Dinnertime. She was nervous as hell; this would be the first time meeting the man who was to be her husband. Her thoughts went back to wondering how he would be like. She frowned, her thoughts going back to Sasuke. If only she could be with him instead! They were star-crossed, she thought, even though she had no proof that he actually was interested in her. But a girl could dream, could she not?
She shook her head. It wasn't the time to think about that and besides, she had to give up on those silly girlish dreams. She was a woman now, about to be married, and she should have known better than to fantasise over a man she would never be with.
Sakura looked at herself in the mirror one last time, and went downstairs to face her fate.
.
.
Sasori had a strange demeanor. That was her first impression. He was affable and nice, but Sakura couldn't help but think that there was something deeper inside of him and that he was simply being kind for their countries' sake. . Which made sense if she considered it. She didn't want to be part of this marriage either, but she would be, because it was what she had to do, it was her duty.
They were like dolls. Puppets, controlled by strings, doing the bidding of what their families told them to. Maybe they'd grow to love each other by the solidarity they would have. Her mind wandered, forming fantasies of what could be. She smiled at those thoughts.
"What is it?" she heard Sasori ask her, and her gaze snapped up to his face. He had a lazy smile that wasn't unattractive for sure. Of course, he wasn't Sasuke. She pushed that thought out of her mind. She couldn't compare the man she had to spend the rest of her life with to him. She couldn't keep doing that.
She realised she'd kept him waiting a few seconds too long for the response.
"I'm just. . Looking forward to the future," Sakura answered, a chipper tone to her voice, before focusing on finishing her meal.
"As am I," Sasori agreed, his lazy smile turning into something more befitting a smirk for a split-second; Sakura wasn't even sure if she had seen it.
.
.
The new couple was left alone for a bit, to get to know each other. How nice, Sakura couldn't help but think, they were at least affording them the luxury to get to know each other first― Although, she knew, if they didn't like each other it didn't matter.
Peace, Sakura knew, was far more important than selfish emotions like love.
"So. ." Sasori began, breaking the incredibly awkward silence, "Tell me about yourself." He leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, gazing at her with that lazy smile and half-lidded eyes that Sakura was beginning to be incredibly annoyed by despite herself.
"Well, what do you want to know?" she asked. It was as awkward for him as it was for her, she reminded herself.
"Your hobbies, maybe? Interests? We may as well get to know each other if we're going to be spending the rest of our lives together," he pointed out.
"Oh, right. ." Sakura stammered, folding her hands in her lap. She wasn't usually this awkward but this situation was intimidating. She took a deep breath. "Well, I like reading a lot―" a good start, showing her intellect; "and I studied medicine for a few years as well."
"Medicine?" His interest was piqued, it seemed. "That doesn't seem like something a young princess would study."
Sakura could feel her cheeks burn in frustration as she frowned. Well, she should have expected something like that from some stranger from another land. "I want to help people. That was why I studied it," she explained, staring into his eyes.
"Wanting to help people and willing to devote her life to others," Sasori began, and Sakura prepared herself mentally for the frustration it would cause― "I think that's a good quality to have." Sakura blinked. Well, that wasn't what she was expecting. Maybe he wouldn't be so bad after all.
Sasori seemed to have noticed her surprise. "What did you think I was going to say?" he asked, almost amused. Sakura shook her head signifying that it was nothing, and attempted to change the subject:
"What about you? What do you enjoy?" And again, for a split second, Sakura could swear she saw him smirk, just a little bit.
"I like art."
A/N: Sasori might seem a little OOC here. Don't worry. He'll go back to his lovable self soon enough.
