AN: Hi. Sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Ino's eyes remained staring at the vast ocean before them. Sasuke willed his legs to move to get at least 8 feet away from the woman by his side, but he stayed rooted. Out of longing, the man grasped a thin piece of material out of his left front pocket and stared down at it's glory.

"She's beautiful." Ino whispered before he could once again put it away. She then chuckled airily, "But then why go to such an extent as to jeopardize your marriage?" Sasuke gazed at her solidly, not giving away even a hint of his emotions. The blond stared back with a look bluntly stating; I told you. Now you tell me.

Shifting his focus back to the picture, he scattered his brain for his reasoning. He remembered his father's harsh words, "I don't care what you do. I don't care how you do it. But don't you dare disgrace this family by failing to uphold the company!" Fugaku hated to raise his voice, especially towards his own family. His father's focus always revolved around Itachi. At times, Sasuke would pity his older brother for he was under constant surveillance. Fugaku would demand him to attend never ending meetings and lessons, track his whereabouts, hell, even plan out his whole diet. So yes, Sasuke would pity his older brother. But only when he isn't busy trying to gain his father's attention, even if it's for once in a while. But that was rare. The only memories he regained of his father even looking at him was when Itachi would mention the youngest Uchiha.

"I hope you're proud." Sasuke scorned inwardly. His mind then comes throttling back to the pink haired woman waiting for him over hundreds of miles away. "She'll understand. She always does."

"I wouldn't," the woman beside him said in a sing-song voice. He didn't realize he said that out loud. "You're not her." The tone came out harsh, bitter. Just as he wanted. Sasuke pondered her motive, but was vaguely aware in the back of his mind of exactly what. And despite his open anger, Ino did not waver and responded. "No. I'm not. But you know what I am?" Sasuke didn't bother to give any sign of acknowledgement, to which Ino only smirked at.

"A woman."

The warmth and softness of her palms suddenly grasped his bicep, her well manicured fingers splayed wistfully across his now tense muscles. The Uchiha visibly flinched. Not because her touch was unpleasant. But because...it was. And it seems as if he's not the only one who's noticed as well.

"Gotcha," the little minx giggled. Clear blue eyes fluttered across his features, trying to decipher the mysteries the raven haired man held. To be frank, Ino was enjoying herself.

Sasuke, on the other hand, couldn't grasp the fact that she was actually advancing towards him. After a month of being her "lover", she's never showed any behavior close to this. From what he gathered, Ino was always supposed to be all about surface and no depth. Outside of hungry ears, her actions only portrayed those of a distant acquaintance. Borderline stranger, even. So why now? Why be so open with her feelings at the end?

Ino was seducing him.

And it was working.

The graceful movements of her fingers continued, his arm still painfully locked like steel, not daring to move. Ino, ever the curious woman, brought her free hand to his chiseled chest, right above where his heart remained at it's wild pace. But before she could claim victory at this, Sasuke roughly grabbed her wrist in a tight hold. Ino stared up at him. Those usual cool, dark orbs now a vicious red. "You are a terrible woman, Miss Yamanka. You do not seem know your boundaries." His tone was cold and unfeeling. But Ino was smart and heard his faint distress. As if guilty.

She shook her head slightly and Sasuke tried not to pay attention to how her velvet-soft hair flowed beautifully when she did so. "You just don't realize how far those boundaries go, Uchiha-san." Said man narrowed his eyes. "Don't expect me to believe you've never thought about it. About us."

"I have not." He countered automatically. She giggled once again. The Uchiha suppressed the thought of how he could soon come to love that sound. She came closer, until her rose colored lips brushed against his left ear.

"Liar," the whisper came in a hot breath.

And underneath all his denial, all of the reminders his brain throws at him about who he's bound to, he can't help but think how deliciously wonderful it would be.

Before he could entertain the thought further, Sasuke willed himself to detach his body from her's once again. "I have an early flight back tomorrow. Goodnight, Miss Yamanaka. I will see you again in three weeks." And with a slight bow of his head, he left. His hidden message of goodbye loud and ringing in Ino's ears.

Hours later, as he flew across a body of deep blue waters, two women plagued his mind non-stop. As his body slightly shifted to the window, he felt something poke at his thigh. He reached into his left front pocket and pulled out Sakura's picture. The sigh of relief cut short as he noticed a small piece of paper taped to the back. Slowly, he detached it, reading the elegantly woven cursive letters in black ink.

I am not satisfied, Uchiha-san. Care to entertain me more?

Said man promptly crumpled the note in his hand, inwardly shivering (with delight?) at the possibilities of what she truly meant.

Two months. He had two more months until he could officially end the deal. He can handle two months. Right?

Sasuke sunk into his seat, frustration evident on his face. How was he supposed to hold on much longer? He was already extremely enticed by the blond without her even trying, but now with Ino actually putting effort in making him notice her?

What a terrible woman indeed.

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"Yamanaka? As in Yamanaka Deidara?"

"Ah." Sasuke himself hadn't really payed attention to that little detail. His brother's companions were annoying and the farthest thing on his priority list. "He's rich? All this time?" Naruto exclaimed, unsurprisingly dumbfounded. Sasuke nodded his head.

The older blond man, to his knowledge, was the heir to his family's company yet dropped out of his over seas university where he met Itachi to pursue his art career. He used to spend almost everyday at the Uchiha Manor, although Sasuke himself barely noticed him for all Deidara did was make miniature sculptures in the basement.

"Aw fuck! That bastard's been moochin' off me for months!"

The raven haired man raised a questioning eyebrow. "When did you two get so close?" Naruto only rubbed his forehead in aggravation. "We didn't. I just felt sorry for the guy, ya know? I thought your family was running some charity with him so I wanted to help."

In response, the Uchiha only sighed, mentally placing the blue eyes man in front of him in a choke hold for his irrelevant upbringings. "As I recall dobe, we're here to discuss my wife." he reminded. At the mention if his sister, Naruto knitted his eyebrows slightly together, his concern evident on his face.

"Then start."

"Uchiha Co. was headed for bankruptcy. Fast. So I went to Jeju Island to try to persuade Mr. Yamanaka of Zeus Corps. to agree to have a merger with us. I spent months on my plan flying back and forth from here to the island, which Sakura was less than happy about."

Naruto nodded. "That's why you weren't here for Christmas." Sasuke's eyes glazed over in recollection. "Sakura never told anyone the specifics. Just that you were busy."

"Right. Anyway, all the meetings I've attended with him and his advisors were negative, to say the least. Until one day, his daughter came to one of our lunch meetings."

"Ino."

Sasuke nodded.

"Well your company is obviously stable right now, so how'd you do it?"

Flashback:

"Be with me."

The Uchiha almost audibly chocked at this. He pulled at the collar of his suit. It wasn't that Yamanaka Ino was an unattractive woman. She wasn't. God, no she wasn't. She had long, platinum blond hair that was in a sleek pony tail and straightened to perfection. Her amethyst colored dress was tight and showed her curvy and slender figure. The black stilettos she was wearing made her legs seem to run for miles and she had the lightest shade of blue eyes he's ever witnessed. Over all, this woman was strikingly gorgeous.

Sasuke regained his stature and shoved his hands in his pocket. "I'm married," he stated, and to his surprise, she merely shrugged her dainty shoulders. Sasuke scoffed, clearly disgusted at her lack of morals.

Ino put a hand on her hip. "No one knows that. Not with how recent it is." Sasuke frowned. If only that were the real reason why.*
"And it's not as if I'm asking you to divorce her. My father won't be on board unless you have some sort of relation to us personally. It makes him trust you more. So, if you and I announce our relationship together-"

"He'll agree," Sasuke cut her off. It was a bad habit of his. He then cocked an eyebrow. "But why go that far? What do you get out of this?"

Ino smiled sweetly. "I get to entertain myself with a handsome man."

Flashback End

"For the next couple of months, we went on public dates. PDA was always involved. Her father was convinced I was a good man and signed the contract..."

He shivered slightly in his seat, not because of Naruto's unwavering heated glare, but because of the bitterness that was about to rise out of his throat; his confession.

"Somehow...I got carried away."

Naruto gripped the edge of the leather couch, his hands shaking.

Sasuke then only saw a blur of yellow and orange before his gut was forced all the way up to his throat. Or at least, that's what it felt like with Naruto's shaking fist tightly forced against his abdomen .

"You lied to my baby sister, took advantage of the fact that your marriage is being held in secret. I've never known such a selfish bastard. You think I didn't notice how stressed she's been for the past year?" Naruto's harsh whisper left a ringing in Sasuke's ear. "She never said anything. Not even now. I don't know if it's because she still has some sort of loyalty or respect for you, but I sure as hell don't. Not anymore."

He moved away slowly from his best friend's stiff form and made his way to the exit. "Until you sort your shit out, you are not allowed to have any contact with Sakura. I will split open your skull if I get word of you even attempting to do so."

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Sakura wasn't the brightest girl around when it comes to anything. The only (secret) reason she has been praised far and wide across the nation for her medical skills is the amount of effort she puts into everything. Down to making that perfectly green green tea with the close-to-perfect amount of organic honey in a spotless cup she scrubbed dry herself.

So why, oh why, did this have to happen? Many liked to idolize her as a decent-to-damn-near-perfect lover. Her efforts in trying to make Sasuke recognize the love and respect she had for him laid plainly out and obvious. Sakura took cooking classes in order to excel in that aspect all to please her significant other. She liked to keep the house nice and clean. Their bed sheets fresh and newly washed every other day.

She aimed to be the perfect wife. The perfect Uchiha wife. The woman who could live up to the prestigious clan's expectations. Because as a woman, she lacks a crucial thing.

She was reminded every single second she was with him. How disappointed, yet barely sensible through the surface, he really was.
He barely touched her anymore. Their once fiery nights of passion dimmed and turned bleak, almost forced even, just to grasp onto the love they promised each other. But it wasn't enough anymore.

So she ignored the way his shirts and ties gave off the distinct smell of perfume. Or the red and pink marks that bled across his white button down shirts that she convinced herself were paint samples for the new hotel. She turned a blind eye to his excessive visits to the island for "business" matters. Because she loves him. Those events happened almost two months ago, and in those two months, she grew anxious. Her desperation to keep their marriage, keep him, was evident, yet only Naruto noticed right away. "What are you doing?" he asked. "What's wrong?" She never answered him because frankly, she had no idea what to do. And as for the wrong part, how could she explain to her husband's best friend, his brother-in-law, that she is assuming Sasuke of infidelity?

So she kept to herself. Hoping that whatever the situation was that it was a false alarm. A figment of her imagination. Until two weeks ago, when Sakura was taking his clothes out the dryer, did she notice the piece of paper. The one with the same retched shade of red that stained his white shirts. The one with the picture of a beautiful woman with the lightest shade of blond locks and clear eyes. She knew she could not compete.

The next day, Sakura received a phone call from an unknown number. Not one to speculate, she answered immediately.

"Hello. Uchiha Sakura speaking."

"You sound as sweet as you look." Sakura froze. Her eyes darted away from the paper she was analyzing to the door handle of the room. "My apologies for being so upfront, dear. I'm an...associate of your husbands." The long pause for the word was deafening, her voice gushed with mockery. "It seems as though I cannot reach him, so of course I had to find other ways. We still have unfinished business to attend to."

Sakura stayed eerily silent.

"Oh, and just a suggestion, I do hope you get his little wound checked out. You know, the one on his upper thigh. It looks like it's going to scar." That cut. The one he received after a bowling incident with Naruto. How did she know? "You will be hearing from me again very soon. Best wishes, Mrs. Uchiha."

So now here she was, taking refuge in her brother's basement with non-stop marathons of horror films, trying to scare her sadness away. The candy wrappers, beer bottles and Chinese take out boxes were piling up. Her only excuse to remove her person from the couch was for hygiene necessities and to bang at Naruto's door for having his music cranked up too high, with him countering how loud her T.V was.

Sakura made her way to the front door. She spent two hours willing herself to do something, anything, instead of "wasting her precious years of youth." (Naruto had the nerve to quote the green beast.) So now she's planning to waste it in a bar downtown. Out of sight, out of mind.

The air smelled of strong alcohol and nicotine. The bartender grunted, which Sakura took as "order?" She sniffed, "Bourbon. Leave the whole glass," she glanced at the empty seats surrounding her. Drinking at two in the afternoon on a Tuesday...Thursday? It's a weekday, she concluded. "Make that two."

"Gasp! You knew I was coming! Creepy."

Sakura caught a whiff of expensive cologne before she glanced over at the man to her left. She inwardly smiled. If this man was anything, he wasn't cheap. "No," she drawled. "I was just planning on getting shit faced." The man tsked her before poking her shoulder. "Without a responsible drinking buddy to get you home safely? How stupid of you, my dear girl."

She rolled her eyes blatantly. "You know, if you keep calling me that, people are gonna start to think we're together, sensei."

Kakashi winked (or blinked?) before chuckling. "I was under the impression that we already were," he responded in utter innocence. His expression then turned placid. "Don't you think you're taking this to the extreme, dear?" Her affectionate nick name fell short of the usual affection. Sakura responded with a loud gulp. "No. Extreme would be posting this to the public. Or burning our house down...with him tied securely in the bedroom."

The middle aged man could feel sweat building up on his hair line. He already experienced his ex-student's wrath first hand. But before he could retaliate, she tossed a small piece of paper directly beside his glass. "Found this. Think of it what you will. As for me?" The pinkette doused the last of the golden liquid down her throat before slamming the cup on the counter. "I need to clear my head."

"Pretty hard when you're drunk, eh?" Kakashi said as she motioned the bartender for another go.

"Everyone's a critique," she smirked snidely before resuming her drink.

He placed his attention to the note, his single eye giving away his disappointment and doubt after a few moments. "So what's your game plan?" Sakura blew air into her cheeks before letting out a loud sigh. Plan? What else is a woman supposed to do at a crises like this? Judging from the movies and cliches, a bucket of ice cream and a stack of rom coms were in order. But she's already been doing that.

"Give myself a pity party."

Kakashi returned her a weary look.

"Then I'll figure this all out. I mean Jesus Christ, Kakashi. Give me a break. My husband is a worldwide business man. He's bound to meet all kinds of women. The clan I married into hates me because of my...disability, so they kept his marriage with me a secret. It's not surprising for Sasuke to find other ways to give his family their wishes. Wishes that I cannot grant."

"What can't you do? What do they want, Sakura?"

She let the silence ring loudly between them before shaking her head in refusal. "It's none of your concern." Her pleading look stopped any of his protests. Kakashi is one of her closest companions ever since a young age, but the information she was unwilling to give was just too embarrassing and shameful.

"Well, a little certainty wouldn't hurt at the moment. How can you be positive about Sasuke's...unfaithfulness?"

"Because I know him. He's been stringing this woman on, intentionally or not. He's unsure, sensei. He thought about the possibility of being with her, reveled in it, if he has not had her already," she downed her fifth glass. "This would've never happened if he hadn't cut her off immediately. And if he had, it'd been too late."

Kakashi gave her a hard, but proud stare. "And you say you're not smart."

Of course not. A smart woman would've done something about it months ago. But she was already pinned to the ground from the start. How was she supposed to stand up? Sakura smiled tiredly. "I'm only persistent." Her viridian eyes formed a far away gaze.

Kakashi, sensing her distress, grabbed the cup from her hand, gulping the rest of the contents. "Well, what's a party without some company? Hope you don't mind spending some time with an old geezer."

She laughed, waving a dismissing hand in the air. "With you? Never."

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He swore the drive to his past home got longer and longer. The roads stretched farther somehow and the number of turns doubled, although Sasuke already knew it was because of his limited interaction with his family. The manor was always quiet nowadays with the two brothers now gone and grown up. Sasuke honestly had not the slightest clue what his parents do now, except worry. The company was his now but no doubt is his father still watching his every move like a hawk. His mother would still be holding her book clubs (which only consisted of her, Kushina, and their head maid, Constantine.)

His parents' married life was quiet. Too quiet. At most times, it's as if they are strangers to each other now. Would he and Sakura turn to be like them? If there is even time to, he thinks glumly.

The car swayed to the left abruptly, his thoughts jumbling with thoughts of his wife.

Sakura.

Is she okay? What was she doing now? Surely, he can still call her, no matter what her stupid brother says.

His grip on the wheel tightened. "Fucking hell."

As he swerved into the drive way, Sasuke sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening for whatever his parents wanted, it better not be about Sakura. God knows he could barely tell Naruto, how was he supposed to explain to his mother?

Sasuke always hated entering through the main entrance because of it's annoyingly grand door bell, so he paced his way slowly to the back yard, which takes quite some time judging by the enormity of the house. He noticed nothing has changed ever since he left on his eighteenth birthday. The side walk stones were still polished. The lawn freshly cut. His mother's tomato garden still in rows of fifteen, an image he was especially pleased at.

As expected, his arrival was greeted with an open door and the smell of his mother's finest cooking. Sasuke smiled as he stepped foot inside, not able to fight off the nostalgia. Although his childhood wasn't as eventful or playful as others, he had very good memories that still echoed through this mansion.

"Fashionably late. As always, little brother."

Sasuke inwardly groaned and grimaced. What the hell is he doing here? "Itachi," he slipped into his monotone voice and glanced over at his taller sibling.

The older man looked about the same as he was five years ago. His hair still mid-back and tied loosely, but neatly. The obvious crease on his face that he got from their father (which Sasuke always inwardly laughed mockingly at) and the same femininely long lashes. He's bulkier, Sasuke noticed. Good, he thought, he was always too skinny for his own good. Itachi's stress was so bad that he even forgot to eat his meals almost everyday. The company was always the number one priority, an issue now passed down to Sasuke.

"How rude," Itachi smirked. "And here I was, all excited to see my new and improved, or so I hoped, brother and all he greets me with is a childish scowl."

Sasuke growled, but before he could respond an equally snide comment back, two dainty arms wrapped themselves around his waist from his back.

"Oh, you're finally here!"

All Sasuke could get out was a strained grunt from the force of his mother's grip.

"Mikoto, you're strangling the boy."

Said victim winced at the title.

Am I not yet a man in your eyes?

"Come to my office, Sasuke," Fugaku's tone is as stern as ever as Mikoto released him, backing away softly in understanding of how tense this situation is. "We need to talk."

Fleetingly, Sasuke caught Itachi's weary gaze directed towards him. His once glinting mischievous irises now clouded, as if recalling an unpleasant event. And there was something else too. Something Sasuke categorized as pity.

A little while later, the two arrived in Fugaku's office just at the end of the hall in the mansion's left wing.

"How are things with Inoichi?" Fugaku stated rather than asked.

His son narrowed his eyes. He had faced his father's undeniable wrath and bluntness towards business, so this staling was unsettling. The desk the older man sat behind seemed larger than Sasuke remembered. The chair he was currently sitting on was stiffer than last time. These little things reminded the young Uchiha how long he had really been missing from this place.

"I'd be surprised if you don't already know, outosan."

Fugaku did not reply and simply slid a manilla folder on the edge of the desk. Sasuke carefully plucked them from the wooden surface without hesitation and opened it quickly.

Inside laid pictures.

Of him.

And Ino.

The first time they met in the office. Their handshake when they made the deal. Numerous public outings. All of it.

After a long time, Sasuke looked up from the offending photos and back to Fugaku, his face contorted in rage and disbelief.

"You were spying on me."

"After all this time, you still don't trust me! You still want Itachi as the heir!"

Sasuke knew he should be guilty and embarrassed that he was caught doing such acts of adultery. But this was his father. The man who was notorious for gambling and cheating his way to the top. So why would such petty matters like infidelity have any value to him?

"This isn't about you. This is about Sakura, and how the Uzumaki's will react toward your treacherous behavior," Fugaku stated evenly, not in the slightest fazed by his youngest son's outburst.

Sasuke gripped the arms of the chair to the near point of breaking. "You told me to do everything to ensure this company was safe. I did everything I could. Yet that still does not satisfy you."

The other man responded in distaste. "What does not satisfy me, my son, is your irresponsible actions. Did you not even think* about the consequences that comes with your affair? How it will eventually tarnish the company's name? My name? Our relationship with our closest friends?"

The raging fire within Sasuke dwindled as every word was received. What had he done?

His silence was more than a deafening answer. Fugaku closed his eyes in disappointment. "You are dismissed."

Without a word, he stood, bowed and shut the door behind him. A small click of a tongue jostled Sasuke and he saw Itachi leaning against the wall opposite to the door of their father's office. "After all this time, you're still so foolish. Like a dog begging to please it's owner."

Sasuke made no attempt to deny so.

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