Crossroads
Callista Miralni
disclaimer: plot only. You can find all the fun things I used as a reference to build this story on pinterest: /callistamiralni/crossroads/
Moving onto the things I'm slightly better at. Only slightly though.
"At the gala," Misaki snapped her fan shut. "We open with a waltz."
"Misaki-nee, get to the point," Sakura snapped. "It happens at every event."
The older Haruno tapped her sister on the head with her fan. "Patience, Saki-chan!" She laughed. "For this event, Chichiue and Hahaue, Takashi-nii and I, and Sasuke-san's parents will open the dance. When you see us take our places, that's your cue to ask Saki-chan to dance, Sasuke-san."
"Hn."
"And now!" Misaki gestured to Kazuto in the corner. "Music! We must check your dance form so as to ensure you won't embarrass the rest of us classy beings!"
Sakura cringed. Misaki couldn't let it go after four years. Sakura refused to show her face in public while completing her undergraduate studies so she could focus on school. Out of everyone in her family, Misaki was the most upset. She viewed it as Sakura's refusal to support her work.
Sasuke stood up reluctantly and offered a hand to her. The music swelled and they spun on the dance floor in perfect sync.
The office phone rang but Sasuke took his time in answering.
"Uchiha."
The secretary, a young intern in her third year at Konoha University, answered all too brightly, "Haruno Sakura-san to see you, sir. Shall I let her in?"
He bit back the caustic retort. Of course she was to let Sakura in. Mikoto briefed the staff and told them they were not to deny her access to the facilities, especially Sasuke's office.
"Send her in." Sasuke dropped the phone on its cradle.
A minute later, Sakura strolled inside, looking as if it were her office she waltzed into, not Sasuke's.
"I thought I'd drop by and visit you. Just like old times."
He smirked and offered her a seat. She sank onto the couch. "Ne, Sasuke-kun, I like this place better than the graduate center. You get better seating choices for sure."
"They say Itachi conceived his illegitimate daughter on that couch," Sasuke said, nonchalant.
She sprang to her feet and edged away from the furniture. Sasuke couldn't hold his laughter back.
"Stop laughing at me!"
"I'm joking," he said. "The couch is brand new. Okaa-san bought it when I graduated."
Sakura lunged forward and grabbed him by the shirt. Wrestling him to the couch, she pinned him in place.
"Didn't you know, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said, sickly sweet. "They say this is the very couch Uchiha Sasuke submitted to Haruno Sakura's awesome power."
"Sounds like a blatant-"
The door swung open and the intern dropped the files in her hands to the floor. "Oh... um... I... uh... I'm sorry!" She bowed hastily and turned on heel.
The two blinked at the door before looking at each other.
"What was that about?" Sakura wondered.
He swallowed when she turned her gaze on him. Were Sakura's eyes always this shade of clear jade?
"No idea," he responded as he picked her up around the waist and removed her from his lap. "C'mon—after we pick up these files, we can get a crepe or something."
She beamed at him.
"Hai!"
Sasuke severely underestimated Haruno Kazuto.
They say older brothers are terrifying but Sasuke had to disagree. Younger brothers are the worst. He couldn't discount their age, because they could be a master of Wu Shu kung fu or jujitsu for all he knew. It was hard to take them seriously when they looked so innocent but Sasuke knew from personal experience that innocence was relative. When Kazuto stopped by his office and locked the door behind him, Sasuke knew this was not a courtesy visit.
He swallowed when Kazuto turned his sharp malachite eyes on him.
"I like you," the teenager said simply. "You're good for my sister."
Sasuke forced himself to remain composed. That was it?
"But..." Kazuto dragged the word out. "I happen to know a hundred and one ways to kill someone and not leave any evidence behind so it's best you don't try anything to hurt her further, ne?"
"Why on earth would you know something like that?"
"Saki-nee," he answered plainly. "We're very close."
Sasuke sweatdropped. Of course. He should have known. It was one of the many things they learned in their chemistry classes, aside from the tidbits about kangaroos and over-the-counter crystal meth production. Sakura probably took great delight in educating her baby brother on such grisly topics.
"I promise I won't ever hurt her."
Kazuto stood up and brushed the lint from his uniform. "Oh, I wouldn't promise things like that," he warned lightly. "You've already hurt her by agreeing to this arrangement. The best you can do is promise you'll take care of her and be by her side no matter what."
The promise seemed so daunting. He shirked away from the notion of "forever" but the next words from his lips were so easy to say.
"I promise."
-sasuke-
-one week later-
Sasuke stepped out of his car and walked up the winding pathway to the front door. Sakura was already at the door, waiting for him to come inside.
He hadn't seen her or anyone else for a week. Sasuke threw himself into work; staying at home meant struggling to put his emotions in order. There were so many unresolved issues from that night, most of them personal rather than psychological trauma from the ordeal. Naruto refused to speak to him, not that Sasuke was surprised. Still, he hoped Naruto would be mature about his engagement and support him beyond his tacit blessing on Uzushio Island.
His mother mentioned an impending lawsuit between him, Sakura, and the government over the ring. Sasuke tuned her out, preferring not to think of the item that got them into this mess in the first place.
They shut themselves inside the children's study.
"That was an incredible risk you took," Sasuke finally said after a long moment of silence.
She looked away. "I had to find a compromise."
Some thing on the desk caught his eye and Sasuke came face-to-face with the mock-up of their wedding invitation.
Dr. and Mr. Fugaku Uchiha
and
Dr. and Dr. Kizashi Haruno
cordially invite you to celebrate the union of their children
SASUKE
and
SAKURA
beginning at
one o'clock in the afternoon
on October 4
at the Fukushima Hall
Reception and Dinner to follow
The table was covered with ribbon samples, photos of flower arrangements, and lists of things needed to do before the wedding. Sasuke swallowed. Seeing all of the wedding preparations was a harsh wake-up call. He was going to marry Sakura.
The same Sakura who spent countless nights studying with him, who acted as designated driver for all the parties they attended, who he could never seem to get away from. This was the woman who ruthlessly tore down his ego, who remained by his side during his most trying times, who constantly held his hand for reassurance.
Sasuke was marrying Sakura, the woman who didn't need a man by her side because she was capable of taking care of herself.
He wondered why he bothered protecting her in the first place. Perhaps it was instinct. After all, Sakura remained oblivious to the amount of attention she attracted because of her wealthy father, her famous mother, and her jaw-dropping reputation.
Did she even want to marry him? Sasuke hadn't thought about it in a while. Was Sakura still resenting their arrangement? His stomach twisted at the thought. Yes, Sasuke accepted their parents' decision a long time ago, but now, he felt like he was going through with this for himself. Did she think the same way?
"Sakura, you don't have to go through this if you don't want to."
His fiancée gathered her lists and shoved them into a folder.
"We'll be late for our cake tasting if we don't hurry."
-sakura-
Minutes after Sasuke brought her home after another of their Friday dates, Sakura hopped into her car and drove for the beach. Her phone flashed, the pop-up indicating she had another text message. She ignored it, weaving through the maze-like streets of her cousin's neighborhood.
Temari was not surprised to see her at the door, calling instead for her younger brother to come downstairs. Sunano Gaara took one look at her before dragging Sakura to his own car.
"Speak," Gaara commanded once they were driving down the road to their favorite place. "Every one is worried about you most of all, even though Temari-nee and Kazuto were the ones injured."
"How are you?" Sakura ignored his prompt. "I heard you just got back from Kaze no Kuni."
"Kaze was fine and my internship was great. Now stop trying to dodge the issue."
Gaara parked his car and the two walked along the beach before settling onto an outcropping of rocks. The other man noticed his cousin toying with her ring.
"It's a Watanuki, isn't it?"
Sakura looked up. "Yeah. Kyouya-san made it."
Gaara held out his hand and Sakura dropped the ring into his palm. The white sapphire caught the moonlight. "Sasuke has good taste."
Sliding the ring back onto her finger, Sakura shrugged. "Everyone else says that too."
"You don't sound so convinced."
"It's hard to be convinced when I see all the reasons why he gave it to me," Sakura shot back. "This ring describes a woman Sasuke loves, not a friend who agreed to marry him for her parents' sake."
"Tell me about her," Gaara suggested. "Who is this woman Sasuke loves?"
The woman paused to collect her thoughts before explaining. "This woman is amazing. She's strong, intelligent, and lively. She's simple and complex all at the same time and Sasuke is never going to find another girl like her in a million years."
To Gaara, it sounded like Sakura's problem was she couldn't reconcile what Sasuke saw in her with what she knew of herself. Instead, he softly answered, "She sounds incredible."
The tide was coming in, waves cresting on the beach. The city seemed so far away.
"No one is going to be upset if you don't go through with this," Gaara said. "The real question is: are you going to? Don't do this for anyone but yourself."
The cousins sat in silence for the rest of the night.
-naruto-
Walking side-by-side down the boardwalk, Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets, eyes wandering to the different storefronts. His gaze turned to the horizon and he could make out the rising peaks of Uzushio Island.
A bag from another local jeweler swung freely from Sasuke's wrist.
"Hey," Naruto pulled his attention. "Are you sure you're ready to get married?"
It felt so liberating to be honest after nearly an entire summer of deception. Naruto hated to admit it, but he missed the easy relationship between him and his best friend. The constant tension and secrecy between them made Naruto doubt the strength of their bond. Three years was a long time.
"No," Sasuke confessed. "But somehow it feels like the right thing to do."
They sat down on a park bench and watched the crowd.
"I wish I was you," Naruto suddenly said.
Smiling crookedly, Sasuke leaned back.
"I know. I wish I was you too."
-ino-
Ever since Sakura announced her engagement, there was only one day Ino looked forward to.
Dress shopping.
Currently, Sakura was in the fitting room, sliding into yet another white dress. This one was the simplest of them all with a satin trim and an A-line waist.
"What do you think?" Sakura came out and stood in front of the mirror.
Glancing at the glass behind her, Ino saw the dress wasn't a simple as she thought. Lace flowers matching Sakura's controversial engagement ring decorated the edges of the corset.
"It matches your ring..." she trailed off, unsure of what else to say.
Her best friend groaned and disappeared into the fitting room to try on a different dress.
Ino eyed the champagne dress hanging across from her. It was her bridesmaid dress. She liked how simple it was, a definite reflection of Sakura's personal tastes. Her cell phone rang from her pocket and Ino glanced at the screen.
"What's up?"
"How's it going?" Sasuke asked her before he said, "Dobe, you've got it backwards!"
"Slow," Ino groaned. "We still haven't made a decision. Sounds like you guys haven't either."
"Ino, does she really want to go through with this?"
The sales associate brought in another gown.
"She hasn't said anything otherwise," Ino said in a low voice. "Haven't you guys talked about this?"
"I tried!" Sasuke groaned. "Instead of giving me an answer, she runs off to take care of something for the wedding."
"I'll talk to her about it," she assured him. "In the meantime, concentrate on finding the right tux."
"Ino," Sasuke paused before hanging up the phone. "Tell her no matter what she decides, I'll always be here."
Author's note:
One more chapter guys.
Ja ne~
Callista Miralni