Note:

Thank you so much, DeeDee ( MsDeeDeeStyles on Twitter), for proofreading!

More recently, due to the circumstances that I've thoroughly planted myself into, I've been wondering just how people like Aunt Tsunade and Sasuke live.

I saw Aunt Tsunade more often when I was younger. As I grew up, her visits dwindled due to my increasingly busy schedule and her traveling around for work. However, she still kept in touch.[DS1] [DS2] I'd see her once in a while. By the time I became an adult, and we'd start to have our usual catch-up lunch at BBQ.

As a child, my parents and I were frequent visitors to her and Dan's home (mansion, really). My parents would chat with Dan about work, and Aunt T would be spending her time with me. Sometimes I'd be a little naughty and grab something I shouldn't, and she'd chase me around to get it back. I'd thought the place was huge back then, and I doubt that would change if I saw it now.

In a lot of ways, the Uchiha manor, located approximately thirty minutes away from the busy city, reminds me a lot of Aunt T's place.

Mikoto Uchiha guides me around the large expanse of the Uchiha Manor garden, my eyes can't help but take in the lush greenery, pronounced by the beauty of the variety of red and white flowers that bloom throughout.

From the brick paved driveway and numerous outer buildings surrounding the main manor to the number of heads I see flit about the property to maintain it all, everything about this countryside manor screams wealth. Even down to the flowers that boast the Uchiha colors.

Mikoto has my arm looped in hers as she talks of how she helped redesigned the garden once she married into the family. Based on the quick way she essentially stole me from her son once we arrived, I'd assumed I was going to be interrogated immediately. Instead, she seems to be easing her way into the subject, which I greatly appreciate.

I've been nervous all day, and while I still am, she seems to be doing her best to help calm me.

When we first met last week on that hectic Sunday, I was petrified. She, however, was ecstatic at the prospect of her son's engagement, despite him seemingly keeping something this big a secret.

"It's a beautiful garden, Mrs. Uchiha," I say, meaning every word.

She frowns. "No need to be so formal. We'll be family soon enough. Call me Mikoto."

I smile, feeling guilt gnawing through my subconscious mind.

"Or mom. I really don't mind."

I only chuckle, unsure of how to respond.

She winks, mischief in her eyes. "We can work our way to that."

I didn't know what exactly to expect from Mikoto Uchiha. All I know is what the public knows. She, too, grew up wealthy, though not Uchiha wealthy. Known for being kind and ladylike, she's said to be the warmth that the Uchiha family had been missing before she married into it.

Sasuke had said she already likes me, but for the life of me, I can't seem to figure out why considering we've barely spoken much beforehand. It can't just be because she thinks I'm genuinely engaged to her son, can it?

Praise from the media aside, I know firsthand working for the media that a lot of things can be overly exaggerated[DS3] for the right price. Though Mikoto has been nothing but kind to me, I can't help but be cautious.

Still, it's nice to have this kind of reaction from someone in the Uchiha family. So far, it's been utter confusion and shock (Shisui), and intimidation and blackmail (Madara).

Stopping by the large fountain, Mikoto's features shift into seriousness. "You know, I was worried."

She sits by the edge of the fountain, and I sit by her, wondering where this conversation is going to go. She places her hands over mine in a comforting gesture.

"He's always so hard on himself, and now that he's working so much, I was so worried he thought he had nothing else to live for." She gives me a self-deprecating smile. "Not exactly what you want to see your young son go through."

Glad I'm not the only one who sees it. While I can have workaholic tendencies, Sasuke Uchiha embodies the trait. I can only assume it's the weight of his responsibilities and his grandfather's high standards, but I'm beginning to wonder if the high standards he's holding himself to are what's eating at him most.

A person doesn't just go that far unless it's of their own volition. I just wonder why.

Instead of keeping the questions to myself like I should, I ask his mother. "I did wonder why he works as hard as he does. He doesn't say he is, but it's kind of what I've observed."

"You see it, too?" Something about what I just said lifts Mikoto's spirits.

"Kind of hard not to," I say. "I know he feels the pressure of being the head of the entire company, but there are times where I can't help but think he adds onto that pressure, that he thinks he still needs to prove something to people."

"Oh, dear." Relief paints Mikoto's features. "You have no idea how glad I am that he found someone that can understand him."

I blink, a little confused.

"Sasuke was always a sensitive one. As a child, he idolized his brother. Itachi would always make time for him, and they'd be attached at the hip. When Itachi became too busy, Sasuke would throw cute little tantrums, and Itachi would promise to make more time for him.

"But once they grew older and their responsibilities increased, I was so afraid a rift had grown between them. Thankfully, it didn't. They just didn't spend as much time together. But because of it, Sasuke started to behave more distantly. My husband was a bit harsher on him than he was with Itachi. Itachi was such an abiding child, and Sasuke, while he did his best to impress his father and grandfather, was a little rough around the edges."

Mikoto sighs. "Eventually, my cheerful little boy became a lot more serious, and despite how hard he tries, I know him too well. I know he has so much pent-up. I'm afraid of him exploding one day and doing something rash."

There's something in the way she's watching me that catches me off guard.

"Or, inversely, doing something simply for his grandfather's approval."

I fight instinctually freezing.

She knows, or at least, has a feeling something is off. I mean, who wouldn't? It's all so abrupt. Then again, she did say Sasuke isn't so forthcoming to her nowadays. Maybe she's just being cautious.

Hoping I'm playing it off as unassuming as I can possibly be, I reply, "If there's something I know about Sasuke, he doesn't do something he doesn't want to. Sure, he can feel pressured, but he doesn't strike me as the type to do something solely for someone else."

Now, to do something he thinks would get him to his goal at all costs, that sounds like Sasuke. Nevertheless, what I'm saying is my truth. He truly doesn't seem like someone who'd want to go through with something just because he was told to. Before we agreed to our arrangement, he was adamant on denying his grandfather.

This begs a new question entirely. What makes his mother think that way?

She still doesn't look fully convinced, but there's a sense of relief surrounding her that I can't quite comprehend.

"I don't get to see him often nowadays." Mikoto lets out a long sigh. "He comes to our weekly family dinners, but I don't ever get to speak with him that much. I swear, he keeps as many secrets as his brother does."

At that bit of information, my ears perk up. Not wanting to sound too forward, I try to continue this topic of conversation as subtly as I can.

I let out a laugh. "I have a feeling secrecy runs in the family."

To my relief, she laughs, too. "You should have seen them when they were younger. Sasuke would always follow Itachi's lead, though Itachi was always sneakier. Sasuke was more of an open book back then."

Her face falls by the last sentence, looking contemplative once more. I ponder prying a little more, but if I do, I'll only seem more suspicious. That, and I can tell this is veering into a more sensitive topic than she'd like to broach tonight.

While she's not as sensitive to the mention of his name as Sasuke is, he is still a touchy subject. What did happen[DS4] to the older Uchiha son? And why does it seem like his family has no idea why?

Or at least, that's what it seems.

Sasuke seems adamant that his grandfather is as clueless about his brother's whereabouts as he is, but how can we possibly know that for sure? With the way Mikoto is talking about Itachi a little more openly than I've encountered with any Uchiha thus far, I'm also beginning to wonder what she does and does not know. And why is she saying all this to me?

I place a hand above Mikoto's, squeezing gently in understanding. This brings a small smile to her lips.

"I was a little skeptical."

"Hm?"

Her smile grows. "I was excited when we first met last week, but after sitting on it and learning of your family relations, I got worried."

I nod. "I don't blame you. It's all kind of crazy."

"And too coincidental," she says, and something tells me there's more to what she thinks than she's willing to say today. "But after seeing you two earlier, I'm less worried. I've never seen Sasuke so smitten!"

Unable to stop it, I feel my cheeks heat, and I look away, shyness creeping up on me.

"Sasuke may have secrets, but he's not a very good actor when it comes to certain things." I can see her grin from my periphery. "I'm guessing you two share that trait."

I clear my throat, hoping to diffuse the color on my cheeks. "I don't know what you mean."

"Sure, you don't." Her laughter is sweet and genuine. "In any case, I know I told Sasuke he shouldn't be babied, but please, keep an eye on my boy."

My shoulders finally relax as I let her words sit.

Above all else, Mikoto Uchiha truly cares for her son. I don't blame her for being a little doubtful. Any sane person close enough to the Uchiha would be, but she's welcoming me despite her reservations.

"I'll do my best."

There's joy in her eyes that just now introduces itself to me. "That's all I ask."

Mikoto leads me to the side entrance of the manor where Sasuke stands, waiting for us in front of the large sliding glass doors with his arms crossed.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes and fail.

His mother sighs at the sight of him. "Sasuke, stop frowning. You'll break your face."

Leaning in closer to my ear, she stages whispers, "I'm sorry. He gets his impatience from his father. I hoped he'd grow out of it, but it's like it's hereditary."

I grin. "I can handle it. If anything, it's good entertainment sometimes."

She laughs.

"You are aware I can hear you, right?" He looks at me pointedly. "Because if we're talking about impatience, you-"

Faster than I thought I was capable of, I'm in front of him, hand covering his mouth, eyes pleading him to shut it before he embarrasses me in front of his mother.

He only stares back at me with a quizzical, challenging brow. It only makes me press my palm against his lips, raising a challenging brow of my own.

Then, I feel a pinch on the small of my back that has me yelping in surprise, setting him free from my hold.

"Sasuke!" I hit his chest.

He's smirking. Little brat.

Practically sensing the grin his mother has on her face right now, I come to realize his hands or on my hips, keeping me in place after I tried to wriggle away from him.

Mortified and having nowhere else to hide, I close my eyes and rest my forehead on his chest. "You couldn't have licked my hand or something?" I whisper.

"Like that would have been any less juvenile."

I sigh.

"I'll let you two enjoy the fresh air a little longer," Mikoto says, an unsaid teasing implication in her tone. "I have to check on the table."

I hear the sliding door open and close. He and I are left alone again.

"Is this your way of showing PDA in front of your family?"

He shrugs. "It worked. Mother looked pleased."

"Yeah, well, she also basically told me she knows something is up but won't say anything."

He frowns, brow furrowing with it. "What else did she say?"

"A lot about you when you were younger." I pause, contemplating on bringing it up but ultimately deciding to. "And Itachi."

I feel him still against my palms. "I see."

"She talked about him a lot more freely than I thought she would, but still didn't say much. Just said that you two were close." I finally look up and see the uncertainties I knew I'd find clouding his eyes. "Other than that, she said she knows something is up about our engagement, but that she seems to think you like me enough, so maybe that show you just put on for her helped in that."

Sasuke nods, eyes elsewhere, probably trying to calm his own thoughts.

"What were you doing while we were out here?"

"Went to Itachi's room. Found something we could look into."

I raise a brow. "You didn't think to lead with that?"

"With my mother within earshot?" He raises one back at me. "Now who's impatient?"

I roll my eyes. "Alright. Point taken."

He reaches for his pocket and from it, he hands me a business card.

You're going to need my help.

"What business would your brother have with this Jiraiya guy?" And why does that name sound so familiar?

"Virtually none that's known."

I hand the card back to him, and he tucks it back in his pocket. "It's a start, though. Somewhere outside the family. Do you think you can schedule a meeting with him since you're the bigshot between the both of us?"

"Already texted my assistant. This guy is known to be difficult to meet with, I've been told. I have Kakashi on it, as well."

I bite my lower lip in thought. "I swear, I've heard his name before. And not at work, but from someone."

"We can talk more about it later." He sighs. "We have this dinner to get through."

"Already tired?" I can't help the lift of my lips. "We basically just got here."

"Knowing my family, the questioning won't be fun."

"Meaning you'll get teased. By whom? That one cousin you mentioned?"

"Believe me. You'll be as annoyed about it as I'll be."

"Hm, I don't know." I tap on his chest with my pointer finger. "You kind of have a short fuse."

"I have the short fuse?"

"From our most recent meetings, I think you kind of have me beat."

"We'll see about that." His eyes trail through the glass doors separating us from inside the manor. Then, he's quiet.

Curious, I follow his gaze and find two sets of eyes trained on us. One pair of onyx eyes wide in disbelief with a mouth wide open to match. Obito Uchiha.

And next to him, a member of the Uchiha family that Sasuke told me hasn't attended a family gathering in months.

Shisui Uchiha watches us, not as surprised as his cousin since he's seen us before. It was quick, barely noticeable by the time I caught his eyes, but I could have sworn he looked kind of concerned.

"Shrimp has a girlfriend?!" I hear Obito Uchiha yell from the other side of the door.

I feel a light squeeze on my hip and realize Sasuke still had his hand resting there. Looking up, I see him take a deep breath with his eyes shut, readying himself for what's about to come. I can't help but notice the tips of his ears have gone slightly red, as well.

"Well, at least we're selling this relationship thing surprisingly well."

End Notes:

this chapter was kind of hard to write kdsjfskdfs

initially, this was supposed to start on the dinner itself, but I got an idea in the middle of the night about mikoto's character in the story and wanted to write the sakura and mikoto scene longer and more thoroughly so as to avoid making mikoto just an eager mother. she is eager, but she can't just be that, y'know?

also I wanted more ss skinship because why not? djskfsdkf these two are so touchy

anyway, I hope to get the next chapter out on Friday!

lmk what yall think!