never heard you speak about a woman that way so it must be your mom."
Looking away, Sasuke confessed, "It's not for my mom."
"Then who is it for?"
Sasuke tucked the ring box into his pocket. "Come to the gala and see," was all he said before ducking into another department store.
-ino-
"I knew that dress would look killer on you."
Her best friend wore the sleek black and silver dress with the pink bow Ino forced her to buy on their last shopping trip with Sasuke. Sakura paired it with a pair of strappy black heels, boosting her five foot, four inch frame almost four inches.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I admit, you have spectacular taste. Happy now?"
"I'll be happier once you let me do your hair and make-up. God, it's like no one taught you how to dress up that pretty face of yours."
"Pig, you know it's the truth."
"Fair enough," Ino said airily. "That's what I'm for. Turn for me so I can see everything."
Sakura spun around slowly and Ino couldn't decide if it was better for her hair to be up or straightened. "Ino-chan," she started to say something but struggled to find the words. "Whatever you do, help me make an impression tonight."
The woman scoffed. "Without me, you'd never make an impression in the first place. Come on, we're wasting time."
She sat Sakura in the chair Misa pulled into the bathroom and checked the clock. Four o'clock—a little less than three hours before the gala started.
She could do this.
She bumped into Sasuke in the hallway.
"You're her date again?"
Her friend shrugged. "Yeah."
Ino pursed her lips before dragging Sasuke into the study. "What the hell is going on?"
The easy grin on his face disappeared. "What do you mean? Sakura's my date because my mom wants me to take her. I told you, Ino, it's a publicity stunt."
"Is part of your publicity stunt being photographed holding hands around the city? Is it part of your grand scheme to throw the spotlight on you two in the biggest pop culture journals? I don't buy this publicity stunt nonsense and if you hurt Sakura, I will kill you."
"You don't know anything, so stay out of it. What Sakura and I do with our time is none of your business." Sasuke snapped.
Ino lost her temper. "She's going to medical school! If they revoke her admission because of some scandal printed in the press, everything will be ruined for her. She's not like you, who has a job waiting for you no matter what mess you get yourself into."
"You think I don't know that?" Sasuke demanded. "I've thought about it long before you have. Trust me Ino, stay out of this. She's going to need you to be her best friend after tonight so don't waste your energy being upset."
Sakura's earlier request to help her make an impression did not sound as silly as she thought.
"Sasuke-kun," she softened her voice. "What's going on tonight?"
Instead of replying, he gave her a rare hug.
-sasuke-
Words failed him. Long after Kazuto whisked Ino away into the limo, Sasuke remained in his place.
This gorgeous woman wearing a fitting dress that left little to the imagination was the same person he spent hours teasing in the library? Sasuke finally understood why Naruto always chased after her—Sakura was truly beautiful.
"What?" She sounded annoyed. "Did Ino-chan go overboard again?"
Collecting himself, Sasuke kissed the back of her hand. "You look perfect," he complimented her as he placed the final touches on her outfit. "Not even Misa can outshine you tonight."
She looked uncomfortable as she placed the spray of rainflowers and peach blossoms in the flower hole of his jacket.
"Did you pick out the flowers this time? I'm trying hard not to read into the selection."
She laughed. "Try harder," Sakura said. "Because I did choose them."
Catching her hands, Sasuke said, "Sakura, you know how I feel."
She said nothing, her gaze trained on their hands.
"Don't think of this-" Sasuke laced their fingers together "-as an obligation, but as a promise."
"A promise?"
He softly kissed her forehead. "A lifetime promise of happiness."
"Nagisawa," Sasuke leaned forward to address the driver. "I can't thank you enough for tonight."
The older man regarded the young scion of the Uchiha family with fondness. Sasuke was always polite. After he got his driver's license, he rarely needed Nagisawa to take him anywhere.
"Always a pleasure Sasuke-san," the driver replied. "Your mother requested Toyama to take her and your father this evening so I will drive you and Haruno-san at the end of the night."
"Would you like me to smuggle some cake out?"
Nagisawa laughed. When Sasuke was seven, he snuck a piece of cake out of a party and gave it to Nagisawa when he got in the car. Sasuke continued to do so at every function he attended.
"If you'd like."
The light reflected off a piece of jewelry. "If I may be so bold to say, Sasuke-san," their eyes met in the rearview mirror. "Best of luck to you and Haruno-san. I know it's a hard decision to make, but trust me when I say you made the right one."
"Thank you," Sakura finally spoke.
The car slowed to a stop in front of the Museum of Natural History. Nagisawa opened the door for Sasuke and smiled back at his young employer. Sasuke offered a hand to help Sakura out of the car. She gave him a grateful smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist and steadied her on the sidewalk, disguising the motion for affection as they posed for the cameras.
"Are you ready?" Sasuke said in a low voice as they passed through the museum security.
"No," she admitted. "But I'm glad you're here with me."
They stepped into the room.
Author's note:
Rainflowers mean "I love you back," "I must atone for my sins," and "I will never forget you." Peach blossoms mean long life, generosity, and bridal hope.
Being aldehyde dehydrogenase II deficient means you have the so-called "Asian flush" syndrome.
My edits are getting fewer and fewer as the story progresses. I'm not taking that as a good sign.
Ja ne-
Callista Miralni