Sasuke watched his cute little wife as she anxiously glanced out the library window again. The book in her lap had been turned to the same page for nearly half an hour now, and if things continued the way they were, it was unlikely to be turned anytime soon.
They arrived home roughly three weeks ago and have spent that time readjusting to life outside of the palace. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hide the pink-haired woman's growing stomach from the maids that weren't privy to the fact that she was pregnant. Only Ino and Sai were aware of the fact, and the plan was to keep things that way for as long as possible. Especially since the prince couldn't be sure if any of the other staff members were acting as eyes or ears for the crown.
Unintentionally, the Uchiha prince's eyes warmed as Sakura's brow furrowed. She'd finally regained the weight she'd lost, and then some. A healthy glow was about her skin and eyes, and her hair was shiny. It'd been so long that he'd wished to see her this way that he often found himself staring in awe. He loved her the most when she was like this, nearby and out of harm's way.
'I know this happiness is at risk,' the prince thought to himself, his brow furrowing as he forced his gaze away.
Today was the day that her younger sister, Hana, was to arrive. The king was to remain blissfully unaware of the fact that Sasuke was going against his wishes to look into the Haruno family's youngest daughter's condition. Sasuke himself was deeply uncomfortable with having anyone visit until Sakura gave birth, if only to ensure the safety of her and their child, but the pinkette insisted on at least hosting Hana. As respectfully as possible, he'd tried to talk her out of it, but it was clear his words would go unheeded.
At the very least, he was able to convince her to wait until the baby was born and able to be away from them for short periods of time before the wizard Kisame visited to more deeply investigate Hana's sudden change of personality. Though Itachi had done his best to prove his loyalty to his younger brother, the safety of Sasuke's newly formed family was much too important to risk having anyone from the capital know an heir to the throne had been conceived until he knew for sure where everyone stood.
Sasuke would never tell Sakura this, but he planned to do whatever it took to protect her, even if it came at the detriment of her beloved little sister.
The hairs on his arms rose as the unsettling sensation of Akuma attempting to gain control of his body suddenly came. Before he could so much as process a thought in response, Ino approached with an expertly placed mask of composure in place, "Lady Hana Haruno has arrived. She is in the tearoom."
Sakura fumbled to close the book in her hands and came to her feet. Her ability to hide her emotions was drastically less impressive than the blonde maid's. It was clear she was nervous, excited, and a little scared.
He felt uneasy, but he wordlessly guided his wife's hand to the crook of his arm and allowed Ino to lead them to where Hana was waiting. The young woman bowed politely when they entered the tearoom, her face as expressionless as he remembered from their last encounter. Sai and Ino served tea and cookies before excusing themselves, leaving the three alone in the large, elegant room.
Sasuke, being unpracticed in pleasantries, remained silent and simply watched the two women interact.
Sakura sipped her hot drink carefully and forced a smile, "You seem healthy. I'm happy you're doing well, Hana."
The younger girl made no move to drink or eat anything, instead staring down his wife as though studying her behavior, "You're with child."
The pink-haired woman choked on her tea. She sat the glass down and covered her mouth with the back of her hand to cough. Sasuke leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, eyes narrowing into a glare on the teenager. It was a silent threat to choose her next words and actions carefully.
"You needn't concern yourself with my having this knowledge. I have nothing to gain from getting in the good graces of either of your wretched families." Now, Hana did pick up her tea and take a sip, eyes flicking to Sasuke for barely a moment before returning to Sakura.
The demon inside the prince fought harder and harder to arise, but he held it back with more ease than in the past since he'd gained control over Akuma via their deal, "You don't speak like the other young ladies of Konoha."
Hana scoffed rudely. Her expression didn't change, though, "Ah, yes. You've familiarized yourself with plenty of young women, haven't you, Prince? How many have suffered by your hand?"
Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, only to close it when Sakura suddenly cut in with a voice colder than he thought he'd ever hear, "You will not speak to my husband like that. He is your brother in law, your elder, and a prince of this kingdom. I love you, Hana, but I won't tolerate it."
Warmth flooded his chest and face at her strong words, making swallowing difficult. He turned his face away from the two young women and sipped his tea in hopes they wouldn't notice the blush coloring his cheeks. 'No one has ever stood up for me like that. It couldn't have been easy, given that it's her beloved younger sister, too. This woman….'
"My apologies, Princess. If civility is your wish for us, then I'll do my best to appease you."
The prince's bashful state disappeared. Hana seemed prideful and uncaring until corrected by Sakura. Then, she gave in with zero resistance. It seemed out of character from what he'd witnessed of her thus far.
His wife seemed just as surprised and spoke on that emotion without delay, "The last time we met, you said that you're not Hana. That would explain your odd behavior."
Hana smirked, "I did not say I'm not Hana. I asked what you would say if that was the case."
Sasuke's mood fell further. As much as he wanted to give this girl the benefit of the doubt since Sakura cared so much for her, she was irritatingly similar to the king in personality, albeit more snide.
"I-I, well…. Do you mean to say that you were joking? You are Hana, then?"
The redheaded girl continued to smirk, obviously amused by her older sister's uncertainty, "What good will it do to respond to such a question? Will you believe me if I say yes?"
"That's enough," Sasuke bit. His patience had dissipated. 'This is supposed to be someone Sakura trusts and cares for, yet she's mocking those emotions without a second thought.' "We've not long been acquainted, but I understand this demeanor of yours isn't in Hana's usual character. I'll give you an opportunity to tell us the truth now. No more off-topic discussions."
Sakura gently lay a hand atop his knee, sharing a comforting glance with him when he looked her way.
Their strange guest watched the interaction, her smirk falling into a frown. For the first time, emotion met her blue eyes. It was anger. It was only there for a moment before disappearing behind a blank mask again, then Hana took another sip of tea, "I'm afraid I'm feeling exhausted from traveling. Perhaps we can continue this discussion once I've had time to rest." So, the confused couple had the maids escort Hana to one of the guest bedrooms upstairs.
Once they were alone, Sasuke noticed Sakura's light flicker with disappointment. He angled his body toward her, taking her closest hand into his while awkwardly attempting to comfort her, "At least she is safe from harm here."
She smiled softly at him, taking him by surprise by setting her glass teacup onto the table and leaning forward to kiss him. When she pulled away, there was understanding in her eyes, "You're in pain, aren't you?"
The question stunned the prince further. 'How did she know…? Ah, of course she'd recognize something like that after watching me turn night after night before the deal was broken.' He sighed, "Any time I come near your sister, The Curse fights for control. I can't understand why."
Sakura nodded with a charming pensive expression, "Perhaps we should let the two of them interact to see what comes of it." She noticed his discomfort with the idea instantly and shook her head, "Unless you're against it. I'd never ask you to do something against your will."
Guilt ate at Sasuke as it had for months. He knew the time would come where he could no longer hide the truth of what'd happened during their honeymoon, and it was better to hear it from him than from The Demon. His wife picked up on his mood switch with ease and waited patiently for him to find the words. It took a moment, but he eventually did, "I have a confession to make, and I pray you'll forgive me for not coming forward before now."
Her brow furrowed. She said nothing and continued to wait.
Another long, awkward pause occurred before he admitted, "The Curse pretended to be me for a portion of our first night together."
The hand in his became stiff before gingerly pulling away. Tears welled in Sakura's eyes as she searched his face in disbelief. As he imagined, her first instinct was to bring a palm to her stomach. A gut-wrenching expression of concern marred her pretty features as she tried to speak, "Does…Does th-that mean…?"
"I don't know," he cut her off so she wouldn't have to finish her question. "It could be that the baby could be affected regardless of who controlled my body at the time, or that nothing at all will change." He felt disgusted with himself and angled his body forward again instead of toward her, "This is my fault. I should've been more considerate of the consequences of-" "You're saying you wish you wouldn't have conceived a child with me?" Sakura's voice was unstable and wavered with hurt.
"No! No, that isn't what I meant," he quickly assured. Cautiously, to give her a chance to pull away, he slid his hand beneath hers to feel her growing stomach, "I'm saying I should've tried to be rid of The Curse first. There are too many unknowns. We still can't be sure that you and the baby aren't in any danger because of that demon's involvement."
Sasuke couldn't gauge his wife's response to his attempt of reassurance. Even once they were separated, her having excused herself to rest, he wasn't sure if she was upset with him. During dinner, too, Sakura was reserved and quiet. Hana didn't speak unless first spoken to during the meal. Her blue eyes remained on her sister mostly, but they'd flicker to the prince with an amused, knowing glint as though she could tell there was animosity between the couple.
If the Uchiha man judged solely by his gut feeling, he'd resign to hating the youngest Haruno daughter. It was difficult to keep in mind that he'd never met the girl when she was acting "normal". He'd just have to strengthen his resolve to learn the truth, if only for the sake of getting back on his beloved wife's good side.