A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for being patient with me. :) I hope you like the new chapter! Before you start reading though, I wanna quickly thank: guest, ILoveSxS, NaruHinaUntilTheEnd, Arzella, Uchiha Misaki, Guest, elisabeth and Guest. :)
Disclaimer: Me no own! :P
Chapter 6
Sakura stopped staring out of the window to peek at the man sitting stiffly on the driver's seat. She couldn't deny the fact that he looked stunning in a dark blue button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms.
Her emerald orbs trailed up to his pale face where she could see a small frown resting on his features. His dark eyes were focused on the road ahead and his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Sakura's gaze dropped to his lips which were set in a firm and straight line.
'He looks so cute when he's brooding…' Sakura thought, her lips curving up in a small grin. Only when the Uchiha turned to face her with a small frown did she realize that she had just laughed out loud. Blushing in embarrassment, she quickly twisted around so she could look out of the window and watch the light rain pour down from the grey sky and splatter against the window. Her mind went back to a few hours ago as she continued staring at the raindrops.
~Flashback~
"Let's go." The Uchiha grumbled, about to turn around and walk away, only to stop with a sigh when Sakura's eyebrow shot up higher. Couldn't she just do as he said?!
"Wha-″
"Um, sorry to interrupt you guys, but… Sakura, do you have a brother-in-law?" Ino cupped the side of her mouth and spoke quietly so only her friend could hear her.
Sakura blinked. "I thought you said that you and Shikamaru are together-″
"I never said that!" Ino defended herself with a face as bright as a ripe tomato. "You always pair me up with him!"
"After you told me you had a crush on him!" Sakura countered, crossing her arms across her chest. "You even told me that you were going to ask him out and even when I called him your boyfriend several times, you never denied it so how was I supposed to know that you-″
"Um… Sakura? I-Ino?" Hinata mumbled softly, looking between the two girls nervously.
Sasuke rolled his eyes and massaged his forehead. They were beginning to get on his nerves with their absurd bickering… "Sakura…?" His jaw tightened in annoyance when she ignored him and continued on rambling.
"Ooh, I remember now! You do have a brother-in-law! A hot one at that! Do you think you can get us two together?" Ino blushed, clasping her hands together in front of her face with a dreamy expression.
Sakura stared at her blankly. "Uh… You're just being creepy Ino; I mean you don't even know Itachi and-″
"Itachi!" Ino squealed, giggling afterwards. She was unaware of the strange looks she was given as she jumped up and down happily. "Sakura, you can introduce us, can't you? We'll become friends after that and then-″
"Shut up, you're annoying me." Sasuke snapped, finally running out of patience. This girl was crazy! She barely knew his brother and yet, she wanted to get together with him… He scoffed, disregarding the blonde's pout. "My brother refused to marry the sane girls, what makes you think he's going to get together with a foolish girl like you?"
Ino's jaw dropped, Hinata's eyes widened and Sakura's eyes narrowed. "You can't talk to my friend like that!" The pinkette defended her blonde friend.
Sasuke rolled his obsidian orbs. "I can if she's being ridiculous."
"Ino was only joking! She likes somebody else okay? She-″
"Hn, don't care." Sasuke interrupted her coolly, taking a hand out of his pocket and running it through his spiky raven locks. "I'll be waiting by the car." He informed her, before turning around and disappearing out of sight as soon as he rounded a corner.
Sakura bit her lip and trailed her eyes to the blonde girl beside her. She tried to come up with an excuse otherwise her friends would question what went up Sasuke's ass all of a sudden… "Um, Sasuke's in a bad mood today. 't get much sleep last night-″ she glared when Ino grinned at her knowingly. "Don't take anything he said seriously… If you really want to be with Itachi then-″
"Oh, no, I was only kidding! I mean, sure he's hot but, um… Yeah, you know." Ino smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"You l-like someone e-else…" Hinata finished with a slight smile directed at the blonde before turning to her childhood friend. "You better go now Sakura… Don't keep your husband waiting."
"What about you guys-?″
"Neji said he will pick us up." Hinata cut her off with a smile.
"Sweet! I get to see who this 'Neji' guy is!" Ino grinned; switching the two bags to her other hand.
"Oh, okay… Bye then you guys!" Sakura smiled, placing the shopping bags on the floor as she gave her friends a quick hug each.
Retrieving the bags, she turned around to walk away, only to stop at Hinata's quiet voice. Spinning around, the pinkette raised a questioning eyebrow when she saw the dark-haired girl holding out a thin, red box out for her.
"Hinata…?"
"I almost f-forgot… T-This is your w-wedding gift from m-me and Neji… W-We're very sorry a-about not being there f-for you on them-most i-important day of your l-life-″
"You're kidding me right!? I told you guys before, what matters most is that the two of you are here now! You guys didn't have to buy me anything-″
"W-We wanted to… Here." Hinata smiled gently, pushing the box in her direction.
Sakura shook her head. "No, I can't accept this."
"I'll be upset i-if you d-don't take it, Sakura..." Hinata frowned, seeming hurt by her refusal. Sighing, Sakura set down the bags once again and carefully took the box out of Hinata's outstretched hand. Smiling at her, she slowly lifted the lid and gasped as soon as she caught sight of the beautiful, expensive diamond necklace that rested inside with matching earrings. So this must be what Hinata had wanted to buy earlier when she told them she needed to go to the shop across from them…
"Oh my God…" Sakura mumbled in awe, running her fingers over the precious jewel gently. Looking up, she threw her arms around Hinata, careful not to drop the box. "Thank you so much Hinata! I absolutely love it! It's gorgeous!"
Hinata giggled, returning the hug. "You're w-welcome Sakura. It's still n-not enough for you… You d-deserve more than t-this."
"Aw, thanks Hin! This is more than what I deserve… Please tell Neji I said thank you for this wonderful gift." Sakura pulled away with a bright smile, bending down to grab her shopping bags. She gently placed the jewellery box inside her shoulder bag and straightened up with a smile.
Hinata nodded her head. "I will, don't worry." She then reached in one of her shopping bags and pulled out another box that was a dark blue colour. "A-and this is for y-your husband..."
"Hinata…" Sakura trailed off with a frown. "You and Neji didn't have to-″
"It's not m-much… Take it." Hinata smiled, her smile widening slightly when Sakura sighed and grabbed the box, opening the lid hesitantly. The pinkette's jaw dropped open when she saw a beautiful silver watch resting inside.
"Thank you guys, seriously..." Sakura smiled warmly, feeling touched by her friends' thoughtfulness. Sasuke practically kicked them out of his house, yet they brushed his discourtesy away and bought him an expensive watch…
"You're welcome Sakura… I h-hope Sasuke l-like's it. W-We didn't know what he'd like s-so we just-″
"Don't worry Hinata; I'm sure Sasuke will love it!" Sakura forced a smile, not being able to help but think that he didn't deserve this…
"Ahem," a cough grabbed their attention. Both girls turned around to see Ino tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.
Sakura smiled sheepishly, having forgotten that the blonde was there.
"Yes Ino?"
"Sakura, you didn't thank me when I gave you and Sasuke your gifts…"
Sakura blinked. "What? Of course I did-″
"Yeah, but not as much as you thanked Hinata…"
Sakura couldn't help but grin. Typical Ino… "Stop being jealous Ino!"
"What!? I'm not being jealous-″ the blonde stopped mid-sentence, her blue eyes resting on something behind Sakura. Curious, Sakura was about to turn around when she heard a familiar grunt.
"I believe I told you I was waiting by the car… I don't remember telling you to continue talking with your friends."
Sakura rolled her eyes and spun around to face the Uchiha whose face was impassive, but after knowing him and living in the same house for a while, she was able to tell the annoyance that danced in his dark onyx pools.
"I was saying goodbye to my friends when you-″
"Hn and saying goodbye takes you forever?"
"I… Well… Yeah! Nobody is a dick like you to just leave without saying anything to your friends!″ Sakura huffed, seeming to forget that her friends were present while she started another argument. "Seriously Sasuke, you need to take that pole out of your ass because it's really beginning to annoy me!"
Sasuke looked up at the sound of soft gasps, and flicked his eyes to Sakura's friends who were watching them with their mouths hanging open in shock. He had to do something before they became suspicious and spread the news out…
"Calm down Sakura, I was only joking." Sasuke let the corner of his mouth lift up in a smirk as he draped his arm around her shoulder. He felt her stiffen under his arm, but paid her no mind and instead turned his attention to her friends. "Hn, I always find it amusing how Sakura gets angry so quickly… That's why I bother her. Besides, it won't be much fun if we don't argue like how they say married people do…"
Sakura stared at the dark-haired boy, pondering what he might be up to. Frowning, she was about to voice out her thoughts only to freeze when Ino giggled.
"Yeah, that's so true! I mean, one time I accidently ate her last slice of chocolate cake and she practically ripped my head off! It's best not to get her angry, but your case is different since you're her husband." Ino grinned teasingly.
"Neji a-also likes annoying Sakura… H-he says she's t-too cute when she's a-angry." Hinata smiled, fiddling with her fingers.
'Hmm, he did that so Hinata and Ino would not get suspicious… I did say some pretty bad stuff which I'm sure any other married couples who are supposedly 'happy' together would not say. Smart move Sasuke…' Sakura thought, glancing briefly at the arm that still rested on her shoulder. Heat crawled up to her cheeks when she felt his hold tighten around her. Biting her lip softly, she looked to her left to see him scowling all of a sudden which left her feeling confused.
Sasuke quickly composed himself, not knowing why he reacted like that at the mention of Sakura's 'best friend'. "Sakura, it's getting late, let's go." The young Uchiha murmured, moving his arm away from her and letting it drop to his side.
"S-Sure… Bye Hin, bye Ino-pig." Sakura was unable to stop her laughter when Ino glared at her deathly while Hinata simply smiled.
"G-Goodbye Sakura, I'll s-see you soon."
"See you later Billboard Brow!"
Sasuke nodded in response when Sakura's friends bid them goodbye and walked in the opposite direction. He looked down to see the pinkette struggling with the shopping bags after putting the box she was holding inside her shoulder bag. Rolling his eyes, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and started walking.
"Hey! Wait!" Sakura yelled, picking up the bags and sprinting after him. She panted when she finally caught up with him and glared, not that he noticed… Even if he did, he ignored her.
Calling him a jerk in her head, Sakura fidgeted with the heavy bags, feeling it dig in the soft flesh of her palms. Sighing, she turned to look at Sasuke who kept his eyes in front of them.
"Ugh, these bags sure are heavy!" Sakura complained, hoping he would at least pretend to be a gentleman and carry them for her. She scowled when he didn't even glance in her direction.
'So much for being a gentleman... Stupid, pig-headed bastard! Didn't his mother teach him any manners at all!?' Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration and lowered the bags to the ground, wanting to take a break. She glared hotly when Sasuke grunted and turned around to look at her.
"Why did you stop?" The Uchiha asked in a bored voice, glimpsing up at the dark sky and frowning. 'Looks like it's going to start raining soon…' He thought, his frown deepening.
"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not some superman to carry all these extremely heavy bags by myself! I need to stop for a few minutes, my hands hurt!" Sakura looked down at her slim and delicate hands, grimacing when she saw the red lines in her palms. She brushed her bangs away from her vision and looked up at the sound of rustling, only to gape.
Sasuke shot her an annoyed look as he easily lifted up the bags. "Come on," he grunted out, unaware of her small smile as she followed his lead.
'… Hm, so he's a gentleman after all… Well, sort of…'
X
Sakura put on her seatbelt as she waited for Sasuke to place the bags in the backseat. She turned around to face him when he got in the driver's seat and turned on the car.
"So… Where are we going?"
Silence.
"How did you know I was here?"
Silence.
Sakura was beginning to get annoyed. "Sasuke… Helloooo? I just asked you something… It must have been something important for you to go through the trouble of finding me and -″
"Hn, you talk too much." Sasuke muttered, keeping his eyes on the road. He ignored her death glares and grunted again. "We're going for dinner-″ when he saw her emerald eyes widen in surprise, he quickly added, "To the Uchiha Mansion," not wanting her to get the wrong idea.
"We're going to your parents' house for dinner? Sweet..." Sakura smiled sweetly, rolling her eyes as soon as she turned towards the window. 'I can't believe I actually thought he was going to take me out for dinner, but… Sasuke taking me out on a date…? That's just too funny and out of character to even think about!'
Brushing her bangs aside, she stole a quick look out of the corner of her eye to check the grouchy male's expression. He was grumpier than usual… If that was even possible! '… Must have something to do with the dinner…' Sakura thought, noticing his glower and how he was clutching the steering wheel tightly while keeping his dark eyes on the road. 'At least I'll be enjoying myself tonight… Sasuke's family is fun to hang out with, especially Itachi…' She smiled softly at the mention of his name. He was like the big brother she never had-
Sakura snapped out of her thoughts when the car skidded to a halt infront of Sasuke's house - their house. She looked next to her only to cringe when the door was slammed forcefully after Sasuke had made his departure. Geez… Couldn't he have shut the door a little gentler?
Rolling her eyes and muttering something about a moody Uchiha, she opened her side of the door and climbed out, making sure to take her shoulder bag with her. Frowning at the light rain, she moved to take out the shopping bags from the backseat.
'I'll have to put these away when we get back from the Uchiha manor. And maybe give him the present that Hinata and Neji bought although he doesn't deserve it… I'll think about that...' Sakura gave the bags a quick glance before making her way inside the mansion with only one thought in mind:
'What should I wear…?'
~End of flashback~
Sakura blinked when the car stopped. She looked out of the window and smiled softly when she caught sight of the enormous, beautiful mansion that was five stories high. She picked up her purse from her lap and didn't wait for Sasuke as she opened the passenger door and stepped out.
The rain was pouring heavier than before, colliding with the ground fiercely. Sakura quickly made her way to the main entrance of the mansion, getting slightly wet during the short run. Sighing, she flicked her damp bangs away from her eyes.
Looking over her shoulder, Sakura waited for Sasuke to park the car patiently. While she was waiting, she couldn't help but gasp in awe when she saw five other cars. Ok, so if one car belonged to Fugaku and one to Itachi – maybe Mikoto owned one too? – then who did the other two or three cars belong to?!
"Hn, what are you gaping at like an idiot?"
Sakura trailed her eyes to Sasuke who was now standing next to her. The rain had mildly soaked him, but he didn't seem to mind as he shoved his hands in his pockets. She turned to look at the cars again and said, "… Wow… What does your father do with that many– What did you just call me?!" She yelled as soon as she realized what he had said.
"Hn," he grunted in reply, taking his right hand out of his pocket to ring the doorbell. Sakura glared at his back but quickly placed a bright smile on her face when the door opened to reveal Mikoto who instantly beamed at the sight of them.
"Good evening mother." Sasuke said politely and tried not to groan when his mother grabbed him in a forceful embrace. Heat crawled up the back of his neck in awkwardness as he wrapped his arms loosely around her so as to not hurt her feelings. Seriously, mothers were so annoying!
"Sasuke honey, I missed you so much." Mikoto pulled away with a smile. "I'm so happy you came…" She reached up for his cheeks, taking no notice of the way his eyes widened.
'Talk about embarrassing…' The young Uchiha thought, trying to move away from her reach only to sigh when his mother pinched his cheeks and ruffled his spiky raven locks. His whole face reddened uncharacteristically when he heard muffled giggling sounds.
"Sakura dear…" Mikoto pulled away from her son with a lively smile to give her daughter-in-law a hug, who returned it happily.
"Good evening mother." Sakura greeted, smiling faintly when Mikoto's hold tightened on her at the mention of 'mother'. Even though Mikoto had told the pinkette several times to just call her by her name, Sakura knew that the older woman enjoyed being called mother...
Mikoto pulled away with a smile so bright, it practically lit up the whole place. "What are you two waiting for, come inside!" She ushered them in and closed the door. The 'couple' took off their shoes, set them neatly to the side and followed Mikoto. "Itachi kept complaining about how long you two were taking… He even assumed that you wouldn't show up because of the rain." Mikoto broke the awkward silence which Sakura was thankful for. She opened her mouth to inquire where Itachi was-
"Is father home?" - Only for Sasuke to cut in. Sakura closed her mouth and glared at his back. Her eyes then flicked to Mikoto who shook her head with a small sigh.
"No… Itachi is waiting for you two in the living room though. Don't keep him waiting… I'll come too as soon as I've spoken to the maids." Mikoto informed them with a small smile before walking away and leaving them standing in the middle of the hallway.
Sakura shifted on her feet awkwardly. "Um…"
"Hn," the stoic Uchiha grunted, his hands shoved typically in his pants pockets. The pink-haired beauty rolled her eyes and followed him to the living room.
Itachi looked up at the sound of footsteps and stood up from the sofa witha smirk as he made his way over to Sasuke. "Little brother…" He greeted in his deep voice, dishevelling Sasuke's spiky locks. His smirk widened when the grumpy Uchiha glared and fixed his hair back to the way it was.
"Itachi," Sasuke nodded his head in acknowledgement. Itachi shook his head with a soft chuckle before moving his dark eyes to the smiling pinkette. His lips formed a grin, and in the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of her.
"Sakura," Itachi smiled, crushing the petite girl against his muscular chest. Sakura laughed and returned the embrace by wrapping her arms around his waist. "How's my lovely sister-in-law? I hope my little brother hasn't been troubling her too much."
Sakura giggled and spoke in third person. "She's fine and is incredibly delighted to be in the presence of the amazing Itachi Uchiha."
"Are you trying to make fun of me Miss?" Itachi pulled back from the hug to give her a playful frown and tried to look offended. Sakura laughed at his expression and shook her head, completely oblivious to Sasuke's death glares.
The said Uchiha shoved his hands in his pockets and turned his face away from them. 'Hn, Sakura seems to enjoy Itachi's company a lot…' Sasuke looked up when he heard chuckling and frowned when he saw his older brother ruffle Sakura's hair who pouted.
Sasuke's hands curled into fists inside his pockets. She never smiled around him, let alone laugh... 'Hn, why did I have to marry Sakura? Itachi should have married her instead…' He rolled his eyes at the thought of his brother and Sakura together. The young Uchiha knew that Itachi and Sakura only thought of each other as siblings, but their constant laughing was beginning to get on his nerves. Without realizing what he was doing, Sasuke cleared his throat, effectively getting their attention.
Itachi smirked. "Sorry for leaving you out little brother, I know how much you hate talking to people, which is why I let you brood in your corner. In fact, I'd be surprised if you ever spoke more than two-″
"Shut up Itachi!" Sasuke interrupted with a cold scowl. His scowl darkened when Itachi turned to face the pink-haired woman with an amused grin.
"Well, what do you know? He said more than two words!" The older of the two brothers chuckled, ignoring the death glares he was receiving from Sasuke. The pinkette burst out laughing but immediately stopped when Sasuke focused his glare on her.
"What's going on here?" Mikoto entered the room with a smile and raised a questioning eyebrow at her older son who was still chuckling.
"Nothing important, I was only teasing Sasuke." Itachi smirked at his younger brother who glared back.
Sasuke's eyes were beginning to hurt from glaring so much, therefore he decided to simply ignore his brother. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, frowning when he heard his mother laugh along with Sakura. He knew he was the cause of their amusement… And Sasuke Uchiha didn't like being used as entertainment...
"Sakura honey, go and sit down next to your husband." Mikoto smiled softly, gesturing to her sulky son. "He looks gloomy, I can tell why…" She whispered quietly. "Husbands hate being embarrassed in front of their wives!"
The pinkette flicked her eyes over to her husband, whose hands were laced together infront of his face, before turning to Mikoto and nodding her head with a slight smile. She knew that Sasuke could care less about being embarrassed in front of her simply because he didn't care about HER. The pink-haired female took off her raincoat and was about to walk out to hang it in the hallway when a maid entered the room with a tray. The brunette girl set the tray down on the table and gently grasped the coat from her hands.
"Thank you," Sakura said quietly, not wanting to seem rude. The maid nodded once and left the room. Seeing as the maid had gone, Sakura picked up the tray and walked over to both Mikoto and Itachi– who were now sitting on the large sofa opposite Sasuke - with what appeared to be milky coffee.
"Thank you honey," Mikoto smiled as she grasped the handle of a cup, and took a small sip so as not to burn her tongue. She pulled the cup away from her lips and added, "You look absolutely lovely dear," which made the pinkette beam and thank her in a soft voice.
Itachi grabbed a cup with a small smirk. "Thanks Sakura… You look amazing by the way. Blue looks good on you … Hmm, I know someone who likes that colour…" He trailed off with a teasing smile, flicking his eyes to his quiet brother. "Trying to impress a certain brooding person, are we sister-in-law…?"
Sakura's face heated up, but she quickly controlled her blush. "You're welcome and thank you for the compliment. My mother always did say that the colour blue went well with my pink hair." She smiled, ignoring his amused expression. She balanced the tray on one hand and tucked a few loose strands of pink hair away from her eyes before making her way over to Sasuke.
The dark-haired boy didn't look up from glaring at the poor carpet when she stopped in front of him and held out the tray. Sakura couldn't help but roll her emerald orbs and cleared her throat to get his attention.
Sasuke glanced up at her with an irritated sigh and grabbed a cup so fast he nearly spilled it in the process. Rolling her eyes again, she moved to the table and placed the tray down, before grabbing the remaining cup of coffee and taking a seat next to the young Uchiha who stiffened slightly.
Mikoto smiled at the scene. She was about to take a smile sip when the doorbell rang. "Fugaku is home…" She informed the others, rising up from the sofa and leaving the room with her cup of coffee. Sakura watched Mikoto exit the room then returned to sipping her coffee. She looked up in confusion when Itachi stood up as well.
"I'm going up to my room, excuse me." Itachi announced politely, moving to stride out of the door only to stop at Sasuke's scoff. He turned to raise an eyebrow at his younger brother.
Sasuke focused his eyes on Itachi witha small smirk. "Hn, since when are you so well-mannered?"
"Since when do you speak more than two words?" Itachi shot back with a smirk of his own, his smirk widening when Sasuke scowled. "At least I know how to behave myself in front of the ladies unlike SOMEONE…" He emphasized the last word, chuckling when the pinkette laughed.
"Go to hell!" The grumpy Uchiha growled, causing Sakura to gasp out loud in shock. When Itachi laughed harder, a smirk replaced his glare. "Or better yet… Go trim your hair."
Sakura's eyes widened as she looked between the two brothers nervously. "Sasuke, that's not how you speak to your older brother-″
"Whatever little bro, you're just jealous that you don't have
beautiful hair like me! All the girls exclaim I'm hot… And they told me that your moodiness makes you unattractive." Itachi smirked, chuckling when Sasuke shot him the finger. He gladly returned the gesture by flashing his own middle finger. Sakura couldn't help it anymore; she burst out laughing at their antics.
X
'Talk about awkward…' Sakura thought, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. She bit her lip and followed the maids' movements as they set down the covered dishes on the dining table before removing the lids. When all of the dishes were laid out on the table, the maids bowed and left. 'Mmm…' The alluring scent of the different types of food reached her nose, causing her stomach to grumble loudly.
The pinkette felt heat rush to her cheeks in embarrassment when she saw everyone's heads turn to her. 'Oh God… If only it hadn't been so quiet, they wouldn't have noticed… It's a good thing Mr Uchiha isn't here, that would have been more embarrassing!' Sakura turned twice as red when Mikoto held out a plate of fries.
"Here, pop a few in your mouth… We'll start eating as soon as Fugaku gets here." The older woman smiled and set the dish in front of the pinkette who hesitated.
Sakura knew that the Uchihas' had a habit of waiting for the whole family to show up before they started eating unlike the other clans. She assumed it was a sign of respect and those who ate before everyone else was considered impolite...
'I'll never understand Uchihas' and their confusing ways…' Sakura thought, thinking back to how she practically stuffed food in her mouth as if there was no tomorrow in her parents' house…
"Um, I'll just wait until-″ a loud rumble interrupted her speech, and the face that had just cooled down, blushed intensely. 'Oh God! This is too embarrassing!' Sakura bit her lip and glanced up, her eyes landing on Itachi who looked like he was holding himself back from laughing.
Glaring jokingly, she froze when she heard a small grunt from beside her. Turning her head to look at Sasuke, she was surprised to see a small amused smirk on his lips as he kept his eyes focused in front of him. '… Even HE – Mr moody who never smiles –is amused! God, I think I'm gonna die!'
Not wanting to be more embarrassed than she already was, Sakura reached out and grasped a small fry, avoiding everyone's eyes as she slowly nibbled on it. 'Why is Mr Uchiha taking so long anyway? He's the one being discourteous and making everyone else wait for him by not showing up on time…'
The pinkette snapped out of her thoughts when said man walked inside the huge dining room. Swallowing the fry in her mouth, she stood up and bowed graciously. "Good evening father."
Fugaku focused his dark eyes on his pink-haired daughter-in-law and nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Good evening… How are you, Sakura?"
"I'm good father, thank you for asking." Sakura replied politely, seeing the corner of his mouth lift up in a rare smile. She sat back down when he gestured for her to do so and kept her eyes on him as he took his own seat at the head of the table.
"Good evening dad." Itachi greeted, grabbing a few fries and popping them in his mouth. Fugaku nodded his head and flicked his eyes to Sasuke who was interested in staring at the smooth table in front of him.
Sakura eyed the father and son as an awkward silence fell upon the room. From what she knew, it seemed that Sasuke's bitterness towards Fugaku was simply for the reason that Itachi had always been his father's favourite and he was always expected to be more like his older brother… And of course, there was also the thing about the arranged marriage…
"Sasuke," Fugaku's deep voice cut through the silence. When Sasuke ignored him with a grunt, the elder man's eyebrows creased and a few wrinkles formed on his forehead due to his old age.
Sakura trailed her eyes to Mikoto who was giving her youngest son a pleading look. She flicked her eyes to Itachi to see his plate already overflowing with food – She had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing at the sight. He was munching on something slowly as he looked between his father and brother.
'Alright, no matter what Mr Uchiha has done, he's still Sasuke's father… Poor Mrs Uchiha looks so worried. She was probably hoping for a nice family dinner yet what she's getting is the exact opposite…' Sakura thought, peeking sideways at the grumpy Uchiha sitting down next to her. Not being able to take the tension anymore, Sakura brushed her foot against Sasuke's, successfully getting his attention.
Sasuke stiffened when he felt a foot rubbing lightly against his own. Frowning, he slowly turned his head towards the pinkette and raised a questioning eyebrow. His eyes narrowed when Sakura merely smiled and continued stroking his foot. 'What the heck is she doing…?' He thought furiously, trying to ignore how smooth and soft her skin felt.
Sakura shifted and leaned towards him so only he could hear her. "Sasuke, your mother has worked very hard for tonight… You better not ruin her –scratch that – everyone's evening by being a conceited jerk! Take that stick out of your ass –now - for the next few hours and you can shove it back in as soon as we go home!" She hissed quietly, moving away from him.
The corner of Sasuke's mouth curved up in an amused smirk for a split second against his will before it faded away. Sensing his mother's anxious eyes on him, he murmured, "Good evening… Father..."
Sakura looked at him in shock. Did Sasuke actually… Listen to her? She skimmed her eyes over to Itachi– whose jaw was hanging open– and Mikoto – who was smiling tenderly at her young son.
"… Good evening son." The leader of the Uchiha clan said instead of nodding his head like he did to Itachi. Sasuke wouldn't be able to see it anyway because his eyes were focused in front of him.
"The food is getting cold…" Mikoto informed, and when no one made a move to fill up their plates –apart from Itachi who grabbed another rice ball or two – she sighed before smiling widely. "What are you all waiting for? Dig in!"
Sakura – feeling hungrier than ever - didn't hesitate and placed a few rice balls in her plate along with some sliced cucumber and cabbage leaves. She picked up the chopsticks that were next to her plate, tugged them apart and stole a quick look at Sasuke from the corner of her eye.
The stoic Uchiha's plate was filled with– 'Hm, let me see… 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12...13, 14… The rest are hidden under the other slices!– God knows how many slices of tomato with room left for only two or three riceballs!
Rolling her eyes, she looked away from his plate and was about to start eating when she noticed that he had paused and wasn't reaching for the rice balls anymore. Trailing her emerald orbs from his frozen hands to his face, she saw him give her a questioning frown.
Sakura turned away from Sasuke when she felt eyes on her and quickly realized that the other members of his family – minus Fugaku – were watching her curiously which made her blush in slight embarrassment. They must have seen her staring weirdly at the tomatoes on Sasuke's plate…
"Uh… I always wondered what Sasuke ate that gave him such flawless skin." Sakura let out a nervous giggle when they all stared at her as if she had grown two more heads.
Mentally face-palming, she wondered why she had just said something as stupid as that! Seriously, just because she was nervous about being in the presence of the great Uchiha family, didn't mean that she had to blurt out anything that came to her mind just to break the awkward silence!
Mikoto smiled softly and continued chewing, whereas Itachi simply chuckled and piled more food on his plate. Blushing, Sakura picked up a rice ball and gently nibbled on it, completely unaware of Sasuke's small, amused smirk.
Well? Please, don't forget to leave a review, it means more than you think! :) I know there's not much SasuSaku going on, but trust me, there soon will be. I don't want to rush things...
Next chap: part 2 of the dinner! :)