To Love and to Love Again Chapter 18: The Gala
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER AND AUTHORS NOTE: I do NOT own Naruto. The awesomeness of the Naruto Manga and World is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. This is Purely Fanfiction. All things Medical in this entire fanfiction should not be taken as serious medical advice or facts. PLEASE CONSULT AN ACTUAL DOCTOR FOR ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS. THANK YOU AND ENJOY!
Shikamaru was sleeping soundly in his bed. After practically working through the night with Itachi over the investigation, he felt like he could sleep for days, however he was married to Ino and sleep was never guaranteed with her.
"Shika," whispered Ino. "You awake?" She carefully turned over to him. The twins were both sleeping in their bed tonight. They never really liked to sleep in unfamiliar places. Shikamaru sighed.
"No," he mumbled. Ino rolled her eyes.
"I feel guilty," she admitted. "Sakura's my best friend. I know she's going to find out. One way or the other, she'll find out and when she does, it's not going to be pretty."
Shikamaru didn't open his eyes, but he spoke anyway. "If Sakura finds out, then that will be a problem, but there's nothing for you to feel guilty about."
Ino didn't agree. "We're lying to her. All of us are lying to her. Practically everyone she knows is living a secret life that she doesn't know about. She thinks I'm a Dance Instructor."
"You are a dance instructor."
"But I wasn't always," she responded. "The only reason why I stepped down as a Field Agent from the CIA was because I got pregnant with the twins, but I'm still the CIA's Agricultural Botanist."
"You have nothing to worry about," he repeated. "It's for her protection. There's no other way around it. Now go to sleep." Ino sighed and closed her eyes. Indeed it was for her own protection, but she knew that secrets had a way of coming out.
How would Sakura react if she found out who Sai really was?
"No," Anko growled as she faced Kakashi in his office. He was holding up a very chic black evening gown in front of her.
"Come on now. You can't come to the Gala dressed like that," he said looking over her appearance. He held the dress out in front of her face. "Besides… I've never seen you in a dress."
"This is borderline harassment," she huffed as she eyed the dress with distaste. "And I'm assuming that the completely backless part was your idea?"
Kakashi just looked at it innocently. "You could use the time to enhance your femininity. Backless dresses are tasteful and elegant in today's society. Either way, you have to wear a dress." When he saw the steel in her eyes, he added "Either you pick this one, or we can spend hours picking out more from the undercover department.
Anko glared. Being the tomboy that she was, she hated shopping with a passion. Shopping with your closet-pervert of a boss would be even worse.
"Give me that," she snapped, taking the dress from him. She was so not looking forward to this "Gala" thing. She turned the dress around and sneered at the back side of it. It was definitely going to be form fitting. "Don't get used to this. Not only do I have to wear a damn dress, but I have to act like your secretary as well."
"That's all on you," he said bringing out his favorite book from his coat pocket. "You didn't have to tell Sakura that you were my secretary."
Anko flung the dress over her shoulder. "Should I have told her about our real affiliation?"
Kakashi glanced at her, but said nothing. He knew what she was referring to, and he knew that she knew the answer. In the almost fifteen years that he's known her, Kakashi had never revealed his relationship with Anko to Sakura. He liked to blame it on their identity concealment rule of the CIA, but really, he didn't know if he ever should tell Sakura.
"Well, I've got training to get to," she said walking towards the exit. She paused at the entrance. "…Kakashi," He looked at her and waited. "…I don't dance, so don't even try it." She opened the door and left him alone.
Kakashi sighed and plopped himself back down in his seat. He pulled out his favorite novel and opened up to where he left off, but for some reason, he found that he'd rather day dream about Anko dancing with him. Somehow that seemed to make him happier than his little book.
After lunch was over, Neji and Tenten went back to their suite to get some rest. Actually, it was more like Neji dragged her back to their suite and forced her to take a nap while she protested. Regardless of her objections, he usually won the battles. She was now sleeping peacefully and surrounded by her special pregnancy pillow that prohibited her from rolling over onto her stomach.
Neji lay next to her and watched her sleeping form. Her hair was let down and was fanned around her face, making her look completely at ease and happy. Her left hand was subconsciously laid across her belly, protecting her unborn babies. She was the most beautiful woman in the world to him, and Neji could only hope that his daughter turned out to be as beautiful as her mother.
Although he didn't show it, Neji was very anxious for the babies to be born. According to Sakura, they could come at any minute now. Tenten was stretched to maximum capacity now and it was only a matter of time until she delivers. Neji didn't even want her to come to Kyoto in fear that she could go into labor here, but she wouldn't hear of it. He was just glad that Sakura was around in case it happened.
She stirred in her sleep. Judging by how her hand roamed over her belly, the babies must have been acting up again. They were getting more and more restless in there. Neji could see how her belly would move when they kicked. Not wanting Tenten to wake up anytime soon, Neji got up and placed his hands over her belly and began to gently massage the area.
A while ago, they discovered that the babies relaxed when he did this. Sakura was actually the one to suggest the gesture to Neji after telling him that it worked like a charm when she was pregnant with Sora. True to her words, the babies seemed to settle down in there. Neji didn't want them acting up so badly that they made their mother go into early labor, because that was a high possibility right now.
The rubbing woke up Tenten.
"They're pretty fussy," she mumbled. He stopped rubbing and went back to sit next to her.
"How do you feel?"
Tenten sighed and placed her hands over her large abdomen. "I'm okay. Not looking forward to wearing a dress tonight though. I'll feel like a blimp."
Neji sighed. He laid down to her and placed his palm over his eyes. Tenten turned to him and placed her hand on his chest.
"Are you okay?"
"Fine," he breathed. "Kakashi is suspicious of Sasuke now. He was pretty anxious to find out as much as he could about him from us last night. I didn't give away too much info for Sakura's sake, though there wasn't much to say to begin with. But knowing Kakashi, I'm sure he has his reasons for wanting the info."
"You know how protective he is over her," she said referring to Sakura. "Anyway, you've been working too hard lately. I get that you're going in between the missions and your cover at the hospital, but am I making it worse for you?"
Neji grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Nothing is more important than you and our kids. I'll take care of you and you take care of them."
"We still need to give them names you know."
He cracked open one eye. "Shouldn't we do that after they're born? I can understand naming our girl, but we have two boys."
She shrugged. "I know that. Our boys are pretty good about there they are. Look, here's one of them," she said patting her right side. "He likes to play kick Mommy's rib." She patted her left side. "This one likes to kick his brother and make him stop kicking me, and this little girl," she said patting the top part of her belly "…Loves to sit quietly and watch her brothers play. I have a feeling she's going to take after you."
Neji almost chuckled after that explanation. He smiled at the thought that Tenten knew more about the baby's personalities. It was truly amazing how in tune a mother could be with her unborn child. "I hope shelooks more like you," he said making her smiled.
"So let's name them," she proposed. Neji smirked. He knew she had names ready. The question was which ones will they choose?
It was now 5:30 pm and Sakura was trying to get everything prepared for tonight. Sora's little tux was ironed and hanging in the closet and her own dress was laid out on the bed, waiting for her to put it on. She was currently applying her makeup in front of the vanity mirror in the bathroom. She was excited about this Gala. It had been a while since she had the chance to get dressed up again, and gathering together with all her friends and colleagues just seemed like a lovely way to spend Christmas.
Sakura smiled when she saw a little head of raven hair walking up to her from the mirror. Sora couldn't even see above the counter as he stood next to his mother.
"Mommy… do I have to wear the tie?" he asked as he placed both hands up on the counter and tried to prop himself up.
"Yes you do sweetie," she answered as she applied her mascara. "All the boys are going to wear them." She smiled when Sora pouted. "…even Sasuke," she added.
He seemed slightly pleased with this news. Sakura found it amazing that Sora could go from disliking Sasuke to treating him like a hero in only a few months. It made her happy that he had someone to look up to.
"Okay then, let's get you dressed up," she said as she packed up her makeup. She and Sora went to the closet and took out his little tux. After putting it on him, Sakura took a step back to admire his appearance. He was just the most adorable little boy she could have ever had.
"Oh sweetie, you look so handsome like that," she gushed as she brought him into a hug. "Promise me you won't grow up too fast okay?"
Sora giggled. "Okay… do I have to stop eating tomatoes?"
Sakura laughed. "No sweetie, you don't have to stop eating them." She placed her hands on the sides of his face. "I just want you to be my baby for as long as possible," she said kissing his forehead. "Now I have to finish getting ready."
She stood to go and get her dress. Sora went into the living room to watch come TV.
Sasuke had just finished getting ready for the Gala. It was a very elegant black tie affair and it felt more like he was getting ready for a wedding than a party. He never liked these kinds of things, but it was all a formality for the hospital. Sometimes he wished he lived a simpler life.
He was dressed in a black tux with a clean white shirt underneath and a shining light cream colored vest over that. A black tie and a matching blazer finished the look.
He made his was over to Suki's room and overheard his mother talking. Sasuke peeked inside and saw her getting Suki ready for the gala.
"You look so beautiful in your dress sweetheart," Mikoto said fondly as she brushed Suki's hair. Suki smiled.
She was wearing a nice little pink frock that went down to her ankles. It was tied at the waist with a darker pink sash. She also had a white sweater that was only buttoned at the top along with Sakura's necklace. She was precious.
"I want to be beautiful like Aunty Sakura is," said Suki. "I wish I had pink hair like her."
Mikoto smiled. "You really love Sakura… don't you?"
Suki nodded. "I love Aunty Sakura. I wish she was my mommy. Then Sora could be my brother," she explained happily.
Sasuke hung his head low from outside her door.
Mikoto stopped brushing her hair and saw Suki's smiling face through the mirror. This was her granddaughter. This precious girl was the heart of the Uchiha family and it pained Mikoto to see her yearn for a mother of her own. She was so innocent and deserved so much. Mikoto turned Suki around to face her.
"Well… you're all done now, and you look stunning," she said before the door opened fully and Sasuke stepped into the room. Suki smiled when she saw him.
"Daddy, how do I look?" she asked twirling around. Sasuke smiled and picked her up.
"Beautiful," he said before kissing her cheek.
Mikoto smiled at the two of them. "Suki, why don't you go show your dress to Grandpa while your daddy and I talk?"
Sasuke put her down and Suki scurried off to find Fugaku. When she was gone, Sasuke turned to his mother. "I know what this is about."
"Good. Then that saves us a lot of time. No doubt you overheard what she said earlier."
"Hn."
Mikoto sighed. Sasuke was never the talkative type, but he would open up to her every now and then.
"Sasuke, what exactly is your relationship with Sakura?" she asked. "Suki obviously thinks of her in a way that she shouldn't be right now should she?"
"Sakura is there for Suki when she needs to be," he replied. "There are things that you know I can't do for her and that's where Sakura comes in. This is all for Suki."
"So you're just using her?" she asked narrowing her eyes. "You know that she has a son of her own to think about."
"You know that's not how I am."
"I know exactly how you are Sasuke, I'm your mother," she reminded. "I know that you've always done what you thought you should do for your life. But I've never seen you do anything that you wanted to do."
Sasuke looked away, though that didn't deter her in the slightest.
"You took over the hospital out of obligation to your father. You married Aya out of obligation to the hospital. Now you have Suki and you're seeing another woman out of obligation for her need for a mother?"
"It's not only out of obligation to Suki," he said. "You don't have to worry about her."
"It's not only Suki that I'm worried about. This is your life Sasuke. For once, I just want to see you to do something that makes you happy," she said placing her hand on the side of his face and forcing him to look at her. "You're my son. All I want is your happiness."
"And that's all I want for Suki too," he said brining her hand down. "Don't worry about me mother. I can take care of myself." He walked out of the room before she could say another word.
Mikoto watched him leave and sighed. "…For once Sasuke, let someone take care of you," she whispered while thinking about a certain pink haired woman.
"I can't believe that old fart's engaged… to Granny Tsunade of all people!" Naruto complained as he and Hinata came back to their room. "And I can't believe that that bar didn't' have any ramen!"
Not only was there no ramen, but Jiraya had told Naruto the news of his proposal to Tsunade over drinks, which totally caught him off guard.
"Shouldn't you be happy for him Naruto?" Hinata asked. "He and Tsunade were meant to be."
"Yeah, a pervy sage and an alcoholic granny," he said dryly, kicking his shoes off. "It's just… I don't know it's weird."
"Well when you say it like that it is. Think of it this way," she said as she sat on the bed. "Not only are you gaining a new mother of sorts, your already gaining a new sister through Sakura. After all, Tsunade does think of her as a daughter. Now Sora could be your nephew too. Your family is only growing."
Naruto smiled and tossed his shirt aside, revealing a deep red ANBU tattoo on his right arm. Then he removed the gun that was strapped to his ankle and carefully placed it on the counter before pouncing on Hinata, who squeaked with surprise. Juggling your CIA career and your civilian cover life was hard work, and there was nothing better than finding release with your wife.
Hinata melted under the kisses Naruto trailed down her neck. She knew how stressful their jobs could be and she did everything she could to help make Naruto feel better. But as much as she wanted him right now, she knew that they had to get ready for the Gala.
"Naruto," she breathed. He claimed her lips, knowing that she was going to stop this soon. He didn't want that just yet. Hinata smiled, but pulled him away with her hands. "We have to shower and get ready for the Gala."
Naruto hung his head low, but then brought it back up and smiled mischievously at his wife. He lifted her up and carried her bridal style to the bathroom.
"Naruto, what are you doing?"
"Think of the time we'll save if we shower together," he grinned. Hinata blushed but was excited none the less. She just wondered if they'll actually manage to get clean in time for the Gala.
Ino and Shikamaru had come by and taken Sora down to the ballroom with them. Sakura still had some things to do before she came down and was grateful for their help. After packing up all their stuff, she finally decided to slip into her dress.
Her hair was left down in very soft curls that gracefully framed her face. Her makeup was subtle with eyeliner that brought out the brilliance of her naturally green eyes. She also wore a pearly pink lip stick.
Her jewelry consisted of a pair of beautiful diamond studded earrings, and matching pendant necklace and bracelet. Now all that was left was the dress.
Before she could get it, there was a knock on her door. Sakura tightened her robe and went to see who it was. When she opened the door, she found a really tall attendant with white hair and a somewhat blank stare, standing outside with what appeared to be some sort of card and a single red rose.
"Ms. Haruno. There's a message for you," he said before handing her the card and rose. Sakura was surprised, but smiled nonetheless.
"Thank you." As soon as she took them, the attendant quickly left without another word. "I wonder what this could be," she said as she opened the card. Inside, there were only seven words written down.
"I can't wait to see you tonight"
"Did Sasuke send me this?" A smile and a blush made their way onto her face. This was so cute and so un-like Sasuke. Not only that, she was now nervous about letting him see her in her dress. Still, this was just really sweet. She brought the rose up to her face and took in its scent. She couldn't wait to see him either.
Sakura practically skipped over to the bed and slipped into her dress. She examined herself in the mirror and smiled at her appearance. The dress was a shining white chiffon ball gown and had very thin spaghetti straps, almost leaving her shoulders bare. It hugged her hips and upper body perfectly, showing off her figure and lightly flared out at the knees until it almost dragged on the floor. The dress showed a moderate amount of cleavage, but the most dramatic thing about it was that it was completely backless.
She felt like a cloud wearing this flowing gown.
After looking over herself once more, Sakura walked over the dresser and sprayed herself with a bit of her white cherry blossom perfume. Now she was ready. She left the card and the rose on the dresser and walked to the door. The feeling of excitement was getting more intense.
Sasuke and the Uchiha family had arrived in the ballroom. This room was the most exquisite place in the entire hotel. There was a huge staircase leading from the top of the entry way, down to the main floor and it was decorated with white lights and holly spiraling all around it.
Christmas decorations were placed everywhere and there were several large Christmas trees lining the sides of the room all leading up to the large fifteen-footer at the top of the grand hall. Circular tables that could seat up to fifteen people were arranged throughout the room and they were decorated with mini Christmas trees as centerpieces. There was even a bit of fake snow scattered around everywhere. It truly felt like a winter palace.
"Ohhhh this place is so pretty Daddy," Suki said wondrously as she walked hand and hand with her father down the stair case.
"Not as pretty as you," Itachi countered. He was walked behind Fugaku and Mikoto. Suki smiled back at him. As they came down the stairs, they spotted their group a little ways away. Suki let go of Sasuke's hand and ran over to them.
"Hi guys" she greeted as she approached Akio, Akira and Sora. The rest of the adults stood by with their drinks.
"You look pretty Suki," said Akira as the kids came together in the ballroom.
"You too Akira." Akira was wearing a baby blue dress that complimented her blond hair brought out her eyes nicely. Akio was wearing a little grey suit with a black bow tie. Sora's little black tux greatly resembled Sasuke's.
"Suki you look so cute," Ino said smiling. She wore a darker royal blue tube top gown that fit her body perfectly. Her hair was done up in an elaborate knot at the back of her head. Shikamaru was with her and he was also wearing a black tux like Akio.
"Thank you Aunty Ino," said Suki.
Tenten waddled her way over to Suki. She was wearing a long black silk umpire waist dress that was both flattering to her pregnant figure and lose enough for her to move freely. The dress was tied together with a white sash and her hair was let down and clipped in the back.
"I feel like a whale," she stated wearily as she stood near Ino. She felt like one standing next that Ino's slim figure. Suki came over to her and patted her large tummy.
"Aunty Tenten, when are the babies coming?" she asked innocently while keeping her hands on Tenten's belly.
"I hope they come soon sweetie, because I feel like a whale," she replied making Suki giggle. Sora came over too.
"Wow Aunty Tenten you're tummy is really really really big now," he awed. Ino snickered and Tenten smiled, but was crying anime tears internally.
"Thank you sweetie," she mumbled, ruffling his hair. Sora smiled before he saw Sasuke coming his way.
Sasuke walked over and smirked at his little tux. The kid had good taste. "Have you been practicing your training?"
"Yeah, I practice every day and I ask Mommy to give me lots of tomatoes," he reported enthusiastically.
"Good boy," he said ruffling Sora's already messy hair. "You'll grow up to be strong." Sora smiled. He was glad that he had Sasuke around to train him. "Where's your mother?"
"She's still getting ready. She told me to come down with Aunty Ino."
"I see." He saw Naruto and Hinata make their way towards them. He was actually dressed nicely. He was wearing a black tux, but he somehow managed to sneak a shining pumpkin orange tie into the mix. The Dobe loved his orange.
"What's up guys?" Naruto looked a little too happy, but then again, Sasuke still considered him to be a newlywed and that always explained a lot. Hinata was holding his hand and wearing a lavender halter top dress that came down in ruffles towards the feet. Her hair was held back in a low pony tail.
"You actually dressed normal," he said to Naruto as he took a sip of his drink.
"Ahh forget you Teme," Naruto replied. Suki came up to Naruto and tugged on his pants. He looked down at his little pink goddaughter and smiled.
"Do I look pretty Uncle Naruto?" she asked. Naruto picked her up and smiled.
"Don't tell anyone but," he dropped his voice to a whisper. "You're the prettiest one here." Suki giggled and nodded.
"Where's Sakura?" Hinata asked looking around.
"That's what I'd like to know."
Everyone turned around to find Kakashi standing there with a woman in a scandalous black dress on his arm. When you get past the glamor, you could see that she was kind of scowling. She got several astonished looks from the group though.
"What's up Kakashi?" Naruto greeted. Kakashi internally sighed at Naruto's carelessness. Kakashi was dressed in a sharp black tux with a shining red tie and grey vest underneath.
"When did you meet Sakura's father?" Sasuke asked with a curious expression. Naruto froze but remained laughing.
"We met after I had dinner with my daughter," Kakashi answered as he covered for Naruto's careless blunder. "You and your wife were shopping, am I correct?"
"Yes we were," Hinata confirmed. "We're so glad that you could make it tonight," she said patting Naruto's arm affectionately. Naruto sighed nervously.
Kakashi turned to Anko. "This is Anko, one of my good friends."
Anko internally rolled her eyes, but smiled none the less. Her hair was let down straight and was held together at one side with a sparkling black clip. She wore no jewelry though. That was the one thing she wouldn't compromise on. But she did get trapped into putting on some make up. She had to cover up the curse mark on the side of her neck with foundation.
"Hi," she ground out. She knew everyone there, expect for Sasuke, who nodded at her but didn't bother to make eye contact. He was more interested in the whereabouts of a certain pink haired woman.
Sakura walked along the corridor with her gown flowing elegantly behind her. She could hear the soft music playing from downstairs as she got closer to the grand staircase. Her high heeled shoes made no noise as she walked over the red velvet carpet that lined the floors. Her soft curls bounced lightly with every step she made.
She was anxious. Getting that note earlier only added to her restlessness. She wanted to look nice in front of a certain speech-impaired man that she's come to know and care for. She smiled as she remembered the note. It was so sweet of him to do that.
Sasuke really was something else. Sakura was instantly attracted to him physically; that much she wasn't going to deny. Sasuke was a man of few words. He was calm, cool, collected, and full of mystery. He was really quite alluring to the female eye.
But Sakura was fortunate enough to see what was past his appearances. Beyond those deep onyx orbs was a man that was kind, generous and loving. Regardless of his solitary exterior, Sakura saw the tender side of Sasuke and how he is with the people he cares for most.
He was the most content with his little angel Suki. His "Tenshi" as he so lovingly refers to her.
That little girl was his lifeline. How can he be anything but loving towards that bundle of innocence? It was the greatest thing for Sakura to see how much love Sasuke was capable of giving to his friends and family. He had even gone so far as to embrace Sora as if he was his own son… and that meant the world to her.
She had just reached the top of the grand staircase. Once she had come in full view of it, she looked down and felt her heart jump at the sight of the man at the bottom, staring at her as is she was only thing there.
Sasuke had decided to step out of the buzz of the ballroom and get some air by the stairs, where it was less populated. He never really enjoyed being surrounded by people and their festivities, hence his solitary personality and his anti-social demeanor all together. But something drew him to go to the stairs and once he reached it, he looked up and couldn't look away.
At the top of the stairs, was a vision in white. The most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.
Both stood in awe of the other. She drank up his appearance, only wondering for a split second if this was how Sora would grow up to look like twenty years from now. He was dressed in a bigger version of the tux she had Sora wear. The difference that size could make on an identical tux was the difference between and adorable little boy and a drop-dead-sexy man.
Sakura slowly began to descend towards him. She kept her gaze on him with every step she took. The music playing drowned out all the other sounds of the people around them. The only sound that she could hear other than the music, was the beating of her heart as it pounded in her ears.
Sasuke stood there, fully transfixed on the woman that was now coming closer to him. Her lips, her hair, her dress, and those gorgeous green eyes of hers—everything was perfect. The lights that aligned the staircase highlighted her entire form, making her look more like a Christmas Angel.
Being so mesmerized by each other made them fail to realize that they had an audience present.
"Aunty Sakura looks so pretty," Suki said wondrously. Everyone turned to see what she was talking about. They saw how the pair looked at each other.
At this point, none of them quite knew the real depth of Sasuke and Sakura's relationship, however they now had a better understanding about Kakashi's earlier inquiry about Sasuke.
Speaking of Kakashi, the group turned to look in his direction and they weren't surprised to find him watching as well.
She finally came down and stopped with just a few stairs left. She smiled and turned around slowly to show him the extent of her dress. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly when he saw her completely bare back. She turned back to him, only to see him still staring at her in awe.
"So… how do I look?" she asked shyly.
"…Beautiful," he breathed. Beautiful didn't even begin to describe her right now, but it was all he could come up with at the moment. But judging from the blush she was giving him, it was good enough for now.
"Well, you don't look so bad yourself," she returned. She received one of his signature smirks.
She came down the rest of the stairs and caught sight of two little objects running towards them from behind Sasuke. That was when she noticed that they had quite the audience watching them from beyond.
"Aunty Sakura," Suki called out as she came running towards her. Sakura bent down and let Suki run into a big hug.
"Hi sweetie, oh let me look at you." She held Suki out in front of her. "You look so beautiful. Pink really is your color."
Suki smiled. "You look pretty Aunty Sakura." In her eyes, Sakura was fairytale princesses come to life.
"I think you look like a princess Mommy," Sora remarked. Sakura smiled and brought him into a hug as well.
"Thank you," she said kissing both their cheeks. She released them and stood up. "You both look so cute. Sora, you keep the tie on all night okay?"
"Okay," he said glancing at Sasuke. Sora was obviously very happy that he dressed like him.
"Let's go find everyone," she suggested. She took both kids hands and began to walk to the center of the ballroom with Sasuke following closely, ignoring everyone's pointed stares as they did so.
Kakashi saw her coming down the stairs. She was even more beautiful than her mother was. As he watched her take every step, Kakashi began to realize just how much of a woman that his little girl had become. Seems it was just yesterday that she was this chubby-cheeked little thing taking her first steps towards him.
But now, it pained him to see that she was no longer his baby girl running into his arms. Now, she was a woman and he wasn't the one she was walking to anymore. Now, she was walking down to the man that was waiting for her at the bottom.
Sasuke Uchiha.
There was something about the man that Kakashi was unsure of. But seeing the look in his eyes as he watched Sakura coming towards him was unmistakable.
Sasuke Uchiha was falling in love with his daughter.
Kakashi tried to be happy, but then, as he saw Sakura turn to reveal a scandalously revealing backless side, he almost flipped. He tensed and felt like walking up to her and throwing his coat over her.
"Keep cool," Anko warned running her hand up and down his arm in restraint. She felt him become tense all of the sudden, and she knew why. It was pretty amusing.
"Look at her dress!" he growled turning to her. "It's too revealing!"
To that, Anko raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Backless dresses are tasteful and elegant…are they not?"
She smirked at his expression. He was defeated, and she loved it. She stopped smirking when she felt his hand sneak its way onto her own bare back. Kakashi pulled her closer, silently promising her that she was going to get it later tonight. But for now, he was the protective father, and she was going to have a tough time trying to calm him down.
"Sakura," he lamented. He watched her face as she stood before Sasuke. She was happy. She was so much more than just his daughter. The two little people running towards her proved that. She embraced them both as her children.
As Kakashi stared at the four of them, he could not get the idea that they seemed like a perfect fit out of his mind.
But there was someone else however, that didn't like the sight of them together.
"I can't wait to see you tonight"
That's what he told her in his note. And the sight that he saw was worth the wait because… there she was.
The object of his desire…
A beauty in white…
She was magnificent…
She did more justice to that dress than it could ever do for her. She was perfect. Her flawless body, her beautifully pink hair, and the emeralds she claimed were her eyes were all perfection.
The man held his wine glass up to his lips and took a long sip as he observed her coming down those stairs. He came close to breaking his glass after getting a glimpse of her incredibly backless dress. After all this time, there she was. And after all this time, she still wasn't coming to him.
Because to her, he didn't exist…
He meant nothing to her…
And there she was, going to another man… a man that didn't deserve her.
Just like she did last time…
And just like last time… he would make her regret forgetting him.
He would make her regret being with that man.
He took another swig of his wine and emptied the contents of his glass. Watching her with that man was beginning to make his blood boil, but he had to keep his cool. There was still so much work to do… and so many specimens to choose from in this room alone.
He needed a few more for his work. None of his test subjects seemed to be responding well to the treatments. He needed more of them, but he had to be careful now. Their disappearances have attracted media attention. He needed to tread carefully. He would focus on that for now. He'll get back to Sakura later.
He placed his drink on one of the server's dishes and walked away. There was someone he needed to call.
He had delivered the message to "Sakura" a little while ago. Now he was downstairs in the grand ballroom, carrying out his task as the champagne server. His eyes occasionally glared in the direction of certain man, who shouldn't be in his face.
He couldn't stand Sasuke Uchiha.
Looking at the man made him sick. He didn't deserve happiness. Sasuke was the reason why his life was miserable, and looking at him with that Sakura woman only added to his hatred. He wanted nothing more than to grab the gun hidden in his coat and finish the Uchiha off. The ringing of his cell phone momentarily distracted him.
He picked up the phone and listened to his bosses instructions.
"Understood," he muttered before closing his phone and tucking it in his pocket. He straightened his tie, picked up his tray full of champagne glasses and began to work the room, all the while keeping his eye on the bane of his existence.
"Sakura you look so beautiful," Hinata said as Sakura, Sasuke and the kids made it to their group.
She smiled and blushed. "Thanks Hinata."
"Yeah Sakura you look like one of the angles on top of a tree," Naruto commented.
"Aww Naruto that's so sweet. You look great too. You all do," Sakura said as she looked around. "We should get dressed up more often."
"Speak for yourself," Tenten huffed as she waddled her way to the chairs. It was getting tougher to remain standing when you had three fetuses weighing you down. Neji helped her get into the sitting position. Sakura came over to check on her.
"You okay Tennie?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a little hard to stand for so long, you know?"
Sakura was still worried. "Well you just take it easy and let me know the minute you don't feel well at all, okay?" Tenten nodded.
"Sakura!"
She turned and saw her mentor walking toward her with her soon-to-be-husband on her arm. She was wearing a dark green dress that had a pretty steep neckline, revealing an eyeful of her legendary chest. The man she was with had wild and spiky white hair and strange tattoos on his face. He reminded her of a toad. He was a big man, and he looked a bit goofy yet intimating in a black suit.
"Tsunade Sama, you look great."
"Yes yes don't I always," Tsunade replied merrily.
"Hey Granny Tsuna—OW!" Naruto yelped as Tsunade punched his arm.
"For the hundredth time, stop calling me Granny," she demanded before taking a sip of her drink. Naruto massaged his arm and muttered something about geriatric alcoholism under his breath.
"Now I hope I can find a certain little ninja man of mine that I have yet to see," Tsunade crooned while looking behind Sakura. Sora popped his head out at the words "ninja man" and saw his grandmother.
"Grandma!"
"There's my grandbaby!"
She crouched down and brought Sora into a suffocating hug. Sakura tried not to laugh as Sora's face went right into the middle of Tsunade's chest. She wasn't actually his grandmother, but she claimed the honorary title the day he was born.
"Why does he get to call you Granny?" Naruto shouted.
"Maybe because he's age appropriate?" Jiraya supplied. "You still have a lot to learn about women. And I'm still waiting for the grandchildren," he added nudging Naruto with his elbow. Naruto and Hinata blushed with embarrassment.
Jiraya looked down at the little boy that was struggling for air between Tsunade's "jugs" as he liked to call them.
"Let the boy breathe Tsunade," Jiraya said as he bent to put a hand on her shoulder. "He's a little too young to be experiencing the joys of a woman. And he can always turn to my books when he is."
He winced when Tsunade elbowed him in the shins.
"You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you," Tsunade noted as she pulled him away. Sora looked a little winded, but smiled nonetheless.
"Because I eat tomatoes now Grandma," Sora explained. "So now I'm getting bigger." Tsunade chuckled at his cuteness.
"Of course you are," she said fondly as she gave him a big kiss on his cheek. She left a big red kissy mark that Sora rubbed with his sleeve, but all he managed to do was smear it all over his cheek.
"Sora, don't use your sleeve." Sakura took a napkin from the table and began to rub the lipstick off. When she was done, there was nothing more than a light pink spot that remained.
Naruto concentrated on Sora before saying "Hey, I just noticed that Sora looks almost exactly like Sasuke." Everyone looked at him then.
"You just noticed that?" Jiraya sighed. "I just met the kid and even I saw that immediately." Naruto crossed his arms and looked away.
Ino looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well now that I look at it, they are wearing matching outfits. They really do look alike."
Everyone was now looking between Sasuke and Sora. Sora seemed to be a bit shy from all the attention and held his head down. But really, he was happy about the comments.
"What's going on here?" Kakashi asked as he and Anko approached the group. Kakashi eyed Sakura's attire briefly before looking down at his grandson, who was clearly embarrassed about something.
"Hi Daddy." Sakura smiled as she gave her father a hug. Kakashi kissed her forehead and smiled, but all he wanted to do was throw a sweater on her. He turned to Anko.
"This is Anko… my friend," he introduced. Anko semi-glared at him before looking at Sakura.
"Oh yeah, we spoke over the phone. Nice to meet you," Sakura said politely.
"Likewise," Anko returned. She was beginning to feel a little awkward now. She was meeting Kakashi's daughter. When thinking about it rationally, Anko couldn't picture herself as even a remotely close mother figure to Sakura. She was no more than fifteen years older than her. Then again her father was only eighteen years older than Sakura but still.
Kakashi was beginning to feel strange as well. He had his daughter and his girlfriend together for the first time. He could tell Anko was feeling the same way, but as far as Sakura went, he couldn't tell. So he turned to Sasuke.
"Good to see you again Sasuke," he said, straightening his posture. Kakashi's voice was also somewhat stronger than his usual laid back manner. Sasuke turned to him and nodded.
"Commander Hatake," he responded with equal strength in his voice. Sakura had come back and stood near Sasuke.
"Daddy, where's your drink?"
"I've already had one," he answered. "Besides, I don't want to be too intoxicated when we dance tonight." he reminded with a smile. Sakura smiled back.
"You can dance Grandpa?" Sora asked skeptically.
"I want to dance too," said Suki.
"Me too," Akira chimed. Being the dancers that Suki and Akira were, they couldn't wait to dance.
"After dinner then," Sakura promised.
"Well there's a little bit of time before dinner," Tsunade informed. "Sakura why don't you go mingle a little bit. There are quite a few people I want you to run into. And when you meet them, tell them you're my student," she instructed while taking a sip of her martini.
"She's been bragging about you," said Jiraya. "And I suppose I can brag about you becoming my new daughter. You're practically Tsunade's daughter after all."
"Practically being the key word here," said Kakashi as he stepped up. "You can go mingle," he said to Sakura.
"Thanks for the permission," she muttered dryly. "I'm going to go get some champagne," she said before leaving the group. Sasuke was about to follow her, when he felt a firm hand drop his shoulder.
"So Sasuke," Kakashi began. "I've heard quite a bit about you from both my daughter and my grandson. Let's talk shall we?"
"This party's boring," Akio complained. The kids had been roaming around the ballroom trying to find something to do.
"I think it's fun," Suki replied. "We get to see all the grownups in pretty dresses and then we get to dance."
"Yeah Akio," said Akira. "We get to dress up too. Now I look as pretty as Mommy does."
"Mommy's way prettier than you are," he said making his sister scowl.
"You're a booger" she returned. Akira then turned to Sora. "Do you think I'm pretty Sora?"
Sora looked over her dress with an innocent expression and shrugged. "I think so," he answered.
Akira blushed and smiled before sticking her tongue out at her brother, who just ignored her.
"Hey you guys, let's play hide and seek," Suki suggested. The rest of the kids agreed.
"I've read about your work Dr. Haruno. It's really helped in our own research," praised one of the doctors that Sakura was currently talking to.
"Thank you," she replied. "It was really just a collection of my own notes from med school, but in the end, documenting everything turned out to be a good idea I suppose." She chuckled and sipped her champagne.
"As expected of Tsunade's student," said a new voice. A woman with short brown hair and a dark grape colored dress stood by them.
"Shizune!"
The two women hugged. "I was wondering where you were," Sakura said as they parted.
"I've been around," Shizune replied. "I'm currently tracking down Tsunade Sama. I figured I'd just follow the booze and I'm good."
"She's over by the dance floor. I'll catch up with you later then."
Shizune nodded and left to go and find her boss. Sakura looked over in the direction she was going and barely saw the rest of her group getting settled at their table.
"Well, it looks like dinner is about to start," she said to her current company. "It was a pleasure meeting you."
"Likewise," they returned. Sakura smiled and then turned to leave.
As she walked toward the direction of her table, she suddenly bumped into someone who was walking in the opposite direction, making her spill her drink onto that person.
"Oh I'm so sorry," she said without even looking at the persons face. She began to attempt to tidy up the person's expensive looking suit with her handkerchief. The person chuckled.
"Well, if it isn't the cherry blossom prodigy herself."
Sakura looked up at him then. He was almost as tall as Sasuke was, but he had long silvery grey spiky hair that was held together in the back in a low ponytail. He wore basic round rimmed glasses that were currently covering his eyes with the glare of the light shining on them.
He used his index finger to push them up the bridge of his nose and smirked as the pink haired woman's face indicated recognition.
"It's been a while Sakura."
"Kabuto?" she said incredulously. "How are you?"
"I'm okay," he answered chuckling. "A little moist, but okay."
Sakura immediately went back to trying to wipe the drink off him. "Oh, I'm so sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"It's quite alright," he soothed. "I don't mind running into a beautiful woman, not to mention, one of Japan's legendary physicians under thirty. Congratulations on that," he said while grabbing two full champagne glasses from a passing waiter.
Sakura smiled and accepted the new drink from him.
"Still just as charming as ever, but thank you. I don't doubt you've had your accomplishments too. What have you been doing since med school?"
"You could say I'm more involved in medical research at the moment," he answered. "Medicine was my major for a long time, but there comes a point when modern medicine just isn't enough anymore. There are cures all over the place and we just need to find them. Needless to say, I've been traveling for the past few years. "
"I see," Sakura said nodding. "Well I know that no one can compete with you on research. You were pretty much the top of our class in theory, and organic chemistry."
"Yes, but how can I compete with the cherry blossom prodigy that transferred into the senior class at the age of eighteen?"
She chuckled. "Who came up with that name for me anyway? No one ever told me back in college."
"I think your hair did the talking," he replied. She pretended to feign hurt on her face. Kabuto chuckled. "But seriously, you look… absolutely stunning tonight," he said looking over her appearance.
Sakura blushed a bit. "Why thank you."
Kabuto was about to sip his champagne until he felt something collide with the back of his legs. His champagne spilled all over the floor as he turned around to meet with two small heads of raven hair.
"Sorry mister," said a little boy with wild raven hair.
Kabuto stared down at the child. This boy had a very familiar air about him. He could only guess that the young girl next to him was his twin sister. She also had a very familiar air about her. But when she looked up at him with those big green eyes, Kabuto could only think one person.
"Sora? Suki? What are you two doing here?" Sakura asked. She looked down at the spilled champagne, then back to Kabuto who was just looking at the kids. "Sorry about this Kabuto. It looks like you can't catch a break with me."
"We were playing hid and seek Mommy," Sora answered. Suki nodded in agreement. Kabuto rounded on Sakura with wide eyes.
"These are your kids?" he asked incredulously as the two children went to stand by her. Sora stood by his mother and Suki tried to hide behind her a bit, afraid that the man would be angry at them for hitting him.
"Yes…well…" she hesitated and put her hand on Suki's head. It was really too much trouble to correct him and say that only Sora was her child, and she definitely didn't want to hurt Suki by saying that. "Sorry about your drink."
"… It's… it's no problem," he whispered. "I just can't believe you're a mother."
"Yeah well that's life for you. It's full of surprises," she said as she smiled down at the kids. Kabuto looked down at the children as well. His glasses caught the light, casting a glare on the lenses.
"Life huh?" he mused. "It certainly is surprising. A who may I ask is the lucky guy?"
"Daddy!" Suki shouted. She was holding onto Sakura's dress and looking behind him.
Kabuto turned in that direction and saw who she was referring too. He saw someone who was no stranger to Kabuto's knowledge. He walked right up to them and stood by Sakura. Both children moved to stand in between Sakura and him.
Konoha Medical's renowned CEO, Uchiha Sasuke.
Sakura had just left him to go and "mingle" amongst her fellow physicians. Sasuke would have gone with her, had it not been for her father preventing him from doing so. Now he was stuck and pretty much getting the third degree. Kakashi had been interrogating him for the past ten minutes or so.
"I hear you're helping Sora with his Karate," Kakashi said conversationally. "How's he doing?"
"Top of his class," he replied. Kakashi nodded even though he already knew that his grandson was the best in his class from Rock Lee's reports. He had specifically assigned Lee to the position of Sora's karate instructor. He only wanted the best Tai Jutsu instructor for his grandson.
"As he should be. He takes after his mother after all," he said proudly.
Sakura was always a quick learner. Back when she was taking her self-defense lessons, Guy was willing to pose as her teacher, but Kakashi preferred that he teach her himself. Although he trusted Guy completely, he didn't want Sakura to drop out of the class due to chronic green eyesore.
"Hn," Sasuke replied as he steadily scanned the room looking for Sakura.
"You're not very talkative are you?" Kakashi asked. "You know what they say about the quiet ones: they've always got something to hide." Sasuke's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but Kakashi was able to catch it.
"Daddy!"
Kakashi saw Suki tug on her father's blazer. "When can we go dancing?" she asked innocently. Kakashi saw Sasuke's expression change from defensive to warm at the sight of the little girl.
"After dinner Tenshi," he answered. Suki pouted, but nodded in understanding.
She then looked up at Kakashi and smiled. For the second time since he'd seen her, Kakashi couldn't get over how much she reminded him of Sakura. Those eyes were undeniably what set him back the most.
Suki left them and went to go play with the other children. Sasuke turned his attention back to Kakashi.
"I'll get right to it," said Kakashi. "My daughter and grandson mean more to me than anything else. I know about your relationship, and I want you to know that if you hurt my daughter or put her in any danger, I'll come after you."
Sasuke didn't seem the least bit fazed by Kakashi's threat. He was actually expecting it.
"My daughter is also my life," he replied. "I can understand your concern for Sakura. But unlike Suki, Sakura isn't five years old." Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly. "I would trust her to make her own decisions."
"Sakura isn't the one I don't trust," Kakashi said plainly. After that statement, he and Sasuke were locked in a semi-glaring contest. Kakashi was facing a challenge that was completely different from the last one. Sai was someone that, for the most part, Kakashi knew all about. Sasuke on the other hand, was a blank card.
"Why don't you have another drink?" Anko suggested as she came to stand by Kakashi's side. She handed him a glass of champagne and looped her arm through his as femininely as possible. She could smell the tension that was coming off of her date and she figured she better loosen him up a bit.
She saw that Sasuke had decided to take this opportunity to get away. As he turned to leave them, Anko froze. There, for the briefest moment, she could have sworn that she saw something black on the side of his neck.
It was only for a second, so she couldn't have been sure. But it was impossible for someone of his age to have it.
"He's too young,"she thought. "I'm going crazy. There's no way that he could have been associated with him."
She looked up at Kakashi and saw the he kept his gaze focused on Sasuke. She should have known that he wouldn't be able to bud-out of his daughters business. But he must not have noticed anything unusual about Sasuke, and he had better eyes than she did.
Sasuke walked along the hall, looking for a certain pink-haired woman. After weaving his way through the crowd for a bit, he still couldn't find her. The hall was just too big and there were too many people.
He did happen to see Suki and Sora running around the hall, smiling and giggling. Sasuke stood and watched the two kids play. Since the Nara twins weren't with them, Sasuke could only conclude that they were playing hide and seek. Sasuke would have smiled at the sight them playing had it not been for the fact that they bumped into someone.
That someone spilled his champagne all over the floor. When the man moved to see who hit him, Sasuke saw that Sakura was right behind him. The kids ran over to her and Sakura apologized to the man. Sasuke decided to step in and walked over to them.
"Daddy!" shouted Suki as she spotted him. Sasuke came and stood next to Sakura. Sora and Suki stood between them. He briefly glanced at the kids, and then looked at Sakura. She smiled at him before looking back at the man.
"Sasuke Uchiha," said Kabuto. "Konoha Medical's CEO for the past seven or so years correct?"
Sasuke nodded. "Kabuto Yakushi. What brings you to this event?"
Kabuto raised his glasses with his index finger as he spoke. "I was in China on an expedition when I received a message informing me of this gathering. I was told that coming here would be of great interest to my research by keeping me updated with the latest medicinal advancements. Needless to say with the lectures this morning, I've learned more than I originally sought out to," he said staring pointedly at the four of them.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted in an 'I don't really care' tone. Sakura looked up at him and he could tell that she was trying hard not to roll her eyes at him.
"So you know each other?" she asked looking between both men.
"More like we're familiar with each other," Kabuto clarified. "It's hard not to know one of the most successful CEO's in the country. One of the top five along with Gaara and the Sunagakure medical group."
"I used to work for them." She looked up at Sasuke. "Now I work for him—I mean… uh… KMC." She suppressed her blush as best she could as Sasuke continued to stare Kabuto down.
Kabuto seemed to be going back and forth between Sasuke and Sakura and the "twins". Genetics don't lie, and those two kids obviously belonged to them.
"Mommy," Sora said as he took hold of her hand. "I'm hungry."
"Me too," said Suki with a small pout.
"Dinner is about to begin anyway," Sasuke said after a beat. "Let's go."
"Okay then. It was great seeing you again Kabuto," Sakura said before Sasuke placed his hand on her back and practically forced her to begin walking.
"Likewise," he returned. He locked eyes with Sasuke as he passed by and didn't fail to notice a sort of warning look in his eye. Sakura noticed it too.
"How exactly do you know him?" Sasuke asked in a somewhat hushed tone. The kids were walking at their sides, not really paying attention.
"We went to medical school together. He was in a few of my classes. You jealous?"
She was only teasing, yet she jolted when she felt his hand slid just a bit lower on her scandalously backless dress.
"…Perhaps…" he admitted in a low tone that made her try hard not to shiver, but his hand on her bare back was like a trigger. She noticed that he kept his hand there the entire way back to their table, and only let go one they reached it.
"So you found your kids too I see," said Ino as they took their seats. Akira and Akio were sitting next to their mother with little pouts on their faces. "It was easy finding these two. All I had to do was follow the girl shouting "booger" like there was no tomorrow," she said with a disapproving look at her daughter.
"All I had to do wait for them to bump into one of my old friends from school and spill his champagne all over the floor," Sakura chuckled as she smiled at Sora and Suki.
"Who did you run into?" Tenten asked.
"Kabuto Yakushi. Remember him? He was in my chemistry class."
Tenten frowned. "You mean that creepy nerd with the glaring glasses? Yeah I remember him. Although there isn't really much to remember, except for the fact that he was practically a teacher's pet. Annoying fool," she muttered. Then she silently cursed her pregnancy hormones.
After a few more minutes, dinner was served and everyone settled down to enjoy it.
Sakura took her time to observe all the people around her. Everyone was smiling and having a good time. Sora and Suki were being their adorable selves and eating their dinner as neatly as possible. She glanced over in Neji and Tenten's direction and almost giggled when she saw Neji's reaction to Tenten dipping her vegetables in ketchup.
Tsunade was probably on her seventh drink by now, and Jiraya was poking fun at Naruto about erotica in general.
About an hour went by until people began to walk onto the dance floor. The music changed into melodic dance tunes as guests began to waltz across the dance floor. She then felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around and smiled to see a special someone holding out their hand for a dance.
Sasuke watched as Sakura smiled at all the dancing couples. He was debating on whether or not to ask her to dance. On the one hand, he would be able to hold her close without any question. On the other hand, he never danced. He didn't doubt his dancing ability; he just couldn't lose his face in front of the guys or his parents for that matter.
But before he could make any choice, someone had already beaten him to it.
Sakura smiled at her special someone.
"May I have this dance," Kakashi asked. Sakura was beaming as she nodded and took her father's hand. Together they walked to the center of the dance floor. He took her hand in his and began to gently move with the music.
"You look beautiful," he complimented. "Are you cold? Because you can always wear my jacket."
Sakura chuckled. "My dress isn't that backless is it? Besides, I saw Anko in an equally backless dress. Are you two dating?"
"Well…"
"Because I think it would be great," she continued quickly. "I've never seen you with anyone my whole life. I think it's definitely okay for you to move on."
"Well it's good to know that." Sakura smiled and rested her head against his chest. "It's nice to dance with you. I haven't danced with you since you were five years old. For years, all I've done was watch you dance in your ballet recitals. I miss that."
"I know, I miss that too. I only wish that Sora had a sister so that you could watch her dance too. It would be less lonely for him as well."
"I've already raised one beautiful girl, and my grandson is more than what I could have asked for. Are you sure he's lonely?"
Sakura sighed. "I know he was until Suki came into the picture," she said smiling fondly. "Those two are inseparable."
"Does that go for you and Sasuke as well?" he asked. "I can only assume that when the kids are together, so are the two of you."
"Sasuke's a good man," she replied. "And yes, I'm getting to know him better and our children are bonding. We know were walking on thin ice, but I just feel so different around him. And it's a good feeling."
"There's something about him that doesn't sit well with me Sakura."
"Please don't," she pleaded. "Not while I'm dancing with you. This is our time."
Kakashi sighed and abandoned the issue. He brought her closer to him and let her rest her head on his chest. He looked down and saw her bare back. Again, he sighed. Why did she have to wear something so revealing?
"Oh how cute, look at that," she said pointing behind him. Kakashi turned and saw what she meant. He saw the kids dancing with each other. Sora was actually dancing with the Nara girl, although it looked more like she had forced him too judging by his small frown. And the Uchiha girl was dancing with the other Nara.
"She really does remind me of you," said Kakashi. "You were the most beautiful daughter a man could ask for…and you still are." Sakura smiled.
"And you're the best daddy in the whole world."
Kakashi smiled. Ever since she learned how to talk coherently, that was the one thing she would say to him every day. They continued to dance to the rest of the song. Sakura twirled and smiled in her father's arms; the arms that loved her and kept her safe her whole life.
When the song ended, they pulled apart slightly and Kakashi kissed her forehead.
"Thanks for the dance."
Sasuke was continuing with his inner battle on whether or not to dance with Sakura. Her dance with her father was over, and he saw all the other supposedly single men staring at her, just waiting for a chance with her. Needless to say, this was getting on his last nerve.
He had to make sure that no one else had to opportunity to dance with her, and if that meant that he had to do it himself, then so be it. He was about to get up and claim her to himself, when yet again, someone beat him to it.
It was that man from before, Kabuto Yakushi.
"Care to dance with an old friend?" Kabuto asked as he held his hand out for her.
Sakura quickly looked in Sasuke's direction and saw him glaring, but he didn't look like he was about to make any move to dance with her. Sasuke didn't seem like the dancing type, so she smiled an accepted his hand.
Sasuke was utterly pissed off by now. She looked over at him and then just dances with someone else? What the hell was that? Was she trying to make him jealous? Well it was definitely working. He did not want her to dance with anyone else. And he really didn't like the sight of Kabuto's hand on her back, dangerously close to her ass.
Sasuke tried to contain himself, but it wasn't working. With every minute that passed, he was getting more and more peeved. He saw Kabuto pull her a little closer to himself, and that was the last straw. He immediately got up from the table, and briskly walked over to them.
Sakura felt awkward dancing with Kabuto. The glare on his glasses was starting to get to her eyes, and he was way too close for her liking. And only now was she regretting her backless dress at the feel of his clammy hands on her back.
"Are you okay?"
"Oh…yes. Everything's fine," she said trying to smile for him. But she couldn't help but feel like a horrible person for wishing that she was dancing with Sasuke instead of Kabuto.
Kabuto twirled her around and brought her back into place, when he felt a firm pressure on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Sasuke standing there with a stoic expression on his face.
"I'm cutting in," he stated firmly. Kabuto lifted his glasses with his finger and nodded.
"Of course." He turned the Sakura. "It was a pleasure to dance with you," he said before turning away and walking off the dance floor. Sasuke immediately took her into his arms and began to sway to the music.
"That was a little direct of you," she noted as she placed her arms around his shoulders.
"Hn."
"Why'd you decide to cut in?" she asked ignoring the "Hn". "You don't strike me as the type to dance."
"I wasn't about to let someone else touch you." The ferocity and possessiveness of his voice surprised her. He had a firm hold on her, and his demeanor was giving off a territorial air that was making them seem unapproachable.
"A little possessive don't you think? No one knows I'm seeing you. What would they think if saw us together like this?"
"Then they'll know that your mine," he replied. Sakura blushed and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm yours? Since when?" she asked trying to sound unaffected.
"Since now." He roughly pulled her closer to himself. Her arms remained on top of his shoulders.
"How can they be so sure? My father doesn't seem to think that you have what it takes to be with me. What will you do to prove him wrong?" she asked provokingly. "What would you do to prove that I'm really yours… Mr. Uchiha?"
As soon as she said that, Sasuke pulled her so close that there was no free space left in between them. She gasped as she looked up into his eyes and saw sheer determination. Something inside him became unleashed, and it looked like Sasuke was determined to prove something to her.
His hand moved down her bare back, savoring the feel of her smooth skin, and came to rest at her hip. He leaned in, catching the scent of white cherry blossoms, and whispered in her ear.
"In front of all these people," he began. "In front of our friends and family and in front of our kids… I'll kiss you with everything I've got." He lightly squeezed her hip.
Sakura shivered as her heart began to pump more blood to her face, increasing her modest blush and making her eyelids heavy.
Sasuke pulled away enough to look directly into her emerald eyes with his classic smirk in place. Sakura looked up at him and smirked as well. She stood on her toes and whispered in his ear.
"I dare you."
She came back to face Sasuke, but couldn't move any father back. He wouldn't let her.
He knew they had an audience. He didn't even have to look away from her to know that everyone they knew was watching them. He could practically feel her father's glare and internally smirked.
But this wasn't about them. This was about the woman in his arms, and he was about to make it known to all that she was his.
She gazed at him with heavy eyelids as his face came closer to hers. The music began to fade away in her mind, and all that she was able to focus on was him. He paused right before his lips were about to make contact with hers and smirked.
"You're mine," he growled before lunging at her and capturing her lips in a solid and fierce kiss.
Sakura melted under the impact. She closed her eyes and held onto him with both arms secure around his neck. Sasuke held onto her with no intention of letting her go anytime soon. Sakura didn't know where the possessiveness came from, but right now, she wasn't' complaining.
That was it! That was the last straw. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand the thought of another man kissing her. She was really pushing his limits. He decided to take action right then and there. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his Agent's number.
"Get them! Get them right now and get out of here!" he ordered before immediately hanging up. He was fuming at this point. He saw his Agent, disguised as the champagne server, head to his targets.
Those targets were not Sasuke and Sakura on the dance floor…
He watched as his Agent came to stand behind two small heads of raven hair.
Sakura would pay for her ignorance…and what better way than by taking her children away from her.
He took out a remote from his coat sleeve and pushed a button, forcing all the lights in the Hotel Granvia Ballroom to shut down, casting a blanket of darkness and confusion. In the dark of the night, the man escaped as fast as he could knowing that his Agent was coming back with his latest twin test subjects.
Authors Note:
This chapter is dedicated to my good friend and fanfic buddy for life, Darkpetaltaki
My good friend DARKPETALTAKI has this awesome fic out there called "TOGETHER". Believe me when I say that this fic has great Sasuke and Sakura moments, full of twists and turns, and a great plotline. If you are a fan of Sasuke and Sakura, then you'll check it out. READ IT, READ IT I SAY! SHE'S BRILLIANT I TELL YOU!