-XXX-

SASUKE

I intended to stay with Sakura all afternoon, or at least be close to her just in case, but my plans seemed to be interfered with. Somehow, between so many people, Sakura and I got separated. Kushina grabbed Sakura and took her off to meet some other women.

And Namikaze introduced me to all the major members of the Namikaze Group. Actually, it's 'Minato' now. Shortly after he took me away, he offered to call me by my first name, which I understood on his part since I was his son's age. But to be honest, I was also glad he allowed me to be casual with him, it felt close and promising for me.

Minato worked with quite powerful families whose names were known to everyone in the industry. Some people I knew from before, so we just said hello, and others I met for the first time. Those families included the Uzumaki family, the Yamanaka family, the main Hyuga family (the secondary family, which included that bastard Neji, didn't even show up), the Akimichi family, the Aburame family, the Inuzuka family, and others. Minato introduced me to so many people that after a few hours I completely lost track of how many people I greeted today.

It was clear to me that Minato's intentions were no secret. Then he let me meet the rest of his top staff. I suspected that Minato would put a lot of faith in their opinions, so I turned on my good side and tried to show myself in the best light. At first, I kept looking around the garden where the party was being held to find Sakura. I was worried that she might say or do something to endanger our situation, but she seemed surprisingly calm.

She also seemed to be doing rather well on her own, though. Minato seemed to notice my eyes on Sakura and gave me a good-natured nudge. "Relax, no one's going to steal her from you. I promise." He grinned at me, and I gave him a faint smile back. "Ah..." I nodded to him.

"There's a lot of people she doesn't know, so she feels uneasy. That's all." I said brusquely, unable to tell him the real reason I wanted to stay close to her. "You're very protective of her." He shared his observation with me. Really? Is that what he thought?

"The last few days have been rough for both of us." Minato gave a serious expression as he nodded. "I overheard what happened at ROOT Inc." He said sympathetically and earnestly at the same time. Excellent. "I didn't want Danzo to bring us both down. I wanted to get us out and at that moment I didn't care what happened to me or what anyone else thought of me." I stated convincingly.

"You prioritized her."

"Hn."

Minato tapped me on the shoulder. "Let's go meet some more people, Sasuke."

…

A moment later, I approached the group of people where Sakura was standing. From observing Namikaze's family, friends, and employees today, I knew the rumors and my guess were correct. They were very open and very close to each other. Minato and Kushina were also overflowing with affection, even though at times it seemed like Kushina was wearing the pants in their relationship.

I figured I should be showing Sakura the same kind of affection that the couples were showing each other at today's barbecue. I wondered if Sakura was saying the same thing to herself when she looked around at others. The ladies were laughing and handshaking.

When I got closer, Sakura was just saying, "For someone who likes to eat varied food, Sasuke-kun can be terrible." She giggled. "Other than vegetables, he would only eat takeout. The number of menus from takeout restaurants he kept in his kitchen drawer was just terrifying. Fortunately, he eats better now that I cook for him."

Is she gossiping about me right now? I smirked to myself.

I walked up behind her, without her knowing, and took her gently around the waist. I pressed her back against my chest and whispered in her ear. "What about you, huh?" I noticed that she shivered slightly. I straightened up again and looked at the group of women Sakura was talking to. "She worries about me all the time, yet I saw her eating plain rice cakes every day." I shook my head and looked down at her. "I keep telling you to eat a more varied food. You're too skinny."

There was a collective gasp from all the women in the group. Apparently I said something right.

"Don't be snippy, okay?" Sakura blushed outright. "When I was your personal secretary, rice cakes were the only thing I had time to prepare and eat." I leaned in close to her ear again. "My bad. It was because of how invaluable your work was to me."

All the ladies broke into laughter and Kushina tapped one of them on the shoulder with a smile. "Be careful, Hina-chan. That was a warning. If Sasuke starts working for us, you're done with lunch breaks." The girl blushed shyly and shook her head. "I'm sure... Sakura-chan meant it as a joke..." The girl replied with a slight stutter, her eyes on the ground. Ah, so this was Hinata Hyuga. I could tell from her eyes what family she was from, but now it was the first time I'd seen Naruto's girlfriend in person.

And the way things were going, it looked like she was going to be my future secretary. I gave her a nod and looked her over. She had mid-back length black hair, rather intriguing eyes, and a purple dress. She was pretty, quiet and well-groomed. Obviously very well mannered. Way too good for that loser.

"Nice to meet you. Naruto's out this week?" I asked her out of politeness, since she was giving me the occasional glance. Hinata responded with a little smile and finally made a slight eye contact. "He's on a business trip." She paused. "He told me to remind you to meet him in Ichiraku next week when he gets back if I happen to see you." She relayed Naruto's message to me in a slightly quieter voice, but pleasantly, and I nodded in agreement. How could I possibly forget?

I thanked her in return and she continued. "I hope I won't be a disappointment to you if you join us, Mr. Uchiha. After all, you had your fiancée to help you before." She wheezed uncertainly, her gaze lowered to the ground again, ticking back and forth towards Sakura. I froze at that, remembering the working relationship Sakura and I had, but Sakura suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.

"Sasuke-kun is great boss." She melted at the words I'd never heard come out of her mouth before. "He's amazing to work with. I'm sure you two would get along wonderfully, channaro!" She encouraged Hinata, who for the first time since I've been standing here laughed genuinely and cheerfully without shyness. I was pleasantly surprised at how Sakura promptly saved the moment. But somewhere inside, I was bitter that her words weren't true.

Kushina winked at Sakura. "That's how a loving woman talks." Sakura leaned her back against me comfortably and sighed lightly. She turned her head and looked up at me. A soft smile appeared on her lips as she ran her palm over my cheek and spoke in a low voice: "And that's exactly who I am."

It was an Oscar-worthy act.

...

The afternoon was slowly coming to an end. We ate, talked and met many people. As we talked, I often caught Sakura's eye. Because I enjoyed watching her reactions. I would occasionally glance at her myself at an unexpected moment and smirk, just to see how her cheeks would always turn red. She blushed every time I walked up to her, grabbed her around the waist, or just held her hand.

Sakura played her part well, never reacting in anything but a friendly manner. From time to time, she would even seek me out herself, stretching up on her tiptoes and whispering something in my ear. It was easy for me to mimic the way Minato would bow his head and listen with a condescending expression to what Kushina was just saying to him.

What Kushina was whispering in his ear was undoubtedly much more intimate than what Sakura was whispering to me, but thankfully no one knew that. At one point Minato took me aside and asked if I had time to talk to him again on Monday morning. His request did me good because it was clear what he wanted to talk about. It was obvious to me that I was hired.

I told Minato that Sakura and I had a very important errand to run on Monday morning, but that I would have time in the afternoon. I didn't want to seem too eager.

When he nodded understandingly and pointed out to me that there was always a line of people at the registry office on Monday mornings, so we should meet at two o'clock at the earliest, I realized my mistake.

Minato had assumed that Sakura and I were going to the registry office on Monday to arrange our wedding. But I realized it too late, didn't correct him and agreed to meet at 2 p.m., and then we shook hands on the appointment.

Damn it!

I noticed that some of the guests were already slowly starting to say their goodbyes and leave, so I thanked him for his kind hospitality. When he reminded me that he still had to write a check for the shelter, I told him that could wait until Monday as well. I had no idea what the name of the shelter was.

As I approached Sakura, she was talking to Kushina. It seemed to me that the two of them were getting along well. "Can we go?" I asked her. "I know you want to go visit your aunt later today."

"That's true..." She replied, turning to our hostess. "Thank you so much for a pleasant afternoon." Kushina smiled at her despite being sad that we had to leave and hugged Sakura tightly. "Your aunt is extremely lucky to have you, dattebane!"

"You're too kind!" Sakura remarked before Kushina finally released her from her grasp. "I'll look forward to seeing you more often. And remember what we talked about Sakura-chan, ya know!" Sakura giggled and nodded, grabbing onto my outstretched hand.

"It was so nice to meet you, Sasuke-kun! I look forward to seeing more of your pretty face." I was a little taken aback when Kushina reached over and gave me a small kiss on the cheek, the kind that grandmothers give on the cheek. It wasn't pleasant or uncomfortable, just weird. "Here in our home as well as in the office." She winked enthusiastically. I didn't say anything in response. This whole family was special, just like that idiot.

"I almost forgot! Did Minato give you the check for five grand yet?" She asked with a subtle undertone indicating that if my answer was no, someone was going to have a quiet household. I stared at her for a moment and then ran my gaze over Sakura.

Five thousand dollars? Apparently, I've been quite generous. With a small sigh, I nodded, figuring it was worth it, and I'd do Minato a small favor.

"Very well, dattebane! Enjoy the rest of your evening, you two lovebirds." She gave us a significant look and I smirked to that. I grabbed Sakura from behind by the waist again, and her cheeks flushed with surprise. "That's exactly what I plan to do..." I smiled inwardly the whole time I was leading Sakura all embarrassed to our car, before we finally went home and got the day over with.

Inside I was thrilled, because today had turned out just right!

-XXX-

End of Chapter 16