-XXX-

SAKURA

Shopping day at the mall was a total blast, and not just because it was Friday and there were tons of people everywhere. Sasuke of course gave Ino a list of things to buy. Luckily, I had an expert with me. Ino was amazing. I mean, terrifyingly awesome. Not to mention how beautiful she is. Slender, sculpted figure, long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. Ino was the epitome of beauty, to the point where I was a little jealous. But more than her looks, I envied her strong character and confidence. That's the kind of woman I'd like to be...

Sasuke's list was very extensive, and at first glance I doubted that Sasuke had written it. I suspected it was all the work of Ino, who had thrown herself into her task too much. Dresses, trousers, skirts, blouses, suits, new swimsuits, underwear, nightgowns... A huge parade of fabrics and colors flashed around me. Each piece had to be tried on, discussed and then either put away or added to the ever-growing pile of clothes I was going to keep and buy.

Despite Ino's insistence on high heels, I managed to persuade her to compromise and she chose a low, subtle heel. She assured me that I would look elegant and not roll on the floor in them, so I put my trust in her. But the final straw was when she showed me the workout clothes. By then I was completely worn out and wondering which back door I would use to escape her.

I couldn't imagine needing such expensive workout clothes. After all, Sasuke has a private gym right in the house, and so what if I wore my old sweatpants there? But she pointed out to me that this outfit was also on the list, so I just waved my hand and told her to pick out whatever she felt was appropriate. I was all done with this...

We left the mall with so many bags that Ino had to call Sasuke to come and get our bags. But he said he was busy, so Kabuto came in Sasuke's car and helped us load everything and take us home. The word home was still new, but I wasn't so scared of it anymore.

I was wearing a new pair of jeans and a silk blouse in a deep shade of red. Ino didn't want me to come back in my "old clothes". I was silent on the car ride home, exhausted and tired from a full day of shopping. After dropping Ino off in front of her house, we finally drove home. I took half the bags out of the car and Kabuto followed right behind me with the other half of the bags. I unlocked Sasuke's house with my own key for the first time and it made me strangely delighted.

I heard muffled rock music in the hall and Kabuto explained that Sasuke was in the gym working out. That's the important job he had? So I went upstairs with Kabuto and straightened all my new stuff in the closet. Yes, I have a closet now, not just one rack, shannaro! All I wanted to do now was to call aunty Tsunade to see how she was doing, and that's what I did.

The head nurse at the nursing home, Miss Mei, told me that my aunt was sleeping and that she hadn't had a good day, so I'd better not visit her today. I was overwhelmed with sadness. I sat on the bed and pondered. I hated days like this, but Miss Mei was right. If I went in there, it would upset her maybe even more.

So I went downstairs and looked around the kitchen a bit. It was well equipped, but apart from some fruit, tomatoes and snacks in the pantry and fridge, there wasn't much food.

"Looking for something?"

I bolted upright, startled. Sasuke was leaning against the door frame with a towel draped over his broad shoulders. His skin glistened with a thin layer of sweat and his hair was damp, yet he looked gorgeous. "There's hardly anything to eat..." I stated with my head nearly buried in the fridge, which I closed with a sigh. But the important thing is that I have a closet full of stuff...

"I don't have time to cook, so I usually order from outside, or the housekeeper leaves me something."

"Housekeeper?" He didn't mention that he had a housekeeper, but that would probably be one of the staff at the house he'd been talking about recently.

He nodded and took a drink of water from the bottle he held in his hand. "I'll have to hire a new one, the last one ended a 14 days ago." He sighed and closed his eyes in exhaustion for a moment before opening them again and resuming the conversation. "They keep coming and going." I didn't show my amusement, because this news didn't really surprise me.

"I can cook..." I said, unsure if he would take my hint. I enjoyed cooking. I was a terrible cook in my teens, but then I often cooked for aunty Tsunade, and I picked up a lot of culinary skills. Now I even enjoy it. "I know, it was in the personal details you gave me about you." He remarked, taking another sip from his bottle. "I could clean the house, shop and cook." I offered to fill in as his housekeeper.

"Why?"

"Why not?" I began patiently and asked with a big smile on my face. "I won't be going to work now and I'll have too much free time. Why would you hire someone new when I'm already here anyway?" He furrowed his brows at my question and considered it. "Other people would find it normal." At his uncomprehending expression, I explained, "It's normal for couples to think I'd be taking care of your home. That I would take care of... well, um... you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke scratched the back of his head hesitantly. "You really are up for it, huh?"

"Yes."

With a grunt, he pushed himself away from the door frame he was leaning against. "Suit yourself, for now. Use your card to pay for everything." I nodded in agreement, feeling relieved. It felt normal to shop, make dinner, clean the house. I couldn't imagine having a stranger do that for me. What am I, some kind of princess or queen? At least I'll have something to do in this big house.

Meanwhile, Sasuke finished his bottle and threw it in the recycling bin in the corner of the kitchen. "How did the shopping go?" I had to exhale and roll my eyes at his question. "Exactly according to the list Ino got." It was clear to me that he hadn't seen the list from afar. "Hn." Satisfied, he walked closer to me and I thought he'd pass by and keep walking. Probably to the bathroom to take a shower.

But his unexpected hand movements surprised me again, as they have done more than once this week. As he walked past me, he stopped beside me, our shoulders almost touching. He turned towards me and with a gentle grip in his fingertips, ran his fingers down the sleeve of my new red blouse. "I like this..."

He said a mere 3 words, but immediately a pink color appeared on my face. This time, however, I was able to breathe and, to my surprise, to speak. "I'm glad to hear that, Sasuke-kun. After all, you bought it for me." I didn't hold back and had to giggle at my own joke. I was surprised, though, that Sasuke smiled a little bit too. It was a real one that lit up his eyes and changed his expression, making him look less unapproachable and more young and boyish.

"Take this." He reached behind me on the counter and handed me an envelope. I was slowly getting used to the fact that there were going to be a lot of envelopes in this household. I hesitantly accepted the envelope, it was hard and lumpy to the touch. "What's this?" I glanced at it. "Your car keys."

What?!

"My car?" I repeated after him, my eyes bugging out. "I didn't know you were serious!" I shot back, and he gestured to the keys in my hand. "I told you you'd get your own. You'll find it in the underground garage at parking number 709 next to my others." His gaze flicked to the envelope I held in my other hand. Uncomprehendingly, I looked where he was looking and saw that there was still something sticking out of the envelope. "A garage card to get you out and in."

"What does it look like?" I piped up, dreading what kind of car he had in store for me. He's crazy, I could use a bicycle! "A Lexus. Reliable, safe, and red like your blouse."

"You really didn't have to do that, Sasuke-kun. I can't accept this..." I was hoping to wriggle out of it, but Sasuke was uncompromising. "It's part of the deal. When the deal is over, it's yours to sell." I shook my head at his reasoning. "How can you afford all this? I know your salary must have been huge, but that huge?" I finally asked the question that had been plaguing my thoughts for a while and I couldn't find an answer. I considered the mafia, selling people, or diamond mines somewhere in Africa.

His face darkened slightly and his breathing became slightly swifter. "I inherited a lot of money from my father when he died." He sighed. "Itachi renounced his inheritance for me." I didn't know about this at all, because there wasn't a line about his past in the list of information and hobbies from him. It was obviously a painful topic that he probably didn't want to discuss in public, and I didn't blame him. "Sasuke-kun, I'm so sorry. How long has it been?" I asked sympathetically, feeling sorry for the two brothers who had obviously lost their father.

His shoulders stiffened and his whole posture expressed tension. "Fourteen years. It's been a long time, so save your pity. I thought he did something for me the first time, but it ended up being Itachi again."

I had no idea what to say to such a statement. From his tone, he sounded angry, as if he was holding in suppressed emotions towards both his father and his brother. "At least you don't have to worry about money, and now I apparently won't have to walk everywhere." I said in a positive way to chase away this gloomy mood. I didn't mind if he thought I was being careless now, but at least we wouldn't be talking about a subject he didn't like to talk about.

"Exactly." Sasuke apparently understood my intention and slowly continued to walk further behind me towards the stairs. He stopped at the bottom of the staircase and turned to look at me. "I'm going to take a shower and then order dinner. When I get back, we'll go over our lists some more so we don't make a mistake tomorrow. It has to work."

"Are we going to work on our teamwork?" My list of details, hobbies, and favorite things to do was longer than his, so I braced myself for the fact that we were going to be talking mostly about me.

"Ah..." Sasuke stared at me back for a few second before he spoke again. "Pick up a bottle of good wine from pantry. I have a feeling I'm going to need it..." He threw me a wry look. "As long as you know which one is good, though." A small smirk formed at the corners of his lips and he started up the stairs. With that teasing but pleasant remark, he left me standing in the kitchen, staring in his direction.

SASUKE

When I came back downstairs, Sakura was sitting on her "favourite" bar stool and there was an open bottle of wine on the counter. She sipped from the glass and studied the papers laid out in front of her. I took a steady breath and came closer so we could discuss the details. It was necessary to learn as much as possible about our lives so far and to handle tomorrow's event. Namikaze must be convinced that we are a real couple. I knew it was going to be a tough afternoon.

I was still tense after the previous conversation. It happened every time I had to talk about my parents or Itachi. Even if it was just a passing reference. I love my mother and my brother too, there was just a lot of rivalry between us because of Itachi being the first born, my father's favorite. The perfect son, who was the top of his class in everything. I was jealous of him and wanted to surpass him, but despite my efforts, my father was never as proud of me as he was of Itachi. I didn't like to think about my father or my past.

Sakura looked at me with her radiant green eyes. Her hair flowed over her shoulders and I couldn't help but notice how her red blouse matched her fair skin and the bright color of her pink hair. Without saying a word, I went and poured myself a glass of wine, sat down next to her, and banished those strange thoughts from my mind.

"Dinner will be here soon. I ordered onigiri, syrup-coated dumplings and anmitsu. I hope you'll like it." The simple onigiri was for me, I wasn't very hungry and unlike Sakura, I don't like sweet foods. She agreed with a huge grin on her face and nodded. "It's one of my favorite foods!" I picked up her list of details from the table with. "I know." I took a sip of wine and appreciated the taste. She picked one of my favorites. "Shall we begin?"

…

A few hours later I poured the rest of the wine into my glass because I was completely drained. I had never told anyone about my past or revealed so many personal details. It had been an exhausting evening. Fortunately, I didn't have to linger on many things, because we had a lot to discuss.

Sakura learned about me, that I had a brother, that my father had died as I had told her before, and all the other relevant facts like where I went to school, my favorite activities, colors, foods, everything I like and dislike. I found out for myself that there are actually more things I don't like. However, I was quite surprised that she already knew enough things in advance. Apparently, she'd picked up on more in the office than I could have imagined.

I learned a lot of new information about her in general. She was as guarded about telling me about her own past as I was, but in the end she told me enough to build on. She was an only child, both her parents died when she was a teenager, so she lived with her aunt who is now in a nursing home. She didn't continue her studies after graduation, although she wished to be a doctor one day.

Right after school, she started working for ROOT Inc. on a fixed-term contract, but never left. When I asked why, she explained that at the time she saw no other option but to make money quickly. I didn't ask further, although I would have liked to know more about it. I had no idea how hard it must have been for her and her aunt.

With a sigh, I reached up to rest my elbows on the table and unintentionally leaned closer to her. Sakura instantly stiffened next to me. I rested my forearms on the table and sized her up with poorly hidden impatience. "I think we have the basic facts." I pointed out. "If it comes down to it, I even know your favorite brand of hand cream." I stated half embarrassingly, because it was weird in its own way. "It's just that all of this isn't going to help if you freeze up like this every time I even come near you."

"I can't get used to it..." She admitted to me. "You always... make me nervous." She was fidgeting, trying to avoid our gazes. "We have to pretend we're close." I reminded her. "With intimacy comes trust." I close my eyes and took a deep calming breath. When I reopened them again, our eyes finally locked.

"We'll be more intimate with each other, whisper to each other, touch each other, maybe even nicknames and other things couples do."

She looked at me in disbelief. "I thought you never had a serious relationship..." She was right about that, I'd never been in a serious relationship, but that didn't mean I didn't know what one looked like. I had to smirk at her comment. "I've come up with a lot of advertisements for it though, so I know how to do it."

"Sure, advertising and reality is so much the same..." She muttered under her nose, and I ignored it on principle, not wanting to start an unnecessary debate. "Back on topic." I grabbed her attention and continued on. "Can you breathe calmly, not panic, and not flinch when I touch you?" I asked her in all seriousness, because her one hesitation could cause our downfall.

She lifted her chin and looked at me. "Yes, I can." She sounded confident and professional, her eyes calm, her face free of any kind of discomfort. And for that reason, I wanted to confirm it, or prove to her that she was a bad liar. I held out my hand to her, palm up in invitation, and challenged her. "Try it then."

Slowly, she slid her soft palm into mine. I closed my fingers around her hand. I looked at the ring that fit perfectly on her finger. I was pleased that she had been wearing it since I gave it to her. It meant she liked it and would love to wear it, which made me feel relieved. I knew that my goldsmith was the best at his job, but I was perhaps a little worried whether she would like it's simple design or not.

Her skin was cool and smooth. I squeezed her hand, looked at her, and released her again. "You didn't get burned, right?" She handled it nicely, only a small blush forming on her face, which is quite common for women in love in a relationship. That would do.

I got up from the counter where we were sitting. I began to think about how to get as used to each other as much as possible while I slowly walked around the room. Her mumbling brought me out of my musings on how to improve our cooperation.

"It'll be fine, don't worry. Come to think of it... Couples call each other by name, we've got that covered. We know a lot of things about each other as well, and we have a plan together. And I'll try to get used to our closeness. I think we're doing pretty well, don't you, Sasuke-kun?" She smiled so brightly that I stopped breathing for a brief moment. Her smile actually managed to dispel some of my worries quite successfully. It made me feel like my spinning thoughts had momentarily paused and calmed down.

"And as for nicknames..." She grinned very differently now than a moment ago, mischievous look on her face. "What?" I furrowed my brow at her train of thought. I didn't like where this was going. "So shouldn't I have some, um... special nickname prepared for you?" Yes, I didn't like where this was going. "What did you come up with?" I didn't want to know, but if it was appropriate and socially acceptable, I might consider it.

"It's a very simple nickname!" It was getting on my nerves that she was leaving me in the lurch with her radiant grin and perfect teeth. But, something simple I can handle.

"Duckbutt." She said with a frozen face.

"No."

"Why not? Naruto calls you that all the time! I thought you were used to that nickname by now..." I shot her a stern look. She pretended to be surprised that I didn't like her suggestion, but she knew full well she was testing my nerves. It was clear to me that she was just messing with me. I'm gonna kill that usuratonkachi...

"If you noticed how the loser calls me, you must have noticed how much I hate it. Think of something else." I wanted her to drop that idea and thought entirely. "I'll have to think about it..." She said mischievously, a twitch around her lips as she tried not to laugh.

I didn't share her amusement at myself, but I was glad to see Sakura joking this relaxed in front of me. There was already more of a difference in our dynamic than there had been less than a week ago. Even though it often didn't seem like it, we had actually made progress. Sakura was smiling a lot more and making little small quirks, which I was grateful for because in the beginning she was really scared of me and pissed at me.

And even I have noticed in myself that I am more at ease these days, that I'm suddenly enjoying the presence of another human more, and that I'm appreciating the liveliness of this big plain house now. At first, I thought the main reason I felt this changes was because I had finally wrapped things up at ROOT Inc., but maybe the woman in front of me helped that slight shift in me.

That's enough. I stood in front of her and caught her amused look. "Let's practice." Her laughter gradually died down. "Practice?" She furrowed her brow and watched in confusion as I walked into the living room. I picked up the remote and turned on the music. I searched until a soft, gentle melody of classical music began to echo from the speakers. "You need to learn what it's like to be around me." I returned to her and reached out my hand to her as I had done moments before.

She let me pull her to her feet and hesitantly stepped closer to me. I gently took her around the waist and pulled her to me. There was hardly any space between us. We were so close that I breathed in the scent of her hair that wafted through the air.

We began to slowly sway to the music and dance. I was quite surprised at how natural it seemed. She was much smaller than other women I met and worked with on a daily basis. She was barely up to my shoulders, her head just touching my chin. When I held her in my arms, she seemed tiny and fragile. Yet she fit me.

We just danced around the room for a few minutes, no words needed. The most important thing was to get used to the other person and get on the same wave, as well as to get used to the other person's body and presence. I may have delivered it as if Sakura needed to learn to be in my presence, but I was also the one who needed some practice, even if I hated to admit it. After a few minutes, she stopped being so stiff in the shoulders and allowed herself to be led. We circled the room lightly, a little awkwardly at first, but eventually we danced as one.

I didn't expect her to move so gracefully. If only because I've often seen her stumble over her own foot. But there was a voice in my head. Whispering to me that maybe she needed someone to support her instead of looking down on her. Sakura was a strong and proud woman, but even women like that definitely needed someone to lean on now and then. All the moments of her sweet smile, bright laughter, and sparkling eyes flashed before my eyes.

I was taken aback by these thoughts and pulled away from her abruptly. I watched as her alarmed eyes searched my expression for an explanation. "Sasuke-kun?" She blinked in surprise, obviously full of anxiety, and I realized she was expecting one of my typical remarks. But instead, without thinking, based on instinct, I took her face in my hands and leaned towards her, and she just widened her eyes.

She breathed a soft "Sasu-" into my mouth just as I closed my eyes and my lips touched hers. Her lips were oddly soft, yielding, and lightly pressed against mine. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, in fact it sent a wave of heat through my body. It was sensual, even if it was only a brief kiss. When I opened my eyes again, I realized she was watching me in shock, her arms slumped along her body. I did something that surprised us both.

I released her face and stepped back. "Sasuke-kun...? What are you... doing?" Her voice quivered, her chest heaving up and down, cheeks hot as if she'd just run a marathon. In my head, I answered her immediately I'm kissing you, but I couldn't get the answer out of my mouth. The air around us grew dangerously thick, and if I kind of enjoyed the atmosphere during our kiss, the atmosphere after was now unbearable. I didn't know why I'd done it, or what had even crossed my mind. Damn it! I had no idea what answer I was supposed to give her when I didn't even have one.

With her gaze still fixed on me, I turned around, reached for the remote and turned off the music. "That's enough practice and bonding for today, good job." I said with my back turned to her. My whole body felt like it was on fire and I wasn't sure if the red color had crept only into her cheeks or mine too. "Tomorrow is a big day, we should go to sleep."

I turned round and without a single glance at her walked past her as calmly as I could towards the staircase, leaving her standing there and staring and looking at my disappearing back. I noticed that her mouth was slightly open, confused as to whether she wanted to tell me something or was too stunned to say anything.

I desperately needed to clear the air and be completely calm before tomorrow, so I didn't hesitate and, despite the confusion in my head and despite my annoyance at being a jerk to her again, I went upstairs to my room to take a really cold shower. What the hell was that?!

-XXX-

End of Chapter 14