Sakura was sitting in her office, looking at the report of one of her patients. There was a knock at the door and she looked up. Shizune's head popped up from the door.
"Hey, Lady Tsunade wants to see you."
"Right now?" Sakura asked.
"Yup," Shizune said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Sakura raised an eyebrow then shrugged and got up.
"You coming with?" Sakura asked.
"Nah, I have a round coming up. But let me know how it goes." Shizune said cheekily, then left.
Wondering what that was about, Sakura headed towards her teacher's office two floors above. When she reached there, she softly knocked at her door. In response, there was a loud:
"Come in!"
Sakura gulped and opened the door. Tsunade was sitting on the chair, arms on her desk and her chin rested over her interlinked fingers. She was glaring at Sakura.
"You wanted to see me, Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura asked nervously.
"Yes," Tsunade said coolly, "come have a seat." She extended a hand toward the chair in front of her.
Sakura obliged and sat down. The silence lingered on as she waited for her master to speak. Meanwhile, her mind was running through all the possible things she might've done that put her master in a bad mood.
Finally, Tsunade sighed and got up. She clasped her hands behind her back and turned to gaze through the window.
"I am very disappointed in you, Sakura," she started. Sakura pursed her lips as the feeling of dread washed over her.
"Shishou, I-"
"It has been over a year since you started dating that Uchiha, and I have yet to see a ring on your finger!"
Sakura blinked.
Huhhh?
She coughed and cleared her throat. "Is that what this is about?"
"Of course it is!" Tsuande turned and slammed her hand on the desk. "Do you want to end up alone and single like me?"
Sakura raised an eyebrow. She wanted to point out that Tsunade had rejected every proposal that came her way. She refused to settle down by her own chance, not because of lack of options. But she didn't say anything.
"Youth is a fleeting, young lady. You're not going to be young and pretty forever. You need to lock in a guy, sooner, rather than later."
Sakura couldn't believe they were having this conversation. She sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"It's not like I haven't thought about it. It's just that- when the time is right, I'm sure Itachi will propose."
"What if the question never comes? Are you going to wait forever?"
"Itachi is not like that." Sakura countered politely. "He's actually quite amazing. And our relationship is strong as ever. You don't have to worry about it."
"Hm." Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Before she could speak any further, the phone on her desk rang. She picked up.
"Yes?" She listened for a moment. "Fine, I'll be right there." She put the phone back and looked at Sakura.
"The council wants a word. Apparently, they're unsatisfied by my performance as an MD." She said nonchalantly and turned to leave.
"Maybe it's because you spend too much time butting in on your staff's love life." Sakura chimed in with a smirk.
Tsunade grunted. "Just you, Sakura. You better have that ring soon, or we're going to have another word." Then she left.
Sasuke was sitting in a table at a restaurant. In front of him was the latest date Naruto had set him up with after a series of unsuccessful ones. In a desperate attempt to try and get him to stick with a person for more than a few days, Naruto had set him up with his long distant cousin this time.
As they sat at the table, waiting for their food to arrive, Sasuke couldn't help but steal glances at his date, Karin. This was the first time he had met her. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. Her hair was red and wild, and she wore a bright red dress covered in what appeared to be neon pink flamingos. But as he looked at her, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Karin caught him checking her out and leaned in, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
"What do you think?" she asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
Sasuke shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unsure of how to respond. "It's... um, it's interesting," he said, his voice trailing off.
Karin let out a laugh, her eyes sparkling behind her red glasses. "Interesting? I'll take that as a compliment," she said, flagging down the waiter to order another drink.
As the waiter walked away, Sasuke took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. This was supposed to be a casual date, he reminded himself. He wasn't looking for anything serious.
The meal came and they started eating. As the meal progressed, Sasuke noticed that Karin's behavior towards him became more intense. She stared at him unabashedly, checked him out while biting her lip. With her eyes on Sasuke, she took a bite of her steak and moaned lightly. It didn't seem like her attention was on her food at all. And as he took a sip of his drink, she leaned in so close that he could feel her breath on his cheek.
Sasuke felt increasingly uncomfortable under Karin's scrutiny. He had his share of attention from women before, but the way Karin looked at him made him feel exposed.
And then, without warning, she reached across the table and took Sasuke's hand in hers.
"I have to confess," she said, her voice low and intense. "I've been thinking about you all week. There's something about you that I can't resist."
Sasuke felt a jolt of alarm at Karin's words. He had only just met her, and yet she was talking as if they had a deep, meaningful connection.
"Karin, I appreciate your interest," he said, trying to extricate his hand from hers. "But I think we should take things slow."
"Are you sure?" Karin purred. She leaned in, giving him a full view of her cleavage. Slowly, she moved her hand down his inner thigh. She gave a light squeeze, causing Sasuke to forget whatever he was about to say or do next.
"I-," Sasuke stammered. He grabbed the glass and gulped down the wine. Karin's foot was now rubbing up and down his leg. And he found himself unable, or rather unwilling, to stop her. What the fuck was happening?
He needed to end this date and leave. He will tell Naruto that it didn't work out as always. And that will be that.
Blinking slowly, he watched as Karin slowly closed the distance between them.
He was walking through a field of tall grass, the sun shining down on his face. In the distance, he could see a figure approaching. As she drew closer, he could see that she was a girl with bright pink hair, dressed in a flowing white dress. As she reached him, she looked up at him with beautiful emerald eyes. He rested his hand over her cheek and grazed with his thumb. Then, slowly, he leaned in.
Sasuke woke up with a jolt. Groaning, he rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock on the side table. It was barely three in the morning. He wished desperately for these dreams to stop. Nothing good could ever come out of this obsession with a girl that would never be his. He pushed the blanket aside to get up. To his shock, he felt someone stir beside him.
He turned his head to find Karin sleeping on her stomach. Karin. In his bed. Naked. Sasuke swore under his breath and got up. This was not good. He wasn't interested in this woman. And he didn't do one-night stands. He put his clothes back on and left the room.
What was his thinking, inviting her over to his apartment? How had this happened? She had seduced him. He knew that much. And he had reciprocated? Was this a drunken mistake or a horny mistake? He wondered.
He walked over to the kitchen and started making coffee. He needed this woman out of here. He will tell her that he is not interested in pursuing a relationship. He was sure she will understand. Even if she didn't, he didn't care.
Thinking this over, he started making coffee for two people instead of one. Better to have this conversation now than later.
Just as he was pouring the coffee in the cups, he heard footsteps.
"Hey," Karin said huskily. Sasuke turned and felt his jaw drop. She hadn't bothered to put her clothes back on. All she was wearing was Sasuke's muscle tee that barely reached her thighs. It was also doing a poor job covering her chest. Everything was visible.
Sasuke felt himself tighten in his shorts. This was not good. He reminded himself.
"Did you make coffee for me?" Karin said in a sultry tone. "Oh, Sasuke, thank you!"
She padded over to him and gave him a lingering kiss beside his throat.
Sasuke shook his head to clear the haze. He cleared his throat and began.
"Karin, listen. I don't think we-"
"Mm," Karin cut him off with a moan after taking a sip from the coffee. "You really are good at everything, aren't you, Sasuke?" She said, pointedly gazing him up and down.
Sasuke chose to ignore this. This had gone long enough. He needed to end it.
"This was a mistake." He said bluntly. "I am not interested in pursuing a relationship, and it is best that we end it right here. Whatever it was."
Karin put the cup back on the counter.
"Okay. As you wish, Sasuke." She breathed.
But instead of leaving, she slowly came up to him. Sasuke couldn't help but stare down at her again. That tank top really was the traitor here.
She stood in front of him and looked up. She placed a finger on his cheek and slowly traced it down his neck, his chest and rested just below his naval.
"Kar-" Sasuke started, but his words died, and she moved her hand down and cupped him. He growled lowly. Before he realized what was happening, Karin had moved down on him and had replaced her hand with her mouth.
Sasuke moaned loudly. All thoughts left him as he yet again found himself unable to stop this woman's advances. His kitchen filled with the noises of moaning and panting as this time, instead of struggling, he just let himself go.
Sakura was lonely. She had lied to Tsunade earlier about the state of her relationship. It wasn't that things were bad with Itachi. Whenever she was with him, he showered her with love and attention. He had professed his love for her many times. And she felt the same for him.
The thing was, Itachi was away too often. His role in the family business was demanding and caused him to travel every other week or two. Sakura didn't hold it against him. He had committments and responsibilities. Just like she had hers. But not being able to see her boyfriend as often as she'd like was starting to wear her down. She missed him, especially during the nights. She yearned his touch.
More than that, it was the fact this relationship was at the same place as it was one year ago. Two people who were in love would go out on dates, spend some nights at each other places, occasionally meet up with friends and family. Rinse and repeat.
Tsuande was right, if they were both serious about it, they needed to tie the knot. But how could she even approach the subject when she saw her boyfriend as often as she did? All that time was spent making up for the missing time. They would spend wonderful time together, and then Itachi was away again on some new business trip. These trips would sometimes last for weeks.
Sakura sighed and glaced at the empty side of her bed longingly. How long could she last like this? She thought as she slowly drifted off to sleep.