Mama gave her a weak smile as she read her favorite book. She could also see the butlers feeling slightly uncomfortable standing nearby. They were in the living room and Sarada asked her mother to listen to her storytelling.
The book is entitled 'Two Homes'. Basically, it was about a boy named Alex and his parents were not living together. He got to spend time with his Mommy and Daddy separately. Sarada noted that Alex is the same as her. While Alex has Mommy and Daddy, Sarada has Mama and Papa. And although she could not understand everything, she knew that like Alex's parents love him, her Mama and Papa also love her.
"Sarada.." Her Mama sighed after she finished her book.
She merely shook her head lightly. "Chocho gave me this book! I love it, Mama! I'm not sad because Mama and Papa love me."
Before she knew it, her Mama engulfed her with a tight hug. "Mama is sorry." She kissed her forehead. By that time, Sarada could feel her heartache, but she needed to be strong.
"No, Mama. I'm sorry. I understand now." Sarada said softly into the hug. When her Mama released her, she bit her lip, looking at her Mama's green eyes sadly. She lightly pouted making her mother quite puzzled.
"Sweetheart? What's wrong now?" She softly inquired.
Sarada looked at her Mama again with somewhat sorrow in her eyes. And ever so hesitant, she told her Mama she wanted to go home now. "Don't be sad anymore, Mama. I will be a good girl from now on. So.." She paused, trying her hardest not to cry. "So..I'm okay living with Mama and Papa separately."
Sakura did not understand at first, but when she saw Sarada looked at the floor, refusing to meet her eyes, she cursed internally. Did she fail to mask her emotions around her daughter? Well, it certainly is hard to hide, more so if you were having a hard time falling asleep thinking about Sasuke's old domineering uncle. Sarada must have noticed her eye bags and her weakened body.
"Sarada.." She started, putting both of her hands in each side of Sarada's chubby cheeks. "Do you think that Mama is sad?" Her pink eyebrows slightly furrowed in concern.
Sarada nodded her head.
Sakura then exhaled a heavy sigh. "What made you think that?"
"Because you are with Papa. You don't like Papa very much. That's why you're sad."
To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. Sakura shook her head. "No, baby. I'm not. Mama is just a little sad because we're far away from Grandma Tsunade and Aunt Ino. I miss them." She explained, hoping that her daughter would buy it.
"Not because you don't like staying with Papa? Or does Papa not like you? Uncle Kakashi told me before." Sarada had her doubts, but she didn't seem to be upset anymore.
Sakura, on the other hand, wanted nothing but to strangle their old teacher. Not this again. She fought the urge to facepalm. "Sarada, listen to Mama very carefully. I don't hate Papa. The reason Papa can't come home very often and play with you is because of work, not because he doesn't like me."
"But I miss him." Sarada admitted.
Sakura could only guess how Sarada keep getting attached to her father lately. Is this still because of trauma?
"I know." She said after a minute. She nodded in understanding, eyes growing soft before she continued. "We're sorry; it's not a trip you like..seeing different animals and playing in amusement parks. We promise we'll definitely make up for you. After Papa's work, okay?"
"Okay." Sarada said after much contemplating. "That's a promise!" Before the little girl threw her arms around her mother once more.
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Sarada's laughs and giggles resounded the entire suite. She was presently on a video call with her Grandma Mikoto and Uncle Itachi. They said they really missed her and could not wait to hug and kiss her again. But when her favorite uncle asked her how is her father, she pouted lightly.
"Papa is busy as always. Mama gets mad at me because I stay up late waiting for him." Sarada complained.
She could see her Grandma and Uncle exchanged meaningful looks on the screen of the laptop. But Uncle Itachi gave her a warm smile nonetheless. "Scold your Papa for me then, Sara-chan. He should play with you more often!"
Grandma glared at her Uncle. "Itachi!" And then she shifted her attention to the screen again. "Sarada-chan, where are Papa and Mama?"
"Mama is cooking now. Papa is- Papa!" She frowned slightly, thinking what is her Papa up to. She turned around before standing up from her seat and joggling her way to her father's room, calling him nonstop.
After a few minutes, Sasuke came into Itachi's view, his daughter pulling him to sit next to her on the sofa. "Uncle Itachi misses you, Papa!"
Sasuke sighed loudly before ruffling Sarada's hair. He didn't say anything for a while and just stared at the screen. Itachi then chuckled at his little brother commenting about working on his social skills. Sasuke scowled, unimpressed. Their mother also laughed lightly at the exchange.
However, Itachi's expression slowly turned serious. "Sarada-chan, can I talk to Papa for a while? Help Mama with cooking?" Itachi suggested to which his niece happily obliged, dashing to the kitchen area.
As soon as Sarada was out of the room, their mother who always looked so bright suddenly had a grim expression. Itachi then exhaled heavily. "Otouto, I'm getting married."
"What." Sasuke glared at the screen. "Explain." He added.
"Madara called a few days ago. He wanted both of us to settle down soon. Father suggested meeting my bride soon. I agreed. A good strategy that will keep his eyes diverted from you for a while." Itachi explained sternly.
"Are you sure?" Sasuke gritted his teeth, glaring at nothing in particular.
"Don't feel so guilty. This would've happened sooner or later." Itachi shrugged.
Sasuke remained silent at that. Although, yes, technically, Madara would've arranged a marriage for the both of them, it still didn't make him feel better. His shoulders slumped against the sofa, and he massaged his forehead in agitation.
That was when Sakura entered the room announcing that lunch was ready. She walked carefully towards him. She looked jumpy in her apron and even somewhat uncomfortable calling for him."Sasuke-kun?"
That voice! That endearment! His eyes furrowed before facing her. "What?"
As soon as their eyes met, the tension building up a few days now instantly materialized. The room temperature seemed to rise and he could not stop himself from gazing at her choice of outfit that day. She was wearing a tank top and a short skirt below her apron.
After Sasuke got concerned about her health, he stopped challenging her and picking fights. However, it slowly turned into a different ambiance- that heated tension between her and Sakura he chose to ignore all these years slowly emerging. Whenever he would turn his gaze towards her, she was already watching him.
Now, she was haunting him with these inexplicable wild thoughts. She was challenging him, with those lingering touches whenever they pass by each other in the room, those innocent yet seductive stares in the dining area. She was definitely teasing him.
This is also one of the reasons why he chose to stay in the office for longer than usual for the last three days. He was afraid he would lose control.
Sasuke seemed to forget all his troubles and got lost in her emerald eyes. And after seemed like an eternity, she averted her eyes and made an incoherent excuse before leaving the room. He cursed internally for losing focus and took a minute to calm himself.
"Well…that was electrifying." Itachi's voice brought him back to reality.
He turned his eyes on the screen again only to find his mother blushing and his brother smirking.
"Did you two have sex yet?" Itachi deadpanned. Their mother hissed at her eldest in a warning. "Why, Mother? They did it already before. Probably even more than once."
Sasuke glared at him. "Shut up." His mood instantly worsened.
But Itachi paid him no mind. "The sexual tension between you two is…fierce, intense. And I can tell even with a great distance." Itachi grinned, amused at what he had just witnessed. "Little brother, instead of letting it consume the both of you, why don't-"
Sasuke flipped the laptop shut before his irritating older brother could finish his sentence. "Damn Itachi." He cursed. He could marry a stranger for all he cares, Sasuke thought bitterly. Maybe, that was his karma for annoying him all this time. He threw one last death stare at the object before standing up and entering his room.
After that, Sarada pouted at her father for ending the call without her properly saying goodbye to her Uncle and Grandma.
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There was an awkward tension in the air. Sakura always felt his eyes on her. There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere whenever they were in close proximity. And even more so when they would come in contact with one another. His deep onyx eyes would always find hers. But before she could even try to decipher those looks, he would turn his focus elsewhere.
It also did not help when Sakura accidentally found him half-naked in his room the other day. She knocked on his door twice, but she heard no response. She decided then to enter the room. But to her surprise, Sasuke stared at her with a blank expression, naked above the waist. He seemed to be looking for a change of clothes and just came out of the shower.
Sakura turned red like a tomato. Okay, just because she despised Sasuke for the last five years, it did not necessarily mean she was not attracted to him anymore. Sasuke was the most handsome and gifted man she ever encountered in her whole life. He was truly blessed with good genes, not to mention, those pecs and abs. He worked out regularly even here in London.
So seeing him with nothing but a towel around his waist in his room had her cheeks blushing to the roots of her hair. Her breathing hitched and she covered her eyes within a second. He had muscles in all the right places coupled with his perfect face-those deep, intense, onyx eyes, his straight nose, his sharp jawline, and especially his moist, inviting sexy thin lips. Sakura could swear no woman could resist him.
She apologized and was about to leave, but he did not seem to mind. He even casually walked across the room, brushing her shoulder slightly in an effort to see his other wardrobe situated near the door. That gave her the opportunity to see his backside. She gazed over his wide shoulders and his sexy back.
Feeling her eyes on him, he turned his head to face her. "Your face is red." He pointed out.
She removed her hands from her eyes. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, feeling thirsty all of a sudden. He then shrugged saying that it was not a big deal and she had seen him with even less clothing before.
"Well, it's different now!" The heat on her face intensified further. "How can you be not flustered?"
And to her further mortification, he shrugged again. "It's you. I'm sure we're past that stage. How can Sarada be born otherwise?" He then turned to inspect the contents of his wardrobe before pulling out a white shirt and jogging pants.
Startled, Sakura contemplated whether he was doing this on purpose to rile her up. She heaved out a sigh before reaching out for the doorknob to leave the room. However, she only took two steps when his voice stopped her. "I'll be done in a minute so why don't you take a seat and then we can talk about Sarada."
After that, Sakura could not deny the unresolved sexual tension in the air anymore. It was always there though, but for the past years, it was easy to ignore it altogether since all they wanted was to strangle each other- focusing on the bitterness and resentment, rather than their conclusive yet problematic feelings for each other. Moreover, they rarely see the other, choosing to bury themselves in work.
They were now seated in the living room. Sarada was busy with her artworks, while Sasuke and Shisui talked about their meeting for tomorrow.
There was a heat when his eyes met hers. Her body also had become seemingly hyper-aware to his across the table. It was as if they were the only people in the people in the room. She wanted to know if he felt the same way if he also had the urge to close the distance between them.
Shisui eyed them discreetly. He smirked before whispering something into Sasuke's ear. Sasuke turned his head away and scowled at him in response. "Not you too." He muttered under his breath.
She pretended to look after Sarada afterward, putting a strand of her hair behind her ear. She smiled encouragingly to her daughter who was showing her drawing of their little family.
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Sasuke stared at the graphs on his laptop for about thirty minutes now. It was already past eleven at night, and he needed to analyze the financial reports for tomorrow's meeting with stockholders.
However, he could not seem to concentrate. His poor secretary, Karin, received quite an earful from him a while ago although she technically did nothing wrong. She was unlucky to be the receiving end of his aggravation for the past few days. His mind kept on replaying the conversation he had with Itachi two days ago. His brother was getting married to a stranger; Madara was getting impatient.
He gritted his teeth. For how long would they be able to continue hiding?
He threw his head back against the spandex office chair. He closed his eyes and thought of his sweet, innocent daughter. And then against his wishes, he thought about her too.
Those emerald eyes blinking. That pink hair he would recognize anywhere. Her soft voice calling him.
Things escalated between the two of them and the atmosphere kept on getting weirder day by day. He was not stupid not to recognize it. It's more than a week now since they arrived in London and it's getting harder to avoid her. Moreover, he could not seem to get angry with her like before when all he could see was those flushed face and her legs on display.
Sasuke knew the pinkette exuded an alluring appeal. Her exotic features always attracted men. He thought of that dog man back in Japan and her patients who became her admirers. He even heard from his daughter that her Mama receives flowers every week from different men.
He remembered feeling annoyed hearing that.
He was frustrated because it's not the time nor the place to think about whatever it is that was happening between the two of them. There were more pressing matters to focus on, but he could not concentrate when she was nearby.
The magnetic pull was harder to resist now knowing that she was just a few meters away from him and seeing her dressed in a lacy nightgown hours ago did not help chase away the thoughts.
Damn it! For God's sake, he was not a teenager anymore. Get a hold of yourself. Fuck.
He cursed Itachi and Shisui for putting unnecessary thoughts in his head.
He then shut down his laptop, knowing all too well he could not focus at work at the moment.
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Early in the morning after, Sakura found herself knocking at Sasuke's bedroom door. This time, she made sure to hear his permission to enter first before opening the door. Once she set her foot in, she found him buttoning his white shirt facing the mirror.
He peered at her through her reflection in the mirror before putting his blue tie around his neck. "What is it?" He asked her when she remained silent standing there, his smoldering eyes fixed on her.
It happened again. The odd atmosphere settled in.
Hesitantly and ever so slowly, she took a few careful strides towards him. She stopped by inches from him. There is something she couldn't place as their gazes met again in the mirror. He turned around carefully afterward.
Growing bold-Sakura didn't know where she got her confidence from-she hesitantly reached out for his tie. When he did not protest, she attentively worked on the tie. She could feel his onyx eyes fixed on her while doing this, observing her, studying her next move.
She paused and then looked up. His eyes on her, Sakura swallowed hard before getting into the topic on hand, her purpose of visiting him early in the morning. "I..I was wondering if we- Sarada and I- can at least go outside for a while?" She stammered.
His once deep, dreamy eyes narrowed. "You know why we can't do that."
"But Sarada is getting restless. Can't we just eat in a restaurant with a good view? The three of us? You know, use your Uchiha powers or whatever. Sarada has been really looking forward to this trip, not being kept to this enormous suite." She insisted.
After a while, he exhaled heavily. "Fine." He held her hands to stop her from fixing his goddamn tie, patience thinning. He watched her tense, eyes widening. She directed her gaze at his warm hands over hers.
She then looked up at him; their height difference had her slightly at a disadvantage as they held a staring competition. Her body was slowly reacting to his. The effect he had on her was now in full force.
"What do you think you're doing, Sakura?" The way her name rolled off his tongue sent shivers all over her body.
"I'm not doing anything." That's obviously a lie. She felt she leaned forward ever so slightly. Her touches lingering as she examined the buttons of his shirt.
Unconsciously, she bit her lower lip. He then pulled her towards him. She gasped in surprise before Sasuke lowered his head. At that moment, Sakura was certain he was finally going to give in to the ongoing tension between them. However, he stopped moving mere inches from claiming her lips.
Their eyes locked once again. It was so intense Sakura was afraid she would melt away.
He then moved his head sideways. His cheek brushed hers; her heartbeat increased steadily. "In case you haven't noticed, you're playing with fire." Sasuke whispered.
Before Sakura knew it, he had released her hands and turned around to finish tying his tie.
He cursed himself internally for almost doing something they would regret later on. He then saw her shift uncomfortably from the mirror. She looked down. Her eyes watered in rejection and he fought the urge to kiss her and forget his resolve.
He just wanted to cave into temptation right then and there. He wanted to kiss her lips and toss her on his bed. But he can't. He shouldn't. They were already a mess, to begin with; they can't afford to make another mistake.
That was when his phone rang. He picked it up from the table after a few rings. However, as soon as he saw the caller ID, his eyes narrowed and he clicked his tongue.
Sasuke and Sakura exchanged looks. The pink-haired medic bit her lip in agitation knowing who was it.
After much consideration, Sasuke answered the call.
"Madara...sama"
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A/N: A huge thanks to those who gave me much needed support and positive remarks from the last chapter! I'm officially resigning this month. I just hope I will not regret this. *sighs*
On another note, thank you for reading and I will sincerely appreciate it if you leave me a review.