-XXX-

SASUKE

"Sakura, will you marry me?"

My proposal robbed Sakura of her voice. Her lips trembled, but no words came out. Neither confirmation nor denial. Then Sakura did the one thing I hadn't counted on enough that it wasn't even at the bottom of my list of all the things that could happen.

She started laughing. With a noisy laugh I've never witnessed from her before. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter, but it did nothing to quell the bursts of giggles. Although I had to admit it was nice to hear her laughing at the top of her lungs for once, the cause of her laughter didn't amuse me at all.

I leaned back against the chair and crossed my arms. "I don't find anything funny about this, Miss Haruno." I was hoping that addressing her formally unexpectedly would shake her out of her strange hysteria, because I couldn't think of anything better. But the only effect it had on her was to make her laugh even harder.

"Sakura..." I took a deep breath and said sharply, because this atmosphere was starting to make me more or less annoyed. She leaned her elbow on the kitchen counter and began to dry the tears of laughter from her cheeks with her other hand. She looked up into my face and immediately started laughing again.

All right, that's enough.

I stood up, pushed the chair away and walked over to her, even though I didn't know what I wanted to do. Shake her? Pour cold water on her? Or leave the room? Instead, I found myself right in front of her. Her back was against the line as she tried to straighten her stance and look me in the eye. I reached around her from both sides with both hands and leaned against the counter. She was trapped and had no choice but to focus on me.

She still wasn't that used to my proximity, so I knew that if nothing else, this would calm her freaking out. And it did. "Sa-sasuke-kun..." She said my name with bulging eyes and breathing so irregular that her chest heaved up and down. I snuggled closer to her and leaned lower, our lips just inches apart. "Are you done now?" I grunted.

She looked up at me uneasily, her eyes shining with tension, and she finally nodded silently. A strange warmth ran down my back again. Her heated cheeks and attempts to escape my fixed gaze were meant to be a punishment for her. But it was more of a punishment for me. I saw it actually as a pleasure. Hot, scorching pleasure that would burn us both if I moved my lips just a little inch closer.

What the hell am I doing?!

A warning flashed through my mind at that moment and I abruptly backed away from her. We both stood in awkward silence and I used that time immediately to compose myself and think rationally again.

"At the risk of you starting all over again, I ask you one more time. Will you marry me?"

"No."

I watched wordlessly as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. And when she opened them again, she surprised me once more. She took a step towards me and took my face in her soft hands. I felt her fingers gently stroking my cheek. "Has anyone ever told you that you're too impulsive, Sasuke-kun?"

"Spontaneity always worked best for me."

"I'd call it more of a hot head." She pouted with a small smirk on the corner of her lips, her palms still on my cheeks. "But call it what you want if it makes you sleep better at night."

I didn't know how to respond to that so I changed the subject. "Why is your answer no?"

"Sasuke-kun, think about it. Really think about it." She began to explain her reason. "If your instinct is right and Minato Namikaze still has doubts, you'll only increase those doubts if we get married hastily now." I stared into her beautiful green eyes and her words slowly seeped into my mind. She was like a voice of reason.

I stepped away from her, her hands slipped from my face, and I came to the realization that she was absolutely right. "Hn..." With a sigh, she shook her head. "I'm right, and you know I am."

Can this woman read my mind?

"There's something to it." I hated to admit it out loud. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun... I think I didn't hear you." She jokingly reached behind her ear to repeat it. She wanted to make fun of me.

"Don't push your luck, Sakura."

She grinned at me and suddenly the heaviness of this atmosphere seemed to disappear from us and from this room. But I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "So this subject is postponed." I said, to make it clear that this subject will quite likely resurface in due course.

"I'm going to go read something." She walked past me and picked up the magazines lying on the table. She almost couldn't carry them, so she helped herself by tucking them under her arm. "We'll talk later. Right now I want to find some ideas for decorating my room."

She wanted to walk away, but I reached out my hand and stopped her on her way out. "By the way, I'm gonna call a handyman, so don't be surprised when he arrives. There's something wrong with my bedroom door."

I didn't want her to be startled when a strange man walks in. It might just need oil, which I'd do myself, but if the hinges needed replacing, I'd leave it to a professional.

Her eyes widened in a heartbeat and she gulped heavily. "Oh, really?" Sakura asked nervously.

I reached into the fruit bowl for an apple and absent-mindedly began to rub it against my shirt. "I always leave them a little ajar, but when I wake up in the morning they're wide open. I don't know what's wrong with them, so I'll get them fixed..."

"Well, you see... I..." I frowned at her reaction. She was all red, but not her usual pink face. Her neck and cheeks were red, like she had a fever. "What's wrong?" For a moment, I got worried.

"Sasuke-kun, your door is not broken..." It took her a strangely long time to get that one short sentence out. "And how do you know that?" I asked her suspiciously, having no idea what was going on. "Because I always open them!" She blurted out at lightning speed.

Now I was in shock again for a change. "Why would you do that?"

"You know, it's awfully quiet in this house..." She said with her eyes fixed on the ground. I frowned at her answer. I didn't understand what the silence in the house had to do with the opening of my door. After a moment of silence, Sakura cautiously looked up to see my face and when she saw my uncomprehending expression, she continued her explanation.

"The first night here I couldn't sleep." She fiddled with the edge of the magazines with her fingers. "Where I lived before, there was always some noise like cars from the street, people, dogs, anything."

"Here, on the other hand, it was so quiet that it made me feel uncomfortable and maybe even a little scared..." She said in a low voice. "And then I walked by your door and well..." She turned her gaze away again. "I heard you snoring."

Sighing, I shook my head. "I don't snore, it's just a faint squeak..." I don't know why I felt the need to justify myself. She looked at me again, less embarrassed this time. "If I open your door more and leave mine wide open, I can hear you..." She paused. "... squeak."

"And I know right away that I'm not alone here. It's like a little comfort to me." She gave me a little smile. "Hn..." I had no immediate response to her unexpected and shy confession.

Am I her comfort?

"I promise I won't do it again, Sasuke-kun..." She said sadly and humbly. She looked like she felt guilty. But I shrugged at her promise. "Whatever, I don't care about this." She didn't say anything more, just spun around and walked upstairs at a faster pace.

I watched her disappearing figure. She didn't have to feel bad about it. She just confessed that she wasn't feeling comfortable and I was unknowingly helping her fall asleep. She in turn reminded me of the mistake in my plan for an instant wedding. We did each other a favor. We were even.

Nevertheless, when I went to bed at night, after turning out the lights, I went and opened my bedroom door wider. I saved her the walk. Who knows what kind of mood she'd be in in the morning if she hadn't slept well.

...

The next day I thoroughly examined Minato's offer. The amount of money he was offering me was good. All the benefits were tempting. The only thing that bothered me was the five-month trial period. They normally gave 3 months in a new jobs, so I couldn't shake the hunch that there was more to it.

I got up from my desk in my room and started walking around. Finally, I stopped at the window and looked out over our neighborhood. I liked it here. I lived in a quiet part of a busy city where it was easy to settle in and easy to travel. It was convenient that I could easily fly anywhere from here, and I was also glad that my house was only a few blocks from the seashore.

A knock on the door entered my thoughts, echoing behind me. I turned my head over my shoulder and Sakura was standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee in her hand. "I thought you might like some."

I turned and walked over to her for a cup. "Thanks." I took it from her and took a sip. "Have you checked out the offer?" She asked curiously. I sat down in the armchair and gestured that she could sit in the opposite one. "Yeah."

"But you don't look very pleased..." She expressed her concern and I shook my head. "No. The offer is good, the pay is high, the benefits and bonuses are endless and dependent on productivity... all the employee perks are there."

"But?" She bumped hesitantly into my obvious obstacle. "I'm worried about the trial period." I replied and sipped from my coffee. "Because it's longer than usual?" I looked at her and it flashed through my mind how amazingly intelligent she actually is. Without me saying anything, she was able to connect one with the other and knew right away how things were.

"I'm not sure I convinced him." I admitted to her. "He even told me himself." Sakura sighed and took a sip from her cup. "And what do you want to do?" I looked at her meaningfully. "Set a wedding date."

"Sasuke-kun... Are you sure he's watching you like this? Do you think he'd be so friendly to you if he thought you were just pulling a trick on him? He doesn't seem like that type to me."

"I don't think so either, but I need..." I corrected myself. "...we need to move forward." I took a deep breath and took another sip of my coffee. "Sakura, choose some date. My future lies in your hands now."

"Name your price." I called her out on it. Sakura looked at me for a moment, and I waited to see what she would say. I wondered what amount of money she would ask for and what other demands she would put on the table. I could afford anything she was going to say, but I was still curious.

Sakura didn't utter a word. I finally couldn't take the silence anymore. "Just say it."

"If I agree to marry you..." she began cautiously. "Will you want at least a year?" She was right. "Yes. Maybe eight months." When she rolled her eyes at me, I hastily added. "No more than 2 years." There was silence again and Sakra took a sip of her coffee. "Two years..." She repeated quietly to herself. "It might not even be that long, I'm just guessing." I explained.

"So the mimimum would be a year?" She checked, and I confirmed it for her. "Hn." She tucked her hair, which fell into her eyes, and a stubborn look appeared on her face. "But I'll want something in return." I rolled my eyes. "I was expecting that. You know you have the upper hand on me now, so put your cards on the table."

"I'd like to make some changes here..." She began, and I wondered if she meant decorating the house or making changes between us. "What changes?" I wanted her to be more detailed.

"Changes in the living room and my room." She paused, before continuing. "I'd like to add some color to this place and make it a little more homey." She looked at me, wondering if she had offended me, so she immediately added, "I'm not saying you don't have an amazing house, Sasuke-kun! It just doesn't look very homely, if you know what I mean..."

I nodded in agreement. "I've said it once before, and I meant it. You can do whatever you want here." I reminded her. "What else?" She smiled happily and continued slowly and carefully. "I'd like a table in that empty spot in the kitchen next to the bar..." I replied immediately. "Then buy it."

"Can I buy a waffle maker, too?" Her eyes glowed with eagerness at the question. "I've always wanted a waffle maker." I scowled, unsure if I'd heard her right. She wants a waffle maker? That's her wish? "I don't care about little things like that. What do you really want in return for agreeing to marry me?" I wanted to cut to the chase without stalling. "Bonus? Or your own house when it's over? Tell me."

Sakura looked hurt and a little angry. "I told you I don't care about money. Your terms are fine the way they are." Something about that just didn't sit right with me. "Really, huh? "But from the look on her face, I didn't get the feeling that she didn't want anything in return. "You're nervous and restless, you must want something."

"I... I want the same as before. No cheating." She said with a determined and resolute expression. I snorted in irritation, because we'd already discussed this. I don't have any desire or time to have an affair and I thought she had figured it out.

I set my coffee cup down on the coffee table in front of me, rested my chin on my fingers and watched her carefully. This woman was the complete opposite of what I knew. Most women would have tried to rip me off for as much money as possible, or wanted a house, a car, or jewelry.

I could easily give her all those things. But she, on the other hand, wanted something that had no financial value but required loyalty on my part. I was curious how she would react if the roles were reversed, so I tried it on her. "I'm gonna demand the same from you."

She lifted her chin and made eye contact. "That's not a problem..." She shrugged and continued to sip quietly from her cup.

"You won't miss sex in those two years?"

I assumed she didn't have a boyfriend, because if she did, he would have knocked on my door by now or waited for me somewhere and demanded an explanation. But I certainly couldn't say that she wasn't seeing anyone in her spare time, because I wasn't spending every minute of every day with her.

The red flooded her cheeks again, but she didn't look away. "You can't miss what you never had, Sasuke-kun."

I was speechless with surprise. I hadn't expected such an honest answer from her.

"Right..." That was all I could get out of myself.

"Will you comply? I can't stand cheating, as I said at the beginning..." She urged in a strained voice and I sighed. I stood up and immediately sat on the edge of the table that was between us, just in front of her. I knew my answer was 'yes' of course.

"But I have my own condition." I told her. "And that is...?" She asked cautiously, suspicious of what I would ask of her. "We get married as soon as I sign the contract with Minato, which means this weekend." I saw her eyebrows furrow, so I continued on. "I'll tell him that we were so excited that we spontaneously got carried away and got married. He'll fall for that."

She shook her head disapprovingly and I could see what she thought of my plan. "So you agree?" I asked for the final verdict. Sakura pursed her lips and surprisingly there were no disgruntled remarks from her side. "Only if you agree."

I nodded and let out a deep sigh of relief. "Okay, so we have a wedding on Saturday." She widened her eyes at me and asked. "Saturday? Like this Saturday?"

"I'll have the necessary paperwork done tomorrow. I'll sign the contract with Minato on Friday and Saturday will be perfect timing. We'll go to City Hall, say what we need to say, get our pictures taken, and that will be it." There was no time to waste.

"What a dream wedding..." she cooed softly. It was strange to me that she would make it through without remarks like that. Anyway, I didn't dwell on her comment. "I'm sure you'll find some suitable clothes in your new wardrobe."

"Such an offer is impossible to resist, Sasuke-kun..." She said sarcastically. "You always know how to put it so romantically when you want to..." I held myself from laughing. Sometimes it amused me to watch her get angry and puff up her cheeks like a little kid.

I reached out my hand to her. "Deal." She looked at me and hesitantly took my hand to shake on our new arrangement.

When she tried to let go of my hand, I jerked her hand towards me and she gasped as she landed on my chest from her prone position in the armchair. I caught her around the waist and held my lips close to her ear. "I promise you won't regret it. Thank you... Sakura."

Then I let her go, and she, so shocked that she could not utter a word, rose clumsily to her feet, retreated, and left my room with a quick step. I had to smile at the way she walked away from me with rosy cheeks and a puzzled expression.

She may have always made mean remarks and looked tough, but she still always helped and rescued me, for which I was grateful. Maybe the two years wouldn't be a complete bore, I thought, and went to finish the rest of my coffee.

-XXX-

End of Chapter 18