Friends & Family   von dragonfighter
                           (The Clumsy & The Lonely)
================================================================================
                       Prolog: Prologue - Starting Line
                       --------------------------------


A female escort, also called rental girlfriend, is a woman who serves her
company in exchange for payment. The rental service agency actually only has the
job to advertise the rental girlfriends and conveying them. The escort-service
“Sakura-Hoshi”, is a service that provides rentals without any erotic
offers. The rental girlfriends of these agencies are for things like cozy
cinema-evenings, concert visits, dinner with parents, whom one has told that
they recently got a girlfriend, or for parties. So one doesn’t have to spend
their time alone, or in order not to have to go alone to an invitation. 

Most of those women want to earn a small income as a student with this, just
like she does. The pinkette sighs silently, looking up to the high building in
front of her. It is Saturday and she got booked for several hours. It was set
that the meeting should take place in front of the highest shopping center of
the town. The building has over 25 floors and harbours all kind of stores, from
a furniture store, over any cafes, clothes and shoe shops to a flower shop.
Everything is presented and that in masses. In this Building every brand has its
own store. Each store has a minimum retail space of 50 m² plus additional
storages and space. The bigger stores take over 2 to 3 floors, the biggest over
5 floors. Of course not the whole floor, but partial areas one above the other.


With a sigh the young woman leans in the shadow, against the wall of the
building and looks up into the clear blue sky. Although, the shadow isn’t
really cooling, at least she doesn’t have to stand in the blazing July-sun. A
day on the beach or in the swimming pool would be a dream coming true, it really
wonders the green eyed woman, what a man would even want at the mal in the first
place. After all it is the favourite place of most women. With an unnoticeable
shrug, she takes her handbag in booth of her hands and lets it hang comfortably
in front of her pelvis. Her searching eyes wander around the crowded mall,
everyone in short pants or dresses, just like her too. A cream dress, which
reaches only the middle of her thighs, with a thin belt decorating her waist.
Technically her dress would have been strapless, if there wasn’t that layer of
lace, covering her upper arms like sleeves. Her eyes still wandering through the
crowd, which are moving in or out of the building. Quietly humming to the tune
of the songs, which aren’t only played inside the center, but also in the
inside of the entrance. „Sakura?” A dark and manly voice sounded from her
right. Surprised she turns and looks at the man in suit-pants and shirt. After
running a swift look over him, she gives him a soft nod. „My name is Sasuke
Uchiha, I booked you for the upcoming hours.” He explains shortly and a little
cold. Immediately pushing herself off from the wall, she gives him a light bow.
„It is really nice to meet you, mr. Uchiha!” She smiles at the young man in
front of her. „We can talk informally with each other, I’m not that much
older.” He answers again shortly and in that cool tone. Even his whole
radiance appears cold and unapproachable. Suddenly, she doesn’t feel that hot
anymore. 

„Are we going inside?” The black haired man asks, while already stepping to
the entrance. Quickly she follows him. „Can I ask, what we are doing here?”
She starts carefully. „I need new clothes and the advice of a woman is always
good.” The Uchiha answered. With a silent nod, she continues following him
through the shopping mall. With a tender smile on her lips, she inwardly sings
along to the song ‘Footprints in the Sand’ from Leona Lewis, which just gets
played through the boxes. Without a detour, the dark haired man heads for one of
the boutiques and Sakura follows him like a good girl into the mans section,
where he looks around and reaches out for different things. Shirts and ties are
stacking on his arm. A little confused she watches him and sighs inwardly. Why
did this man, which obviously is a workaholic, booked an escort-lady for
shopping purposes? She hardly believes that he would need someone to pick shirts
and ties. Her green eyes follow him, watching how he is going for the cabins and
disappears behind one of them. With a sigh she looks down to her peep toes, as
she already hears the sound of an opening curtain. „Say, do you already have
plans for next Saturday night?” His voice sounds from the cabin, as the
curtain opens and Sasuke steps in front of her, dressed in shirt and tie.
Putting some of the other shirts on the returning bar. „Um no, why?” She
asks a little surprised in return. „Next Saturday is the celebration of one of
my company’s partner-companies and I shouldn’t show up without a
companion.” He explains the facts as short as possible. The pinkette nods, so
this meeting isn’t about buying clothes after all. „The meeting today,
actually only serves for us to get to know each other and sort everything out. I
would like to send you a list with hobby’s and the most important things about
me. Apart from that, I really need new clothes.” A small crooked smile lays on
his lips, which makes him look extremely attractive. „To be honest, I think
you have already enough shirts and ties.” The pinkette smiles while looking
into the cabinet, in which she can see at least other five shirts. „I need
them for work. Could you maybe...?” He looks shortly through the mans section
of the boutique. „Of course, what should it definitely not be?”, the young
woman asks, while already walking away. „No vibrant colours, pink, purple,
orange, or dots.”, he counts, before she disappeared. 

Humming, she walks through the mountains of clothes, looks at the display and
finally takes various pieces of clothing, holds them together and searches
together, with which she would return to the cabinet and hand it over to him. He
inspects the clothes she had selected for him and enters the cabin once more.
„Are you even equipped for such a celebration? Evening dresses are a must at
such occasions.” His voice sounds after a few minutes, as the Uchiha comes out
of the cabinet and looks at her. She waves him off with a smile. „I’m
already supplied. There should be at least five night dresses in my wardrobe.”
She lets her eyes wander over the man in front of him. Without the shirts, ties
and suit-pants he suddenly doesn’t look so strict and serious anymore.
„Looks good, suits you.” She smiles at him, whereupon he gives her a nod and
goes back into the cabin. 

„Say, can I ask how you even found to me?” She asks after a while and breaks
the silence between each other. „An old friend of mine recommended you to
me.”, he starts to explain while exiting the cabin. „Ryosuke Haruno. Do you
know him?” He continues asking with that cold and inscrutable eyes of his. A
little smile graces her lips, as she nods. „My brother.” The Uchiha nods
back as he looks at her with an undefinable look and turns back to the cabins a
bit later.



                         Kapitel 1: Step 1 - Business
                         ----------------------------


The warm rays of the sun still extend over the city, though, it already
announces a beautiful sunset over the skyline of Tokyo. The white clouds in the
sky will be covered with soft tones of yellow, orange and red, to pink and
purple until they will turn from a soft blue into white again. The sight is a
dream. Every single time, she is enchanted by the sight. With a sigh, the young
woman turns away from this breathtaking view and lies back on the couch. 

Working as a rental girlfriend also involves certain risks. It has already
happened often, that a client has turned out to be a fanatical stalker. In order
to avoid this risk, the young ladies always use a pseudonym under which they
work. The young Haruno should also use one of those pseudonyms, but she works
for the agency „Sakura-Hoshi”, because of that her name „Sakura” already
seems like a pseudonym. Especially since one of her colleagues has the pseudonym
„Hoshi”.
In addition to the pseudonym, meetings are always taking place outside. The fact
that a client picks up his rented girlfriend from their front door is
fundamentally avoided and if a hotel room was to be booked, the private data is
largely kept secret.

That’s why she’s not in her apartment preparing for the corporate party, but
in one of the Haruno Empire’s smaller conference rooms. Her brother seems to
trust Sasuke Uchiha, otherwise he would hardly have given him her contact
details. She also feels a little better about the fact, that the Uchiha won’t
pick her up from her apartment. His cold stile and pervasive looks made her
shiver a few times the previous week, despite the warm temperatures outside. 

Sighing, the Haruno lets herself sink to the couch. Putting her right leg over
her left, she picks up the pages in front of her once more. Sasuke send her some
important informations per e-mail, such as his birthday, a few of his hobbies
And the way of how they got to know each other. An amateur golf tournament.
Sakura smiles gently. The last time she took part in an amateur golf tournament,
she injured one of the other participants, with her golf bat, on his forehead.
She still can remember the digested face of the then 18 years young man. His
dark eyes had looked at her in surprise, while from the wound, produced by the
thug, a small amount of blood trickled out from under his black hair. A little
shocked, the pinkette gazes at the documents in her hand, as she gives herself a
facepalm. The young man at that time was none other than Sasuke Uchiha.
„Something like this really can only happen to me!” She groans and puts the
notes back on the coffee table. Sighing, she gets up again and turns to the
window. She glances at the clock. The celebration, to which she should accompany
the Uchiha, is the opening of the Tokiwa-Towers. Two towers which have been
build by the software-company Tokiwa. The celebration should start at 9 pm.
Since these towers are located at Nishitama, they will take two hours to arrive
there, even if the Haruno empire is located on the outskirts of Shinjuku. 

Slowly she should get ready, after all, she shouldn’t make her client
unnecessarily wait. Once again, Sakura turns her eyes away from the skyline and
turns to the couch. In a small bag are all of her make-up, jewelry’s and other
accessories. She had put the evening dress over the couch, so it won’t get any
wrinkles. The green-eyed woman sinks down onto the couch and spreads out her
needed stuff, in order to begin with her face.

About an hour later she slips into her silver strappy sandals, which are
decorated with rhinestones and puts all the other stuff back into her little
bags. A glance to the back makes her smile. In summer it’s always bright so
long and the sunset is so beautiful and picturesque. On days like these, when
the sky gets tenderly clouded, the sunset sometimes lasts for hours. Slowly she
turns away and takes her make-up kit, just as the two bags with the clothes in
which she came here, into her right hand. With her left hand she catches the
long material of her dress, so it won’t drag over the ground and get dirty.
Silently and untouched, as if she never had set a foot into this room, she exits
from it and uses the elevator, down to her car in the parking house. Only a few
cars were still here, between them her red Mazda 6. Humming, she puts her
belongings into the trunk of her car, takes her handbag into her hand and puts
her most important belongings, like Smartphone and money, into it. As that was
done, she goes back to the entrance of the building in order to go over the
paved path and wait for her client at the road. The long material of her dress
still collected into her left hand. 

A few minutes later a limousine stops in front of her and the Uchiha gets out.
With an undefinable gaze. He looks her shortly over, as he comes closer. His bow
tie hanging loosely around his neck. ,,Good evening.” She greets him with a
soft smile. His fingers brushing once through his dark hair as he comes to a
halt in front of her. ,,Hello. Ready?” He immediately inquires and leads her
to the limousine, after she gave him a nod. They silently sit next to each other
and his eyes wander over her once more, as he gazes at her. When she looks at
him, Sasuke wants to avert his gaze, but stops when he notices how she lifts her
hands to his neck where she ties up his bow tie and plunks a little on it. With
a smile she averts her gaze again and looks out and a moment later he does the
same. His lips escapes a silent sigh. He, as one of the owners of the Uchiha
corporation, has some duties to fulfill, make important decisions and represent
his company on such celebrations. His father founded this company as an
university graduate and during his time as the president of the company he
expanded the number of his employees from 10 to around 4000. Alone 2500 of these
employees are working in the central. In addition there are also a few branches
and production halls distributed over the country, in which also around 100 to
200 people are employed. 

The Uchiha corporation is one of the leading companies in their industry. His
father has already withdrawn and the owners post has been split to him and his
brother. While his brother, Itachi, is responsible for the technology and the
associated departments, the creative departments, from development to design and
designing plans, are under his leadership. His father spends his day in one of
the offices and takes care of other things, that his post as the board member
brings with it.
To be honest, he personally doesn’t like such celebrations at all. Always this
profusely nice greetings and this ongoing conversations about the companies. He
really has no nerve to deal with those people over and over again instead of
enjoying his well deserved closing time at home. 
Once again he sighs silently, as the car comes to a halt and he can already see
all the reporters of the newspapers. One more reason why he can’t stand this
celebrations. The reporters always gather around, since the most known stars,
politicians and other important personalities arrive here. He looks briefly at
the young Haruno beside him, which looks calmly at the crowd. After all, as
Ryosuke Haruno’s sister, she is used to such things.
Sasuke closes his eyes for a brief moment, as the door gets opened and the
camera flashes start. He gets out of the car and holds out his hand to the
Haruno, in order to help her out as well. The moment she stands in front of the
limousine, she lets go of the fabric, which she had held onto all this time and
the dress shows itself in all its glory. 

Felt-three hours later, they finally enter the foyer, where they are greeted by
employees. "Good evening. The celebration takes place upstairs on the 70th
floor.” explains a woman and bows slightly. Another woman also indicates the
bow and leads her to the elevator. The Uchiha nods in silence and follows the
lady with the Haruno to the elevator. Inside, a man is already waiting and
presses the button for the 70th floor, when they stand inside. Bored, the black
haired man looks at the elevator doors as he perceives a movement next to him
and looks at Sakura, who has turned and looks out through the glass walls of the
elevator towards the sunset. The corner of his mouth twitches in amusement at
this childlike enthusiasm for the sunshine at dusk. His eyes continue to slide
to the dress that suits her extremely well. The green satin fabric accentuates
the eyes of the pinkette and makes them stand out even more.

A tone sounds through the elevator and indicates that they have reached the
desired floor. The young Haruno turns back to him and he offers her his arm. She
smiles lightly at him and puts her hand on the inside of his offered arm. He
also smiles slightly and finally leads her out of the elevator, immediately
noticing the looks that lie on him and his companion. It doesn't really surprise
him, after all he is a young single, the managing director of a company and one
of the most popular bachelors in the whole country. If not the most sought-after
bachelor, badly. But the Haruno in this dress is also a real feast for the eyes.
They walk silently through the crowd of guests when he already finds what he is
looking for. His parents and older brother, who were immediately heading for
him, apparently have been waiting. "Sasuke. Nice to see you!” His mother comes
up to him with a bright smile to hug him. "Hello mum, you look good." He smiles
back gently as he kisses his mother on the cheek and lets her go. "Who did you
bring with you there, Sasuke?" Comes the voice of his father, who looks at the
pink haired woman. "This is Haruno Sakura." Sasuke introduces the young woman at
his side. The Haruno smiles politely and then bows, “Good evening. I am
pleased to meet you."

Mrs. Uchiha starts to smile before she also bows, “We are also pleased. I am
Mikoto, this is my husband Fugaku and my eldest son Itachi.” One after the
other, the black haired woman points to her strictly acting husband and son.
"The sister of Haruno Ryosuke. Nice to meet you." Fugaku Uchiha seems a little
surprised when he shakes his hand with her in business. “Is your brother here
too?" The pinkette shakes her head at his question, smiling. "No, the Tokiwa
Group and the Haruno Empire have no business relationships yet. That's why my
brother was not invited.”, she explains kindly. Fugaku nods understanding.
“Tell Sasuke, how did you actually get to know each other?" Itachi asks and
looks grinning at the two of them. "Well, that was ...", the black-haired man
begins. “That was 7 years ago. We both took part in an amateur golf tournament
for charity and I accidentally hit my golf club against his head and injured him
as a result.”, the young Haruno laughs a bit embarrassed when she tells them
of her little misfortune. "And a few weeks ago we finally ran into each other
again, while shopping, that was as far as I can remember." The green eyed woman
completes her explanation and smiles at Sasuke, who looks at her in surprise
before clearing his throat. "That's exactly how it was." He nods and looks
annoyed at his brother. Because Itachi uses every opportunity he can get, to
annoy his little brother.

The next moment the lights go out a spotlight is directed to the stage, where a
gentleman appears and introduces himself as the director of the Tokiwa Group. He
briefly greets everyone and thanks for the numerous guests. He tells something
about the company and the two towers before he leaves the stage with applause.

When the applause has died down and the lights illuminate the hall again, the
youngest of the four black heads sighs. "I'm going to get a drink first. Should
I bring you something too?”, the Uchiha asks his companion. "I'll come with
you.", she offers instead and smiles as she follows him to the bar.

"I had completely forgotten the story of that time.”, the Uchiha breaks the
silence between the two of them. Sakura nods with a smile. "I felt the same way,
I remembered it earlier when I looked through the informations." Sasuke nods
understandingly and stops with her at the bar and names his drink to the
barkeeper. “And what do you want?“, Sasuke asks and turns to the Haruno.
"Strawberry Daiquirri please." Sakura smiles at the barkeeper, then looks around
the crowd. "Sasuke Uchiha." It sounds from the side and the Haruno looks around.
"Neji Hyuga, as always, accompanied by Tenten Ama.", the black haired man
comments and greets Neji with a handshake, while Tenten gives him a friendly
kiss left and right. "Are you here alone again?", Neji’s companion explores
with a broad smile. "No. Today I am in company.”  The dark eyed man negates
and points to the Haruno. "Wow, now I understand why all the girls are
whispering. You put everyone else in the shade with your dress.” The Ama girl,
in her light blue floor-length dress with rhinestones on her chest, compliments
her with a smile. "Well, a Haruno knows how to market themself.”, a small
smile lies on the lips of the youngest Uchiha as he says this, which makes the
pinkette blush a little. "What? You are related to Ryosuke Haruno?”, the brown
eyed woman asks in astonishment. "Yes, my name is Haruno Sakura, Ryosuke Haruno
is my big brother." The pinkette bows politely as she introduces herself. "I am
Ama Tenten and this is Hyuga Neji." The brown haired woman too introduces
herself and her companion. "Your drinks.”, suddenly a voice sounds from the
bar and the bartender places the ordered drinks on the counter. "Thank you.", it
comes coolly from the Uchiha while he takes the glasses and passes the
Strawberry Daiquirri on to his companion. "Okay. We'll see each other later,”,
says the black-haired man and leads his companion back to his parents.

"Are those two a couple? They look very cute together.”, the pinkette asks and
looks back at the two of them. When she turns back to the front, she bumps into
one of the waiters, on whom she bounces off like a rubber ball because of his
size and stumbles back. Strong arms surround her, while a male chest prevents
her from falling. The waiter in front of her apologizes with a bow and continues
on his way. “They have been best friends since the sandpit. Actually, everyone
is just waiting for the two to finally confess their love.”, the Uchiha
explains, while she is lying in his arms and leaning against his chest because
of the small collision. "I'm sorry.", the young woman mumbles softly and
straightens up again. She looks a little red around her nose, as he places one
arm on her back and points in one direction with the other hand. The green eyed
woman nods and lets him lead her to his parents. "I have to clarify something
over there. In the meanwhile you can stay here.”, explains the youngest
Uchiha, pointing to an important looking man. The Haruno nods understanding at
him and turns towards his parents instead.

"Sakura the dress is truly a dream!” Mikoto beams towards her. The addressed
woman smiles sheepishly and takes a quick look at her dress. It looks as if two
layers of the same-colored green chiffon fabric have been placed over a simple
cocktail dress that reaches to the middle of the thigh and is strapless. Around
the upper body, the fabric is neatly gathered and is held by a pattern of
rhinestones, which goes from the middle of her chest to her left hip. The rest
of the chiffon fabric falls from the end of the rhinestones to the floor like a
curtain, where it ends after a short tail. "Thank you very much, but I still
don't look as graceful as you!" The Haruno returns the compliment with a smile.
Because she thinks Ms. Uchiha also has a dream of a dress. The older woman's
navy blue dress looks like a fine chiffon fabric has been sewn over a simple
strapless floor-length dress, which lies down to her neck, conjures short
sleeves and lies behind her shoulder blades at the back, the fabric is gathered
up and 6 beautiful silver clips holding it up on her upper body before hanging
loosely from there to the floor. "Thank you very much, but you are definitely
the star tonight." Mikoto smiles lovingly at her.
 
"What do you do for a living, mrs. Haruno?", Fugaku asks, who is standing next
to his wife. “I am currently studying industrial design. I will graduate next
year.”, the pink haired woman smiles and brushes through her curls, which she
has put together on her right side. "Oh, aren't you studying anything
marketing-related?" Mr. Uchiha seems a little surprised. "No. Right from the
start, my brother was much more interested in the advertising industry than I
was. He supports me in going my own way.”, Sakura explains with a smile. Mr.
Uchiha nods while his wife smiles at her. "Ah, Keizo. Nice to see you!“
Suddenly it comes from Fugaku, who walks towards a man and happily shakes his
hand.

The pink haired girl stands silently next to Mikoto and over time also empties
her drink. She looks at the crowd and then finally looks behind her. The wall
has built in large panoramic windows again and again and exposes the view of
Mount Fuji. The Haruno enthusiastically approaches one of the panoramic windows
and looks into the sunset, which immerses the Fuji in a soft orange-yellow and
the sky seems to be blue and purple. "Such a picturesque sight, isn't it?"
Mikoto stands next to Sakura and smiles as she looks at Mount Fuji. "Yes." The
Haruno nods with a smile and then looks back into the crowd. She immediately
hands over an empty glass to one of the passing waiters. Sighing silently, she
smiles slightly melancholy at the sight of Mount Fuji.
 
When she looks back at her client's mother, she sees her start to sway and
finally stagger a few steps back into the arms of the Haruno, which she has
reached for. Sakura gently but firmly holds the black haired woman who is
holding her head with her right hand. "Everything okay?" She asks a little
worried. But Mikoto just smiles and waves it off. "Yes, yes. Just a hint of
migraine. Thank you, Sakura.” She explains to the pinkette and smiles
gratefully at her as she straightens up again. "Are you all right mom?" Sasuke
suddenly appears next to them and looks at his mother with concern. "Mikoto!"
Fugaku also comes to a standstill next to the two, as does Itachi after a few
seconds. Concern is in everyone's eyes while eyeing the woman and Mr. Uchiha
putting an arm around his wife. "Everything is fine. It's just my migraine.”
Mikoto smiles at the men and then lets Fugaku take her away. Itachi also mingles
with the crowd again. In silence, the Haruno looks at her client and sees how he
looks after his mother with a sad and concerned look.



                        Kapitel 2: Step 2 - Engagement
                        ------------------------------


The Uchiha Empire is divided into two areas, the technological and the creative.
In addition to the invention and development of new technologies, technology
also includes accounting and controlling, human resources and others. The
creative department includes the design department, the development of new
products and other such departments, but also marketing and logistics. He has
always been the creative one. Even as a young boy he built houses and cities
while playing Lego, and later built model cars himself. That is why he is the
head of the creative departments, must coordinate these, approve designs that
can be used in production.
 
The black haired young man sighs and rises from his armchair. A glance at the
clock shows him that he should start going slowly so as not to keep his mother
waiting. He silently drives the computer down, puts his tablet in his work bag
and then picks up the stack of documents to sort them in the trays. He sighs
again, at least he's finished with his work, so he gets his peace at the
weekend. With loose movements, he throws the folders into the various trays,
which his secretary will pass on to the departments on Monday morning. He
briefly looks around his secretary's empty office, except that there is no one
else anyway. Even Itachi as the boss has already left. The older of the brothers
also likes to let the not so important things wait a bit. Sasuke just shakes his
head and returns to his office, from here he has an optimal view of the city and
part of the Tokyo skyline, since the building of the Uchiha Corporation
headquarters has 65 floors, it is the tallest building in the skyline Tokyo and,
due to its location on the edge of Shinjuku, you can see the entire skyline of
the city center from his office.
 
After a last brief glance out of his panoramic window, he takes his jacket and
his work bag and leaves his office with his smartphone in his hand. His path
leads him through the illuminated corridors of the building complex, past dark
offices. Just as he enters the elevator, his cell phone starts ringing. Rolling
his eyes, since he has just put it away, he takes it out of his suit pocket and
looks at the screen on which "Itachi" is written. With a sigh, he answers the
call. "Hey kid, where are you?“, His older brother's voice sounds from the
smartphone. "Still in the office." Sasuke sighs and looks up over the elevator
door, which shows which floor the elevator is passing by. "You are always in the
office for so long.”, this time there is a sigh on the other side of the phone
call. "I just do my job and don't go away when the mandatory attendance is
over.”, the younger Uchiha hisses. "I also have something of a private life.
But don't worry, you will notice that there are more important things in life
than work. Just wait until a woman comes over.”, Itachi whistles cheerfully
into the cell phone. “Anyway, I wanted to inform you that Mum planned the meal
for 7:30 pm. Make sure that you are here by then. See you“ In the next moment
there is only the steady humming, which makes the young man clear that his
brother has hung up on him. He snorts derogantly. "The one woman. Yes, of
course, and all because he is married now.” Says the Uchiha to himself and
lets the smartphone disappear into his pocket.

When the numbers fall below the double-digit range above the elevator door, the
young company boss puts on his jacket and closes it. Just when he picks up his
work bag again, the elevator stops in the underground garage. There are no cars
here either, except his Audi A8. Nicely parked in the parking space reserved
specially for him. With the remote conditions, he opens the trunk in which he
immediately stows his work bag and then takes a seat in the driver's seat.
Dutiful as he is, he fastens his seatbelt before starting the engine and parking
out with a single pull backwards and out of the underground garage. There are
always arguments about the parking spaces in the underground park house,
especially in summer and winter. When he leaves the underground car park and
passes the barriers on the exit,

Typical for December, thick white flakes fall from the thick cloud cover and
immediately covering his car with a white layer in order to adapt it to the
whole environment. A 10 cm thick layer has already laid over the city and
spreads pre-Christmas mood. Sighing, Sasuke turns on the radio and then leans
back in his seat before turning off the road to make his way through the side
streets. 

30 minutes later he drives through the gate of the Uchiha estate. With a slight
smile, he parks behind his brother's car and immediately leaves his own vehicle.
At the door, he is met by one of the butlers. From the kitchen, his mother
immediately comes to meet him, who, despite the wealth and the butlers and
housekeepers, can not help but cook for her loved ones. "Sasuke. I really looked
forward to see you!“ With bright eyes she comes up to him to hug him. Smiling,
he presses a kiss on her cheek. "Hello mum. How are you?”, he immediately
explores and examines her in detail to immediately notice the smallest change
and if it is only her skin that is a shade lighter. "Eh well, Sasuke. Don't
worry.”, she smiles at him, "go to your father, Itachi and Honoka into the
living room.” Gently she pushes him towards the living room, whose dining
table is already set for dinner. "Ah, Sasuke. There you are. You shouldn't be
working so long on a Friday!”, Fugaku rises from the couch and approaches his
youngest son to greet him with a handshake. "Thanks to that at least I have no
work for Monday morning and can relax at the weekend instead." Sasuke shrugs
before greeting Itachi and his wife, Honoka.

Shortly after, Mikoto also enters the living room, asking them to come to the
dining table. Butlers bring drinks and finally serve the soup. The youngest
Uchiha follows the conversation at the dining table in silence, which only takes
place between Itachi, Honoka and his mother. He and his father stay out of it.
Even when the main course and finally the desserts are served, the oldest and
the youngest Uchiha remain silent, only making comments about the drinks or the
food. Itachi stretches extensively as the butlers take the plates. With a smile,
he taps his stomach to show that he liked it. His mother giggling girlishly
because of his behavior. Finally everyone rises to sit on the couch in front of
the crackling fire.

Sasuke looks out into the with snow covered garden in silence, until he feels a
glance resting on himself. He slowly turns his head and looks at his mother.
"Sasuke. I would like to speak to you for a moment.“, she smiles pleadingly.
The person addressed nods and follows his mother out of the living room into his
father's study. In this she stands behind the work chair while Sasuke closes the
door and stops in front of the table. "Sasuke, I'm worried about you. You've
been drowning in work since you came from university. You even sit in the office
until 7pm on a Friday. I am afraid that you will never find anyone.“, Mikoto
explains and looks up at her son with a worried and sad look. "I don't want to
decide anything over your head. But I talked to a friend recently. His sister is
now 23 years old. I would like to engage you with her.” The black-haired woman
smiles tentatively at him. Sasuke sighs and lets his hand wander through his
hair. "Don't worry, I chose this woman wisely. You know her, you were with her
at the inauguration of the Tokiwa Towers, Haruno Sakura. Do you remember?“,
She looks questioningly at him. He nods slightly smiling, he remembers her
vaguely, but he doesn't remember what she looked like, apart from that he can't
tell his mother that he booked her with an rental service for that evening.

"It is my wish to see you happy Sasuke. I want you to get married and have
children. Only when I have passed you on to another woman who can and will make
you happy I can die in peace.“, she still smiles sincerely at him. Sasuke's
eyes widen at her last words before he brushes through his hair again. He was
always bad in refusing her wishes and certainly he couldn’t now either. Not
now that she had wished something from him so deep from her heart.
 
"If it is your wish, I will marry Sakura.", the youngest Uchiha smiles at his
mother, who sheds a single tear as she approaches him to happily embrace him.
The black haired man smiles sadly. If only because of this reaction, he can't
refuse her and gently strokes her back. Smiling happily, she pushes away from
him and leaves the office beaming, which his father entered shortly afterwards.
"How's it going?" Sasuke asks a question. Every outsider would have looked at
him a little confused now, but Fugaku knows what his son is referring to. "It
has grown again.", it comes quietly and depressed from the head of the family.
The youngest Uchiha takes a deep breath and lowers his head before covering his
eyes with his hand.


                                            ~>*<~

The best time of the year, that's how Christmas is called. This time is
associated with stress and sometimes grief, how can this time be happy? When you
hurry from one store to the next to get gifts and you miss people who have
already lost their lives. This time is particularly difficult for her, but she
tries not to show this to anyone.
 
Christmas carols fill the apartment. Humming softly, the pink haired woman
places the pine branches in the vase, adds various other branches and then looks
at the table next to her. Spread out, there are Christmas balls, glittering
decorative stars, Santa Claus figures and snowmen. Her eyes roam the fuchsia
balls and silver stars before she selects a few and places them in the
arrangement. A Santa Claus figure is standing there and smiling at her work.
Satisfied with the work, she nods and rises to put it on the dresser in the
hallway in front of the mirror. She looks around briefly and smiles. At the
archway, which separates the entrance area of the hallway from the actual
hallway, she has hung a mistletoe. Maybe it happens this year and she manages to
get Ino and Kiba under the archway at the same time, so they are obliged to kiss
each other. The two are these typical couples. Best friends since middle school,
clearly in love with each other, but unable to admit it to themselves. Hinata
and the pinkette have hoped that something suddenly happens that one of the two
finally understand and realize. But nothing has happened yet.

The Haruno sighs quietly and returns to her coffee table to settle back on the
pillow on the floor. A few branches are still left, which she simply ties
together, makes a nice stitch and hangs the festive covenant on her apartment
door. She quietly closes the door behind her and looks around the hall.
Christmas cookies smell from the kitchen and music from the living room reaches
her ears. Everything looks pretty festive and clean. She smiles a little
mockingly, it’s amazing how much stuff can be done on a day off. With a sigh,
she leans against the door. A tortured, bitter smile lays on her lips.
 
Christmas used to be her favorite time of the year. She couldn't wait for
Christmas to come, every day she waited for the next day to come and was already
looking forward to the candys in her Advent calendar. It was simply the most
wonderful thing to sit at the table on an Advent Sunday and watch the flickering
candles until you realize that thick flakes are falling outside the house. It
was just always a dream. Shopping with her parents. Bake the cookies with her
mother. Sleighing with her father. Snowball fights with her brother. Now
everything is different. She doesn't even know why she goes out of her way to
decorate her home every year. For her friends? Her brother and his girlfriend?
Every year she gets the decoration out of the closet and cleans out her
apartment, sometimes feels like she is back in her own childhood and then she
can see the sparkle in her eyes. This childlike delighted radiance, this
childlike glow fades from year to year and frustration spreads in her that she
just has the need to tear down the whole decoration, throw it against the wall,
tear it up and just destroy it.

At Christmas she always has to be painfully confronted with the memories of what
she once had and now she is missing so bitterly. Sakura feels tears in her eyes
and a sob escapes her lips. She immediately puts her hand over her mouth and
tries to blink the tears away.

But it seems to be one of those moments when her feelings overwhelm her. Tears
flow from her eyes and dampen her cheeks. Suppressed sobs make her body shake.
With a deep breath, the Haruno tries to calm herself down. When it doesn't help,
she takes one more and one more. She is slowly regaining control of her body and
feelings. Smiling bitterly, she wipes the tears from her cheeks. Nobody should
see how much she sometimes suffers. She pushes herself away from her door and
goes into the bathroom. She silently looks at herself in the mirror and wipes
away the smeared mascara and eye pencil stains with a cotton pad. She smiles
bravely and then returns to the hallway.
 
The young Haruno puts on her black boots and pulls her green vest into shape
before putting on her winter jacket and puts the lime green scarf around her
neck to protect it from the cold. With a handbag, smartphone and car key, she
leaves the apartment and heads down the stairs to the ground floor. When she
leaves the apartment building, the cold winter wind hits her in the face with a
few snowflakes. The pink-haired woman looks briefly up at the sky and smiles
tenderly before she climbs the few meters of the forecourt of her residential
complex and heads for her car, with which she fights through the traffic to the
Haruno Empire.

The parking lot is only half full, the rest of the employees seem to have
already started their well-deserved weekend. With a sigh, she strokes her hair
and looks up the building to the top where her brother's office is. Slowly her
legs start to move and carry her into the company. At the reception she is
greeted warmly, after all, she is known as the boss's sister. When she
approaches the elevator, the doors open and a few of the employees get out. They
nod at her kindly, which she replies with a smile, climbs into the empty
elevator and confirms the button for the top floor. During the short ride in the
elevator, she looks at her smartphone and checks whether someone might have
messaged or called her, when she didn't pay attention. The elevator announces a
stop with a bright tone and when Sakura looks up she sees that she has already
reached the top floor.
 
With a smile she walks out of the elevator, past her brother's secretary and
through the open office door of him. "Sakura. Nice that you are here.”,
smiling, her brother rises to his feet and looks at her with delight. The
younger Haruno quickly closes the door and then approaches her brother, whom she
hugs and then drops into one of the armchairs in front of his table. She looks
around briefly as she opens her jacket and brushes off her sleeves. "You look
good Ryosuke.", she observes after briefly examining her brother. "You wanted to
see me? What is it about?” Her green eyes look interested into his blue ones.
"Kiba and Ino still haven’t made any new seps, have they?", he grins lightly,
supporting his elbow on the table and his chin on his hand. She looks at him
with surprise before she sighs. "Oh man, Ryosuke. What have you pulled off and
done now?”, she gives him a lecturing look and shakes her head. "Oh well. I
wouldn't really call it ‘pulled off’. Maybe it didn't really work out…
I-”, He begins to philosophize about the term ‘pulling off’. “Out with
it Ryosuke.", amused Sakura looks at her older brother. "Well...", With a sigh
the brown-haired man rises and stands at the window, looking out through it and
only turns around a few moments later. “Well, it’s like that... An old
acquaintance of mine, a friend from school, expressed the wish to marry you and
I agreed. So you got engaged to him.”, his arms crossed behind his back, he
looks like her father. She stares at him stunned. "What? Ryosuke are you crazy?
You can't just engage me to someone I don't know!”, The young Haruno suddenly
jerks up and makes the armchair she was sitting on shake in the process. "You
know him. He was one of your clients a few months ago, you were with him at that
celebration. Do you remember? ”Explains the brown-haired man and looks at her
with a smile. "Do you know how many clients I have as a companion? I don't
remember every single one. Just tell me a good, really good reason why you came
up with such a banal idea of engaging me!”, angrily she walks past him and
stands at the window, her arms crossed over her chest, looking down at the snow
covered city.

"No. Sakura.", Ryosuke sighs and looks at her back, "Both of us had to
experience a few years ago, how fast everything can change. How everything
changes from one second to the next and everything can be over. I know you have
been scared ever since, afraid to let someone get close to you and loose. To
love and loose someone. I also know that you often feel lonely. Neither of us
can say what will happen tomorrow. And I'm afraid of that. Afraid that one day
you will be alone because I am no longer, one second to the next. Afraid that
you will get lost in loneliness. I want you to be in good hands.” Her body
trembles as she suppresses the sobs. Tears flow quietly down her cheeks.
 
The young man sighs again when his sister suddenly turns to him and he sees her
tears. He smiles sadly and walks up to her to take her into his arms and
comfortingly strokes her back. Crying bitter tears, she nods at his chest and a
sob escapes from her lips. "I'm going to marry him." It's just a whisper.
Relieved, Ryosuke smiles and kisses his sister on the top of her head. "I know
that you will be in good hands with him and he will take away your fears and
also my fears for you," he says against her hair.



                         Kapitel 3: Step 3 - Location
                         ----------------------------


The location is always an important decision point, whether you build a house or
celebrate a party. A location should be meet by some criteria. If you want to
celebrate a party, consider the possibilities of building this location with
public transport, or whether there are enough parking spaces available, how long
it takes to get there and more. When it comes to a wedding location, there are
far more criteria; the establishment or the location manages to connect and
reflect the personalities of the two future spouses. It will be considered
whether any decoration is needed or provided.
 
The black-haired man yawns when he thinks about it. Apart from the fact that it
seems boring to him anyway, his mother had assured him to make the wedding
preparations together with his fiancée. His eyes lay on the documents on his
table. Swinging and twisting the pen between his fingers, he sighs and throws
the pen at the documents. In silence he pushes back his armchair, before turning
around and looking out of the glass front, watching the city.
 
They have been writing the new year for two weeks now. Snow is laying in
abundance on the ground and new ones are constantly being added, even if the sun
dominates on this day, it is still dangerous. In general it is dangerous in
winter, which is why there are more injuries, many people slip on the icy spots
and break their foot or arm. One could say that he really loves the snow, but
only if he is in the safe interior of a house or is just taking a walk through
the forest, which has been very limited in the recent years. For this reason
alone, he prefers not to go looking for the right location. Sasuke sighs and
looks back at his desk. Beside that, he still has too much work anyway.
 
Even if he doesn't go with the location search, he can't just sit there waiting
for his future wife and mother to conjure up a wedding dream in pink. The Uchiha
inevitably shakes when he thinks of standing at the altar and the registrar in
front of him in a pink robe. It is precisely for this reason that he ensures
that his wishes, or rather criteria, are also met. Suddenly his office door is
opened and a blond-haired man stands in it and grins at him. Sasuke sighs and
supports his elbow on his desk and his chin on the palm of his hand. That's why
he called him to him. In general, you could also call him his best friend, at
least he describes himself as such and his parents and brother also call him
that. Actually it is inconceivable that this young man should be his best
friend, he is loud and sometimes really exhausting when he walks around in such
a good mood. It's also almost fascinating how the blonde managed to graduate
from school and become a software programmer here at Uchiha Corporation where
only the best of the best are hired. As stupid as he does the simplest things,
or asks for basic knowledge which should be learned during school.
 
"Teme! What difficult task do you give me, that Itachi frees me from my work and
also does it voluntarily?”, Grinning, Naruto approaches the desk. The
black-haired young man sighs and looks up at his friend. Oh yes, he hasn't told
anyone yet. A little embarrassed, he scratches the back of his head. "Wedding
preparations," it comes from the dark-eyed. "Wedding preparations ... wait!
What? Haää?”, Confused and incredulous, as if he was being kidnapped, the
blonde looks at him. Sasuke sighs again. "Yes, wedding preparations. I've been
engaged since mid-December. At my mother's request, I will marry Sakura Haruno.
It takes a few minutes for Naruto to get out of his shock-state. "Wait, wait,
wait! You've been engaged for a month and don't tell us about it?” Naruto
looks at the young man angrily. "Yes. I somehow forgot to mention that.”,
Sasuke shrugs his shoulders, bored. “Anyways, I would like you to visit the
locations with my fiancée today and represent my criteria.”
 
The Uzumaki looks down at him angrily, the blond's eyebrows twitching, which is
a rare phenomenon. "You get engaged and tell me nothing about it and now I
should drive through half of Tokyo with your fiancée to visit chapels,
restaurants and hotels? No! Do it yourself. After all, she is your fiancée!”
shouts the blue-eyed man, demonstrating his arms crossed over his chest.
 
"You aren’t going in my place, but accompany my mother and fiancée, so that
we are not going to stand in a dream of pink at the wedding. I want you, as my
best friend, to go with them and make sure that my criteria’s are also
met.“, The Uchiha sighs again while he repeats the part that Naruto passed
over and explains a little more precisely. "Maybe I just don't do it and you
have to get married in a dream of pink.", It comes indifferently from the blonde
who shrugs his shoulders.
"As you wish, but you, as my best man, must also stand in this dream of pink,"
sighs the Uchiha and looks down at his documents. "Wait what, best man? You want
me to be your best man?” Naruto looks down at his best friend in surprise. "Of
course, after all, you are my best friend. That's why I entrust you with the
supervision of the wedding preparations.”, The black haired man looks up
briefly at the blonde, who looks at him somehow moved that Sasuke is beginning
to feel uncomfortable.
 
The young Uchiha clears his throat in order to bring his friend back to normal.
"You've convinced me. I will be there for you with the wedding preparations.
Itachi releases me for that anyway and still pays me. So. Tell me what your
fiancée is like, what does she look like?“, The blonde looks at him with
interest. Sasuke looks up bored and raises his eyebrow indifferently. "I have no
idea. It's an arranged marriage, I was with her at the Tokiwa Towers opening six
months ago and actually I also forgot what she looks like.“ The black haired
shrugged his shoulders and then wrote something on the documents. "So a forced
marriage? That's forbidden, isn't it? ”Naruto looks confused at his best
friend. "It is not a forced marriage. I try to fulfill my mother's wish, why
Sakura agreed, I don't know. But it doesn't matter now.” The Uchiha waves off
and turns back to his friend.
 
"Okay. So what are your viewpoints that I should represent and what exactly
should I do?“, The Uzumaki explores and sighs. "Just stop my mother and Sakura
from making the wedding a girl's dream. I would prefer rustic influences,
something calm. And please make sure that I am not taken by surprise by orange
or pink.” The black haired man lists up to his best friend and rubs his hair.
Naruto nods, "Okay boss! Everything will be taken care off. When and where does
it start?” Sighing, Sasuke leans back in his armchair and looks at his watch
on the computer screen. "My mother knows where to go. She is waiting for you at
my father's office. And slowly you should hurry up to meet her at 10:15 a.m.”
He reports. Naruto nods and blinks briefly, looks at the clock, then turns on
his heels and almost runs out of the office.
 
Sasuke looks down at his table and holds his head with a sigh. No matter how
much work he has to do, he will probably be sitting until 7:00 p.m. or even
longer. Maybe he should call Naruto back and go to the meeting himself. Then he
could at least express his point of view better and actually get to know the
young Haruno better, so that he does not have to marry someone who is completely
unknown to him. Apart from that, it has not only happened once, that a girl only
needs to blink with her eyelashes and the blonde would give in quickly. The
youngest Uchiha shakes his head immediately. There is still a lot of work ahead
of him and if he still wants to go home today he should concentrate on it.
Naruto will do his part somehow.
 
With a sigh, the black haired man takes his tablet and unlocks it, opens a file
and then turns to his computer screen, there he opens a document and then leans
back in his armchair, looks at the tablet he has put upright next to the
computer and then again back to the documents in his hand. He sighs in agony
once again and looks at his desk. It is clearly one of those days when he would
rather do anything than work. Sasuke rises and puts the documents back in the
associated folder and puts them aside. With a pained look he looks at the chaos
on his table and reaches for the three opened folders, which he has opened on
top of each other. His eyes slide over the contents before folding them up and
placing them on one of the two stacks, followed by the next two folders.
Finally, he takes the stack of files and brings it to the filing unit so that it
can be redistributed into the departmental files. When he comes back to his
office and looks to his table, he lets out a long sigh of relief, because it
looks much emptier and organized now. Maybe he'll come out of the office sooner
than expected after all.
 

 
~> * <~


The sun shines down on the place in front of the shopping center. Waiting, the
young woman looks around and smiles at her companion. Her gaze lies on the
tablet in her hand, which she is just putting back in her larger handbag. They
have come here because it is time to make the first wedding preparations, and
first of all one should choose the location, or maybe several. Depending on
whether you get married in a hotel with a chapel or not. The locations should be
chosen carefully. Apart from that, there should always be a person who is
familiar with it. That's why they both stand here in the freezing cold of
January, waiting for her future mother-in-law, who will help her with all
wedding preparations.
 
"I'm sorry for being late!" It sounds next to them and a black-haired woman
comes to a stop in front of them. “Hello, my name is Uchiha Mikoto. We were
together at the Tokiwa Towers opening ceremony, but I assume that I have been
forgotten.“ The black haired woman bows briefly and finally smiles at the
pinkette. "Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you mrs. Uchiha. I’m sorry, but it just
has been too long.“ Sakura too, bows in traditional Japanese style for the
greeting. "Oh please, don't panic, I would have forgotten it too. Anyways,
please let’s not be formal with each other.” Mikoto waves off with a smile.
"With pleasure.", The pinkette also smiles and looks at the young man next to
her soon to be mother in law. "Oh I am sorry. I almost forgot again. The young
man with me is my son's best friend, Uzumaki Naruto.” Embarrassed, the Uchiha
smiles and points to the blond man, who bows politely. "Hello. This is Hyuga
Hinata, she is a budding wedding planner and one of my best friends. I allowed
her to try my wedding and gain experience. I am Haruno Sakura.“ Sakura
introduces her friend and herself to the Uzumaki politely. The two bow and
briefly examine the blonde.
 
He blinks in confusion before raising his voice, "Haruno, like Ryosuke Haruno?"
Sakura looks at the blonde in surprise. "My brother, why?" She asks the only man
in the group. "Oh, we were at school together." Embarrassed, the Uzumaki
scratches his cheek and the green eyed woman smiles. "I understand." The oldest
of the women clears her throat for a moment and then smiles around, "Do we want
to get going slowly? We have a few locations to visit and if possible you should
also choose a design for the announcement cards.”, as she says that, she
points towards the parking lot,  "Naruto will be so friendly and play our
chauffeur." Mikoto explains as they walk towards a black car. With a smile,
Sakura and Mikoto take a seat in the back seat while Hinata takes the passenger
seat.
 
“It is important to choose a suitable color for the cards, you have to choose
a font and maybe a design. Here I have different patterns of the announcement
cards with the corresponding envelopes.” The black haired woman explains and
pulls out a thick folder from a pocket, in which the cards are sorted by
company. "I have the designs and fonts here with me." Hinata explains, who sits
slightly turned towards them and extends her tablet to the back. The Uchiha
smiles, "I can see that nothing can go wrong at the wedding and the planning
will be easy. We complement each other perfectly." The Hyuga also smiles
satisfied.
 
"You can first choose the design and add colors as you like and then we will
choose the right color from the cards," suggests the light eyed woman, Mikoto
nods in agreement. Sakura leans back in silence with the tablet in her hand and
looks at the designs. "Hinata, we should coordinate our locations so that we
don't have duplicates, or go detours," Says Mikoto and takes another, thinner
folder out of her pocket. "Very good idea, mrs. Uchiha.“, The blue haired
woman also nods and pulls out her documents, since for safety's sake she has
also printed out half of the data. "Oh please. Let’s stop the formalities.”
The oldest of the four said with a smile. "Gladly." Hinata nods a little shyly.
 
Sakura looks at the designs in depth, swipes left and right across the screen to
view the next one. She doesn't notice how the city moves past her outside the
window. "Sakura. We are here.”, Mikoto's voice pulling her back into reality.
The pinkette looks up in surprise and then smiles slightly before covering the
tablet with the protective cover and steps out of the car. In front of her is a
large white church. Pompous and showy, as the young Haruno thinks. The four of
them enter the inside and look around. The pastor comes up to them and shows
them everything in detail. Sakura looks around silently and notices how Naruto
takes pictures of the location. Hinata and Mikoto leave them to speak and after
a few concluding sentences they sit back in the car.
 
They spend half the day like this, Sakura, as an aspiring industrial designer,
is completely dedicated to the design of the announcement cards, Mikoto and
Hinata are already talking about possible plans, while Naruto is driving the car
somewhat bored. They look at dozens of locations, but none really appeals to the
Haruno, somehow to her every location lacks something.
 
With a sigh, the green eyed woman stops by the car. "Say Naruto, how did you
like the locations so far?" She turns to the blonde to hear the opinion of a
man. Hyuga and her future mother-in-law are also slowly finding their way to the
two. “In my opinion, they're all real girls' dream castles. But I'm here to
represent Teme's opinion.”, Grins the blonde, pleased to finally be involved
in the discussions. "Teme?" Sakura looks at him in confusion. "Naruto. You
shouldn't always call Sasuke a Teme!” Mikoto immediately chides him. Laughing
sheepishly, the Uzumaki scratches the back of his head. "Sasuke Uchiha?" The
pinkette whispers silently and considers who she could assign the name to.
“Anyway, that was pretty much all the locations. And what do you say Sakura?
Which one do you like best?“ The black-haired woman turns to her. "And what
are Sasuke's imagineations?" Sakura finally asks after a few seconds of
thinking.
 
"He would like something rustic and calm," explains Naruto with a smile. "Do we
still have any location with something rustic or quiet?" Sakura examines her
future mother-in-law and her wedding planner. Hinata looks briefly at her tablet
and then shakes her head. The Haruno deliberately puts her finger on her chin,
closes her eyes for a moment and then smiles. "I know where we're going. Naruto
we have to go to Nerima!” In a good mood she takes the tablet from the blue
haired woman and gets in the passenger seat. Astonished, Mikoto and Hinata sink
into the back seats.

A small grin adorns Sakura's lips as she looks briefly over the mirror in the
sun visor, to the two women who are sitting there in silence and are still a bit
surprised. Then she leans back in her seat and plays with the tablet again. "Say
Naruto, what did Sasuke say? Anything special?” She questions further and
looks briefly at him. "Yes, about the colors. What it shouldn't be.” He begins
to report, he seems to think briefly. "No bright colors, pink, purple, orange or
dots.", suddenly it comes from Sakura who smiles at him. Naruto looks at her in
surprise and finally smiles. “Close to that. He still kinda allows purple.”
The pinkette nods understandingly and when she looks at the tablet she smiles
slightly. Briefly she looks outside and sees that the traffic light is switching
to red, when Naruto stops the car in the colony, she turns the tablet into his
direction. "And? Would he say yes?" She looks at Naruto over the edge of the
device, who is so surprised that his eyes widen and slowly starts nodding.
“Yes, I think so." "Well, um, we have to go to the Toirstu Johoku Central
Park." She gave him brief instructions before Sakura hands the tablet back to
its owner. "I would choose the card color in champagne." She comments briefly
and then looks out of the window. 
 
Mikoto and Hinata look in amazement at the screen of the tablet, on which they
can see the design. In the top left corner of the transversal card there are two
golden roses, which have dark red light contours, along the edge of the card the
tendrils also run in gold, down to the bottom right corner where they end and
two red hearts are one above the other. The names of the two fiancees are
written in a dark red.
 
"We arrived! Here you have to turn right and you can stop in front of the house
in the parking lot!” Explains the Haruno joyfully. The Uzumaki follows the
instructions and switches off the car after Sakura gets out of the vehicle. "I'm
not sure we can park here at all." Notes the blonde as he gets out of the car
and looks at the medium sized house in front of him. Suddenly the front door
opens and an older man, around 70 years, is standing there. He scowls at the
group, until he sees the pink hair. "Oh! If it isn’t Haruno Sakura!“ He
comes delighted down the 5 stairs and towards the young woman. "Mr. Ayakashi!
I'm happy to see you!“ The young Haruno smiles and bows to him. "We haven't
seen each other for a long time. Since then ... " He stops in his words and his
look becomes sad, before he shakes his head. “What brings you to me?" "Mr.
Ayakashi, may I introduce my companions? These are Mrs. Uchiha Mikoto, Hyuga
Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto.” The one mentioned bows. "We are looking for a
rustic, quiet location." A small grin is on her lips and a sparkle is in her
eyes. Ayakashi smiles and nods "You want to look at the old cellar." The gray
haired man comments, goes back to his front door and briefly disappears inside
before closing the door and coming back to them. 
 
Together with Sakura, he leads the group into the forest from the park, along a
road until a hole appears in the forest on the right and you can see the
remaining walls of a dilapidated house. "It still looks like 5 years ago.” The
pinkette smiles and takes a few steps forward, stands in the middle of the ruin
and turns in a circle, a small laugh on her lips. Mr. Ayakashi laughs
wholeheartedly and draws the attention of the Haruno to himself. She smiles
sheepishly and comes to the group that has gathered in front of the stairs that
lead down into the earth. The old man goes ahead and then unlocks the door down
there. Light floods the room when he pushes the light switch to the right of the
front door. An old, unused wine cellar extends before the five. Hinata and
Mikoto look around in astonishment, while Naruto is already taking the first
photos. "That's perfect!" The Haruno exclaims happily and runs forward. Opposite
the door, at the other end of the room, there is a structure that resembles kind
of an oven. Sakura smiles. "I can already imagine it. We set up rows of seats,
attach flowers and cloths. From the middle of the ceiling, where the lamp hangs,
we hang cloths to the top and sides and two to the back of the door. We lay a
dark red carpet on the floor, which leads over the stairs to the street and
place flower arrangements next to the path.”, explains the young Haruno.
“And Naruto, would Sasuke like that too?" She looks questioningly at the blond
young man, who needs a moment to imagine everything and then nods with a smile.
"Yes, I think that could work." 
 
Mr. Ayakashi, to Sakura’s right, clears his throat. "What do you need the
basement for, if I may ask?" He inquires carefully. "Of course! I am engaged Mr.
Ayakashi. I will get married and want to hold the wedding ceremony here.“
Sakura smiles lovingly. "Oh, Sakura, that's wonderful! Congratulations. I am so
happy for you! It would be my honor for you to get married here in this wine
cellar!” A little tear steals its way into the old man's eye. "Thank you, then
can we also set the date for the first week of June? I don't know exactly which
day yet.” Sakura inquires. "Of course!" Mr. Ayakashi nods happily.
 
“Sakura the location is wonderful. And I already know where the party could
take place. Let's go there for lunch.” Mikoto now smiles and seems to be
enchanted by the location. The addressed pinkette smiles happily, there really
is magic in the air in this place. Which she had already noticed almost 5 years
ago, at her father's birthday party.



                       Kapitel 4: Step 4 - Wedding Dress
                       ---------------------------------


When it comes to wedding preparations, the most important thing may be the
location or the announcement cards, possibly also the decoration, but for a
woman it is definitely the wedding dress. A dress that should give the bride the
feeling of being a princess and that the world is only about her and everything
else is of no interest. Everyone should only see the bride and be jealous. The
dress should highlight the woman's chocolate sides and perhaps accentuate or
conceal some of the curves. As the bride likes.
 
A gentle wind blows over Tokyo on this May day. It's the month before the
wedding, so trying on the dress is on the schedule. Whether the dress, as it has
been adjusted so far, also fits. A smile on his lips, Naruto opens the door for
the pink haired woman and also lets her two friends and her future mother-in-law
enter the bridal shop. Finally he also enters the shop and looks around. The
sales counter is directly opposite of the door, on the right there are display
dummies with wedding dresses and on the left there are the suits. On the right
and left, aisles lead up to the stairs to the first floor, where there are more
clothes and suits, but above all the fitting rooms in the front area. From the
first floor you can look down on the ground floor because the railing of the
stairs forms a circle where there is a hole in the floor. If you follow the
railing to the rear, you can hide behind two slightly drawn-in walls in the
fitting room, which is divided by a curtain into sections for men and women.
 
"And Sasuke and I really shouldn't take dance lessons before the wedding? After
all, I don't know how well we harmonize together.”, Sakura begins a topic that
she had touched on some time ago. Actually, she's just curious about her fiance,
but who wouldn't be? After all, they both got engaged so suddenly. Of course,
they had spent some time together, but that was almost an year ago, and the pink
haired girl just can't remember the man's face. "No Sakura. You really don't
need dance lessons. I saw you two dancing at the Tokiwa Towers opening, you
harmonize perfectly.“ Mikoto smiles and puts her hand on her shoulder.
 
"Ah Mrs. Uchiha! Mrs. Haruno! Welcome. We were already waiting for you!“ One
of the employees from the cash desk approaches them. "Good afternoon.", the
group smiles and bows to the saleswoman, who is doing the same. "Do we want to
try on the clothes right away?", The employee asks and looks around. Smiling,
Mikoto steps forward and nods, "Yes, please." The black haired woman takes a
quick look at her watch before smiling at Naruto, "You can, meanwhile, try on
your own suit or take care of other important things." The blonde nods at her
words, bows goodbye and leaves the shop.
"Well, then please follow me to the first floor.", With a wave of her hand, the
saleswoman points to the aisles through the women's department and the group
starts to move. Walking through the amount of wedding dresses and bridesmaid
dresses, up the stairs and go to the changing area.
 
The employee turns to the group, which make themselves comfortable on the couch.
"Which dresses do you want to try on first?", The employee looks questioningly
at the women. Sakura looks at Hinata and Ino, who in turn look at her. "I would
say the bridesmaid dresses. As it’s well known, the best always comes
last.”, A small grin lies on the lips of the Uchiha. Hinata and Ino look up in
surprise. "But our clothes have already fit perfectly lately," says the blonde.
This time there is a grin on Sakura's lips. "Yes, yes. But I had a few small
things changed.“, She shrugs and crosses one leg over the other. Hinata and
Ino look a little puzzled at the pink haired woman, while the employee is
already pushing a pole with two dress bags out of the rear area. The blue haired
and the blonde each get a bag with their dresses in and then disappear into the
cabins. After a few minutes, one of the curtains opens again. "Sakura! I said
you didn't have to have the clothes changed!” The blonde scolds, while Hinata
shyly steps out of the dressing room. "Well, I'm the bride, and if I want red
and gold, it happens. Don't you like it?” Pouting a bit, the Haruno ends her
question and pushes her lower lip a little forward. "Yes, it is beautiful
anyway, but the effort! And what about Hinata? She can't even wear red-…! “,
The fashion fanatic bursts out and finally turns to the Hyuuga. She looks at her
speechlessly. "I thought so!", Sakura says with a grin and rises to approach her
shy friend. "With the gold tone and the red sash you can also wear the two
colors and it looks great on you! Maybe even too much!“ She taps her chin
thoughtfully and looks at her friend with a stern look. The Hyuuga looks at her
in panic. A hearty laugh comes over Sakura's lips. "I'm just kidding Hinata.
Nobody beats me in my wedding dress! You already saw that.“ The pink haired
woman waves off with a giggle. "The clothes look great on you!", Mikoto also
compliments with a smile and looks at the two young women in their knee-length
dresses. Strapless, it fits tight around the chest and upper abdomen, while
hanging loosely at the bottom. Three layers of gold coloured taffeta are sewn
over the opaque organza fabric and underneath the chest there is a burgundy
sash, with a golden embroidery on it’s left side, which resembles a brooch, to
the back.
 
Ino and Hinata smile thankfully. "So and now finally i want to see you in your
dress!" The blonde takes the skirt of her dress in one hand to let it flutter
when she turns around. "Then I'll put on my underskirt," the pinkette decides
and smiles towards Mikoto, who immediately has the dress fetched. The young
Haruno quickly slips out of her clothes and pulls the white, tight-fitting
dress, over her underwear.
Actually, she doesn't need the underskirt at all, but to be on the safe side,
she'd rather have the dress on. "Wow, you don't need a wedding dress, you can
also get married in your petticoat!" The blonde giggles as the young woman comes
out of the dressing room, in a strapless and thin dress. The green eyed woman
cheekily sticks out her tongue and watches the wedding dress being pushed
towards her by the department store employee. It had taken some time until she
had finally found the perfect dress. She definitely tried on 100 dresses and
they were in more than just this bridal shop. It was only after two long weeks
of searching that they found this dress. Sakura thought the dress was gorgeous
and her three companions, on that day as well as months before, found her
gorgeous in the dress.
 
But the black haired woman managed to convince the young Haruno and now the
pinkette is looking forward to the dress with the changes that were made in
addition to the adjustment. A little excited, the bride watches the employee
open the zipper of the dress and hold the fabric on the floor before laying the
upper body of the dress on the floor. Her eyes settle on Sakura, while Mikoto
walks around the dress with a smile and stands in front of the Haruno,
stretching her arms towards her. A thankful smile on her lips, the young woman
takes the offered, helping hands to climb over the fabric of the dress in the
middle. Footsteps can be heard outside the curtain and then Naruto's voice. "Ah,
Naruto seems to be back!" The beautiful Uchiha smiles and turns away, releasing
one of the pinkette’s hands and turns sideways backwards. At the same moment,
the pink haired woman feels how she steps with her foot on the fabric of the
dress, slips on the smooth satin fabric and stumbles forward. Instead of landing
in Mikoto's arms, she stumbles through the curtain and is caught by two strong
arms.
 
The arms close around her torso as she leans with her cheek against a male
chest. She looks up in surprise, loosens her fingers that have automatically
clawed into the fabric of the jacket. Her eyes meet a cool, impenetrable look.
Immediately, pictures shoot through her head from a time, when everything was
different and she sees the man in a younger edition who has blood trailing along
his temple.
 
She swallows gently and then slowly straightens up again. Even if she no longer
holds him, his arms are still around her. She looks at him in amazement and sees
how his eyes are on the floor behind her. Then he turns his gaze back to her and
drops his arms. "Sorry!", She quickly takes a step back and bows politely.
Again, the black haired man takes a quick look on the floor behind her, looks
back at her and briefly examines her in her underdress. "Lucky me. After all the
groom shouldn’t see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding.” A
small smile pulls at the corner of the man's lips at his remark. She looks at
him in confusion before smiling slightly. "Come on Sakura, this time I'll be the
one catching you!", smiling, the black haired woman holds out her hand to the
Haruno and holds the curtain with the other. An amused smile lies on the
Haruno's lips as she turns away from Mikoto and towards the man in front of her,
apologetically she looks at him again before returning to her friends. The black
haired woman smiles briefly at her son and waves her hand in the direction of
the men's fitting area before turning and disappearing behind the curtain.
 
"Come on Teme!" Naruto calls for his best friend, who holds the curtain and
grins slightly at him. "You have to try your suit again," the blonde continues.
With an unnoticed sigh, the black haired man turns and follows his best friend
into the men’s side. His gaze wanders around. There is a couch, changing rooms
and a pair of mirrors. A man comes out of a corridor between the cabins with two
suit bags, which he passes on to the two gentlemen. Sasuke takes the clothes
hangers in silence and goes into one of the cabins, the blonde into the other.
 
With a sigh, he strips his suit jacket from his arms and loosens the tie, his
shirt follows and hangs it neatly over the armchair. Sasuke briefly examines his
upper body in the mirror, which shows a few muscles. Even if he spends a lot of
time at work, he also does enough sport, since he has a gym two streets away in
which he does work outs every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, unless he only
gets out of work at 10 pm. His eyes wander towards his suit bag, which he opens
and starts examining the content. He grabs the hanger with the shirt and vest to
put on the white shirt.
 
So far, it has been very useful and good to let Naruto participate in the
wedding preparations. So he could basically stay out of the wedding preparations
and still his ideas and wishes, or rather criteria, are observed. Sasuke was
very surprised when Naruto came to him on the first day, explaining where the
location was searched and displayed the pictures of the location on his tablet
with the sentence, "No matter what you say you will get married in the last of
the locations." He had looked at the wine cellar in surprise, which is well lit
with some light sources along the wall and from the ceiling. When he asked his
friend who suggested this location, Naruto answered with a simple "Your
fiancée!" Even when Naruto showed him the announcement card design, the uchiha
was not averse and could immediately see the colors in which the wedding will be
arranged. So far, the Uchiha has not been able to complain, even if the blonde
did not want to tell him what his fiancée looks like so that he can remember
her.
 
A small smile plays on his lips as he closes the pants of his wedding suit and
puts the red tie around his neck to tie them. The pink haired woman, now he
remembers, and his memories finally have the right pictures. She was shopping
with him on the weekend before they were together at the Tokiwa Towers opening
ceremony, where she was wearing a dress that amazed everyone and turned all
other dresses into a joke. She is the girl who tried to knock him out with a
golf club during an armature golf tournament. He smiles, amused, actually it is
surprising how he could forget someone like that. The hair is a clear reminder.
"Sasuke? Aren't you done yet? What are you doing in there?” An irritated males
voice sounds from outside, apparently the blonde is already done changing. The
black haired man sighs and shakes his head, takes off his jacket and leaves the
wardrobe. The employee immediately stands close to him and takes off his jacket.
The Uchiha closes the last buttons of the golden suit vest and finally looks
around at the employee who already has the jacket ready and all he has to do is
slip into it. When the jacket's fabric rests on his shoulders, the employee
strokes over his shoulders once before pulling back. With an examining look at
Naruto, he closes the buttons on the suit jacket. In contrast to his, the blonde
has more red in his suit combination, the suit vest is in red and the tie in
gold. 
 
He looks in the mirror in silence. He examines himself in this and then turns
back to his best friend. "Neji has already tried his on?" He asks his best man.
"Hyuga is coming to try his on next week. He doesn't have time earlier." Naruto
explains to him before the curtain to the women’s side is pushed aside.
Immediately the black haired man tries to take a look at his future bride in her
wedding dress, but the curtain obscures his view, while he can speak of luck
that no one noticed his lensing attempt. His mother comes to the two young men
with a smile. Her smile shows how happy she is to see her son in a wedding suit
and to know that he will soon have a woman by his side. "The dress is a dream,
your bride is a dream, your bride in the dress is simply indescribable.“, she
begins and puts a hand on her heart. "You'll be happy with her, I know that."
she continues. Sasuke smiles too, he is happy to see his mother like that.
 
"But now to both of you! Naruto. The suit suits you, does it fit well too, or
does it pinch somewhere?”, She circles around the blue eyed young man
questioningly. "No, I feel good and can move freely.", The Uzumaki grins in a
good mood. Mikoto smiles and nods before turning to face her son. She also
circles him, examines him in detail, touches him in some places and stops in
front of him again. "You look so good in this suit.", She smiles meekly and puts
her hand on his cheek, which she strokes gently. He looks at her somewhat
confused. "I almost always wear a suit," he says. His mother laughs amused.
"Yes, but a wedding suit is very different from a work suit. The red and the
gold tone do not make you look so strict and cold.“ her thumb strokes his
cheek again and finally to his hair, through which she lets her fingers run
through and then drops her hand. "Does anything bother you about the suit?", She
explores and looks at him again. "No, nothing." He smiles at her and she nods. 

"Fine, then I'll go back to your bride. See you in a bit, Naruto.” With a
smile on her lips, she turns away and returns to the women's side. "Say Naruto,"
the Uchiha draws his best friend's attention. Sasuke turns slowly. "Do you know
what Sakura's dress looks like?" He asks his best friend questioningly while the
employee first helps the black haired and then the blonde out of the jacket and
hangs it up. "Um, ... white, floor length with tail?", It is more a question of
the Uzumaki than a statement. "Do you know?", The dark eyed repeated his
question and slipped out of the golden vest and undid the tie. “No, I never
went into the shops with them to buy a dress. It also brings bad luck if you see
the dress before the wedding.", the blonde man reasons and goes back to the
cabin. The uchiha does the same and puts his work suit back on. He leaves the
cabin and hands the rest of the clothes to the employee when Naruto joins him
again. "Well, then I go, women are known not to be kept waiting.", His best
friend says and grins at him as he walks towards the curtain. Shortly before
that, he turns around again. "Sasuke, you really hit the jackpot with your
bride. She always asked me about your ideas and followed them and still designed
her dream wedding, besides she is a kind hearted woman and absolutely
adorable.“, the blonde counts with a cheeky grin before he leaves the men’s
area. 
 
The youngest Uchiha blinks in surprise before smiling a little amused. "A woman
who creates her dream wedding with my ideas?" He whispers flatly before saying
goodbye to the employee. The suit will arrive at Naruto’s the following week.
Sasuke steps through the curtain and looks to the left, into the women's
changing area. With a sigh, he makes his way to the stairs and goes down the
hall for men’s clothing, past the cash register and leaves the shop. Bright
sunshine bedazzles him for a moment as he steps outside before he can make out
the voice of his mother and best friend on his left.

He turns his eyes from the park opposite of him, to the left to the small group
standing there. Each with a bag of ice cream in hand. His gaze falls on the pink
haired woman who dips the tip of her nose into the ice and licks the white ice
cream. She immediately wipes the ice cream off from the tip of her nose before
looking towards him. A small, barely visible smile adorns his lips before he
turns his head and takes out the car key from his pocket while he takes his
smartphone out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket and checks whether he has
been contacted in any way. With the remote control he opens the windows of his
car to which he approaches. When he climbs into his car, he takes one last look
at the group and he can see his mother with brimming happiness up to this point.



                          Kapitel 5: Step 5 - Wedding
                          ---------------------------


The sun shines brightly on the clear sky over Tokyo on June 8th. In Nerima,
preparations have been made since the early hours of the morning, because one of
the biggest weddings of the year and economy is about to take place here in a
few hours.
 
Wishes are fulfilled at a wedding. Two people who love each other and want to
spend the rest of their lives together fulfill each other's wish to make the
other their spouse. They fulfill each other's wishes. They are getting married,
for love.
But not at this wedding. This wedding fulfills wishes, but not those of the
bride or groom, no, they are both those who fulfill the wishes by making
themselves spouses. They fulfill the wishes of the brides brother and the grooms
mother. They get married, but not out of love.
 
"Ryosuke! Ryosuke!“, The call of the blonde sounds through the suite of the
hotel, in which the bride is being prepared. The door opens and a brown haired
man enters the room and examines the blue eyed woman questioningly. "Sakura
doesn't stop crying!", Ino explains desperately with handkerchiefs in her hand.
A door closes behind him, indicating Sakura’s stylist leaving the room to give
them some privacy. Surprised, he looks around at the pinkette. Hinata and Ino
stand next to her and try to comfort her. Slowly he approaches his sister and
puts a hand on her shoulder before crouching in front of her and looking up at
her pretty face. Wet lines testify to the tears streaming down her cheeks. With
one hand she tries to cover her eyes. "It’s alright. Thank you girls.“, he
assures the two bridesmaids with a smile, who look at their friend with concern.
He gently wipes the tears from his sisters cheeks. "Hey. What's happening? Why
are you crying?“ He looks her over lovingly and carefully, takes her hand in
his. Her green eyes look at him. Another sob breaks out of her and she
immediately covers her mouth with her hand. "Is it because of the wedding?", He
carefully explores and gently strokes a strand of her pink hair behind her ear.
Sakura can't do more than nod under all her tears.
 
He sighs softly and sinks to his knees, eyeing her in her thin bathrobe. "It's
okay. If you don't want to marry Sasuke. I thought ... I'm doing the right thing
with this engagement. But I can't forc-“, Ryosuke looks down at his sister who
has thrown herself forward on his chest. He gently beds his cheek against her
forehead and caresses her back comfortingly. "They're not here!" It comes
muffled over her lips as she presses herself against his chest. Perplexed, the
brown haired man stares at the empty armchair in front of him. "They are not
here. Mum and Dad are not here. They will never come back.” The pink haired
sobs into his shirt while he keeps caressing her back in silence. "They are not
here on the most important day in my life. Won’t see me in my dress. They will
never see their grandchildren. We can never see them again! They're gone. Just
not there anymore. I'm afraid to just forget them.” Sakura continues crying,
clutching the fabric of his shirt. A gentle smile lays on his lips. "You look
like mom," suddenly, it comes over his lips. His sister sits up quickly and
stares at him with surprise, showing him her tears stained face. "You are like a
copy of her, only the eyes are like those of Dad's. You will definitely not
forget them. From day to day you become prettier and more like her. Every time
you look in the mirror you will remember her and every time you look at your
eyes you will see Dad in front of you. Just like in the past few years. That
won't change Sakura. We also have so many photos and videos with them. We will
not forget them.“ He speaks with a gentle and calm voice and wipes away the
tear stains from her cheeks. 

"Even if we don't see them anymore, they will always be there. They are always
with us, because we keep them in our hearts. They will know how you step up to
the altar, if you’re happy, or crying. They will also see your children.“,
he continues and smiles encouragingly at her, „You just have to believe it.“
A smile lies on the lips of the pink haired woman. Gently she wipes her tears
with the sleeve of the bathrobe, out of her face. "I will believe in it." It
comes over her lips in a still brittle voice, "I'm sorry that I cried myself out
on you like that." Amused, she looks at his shirt as she apologizes to him,
where a large dark spot is emblazoned. "That's what brothers are for." he tells
her with a grin and she laughs softly. "You should slowly get ready as well.",
she says and sits back down on her armchair again. Ryosuke nods and then leaves
the room. "Everything okay?" Ino asks a little worried. "Yes, everything is
fine. Thank you both.” Sakura smiles towards her friends and makes a waving
movement. "Then let's get ready for the wedding," it comes cheerfully from the
blonde and smiles encouragingly at her two friends. Finally, Sakura too smiles
and nods.
 
As if on cue, the stylist enters the room again and approaches the bride to
examine her face and then reaches for her beauty products. Hinata and Ino smile
and prepare everything for the Haruno, since they are both finished and only
need to put on their dresses. A few minutes pass as the green eyed woman is
already finished as well and turns to her two friends with a smile, which look
completely overwhelmed towards her. She walks up to the two and lets the
bathrobe slip off her shoulders. In white lace underwear she stands in front of
her friends, who each take one of her hands and hold them tightly. "And this
time without stumbling and falling, because this time there is no handsome man
around who could catch you.“, the Yamanaka girl comments with a cheeky grin.
In response, Sakura just sticks her tongue out and then climbs into the dress
which has already been spread out on the floor for her. The two friends let go
of her hands and the blonde immediately lifts the chest area of the dress up.
Sakura carefully holds it in place while Ino laces up the dress. The pinkette
smiles into the mirror when she sees her best friend with the bridal veil in her
hands. She turns to her and goes slightly to her knees so that the fine silk
fabric can be stuck into her hair. When she straightens up, Hinata stands in
front of her with the shoes. So the young Haruno carefully raises the dress so
she can get into her shoes.
 
"Done." Ino smiles and the three of them look together into the mirror. "Not
quite yet," a voice sounds from behind of them and they look around at the
newcomer. Ryosuke is standing in the door in a tuxedo, holding the bridal
bouquet in his hand. Hiding his other arm behind his back, he approaches her.
Slowly, the pink haired woman, who is still standing with her side to her
brother, turns completely towards him. A smile steals on his lips, as he stops
in front of her and hands her the bouquet with the red and white roses, lilies
and calla. "For the most beautiful woman today," he says. A light shimmer of red
lies on the cheeks of the younger Haruno and hesitantly accepts the bouquet.
"Also, I found something else. These here. Well, at least I think that they
belong to us ... otherwise I probably stole them from someone else." The brown
haired man explains and pulls out his hand behind his back, in which he holds
two more bouquets. The three women laugh. "Thank you Ryosuke.", Sakura gently
presses herself against her brother into a strong hug, after he gave Ino and
Hinata each one of the bouquets.
 
"Then we don't want to keep the wedding guests waiting any longer," the older
Haruno smiles proudly and caresses his sister's bangs aside. Briefly she takes a
look at the mirror to examine herself again. "Yes," she then says, looking at
her bouquet, which she also gives a brief smell. "Then come with me, pretty
ladies!", the only man in the room says as he walks up to the door and holds the
door open for the three giggling ladies, who walk through the door one after the
other. "Ah, a little rehearsal?" Ryosuke inquires and walks alongside his
sister. Confused, she looks at him and then back to the front, where Hinata and
then Ino walk in front of her. Understanding Sakura smiles slightly. This is how
they will go to the wine cellar too. The four leave the hotel and get into the
white limousine which is waiting for them in front of the building. A few of the
journalists have found their ways to the hotel as well and are already eagerly
taking pictures of the bride on her way to the wedding location. The pinkette
carefully sits in the limousine, after all, she doesn't want any wrinkles in her
wedding dress.


Smiling, Ino and Hinata talk to Ryosuke while she is thinking about the bouquet
in her hand. Laying there like a baby. The Haruno feels so stupid. She is
sitting here in a wedding dress, in a limousine, driving towards an old farm
estate, to an old wine cellar in which she is supposed to marry a man who is a
stranger to her, and yet somehow she is looking forward to the wedding. Little
feelings of happiness spread in her and she just doesn't understand why. She
shouldn't feel that way when she marries a stranger after all.
 
The trip to the old farm estate just takes under ten minutes. The braking of the
car makes the pink hair startle from her thoughts and look around. Ino and
Hinata smile at her. "Ready?" The blonde explores. Sakura nods slowly to them.
"Let me straighten your veil first!" It sounds from her left where Ryosuke is
sitting and puts the thin silk fabric over her face. "You look beautiful," he
smiles at her. The bride smiles a little moved and breathes a silent, "Thank
you."
 
"Okay. It starts! “, The voice of the Yamanaka sounds before the car door
opens. First the Hyuga gets out, in a short distance Ino, followed by Ryosuke,
who helps his sister out of the car and then offers her his arm. Smiling, the
pink haired girl holds onto his arm and lets him lead her over the white carpet.
Red petals are scattered over it. Along the way to the altar there are
arrangements with the wedding flowers, red and white roses, lilies and calla.
Sakura can hear the flash of lights behind her, hesitantly turns and finally
smiles, one of the happiest smiles that she could bring about. A queasy feeling
spreads in her stomach, soon she will see her husband, marry and kiss him for
the first time. The path turns just around the corner and leads directly from
there to the altar. They are only a few meters away from it. Hinata is just
entering the wine cellar, where it will certainly be pleasantly cool, compared
to this hot summer day. After Ino also disappeared into the wine cellar, the
young Haruno takes a deep breath, before finally entering the wine cellar
together with her brother as well.
 
Music begins to play and draws everyone's attention to the entrance, through
which everyone has previously entered the wine cellar. Just by looking at the
size of the wine cellar it was clear, in the past, the farmer must also have had
a strong presence in the wine trade. Around 300 people would fit into this wine
cellar without any problems. But since most of the guests will only come to the
celebration, instead of the 400 invited guests, there are only around 150 people
who have come to this place. On this place there are flower arrangements on the
sides, on the places at where the bottles used to be in their brick holders.
String lights hanging there and provide additional light, although the
chandelier on the ceiling would have been completely enough. With great effort,
5 broad white cloths were attached to the lamp. One of them goes to the altar,
one to the left, one to the right and two lead over the ceiling to the entrance,
where they hang from the sides of the door, down to the floor. A gold cloth that
was half as thick and a red cloth that was thinner by half was placed over these
cloths. The wedding flowers are hanging at head height in the middle of all 5
clothes, tied into small bouquets as an ornament.
 
When the music sounds, the conversations fall silent. Naruto, who is standing on
Sasuke’s left also stops talking and turns his attention to the entrance. The
black haired man raises his head and his gaze in silence to also direct it
towards the entrance. A woman with blue hair enters the room, followed by a
blonde, heading for him and the altar with a smile on their faces and a bouquet
of flowers in their hands. Behind the two, two people come out of the blazing
sunlight. The Uchiha's attention is focused on them. He looks her in carefully,
in the dress she truly looks like a princess. A slight smile lies on his lips.
He is truly surprised to see that she looks like the prettiest woman in the
world. But she’s even more surprised than he is, which he can tell from the
look on her face. Sasuke briefly glances at his best friend, who smiles joyfully
and a little happily and does not take his eyes off Sakura.

The dark eyed man turns his gaze back to his future wife and now looks at the
bride-handover. When he recognizes his old friend there, he is somewhat
surprised, after all, the brides handover normally is the job of the brides
father. His gaze wanders briefly to the guest side of the Harunos. Sasuke clears
his throat silently and concentrates again on what is happening in the aisle
between the chairs, which were also decorated with the flowers. A small smile
tugs at the corners of his mouth as he remembers the clash during the fitting
one month ago.
 
Slowly they approach the altar, which is actually not an altar, but simply a
narrow table with a white cloth laying on it, flowers were draped on it and the
registrar is standing behind this small table. When the bride and her brother
are only a few steps away, Sasuke goes down the small platform made of bricks,
overcoming the two steps to receive the pink haired woman. He turns his
attention to Ryosuke, with whom he shakes hands to symbolically take over the
bride. "Take good care of her," the brunette man says and pats him on the left
upper arm. Sasuke nods with a smile and then looks at the younger Haruno, which
is only a few centimeters smaller than he is. When Ryosuke turns to his sister,
he hugs her briefly and leaves the two alone. "Hey," he says softly. "Hi.", Her
voice sounds shy, as she looks up at him uncertainly. He gently places his left
hand on her back and lets his thumb move over it. He briefly examines her face
before they approach the registrar together. The music fades away and smiling,
Sakura hands the bouquet to her first bridesmaid, who will hold it for her
during the ceremony.
 
Sasuke silently turns his attention to the registrar, who starts talking after a
moment of silence and begins the wedding ceremony. “We all gathered here today
to lead Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke into the marriage covenant. A marriage
is... “, the man begins his typical speech. The eyes of the Uchiha rest on the
speaking man, as he keeps letting them wander to his future wife. Actually it is
only a matter of minutes, then they will be spouses. Spouses who don't know each
other. Who don't love each other. Actually, the black haired man had never
really expected that he would get married, this topic has not yet been discussed
for him and has not interested him and now he is here to fulfill his mother's
wish.
He glances briefly at Sakura, who is standing quietly next to him. Her hands
hanging loosely in front of her pelvis, as if she was holding a handbag. They
will share a house, drive to celebrations and family dinners together. They will
live a life of a real couple, without being a real couple.
 
The registrar's voice makes him look up. “Do you, Sasuke Uchiha, want to take
the here present Sakura Haruno, to your lawfully married wife, to love and honor
her, be with her in good and bad times until death separates you? So answer
with, yes, I do.“, The man turns his attention to the raven man. Sasuke
glances briefly at the Haruno, who looks at him with her green eyes, a hint of
uncertainty still lingering in them. A smile settles on the Uchiha's lips and he
turns back to the front. "Yes, I do." the dark eyed man follows the registrar's
request. His voice sounds serious but also friendly, while the tone of his voice
shows that he is determined.
 
"And do you, Sakura Haruno, want to take the here present Sasuke Uchiha, to your
lawfully married husband, to love and honor him, to be by his side in good and
bad times until death separates you? So answer with, yes, I do.”, The
registrar's attention, with already gray hair and a friendly smile, now lies on
the Haruno. She looks shyly to the right, to him, a smile on her lips,
tentatively with a hint of shyness. "Yes, I do." Her voice sounds in the wine
cellar. The old man nods and smiles with satisfaction. "Now that you have made
the wedding vow, I ask you to exchange the rings as a sign of your love and
loyalty.", the registrar continues. Sasuke looks at his bride briefly before
turning backwards at the same time. His mother and her brother rise to their
feet and come up to them. They smile and hand over the small boxes in which the
rings are embedded. With the little boxes in hand, they turn towards each other.
The Uchiha briefly examines the ring which he is to put on his soon-to-be wife.
He carefully takes it out of the box and places the empty box on the table
before gently taking her left hand. He hesitantly caresses the back of her hand
with his thumb while he puts the ring on her finger. He smiles slightly when he
sees it shining on her finger. So this is what his mother wishes for.


Sakura's hand cautiously wraps around his. In contrast to his, her fingers seem
somewhat small and delicate. When Sasuke has the ring on his finger, the pink
haired girl looks up shyly again. Still holding her hand, both of them turn
their heads to the man behind the table. "Now that you have made your wedding
vows and exchanged the rings, I declare you, by virtue of the office which has
been given to me, to husband and wife. Now you can kiss the bride.”, Smiling,
the registrar closes his booklet. His work is done.
 
The raven man turns his head back to his bride, lets go of her hand and takes
the veil to put it back over her head. When he sees her face without the silk
curtain in front of it, he looks at her for a moment. Another smile lies on his
lips, as he raises his hand and carefully beds it on her cheek as if the
pinkette was made of porcelain. Slowly he leans over to steal her kiss, which
everyone is almost longingly waiting for. He feels her warm, soft lips under
his. Gently they nestle against his and the clapping sounds loudly in the wine
cellar. The Uchiha slowly moves away from her lips and smiles at her, his hand
wrapping around hers. Together they turn towards their guests, some of them have
risen to their feet. With a relieved smile, the pinkette takes her bouquet back
from her best friend and walks over the white carpet past the clapping crowd, by
the hand of her newly wed husband. 
 
Sasuke breathes out briefly as they step out into the blazing sunlight. With
this, he has already mastered the first part of the show. Now a few wedding
photos will be taken before they will drive to the restaurant, where the
celebration is going to take place. They step onto the beautiful green grass in
front of the entrance to the wine cellar. The Uchiha looks around and the ruin
in the background gives a very nice panorama as he finds. The old, already
crumbling walls, over which moss and other climbing plants grow, give such a
picturesque look. The whole location has style in his eyes and he has to admit
that his bride has proved her having good taste in these things. In general, he
thinks that there is far too much effort involved in this ceremony, but he has
not yet complained.
 
The wedding guests pour out in masses from the wine cellar and towards the
newlyweds to express their congratulations. It seems to the raven haired as if
he has shaken a thousand hands, when the guests finally let go and the
photographer comes up to them to take some wedding photos. Some pics are made
with all the bridesmaids, groomsmen and the families. They also do some only in
pairs, whereby Sakura has a bright smile on the top of every photo, but mostly
only because the photographer or Naruto said something funny. The black haired
man went out of his way to look just as happy, but Sakura definitely beat him in
it. Nevertheless, he always has a smile on his face.
 
A wide variety of photos are taken by both of them as a couple. In which he
holds her, she leans onto him, he has her in his arms, even pictures of them
kissing were made. The Uchiha does not miss one thing which makes him smile
slightly. With gentle force, he pulls the hand of his now wife, to approach the
limousine with her. When the flash of lights break loose, he automatically pulls
his pink haired wife towards himself and puts a protective arm around her before
realizing that the reporters of any business magazines are standing in front of
him. The hired security officers watch with eagle eyes over the barriers, behind
which the journalists are standing, ready to rig a possibly crossing journalist
and throw them to the ground, just like in football. An amused smile lies on the
lips of the Uchiha as he imagines it, before he shakes his head unnoticeably to
return back to reality. The newlyweds also pose for the reporters and smile
happy and contently into the cameras.
 
A sigh escapes the Uchiha’s lips as he sits in the limousine with Sakura and
the door gets closed. "The nerves." He moans softly and annoyed to himself,
almost wiping his hair stressed. The chauffeur gets into the limousine and
starts the engine a moment later. As the long white car starts to move, the
solemn wedding horn sounds immediately behind them. "You are doing it for your
mother." he whispers to himself, rolling his eyes.
His gaze lies on his now wife, who examines her bouquet in detail and deals with
a petal of a red rose. "Just as innocent as the first time." he says with a
grin, turning his attention completely to her. Surprised, she looks up at him
with her green eyes and then smiles amused. "You haven’t changed much either."
she says and already looks out of the window again. In silence he looks at her
as her eyes are directed outside and get reflected in the glass. With a sigh, he
also looks out at the houses that fly past and are then replaced by trees. As
they drive over a bridge, the young man looks around. The area seems familiar to
him.
 
After a while the car slowly stops and as it comes to a halt, the chauffeur gets
out of the car, to encircle it and opens the door for the couple. "And the show
goes on." The raven sighs out silently. Immediately, Sakura puts her happy smile
back on when the door opens. The Uchiha gets out first, then helps his wife out
of the car. Smiling and with the bridal bouquet in her left hand, she takes his
offered arm to enter the restaurant with him. Of course, Sasuke recognizes the
place immediately and smiles slightly melancholic. Even as a little boy he had
loved it here. The pinkette looks up at the man next to her, a small, gentle
smile lies on her lips. A little childlike glow has settled in her husband's
eyes, that's exactly what Mikoto had spoken of when they were looking for a
place to eat here. She directs her attention to the receptionist in front of
them, smiling, as said person leads them down a long corridor through a door to
the left.
 
A large hall extends before them. Decorated with the colors of the wedding, the
flowers are tied to small and large arrangements. The tables are set up and
covered, but there is still enough space for a dance floor and a stage on which
a DJ already provides suitable music. The doors of the patio are also open and
the terrace and courtyard are accessible. The black haired man looks around with
pleasant surprise, while the guests already present, greeting them with
clapping. The guests who attended the ceremony mingle with them and groups
slowly form. Again, the newlyweds receive some congratulations.


With a sigh, the Uchiha turns away from the crowd and heads for the bridal
table. A long table extends across the width to which he is heading. As he
thought, the middle two place settings, the total of six, are intended for him
and his wife. When the Uchiha releases her hand, the pinkette smiles slightly
and immediately uses the chance to put her bridal bouquet aside. She briefly
looks around for a suitable spot before placing it on the front edge of the
table, between Sasuke and her seat, and letting it hang down from there. She is
smiling at her seat and looks at the crowd in front of her. All guests were
assembled on round tables. The groomsmen and their companions to one and then
always other guests. When blonde hair appears in the crowd, she smiles and walks
around the table. The blond young man approaches her with a grin and finally
takes her in his arms for a hug. "You really look like a princess, Sakura." It
comes over the lips of the Uzumaki as he breaks the hug again and only holds her
hand which he lifts up to let her make a short pirouette. "The dress looks
really good on you!", It sounds from the side and a man, Naruto's age, with
brown hair appears in front of her. "Thank you, Kiba!", Smiling, she hugs him
too. 
 
Bored, the Uchiha watches his newlywed wife head towards a man in the crowd and
getting hugged by him as Sasuke realizes that he is his best friend. He looks a
bit astonished at what is happening and examines her dress in detail, which
really looks very royal. The strapless white floor length dress is decorated
with red pearls and embroidery on her chest. Under the chest the dressing
material is kept in gold for a slightly wider stripe before it is white again
underneath. Exactly this area looks like it is sewn because it also shows a
triangle towards the bottom of the lower dress and the embroidery. The dress
ends in a long tail, on which a few embellishments are embroidered again.
 
When a second man, at the age of the raven shows up and hugs and illuminates the
pinkette, Sasuke raises his eyebrows in surprise. He should probably get up and
join them, because it seems somehow strange when he lets his wife talk to two
men, alone and they understand each other so well. A bit annoyed, he looks to
his left, where a few of the invited business people are talking and apparently
planning to involve him in their conversations. With a sigh he rises and almost
flees to his wife, putting his hand on her back when he arrives at the three of
them. "Ah there he is, the man who is lucky to have married the queen of women."
The brown haired man exclaims wit a cheeky grin, reminding him of Naruto. "He
was rather lucky that she said yes." A woman's voice sounds and the Haruno's
first bridesmaid approaches the group. "Psst. Ino, no one needs to know!”, the
pinkette says and smiles in amusement. "And there we have the second and third
most beautiful woman.", Grins Kiba and puts an arm around the Yamanaka. "Yes, I
ceded my throne as the most beautiful woman to Sakura exceptionally for today."
The blonde girl says with a smile while hugging the bride.
 
"Hinata, the wedding has been really great so far," the Uzumaki intervenes again
in the conversation. "Thank you, Naruto." the Hyuuga girl says shyly. Sakura
smiles at her friend. Her hair was simply topped on the back of the head, the
front strands put together at the back of her head and the beautiful curls fall
loosely over her shoulders. White artificial flowers are in the clip that holds
the hair together and with the soft gold tone of the dress, the young woman just
looks noble. "Is there a party here?" There sounds another woman's voice. Sakura
turns to the left in surprise. A couple has appeared next to Sasuke and Naruto,
whereby she can identify the young man as Sasuke’s second best man. "Hey
Tenten.” The Uchiha greets the young woman who smiles. "Sakura the dress looks
incredibly beautiful!", the Ama exclaims as she approaches the bride and hugs
her briefly. "Thank you Tenten.” The bride says with a smile. "Hey,
cousin-chan.", A gentle smile lies on the lips of the long haired man of the
group. The young Hyuuga girl takes a step towards him and hugs him briefly. The
Uzumaki, however, stands next to them with his mouth wide open. "You can't be
related to her!" It comes from the blonde's lips. Everyone turns to him in
surprise. "Why not?" Neji asks confused. "She is so nice and you are so...
so..." it comes over the blondes lips, but when the Hyuuga gives his friend a
threatening look, the boy falls silent. The small group bursts into laughter,
except for the Hyuga and Sasuke, who are content with an amused grin. 
 
"Okay. Since we all get along so well, i'll introduce everyone quickly before
the fun continues. So these are my best friend and first bridesmaid Yamanaka
Ino, heir to Yamanaka Flowers & More. Hyuga Hinata, our wedding planner and my
second bridesmaid and our friend Inuzuka Kiba.“, The Haruno smiles with
delight. An unnoticed sigh comes over the lips of the only raven in the round.
"These are my best friend Uzumaki Naruto, my friend Hyuga Neji, heir to Hyuga
Industries, and Ama Tenten," the Uchiha introduced his own friends as well.
 
"Come here, Sakura, I'll take your veil off!” Mikoto’s voice sounds before
she appears in the crowd. "Thank you Mikoto." With a smile on her face, the
pinkette kneels slightly and leans over to her now mother-in-law. "You are so
beautiful, my pretty girl." The black haired woman smiles happily and looks back
and forth between her son and his wife. She gently strokes the veil and goes
back so as not to disturb the young group. "Mum." Her son's voice makes her look
up as he already walk up to her. She smiles towards her son. "What is it?" She
explores joyfully. They both stand at their table, where Mikoto has stowed the
veil in her pocket.
 
"Why was Sakura led to the church by Ryosuke? Why aren't her parents at her
wedding? ”He asks the question that has bothered him since the pink haired
woman had entered the wine cellar. He briefly looks at his wife before his
mother's sigh makes him turn back. "Sasuke. Do you remember the armateur golf
tournament?” The black haired woman begins to ask in a sad, low voice. He
looks at her in confusion, "Of course. That's where I met her for the first
time.” His mother nods slowly at his answer and then looks up hesitantly. "Two
weeks later, Sakura's parents died in an accident." she explains to him.
The groom's eyes widen in shock and he looks around at his wife, who is laughing
among her friends. He can't help but look at her with a sad look. Smiling
slightly, his mother pats his upper arm and then goes to her husband. Sighing,
the dark eyed man lets his fingers wander through his hair and goes back to the
group. His gaze falls on his wife's artistically pinned hair. The pink hair in
magnificent and noble curls laid out and pinned. All her hair is processed in
the hairstyle and decorated with red flowers that have rhinestones instead of
stamens in the middle.
 
"So Sakura. What about the last name? Do you take his last name, or how do you
do that? ”Tenten is asking the question when he stops at the group. He looks
attentively at and to his wife. "I may accept it later, but not yet. Now that I
will start working I don't want to be connected to Uchiha Corporation because of
my last name. But on official occasions I will of course appear as a happy
Uchiha wife.” The Haruno explains with a smile. Her gaze falls on Ino, who
wears her hair like Hinata. Grinning, she leans against Kiba, again the pinkette
has to find that the two just look cute together. Sasuke silently looks at the
blonde woman and the brunette man, who look like a couple.

"Dear guests, please go to your seats. The food will be served shortly after."
His mother's voice sounds from the loudspeakers and he looks around to the
stage, where she is standing with a smile. He gently puts his hand around the
one of his wife and pulls her with him to the bridal couple's table. He politely
helps her with the armchair and then sinks into his seat next to her as well.
Fugaku seats himself next to his youngest son, while Itachi sits with his wife
at a business partner's table. Ryosuke settles next to his sister and his
girlfriend next to him. Sighing, Sasuke turns to his wife and gently caresses a
strand of her pink hair behind her ear. Embarrassed, the Pinkette follows the
streak and looks into the dark eyes of the man to her right. "What are you
doing?" She asks, looking at him in surprise. "Playing a little bit of wedding
happiness," he explains, smiling at her as gently as he can. The pink haired
woman nods understandingly. "Then you should do it with more enthusiasm.", a
small grin decorating her lips before she leans over to him and puts her lips on
his.
 
There is a clearing of the throat sounding over the boxes. Taken aback, Sasuke
breaks away from the soft lips of the green eyed woman and looks around to the
stage. His mother stands there and holds the microphone in her hand. She smiles
through the hall. All guests sit at their seats and devote their attention to
her. "I would like to use a few minutes of time to let the first groomsman and
the first bridesmaid to say a few words," explains Mikoto, while Naruto gets up
on cue and walks towards the stage.
 
When he arrives to the stage, he picks up the microphone and looks at the
audience for a moment. Then he lets his eyes roam through the place, over the
decoration and over the tables. "I think that by me taking part in the
preparations instead of Sasuke, we really did amazing with this super great
wedding. I don't even want to know what it would be like if he had taken part in
it.“, The blonde begins and then looks at Sasuke and the latter immediately
looks at him with a scowl. "Ah, there your evil look finally is! I was already
wondering where you hid it today.“, Naruto grins and the guests start laughing
amused.

"Well, but as everyone knows; things shouldn’t be taken too long, so I'll keep
it short. Because I was there during the preparations, I was able to get to know
the charming bride and I have to say,“ the blonde turns towards the bride and
groom as he continues his speach. "Sasuke, Sakura is a real strike of luck, I
understand why you chose her and unfortunately I have to tell you, even if you
are my best friend, as soon as you hurt Sakura I will have to hurt you. But as
far as I know, you have already had experience with her hitting power.“, the
blue eyed man grins and then looks at the pink haired woman, who too smiles
amused. When the crowd's laughter has ceased, he continues. “She is a very
special young woman and deserves only the best. I hope you both will be
happy!“, he finishes and holds his glass in his hands in the direction of the
newlyweds. The guests clap enthusiastically.
 
"Now Ino would like to say a few words to you too," Naruto smiles and then
leaves the stage, which the other blonde immediately enters and uses the
microphone. "Thanks Naruto. I thought you would never stop talking!“, She
sighs in relief into the microphone and makes the wedding party laugh. "Compared
to Naruto, unfortunately I haven't had the chance to get to know Sasuke better,
except in the 5 minutes earlier." She glances sideways at the Uzumaki, who is
grinning. “Anyway, I can say one thing with certainty; Sakura, if you ever
fall and we both know that will happen often enough,” the blonde winks with a
grin at her best friend, “Sasuke will definitely catch you.” Murmuring is
sounding through the hall at her words, which shows how sweet the guests find
this statement.
"Sakura what I want to tell you is that you are my best friend and really look
like a beautiful princess in the dress.", through the voice of the Yamanaka
everyone can hear that she is fighting with tears, one already rolling over her
cheek. She pauses, presses her hand on her mouth, and fans herself with her
hand. "Anyway, you two just look really charming and incredibly cute together,"
smiles the blue eyed woman when she found her voice again. She clears her throat
for a moment and then looks at the Uchiha. "I assume that you will make her
happy, Sasuke, otherwise I have to hurt you and I think I have already found a
follower in Naruto.", Ino takes another look at the Uzumaki, who nods toward her
with a smirk, but still with a serious look on his face.
 
"I hope that you will be happy, Sakura, and that you will live the life you
deserve." The Yamanaka, like Naruto before, raises her glass in the direction of
the two to indicate a toast. The crowd claps again enthusiastically. The blonde
looks at the crowd with a smile and sees her friend coming towards her. "And now
the wedding planner and second bridesmaid would like to say something else," she
speaks into the microphone and then hands it over to the Hyuuga girl, who looks
shyly into the crowd and then turns towards Sakura and Sasuke. The bride looks a
little surprised at her, but then smiles encouragingly. "I wanted to thank you
Sakura, for allowing me to do your wedding as my graduation project. But after
all I am not alone responsible for this dreamlike wedding.“, Hinata takes a
short break. "Thank you Sakura, as the bride, for making it so easy for me.
Thanks to Naruto for representing Sasuke's point of view and thank you Mikoto
for your support, it is always good to have a mother with you when planning your
wedding.” The Hyuuga looks at the Haruno, which is smiling but can be seen
that she would rather look differently. "Sakura, I know that you miss your
parents very much and wish that they were here today, but when I see this
wedding and you in your dreamlike dress, I know that they are proud of you and
also of Ryosuke.", fighting with tears, the pink haired woman rises and circles
around the table to go to the stage. Once she gets there, she enters the stage
and takes the Hyuuga in her arms to hug her.
 
Everyone is touched by what is happening on the stage. Smiling, the Haruno wipes
away the tears and then returns to her husband, who immediately caresses her
cheek gently. A lovely smile laying on the lips of the green eyed woman as she
settles down and devotes her attention back to the Hyuga again. "I hope that you
got a lucky hit with Sasuke as he did with you. But Ino is right, you two are a
dream couple. I hope that both of you will be happy, just like your parents
were.“, Hinata also smiles and does the same with her glass as the two before
her. When the blue haired woman leaves the stage, Mrs. Uchiha enters the stage.
The black haired woman has picked up the microphone again and smiles happily in
the direction of her son and daughter-in-law;
“From many nice little things
That give you joy every day
Happiness arises in your marriage
Not that I see it too rosy
There is certainly also stress and anger
But you are looking for a compromise
And don't let the fronts harden
Then love will not endanger anything
That you always succeed
I really wish for you that,”
Mikoto raises her glass in the direction of the bride and groom, “A toast.”
The guests, now raise their glasses with their drinks as well. "That both of you
will be happy. Withstand good and bad times and experience a lot together. To
the bride and groom!” smiles the black haired woman. The guests repeat the
last sentence and toast in the direction of the newlyweds before they take a sip
of their drink.
 
In a good mood, the guests talk about the speeches and the menus, while the
waiters come through the doors and note down the meal requests. Smiling, the
Haruno watches as her husband looks at the menu specially designed for the
wedding. 5 menus are available, vegetarian, fish, pork, beef and chicken. The
side dishes are freely selectable. As the wedding couple, the waiters will of
course serve them first and ask them what they want. When compiling the menus
and the rehearsal meal, she already decided on one of the menus, which she
imparts to the waiter. Sasuke also decides on one of the menus after a short
time. The hall is filled with voices. Conversations are held at every table,
laughter sounds in the confusion of sounds and tones.
 
Sasuke looks to his left where his wife is sitting. Turning her head to the
left, she looks outside at the winter garden, onto the lush green grass, the sun
is warm, shining down from the sky and a gentle breeze is blowing. "Nice weather
today, isn't it?" She hears his voice. The pinkette turns to him before she
starts laughing. "We are complete strangers who just married and you can think
of nothing better than the weather?", She chuckles quietly, he also smiles
slightly amused. "Do you have a better suggestion? After all, we should give the
appearance that we love each other. We shouldn't be staring in the opposite
direction of each other all the time.” he whispers. Thinking, she supports her
elbow on the table and leans over to him. "You knew who I was when I fell into
your arms a month ago.” she giggles softly, somehow the statement sounds
funny. He looks at her in surprise, actually he thought he had hidden it well.
"You said it yourself. The groom shouldn't see the bride in her wedding dress
before the wedding. You just said that you’re lucky.”, She smiles knowingly.
He looks at her in silence.
 
"Didn't you know it all the time? You were pretty surprised in the wine cellar
when you came in,” he explores, rubbing his hair. "Ryosuke told me that I was
out with you once, I knew the name from your mother and I couldn't really
remember without a picture, just the things I counted. Well, from the warm
hearted nature of your mother and the good humored Naruto, as well as my caring
brother, I actually thought that you would also be such a kind person, and not
the type who tries to shock freeze everyone with his eyes.” Arms in front of
her chest she looks at the place setting in front of her. "I don't try to freeze
everyone with my eyes." he snorts. "But you’re not really the warm hearted guy
either, you're not easy to make friends with. ”, she says and only gives him a
sideways glance. "So if you find a nice and lovable young man with charm and
compassion in you, you can gladly contact me." she smiles cheekily. The next
moment, he presses his lips against hers for a quick kiss. "You look beautiful
in the dress, by the way." Sasuke whispers against her lips as he separates from
her. She turns slightly red and smiles. Sakura quietly breathes out a thank you
and then turns her attention to the waiter. They pour in in masses and serve the
first course. The restaurant tries very hard to serve all guests as quickly as
possible. 
 
Even during the wedding dinner there is a high spirited mood in the hall, so it
seems as if time is just flying, nonstop. After the 4-course menu, the DJ, who
was also invited to dinner, goes back to his desk and ensures atmospheric music.
Smiling, the pinkette rises to her feet, takes the Uchiha's hand and pulls him
outside into the warm sun. Many of the guests follow this example and also join
the outside world. The young Haruno closes her eyes smiling and holds her face
out to the sun. From inside you can hear the music playing softly while out
here, the wind gently rustles the leaves and the birds sing their songs. "I'll
take care of a few business partners, i'll see you later," explains Sasuke on
her right, presses a kiss on her cheek and finally walks away. The pinkette
looks after him, from a distance she can see that the men are happy that her
husband is honoring them.
 
"For the fact that you do not know each other, you’re quite lovey-dowey with
each other," sounds the conspiratorial voice of the Yamanaka to her left. The
young Haruno looks around at her best friend, who has crossed her hands behind
her back and looks at the green grass underneath them with total interest. "This
is just a show, you know. After all, we can not remain silent in front of all
the business partners of him and Ryosuke. Or they will realize that this is an
arranged marriage," she whispers to her best friend and looks at the little
cotton clouds in the sky. Hinata joins them with a smile and something to drink.
"Here Sakura. It must be incredibly warm in that dress!“, it comes from the
Hyuuga. "Oh. Thanks Hinata. Yes, it's quite warm, but I just love to feel the
sun rays on my skin.“ Sakura smiles and takes the glass from which she takes a
few sips. "How come you don't remember someone like Sasuke? I mean, he is really
handsome. That’s a fact.” Ino asks and faces her best friend, together with
Hinata they form a triangle, which should prevent others from listening. She
glances at her husband to look at him and then back at her best friend again.
 
"That may be so, but did you notice what kind of look he partially looks around
with, as if he wants to shock freeze all people. And his style is just as cold,
unapproachable and distant. We were shopping on a hot day and he made me feel so
cold with his manner and his look. He is one of those people you would like to
have quickly removed from your memories. If he has a warm, good hearted side, he
is burrying it deep within himself and shows it to no one.” Sakura explains
and looks at the forest, behind the river, which lies behind the fence of the
restaurant. "Aren't you maybe exaggerating a bit?" Hinata asks. "No, actually
she described him quite well.", A voice sounds next to the three, who look up in
shock and look at Tenten, which is standing behind them. Sakura looks a little
pale at her husband’s friend. She laughs quietly. "No panic. It is true.
Sasuke aims to be like that. He wants to keep everyone at a distance.”, the
brunette woman explains in a good mood. The pinkette breathes with relief.
 
"Are you and Neji a couple?" the Yamanaka explores after a while with interest.
"No, we're not a couple like you and Kiba." the Ama shakes her head. The facial
features of the blonde derail. "Kiba and I aren’t a couple. He is my best
friend, but we are not a couple.“ she says outraged. "Anyway, I'm happy that
we are now friends, Tenten.", Sakura grins in between, before she moves away
from the three, since Ino and Tenten are just starting to talk about why they
think the other is a couple, with Hinata in between. The pink haired woman
giggles and walks up to one of the tables in the garden and puts down her empty
glass.
 
"Sakura.", The bride looks around in surprise and at her father-in-law, who
approaches her with a small smile. "Mr. Uchiha. What can I do for you?“ she
smiles and waits until he arrives in front of her. "First of all, Sakura. You
belong to the family now, so let's stop the formalities.” He puts his hand on
her shoulder in a friendly manner. "With pleasure. Do you need anything?” She
looks up at him as he is slightly bigger than her even with her heels on, just
like Sasuke is. "I just wanted to talk to you. After all, it has been almost a
year since we last had a conversation.” He explains to her, "So Sakura, what
is your age now?", He asks and looks kindly at her with his dark eyes. "I'm 23
years old now," she replies with a smile. Fugaku laughs briefly, “23 years is
not old, 53 years is old. You study, as far as I can remember?“, He continues.
His daughter-in-law nods, "I'm actually almost done. The final thesis is still
being evaluated, but I have already passed the exams and everything.“, she
explains with a proud smile. "Very good, very good, my dear. And what did you
study?“, He looks at her with interest. "I have completed the master's degree
in industrial design", it comes from the pink haired woman and the Uchiha looks
at her with amazement.
"Not only pretty, but also talented in drawing," he smiles, making her blush
with his statement. When he sees his eldest son, he waves him over to him.
 
“Itachi, what is the current situation in the design department? Are we
looking for someone there?”, He asks his son with a slight smile. That smile
makes the Haruno feel like he is brewing an idea together in his head. “You
should actually ask Sasuke. After all, that’s his area, but as far as I know
there isn’t. Why?” Itachi too is now interested in his father's idea. “For
Sasuke, it's supposed to be kind of a surprise. Your sister-in-law here is a
talented and pretty woman with a master's degree in industrial design.”,
Fugaku grins slightly, which also infects the other Uchiha. "No need. I’ll
find something!” the pinkette waves off immediately. But Fugaku just shakes
his head, "That’s no big deal at all. You belong to the family now, there is
no better place than in the family business. In addition, you can also take care
of Sasuke, he works far too much.” At the last sentence the oldest Uchiha
shakes his head with a sigh. "So Sakura, you just come to my office next week
with your application folder. Then we take care of it without Sasuke noticing
much of it.“ Fugaku says with a smile. A little happy that her father-in-law
seems to like her so much, she agrees with him.
 
The founder of the Uchiha corporation is happy to hear so and caresses her back
as the groom approaches her. "Are you trying to intimidate her, or why are you
both besieging her like that?" Sasuke asks slightly surprised. "No, no, we were
just talking," the Haruno waves and immediately feels the youngest Uchiha's hand
around hers. "Come on-", her husband begins but gets interrupted by the
loudspeakers. "Sasuke, Sakura!" Mrs. Uchiha shows up and smiles at the newly wed
couple. "I think it would be very nice to cut the cake out here and open the
cake buffet now," she suggests, pointing to the tables in the shade on the side
of the terrace that lead from the wall to the green grass.

"I think so too.", the pinkette says with a nod and Mikoto smiles happily before
walking away. Sakura looks after her mother-in-law when Sasuke pulls her away.
"Let's go, otherwise my father and Itachi will put some fuss in your head," says
the black haired man and leads his wife away from his family. "How about a few
pictures?" it comes from the photographer, who of course has been walking around
the whole celebration, taking countless of pictures. "I think we should do some
in front of the river and the forest," the raven man agrees with a nod. "It's a
beautiful panorama," the photographer nods and Sasuke pulls his wife along.
 
Through a garden gate in the wall, they leave the restaurant area and go to the
river, which is glistening in the sunlight. "It's really nice here," she says
with a smile and turns to the photographer. Sasuke briefly looks at his wife
before spontaneously lifting her in his arms, surprised she holds on to him and
looks up at him, he puts on a smile with which he looks at her. The flash light
shows him that the photographer immediately takes photos with enthusiasm. They
keep changing their poses and at least a dozen poses later they return to their
guests, which are looking forward to the cake buffet that is just being set up.
The wedding cake has just been placed and the photographer is almost running.
The Uchiha turns to the cake with interest, after all he wants to know what his
wife has conceived and imagined for the cake.
 
The pink haired woman looks around with a slight smile. Everyone is in a good
mood, everyone has a smile on their lips and talks cheerfully or look at the
cake. Her gaze falls on a toddler. With a happy smile on his lips, it runs
through the crowd. The bride looks around in surprise, the youngest guests are 5
to 6 years old. The little blond boy who runs up to her is at most 2 years old,
but probably younger. The toddler lets out a laugh before it falls silent and is
replaced by crying because the little one has ran against her dress and fell
down to the floor. Surprised by the crying, some of the guests look towards
them. Sakura, smiling gently, kneels down to the boy and lifts him up and sets
him down at her waist, where she gently rocks him back and forth, so that he
calms down. A happy laugh sounds after a few minutes with a radiance in the
clear blue eyes of the little one. "Well my little one. Where are you from?”
She asks him, knowing that he won't be able to answer her. "Kaito," a woman's
voice sounds from the side. The little boy looks around, so does Sakura at the
woman in front of her. "I'm sorry. He went missing on me so suddenly.”, The
woman smiles apologetically and lets the Haruno hand over her baby. "No problem.
Nothing happened,.” The young Haruno replies reassuringly and then looks after
the woman. When the toddler looks back at her, she waves at him with a smile. 
 
"By the way, I also want a few of them," it sounds next to the Uchiha and he
looks towards his mother. "But you should only have babies if you love each
other," she continues with a smile and then looks up at him. "Time to cut the
wedding cake. Come on, go get Sakura!" she then changes the subject, pushes him
in the direction and goes to the stage herself. Sasuke gently closes his hand
around the Haruno's, drawing her attention to him. With a small smile, he points
his head in one direction. "And now my dear guests, it's time to cut the cake,"
comes Mikoto's voice over the loudspeakers. Together, Sasuke and Sakura approach
the cake, which is in the middle of the other cakes. A 5-story masterpiece brags
them. The cake is alternately round and angular, starting with a big round
bottom. Each cake base is covered with a white layer of fondant and around the
round bases a golden and around the square a burgundy red fondant ribbon which
ends in a magnificent bow. Fine little almond paste flowers in red and gold make
their way from the bottom up, as if it were stairs, red roses, white lilies and
almond paste callas run along the flower track to the cake tip, where the
typical bride and groom figure is located.
 
Ino stands next to the cake, a knife with a bow in her hand, smiling at the
couple and finally hands them the knife. She looks at the little spectacle with
a smile, since it is traditional at a wedding to cut the cake together, but at
the same time it indicates who wants to have the upper hand in the relationship,
neither of the two wants to give in. After some back and forth, Sakura puts her
fingers around the handle and Sasuke his over hers, but the bride has her thumb
over that of the groom.
The photographer appears on her left side to eagerly take photos again. "First
just stab it with the knife and look at it!", he gives them brief instructions,
which they obey and look at him with a smile, with Sasuke's free hand around
Sakura’s. When the man has his pictures, they cut the first piece out of the
cake and put it on a plate. Of course, the photographer immediately takes dozens
of photos again, trying to capture every second.
 
Typical for the first piece of cake, each of them break off a piece to feed the
other one and then kiss. When they loosen up, Sakura smiles and then lets Sasuke
pull her along. Together they sit down again and watch the hustle and bustle
around the wedding cake and the other cakes. Sasuke smiles amused and then
divides a small piece of the cake to pick it up with a fork and eat, passing the
next bite on to his wife. Amused, she lets him feed her before she takes the
cake fork and turns the game over. Sasuke also smiles amused and when they have
eaten the large piece of cake and she puts the fork back onto the plate, he
takes her face in his hands and pulls her towards him for another kiss. He
slowly releases himself from her. Somewhat amazed she looks into his dark eyes,
she feels how he drops his hands. Only now, through the light that falls
directly on his eyes through the door behind her, does she realize that his iris
is not black but actually a darkish grey. Again this indefinable look lingering
in his eyes.
 
She smiles slightly. She couldn’t define his gaze at her. Sakura turns her
eyes. Everywhere the seats are occupied and all guests go about the wedding cake
and the smaller cakes, empty seats are taken by the people who have just taken
another piece of the food. Time is passing, all guests are in a good mood,
talking and enjoying the stories of others. "At least the others seem to be
enjoying our wedding.” Sasuke says quietly next to her ear and turns his gaze
to his mother, to his right. At least she now seems happy. A gentle smile lies
on his lips. He hopes that he will never regret fulfilling this wish. A pull on
his hand lets him look back at his wife who has gotten up onto her feet and is
looking down into his eyes. "Let's go out.” she says, pulling his hand lightly
again. He looks briefly into the room, everyone seems to be staying here. He
nods briefly and rises. Holding each other’s hand, they leave the hall and
enter the terrace, which is empty. The cake buffet has been looted.
 
They stand against the wall, which she does not dare to lean on in order not to
dirty her dress. The young Haruno doesn't want to know what the bottom of her
dresses tail looks like either. Sasuke's gaze lays down on the top floor of the
cake which, with the figures on top, is always frozen as a tradition and eaten
for the first wedding anniversary. He smiles slightly, a wedding is associated
with so many traditions and customs, but they do not fulfill the most important
one. The one that they have to love each other. He focuses his eyes back on
Sakura, who is standing next to him and is looking into the forest to his left.
Slowly the other guests come out of the hall and spread over the green grass. He
sighs softly, actually he had hoped to be able to let the show fall at least for
a few more minutes. In silence he takes his bride's wrist and gently pulls her
to his chest. She looks up at him in surprise and then looks at the guests
around him. She smiles lightly and then leans her head against hid shoulder.
Like this it will at least look like they had sought some alone time together.
 
For some time both of them are left alone. He can see his mother roaming the
area, while his father and Itachi are talking to some business partners. Ryosuke
and Honoka stand by and talk to them, with Honoka talking more to Misuki,
Itachi's wife. Amused he watches Neji, which is dragged through the garden by
the Ama, towards Ino and Kiba, who are also standing around again, actually he
has only seen the two of them together so far.
 
"The bride and groom please on the dance floor." His mother's voice sounds
through the loudspeakers again. Amused, Sasuke shakes his head. "Come on, off
with you. You have to open the dance floor.” it comes smiling from Itachi, who
showes up next to the both of them and pushes them towards the hall. Snorting,
Sasuke pushes his brother's hand away and enters the large open space in the
hall with Sakura. "What kind of songs do we have?" He asks her quietly, but she
just shrugs her shoulders. "Your mother said she would take care of it," she
smiles softly at him.
 
The black haired man also smiles slightly and pulls his wife back, when she
wants to continue walking, catching her and taking her right hand in his left.
He places his right one on her waist and she lets her left hand wander up to his
shoulder. Piano tones sound and the young Haruno recognizes the song immediately
and with the voice of the singer, they set in motion. With gentle gliding
movements, they dance across the surface, a simple slow waltz. As if they were
dancing together every day, they slide across the surface. Sakura looks shyly
into his eyes, he smiles slightly impish. The next moment he pushes her away
gently and she turns out of his arms, but doesn't let go of his left hand. His
eyes are on hers, a smile lies on his lips and then he pulls her back towards
him just as gently. With his right hand on her belly, he holds her while he
makes further small dance steps with steady movements.
 
He gently turns her back out of his arms, brings her to his chest in a dance
pose, takes a few steps with her before they turn together, once, twice and a
third time. She smiles lightly, takes a step towards him and leans her head
against his chest, a little surprised he lowers his head down to her.
"Everything okay?", He drops his hand and now holds her hand in front of his
chest. "Yes," it comes from her as quietly as from him before. "Then what are
you doing there?" He asks, but has switched to a standing blues on his own.
"Make it look like we're very familiar," she whispers to him, closing her eyes
with a slight smile. He gently puts his cheek on her forehead and looks briefly
at the crowd around him who has not heard of their little conversation.
 
When Sakura hears the last lines of the song being sung, she lifts her head
slightly from his chest and smiles at him. He turns her out of his arms again,
but lets go of her hand and watches her continue to turn and then stop. She
looks at him with a smile before turning back into his direction with big steps
and feels how his hands lie on her hips when she arrives at him. He gently lifts
her up and turns with her once around himself, slowly he lets her down again,
her hand tenderly caressing his neck in the process. With the last tones of the
song, he sets her down on the floor and bends over to steal another kiss that
day. The guests around them start clapping.
Just as they pass the row of tables, the sounds of the next song come out of the
speakers. The pinkette stops, taking her hand away from Sasukes and looks
around. Of course she recognizes the song immediately, how could she not? Her
brother is standing in the middle of the dance floor. With his hands buried in
the pockets of his suit, he smiles slightly at her. The young Haruno can feel
the first tears in her eyes as she approaches her brother and throws herself in
his arms and presses herself against him. Ryosuke gently wraps her arms around
her back and starts dancing a standing blues with her, while he caresses her
back up and down.
 
Many memories are associated with this song, especially the memories of her
parents. As a little girl, she always loved to watch them dance to it. Her
father had simply turned this song up and then took his wife's hand. They
started dancing a standing blues every time they played this song. It was their
favorite song.
 
Meanwhile, tears flow from the eyes of the bride, who has previously hidden her
eyes on her brother's shoulder and now carefully dares to look up. She looks at
the dance floor, a small smile lies on her lips and her tears slowly dry up.
Sakura sees her parents dancing alongside her and her brother on the dance
floor. Her mother laughs happily and falls back in her husband's arms. Her
parents' marriage was unshakable. Full of love, nothing and nobody could get it
down. They were happy and, after all the years of marriage, still looked freshly
in love like on the first day.
 
Ryosuke gently turns with her in his arms. The bride now looks at her husband,
who stands next to all the other guests on the edge of the dance floor and looks
at them. She turns her eyes to the ground and wipes the tears from her eyes,
cuddles up to her brother and looks shyly over his shoulder again at the Uchiha.
The look which she cannot define at the moment, she actually never could
interprete up till now and she starts wondering if she will ever be able to do
so or be able to understand him in general in the future. The pinkette looks at
the terrace which is slowly coming into view. She imagines her parents smiling
at her, her mother throws her a kissing hand before both turn away and go
outside onto the terrace, where they dissolve into petals and are blown away.
 
The song slowly fades away and Sakura and her brother stop. Smiling, he presses
a kiss on her forehead and then looks next to her, she also turns in the
direction and sees Sasuke approaching her, gently caressing her cheek and then
puts an arm around her waist. "Do you want to sit down?" He asks, smiling
slightly. The green eyed woman nods and turns away from her brother with a
smile, is led by her husband to her table, where they sit on their armchairs and
see their guests storming the dance floor and dancing in a good mood.
 
After a few minutes Ino slumps down next to her with a sigh and looks at the
dance floor. Hinata is also present with the two women, smiling at what is
happening in the open space. The Uzumaki emerges from the crowd and smiles at
the group. The raven haired man skeptically observes his best friend. The smile
with which he looks at the women doesn't quite suit him. He comes to a
standstill in the silent group. "Would it be presumptuous to ask the wedding
planner for a dance?", He explores and pulls the shy Hinata onto the dance floor
after her embarrassed nod. "Someone finally seems to be having fun there,"
smiles the pinkette satisfied when she sees the blue-haired girl dancing on the
dance floor with Naruto. "Yes." There is a sigh emitting from the Yamanaka. The
bride looks at her best friend in amazement. Slowly she follows her gaze and
discovers the Inuzuka dancing with Tenten. "Can it be, are you jealous?" the
pinkette grins at her best friend. "What? No!” The Yamanaka snaps as she
continues to look at the two and then gets up and walks towards the couple. "Are
she and Kiba together?" The Uchiha asks next to Sakura and has put his arm on
the back of her chair. She giggles softly at his question. "No. They are my
version of Neji and Tenten,” she explains, leaning back slightly and against
his shoulder. His chest trembles slightly as evidence of the laugh that comes
quietly over his lips. "But they only know each other since middle school," she
completes her explanation, snuggling up to his shoulder. "I guess at least your
shoulder is quite comfortable," she then comments cheekily and makes him smile
in amusement.
 
Together they look at the dancing crowd. Itachi and Misuki are among them,
Ryosuke is also dancing with his girlfriend, Honoka, and even Mikoto has managed
to pull Fugaku onto the dance floor. Her guests celebrate with a high spirit.
Some have moved out onto the terrace and are chatting while standing in the warm
sun. Sakura rises with a sigh, "Well, let's dance." The young Haruno has turned
to her husband and is holding out her hand to him. "Do we have to?" He asks
quietly, but takes her hand in his. She smiles amused but also kindly towards
him. It amazes him how she can control how her smiles should look like. The
black haired man sighs and lets her pull him along. "We want to celebrate our
wedding and dancing is part of the party." his wife starts explaining and pulls
him into the crowd. A bit annoyed, he endures the procedure and takes up the
dance posture to finally lead Sakura safely through the crowd without anyone
getting hurt.
 
After a while Mikoto takes the bride with her and disappears from the crowd in
which the Uchiha remains alone. He exhales a little relieved but also annoyed
and fights his way out of the crowd. His eyes grasp Itachi, who was able to
avoid dancing with his wife and is now talking to one of the business partners.
The Uchiha drives with his hand through his own hair as he approaches his
brother and the man to get a little involved in their conversation.
 
A few minutes pass as the music suddenly becomes quiet. Everyone's attention
immediately turns to the stage on which Sakura and his mother are standing. "So
if I could ask the unmarried women onto the dance floor please. It's time for an
old tradition.“ the black haired woman smiles and Sakura waves with her bridal
bouquet in hand. Sasuke watches with amusement how everyone clears the dance
floor and stands in a circle around it, while the unmarried women gather on it.
"Is everyone here?" she asks with a smile and an unanimous answered. "Yes." it
sounds from the crowd of women. Grinning, the green eyed woman turns her back on
the women. "1. 2. 3! “, He hears his mother's voice in the microphone, while
counting in a good mood. He looks at his wife with an amused snort, who throws
the bouquet back over her head and then immediately turns around. The crowd of
women immediately pushes towards the bouquet, which is then caught by one hand.
Smiling happily, the Haruno comes down from the stage and walks towards Honoka,
who is holding the bridal bouquet and smelling it carefully. She glances at her
boyfriends little sister and smiles happily. Sakura gives the young woman a hug
and finally grins at her brother. Ino, Hinata and Tenten also go to the young
woman to congratulate her, as does Misuki. The young women immediately form a
group and chat a bit before they are devoured by the dancing crowd.

Some time later, Sakura comes out of breath to her place where she sinks into
her chair and greedily empties her glass of water. Her husband comes up to her
and settles next to her, gently caressing a lost strand back behind her ear and
leans back in his armchair. Slowly the hunger spreads again in the pink haired
woman and she searches the room for a clock. "Do you know what time it is?" She
asks her husband, but he shrugs his shoulders briefly. "Why?" He then asks back.
She smiles slightly embarrassed. "I'm getting hungry again." she tells him
honestly, making him laugh quietly. "I don't think it will take that long
anymore." he says amused, as he gently strokes her back with his hand. Just a
few minutes later, the waiters come into the hall and start stocking the buffet.
"Mum says we should give a short speech and then open the buffet." he explains
and she nods as she rises with him to her feet. He takes her hand and together
they go to the stage. They enter the stage briefly to say a few words to their
guests. "We wanted to thank you all for coming here today to share this
wonderful event with us and make it a beautiful memory." his voice sounds over
the loudspeakers. The crowd that has turned their attention towards them, claps.
"The buffet is open. Enjoy your meal.“, It comes from the pink haired woman
and again the place is filled with clapping. 
 
A little later the buffet is stormed and searched for the most delicious things.
Hungry, Sakura puts some rice onto her plate, adds some of the meat and salad. A
few moments later, Sasuke follows her back to her table, where she is waiting
for him, before she almost rushes to eat. The dark grey eyed man observes his
wife amused, making the impression that she hasn’t eaten any chicken or cake
yet. But the other guests also seem to be quite hungry, to the extent that the
restaurant has to refill, only to be emptied shortly after again.
 
Soon the dance floor and the grassy place outside will fill up again. Slowly the
sun is leaning towards the horizon, it is getting to 10 p.m. As far as the
Uchiha knows, the buffet was set at 9:00 p.m. This means that he and Sakura have
been married for almost 11 hours already. A gentle breeze blows, notifying the
raven man that he is now on the terrace. His eyes wander across the illuminated
surroundings. He smiles lightly and enjoys the wind blowing through his hair and
tickling his neck. He closes his eyes with relish.
 
“Enjoying the calm while the wind gently blows past him. This is Sasuke Uchiha
as I know him.“, The voice of the Uzumakis sounds next to him, Sasuke opens
his eyes and looks around to his right. "Then why don't you just let me continue
to enjoy?" He asks harshly. The blonde shrugs his shoulders in a good mood.
"Enough of the party?" He finally asks, hiding his hands in the pockets of his
pants. "Hm," it comes only briefly from the black haired man. Naruto laughs. "At
midnight you can leave to turn to your marital duties and love affairs," he
says. Surprised by the hard blow on his shoulder, the Uzumaki stumbles to the
side and looks surprised at the Uchiha, who looks up into the slowly darkening
sky. "What was that about?" The blonde asks indignantly. Sasuke smiles amused,
but does not look at his best friend. "Marital duties and love affairs..." the
black haired snorts into the warm June air. "Oh yeah right, you are...", grins
Naruto. "I don't want to know what I am and you aren’t.", it comes sharply
from the Uchiha.
 
"But isn't that Catholic? I thought you weren’t. ”, the Uzumaki questions
and touches his chin thoughtfully. "And I thought you were an idiot, but I was
wrong. You are a dumb ass." the black haired man says with a sigh, "If you did
not notice, we are actually celebrating a typical American-European wedding. If
we go by your logic, we should have been throwing a Japanese wedding.” Sasuke
says with a shrug. "Then I will go back and chat with Kiba." Naruto says a
little indignantly. "I would very much appreciate that," the black haired man
comments somewhat arrogantly and can hear his best friend slowly moving away.
 
He sighs with relish and finally heads for the wall to lean on it and look up
further. In the meantime, the stars have already switched places with the sun
and shine up there in the sky. He smiles slightly. Children always get told that
if someone dies they go up there and maybe become a star. He doesn’t believe
in it, but if he was to go after that belief, his two grandmothers and his
grandfather would be up there now. His other grandfather is still alive, but has
been placed in a retirement home due to Alzheimer’s. "Somewhere up there
are...", a voice sounds and then falls silent again. He looks ahead. His wife
stands in front of him in her pretty wedding dress and stares up at the sky. He
smiles a little pityingly at her and pulls her by the hand. She already looks a
little tired and sad, as she looks up at the stars. Smiling slightly, she looks
away and cuddles up to his chest.
 
"Shall we drive to the hotel?" She asks wearily as he puts his arms around her.
A loving smile appears on his lips, she just looks so indescribably cute that he
can not help but hug her and smile gently. "Yes. We can go right away.” He
whispers softly and looks through the doors inside. His mother is standing in
the door in her dress and looking at the two. The Uchiha can already imagine her
gentle smile. "Let's go inside," he says to her and she nods tentatively. He
hesitantly takes her hand and goes back to the hall with her. "We will slowly
go. Sakura is getting tired.” He explains to his mother at the door, who nods
with a smile. "Let me say goodbye to my friends and Ryosuke." the pinkette
smiles at him and removes her hand from his. He briefly watches her walking
towards her best friend and hugging them. He also goes to his friends and the
most important business partners to say goodbye.
 
With a smile, Sakura frees herself from Fugaku, who has hugged her goodbye and
approaches her brother to say goodbye to him and Honoka. The brunette man gently
pats her head as he holds her. "He'll take good care of you," he says with a
smile, while slowly pulling away from her. His gaze lays on the Uchiha, who is
already waiting for them. She nods and then takes the hand which her husband is
holding out to her. With the bridal bouquet in hand, the two turn to the exit,
where their guests are waiting in a long line. Of course, it is clear to both of
them what this is supposed to be. Traditional rice throwing. The pinkette smiles
mildly and then starts to move with her husband under the falling rice, which
should convey the wish for a fertile and child-rich marriage, fighting their way
to the limousine. With a smile, Sakura runs out of the restaurant with Sasuke by
the hand to escape the rice as quickly as possible. Only a few reporters are
left at the location to take pictures while they get into the limousine and have
themselves driven to the hotel.

"I thought you threw the bridal bouquet earlier?" He finally says a little
tired. "Yes, these days you throw a smaller copy of the original though." she
explains with a chuckle and leans on his shoulder. "We have been married for
almost 14 hours now." it comes over the pinkettes lips, who closes her eyes
tiredly. "Yes. It was a long day.“ Sasuke sighs and looks out into the starry
sky again. After a few minutes, which were actually almost three quarters of an
hour, the car stops in front of a hotel.
 
"We're here." he says carefully, shaking her shoulder lightly. She tiredly opens
her eyes and then nods. The Uchiha gets out in order to help her out as well.
With her hand in hand, they enter the brightly lit foyer of the hotel, where
they are received directly. "Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha. Welcome to our hotel. Our
warmest congratulations on the wedding. Here is your room key. I'll take you to
the room.” the lady at the reception smiles and bows in front of them. Sakura
and Sasuke too give her a light bow and then follow her to the elevators. With
one of them they drive up to the 25th floor and get out. The lady leads her to a
door and says goodbye when Sasuke has opened the door. The pinkette stumbles
back and forth. The black haired man smiles slightly and lifts her up on his
arms. He sighs again. With this he fulfilled another tradition and carries the
bride over the doorstep. Carefully he sets her down on the bed.
 
Sakura stretches and slips out of her shoes before straightening up and looking
up at Sasuke. Now she is no longer 10 centimeters smaller, but half a head if
not even more. "Can you help me?" she asks and points to the lacing on the back,
which he loosens. The dress slips to the floor and Sasuke looks at his wife, who
is only standing in front of him in white lace underwear. He turns away in
silence and begins to peel himself out of his own wedding suit as she carefully
places the dress on the couch and approaches her suitcase, which Ino and Hinata
have packed for her. From this she looks for a shirt or something similar, but
finds only a short pajama with a top and a hotpant.
 
But to be honest Sakura doesn't care about it at the moment and slips into her
pajamas before looking for her makeup removal kit from her suitcase and goes to
the bathroom with it. Slowly the tiredness overcomes the Uchiha as well and
after tilting the windows for fresh air during the night, he lies down in bed
and looks around the room, waiting.
 
Yawning tiredly, the pink haired woman rubs her eyes as her hair falls in
beautiful curls over her shoulders. When she comes to the bed, he immediately
throws the covers back for her and lets her slip under them. The Haruno sighs
with relief and snuggles into the pillow. Sasuke smiles slightly before turning
off the light from the bedside lamp and falls back into his pillow. A tired yawn
also penetrates his lips when he can already feel his wife cuddling onto his
shoulder. He looks at her with surprise, but then smiles gently and closes his
eyes tiredly.



                           Kapitel 6: Step 6 - Home
                           ------------------------


After the wedding, it is tradition for the newly weds to move into their home
which they will share with each other from now on. The marital home can be his
or her home, but most of the time it is his home. Or they were already living
together before the wedding. Of course, the new home can also be a house,
perhaps in a more rural area. The suburb is always very popular. In its peace
and calmness the couple can enjoy their cosy togetherness and adjust to the life
of marriage.
 
The pink haired woman is standing on the balcony of her suite, smiling slightly.
The wind gently blows through her hair and makes some strands of her hair move
across her face. Sasuke’s gaze turns away from the balcony and towards his
tablet in front of him. From now on, they will have to live together as husband
and wife. They will share an apartment and live together as if they were really
a couple and married out of love. The black haired man shakes his head with a
sigh. That can and will never go well! After all, they don't even know each
other. He sighs a little annoyed and lets his fingers drive through his hair
before covering his eyes with his hands.
 
What was he getting himself into? He has to run a company and is supposed to get
along with his wife somehow. Annoyed, he moans and looks back at the tablet on
his lap. He hasn't laid a single finger to work since Friday. He used the
weekend to relax a bit. He hadn't even checked his mails, and he promised his
mother that he wouldn't go to the office today. Otherwise, she told him, she was
going to get him herself and drive him back home to the pinkette. He tries to
turn his attention back to the tablet that is currently loading his mails.
However, a lot of them just seem to be congratulations. Once again Sasuke looks
up at his wife on the balcony. He just doesn't know how to deal with her now.
After all, they don't really know each other. They aren’t familiar with each
other and still, they had kissed each other a lot on last Friday. That day, he
must have kissed her five times, if not even more. How is he supposed to deal
with her now? He doesn’t know. Of course they will continue to play the couple
in love in public, but in the private sphere? When they're both at home alone?
 
At home... Actually, he hasn’t been informed about a new house. So she will
probably be moving with him into his apartment. But this also means that he will
have to share his private rooms with her. He sighs again when the ringing of the
suite phone cuts through the silence of the room. His dark grey eyes focus on
the small device next to the bed and so the Uchiha rises to his feet. After a
quick glance at the Haruno, he makes his way to the phone in order to answer the
call. As soon as he looks at the display, he can already imagine what the
receptionist will tell him about. "Yes?" He answers the call, as he holds the
phone's handset against his ear. "Hello Mr. Uchiha. I'm sorry if I am disturbing
you. I just wanted to let you know that your car is waiting for you.” A
friendly woman's voice comes out of the receiver. Sasuke nods briefly, before he
realizes that the receptionist cannot see his response and so he raises his
voice again. "Thank you for the information. We'll be coming right away.” He
says briefly and hangs up. When he straightens up again, the Haruno is already
closing the balcony behind him. "Our car has arrived." he says indifferently and
turns to take his tablet and travel bag.
 
His gaze falls on his pink haired wife, who walks past him with her little
trolley case and handbag to the door. She leaves the suite in silence and he
immediately follows her, closes the door behind himself and follows her to the
elevator. There is silence in the elevator cabin as the two drive down to the
ground floor to be able to check out quickly. When the numbers on the floor
display fall below 5, he slowly puts his hand around Sakuras and crosses his
fingers with hers, as a typical couple in love would do too. His gaze falls on
her, watching her look up at him in surprise, but quickly turning her eyes away
again. Slowly the elevator halts and the door opens, as they make their ways
out. They overcome the few meters to the reception to check out of the hotel, so
they can disappear from public as soon as possible.
 
A friendly smile is laying on his lips as he thanks the receptionist and walks
towards the entrance of the hotel, together with his wife. A page has already
handed over her suitcase and bag to the chauffeur, who’s immediately stowing
away the luggage. When the newly weds step out of the hotel lobby, they are not
only dazzled by the bright sun, but by the camera flashes of the paparazzi’s
too. The black haired man sighs a little annoyed before he lets go of his wife's
hand and puts his arm around her waist instead. He puts on a smile and briefly
raises his hand in the direction of the journalists before they both get into
the limousine. Sighing, the pinkette strokes her tousled hair. "Why are they
chasing us down so much? They were so pushy at the wedding too.", it comes
stressed over her lips and he examines her briefly. “On one hand, they are
from business magazines. After all, our wedding was a big economic event. You as
Haruno and I as Uchiha. In the other hand there were so many highly respected
businessmen at our wedding, politicians and also a few models, as far as I
noticed. This also drew the attention of the other magazines to our wedding.
Some of them are probably still from women's magazines.”, he explains and
takes his smartphone out of his pocket.
 
He doesn't want to know what's written in the newspapers. About him and her.
About the wedding. What assumptions and ideas are already made and written down.
The raven man sighs slightly at his thought. "Why should female magazines be
interested in our wedding?" Comes the question from his wife which makes him
look up a little surprised at her. The Haruno looks questioningly into his dark
grey eyes, which again seem so mysterious and deep black. "I don't know how it
came to it. But somehow I was named Japan's most desirable bachelor. But don't
ask me why.“ He answers truthfully as he shrugs his shoulders. The pinkette
leans back in her seat and crosses her arms as she looks out of her window. "I'm
not really surprised. After all, women like men like you." she begins, drawing
the attention of her husband, who is eyeing her. "Silent and mysterious.
Unapproachable. Good looking and rich, too.” She gives him a sideways glance
while she keeps counting the facts, but sticks to him when she sees him staring
at her and slowly a small grin starts to form on his lips.
 
"I honestly don't understand what they like about idiots like you, but it
doesn't matter. After all, it's not my problem. They're all superficial. I
rather like the friendly, kind-hearted guys, instead of those with frozen
feelings like you. A man doesn’t really need to run after me, but when I talk
to them I at least don't want to be shock frozen by them.” she says and turns
her gaze away again. However, when she looks back at him straight away, she can
see him looking at her with a somewhat angry look. "And I don't want to be
killed with your eyes either." she says with a small grin. Snorting, he turns
back to his smartphone while she looks out of the window again, onto the
streets, which look quiet suburban. "Say where are we going anyway?" She turns
to him again while asking him her question. He looks up slowly and shrugs. "I'm
assuming to myself." It comes shortly from the Uchiha, already fixating his gaze
back on his smartphone. "So you live in a suburban mansion area?" She explores
skeptically, because she actually wouldn't have expected him to. He snorts
again. "I live in a loft in Setagaya near Meguro and Shibuya." He answers
briefly and she can't help but think that he seems somehow offended.
 
"But you aren’t offended now, are you?" She asks him straight away. Sasuke
looks up a little annoyed at her. "It annoys me that you talk to me and I can't
concentrate on my work.", He says, grumbling, as she takes a quick look at his
cell phone. "So it is important for work how the weather will be the day after
tomorrow?" She asks in astonishment next to his ear. Surprised by the breath on
his neck, he looks at her and directly into her green eyes, which flash cheekily
towards him. The limousine stops just when he wants to respond. The pinkette
looks around as the door to her and Sasuke's right opens. The two get out and
look confused at the villa in front of them, while the chauffeur puts the
luggage out of the trunk next to the two and then drives away.
 
The green eyed woman looks after the black vehicle, which drives back through
the gardens gate and disappears from their sight. "What are we doing here?" She
asks the Uchiha and looks around some more. A wide driveway leads from the gate
to the forecourt on which they stand, a wide path leading to the right side of
the villa. The lawn is kept well and healthy and the path is adorned with small
hedges and flowering shrubs. Only now she realizes that her husband is as
surprised as she is and goes to the black front door, to which a white letter
has been attached. The Haruno questioningly raises an eyebrow when she
recognizes her and Sasuke's name on the white paper. Carefully she takes it and
opens it.
 
"Best wishes for your wedding. We hope that our wedding gift has enough space
for all the other gifts. We also hope that love and happiness will find their
place in this house. Best regards. Mikoto, Fugaku and Ryosuke.” She reads the
letter out loud and then looks up at Sasuke. Only a moment later she shakes the
letter over her hand and a key falls out. Holding the key between her fingers,
she looks at the black haired man. "They gave us a villa? Seriously?" She asks
and observes how the Uchiha takes the key from her hand and approaches the front
door. With a soft click, the front door opens and Sasuke opens it completely. A
little unsure, the pinkette takes her suitcase and walks up the two steps to the
small porch of the villa at the front door. A pleasantly cool air hits her and
literally invites her to enter the house. Hesitant she takes a step into the
building. Her heels come up on the floor. Slowly, the Haruno takes another and a
further step into the hallway. In front of her she can immediately see the
stairs that lead to the upper floor, but under which they can also go through.
An upholstered armchair and a potted plant were draped in front of it. Her gaze
glides to the left, where the coat hooks for jackets have been attached to the
wall, and to the right, where a glass wall has been pulled in, in front of which
there is a drawer. 
 
She slips out of her peep toes and takes further steps into the villa while she
hears the door shut quietly behind her and Sasuke puts the key on the drawer.
The pinkette is seized by curiosity about her new home and so she goes straight
into the first open door to her left. A large spacious open kitchen is in the
room. There is a dining table placed in the large kitchen, barstools at the
kitchen island and the sunlight shines in through the tall windows. Soft colors
and coordinated decorations make the room cozy. "My mother was probably the one
at work." The Uchihas voice sounds from behind. Sakura looks around in surprise
and finds him leaning against the door frame. She has to admit that she got an
incredibly attractive husband there.
 
The raven man turns around and continues down the hall to the other rooms. In
the basement, which appeals to him a lot, and onto the first floor which has a
large balcony that stretches across an entire side. A small smile is on his
lips, he really likes the house. From the outside and also from the inside.
Standing on the balcony, he looks down into the garden behind the house. A
spacious terrace with a grill and garden table extends a few meters directly
from the house wall. A large swimming pool is located in the middle of the lush
green lawn of the large garden. He sighs briefly and then pushes himself from
the railing on which he supported his forearms. His gaze glides over the balcony
covered with white sandstone tiles to the gate. Sasuke sighs softly and
re-enters the interior of the villa to escape the heat of the June sun. His eyes
catch his pink haired wife coming up the stairs. "I'll take this room if you
like." She says, pointing to the room behind her. The raven man nods briefly and
points his head to his right. "I'll take the one right next to the office." He
says, burying his hands in his pockets. With a short nod, the pinkette takes her
luggage and bags, which are laying in the large, spacious hallway next to the
glass railing around the staircase. His mother didn't want to force the two to
stay in one room. He briefly watches his wife and then takes his own bags and
suitcases and puts them in his bedroom, before he approaches his work bag and
immediately goes over to the office with it. Setting up his laptop he
immediately starts it, placing his tablet next to it and picks up a few
documents. With a pen, which he circles between his fingers, he looks down at
the report in front of him.
 
The pink haired woman sighs quietly and closes the suitcase from which she has
taken her remaining summer clothes. In the meantime, she stowed her winter
clothes into the wardrobe of the other bedroom, which had been actually intended
to be their bedroom. Her green eyes go over the contents of her own wardrobe
before she reaches for one of her bikinis. For a moment she disappears in the
bathroom to change and then just put on a loose sleeveless blouse that can be
tied up. She gets a beach towel from the room of the basement pool and then
spreads it out on one of the sunbed in the garden. She looks briefly around the
garden before looking at the house. With a sigh, she shakes her head. "Such a
workaholic." she says as she sits at the edge of the pool to keep her feet wet
in the cold. They are having such wonderful weather and he is sitting in the
house in his office and works. Just that he doesn't put on a suit and drives
into the company, but as far as she can imagine, in that case his mother would
rip his head off. A small, malicious smile settles on her lips. Not only would
she trust Mikoto to do that, no, she'd love to be there and see it live.

Smiling she plays with her feet in the water for a few minutes until she lets
herself sink completely into the water and swims a few laps before she lies on
her back and drifts in the water. A small smile lies on her lips. Sakura is
certain that even if she starts working soon, she won't be sitting in her own
office on such a beautiful day. But she still has a few days until the
graduation ceremony and gets her degree and then she also has some time until
she gets a job and starts working. Her gaze turns upwards into the clear blue
sky and a question forms in her head. Will Sasuke even think of her graduation
ceremony and come there? After all, this is part of his marital duties.
 
After a while, the pink haired woman climbs out of the water to lays on her
prepared sunbed and lets her skin get dried by the sun. Her gaze lays on the
green grass. So now she is married to a stranger and her brother wishes that she
will be happy. But how is that supposed to work with this Uchiha? Her brother
knows what she likes about a man, so why did he promise her to the black haired
man? This guy who tries to freeze or even kill people with his eyes. For whom
only work is important and apparently has no life. How can she be happy with
that? Let alone get along. It wouldn’t even surprise her if they would be
exactly in the same state in a year as they are today. Tired she closes her eyes
and dozes off, while the sun dries her skin and bikini and slowly her hair
starts to dry as well.
 
Yawning, she rubs over her eyes and sits up on her sunbed. The sun is already
lower on the horizon and it has also become pleasantly cooler. She blinks a few
times and then picks up her blouse to put it over her shoulder and ties up the
bottom ends. Still tired, she rubs her hair and enters the living room again.
She looks around briefly and then goes over to the kitchen to look into the
fridge, but then she notices a note lying on the counter next to the fridge. She
examines the note briefly. "Maybe you can get him to pay more attention to
himself and his diet. He forgets about the food all the time.” She reads the
note and then shakes her head. This fact is not particularly surprising to her.
She sighs and takes the page into her hand, noticing that there are more
underneath. A list of things he likes, fruits and vegetables, sausage, cheese,
spreads. A whole page printed with a list of his favorite dishes.
 
The Haruno smiles meekly. Mikoto really thought of everything. Sakura briefly
takes a look at the kitchen clock, which shows that it is already after 6 p.m.
She hasn't eaten anything for most of the day. Not since breakfast in the hotel.
Since then, she hasn’t seen her husband eating or drinking anything either and
even at breakfast he only ate a few bites.
 
She sighs for a moment and then opens the fridge. She immediately finds what she
is looking for in the fruit and vegetable section, with a big variety of fruit.
After a quick look at one of the lists, she takes some fruit and looks for a
cutting board and a knife. In addition, she prepares two plates. Smiling
slightly, she takes the bananas, grapes, apples, cuts them into fine pieces and
places them on each of the plates, placing only Granny Smith apples on her own
plate. She just loves these sour green apples. The others don’t really appeal
her taste. What she loves even more than these apples are strawberries, which
she picks up and frees them of any greens before she cuts them into mouth sized
pieces.
 
"Ouch!" She gasps out as blood drips from her finger onto the cutting board. She
looks carefully at her finger before holding it under the cold water and drying
and wrapping it with a piece of kitchen paper. She looks around for a first aid
kit or medicine cabinet. Finally, she finds what she is looking for in a box
next to the fridge. After briefly treating her finger, she turns back to the
strawberries on which her blood has dripped. She sighs quietly and takes the
fruits to wash them under the tap and then put them on her plate. She adds a few
raspberries and finally looks for two forks from the drawers. When she finally
found it, she pauses and looks at the cupboards and sideboards. Everything is
already cleared and equipped. Seems like the pinkette will spend her first days
here, finding her way around and possibly changing stuff around a little. She
shakes her head with a slight smile on her lips.
 
With the two fruit plates in her hand, she finally goes upstairs to her
husband's office. She listens briefly at the door, which is only ajar, so as not
to disturb him in the middle of a phone call, before she pushes it open with her
foot and enters the room. The raven man looks up at her in surprise. Without
saying a word, she places the plate of fruit on the table in front of him and is
about to straighten up again when he holds her wrist and looks at her finger.
"What did you do?" He asks, looking at the white plaster. "Cut myself." she says
briefly and removes her wrist and wants to leave the room right away. "You don't
have to make sure about me eating you know? You're not my mother." It comes from
him while he closes the folder in his hand and puts it aside on a stack of
others. "Strangely, she asked me to make sure that you eat something
regularly.” Sakura shrugged, impaling an apple with her fork. Sighing, Sasuke
leans back in his armchair and runs his hands through his hair. He examines her
briefly and places his hands on the back of his head. He likes the picture in
front of him. She looks not only pretty in her green bikini, the white blouse
over it suits her extremely well, but the fork that she is pushing into her
mouth with a piece of fruit makes her look quite cute. 

Slowly the Uchiha nods and reaches for his fork to impale one of the strawberry
pieces and put it into his mouth. He looks at her again. He just doesn't know
how to deal with each other now. After all, they are now a couple and sleep in
separate rooms, which are on the same floor but on the opposite side of the
other. Just as the green eyed wants to turn around he sighs silently and raises
his voice. "How are we going to work this out now?" He asks her, of course he
just wants to know how she sees the whole thing. He sees her eyes that briefly
examine him. Then she drops the fork. "For starters, I think we should look at
each other as roommates until we get to know each other better. Roommates who
hold hands in public and kiss and fiddle around.” She explains to him. He
snorts briefly. "An Uchiha doesn’t fool around.” He says derisively. "It
looked very different on Friday though." She grins cheekily at him. He looks at
her with a cool look. “In any case, we should show ourselves in public once a
week now. Together I mean. As a couple.” He just gives out and takes his pen
back to take the next folder. "Sure, if you don't forget those appointments."
She says with a shrug and sticks a strawberry into her mouth. 
 
She looks briefly at the folder on his right and then at him. "You shouldn't be
working that long. It’s slowly time to go to sleep, after all, you have to go
to work tomorrow.” It comes over her lips in a motherly tone, grinning
cheekily as she leaves the office and leaves the door open. He snorts again and
then looks at the plate that contains all the types of fruit he likes. He
glances at the clock briefly, only to get confirmation that his wife is right.
It’s already almost 8 p.m. Sasuke sighs and then puts the folder away to make
room for the plate. For a moment he looks out into the sky, which is still
brightly lit, but it is also visible that the sun will set soon.



                      Kapitel 7: Step 7 - Parents In Law
                      ----------------------------------


Parents-in-law prove to be both friends and enemies in a marriage. As friends
and family, they come up with tips and tricks to help you with advices and
possibly show you the right way. At the same time, they also want to be seen as
part of the family and therefore try to invite the newlyweds to dinner as often
as possible or to attend events together. They show themselves as an enemy who
want to get involved in their married life by all means.
 
It is quiet in the office, except for a pen scraping softly over some paper,
while the air conditioner ensures that the room is at a pleasantly cool
temperature. Sighing softly, the black haired man picks up the post-it pad to
write a few notes on and then sticks it in on a certain place on the sheet of
paper in front of him, continues to write and places them in other places.
Sometimes the drawings of the Kaseguchi are such a mess and he wonders if she
does it on purpose or if she just doesn’t care about some projects at all.
Although he has to admit that she has developed quite well in the recent years.
 
Sasuke folds the DIN A3 sheet in the middle and puts it back into the folder.
His gaze falls on the darkened room. It is not even noontime yet, but the sun is
already heating up the city. The Uchiha moves back a bit with his armchair and
finally rises to his feet. Turning around, he stands in front of his large
window, behind his desk, and looks through a slit of the blind at the city and
its skyline. He can literally see the steam rising from the roofs. He smiles
slightly amused. He could have been with Sakura on their honeymoon right now,
relaxing in a distant island and having a good time, or maybe sit in his new
villa by the pool. But he decided not to take a break and keep working even on
such a hot day.
 
He has been married to the Haruno for 5 days now. They have been living in the
villa for three days and many more will follow after. He briefly thinks of his
wife, who will probably be lying by the pool at home right now. It seems his
mother has chosen a very special young woman for him. A pretty, cheeky, young
lady who apparently also has brains. No wonder that his father is so
enthusiastic about the pink haired woman. He shakes his head with a sigh. Can he
really fulfill his mother's wish? Will he ever be able to have children with
Sakura? Annoyed, he rubs his hair and sits down again. He still has some
sketches to work on.
 
To his surprise, the day before, when he entered the office in the morning,
there wasn't so much work on his table. So that he even had time for a lunch
break, which has not happened too often until now. Most of the time he eats
nothing all day, because he does not prepare food to take it with him in the
first place. Neither does he buy anything for lunch and he doesn’t want to
constantly have to send his secretary to buy him something either. He doesn't
even want to start with that. He knows, his mother doesn't like it at all when
he eats so little, but he just doesn't have time for it and so far he had no
problems with it anyway.
 
A knock on the door lets the black haired man give a quick and scrutinizing look
at his schedule, to see if he may have arranged a meeting in his office,
throwing the sketch aside. "Come in." He says coolly as he reaches for the next
folder with more sketches in them. The door opens and closes again. The heels of
high heels echoing quietly through the room. The dark grey eyed man looks up.
Surprised, he looks at his mother, who stands in front of him in a summer
costume. "Mum, what are you doing here? Have a seat.“ He says immediately and
rises to get a glass from a cupboard on the side and pours some mineral water
for his mother.
 
The beautiful Uchiha sits down on one of the armchairs, which are available for
business partners or employees, and looks at her youngest son for a moment.
Sasuke looks awaiting at her as she sighs and raises her voice. "I don't know
what to think of this Sasuke. You’ve been married with Sakura since Friday.
You didn't fly on a honeymoon, which I understand because of Sakura studying,
but that you don't even stay at home with your newlywed wife for a week or at
least a few days and spend some time with her...“ The black haired woman
shakes her head.
 
„What am I supposed to do with her at home, mom?" He sighs and leans back in
his armchair. "Get to know each other, Sasuke. After all, you both are husband
and wife. You know I want you to be happy. And I know that Sakura could make you
happy, but for that you have to get to know each other, talk to each other and
do things together. Living in the same house is not enough in order to form a
bond. How do you even handle that so far?” His mother gives him a counter
question. "Each of us sleep in a different guest room and treat each other like
roommates." He explains to her a little indifferently. Mikoto nods and sighs
again. "You see? That’s exactly what I’m trying to say. You shouldn't feel
so indifferent about this. Of course it’s clear to me that you won’t be a
perfect couple in such a short time. Forming bonds need time. But you have to
work on it, just like Sakura has to work on it. But most importantly is that you
both have to work on it together.” It comes from his mother with an uplifting
smile.
 
"I'm sure I won't change, and I don't believe Sakura will change either." It
comes over the youngest Uchiha's lips. "Sasuke. To be married means to stay
yourself, just with the difference that you will do it together.“ Mikoto
explains. Her son looking at her in confusion. A laugh comes over her lips.
“You shouldn't change, but stay the way you are. After a while you will start
to like some of the things she does. You will start to like her the way she is
and that is called love. Love is to like someone the way they are, love
doesn’t change ones personality. Through love you will finds sides on yourself
which you haven’t discovered on your own yet. It can be a little scary under
certain circumstances, but you will continue to be yourself nonetheless.” She
explains to him, but still he looks at her with an indifferent look.
 
She lets out a sigh. "Sasuke, the secret of a happy marriage is to enjoy every
minute you have together, no matter how short these moments might be.” She
keeps explaining, while looking into her son's dark eyes. “But father was
almost never there. Every day he came home so late. When I was very young, I
hardly ever saw him except on weekends.” Sasuke replies in order to refuse her
statement. "Unlike you and Itachi, he had to manage both parts of the company on
his own and still made sure that he was home by 8:00 p.m. at the latest. He
checked on you and Itachi every night when you were asleep. He spent time with
you two and me and still managed to make this company so successful. You will
notice that work is not the most important thing in life.” She smiles lovingly
at him. Her son snorts softly. "I remember Itachi telling me the same thing
before too.” Sasuke explains, watching his mother shaking her head with a
slight smile on her lips. "You will notice it yourself when the time comes. I
hope so. I wish for it. I hope you find out what it's like to be happy. To have
a happy, functioning marriage and to be blessed with children.“ She says a
little softly and looks up at him again.
 
The black haired man sighs and supports his elbows on his table. "I'll go have
lunch with your father later. Do you want to come with us?” She explores quite
hopeful. Sasuke only shakes his head briefly at her question. "No, I have a lot
of work to do. Have a nice time.“ He declines with a slight smile. He sees his
mother nod before she gets up and walks towards the door. His eyes follow her
until she disappears through the door. With a sigh, he drops his head onto his
desk. While he regains doubts that he can ever fulfill his mother's wishes. He
knows that she wants him to fall in love. But he has no idea what that feeling
is, how it comes about and how it feels. He never fell in love before, after
all. Snorting, he straightens up again and examines the drawing in front of him.
What is he supposed to do with such a feeling?


 
~> * <~
 


Humming a song in her head, the pink haired woman runs her fingers through her
hair, using the chrome doors of the elevator as a mirror replacement. A white
costume adorns her body. The skirt reaches her knees, the corresponding top
looks like a short-sleeved blazer, with a belt at the waist, over a green top.
In her free hand she holds her portfolio with application documents and the
handles of her handbag. With a slight smile, she straightens her white pumps
before the elevator stops and the doors open. She leaves the elevator a bit
unsure and looks around. Wide corridors lead down to the left and right and
another wide corridor leads straight out. Company employees walk past her. She
looks around briefly when she discovers the one she is looking for. "Hello,
Sakura. Nice that you're here." The older man comes up to her and gives her a
quick hug. "Glad to see you Fugaku." She replies with a smile and lets him guide
her down the corridor. "Everything on the right side of the building belongs to
Itachi's realm, everything on the left belongs to Sasuke." Explains the head of
the Uchiha’s with a slight laugh. "But the two are on the higher floors above.
The other two elevators that you saw, both lead up to their floors, from there
there is a corridor directly leading to the offices.“ The man reports proudly
and finally opens a door at the end of the corridor. "Please after you." It
comes politely from him and lets her enter before he follows her and closes the
door behind him. "Have a seat." He then points to an armchair and takes a seat
in his office chair. The Haruno smiles thankfully at her father-in-law and
settles on the armchair. She hands him her portfolio, in which her curriculum
vitae and drivings of her project work and sketch samples are inside.
 
The Uchiha takes a quick look at her CV before drawing his attention to her
drawings. The pinkette looks around the office with interest until the head of
the company draws her attention back to himself. "So. What do you expect from
this interview?” He begins. She looks at him a little perplexed before smiling
slightly. "I hope to find a job in one of the largest and most successful
companies in the whole country." The Haruno replies with a smile. Fugaku nods
and smiles slightly before looking back at her drawings. "You really have
talent. And this level of detail. There's a little perfectionist in you.”
Compliments the Uchiha, looking back at her. "Only at work. Photos of my clay
work are in the back of the portfolio.” She explains shortly. Her
father-in-law immediately searches for the photos she mentioned, in order to
examine them. “Talented drawer and also modeling talent. I am impressed. There
would be no better place for you than in our company, and no better employee for
our company.“ Fugaku explains and pride flashes in his eyes before he closes
the folder.
 
“Actually, Sasuke is the one responsible for the creative area, but if I hire
someone he can't do anything about it. So how about you start as an industrial
designer at Uchiha Corporation in early July?” He suggests, handing her
portfolio back. After all he is still the head of the company. "With pleasure,
Fugaku." Sakura smiles joyfully. "Of course we keep it all secret from Sasuke."
The Uchiha winks at her before looking at the clock. He clears his throat for a
moment. “Mikoto and I want to have lunch in about 45 minutes. Would you like
to join us?“ He explores and looks at her kindly. "I’d be glad to." The
pinkette agrees with a smile. "I will also ask Itachi and Sasuke." Her
father-in-law says. "Okay. Uhm, Fugaku. How is it that Naruto could spend so
much time on the wedding preparations? Doesn't he have a job or...?“ She asks
carefully. Fugaku laughs slightly at her curiosity. “No, no, Naruto works for
us as a software programmer. Itachi had released him from work for that period
of time. You can go to him. He has his office on this floor, down the corridor
to the right of the elevator, following the corridor, the second door on the
right.” Fugaku explains as he picks up the phone to call his sons.
 
"Then we'll meet down at 12.30pm." She smiles at her silent father and leaves
the office. Smiling slightly, she follows the directions and returns to the
elevator, follows the passage to the left and at the end of the corridor turns
left again and then knocks on the second door on the right. She carefully enters
the office through the open door and stands waiting in front of the desk. "Wait
a minute." It comes from the blonde, tapping focussed on his keyboard as he
looks at the two screens. After a few minutes he sighs contentedly and then
turns around with his chair. "Yes?" He finally turns his head too. "Hello." The
pinkette responds with a smile. "Sakura! What are you doing here?” It comes
happily from the blonde, who rises and approaches her to give her a hug. "I had
a conversation with Fugaku." She says with a shrug. "Come on, sit down!"
Smiling, he points to the free armchair at his table. Sakura is happy to accept
the invitation and sink into said armchair.
 
"I wanted to thank you again for helping me with the wedding preparations." She
smiles at him. Naruto laughs softly and waves it off. "No thanks! At least I got
the chance to know you.“ He tells her with a grin. The pinkette laughs softly
at his words. “A charming, cheeky, young lady. I hope that you will really
make him fall for you hard.“ He says appreciatively. "As if anyone could ever
make that refrigerator fall for themselves." The Haruno says with doubt and
rolls her eyes. The blonde laughs again. "Believe me, if someone can do it, then
it’s you." he continues. "You put a lot of trust in me." She smiles
flattered.
 
"Naruto, you are not paid for chatting." a voice sounds from outside and another
man enters the room. Sakura looks up in surprise at the man, turning out to be
her brother-in-law. Naruto looks briefly from Itachi to Sakura and back again.
Now the black haired man turns to her. "Oh. Hello Sakura. If it’s you, then
it’s different of course.“ It comes from the Uchiha before he approaches her
and takes her in his arms for a moment. "I see." The pinkette laughs amused at
his change of mind. "Well then, I have to go straight away. Lunch.“ He says
and takes a step towards the door. "Oh it's so late. I will accompany you,
Itachi.“ Sakura says with a smile as she takes her bag and her things. "Bye
Naruto." She turns to the blonde before she follows her brother-in-law out of
the office to the elevators. Together they drive down and meet Fugaku and Mikoto
in the foyer. "Sakura. Nice to see you.” The Uchiha approaches her
daughter-in-law with delight and gives her a warm hug. "Then we can go." Fugaku
says and puts an arm around his wife. "Oh, are you accompanying us to dinner? Is
Sasuke coming too?” Itachi asks surprised, looking at his brother’s wife.
"Yes, I will accompany you, but without Sasuke. He has a lot of work to do.”
He sighs and shakes his head at her words. "What a shame to leave his wife to
eat alone with his family." The long haired man complains before they start
moving. Together they walk into the underground parking lot, from where they
drive downtown to a restaurant. 
 
In the restaurant the four of them sit at their table in the shade of an
umbrella. "And Sakura? How does it look like? Are you on July's payroll as
well?” Itachi asks interested and supports his elbows on the table. “Sakura
is truly talented. Even you would hire her without hesitation, Itachi. And if
Sasuke wouldn’t consider hiring her after a look at her work, I would
seriously have to deprive him of his position as the designer departments
boss.“ His father replies for the Haruno, who felt kinder embarrassed.
"That’s so wonderful." Mikoto says happily and takes a sip of her cold soda.
“It's just not nice for a mother to see her son neglect so many things because
of work. He forgets to eat and sometimes even sleeps too little. There are days
when he stays in the office until 9 or 10pm and I hope that will stop when he
knows that someone is waiting for him at home.” Mikoto lets out a sad sigh.
"He doesn't even take breaks." Fugaku agrees to his wife’s complaint. Itachi
smiles slightly. "Sakura can do it." He says with confidence. "I hope so."
Mikoto says with hope, while smiling at her daughter-in-law.
 
“Has Sasuke already entered your graduation ceremony into his schedule?” Her
father-in-law explores in order to change the subject. The pinkette looks at him
from the waiter who is serving the food. "Is it that important that he has to
put it on his schedule?" She asks a counter question. Itachi laughs softly at
her question. "If you want him to come, you have to make sure that it is on his
schedule. Otherwise he will completely forget it as he will be drowning in work
again.”
 
After almost an hour and a half, the pinkette returns to the Uchiha Corporation.
Two food boxes in her hands, her wallet and her handbag under her arm. A slight
smile lies on her lips as she stands in the elevator and waits for the
transportation to arrive on the desired floor. When she finally reaches it, she
overcomes the few meters and enters the office of her husband's best friend. She
smiles and places one of the food boxes on his table. The blonde looks up at her
in surprise. "Thank you. What is that for?” He explores with curiosity and
opens the lunch box. He looks in with interest and smiles slightly. "As a small
thank you for your energetic support." Sakura answers and smiles gratefully at
him. "And the second? Is it for you, so you want to eat with me?” He asks
further, eyeing her up. She laughs softly. "No. I was just eating with Fugaku,
Mikoto and Itachi. It's for Sasuke. If I won’t bring him his food, he won’t
eat anything all day long.” The pinkette sighs with a shake of her head after
explaining him the reason. Naruto nods understanding.
 
"Yes, yes. Sasuke likes to forget things like that. It’s really nice that you
take care that he gets something to eat.” The Uzumaki says at her
thoughtfulness. "I just hope that at some point he will appreciate that." The
Haruno mumbles and turns around. "It will be fine." The blonde's voice sounds
reassuring. "Thanks Naruto. I'll see you around.“ She waves goodbye to him and
then leaves his office. Smiling slightly, she wants to set off on the way to her
husband when she thinks of something else. "Um. What is the best way to get to
Sasuke's office?” She explores somewhat embarrassed. The blonde grins at her
slightly. "The best thing to do is to walk along the corridor right up to the
elevator on the other side and drive all the way up, then all you need to do is
follow the corridor. But can you do me a favor?” It comes from the Uzumaki as
he watches his new gained friend nod with a smile. “Go into his office without
knocking. He'll think it's me. You have to tell me what he looked like when he
realizes that it wasn’t me.” He says and winks at the green eyed woman. She
laughs at his childish requests and nods.
 
Then she turns away from the man and follows his directions. She looks around
with interest. After all, she'll be going in and out of this building daily from
next month on. She smiles friendly at the staff and occasionally greets a few.
She follows the hallway to the elevator, which she then uses to go up the
floors. On her way to the office of the head of the creative departments, she
passes many offices, and many corridors separate from the hallway to offices.
Slowly she approaches the end of the hall and after a short knock enters the
room. A woman greets her inside, but Fugaku is there to surprise her. "Ah,
Sakura. I'm just making sure that Sasuke comes to your graduation.“ Her
father-in-law smiles as she has closed the door behind her. The pinkette nods
understandingly and briefly examines the secretary with whom Fugaku speaks about
Sasuke’s schedule. "Hello Mrs. Haruno." she smiles briefly.
 
The green eyed greets back friendly when she knows from where she knows the
face. She had also been at their wedding party. Sakura smiles and approaches the
second door in the room. She pauses briefly in front of the door, listening to
whether he's talking to someone. "You can go inside. He doesn't have a meeting
right now.” The woman explains at her hesitance. The Haruno smiles gratefully
and then opens the door without knocking, just as she had been directed by
Naruto. She quickly closes the door again and is careful not to draw attention
to her high heels. "What do you want Naruto?" The Uchiha asks without looking
up. He looks intently at the tablet and changes something in the file. "So
either you say what you want, or you go again. Pick one to choose.” He
continues. When he doesn't hear the door or his best friend's voice, he finally
decides to look up. Dumbfounded and perplexed, he looks at his wife, who is
standing in front of him and is definitely not his best friend. "What are you
doing here?" He asks surprised. The Haruno grins and presses the trigger on her
smartphone, with which she takes a picture of him. Confused, he shakes his head
and continues to watch her, awaiting her answer. "Making sure that you get
something into your stomach.” She explains and places the lunch box on his
table. Sasuke sighs. "I said you don't need to do that. You are not my
mother.“ He repeats his statement from a few days ago. The Haruno just smiles
at him. "If you want I can go back and give the lunch box to your mother, so she
can bring you the food instead." Sakura replies with a quick shrug.
 
The Uchiha raises his eyebrow questioningly. "What are you doing here anyway?"
He changes the subject. "I was eating with your family. Incidentally, on one
hand it is rude to refuse something like this and to let your wife go there
alone and on the other hand it also seems a bit strange in public when I go out
to eat with your family but you aren’t there.” She points out. "Nobody told
me that you would be there for the meal. You also didn't inform me that
something like that was planned.“ It comes from him now. "It was supposed to
be kind of a surprise, but it doesn't matter anymore. I didn't know that I had
to inform you so that you could eat with your parents.“ She sighs and shakes
her head. "And what did you take the photo for?" He asks now that he remembers
it. A grin settles on her lips. “I came to your office without knocking,
following Naruto's instructions. He wanted me to describe your facial expression
to him when you noticed that I'm not him. So yes. I think this photo expresses
your reaction very well. And besides, I will always have something to laugh
about when I'm bored or something.“ She says cheekily and slowly approaches
the door.
 
"So you’re welcome. And you don't have to appreciate it in any way that I
bring you something to eat.” It comes sarcastically over her lips as she puts
her hand on the doorknob. "I'll see you in case you should come home today. Or
if I’m even still awake at that time.” She says and opens the door. Without
another word, she leaves the room. Still looking a bit confused, he looks at his
office door before putting his documents aside and pulling the box towards him.
When he has removed the chopsticks above the closure and opens the box, the
steam hits him immediately mixed with the smell of the food. "Che. As if I would
starve to death if I don't eat from time to time.” He says as he picks up the
box and leans back in his armchair.



                         Kapitel 8: Step 8 - Knowledge
                         -----------------------------


In a marriage, a person knows their partner well, maybe even better than their
own selves. Throughout the time of getting to know each other and in the time of
their previous relationship, they have gathered all the important knowledge
about one another. About what their favorite food is, what they dislike, if they
are allergic to anything, what their favourite colors are and more. They know
each other as if they are one and the same person.
 
With a still tired yawn, the green eyed woman caresses through her pink hair and
looks at the lush green grass next to the cobbled driveway of her villa. She
smiles slightly when she can make out one of the colourful butterflies that
always flutter around in the summer. It is now Friday. She has been married to
the Uchiha for a week now and no matter how she turns it, she has come closer to
his family than him in this one week. Every day he goes to work early in the
morning and comes home late. She doesn't see him all day, so how is she supposed
to get to know him? With a sigh, she shakes her head. What was her brother
thinking about by betrothing her to the Uchiha? A seemingly cold man who only
thinks about work. He doesn’t even go to have lunch with his family.
 
She rolls her eyes a little annoyed. The days alone in this house are kind of
boring. Since the theses are currently being assessed, she has nothing to do as
a student and so she sits around in the house alone all day. With a sigh, she
turns away and goes into the living room. Though, a sudden whine catches her
attention. Confused, the Haruno approaches the door to the terrace and steps out
into the bright sun. Her eyes slide across the lush grass of her large garden.
The splashing of water drawing her attention towards the pool. She breathes
frightened before running towards the water in which a small dog desperately
tries not to go under. Since she is running around in her bikini anyway, she
immediately jumps into the pool to fish the little brown and white beagle out of
the cool water. It whimpers softly as she swims back to the edge with the dog in
her arm and climbs out of the water. "What are you doing in my pool?" She asks
with a loving smile and wraps the bath towel, which she had prepared for
herself, around the beagle to dry it.
 
He looks at her with his sweet dog eyes and lets himself dry. She emits a tone
of delight and then strokes the little boy's head. "Now I have to dry myself and
change. Then we will find your home.“ She smiles at the dog before lifting him
onto her arms and entering the villa. Sakura smiles melancholy. As a child they
had a dog as well, a spaniel, but it poorly died from cancer. She gently
scratches the dog, which still seems to be a puppy, behind the ear and then sets
it down on the floor in her room. With fresh summer clothes, she disappears into
the bathroom for a few minutes. Slipping into her ballerinas, she looks at the
dog. Inevitably the question arises that if she and Sasuke had a dog, would he
perhaps be more at home then or would she have to take care of the animal alone?
With a sigh, she shakes her pink hair. She doesn't even know if Sasuke is a dog
or cat type.
 
"Come here, little one!" Smiling, she kneels and taps the floor in front of her
with her fingers. The puppy approaches her with interest and sniffs what makes
her laugh. "Will you show me where you belong to?" She asks the beagle and looks
at the pendant on the collar. "You must have made a wrong turn." She says amused
after a moment of silence and lifts the puppy onto her arm to go down with him.
She quickly locks the door to the terrace before she leaves the house and locks
it behind her. Petting the dog on her arm, she leaves the driveway behind and
looks briefly down the street to the right and left before crossing it and
heading towards the villa opposite her. "So now you're back home." Sakura tells
the beagle, who sniffs around the garden. The Haruno smiles slightly amused,
because the puppy belongs to their new neighbors from across the street. The dog
sits quietly on her arm as she rings the doorbell and waits for it to be opened.
"There you are Coco!" A young, dark blonde haired woman appears in the door and
immediately takes the puppy from the Haruno. "She hopped into my pool." the
pinkette explains briefly, watching the woman put the dog down behind her and
then straighten up. "Thank you, I take care of my mother's puppy for two days
and he just escapes me like that. My mother is so fond of the dog that she even
has a collar for him when he's with us and-” When the blonde straightened up
completely and looks at Sakura, she pauses. "You’re the last person I wanted
to see." it escapes the lips of the villas owner. The Haruno looks perplexed at
her. "Did I say something wrong?" She asks uncertainly. The blonde sighs. "No
no. It's just that my fiancé's mother has something against me and you would
practically make a perfect daughter-in-law in her eyes.” Explains the young
woman, who is maybe an year older than her.
 
"Who's your fiance?" The green eyed woman asks still confused. "Shikamaru Nara."
The answer comes only briefly. The Haruno looks surprised at the blonde in front
of her. "Shikamaru lives here? I haven't seen him for a long time, we were at
university together.” The Haruno explains and still gets eyed completely
annoyed by the dark blonde woman. "Do you also know his mother?" It comes
derogatory from the blonde, the fact that Sakura knows her fiance doesn't make
things any better. "Yes, I could persuade Shikamaru to go to a party. Where he
met a very special girl. I think she was a model and was called Tema...
Tamara?” The pinkette explains after a moment's thought. Though she was a
little confused about the correct spelling of the girls name since it had been
such a long time. The blonde immediately turns red at her words. "I'm sorry."
she begins embarrassed. "I'm Temari Sabakuno. Glad to meet you.” Sakura can
see it written in the Sabakuno’s face, how uncomfortable she feels for being
so rude to her without even knowing the background story. "I'm happy too. I have
to go now though. Why don't you and Shikamaru come over some time?” Suggests
the pinkette with a smile and takes a step back. "I would be glad to do so. And
thanks again for bringing Coco back to me.” Temari calls after her.
 
When the Haruno is walking down the driveway of her neighbor, a car she knows
only too well comes along the street. A smile steals on her lips and she quickly
jogs down the driveway, across the street and to her front door. "Hey Ino."
Smiling, she stops in front of the blonde and hugs her. "Hey sweety. I'm coming
with important informations!” The Yamanaka says happily as they break the hug.
"Nice. Let's go in and then you can give me this informations.“ The green eyed
woman smiles and unlocks her front door to enter with her friend. "Wow.
Beautiful villa!” The blue eyed girl whistles in approval. "Let's talk in the
kitchen.” The pinkette suggests and walks towards said place. "Sure. It is so
hot. I need something to drink anyway.“ Ino agrees in a good mood and follows
her friend into the kitchen. "Sasuke is working?" She explores after looking
around for a moment. "What else do you think? He wanted to go to work on Monday
rather than coming here with me. Work is everything to him.” The Haruno says
rather derogatorily and opens the fridge to take out the cool sprite and fills
it into two glasses.
 
"Here." The Haruno says and looks amazed at her friend, who has taken at least
20 magazines out of her bag. "Thank you." Ino smiles and immediately empties
half of her glass, while Sakura looks at the sources of information. ‘Sasuke
and Sakura Uchiha, secret lovers for months. Would she be the right one for
Sasuke Uchiha? Sakura Haruno - company heir or top model?’ The pink haired
woman looks up in shock from the magazine articles. "What happened? Did I become
a celebrity when I married Sasuke? What is this, company heiress or top model,
stuff about? I don't even have model measures.” It comes confused from the
Haruno. Her best friend just shrugs with her shoulders. “All these tests of
whether a girl would fit him are based on characteristics. And you are seen as
the new benchmark for women. In everyone’s eyes you are a Cinderella story
that has come true. You almost appeared out of nowhere a year ago and are now
married to Sasuke Uchiha, the most popular and wanted ex-bachelor.” Says the
Yamanaka and opens the articles in the magazines. Smiling, she puts one in front
of the Haruno's nose, which then groans in annoyance and would like to faint at
the sight.
‘Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha, the new dream couple of Japan.’
 

~*~


The black haired man yawns tired and stretches in his work chair. Slowly the sun
begins to approach the horizon. The evening will soon come. The companies are
closing their offices and go into their well deserved weekend. The Uchiha sighs
and rubs his hair. The time has come. The first weekend with his wife is coming.
So far they haven't had much contact. When he gets up in the morning and goes to
work, she usually is still sleeping. She seems to be a late riser. He smiles
amused at that fact. Actually just like him, but unfortunately as the companies
boss he can't afford to stay in bed as long as he wants. In the evening when he
comes home, the sun is usually about to disappear behind the horizon and with
it, he disappears in his study.
 
Sasuke looks at the workbooks and finally rises. With the back of his knees, he
immediately pushes the armchair back and can walk away from the table
undisturbed. He approaches the shelf again and divides the folders in it. He
looks at the shelf in silence. He doesn't even bring work home. He has worked
everything through the day so far and so he will be able to have a free weekend.
He can enjoy the sun and swim in the pool. Sasuke smiles lightly and shakes his
head before turning away. If he hurries, he can still jump into the pool in the
garden today. He returns to his desk and shuts down the computer, stows away the
tablet and also his cell phone. With his work bag and suit jacket hanging over
his arm, he gets ready to leave the office.
 
Finally the Uchiha leaves the office and walks through the long corridor to the
elevator. The offices to his left and right are all already empty. Once again,
he's one of the last, if not the last, to leave the office. He immediately
enters the elevator and heads down for the underground parking lot, which
protects his car from the sun rays on hot days. With the remote control, he
unlocks his doors while he gets out of the elevator. His car is the only one
which is still present. The reserved parking spaces for his father and brother
are also already empty. His gaze briefly falls on the board with his brother's
car license plate, which shows that only he can park with his car there. His
eyes turn back to his car, where he opens the door to the back seat and places
his bag and jacket on it. Now he is only minutes from his villa and his wife
away, who definitely was again in the sun all day.
 
Sasuke sighs in relief as the cool air in his car surrounds him. Sometimes he
really hates being the owner of the company. He misses university, when he had
no problems and he was able to concentrate on his studies, was not responsible
for several departments and employees. But now he is the owner, responsible for
his employees and next to that he’s now also married. Yet, they are still at
the same state of relationship like they were an week ago. They don't know each
other any better than the day they married and that was exactly a week ago. The
youngest Uchiha sighs and rubs through his hair. How can he do it all? Do all
the work in the company and get to know his wife at the same time and, above
all, learn to love each other - as his mother wishes. And that’s the problem.
He cannot love. He doesn't know how to do that. He had never learned that from
anyone. He never heard or talked about it. So how should he fall in love with
his wife if he has no clue about romantic stuff in the first place? He never did
have a relationship with a woman before. So Sakura is actually his first - in
many ways.
 
With a sigh, he shuts the car door and then locks the car as he walks out of the
garage and to the main entrance to the villa. The sun shines down on him
unbearably hot and he starts to sweat immediately. Sasuke would like to drop
into the pool with everything still on, but the substances which are keeping the
pool water clean and clear would certainly not do his suit any good. He slowly
closes the front door behind him and sighs with relish when he feels the cool
air. The Uchiha briefly looks around for his wife and slips out of his shoes
before heading towards his room. His bed laughs at him untidily, like he had
left it in the morning. He carelessly throws his work bag onto it and hangs his
suit on one of the hangers.

The black haired man briefly goes through his swim shorts, to grab one of them
and goes to the bathroom to swap it with his boxer shorts. Finally, armed with a
bath towel, he goes down and out to the pool. He sees an air mattress drifting
back and forth on the water and his wife laying on it in a black bikini, dozing
off. He smiles slightly and throws his bath towel on one of the loungers, while
he can already mentally hear the water calling for him. With a smile he stands
on the edge of the pool and finally dives into the water. A satisfied smile is
on his lips when he shows up again and brushes his hair out of his face. His
eyes moving towards the mattress that is floating past him, noticing a strand of
her hair hanging in his wife's pretty face. He briefly shakes the water from his
hand to gently brush the hair out of her face and behind her ear. He gently
places his hand on her cheek as she gives out a little grumble.
 
She blinks wearily and looks at him. "Hello." It comes quietly over her lips.
"Hey." He replies just as quietly, pulling his hand from her cheek. "What time
is it that you are already home?" She explores and wipes her eye. "It is only
shortly before 6:00 pm." He says and looks up at the sky, which will soon change
to the colors of the sunset. "And you are already home? Are you all right?”
She asks slightly worried, catching his attention again. He raised his eyebrow
skeptically and eyes her. "It's weekend.” He says only briefly. She smiles
cheekily at his exclamation. "That word actually exists in your vocabulary?" She
grins slightly, his slight frown still in place. "Whatever, then I'll go to the
kitchen to cook something." The pinkette raises her voice and leans backwards,
immediately falling from the mattress and into the water. The dark grey eyed man
grins in amusement and pulls her back up to the surface of the water.


Sprushing, she wipes her face and her hair to the back of her neck. "You could
have said something! I thought I was lying on the edge of the pool!” She says
outrages and puts her hands on her hips. "At least now you won’t fall asleep
while cooking." He grins at her and floats on his back in the water. "But at
least you want something to eat now. Is it true?” Sakura asks, crossing her
arms over her chest. "I don't need anything." Sasuke shrugs his shoulders and
nudges his foot at the edge of the pool in order to push himself off and drift
further into the pool, while Sakura gets out. "Did you have lunch today?" it
comes curious from the Haruno, while she dries herself up with a sigh. "No.”
he replies truthfully, already closing his eyes and enjoying the cool water to
the fullest. Maybe he should set up a paddling pool in the office, then he can
sit there every few hours. Amused he snorts and turns on his belly to bathe in
the cool water.
 
He would prefer not to get out of the water at all. The youngest Uchiha sighs
with delight and looks up at the sky. He keeps looking up into the sky for a few
more minutes before thirst begins to nag on him and he swims to the edge to get
out of the water and dry off. He looks briefly at his still slightly wet shorts
before going into the house. In the living room he can already hear the sound of
sizzling oil and a knife. He follows the noises and takes a quick look at the
kitchen, where he can see his wife in a beige bikini and white, almost
see-through shirt. Sasuke makes a quick trip to his room, where he puts on dry
shorts, puts his smartphone into it’s pocket and finally goes to the kitchen
to meet his need for some liquid. He takes the bottle of iced tea from the
fridge in silence and then sits at the table where the dishes for both of them
are already placed. He picks up one of the glasses to pour some of the liquid
into it and then emptied the liquid inside the glass into his throat. The glass
is actually unnecessary in his opinion, but out of manners he decided for the
glass. So while he sips on his drink, he looks at his wife, who is standing with
her back to him and cuts the vegetables.
 
His gaze turns to the side as the smell of steamed vegetables and roasted meat
begins to creep into his nose. The scent of rice also rises in his nose. The
scent reminds him of the past, where he still lived with his parents and his
mother cooked dinner in the evening. He can hear the pinkette open and close
cupboards, just as the turning of sizzling vegetables and meat. slowly the sky
begins to color. He smiles slightly, to be honest, it had been long since the
last time he just sat there and looked up at the sky like this.


The Haruno comes up to him, placing the rice on the table. She briefly watches
him as he sits there so relaxed and stares out at the sky. She smiles lightly,
seeing him like this was such a new sight to her. In order not to disturb him,
she returns to the stove and turns the meat and vegetables over once again.
“Next Thursday is my graduation. You are coming, right?“ It escapes her lips
after a moment and disturbs his calmness anyway. "After all, I'm your husband,"
he says only. Briefly she looks over her shoulder at him and sees him turning
back to the window. She smiles slightly and then opens the spice cabinet.
 
A sigh of contentment comes from his lips while, to be honest, he has almost
forgotten what they were talking about. Suddenly there is a low whistle. The
Uchiha looks surprised from the window to the door. "Hatch-auch!" It comes from
the Haruno, while he hears how something hits wood. Sasuke looks around at his
wife, who takes a step back from the cupboard and holds her forehead. He rises
and approaches her. "Careful.” He says quietly and puts an arm around her
waist, which totters a bit to the side. He quickly pushes the pan off the stove
and puts it out before turning back towards his green eyed wife. With gentle
force, he leans her against the kitchen counter in the middle of the room and
removes her hand from her forehead. He first examines her forehead before gently
pushing her hair aside and scans her head for the painful area. "Ouch!" Sakura
exclaims, gritting her teeth. This spot is also examined by his eyes before he
smiles slightly at her. "Everything’s okay. No laceration, it will just leave
a small bump.” He says and smoothes her hair, which had been tousled a bit.
 
The Haruno nods briefly and looks into her hunsbands face. They haven't been
that close since the wedding. Sasuke looks from her hair down to her face,
sticking to her eyes. Her gaze also turns to his eyes, which shine again in
their natural shade of grey due to the light. He gently places his hand on her
cheek, caressing his thumb over it, while his other hand lies on her waist and
presses it against him with gentle force. Her hands are bedded on his sides,
where she had been holding him ever since he had examined her head. The hand on
her cheek moves up to her ear and hair. They stare into each other's eyes in
silence, not even noticing the tender touches they make with their hands.
 
Sakura feels his breath brush her lips. The inches between her lips are becoming
less and less. Her eyes start to close by itself. His thumb gently caressing her
waist. A small smile on his lips, he wants to close the little space between
their lips.
 
The sudden ringing of a smartphone makes them both move apart and look to the
side, embarrassed. Only out of the corner of her eyes does she notice how he
takes his smartphone out of his pocket and answers the call, takes a step to the
side, but still keeps her in his field of vision. To cover up her discomfort,
the Haruno rubs her hair and finally puts her hand on the elbow of her other arm
while he stands in front of her and talks on the phone. She looks at him a
little red around her nose, but then turns her head and waits for the call to
end.
 
"Was that the company?" She asks a few minutes later when he drops the
smartphone and slides it back into his pocket. "No, it was my mother. Why? You
want to continue where we left off?” He asks with a grin. Sakura looks up at
him, shy and a little red around her nose, which he thinks looks cute on her.
Sasuke grins lightly and leans back down to her. Her hands on his shoulders, she
braces herself and pushes up on her toes. Again she feels his warm breath, which
slightly smells of iced tea, on her lips. He gently brushes past the tip of her
nose. They are getting closer and closer until there are only millimeters
between them. But the moment he wants to put his lips on hers, she grins. "For
that you’ll have to wait until our next show in public.” She says,
immediately getting back down on her heels.
 
Sasuke looks at her a little surprised, while a small feeling of disappointment
spreads through him. Grinning cheekily, she walks past him and takes the pan off
the stove to put it on the table with the rice. He watches her silently, even as
she stands there and looks demanding at him. "Now sit down already. Otherwise I
will call your mother and tell her that you rejected my with love cooked
food.“ She says with a sigh and looks at him with a stern look. Rolling his
eyes, Sasuke returns the sigh and sits down at the table where she hands out the
food with a smile.



                           Kapitel 9: Step 9 - Tasks
                           -------------------------


A marriage doesn’t only connect two people with each other, but also the tasks
and duties with the spouses. They make promises and agree to the tasks and
duties that a marriage brings with it. Tasks are to be distinguished from
duties. Being there for each other in bad times doesn’t count to the tasks,
no, that counts to the promises. So much can count as a task, like to protect
each other, to take responsibility and to show respect to each other.
 
"Mr. Uchiha, you have only 45 minutes left until your next appointment.” The
voice of his secretary sounds through his office phone. Sighing softly, he rubs
over his face. "Thank you Ayame.” He says indifferently and finally puts the
receiver back in its place. The days in June are always such a pain. These
endlessly long hours in the office instead of being able to be outside in the
scorching heat. Even if he is not the type of person who actually sits in the
blazing sun all day long, alone the thoughts of having so much work, when he
knows that others can lie in the cool water of their pool is seriously
tormenting him. Others, as well as his wife, who is definitely lying in a bikini
on a lounger in their garden again.
 
They have been married for almost two weeks now, exactly two weeks to the
following day. Slowly everything settled down and their living together is
slowly becoming routine. When he leaves the house early in the morning, she
usually sleeps. Though, he can’t really say it for sure, since they still
sleep in two different guest rooms. After a hard day of work, he usually comes
back late from the office every day. Except from Friday, there was no day where
he stepped through the front door before 8 pm. At the stove in the kitchen there
is always something to eat that she cooked. He can always hear the TV from the
living room and when he looks in at the door, he can see her lying on the couch
in front of the television. When he came home later, she even seemed to have
gone to sleep, once she had been making a last round through their pool and once
he even found her fallen asleep in front of the television.
 
The black haired man doesn't even know if she even notices whenever he comes
home. He would just quietly take some of the food and disappear into his office.
Actually, they hardly talk. They also have almost no contact. Except on weekend.
It was the only time they really talked and ate together. Certainly it's his
fault too. After all, it is he who is in the office all day. They don’t act
like a married couple, they don't really behave like roommates either. It’s
more like they are ghosts living in the same house.
 
The Uchiha tiredly rubs his eyes. If his mother knew about all that, she would
probably knock him out by hand and ship him to a deserted island with Sakura. He
smiles amused at his thoughts and closes the portfolio with the drawing. These
designs are robbing so much of his time. Sometimes the logical aspects are
simply missing, the drawing is inaccurate or simply not realizable. He has to
study the drawings carefully and even measure them. These designs take three to
four hours of his working time. He likes to do that, but he would rather like to
draw them all himself instead. There have been no more creative participations
from him since he took over the position as the head of the creative department.
He only controls the drawings and gives them his approval.
 
He sighs to get the stack of drawings onto the shelf. There is a knock on the
door. "Come in." Sasuke growls softly and looks up, the folders in his hand.
"Mr. Uchiha. You should slowly leave for your appointment.“ Explains his
secretary and looks at him from the door. "How? Isn't the appointment going to
be here at my office?” He asks with surprise, watching her shake her head with
a smile. "No, you will meet outside.” Ayame explains and comes closer to the
table. "And how long will the appointment last?" He asks further and hands her
the folders. "It can last until evening.” She reports to him and then leaves
the office. The youngest Uchiha sighs in agony and then puts his work documents
and tablet into his bag and shuts down his computer. Hanging his suit jacket
over his arm, he reaches for his smartphone before leaving the office. With a
smile, Ayame hands him a piece of paper with the address and the exact time.
"And who am I going to meet with at that place?" He turns to her questioningly.
"You'll know when you have arrived." She just says and smiles at him, then turns
back towards the keyboard on her computer.


Sighing, Sasuke shakes his head and then leaves his secretary's office. While
driving down into the underground parking lot with the elevator, he immediately
enters the address into his smartphones navigation device, in order to be guided
by it to the location. He quickly hides his work bag behind the driver's seat
before he sits on his seat and starts the engine. The black haired man briefly
examines the two empty parking spaces to his left before concentrating on
parking out backwards and driving out of the underground garage.
 
The navigation system guides him through the streets of Tokyo. An annoyed groan
escapes his mouth when he is forced to stop because of a traffic jam. He looks
to the side, at the piece of paper with the address, from which he is actually
only 20 minutes away. With a sigh, he leans his head back on his headrest and
turns the air conditioning up. After another 10 minutes he sighs tortured and
takes the smartphone into his hand, to send a message to his secretary that she
needs to inform the client about his delay. He then puts the cell phone back
into the holder and supports his elbow on the interior paneling of the car door
and against the window. His eyes looking out to the other cars in boredom.
 
For a moment he feels like last weekend when he was sitting in the kitchen.
Sakura had spoken to him about something when he looked relaxed out of the
window. But what had they been talking about? He lets his fingers drive through
his hair thoughtfully. This week there was something where she wanted him to be
with her. But when and especially what was that?
 
With a sigh, the Uchiha slams his car door shut and immediately moves away while
he uses the remote control. He had been stuck in the traffic for almost an hour
and is way too late because of it. He doubts that the client is even still here
and waiting for him. In the meantime he has remembered what Sakura talked to him
about. Her graduation ceremony from the university, where he should of course be
a good husband. But he won’t be able to come. His schedule for this week is
full and he also has no idea on which day and at what time it is going to take
place.
 
Annoyed he drives through his hair before pulling his smartphone out of the
chest pocket of his suit jacket to look at the watch. Rolling his dark grey
eyes, he lets the smartphone disappear back into his pocket and then runs off to
the meeting point. In addition to the traffic jam, he also had to look for a
parking space and is now at the second entrance gate instead of the main one. He
slowly approaches the gate, which he immediately passes without reading the
inscription on the stone tablet. His legs carry him on, along the wide path to
the meadow, where he stops and looks surprised at the sitting masses in front of
him. A large stage with a speaker’s desk stands across the wide path. Right
and left are rows of chairs that are fully occupied.
 
Sasuke laughs softly when he realizes who his client and what his appointment
actually are. With a smile on his lips, he walks along the edge of the grass so
as not to disturb the ceremony while he is looking for a seat. He passes a few
of the trees planted along the edge of the grass, behind which a path and
another green area lead. Sinking his hands into the pockets of his suit, he
looks for an empty place because there are several people in the row of trees
and, as he could see, a few reporters as well. His gaze wanders over the student
caps on the heads of the people in front of him as he leans against one of the
trees in an empty space.
 
"Haruno Sakura.” A voice sounds over the boxes. The Uchiha smiles. At least he
seems to have arrived in time. Shortly after, the pinkette enters the stage and
approaches the two older men and the lady. He can see the smile on her lips with
which she accepts the certificate and then shakes the hands of the promoters,
the dean and director of the university. With applause from the other students
and guests, she leaves the stage and goes back to her seat on the broad path.
 


~> * <~


Annoyed, the pink haired woman crosses her arms over her chest. A soft snort
escapes her lips as she looks up at the sky. In the meantime, the guests have
appeared for the graduation ceremony and are slowly taking their places. It will
soon be time for the graduates of the year to take their seats. "What's wrong?"
It sounds from the side, to which the green eyed woman immediately turns to.
Hinata stands on her right and smiles shyly at her. Nothing can be seen of the
sovereignty with which she mastered the tasks involved in planning the wedding.
"The idiot is no where to be found!" It comes with a huff from the Haruno. Ino
and Tenten, who turns out to be visiting this university as well, look at her
confused. "Everyone is here. Ryosuke, Honoka, his parents, Itachi and even
Naruto came. But of course the idiot isn't here. Although it is his job as a
husband.” The pinkette explains and grumbles to herself. The girls around her
giggle softly.
 
"How is it going between you two?" The Ama finally asks in order to change the
topic. "What should there be going on? He is a ghost! I don't see him during the
week at all, he doesn't even greet when he comes home! Just takes some of the
food, if any, and goes up into his office. It is a miracle that he hasn't worked
over the weekend.” It comes exasperated from the pinkette before she puts a
strand of her hair behind her ear. Her hair lies in gentle curls over her
shoulders and back. Wearing the student cap and the additional robe. Classic in
black with the cloth in gold on which the university logo is embroidered. "Well,
it’s only the second week yet, it’ll be fine!” The Hyuga girl tries to
cheer her up. "Why is it even annoying you at all that he isn't there?" The
question comes from her best friend and tugs at her robe. The Haruno points with
her head back towards the row of trees, where some people were standing around.
“Ever noticed that there are reporters between those people? I don’t feel
like answering their questions of why the idiot hasn’t shown up, while
everyone else has! He also promised me last week that he would come and it is
even written in his damn schedule. Fugaku took care of it.” She rolls her eyes
sullenly.

Consecutive tunes sounds through the boxes and gives the students to understand
that they should go to their seats. "It will be fine, Sakura.“ Hinata smiles
at her before the small group splits up. The students are split into
alphabetical order, so later when they receive their certificate, a row rises
and then fills up again individually. With a sigh, Sakura drops her head in
disappointment and goes to her place. Between the rows of guests, she can even
see the group that came only for her. Smiling, she waves towards them, noticing
that there is an empty space between them. So his family and his best friend
also expected him to come. Finally, among the crowd of guests, she can also see
the Hyuga families, with Neji, the Yamanakas and Kiba. She shakes her head with
a smile. Really everyone is here. Even the best friends of Tenten and Ino, but
of course only Sasuke wasn’t. "This work-mad idiot. For whom there is nothing
more important than work.“ She mumbles under her breath before going to her
seat and greeting the students next to her.
 
Shortly after the graduates have taken their seats, the music of the school
orchestra sounds through the place and the dean, the director and a woman, the
promoter, enter the stage, which has been set up across the main path. Two flags
of the school flutter gently in the wind at the left and right of the stage.
When the music falls silent, the director steps onto the podium.
 
The Haruno looks around. All of her friends are scattered across the mass of the
graduates. Tenten with her surname Ama is of course in the front rows. In the
row behind her, on the other hand, she can find Hinata and the Yamanaka is
seated somewhere in the last rows. Sighing tormentedly, Sakura looks back again.
Apparently you can not even rely on him to come when it is on his schedule. She
doesn't even want to know what speculations this raises in public because work
seems to be more important to him than his wife. A silent "che" Comes over her
lips. Wife. She is not a wife, but rather a servant who cooks food for him, does
the laundry and goes shopping.
 
Sakura rolls her eyes before sighing internally. She really tries hard and he's
just never there. Everything she knows about him, she knows from his mother, or
maybe a magazine. He doesn't seem to care about the whole thing. She shakes her
head inwardly. It is the day of her graduation ceremony. She shouldn't be
sitting here and be irritated by Sasuke, but smile and be happy. Everyone came
because of her, Itachi, Fugaku, Mikoto, Ryosuke, Honoka and Naruto. She should
be happy and not spoil her joy. Mikoto will give a talk to Sasuke anyway and
fold him up if he doesn't show up here. A sneaky grin appears on her lips, she
would love to see that.
 
Undetected, Sakura shakes her head and looks up. The awards have already been
handed over. The graduates take the stage individually to take the role with the
certificate. Shaking hands with the rector, dean and the promoter and leaving
the stage again. Everyone has a smile on their lips when they return to sit back
in their seats. The green eyed woman can also see a smile on the lips of the Ama
as she leaves the stage and follows the path to her seat and the next row slowly
rises and moves forward to the stage.


With every further graduate who goes on stage, their anticipation grows. Soon
she too will finally have the certificate that she attended this university and
completed her masters. A smile spreads on her lips. Not even the fact that
Sasuke did not show up for this celebration can spoil her anticipation. A few
minutes later, the graduates of her row finally rise one after another and walk
towards the stage. With a smile on her lips, she follows the line. The
certificates are handed over without a break. "Haruno Sakura." A voice sounds
over the boxes. With a smile she climbs up the three stairs and enters the
stage. She carries her legs to the promoter, who shakes her hand with a smile
and hands over the roll with the certificate. The dean and the director also
shake hands with her with a smile, before she goes to the other end of the stage
and down the stairs to the meadow. When she sees Naruto and Mikoto between the
rows, the pink haired grins briefly at them, as well as Tenten, whom she
passes.
 
In a good mood and proud to hold her certificate in her hand, she follows the
handover of the certificates to the others, Hinata, Ino and finally the last of
the graduates. The table on which the rolls were lying is empty. The promoter
steps back from the podium and the director steps up to the speakers desk. In
silence, he gazes over the guests and graduates of his university before
starting to hold his speech.
 
Sakura looks back at her friends and has to suppress a laugh when she sees Ino
through the rows to the rear, who presents the roll to her with a grin and
thumbs up. The pinkette turns back to listen to her principal's speech. “Even
if your certificates now mark you out as specialists, don't forget you go out
there as human beings. And now ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Tokyo
University of Business and International Affairs, I congratulate our graduates
of this year.“ The older man's voice sounds over the boxes. With the end of
his speech, the former students jump up from their seats. Girls screeching and
screaming with delight, boys cheering and the guests clapping. With a laugh,
Sakura also rises and looks briefly at her fellow graduates. Before she pulls
the hat off her head with them and solemnly throws it into the air. A smile is
on her lips as she looks up at the black hats that fall down on her like rain.
 
In the next moment the crowd around them dissolves and the graduates storm to
their friends and families. Laughing, Sakura lets the crowd pull her with them
until she arrives at Hinata and Ino and Tenten joins them. They happily fall
into each other's arms. A few minutes later, parents and relatives also come.
The pinkette immediately falls around her brother's neck before she does the
same with Mikoto, Itachi and Naruto and is also hugged and congratulated by
Fugaku, who then wants to look at her certificate right away. With a laugh,
Sakura also gets hugged by Ino's parents and Kiba. Everyone congratulates
everyone. The Haruno struggles with a lot of effort to get out of the crowd,
which the families formed, in order to watch the whole spectacle from outside.
Many of the other families and graduates are already leaving the university
campus. With a smile, Sakura turns her gaze to her friends and family before
looking sadly at the ground and then slowly lifts her gaze towards the row of
trees.
 
Uncertain, the pink haired woman takes a few steps towards the row of trees, the
slow steps slowly becoming faster and a smile spreading on her lips as she
approaches the black haired man who is standing there and looks at her with a
smile. "You came after all!" She says to him before falling around his neck.
There is a chuckle sounding next to her ear as he catches her. Amused, the
Uchiha closes his arms around his wife. "Naturally. After all, I am your
husband.“ He only says. She immediately pushes her upper body away from him
and looks at him. "Hi.” It comes over his lips when she wants to open her
mouth. His lips lay gently on hers for a brief kiss of greeting. When Sakura
breaks away from him, she immediately grins cheerfully at him. "You've been
waiting for this all week." She says cheekily. A little surprised, he eyed her
briefly before a small grin shows up on his lips. "Oh, yes, there was
something." He says, remembering the moment at their kitchen from one week ago.
She looks at him in confusion as he approaches her once again.
 
A smile lies on his lips when he can feel her breath on his skin. His hand lies
tentatively on her cheek, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. His eyes are on
her clear green eyes. He can feel her hands which are on his upper arms. He
closes up the few inches between them and steals another, slightly longer kiss.
He gently removes his lips from hers, drops his hand and smiles when he sees the
slight blush on her cheeks. "Let's go to the others.” He then suggests. His
wife smiling and nodding before turning to walk next to him. Almost shyly, he
takes her hand in his as they go to his parents and the others. Hinata smiles
softly at her, while Ino seems to try to cuddle Kiba to death and Tenten talks
with Neji and his family.


"It's nice that you are finally coming." Itachi greets his younger brother.
"I've been standing there by the trees since Sakura was called to the stage."
Sasuke merely replies, raising an eyebrow as he looks at his brother. "Sakura.
We have to go. But we'll see you tonight!” Ino jumps at the pink haired woman,
putting her arms around her neck. "Okay Ino. See you tonight.” Laughs the
Haruno and gives her best friend a quick hug. In a good mood, the young Yamanaka
almost jumps away, followed by Kiba, who walks like a normal person. "Bye Kiba!"
Sakura calls after her friend, who stops and turns to her and approaches her.
"Bye Mrs. Uchiha!" He grins after a hug. "Che idiot.” She replies, but Kiba
has already caught up with the Yamanakas. Tenten laughs at her left. "Until an
hour ago, that was your pet phrase for Sasuke." The Ama says amused. Sasuke
turns his attention to his wife and raises one of his eyebrows. The Haruno
briefly glares at her friend. "Well. We'll see you later.” The brunette girl
says quickly with a smile and hugs the green eyed woman goodbye. Hinata also
says goodbye to her with a hug and Neji gives her a friendly hand shake before
he says goodbye to Sasuke and the Amas and Hyugas leave the university campus
together.


"Do we want to go then? I made sure to reserve a table for the celebration of
the day.“ Fugaku says when only they are left at the campus. "Yes. Let's
go!” The blonde of the group says enthusiastically. "Naruto. I think I will
soon have to cancel your vacation days, as little as you have worked
recently.” Itachi says thoughtfully. "What?! No!“ The Uzumaki says and you
can immediately see small drops of sweat on his forehead. The group laughs and
then moves towards the parking lot. Naruto sulks after them. At the main gate,
their paths separate and everyone gets in their car to drive to the restaurant.
 
Sasuke and Sakura walk silently side by side, only hands still held together.
Suddenly, reporters come towards them and literally surround them. "Mrs. Uchiha.
Congratulations on your master!” Begins one of the reporters. “With Sasuke
Uchiha as your husband, you surely must be the happiest woman in the world now?"
The Haruno blinks a few times in confusion before smiling slightly and pressing
herself against her husband, who immediately puts an arm around her waist. "As
happy as I can be with him.” The pinkette replies to the reporter. Just as the
woman is about to begin her next question, the Uchiha speaks up. "We are sorry,
but we have to go now, we still have an appointment. Please excuse us." His arm
pulled around his wife for protection, he forces their way out of the paparazzis
and quickly walks with her to his car, which he already unlocks from afar so
they can enter as quickly as possible.
 
When Sasuke parks out backwards in a single move and drives away, the Haruno has
to laugh. From the side mirror she can see how the reporters are trying to run
after them. She looks out of the window with a laugh. "What is so funny?" The
Uchiha asks surprised. "In public we are the perfect couple, but in reality we
hardly talk to each other." She explains and then gradually falls silent,
because that is supposed to be sad, not funny. "We're really having a sad
marriage." she finally whispers quietly to herself. "What are you doing tonight
anyway?" He asks, apparently not having heard her statement. "Celebrate. If you
should find that word in your vocabulary.” She sighs as an answer. The
youngest Uchiha just nods and gives her a quick glance as she suddenly takes off
her robe. "And why am I an idiot?" He quizzically raised his eyebrow when he
remembered it.
 
"Very easily. Because you haven’t appeared to the graduation. I thought you
wouldn't come, even though you said yes and your father even made sure that it
was on your damn schedule as an appointment.” Towards the end her words turn
into a hiss before she gets out of the car and slams the door shut because they
have arrived at the restaurant. "I'm your wife damn it! I shouldn't need
appointments in your schedule!“ She says irritated before she is interrupted.
He gently releases himself from her lips, but only withdraws a little. "I was
stuck in a traffic jam for almost an hour." He explains quietly. She looks at
him a little surprised. "You are..." she starts. "Stuck in a traffic jam.
Exactly.” He continues for her. "Still an idiot!" She grins at him, and takes
his hand to pull him into the restaurant. “Now come on. I'm hungry!” She
pulls his hand impatiently before rolling her eyes and pulling his arm harder.
“Yes, you don't need anything. I know."



                          Kapitel 10: Step 10 - Work
                          --------------------------


Work is a basic part of a marriage. In the past, it was usual for the women to
take care of the household and children at home, while the men did the working
part. But now it isn’t anything special anymore if both spouses earn money
themselves. For a couple, this exercise of the profession can be a tough test.
If both work in different companies, there should be almost no problems, except
maybe the combination of working hours. A bigger problem can be if the spouses
work together in the same company. They constantly meet and then spend the
evening together and sit together all the time.
 
It is shortly before half past seven in the morning. The sun is already shining
down on the city, only a pleasant and cool breeze providing a bit of freshness
and cooling to the civilians. It is accepted by everyone with a smile on their
lips, especially in the crowded streets and on the highways where the morning
traffic jam is already showing its signs. Few people are lucky enough to be able
to stay at home or have already reached their destination.
 
The youngest Uchiha yawns somewhat tired as he drives through the underground
garage of the Uchiha corporation to get to his parking lot. As usual, most of
the parking spaces are still empty, just as Itachi’s and his father’s are as
well. When he heads for his reserved parking space, he notices that another
parking space next to his has been marked as reserved. Puzzled he looks at the
identification plate with the numbers on it, which is the only one that can
stand on this place from now on, before he shrugs his shoulders and takes his
bag out of the car. In the meantime a new month has come and they have been
writing the month of July since midnight. He has been married for a little over
four weeks now. In the meantime, his wife has already completed her studies and
will soon dive into the world of work as well. He doesn’t know whether this
fact will change anything about their arrangement, but so far they get along
quite well with their way of living together.
 
With a sigh he runs his fingers through his hair and finally leaves the elevator
to walk down the long corridor and get to his office. "Good morning." It comes
from his secretary, as one of the few firsts before him, sitting in her office
behind her desk while looking up from the documents in her hands. "Good morning
Ayame." Sasuke replies still a little tiredly and then goes to his office, where
he puts his bag on his armchair and then turns to his panoramic window before
opening the windows on the side and lets the still cool but fresh air into his
office. He smiles lightly and then unpacks his documents and tablet while the
computer starts. With relish he leans on the ledge of the windows with his
forearms and lets the fresh breeze blow through his hair.
 
There is a knock on the door, ending the silence of the peaceful moment. "Yes?"
He says, knowing that it is Ayame who is already standing in the open door. Out
of courtesy, he turns to her. She is smiling in the doorway, holding a small
tray with a glass of water and a cup on it. "Thanks Ayame.” He says with a
smile at her as she sets the tray down on his desk. He looks briefly at the
lady. Even if she only looks like in her mid-30th, she is already 49 years old.
In the past she has already worked as his father's secretary. Unlike now, in the
past his father had been the sole boss, but had two secretaries. One secretary
for the creative and one for the technological department, which had both done a
lot of work. Now Itachi and Sasuke are the bosses in these areas and have his
father's secretaries as their support. A smile steals on the Uchiha's lips.
Despite the fact that his father always worked long and hard and also had two
secretaries. She never accused him of anything, not that he did not spend enough
time with her and the family, nor that he had an affair or anything. She simply
trusted and even supported him.
 
Slightly smiling he shakes his head and takes one last look out of the window
before he sits down at his desk and checks his mails while he sips his cup of
coffee. There is another short knock on the open door and Ayame enters the
office again. He immediately turns his full attention to her, because now, like
every morning, she will read out his appointments for the day. Like this she
gives him an overview of the day and he can think of a way of how he can divide
his work the best, so that he doesn't have to stop in the middle of things.
“Now, just after 8:00 am the new designer will arrive, who was hired by your
father. At 10:00 am you will have a meeting with your brother. At 11:00 am a
meeting with the marketing department. At 2:30 pm you have an appointment with a
client and at 4:00 pm another conference call.” The brunette woman reads out
the daily schedule. A silent sigh comes over his lips. "Oh, yeah, the new
designer. Why does she only come after 8 am?” Sasuke explores and supports his
chin on his palm. "Your father brings her personally." Ayame answers with a
smile, watching the black haired man nod in understanding and then leans back in
his armchair. "What do you know about this designer?" He asks, looking at the
ceiling. "Well, she is 23 years old, has just completed her master's in
industrial design at the most prestigious private university, the Tokyo
University of Business and International Affairs and has recently been married.
Her husband works all day and she doesn't understand why.“ The secretary tells
him with a smile.

"Thank you, Ayame." Sasuke says. The brunette woman immediately leaves the
office leaving him alone. He sighs softly. A new designer who was hired by his
father, which means that he has no idea about her skills and qualifications,
does not know who she is and cannot really evaluate her. She is probably some
spoiled daughter of one of his fathers friends. Now the fourth reserved parking
space in the underground garage has gotten a reasonable explanation. As a
daughter of a friend, of course, she has certain privileges and such. Annoyed he
rubs his hair. And then he will have to deal with her, as if he hadn’t enough
to deal with already anyways!
 
The black haired man rises from his armchair and turns towards the open window
through which he looks at the Tokyo skyline. He thinks briefly, the Tokyo
University of Business and International Affairs, this means that she must be a
fellow student of Sakura and had been at the graduation ceremony two weeks ago.
He doesn't like the fact that in addition to Karin, he has to deal with a
spoiled brat too now. A small grin steals on his face though. He knows that
Karin comes earlier every morning than everyone else, only to get the free
parking space next to his. He would love to see the face of the redhead when she
sees that the parking space she occupied is no longer available for her. This
woman just goes tremendously on his nerves, but to his displeasure she is really
talented in drawing and that’s why he can’t just kick her out of the
company. At least not without a reasonable reason.
 
Sasuke sighs and then turns to his table, from which he takes the stack of
documents, that he worked through the previous evening, to divide them in the
filing cabinet. The filing in general is actually only a kind of "department
system". Each department has its own filing basket, in which it places the
revised documents and Ayame then hands them over to the departments. When he has
finished dividing the edited folders, he returns to his desk. Since the new
employee is going to arrive in the next few minutes, he doesn’t need to start
on anything new and therefore devotes himself to his mails.
 
It is generally the case that when a new employee begins with their first day,
that they come to his office and they have a short conversation before Sasuke
personally accompanies the new worker to his department, introduces them to
their superiors and key employees and shows them their office. The division into
the offices is done by his secretary, he only assigns any superiors or groups.
The whole procedure usually takes between half an hour and an hour. Actually,
all of this could also be done by the deputy, but his father used to do it this
way and he thought the idea was pretty good and so he adopted it. Besides like
this he has a bit of a change from office work and he can talk to the employees
into contact and build up a certain basis for the new employees.
 
With another sigh, the youngest Uchiha finally rises to stand at the open window
with his tablet in hand and feel the breeze while quickly answering or sorting
out any mails. He briefly lets his gaze wander out of the window, stopping and
staring at the distant park, which stands out with its green plants from its
less natural surroundings.



~> * <~
 

The pinkette stands in front of her mirror in her guest room, alternately
holding two tops to her torso. Shortly after Sasuke left the house at 7:00 am,
she also dared her way out of her room, had breakfast and prepared everything,
so that she only had to decide on one of the two outfits which she had prepared
the day before. With a sigh she then holds the tops in front of her and examines
them again in detail. "Today I'm in a good mood and want to shine." Sakura says
to herself and decides on the green one. She carefully puts it with the matching
trousers and blazer before putting the other items of clothing back into the
closet. Humming to the music from the radio, the green eyed woman puts on her
deodorant and then slips into the green skinny jeans, which immediately hugs her
legs and makes them look longer. She gently pulls the top over her newly made
curls, which she pulls out from under the fabric.
 
A quick look at the watch makes her sigh. With the blazer in hand, she turns off
the radio and then leaves her room to return to the kitchen. With a slight
smile, she took the last strawberry on her plate and lets it disappear in her
mouth before she puts her plate in the sink. Stowing her smartphone into her
handbag, which is already set up next to her application folder, she slips into
her beige blazer and tucks the folder under her arm, with whose hand she carries
the handbag. When walking past the dresser in the hall, the young Haruno takes
her car keys, quickly slips into her beige pumps with a silk flower on the
outside at ankle height and leaves the house.
 
The sun shines warmly towards her, illuminating the surroundings and warming the
air for the hot afternoon. Sakura immediately looks for her sunglasses in her
handbag and stows the house keys in their place. A small smile lays on her lips
as she turns and goes to the garage where her car is. The time of learning is
now over for her. Now that she has completed her master, it is time for her to
dive into the world of work. She no longer has school holidays, from now on she
only has vacations, which she more or less has to work for from now on. Sleeping
late in the morning is now only possible on weekends. The Haruno sighs slightly
as she opens her car door and drops into the driver's seat. She already misses
the long sleep.
 
The handbag and folder are placed in the front passenger seat before the
pinkette starts the engine and drives out of the garage and over the driveway.
She closes the gate through remote control and waits that it is completely
closed behind her car. Only then does she set the car in motion and drive to her
future work place. A small grin lays on her lips when she decides to take a
picture of her husband when she enters the office.

After an almost 30-minute drive, she finally turns into the Uchiha Corporation
and drives down into the underground parking lot. She smiles slightly when she
recognizes her husband's car and immediately parks in the free parking lot on
its right. As Fugaku has assured her, this parking space has been reserved for
her and a sign with a identification plate shows that only her car can stand
here. A small, happy grin lays on her lips before she pushes her sunglasses up
her head, takes her prepared belongings and gets out of the car, which she locks
while her legs are already carrying her to the elevator.
 
A smile shows up on her lips when the doors to the 58th floor opens and she sees
Fugaku standing a few meters away from her talking to someone. She walks towards
him with gallant steps. After just a few steps, he becomes aware of her and ends
the conversation before smiling towards her. "Good morning Sakura, nice that you
are here.” The Uchiha smiles at her and hugs her in a greeting manner. "Good
morning Fugaku." she laughs softly. “Why did you take the folder with you?" He
immediately asks. Sakura takes a quick look at the portfolio before smiling with
a shrug. "This is my application folder. Just in case that Sasuke might want to
take a look at it too." she explains to him and then follows him as he indicates
towards the elevator with a wave of his hand. "It’s good that you gave it a
thought. Did everything work out? With the car parking I mean.“ Her
father-in-law continues, earning a nod in response. "Yes, everything was fine."
The green eyed woman says as they leave the elevator with which they went to the
top floor. "Nice. Uhm, you already know where you can find Naruto. And, oh yes,
Itachi also wanted to visit you and welcome you to the company.” Fugaku
reports as they walk down the long corridor to the boss's office of the creative
department. The Haruno just nods and looks around the brightly lit hallway.
 
After a few minutes they arrive at the end of the hallway and the Uchiha knocks
on the office door before he enters and holds the door open for her. Ayame
greets them with a smile. "Good Morning. Mr. Uchiha is already waiting for
you.” The woman explains to the Haruno and points to the door that is only
held slightly open. "Well. Then I wish you a lot of fun.“ Fugaku wishes her
with a smile on his lips. The pinkette laughs softly and then walks towards the
door while she looks for her smartphone from her handbag to take a picture.
Shortly but firmly she knocks on her husband's office door and turns on the
camera. "Come in." Sakura hears the voice of her husband shortly afterwards and
opens the door following the invitation. After entering the room, she closes the
door behind her and heads for the desk. Her gaze falls on her husband, who
stands in front of his open window with his tablet in hand, not having looked up
at her yet.
 
He slowly approaches his desk and places the tablet on it before looking up only
to get surprised by her. A light flashes at the Uchiha and makes him blink in
confusion. "What are you doing?" He says in surprise. The pinkette looking at
the smartphone screen with a smile. "This is a new development and is called
photo shots." She explains cheekily as she sets the touch screen back into its
lock screen and stows the device back into her handbag. "I mean what are you
doing here?" He shakes his head and looks back at her. "I see. Well yeah.
Standing around.“ She says and looks around briefly, grinning cheekily at him.
He sighs and looks at her waiting. "I don't have time for that now, a new
employee is coming." he explains after they have only looked each other in the
eye for a moment. "Very well, Bossy, maybe I should come in again?“ She looks
questioningly at him. "Don't call me that.” The black haired man grumbles in
disapproval. "What should I call you otherwise? Boss? Chief?“ The pinkette
still asking with a cheeky grin on her face. The youngest Uchiha sighs a bit
annoyed, he really has no time to deal with his wife at the moment. "Your
husband." the dark eyed suggests. "During work I would rather keep it a secret
and would prefer to introduce ourselves as friends, don’t you think?" The
Haruno suggests before shaking her head slightly. "But joke aside now, I don't
want to steal your time, because otherwise you will only come back home way too
late.” Now, completely confused, he looks at his wife. 

He silently looks at her in her outfit, with which she could easily start her
first day at work. His eyes widen in surprise as he realizes what she is getting
at. When he is about to open his mouth to say it, she already raises her voice.
"I'm the new industrial designer which your father hired." She smiles slightly
at him. Sasuke breathes deeply and then smiles slightly. "Why didn't you say
that right away?" He asks, gesturing to sit down, which she does. The Haruno
shrugs indifferently. "Well, since I have no idea how far your skills are
developed and talented in drawing, I want you to bring me a drawing during the
day. You can choose what you want to show on it, but it should show how detailed
and true to scale you draw.“ He begins and she immediately holds out her
application folder, which he declines with a wave of the hand and shaking his
head. "You can give them to me tonight, when we are at home. Then I can also
look at a few models if you have them.” The black haired man explains before
he takes his smartphone and rises to his feet to close the windows.
 
"Then I'll take you to your office and introduce you to a few of your
colleagues.” He says, smiling slightly as he points to the door with his hand.
The pinkette nods and rises to leave the office with him. The Haruno smiles
briefly at the secretary before leaving the office and Sasuke puts his hand on
her waist to guide her around. He introduces her to the deputy and his deputy to
his wife and shows her one of the break rooms, with a small kitchen and coffee
machine.
 
"Good morning, Mr. Uchiha!" A high pitched female voice sounds from the side as
if the person would like to scream. Confused, the pink haired woman looks around
at the woman who is approaching them with quick steps. "Good morning,
Kaseguchi." The black haired says with an annoyed undertone. The Haruno can
barely suppress the grin, but cannot hide a smile. The redhead in front of them
happily stretches her breasts in the low-cut top towards the Uchiha, but the
Uchiha doesn't give it any attention and reacts rather negatively. "Kaseguchi,
this is Haruno Sakura. Our new designer. She belongs to your group.” he
finally introduces his wife before turning back to the pinkette in his arm.
"Sakura, that's Kaseguchi Karin, you give her drafts and drawings and then she
brings them to me." He explains to the green eyed woman, who doesn't miss the
poisonous looks of the Kaseguchi, especially when she sees his arm around the
waist of his wife. The Haruno nods briefly as a sign that she has understood and
lets Sasuke lead her down a corridor and into a room.
 
The sun shines brightly against her as she enters the room and looks around
briefly. "Good morning.” A young brunette in the room greets them when she
sees the boss come in. "Good morning, Mrs. Hondo.” The Uchiha replies shortly
before turning back to the Haruno. "So, this is your office. You’ll share it
with Mrs. Hondo." he explains briefly and makes an extravagant movement. "Ms.
Hondo, this is Haruno Sakura, our new designer." Sasuke introduces his wife as
well as some others before. "Hello." Smiling, Sakura looks at her new colleague,
who doesn't seem to be much older than herself. "Mrs. Hondo will be happy to
help you if you should have any problems." Sasuke smiles lightly and looks at
the brunette, who nods with a smile on her own lips. "Well, then I will go now
and I will get a drawing of yours by the end of the day.” It comes with a
small sigh from the Uchiha as Sakura puts her things on a table. The head of the
creative departments then leaves the office to return to his own.
 
"Sasuke!", A hand clasped his arm as he was about to go from the corridor to the
main hall. "Should I bring the drawing over to you now or give it to Karin?" The
Haruno asks with a wry smile. "You bring me this drawing, you pass the other
designs on to Kaseguchi. I wonder how long it will take before she comes to
complain about you for the first time.” He grins towards her towards the end.
She looks at him with a huff as he turns to go. "Idiot!" Sakura calls after her
husband, who only turns and winks at her.

She looks after him, her cheeks turning slightly red at his gesture, because the
wink was the first she ever saw on him and she can’t deny that it looks
extremely sexy on him. With a sigh, she turns and wants to return to her office
when Karin is already on her heels and follows her into the office. "How dare
you describe Mr. Uchiha, your boss, as an idiot and also dare to call him by his
first name!?" The shrill voice of the redhead sounds again. "So, and who gave
you the right to be all familiar with me?" The pink haired girl asks and looks
bored at the Kaseguchi, before she continues to talk. “Well, it doesn't
matter. I am a friend of the Uchiha family, Im not only calling Sasuke by his
name, but also his parents and brother.” The redhead eyed the Haruno
defiantly. "You don't have to act like this and throw yourself at him, because
he already belongs to me." Karin roars and puts her hands on her hips. Sakura
raises her eyebrow skeptically and looks at the woman in front of her, who
clearly has the top too tight and the bra too small. Inwardly she rolls her
eyes; she knows women like Karin well enough.
 
"You know that he is married, right?" The Haruno asks, but has no doubt that
Karin already knows that, as she is surely collecting every single magazine that
prints even the smallest picture of Sasuke. “That doesn't matter at all!
According to the tests in the magazines, I'm the perfect woman for him!" The
Kaseguchi raises her nose and smiles confidently. Now doubtful, the green eyed
woman raises her eyebrow skeptically. "And you answered these questions
truthfully?" She asks the question, which makes Karin snort and slightly flinch.
With a throwaway hand movement, she shifts her weight to her right leg. Only now
does the Haruno notice the bright red patent pumps on the feet of the redheads.
"He and I have much more in common than him and his wife!" Karin smiles and
flips her hair triumphantly. "Oh you mean, your job in this company?" The words
come laughing over the Haruno’s lips. Attacked and angry, Karin stares at her.
"That's enough! I'm going to complain to him about you for being so cheeky to
me!” The Kaseguchi screeches while sharing her next steps with Sakura before
she leaves the office completely enraged.
 
Sakura sighs softly before looking at her smart phone. "Wow, not even 5
minutes." Grinning, she lets the smartphone disappear in her pocket and looks
around at the Hondo. Laughing, the young Hondo claps her hands and rises from
her chair. "Respect. Finally someone stood up to that woman!” It comes
delighted from the brunette, who finally extends her hand to the Haruno. "I am
Hondo Natsuki. I'm happy to meet you and we can gladly leave the formalities
aside.” She says with a honest smile. A smile appears on the lips of the green
eyed woman as well, as she takes the hand of the woman with which she will be
sharing an office from now on. "I'm pleased too.” She replies and then takes a
quick look around the office. "So this is your realm. On the second table here
you can do the modeling. There are also programs for designing and drawing on
the computer.” Natsuki explains in a good mood, pointing to a wall unit and
the two tables, which are positioned like an "L". For visits, there is an extra
armchair at the modeling table. The whole thing is reflected on the other side
of the room.
 
"Great." The Haruno smiles and pulls the sunglasses off her head for the first
time to make them disappear in her handbag. "Then we'll get some documents and
such for you, after all, as far as I have heard you have to make a drawing.”
It comes kindly from the blue eyed Hondo. Sakura nods and finally follows her
colleague, who leads her out of the room, across the main corridor to another
side passage and into a chamber. “We get everything we need for our work here.
A base for modeling, of course paper in various sizes, modeling tools, pencils,
crayons, erasers, sharpeners and rulers.” Natsuki explains in detail and
immediately loads everything onto the pinkette’s arms. "A few folders, and
here in these folders we hand in our drawings, which mr. Uchiha controls and
notes down some improvement suggestions.” Natsuki keeps explaining with a
smile and takes a stack of folders.

A little overwhelmed, Sakura looks at her and then smiles before following her
back to the office. "Ah, a new colleague. Is Karin finally going to get kicked
out?” A male voice sounds from the side and the blue eyed woman next to Sakura
starts laughing. The pink haired woman looks surprised, who smiles at her
pleasantly and holds a cup of coffee in his hand. She smiles back friendly. "No,
unfortunately not." Natsuki grins at the man before the two women disappear into
their office.
 
"Phew. Thank you for your help, Natsuki.“ Sakura smiles after she put all the
equipments on the extra table. "No problem, Im glad I could help.” The
brunette replies with a smile, before she returns back to her seat and dedicates
herself to the screen. With a soft sigh, the pink haired girl looks around
before she starts looking for a place for everything and stows it away.
"Sakura?" A voice sounds from the entrance as she puts away the papers.
Surprised, she looks up and to the door, where a blonde man stands and looks at
her. "Hey Naruto." She greets him back and smiles joyfully, giving him a quick
hug. "Hey. What are you doing here?” The Uzumaki asks all surprised. "Today is
my first day at work." Sakura explains proudly and then lets her blazer slip off
her shoulders to hang it over the back of her desk chair. "Really?" The blue
eyed man smiles enthusiastically and sinks into the armchair in front of her
modeling table. "Yes." She laughs and pulls her smartphone out of her handbag,
briefly taps on it before holding it out to the blonde. Laughing, he throws
himself back in his armchair. "You have to send me this! When did this
happen?” He grins when he hands the smartphone back to his friend, which shows
the surprised face of the Uchihas. "This morning. He didn't know that I am the
new designer.“ Sakura grins and finally puts the smartphone aside.


"I thought so! For once, following Naruto's voice cannot be a mistake.“ The
older of the Uchiha brothers stands smiling in the door, looking amusedly at the
two talking friends. "Hello Itachi." The Haruno immediately greets her
brother-in-law "Hello Sakura.” He replies, taking a quick look around the
office. "Hello." Natsuki greets the second company boss and takes a quick look
around the room, before she continues to talk. "A few more and we have to tear
down the wall to the neighboring office." She says with a smile and makes
everyone in the room laugh before turning back to her work. “Oh, thanks again
Naruto. That you brought Hinata home recently I mean.” The pink haired woman
smiles at her friend and watches Itachi leaning against the sideboard behind
Naruto. "No problem, but I'll come with you next time!" He promises and grins
cheerfully. “How did you get home?" His blue eyes looking at her
questioningly. "My husband picked me up.” Reports the interviewee truthfully.
Naruto and Itachi look at her in surprise. "He picked you up? For real?" The
Uchiha asks completely surprised. "At 2:00 am? In the middle of the week?" The
blonde asks completely shocked, as if she was just kidding. The Haruno giggles
softly. "Yes. It turned out that he was still working." She explains and finally
rolls her eyes. "Does he actually have a life outside of work?" Itachi asks a
question that was actually aimed at himself. "No." The green eyed woman sighs
with a shake of her head.

"Sakura how about you start working instead of-" The Kaseguchi storms snorting
into the office and falls silent when she discovers the older of the Uchiha
brothers. "Good afternoon, Mr. Uchiha. Sakura, Mr. Uchiha would like to speak to
you later when you bring him the drawing.“ Karin snorts after greeting Itachi
gently and leaves the room again. A whistle sounds, gaining Sakuras attention.
"Uh. What does Sasuke want to talk to you about?” Naruto asks with a wide grin
on his face and wiggles his eyebrows up and down. Itachi also looks at her with
interest. "I guess about Karin's complaint." Sakura reluctantly leans back in
her armchair and wipes her curls from her shoulders. "She has already complained
about you? How long did it take for her to go to him?” The Uchiha asks with
amusement. The Haruno blinks in astonishment, seems as if Karin was already
known in half the company. "5 minutes." She finally grins at her brother-in-law
and her husband's best friend. "Respect!" Naruto laughs aloud and Itachi claps
his hands appreciatively.
 
"Say Naruto, what are you doing here anyway?" The Uchiha finally asked a
question after a few minutes of silence. The blonde laughs nervously and
scratches the back of his head a little. "Hehe. I actually wanted to ask Sasuke
if he wants to have lunch together.” The Uzumaki explains, hoping it was
enough to reason with his boss. Sakura laughs amused. "You don't even have to
ask the idiot. He's not coming. Work is more important.” She says with a shake
of her head. "Okay. Are we two going to eat then?” The blue eyed man asks and
looks briefly at the clock. The Haruno smiles. "Are you coming too Itachi?" She
turns to her brother-in-law. "No, I'm sorry." The black haired man shakes his
head apologetically. "Did you also switch to Sasukes
I-don't-need-any-food-camp?" Itachi laughs at her question and at the way she
raises her brows in suspicion. "No no. I have already a date with my wife.”
Itachi says earnestly.
 
"And you Natsuki? Do you want to come with us?" Sakura asks her office
colleague, making her look up in surprise. "Oh, no thanks, I brought something
from home." She explains and smiles thankfully. "Well then I guess it’s only
the two of us." Naruto says and rises and so does the Haruno. "Okay. I still
need some inspiration for my drawing anyway.” Sakura nods and takes her blazer
and bag, as well as her smartphone, before she leaves the room with Itachi and
Naruto and heads for the elevator.



                        Kapitel 11: Step 11 - Birthday
                        ------------------------------


At birthdays you can always learn something about your partner. In which grid it
falls into, or what tasks you have to do with this day from now on. Does he
always forget his birthday? Doesn't he celebrate it on purpose? Doesn't it
matter to him in the first place? Is it just a day like every other too? Should
he forget his birthday, it may be that he forgets some details once in a while
as well. If it's just a day like every other, one should think a little about
the partner's attitude.
 
A sigh comes over her lips as she looks out of the window. She lets the pen rock
up and down between her right index and middle finger while resting her chin on
her left hand and looking through the glass. The sky shines in a bright,
friendly blue on this July day. Not a single cloud clouding the sky and let the
sun do its job. Sakura drops her left hand and turns away from the window,
briefly glancing at her drawing on the table in front of her before looking at
the screen on her computer and glances at her colleague.
 
An amused smile lies on her lips when she catches Natsuki peeping at her again.
With a sigh, she shifts her weight to her left side and now supports her chin on
her left hand. "Is there anything?" Sakura looks questioningly at the brunette.
Confused, with a hint of embarrassment, she returns the look at her younger and
new colleague. "What exactly do you mean?" The Hondo asks back with a friendly
smile. Sakura grins slightly. She’s almost working here for a month now and
can't imagine a better colleague with whom to share the office. They both get
along well, very well, and have fun when Karin bites her teeth on the Haruno.
 
"I don’t miss the way you always look at me for a moment over the screen, nor
do I miss the looks I get from our colleagues, which is a little surprising for
the later. So what is it that you always look at me like that?” Explains the
green eyed woman and looks briefly at her table, from which she is now taking
the eraser and turning it between her fingers. “All the looks have a very
simple reason. You just look familiar to all of us and every time we think about
from where exactly. The others keep asking me as well, but I don't know where I
know you from.” Admits Natsuki and turns away from her computer and towards
her. "Oh." chuckles the Haruno, "my brother is the head of the Haruno Empire,
there might have been something about me in an article with a photo.” Sakura
smiled and shrugged, but the brunette just shook her head. "No, I think it was
something with Sasuke Uchiha." The blue eyed woman smiles and also shrugs her
shoulders. "Oh, I was with Sasuke at the opening ceremony of the Tokiwa Towers
an year ago, as far as I know, it was published in the newspaper and debated or
something." The pinkette explains and then looks back at her screen. "That was
it I think, exactly." The brunette nods with a smile before doing the same as
the Haruno.

With a smile, Sakura looks at her drawing on the screen when she hears the
ringtone of her smartphone the next moment. Surprised, she looks at the device
and smiles slightly when she sees her best friend's name. "Hey Ino. What is it?
I am currently working.” She answers the call. "Hey. Yes I know. I found
something that you absolutely have to see immediately. That's why I put it in an
envelope and just handed it over to the receptionist below. You should pick it
up as soon as possible! We'll see you tonight!” the next moment the Yamanaka
already hung up again. Sakura looks a little surprised at her cell phone before
she shakes her head with a smile. "This woman." A small grin lays on her lips as
she gets up and leaves the office to head towards the elevators and drive down
to the entrance floor. After a few floors, however, the elevator stops and the
doors opens once again.
 
A smile forms on her slightly red lips when she sees who is getting into the
elevator. "Hello.” The blonde smiles at her and gives her a quick hug.
"Hey.” She replies briefly and then watches the doors close again. "And? Where
are you going?" The Uzumaki raises his voice. “Ino left something at the
receptionist for me. Are you looking forward to tonight?” Grinning slightly,
she looks around at him. "Of course. But just a question. How are you going to
bring Sasuke to this club? ”He returns her gaze questioningly. She laughs in
confusion. "It won't be that difficult. You just act as if he had never been to
a club before.” The pinkette laughs jokingly and looks at the floor display.
"It's exactly that." she hears his voice and looks at him completely shocked,
watching him continue in his explanation. "He was only at company parties and
balls so far, we never made it to a club or a bar. If we meet then it’s only
at one of our homes. He doesn't know something like partying.” Naruto explains
with a serious look. "Wait, wait, wait!" Begins the Haruno, waving her arms out
in front of him. "You seriously want to tell me that Sasuke has never been to a
party or been to a club, has never felt the booming bass in his body and has
never danced to the music in the middle of strangers to the music?" Sakura looks
with widened eyes at the blonde man. "I thought you were the same there." He
confesses and scratches the back of his head embarrassed. "I may not know what
it's like to love but what it's like to live. Are you kidding me? He is 26
today. It is time for that to change!” She shakes her head in disbelief as the
doors on the entrance floor open. "Okay. Then we'll see you two tonight.”
Grinning, Naruto raises his hand and disappears in a corridor.
 
"That can only be a bad joke!" She whispers to herself and approaches the
receptionist, who immediately rises when he sees her. "Hello Mrs. Haruno." He
raises his voice when she arrives at him. She doesn't know exactly what it is,
but probably due to the fact that she often walks through the hall with one of
the Uchihas, that he has declared her name as particularly important and has
remembered it. In any case, he greets her every time she walks past the foyer at
his place of work. "Hello. Has something been handed in for me?” Waiting she
stops at his counter and looks at him. He immediately nods and picks up a large
brown envelope from his table. "Here you go." He smiles politely as he hands her
the envelope. "Thank you very much. Have a good day." Sakura gives him a short
smile before turning to go back to work. "Thank you too!" The receptionist
almost calls after her.

With a sigh, the green eyed woman blows a strand of hair from her face as she
goes back into the elevator and presses the button for the top floor. Quickly
she opens the envelope and takes out the contents. Based on the weight and
shape, she knows that it is a magazine. She looks with interest at the opening
of the envelope. What may be in the magazine that she should definitely look at
it immediately? When she pulled the magazine out a little, she immediately
noticed the large writing on the cover. Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha - Beauty and
the Beast. Interview with Mikoto Uchiha. A smile forms on her lips. Nice how she
calls her son. With a small grin on her lips, she pushes the magazine back into
the envelope, gets out of the elevator and goes back to her office. When she
sees Natsuki through the door, she smiles at her before closing the door behind
her. "Sakura Uchiha-Haruno." She suddenly hears her colleague say. With wide
eyes she looks at the brunette woman who smiles slightly. "That's why I know
your face. You are the boss's wife.” The Hondo says. Sakura immediately holds
her index finger in front of her lips and indicates that she needs to be quiet.
"Yes, that's right. But no one needs to know that. Why you think Sasuke didn’t
introduce me as his wife? The rumor would have arisen immediately that I got the
job because of our relationship and not because of my qualifications.” The
Haruno explains and looks at her brunette colleague with hope. "Can that please
remain our little secret?" She pleads, her palms put together.
 
Natsuki smiles and nods. "Sure. Although I would like to see Karin's face if she
was to find it out.” The brunette sighs. She was probably already looking
forward to the fun. There is also a grin on Sakura's face before she shakes her
head. "Here. Look.” The pinkette says to cheer her somewhat depressed
colleague up and pulls the upper part of the magazine out of the envelope.
"What?" Laughing, Natsuki rises and immediately approaches the Haruno. "You have
to read the article immediately!" Natsuki grins at her words and stands next to
her, immediately following the request. Sakura takes the magazine out of the
envelope once again and opens it, settles back into her seat and searches for
the page. ‘Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha - Beauty and the Beast. An interview with
Mikoto Uchiha. - Both are still very inexperienced in marriage, But while Sakura
knows that life is more important than work, Sasuke plunges into it and has to
learn that it is not the most important thing in life. It's like the beauty and
the beast. Sakura is the beautiful woman who has manners and Sasuke is the
beast, who learned the manners but forgot them again and learns them again with
the help of the beautiful, Belle.’ Laughing softly, Sakura leans back in her
desk chair. The small summary at the beginning of the article already told her
everything she needed to know. The man who learned the manners but forgot them
and needs to learn them again with the help of the beautiful, Belle. Laughing
softly, Sakura leans back in her desk chair.

Natsuki also laughs at the interview when suddenly Sakura's ringtone sounds
again. Clearing her throat, she picks up her smartphone and grins when she sees
the name of the caller. "Hello Mikoto." The green eyed woman leans back into her
chair in a good mood.



~*~
 

His dark grey eyes are focused on the document on the table laying in front of
him. Sighing softly, he turns his head to the side and looks through a crack of
the blind of the window, into the merciless blue sky. Not a single cloud tries
to cover up the sun. Sasuke looks longingly at the blue sky, which at that
moment reminds him so much of the water in his pool. A small vicious grin steals
its way onto his lips. At least he knows that Sakura has no more time to jump
into the pool either. After what she did on her first day of work, which is
laying almost four weeks back now, he didn't think that she deserved it.
 
Even if she thought it was quite amusing, he didn't like at all what she gave
him as a drawing. Although the drawing had shown all the potential that Sakura
possesses, its level of detail, her sense for lighting and shadowing, it
didn’t really appeal to him what she tried to convey with that drawing.
Sighing, Sasuke turns back to his table, his gaze hanging on a stack of folders.
He sighs in agony and lets his head sink onto the tabletop. A whole stack of
drawings is still waiting for him. He tiredly raised his eyes and points them at
the document before closing the folder and putting it aside. Taking the stack he
just finished, he gets up to divide and put them into the shelf of files.
 
Typical for his birthday, a summer - a hot July day, the temperatures shoot up
in the morning and make people sweat. Every year it’s always the same thing
and every year his mother tries to drag him to a restaurant for lunch. After all
it’s his birthday that has to be celebrated. What does ‘trying’ mean?
Every single time he ignores his birthday, she always stands in the door
personally and leads him out of the office to the car with force, not accepting
any excuses. It's the same scenario every year. And like every year, it doesn't
really matter to him whether it's his birthday or not, to him it's a day like
any other. With the only difference that his age changes. There is nothing
special for him that day. He has no reason to celebrate. His legs carry him from
the shelf to a cupboard, opposite of his desk. Opening one of its doors, a
hidden fridge pops out and he takes out a bottle of ice tea. 
 
An amused smile lies on his lips. After all these years, he still can't get
enough of that stuff. With the bottle full of the cool liquid, he returns to his
table and sinks into his seat to immediately fill his glass with the lemon ice
tea. Sasuke smiles with relish when he has the taste of iced tea on his tongue
and the cool liquid runs down his dried throat. For a moment he leans his head
back and just enjoys the glass of iced tea, gazing silently into the brown
liquid, in which he sometimes also puts a slice of a lemon and tops it up with
ice cubes. These are always his beautiful summer evenings.
 
Placing the empty glass down, the Uchiha sighs and looks at the second stack of
work and immediately fills himself another glass of ice tea. He'll need that if
he has to fight his way through all the drawings. Even only the smallest mistake
in the drawing can stall the whole production. That’s why no draft goes to
production without his approval. He doesn't dare to trust anyone else with this
part of work. Taking a deep breath, the black haired man takes the first folder
from his stack and looks down at the drawing. He examines the paper. Deep in
thoughts he puts his hand on his chin and taps the edge of his upper lip.
Something about the drawing doesn't fit, he realizes, but he can't say what
exactly it is.

With a stern look, he draws his attention across every inch of the drawing.
After a few minutes he finally changes positions and supports his chin in his
hands. He looks at the lines that make up the overall picture. He just can’t
find the mistake in the drawing. He sighs inwardly when a knock suddenly comes
from his office door. He looks at the picture doubtfully. He is never wrong.
There must be a mistake somewhere. "Come in!" He says loudly so that the person
can definitely hear him from outside the door. When he hears his office door
open, he looks up. His wife slowly enters the room and closes the door behind
him. "Oh it's you. What is it?” Sasuke asks shortly and looks back at the
drawing. Slowly really doubting himself. He rubs his hair under stress. And
there are five more drawings waiting for him! "That sounds very pleased." The
Haruno comments at his reaction with a sigh and stops in front of his table.
"Are you still mad because of the drawing? That was 22 days ago. Sasuke you are
26 years old today and you are behaving like an offended child.“ He hears her
voice and notices out of the corner of her eye how she supports her hands on the
desks surface. Without looking up, he focuses on the sheet of paper below him.
"The conditions are not right at this point." His wife's hand appears in his
field of vision and points to a specific place in the drawing.

He looks skeptically at her before he takes a closer look at the spot and even
measures it to determine that she is right. He briefly picks up his post-it to
mark his criteria and any mistakes, as he usually does. "So. What did you
want?” The dark eyed man asks while he picks up the next folder with a
drawing. "The scales don't match." He hears Sakura's voice again and looks up in
surprise. She looks at him with a slight smile. Then he looks down at the
drawing again to see that it is right. The game continues for a few minutes
until they reach the last folder and he opens it. “Catastrophic lines. Pencil
was not sharpened, sloppy designs. In general it is difficult to see what that
is supposed to represent.” Sakura explains, although this time he definitely
didn’t need it as it was painfully obvious. He labeled some Post-its again and
placed them on the paper, before he places the folder back onto the stack. He
looks up at his wife in astonishment. It normally takes three to four hours for
six folders, this time it took less than an hour. He is surprised at how
precisely she can recognize and define the errors, but he couldn't find the
slightest flaw in her very first drawing.
 
"You just took my work off for the next four hours. So what did you want from
me?“ He looks at her a bit interested. She smiles slightly. "I'm here on
behalf of your mother. I should make sure that you show up in the restaurant
with me. For lunch.” She explains to him and plays with the envelope in her
hand. "I don't have time for something like this.” He replies with a sigh.
Annoyed, Sakura rolls her green eyes. "The excuse doesn't work, you just said
yourself that I saved you from work for several hours.” She says, throwing the
envelope onto the table. "A message from your mother." She smiles slightly. A
little confused by this sudden smile, he hesitantly takes the envelope in his
hand and pulls out the magazine that showed a certain article. Sasuke and Sakura
Uchiha - Beauty and the Beast. The black haired man snort slightly after reading
the first paragraph, he knows that his mother thinks he works too much and has
no time for anything, but to literally tell this the press...
 
"We both will appear at lunch and go out tonight and celebrate your birthday.
You have the choice to either choose the hard or the soft tour." Sakura
interrupts his thought and leans back on the table top. The Uchiha raises an
eyebrow skeptically. Is she trying to threaten him? "You can choose. Either you
shut down your computer and come with me voluntarily, or I knock you out and
Itachi and Naruto take you out of here. We both know I can do it.” She says
with a mean grin and leans over his table, so far that she almost looks over his
side again.
 
Sasuke sighs and then turns to his computer to turn it off. He has no doubt that
she will carry out her threat, and he knows how hard she can strike, especially
if she has a golf bat in her hand at the time. In any case, he doesn't want to
try it out. He puts his tablet in his work bag and takes his smartphone into his
hand as he rises and takes off his suit jacket. "I still resent that with your
drawing." He says as he approaches his office door. "Yes, and I've been
suffering from your punishment for days not eating any more of my food. That is
really mean of you and affects me a lot more than you.“ He hears her voice and
can see the amused smile. He rolls his eyes briefly at her words and opens his
office door. Normally she would always worry about him eating almost nothing
during work, because she thinks that his body won't be able to hold out.
 

 
~*~


Towards evening when the sun disappears, the temperatures become more bearable
again and people dare to step out of the shadow. Until shortly before 10pm one
can still see the bright sun on the horizon before it disappears.
 
"Tell me, how is it that nobody at work recognizes and speaks to me as your
wife?" The question of the pink haired sound in the room. The black haired man
looks around at her in surprise. She looks totally focused on her feet, in her
hand the small bottle with the nail polish, which she has just applied to her
toenails. With a sigh he rubs his hair and looks out at the clear water in the
pool, into which he would love to jump right now, but since he and Sakura are
going to go out afterwards it would be too difficult for him to change now. "On
one hand, that's because you don't know as many employees from the other
departments to whom I personally introduced you, so I said that you are a friend
of the family and even if they knew that we are married, they would be able to
get the reason behind it anyway. On the other hand, the employees of the Uchiha
Corporation rather read business magazines, and there hasn't been anything in
there since our wedding, so they have largely forgotten about it. I'm much more
surprised that Karin doesn’t seem to notice you. Even though I have seen her
walk through the company with enough magazines in which we are constantly
printed. Although I would have expected that from more women.“ Sasuke ends his
little - almost - speech and looks around at his wife.

The Haruno sits comfortably on the couch, feet up. She glances at him briefly.
"Are you all right? You talked so much.“ She asks but continues to look at the
TV. He snorts lightly. She really loves to make fun of him. "About this thing
about women. Natsuki told me that most of the women only applied for work at the
Uchiha corporation to get to know you. This mysterious, good looking image that
goes around about you seems to be so appealing that they might have hoped for
some insight during a conversation with you, to get to know you and your world a
little. But since you are always so cold at job interviews and only fixate on
work, most of the women seem to have lost interest in you and don’t take you
as a benchmark for other men anymore and found themselves a man in a short span
of time. And since you are their boss anyways, they don’t really feel the need
to read magazines about you in their free time either.”
 
Then she inhales audibly and turns her head back to the screen. "With Karin,
it's all a different matter." she says and at the same time simply lets her
hand, which she held out in his direction, drop forward. "Karin is, I would say,
obsessed with you. She buys, I guess, every single magazine that even only has
your name with the smallest picture of you printed on it. For example, with our
wedding items she will either have my head painted over black or even have a
photo of her head stuck over it and blackened my name. She probably doesn't even
read the name correctly or look at the pictures, otherwise she would certainly
not behave like that in my presence. And she does all the tests, but not
truthfully. She just makes sure to get the right result. And according to the
magazines that would be my character.” Explains the Haruno and watches him as
he walks around the couch and approaches her. "And the most important
characteristic of you is not even mentioned in the magazines at all." He begins,
supporting his arms on her left and right of the couch and leans forward. So
close that she can already feel his breath on her lips. "How cheeky you actually
are." He continues, smiling slightly amused and coming a little closer.

The Haruno looks at him with wide eyes as he bridges the last few inches between
the two of them to kiss her. But instead of her lips he kisses her cheek.
Smiling she pets his cheek as he moves away from her again. "No time to smooch.
We have to change.” She grins cheekily at him. With a sigh, he straightens up
and looks at her with an eyebrow raised. "I'm already done. I don’t need to
change.” He says, letting his hands sink into his pocket. She raises her
eyebrow skeptically at his claim. "Sasuke we're going out. This is not a meeting
with business partners or a company party, nor is it an Oscar ceremony. You will
still be mistaken for the guards there when you show up in a suit. There's also
a very cozy invention for men and women, it's called jeans.” In response, she
gets nothing more than a skeptical look from her husband. With a sigh, she
shakes her head and rises. "Just no experience this man." She says as she
approaches the door. "I'll put something out for you. Showering would also not
be bad if you still would.“ It comes from her before she leaves the living
room and goes up the stairs to the guest room he is occupying. A small grin
shows on her lips as she enters the room.

While he always tries to keep everything in order at work, it looks chaotic in
his room. The bed is unmade, the dirty laundry hangs half in and half out of the
laundry box, the bedside table is too cleared and other armchairs or tables are
not recognizable as these. The Haruno has to smile, but it doesn't really
surprise her. Everybody has a mess somewhere, most women compensate for it on
their handbags. After a quick look around the room, after all she has never
entered his room and he never entered hers, she goes to the wardrobe to open it.
When Sakura sees the crowd of suits and white and only white shirts, she feels
overwhelmed. "Workaholic. Through and through.” Shaking her head, she searches
for the jeans to pull them out. A simple, blue jeans that always make men look
so much more attractive than any suit pants. However, she fails miserably when
looking for a colored shirt. After placing the jeans on his bed, she leaves his
room to go into hers and get one of his gifts.
 
"Here. Put that on the jeans. I know it is clichéd, but you can also put it on
for work.” Smiling lightly, the pinkette holds up the gift wrapped in blue
wrapping paper when he wants to go over to his room. He looks puzzled at the
gift before he takes it and opens it. The gift is really a cliché, but she
doesn't know him well enough to find something else, maybe better for him, and
he's more likely to start with a shirt. "It's blue." he notes, looking around at
his wife skeptically. "And it will kill you!" She breathes as she moves her
hands as if trying to scare him. Then she turns and disappears into her own
room. With a sigh the Uchiha looks at the shirt before shaking his head and
going to his room to take a shower and also change. After an extensive shower,
which he indulges in because women are known to take longer anyway, he rubs his
hair dry. To prevent stains on the shirt, he sprayed his deodorant on before
going to his room. After putting on socks and putting on the clothes Sakura put
out for him, he finally leaves his room to wait for his wife below.

It is quiet in the house when Sasuke goes down the stairs and towards the chest
of drawers next to the front door to get his smartphone and his wallet, putting
on his shoes. "Sasuke! There is a strange handsome man in our house. You don't
need to change your clothes, I'm going out with him!” He hears his wife's
voice from behind. Confused, the dark grey eyed man looks around at her and sees
how she grins cheekily at him. "I knew it. The color suits you. You look totally
relaxed and you even have an ass!“ Towards the end the pinkette is totally
surprised. With a smile, he shakes his head and packs up his cell phone and
money before turning to his wife and eyeing her in her dress, which just ends
under her butt and the silver high heels. "Well then we can go.” With a smile
she takes him by the hand to pulls him out of the house.
 
Less than half an hour later, the car stops in a parking lot. Smiling, the
pinkette gets out and briefly straightens her dress, which lies around her
shoulders like an oversized men's shirt, but gets tight from her belly down. The
black haired man also gets out of the car, while he closes the door of the
vehicle, he looks around. "Now come on!" The pink haired laughs lightly, circles
the car and takes his hand to pull him away in one direction. The Haruno leads
him to a club in front of which a long line is already forming, but she simply
walks past it to the security, who immediately steps aside and lets the two pass
without a word. "I don't drink anything.” He protests immediately and the
green eyed woman sighs tormented. "Can you relax for once? You often go to bed
at 3am, I know that. The difference when you are drunk is simple: you fall
asleep on the way to bed and it is harder to get out of bed in the morning, but
don't worry. There are alarm clocks for that.” The pinkette says, but still
has not let go of his hand. "They are such a great and nerves wrecking
invention." She continues before smiling and waving happily. Sasuke blinks
confused and looks at his friends. They are all gathered together in a small,
screened lounge. When he and his wife arrive at them, he immediately gets
showered with congratulations as they already order the first round. Ryosuke and
his girlfriend have also come to celebrate this event with him.

"Wow. Sasuke, is that really a pair of jeans?” After they have all greeted
each other, they sit down on the couch, with Naruto staring at his best friend
in surprise. The black haired man just raises an eyebrow questioningly. "I've
already completely forgotten what you look like in jeans!" The blonde continues
before leaning back on the couch and resting his arm on the backrest behind
Hinata's neck. "Sakura really seems to have been the right choice for you as a
wife." The Hyuga agrees suddenly. Confused and a little disbelieving, Sasuke
turns his eyes to Neji. "Just that you are here in this club is remarkable and
on top you are even wearing a jeans with a colored shirt again!" Neji smiles
appreciatively to the Haruno, "I think you can do a lot.” Ino says with an
amused smile, leaning forward and looks at her best friend. "After all it’s
such a miracle that Sasuke is here at all, which Naruto still doubted until
minutes ago, I would now like to know how you did it." The blonde grins
conspiratorially and wiggles her eyebrows up and down. "I threatened to knock
him out and have him carried over." The green eyed woman explains shortly and
shrugs her shoulders before ordering a drink from the waiter which is assigned
to the lounge.

"A round shorts goes on me.” Ryosuke says with a grin and puts his arm around
his girlfriend, while the waiter leaves the group again. "Sakura, have you
already given Sasuke your birthday kiss?" Tenten supports her elbow on her knee
with a smile. "I also want to see a kiss from the couple in the round!" Agrees
the Inuzuka to the brunette woman. "That won’t happen. Sasuke won't kiss me.
He wants to punish me and for me it actually is a really tough punishment.”
Towards the end of her testimony, the pinkette becomes more and more sarcastic.
"What do you have to be punished for?" Ryosuke raises his eyebrow skeptically
and looks at his sister. An innocent grin lies on the Haruno's lips. "I should
draw something for him to demonstrate my talent.” she begins. "Oh you had to
prove that?" It come from Kiba in amazement. "Yes. Anyway, in the afternoon of
my first day I put the drawing he wanted on the table. The motive didn't matter.
But he didn't really like it.” She continues. "What did you draw?", The Hyuuga
girl asks for the first time this evening. "A robot that has just zipped up the
zipper of his suit costume and has put Sasuke's face on as a mask." The young
Haruno smiles innocently as the group bursts out laughing. "A really fitting
presentation! Did you take a picture? ”The Uzuamki grins immediately. "Naruto,
I don't take pictures of every minute of my life. No, but the drawing is in my
office at home. You are welcome to come and see them. How about it? I'm baking a
cake for Sunday, celebrating Sasuke’s birthday with his parents. Don't you all
want to come too?” The green-eyed woman suggests with a smile and immediately
gets everyone's approval.

While Sakura submits her idea, the drinks are finally served and everyone is
given a short. With a sigh, the Uchiha pushes his own over to his wife. "You can
not be serious can you?” She asks, making him frown. “I told you I don’t
drink.” She sighs at his words. “First, it's your birthday, a short one
won't make you unable to work. Secondly, it is rude to refuse a drink that has
been bought for you, do I have to seriously complain to your mother about your
rude behavior?” His wife says indignantly. The black haired man picks up the
small glass. With a slights scowl he looks briefly at the Haruno on his left
before gulping the liquid down and looking at the others in the group, who stare
at him in amazement. "Is that the trick? A simple threat? ”Neji inquires
amazed. "Not really, but I have no doubt that she would tell my mother about
it.” Explains the black haired man before they all toast themselves and plunge
down the shorts down their throats. Just what was so hard to understand about
him not drinking? He doesn’t get it. Tenten smiles at her friend before paying
attention to the Yamanaka. "Girls. Pixie says it's All About Tonight, so let's
dance.“ The blonde grins and pulls the Haruno, who can just put her glass down
on the table, with her. Honoka also follows the two and the brown eyed one takes
the shy cousin of her best friend with her.
 
A few minutes pass. The women dance wildly on the dance floor, while the male
part of the group talks about work and sport and also touches on the topic of
God and the world. Sighing, the Haruno settles down next to her husband and
picks up her drink, from which she immediately takes a few sips. Kiba, who was
probably on the toilet, joins the group again and settles on the couch next to
his best friend. With relish he puts his arms on the back of the couch. "Tired
of dancing already?" He finally asks the women. "We are taking a break, the
dance floor is quite full right now and you get thirsty when you dance in the
midst of so many people!" The blonde of the group fanned her face with air to
clarify her statement. The Hyuga laughs amused when the waiter shows up and puts
a new round of dishes on the table. Neji’s eyes wandering to the Inuzuka, who
grins innocently. Sakura smiles slightly when she sees her friend grinning like
that. He also believes that a birthday should be celebrated properly, although
everyone in the group thinks that except Sasuke. Sighing in pain, he takes his
short to hand to gulp the liquid down. He hated it.
 
"And we still haven't seen a kiss." Naruto notes almost casually as he looks
down at the dancing crowd. The lounge in which the group sits is a kind of
balcony, with glass between the pillars on the ceiling to symbolize a certain
privacy. "We actually only kiss in public or when it is more or less
required.” Explains the Uchiha as he grabs a handful of chips. Suddenly the
eyes of the Uzumaki seem to shine while he straightens up and laughs happily.
"How nice that both just apply to the situation.” He grins. But his best
friend just snorts. "That doesn't really count, since you are our friends.”
The Uchiha says, putting another potato chip in his mouth.
 
A sigh to his left makes him look around. "Why did you give me such a man of all
people as a husband? Even with Neji it would be better.” In a hopeless voice,
Sakura applies the words to her big brother. "I haven’t imagined marrying to a
cocky girl either.” Her dark grey eyed husband responds with a snort. "Better
watch out that you don't overwork your stomach with so much food all at once,
that's not what you're used to.” Says the Haruno with a poisonous look. "Is it
gnawing on you that I haven't eaten your food in a while?" A grin lies on his
lips. "Yes, immensely. It's such a bad punishment for me. It really kills me
that I only have to cook every two days because there is something else from the
previous day. I really suffer from your ingenious punishment with which you
actually punish yourself. Just like kissing.” Theatrically, the pinkette puts
the back of her hand on her forehead and blinks desperately towards the
ceiling.
 
The waiter shows up and collects the empty glasses from the table. When all of
these are on his tray, he looks around. "May I bring you something else?" He
politely asks. Immediately everyone orders a new drink from him, which he makes
a good note of and finally turns to the Haruno. "I will have a BacardiCranberry
and the little boy here a lemon iced tea.” She smiles and pats Sasuke’s head
while saying that. The waiter smiles amused and leaves. The black haired man
snorts. "I'm not a little boy, if you missed that.” He notes annoyed. "Oh
really? You are not? I have to put your clothes out so that you are dressed
appropriately, someone has to sit next to you so that you eat something and you
don't drink alcohol while you're snapping like a little boy.“ She looks at him
in astonishment and finally grins cockily. "I am a child? You're the clumsy
girl. You constantly cut your finger, stumble or knock something on the
ground.” The annoyed voice of the youngest Uchihas sounds again. The pink
haired woman looks at him bored and then to the side again. "At least I don't
have to kiss a wildly strange girl to silence her! I know other metho- ” The
Haruno falls silent in the middle of the sentence as his hands shot to her
cheeks quickly, to make her face him and her lips close with his. Her eyes
immediately close and she returns the kiss and leans on the couch pillows, in
which she was almost pushed by his weight anyway.
 
It appears like minutes to the pinkette before Sasuke separates from her again,
his face a tad away and looks down at her, hands resting next to her. "It seem
like someone really likes to kiss your sister a lot." Naruto grins at Ryosuke
after silently following the discussion between their married friends, albeit
with an amused smile or grin. "I told you he was actually punishing himself.”
Smiles the Haruno, ruffling Sasuke's hair, which rolls his eyes and sits upright
again as he tries to sort the mess in his hair. "Seems like I made the right
decision." The brunette Haruno leans back on the couch. "What?" His sister looks
stunned at him. "Oh yes, the two fit together perfectly.” The blonde nods in
agreement and takes a sip of her drink, which the waiter has just placed in
front of her. "Another peach ice tea and a whiskey on the rocks, please." The
Haruno smiles at the man who nods and leaves the lounge.
 
"Are you still angry with me about the drawing?" The pinkette explores after a
few moments. Her husband turns to her and looks at her silently from his dark
grey eyes. "Okay." She sighs in defeat and then looks at the others. The black
haired, however, does not look away, but looks at her profile and pink curls.
"Thank you.” He then hears his wife's voice, who thanks the waiter for the
drinks. "Do you want to mix now or something? You haven't even drunk your
BacardiCranberry!” The Yamanaka notes confused. The pinkette winks at her and
picks up the whiskey. "Here. Goes on me.“ Smiling she holds the glass up to
the Uchiha, who looks at it in surprise and then takes it. With the iced tea in
her hand, the pink haired woman finally leans back and takes several large sips.
"Do we want to go back to the dance floor?" Tenten turns to the other women, who
immediately agree. "None of you wants to come with us anyway, right?" She
finally asks the men in the group, who immediately say no with a smile. However,
they do not miss the opportunity to follow the ladies with their eyes and to
watch them dance and follow their movements. As they were gone, Sasuke put the
whiskey back on the table and leans back. It was amusing what she did, but that
didn’t change the fact that he still doesn’t like drinking.

"But you have never kissed with tongue, have you?" Suddenly the voice of the
Uzumaki sounds from the side. Surprised, Sasuke turns to his best friend, who
looks at him with curiosity. "As I said, we actually only kiss in public or when
it is required, for example when reporters are nearby or we meet a business
partner who was at the wedding." The Uchiha explains and looks silently at his
untouched whiskey. A few minutes pass. The men are again absorbed in their
conversations and alcohol is flowing in abundance. Sasuke is the only sober one,
annoyed at the boys trying to keep buying him shots. "It has already gotten
really late." The black haired man observes after looking at the clock. He has
been pushed enough today. "Hey Neji your cousin can dance really well.” It
comes from Naruto. "You can join her and dance with her." Kiba grins immediately
and takes a sip of his Coke. "You go to Ino.” The blonde replies only.
Laughing, Tenten, who has come back with Honoka and joined the drinking crowd,
leans back and against Neji. "Tse. I no longer have such problems. I am
married.” Says the black haired man and laughs with a shake of his head.
"Exactly, you have other problems now.” The Inuzuka nods. "Oh and that is?”
It comes from the Uchiha. "For example, that some greasy guy is just dancing on
your wife." Kiba says and takes another sip of his Coke. Sighing, Sasuke gets
up. “Okay.” It escapes his lips and pats once over his legs before he looks
down into the crowd, while he goes down and exists the lounge. 
 
On the way to the dance floor, Hinata runs into him, which goes back to the
others. But he doesn't take his eyes off the Haruno, who tries to keep dancing
and not to be disturbed by the guy, who always comes closer and tries to dance
at her. Maybe she should have put on a pair of jeans underneath. He takes a
quick look at her outfit before walking towards her with a sigh. The guy is
trying to persuade her to dance with him when the Uchiha shows up. "Find
yourself someone else, she is mine." He only says and pulls Sakura to his chest.
"Yay. My husband is here.” Smiling, she looks up at him and immediately wraps
her arms around his neck. Sasuke too smiles and leans forward to kiss her while
he possessively presses her against him. Carefully she rises on her tiptoes and
comes to meet him and lets him gently place his lips on hers.
 
It takes a few seconds for them to come loose. "Let's go home. It is already
late.“ He finally says and she nods. Smiling, she takes his hand and walks out
of the crowd, dancing lightly. A smile steals on his lips when he sees that.
Together they return to the lounge. "Okay everyone. We will slowly make our way
home. By the way, you should also do that Naruto.” Sasuke explains to his
friends. "Yes, we should also go slowly, I have to go to work tomorrow." Ryosuke
admits, as the other voices do as well. Over time, everyone gets up and takes
their things, pay their drinks to the waiter and leave the stuffy, full club.
Finally, Sasuke thought.

The pleasantly cool night air hits them and immediately has a sobering effect on
the crowd. "Okay guys. I'm going to take Hinata home. You can't trust cabs these
days.” Naruto says. The others agree with him immediately and when the first
of the ordered cabs comes around the corner, the two say goodbye to their
friends. Sasuke and Sakura finally get into one of the cabs too and are driven
home. "It was nice. We should do that more often.” The Haruno smiles at her
husband, who nods slowly. "But next time on a Friday or Saturday and please no
clubs or bars again." He notes. The pink haired woman smiles happily, though her
smile got a little gentler. “You really do hate drinking and loud places,
huh?” She asks, making him look at her. All he could give her in response was
a small shrug. After all, in the end of the day not everyone likes the same
things. It gets quiet in the car again until they arrive in front of their villa
and get out. They enter the house in silence. "Don't forget to set the alarm
clock!" The  green eyed woman calls out as she climbs the first steps. "You
don't need to scream like that. I'm right behind you.“ The Uchiha only replies
to her and stops when she does so too. He looks at her questioningly as she
suddenly turns to him. Even if she is one step higher, she is still a few
centimeters smaller than him. She looks at him in silence. He is about to say
something when she suddenly raises her hands and puts them on his cheeks. She
gently pulls him towards her and puts her lips on his. The black haired man
returning the kiss a little surprised. "Happy birthday." She whispers with a
smile as she pulls away from him. But she doesn't let her hands drop. "Thank
you." Sasuke replies just as quietly.

"Are you still angry with me?" She asks carefully, slowly lowering her hands. He
leans forward hesitantly and puts his forehead against hers. "No." He shakes his
head gently and looks into her green eyes. "Now, we have to go to sleep slowly
but surely." He finally says. Sakura nods in agreement and when she turns and
climbs the first steps, he gives her a smack on her ass. "Did you just smack
me?" She asks in disbelief. He just shrugs and grins. "You’re cocky!” She
only says, which makes his grin grow wider. "Yes, I can do that too.” The
Uchiha nods amused. "Good night.” Sakura smiles before walking up the stairs,
covering her buttocks with her hands. Sasuke follows with a smile.



                         Kapitel 12: Step 12 - Colours
                         -----------------------------


The whole world is full of colors. Colors in different designs. They are part of
the lives of each of us. They are liked to be associated with any feelings, such
as the well-known pink glasses. You can hate some colors, unable to stand them,
while others love and never get enough of them. The tastes of colours meet in a
relationship. Are the preferred colors the same, or can they be combined? Maybe
you can get used to one or the other color of your partner. And maybe, your
loved one puts on a top in your favorite color for you, just to make you happy
and look even more attractive - at least in your eyes.
 
"Ah!" The pinkette cries out, clutching the hem of her dress to pull it down.
The car door slams shut and another gust of wind makes the young Haruno sway.
The green eyed woman looks around for her husband, who is on the other side of
the vehicle. She turns her gaze back to her dress, which she gathers and holds
tightly on one side and then straightens up. The fabric now lies tightly on her
legs and has no chance of being blown up by the wind and exposing the underwear
of the pink haired woman. When she wants to go to the tall building, she has to
make an effort to assert herself and prevail against the wind. "Sasuke!" She
calls against the storm and already believes that it carried her voice in a
completely different direction. Her husband looks around at her. A small grin
lays on his lips as he looks at his wife, which is trying to keep her dress down
in panic. "You have to hold onto me! Otherwise I'll fly away!” A small laugh
comes over her lips at her own words. With a smile, the Uchiha goes to his wife
and finally takes her by the hand to pull her close to him and walk towards the
building with her.
 
As the couple fights against the storm and slowly moves towards the shopping
center, few drops fall to the ground as far as the wind permits. A sigh can be
heard from Sakura as they step through the center door. His eyes rest on his
companion, who releases the hem of her dress and then runs through her hair to
put it back in order. He also runs his hand through his black hair. "Putting on
a dress was one of the worst ideas ever." The pinkette finally says and tugs a
little on her dress. "Isn't that the same dress as the one you wore for shopping
with me an year ago?" He explores, rubbing lightly over the lace fabric on her
shoulders. The Haruno looks up at him in astonishment. "Yes, it is. You actually
remember that?” He shrugs calmly at her amazed question. "Well. At least we
chose the right weather for shopping on that day.” She says after a few
moments and looks out of the window behind her. The rain has wetted the ground
within minutes. A horrible storm rages in Tokyo on this day.
 
"Come on." Sasuke's voice sounds from her side as his hand closes around hers.
"Yes.” She responds and finally follows him through the center. Contrary to
her expectations, it is not crowded on this rather cool August day. Many have
probably stayed at home, holed up in the house. They walk side by side in
silence. The pinkette wanders her gaze, which then sticks to her husband.
Untypical for him, he has no shirt or suit on. Rather than that he’s actually
wearing a simple t-shirt with a vest over it, and jeans. The last time he wore
jeans was on his birthday when they were in the club. The kiss Sakura gave him
for his birthday appears in his mind. He smiles slightly and looks sideways down
to her. 

On that night, he had cheekily given her a slap on her ass, in order to make her
move so that they could go to their rooms. After a short good night both of them
had disappeared into their rooms and gone to sleep. The next morning he almost
slept through if Sakura hadn't woken him up. Even if he often only goes to bed
at such a late hour, he lacked sleep the day after his birthday. It was like he
was lucky that the day after that passed uneventfully.
 
The couple enters the boutique together. "An advantage of being married now is
that you can always take your wife with you when you go shopping." Sakura notes
with a look around the shop. Her fingers running across some clothes. Her hand
separates from his and her legs carry her through the hallways. His eyes are on
her until she stops and he slowly approaches her. "Look here. Isn't this one
pretty?" Smiling, the pink haired woman holds a dress to her body. Sasuke
silently observes her and the dress, which is simply held in white. There’s
only a ribbon that has been tied into a bow emphasizing the chest, underneath it
falls loosely, up to an elastic band that keeps it tighter around the thighs.
The black haired man nods tentatively before looking around. "Tell me, what is
your favorite color?" Sakura asks and looks up a little shyly. The Uchiha blinks
in surprise before considering. “Actually blue, but also green. I'm not so
fixated on one color.” He then gives out and smiles slightly at her. “And
yours?” Sakura smiles lightly and then looks at the white fabric of the dress.
"I really like blue, but unfortunately it doesn't really go well with my
hair.” She explains, hanging the dress back on the bar. "So. Um, what are we
looking for?” She finally asks, as it was him who had suggested her to go
shopping with him.

"Generally, I need new clothes again." Sasuke shrugs as he comes up to her and
takes the dress off of the rack again. "And we will surely find a few things for
you too." A slight smile lies on his lips as he pulls her through the hallways.
 
The pink haired girl licks her lemon ice cream with a slight smile. Despite the
not very summer-like weather outside the building, the couple treated themselves
to an ice cream after some time of shopping, although Sasuke has long since
eaten his own. There are already a few bags of various shops hanging on her
elbow, which they have already searched through. But the Uchiha could not be
persuaded, no matter what she held out to him. They are now heading for the
largest boutique in the entire shopping center. Last year she was in that one
with Sasuke, where he had found something for himself. Licking her ice cream,
she looks at the displays and shop windows before letting the ice cream
completely disappear into her mouth.
 
Together they enter the boutique and stroll through its corridors. The Uchiha
immediately heads for the shirts. With a sigh, Sakura rolls her eyes and follows
him, examining the colored shirts, while her husband fixates himself on the
white ones and searches and examines them critically before deciding on one.
"You can not be serious. You have enough white shirts hanging in your closet
Sasuke! Take one in a different color!” It comes from his green eyed wife with
a sigh, while she looks him over with a stern look. “I can't put on a colored
shirt for work. White is the only color that makes you look competent and
conscientious.” Replies the dark grey eyed man. He hears a soft smack and
looks around at his wife in confusion, which holds her palm against her forehead
and shakes her head. "No idea what colors do." She says, looking up at him.
“White is a classic color, but we are in the 21st century Sasuke. Open
yourself up to the colors. Do you think the shirts are also produced in colors
for fun? Go pick a shirt in any color other than white!” She says. The Uchiha
sighs and looks around before taking a few steps to the side and holding up a
shirt. In black. “Black isn't really a color now, but okay. You can always use
a black shirt. I don't mean that you should buy a pink shirt or one in orange or
red. But ... I will explain this thing to you with the colors. Colors in
clothing have a certain effect on the people around you and also make you look
different. For example blue, your favorite color. Dark blue radiates trust, calm
and security, while light blue conveys lightness and liveliness. Another
example; Green conveys reliability, modesty, compassion and social competence.
Emerald green with black, for example, makes you look mighty.” As she talks
about the colors, Sakura always holds up a shirt in the respective color. “It
works with every color. Yellow is optimistic, spirited, humorous and
open-minded. Orange would be zest for life, warmheartedness and warmth. Red
symbolizes strength and dominance, self-confidence, creativity and
assertiveness. Brown means that you are down to earth. Violet and purple stand
for-“ The pinkette falls silent in her explanations as her husband's lips lie
on hers. "Okay. Then look for a few shirts for me.“ He says and smiles
slightly as he separates from her again. The Haruno nods a little red on her
cheeks and asks somewhat embarrassed about his size. Sasuke smiles when he
realizes that his wife can not only be cheeky but also cute.
 
The youngest Uchiha finally turns around and looks around between the pieces of
clothing. "Here. I also chose matching ties for you. Try it!” The Haruno holds
out a handful of shirts a little shyly after a few minutes. He looks astonished
at the clothes before he takes them and turns to the fitting room to put on the
shirts and ties and to face his wife again, who nods in agreement or shakes her
head. When he has finished trying the shirts, she immediately holds out jeans
and pants. "I can't go to work with that.” He immediately replies in a
negative tone. “The jeans are for leisure when we go out or something and
besides you can also go to work with normal pants. You don't need your
workaholic suits all the time. Itachi and your father also wear jeans at work.
And you would be surprised by the reactions of your employees and also the
press.” She just says, puts the clothes in his hand and disappears. With a
sigh, he endures it and tries on the pants and jeans, Sakura standing there
again and gives her opinions on it. They play the same game with sweaters and
vests and also a pair of shirts. He fights back a little annoyed to go back to
the dressing room, because in his opinion he already has enough new clothes and
has even started to sweat from all the constant changing.

"Tell me, did you stop annoying the Kazeguchi or did she just stop complaining?"
The Uchiha suddenly starts asking and surprises his wife with it. She looks at
him briefly before a grin settles on her lips. "She just gave up complaining
about me every day.” It comes from Sakura while she looks back at the top in
her hand. "Why that? If she keeps complaining, she has the opportunity to be
with me, right?“ Sasuke eyed his wife suspiciously. "Yes. That way she had the
chance to have your attention at least five minutes a day. But she doesn’t
like it so much that I am always inside with you and that always so long.
Especially when I come out with a grin on my face. That’s why she doesn't
complain anymore.“ Sakura explains with a shrug. The dark grey eyed Uchiha
nods and smiles amused. "And now we’re going to turn the tables. You are the
model and I am the critic.” The black haired man explains her with a grin on
his lips. She smiles and then nods before they go to look for some clothes for
her.
 
The clothes are already piling up on Sasuke's arms, where Sakura puts them down
as she searches for more clothes. Dozens of hangers are already hanging on his
fingers. The Uchiha endures it in silence, after all, she doesn't put any
clothes on his arms which he hasn't approved. In the meantime, she already has
some of the fabric products on her arm, while she practices putting together
free hand sets and then asks for his opinion. Again she puts the outfit on the
stack, which is so high that he can hardly see anything. A slight sigh comes
over his lips as his wife moves again.
 
"Isn't that nice here?" Smiling, the green eyed woman is wearing a top, as green
as her eyes, with a wide strip of lace at the bottom. The dark grey eyed man
peeks over the pile of clothes onto the top and then nods, carefully. He turns
to the side, past the stack of clothes, to look at his wife who is taking a
loose half-cut top into her hand. "What do you want with that? It doesn't even
suit you.” Sasuke examines the constellation as he asks his question.
"That’s how it’s worn these days and that suits me very well.” She says
with a pout. "No, it doesn't.” The youngest Uchiha insists and shakes his head
with a smile. "Yes it does! Wanna bet?” It comes defiantly from her while she
puts it on her arm with a jeans. "Sure. I'll pick up my winnings later.” He
says amused when she goes past him to the changing room. He follows her and then
empties his arms on the small bench in the changing room before he goes out to
wait for his wife to change. In the meantime, his eyes slide through the shop
and finally get stuck somewhere.
 
Just as he wants to start to move, Sakura comes out of the changing room again
with a slight smile she turns once and then waits for his opinion. Some time
goes by, a few of the outfits are brought back to their places and finally it
comes to the outfit for which they more or less made a bet. "Come out already."
The raven man has to suppress a little laugh when his wife took so long to come
back out. He heard a sigh before the curtain gets pushed aside and his wife
comes to a halt in front of him. The white shirt hangs loosely from one of her
shoulders and ends just above the belly button. "All right. You won. It looks
shitty on me." The Haruno sighs depressed, because her husband can assess what
suits her better than she can herself. “Hm. Try this one out.” Sasuke says
with a small smile and holds out two hangers. She looks confused and slips out
of the white shirt to put on the white blouse and then the green vest with a
narrow silver belt. "Of course you can wear it without a belt too.” He says,
looking to the side and his hand buried in his jeans pocket.
 
"What did you need me for shopping again?" The Haruno asks with a smile after
looking at herself in the mirror. "I think having a woman with you is never
wrong. Now, you need clothes with which you can go to work.” Her husband notes
and rubs his hair. The green eyed woman starts to grin at his words. "No, not
really. For example I can dress like this at work. But, be so nice and get me a
black blazer please.“ She smiles lovingly. With a skeptical look, he looks at
her briefly before nodding and walking away. "Always has work in mind.” She
whisper, shaking her head and goes back into the changing room to put on one of
the previously selected outfits and gets out of the dressing room when Sasuke
comes back with a blazer. "Thank you." The Haruno takes the blazer with a smile
and wears it over the top. "You see. I can already go to work with this. One of
a woman's secret weapons is to turn almost any outfit into a work outfit.” As
she says this, she turns once to the left and right and finally once around her
own axis. "You still need a few work clothes, costumes and maybe a trouser
suit.” Replies her husband. With a sigh she surrenders and puts on her dress
again. Together they then go in search of further blazers, a few work clothes,
two costumes and also two trouser suits for special occasions. In the end,
Sakura searches for a few belts and scarfs, where she also selects a few for him
and then they go fully packed to the cashier, where the cashiers look a little
overwhelmed at the mountains of clothes.

"Say, did Naruto say anything to you or wanted to talk to you? Hinata has been
so strange since your birthday, whenever we come up with the subject of Naruto
and your birthday.” The Haruno finally begins, so as not to get bored while
she is watching the cashiers packing. The black haired man looks around at her
in confusion before considering her question for a moment. "No actually not. But
we didn't talk too much to each other in the last month. Although, if you mean
something like that, it is also strange for him, because he somehow contacts me
at least every two days.” It comes from the Uchiha. His wife nods, smiling
slightly. "Then that will probably still remain a mystery, because Hinata always
blocks the subject immediately.” Sakura says as she observes the sales staff,
how they pack the folded clothes into the largest bags they have. Unimpressed by
the amount, the Uchiha pays before they both take their bags and leave the shop.
He stops in front of it, which is why his wife looks at him in confusion. "I
think it's easier if I quickly bring the bags to the car before we go anywhere
else." he says, looking into Sakura's eyes. She smiles slightly and nods,
together they go back to the entrance and look out into the rain. "Maybe I
should help you? Or come with you with an umbrella?” She asks almost worried.
Smiling, her husband shakes her head and takes her bags away. "No, we don't want
the wind to blow your dress up again." He says with a smirk before he already
runs out almost as if fleeing.
 
With an outraged red face, the pink haired woman watches her husband hurry
towards the parking lot. But when he disappears from her view, the redness also
disappears from her face again. She looks silently out into the rain, which
falls in streams from the clouds and is pushed by the storm against the glass
walls of the building. A few minutes pass before she sees Sasuke coming back
towards the building through the rain. Drops fall from his hair when he enters
and comes towards her, the shoulders and upper arms soaked in the rainwater and
his jeans are wet to the middle of his shins. "It’s best if you take off your
vest. Otherwise you will get sick!" It comes from his wife, who is ruffling his
hair in order to banish the water. A smile settles on his lips before he bends
down to kiss her softly. His arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her
slightly closer. Without hesitation, the pink haired girl returns the kiss, but
does not think about putting her arms around his wet neck. He hesitantly removes
his lips from hers. "Do not worry. I'm not made out of sugar.“ He smiles
softly and lets go of her, but follows her instructions and slips out of her wet
vest. "Come on." He then finally says, taking her hand in his and crossing his
fingers with hers. A little red around her cheeks, Sakura goes with him and lets
him lead her to her next destination.

After a few minutes, the melody of the Haruno’s smartphone sounds, which
announces a call. Sasuke watches her silently as she pulls the smartphone out of
her small handbag and smiles before lifting up and holding the device to her
ear. "Hey girls. What is it?“ she greets her friends as they call her in a
group conversation. "Hey. Hinata finally wants to solve this mystery.” Tenten
explains to her immediately. "Oh really? Well then I'm curious.” It comes from
the Haruno. "Tell me where are you right now?" The Yamanaka asks. “I'm with
Sasuke shopping. Why are you asking?" The pink haired girl glances at her
husband who looks at her when he hears his name. "I also want!" Ino says
longingly. "Then go with Kiba." A grin lies on Sakura’s tender red lips. "What
do you all always have with Kiba?" The blonde explores, slightly annoyed. "Well,
after all he's been your best friend for years..." The Uchiha's wife replies
matter of factly. "Guys, guys! Hinata would like to tell us something! Let's
concentrate on that!” Tenten interrupts the conversation between the two
friends. "So Hinata. Tell me. What happened between you and Naruto? Did you
accidentally kick his balls? Or did you stumble and tear down his pants so that
he was standing naked in front of you?“ Ino starts asking curiously. "Ino!”
it comes outraged from Tenten. Everyone eagerly listens to the enlightenment of
the mystery.
 
But when the line comes to rest and nobody says anything, the pink haired woman
looks a little confused. "Hinata? Are you still there?.” She explores
carefully. "Y-yes. Yes. I'm still here... So... Um, yes... Uhm... I... Um ... I
slept with Naruto..." The Hyuga admits quietly. "You have what?" Inos and
Tenten's shocked voices immediately sound through Sakura’s phone. "Excuse me?"
It comes from the pinkette at the same time and stops, which is why Sasuke comes
to a standstill and turns to her. "How is ... I mean it took you and your
previous boyfriends months to get there too..." The Haruno doesn't really know
what to say. "Yes, well, after all, I already had sex, unlike you." It comes
snippily from Hinata. "That shouldn't be a reproach Hinata, I just tried to ask
how that happened? After all normally you aren’t like that... ” She leaves
the end of the sentence open because she just doesn't quite know what to say
anymore. "I do not know either. He paid for the taxi and took me to the door,
because he doesn't live too far from me he wanted to walk the rest of the way to
sober up a little. Then he kissed me at the door and then it just happened.“
Explains the Hyuga and gets quieter towards the end. "Was it good?" Ino asks.
"Ino!" It again comes from Tenten. "I'm just asking.” The blonde then mumbled.
“I just don't know what to do now. How should I face him? Ever talk to him? I
just want to hide!“ The Hyuga just sounds desperate and exhausted. "I don't
think we can help you so well on the phone. We should meet tomorrow to discuss
this.” The Ama suggests. "Yes, we'll just come to you tomorrow. Or do you want
us to meet at someone else's? ”Agrees the Haruno. "I would prefer to meet at
one of your houses." The Hyuuga mumbles again. "Okay. Then just come to me for
coffee tomorrow.” The Haruno smiles, trying to encourage her and after
everyone has agreed and hung up, the pinkette looks up at her husband.
 
Sasuke looks at his wife with a spark of anticipation. "Hinata and Naruto slept
together." She then tells him briefly what the phone call was about. The black
haired looks at his companion incredulously before he lets out a sigh. "Then
I'll probably go to Naruto tomorrow and talk to him about it.” He says,
running his hand through his hair. Sakura only nods briefly and puts her cell
phone away again. "Do we want to continue then?" She smiles slightly at him.
After a brief moment, her husband nods and they continue to the shoe store.
"When we're at home, you can sort out your old clothes and give them to
charity.” She says, and he agrees with her as they enter the targeted store.
Within a few minutes Sasuke finds his wife in the middle of a mountain of shoes.
Pumps, high heels, boots, sneakers, loafers. A colorful mix of all shoes that
you can wear in the upcoming autumn and winter. A colorful mix of colors. And
she in the middle. A small smile lays on his lips as he shakes his head and
looks around for a pair of sneakers and sports shoes.



                     Kapitel 13: Step 13 - Falling Silent
                     ------------------------------------


Our lives are shaped by moments. Sometimes these moments are only seconds that
affect, or even change us as a person and our lives. Life is full of these
different moments. Moments when we laugh, jump in joy. Moments when we cry and
don't want to see anyone. Moments in which we grow beyond ourselves, moments in
which we threaten to fall, just as moments which leave us speechless and make us
fall silent...
 
Another month has passed. They have been married for almost four months now. And
this fourth month is almost over again. He cannot say that these months were
absolutely boring, no, thanks to Sakura's cheeky nature, it was also quite funny
so far. A dull sound can be heard as he places the empty glass back on the
wooden plate of his desk. The Uchiha looks tired to the outside. Dark clouds
cover the otherwise blue sky. Not a single ray of sun is able to break through.
A cool wind is blowing. Somehow this weather reminds him of an month ago when he
was out shopping with Sakura. The day she covered him with colorful shirts. At
least she made it that he even went to work the following Monday with a dark
blue shirt and white tie and he has only received positive feedback from all
sides so far. Sasuke smiles slightly, each color stands for something. White for
purity, black for sadness and death.
 
He sighs softly and grabs the bridge of his nose, which he massages lightly. A
strong storm had raged the last night and made him sleep quite restlessly. The
tiredness makes his work extremely difficult. If he looks at a report for too
long, he almost threatens to fall asleep. He wouldn’t even dare to revise the
drawings in his dreams. Maybe he should just go home. He doesn't have any
important appointments today anyway. His eyes turn back to the dark clouds
outside. Inside, he just waits for a flash of lightning to illuminate the
surroundings, which are only illuminated by the city lights through these thick
dark clouds. With a sigh, the black haired man takes the bottle of lemon iced
tea and fills the glass again. Somehow he has to get through this day, at least
until 6:00 p.m. After a sip of his iced tea, he sets the glass aside and rises
to walk up to the window and opens it. When he sticks his head out, dozens of
rain drops wet his face. After taking a deep breath of the cool and fresh air,
he closes the window again. He massages the cool water properly into his skin
and rubs his eyes.
 
Today is simply not his day. A little more refreshed than before, he sits back
at his desk and looks at the documents, which are brightly lit by his desk
light. He looks around for his pen, which he finally finds after lifting up
three folders. But it immediately slips out of his hand and falls to the ground.
He sighs a little tormented and starts looking for his ballpoint pen, which of
course rolled underneath the desk. When he suddenly hears the phone ringing, he
bangs his head startled against the underside of the table. Annoyed, he
straightens up and takes the call as he leans over his documents. Today is
definitely not his day. Hopefully it will end soon.
 

~> * <~


Her eyes are on the sky as she repeatedly taps the same spot with the stylus.
It's days like this when the sky is covered with such black and dark blue
clouds. On days like this her heart is always so heavy and sad. After all these
years, she still has a hard time. Actually, she never really got over her
parents's death, and days like this remind her of it every time. Sighing
silently, she turns her head away from the window and looks at the calendar on
her desk. September 18th. There are only days until the autumn officially
begins, but the weather already changed to autumn a few days ago anyway.
 
"Sasuke looked very tired this morning.” The Hondo suddenly notes, bringing
Sakura back to reality. Sakura blinks a few times, before she looks up at her
coworker. "Yes. It was so stormy tonight, that it made him sleep very
restlessly.” The pinkette replies with a smile. In the meantime, they have
both agreed to call her husband by his first name when they talk about him in
his absence, since Natsuki always mentioned him as Mr. Uchiha in the beginning,
even if he was not around. The Haruno smiles slightly as she leans back over her
drawing and holds the pen back onto the paper to draw a line, and many smaller
ones to shade the area. She adds more lines and shades, then looks on the screen
to open one of the gears which are used in production and takes a closer look at
its dimensions.
 
The ringing of her smartphone lets the Haruno look up again. She briefly looks
at the glowing device on the desk next to her screen, before she picks it up. A
smile forms on her lips when she reads the name. "Hello Fugaku!" She greets her
father in law happily. "Hello Sakura ." He greets back, letting the last vocal
of her name fade before he continues to speak "Please do me a favor?”
Confused, the Haruno looks to her calendar. Her father in law's voice sounds
strange, somewhat worried and sad. "Sure, what should I do?" She asks, hoping to
sound encouraging. "Go to Sasuke's office. Make sure that he switches off
everything in peace and does not storm out blindly. Take care that he stays
calm. It would be better if you drive, since he'll be too agitated and
worried.” Fugaku explains calmly and insistently. The pink haired woman nods
slowly. “Okay, but why? Has anything happened?” Because of the strange
attitude of her father in law, she too is beginning to worry. “Mikoto broke
down and is now in the hospital. I want you to take Sasuke to Seiroka Hospital.
She’s stationed in the intensive care unit, on the third floor, room 115. You
don’t need to worry. Everything will be fine.“ The man's calm voice sounds
again. The green eyed woman swallows gently while she writes down the
information he has given her, on a piece of paper. "O-okay. I'll take care of it
immediately. We'll see you soon.” The Haruno tries to stay calm and not let
her worries overpower her. After a short farewell word from Fugakus, she hangs
up and immediately clears away her papers as she switches off her computer and
packs her handbag.
 
"What's going on?" The Hondo asks, confused by the sudden departure. Sakura
quickly slips into her jacket and smiles briefly at her colleague. "Sasuke and I
have to go to the hospital as soon as possible.” She explains briefly before
leaving the office, clutching the straps of her handbag tightly. "See you!”
she says only briefly and raises her hand for a goodbye. The next moment she
walks towards her husband's office with quick steps. After a short knock, she
enters the secretary's office, Ayame, who looks up and smiles at her. “You
have to cancel all of today's appointments. I have to take Sasuke to the
hospital. Mikoto broke down.” Sakura explains quickly to the brunette woman,
who immediately nods in understanding. "Of course. You can go straight to him."
Ayame says and sends her to the Uchiha's office. She also knocks on his door
briefly before entering the office without being asked. Her husband looks up
somewhat surprised. "Hey. What are you doing here? Are you going home?” He
asks after a quick look at her jacket and bag.
 
"Sasuke. Your father sends me.“ She begins calmly and smiles encouragingly.
"Okay," Sasuke replies indecisively and places the pen on the folder in front of
him. "Clear your table, put everything away and shut down the computer. You
don't need it anymore today.” She suggests, bravely keeping a smile on her
lips. "How so. Did I miss something? Any meal or anything?” He looks at her
skeptically, recognizing the outfit which he had chosen and put out for her when
they went shopping last month. "No. It is something different. But first do what
I told you. I'll tell you what it's about when you're done.“ Smiling, she
approaches his desk. The Uchiha sighs briefly and then starts packing up the
documents, stowing his tablet in his work bag and shutting down the PC. When
everything was done, he leans back in his armchair and looks waiting at her. She
hesitantly walks around the table and watches him turn his armchair together
with himself towards her. She takes a step towards him and briefly runs her
fingers through his hair. "So. What is it about?” He finally asks and looks
into her eyes. She smiles, but he notices that it doesn't reach her eyes. He
gently takes her hand in his. "Sasuke. Your father called me. We should both
come to Seiroka Hospital immediately.” She explains to him with a calm voice.
"Why?" He continues asking, noticing how his throat is suddenly dust-dry. "Your
mother collapsed.” She says quietly and empathetically.

Suddenly all the tiredness that has been bothering him all day long, vanishes in
an instant. His heart beats up to his throat, as panic settles on his features.
He swallows hard and reaches for the glass of iced tea from which he greedily
drinks the rest. He quickly gets up and slips into his suit jacket, takes his
bag and stows his cell phone in the inside pocket before looking at Sakura. Now
her look and this weird smile make sense to him. He gently squeezes her hand
before they leave the office together, hurrying down the hall and taking the
elevator to the underground parking lot. He fingers his car key out of his
jacket pocket, which immediately falls out of his hand and onto the floor. He
picks it up again and grips it tightly as he snaps the key open and shut. His
wife’s eyes are worried on his hand, but he doesn't notice anything. He looks
spellbound at the elevator's floor display until it announces with a quiet sound
that they have reached their destination. With quick steps, the two approach his
car and the key falls out of his hand once again. His fingers shake as they
reach for the small object and after holding it again in his hand and using the
remote control, small fingers suddenly wrap around his hand. He looks surprised
at his wife, who is standing next to him and smiles encouragingly. "I think
it’s better if I drive.” She says emphatically. A sigh comes from the
Uchiha's lips before he hands her the key and approaches the passenger side.
 
When Sakura drives out, Sasuke realizes that Itachi has already left before
them. He lets his fingers tremble restlessly on his knee. He curses every red
light internally, while he tries to distract himself and thus either follows the
windshield wipers with his eyes, or tries to sing the song from the radio in his
head. After minutes that seem like hours, the Haruno stops the car in the
hospital parking lot. They get out and run through the rain inside the building.
"Where do we have to go?" Sasuke asks, his voice almost failing. "Intensive care
unit, third floor, room 115." The pink haired girl says while she is already
pressing the call button of the elevator, the doors opening immediately. Inside,
the dark eyed man presses the button, not just once. As if it would help him to
press the button firmly and often, he presses it until the doors close. Sakura
takes his hand and lets him look to his right. She looks at him worriedly. He
can see fear in her eyes. Sasuke smiles bravely, crosses his fingers with hers
and tries to calm himself down.
 
When the elevator doors open again, they take a quick look around, looking for
signs for stations and room numbers. Then they started moving and walk down the
hall to the intensive care unit. The heels of the Haruno reverberate in the
empty long hospital corridor. It is a miracle that she hasn’t twisted her
ankle by now. They walk past the intensive care nursing station, directly to
door 115 in the middle of the aisle. They can’t explain why, but the run
across the corridor from the elevator to the room seems to them as if they were
running in slow motion. Fear can be seen in the eyes of the two. The moment they
stop, they turn their attention through the open glass door and look into the
face of the black haired woman. Surrounded by her husband, her eldest son and
said son’s wife. Sasuke takes a deep breath before entering the room and
pulling Sakura, whose hand he still holds, with him. A big smile lies on the
lips of the woman in bed when she sees her youngest son and daughter in law.
"You shouldn't have hurried like that. But nice that you are here.“ Her voice
sounds. There is nothing left of the collapse. No fatigue or weakness. "You
scared the hell out of me, Mikoto." Sakura smiles with relief as she leans
forward to hug the black haired woman in greeting. "I'm sorry.” It comes
sincerely from the Uchiha. But the Haruno just waves it off.

"Sasuke. You look very tired. Did you go to bed late again? ”Mikoto asks her
youngest when he gives her a kiss on the cheek. "No, the weather made me sleep
very restlessly." He immediately corrects his mother's guess. She smiles warmly.
"You should sleep more.” She says caringly. Then she looks around and sticks
to her youngest daughter in law. "I would like to speak to Sakura on my own.”
She then explains to her family, while the Haruno sits onto the armchair next to
her bed. "You want to talk to her, but you don't want to talk to us?" "I've
already spoken to you Itachi. Besides, I don't need to tell you and Misuki
anything about marriage anymore. I would also like to talk to you afterwards,
Sasuke.“ Mikoto smiles friendly and watches her family as they leave the room.
"The blue shirt suits him.” Notes the older of the two women who have remained
in the room. "Yes. It does.“ Sakura agrees with a nod and looks closely at her
mother in law.
 
"I knew you are the perfect woman for him.” The black haired woman turns her
attention to the young woman next to her bedside. An amused smile lies on the
lips of the pinkette. "Because of the shirt?" She explores skeptically and takes
another look at her husband, whom she can see through the window, which takes up
the whole side of the door, likely so that the nurses can always have a look at
the patient as they pass her room. The dark eyed woman laughs softly. "No, I can
see it in him. You changed something. You change him and his life to what it
used to be. It's... you and your way. You achieve so much with him. Things that
I haven’t even dared to dream anymore." Sakura looks attentively into the face
of her mother in law and examines her eyes as the older one takes a short break,
which shine slightly grey, just like those of her husband. "You are perfect for
him. I knew it when I first saw you guys together. You will achieve so much
together. I know that.“ Confidence resonates in the voice of the black haired
woman as she ends her words with a smile on her lips. A loving smile lies on the
lips of the Haruno. "Thank you, Mikoto.” She says, not really knowing what to
say else.
 
The dark grey eyes again focus on the window to the hallway for a moment.
“Sasuke may be stubborn at times. Really stubborn. He is just like his father,
but then someone like you comes, you wrap him around your finger without him
noticing it and sometimes you don't even notice it yourself. He is on the best
way to fall in love with you.” A knowing smile is showing up on Mikoto's lips,
which normally would appear reddish and now only present themselves in a
delicate hint of red. "I hardly think he will ever love me as much as he loves
you, Mikoto. He is so anxious for you.“ The younger of the two women says
doubtfully. "Yes, he will. He will love you too. He'll be afraid and anxious for
you too. It will scare him a lot because he doesn't understand it.” The Uchiha
explains with confidence showing in her eyes. A sad smile lies on the lips of
the pink haired woman. "But even if he loved me. I could never return it. I'm
too afraid to tie myself to someone again and loose him if he then becomes
important to me.” Sakura admits and looks at her fingers. "Fear is just the
absence of courage, Sakura." Mikoto begins and lets her daughter in law look up.
"You needn't be afraid, not of love. Love is something wonderful, unique.
Unfortunately, it will always happen that you loose someone important to you,
unfortunately this is the cycle of life. But the fear of loss must not come in
the way of love.”

The black haired woman sighs softly, pauses for a moment and finally smiles
lovingly. "Actually, I don't need to tell you anything about marriage anymore.
You are already on the right path, even without my tips and my help. Do not let
your path lead you away, you both will bring each other to you destination and
lead to a real and happy marriage. If you need help, you can still ask
Fugaku.“ Explains the dark grey eyed woman and looks into the green eyes of
her daughter in law. The woman in front of her looks confused and skeptical.
Somewhat concerned, she looks at them and a hint of fear is visible in them.
"Why do you say such a thing, Mikoto? Everything will be fine. You will leave
the hospital after all...?“ Sakura wants to sound confident and convinced, but
her statement sounds more like a question. Mikoto's lips curl up into a smile
again. An encouraging smile, which should take away all her worries, but even if
the goal of this smile is exactly that, it lacks the effect. Sakura shakes her
head inwardly. It is definitely the hospital, which is already affecting their
receptivity and making everything look much worse than it is. A smile forms on
her lips, which should encourage herself as well. Everything will be alright.

To the encouraging smile, a sudden gleam appears in the eyes of the black haired
woman as she says her next words. "Always take good care of my little stubborn
son, Sakura. You are an intelligent, tough, young woman and so strong. So much
is still ahead of you and you will achieve a lot of things. You are like a
biological daughter to me, the daughter that I never had.“ Mikoto says and
gives the impression that she is fighting with tears. The Haruno smiles,
touched. "And you have become like a second mother for me. You are like a role
model for me. So strong and unshakable, tough, assertive, lively and confident.
I have the feeling that you will live on so much longer, be by my side and never
leave me alone.” The green eyed woman smiles as she bravely fights against the
rising tears. “Sakura, time sometimes goes by very quickly, faster than we
would like. I wish Sasuke and you would have met earlier and married for love
before I could have arranged this wedding somehow. I wish we had much more time
together." Mikoto smiles, a tear showing up in the corner of her eye, which she
doesn’t want to let run down her cheek. “Please send Sasuke in."
 



A small, relieved smile lies on Sasuke's lips as the sliding door closes behind
him and he turns his head to the left to look at his mother through the window
that runs from one wall of the room to the other. She looks at his wife with a
smile, opening her mouth to speak a few words and looks back at him and back at
Sakura. "You scared the hell out of me when Sakura told me that Mum broke down.
But she is fine, everything seems to be all right.“ The youngest Uchiha lets
his hands sink into the pockets of his suit and looks at his father, brother and
sister in law. Misuki turns to Itachi and hugs him, as they walk a few steps
away from Mikoto's line of sight. Sasuke observes this skeptically before
turning to his father, who is facing him. His facial features are neutral, but
in his eyes emotions are reflected that he cannot hide. Dull and filled with
sorrow and grief, Fugaku’s eyes are on his youngest son. It’s as if he can
hear silent screams of despair from his father.
 
"Sasuke.” Fugaku begins and smiles, a sad smile that doesn't last long on his
lips. The oldest Uchiha takes a deep breath and looks briefly at the ground as
if looking for the right words. "Appearances are deceptive. Nothing is okay.
Your mother is not feeling well.“ He starts again and looks at his son,
according to this statement. "W-what? But I can see it. Look at them! She is
fine!” Sasuke says insistent and looks briefly at his mother, who is smiling
and talking to his wife. "Sasuke. Mikoto has had a headache for three weeks now.
From the moment she opens her eyes until she goes to bed in the evening and
tries to sleep. She can no longer sleep without sleeping pills and if she does,
she sleeps very restlessly or not at all. No tablet she takes helps her. No
matter what dose. Not even pain relievers. She is very weak. Walking has been a
burden for her in the past few days, as if she’s doing extreme sports. Even
keeping her eyes open was a difficulty to her, but she was unable to sleep,
which would have been the best thing for her.” Fugaku explains and looks at
his wife sympathetically during his explanation. "But now she's fine." The
youngest Uchiha throws in, sounding like an unsettled child. "You can see it!"
He continues his statement and looks desperately at his mother.
 
"Sasuke. There is something... which the doctors call ‘the surge’. By this
they refer to an energy boost that people have when they are terminally ill.
They will feel better before it gets worse and gets really hard. The doctors
believe that your mother has just that right now. An energy boost. And this
boost of energy… we need to use it to say goodbye.” Towards the end,
Fugaku's voice gradually fails. "Then why is everyone putting up those smiling
faces?" Sasuke's voice sounds, desperate and stunned. "Because of sakura. Your
mother wanted to tell it to her herself. We shouldn't unsettle her if we look so
serious." Fugaku explains and smiles gently. “She is something for your mother
that she never had.” “No! No. I don’t believe that. No. Mum, will recover
from her collapse! I see it!” Desperate but at the same time convinced by his
statement, the youngest Uchiha looks back at his mother.
 
"Sasuke. Her brain pressure has increased ... and there is something that you
cannot see.“ Fugaku looks down from his wife to the ground and only slowly
into his son's waiting eyes. "Since the collapse earlier, she has been unable to
move or feel her feet.” It comes truthful over Fugaku’s lips. Sasuke looks
at his mother, struggling and even more desperate, before putting his hand on
his mouth and looking at the ground in front of him. "Sasuke. When we heard
about the disease, we knew that there is no cure and her life expectancy was
only a few months, in rare cases two to three years. Your mother is one of those
rare cases of three years, but now she can't fight it anymore. The time has come
and we can do nothing anymore. I'm so sorry. I know how important she is to
you." With grief he looks away from his son, down to the floor.

Fighting with his composure, Sasuke begins to pace and tries to calm down in the
hallway. But when he looks into his mother's smiling face as she speaks to his
wife, it's more than difficult for him. His hand finds the way to the bridge of
his nose, which he massages and tries to suppress his tears. An inner struggle
takes place. Grief fights hope and confidence mercilessly. After a few deep
breaths, confidence and hope won the fight and he looks up calmly.

Sasuke goes back next to his father at the window, who smiles at him and shows
him that he is not alone with this emotional chaos. In silence, they watch the
pink haired woman rise and hug her mother in law before she approaches the door,
before she opens it and turns back to her mother in law one last time. "Okay.
See you later.” The pink haired girl says with a smile and leaves the room
through the sliding door. Her father in law and husband look at her
expectantly.
 
A little shy and with a smile on her lips, she looks at her husband. "Sasuke.
Your mother wants to speak to you.” She then raises her voice. Said man nods
slowly, caresses her back for a moment and then enters his mother's room through
the door, where it is difficult for him to remain brave and not lose his temper.
He hesitates on the armchair, next to his mother's bed. "You didn't tell her."
Sasuke notes, looking at his hands and up again. He hears his mother take a deep
breath. "No. I just couldn't do it and I'm afraid that it will destroy her, that
I will just suddenly disappear from her life like her parents did years ago."
Mikoto begins and looks at Sakura through the window. “Maybe she could take it
better if she knew it before, but I just can't make it. I just don't have the
heart to see her cry, not because of me. I can't take it.“ The black haired
woman turns her attention back to her son. He sits there, silently listening to
her words. "Sasuke, please promise me that you'll be there for her. I know it is
a lot to ask, especially since it will be hard for you, but ... be there for her
at the beginning and she will be there for you after the first wave of grief
because she knows what it's like.“ Mikoto smiles bravely and blinks a few
times because of tears threatening to come up. "And please, take away this fear
of love from her. My death will only intensify this fear, but please, do
everything to take away this fear from her.” His mother ends her plead. Sasuke
swallows hard. Death. That was the word he was afraid to hear. But she said it.

"How is that supposed to work? I don't even know myself how this loving is
supposed to work.” The youngest Uchiha says amused and looks at his mother
attentively. "Don’t worry, it will happen naturally. She'll show you and you
will show her, without even noticing it. You two fit together so well.” she
replies with a smile. Sasuke sighs. "It's nice that everyone sees it that way,
but I don't really think so.” He notes casually, running through his hair with
his fingers. "Sometimes she gets you crazy with her attitude, doesn't she?" A
small, knowing grin showing on Mikoto's lips. Confused he looks into her eyes,
opens his mouth to say something and closes it without saying a word. "I knew
it." She smiles contentedly. "Why?" Her son immediately asks a little
skeptically. A loving smile lies on his mother's lips. "It's just... like with
your father and me. You are so like him. Sakura may not be like me, but it does
the same for you as I do for your father.” Mikoto explains, looking at her
husband through the window. Sasuke smiles amused and also looks at his father,
who is still talking to the Haruno. Mikoto's gaze also falls on the pink haired
woman when she raises her voice again. "Sasuke. Please take good care of her.
She pretends to be strong, she is, but not always. There are moments when
suddenly there is an insecure little girl who doesn't know what to do, doesn't
know where to go, feels lost, is afraid and just wants to run away.” She
explains and turns her eyes back to her son. He raises an eyebrow questioningly.
"And how am I supposed to recognize these moments?" He looks at her skeptically.
"You will know when you look at her. You will be able to see it in her eyes and
I know that you will do the right thing then.“ She smiles confidently towards
him. Her son just snorts. "I will definitely say the wrong thing. Moments like
that are not for me." He shakes his head slightly. "Sometimes it doesn't matter
if and what you say, Sasuke, but what you do." She smiles lovingly at him.
Finally she sighs. "Sasuke, don't hide in the office at work. That doesn't make
you happy.“ She says and takes a deep breath.

When he realizes that she has to take a deep breath more and more, his gaze
becomes sad when he realizes that she seems to have difficulty breathing over
time. “Nothing can make you as happy as loving and being loved by someone.
Take a look at Sakura. It will make you happy. I know that.“ She smiles
weakly. He looks at his mother skeptically, while he won’t show her how much
it’s tearing him apart to see, how difficult it is for her to breathe. But his
mother is not influenced by this and laughs. "You are still half-backed, but the
day will come when you look at her and know it too. Then you see that it is her
who makes you happy.“ She says and takes a deep breath again. "I wish I still
had time to see you two getting closer, fall in love and having a marriage, full
of happiness and love.” She whispers, unable to stop a tear from running down
her cheek.
 
Sasuke smiles sadly and swallows gently. He sees his mother telling his father
to come to her, all only with a look of her eyes. The doors open and Fugaku
enters the room and stops next to the bed. "Please, make sure that Sakura is not
here when the time comes. I don't want her to see the woman who she thinks as so
unshakable and strong, loosing a fight in front of her eyes.” Mikoto says
weakly. Fugaku nods, smiling slightly. "I think we should give you a few minutes
of rest.” He finally says, letting Sasuke know that he should leave the room.
The youngest Uchiha rises and together they leave the room. The pink haired girl
stands smiling in front of him and talks to Itachi and Misuki, who have returned
from their little stroll.
 
When her husband and father in law come through the door, she smiles at them.
They return the smile with great difficulty, but this does not seem to have the
effect they had hoped for. "You all look so tired." The pink haired woman raises
her voice and looks at the four around her. She looks briefly at the floor, then
through the corridor window out into the dark sky. "I will go and get some
coffee. Who wants one?“ She inquires with an encouraging smile. "Nice of you
Sakura, but thanks, we don't need anything." Itachi says and shakes his head
with a smile. "I would like to take a coffee, thank you Sakura." Fugaku says.
"How do you want it?" "Black. Just black.” He answers her question. Sakura
turns to look at her husband. "And you?", she examines him briefly while waiting
for his answer. "No thanks. I'll be fine.“ He smiles at her slightly. She
sighs silently and then nods slowly. "Then I'm looking for the coffee machine or
something similar! Could take some time.“ with a smile she turns around and
goes back a little way, where there is another elevator. In silence she presses
the call button and waits briefly before the elevator comes and she gets into
it. When the doors have closed and she can read on the floor display that the
elevator is going down, the oldest Uchiha looks at his sons and Misuki. "Let's
go to her.” He says sadly. Everyone nods in silence to agree and then
re-enters the Uchiha's room, which looks up wearily and smiles slightly, when
the head of the family seats himself next to her bed. Sasuke takes another seat
and puts it to the other side of her mother to sit onto it, while Itachi and
Misuki decide to just stand next to Fugaku.




Sakura sighs and looks at the floor display of the elevator. It took her an hour
to get this coffee, which she holds in her hand. With her skills, she naturally
got lost on the ground floor and suddenly stood in front of the operating door.
So she kept wandering around until she found a sister and asked for directions.
When she arrived at the cafeteria, it was overcrowded and she had to orientate
herself again, while she was looking for the in-house coffee shop and of course,
when she found it, there was of course a long line as well. She sighs again, as
lucky as she had been at the first time, on the way back she got lost again.
It's actually a miracle that the coffee in the coffee mug in her hand is even
still warm. Waiting, she looks at the display. Somehow it feels like the
elevator is slower than an hour ago. The pink haired woman shakes her head at
her thoughts. Of course it is not. She is only confused because of the stress
and sudden concern for Mikoto and the many confusing hallways of the hospital.
Besides, there is still this gloomy weather and probably she didn't sleep too
well at night either. Actually, she wouldn't be surprised. After all, sometimes
the thought of a day like this is enough and her heart becomes heavy. It's just
days like this.

A short, bright tone shows that she has reached the desired floor. Slightly
smiling, she enters the hall and overcomes the few steps to her mother in law's
room. She immediately sees the doctor and the nurse in it, but she doesn't worry
too much about it. She sighs again while examining the floor in front of her.
When she comes to a stop at the door and it opens, a high, even tone can be
heard from the room. She looks up again. Directly on the square screen next to
the bed, which makes a sound and only shows a continuous line. Shocked, she lets
go of the coffee mug. It feels like hours, in a film this scene would now be
shown in slow motion, until the cup hits the bottom. The mug breaks and the
warm, brown liquid spread over the floor. Her eyes slide over those present in
the room. Towards Fugaku, Misuki and Itachi, who turned to her with a sad look,
she then looks at her husband, who loosens his hand from the bridge of his nose
and slowly looks up at her. And at the next few words, she turns and runs away.
"Time of death 4:23 pm."
 
Sasuke immediately jumps up and runs after her, sees how she slides through
between the closing doors of the elevator. His legs automatically move and hurry
to the elevator with which they came. When he arrives, he sees the numbers above
the elevator increasing. He runs towards the stairs and immediately down to the
second floor, the first and the ground floor. When he runs out to the elevator
lobby and looks down the corridor, he can already see his wife, who is holding
her hand over her mouth and hurrying in his direction. He can see the tears in
her eyes and the wet marks on her cheeks. She doesn't even seem to have realized
that she is running towards him. When she was just a little more than an arm's
length away from him, he slightly raises his arms and lets her collide with his
chest. The next moment his arms close around her, one hand resting on her head
and stroking it gently and the other tightly laying around her waist. Nobody
says a word. Sakura stares at the blue shirt and black suit with puffy eyes, as
his scent pours into her nose and she recognizes whoms chest she is leaning
against. She silently suppresses the sobs as she presses herself more against
his chest and lets her fingers cling to his suit. His eyes wander desperately
and baselessly through the corridor, just to bend his head down to hide his face
in her hair so that no one can take part in his facial expressions and
hopelessness. It is their sobs that make both of their bodies shake.


It's days like this that scare us, worry, don't let us sleep, and moments like
this make us fall silent. Sometimes forever...



                       Kapitel 14: Step 14 - Being There
                       ---------------------------------


At the wedding, the bride and groom promise to be there for each other in good
and in bad days and as they promise this to each other, their friends, family,
the registrar and all the other guests are all witnesses to these words. You
promise it, but at that point in time you don't even know what these bad times
are even going to be. Maybe one struggles with depression or even trauma? Or the
other is going through a difficult time because they lost their job, or
something else like that, maybe even a person? You don't know at all what is
going to happen someday, but you still promise to be there.
 
The pink haired woman opens her eyes tiredly. Her eyelashes completely sticky
from the tears of the previous night and her vision also a little clouded. She
gently rubs her eyes with her hand and blinks at the dark blue shirt in front of
her. Two arms are wrapped around her body. A slight sad smile forms on her lips
while she gently caresses the chest of her husband, in whose arms she is laying.
Tears well up in her eyes again, but she quickly puts herself back into her
place. She has to be there for Sasuke. Not the other way around. Mikoto was his
mother and she is his wife, she must be strong for him now. Of course she can
cry and mourn too, but right now it is more important for her to be there for
him in this difficult time.
 
She sighs softly and studies his sleeping face. Quiet and peaceful. He can still
sleep peacefully, but she knows that, sadly, this won’t stay so for much
longer. The pinkette doesn't even know how they actually made it out of the
hospital. All she remembers is how she herself had only cried silently and
surrendered to the pain of loss. Not a single sound had come from her lips and
Sasuke was also silent for the rest of the evening. They had stood there in the
hospital corridor, he held her in his arms while they cried in silence. At some
point he led her back to Mikoto's room, where they were allowed to look at the
peaceful face of her late mother-in-law one last time, before she got covered.
In the evening, Sakura finally let her husband lead her to the car and they
drove home. Once there, she sat down on the couch in the living room and just
cried, over time she couldn't even suppress the sobs. Sasuke sat down next to
her in silence and just hugged her again. Neither of them needed to say a word,
as if they had known, they laid down on the couch in the living room. Neither of
them wanted to be alone that night, knowing that they would have felt lost in
the large double beds. So the Uchiha had pulled her down with him and fell
asleep on the couch.

She smiles slightly. Sakura should have been there for him and yet he was it for
her. Sakura carefully gets down from her husband and gets up silently, takes a
thin blanket and covers him with it, before she leaves the living room and goes
up to her bedroom to remove her make up. The eyes of the young Haruno wander
over the interior, as she walks through the room and back into the living room.
Her attention is drawn to the dark, gray clouds obscuring the sky and dropping
tons of water droplets to the ground. The storm is over. Only the rain remains.
Sighing softly, the young Haruno goes to the terrace door and opens it.
Immediately feeling the fresh and rain-washed, cool air on her skin. September
is showing itself in all its facets.
 
The pink haired woman slowly looks over her shoulder at Sasuke. Today will be a
difficult day. She knows that. She had to go through it herself many years ago.
It would be a lie to say that it’s ever going to be easy. Sighing silently,
Sakura looks at the watch by the television before walking towards the dark grey
eyed man. She gently takes his head from the pillow on which he laid himself
yesterday and places him on her lap instead. She gently brushes with her fingers
through his black hair. A few minutes pass before the black haired man begins to
move, finally opens his eyes and blinks tiredly at her. "Morning." Sakura
whispers with a slight smile. There is also a small smile on Sasuke's lips when
he replies. “Much better than any alarm clock. Can't you wake me up like this
every day?" he explores with a sigh and closes his eyes with relish, even if
only for a brief moment. She smiles gently at him. “Would you rather have some
tea or should I make you coffee. Maybe a cocoa?” She asks thoughtfully and
runs the back of her index over his cheek. “A cocoa sounds tempting. Will you
have a drink with me?” He smiles pleasantly. A little confused, she looks at
him and runs her fingers through his hair once more. "What are you doing there?"
She explores and smiles slightly amused. "Asking you out on a little date in the
house, disguised as simple cocoa." He answers silently, looking into her emerald
green eyes, through his own onyx grey ones. A sad smile settles on her lips as
she puts her hand on his head. "Sasuke, you shouldn't suppress it, that's not
good." She says and runs her thumb through his black hair. “I am not trying to
suppress it. I just... try to distract myself until the pain isn't so bad
anymore. I am a man and I am afraid that if I cry, I will not be able to
stop.” It is nothing more than a whisper that comes over his lips and fades
away softly. "Sasuke. The pain won’t get better. You only learn to deal with
it." She utters underneath her breath and in the next moment feels her husband's
hand on her cheek. "Have a cup of cocoa with me." He asks quietly, trying to end
the conversation about this never ending pain. Sakura smiles gently and nods in
understanding.

The black haired man sits up slowly and takes his wife’s hand into his own.
Gently running his thumb over the back of her hand, he gets up from the couch
and leads her into the kitchen, where he looks around briefly only to feel
completely lost. The kitchen always had been his mother's favorite place. She
even enjoyed cleaning the kitchen counter. The kitchen was her realm and no one
was ever allowed to argue or fight here. Only when he notices his wife passing
him, he emerges from his memories. He walks slowly up to her and takes the milk
from the refrigerator while Sakura fetches the cocoa powder, a small pot and
sugar from the boxes. He silently watches her preparing the cocoa before taking
two large cups from one of the cupboards. One red and one blue, with "Mr."
written on the blue one and "Mrs." on the red one. Sakura has to smile slightly
when she looks at the cups, before filling the cocoa into them and putting the
empty pot into the sink. Sasuke meanwhile takes the two cups and carries them to
the dining table, where he sets them down and sits down on one of the chairs.
His wife sitting down across from him in silence.
 
A few minutes pass while they sip their drinks in silence. "How long did it take
you to learn to deal with the pain?" Sasuke breaks the silence and looks at the
pinkette. The addressed woman sighs softly, as she looks at him. "Long. I can't
tell you how long it will take for you, since every person reacts and acts
differently and has their own pace, but back then I was quickly caught up with
life, stress and so on, because Ryosuke and I were still quite young and barely
of legal age. I didn’t really have much time to think about the loss and the
pain. Only at evenings, I often cried myself to sleep. Half a year later I was
able to think of my parents without breaking out in tears.” She explains in a
low voice while looking out the window. A sad glint in her emerald eyes.
Understanding, the Uchiha nods and puts his cup on the table for a moment, just
to run both hands over his face. Hopefully life will catch up to him and
distract him quickly. Of course he knows that the first days will be the
hardest, but he hopes to somehow get through them. "How did you survive the
first few days?" He then asks, drawing Sakura's attention back to himself. "I
don't know." She admits quietly and takes a sip from her cup.
 
“What time is it anyway?” It comes after a while over her lips and looks
around for a clock. Sighing quietly, Sasuke takes his smartphone out of his
pocket and presses the home button. The screen then lights up and shows him the
time. "Shortly after 12pm." He replies only briefly to her question, who nods
slowly. "Would you like something to eat? Should I cook something?” She
continues to ask, but he just shakes his head. "I'm not hungry." He whispers
softly. His gaze is on her. Actually, he expected her to hold it against him
again that he eats little and should really eat something, but it doesn't
happen. She just sits in front of him and slowly nods her head, accepting his
statement. "Neither do I." She breathes out softly and looks broken at her
already cold cocoa. He sighs silently and looks at her. She must have grown
really fond of his mother. Well, it doesn't really surprise him actually. After
all, they have spent a lot of time together during the wedding preparations and
did things that a mother normally does with her daughter and they also had a lot
of contact after the wedding too.
 
The sudden beeping of his smartphone, which he had put back in his pocket, pulls
him out of his thoughts. The two short beeps indicate that he has received a
message. Sighing softly, the black haired man takes the device back out of his
jeans pocket and unlocks the touchscreen, taps the message symbol and opens the
message. He reads the few lines in silence, then presses the home button and
looks up. "The wake begins at 6pm." He reports briefly to his wife, who examines
him questioningly and then slowly nods. "I'll call Neji, Tenten and Naruto and
let them know." The Uchiha then says, gets up and leaves the kitchen with his
phone in hand, to go upstairs to his office. When leaving the kitchen, he looks
back at his wife, looking like she is in a trance. He looks at her sadly before
continuing on his way to the office.
 
As he puts his hand on the doorknob of his office door, he looks down at his
smartphone and unlocks it. He dials his best friend's number from the call list
and closes the door behind him. He overcomes the few steps to his desk and turns
around to sit on the edge of the desk. "Hey Sasuke. Nice that you are calling.
What's up?“ The good humored voice of his blond best friend quickly sounds
through the line. The black haired man's voice fails and he stares at the floor
in front of him. “Sasuke? Everything okay? Hello. Sasuke?“ He hears Naruto
trying to get him to talk and hesitantly looks up. "My mother..." Sasuke begins,
only to fall silent again. The Uzumaki listens carefully without making a sound.
“She passed away yesterday afternoon. The wake is going to be today at 6:00
p.m. at my fathers house.“ The youngest Uchiha ends and immediately hears his
best friend swallow. “I-I’m sorry. O-Okay, I'll be there.“ It comes
depressed and shocked from his friend. "Thank you." Sasuke says before hanging
up.

He sighs once and immediately dials the number of the Hyugas, while he hopes
that Tenten is with him. "Sasuke. What gives me the honor?“, He hears the
voice of his long haired friend through the line. "Hey. Is Tenten with you right
now?“ The black haired man immediately asks a counter question. "Yes, she is,
why? Do you want to talk to her?” He hears the next question. "No, no. But I
think it's very good that you are with her now.” The Uchiha tries to reason.
"Mhm. And why?“ The Hyuga sounds kind of confused. “My mother died yesterday
afternoon. The wake takes place at my father's house at 6 pm.” Sasuke says
briefly. "Okay... I'll tell Tenten about it. I'm sorry Sasuke. How do you cope
with that.“ Neji's sad voice sounds from the device. The person addressed
smiles sadly. "Well, of course I have to somehow and besides, I have Sakura." He
finally says and looks at the door. He slowly pushes himself off his table and
approaches the door. "Okay. See you later.“ It comes from the Hyuga and Sasuke
hangs up. His legs carry him to and down the stairs.
 
In the entrance hall he looks around searchingly and finally enters the living
room, in which’s door he comes to a halt. With a sad look she looks at her
smartphone, on which she taps around and then holds it to her ear. Waiting for
the call to be answered, she looks through the glass of the terrace door, in
front of which she is standing, before standing sideways to the glass again.
Outside it’s still raining. "Hello Ryosuke." Sakura raises her voice after a
while and puts her left arm on her chest as if she wanted to cross it with her
right arm. “You are in Osaka? When will you be back?” It is almost only a
whisper from the emerald eyed woman while she looks sadly at the laminate floor
in front of her. "Yes." She breathes out and in the next moment a sound leaves
her lips that sounded like a suppressed sob. Sasuke can see how difficult it is
for her to pronounce the following words. "Mikoto passed away.” Tears
immediately fill her eyes as she utters those few words. “He's holding up
bravely. Yes. Today at 6 p.m. at Fugaku’s. Okay. Yes... See you later." The
pink haired woman takes a deep breath as she hangs up. Still unnoticed, Sasuke
leans in the door frame and watches her. She holds up bravely while telling her
friends and relatives about this painful event without breaking into tears but
looking so fragile in reality. Desperate, lonely, abandoned. He wouldn't be
surprised if he looks the same, even though not quite as fragile as her.
 
Sasuke walks up to her quietly. Standing next to her, he looks briefly out into
the garden. “Are you okay?” He asks quietly, which makes his wife look up.
"It has to." Sakura smiles pained as she lifts her cell phone to her ear once
more. "Hey I-" His wife begins but gets interrupted. "Hello?“ He can hear the
voice of a male, silently but clear enough. "Oh hi Kiba. Are you with Ino?“
She asks a bit surprised. "Yes, wait, I'll give her to you.“ She hears his
voice before it rustles briefly and they could hear her best friend at the other
end. "Hey, what's up?" The good humored voice of the Yamanaka sounds before she
giggles briefly, like a teenager. Sakura lets out a soft sighs, she really
doesn't want to destroy her best friend's good mood. "Ino." Sakura finally
speaks in a low tone. "What's the matter? You don't sound good at all. Did you
have a fight with Sasuke?” The blonde is immediately concerned and focused on
her friend. "No we have not. He's nice anyway. It's..." She begins and feels how
her eyes are slowly getting wet again. "Ino, it’s... something really bad
happened." The tears that come into her eyes also slowly cover her voice.
“What happened?“ It comes totally unsettled and worried from the blue eyed
woman at the other end of the line. "Mikoto died, Ino." Sakura says for the who
knows how maniest time today and this time she isn’t able to stop herself any
longer. She covers her mouth with her hand while tears stream from her eyes.
Sasuke silently pulls her to his chest, puts one hand on her head and caresses
her back with the other hand. "When... when is it...?” He can hear Ino utter
in a hushed voice. "Today at 6pm at Fugaku’s." Sakura replies with a
tear-choked voice. "O-Okay. I’m so sorry to hear this, Sakura. How... How are
you both handling it? Especially Sasuke?” The Yamanaka asks concerned, waiting
for Sakura to take some breathes. “Thank you, Ino. We are trying. Sasuke stays
brave.” A deep sigh sounds through the line before the blonds voice sounds
once more. “Okay, sweetie, I will see you later.” All Sakura could give in
response was a nod, even though she knew that Ino wouldn’t be able to see it,
before the line goes quiet and the well known tooting sounds.

Sasuke gently takes the smartphone from his wife's hand and puts it into his
other jeans pocket before he puts his arms around her and gives her a comforting
hug. His hand gently strokes up and down her back as he rocks her back and forth
lightly. His cheek is on her head, her arms are wrapped around his back and her
face presses against his chest. Fear has spread through her body. Afraid that if
she lets go of Sasuke she will fall. The Uchiha carefully loosens the hug to
lift her up on his arms and walk with her back to the couch, where they both
woke up in the morning. With her he sits down on the soft seat cushion and leans
back against the armrest so that she lies on him again. Just like they did an
hour ago. "Try to get some sleep." He whispers to her while he goes back to what
he was doing before and caresses her back soothingly. Sakura nods while the
tears are still running down her cheeks. She cuddles onto to her husband
carefully. A sad smile shows on his lips as he looks at her pink head and even
breathes a kiss on it. A relieved sigh comes over Sasuke’s lips when he can
hear his wife's regular breathing and he too can close his tired eyes a little.
 
When the hand of the analog clock has finally turned twice in circles, the
Uchiha wakes up again from his dozing and looks tiredly at the time display on
the television. "Hey." He whispers to his wife, who is still lying on his chest.
He gently caresses her back with his hand. He does this a few times until the
pink haired beauty starts to stir up. "It's about time we get ready.” He
speaks against her hair. A little tired she sits up and rubs her eyes. She gives
him a slight nod and then gets up so that Sasuke can get up too.
 
The couple silently climbs up the stairs to the first floor, to go to their
respective guest rooms and get ready. Both of them decide to take a shower to
wake up their spirits and wash the signs of sadness and fatigue from their faces
and bodies. While Sasuke rubs his hair dry in silence, Sakura fights the
moisture in her hair with the blow dryer. The pink haired woman looks at herself
in her mirror with a sad look, pulls her hair up in a braid and then picks it up
strictly in traditional Japanese way. Two black chopsticks peek out of her hair
and while she is thinking about which piece of clothing she should wear best,
she spreads some moisturizing cream around her eyes so that they don't look too
dry and dark. When she looks in the mirror again, she removes the chopsticks and
lets her hair fall open over her shoulders. She looks more like she is going out
on a normal workday, rather than to a wake.

Sasuke meanwhile has already chosen his suit, shirt and socks. Sighing, he lies
back in his bed and stares at the ceiling. Which words will Itachi choose? After
all, it is traditional at a Japanese wake for the eldest son to give a little
speech. But what will his brother say? Will he talk about fond memories?
Highlight happy moments? The dark grey eyed man puts his hands tiredly over his
eyes. This day came so fast, it practically overran him. He sighs again and sits
up after a few minutes that he had just laid there, to get dressed. As he was
buttoning his shirt, there was a soft knock on the door of his room. "Come in."
He utters softly, knowing that it can only be his wife. Slowly she opens the
door and looks at him. A brave little smile lies on her lips as she approaches
him. She takes the black tie from the bed and puts it on him after he has
fastened the last buttons. She looks at him carefully as she ties the tie.
 
"Ready?" The Uchiha explores quietly as Sakura gently strokes the tie down. "You
will never be ready for that.” She whispers softly. Sasuke gently clasps his
wife's hand and then leaves his room with her. As they have finished everything,
they silently go through the corridor that leads to the garage and lock the last
door behind them. With bowed heads and sad eyes, they get into his car, as
Sakura’s car is still standing in the company's underground parking lot.
 
During the drive to the Uchiha estate where Sasuke grew up, neither of them
speaks a word. They stare out of the windshield in silence and listen to the
rain dropping against it. After half an hour's drive, the youngest Uchiha brings
the car to a standstill. Several other cars are already parked in the parking
lot and in the driveway of the property. Sasuke's gaze is fixed on his steering
wheel, he swallows unnoticed and looks uncertainly at the front door. The hand
of the Haruno’s wraps around his, trying to get his attention. "I'm here." She
says encouragingly and smiles bravely. He nods silently and the two of them get
out of the car into the rain. The way from the car to the front door seems so
long, although it doesn’t even take a few minutes.
 
The moment they want to ring the doorbell, the door already opens and an
employee already asks them to get inside. Inside they can immediately hear a
mixture of soft voices that have gathered in the living room. Many guests have
not appeared yet, since there are still almost 30 minutes to the agreed time.
Cushions are laid out in rows on the floor, on the wall there is a large box
with many more of them if there are not enough.

Misuki lifts her head and looks around at the entrance where the young couple is
slowly approaching from. Immediately she starts moving and walks up to the
couple to greet them. Smiling sadly, she hugs Sakura and said girl realizes that
Misuki only looks half as bad as herself. Itachi appears immediately to greet
her. He too looks almost as bad as his brother. But she also notices that it is
difficult for him, of course, the death of a loved one is not easy for anyone.
"It's nice that you are here." The older of the Uchiha brothers greets the two
and gives them an encouraging smile, which he himself could only use all too
well. "Of course." The Haruno replies and gives him an encouraging smile, which
she just so manages. The wife of the youngest Uchiha looks around in silence
while Itachi turns to the newcomers. A large altar was established. Flowers and
candles adorn it and in the middle there is a photo of the smiling Mikoto,
placed in a black picture frame. There is also a bowl for incense sticks.
"Fugaku." Sakura smiles encouragingly when she sees her father-in-law
approaching. Like Sasuke, he is dressed black on black. "How are you?" She
inquires immediately while taking a step towards him and then finally hugging
him. Smiling sadly, Fugaku hugs the young woman and caresses her back like a
father. "It's okay. Thank you, Sakura.” He replies quietly before turning to
his son to greet him. Those two embrace for a moment too. Finally Fugaku breaks
the hug and then slowly starts to greet the guests again.
 
When Sakura sees the picture of her deceased mother-in-law, she takes a deep
breath and swallows the lump of grief, which is trying to form in her throat
again. She keeps telling herself that she has to be there for Sasuke. She looks
around to said man, watching him stare silently at the picture of his mother,
which shows how happy she was. "Sakura." It sounds next to the two and the black
haired man looks back to his right. Ryosuke and Honoka come up to them both, the
latter standing more in the background. The brown haired man takes his sister in
his arms and hugs her lovingly. A little shy, Honoka approaches Sasuke instead.
"My condolences." He hears her soft voice and pauses for a moment. "Thanks." He
replies just as quietly. They wait in silence until Ryosuke has let go of his
sister and turns away from her to give his girlfriend the opportunity to say
hello. "Sasuke." It comes from the brown haired Haruno and hits his hand before
they briefly give each other a friendly hug with the other arm. "How are you?"
Sasuke shrugs his shoulders at his question. "Depending on the circumstances.”
He just replies quietly. Ryosuke nods silently and looks at Sasuke, who is
watching his wife. “Will she handle it?” He finally asks and looks back at
his brother-in-law. “It is now primarily important to her that you come to
terms with it and is therefore backing away, although it is just as difficult
for her. After all, she has lost a mother for the second time. But since it was
your birth mother she plays the strong one. Still, being alone is the hardest
thing for her at the moment.” The Haruno explains with a sigh. "It’s the
same for me too." Sasuke says with a slight nod and then looks back at his
mother's picture.
 
"Sakura." The Uchiha then hears the slightly tearful voice of his wife’s best
friend. When he looks back at his wife, her best friend is already hugging her.
Kiba approaches him with a sad look and greets him and Ryosuke beforehand. "I'm
sorry." He says before Ino approaches them and greets the black haired man as
well. The two of them are immediately followed by Naruto and later even his
parents, who approach them with a sad expression. After all Naruto’s parents
were pretty close to him, like Mikoto had become a second mother for the Uzumaki
too. The group stands together and is silent. Ino sheds a few tears in silence
and Kiba tries to comfort her. Finally, Neji and Tenten come with Hinata. They
greet each other again and express their condolences before silently standing in
the circle.
 
Sasuke eyed the crowd in silence, noticing Naruto and Hinata still embarrassed
and awkward about what had happened a month ago and standing as far apart from
each other as possible. A few minutes pass. "I should say hello to the other
guests too.” It comes from the youngest Uchiha. His friends nod in
understanding while Sakura holds onto his arm. "I'll accompany you." She
whispers only briefly and goes with him. Together they do a round, greet the
guests, receive many condolences and say their thanks.
 
Some time later, they finally sit on the prepared seat cushions. In the first
row from the altar, next to Fugaku, Itachi and Misuki. Their friends have found
space in the rows behind them, while the rest of the Uchiha relatives are
sitting on the right side of the small empty passage between the cushions. The
Japanese funeral rite begins and Itachi, the eldest son, rises to say a few
words.

“Thank you for all of you to come to support us through this difficult time.
Everyone who has known my mother, knows what a wonderful, kind and loving person
she was. She was perfect..." Itachi takes a short break and swallows, one can
tell that he is fighting back his tears. “As a mother, wife, friend and
person. That's why this farewell is particularly difficult for all of us.” The
older one of the two brothers looks down at the floor for a moment. “My
mother's death came as a surprise, but again somehow not. What many do not know
is, that mother had been suffering from an illness for several years. Actually,
she had a maximum life expectancy of six months at the time of diagnosis, but
she made three wonderful years out of it. Lately she's been getting worse day by
day and in the end, death was just the salvation for her that we all would have
wished for.” He swallows once again and blinks away the tears, “It could
have happened any day. We had to expect it every day. She knew what was going to
happen. She said goodbye to us and her family individually and found a few last
beautiful words that we will carry in our hearts forever. Finally she fell
asleep peacefully. We can be grateful for the time we were able to spend with
her. For every minute, every second with her. Lastly we would like to play her
favorite songs, which have accompanied her through difficult times, given her
comfort and now maybe give us comfort as well.” With those words Itachi ends
his speech and returns to his seat.
 
Sasuke can see tears in the corners of his brother's eyes. It is also difficult
for him to resist the tears. But he somehow manages to stop them and looks into
his mother's smiling face. The last time he saw that smile, had been on his
wedding day. The music begins to play softly. When he hears the first lines of
the song, however, his self control fails and breaks completely. His mother's
favorite song can be heard from the speakers. He swallows hard and gets up
immediately, quickly walking down the hallway and leaves the room through the
door into the dining room. Sakura looks after him and then back at Fugaku, whose
hand she holds in an encouraging way. With a sad look his eyes are fixed on the
door in the back of the room before he fixes them on the picture of his wife and
finally on Sakura. He smiles slightly and loosens his hand. The emerald eyed
woman smiles too and finally gets up to follow Sasuke into the next room.
 
He is pacing restlessly back and forth, massages the bridge of his nose and in
the next moment runs both hands over his face. His breath shakes as he exhales
and looks around at the door where his wife is standing. She walks slowly
towards him, sees the dampness in his eyes. Her hands rest on his cheeks and
gently caress them, down to his shoulders and forearms. Her hands find their way
back up to his face, gently brushing over his cheek, to his hair and lingering
there. With gentle force she presses his head towards her and against her cheek.
As if by themselves, his arms find their way around her waist and press her
close to himself, hiding his face on her neck, her hands laying gently on his
back and his head, which she gently caresses.
 
And the way he hugs her... No, he doesn't hug her... He holds on to her as if he
were... She feels that he is threatening to sink and drown in the floods. The
floods of helplessness, despair, grief, hopelessness and loneliness.
 
He keeps sinking into the floods, and it tries to pull him deeper and deeper,
making him cling desperately to the trunk at the edge of the shore.



                      Kapitel 15: Step 15 - Conversations
                      -----------------------------------


It all starts with a simple conversation. You talk about yourself and learn
about others. You get to know each other. It all starts with a simple "Hi".
Friendships and relationships develop. Conversations can deepen friendships and
divide friendships. Conversations can decide between war and peace. It can
influence vital decisions and start an argument.
But in the end ... it's also the conversations that reunite us, that can make
enemies to friends. There is a reason as why people keep saying; “Go and talk
to him!” Because even the simplest conversations can change many things in our
lives.
 
Tired, the Uchiha's eyes slowly open and blink at the ceiling above him. Sighing
quietly, he looks at the weight that is lingering on his chest, but the weight
is so light that he has no problems breathing. He gently caresses her pink hair.
Monday has come. They slept together on the couch all weekend. Neither of them
wanted to sleep alone in their guest room. After the wake on Friday, the
traditional Japanese funeral continued over the weekend and the new week has now
begun. The black haired man slowly looks to the television and to the watch
sitting on top of it. It is still relatively early in the morning, but then
again late. He should focus on work again. As one of the heads of the company,
he cannot just leave the company to itself. The work will certainly distract his
dark thoughts and do him good. Gently he caresses a strand of his wife's hair
behind her ear, as she is still lying on top of him, sleeping calmly. By
watching how she cuddles onto him like that, it seems that he is having a quite
comfortable and cozy chest. He smiles a little amused and then rubs his tired
face, wondering how best to wake her up. After a moment he then carefully pulls
her up a little further, so that he can rest his cheek against her forehead. His
left hand lies on top of her head and brushes through her soft hair, while his
right hand lies gently on her side and tickles her slightly.

A few moments pass before the young Haruno starts moving on his chest and
cuddles her forehead more against his cheek. Sasuke feels how she yawns before
she moves her head and looks at him still a little tired. Totally sleepy and
with the imprint of a wrinkle on his shirt, she blinks at him. "Good morning."
It comes over her lips in a soft mumble and lowers her chin back on his chest.
“Hey.” He smiles slightly, still playing with her hair. “You probably
won’t like it at all, but we should go back to work today. At least I'll do
so." He explains quietly. After all she is still tired and lies right next to
his face, so he doesn't need to speak out loud. Otherwise he would probably only
scare her with it. The emerald eyed woman nods slowly in response. "That's a
good idea.” She murmurs softly, approving to his plans. He gently puts his
arms around her and finally sits up so that she slumps down between his legs.
Yawning tiredly, she rubs herself over her eyes. "Then we should both get ready
for work." Sasuke suggests, the green eyed woman nods and yawns once more,
before she finally gets up. "Thanks for waking me up." She utters and disappears
from the living room, up into the guest room which she is still occupying. The
Uchiha rises with a slight smile and follows her to the upper floor, going into
his own to get himself ready as well.
 
Cool air and silence greets him in the room in which he has always slept until
now. It almost makes him shiver a little. He shakes his head and takes some
fresh clothes to shower and freshen up. The tiles in the bathroom are also cold
when he walks barefoot over them and walks towards the shower. Still a little
tired, he takes off his clothes and steps under the warm water of the shower.
The last few days he has only entered these rooms to change clothes and take a
shower. He doesn't like the thought of lying in bed alone. Somehow it feels so
lonely. Left alone. Whenever his wife is laying next to him or is at least in
the same room as him, he has at least some distraction. But when he is laying
alone in these cool sheets, his thoughts will inevitably divert to the
happenings at the weekend and he has no idea how he will react to that. All that
is clear to him is, that it’s not going to do him any good.
 
To properly wake up, he turns the water to cold at the end of the shower and
turns it off completely a few moments after. Sasuke sighs softly and takes the
bath towel to dry his face, followed by his arms and upper body. He puts a towel
around his neck, with which he partially covers his wet hair and dabs it dry.
 
Not quite as tired as before, he leaves the bathroom after a few minutes and
puts on his usual work clothes over his boxer shorts, before he leaves his room
with his work bag. As he steps through the door, his gaze falls on his wife, who
is standing by the stairs with curlers in her hair and a bathrobe on and stares
at the door to the actual bedroom. The master bedroom, which Mikoto had set for
them before the wedding. He slowly approaches her and apparently pulling her out
of her deep thoughts. Silently she looks around at him, smiles and then goes
down the stairs. You can no longer see the tiredness in her face, which had
tried to persuade her to go back to sleep only half an hour ago. A few minutes
after her, Sasuke finally enters the kitchen. Somewhat surprised, he looks at
the steaming cup that is already placed on the side of the table he usually
occupies. Another cup placed on her side as well. The toaster is also there and
in the next minute it lets two toasted slices of toast jump into the air. The
young Haruno suddenly appears from behind him and puts the daily newspaper on
the table before she goes back to the kitchen counter. Sasuke silently watches
her as she puts the fried egg and the bacon on two plates and then returns to
the table with them.
 
For a moment he looks speechless into her inviting eyes, before he goes and sits
down opposite of her. The two of them have breakfast in silence, with the Uchiha
occasionally reaching for the newspaper and reading through it, even after he
has already finished his breakfast and drinks his cup of tea. He doesn't even
notice his wife getting up, putting the dishes in the sink and leaving the room
to get ready. A quarter of an hour later she re-enters the kitchen and makes him
look up from the newspaper. "We can go.” She says while pulling the curlers
out of her hair with ease. Sasuke watches her a little amazed as she pulls the
curlers out of her hair without even looking at them, pulling out the plastic
rolls on her finger without flinching, while most of the women would suffer in
agony from it. “When you're done we can go. My car is still in the company."
Sakura then utters and goes a few times with her fingers through her pink curls.
"Then lets go." The Uchiha simply replies and comes up to her in order to leave
the kitchen with her. He gets his car keys from the dresser and she takes their
cell phones from the living room, before they get into their shoes and leave the
villa through the side passage to the garage and lock everything up properly.

During the drive to work, neither of them speaks a word. Even if neither of them
looks like that anymore, they are still tired and therefore stay silent. After a
few minutes, Sasuke finally drives over the entrance of the company and into the
underground parking lot, where he parks his car next to his wife's. When the two
of them get out, they immediately notice that Fugaku and Itachi haven’t
arrived yet, wondering whether they will even come to work today. "Then let's
get carried away by everyday life." The Uchiha sighs briefly, taking his bag and
locks the car, before making his way to the stairs together with his wife.
Because even if he says that he wants to be caught up by everyday life, he still
kinda wants to postpone it after all. Sakura just follows him in silence, while
she plays with the handle of her handbag and lets the other hand slide through
her curls. She likes to put these on curlers after showering, so that they are
kept in shape and won’t get in the way while she is preparing.
 
When they enter the building and go through the hallway into the foyer, they
pass the doorman. “Mr. Uchiha. Mrs. Haruno!“ The doorman calls out and draws
their attention to himself, walking around his counter to approach them. The two
stop a little surprised and turn towards him. "My condolences." The man begins
and bows in respect, before he keeps talking. "The staff has planned something
and will meet at 10am in the conference room on the 60th floor. We would be
happy if you would join us too.” The black haired man nods, a little confused
and taken by surprise. "Okay." He utters briefly. Expressing his thanks, the
porter bows once again and returns to his seat. Sasuke and Sakura also start
walking again and get into one of the elevators. The pink haired woman
encouragingly strokes her husband's upper arm. "If there is anything you need,
you can always call or send Ayame at any time and I'll be right there." The
Uchiha examines his wife in silence at her words. Even today she is dressed in
black. A black strapless business dress with ruffles around the waist and a
blazer represents his wife's wardrobe today. He nods slowly and the next moment
he gives her a brief hug, as if he wants to give her a kiss on the head. "The
same goes for you too.” He says quietly and lets go of her when the elevator
doors open and the two of them step out to the floor.

With a simple gesture, he lets her go first and finally follows three steps
behind her. Sympathetic looks are given to the Uchiha while he is greeted
quietly. The young Haruno is also greeted quietly with a short smile. Without
exception, they all behave like this until the Kaseguchi stands in front of the
pink haired woman in the hallway and looks at her expectantly with an evil look.
"Where were you on Friday?" She asks bossy, because Sakura didn't call her in
sick or anything like that. "She was released from me personally." Sasuke says
coolly as he passes the two of them and puts his arm on his wife’s back,
trying to get her to move on. "Will you get me later?" He then asks quietly when
they are standing right in front of her office. "Of course." She nods and gives
him an encouraging smile, as she goes into her office and he makes his way
further through the hall way to go to his own office. 
 
An hour and a half later, the emerald eyed woman is standing in front of her
husband's open office door. Silently she watches him sitting over a document,
working on it with concentration. She smiles slightly. If you look at him
working so dedicated like that, an outsider wouldn’t even think that his
mother died on Thursday. Going to work seems like it was a good idea after all.
She reluctantly interrupts his concentration by raising her arm and knocking
gently on the open wooden door. Sasuke is easily startled since he was so
absorbed in his work. She smiles softly and approaches his desk. "Hey. It's 10am
now." She remarks in a soft voice and stands next to him, runs her hand through
his hair and looks at the screens and the documents. Sighing softly, he turns
the page of the report and then puts the pen aside. "Okay." He says and gets up
from his seat. "Then let's go." He gives her a brief glance before they start
moving and leave the office. "This way." Sasuke shows her down the corridor next
to his office, where stairs and an elevator lead to the lower floor. "The
conference room on the 60th floor is the most important and largest meeting room
of this company and in order for us bosses to be able to appear and disappear
quickly, there is this elevator which brings us directly to it." The black
haired man explains briefly and presses the button for the mentioned floor. The
doors close slowly and the elevator starts moving.

"Have you already been able to do something productive for work?" Sakura
explores after a brief moment of silence. "As expected, a lot of work has been
left behind, but the most time consuming part will like always be the
drawings.” He replies with a sigh and runs his fingers through his dark hair.
"Shall I help you a little later?" She suggests and looks up at him from the
side. "Let's see." Sasuke sighs again as the doors open. Silently she follows
her husband who is walking down the hall and towards a large door. Loud voices
from left and right hits the two of them as they enter the room through the
door. The room is filled to the edge, every seat is occupied, no free space to
be found. All employees are in the room. The young Haruno looks around briefly,
discovering Itachi and Fugaku, who are sitting in the front row. She can also
spot Naruto in the middle of the crowd. He stands between his colleagues with a
sad look. Sasuke approaches his family in silence and the pink haired woman
follows him. When they have reached the two empty chairs and greeted her
father-in-law and her brother-in-law, she wants to stand at the back with her
colleagues, but gets stopped by a hand. A little surprised she looks at Sasuke,
who has wrapped his hand around hers. With a somewhat lost look, he turns to
face her from the front. Hesitant, Sakura looks up and at the altar which is set
up in front, in the middle of which she could see a photo of Mikoto. A lot of
flowers and bouquets lie around the makeshift memorial altar. It seems that
almost every employee brought their own bouquets. The pink haired woman silently
looks around between her colleagues, who are all dressed in black. She gently
squeezes her husband's hand back and sits down next to him. She gives him an
encouraging smile and rubs his upper arm.
 
A few minutes pass before the room becomes quiet. Sasuke desperately clings to
his wife's hand. A memorial ceremony. All day long he has not allowed any
thought of his mother's death and so far he has coped quite well with it, but
now, now the bitter truth is brought before his eyes once again. Actually, he
came to work to be able to distract himself and now he is sitting here in this
room and is forced to look at the picture of his deceased mother, which is also
continuously shown on television to announce her death.
 
An older man emerges from the now calm crowd, to the lectern, which is often
used at company presentations. “We all gathered here today to commemorate the
death of Mikoto Uchiha. Each of us has had the pleasure of getting to know her
in the course of our time here at the Uchiha Corporation. We were never allowed
to experience how Mikoto Uchiha was as a loving wife and mother, but each of us
was allowed to experience her kind, friendly manner, felt her warmth and also
her love for her husband. We owe a lot to Mikoto Uchiha. On one hand, she saved
her husband from being overworked not only once and supported him in his actions
as the managing director. She has given her husband two sons, who are now
running the company and leading us with the same dedication. All this time she
has not only supported her husband but also the company and therefore us. She
motivated us with her words so many times and yes you can say that she was like
a good spirit who walked through the corridors of this company. Even if she may
be dead now, we don't want to forget her and believe that she will continue to
walk through the corridors as a good spirit." The man takes a short break.
Sakura looks worried at her husband, whose eyes wander from the speaker to the
flowers and the floor in front of him. She gently caresses his cheek and cuddles
a little against his arm, so that he can feel that she is there with him.

“So that we never forget her and that she will remain as a part of this
company forever, her picture should find a place in the entrance hall with the
permission of the managing directors and motivate the employees every morning. I
stand here today to express our condolences and sympathy on behalf of the whole
company’s staff.” He now addresses these words directly to the Uchihas and
he also gives Sakura the same look. "Thank you Jiraya." Fugaku's depressed voice
sounds and the man at the lectern nods briefly before turning to his colleagues.
“Finally, I would like to ask you to remain silent for a minute. That each of
us can think one more time of Mikoto Uchiha and the lovely words she always had
for us.” After those words, he moves away from the lectern. Like in the Army,
the entire work staff lowers their heads towards the floor and suddenly a song
can be heard softly in the crowded room. Amazing Grace reaches the pink haired
woman’s ears and the grip on her hand increases. She gently runs her thumb
over the back of her husband's hand while she too has to fight back a tear.
 
When the song has stopped, a muffled noise breaks out shortly afterwards, as the
employees, in silence and whispering, push themselves out of the hall and return
to their offices to work. Fugaku and Itachi also get up after everything has
calmed down again. Sakura smiles softly at them and after both of them have
taken a deep breath, they return it and leave the conference room right
afterwards. The pinkhaired woman gently rubs the back of her husband, who slowly
lifts his head and looks at her. Smiling encouragingly, she puts her right hand
on his cheek and caresses it. “Are you okay?” She asks thoughtfully.
"Yeah...” He says with a deep sigh and then takes a deep breath. "Okay." She
whispers back softly and lets her thumb run over his cheek again. "Let's go
back.” He then says quietly. She just nods in response, drops her hand and
stands up with him. The way leads them back to the elevator and up to his
office. "You should have a drink first.” Sakura advises when they arrive at
his office. The Uchiha just nods and takes out a bottle of iced tea from his
secret refrigerator. Smiling gently, she watches him sit down and open the
bottle and fill his glass. She stands silently next to him and lets her fingers
run through his hair once more. "Shall I stay with you a little longer?" Sakura
asks cautiously and briefly looks out of the window into the cloudy sky. “No,
it's okay. You just go back to work. I also have a lot to do. I or Ayame will
get in touch with you if something should be." The dark grey eyed man whispers
with a sigh and picks up his pen again. "Okay." His wife whispers back, running
her fingers through his hair one last time and then walks quietly towards the
door.

"Should I leave the door open or close it?" She explores and looks around at
him. "Please leave it open." He replies, looking at her with that lost look. She
leaves the office with a nod. Of course she immediately understands what he's
trying to say with that. This door is currently the only connection to
civilization for him, the open door is the only thing that keeps him from
completely sinking into solitude.
 
Ayame gives the Haruno an encouraging smile as she leaves the office and walks
down the hall in the middle of her black-clad colleagues. They are all upset
about the death of Mikoto. Apparently, everyone except for one person. Pressing
her lips together, she turns around the main corridor and into the side corridor
that leads to her office. Closing the office door behind her, she rubs her hands
over her face. "Are you okay?" The Hondo inquires. Surprised, Sakura looks up
and at her office colleague. With a slight smile, she nods and lets her hand
wander through her hair. “Yeah, I'll be fine. Sasuke worries me more.“ She
explains with a sigh and lets her hand drop to her side. She slowly goes back to
her desk and collapses into the armchair. Natsuki nods in understanding and gets
up to take a bottle of mineral water from a cupboard. “I've been through this
before. And Mikoto she... she was such a kind hearted person.” Haruno presses
her lips shut again and breathes deeply in and out. "And Sasuke... his mother
was so important to him... it's like he's suddenly a different person. It's...
It’s so painful to watch.“ The green eyed woman grabs her head in despair
and pulls gently on her hair. "I'm so sorry, Sakura." The brunette says with a
whisper, puts the glass down in front of her and gently puts her hand on her
shoulder. "Thank you. It'll be fine. Just give me a few minutes... we didn't
plan that with the memorial ceremony." The pink haired woman explains softly and
takes another deep breath.
 
When she puts the glass back on the table, she smiles slightly and looks out the
window at the sky. "The weather isn't getting any better either." The Haruno
remarks casually, but looks down. "Yes. It’s predicted that it would be a very
rainy and thunderstorm-rich September." Natsuki replies and also directs her
attention to the clouds, which already announces the next rain. “It's
generally so muggy at the moment. Actually the perfect basis for a
thunderstorm." The brunette grimaces. Sakura turns to her colleague with a
slight smile. “You probably don't like thunderstorms.” She then states. A
tormented smile falls on the Hondo's lips as she looks around at her. "No not
really." The blue eyed girl confirms the assumption of her colleague. Sakura
nods and smiles. "During the day they don't bother me and I have nothing against
thunderstorms, only at night I don't like them at all." Sakura explains her
point of view as well and finally takes one of her many pencils up. "But at
least you have Sasuke." The brunette replies. Sakura nods with a smile and gives
her colleague an encouraging look before they both concentrate on their work.
 
For a moment, Sakura looks at her previous drawing, which she had already
started on Thursday and dealt with it again before the commemoration ceremony.
Her gaze returns to her screen with the data and then turns back to the paper
before she places the pen and draws another line, another one and some more. She
observes each line with concentration and then the overall picture. Sighing, she
stretches after a while and looks around at Natsuki, who is putting her pen
aside and looking at the clock. “Wanna have lunch?” The brunette asks. "I
had a, for my standards, quite extensive breakfast and actually am not hungry,
but thank you." The pink haired woman refuses with a smile and looks for her
sharpener in her desk drawer. "Okay." The Hondo says, before leaving the office
with her handbag. When the door closes behind the brunette, the pink haired
woman sighs out loud and runs through her hair, where she lingers with her hand
and supports her head against it. Her eyes wander out to the clouds. Thick
raindrops are falling from these.

After a while Sakura gets up slowly and stands at the window, which she opens
and supports herself with her forearms on the windowsill. With her face turned
towards the sky, she stretches a little towards the fresh air and the clouds. A
smile settles on her lips as she takes a deep breath of the fresh, rain-soaked
air. Scattered raindrops land on her face and she just enjoys the air and the
light, steady pattering on her skin. Whenever a few drops have dried, few more
fall on her skin. The pink haired woman just smiles slightly, not thinking of
ending this cycle. But the weather seems to be of a different opinion and a
sudden gust of wind pushes the rain towards her and soaks her face.
 
She seems to have been standing at the window for some time, because when she
has just finished dabbing her cleavage dry, Natsuki enters the office with a
smile. "What did you do?" The brunette explores with amusement and sits back on
her desk. "I just got a load of rain on my face from the wind." Sakura replies,
no less amused, and keeps drying her face. “Nothing has gone missing from my
makeup, has it?” She looks briefly at her colleague before looking for a
mirror in her handbag to check it for herself. "No, no everything is still
wonderful and you are once again a hundred times prettier than Karin." The Hondo
assures with a grin. The pink haired woman laughs softly at her statement.
“Thank you, Natsuki. You too." The Haruno winks at her colleague and then
throws the wet handkerchief into the trash can.
 
With a critical eye, she looks at the drawing and takes another pen with which
she now wants to put the right shades in the right places. "I’m going in now."
She whispers softly, as if she were a surgeon and puts her hand on the
handkerchief, which she always has under the heel of her hand to avoid blurring
lines that have already been drawn. Natsuki laughs softly. “Should I stand
next to you and dab your forehead?” She asks, amused. "No, thanks. That’s
not necessary. Maybe the next time i roast Karin.” The pink haired woman says
with a smile and then puts her pencil on the paper. Again she can hear the
amused giggle of her colleague and has to smile too, while starting with soft
lines and when she’s pleased with her sketched shadows, she draws the lines a
little thicker.
 
Her critical gaze sweeps over the drawing again, until the ringing of the
company phone’s sounds through the room and makes the two women look up.
Natsuki briefly throws a scrutinizing look at hers before she smiles at the
Haruno. A little confused, Sakura blinks at the phone station, wondering ever
since she started working here, why there was a phone in the first place. So far
only Naruto, Fugaku and Itachi have called her, but apparently it is part of the
office equipment. Sighing silently, she looks at the number display. Somewhat
surprised, she reaches for the phone, while a certain concern immediately
spreads within her. "Haruno?" She finally speaks when she has placed the
receiver against her ear. "I’m sorry for the disturbance, mrs. Uchiha.” The
voice of her husband's secretary sounds through the line, as she continues to
talk, “But I think it would be good if you checked on your husband for a
moment.” Towards the end of the sentence the woman becomes quieter. "Has
something happened?" Sakura immediately asks worried and thus attracts the
attention of her office colleague again. “I don't know. I mean, not directly.
It's... he's just sitting there rigid for an hour now. Ayame explains quietly
and worried. The pink haired woman smiles a little relieved. "Okay, thank you.
I'll be right there.” With those words, Sakura hangs up and slowly gets up.
"I'll be with Sasuke for a moment.” She explains to her colleague who also
stands up. "I'll accompany you for a while and get myself a coffee." The
brunette smiles at her as she’s already standing next to her.
 
In the next moment, the two of them leave the office and walk down the hall to
the main corridor. As they enter it, the Kaseguchi immediately approaches them
and looks sternly at Sakura. “Haruno, what are you walking around in the
hallway again? You should be working. After all you were already absent on
Friday." The redhead stops in front of her and crosses her arms across her
chest, acting all bossy again. “What was that supposed to mean earlier? How
did you get the idea to just sit down with mr. Uchiha and comfort him?” Karin
then snorts pissed. "I wouldn't let you comfort me either, Karin, so don't
worry." Sakura shrugs her shoulders and walks past her. But two steps later the
redhead stops her again. “I don't care what you want. It was planned that I
would be at mr. Uchiha’s side and comfort him, since his wife doesn’t seem
like she can do it. At least I wouldn't have seen her.“ Karin says snippy and
snooty. "If you have no idea Karin, then just shut up." The pink haired woman
hisses at her and turns back to her. "Besides, he wanted me to stay with him."
"You're daring to go quite far out of the window again. Stop forgetting that
i’m your boss. Besides, why would he want that? What is so special about you
that you could comfort him better than me?” From the voice of the Kaseguchi,
Sakura can hear that she didn't like her answer at all.

“Perhaps you should read other articles in the magazines too, than just the
ones about Sasuke. Then you would know what makes me more suitable than you
could ever be." A malicious grin settles on the lips of the Haruno. "Why should
I want to read something about you in a magazine?" The Kaseguchi simply replies,
annoyed. “You can also look for me on Wikipedia. Although I would recommend
that you read it up at my brother's, because you wouldn’t find me under the
name Haruno anymore.“ Sakura looks into the eyes of the redheads with a grin
as she says those words. "Why should there be anything about you in a magazine
or on the Internet at all?" Karin grins cocky and confident in victory.
“Because the news only covers people that journalists or people are interested
in. So as you may have noticed, nobody is interested in you.” The Haruno
answers with a shrug and wants to finally leave. It doesn’t surprise her at
all that the red head hasn’t understood a single thing, even though she even
went as far as to give her a hint. That’s what you call brain dead. "As if you
were so in-" Karin begins but is interrupted by a gray haired man. "What's going
on here? Kaseguchi, why are you being so loud here?” The middle aged man
raises his voice and looks back and forth between Karin and Sakura, but then
looks at the red haired woman critically. "It’s nothing. I just told her to go
back to work. After all, she was already missing on Friday.“ Justifies the
Kaseguchi. Silently, Sakura observes her department head, mr. Hatake, and Karin.
“Yes, after all she was released on Friday. I don't know why you care about
things that don’t concern you. Besides, I haven't seen her in the hallway
since the memorial ceremony this morning, unlike you. And what are you wearing
there anyway? It is one thing that you disrespect the Uchiha family and don’t
mourn over the death of mrs. Uchiha by wearing such a thing, but your clothes
aren’t appropriate work clothes either, so I honestly don’t understand in
the least why you are trying to draw so much attention and have the nerve to
play important.“ Kakashi corrects the redhead with a strict look, who is once
again wearing her red lacquer pumps, with the barely 12 centimeter heels that
make her wobble around. In addition, she is also wearing a bright red strapless
dress, which pushes her breasts together and up - a miracle that they haven’t
jumped out yet - and also ends just below her bum, over which she simply pulled
a faded blazer.

"And where did you want to go?" Kakashi asks the Haruno after sighing softly. "I
was asked to go to mr. Uchiha's office." Sakura replies obediently and grins
cheekily at Karin as she stares at her with big eyes and when Kakashi turns back
to the Haruno, she smiles obediently once again. "Okay then, Kaseguchi, you go
back to your workplace and you mrs. U-" The gray haired man begins and bites his
tongue, while Sakura throws him a panicked look when he tries to address her
with Uchiha. “Err, mrs. Haruno, please take care of mr. Uchiha." Kakashi
instructs the two women and then smiles at Sakura apologetically. Outraged,
Karin turns around and stumbles, or rather wobbles, into her office, while
Sakura turns around and continues towards her husband's office with an amused
laugh. 
 
She knocks softly on the door and enters the room at the secretary's request.
She looks at her with a slight smile. Sakura looks briefly at the woman and then
walks towards her husband's open door. For a moment she watches him from there.
Just as Ayame said, he just sits there staring at a picture frame on his desk.
Other than that he doesn't do anything. Silently she enters the room and closes
the door behind her before slowly walking towards him. Coming to a halt next to
him she looks over his shoulder at the document, which still looks the same as
in the morning when she dropped him over. She gently puts a hand on his head and
strokes his hair. "Hey. Are you okay?” She asks quietly and bends down
slightly, but lets her hand continue to run through his hair. "Suddenly, all the
times come to my mind when she called, or suddenly stood in the door..." He
begins softly and touches the office phone, before his eyes move towards the
door and the armchair in front of his desk, only for his gaze to return back to
the picture on his desk. Minutes go by in which he doesn't say anything and
Sakura just pet his head. “She is no longer here. She'll never come back."
Sasuke suddenly whispers with a broken voice. In the next moment she can feel
how he presses his head to her stomach. She smiles sadly. The memorial ceremony
totally threw him off his feet. That's why everything in this room suddenly
reminds him of his mother.

"Sasuke. Let's go home." She begins carefully. “Staying here any longer
won’t help us now either. Let’s just go home where we are undisturbed." She
says and lets go of his head to kneel down next to him. She gently takes his
face in between her hands and runs her thumb over his cheek. “We'll try again
tomorrow." She smiles encouragingly at him. He looks briefly at her and then at
his computer and back at her. “I don't want the staff to see me like that.”
He then refuses with a shake of his head. "It’s okay. Then why don't we take
the elevator to the 60th floor and go through the meeting room to the other
elevator? With that one we can drive way down into the underground parking lot
and I'll take you home. How does that sound.” Suggests the pink haired woman
and lets her thumb keep stroking his cheek. He nods gently. "Okay. First of all
have a drink. I'll go and get my things, then i'll make sure to get you home."
She says, straightens up and refills his glass with iced tea, which is still
standing untouched on the table, like it had been in the morning. She briefly
looks at the time, short after 2pm. He was sitting there rigid for almost 4
hours and did nothing. She swallows briefly and holds the glass out to him. When
he has taken it and emptied it in one go, Sakura smiles slightly at him and
walks towards the office door. Through this she re-enters Ayame's office, walks
through it and approaches her office at a fast pace.

"Is everything okay?" Natsuki explores when Sakura closes the door behind
herself and immediately starts to put her things away. “Yeah, Sasuke is just
not doing so well. I'll bring him home.” The pinkette explains with a deep
sigh and shuts down her computer. "Ah okay. Too bad. Then I'll be sitting all
alone in the office again.” The Hondo sighs aloud, with gloom sounding in her
voice. "I'm sorry, I hope that I at least made your afternoon sweeter back
there." The pink haired woman looks apologetically into the blue eyes of her
colleague. "Oh yes, the fact that Karin was put back into her place like that by
mr. Hatake definitely was the best." The brunette girl agrees with a grin on her
lips. "Well then i wish you a nice afternoon. See you tomorrow.” Smiling, the
young Haruno waves and disappears through the door again. Clutching the handle
of her bag, she returns to her husbands office, who is leaning over a folder and
has another pile of folders laying next to it. "I can't go yet." He then says
with a sigh, when he notices her entering and looks up at his wife. Confused,
she looks at him and then approaches his side. "I still have to revise all those
sketches so that the others can continue working. I can’t leave those here all
unchecked and risk the productions getting delayed because of me." He explains
and looks back at the drawing through his gloomy eyes. "Okay then, lets do it
quickly." Sakura smiles attentively at him and stands next to him again. Just
like back at his birthday, she briefly looks at the drawings with a critical eye
and can already say exactly what’s wrong with the drawing. Only this time
Sasuke doesn’t measure anything to make sure that she’s right. He’s just
happy that she helps him with the time consuming and nerves wrecking drawings
and labels the post-its without any second thoughts.

An hour later, he finally shuts down the computer and stows his tablet away into
his bag. "So now I'll take you home and cook something, so that you can get
something into your stomach." She says with an encouraging smile at him and
takes him by his hand to get him up. She gently strokes the back of his hand and
takes the stack of folders in order to hand them over to his secretary. "I'll
bring him home.” She explains to Ayame, who nods in understanding and smiles
encouragingly. "Come on." Sakura carefully takes her husband's hand as they
already start moving. "See you tomorrow." Sasuke says quietly and briefly looks
at his secretary, before he follows his wife out the door and straight down the
aisle to the elevator in which they go. Taking and leading him, as previously
discussed, through the conference room to the other elevator and drive directly
down to the underground parking lot. "Give me your car keys.” The green eyed
woman then says carefully and holds out her hand. Without hesitation he gets out
the key from his pocket and puts it on her palm. The elevator doors open and the
two of them get out while still holding each other’s hand. Only a few steps
separate them from the Uchiha's car, which they get into and make their way
home.
 
The journey home goes by smoothly. Again and again Sakura throws a concerned
look at the black haired man, who just leans his head against the window and
looks outside at the wet and dark road. It is as if the memorial ceremony really
broke a dam in him, when he saw the photo of his family on his desk, all the
memories shot in at once. He couldn't even stop it. The car stops and the man
looks around through his dark grey eyes, confused. It takes a moment for him to
realize that they have already arrived at their home. Sighing tiredly, he gets
out of the car and takes his bag out of it, before he goes around the car and
enters the villa through the side entrance together with Sakura and booth of
them take off their shoes. “Just sit down and relax. I'll cook something for
us quickly, then you'll feel a little better too.” It comes over her lips,
while she puts her handbag on the kitchen counter and gets out the ingredients
for a hot and heartwarming meal.

Sasuke thought that it would be a good idea to go to the company and distract
himself with work, especially since he can't just suddenly do nothing for a
whole week. Most of the processes in the company run through him. If he
doesn’t check the drawings as soon as possible, there will be errors in the
productions and that again would only damage the company largely. Sakura had
also encouraged him to go on with this idea. After all, it would be good to get
back to everyday life quickly so that he won’t have to think about his loss
and pain all the time. Before he got home that evening, he didn't want to give
thought to his mother's death, but this memorial ceremony completely threw him
off his feet. Of course it was a nice idea from the employees and they
couldn’t help it, but somehow this ceremony and especially the song left a
deep crack in his heart. And when he saw the photo on his office desk, showing
him with his parents and his big brother, when he saw her smile, the dam was
completely torn open and all the memories crushed him. All the times she
suddenly appeared in his office reproachfully, exactly because he wanted to skip
lunch again, he relived it all again and again in his head.
 
The faint sound of ceramic hitting wood makes the black haired man look up. He
didn't even notice how he let himself sink to the table in the kitchen. His wife
approaches him with a gentle smile and puts a glass with a brown liquid next to
the plate. "Enjoy it." She says caringly and goes back to the counter to get the
second plate from there and sits down opposite of him. Sasuke examines the food
briefly, vegetables, rice with egg and chicken, before he reaches for his
cutlery and does the same as Haruno does.
 
Tired, the Uchiha rubs his right eye while he follows his wife’s movements
with the left, who is putting the dishes in the dishwasher with a satisfied
smile, as well as the dishes from breakfast which were still laying in the sink.
"Let's watch a movie." She suggests, turning towards him when she is already at
the door and he is still sitting in his seat. He shakes his head cautiously and
looks at the glass of iced tea in front of him. "You should get some sleep,
Sasuke." She then advises him with a caring look and then leaves the kitchen to
go into the living room. He follows her silently with his gaze. Did his mother
choose the Haruno on purpose? Of course she knew about the story of the
Haruno’s deaths. Sasuke turns his gaze to the glass in from of him. His mother
knew what was going to come. Maybe she didn't know that it was going to happen
so badly, but she knew it. Did she choose Sakura because she knows what it feels
like to lose a loved one so suddenly? Of course, no one would be better suited
to be at his side than her. She knows how he feels. She can understand and read
him like an open book.
 
He shakes his head slightly at his thoughts. This wasn't the only reason his
mother chose Sakura. He knows that. She had a much bigger plan than just having
him comforted. But he will probably never know what her plan, her idea was. With
a deep sigh, he rubs his hands over his face and then through his hair. At least
all those memories have stopped crushing him. But despite everything a little
more distraction would definitely do him good. So the youngest Uchiha gets up on
his feet and slowly walks towards the living room. When he arrives in the
hallway, he leans against the door frame of the living room and silently
observes his wife from afar. She too hasn’t changed  into anything more
comfortable yet and is sitting on the couch in her black dress and blazer and
looks at the television with a slight smile on her lips. Suddenly he feels the
need to kiss her. Shaking his head at his silly thoughts, before a gentle smile
curls up on his lips and slowly starts walking towards her.
 
After a few steps, she finally becomes aware of his presence and looks at him
again with that caring gaze. He slowly comes to a stop in front of the couch and
watches Sakura move to the other side of the couch and pull her legs up to her
upper body. “What are you afraid of, Sasuke?” She asks out of the blue. He
looks perplexed into her emerald eyes, while he doesn't know what kind of answer
she wants to hear and what the question relates to. What should he be afraid of?
"I'm afraid of heights." She confesses and looks to the side as if she had
realized that she asked a stupid question, but to cover it up, she turns the
sound of the TV lower. “Oh, you mean that. I suffer from claustrophobia. But
why do you ask? ”He explores and raises an eyebrow. "Well, those are the
important little things when you...“ She begins, but becomes quieter and
quieter towards the end and then falls silent. He looks at her somewhat
surprised, while he doesn't quite understand where this sudden shyness comes
from. He notices how she suddenly lowers her eyes and begins to cross her
fingers and then loosens and knead them again. “Well… we've been married for
four months now. We have settled in well and have come to terms with this
roommate life and have become friends. But your mother wanted us to have a
relationship and a happy marriage." She explains to him visibly nervous, which
kind of irritates the black haired man. "That is why I am of the opinion that we
should slowly pursue this wish and start having a relationship." She finally
says and shyly peeks up from her fingers, into his dark eyes. Surprised, Sasuke
looks at his wife and before he can even think about it, she continues. “I
don't mean that we should suddenly fall head over heels with each other and
sleep together out of a sense of duty, just because it is part of a real
relationship. I mean it more like that we, for example..." she explains and
blushes slightly while she acts like she’s in an extremely embarrassing
situation. “Well, I think it would be nice if we could spend more time
together in the evening. I don't mean that you should stop working, but...
whether it would be possible that you sit down with your work next to me in
front of the television? Or maybe just watch TV with me for once? And when our
dates no longer just go the way they did before, that we make up a day where we
go out and pretend we're in love. But that we also go on real dates and ask each
other about a date beforehand and also think about what the other person might
like." Still quite nervous, she lowers her eyes back down to her fingers after
her long explanation.
 
Sasuke examines his wife briefly and then smiles gently. She seems to have
really thought about taking the next ‘step’ and to help him fulfill his
mother's wish. Quietly and unnoticed, he walks up to her and watches as she
nervously and shyly pulls up her legs and bends her head slightly until she
reaches her knees with her forehead. He slowly sits down only a few centimeters
away from her, making her look up at him in surprise, straight into his face as
she is sitting sideways on the couch. Slightly her lips part again as she looks
back into his eyes. “I would also be happy if you let me know whenever you
leave or when you come home. I don't mean that I want to control you, I just
want to know when you are back, and... and…" The Haruno suddenly becomes even
redder than before. Sasuke looks at her questioningly. “And that with the
kissing. That we no longer limit it to the public, but also kiss each other when
we feel like it or something... If you understand what I mean by all that
stammering." The Haruno whispers softly and looks down at her fingers again.

Sasuke’s lips curl up into an amused smile. “Yes.” He then utters softly.
Surprised, she looks back up into his smiling face. “Yes?” She repeats,
amazed. "Yes. I think it would be nice if you are ready to take this step. I
have no idea how to lead a relationship, but if you want us to behave like the
last few days, then I have nothing against it." He says truthfully, looking at
her through his dark grey eyes. She could swear she could make out a small glint
in his eyes as he said those words. "Don’t worry about that. I have no clue
about relationships either, but we can find out together and use our parents's
relationships as a role model, maybe even ask our families and friends.” She
suggests, relieved and then again shies away. "We'll manage somehow." Sasuke
then too says and smiles confidently, gently grabbing her ankle to stretch her
legs and place them over his own legs and pulls her onto his lap. He puts an arm
around her and hugs her close as she slowly relaxes in his arms and leans
against his chest. "You were really cute right now.” He then whispers into her
ear, making her divert her attention from the movie to him. A little red on her
face, she looks him in the eyes. "Didn't know that such a topic would make you
so shy and embarrassed." He whispers with a smile and puts a hand on her cheek.
"Well... I...” She starts and shyly lowers her eyes. Smiling, he leans over to
her and finally puts his lips gently on hers. Just for a moment, but savors it
to the fullest. "I've wanted to do that ever since I came into the room.” He
whispers against her lips and then presses her to himself once again.
 
"Sasuke." The Haruno silently begins when the credits of the movie are running
an hour later. "Hm?" He hums softly in response next to her ear. "The bedroom
that your mother decorated so nicely.” She continues, looking up and back into
his eyes. He too looks interested in her eyes and waits for her next words. “I
think we should use it as our bedroom from today on and sleep in it. After all,
we don't want to sleep alone in the guest rooms anyway and your mother made that
room especially for us, so we should finally use it as this. It will also do
your back good to sleep in a bed again and without me on your chest." She
finally explains to him when she has found the right words. The Uchiha things
briefly about what she told him. Sighing softly, he begins to nod. "Yeah, you
are probably right." He finally agrees and runs his hand over her back.
 
She slides silently down from his lap and then slowly gets up on her feet.
Confused, Sasuke watches her and only lets go of her slowly. “What are you
doing?” He asks after a moment's hesitation. He had actually planned to spend
the rest of the day with her, because for some reason she distracts him from his
grief so easily. Sakura looks back at him with a gentle smile. "Going to put my
belongings into our bedroom." She then turns back to the front and walks out of
the living room. He looks after her for a moment. Meanwhile, the pink haired
woman goes into her room, opens the wardrobe and takes the first stack of
clothes to carry it into their bedroom. When she tries to step through the door,
she stops in it. Slowly and reverently, her gaze wanders over the rooms
furnishings. Since the door to the room is embedded in the sloping wall, when
she looks straight ahead, she can see through a window onto the balcony and into
the garden. On the wall to her left is a chest of drawers made of dark wood. The
wall opposite her also contains a door, which after a few meters merges into a
window front with a door that leads to the balcony. Light laminate decorates the
floor up to the bed, where it is replaced by a dark one, shaped like a
rectangle, which is made of the same dark wood as the furniture. The wall behind
the large bed is covered with white wallpaper, which has a wave pattern. On the
right the wall of the room is covered by a large dark brown box which extends
over the entire side. The king sized bed is a real eye catcher, in the middle of
the dark wood, covered in beige bedsheets.
 
Mikoto really put a lot of effort into furnishing this room comfortably, you can
tell from all the details. The young Haruno sighs softly and then slowly starts
moving again and opens the box doors of the furnitures to get an overview of the
compartments and clothes rails before putting down the first pile. Just as she
has brought the third one to the bedroom, the door to the room opens and Sasuke
is standing in it, some hangers in one hand and a pile of shirts on the other
arm. In silence, he looks around like her earlier and then comes up to her to
have her show him where he can put his belongings in. Smiling, she takes the
stuff from him and puts it in one of the boxes. She also takes his shirts too.
Smiling slightly, he leaves the room to get the rest of his clothes, just like
her. They walk past each other for half an hour, almost bump into each other in
the door and empty the wardrobes into their room. After an hour, their bedrooms
and bathrooms are finally empty and everything is housed in their new shared
bedroom.

Sighing softly, the pink haired woman looks through the window, to the balcony
and the garden. Rain keeps falling from the clouds. Sasuke closes the doors to
the wardrobe and then turns to her. He silently overcomes the steps between them
and then carefully puts his arms around her. Somewhat surprised, she turns
around in his arms and looks up at him. He smiles sadly at her. "Thank you.”
He suddenly whispers. Surprised, she looks him in the eyes and then smiles too.
"What for?" She asks quietly as she puts her hand on his cheek. "That you are
there for me.” He simply replies, still hugging her and lowering his head onto
her shoulder. She gently puts her arms around him and strokes his hair. A sad
smile settles on her lips as well as she hugs him a little closer.
 
"Let's go back down." Sasuke whispers after a few minutes and lifts his head off
her shoulder again. She gives him an encouraging smile and nods before following
him. Arriving on the ground floor, he immediately heads for the living room,
while she briefly goes into the kitchen, warms up the leftovers from lunch and
goes to him with two plates into the living room. They sit in silence by the
television and have dinner while they watch the end of the episode Scrubs. When
the credits are running, Sasuke gets up to put the plates into the kitchen and
comes back with two glasses and a bottle of peach iced tea. "What's coming
next?" He asks, interested, while he sits down next to her and leans back
comfortably on the couch. “Let's see, I Spy, Madagascar, The Expendebles,
Cars2 and The Yes Man are running. Which one do you want to watch?“ With a
questioning look she turns from the TV, where she has opened the program, to
him. "I Spy?" He asks a counter question to find out if she wants to see that
too. "Okay." She responds with a slight grin and switches off the program to
watch the movie. After a sip of her glass, she leans back on the couch. She puts
her legs up on the couch and lets her head slide to the side onto Sasuke's
shoulder. "Are you tired already?" He asks quietly and looks at her head. "No,
no." She waves her hand with a smile before snuggling up closer to him. Sasuke
smiles amused and then puts an arm around her back so that her head is not
laying on his shoulder anymore, but on his chest.

When the end credits of the movie are running an hour and a half later, Sakura
yawns with relish. “Tired?” He asks again, gently stroking her side up and
down. "Yes." It comes tiredly from her before she cuddles closer to his chest.
He laughs softly, which makes his chest and therefore her head shake. "Then
let's go to sleep." He exclaims amused, because earlier she said that he should
sleep in a bed again and here she is, still using him as a pillow while sitting
on the couch. "Okay." She agrees with a soft sigh and gets up. Tired, she
paddles into the hallway, checks that the front door is locked and then goes
upstairs to the bedroom. Sasuke follows her quietly after he has locked the side
entrance. When he enters the bedroom, Sakura is pulling the curtains shut and
then approaches the closet from which she picks out a shirt and shorts. The
tiredness is already weighting on the Uchiha's lids when he too turns to the
wardrobe and looks for sweatpants and a shirt to exchange it with his suit.
While Sakura tucks her shirt over her head and goes barefooted into the
bathroom, he lies down in bed and briefly looks at the remote control, which is
laying on the blanket. Confused, he looks at it, because it looks exactly like a
television remote control and presses the red button, when nothing happens, he
presses the green one next to it and a television suddenly pops out from the
back of the dresser. Amazed, he presses the red button and switches on the
television, immediately turning on the weather forecast for the next day. "Where
does the television suddenly come from?" Sakura asks in surprise when she comes
back from the bathroom.
 
With a slight grin, the black haired man switches off the television and then
pushes the green button so that it disappears back behind the chest of drawers.
Understanding, his wife nods and walks towards him and the bed. He watches her
doing so, noticing that she has removed her make up while she, gently rubbing
her eye, slips under the covers next to him. She sighs with relish when she has
put her head on the pillow and immediately closes her eyes. "Good night.” She
then says softly and loving into the silence. Sasuke looks at her for a moment,
as she lies there and looks so peaceful, although she is not even in the land of
dreams yet. "Good night." Sasuke then repeats with a smile and looks briefly at
his hand, in which he is still holding the remote control. He quietly puts it
aside and then sets the alarm clock on his bedside table. "I set the alarm clock
to 6am. Is that okay?” He asks into the silence. "Mhm." Sakura hums next to
him and makes him smile before he turns off the light and the room turns
completely dark.
 
Silently he looks up in the darkness where the ceiling is. Silence has returned
once again to the room. He can hear his wife breathing next to him, softly and
regularly, as if she were already asleep. He can also hear the rain pattering
softly against the window from outside. He slowly closes his eyes and then turns
to the right and thus to Sakura. He can feel her warmth. A sudden loud crack,
like a tree breaking in half, and a low rumble break the silence. Suddenly the
young Haruno is sitting upright in bed with a loud gasp. Annoyed, she groans and
falls back into the pillow just a few seconds later. “Seriously now?!” She
asks still a little shocked into the darkness. “Are you okay?” He asks
concerned. “I don't like thunderstorms. I can never sleep in such nights. The
thunder always keeps me awake. Besides... I'm afraid of it.” She confesses in
the end in a whisper. He smiles slightly and searches with his hand for hers
underneath the cover. He gently rubs over the back of her hand and feels his way
to her stomach, in order to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her against
his chest. “Is this better?” He asks quietly. "I don't want to use you as a
pillow again.” She replies quietly. "That didn’t bother me before either, so
don’t worry.” He whispers truthfully and pulls her even closer. "But? I was
lying on your chest!" It comes once more over her lips, making him huff in
amusement. "And?" A quiet laugh resonates in his voice. "Ryosuke always said
that I'm so heavy that I squeeze all the air out of his lungs." She mumbles
softly and sounds like before, as she looked at her fingers in embarrassment.
"You are so light, that I barely even felt you lying on top of me." He whispers
into her ear with a shrug of his shoulders, which she only slightly feels but
can’t see. "But Ryosuke, said that I’m way too heavy!" She whispers back,
obviously confused at whom’s statement she should believe now. Chuckling in
amusement, he turns completely on his right side again, only to push his nose
into her hair and close his eyes. "Didn’t he just say that to annoy you?" He
asks with a grin on his lips. He knows what he’s talking about. After all he
does have a big brother too.
 
Again there is a deep rumble of thunder and crashing, which is why Sakura
flinches in his arms. Sasuke automatically pulls her even closer and rubs her
back, reminding her that he is here with her. "Good night.” He then whispers
after a while into her ear as he leans his cheek on her temple. "Good night,
Sasuke." She replies with a gentle moan, obviously feeling more relaxed, and
cuddles herself more to his chest.



                         Kapitel 16: Step 16 - Laugher
                         -----------------------------


Laughing is an important part of our life. We laugh for joy, we laugh to ward
off a possible social conflict, or state of fear. Laughing is healthy. Laughter
is important. One should always be able to laugh at themselves. It's nice to
laugh with someone, or to make someone laugh. It is nice when our partner can
distract us from something sad, for example. But the most beautiful thing is
still when one can make their partner laugh and their partner them.
 
"Well, we should actually record that when Karin tries to pick on you again."
Natsuki grins at her across the screen. The pink haired woman laughs softly at
her remark. “You can do that if you want. I'm definitely not going to stop
you." Sakura shrugs her shoulders calmly, before she looks out of the window.
For the last few days it has rained without a break, as if the weather was
mourning Mikoto and crying incessantly. A gentle, barely visible smile shows up
on the young Haruno's lips. It's been a week since her mother-in-law passed away
so suddenly. It hit them all hard. But life and work has already caught up with
them all, giving none of them the time to think about the death of the Uchiha.
 
The gaze of the green eyed woman returns to the screen and onto the clock
display there. Sighing softly, she finally gets up and looks confused at her
colleague, who got up at the same time. They look at each other somewhat
surprised before they both start laughing. "I'll get a coffee and what are you
going to do?" The Hondo asks with a smile as she walks around her table and
walks towards the office door. "I was told to come to Sasuke's office." The pink
haired woman says and shrugs her shoulders, following the brunette before she
closes the office door behind herself. "Lately he's been asking for you a lot,
is everything okay?" The blue eyed woman notes as they stride down the hallway
together and finally enter the main hallway. Smiling, Sakura looks up from the
floor and down the hall. "Yes, of course, he just likes me... around him." She
replies, suddenly faltering and getting quieter before falling silent. In
disbelief but also amazed, she looks at Karin, who comes up to her with a
magazine in her arm. Natsuki also looks at the redhead in amazement.
 
"Haruno, what are you standing around here, don't you have any work?", The
Kaseguchi immediately approaches her and looks at her disdainfully. The pink
haired, however, just stares spellbound at the outfit and finally the woman's
shoes. "What are you looking at? Oh, do you like my new outfit? Yes?" The
redhead smiles self confident and snooty and sticks her nose in the air. "I
think that mr. Uchiha will like it to-“ " You aren’t wobbling... " Sakura
interrupts her in disbelief, throwing a panicked look over her shoulder towards
Natsuki, whereupon she has to suppress a laugh and looks down again at the
redhead's shoes. Chucks. “What does that mean?” Karin looks angrily at the
green-eyed woman, while a wrinkle forms on her forehead. The pink haired woman
shrugs her shoulders calmly. “That you can't walk in high heels without
wobbling threateningly, to the extend that half the staff has to get to safety
when they see you. That's also the reason why you always spill your coffee all
over the place when you walk. So chucks are actually a good choice, because if
you were to wobble around in them like that too, one really would have to start
worrying about you." Sakura says with an amused grin, while she thinks about it
and puts her finger on her chin and critically looks at the Kaseguchi.
 
The latter snorts when she hears Sakura’s words. "Hmpf! This magazine says
that mr. Uchiha is into women who are shorter than him.” The redhead starts to
explain and points to the magazine which she is carrying around in her right
arm. "Pretty much almost every man does that." The green eyed woman shrugs her
shoulders in amusement and looks over her shoulder at the Hondo, who is leaning
against the wall and following the scene. “So I wear chucks to show that I'm
smaller than before. As it is shown in this magazine.” The Kaseguchi says with
a self confident and self-satisfied smile and strokes her hair. "Does it say
that Sasuke prefers to wear business clothes during work too?" The Haruno
explores and raises her eyebrow, critically looking again at the redhead's
outfit. “What is that supposed to mean now?” Karin looks at the green eyed
woman, confused and also indignant. “I stood right next to you two when mr.
Hatake explained that to you. Don’t tell me that you weren't listening, even
though he is your superior!" Shaken Sakura puts her hand on her sternum before
she lets her gaze wander over the Kaseguchi's outfit one more time. A black,
tight, short, strapless party dress peeks out from underneath the redheads jeans
jacket.

The redhead shrugs her shoulders calmly before noticing the next thing. "Where
does your alleged knowledge of mr. Uchiha's fashion taste come from?" She looks
at the pink haired woman with a skeptical look. Bored, Sakura looks around from
Natsuki back to the Kaseguchi in front of her before raising an eyebrow. "Uhm,
I'm friends with him and often go shopping with his wife and sometimes even with
him?" Says the Haruno, in a tone as if she were an innocent angel. “Oh, then
his wife has the same style of clothing as you? Well then, with my style, I have
a lot better chances with Mr. Uchiha.” The redhead smiles happily and happily
runs her hand through her hair. Laughing, the pink haired woman shakes her head.
That woman sure is living in some hefty delusions. "No, I do not think so.
Sasuke doesn’t like public prostitution.” Sakura really tries to stay
indifferent and doubtful, but the red heads behaviour and delusion really make
it hard not to laugh.
 
"Well, it doesn't matter, I have to go on then.” The Haruno waves it off and
takes two steps past the indignantly angry Karin before she stops again. “Oh
yes, Karin. I’m actually thinking that, now that you don't complain about me
to Sasuke anymore, I could start to complain about you to him instead.” The
green eyed woman winks at the Kaseguchi, with a grin on her lips. “You won't
find any credible and good reasons to do that.” She spat arrogantly at her.
"Oh is that so? Actually, there are a lot of good reasons for me to do so. How
about, for example: you hold me up every single time I'm called to him? You keep
bothering me with your prostitution fashion no one in this environment, in this
whole building, gives a damn about? That you keep complaining and keep me from
doing or going to important places, while you walk around with those gossip and
head-canon magazines?” Suggests the Haruno and turns around with satisfaction,
after seeing how Karin's expression slowly becomes more and more bewildered. It
had to be said and Sakura is enjoying it to her hearts content. With a satisfied
smile, Sakura walks down the hall, while hearing the Hondo's soft laughter.
 




 
                                                                              
~> * <~



The raindrops fall and patter against the window in a regular rhythm. In the
course of the afternoon, after a whole week of raining, this should finally
stop. The black haired man quietly puts his glass down on the desk and in the
next moment is already typing around on his tablet again. His dark blue eyes,
which always look so black, move from the tablet screen to the documents and
back. The Uchiha pulls this repeatedly a few times and then puts the tablet back
to one side to concentrate on the documents again.
 
Sighing softly, he leans back in his desk chair and turns the ballpoint pen
between his fingers as he reads through the documents. Again and again he turns
the pen between his fingers, lets it rest for a moment and turns it again the
next moment. His focus is on the white pages and the lines and letters and
sentences printed on them. The ballpoint pen hits the floor with a quiet thud
and rolls over it. Thus, it attracts the Uchiha's attention. He slowly rolls
back with the desk chair and looks around for the pen, but doesn’t find it
anywhere on the floor. Letting out a deep sigh, he slides off the seat onto his
knees and searches the floor again before climbing under his desk to find it.
Grumbling to himself, he finally leans close to the floor to look under the two
cupboards that represent the legs of his desk. After locating the pen, Sasuke
grumbles out once again. As if it were a law of nature, the ballpoint pen has of
course rolled so far under the cupboard that he can barely touch it with his
fingertips. Sighing, he endures this game that is forever associated with it,
until he finally makes it and lets the pen roll out from under the cupboard with
one movement.

A knock on the office door makes him startle. The faint cracking and clinking of
dishes testifies to the result of the sore back of his head. A painful hiss
comes from his mouth as he rubs the area with his palm. "Come in!" He grumbles
loudly and slowly climbs backwards, out from under the table. Annoyed, he stares
in front of himself, actually, he doesn't want to see anyone at the moment.
There is constant knocking on his door and the employees just alternately walk
in and out. Although he had, maybe, ordered 3 of 10 employees to his office.
"Hey. Are you okay?” A little amused Sakura appears in front of his desk and
in his field of vision. He sighs a little relieved upon seeing her face and gets
up from the ground. "Yes, your knocking just surprised me and made me hit my
head. And all that although I was already expecting you." He explains. His wife
looks at him worriedly as he dusts his suit pants. She quietly walks around the
table and feels his head. “Is everything really okay?” She asks softly and
gently goes through his dark hair.
 
Gradually she found pleasure in touching and caressing his hair. "Yeah,
everything’s fine." He sighs softly and places the ballpoint pen on the upper
edge of the documents. He leans back in his chair in silence and enjoys the feel
of her fingers brushing his hair and gently massaging his head. "Why did you
want me to come here?" The green eyed woman breaks the silence after a while.
Sasuke opens his eyes again, having to think about it for a moment. Her light
head massage made him relax and forget so nicely. "We both are going to
lunch.” he explains and looks up at her. "Really?" She asks at him a little
surprised, which is not surprising. After all until now he has never said of his
own accord that they are going to lunch. It was rather her who had to ask him,
or had to bring him something of her own accord, mostly, simply without asking.
Exactly because otherwise he wouldn’t eat anything at all. "Yes. My father and
Itachi are also coming and we'll meet Misuki down in the entrance floor.
”Sasuke explains while he slowly gets up. Smiling slightly, Sakura walks
around the table while he switches the tablet and the computer to standby. "I
still have to get my bag from my office.” She then utters and heads for the
door. He follows her in silence when something else occurs to him. “And
tonight we'll meet at Kiba's.” The dark grey eyed man then suddenly adds
casually.
 
"Wait!" The Haruno suddenly exclaims in shock, while a loud slap sounds through
the room. The Uchiha blinks perplexed and then places his right hand on his
cheek and the bridge of his nose, which burn slightly. "Oh my God. I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry Sasuke! That wasn’t my intention. Please forgive me, it was a
mistake!“ It comes panicked from the Haruno. Somewhat surprised, the black
haired man looks at his wife, who is constantly saying her apologies and repeats
herself several times. It takes a few seconds for him to realize what exactly
has just happened. During her “wait!” she threw both her arms back and
caught his cheek with the back of her right hand, slapping him in the face.
"Please forgive me, it wasn't on purpose." The pink haired woman continues. The
Uchiha rolls his eyes a little annoyed and waits for a while until she may fall
silent on her own. He silently watches her as she continues to apologize and
doesn’t show any sign of stopping any time soon. She is and always will be a
clumsy woman. Sometimes she can compensate it really well, but sometimes it just
breaks out of her. The black-haired man lets out a sigh before smiling slightly.
Without her noticing, his hands come up to her head and lie on her cheeks,
pulling her towards himself with gentle force and at the same time takes a step
forward, sealing her lips with his and thus interrupting her torrent of speech.
His right thumb gently strokes her cheek and only a few seconds later he
releases her lips again. And look there, it did it’s magic.
 
"It’s okay, my little clumsy wife." He whispers against her lips, almost only
breathing the "my” and also lowering his hands again. A little red around her
cheeks, Sakura looks shyly up at him. "Let's go. The others are probably already
waiting for us and you wanted to get your bag.“ He then utters and follows his
clumsy wife out of the office. "I hope Karin doesn't bother me again." The young
Haruno just says as they leave the secretary's office.
 






 
                                                                           ~> *
<~
 




Sasuke runs his hand through his hair and looks through the kitchen window
outside, at the wet ground. Shortly after he left the office, it finally stopped
raining. However, clouds still cover the sky and so the ground can only dry out
slowly, while he can see light clouds of fog slowly appearing on the through
dark clouds dimmed streets. “Are you ready?” The Uchiha calls into the
foyer, to let his voice reach his wife who is still upstairs. The evening has
set in and Kiba has invited everyone for a nice round between friends. Sasuke
hopes to end the day calmly and comfortably after today was clearly not his day.
First, his office was stormed every ten minutes and then there was this annoying
pen search game and his head hasn’t been damaged just once.
 
"Yes, i’m coming!" The bright voice of his wife sounds before he can already
hear her walking down the stairs. The black haired man leaves the kitchen and
stands in the hallway, putting on his shoes. He scrutinizes the pink haired
woman, who looks stunning in her black skinny jeans and beige short dress. "The
company celebration isn't until next week.” he reminds her while a smile pulls
on the corner of his lips. The pink haired woman only sticks out her tongue,
puts on her heels and throws her handbag over her shoulder, before walking down
the foyer to the side entrance which leads to the garage. "It really must be too
difficult to say that I'm pretty." Sakura grumbles quietly to herself and opens
the door through which she goes into the garage. Waiting, she leans against her
husband's car and looks down at herself. She has put on a simple cream coloured,
knitted dress with the black skin-tight jeans, the shoulders are exposed, a wide
waistband covers the upper part of the chest and also represents the short
sleeves. In the middle of the collarbones there was a black button bar on each
side, attached for decoration.
 
The door opens again and her husband steps into the garage, looking at her
through his dark grey eyes. He silently locks the house behind him and opens the
car by remote control. “You didn't need to dress up like that, we're just
meeting up with our friends.” Sasuke says while he walks around his car as
both of them sit down. "Leave me alone." Sakura says back, forming her lips into
a small pout, because she can’t believe that it’s so difficult for him to
compliment her. Without any further comment, Sasuke starts the car and steers it
out of the driveway and onto the streets. Annoyed, she rolls her eyes and looks
through the window, watching the houses and trees passing by. She makes herself
extra pretty for him, because it was him who decided that they would go out that
evening and then he just says that she made herself too pretty. Or maybe he
thinks that she isn’t pretty at all? Silently she searches through her
memories for any statements from him, that indeed he finds her beautiful, but
unfortunately she cannot find anything and that makes her somehow sad.

"Tell me Sasuke, do you think that i’m pretty?" She asks quietly and a little
shyly. The black haired man looks at her in surprise. "How do you come up with
that now?" He asks back completely perplexed and looks back at the traffic. “I
just noticed, that you never told me that I am pretty or even cute. Except for
the one time at our wedding, you said that I was pretty in that dress.” She
explains, obviously down. The youngest Uchiha stops on the side of the road and
turns off the engine. Sakura looks around briefly to see that they have already
reached Kiba. Sighing, he crosses his forearms on the steering wheel and looks
at his wife, who is sitting there and looks like a small, frightened girl. "Do
you know what I was thinking when you came down the aisle at our wedding? That
you are the prettiest woman in the world. But that wasn't because of the dress,
because to me you're pretty in short pajamas too." He explains to her and sees
how she slowly turns red “Why do you ask?” He then adds, watching her with
curiosity. Embarrassed, the young Haruno looks up and into his eyes before
looking back on her lap. "Because you never tell me. You never make any
compliments." She then admits quietly and suddenly she is as shy as on Monday
again.
 
Sasuke sighs softly and leans over to her seat, leaning his forearm on his
wife’s backrest. "Okay." He then says and leans his upper body on his forearm.
The pink haired woman doesn’t even dare to look up, staring quietly on her
hands. "Sakura, you look beautiful today.” He whispers softly right next to
her ear. Hesitant, she glances up and looks into his dark grey eyes. She could
see it in his gaze that he really means it. That he is serious. A gentle smile
settles on her lips as she leans over to him and presses a kiss on his, which he
returns just as gently. "Let's go in." It comes from him after they break the
kiss. Smiling, Sakura nods and in the next moment they both get out of the car.
Sasuke locks the car before he goes around it and walks with his wife, hand in
hand, through the small park in front of the entrance to the residential
building. Both of them follow the path, which leads around a small fountain to
the entrance of the residential complex. The sliding doors open with a low
whirring sound and the two of them enter the warm foyer of the tall building.
 
Smiling, the pink haired woman takes the lead and walks towards the elevators,
as both of them get into one of them and go up to the 20th floor. The young
Haruno briefly throws a side glance at her husband, who, as it’s usually the
case, looks around the area with a listless look. When the noise is heard, which
shows that they have reached the destination floor, the young woman turns back
to the front and immediately strives for a door on the right passage of the
elevator. The Uchiha looks around in silence, examining the hallway, which has
been designed to be friendly with a few plants. He stops next to his wife and
looks at the door number before the door opens and Kiba looks at them both.
“Hey, there you are!” The brunette man says with a smile and lets them both
enter. He closes the door and watches them briefly as they take off their shoes.
"Hey. How's it going? Is Ino already there? The other girls?“ Sakura then
explores immediately and in the next moment disappears across the hall into a
room. Surprised, Sasuke looks after his wife, while Kiba just laughs on his
left. "They only saw each other last week." The Inuzuka remarks with a raised
eyebrow and turns to him. "Hey." He finally greets the Uchiha, who returns the
greeting with a handshake. “It’s is your first time here at my home, you are
welcome to take a look around. The bathroom is right there. The kitchen is
there, and the living room is where Sakura stormed in." Kiba explains briefly,
pointing to the corresponding doors one after the other. Sasuke just nods and
then follows him into the living room, where Naruto, Hinata and Ino have already
gathered and talk to each other.

"Sasuke!" The blonde man immediately calls out loudly and comes up to him in a
good mood to greet him with the typical male greeting. “What would you like to
drink?” Asks the brunette man who appears next to the two of them. "Anything
is fine, really. Just no alcohol." The Uchiha replies and looks around the
living room. Kiba nods and disappears into the kitchen. Sasuke meanwhile sits
down on the couch opposite the large flat screen TV and briefly watches his
wife, who is in a good mood talking to her two friends. After a moment, he
finally turns to look at the interior. A few minutes pass. Naruto sits down next
to him on the couch and the two talk about work and everyday things. Again and
again, the two of them are drowned out by a loud laugh, as well as once by the
doorbell. A moment later, Kiba leads Neji and Tenten into the living room. "It
looks like we're complete." The host exclaims with a grin and returns to the
kitchen.
 
Tenten and Neji are also greeted friendly and the Hyuga immediately sits down
with Naruto and Sasuke. When the Uchiha has settled down, Kiba approaches him
and hands him a Citrus Peach Cooler and Neji a beer bottle. Sasuke gratefully
accepts the glass and takes a sip to taste it’s content. He had to smile at
the fact that Kiba seems to have made the drink by remembering how he had
ordered some iced tea on his birthday two months ago. He follows the Inuzuka
with his dark eyes, as he goes to Sakura and hands her a glass with an opaque,
red liquid, which she accepts with beaming eyes and Tenten also receives a glass
with red wine. He looks skeptically at the brunette man. Sasuke didn't even
notice that he had asked Sakura for a drink. With a quiet sigh, the host finally
sinks down between the men and attracts the black haired man's attention. In a
good mood, Naruto immediately includes him in the conversation.
 
“I wanted to thank you again, Sakura! Because I was allowed to organize your
wedding, I now have tons of orders. At the moment I'm planning three
weddings.” It comes from the Hyuga after Ino has finished with her stories
from work. Even if the blonde will take over the company one day, she prefers to
look after customers in the shop and put together bouquets. The blue haired
woman has a soft smile, she really loves to plan weddings, even if they are only
small. She likes to be infected with the bride's anticipation, but always keeps
a cool head and also calms the bride down if she threatens to panic or freak
out. "Glad Hinata, it was nice to have you there." The Haruno smiles, sad for a
moment. She feels hurt when she thinks about the fact that her parents weren't
there for her and Sasuke’s wedding and that they will never be there when
something important happens in their life. "And of course, Yamanaka Flowers &
More is number one in the flower list!" The blonde beams and grins happily,
perhaps already a little drunk, and pulls the pinkette out of her sad thoughts.
The women's group breaks out in general laughter, while Haruno's gaze wanders
from Ino to the boys and she doesn't miss the Uzumaki's gaze, who has turned to
the Hyuga.

"How's it going for you Tenten. I heard from my brother you are his best
employee." The young Haruno asks as the laughter slowly subsides. Said brunette
turns red and looks embarrassed at the table. "Well, I just enjoy my work and I
work with really great people and Ryosuke also takes really good care of us
all." The Ama explains truthfully, looking up from the table. “And how is it
to work for your husband?” She then asks back, to distract from herself. A
smile settles on the lips of the pink haired woman. “Well, I can’t complain.
Sasuke isn’t a direct superior, but the head of the department in between. We
come and go at different times. He leaves earlier and leaves later. By the way I
have a nice colleague with whom I share the office, we get along pretty well,
often go to lunch together and like to make fun of Karin.” Sakura explains
with an amused smile towards the end. "Who is Karin?" Grinning, Ino supports her
chin on the heel of her hand and looks at her with curiosity. "Karin is our
group leader who is assigned to collect all the finished drawings of all our
colleagues so that Sasuke doesn’t have to be bothered every ten minutes. By
the way, she has a total crush on Sasuke, like those totally crazy women. She
reads magazines and articles about him, for example, but ignores everything that
has to do with his wife and therefore still doesn't know that I am his wife. The
woman is so annoying! Every time I leave my office and meet her in the hallway,
she has to correct me, or complain about me about the most banal things and
pesters me with her stupid obsession and how, apparently, she’s so much more
suited as Sasuke’s partner than his wife." The young Haruno explains and rolls
her green eyes in complete annoyance. "Sounds like fun." Tenten says while
grinning completely amused. "But only because I have the opportunity to roast
her every time she tries." The green eyed woman agrees with a smile. "You have
to record that. I want to see how you finish her off!" Ino says
enthusiastically. "Natsuki already suggested that to me today as well." The pink
haired woman says and laughs softly at the coincidence.

Sasuke looks up in surprise when suddenly a light weight drops to his left and
presses against him. Smiling, the pink haired woman puts her empty glass on the
table and in the next moment Kiba takes it and gets up. Sasuke looks after him
skeptically. “Tell me what's going on, Ino? You've been looking at Kiba so
strangely all the time." Sakura asks when she notices Ino following her best
boy-friend with her eyes. Sasuke briefly observes the women who make themselves
comfortable on the couch and join them as they sit down on one of the cushions.
Tenten laughs easily. “That is probably due to this afternoon. We saw Kiba in
the mall. He was in a tea shop and had a really good conversation with the
saleswoman there.“ It comes amused from the Ama and takes a sip from her wine.
Hinata and Sakura nod in understanding before glancing sideways. “In a tea
shop. Tea shop! He doesn't even drink tea!” The Yamanaka interjects sharply.
The Haruno sighs aloud. “Jealousy speaks again. Do you think we will survive
this again?” She turns to Hinata, who is just as worried. "I'm not sure." She
says after a moment's hesitation. "What are you talking about?" It comes visibly
confused from Tenten. “At school, it was always the worst times when Kiba was
taken. Ino was jealous and bitchy the whole time and Kiba wasn't there. But it
wasn't better the other way around either, only that Kiba and Ino were gone. Ino
with her boyfriend and Kiba was always at the sports field.” Sakura explains
so that she could understand the situation as well. "That was always the worst."
The Hyuga agrees with a sigh. The Ama just laughs in amusement.
 
“What was always the worst?” Kiba inquires as he enters the room and hands
Sakura and Hinata a full glass. "Girls stuff." The Ama just says with a grin,
while the other two thank him for the drinks and Ino sucks on her straw, visibly
annoyed, until this loud noise can be heard when you suck through the straw and
the glass is empty. Sasuke eyes the drink in his wife's hand skeptically and
tries to recognize it from the smell, which his wife takes notice of. "Do you
want a sip? Is strawberry daiquiri. Nobody does it better than Kiba!" She smiles
and holds her glass out to him. Sasuke shakes his head in silence and sees the
brown haired guy coming back into the living room with a few bottles of beer and
two glasses filled with alocohol free drinks. "Yay replenishment!” The Uzumaki
exclaims happily and immediately reaches for a beer bottle. "And for the two
drivers." The voice of the Inuzuka sounds, which draws Sasuke's attention to the
glass in front of his nose, which he takes with a small thanks. Smiling, Kiba
leaves the room to come back with a bottle of wine and hands Ino a new full
glass. “Do you want something else?“ The Haruno suggest and looks her
husband in the eyes. He in the other hand just shakes his head in silence and
puts his arm around her back.

After everyone has been taken care of again, they engage in a conversation
again, this time the groups talk to each other and conversations emerge in
between. With a slight smile, Sasuke follows the conversations, even if he
doesn't participate too much, he still enjoys the stories of the others and has
fun, wondering if he shouldn't be feeling guilty right now for sitting and
having fun with his friends, only one week after his mother’s death. Laughing,
the young Haruno leans back in her husband’s arm and looks up at him. He
smiles gently at her and knows that it is a good thing after all. His mother
would have wanted it to be that way, rather than him breaking down from it.
 
"Hey, maybe we can watch a movie or something?" The Uzumaki suggests while he
greedily reaches into the bowl with the chips, which is standing next to a few
other bowls full of snacks and immediately throws a couple of the potato chips
out of the bowl. "Sure!" It comes in a good mood from the Yamanaka and takes the
remote control for the television in hand to switch it on and to switch through
the programs. "So we have Riddick." The blonde woman begins and opens the
overview program. "Yay. Lets watch it!” Naruto exclaims enthusiastically, Neji
and Kiba also approve of the film. Sasuke just sits next to it, indifferently.
"No, not Riddick!" The girls vehemently disagree with the idea. Sasuke smiles
amused and runs his fingers over his wife’s upper arm. "Then there would be
You Again." the blonde girl continues to list. “No!” Kiba immediately
replies. "Oh yes, it's funny!" Sakura says in a good mood. "And finally, Nemo."
The Blonde woman concludes and looks around. "Let’s watch it!" Ino then
includes while smiling like a child. “This is a children's film!” Neji
throws in in dismay. "So what. The film is funny and lovely.” Tenten replies,
finding the idea to watch it good too. “Besides, it's always good to be able
to enjoy such childlike things. It's good for the inner child.” Hinata then
agrees as well.


"But this is a children's movie.” Naruto repeats. "Yes, but what if we make
this film a little more fun?" The Inuzuka then suggests, getting up from the
couch and walking towards a closet. The next moment he turns around and holds a
bottle of tequila and a bottle of vodka in the air. "Every time someone calls
‘Nemo’ or a seagull says 'Mine' we have to have a short drink.” The host
explains while wiggling his eyebrows and puts the two bottles on the table
before he fetches glasses for the short ones. “Under those aspects i agree."
Naruto says and places the seat cushion on which he is sitting next to the
coffee table. Tenten, Kiba, Ino and Hinata also sit around the table. Smiling,
Sakura sinks down to them and leans against Sasuke's leg. The glasses are
distributed and immediately filled, before the film finally starts. "Nemo!"
Naruto exclaims and raises his glass in the direction of the television. The
others do the same and finally tip the glass down their throat and immediately
fill it up again. "Nemo!" It comes one more time from the Uzumaki and the
procedure repeats itself. Just as the glasses are filled again, the game repeats
itself from the beginning and so it happens that within the first 10 minutes 8
shorts are tilted. Sasuke, amused, watches his friends and takes one of the
chips bowls. Neji also reaches for the chips and so everyone is taken care of.
The friends on the floor get drunk on alcohol while the two on the couch enjoy
their own drinks.


They keep watching the film with excitement, sipping the short or sipping their
other drinks, which are empty halfway through the film. Immediately Kiba gets up
to fill the women's glasses again, and Tenten also switches from wine to
Cranberry Cooler. Neji and Sasuke, amused, watch their friends watch the film
with excitement. "Nemo!" Naruto exclaims again. The group raises their glasses
to empty them in one go. A chuckle comes from Neji while the Uchiha's attention
is on his wife, who is leaning against the couch trying to get herself into a
more comfortable position. The Uchiha smiles gently and sits down on the floor
next to her. Surprised, she turns to him, smiling, leans against him and then
looks back at the television, before Kiba comes back and puts the full glasses
in front of the women. In a good mood, Sakura grabs hers right away and takes a
strong sip from the glass. While the next round of shorts is being drunk. Sasuke
looks around to his right and discovers Neji sitting on the floor next to him.
He smiles in amusement and then looks back at the television.
 
When only a quarter of the film is missing, the Haruno’s glass is already
empty again and when the Inuzuka notices this, he immediately gets up to refill
it. Sasuke follows him again with a skeptical look. Is Kiba trying to fill up
his wife or something? He skeptically follows every movement of the brunette
man. Just as Kiba is about to hand Sakura the glass, Sasuke pulls her close and
puts his arm around her. “Mine!” He growls at the Inuzuka. Surprised, he
looks at him before he smiles gently and puts the glass in front of Sakura at
the table. "Mine!" Naruto repeats immediately and the friends tip the next round
of shorts. Neji on his right laughs because Naruto reacted to the Uchiha’s
‘Mine!’. Him too escapes a soft laugh at it, before they follow the film
closely again. The Haruno looks at her husband with a smile, before she cuddles
up against his shoulder. "Mine!" It comes once more from the blonde. "How many
were that already?" Tenten explores, already drunk. "Just drink your glass on
ex!" Naruto replies while reeching for his beer bottle. "Okee." Ino giggles and
puts her glass to her lips. The others do the same and a few minutes later the
credits roll. “Yaay!” When Nemo is back with his father, the drinking-game
participants shout out in delight.
 
Sasuke is watching his friends with a smile when the Inuzuka suddenly gets up
and taps his shoulder. He raises his eyebrow questioningly, but the brown haired
man just smiles and shows him to follow him. Sighing softly, the Uchiha gets up
on his feet and follows the host. “That wash a nice movie.” Ino slurs with a
blissful smile. "Ouh yesh." Hinata nods. “And what we doin now?” Tenten
explores enthusiastically and looks around. “Lesh play shomething else.”
Suggests the blue haired woman. The others happily agree, while Sakura greedily
takes a sip of her husbands drink and puts the half empty glass back on the
table. "Hmm." It sounds from the blonde, who looks at the ceiling. Everyone in
the area is looking thoughtfully when suddenly three full cocktail glasses are
placed on the table. Sasuke smiles and passes the Strawberry Daiquiri on to his
wife. "But that's the last one.” He explains to her. The Haruno just nods like
a good girl and then immediately sips the drink. "Ouh! I know what we play!
Let’s play hide and seek.” The Uzumaki suddenly exclaims, while the others
enthusiastically agree. “We hide here, in the kitchen, hall or bathroom, but
don't lock anything. Anyone who is found goes to Neji and Sake on the couch.”
Naruto explains shortly. "My name is still Sasuke." It comes grimly from the
Uchiha, who sits calmly on the couch and follows the news. "I do, Sa-ke." Naruto
nods. "Okay. I'm counting!" Sakura smiles and raises her hand. "Till 30." Kiba
comments before he turns off the big light in the room and then hides. It was
funny for the two on the couch to watch, how Naruto, the one who complained
about Nemo before, is now playing drunken-hide and seek with everyone. They all
are so drunken to the extent that none of them can talk properly at all.
 
With a smile, Sasuke searches on the table for his glass. He looks sceptically
at the half empty glass and then looks around at his wife. "12, 13, F-fourteen.
Five teen.“ The Haruno counts and sticks a finger away. “Did you drink from
my glass?” "Yeah!" She nods happily and then looks back at her fingers. "Ou
maan now I have miscounted." She sighs out loud. "20." Neji then helps her.
Smiling, she continues counting. "30! Here I come! Wuhu!” Sakura calls out and
gets up before she runs out of the room. "Found you!" She says with a smile and
taps Naruto’s shoulder, who has stood between the jackets. In a good mood, she
searches further, finds Tenten and Kiba before she returns to the living room
and finds Hinata behind the couch. “Ino I saw you!” The Haruno laughs out
happily and walks towards the balcony door. "That will hurt." Neji comments and
thus draws the Uchiha’s attention to his wife. She happily runs towards the
closed balcony door to catch Ino, who is standing calmly on the balcony and
looks into the night sky. Alarmed, Sasuke gets up and goes after his wife.
Laughing, she approaches the balcony door, against which she slams with a loud
crash and stumbles back in a daze. "Found you, Ino!" She says quietly and grabs
her forehead while Sasuke catches her. Worried, the Yamanaka comes through the
door and looks at Sakura. “Found you!” She laughs and makes the others laugh
too. "Okay! Now it’s Naruto’s turn!" Tenten exclaims with a grin. “And
cover your eyes!” Naruto follows the instructions and the others leave the
room or hide in it. 

A few laps later, the green eyed woman is looking for a new hiding place. The
last five laps she was always found at the end. Giggling, she sits in the shower
in the bathroom and waits. A few minutes pass before Ino enters the room. "Found
you!" She exclaims and looks around for the others. Sakura lets out a soft sigh
and goes into the living room, where she sits down next to her husband. The
tiredness tugging on her eyelids, but she doesn't want to go home yet. She pulls
her legs up to her torso and cuddles on her husband's shoulder. She closes her
eyes tiredly. "Like a little girl.” Neji smiles when he sees her cuddled up
like that. "A cute little girl." Sasuke agrees with a nod when Naruto enters the
room and sits down on the couch. Hinata and Tenten joining in right after, as
Ino comes and falls into the couch to cuddle onto one of the cushions. 

Sasuke and Neji look surprised at each other, while the blonde has dozed off
already. "I'll go look for Kiba." The Hyuga rises and leaves the room, as they
can hear him calling for the Inuzuka. Sasuke, smiling slightly, puts his arm
around his wife and rubs over her upper arm. "Ino just fell asleep on the
couch.” Neji explains when he and Kiba enter the room. Said man looks at his
best friend and then smiles gently before lifting her up. Sakura blinks tiredly
and watches the spectacle in front of her. "I'll put her to bed.” He says.
“Don’t chu do anything indecent! I shaw your look!“ The Haruno says with a
grin before she cuddles back closer to Sasuke. The Inuzuka looks perplexed at
the pink haired woman. Laughing, Sasuke and Neji shrug their shoulders, before
the host leaves the room. "We should also go, it's getting late." Neji says when
the host returns. "Yes, Sakura is almost asleep anyway." Sasuke nods. He gently
nudges the green eyed woman, who grumbles softly and then straightens up.
“We're going.” He explains to her and she just nods while looking fascinated
into his dark grey eyes, as if seeing them for the first time. Slowly she gets
up and trots with the others into the hallway and everyone slips into their
shoes. Kiba also puts on his shoes to accompany his guests downstairs.
 
The elevator ride is quiet and nobody says a word until they are down in front
of the building complex. "Naruto, Hinata, how do you get home?" Sasuke asks
after he has checked out his drunk best friend. “It's not far from here. We're
going on foot.” Explains the blonde who can speak again without babbling after
a few deep breaths. "Okay. We'll see you." It comes from Neji and holds Tenten
tight because she is almost falling over. "Bye." The Haruno waves even though
they are still standing in front of each other. Sasuke smiles in amusement
before nodding to his best friend. Kiba also says goodbye with a handshake.
"Bay-Bay." Hinata says, before she turns around with Naruto and leaves. "Be good
Hinata!" The pink haired woman calls after the two of them. The blue haired
woman just turns around, giggling. "I always am!" She grins and looks forward
again before almost tripping over her own foot. "Okay then, let’s get you home
too.” The remaining Hyuga sighs out and says goodbye to his friends before he
supports Tenten, who only waves with a smile. "Bye. Kiba!" Sakura laughs and
hugs the brown haired man briefly before standing next to Sasuke again. “Good
night you two.” Kiba says back with an amused smile. The Uchiha nods to him
and then turns around with his wife. Chuckling to herself, she runs after him
and climbs onto the cobblestones as if she saw a game ahead of her. A gentle
smile lays on his lips while he watches her doing so and also swings her handbag
back and forth a bit. Her soft mumbling shows him that she is still walking
behind him, which is why he calmly heads for the car. "Wah!" Suddenly it sounds
behind him. Confused, Sasuke looks around for her, but the area around him is
completely empty. He looks around searchingly when he hears a rustling and looks
at the ground. Bushes were planted by the sides of the way and his wife is
sitting in one of them. The damp leaves slowly soaking her clothes.
 
"What kind of things are you doing?" He asks, shaking his head and reaching for
her hands. Giggling, she looks around and takes his hand. "Mister bush caught
me." She explains with a grin and lets herself be pulled back on her feet.
Sasuke shakes his head again and then takes her hand, so that he can catch her
if she should threaten to fall again. In a good mood, she keeps walking while
holding his hand and follows him to the car. The Uchiha opens the door for her
and helps her get in so that she doesn't get hurt or something. "Hold on
tight.” He says and puts her handbag on her lap. “Yes, sir!” The young
Haruno says seriously. Sasuke closes the passenger door with a grin and sits
down on his seat. Only when his wife has fastened her seat belt, he dares to
start the engine and finally drives off.
 
A few minutes pass before he parks the car in the garage and circles around to
help her out of the car. Giggling, she looks around and finally stumbles in the
direction of the door, which Sasuke immediately unlocks and opens for her.
Chuckling, the green eyed girl staggers towards the door, running against the
door frame. "Sorry." She smiles at him and then continues on her way. The black
haired man smiles in amusement and locks the door before he takes off their
shoes and then gets her up on his arms and carries her up to the bedroom, where
he sets her down on the bed.
 
Sighing softly, he helps her out of her dress and pulls it over her head, as she
tampers with one of his shirt buttons. “What are you doing?” He asks,
confused but also amused. "Help you out." She mumbles and stares hard at the
button. "Okay Sakura, how many fingers do I hold up?” He smiles and holds up
four fingers. "Sasuke, ish unfair if you take both hands and wiggle them back
and forth." She only replies and lets herself fall back on the blanket. The
black haired man looks at his hand skeptically before turning away with a sigh.
In the next moment he hears a dull noise and looks around confused, but instead
of finding Sakura lying on the bed, he only sees her legs looking out from
behind the bed. Immediately he stands by her side and looks at her, who lies on
the ground. "Hello." Smiling tiredly, she waves to him. He exhales with relief
and then lifts her onto the bed where he sets her down in the middle. He is
about to go to the closet when he reconsiders, the risk of her falling off the
bed is too great. He briefly thinks about how to give her a shirt or something
to sleep on. “Let's just do it. Here, put this on.” He exclaims and pulls
his shirt over his head. Ready at any moment to support his wife or to keep him
from falling, he holds out his shirt to her with one hand. Concentrated, she
looks at the fabric before stretching her arms up.

Sighing softly, he pulls his shirt over her arms and head. A giggle escapes her
lips as his fingers brush over her sides and when her head peeks out from under
the blue shirt, her lips come to rest on his. He returns the kiss gently and
leans over her so that she has to lie on her back in bed. He breaks the kiss and
turns around to pick out a shirt and sweatpants to sleep on. He only needs a few
minutes to take off his jeans and put on his sweatpants and shirt. When he looks
back at his wife, she is lying on the bed, her legs straight up. One of the
jeans legs on one leg has already been pulled halfway out, while she got stuck
in the waistband that is pulled down only halfway. "Will you help me?" she asks
and fidgets with her legs. Sasuke approaches the bed with a smile and first
frees her foot from the waistband before he grabs the ends of the jeans and
takes them off. Giggling, she finally crawls to the head end and sits there,
watching his every move with her big eyes while he closes the curtains. Then he
goes around the bed and pulls the covers to one side. Sakura lies beneath it and
cuddles in her pillow. Sasuke also lies down on his side of the bed and covers
her and himself before turning off the bedside light. Sakura giggles softly as
the dark grey eyed man's arm wraps around her stomach and pulls her to himself.
“What you doin?” She mumbles softly. "Making sure that you won’t fall out
of bed again." He just explains silently and leans his cheek against her
forehead. She giggles again and then cuddles up close to him. A few minutes of
silence pass, in which they lay there, but somehow Sasuke can’t close his
eyes. He is somehow still thinking about all the drinks she had and how much it
has affected her. He found her behaviour kinda cute, but... “Sakura... can you
promise me something?” He whispers next to her ear as he lets his cheek rest
on her temple. “Hmmm?” It comes back from her, waiting curiously what he is
going to say. “Please stop drinking so much... can you do that for me?”
“Eeeeh whyyy?” She quickly slurs out with a soft pout. He somehow can’t
stop his heart from racing in his chest. He wouldn’t be talking about this,
asking such a favour of her, especially when she’s drunk and will probably
forget it over night anyway, but he knows that things between them have changed.
She isn’t a stranger to him any longer. He still finds it hard to admit, but
he is still painfully aware that she has become important to him. Very
important. “I can’t tell you to stop drinking completely, i know I don’t
have any right to do that and I know it can sound stupid to you, but... I
already lost my mother to an incurable disease only an week ago. I just don’t
want you to overdo it every time we go out...” He whispers, visibly uneasy
about the silence that follows. A while passes and all he can hear is her soft
breathing. It seems that she was too drunk to stay awake after all. Pressing his
lips together into a thin line, he looks sad into the darkness of their room.
Unwillingly he closes his eyes, pulling and cuddling her closer to his chest. He
knows that he won’t be able to sleep now anyway. “Okay.” He then suddenly
hears her soft voice, startling and making him open his eyes again. Surprised at
the fact that she’s still awake after such a long silence. What he doesn’t
know is, that she was seriously thinking about his plead and considered his
reasoning. She then pulls away to smile and look at him, which he can barely
make out in the darkness. His lips curl up into a smile as well and feels relief
wash over him. As if a huge weight has lifted from his shoulders just now.
Gently he pulls her back against his chest, to cuddle her close to himself.
“Thank you, Sakura.” He whispers with honesty, feeling her respond to his
hug and hearing her yawn tiredly. "Good night." He then whispers into her ear,
but all he can hear from her are soft, even breaths. His smile becoming softer
and even more loving, before he presses a kiss on her hair and places his cheek
back on her forehead.



                         Kapitel 17: Step 17 - Society
                         -----------------------------


Society describes a certain number of people who communicate and interact with
each other. You can be part of a society or be in good company. Being in good
company actually means being comfortable in the crowd that surrounds you.
Society can also consist of friends, but in a society you will generally always
find a person with whom you can get along and a person with whom you won’t get
along at all. Sometimes people just enter such occasions because of their spouse
and sometimes this is the reason why a person feels relief.
 
Sighing with glee, the young woman puts her cup back on its saucer. The faint
clink of ceramics colliding is completely lost between the rest of the noises in
the café, as it is a constant component of the background noise in the room.
“Is it going to stop raining at some point? This gloomy weather is just so
unbearable!” The blonde in the group sighs a little frustrated and looks out
of the window, at the with rain soaked street. It's been raining again for two
days. “Well, to be honest, I don't even know what’s your problem. I actually
always find this autumn rain nice. It's somehow calming and it makes the air so
fresh and pure." Sakura says with a smile, leans her elbow on the table top and
puts her chin on her fisted hand. Her eyes directed towards the street outside
the cafe, the smile on her lips slowly fading as she looks spellbound at the wet
ground. "You're right there." The Hyuuga agrees. Sakura looks around at her
somewhat surprised, seeing into her smiling face. The Haruno also smiles again
and turns her gaze outside once more. This time, however, her gaze rises in the
direction of the sky, towards the dark gray clouds. “Well, at least the
thunderstorm stopped. After all, that's already something.” Ino sighs again
and then looks at her cup of coffee. Tenten can't help but smile and look at her
friends.

The blonde looks briefly at the ceiling before looking around the rest of the
café. The four of them are sitting quite separated from the rest. There is a
step that leads up to them and around their table there is a fence that kind of
works like a wall around the elevation and on this wall there is also additional
glass which goes way up to the ceiling. “Say Sakura. How is it going between
you and Sasuke now? I mean, last week at Kiba’s you two cuddled quite a lot
together." The Ama then finally asks with curiosity. Somewhat surprised, said
woman looks around from the street to her friend, a gentle smile pulling on the
corner of her lips. “Last Monday we decided to have a relationship from now
on. Or at least we decided to try. After all, it was his mother's wish for us to
get closer and we can't live next to each other like roommates forever. At some
point it would come out and the paparazzi’s will notice too.” The pinkette
explains as she stirs her tea a little shyly. “Do you even know how to have a
relationship?” The blonde asks back a little skeptically. “Those there even
exist a patent solution for this? If so, you probably don’t know it, because
otherwise you'd be the one who's married now, not me." The Haruno says and grins
a bit maliciously towards the end. Offended, the blue eyed woman crosses her
arms over her chest.

Laughter fills the four ladies' small room. “Cuddling up to one another
doesn't necessarily mean that you are in a relationship.” It comes in a mumble
from the Yamanaka and demonstratively looks through the window towards the
street. “I know, I know, it’s just, we both just have no idea how to have a
relationship let alone how a marriage works. We take our steps slowly and do it
the way it feels right to us. At the moment we just cuddle a lot and give each
other comfort. You haven’t ever been in this situation and I seriously wish
that you will never get to live through it. It’s just that if i let go of him,
it feels like i’m completely alone. Imagine yourself being pulled into a
stormy sea. The only thing your eyes are searching for in such a situation, is
something that you can hold onto so you won’t be pulled deeper and get
swallowed." Sakura explains, as she becomes quiet and also a little sad towards
the end. "Sasuke and i are trying to orientate ourselves on the relationships of
our parents and by all means, i am happy about every single tip you give me." A
soft smile lays on her lips while she says those words and look at her friends
individually.
 
"I think that the way you two take your steps together, is completely okay.
Especially since you are new beginners to it. You can have a relationship in
different ways and I believe you will do it just right by going your own
pace.” Tenten smiles confidently.
 
"How was the evening for you, did you get home safely?" The blonde finally
changes the subject and looks around with interest. “I probably fell asleep in
the car on the way home.” The brunette woman admits with a shrug of her
shoulders. “Oh don't remind me of it. The evening was a total mess. One
embarrassment after another! I ran into the balcony door, fell and landed in a
bush, at home I ran into the door frame and then apologized to him, when I took
off my pants I somehow managed to get my foot tangled in it and then I also fell
off the bed and waved him hello." Ashamed, the young Haruno puts her hands over
her eyes as she explains her clumsiness from that night. "You actually remember
all of that?" It comes completely astonished from the blonde, watching her best
friend shake her head with a sigh. "No, Sasuke told me everything." Actually,
the Haruno doesn’t remember a thing, but she could swear that something
important happened after the visit at Kiba’s. Especially after Sasuke asked
her, even if just once, if she really couldn’t remember anything. She knows
that their was something, but she just can’t tell at all what that was.
Frustrated, she lets out a deep sigh and then looks at the blue haired woman
opposite her, who almost does not take part in the conversation at all, sitting
there so quietly. "And how was it with you Hinata? You went home on foot, as far
as I know." Sakura asks and takes a sip from her tea. Ino too takes a sip of her
hot drink, as she looks interested towards called woman. Suddenly the Hyuga
turns red and looks embarrassed at the table. "I... ended up in bed with Naruto
again." She then admits shyly.
 
When the Yamanaka hears this, she is about to spit out the coffee from her mouth
in a huge fountain, but manages to stop herself and instead chokes on the hot
drink. "Hinata!" The Ama exclaims in disbelief, while Sakura presses the
fingertips of her right hand to her forehead and thus covers her eyes before she
shakes her head. "You know that you don't have to get drunk and then literally
jump into bed to get closer with each other? That it can be done differently,
for example, by going on a date?” The Haruno says with a somewhat doubtful
look. Ino, who slowly calms down from her shock, puts her hand flat on her
chest. “You changed so much ever since you got a crush on him. I never thought
that you are so easy to bang.” Shocked at the Yamanaka’s words, Hinata looks
towards her accusingly. “Ino! That’s literally awful what you said!” She
can’t believe what she just heard, but the blonde woman doesn’t think of
backing down from this. Especially not now that she got the opportunity to fix
things. “Oh, is that so? How comes what i said is so horrible, but you can
shame others without being questioned?” The blonde asks with a huff, watching
the Hyuuga girl looking at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Hinata asks back, obviously not understanding at all what she means with it.
Sakura looks back and forth between her best friend and Hinata, worried for an
argument to start and ending in someone leaving hurt. “Girls... please.”

Ino just lets out a sigh and shakes her head in response. “Do i really have to
remind you what you said to Sakura the last time this happened? She just asked
you how it happened, since normally you would first get to know someone before
you get intimate with them, we all were equally confused because you acted so
out of character, but you literally felt the need to shame her for still being a
virgin. Now look, after all that shaming, you did the same again and landed in
bed with him after drinking yourself half unconscious. Did you even consider her
feelings when you said that to her? Now, don’t you think that compared to what
i said, you were much more insensitive? Even worse is that you still haven’t
even made the slightest effort to apologize.” The Haruno doesn’t like where
this is going, seriously fearing that this is going to escalate. “Ino...
please, it’s okay...” She puts her hand on her best friends shoulder, but is
surprised by her serious look. “No, Sakura. It really is not okay. I know
you’re trying to hide it, but in reality you aren’t okay about it either.
You are just trying to make it seem okay in order to avoid conflicts, because
you’re scared that this could escalate, but your feelings matter too. You
can’t always act like your feelings weren’t hurt. You deserve to get an
apology. She has to understand that what she did was wrong. We all are friends,
but i’m still your best friend and i can’t stand to see how much it hurt
you. You can deceive anyone but me! I can see through that mask, missy! We both
know the reason about you being afraid to love and therefor never having a
boyfriend or sex before. We know and that’s why i want this cleared now.
It’s long overdue, so you’re welcome.” Tenten has to smile at Ino’s
words. To her the blond somewhat looks like a caring big sister. “Well, i
don’t know as much as you all, but i can tell that Ino is kinda right. I
don’t think either that it would be so hard for a friend to just apologize for
a mistake. We are between friends, not strangers.” “Of course i am right!”
The Yamanaka says with a huff, making the brunette woman laugh in amusement.
“Girls...” it comes softly from the pink haired woman, looking at her almost
empty cup. Sakura can’t believe that her best friend really took an
opportunity out of this and defended her. She had to smile slightly. A moment of
silence overcomes them. Hinata fidgets around until she lets out a sigh, making
the Haruno look up at her. “I’m sorry Sakura... Ino is right after all. I
shouldn’t have let my frustration out on you that day and hurt you. I let it
all out on you while you just tried to help me. I wasn’t careful at all and
now it happened again.” Sakura smiles, relieved, that things took a good turn
after all. “It’s okay, really.” She can see the relief in Hinata’s face
as well, as Ino just lets out a sigh. “Well, now that you understand and
apologized to her and she was so generous to forgive you, i too will
apologize.” Hinata has to smile at the blonde words “Well... since you gave
me a good point, I can’t really blame you anymore. I really shouldn’t have
said that after all. I’m truly sorry. Also about my second time with Naruto...
I really don’t do it on purpose. It just happens all the time and I really
don't know why." The blue haired woman mumbles, towards the end her cheeks
turning all red.
 
"It's obvious that you two are interested in each other, you already kept
looking at each other like that during the wedding preparations. The only
problem is that you two keep adoring each other from afar and as soon as you are
drunk you jump over each other. I seriously don’t get why you won’t just
face each other already, or at least try it with a date." The Haruno explains
and smiles encouragingly at her blue haired friend. “What about Naruto though.
I personally don't know him that well, so I can’t really tell anything about
him and whether this beaming man is just a ripper and just wants to have fun
with our little one here?” Ino then says and looks at the brunette woman, who
has known the Uzumaki for a long time.
"No, Naruto is not a ripper, really. He’s more like a total chaot." The Ama
shakes her head with amusement, just by thinking about it. “I don't think
Naruto has any of these thoughts either. You should have seen how he looked at
Hinata through the back-view mirror when she looked at the invitation cards I
had put together." The pink haired woman smiles amused. “You really should
consider talking to him soon and clear this up."
 

 
                                                                                
    ~> * <~
 

A bright smash sounds through the place as the ball hits the wall and bounces
back to the floor. Gasping quietly, the blonde man runs after the ball to play
it back against the wall with a certain amount of force. A relentless battle for
victory has developed between the two teams.
 
The sweat has covered their skin in thick lines, breaths comes out in gusts
while their hearts are racing from exertion. They have been playing for almost
an hour now without having taken a break. With a powerful kick, Sasuke smashes
the ball against the wall. The Inuzuka lets out a quiet, desperate shout and the
ball hits the wall at the back, before it bounces and rolls slowly to the center
of the room. "I guess it’s a draw." Sasuke remarks with a shrug of his
shoulders and looks at his friends, with whom he has come to play squash.
Meanwhile, the women are making themselves comfortable in a café. The Hyuga
nods in agreement and tugs at his shirt, which sticks to his body like a second
skin.
 
Briefly Sasuke rummages through his sports bag and finally pulls out his water
bottle. Naruto and the others too sit down next to him to drink greedily from
their own bottles. “So, you and Sakura are seriously working on your
relationship now? Together?“ The Hyuga asks the black haired man with
curiosity, who has supported his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, we're trying
somehow. We don't really have a plan, but we’re trying.“ The Uchiha answers
with a soft nod and tugs a few times at his sweaty shirt. Since they are already
here since two hours, the room is quite heated and so it’s still unbearably
hot even if they aren’t moving around any longer. "Hm." It comes from Neji as
if he’s laughing. "When you consider that you never have been in a
relationship before, let alone ever been in love, it probably isn’t easy.”
He then says with a smile and looks up from his water bottle, in the direction
of the Uchiha.
 
“I can't quite agree with you Neji. It’s true that he never was in a
relationship, but when it comes to being in love... I remember a time when we
were still at boarding school, it was the last year, so at that time we just
didn't know you yet. Back then, Sasuke and I were at boarding school with
Ryosuke. On the weekends we were often at home, but mostly because of our
parents events and such. After a weekend sometime in spring, between April and
May or something, Sasuke came back to boarding school and was somehow completely
different than usual. I know he was always a quiet person, but at that time he
was so unusually lost in thoughts and then he would even almost smile softly. He
even was friendly towards us, even if only for a few minutes.” It comes from
the Uzumaki, as if he can still not believe it after all those years.
 
The Uchiha has to snort softly at the blonds explanation. Of course he knows
which time Naruto means and what had happened. For a moment he succumbs to the
melancholy of the old days and remembers a day in April which lays back almost 8
whole years. His lips slowly curl up into a soft smile. "See! That’s exactly
what I meant!" The blonde suddenly exclaims and points to Sasuke, who startles
out of his thoughts. Grumbling, his features turn into a scowl. "But as far as I
know it's also the case with Sakura, right? I never heard about her having a
boyfriend before." Naruto then asks further and leans a little forward to be
able to look past his best friend and towards Kiba.
 
Said man looks a little surprised before he smiles and nods slightly. "Right,
but you know, Sakura was a little different back then. Through her parents’
work, she already gained a lot of attention, sometimes from the paparazzi, and
so she tried to be a girl like everyone else. A simple girl who goes home to a
villa after school. Even back then she was really clumsy and therefore felt
embarrassed often. She was even a bit shy and never talked to guys a lot, except
with me. Not even when she turned 16. But back then she had such a time too. It
was in April, i think, it’s been 8 years now since then. After she came back
from a weekends trip, she was often in thoughts and looked all dreamy and
suddenly she was all red. Well, that continued for a few weeks, but then her
parents died and she changed in order not to burden Ryosuke additionally with
her problems, since he already had the whole corporation weighing on his
shoulders.
 
Sasuke sighs softly and looks at his bottle, but all he can see is the image of
the Sakura that he got to know at the amateur golf tournament. The Sakura who
was still living in a seemingly perfect world, with her parents still alive.
"But you already know how to French kiss, right Sasuke?" The blonde next to him
suddenly asks with a huge grin on his lips. Brought back from his thoughts, the
black haired man looks at him perplexed. All he could think is, where this
suddenly comes from. "Shall I tell you the secret of how to do it correctly?" He
asks and wiggles his eyebrows conspiratorially up and down while Kiba has to
suppress a laugh which leaves his lips as an amused snort. Sasuke raises an
eyebrow skeptically. "The secret is," The Uzumaki begins in a conspiratorial
whisper. "You automatically know how it works when you do it." A broad grin lies
on the lips of the blue eyed man, when he finished and took a mouthful from his
water. The black haired man just shakes his head in disbelief and rolls his
eyes. Just how did he get such an idiot as a friend? He still doesn’t
understand.
 
“Let's take a shower. The girls are waiting for sure.” Neji then says before
he gets up. A moment later they follow him and move out of the room, towards the
changing rooms with the showers. After everyone has quickly showered off their
sweat, they slip back into their clean clothes and rub their hair dry before
they pack up their things and wait for the chaotic blond man to get done as
well.
 
Together they leave the sports center and step out into the fresh air. The rain
has finally stopped and is not expected to return in the next few days. The
Uchiha's gaze falls on the opposite side of the street, where he can make out a
few paparazzi. Letting out an annoyed groan, he and his friends head in the
direction of the café, which they enter five minutes later, of course not
without being followed by the paparazzi. A gentle smile shows up on his lips, as
he walks up to his wife and gives her a peck on her lips when he comes to a halt
right next to her. Smiling, she looks up at him and strokes his hair. "You
should go to the barber again, your hair is getting so long." She notes and
holds on to a strand. He sighs annoyed, which makes her grin.
 

 
                                                                                
   ~> * <~
 


Dense clouds crowd around a place in the sky, making the water appear dull
because it cannot reflect the bright blue of the sky. Not a single raindrop has
fallen since noon of the previous day and the sun is expected to return in the
up coming days. Even if many would have wished for sunshine at that day.
 
"Sasuke!" Said man hears the voice of a young woman, who lengthens the "e" at
the end of his name, as they arrive at the port of Tokyo. “You said that the
company party is going to take place on a yacht. This is a cruise ship!” It
comes from her with indignation. The black haired man, however, just shrugs his
shoulders calmly and looks at the huge white ship in front of him. “How do you
want to get all the employees on a yacht? 2500 people alone are already working
in the central and then all the branch offices, so at least we don't have to
stand on each other’s feet. Besides, it's only a small cruise ship." He
replies calmly and reasonably and then looks at the bridge that leads to the
ship, some of the employees are already there and are slowly being let on the
ship. "Come on now." He then says softly and takes her hand to pull her with him
onto the ship.
 
The two wait next to each other in silence and endure the procedure. A little
bored, the pink haired woman takes one of the advertising brochures that are
displayed next to the jetty. Her eyes gaze over the pictures and lines of text
with the informations. There is a certain level of noise around them, as the
employees around them are already very excited about the ship and the
celebration. It takes a few minutes before the couple board the water transport
vehicle. "Sasuke. The ship has 500 cabins, three restaurants, a casino, 5 bars
and much more. That must surely be quite expensive to rent!” The green eyed
woman notes while following the Uchiha, who follows the railing before he goes
to the left and enters the interior of the ship. “It wasn't really. The Uchiha
Corporation has been in a long partnership with the shipping chain and supplies
any equipment that is needed here and from what we have in our assortment.”
Sasuke explains and shrugs his shoulders again, before he leaves the hall and
goes through a door into the large hall. Many of the employees are already
gathered here. The Haruno looks around briefly and examines the ship's own
dining room. On a podium-like place she can see Fugaku, next to him Misuki and
Itachi, as they are talking to each other.
 
A smile showing up on her lips, as she walks towards her in-law family. The
black haired man also makes his way towards his family and so he and his wife
walk towards them, as if it had been silently agreed on. Misuki is the first to
notice their arrival and the pink haired woman smiles happily. "Hello."
Itachi’s wife almost calls out and takes two steps towards her, to immediately
give her a hug. "Hello Misuki, nice to see you." The Haruno responds with a
smile and gives her a quick squeeze. "Sakura." Fugaku's voice sounds and the
addressed woman looks up at her father in law. A smile lies on his lips but in
his eyes she can see how difficult it is for him. Misuki immediately lets go of
her, so that she can hug the head of the Uchihas and also comfort him a little.
After all, Mikoto was always his companion at such celebrations and now she's no
longer there. "Hello Fugaku. How are you?” She asks gentle and caring, patting
his back lovingly. "It's okay.” He explains quietly to her and then breaks the
hug so that Itachi can also greet his sister in law. Smiling, she waves at him,
while Sasuke greets his father with a simple handshake, as well as Itachi and
Misuki.

"Sakura you look really pretty, a real feast for the eyes." It comes from the
oldest of the group, after briefly examining his daughter in law in her dress.
"What luck that Sasuke got you before you might have found someone else." Itachi
remarks with a teasing grin,  whereupon he gets a scowl from his little brother
in response. It seams his little teasing is a success after all. "Thank you
Fugaku, too kind of you." It comes from the pink haired woman with a slight
shade of red on her cheeks. "I think she has made herself way too beautiful for
today." Sasuke says casually and moves his dark grey orbs interestedly on his
brother's tie. His wife's hand lays gently on his back, making him look at her
as he can feel her lips on his cheek. "Thank you." She whispers to him, because
he indirectly complimented her and then lets go of him again. Sasuke looks at
her a little surprised. Last week he said that she looks beautiful in the
knitted dress, but today's dress beats the last one by far! Her black dress ends
in the middle of her thighs and has short sleeves, a v-shaped shawl collar in
rib knit adorns her neckline and a gold chain belt with a black bow is loosely
wrapped around her waist. She also wears white skinny jeans and a white leather
bolero, as well as black pumps, of course, so as not to look too small next to
Sasuke.
 
"How does the process of the evening look like?" The young Haruno explores
interested and stands next to her husband, who has again calmly buried his hands
in his trouser pockets. “The ship will cast off in half an hour, then we will
open the party and then everyone can actually do what they want. Everything is
open and so you have a certain range of activities until we dock again this
evening. Sakura nods in understanding and smiles at the brown haired woman next
to Itachi. “I wanted to find a friend of mine. You hardly know anyone here, do
you want to accompany me, or stay with Itachi?” She asks with a smile. In a
way she feels sorry for Misuki, at such festivities as a real estate agent, she
doesn't have much to do with the employees and therefore has no acquaintances
among them. "I would be happy to accompany you." The brunette woman replies
happily. "Well. See you later then.” Sakura nods and leaves the group of men,
accompanied by Misuki.
 
Misuki follows her sister in law silently through the crowd while she lets her
gaze wander over the employees of the Uchiha Corporation. She briefly glances at
her and smiles. “You know Sakura, I really envy you for being able to work in
the company.” It suddenly comes from her and attracts the attention of the
Haruno. "How so? Do you suspect that Itachi could cheat on you?” She asks
cautiously but also shaken. The Uchiha smiles and shakes her head. "No, no,
it’s not that. It’s just that I would also like to be around Itachi all day,
or could just go to his office if I feel like it." Misuki confesses and looks
somewhat embarrassed into her green eyes. Somewhat surprised, Sakura returns the
look before the smile slowly returns on her lips. "Oh, I see. But when you look
at it that way, you and Itachi have the much sweeter story. Mine and Sasukes,
however, are nothing in comparison" She tries to cheer up her blue eyed
companion. "I don't really know your story at all." The Uchiha remarks after a
brief thought.

“That’s explained relatively quickly. Ryosuke and I went to an amateur golf
tournament about 8 years ago, which was connected to charity and all, and Sasuke
was there too. Sasuke and Ryosuke were at boarding school together at the time
and already knew each other. So, when it was my turn i was too enthusiastic
about it and after I hit the ball away i hit Sasuke’s forehead with the bat
and injured him. That's how we got to know each other. Ryosuke didn't introduce
us afterwards and i stayed away from boys at that time anyway.” It comes from
the pink haired woman and smiles because her explanation has grown a little
longer because of her rambling. "There is something else which nobody really
knows, probably not even Fugaku or Itachi, but then I apologized to him so many
times that he just kissed me in order to silence me.” She then admits and even
blushes slightly. "I don't know what’s your problem, you story is cute too."
It comes from the brunette woman with a smile.
 
Smiling back, the Haruno turns her attention back to the path in front of her
and passes a corridor, evades an opening door and continues to look around for
her friend. "Haruno!" She can hear another female voice before she can keep
looking around. “Not now, try again later!” The pink haired woman shouts out
without even looking around for the owner of the voice and makes a dismissive
gesture, as she continues undeterred. She quietly hears an angered snort that
makes her grin. "What was that just now?" It comes astonished from the Uchiha.
Sakura laughing softly in response. “That was Karin Kaseguchi, Sasuke’s
number 1 fan. Her obsession for him has reached a level, the whole Corp. knows
her. She practically hates me for being around Sasuke so much and that i get
along so well with him, but she literally still doesn't know that I'm his wife,
even though she reads all the magazines about him. In any case, she tries to
make me down somehow with her bitchy moves. But in the end she’s just a show
off who can’t even do that right, because it always backfires completely.”
The pink haired woman explains calmly and shrugs her shoulders. "Strange woman."
Is the only thing Misuki comments and shakes her head before it turns silent
between the sisters in law again.
 
For a few minutes they walk side by side in this pleasant silence, until a laugh
gets the Haruno’s attention, makes her stop and look to the side. "Natsuki!"
She calls out happily and approaches the woman she shares her office with. The
addressed woman looks up in surprise. "Hey, Sakura!" It comes from her in
delight and pushes the man who is grinning next to her a little to the side.
Misuki and Sakura slowly come to a halt next to her. "Stop it now!" They hear
the Hondo say in amusement in the direction of the man. "Hello." The Uchiha
smiles at the two, but rather decides to stay more in the background. Grinning,
the pink haired woman watches her colleague, who is getting a little red in the
face. "Um, that's..." She begins shyly, but is interrupted by the man. "Usui
Takumi from the graphics department." The green eyed man introduces himself and
offers Sakura his hand all business like. "Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you too."
She replies with a smile and politely shakes his hand. "Ah, the legendary Haruno
Sakura, Karin's greatest enemy." He grins knowingly and lets go of her hand.
"Oh? I didn’t know that I’m so popular at work." Sakura laughs in surprise.
"I was also in the design department, but Karin has annoyed me way too much and
that's why I switched." He explains and shrugs his shoulders calmly. "This is
Uchiha Misuki, she is Itachi's wife." The pink haired woman then finally
introduces her sister in law to the two, who immediately bows politely. "Ah, the
Uchiha women in a double pack." Takumi smiles quietly and bows too. “Well, if
you're in good company already, let's move on. Have you seen naruto anywhere
around?” The Haruno asks thoughtfully. Natsuki smiles and just shakes her head
in response. "Okay. See you later!" She then says, before moving away together
with Misuki.
 
"How long have you been married to Itachi?" Sakura breaks the silence between
them while they are both looking for the blonde man. "Four years." Misuki
answers with a smile. Sakura laughs amused. “Is it tradition of the Uchiha
family that men marry at the age of 26?” Only once, the brunette woman shrugs
her shoulders when they hear the unmistakable loud voice of the Uzumaki and
follow his laughter. “Hello you two!” It comes from the blue eyed man as the
two women come to a stop near him. "Hello." Misuki greets him while the Haruno
waves him hello too. "What are you doing here? The celebration is about to open.
We should all meet up in the dining room.” He explores, a little confused.
“Is it that late already? We were looking for you! I still have something to
say to you. But we can do that later, too.” It comes from the pink haired
woman, which is why Naruto pulls a scared face. A laugh comes from Misuki's
lips. "Let's go into the hall." The brunette woman finally suggests and takes
Sakura's hand to set in motion by gently pulling her to said place. "Ah, someone
misses his husband." Sakura grins with amusement, but follows her immediately,
as does the Uzumaki.
 
Together they return to the hall which is already full. Bodyguard-like, the
blonde man pushes through the crowd to create a safe path for Sakura and Misuki.
They follow him close and when they come to a stop in the first row, Fugaku goes
to the microphone. "Good day, ladies and gentlemen. We are pleased that you all
came to today's celebration. As a former business owner and current board
member, I have the honor of opening this celebration. Like every year we thought
about something to celebrate the existence of the Uchiha Corporation. At this
moment the ship is leaving the port and does not dock again until this evening.
The whole afternoon you have the chance to hang out in the casino, any bars,
clubs and restaurants and have fun. For the colleagues from the branches and for
those with a longer journey, the cabins will be available to stay overnight from
this evening. I hope you all have a wonderful afternoon today and I wish you a
lot of fun!" The voice of the oldest Uchiha sounds over the speakers. Loud
clapping can be heard as it ends and he leaves the podium again. An moment later
the employees are already streaming in all possible directions again.
 
Itachi approaches them with a smile and immediately puts a kiss on Misuki's
lips. Sasuke and Fugaku also join them. Sakura looks around searchingly before
groaning in annoyance. "Now he just ran away!" She growls softly. “Who?” Her
husbands asks a little puzzled. "Naruto. I wanted to talk to him and he just ran
away.” She explains and Misuki laughs in response. "Maybe that's why he ran
away. He got scared as soon as you announced it to him." She explains with a
soft giggle. "Really, I shouldn’t have told him beforehand. First does
nonsense and then runs away." Sakura sighs with a shake of her head. 
 
“Shall we go look for him?” Misuki suggests kindly. "You don't have to come
with me, you can stay with Itachi." The pink haired woman waves off with a
thankful smile. "If we look for him together, it'll be much quicker." The
brunette Uchiha tries once more and immediately pulls her sister in law with
her. "Okay." A grateful smile lays on her lips and when she looks back at the
Uchiha men, she also understands why Misuki wanted to leave. Some gentlemen,
older men, possibly from the board of directors and department heads have joined
them. Quite understandable that she wants to leave so desperately. A lot of
women like to spend their time with their husband, alone or when they are with
family or friends, but some just don’t like to stand by his side when he has
to talk to colleagues about work.
 
The two women leave the hall through the door and after a short walk enter the
promenade deck, which connects the deck of the bow and stern. Despite the rain
in the past days, it is not cold, but neither is it warm. The temperature is
okay and since there is no wind, one doesn’t have to feel like freezing when
standing on the deck for a long time. The two walk along the railing and finally
reach the stern of the ship. Some stand around here and gather in small groups.
"Hey, you two." Natsuki stands at the railing, waving. Briefly, the pink haired
woman throws her sister in law a sideways glance to see what she is doing, since
she was very reserved earlier. A small smile on her face steers the brunette
towards the Hondo. "Where did you hide mr. Takumi at?" Misuki starts a
conversation with a grin and looks around briefly. A light shade of red suddenly
appears on the Hondo’s cheeks. "You are really cute together." The pink haired
woman comments with a smile, which is why Natsuki turns a shade redder. Misuki
and Sakura smile at each other and start giggling.
 
"Let's get something to drink first." Suggests the flustered woman and
approaches the bar on the ceiling. The other two immediately follow her. When
everyone has a drink in their hand, they return to the railing and gaze for a
moment at the rushing sea. "So you are married to Itachi Uchiha?" Natsuki takes
up a topic from earlier. Misuki nods softly as a yes. “How long has it
been?” Natsuki continues to explore with interest. Sakura stands next to them,
happy that the two seem to get along so well. "For almost four years." Misuki
answered the questions, dutifully. "How long were you together before?" The
Hondo continues to ask with interest. "Three years, we met five months before we
became a couple." It comes friendly from the Uchiha. "Oh. Please Misuki, tell
her how you two meet each other!” Sakura then integrates herself in the
conversation. “It’s so sweet!” Misuki has to laugh at her sister in
law’s reaction, nodding to show that she has no problem with doing so.

“Well, I'm a real estate agent by profession and Itachi looked for an
apartment after graduating and contacted me. That's how we got to know each
other.” She begins and looks at the glass in her hand, loving. “So Itachi
told me what he wanted for an apartment and then I looked for a few for him, but
he always had something to complain about with every single one. There no
window, too noisy environment, too small, too big. He always found a reason to
make me keep looking. But as it is, we always talked a little while I was
showing the apartments and so we got to know each other a little better. I was
slowly running out of apartments and when I went to visit the twelfth apartment
with him, he finally asked me if I would want to go out with him. I was very
impressed by his charm and his friendly and open manner and so I said yes. He
finally took the twelfth apartment and one date turned into two, then three and
yeah.” Misuki still smiles loving when she has finished speaking. "How sweet!
I didn't even know that the Uchihas can be sweet, but what Itachi did is almost
pure sugar!“ Natsuki swoons, touched and enthusiastic.
 
“One of the sweetest stories I've ever heard.” The Hondo then continues with
honesty and takes her smartphone out of her handbag. "Don't you want to tell
them again so that I can record them and always have something to believe in
dream men existing?" She asks herself and looks up almost hopefully. Misuki
looks at her perplexed. "I don't think you need my story for that, Takumi will
show you why you can believe in dream men." Misuki says with a genuine smile.
Natsuki sighs softly. "I don't think so, I just don't have any luck with men"
Natsuki responds, a little dejected. “Have you already recorded the story of
Sakura and Sasuke getting to know each other?” The Uchiha asks instead.
"Right, I don't even know it!" The brunette notices and smiles at her pink
haired colleague. "It's not interesting, really. Nobody wants to hear a story
about blood trickling and clumsy girls." Sakura tries to fend off, but Natsuki
has already switched on the video function on her smartphone and is holding the
lens towards the green eyed woman. "Sure! It’s definitely at least as cute as
Misukis!” It comes enthusiastically from the Hondo.
 
Sakura sighs resigned and takes a look at the sea, a smile pulling on the corner
of her lips. "Well, look who we have here?" It suddenly sounds behind her.
Instantly Sakura rolls her eyes and groans softly. "Karin, don't you have any
friends on the ship that you can annoy?" She asks and looks bored at her.
"Firstly, that’s none of you business and secondly, who are you even dragging
around with you?“ The Kaseguchi asks a counter question and looks at Misuki
with arrogance. "I don't know what it's got to do with you, but this is Uchiha
Misuki." The pink haired woman replies, pressing on the ‘you’ to show her
who is middling in other peoples businesses and grins gleefully, while she
doesn’t miss how Natsuki is filming everything with anticipation. "The wife of
Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke's sister in law." As soon as Sakura introduces her
sister in law, the Kaseguchi immediately turns pale and looks around briefly.
“Speaking of which. Since you are so good friends with mr. Uchiha, where is
his oh so great wife and why doesn't she walk around with her, instead of a
looser like you.” The redhead gets back to her arrogant mood and points to
Misuki with a nod. “Sasuke's wife is already here. She's talking to a
colleague. Oh, yeah, you don't even know that yet, do you? She has been working
for the Uchiha Corporation for some time now and often visits Sasuke in his
office. Oh damn! I wasn’t allowed to say that!“ The Haruno says with a
laugh, only to slap her hand over her mouth and looks scared around.

"Well then, thanks for the info. And by the way, cute outfit. Did you get that
in pretty too?” Karin grins arrogantly once again. Sakura just looks down at
herself and then at her two friends. A smile pulls up on her lips. "Funny that
you out of all people would say that. Sasuke thinks I'm pretty, beautiful even.
And just as a little info, I think you took a turn around the wrong corner
earlier. The brothel was three blocks away.” Sakura says and winks at her at
the end. Karin immediately turns red in fury and turns around in frustration.
"You're just jealous!" She hisses out, which makes Sakura laugh while she
follows Karin with her eyes, who is wearing a bright red dress with a black
corsage lacing on the back and which ends just below her bum. “Nice ass Karin!
Is it real or are they implantations?" She then calls after her. Laughing,
Misuki holds on to the railing, while Sakura is careful not to spill anything
because she laughs so much. Satisfied, Natsuki starts grinning. “Nice, finally
I was able to film it. Now I always have something to cheer up and your
Karin-look is so wonderful too.“ It comes from the Hondo and watches the
video. "My Karin look?" The green eyed woman asks, laughing at the fact that she
just named her look. “Yes, whenever you mess with Karin, you have that
look.” The brunette grins and holds the cell phone towards her colleague, to
show her what she means. Misuki also looks interested at the video and at
Sakura's face. “I really always look like that?” The Haruno explores with
surprise. The look that Natsuki means says a lot at the same time and is
difficult to describe. It goes from; I'm-not-afraid-of-you-whatever-you-do,
you-won’t-be-able-to-make-me-down-in-the-slightest,
you-can’t-be-serious-right? up to an amused, serious, disparaging look.
 
"Oh yes." Natsuki nods. "Can you send that to me? My friends also want to see
how I finish her off.” The Haruno asks amused. "Sure, but why did you tell
Karin about your work?" The Hondo asks with interest, and Misuki also looks at
her. “Can't you imagine what this Sasuke-obsessed woman is going to do? After
all, her desk is right next to the office door and from there she can see the
hallway with Ayame's office door at all times. Well, at least I think it'll be
fun." The pink haired explains with a shake of her head. That woman really needs
a reality check as soon as possible.
 
"Here you are!" Itachi approaches the group of the three women. He gently
presses Misuki a kiss on her lips when he gets to them. "Are you having fun?" He
explores with a smile. "Sure, you just missed Karin showing off." His wife grins
at him. The black haired man laughs. “May I kidnap my wife?” He looks at the
other two women, who are smiling. “Sure, after all she's your wife. Where's
Sasuke?” The green eyed woman notes, looking around. "He's still talking to a
few department heads.” He answers shortly, watching her nod in understanding.
He then walk away, together with his wife. Envious, Natsuki looks after them and
watches as he takes his wife's hand and crosses his fingers with hers while she
leans her head on his shoulder. "I want that too!" The Hondo whines out, which
makes Sakura giggle. "I’m sure everything is going to be fine. I'll go and
look for Naruto then." The pink haired woman says and then walks after Itachi
and Misuki but turns around again, grinning when she can see the Takumi arrive
next to the brunette.

With a gentle smile on her lips, the Haruno looks back to the front, puts her
empty glass down at the bar and then goes inside the ship to look for her
husband's best friend. A few minutes pass as she wanders through the ship,
through the casino which is overcrowded and everyone is in a good mood playing,
drinking and smoking. She searches some of the bars and also the restaurants.
Finally, when she almost searched over the whole ship and now approaches the
dining room again, she comes across the blond, young man.
 
Laughing, he turns away from his colleagues, who are walking back towards the
dining room, and immediately stops, frightened. Not two steps behind him, the
pink haired woman stands, her weight on one leg and her arms crossed, she looks
at him with a haunting look. “Brave to steal away from me like that, but that
doesn't make things any better either. We two will talk to each other and
now.” The Haruno says in a calm tone and her look tells him that she doesn’t
allow any arguments. Sighing, he lets his arms hang down. "I don't even know why
you want to have a serious word with me.” The Uzumaki mumbles with
resignation. “Do you actually use your brain sometimes, or where do you leave
it all the time? Especially when you're drunk, you turn your brain completely
off, don't you?” She begins immediately. Naruto looks up in surprise. "I don't
know why you and Hinata always end up in bed as soon as you've had a few too
much drinks, but it can't go on like this. I noticed from the start that you
care about Hinata. I just don't understand how it happens that you end up in bed
again and again, but shy away from trying to know more about each other.
Although exactly that is not even Hinata's way! Your thoughtless actions will
cause problems and at some point they will no longer only affect the two of
you.” She explains with a sigh and suddenly she is no longer as strict as she
started. Unwillingly she has to think back at the argument it has caused between
her girl-friends. "I have no idea about love, but I think you should take
another way before you break anything, maybe even other people’s bonds." She
smiles at him gently and pats his shoulder, while he just looks at her with wide
eyes. “And because of that.” She continues, already taking out her
smartphone and unlocks it before typing around shortly afterwards. "Here."
Holding out the device to him with Hinata's contact details on the screen, she
look up at his perplexed eyes. "You will now call her and ask her out on a
date." She instructs him sternly.
 
The Uzumaki swallows with a nod and hesitantly pulls his cell phone out of his
pocket. He unlocks the cell phone and types in the number, which he immediately
saves in the contacts. He looks uncertainly into the eyes of the Haruno, who
gives him an encouraging smile and puts her smartphone away again. After taking
a deep breath, he then calls up the number and puts his cell phone to his ear.
“Hey Hinata, it's Naruto. Sakura gave me your number." He starts and then
listens briefly. "Yes, I wanted to ask you if you have time next weekend and
maybe you would like to go out with me?" He speaks into the line and then
listens to the Hyuga again. “Saturday sounds good. I'll pick you up at 7pm,
okay?” He asks and nods afterwards. "Good, I'm glad, see you." The blonde
smiles slightly and finally hangs up. "And what do I do with her on Saturday?"
He asks when he notices that he has no clue what to do. "Where should I know?
You already had dates before, so think of something yourself. Preferably
romantic and it should be fun! You've already been to her apartment twice, so
you should have noticed something about what she likes!" The pink haired woman
shrugs her shoulders and walks past him into the dining room.
 
A smile steals on Fugaku's face when he sees his daughter in law, who approaches
him and his sons. "Have you found Naruto yet?" He explores immediately. Sasuke
also looks around in the direction from which the person his father is talking
to comes from. A relieved smile curls up his lips when he recognizes his wife.
“He and Hinata are going out. Maybe someone wants to bet how long it will take
for them to get together?” She smiles and stands next to the youngest Uchiha.
"Look at that." Fugaku exclaims with astonishment. "It will take a long time
before they become a couple.” Itachi just notes. "I say that it will happen
this year." Sakura claims with a shrug. "The way they looked at each other at
the wedding, I give them two months." Fugaku too goes in. "At least half a year,
I can’t give this Chaot less time!" The second oldest of the three Uchihas
shakes his head. "I'll give him until January." Sasuke says, staying close to
Sakura’s claim. The pink haired woman laughs in amusement at their claims.
“Tell me, didn't you run into Misuki somewhere? She wanted to look for you.“
Her brother in law notes and looks around briefly. "She is? No, I didn't meet
her, maybe she's with Natsuki, I'll just go look for her.” Sakura quickly says
and then disappears again.
 
"It's nice that our wives get along so well." Itachi notes, briefly looking
after his sister in law. "Otherwise Misuki would be really bored out here."
Sasuke also looks after his wife until she has disappeared through the door. He
smiles slightly. "Mum would be happy." He whispers softly and then turns away
when he sees board members approaching his father. He looks around, hoping to
find a quiet spot, and finally stands at one of the windows. Sighing, he lets
his hands sink into his suit pockets and looks out at the wide sea. He really
would like to go to one of the rooms and stay there until the end of the
celebration, but he knows he cannot move away from the celebration or be absent
without a plausible and valid reason, after all, he's one of the managing
directors. He hears one of the doors opening and closing again. But he doesn't
look around, not really caring who enters or leaves the room.
 
"Nice hiding place." He can hear his best friend and leans against the wall next
to him. "Says the person who ran away from a woman. I heard that you’re going
out with Hinata?" Sasuke just replies bored and gives the blonde a quick look,
seeing his grimacing face he makes at his remark, but surprisingly he just
ignores it. "Yeah. Sakura more or less forced me to ask Hinata and only left
when I hung up.” The Uzumaki explains with a sigh, rubbing his hand over his
neck. The Uchiha snorts in amusement. So that's how she arranged it. "I'm going
out with her next Sunday and that's the problem." Naruto then continues. "What
kind of problem? It’s not like you never had any dates before." The dark grey
eyed man asks with confusion, because he doesn't understand what the problem is
supposed to be. “Sakura said that too, but i just don't know what to do with
Hinata. Should I just take her to the cinema? That’s just gonna look shabby
and then she might think I just want to get into bed with her again.” Sighing,
Naruto shakes his head and looks at the ceiling at his own words. "Then come up
with something else." The Uchiha just says with a shrug of his shoulders and
takes a step backwards so that he is now facing his best friend. "Yes but what?
Sakura said I should think about what I saw in Hinata's apartment in such a way
that I can somehow establish a connection or something, but I can't think of
anything." The blonde utters desperately and grumbles around. "Then go with her
to where you met each other." The Uchiha suggests and looks out at the sea
again. “Basically not a bad idea and it will be well received by women if you
still know how and where you met, but if only it hadn't been in front of the
shopping center!” The Uzumaki lets out another desperate sigh. “What am I
supposed to do with her at such a place? Go shopping? Sakura said it should be
fun and romantic."
 
Sasuke briefly looks at his best friend and slowly lets his gaze wander to the
floor. The place where they met, how they met, it should be fun and romantic.
The black haired man closes his eyes and finally smiles. He raises his head
again and looks at Naruto. "Then you have to ask Neji." He shrugs his shoulders.
“I can't ask Neji! Or?“ The blonde looks uncertain at his best friend, but
Sasuke just shrugs his shoulders again. “I definitely have a tip for you.”
Sasuke then starts and looks his best friend straight in the eyes. “Which
one?” The blue eyed man explores, hopefully. “Don't get drunk.” With these
words the youngest Uchiha turns around and goes back to his father and brother.
"Are you making fun of me right now?" it comes angrily from the blonde who
follows him immediately. "Do I look like I am? Don't worry and enjoy the party
today. You still have a week to come up with something.” Sasuke just says back
bored, not even looking over his shoulder. After a moment he can hear the
chaotic man hum to his right.
 
Sasuke looks around with an indifferent look as they slowly approach his family.
In general there are few people in the dining room, most of them are definitely
in the casino and try their hand at gambling, while others take the opportunity
and get drunk in the afternoon. "Mr. Uchiha?" Suddenly a voice sounds from the
side. "Yes?" He asks coolly and looks around at the Kaseguchi with just as cold
eyes, but stops with Naruto. “I noticed that you haven't had anything to drink
yet? May I get something for you?” The redhead asks with a sugar sweet smile.
She has crossed her hands in her lap and with her upper arms she tries to lift
her breasts slightly so that they get even more emphasized by the tight dress.
"No thanks. I am able to get myself something to drink if I feel like it." He
replies coolly and looks bored into her face, not reacting to her attempt to
draw his attention to her breasts. "Of course, I don't dare to doubt that."
Karin briefly bites her lower lip, probably a sign of displeasure because he
turned down her offer.
 
“You will certainly prefer to have a drink with your wife. Surely she's here
today too?" She says and then smiles seductively. “Although I haven't seen her
yet. If she isn’t here, I'll be happy to look after you and distract you a
little for the next few hours.” As if it were to be a miracle cure, she also
blinks with her fake eyelashes. “No thanks, I have no need for any
distractions." He says bored and looks stubbornly on her face as she is now
beginning to stretch her chest out even further. "At least Sakura and I are
here." The blonde says supportively while he looks at the redhead
condescendingly. “I noticed that you spend a lot of time with mrs. Haruno,
especially in the office. I am not sure why but I think your wife is not
entirely enthusiastic about it either." Karin replies a little bit snappy and
smiles knowingly at the end. “I see no reason to have to justify anything to
you. You should celebrate with your colleagues instead of making advances here.
And now leave me alone, I have far more important things to do than talk to you
about my relationships, that are none of your business.” He dismisses her and
after an emphatic look he goes with Naruto back to his family.
 
"I only notice the difference now." It then comes from the blonde man.
Questioning, Sasuke looks at his best friend for a moment before looking forward
again to avoid bumping into someone unnecessarily or running against something.
“When Sakura is around, you're not that cold anymore. Naruto grins and hits
the black haired man with a light blow on the shoulder. He just snorts because
it is ridiculous in his eyes. "Who is defrosting our fridge?" Itachi asks with a
grin when he hears the Uzumaki's words. "Sakura. As soon as she's around, he's
not that cold anymore." The blue eyed girl repeats what he just said to his best
friend. "Bullshit." He only utters in response and snorts softly. "No no. Naruto
is right." Itachi notices. "But it was about time anyway.” Another snort can
be heard from the youngest Uchiha, which only makes his father smile lovingly.
Sasuke shakes his head slightly and looks between his father and brother into
the void.
 
"Sasuke?" A soft voice sounds from the side. Annoyed, he turns his head towards
said person. "What?" He almost hisses before his eyes catch two people.
Startled, his wife takes a step backwards at his grouchy mood. As soon as he
recognizes her, the coldness and the annoyed expression disappear from his eyes.
"Hey." He utters briefly and the corner of his mouth rises, showing no traces of
his former mood. "Sasuke you should really stop 'flash freezing' people with
your gaze. At least spare me. That really scared me just now." She utters
quietly, while she doesn't dare to step closer and seems a bit tense. He gently
grips her hand and pulls her towards him, where he puts an arm around her waist.
"I'm sorry." He whispers to her and gives her a quick squeeze. “Why do you
look like that anyway? I haven't seen that look on you in months. Especially not
in this intensity.” It comes silently from the woman in his arm. He sighs
annoyed. "Kaseguchi." He whispers only briefly. He can immediately feel how she
relaxes in his arm. "You can look at that woman like that at any time. You have
my consent.” The Haruno then suddenly exclaims with a smile and brings him to
snort in amusement, while he lets go of her.

“You see? That’s exactly what we mean. Sakura is there and suddenly you’re
smiling." Itachi grins at his brother and puts an arm around Misuki, who was
previously standing behind the pink haired woman and is now joining him.
"Bullshit." Sasuke Exclaims once again. "She is a walking disaster." The green
eyed woman looks up at him, offended at his choice of words. "It can’t be that
bad." Fugaku then says with a smile, trying to defend his youngest daughter in
law. “Only last week when we were at Kiba. A drinking game made everyone
except Neji and me drunk. In addition to becoming a child, she ran into the
closed balcony door, then managed to fall and sit in a bush, she ran into a door
frame and apologized to me for it, when taking off her pants she got tangled up
in it and in the end she fell off the bed saying hello.” The more the youngest
Uchiha says, the wider his grin becomes while the others suppress a laugh. "At
least I don't keep letting my pen roll underneath my table so that I hit my head
every time I pick it up!" The Haruno replies with a grin. Naruto automatically
bursts out laughing. "It's impossible for that to happen to him!" Itachi says in
disbelief, who looks at her with wide eyes. "Yes, yes. The last time was only
last week before lunch.” Sakura nods. “Yes, my head had to suffer because
she startled me. Three minutes later, I had the back of her hand on my face
because she stopped and Feld the need to throw her arms backwards." Sasuke says
while rubbing over his right cheek, which had to suffer from the impact. He
still remembers how it burned like crazy.
 
"I don't think you two get bored that easily." It comes amused from the blonde
haired man. Sasuke averts his gaze and looks at one of the doors, where he
discovers the Kaseguchi who turns away with a jealous look and leaves the room.
Disinterested, he looks at his smartphone to find out the time, only to roll his
eyes. So far they have only killed two hours of time and there will be five more
long hours before they will be able to return to the port at 8pm. "Naruto, I
would be careful, otherwise your face will cramp up and you will have to walk
around with that grin for the rest of your life." The pink haired next to him
notes. A little surprised, Sasuke looks up and at his best friend, who
immediately closes his mouth and looks at her a little anxiously. Laughed goes
around the group while the blonde pouts, realizing that it was just a joke. A
smile adorns the youngest Uchiha's lips. “Do we want to go have a drink? We
haven't even moved out of the room yet." He finally says and looks at his father
and brother. The others nod in agreement and so the group goes to the promenade
deck.
 
The pink haired woman walks in silence next to Sasuke and follows the others,
who go towards the stern in a good mood. In general there is a quite good mood
on the ship. Only the dark grey eyed man is not really enthusiastic about this
celebration, but as the boss he cannot simply steal away from it. His father had
introduced this annual company party to give the employees the chance to talk to
the management without obligation and to show them his appreciation. A good idea
in itself, if only he didn't hate it so much. Always these endless discussions
about work. If only the employees would at least dare to speak to him or Itachi,
that is. Both of them are in a different position as the boss of 4,000
employees, compared to when their father started with only 10.

"Here." A female voice sounds next to him. Surprised, Sasuke looks up from his
phone and at his wife. Smiling slightly, she is holding out a glass with a brown
liquid to him. "Thank you." He replies silently and takes the drink from her to
take a sip and has to smile slightly. Lemon iced tea. Actually, he never told
her, but she always brings him lemon iced tea by herself. Suddenly something
else catches his attention. The Hondo is at the other end of the stern and gives
the impression that she’s about to jump into the air out of joy. Amused, he
turns his gaze to his wife who still stands in front of him and seems to be
studying him. With a nod of his head, the black haired man points to the
brunette, beaming with happiness. Sakura also looks around and smiles slightly.
As if she wanted to ask for his permission she turns her gaze back to him.
"Don't play drinking games." A small grin lies on his lips as he tells her that.
Surprised, she halt’s in her movement, right when she was about to step
towards her. His words just triggered a memory, that she was trying to remember
so desperately ever since she woke up with that hangover. ‘Please stop
drinking so much... can you do that for me?’ The conversation they had when
they were cuddling in bed and she was completely wasted. Yes, that was the
important thing she forgot. She remembers it now. A soft smile forms on her pink
lips, but instead of showing that she remembers, she just cheekily sticks out
her tongue at him and then walks over to the Hondo, who immediately begins to
talk with a broad smile. A gentle smile shows up on his lips as Sakura is
infected by the joy of the young woman. After a quick look at his family and
Naruto, who are standing in a good mood in front of the bar, talking to each
other, he empties his glass in one go and sets it down at the bar before turning
around and standing by the railing. Taking out his smartphone, he turns around
and leans against the railing, bumping his feet against kind of against a base.

For a moment his attention is focused on his wife, who is standing on this low
pedestal and the railing only reaches her underneath her bum, before he looks
down at the device in his hand and concentrates on the game. With one hand in
his pocket, he taps around on the touch screen. To the others, he must now look
very busy, while in reality he’s just playing a simple game. "That is
confiscated for the time being." It suddenly sounds next to him and for a moment
he is reminded of his mother, who always takes his smartphone away when he takes
it out at such celebrations. His gaze wanders to the left, where he expects his
father or Itachi, but definitely not Naruto. Said man briefly looks at the game,
only to lift his eyebrows. "Really. This is a company party and you are playing
games?” He asks confused, while he presses the home button and then locks the
screen. “Give it back, Naruto. What if I get a call?" The black haired says
annoyed and holds his outstretched hand in the direction of his best friend.
"What call? Everyone is here. The company won't contact you, your family is here
and Sakura is over there. The possibility that Tenten will call you is really
low and if she does and can't reach you, she would try to contact me next.
Besides, I'll check the cell phone anyway if it should ring.” The blonde says
and puts the smartphone into the pocket of his jacket. "You'll get it back at
the end of the day." Naruto says with a grin, obviously enjoying his show. The
black haired man just looks dumbfounded at his best friend, not being able to
believe that he just said something smart for once. Sighing out completely
annoyed, the Uchiha hides his hands in his trouser pockets. It seems that he
will have to find himself something else to kill the time.

Laughing, the pink haired woman stands on the pedestal. “Why should I tell you
the story of how Sasuke and I got to know each other now? After all, Takumi
asked you out on a date. I hardly believe that you will need the story any
more.” The Haruno notes confused. Her gaze is laying on her co-worker,
Natsumi, who still holds the camera lens towards her to record the story. The
blue eyed woman just looks up at her pleadingly. "Oh please, Sa-" "Haruno!" An
incoherent but loud voice interrupts the Hondo, making the both of them look to
the side. "Karin. Do you have a problem again?“ The pink haired woman explores
with an annoyed sigh. "Yes, you! You're always in my way. Sneaking up on mr.
Uchiha, his family and friends. You think you're super great because of the
attention you get, but you're not!" It comes from the redhead, who seems to be
quite angry. "Say are you drunk?" The Haruno explores when she smells the
alcohol from afar. “Get out of my way already!” Karin only screaches and
gives her a powerful push. Startled, Sakura’s eyes widen when she feels the
bar of the railing on her thigh and her feet separating from the floor.

A frightened and panicked scream attracts the attention of Naruto and Sasuke,
who look around in surprise. "Clumsy overboard." The Kaseguchi calls out
indifferently and slightly wobbles away, as drunken as she is. The Uchiha's eyes
search for his wife, who had just been standing at the railing a minute ago, but
he can’t find her. Worried, the black haired man pushes himself off the
railing and runs across the deck, followed by Naruto, to the Hondo, who is
looking down over the railing and into the sea. His eyes widen in shock when he
sees his wife in free fall towards the sea. Her eyes are fixed on him, staring
up at him.
 
"Sakura!" His desperate scream can be heard across the whole deck. Panicked, his
eyes fixate on her, fading out everyone around him. He sees only her and below
her the dark sea. He can make out a small smile on her lips, before she
disappears into the sea and gets swallowed up by the water that pulls her down
into the darkness. Only slight waves and a few air bubbles remaining on the
water surface.



                        Kapitel 18: Step 18 - Drowning
                        ------------------------------


Everyone is at risk of drowning at some point. With this isn’t necessarily
meant the drowning in water. A lot of people are actually drowning in a sea of
emotions. Mostly these feelings are sadness, loneliness and the painful loss of
a loved one. Just like trauma, depression and anxiety. Often we don’t know how
to save ourselves from it. All we know when it happens, is, that we need to be
saved and kept from drowning.



“Sakura!!” Sasuke screams out, desperate and restless. The last of the
bubbles burst, and the waves adapt once again to those of the sea. Sakura just
fell from the ship, leaving everyone around completely shocked, staring down at
the dark sea. "Sasuke? What are you doing?!“ A scream suddenly sounds from the
side, but the person addressed does not react to their desperate questioning, as
he stands on the railing and holds on to it in order to climb over it. Fugaku,
Itachi, Misuki and Natsuki, just like some of the onlookers, stare spellbound at
the black haired man, who suddenly lets go of the railing and lets himself fall
forward. He takes a deep breath and puts his hands together over his head, puts
himself in the position of a head jump and plunges into the cold and salty
water. Immediately his clothes soak up the water and the weight starts pulling
him down, just like it did with Sakura a few seconds ago too.
 
Reluctantly, he opens his eyes and looks around the water below. His eyes are
burning from the salt water, but he forces himself to keep them open while he
tries to spot his wife in her white pants. Which is not exactly easy. Normally
the sun would have enlightened the sea through the surface of the water, but on
this October day only gray clouds cover the sky, making it nearly impossible for
him to see anything. Slowly he notices how the air in his lungs is starting to
run out, forcing him to fight his way back up to the surface. Just as he lifts
his eyes in order to swim back to the surface, he finds his wife floating
motionless in the water. Reluctantly, he sticks his head over the surface to
take a deep breath. However, he pauses, startled, when something suddenly
splashes on the water next to him. Briefly he looks at the object which he
identifies as a lifebelt and then continues with his plan. He fills his lungs
with the necessary air before he descends back under water again and moves
towards his wife a few meters below him.
 
With strong arm movements he pushes himself through the water, down to his wife.
Only with great effort he finally manages to reach for her hand and takes it,
before he can pull her to himself. His fingers nestle against her cheek, drawing
her face to his. Gently he presses his lips to her mouth and opens it slightly
to allow her to inhale some of the necessary air from his lungs. He can feel how
she slowly comes back to consciousness and cautiously loosens his grip on her.
She looks at him with wide eyes, while her cheeks puff up as she holds her
breath. Putting his arm around her waist, he pulls her close to himself,
watching her arms move around his neck. Without wasting any more time down
there, he fights his way up despite the heavy clothes while still holding her
against his chest. 
His lungs protest from lack of fresh air, but he doesn’t want to give in. He
glances briefly down at his wife, who is kicking her feet, as to help him
getting back to the surface as quickly as possible. But he could tell that even
though she is trying, she’s still quite weak due to the unconsciousness and
next to that she’s slowly running out of air again as well. Purposefully, the
Uchiha looks back again as he can already see the surface through which they
finally emerge.
 
He breathes heavily as air fills his lungs again. Gently he keeps holding her
close to his chest, while she desperately coughs out the swallowed water from
her lungs. Relief washes over him when he hears her cough and gasp for air. "Are
you okay?" It comes worried over his lips, when her coughs finally stop. She
nods weakly in response, cuddling closer to him. "Thank you." She whispers
tiredly against his neck. A smile pulls on his lips as he holds her close.
Sakura lets her chin rest on his shoulder, keeping her face above water. He in
the other hand gently leans his head against hers and watches the water around
him as the lifebelt drifts into his field of vision. "Here, hold on this." He
instructs the pink haired woman, who lifts her head from his shoulder and looks
tentatively around at the floating ring. "Okay." She then utters weakly and lets
him put the lifebelt over her head, before she stretches out her arms and
presses the with air filled ring to her chest, literally clutching onto it. The
Haruno leans her chin on the ring and closes her eyes with a tired sigh. "Stay
awake Sakura, don't fall asleep." The voice of her husband immediately sounds
next to her, who is also holding onto the lifebelt. "We have to get out of the
water." He then continues more to himself and looks around searchingly. The ship
is already a few meters away, making it unable for them to catch up to it. In
addition to the speed of the ship there is also the current. They don't have the
slightest chance of getting to the ship. He just hopes that the Coast Guard has
already been notified about the ‘accident’ and is already looking for them.
With a soft hiss, Sasuke rubs over his burning eyes, which cannot tolerate salt
water.
 
"My shoe." It suddenly comes over his wife’s lips. Confused, Sasuke turns to
her and realizes what she means. Her shoes must have been torn off her feet when
she hit the water and one of them is now floating on the water in front of them.
As he continues to kick his feet so he won’t get pulled down by the weight of
his wet clothes and the current under the water, something else in his field of
vision catches his attention.
 
“Look. Over there is an island.” He reports his discovery to her, directing
her attention from her shoe towards said island. “We need to make sure that we
get there.” His gaze is directed towards her as he says those words. Both the
kajal and mascara have mixed with the water and left their marks on her cheeks,
which barely stand out pale from her blazer. He can see how weakened she is,
from the lack of air and the unconsciousness. He doesn't even want to know what
would have happened if he wasn’t around, or jumped into the water just a
minute later. Fortunately, he jumped right after her. "I certainly won't be able
to make it that far." The Haruno says quietly, pulling him out of his dark
thoughts. He smiles encouragingly at her. "We will. Together we will do it." The
pink haired woman nods at his encouraging words and finally starts to move her
legs, just like Sasuke has been doing all the time, only that he now has set
himself a certain direction.
 
The young Haruno bravely fights herself towards their destination, but Sasuke's
legs also become limp over time. But the closer they get, the clearer it becomes
to them why the island looked so small on the horizon. Now that they have
finally closed up to it, they can clearly see no more than a tiny island with
only a handful of trees growing on it. It probably doesn't even have a name.
"Just a little bit more and we did it." The Uchiha says reassuring, not only to
motivate his wife, but himself as well. After all, they can recognize the trees
as such and also a few bushes, meaning, they can only be talking about a few
meters here. The pink haired woman nods weakly at his words. Sasuke smiles
slightly, even if it is inappropriate in this situation. He can see her fighting
and desperately needs a break, just like him.
 
A few meters later he can already see the sand, which stretches over the beach
and a few meters into the sea, making the water look lighter there. His legs
want to strike completely, just want to give up at the sight that they finally
made it this far, but he grits his teeth and fights his way over the last few
meters until he can feel the sand underneath his shoes. A deep and exhausted
breath leaves his darkened lips as relief washes over him and walks on, his
upper body rising more and more out of the water the further he steps forward.
Sakura in the other hand just lets herself being pushed by the waves towards the
beach, on which she lies completely worn out and closes her eyes for a moment.
The only thing that still holds her upper body on the surface is the lifebelt,
on which she rests her cheek with a relieved sigh. "We did it." He exclaims with
an encouraging smile and carefully pulls the lifebelt over her head before he
lifts her on his arms and carries her out of the water to the small island.
Gentle he then lets her down on the sand and takes off his suit jacket in order
to wring it out as good as he can, before he puts it over her shivering
shoulders. "What are you doing? You will freeze like that.“ It comes weakly
over her blue lips with resistance, but he just manages to smile towards her.
“It is important that we get you to warm up now. You have to regain your
strength. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." The Uchiha simply replies and
sits down next to her on the ground. He places his right leg behind her back
while he sneaks the other under her legs. He gently presses her against his
chest and leans his cheek on her soaked hair. Making a fire wouldn't be bad, but
even if he had a lighter with him, they wouldn’t be able to light anything.
Nothing on this little island is dry enough, but a fire could be their rescue.
It will only be a matter of a few hours, if at all, until it gets dark and night
falls and with the night the cold. A fire would not only give them warmth and
light but also draw their attention to those who set out to find and save them.
Searching, he looks around the small beach when he feels Sakura cuddle closer to
his chest. Gently he places his cheek back on her forehead with a soft sigh. He
has already noticed the trembling of her body before, but he has the feeling as
if it just got a little stronger. Carefully he hugs her even closer and starts
rubbing her back.
 
"Why did you jump after me?" He can hear her whisper next to his ear only after
a few minutes of silence. He looks down at her legs in surprise, never expecting
her to ask him. "You are my wife." He replies silently, but without any
hesitation. "’see...” It comes from her again and well, it makes sense to
her. "Also, you’re a friend that has become very important to me." He
confesses to her and pushes her slightly away from him so that he can look into
her emerald eyes. A faint smile pulls on her lips. Gently he runs his thumb over
her cheeks and wipes away the old make up. "So that you look pretty when we are
rescued.” He whispers to lighten the mood and gives her an encouraging smile.
“Do you really think that we'll be found?” The pink haired woman asks
instead, not really seeming positive about her own question. "Of course. Father,
Itachi, Misuki, Naruto and mrs. Hondo will have already notified the coast
guard. They will definitely find us soon." Sasuke answers with confidence in
order to reassure her. His gaze then moves over his wife's face. She looks so
weak. He gently presses his lips on her forehead. Sakura smiles lovingly and
leans forward. When his lips separate from her again, she leans her head back
against his chest and pulls his suit jacket even tighter around her, only to
cuddle herself as close to her husband as possible and closing her tired eyes.
 
A light wind comes up and runs through his black hair. Goosebumps spread over
his damp skin while the wind presses his shirt coldly against his skin. “How
did you fall down in the first place?” He asks a quiet question, his eyes
fixed on the gray sea in front of him, so that he can immediately notice when a
ship is approaching. “Kaseguchi pushed me. Or do you think I am actually so
clumsy that I fell from the ship by myself?“ The Uchiha can feel his wife
smiling at her own question. "Natsuki was desperate to film me and that's why I
stood on this pedestal. Then Karin had to come, completely drunken and telling
me to finally get out of her way and so she pushed me overboard. She’s
completely obsessed over you." She gently cuddles her head against his chest
after her explanation. A snort comes over his lips. "This woman is getting
really annoying." The black haired man growls, which makes his chest vibrate
slightly. "Do you know that every time I go to your office, she intercepts me
and accuses me of something nonsensical, like, not working? She also acts like
she’s a flawless queen and tries to boss me around, while she’s walking
around with her magazines and keeps bothering me with her oh so important
fashion and how she’s more fit to be your wife. She keeps stealing my valuable
working time all the time.” She reports to him with a sigh. Another snort
escapes him. “How ridiculous. She's just the person who hands in the drawings
so that not everyone has to come into my office individually and disturb me
every ten minutes. She doesn't even get paid for it anymore. I’ve noticed her
unfitting behaviour already and this is really getting ridiculous. But if you
want, I will correct that woman.“ It comes reassuring from the Uchiha. Sakura
in the other hand just shakes her head slightly. “No, no, Kakashi will take
care of that anyway. You don't need to deal with her. You would just loose your
precious time on her. She won’t even listen to what you’re actually telling
her anyway, because she would be too busy looking into your mouth and drool like
an idiot." Tired, she puts her cheek on his chest and listens to his steady
heartbeat. "Okay." Sasuke whispers and gently buries her nose in her hair and
listens to her even breathing before he lifts his head and looks out at the sea.
Still no ship in sight.
 
They sit cuddled together in silence. The minutes pass while the sky is slowly
darkening. If he didn't know that the night is slowly falling, Sasuke would
believe that it will soon start to rain. He gently rubs his eyes, which are
still slightly irritated by the sea water and burn from the salt. Sighing
silently, he turns his attention back to his wife, with which he had been
searching the sea for the past hour. But he couldn't find help anywhere. "Did
you fall asleep?" He asks his wife silently, who hasn’t moved even once ever
since he kept his eyes on the sea for help. "No, you said that I should stay
awake." She replies tiredly, almost as if she is fighting against sleepiness. He
smiles slightly and lays his cheek against her head. "Then why are you so
silent?" He continues to explore, running his hand up and down her back. "I'm
thinking." She explains to him and moves her head a little further up. "About
what?" He buries his nose in her now damp hair, curious about what she could be
thinking in such a situation. "About you." Sasuke hears her whisper softly.
Surprised his eyes widen at her silent words. "About me?" He repeats
questioningly. "Yes. You must have been pretty lonely before we got married." It
comes thoughtful from the pink haired woman. Amazed, he listens to her words. He
didn't think she would ever think about it. “How did you come up with that?”
He asks another question, hearing her sigh and cuddle more against his chest.
“You have no friends apart from Neji, Naruto and Tenten. I mean, you have your
family, but you never really see any of them often. You rarely see your friends
either. You just work all the time and back then just drove back to your empty
apartment. That’s why I think, you must have been pretty lonely at the time."
She explains her thoughts. Sasuke swallows quietly at her thoughtful words and
turns his face towards the ground, examining her legs wrapped in her white
skinny jeans.

"I..." he starts to deny her assumption, but stops himself when he hears the
sound of a helicopter. His head rises towards the sky and searches for it. He
smiles slightly when he makes out one that is closing up to them. "We are saved,
Sakura." He says gently and smiles with relief. In the next moment a light
shines down on them. Blinking he looks up and watches as someone is lowered onto
the small island with a rope. “Are you injured?” The Coast Guard comes up to
them and kneels slightly towards them. "No, we're okay so far." Sasuke shakes
his head. "Can you get up Sakura?" He turns to the young woman in his arms, who
looks up slightly and lifts her head. "I think so." She responds with a
tentative nod. "I'll help you!" The man from the coast guard exclaims and
immediately holds out his hand to her. "Thank you." She utters silently and puts
her hand in his. He carefully pulls her up to her feet, while she can feel
Sasuke's hand on her back. For a moment she has to get back her balance, but in
the next second she can already feel her husband behind her holding her tight.
 
A low whirring sound can be heard as the rope winch drops the lifeline to the
ground. Sasuke attentively observes what is happening and then lets the lifeline
put on and secured. Sakura, who has now completely put on his suit jacket, gets
secured properly as well. She lets it go quietly and then lifts her eyes up to
the helicopter. Immediately she starts shaking and panic can be seen in her
eyes. Suddenly making a step back with fear. “No, Sasuke. I... can’t we wait
for a lifeboat or something?” It  comes haltingly over her lips. “Please.
Leave me down here. I can’t do this. I will definitely fall down. Please,
Sasuke.” Her heart beats loudly against her chest, while sweat of fear wets
her skin and a tremor goes through her muscles. Tears well up in her eyes.
Confused, the man from the coast guard watches the scene. As long as she defends
herself, the coast guard won’t be able to safely pull her up. The Uchiha
smiles softly and puts a hand on her cheek when he remembers a small detail that
she told him a few weeks ago. She is afraid of heights. "Everything will be
fine." He says encouragingly and puts his arm around her, pulls her very close
and presses her firmly to his stomach with gentle force. Panicked and uncertain,
she looks up into his dark grey eyes and concentrates only on him. He slowly
leans forward and kisses her gently. Suddenly it seems like all the fear is
falling off from her. Sakura tentatively puts her arms behind her husband's neck
and returns the kiss. She doesn't really realize how her legs are detaching from
the ground and both of them get pulled up. Slowly they release the kiss and only
now that they broke the kiss, she realizes that she can no longer feel any sand
or water under her feet, immediately her arms cramp around his neck and her body
begins to tremble once more. "Look at me, Sakura." She hears her husband say,
before she could try to look to the side in panic to make sure that she is
really hanging on a simple wire rope in the open air.
 
She fixes her eyes on his, completely panicked and sending him silent pleads.
“I’m holding you Sakura. Everything will be fine.“ He says reassuring
against her lips. She looks spellbound into his eyes, doesn't even dare to look
past his head. Her fingers dig into the fabric of his shirt, her knuckles
standing out white and show how cramped she is holding onto him. The Uchiha in
the other hand gently leans his forehead against hers and as soon as he does so,
she can feel her eyes close. She hears her heart pounding loudly in her ears,
accompanied by the soft whirring of the winch. She is sure that even Sasuke
could hear her heartbeat. Over time, the whirring grows louder and the black
haired man's forehead moves away from hers. She also opens her eyes and sees the
helicopter in front of her. The winch stops and the rope is pulled inside the
helicopter. In the next moment she already feels cold ground under her bare
feet. Her gaze wanders back and forth in panic, drives over the men from the
coast guard and towards the inside of the helicopter. She doesn't even feel how
she is being freed from the rope.
 
Trembling with fear, she looks out the window and sees the wide sea below. A
blanket is gently placed around her shoulders. Surprised, she looks up and at
her savior. The fear and panic are slowly disappearing and making way for the
weakness and tiredness from before. Her gaze moves to Sasuke, who is sitting on
a bench wrapped in a blanket, examining her with worry. He smiles softly at her
as one of the coast guards helps her over to him. Worn out from the events of
the last few hours, she lets herself being pulled onto her husbands lap. She
just leans against him tiredly, closing her eyes with a deep sigh. Exhaustion
also shows itself on the Uchiha as he wraps his arms around her and hides his
nose in her damp hair.
 
With her eyes closed, the pink haired woman sits on her husband's lap and
listens to his heartbeat, which relaxes her more and more with each beat. After
a few minutes Sasuke moves again and leans his cheek on her head, drawing his
attention to the window on his left, through which he can see the deep sea in
which they were drifting a few hours ago. But not much later he can see the
first buildings slowly come into view as they fly into Tokyo Bay. They pass
Yokohama and head for the port from which the ship also left around five hours
ago. "We'll be home soon." Sasuke whispers to his wife, who only nods slightly
to confirm that she heard it. "In a moment you will have solid ground under your
feet again." The pilot says, giving them a friendly smile.
 
The rotor blades are slowly turning one last lap as the coast guards open the
helicopter door and let the rescued passengers get out. They lead the rescued
couple off the landing platform and into the interior of the coast guard
building. "We owe you a lot of thanks." The pink haired woman smiles weakly and
looks at the three men in the coast guard uniforms. "No problem. That's our job
after all.” The man who saved her from the island smiles too. "You should warm
up now and if you experience any pain, you should make sure to go to the
hospital.” Another of them explains and instructs them. "We wish you the best
of luck in the future.” The pilot says out when they arrive at the exit.
"Thank you. Here, these are yours." Sasuke replies this time and holds out his
blanket, as Sakura immediately does the same. "Goodbye." She then exclaims with
a smile and when the three of the coast guards have said their goodbyes, the
couple leaves the station through the automatic sliding glass door.

 
"Come. Let's go home." It comes from the black haired man, as he already lifts
her up into his arms. Startled, she holds on to his neck. "What are you doing?
Sasuke, I can walk on my own.” She protests softly, but he won’t budge at
all to let her down. "Nonsense. You are weakened and besides your shoes are lost
in the sea. You don’t really think that I will let you walk on the floor
littered with glass splinters and small stones." He fends off her protest and
continues along his path, down from the actual port area and along the street to
the parking lots.
 
Darkness has fallen over Tokyo. Instead of the rays of the sun, the streets are
now illuminated by lanterns and show a safe way home. The parking lot of the
harbor is still overcrowded with cars, as are the streets. Only the darkness is
evidence of the falling night, as well as the temperatures, which are slowly
approaching those of a mild October night. "Our clothes will completely soak the
seats now." The Haruno suddenly remarks and makes small circles with her thumb
on his neck. "We can’t change that." Sasuke replies with a soft shrug and
comes to a stop in front of his car. "Just put me down in front of the door,
I'll survive that." She whispers to him and he quietly follows her instructions,
gently setting her down on the street in front of the passenger door.
 
The door opens and the light inside the vehicle goes on. Sasuke watches her in
silence as she gets into the car. Only when her head has disappeared in the car,
he dares to open his door and gets in as well. As she sits inside her husband's
car and leans back in the seat, she feels once more how wet her clothes actually
still are and she has to suppress a gentle shiver. The black haired man starts
the engine and even before buckling up he turns on the seat and feet heaters,
just like the rest. Immediately the sound of the heaters sound through the car.
Searching, the pink haired woman presses the buttons on the radio to look for a
good song, while Sasuke buckles her seatbelt and then drives out onto the road.
 
Smiling, Sakura leans back in her seat and snuggles into it when she feels the
fabric slowly getting warmer and warmer. Her head leans sideways to her husband
and she closes her eyes. The Uchiha briefly throws a look at her, who leans
relaxed in the seat and even gives the impression that she has fallen asleep. A
barely recognizable smile settles on his lips before he concentrates on the
streets again and fights his way through the traffic from the port to Setagaya.
The journey goes smoothly as the channel that Sakura chose out, plays soft songs
from the radio. The warm air from the heater lets the clothes dry a little
faster, but not completely. Due to the dense evening traffic, their journey back
home is slow and steady, but finally after almost an hour, instead of the actual
half hour, Sasuke drives off the road to the right and onto their property.
Surprised, he applies the brakes when he sees cars on the driveway. Four of them
are parked there in a row and light shines through the windows of the house.
 
Sighing softly, the black haired man parks his car when he realizes that it’s
just the cars of her friends. He gently runs his finger over her skin and pushes
a strand of hair behind her ear. Sakura hums tiredly at his soft caresses and
blinks at him briefly. A smile pulls on his lips before he gets out and
encircles his car. He opens the passengers door and leans in to his wife. "We
are home. Lets have a cup of tea and a warm shower.” He whispers to the green
eyed woman, unbuckles her and lifts her up on his arms. With a move of his foot,
he shuts the car door and approaches the front door of their shared home. "That
sounds nice." The Haruno whispers with a smile and looks at her husband's blue
shirt. The light falling through the windows then catches her attention. She
looks up skeptically and at Sasuke, who accepts it with a serenity, which
confuses her only more. As if he didn't notice his wife's gaze, the dark grey
eyed man walks towards the front door and then turns around to push it open with
his back and shoulder.
 
He quietly enters the foyer and slowly lets go of his wife's legs, so that she
can stand on the floor again. He only managed to get out of his sappy shoes,
before the silence gets killed. "Oh my god Sakura!" A scream sounds from the
living room, which startles the both of them. Surprised, the pink haired girl
looks up from the laminate on the floor and in the direction of the living room,
from where a mop of blond hair rushes towards her and throws herself around her
neck. "Ino." The green eyed woman utters softly, while slightly kneeling down
because she didn’t expect it at all. She feels the gentle touch of Sasuke's
hand on her back so that she can balance her friend's weight out and can
straighten up again. "What are you all doing here?" The Haruno asks in
astonishment, maybe a little overwhelmed, while her best friend slowly lets go
of her again. Immediately, Sakura lets herself get hugged by her big brother,
closing her eyes with a smile. "Naruto informed us that you went overboard."
Honoka reports still a little worried.
 
"And how did you get into the house?" The Uchiha explores skeptically and
watches how Sakura is hugged by everyone. Everyone seems very concerned about
the news. "Of course your father and I have an emergency key." Ryosuke smiles at
him and pulls him into a hug too. Perplexed, Sasuke endures this, but he can
feel how grateful the brown haired man is for saving Sakura’s life. Gentle,
Sasuke pats his brother in law and old friend a few times on the back before he
lets go of him. “Change your clothes. We can talk afterwards.” Neji
immediately instructs the couple and pushes them towards the stairs.
 
The couple just accepts it in silence and go up to the bedroom. Sakura quickly
finds herself fresh underwear and sweatpants and then disappears into the
bathroom, from which she throws her husband a towel before locking the door.
Little by little she peels off her wet clothes, pulls the money out of one
pocket and her smartphone out of the other, and then dries her skin with the
towel. Sighing, she slips into her underwear and sweatpants and ties her hair
into a bun. She carefully peeps out the bathroom door to see if Sasuke has
finished changing.
Just as his wife dries herself in the bathroom and puts on dry clothes, Sasuke
does the same and is already slipping into his shirt when she opens the door and
reenters the room. Silently she stands next to him and picks out a shirt. A
small grin settles on his lips as he pulls a sweater out of his clothes and
pulls it over her head right after she slipped through the shirt. She looks at
him in surprise. Smiling, he just leans over her to kiss her lips. "I'm glad
nothing happened to you." He whispers honestly and leans his forehead against
hers. "Thanks to you." She replies just as quietly and smiles lovingly, already
feeling his lips on hers one more time.
 
Dressed warmly, they return to their friends in the living room. Immediately
they look up and examine them both. Sighing silently, Sasuke sits down on one of
the two couches and Sakura sits down next to him. His arm goes around her back
and pulls her closer to him. "So Sakura, why did you go overboard?" Ino already
bursts out with the first question that is nagging on all of their curiosity. "I
didn't go overboard, I fell. They don’t have any stairs that lead down, you
know?" The pink haired woman corrects the statement with a slight smile. Sasuke
just grins with relief at the fact that she is already able to make little jokes
and give cheeky answers. He can also see the relieved smile on Ryosuke's face
too. "And why did you fall into the water?" Tenten explores, after a few
seconds, as it must have taken her a bit to realize that Sakura is really making
a joke out of it. "I thought it would be fun to convince myself that the water
was really cold at the time." The pink haired woman explains sarcastically and
sips the cup of tea, which Honoka has given her. Said woman then also extends a
cup of tea to the Uchiha, which he accepts with a little thanks. “Really?”
The Inuzuka asks, amused.
 
The Haruno sighs softly at his question. "No, I was pushed and since I was
standing stupid, I tripped over and fell into the ocean." She then explains
truthfully and puts her teacup on the table in front of her. The small grin on
Kiba's face immediately disappears. The friends look at her in shock. "You look
pretty exhausted too." Honoka notes quietly. "Yes, I was unconscious from the
impact in the water for... how long?" The green eyed woman turns with a
questioning look to her husband, who saved her from the water. "Just for a
moment." He smiles gently at her. Tired, Sakura lays her head on the black
haired man's chest and looks at her friends and brother.
 
“That was definitely exhausting and a long day today. We should leave you
alone now." The Hyuga says and thus draws everyone's attention to himself.
“Yes, you should rest. If there is something, we can discuss it tomorrow.”
Ryusuke agrees with the long haired man. The other friends also agree and then
slowly get up. The group goes to the front door in silence, where everyone slips
into their shoes and maybe even into their jackets. The couple watches them
silently before they both say goodbye. “I made soup for you.“ The blue
haired woman says and smiles as she steps out. "Thank you Hinata." Sakura
replies with a smile. Sasuke smiles too and watches them start the cars' engines
one after the other. As if they were a unit and trained on it, they drive one
after the other down the driveway and turn onto the street, leaving the
couple’s field of vision.
 
“It's pretty fresh out here. Let's eat the soup." Sakura suggests with a small
sigh and puts her hand into his in order to pull him with her towards the
kitchen. "Okay." The Uchiha smiles softly and follows her inside, after he
closed the door. Sakura is quietly putting the plates on the table and adding
spoons and glasses. The Uchiha silently takes the soup pot and brings it to the
table where he sits down opposite his wife and puts the pot down. For a moment,
the green eyed woman stirs the clear broth with the soup ladle and then fills
the plates with the steaming liquid with the star shaped noodles.

The Haruno looks tiredly at her plate and stirs it before she dares to take a
sip from her spoon, in the hope that she doesn’t burn her tongue. Sasuke
watches his wife for a moment before he also turns to his soup. "My smartphone
is broken." She then breaks the silence between them after a few minutes and
lets her spoon sink into the half empty plate. “We'll get you a new one on
Monday. Tomorrow you won't need it anyway, and if you do, you can use my
phone.” He says reassuring and puts his spoon in the empty plate. "Okay." The
pink-haired woman turns her gaze to her plate and empties it a short time later.

 
“I’ll go park my car in the garage and dry the seats as good as possible. If
you're already that tired, you can go to bed." He smiles at her and gets up
after her brief nod. He quickly puts his plate in the sink, fetches two towels
from the bathroom on the ground floor and leaves the house with the car key in
his hand. At this point he is glad that his key is even still working. Sighing,
he unlocks the car and starts the engine to turn on the seat heaters. Then he
starts to dab the seats with the towels and suck the water out of the seats as
best as he can. A slight crunch turns his attention around and behind him. The
lights of a car that stops in the driveway illuminates him and his car. The
engine turns off and shortly afterwards the slam of a car door can be heard. A
person steps up to him in the cone of light. "Hey Naruto." The Uchiha greets the
blonde when he recognizes him. "Hey. I was worried, are you okay?“ The blue
eyed man begins immediately and looks at him a little worried. "Yes, yes,
everything is fine." Sasuke nods and closes the car door behind him to lean
against it while he still holds one of the towels in his hand.
 
“We were with the coast guards at the port, but they told us that they had
already rescued you and that you already drove home. How is Sakura?“ Naruto
reports before he asks about his female friends condition. “She is quite tired
because she passed briefly from the impact on the sea. She is probably going to
sleep but otherwise she is okay. Tomorrow she will be on her feet again." The
dark grey eyed man explains and dries his hands in the towel. "That’s good to
know. Here." Naruto pulls the Uchiha's smartphone out of his suit pocket.
“Your father, Itachi and Misuki will come by tomorrow to check on you,
probably me too. Then I don't want to bother you any further. Good night,
Sasuke.” After the blonde has finished, he turns around and scratches the back
of his head briefly, embarrassed, before going back into the darkness of the
night and getting into the car. Sasuke silently watches as the Uzumaki lets his
car roll back and rolls back and onto the street. The Uchiha sighs softly and
looks at his cell phone, which he puts in his trouser pocket and then turns back
to his car, into which he gets in and then parks it backwards into the garage.

He too, is slowly getting tired of this eventful day. Playing with the car key,
he enters the house again and puts it on the chest of drawers, when he suddenly
hears his wife slowly coming down the stairs and looks up. Confused, he looks at
her in her green bikini, in her hand she is holding a bath towel. “What are
you planing?” He asks, puzzled. Why would she wear a bikini after freezing
half to death? Alarmed his thoughts drift to the pool outside. She smiles
slightly as she lifts her head and sees his panicked gaze. “I want to go down
to the jacuzzi. It's easier and more pleasant than taking a shower. Will you
come with me? ”She says and stops in front of the stairs to the basement.
Relieved, Sasuke seems to weigh whether yes or no, before deciding and smiling
slightly. "I'll come right after you. Let me just go to quickly change." She
responds with a nod and then goes down the stairs to the basement, through the
entrance hall which got renovated as the party room, towards the indoor pool,
whirlpool and Sauna.
 
Humming softly, she switches on the jacuzzi and lets the water run in, which
heats up and bubbles slightly. She puts the bath towel on the floor next to the
whirlpool and as she is stepping into the hot water, Sasuke already enters the
room. The warmth takes over both their bodies. She leans back with relish and
lays her head on the ground behind her. She can literally feel how her tension
is released. The Uchiha also leans back and enjoys the warm water and the
pressure from behind, which works on his back like a massage. They quietly enjoy
the water for a while. Nobody makes a sound.
"Wake me up if I should fall asleep." It comes from the pink haired woman, who
sighs with relish and closes her eyes. Sasuke laughs softly and searches with
his foot for hers in order to move over it and  kick it lightly to annoy her.
“No sleeping. If you are so tired, you should better go to bed straight away."
He replies. "Only 5 more minutes." His wife mumbles back, as if she had to get
up from bed.
 
The Uchiha laughs once again, but in reality he’s just masking the fear he is
still feeling. "No. Come on Sakura, now we're nice and warm again. We should go
to sleep.” He remarks and gets up to get out of the warm water and dry off
before turning off the whirlpool. "Okay." She whispers back quite unwillingly
with a yawn and reluctantly opens her eyes. Sasuke gives her a caring hand to
help her out of the water and, if necessary, keep her from falling. Tired, the
pink haired woman dries herself off and goes two floors up with her husband and
into their bedroom. While Sakura goes into the bathroom with her things, Sasuke
slips out of the wet shorts in the bedroom and instead slips into dry boxer
shorts as well as training pants and a shirt. Yawning tiredly, he closes the
curtains and notices his wife coming back out of the bathroom and immediately
lays down on her side of the bed and cuddles herself into her sheets. Sasuke
just goes into the bathroom in silence to hang up his wet shorts and then
returns to the room. Quitely, he approaches the bed and lies down next to her.
The regular breathing of his wife makes him look around, making him smile with
relief when he sees her already asleep and then turns off the light. Sasuke
carefully pulls her towards him and hugs her tight against his chest. His
fingers gently run over the back of her head as he hides his nose in her hair.

The Uchiha is slightly desperate when he thinks back at the scene that happened
only a few hours ago, the moment she fell into the sea because of a crazy woman.
She could have drowned back there and if not, her phone could have exploded as
well. Either way, she could have died and he could have lost her. His arms
around her become more desperate, as fear is spreading through his whole body
like wildfire. "Just what would I have done if I had lost you too now?"



                       Kapitel 19: Step 19 - Difference
                       --------------------------------


Sometimes something happens in a persons life, maybe just something small, and
suddenly everything is different. Differences can occur in people, just like in
situations and this difference is often the reason for problems or quarrels,
especially between family members, lovers or friends. One starts behaving
differently than usual and the other just wants to know why. But the one who
acts different, generally thinks that the other can’t understand, or help them
either, so they just keep it to themselves. The thing is, sometimes this
difference can destroy everything...
 
The music booms loudly from the speakers and creates a good atmosphere in the
club. People dancing around in a good mood on the dance floor and indulge in the
music. "The best birthday ever!" Naruto slurs with a loud laugh and sinks deeper
into the couch, sleepiness making itself obvious on his face. The Haruno laughs
too and then looks at the clock. “We should slowly go home. It's already late,
or rather early." She mumbles and yet everyone seems to have understood her
because they nod and then laboriously get up. “Come on Naruto. The party's
over, let's go home.“ Sasuke has to concentrate very hard to get this sentence
out while he shakes the shoulder of his best friend, who apparently fell asleep.
"Okay." He then nods and lets the Uchiha pull him up to his feet. The group
moves toward the exit, swaying and staggering. The fresh air makes everyone
shiver while the stifling and muggy air in their lungs is replaced with
fresher.
 
Silently, the young Haruno looks around, leans back and against the chest of her
husband, who immediately wraps an arm around her stomach and gently rubs her
side. "Okay..." Naruto starts and takes a deep breath. "Hinata, are we going to
share a cab again?" He asks and looks awaiting at the blue haired woman, while
he notices how the fresh air is doing him quite good. "No, no, no." Laughing,
the green eyed woman holds up her right index finger in protest and moves it
back and forth, while she reaches for Hinata with her left hand. "Hinata will
get back home with the same cab as Sasuke and me. We don't want it to be
embarrassing for you tomorrow on your date.“ The Uchiha's wife explains with a
chuckle. "What, a date? You’re going out?” The Yamanaka girl immediately
asks with perked up interest and looks back and forth between the Hyuga girl and
the birthday boy of the day. Or rather, now, of the previous day.
 
"Yes, he called Hinata at the company party and finally asked her out." The pink
haired woman explains, nodding and smiling proud of him finally acting like a
man. "And tomorrow they will go out. That's why Hinata goes with us, because
otherwise they'll just end up in bed again.” "Uiiii." The Yamanaka squeaks
with excitement. "Well then. Good night folks.“ The Ama says and begins to hug
her friends goodbye. The group says goodbye to each other and then go to the
cabs waiting in front of the club.
 

 
~> * <~
 

Rain is pouring over the city this Wednesday evening, like out of buckets. A
small yawn comes over the Haruno's lips as she lowers the magazine onto her
legs, which are stretched out on the seat of the couch. She gently rubs the edge
of her eyelashes with her finger and then looks around at the television, where
one of the popular series is silently playing. A small laugh escapes her lips as
she listens to Hinata's story. She casually turns the page of the magazine while
running her finger over the back of her new smartphone, on her left ear.
 
The Uchiha enters the villa in silence, immediately putting his keys on the
drawer next to the entrance door. Sighing, he takes of his shoes and pulls his
suit jacket off his shoulders and hangs it over the stairs’ railing. It's been
another long and exhausting day at work, which is why he comes home so late
again. His legs carry him into the kitchen, where he takes out a glass and a
bottle of iced tea and empties the glass again after he just filled. He leaves
the empty glass on the kitchen counter and tiredly runs his hands over his eyes.
Sighing, he lets his arms drop again and enters the living room, where he finds
his wife, sitting relaxed on the couch. He gently greets her with a kiss on her
head and then walks around the couch to sink into it. The pink haired woman
smiles at him and puts the magazine aside before pulling her feet to her body.
"Nice. I'm glad you enjoyed your date, Hinata. Has he already asked you out on a
second date?” He hears his wife's voice while staring at the moving images on
the television. “Well, if he doesn't, he's an idiot. But I do believe that he
will try his best to keep this going." He listens further, with half an ear to
the conversation. "OK. Well then, bye Hinata, have a nice evening.“ The Haruno
finally says, before she hangs up and puts her new bought device on the coffee
table.

"Hey." She then greets her husband with a bright smile. Sasuke looks around
tiredly at his wife. “So much work again?” She asks cautiously. Ever since a
week, he isn’t coming home before 8 p.m. again, due to too much work. Today he
came home pretty late as well. The Uchiha just nods at her question and turns
sideways so that he can face his wife properly. "How did that idiot’s date
went?" He then asks and runs his fingers through his hair. "Good. Hinata was
thrilled and completely surprised. She had expected for him to take her to a
movie and pizza. But Naruto took her to an observatory with an associated
museum, where they spent a few hours and went to a restaurant afterwards, which
she described as not too plain and neither too fancy. They apparently had their
fun and a few romantic moments as well as it should be for a date. And! They
didn't end up in bed afterwards, he actually said goodbye to her at her door.”
The Haruno explains with a smile. "And you think Naruto will ask her out on
another date?" He keeps exploring silently.
"I think Naruto has finally understood what is better." The green eyed woman
just shrugs with a gentle smile before leaning back against the couch cushions.
Her hand reaches for the remote control on her left and she presses the mute
button to turn the sound back up.
 
"And you really don't want me to kick Karin out because of the incident at the
company party, or to punish her in any other way?" Sasuke then suddenly asks
into the silence that has overcome the two. Sakura looks up at her husband with
surprise. A smile slowly forms on her lips before she shakes her head and
quietly takes a breath. "No." She exhales again. “All of this only happened
because I was standing on that pedestal. If I hadn't stood on it, she would have
pushed me against the railing. So I am partly to blame myself. Of course she
should have expected it because I was standing on the pedestal, but she was
drunk." Her smile almost looked like she felt amusement when she thinks back to
it and runs her fingers through her pink hair. The Uchiha can’t under his
wife. Karin is here annoying her and even him all the time and tries to bully
her. That woman even attempted to drown his wife because, apparently, his own
wife is in her way. Because of that woman he almost lost another important
person in his life and still Sakura keeps more or less protecting that obsessive
woman. She should know that the Kaseguchi being drunk at that time is no excuse.
That drunk people do exactly, what they desire when they are sober. He just
can’t understand his wife at all. "I'll take care of it myself, besides, you
shouldn't pay her too much attention, because that's exactly what she wants."
His wife then explains and smiles at him once more, before she looks back at the
television.
 
Her eyes are on the television, but her mind wanders to something completely
different. She was really lucky that day. So much could have happened to her.
She could have died. Could have drowned, lying on the bottom of the ocean or
being eaten by any animal. But none of it happened. She has only passed out for
a short time and was saved by Sasuke. He was so selfless, like she wasn’t used
of, or would have ever expected from him. He just jumped after her without
thinking about the consequences.
 
Both of them were so lucky. So much could have happened to her just from the
impact on the surface of the ocean. She could have broken her neck, suffered a
serious injury, or received a shock. Although the chances of a shock were slim.
She had realized that she was falling into the water and the air temperature
that day was 18 degrees Celsius, so the water was around 13 degrees. Not exactly
the water temperature at which you go swimming, but at least it wasn't too cold
and she hadn't suffered any shock. And still, she felt so cold.
 
Then there would also have been the propeller, which could have hit and injured
her, but because it was pushed from the side of the stern deck and the propeller
is hidden in the middle under the stern on cruise ships, the risk of any
injuries or damages were just as low. With a yacht or a sailing boat, it would
have ended far worse for her though.
 
Sakura is also not surprised that they were rescued by the Coast Guard instead
of the ship's crew. After all, it is also a shock for those who are around at
the time of the accident. Of course they first try to rescue the person in need
with the lifebelt and only when they realize that they can’t do anything, they
run off to inform the captain. Not to mention that a ship moves with quite some
speed, making the person in need of help unable to get after it. Even if Sasuke,
as an Uchiha, has the highest priority at the party and thus also on the ship,
but it would have been irresponsible from the captain to turn back for him. The
ship itself could not have saved either of them. The luck of the both of them
was simply this island, which was nothing more than a pile of sand, in the
middle of nothing but the wide ocean. The island wasn’t more than three to
four meters with a handful of plants, but it still had been their salvation.
 
Sakura is just glad that everything turned out so well and that the coast guard
did not insist on taking her to the hospital. She would not have been able to
cope with that after this eventful day. Besides, it would have been unnecessary,
since she was just tired and weak. She is fine.
 
A sneeze startles the Haruno out of her thoughts and makes her looks at her
husband to her right. Sasuke is rubbing the bridge of his nose and looks tiredly
into the television. That’s what he has of it. He jumps selflessly into the
floods to save her and now he has caught a cold from it. The green eyed woman
has to smile. He went so far to do that and even made sure that she wouldn’t
freeze while they were waiting for someone to save them and that's why he now
got himself a cold.
 
But it's not just the runny nose. Since the day she fell into the sea, he's been
acting weird, so different than usual. She can't say exactly why or what it is,
but she just noticed that something was different. On Naruto’s birthday he
even drunk alcoholic drinks until he was wasted. He, who doesn’t like
drinking, he, who asked her to drink less. Something is wrong and it is worrying
her. She lets out a deep, but silent sigh and looks into the television to
follow the course of the episode of the series.
 
A laugh comes over her lips and makes the black haired man throw a quick glance
at her. He smiles slightly as he cuddles deeper into the couch pillows because
he is feeling a little cold. Now he would really like to make himself some tea
or maybe some cocoa. Concentrated he looks at his feet, which he moves and plays
a little around with his toes. Then he sighs out silently. "Tell me." he begins,
trying to get Sakura's attention. When the Uchiha looks back at her, she looks
at him questioningly. "Do you already have plans for Friday evening?" He asks in
an almost hoarse voice, as soon as he notices this he swallows and looks at her,
awaiting he answer. A little puzzled, she looks at him briefly before she seems
to think about it for a moment. "No, I don’t. Why?" She then shakes her head
and pays him attention again. He nods in understanding and exhales to ease the
tension in his body a little. “Good, uhm... Do you want to go out with me
then?” He slowly looks back up at her from the couch next to him, examining
her facial expressions, which only too clearly reflect how surprised she is. She
really didn't expect this coming at all. He hadn't planned to ask her here or
now either. This idea just somehow occurred to him all of a sudden and he felt
like it would be a good idea after all. “You… you mean, a real date? Not
just a meeting for the public eye and the paparazzi?“ It comes hesitant over
her lips at first, while her voice is oozing with disbelief, at the same time he
can see a pleased smile laying on her lips. The black haired man nods briefly at
her question, but doesn’t let her out of sight. "I would love to go out with
you. I’m all for it." She then finally replies with a warm smile. There is
also a smile forming on Sasuke's lips. She lowers her gaze a little shyly and
puts her right leg up in front of her to hug it with her arms and support her
chin on her knee.
 
The Uchiha now turns his attention back to the television. Relaxed, he leans
into the pillows and makes himself comfortable in them. Slowly he feels
goosebumps and the next moment his nose tickles, before a loud sneeze can be
heard from him, which pulls him out of his comfortable half-laying position. He
sighs annoyed. His nose is completely blocked and that for days now. His gaze is
focused on the television when suddenly something hits his head, right above his
left ear. Surprised, he looks at the object next to him on the seat. A pack of
tissues. His gaze wanders to the pink haired woman who is sitting at the other
end of the couch and has put her hand over her mouth in shock. “I'm sorry, I
didn't mean to. I just wanted to reach out your handkerchiefs to you. Sorry.“
It comes in a somewhat horrified tone from his wife. "It's okay. After all, it
wasn't a golf bat.” He just replies with a slight smile and finally picks up
the package to take one of the handkerchiefs. That woman. He’s seriously
starting to think that she’s doing it all on purpose to pick on him, all while
acting like an angle. "Thank you." He then mumbles. In the next moment he hears
her getting up from the couch and encircling it, leaving him alone in the living
room.

A strained sigh comes over his lips. Apparently she misunderstood the little
joke about the golf bat. Annoyed, he blows his nose and finally lies back down
on the couch. Actually he should go after her and talk to her, but he doesn’t
have any nerves for that right now. The runny nose is a real burden and bothers
him at work, which just piles up on his desk and doesn't seem to be getting any
less. As soon as he works off a pile and turns around there is a new one.
"Here." The bright voice of his wife suddenly resounds next to him, making him
look up in surprise. He had actually thought that he said something wrong and
somehow offended her, but it seems like this wasn’t the case after all. A warm
smile lies on her lips as she holds out a steaming mug to him. "Green tea, so
that you will feel better soon." She explains to him. Sasuke sits up a little
surprised and finally takes the cup into his hands. Smiling, Sakura sinks down
on the couch next to him, while he immediately takes a sip of the tea and can
feel how the warm liquid makes its way through his throat and then starts to
warm him up. He sips once again at the cup with relish, before he puts it down
and lies down on the couch again, laying his head on his wife's lap.

The green eyed woman gently plays with his hair while her attention is on the
television and the series. Almost ten minutes later, the credits are running and
the ads begin instead. A yawn comes from the lips of the dark grey eyed man and
closes his lids. "We should go up." He can hear his wife say, but he doesn’t
dare to open his eyes. Instead he just lets out a sigh. "It's not that late yet
and as far as I know, the actual program that you want to see is going to start
now." He just replies silently. "It doesn't matter what time it is." The Haruno
laughs amused, looking down at his closed lids. “Besides, we can turn up the
TV in the bedroom and watch it there. You should go to bed and cure your cold,
I'm not saying that you have to sleep." Sakura then includes and lets her
fingers keep running through his hair. "Okay." He then sighs and gets up slowly.
Smiling, she turns off the TV and takes his teacup to follow him into the foyer.
"I'll lock everything up. You should change your clothes in the meantime, you
have to get out of this suit." She instructs him and immediately shoos him
upstairs. 
 
Sasuke sighs in resignation and slowly climbs up the stairs and towards their
bedroom. A pleasant, cool air welcomes him when he enters the room and when he
turns on the light he finds a neat room in front of him. Since he and Sakura
have been sleeping in the room together, it has always been clean, and no matter
where he puts something, it is cleared away by the next evening at the latest.
Of course, he is careful not to cause her too much trouble and chaos. His legs
carry him to the bed, under whose blanket Sakura has already placed his pajama.
A yawn comes over his lips as he begins to peel off his suit and shirt and slips
into sweatpants and shirt instead. He throws his work clothes in the laundry
basket and then lies down in bed. The cool fabric immediately covers his body
and even though he's cold, he can’t stop himself from sighing with relish.
 
Just as Sasuke turns on the TV and wants to look for the right channel, his wife
enters the bedroom with two cups in her hand, with which she comes up to him.
Smiling, she puts one of the cups on his bedside table before walking around the
bed and placing the second one on hers. She turns her attention to the
television, which is still showing ads. Sasuke silently watches her as she goes
into the bathroom and disappears there for a moment to remove her make up and
wash her face. The Uchiha sighs silently when his nose starts to tickle again.
The next moment his body forces him to sneeze. "Bless you." It sounds from the
bathroom. "Thank you." He responds with a tired sigh and turns back to his
pillow, in order to position it and leans back into it and watch the upcoming
show while feeling more comfortable.
 
He sips from his cup when Sakura comes back from the bathroom, her face freed
from any make up and still she’s so pretty, if not even prettier. She quickly
exchanges her work clothes with her hot pant and shirt before she sits down next
to him in bed and leans against the head end, looks at the TV with joyful
anticipation and watches the short opening credits with the events of the last
episodes. As the intro starts, she adjusts her pillow and lets herself sink a
little lower. Briefly she looks at Sasuke, who has put his left arm behind his
head and looks quite exhausted and tired at the TV. Smiling slightly, the pink
haired woman takes her mug and leans back on her pillow to enjoy the next two
episodes.

The couple lies or sits next to each other in silence and look at the
television. Sasuke tries with all his might to stay awake, but tiredness wins
the fight, making him fall asleep halfway through the first episode. When the
first episode ends and the ads begin, the Haruno puts her empty cup back on the
bedside table and turns to her husband. A gentle smile pulls on her lips. She
knew that he was tired but just didn't want to show any weakness in front of her
by going to sleep so early. He just works way too much and doesn't allow himself
any rest, which he really needs in order to cure the cold. Sometimes he's just
an idiot. Taking his empty cup out of his hand and putting it next to hers, she
looks back at the television and turns the volume down to let her husband sleep
in peace.
 
An hour later, the second episode of the series also ends. Sleepiness is also
slowly pulling on Sakura's lids. A yawn comes from her lips as she turns off the
TV and lets it disappear back into its hiding place in the dresser. She glances
at Sasuke, who has started to toss and turn around restlessly in the last few
minutes. This is been going on ever since the company party. He’s going
through so much stress with work and everything, that it probably haunts him in
his sleep, making him unable to find peace there either. Little did she know,
that it doesn’t have anything to do with work at all. She sighs softly and
prepares her pillows to sleep, only to then drop into it and turn off the light
on her bedside table. Yawning, she closes her eyes and snuggles into the pillow
when she suddenly gets kicked by Sasuke. Sighing, she straightens up again and
looks over at her husband. She gently plays with his hair and a few moments
later the Uchiha calms down. She doesn't know why but it works every time. She
squeaks in surprise when suddenly he grabs her hand and pulls her against his
chest. She smiles lightly but thoughtfully. She can't tell what it is, but
something has changed ever since she went overboard. Something is wrong with him
and he doesn't want to talk about it either. A last sigh comes from her lips
before she cuddles up against his now peacefully sleeping husband and falls
asleep not much later as well.



                       Kapitel 20: Step 20 - First Date
                       --------------------------------


The first date is always something special. We can never wait long enough to
finally get asked out on the first date and doubts don’t arise just once,
during the time in which one does need to be patient. After being asked out, the
date is eagerly awaited. Questions like, what did the male come up with? Has he
planned something special, or does he just plan to go to a movie and have some
pizza to get the loveless first date over with? The most important thing on the
first date is that both sides feel comfortable and have fun. That's why the
girls should always wear clothes in which they feel more comfortable. After all,
the first date is mainly there to get to know each other better and does not
serve as a kind of foreplay that ends in a hotel room.
 
A morning rain shower pours over Tokyo, covering the streets with a thin layer
of water and turning some spots into puddles. The sun rises slightly on the
horizon and shows away the darkness of the night, even if it’s covered by the
clouds. The darkness still predominates in their room, the weak daylight only
slightly coming through the edges of the curtain. There is a pleasant silence
and peace in the room, only the bed covers rustle softly as a foot moves under
the blanket. The young woman lies on her right side, one of her legs on the
blanket and the other buried underneath it. She sleeps peacefully on her pillow
and even a small smile is laying on her lips. The young man sleeps just as
calmly next to her, while laying on his back, with one hand on his chest and the
other hidden under his pillow. This idyll doesn’t seem to be able to destroy.
 
However, a sudden loud beeping sound sounds in the bedroom and destroys the
silence between the two. A murmur can be heard from the side of the woman, who
now turns on her stomach and hides her face in her pillow. He in the other hand
doesn't seem to take notice of the annoying beeping, or is just deliberately
ignoring it. "Sasuke. Turn off the damn alarm clock. I still want to sleep!“
Sakura complains with a grumble. She definitely has enough of it already.
Another grumble can be heard in the room, just that this time it comes from her
husband instead, before he sticks his hand out from under his pillow and towards
the bedside table, where he searches for the peace-breaker until he gets a hold
of it. With the push of a button, he turns it off and rolls over to his wife,
around whom he puts an arm and pulls her closer to his chest, while still half
asleep. The idyll returns and the two continue to sleep, completely cuddled up
to each other.

Not even five minutes later, however, this annoying beeping destroys their peace
again. "Sasuke!" The Haruno whines against his chest and pulls his name out more
and more towards the end. He lets go of her with a sigh, opening his dark grey
eyes. Grumbling, the young woman lies back on her stomach and pulls one of her
pillows over her head to muffle the noise around her. The Uchiha turns off the
alarm clock with a sigh and sinks back into his pillow, where he closes his
eyes, even if only for a few minutes. He really hates to get up early. He really
could care less about work in a whole, if he wasn’t damned to be the boss of
the creative departments. A loud sneeze makes him straighten up in his bed with
a groan. Especially with that stupid cold he doesn’t want to go anywhere.
Except for one place, but that’s only for later. "Bless you." He can hear his
wife mumble underneath her pillow, while he grabs the box of handkerchiefs on
his bedside table and pulls out one of the paper handkerchiefs. After blowing
his nose, Sasuke puts his bare feet on the floor and reluctantly gets up from
the bed. Yawning, he approaches the bathroom, behind which’s door he
disappears. For a brief moment the rushing of water can be heard, before it
falls silent again for a few minutes and only the gentle patter of the rain
outside the windows resound in the room. The pink haired woman has completely
disappeared under her pillows and the bed covers again, making only a few
strands of her hair testify to her presence under all the fabric. Again the
sound of water rushing can be heard briefly before the bathroom door opens
again. Sasuke then approaches the dresser as quietly as possible in order to get
some fresh clothes for the day. Then the drawer closes again silently.

Sakura doesn't notice anything and is still dreaming in her warm, cozy bed,
until she gets woken up by another muffled sneeze. "Bless you." She then mumbles
softly, while she turns around and rolls out from under her pillow, the cool
room air immediately hitting her warm skin. Grumbling because of its unpleasant
feeling, she pulls the blanket further up. Her husband watches her a moment
through his dark grey eyes, a gentle smile forming on his lips at her reaction,
before he disappears back into the bathroom and she can hear the shower just a
minute later. The sleeping beauty makes brief, soft smacking noises, before the
bedroom becomes silent once again. The first birds begin to sing their songs.
The chirping of these are silently penetrating into the room, together with the
steady dropping sounds of rain and the pattering water of the shower, though it
doesn’t bother her since in the contrary, the sounds are quite relaxing her.
 
After a while a double beep sounds and destroys the peace in the bedroom once
again, which is quickly replaced by the music on the radio, which automatically
turns on when the bell rings. The Haruno grumbles softly and squeezes her eyes
before she opens them and looks at the ceiling. Tired, she lets out a yawn and
then turns on her side, her eyes fixating on her alarm clock, which shows the
time with luminous digits. "Oh man..." The green eyed woman murmurs softly and
reluctantly knocks her blanket aside. The cool air that immediately surrounds
her gives her goose bumps and lets her stay in that position for a moment.
Grumbling, she rubs her upper arms and then taps towards the balcony door, which
Sasuke had tilted before, in order to close it. Barefooted, she carries herself
to the bathroom, whose door just opens again and warm steam meets her. Standing
right in front of each other, Sasuke looks directly at her through the steam,
but somehow it also seems as if he doesn't take notice of her at all. For a
moment she even worries that the sudden change in temperature might have made
him feel dizzy and forgets the goose bumps on her own arms and legs. But then
his hand takes hers and pulls her into the warm room and against his chest. His
arms wrap around her and he lowers his head to her shoulder with a deep sigh.
"So nice and cool." The black haired man mumbles and lays his mouth on the
fabric of her shirt, which covers her shoulder. "Are you okay?" She inquires, a
little concerned and worried about his behavior. "Mhm." He just hums back and
lets go of her, in order to get out and leave the bathroom to her.
 
For a moment she looks after him over her shoulder, truly concerned about his
weird behaviour, but then turns to the sink. She looks at the toothbrush holder,
which actually looks like a vase or a mug, in black and with a silver metal ring
in the middle as an ornament. There are two toothbrushes in it, one with a pink
pattern and one with a blue pattern. Still tired, she starts her morning
routine, washing her sleepy face with warm water and brushing her teeth. Every
morning is the same. Because Sasuke goes to work half an hour earlier than her,
he gets up half an hour earlier and occupies the bathroom during that time. Her
eyes are on the open bathroom door, which she approaches and peeks slightly into
the room, where her husband is getting dressed. But not without sneezing again.
 
After rinsing her mouth, she slips into her bathrobe and leaves the bathroom to
go to the kitchen and prepare breakfast. While passing through she grabs a pair
of socks from one of the dresser drawers and puts them on so that she doesn't
have to walk barefoot across the cold floor. "Do you want to eat something?" She
asks, while stopping in front of the door and looks back at him. He looks at her
briefly and shakes his head before turning back to his green shirt. Yawning, she
leaves the bedroom and goes down the stairs to the kitchen, makes 2 different
teas and looks for a thermos from the cupboard in order to put it next to her
husband's Bento, which she immediately fills with the leftovers from the
previous day. A large portion of rice, as it is the main food in Japan, she puts
the chicken curry in one of the separate boxes, some tomatoes and greens,
chicken nuggets and croquettes. The usual Japanese Bento box, just with Sasuke's
favorite dishes. She fills the hot herbal tea into the set thermos and looks for
a small box in which she puts a few biscuits for him. She pours some of the
other tea into his teacup and then turns towards her own Bento, which she fills
almost the same way, and then starts eating her breakfast. A bread roll with ham
and vegetables. As she puts the finished pastry on the plate, she hears
footsteps coming down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

Smiling, she takes his Bento and the small box of biscuits and places them next
to his steaming teacup. "Morning." The black haired man grumbles, still sounding
quite tired, as he enters the kitchen and puts his work bag on the counter next
to his lunch and cookies. "Good morning." The pink haired woman responds with a
smile and turns to him with the thermos in hand, interrupting him while he was
about to stow away his cookie and bento boxes. "Here, I made you some tea for
work.” She explains and hands him the bottle with the tea. "Thank you." The
Uchiha mumbles and puts it next to his bag before reaching for the teacup. Only
now Sakura notices the slight scratchy sound in his voice. "It’s almost been
two weeks ever since you got that cold. You really should take a day off and
recover from your cold, before it gets even worse." She says with a sigh and
examines him carefully. "Not possible today. I have a meeting with Itachi and
the department heads all morning and besides, we have a date that I’m not
willing to postpone. Weekend is coming now anyway." He replies between sips,
glancing at her through his dark grey eyes. With a sigh the young woman nods and
sips from her tea, briefly glancing at the clock, only to notice that she still
has enough time to shower, blow-dry her hair and fix it for work.
 
"I'll be going then." The black haired man says, puts down his emptied tea cup
and reaches for his bag and the thermos bottle. "Okay. Be careful." He hears
Sakura's voice as he turns around to leave the room, takes his car keys from the
dresser, gets into his shoes and leaves the house through the door into the
garage. Cool air hits him immediately and goose bumps form on his skin. He sighs
slightly. All he really wants to do is go back to bed and sleep. The night was
so restless again, just like it had been for the past two weeks. These dreams,
no, these nightmares keep haunting him every single night again and again. Today
he doesn't even have to think about his nose, nothing comes in or out of it
anyway, so that he has to breathe through his mouth ever since he woke up. He
also feels cold all the time, except in the shower and afterwards. That moment
he felt so incredibly hot, to the extent that he thought he was starting to
evaporate. In addition, he now also has this scratchy voice. He should really
take a day off, otherwise he'll get really sick and he really can't afford that.
He really hates helplessly lying in bed for days.
 
His legs carry him to his car, which he unlocks with the remote control and then
slumps down onto the driver's seat, which is just as cold as everything else. He
puts his work bag and thermos bottle on the passenger seat and then immediately
starts the engine so that it can warm up the heater and the car faster. Sasuke
fastens his belt and lets the garage door open. He lets his fingers tap up and
down on the steering wheel because it is far too cold to hold onto it
permanently. When the gate is open, he puts the gear into its proper place and
drives off, down the longer driveway and through the gate, down from his
property. Slowly the heat kicks in and the seat under him warms up. When he
feels the warmth around him, his muscles relax and he drives calmly into the
city center and towards work. Again a lot of work will be waiting for him on his
desk. At least today there will be no drawings that he needs to take care off.
But all these reports and more are waiting for him together with this long
meeting, which they hold every three months and discuss various things in it.
 
He lets out a deep sigh. Somehow he can't get rid of the fact that Sakura just
wants to let the Kaseguchi get away with everything. After all, the redhead
should have expected Sakura to fall over board if she pushes her at such a
place. It was simply irresponsible of the Kaseguchi and he’s definitely not
going to close an eye on that. Especially not since she was so drunk at such an
occasion too. That's exactly why he decided to give her her first warning. They
have this system, that an employee gets fired after the third warning and he
thinks that it is time for Kaseguchi’s first warning. Maybe this will shake
the redhead awake and make her notice how wrong she is acting. Maybe, but he
still has his doubts about it. Especially since he already heard and saw enough
of her ridiculous and unhealthy obsession for him. In that case he will just
keep giving her warnings until it reaches her third and drop her out. That woman
should be happy though that Sakura was so selfless and hasn’t just reported
her in to the police. He doesn’t get how someone can be so stupid to do such a
thing, especially in public with hundreds of witnesses around.
 
When he stops at the red light, the tickling in his nose comes back, making him
sneeze twice. Grumbling, he looks for a handkerchief. His gaze falls on the
thermos with the tea that his wife made for him. She's right. He really needs a
break from work. He always tries to treat himself to one and to do something
else for at least half an hour during work. He even has a game loaded onto his
tablet, but whenever he plays it, there is suddenly twice as much work on his
desk and he works late into the evening. Not only once, in the last two weeks,
he had to work late into the night just because of the breaks he took. Sighing,
he shifts the gear when the lights turn back to green and continues to drive
towards work.
 
A light fog hangs over the city and a drizzle pours down from the clouds,
forcing people to take an umbrella with them. He just hopes that it'll get
better by evening. Although the date between Sakura and him won’t be
endangered because of the rain, it would still be so much nicer without it. She
wanted it to be romantic, but he doesn't think it will be so romantic with rain.
He sighs again and finally turns into the company’s parking lot, after half an
hour's drive. As usual, there are almost no cars in the garage. Sasuke parks the
car on the spot that belongs to him and then takes his bag and thermos bottle,
to get out of the vehicle and lock it. Stowing the keys in his work bag, he
enters the elevator, which immediately takes him up to the top floor.

Next month he and Sakura will be already married for six months and so much has
happened ever since that day. Tomorrow, it will be exactly a month since his
mother died. Already a month. Time goes by so quickly and it feels like he's not
moving. He and Sakura are now in some kind of relationship, but they still have
a long way to go. If the day when they fall in love with each other should ever
come, that is. It doesn't just happen all of a sudden and he knows that. Both he
and her are two strangers when it comes to love. He doesn’t even know what it
feels like to be in love. And still sometimes he asks himself, if he and Sakura
aren’t trying hard enough. Time flies so fast. In two months it’s already
Christmas again. He wonders what he should get for his wife as a present, but
then he shakes his head with a somewhat amused smile. What are those thoughts
all of a sudden? It’s not like he needs to think about that already, or? After
all, stores are already starting to sell Christmas cookies again as well.
 
The elevator doors open and he looks ahead at the long empty hallway. With a
sigh, he pushes his thoughts aside and gets out of the elevator, goes down the
hallway and to the other end to his office. He looks around sullenly. Company
bosses are always so well represented in books and stories. They have so much
free time, they are even able to play golf, meet other business partners for
lunch, come and go as they please and still their business is running so
perfectly. He, on the other hand, is one of the first to come and usually one of
the last to leave. Even Itachi seems to have more free time than he does,
despite both of them being in the same position. His brother used to tell him
how things would change if he got himself a woman too, because she will become
more important to him than work, but look at him. He’s married now and she has
become so incredibly important to him already and still he gets loads of work to
do. In the end, Sasuke never believed that having someone at home would
automatically lessen the amount of work on his desk. It was never like he saw
work as more important than his loved ones either. After all, he hates work and
would rather go home than stay in the office till late at night. He has to smile
sadly at that thought. They all keep looking at him like he enjoys being this
way. But he doesn’t. Rather than that, he feels forced to grave himself into
work, in order to keep the company running. They all keep judging him. The thing
is, he never corrects their complaints about him, because he knows that as the
boss of the creative departments section, people have a lot of expectations of
him. How would it sound or look if he would complain to others about his work
all the time, while everyone else seems to have no problems at all with their
high positions? Probably he would be just told that compared to his father, who
had to lead the whole company all by himself, his work shouldn’t be that hard
to bear. One more point as to why he never complains out loud.

The Uchiha opens the door to his secretary's office, who immediately looks up
and greets him warmly. "Morning Ayame." He responds shortly after her and wants
to walk past her, but stops again when he remembers something. He turns back to
his secretary, who immediately looks up at him with a certain expectation in her
eyes. "Please prepare everything for a first warning to Ms. Kaseguchi. I want
this to go out today. I'll give you the reason right before I go to the
meeting.” He explains briefly and he can immediately see the satisfaction
glinting in her eyes as she nods. It doesn’t surprise him that she reacts so
positive about it. After all that woman has already done enough trouble to the
extend, that barely anyone can stand her. He won’t forget the employees which
came to him, exhausted, that they aren’t able to keep up with her any longer
and therefore either wanted to switch departments, or even went as far as to
quit their job here. "Thank you." The black haired man then says and turns away
from her, disappearing into his office, where he sits down on his armchair and
activates his computer. A sigh comes over his lips. Maybe he has had a little
too much patience with that obsessive woman over the years, hoping that she
could ever change into a good employee and co-worker. But now he has had it.
She’s going to get her first warning, in hope that it will slap her awake. He
then pushes those thoughts away for a while, unpacking his tablet and the small
box with the cookies.

Letting out a groan, he lets his head fall back, when he notices that he has
left his Bento box on the kitchen counter. Grumbling, he just opens the thermos
and fills the hot liquid in its lid, which also serves as a mug. His eyes are on
the screen of his tablet and he examines the titles of the incoming mails as
well as the senders, while he takes a few swallows from his tea. He goes through
the most important mails quickly and then collects all the things he needs for
the meeting. The tablet, some documents, a pad with a pen, his smartphone.
Sighing, he screws the cap back on the thermos flask and puts it next to the
documents before he looks for a piece of paper and a pen, writing for Ayame down
the exact wording and reason for the warning, so that she only needs to type it
down and adapt it and he can have it laying prepared on his desk when he comes
back from the meeting.

After a quick look at the clock, the Uchiha gets up and takes the documents in
his left hand, supporting them on his side, while he takes the thermos bottle
and the note for Ayame with his right hand. Sighing because of the stress,
Sasuke hands his secretary the piece of paper and leaves her office to go to one
of the larger conference rooms on the 64th floor. It is exactly 8am now. Many of
the employees and co-workers are now coming to work, including Sakura, who
always starts working at this time. Many of the employees come towards him when
he goes into the conference room, to which a few department heads like Kakashi,
are already heading. The dark grey eyed man escapes the hustle and bustle and
enters the conference room, in which he goes straight to his seat and greets the
department heads which are already present. Most of them are already there and
only a few are missing, which will also arrive within the next few minutes and
finally Itachi. Somewhat amazed, said man looks at the thermos in front of
Sasuke. “A thermos bottle?” The older one explores and sinks down next to
him. "I’ve caught a cold, so she decided to make me some tea." The younger of
the Uchihas explains, spreading his documents a bit and puts the tablet in its
case. "How is she?" Itachi then asks and also puts some order in his documents.
"Well... Unlike me, she doesn't have a cold.” Sasuke answers a little stubborn
and one could almost tell that he doesn't want to be here. "That's what happens
when you jump after your beloved wife so selflessly." Itachi notes with a grin,
glancing teasingly with his brown eyes towards his younger brother. "Would you
please? Everything’s waiting for you." Sasuke just asks with a grumble and
points to the department heads who have gathered around the table by now.
 
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." Itachi then greets all those present
without delving more into his brother's question. The department heads return
the greeting and then the older Uchiha opens the meeting. The performance of the
departments is discussed. Actually, this meeting only serves to discuss the
services, where something can be improved or utilized, what possibilities there
are and how the further development on the market should look. How to increase
market share and more. The further procedure is also discussed, as some products
are bought less over the winter, while others are bought more. There is also a
separate department for marketing and opinion research. This department is
always one of the most important in these meetings, as they are crucial whether
a product is redesigned or even discontinued, which products are required,
everything comes from this department. This department falls under Itachi's
domain and although it is actually none of Sasuke’s business and not really
interested in it either, he has to sit here every time. After all, his section
is the creative one. Of course the finances also interest him, since it also
affects his private life and his departments. “The marketing budget remains at
3% of sales. Does everyone agree?” Itachi inquires, who has clearly taken over
the leadership and chairmanship of this meeting. The department heads
unanimously agree. "I would strive for a collaboration with the Haruno Empire
here." Sasuke interjects, drawing everyone's attention to himself. Sighing, he
sits up straight, since he has made himself comfortable in his armchair and
supports his elbows on the table. “The Haruno Imperium is specialized in
advertising, has more and above all better implementation options and the right
contacts. I thought that we intertwine the marketing department of the Uchiha
Corporation with the Haruno empire. We could possibly market ourselves much
better. The ideas continue to come from us, but will be transposed in
cooperation with the Haruno Empire.” He explains to the somewhat surprised
department heads. For a moment, the room gets a little louder as the department
heads start discussing it with each other. “I think it's a really good idea. I
would suggest to start working together with them from the beginning of the new
year, the first six months being on a trial basis." Itachi breaks the murmur and
draws everyone’s attention back to himself. Again the mumbling continues
before the department heads agree. Sasuke laughs inwardly. As if they had
something to report here. With a smile, Sasuke turns his attention to his
tablet, picks it up, leans back in his chair and goes through his mails. Busying
himself with the, in his opinion, more important work until everything in the
technical area has been discussed. Of course he keeps looking up to pretend that
he listens in properly, while in reality he's only doing it with half an ear, as
it still doesn't have anything to do with him or any of his departments.
Kakashi, for example, is always half bored during these meetings because the
design issues are resolved within 10 minutes.

Sasuke briefly looks at the gray haired man who is scribbling on his pad. Just
as the younger Uchiha tries to suppress a tired yawn, his attention is diverted
to the head of the market and opinion research department. “We discovered a
niche in the marketing. An unsaturated market, which up to now has either not
been taken into account or has been ignored.“ Reports the woman and looks at
her documents. Almost all department heads check it out. She looks briefly at
the two Uchihas before continuing. “This niche in marketing affects housewives
and mothers. During maternity leave, mothers are also housewives, they take care
of the baby and at the same time try to keep the house clean, where there is
usually not enough time. There is not a single product which children can play
with and thus help around the house at the same time, such as dusting or the
like.” She explains and is viewed by almost everyone with wide eyes. "Well, if
we want to open up this market, we need a new and unique product," Itachi says.
“We're going to call a meeting next week and explain it to the industrial
designers. That won't be a problem, but what about the technology? After all, we
are entering new territory with toys." Sasuke replies after a quick look at
Kakashi on his right side. "That will hardly be a problem either." Itachi just
waves off optimistically.

The meeting goes on for two more hours before Itachi says goodbye and the
conference ends. Gossiping, the department heads leave the room, leaving their
bosses alone. "Mr. Hatake, come to my office right away, so that we can discuss
more about the new product." The younger Uchiha calls out before the gray haired
man leaves the room. He only nods briefly in response and then disappears from
the room.
Itachi on his left sighs. "You really don't look good, little brother." the long
haired man notes worried. "Yeah, I drank up my tea and my cookies are in my
office." Sasuke merely grumbles and shakes his empty thermos. "What? You also
have cookies? Sakura is spoiling you." It comes almost appreciatively from the
brown eyed man. “I haven't eaten much lately, since I'm not hungry because of
the cold, but at least I eat cookies. Ever since the company party, I have
nightmares every night and it makes me so restless. I don’t wake up in shock
or something, but it seems to me that I have nightmares of ten minutes which
replay over and over again in just one night. I try to take breaks between work,
but because of that I always come home later and the cold doesn't make things
any easier either. At least I can breath through my nose again. In the morning
that was impossible.”
 
“You need a break Sasuke and you have to share your work with someone. Not
everything needs to go through the boss, you're overworking yourself. Take your
vacation, fly away with Sakura.” Itachi says, worried. “That's what Sakura
said too, but I can't. Not now, just when we agreed to bring out a new product."
Says the younger one with a shake of his head, while he starts to put his things
together. He gets up and takes his things in his left hand as before and
supports it on his side. "A whole month has passed already." He says quietly and
walks towards the door. “How are you coping with that?” The brown eyed man
asks after he heard his brothers words. Sasuke stops at the door and turns his
face to his big brother. "She dies in my dreams every single night." He
confesses with a hard swallow. "And shortly after Sakura dies too." He then adds
before pushing the door open, leaving his brother behind and makes his way back
to his office. He hadn't planned on telling Itachi this, but it just blurted
over his lips. He shakes his head with a sigh. Talking about it only made him
sad again and it will distract him from his work. The youngest Uchiha walks past
all the employees in silence and heads for the elevator, which stops right next
to his office.
 
Ayame greets him warmly when he re-enters the office and goes through to his
own, on which’s desk the warning for the Kaseguchi immediately laughs at him.
Neatly laying on top of a pile of documents. Sighing, he puts down his meeting
documents, pushes the pile on his table aside, plugs in the tablet to recharge
and puts the countless things from the meeting back in their places. It's kind
of strange that he always has such a neat office but such a messy bedroom. Just
as he is about to turn to the warning, a knock sounds from his door. "Come in."
He exclaims while looking through the folders, only to notice that the pile
consists out of only four large topics and that several folders always belong
together. The door opens and then closes again immediately. "Ah Kakashi, take a
seat.” The black haired man exclaims and points towards the armchairs in front
of his desk.
 
“So, the new product. I would say we dare a shot in the dark.” The Uchiha
reveals his suggestion. "What do you mean?" Kakashi asks in surprise. “I mean,
we give exactly two specifications for the design. A child must be able and
willing to play with it and at the same time help in the household.” Sasuke
explains briefly, pointing his two fingers in the air. “I understand and which
industrial designers should I commission with the drafts?” The head of his
department continues. Sasuke shrugs his shoulders calmly. “Who would you
suggest?” The black haired man asks a counter question. “Mrs. Haruno, Ms.
Hondo, actually all industrial designers are pretty good and full of ideas.”
The gray haired man thinks out loud. “I would say we'll take them all. Every
industrial designer can put their idea on paper and we will set a date, by then
everyone must have submitted their drawing. When that’s done everyone models
their design and all designs will be voted in a large conference. In this way,
all designers will have equal rights and the same task. I would schedule a
meeting for Monday and then explain everything to the co-workers there. If you
agree with the procedure.” Sasuke explains while he looks questioningly at the
Hatake. "Of course." The gray haired man smiles and nods. "Well then, thanks."
The Uchiha nods back and looks down at his table, where the warning catches his
eye. "Oh yes. So that you know, Mr. Hatake. I have the first warning for the
Kaseguchi here, for her irresponsible behavior at the company party.“ The
Uchiha picks up the letter and Kakashi nods before leaving the room. With a
quiet sigh, Sasuke signs the letter and then puts it in the envelope, which he
closes and puts on the shelf.

Sighing, he lets himself fall and lay back into his armchair and puts the bottle
of iced tea, which he has just fetched from his secret fridge, on the table. He
looks at his computer and tablet for a moment before straightening up again and
pouring some iced tea into a glass. He places the bottle on the floor next to
his desk and then looks around for his cookie box. Just as he is about to bring
the first biscuit to his mouth, there is another knock on his door. A deep and
annoyed sigh escapes his lips, forcing him to put the cookie back. "Come in!" He
calls out with a grumble, because his time is already being taken up again. His
gaze is fixed on the screen of his computer as steps approach and stop in front
of his table. "Hey." His wife’s voice makes him look up at her a little
surprised. "Hey." He replies briefly, watching her curious as to why she came to
him. "Here's your Bento, you forgot it at home." She explains his inner question
briefly, almost looking shy while she puts the box on his table. "Thank you."
The Uchiha says lightly and rubs over his forehead and eyes. Already tired from
the mornings events. “Are you okay?” She asks carefully and walks around the
table. Stopping right next to his chair, her fingers gently caress through his
hair. With a sigh of satisfaction, Sasuke leans his head on her stomach and
cuddles up to her while he feels her hand on his forehead. "Yeah, the meeting
was just boring and tiring.” It comes in a soft grumble over his lips.

Her fingers keep playing with his hair, while she looks down at him concerned.
"If you aren’t doing well, we can postpone the date tonight if you want." The
pink haired woman tries again, but shakes his head. "No no. We're both going on
our first date today." The black haired man exclaims and the stubbornness in his
voice shows her once more, that she won’t stop him from enjoying their first
night out just because of a cold. "What should I even wear anyway?" She asks
amused and lets her hands drop as he stands up. "You can dress nicely, but I
think you won't find it so easy with high heels." He explains to her and begins
to spread out his documents. "Okay." The Haruno just mumbles and walks towards
the door to leave the office, but pauses again for a moment. "When should I be
ready?" She then explores, remembering that she hasn’t asked yet and looks
back around at him. But to her dismay he is already absorbed in his work, holds
some documents in his hands and slightly up while he seems to be looking for
something. "At 7pm.” Sasuke then replies without looking up. Understanding,
the young woman nods and then lowers her gaze to the floor before she leaves the
room and Ayame's office, who probably walked out to get herself some coffee.
 
Sighing softly, she goes back to her own office. She doesn't understand what's
going on lately. Sure, he has a cold and that explains his tiredness and lack of
appetite, but it doesn’t explain his behavior towards her lately. She passes a
couple of her colleagues who hang around the corridor and talk to some
co-workers, or go to the kitchen, warm up their lunch, or get new materials from
the warehouse. Sakura turns left into the side corridor and heads for her
office. She quietly opens and closes the door back behind herself and sinks into
her chair. Confused, Natsuki watches and examines her carefully from her own
place. "Are you okay?" The Hondo asks and looks at her with concern. "Yes, yes.
Everything is fine.“ The Haruno exclaims with a sigh and turns her face to her
screen. "Sakura, I mean it. What's happening? You were in a good mood just a
moment ago. Did Sasuke say anything?“ The brunette questions the behavior of
her pink haired colleague. She just looks at her for a while before she sighs
once more. "He's been acting weird lately. For the last two weeks, to be exact."
Sakura explains silently and picks up her pencil. “But you said he has a
cold.” The blue eyed woman notes a little surprised. "Yes, but that doesn't
explain why he's behaving so strangely." The Haruno replies and turns the pen
between her fingers. "How does he behave strangely?" The Hondo keeps asking,
feeling a little like she has to force her to get every small detail out of her,
or otherwise Sakura will just bottle it all up inside of her and therefore
awaits her next words. “In one hand, it seems to me that he's keeping distance
from me. He works much longer than usual, but Ayame insists that there is not
necessarily more work than usual at the moment. When he comes home in the
evening, he either goes back to his office like he did two months ago, or he
sits down next to me on the couch, but then only at the other end." Sakura
reports obviously down and Natsuki nods to indicate that she should continue.
"On the other hand, he sometimes seeks my closeness, cuddles a little, or pulls
me into his arms, but that rarely happens." The Haruno finishes her
explanations.
 
Sighing thoughtfully, Natsuki leans back in her chair. “It's really weird. But
that's definitely just a phase." The Hondo tries to cheer her up, but Sakura
just smiles ruefully. “When I went to bring him his bento, he was so distant
again. He talked to me like any other employee. I haven't seen him so cold
towards me in a long time. He didn't even look at me when I was talking to
him.” "What? But you're the only one he's always so nice and warm to. You are
the big exception!“ Natsuki exclaims aloud and stares at her in disbelief. "I
know. But he still wants to go on the date tonight. It will be a complete mess
if he behaves like that on our date too." Somewhat desperate, she props her
elbows on the table. “Come on, it won't be that bad. Maybe there’s just
something that keeps him thinking. And if it does turn out bad, which I highly
doubt, just talk to Itachi or his father." The brunette tries to cheer her up
and takes a pen to hand. "Yes, you are probably right." Sakura agrees with her
colleague and then looks at the pen in her hand, which is no longer than 2
centimetres. A little dejected, the Haruno sighs out again and then begins to
look through her things for her other pencils.
 
Ever since their wedding, Sasuke hasn’t been this cold and distant towards
her. It can't be that it's all because of the cold, right? Because the moments
when he is normal and nice to her again is mostly in the morning when they get
up, or in the evening just before they both go to bed. In between he’s just
like back in the office when he leaned his forehead against her belly, but these
moments are also rather rare. Somehow they have regressed back to the status of
two unknown roommates and she doesn't know why. Grumbling, she gets up from her
chair. "I'm going to get some new pens. Do you need something too?” She
explains to her colleague. "Erasers, if you could be so nice." The brunette
replies and watches her leave shortly after with a silent, "Sure, no problem."
 
Sasuke sleeps restlessly at night and also only little, which she guesses is
just due to him having a cold, but it can't be that he's so upset because of
that. She sighs inwardly and looks at her working colleagues. She urgently needs
some distraction from this topic and some encouragement, otherwise she doesn't
even need to carry out her planned prank on Karin. She doesn't want to let the
Kaseguchi get away with everything that unscathed, she also annoys with her
constant controlling of what Sakura is doing and about how often she leaves her
office.
 
“Ms. Kaseguchi, I've had enough. For two weeks straight you've been sitting
around here, just staring out into the hallway and doing absolutely nothing. You
get paid to work, not to sit and stare around. I will contact the HR department
and inform them about it. And you are packing up your things now." She hears
Kakashi’s serious voice coming from said woman’s office. "Yes, but Mrs.
Haruno..." The redhead begins. "Mrs. Haruno?" Kakashi interrupts her and at this
very moment Sakura passes the door. “Yes?” She asks, somewhat surprised, and
stops to look at her boss. "Uh, nothing. Ms. Kaseguchi is apparently only
looking for excuses and a scapegoat. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you
with…“ The Hatake explains, leaving the end of the sentence open. "Oh, no
problem. I'm just getting new material." The pink haired woman smiles friendly
and then continues, if only a few steps, in order to hide behind the wall.
Kakashi in the other hand nods and looks back to Karin. “Unlike you, mrs.
Haruno does her job flawlessly. As far as I know, you have only submitted two
drawings in the past two weeks and one of them is incomplete. If you love to
stare into air like that so much, you can do that on the place over there too.
Maybe the surroundings will be a little inspirational for your work. So now pack
your things and clear this table here. It’s is no longer available for you."
The man preaches in a firm and serious voice that doesn’t tolerate any
contradictions. "It’s none of your business who walks down this corridor,
neither when and how often and to whom they go. You aren’t getting paid for
such ridiculous things." He then adds with a serious look.

A grin creeps onto the pink haired woman’s lips. Of course she knows the
reason as why Karin kept an eye on the hallway. From her now former place, right
next to the door, she could always see through it and almost way to the back of
Sasuke's office and since she told her at the company party that his wife goes
in and out of his office almost every day, she never left the hallway. Either
way, it was time that she finally gets consequences for her obsessive stalking
towards her and Sasuke’s doings. It’s unbearable how the Kaseguchi paid
attention to Sakura and kept dictating to her what to do like she’s the queen
on top. The boss of all bosses here. Probably all just out of undying jealousy,
because of the relationship between the Haruno and the younger company boss. At
least in that point, Sakura is finally going to have her peace from that red
head. Smiling, she goes into the material chamber and searches for a new package
of pencils, just as a few different erasers. Satisfied, she makes her way back
and walks past the big office in which Kakashi and Karin are located, but not
without stealing a quick glance at the redheads new workplace.

Satisfied with how things are going, she returns to her own office to go back to
work. She enters the room with a small grin on her lips and is immediately eyed
suspiciously by the Hondo. “Every time you come back, your mood changes. What
happened that you seem so satisfied now? You only left to get some pens." The
brunette asks with skepticism. "Yes, that, and then there’s also the fact that
i walked past Kakashi’s and Karin’s office, who just got lectured by him
because she only kept an eye on the hallway and Sasuke's office, for the past
two weeks now and only handed in a single drawing which wasn’t even
acceptable. Kakashi has just moved her to another table, because he got enough
of her daydreaming and scapegoating.” The pink haired woman explains with an
amused laugh. "That explains everything, of course, and it serves her right." A
satisfied grin steals on Natsuki's lips and nods once in addition to stress her
words a little more. Sakura then hands her the erasers with a giggle and sits
back down on her seat. "Tell me…" Sakura then begins once more after a quick
look at her handbag. "Yes?" The Hondo looks up from her screen. "Do you feel
like, after work is over..." The pink haired woman bends down to her handbag and
lifts it onto her lap, before she continues in her question. "To help me with a
little prank?" She continues grinning, holding a pack of cress seeds and cotton
wool in her hand. “What do you have in mind?” The brunette immediately
explores enthusiastically. Of course she is there when it comes to mess with
Karin, kidding or playing a prank on her. The brunette woman already feels so
excited to see how Karin’s hair will be not the only red thing on her any
more. Everyone here would love to see her turn all red in frustration and it
would be more than satisfying to watch.

"I thought we'd plant a couple of cress plantations on Kakashi's table." The
Haruno begins. "Wait. Why Kakashi?“ Natsuki interrupts her immediately in
confusion. Not having expected such a turn in the plot. "And put a little trail
to Karin, where we also deposit the remains of the cotton wool and cress seeds."
The pink haired woman ends with a sneaky grin. The Hondo finally nods in
understanding, trying to stop herself from giggling. Kakashi will definitely
explode on her. The idea is just too perfect. “Kakashi is leaving now and the
office empties anyway at 3pm, especially Karin. So I would say we start half an
hour after the end of work.” Explains the green eyed woman. Natsuki nods in
agreement. "Until then we will continue to work well, like the good co-workers
we are." The Haruno says lastly and winks before she hides the things back in
her handbag again and turns back to her screen and the construction program.
 
Two hours later, they can hear the general atmosphere of the happy chatter and
steps of the employees making their ways home. Nobody stays in the office longer
than necessary on a Friday anyway. Except, of course, for a certain Uchiha.
That’s what Sakura thinks to herself, while she saves the data on her computer
and completes the part of the drawing before she stows it away and tidies her
desk. Natsuki also starts tidying up her desk. "I'm bringing our mugs back to
the kitchen." The brunette woman says briefly and picks up the mentioned items
to leave the office. Sighing softly, the pink haired woman looks out through the
window. It is still drizzling outside, in between there were really heavy
showers, but at least the light fog has cleared. “Will the weather get any
better by tonight? How will the date end up? What will Sasuke be like and why is
he like that at the moment? I just don't get it.” The pink haired woman
mumbles to herself and looks at the small drops on her window pane.
 
"The office is almost completely empty." It comes from the brunette when she
walks back in, to inform her colleague. "Well, then we can start soon." The
green eyed woman notes with a smile and looks at the time display on her screen
before she looks at her schedule for the next week again. On Monday, a meeting
was suddenly planned and announced, which is meant for the entire design
department. Other than that, their schedule is actually quite empty, as usual,
only deadlines are noted in it. “I wonder what kind of meeting will be
awaiting us on Monday.” The Hondo mumbles thoughtfully. "I don't know." Sakura
responds truthfully and shuts down her computer and pushes the power button to
get up. “So, ready?" She grins and looks at her colleague who also stands up.
“To mess with Karin? Always.” Natsuki exclaims with a giggle and takes her
jacket from the back of her chair. Sakura also takes her jacket, her handbag and
the bag with her empty lunch box. "Then let’s go." They carefully open the
door and peek into the corridor to make sure that no one takes notice of them,
even though half of the department would probably even help them with their
prank anyway. Silence hits them and the hallway seems empty. The steps of the
two women are muffled by the carpet in the middle of the hallway and after a few
steps the two enter the big office. They quietly put their things down and then
fetch the cotton wool and cress seeds from Sakura’s handbag. Natsuki then
fetches a spray bottle which is standing on the office’s windowsill, which is
meant to water the plants

The Haruno tears down a large, wide strip of cotton wool, which is rolled up and
places it in the middle of Kakashi’s work table, splitting individual smaller
ones between the shelves and the like, which are immediately sprayed with water
by the Hondo. Then Haruno sprinkles the cress seeds on it and then goes to
Karin's table, opens a drawer and stuffs the cotton wool into it, lets a corner
peek out of it and watches her colleague as she also sprays the cotton wool
before she sprinkles the seeds on it. From the large piece she plucks some
cotton wool off and lays them on the floor in front of the drawer and sprinkles
a small trail of seeds to the grey haired mans table. "We'll leave the drawer
open and close it quickly on Monday morning before Karin comes, because she
comes an hour later which is exact to the time of the meeting.” The pink
haired woman explains quietly, although there are only the two of them in the
room. The Hondo nods and puts the spray bottle back to its place, while Sakura
simply sprinkles the box of cress seeds on the cotton wool in the drawer and the
whole thing looks as if it was done in a hurry.

With a grin on their lips, but still quietly, the two of them leave the office
and finally walk calmly down the path to the elevator. "Hopefully we won't miss
out on all the fun on Monday." The brunette giggles in anticipation as they get
into the elevator and leave their work behind. "If so, we have to film it for
each other." Smiles the pink haired woman. "And what are you doing on weekend?"
She then asks to have a little conversation while going down. “I'm going to my
parents in Gotenba. And you?” The Hondo asks a counter question. “I'll tie
Sasuke to the bed. So that he will finally recover." The pink haired woman
explains her plans and looks at the floor display. "I'd love to see that."
Natsuki says with a grin. Sakura giggles and the doors open. The two women walk
silently through the hallway to the garage and finally enter it through the
door. "I wish you a nice weekend." Sakura exclaims and stops by her car. "Thank
you, you too and have fun on the date tonight." The brunette replies in a
friendly manner and raises her hand in goodbye. "Thank you. Bye, Natsuki. See
you on Monday." With a sigh and a big smile on her lips, she then gets into her
car.

Sighing softly, the pink haired woman looks at her steering wheel. The date
tonight still worries her, as well as Sasuke's behaviour. She fastens her
seatbelt and then starts the engine, parks out and leaves the almost empty
garage. A heavy rain shower pours over Tokyo. The streets are covered with a
millimeter high layer of water. Sakura turns on the turn signal and smiles when
she sees her colleague behind her in her respective car. She looks to the left
for a moment and then turns right onto the street. The windshield wipers are
working at full speed and Sakura is already thinking of pulling to the side to
be on the safe side and waiting for the rain shower to end. But then she shakes
her head with a smile. It’s not like she never drove through the streets in a
weather that was even worse than this. Besides, who said the rain will stop or
get better in a little while? Nevertheless, she should make sure that she comes
home as soon as possible, or she could end up being the one messing up the date.
The rain makes it take some time, but shortly afterwards she is already only a
few streets away from home.
 
She turns right off the main streets and into the residential area of Setagaya.
Following the course of the road, she turns twice right and once left and then
one last time right to get into the driveway. She drives up the driveway and
then gallantly backs up into the garage. The gate closes again and she sighs in
relief when she gets out of the car. She has finally arrived at home. Shutting
the door of her car, she then locks it before going to the front door and
unlocks it.
 
A pleasant warmth meets her as soon as she steps in and recognizes the familiar
smell of home. She follows the corridor into the foyer and takes off her jacket
there, which she puts together with the handbag on the dresser and puts the keys
next to it, before finally getting out of her shoes with a satisfied moan.
Silence hits her as she turns and looks through the empty hallway. That's
something she doesn't like at all, but Sasuke doesn't know. She doesn't like it
when she is alone in a quiet and empty house or apartment. She sighs again and
brings her food box into the kitchen, before she goes into the living room and
lets herself fall on the couch. She has at least two hours until her husband
comes and then another hour before she has to be ready.

She takes one of these throw blankets and covers her legs with it, immediately
snuggling deeper into the couch and turns on the television. Searching, she zaps
through the channels and finally gets stuck at one. An older season of Grey's
Anatomy is currently running there, the season finale as she immediately
recognizes, when she hears the introduction text from Meredith Gray. It’s the
episode with the rampage in which Derek was shot.

She sighs softly and her thoughts drift away, like it happened today so often
already. She just doesn't know what to do with Sasuke. Normally she would ask
Mikoto or her parents now, but they are all no longer there. None of them are
there. Who should she ask now? She doesn't want to burden Fugaku with it. He
lost his wife, whom he loved more than anything, he has been living without her
for almost a month now and Itachi is also so busy and married. They both have
their own problems. Nobody is there anymore. Mikoto was like a guidance for her,
she was like a manual instruction on how Sakura could deal with Sasuke, but
she’s no longer there either. She died almost exactly a month ago. Suddenly,
just like that, an hour after Sasuke arrived with her at the hospital to visit
his mother. Tomorrow it will be exactly a month that she has lost someone
important to her again. But Sasuke lost a much more important person with
Mikoto. For him she was the woman who gave birth to him, raised him, taught him
what’s wrong and what’s right, loved him, cared for and protected him, she
was there for him and cheered him up again when he felt down. Without Mikoto he
wouldn't be the person he is now. He's had to live without her for a whole
month. He's definitely must have some questions he'd want to ask her too. But
Sakura knows that Sasuke is not the type of person who says everything openly
and just comes up to someone like that to talk to them about his feelings and
problems. His mother has been dead for a month. She was the only one who could
read him like an open book. He tries to come to terms with his own problems and
handle everything on his own.
 
She just doesn't understand what happened, that he's suddenly so different
towards her again. So cold and aloof. She would like to be able to read him like
a book, like his mother could, but she can't and she doesn't understand either.
Suddenly a shot sounds and the Haruno shrieks out of her deep thoughts. Looking
around a little startled, her gaze falls back on the television, where Derek is
lying on the floor with the bullet hole in his chest. Annoyed, the pink haired
woman sighs out and turns off the television. She has to think of something
else. Today she has her first real date with Sasuke. She should be overjoyed and
actually be nervous. She should be panicked about what to wear and here she is
thinking about death. Only now she realizes the traces of tears on her face.
Grumbling, she wipes them away with her sleeve and gets up from the couch.

Sakura slowly leaves the living room and goes up the stairs to the bedroom,
straight into the bathroom, where she immediately bends over the bathtub to let
hot water in and take a bubble bath. Then she turns on the little radio and
looks for fresh underwear from the dresser in the bedroom, before undressing and
going back into the bathroom. With one last sigh, she tries to put aside all her
thoughts and worries. This weather and these thoughts are making her only
brittle and sad. On the radio she is currently listening to the mood-maker song
"Happy" which is loved by everyone and hums along with it. With a sigh she lets
herself slide into the warm water and hides her body under the foam, while tying
her hair into a high bun and then turns off the water.
 
A sigh of pleasure comes over her lips and she can feel how all her muscles
start to relax. She has placed her neck on a towel on the edge of the tub and
closes her eyes contentedly. Just enjoying the feeling of the warm water around
her body. After a while, however, she loosens the bun and dips under water to
wet her hair and then wash it with her cherry-scented shampoo. She lets the
water sink and flow out of the tub and steps into the shower for a moment to
wash off all the particles, which were floating in the water, from her skin.
Then she wraps herself in one of her large and soft towels and dries herself
off. In order to support her skin in the coming cold time, she creams herself
with a body lotion and then slips into her underwear. Dressed in a bathrobe, she
leaves the bathroom and at the same time hears the front door being opened. A
smile forms on her lips as she wraps her hair in a turban, a skill every woman
possesses.

The door to the room opens carefully and the Uchiha peeps in. “Hey.” It
comes from his wife, watches her straightening up and smile at him. "Hi." The
newcomer replies and comes up to her to press his lips on her cheek. A slight
shimmer of red makes itself visible on her cheeks and her eyes slightly widen at
his sudden action. He has never greeted her like this before. Not after any long
day at work. He also seems to be warmer again than he had been at noon. "I will
get myself ready in my old room.” He says briefly and walks towards the
closet, to get himself out some fresh clothes, indicating that he will be out in
a minute again so that she can prepare peacefully. She nods and disappears back
into the bathroom. Sasuke meanwhile takes his clothes and gets his shampoo from
their shared bathroom, only to make his way to his former bedroom. A few minutes
pass. The young Haruno puts on her make-up and does her hair while Sasuke takes
his shower in his former room. Slowly the nervousness starts to finally kick in,
as Sakura quickly taps back barefooted to their wardrobe and searches for a nice
outfit. Nice, but no high heels. She looks critically at the clothes and then
finally reaches for a few pieces before going back into the bathroom and then
back to the bed with the clothes in hand. Sasuke has dressed in the meantime and
slips into his jacket before he leaves the room and goes downstairs and into the
living room to sit down on the couch and wait. It is well known that women need
longer after all.

After a little while Sakura then finally comes down the stairs, a little unsure,
and immediately grabs the handle of her handbag. Unsure whether the outfit fits.
Unsure how the date will go, whether he'll be cold or loving towards her again.
A touch of shyness accompanies her demeanor as she steps down on the ground
floor and looks around, searching for her husband. He is just stepping out of
the living room and looks at her in surprise for a moment before smiling gently.
She looks up at him, a slight blush on her cheeks. "You look pretty." He
comments truthfully. "Thank you." The pink haired woman mumbles and looks down
at her feet. "Shall we go then?" He asks and makes an inviting gesture towards
the front door. She nods and follows him to the door, where they wear their
shoes, while he takes his jacket off the hook and slips into it, before helping
his wife into her coat as well. He quickly takes the umbrella from the cloakroom
and all his keys and then opens the door, letting her go ahead. Waiting, the
green eyed woman looks up at the sky, from which the rain is still falling.
Sasuke stands next to her for a moment and also looks up at the cloudy sky. The
balcony on the upper floor protecting them both from getting wet. He then
unlocks his car and steps down the three steps into the rain to open the door
for Sakura. She smiles gently towards him and quickly gets into the car so that
Sasuke can quickly get in too.

"I hope the rain will stop soon." He grumbles with a slight pout, as he sits
down into the driver's seat and closes the door. "I don't think it's that bad."
The Haruno confesses and fastens up just like him. He looks around briefly
before he starts the engine and drives down the driveway, from their property
down the street. They sit side by side in silence. A silence, which the pink
haired one is uncomfortable with. "How was work?" She finally asks carefully and
looks out of the window. “There was a lot to do, which is why I was bound to
the office for so long again. And with you?” He utters briefly, more
interested into her story, since with him never anything interesting happens in
that boring office all on his own anyway. “Just the usual. Drawing, erasing,
constructing. Making few little jokes once in a while.” She shrugs her
shoulders calmly and grins inwardly as she thinks of her little prank. "So you
are free on the weekend and have nothing to do for work?" She tries to keep the
conversation going, looking at her side, into his dark orbs. Even if just from
what she can see from the side. "Not even a signature. Why?" He smiles at her,
relieved himself about that fact. Finally he can relax a little. Sakura nods at
his words and then smiles slightly just to respond to his slightly added
question in the end. "Then you can stay in bed and cure yourself so that your
cold will go away quickly." She shrugs her shoulders again and looks at the
windshield wipers, which are working at full speed. He smiles wryly. “It's
gotten better anyway. I don't even have to sneeze anymore.” He explains to her
in a silent tone. “That means nothing. Where are we going anyway?” Her gaze
wanders through the dark and wet surroundings, while she asks her question with
high curiosity. "Let yourself be surprised. I hope you like it. I got the idea
when Naruto told me that you forced him to ask Hinata out on a date.” He
explains briefly, genuinely hoping that his plans will turn out just right. "I
didn't force Naruto to do it!" The green eyed woman says unbelieving at what he
just said. Sasuke gives a short laugh. "He said that you stood by during the
call, until they hung up." He replies with amusement. "I still didn't force
him." She mumbles with a soft pout and somewhat insulted, crossing her arms over
her chest and looking back out. He laughs again briefly and silently, only to
concentrate back on the road.
 
The last minutes of the drive pass quietly. Sasuke has turned his attention to
the path and the pink haired woman keeps looking offended out of the window. He
drives into a larger parking lot and stops the car and engine. "We have
arrived." He briefly explains the obvious, but his wife doesn’t respond. He
gets out of the car and goes around it, a large tree standing in front of the
car and the dense crown catches the raindrops, shielding him except for some
drops. Gentleman like, he opens his wife's door. However, when she still doesn't
respond, he smiles slightly amused. She acts like a little girl. He leans down
and looks into her eyes, his lips still curled up. She too looks stubbornly into
his. “Even if you did force him. In the end of the day you helped him use his
head a little." He whispers and sees how she turns red again. "He even wants to
ask her on a second date.” The black haired man gives his wife the
informations, which he personally got from his friend only two days ago. And see
there, she’s smiling again. Sasuke closes the gap between them and kisses her
gently on her lips. "And now I want to get the first date over with, so that I
can ask you for a second one." He whispers softly as he breaks away from her. A
blush settles on the green eyed woman's cheeks as she smiles sheepishly. The
Uchiha backs away and holds out his hand to his wife, who accepts it and gets
out of the car. He takes the umbrella, closes the door and then locks the car.

The Haruno looks around the place. A large center catches her eyes. A tennis
club. "I don't want to mess up your make-up, that's why I'm not going to hold
your eyes, but you have to close them and promise me that you won't open them
until I've brought you to our destination." His hand is still holding hers as he
explains her his plan. After a moment's hesitation, she nods and closes her
eyes. "So, to confuse you a bit now, I'll turn you a few times." He then says
with a grin on his lips and then turns her a few times before he stops her
again, opens the umbrella and takes her hand. Smiling, he makes her hold onto
his arm, so that he can hold the umbrella over the both of them. "Now, lets go."
He says briefly and then starts moving. He walks her towards the center, which
is divided into two buildings and a wide path leads through between them. Sasuke
walks along this path and keeps looking at his wife, making sure that she
won’t cheat. But she keeps her eyes closed, clings to his arm and has leaned
her head on his shoulder, walking cautiously forward while she lets herself lead
by him. He smiles slightly, walking further towards the end of the path to the
right, where there is a small hall. With a soft squeak she hears the door
opening and gets lead inside by her husband. "Well, now you can open up your
eyes again." He utters after taking off the umbrella and shaking off the
raindrops from its surface.

Sakura opens her eyes, blinks a few times and then looks around the hall. First
she detects the entrance, to which a fence leads and above which a sign hangs
with the inscription "Mini Golf". "Come on." It comes over his lips, as he is
already taking her hand and pulls her to the entrance, where he pays for both of
them and takes the golf bats and balls. He gently pulls her through the arch
that represents the entrance. Still surprised, she looks around and sees the
lanes, which are partly used. The walls are painted in a soft beige and a chain
of lights hangs on the edge of the ceiling. The ceiling itself consists of a
glass cupola which stretches across the long hall, the cross bars are also
decorated with chains of lights. "Give me your jacket." It sounds behind her and
she looks around at her husband, which stands in front of a locker. Immediately
she turns to her jacket and unbuttons it to let it slip off her shoulders.
Sasuke pulls the jacket from her arms and also takes her handbag, which she
hands over to him. While she continues to admire the beautifully furnished hall,
he hangs the jackets up into the locker that is available for visitors and
fetches the recording table from the entrance to be able to determine a winner
at the end.
 
"Mini golf?" The Haruno then finally explores out loud, smiling as he stands
next to her again. "Yeah, real golf would be a little weird for a date, don't
you think?" He shrugs with an amused smile on his lips. "With a clear starry
sky, I think it would be even nicer, but unfortunately the weather doesn't want
to play along." The black haired man then admits quietly. Before he could react
to anything, she rises on her toes and presses her lips on his cheek, just like
he had done back at home. "It's nice that way too." It comes from her, happy
that he thought about the day they met for the first time, which makes him look
into her happy face. "Well then, let's see which of us is better at golfing." A
small, teasing grin lies on his lips as he lifts up the note on the small
clipboard, which is no bigger than his hand. She nods and looks around. “There
are 18 lanes.” He says briefly. “The first is over there.” Sasuke points
to one, further to the right in the hall, where a big 1 can be seen next to it.
"Ladies first." He smiles and hands her one bat. Immediately she gets into
position and places one of the balls on the floor. She is about to start the
first blow when he interrupts her again. "Wait." She hears his voice and looks
at him questioningly. He quickly takes two steps to the side and three steps
back. "Okay, go." He then gives her his consent, giving her an innocent glance.

The Haruno puffs up her cheeks into a pout when she realizes what he tries to
allude with the safety distance. "Tsk. Idiot.” It comes silently over her
lips, before she looks at the ball with an evil look and gives it a hit with the
bat. Her eyes are glued to the ball while Sasuke gazed at her. She wears a
strapless white dress with a flower pattern on her chest, which reaches just
above her knees. Above that, she wears a green and long sleeved vest and a wide
black belt, which is placed right under her breast. Her legs are covered in
light-skin-colored tights and her shoes are black ballerinas. Her curly hair
falls loose over her shoulder, she has only gathered the hair around her face
back with a black hair clip. "Sasuke!" Said man hears his wife grumble and
therefore gets pulled back into reality. "Hm?" He asks, a little confused. "It's
your turn." She answers a little sceptical. "Oh, okay. How many blows did you
need?” He explores and looks into her green eyes. "One. Weren't you paying
attention?" It comes with a grumble over her lips, obviously not so thrilled
about the fact that he just spaced out. "No, but it’s kind of your fault. I
was completely distracted by my beautiful wife in her pretty outfit.” He
smiles and enters the number in the chart for the first. Then he gets into
position and looks up at her. He can't help but smile again. She is standing
there staring at him all flustered, only to lower her gaze down and to the side,
biting onto her lower lip.

Sasuke hits the ball and lets it fall right into the hole, which is not
surprising as it only becomes more difficult towards the end. He quickly enters
his own score into the first chart and then takes the ball out of the hole. He
gently pulls the Haruno on as the next guests are already entering the hall.
Still fighting with the blush on her cheeks, she looks shyly up at him and
immediately back to the side. He gently puts his arm around her back and his
hand on her right waist, where he tickles her. She giggles and automatically
pushes away from his hand and to his side. "From now on I'll be careful, I
promise." He whispers to her and lets go of her again. "We don't want you to win
just because I'm careless." He then adds a little louder. “You will see who
will win here. Certainly not you." She grumbles in a huff and makes him laugh at
her cute and childish reaction. “You have to prove yourself to me first.” He
challenges her and positions himself one step away from her. The ball rolls
straight into the hole and Sasuke writes it down again. He also makes his hit
and then follows her to the next lane. "Two to two, you are really a worthy
opponent." Sasuke comments, playing a little surprised when she looks at the
little piece of paper. "We're only at the third hole." The pink haired woman
notes and tries to ignore his teasing. Again she takes her turn and gets it in
with just one try. The Uchiha then does the same. “Three to three” "Wow, you
can count really well." He grins crookedly at her while she puffs up her cheeks
into a pout. “You will be ignored from now on.“ She just comments on his
teasing and takes her turn again. The ball bounces off the board twice and rolls
into the hole. The same thing happens to him and they move on to the next.
 
"You're actually really cute right now.” He comments when she hits the ball.
Sakura blushes but doesn't respond and takes her ball out of the hole. He does
the same too and immediately follows her to the next train. "I really have to be
careful that no one takes you away from me." The black haired man grins
slightly, while he says those words and hits the ball in the hole. They continue
with the 8th hole and Sakura positions herself. She’s already waiting for her
husband to tease her again, which comes as soon as she touches the ball with her
bat. "I would even dare to give up my safety distance just to kiss you." He
suddenly whispers right next to her ear and makes her startle. The ball hits the
board three times and then goes into the hole. She is sure that her face is as
red as a tomato while she watches how Sasuke takes two hits for the track. As
soon as she sees this she goes to the next one. She just doesn't know exactly
what to think. On one hand what he says is sweet but on the other hand he teases
her at the same time. When he stands next to her at his safe distance again, she
is already waiting for him to tease her again, but this time nothing comes.
Smiling, he just watches her and is silent, plays himself and then enters
everything into the chart in silence. He is also calm on the next two lanes, so
that she is almost surprised, but at the same time enjoys it for the moment.

The color of her face has turned back to normal when she positions herself on
the 12th lane. Briefly she throws a scrutinizing look at Sasuke, because she
doesn't quite trust his silence, but also has the fear that he is not feeling
well. He stands calmly next to the lane with his safety distance and watches
her. Sakura turns her attention back to her bat and golf ball, then takes her
hit. The ball bounces twice on the side boards and then again on the board above
the hole. Smiling, she straightens up, when the ball has landed in the hole
again. “You practiced a lot for this shot, didn't you?” She hears her
husband ask. Immediately, she grimaces again and looks slightly grimly into his
smiling face before she goes to the hole and takes out her ball. With crossed
arms she stands next to the lane and watches the black haired man in his light
blue shirt, black jacket and jeans. He does his shot and then another before
getting it in.
 
"Why are you so eager to annoy me today?" She asks and looks a little annoyed up
and into his eyes. "I think it's actually very funny right now." He confesses to
her with a slight smile. "I actually don't think that's funny anymore." She says
back immediately. "And I know that you are only doing this to distract me and
win." She then adds and looks up at him, offended, and then looks around because
they have finished the last lanes pretty quickly. "On a date, both should have
fun and not just one because he's making fun of the other." She says quietly and
walks towards the next lane. Sasuke stops next to her, wants to say something,
but then lets it go. "I should go back to a safe distance, not that you hurt me
again in order to win." He says more to himself. "Sasuke!" The pink haired girl
grumbles and looks around at him. "Another line like that and you will stand
here by yourself."
 
"No. No.“ In the next moment he is already standing in front of her and has
put his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. “I'm sorry, I don't
know why I did that either. Your reactions are just so cute. I'm screwing up our
whole date.” He mumbles softly into her ear. "Do you have a fever?" She
suddenly asks him, which makes him look back into her emerald eyes in surprise.
She gently puts her hand on his cheek, which is almost cold. “No, you don't
have a fever. Then it is definitely something else, much worse, which is
difficult or even impossible to treat." She ponders and lets her hand drop back
down to her side, but looks straight into his dark eyes. "What should that be?"
He explores, completely confused. "You're an idiot and that is definitely
incurable.” She replies with an amused smile. His eyes widen a bit as he
realizes what she has just said and above all done. "When you say that I'm cute
it just embarrasses me, but if you say that I have to make an effort for a punch
or something like that, you just want to distract from your inability to play a
fair game and win.” She explains and turns around. "Oh yeah?" It comes from
him and in the next moment she feels his fingers on her stomach and sides,
tickling her. She tries hard to suppress her laughter, but doesn’t last long
before she’s already writhing in his arms. Laughing, she leans her back
against his chest and leans her head on his shoulder, while he bends his head
slightly forward and brushes her neck with his breath. There’s a smile on his
lips too.

Suddenly there is a flash and they pause, confused. Sakura looks around and then
looks at the floor, embarrassed. Everyone in the hall looks over at them, they
all smile at the sweet picture that is shown to them, but still everyone's
attention is only on them. The green eyed girl looks at her vest and then softly
clears her throat. “Do we want to continue playing?” She asks, just as
quietly. "Go on." The black haired man replies with a grin while still holding
her. "Wh-what?" The confusion visible in her eyes. "In any case, I won't let go
of you." He then whispers next to her ear, which immediately makes her cheeks
flush again. She leans forward slightly and uses the bat to bring the ball into
position. Briefly she looks up and down the track and then gives her ball a
push, following it with her eyes until it rolls into the hole. "Very nice."
Sasuke takes his ball out of his jacket pocket and lets go of the pink haired
girl to put the ball on the starting point. Sakura immediately takes two steps
to the side to make room for him to play, but he just pulls her back against his
chest. "Hey, hey. Stay here.“ His arms wrap around her waist and clasp the bat
in front of her waist. He gently bends over to her and then hits the ball. It
bounces against the boards and rolls a bit on the felt surface before it stays
there. "We have to go there." He notes and pushes her a little forward so that
she starts moving. A laugh comes over her lips and then walks with him towards
the ball and he hits it again, all while she’s still leaning in his arms. He
lets go of her for a moment in order to takes his ball, write down his rate and
goes with her to the next lane.
 
After two more, they are finally standing in front of the 18th and last lane. A
loop and a house stand on it. After the loop, the ball has to roll straight into
the house, bounce off the inside and roll out to the right, straight into the
hole. The young Haruno is just getting back into position when her husband puts
his arms around her again from behind and puts his hands around hers. “What
are you doing?” She asks, surprised. "I don't want to wait anymore." He smiles
and then hits the ball together with her. The ball rolls towards the loop,
through it and into the house, where it bounces off the sloping wall inside. It
rolls towards the dent in the floor and finally falls into the hole. Smiling,
she turns her head to the right to Sasukes. "Do you really want to do this
disgrace to yourself and count which of the two of us won?" she explores with a
grin. "Of course." He answers and lets go of her. "But it will be a shame for
you." Smiling, he takes the small clipboard out of his pocket and enters a 1 for
the both of them on the last chart. "But please don't sulk." The Haruno grins at
him, watching him shake his head with a smile and adds up the points. "That's 20
points for you and 21 points for me.” He reports the result. "You see, I told
you, you just want to cover up that you have no chance against me." She comments
cheekily at the result. "Hmm." The Uchiha barely puts his arms around his wife
again, his fingers tickling her sides.

The pink haired woman giggles softly and lays her head back on his left
shoulder, but before that she wipes her hair over her right. He gently caresses
the left side of her neck with the tip of his nose. "Should I be mean?" He asks
softly against her neck. “What do you mean?” She explores with a smile. "A
hickey." His breath hits her skin again, causing her fine, short hairs on the
back of her neck to rise up, goose bumps starting to form on her arms. "Oh you
know how that works?" She asks with a grin and looks up into the cloudy sky.
"Yes, I checked that on WikiHow." Obviously, he was just joking, but she
doesn’t mind that. His breath brushes her neck and his lips touch her skin,
about five centimeters to the right of her spine. She feels how he begins to
suck and giggles at his actions. “I didn't agree, did I?” She laughs softly.
He loosens his lips from her skin. "Too late." He just whispers into her ear and
then puts his lips back onto the same spot and sucks on it a little more.
“Sasuke!” The pink haired woman lets out a laugh again. Smiling, he breaks
away from her skin and breathes another kiss on the spot. "Shall we have dinner
then?" He asks, leaning his cheek against her hair. "Sure." She responds with a
smile and feels him letting go of her. With one hand he takes the golf balls and
bats and with the other, he encloses her smaller hand and crosses their
fingers.

Holding hands, they go back to the entrance. "The only question is, will I be
the only one to eat something, or will you give me the honour to eat with me?"
"Let's see." He replies with a slight smile and opens the locker to take her
coat out. He holds it open for her and lets her slip her arms into its sleeves
before he puts it on her shoulders. Sasuke hands her her handbag and the
umbrella before he takes his jacket out of the locker as well, but still holds
it in his hand. The two of them go to the entrance which is also the exit and
hand over the golf balls and bats. On the small free space outside the fence,
the Uchiha quickly slips into his jacket and takes the umbrella from his wife.
He opens the door and looks outside briefly, before he goes out with the
umbrella first and immediately opens it to protect her from the rain that is
still pouring down. She smiles thankfully at him as she steps out of the door
into the open. The door slams close behind her and she doesn’t hesitate to
cuddle up against her husband's arm again as they walk to their car. "That was a
really nice idea of yours." She then admits with a smile and looks up at him.
"Glad to hear that. I was really hoping so." He replies and glances briefly at
her. A pleasant silence settles between the two of them.

After about five minutes they have returned to the parking lot and stand in
front of the car. Sasuke opens the door for her again and holds the umbrella
over for her, so that she doesn't get wet either, before he closes the door and
walks around the car, taking off the umbrella and quickly getting into the
vehicle. “Now the rain can really stop.” He mumbles underneath his breath
and looks around through his dark grey eyes. Sakura giggles quietly at his
remark. "How so? Then the air will at least be nice and fresh in the morning.”
She replies to his complaint. "Yes, but it would be enough if it rains at
night." He responds while he starts the car. He runs his fingers through his
hair and banishes the few rain drops from his head. The worries from the
afternoon have already been pushed aside and almost completely forgotten. "Where
are we going?" She starts to ask after a few minutes of driving, though, Sasuke
just has a mysterious smile on his lips. "Who knows, who knows." "You should
actually know that." She says while she playfully punches his shoulder. "Hm.
Yes, but I'm not going to tell you." He plays the thoughtful for a moment.

The pink haired woman rolls her emerald green eyes. One secret chases the other
on this date. She smiles softly and looks out of the window again into the
darkness. The street hardly able to be seen without the lights. "We'll have to
walk a bit after we arrived." He explains right before they arrive and turns
around a corner. "No problem." The Haruno replies and watches the rain fall
again. A moment later the car stops and she looks around. Lanterns are on the
roadside and illuminate the area, which turns out to be a parking lot, just as
before. Only a few cars are parked here. If she looks ahead through the
windshield, she can see trees again as well. A park extends there. Just like it
was at mini golf, the Uchiha gets out and walks around the car to immediately
protect Sakura with the umbrella. The door closed and he locks the car once
again. "Always just follow the path." Her husband explains and points to the
sidewalk that separates the park from the parking lot. They walk side by side in
silence and the further they go the more cars line up. They turn left and then
the pink haired woman can already see where they are going to have dinner.
“The Alessio? You really want to eat at the Alessio?” It comes over her
lips, unable to believe what she’s seeing. "A woman as special as you belongs
in a special restaurant." He replies to her question with a nod and continues
along the sidewalk, which leads to the place in front of the restaurant. A
large, European restaurant, which is known for its great popularity.
 
They overcome the three steps to the entrance and Sasuke opens the large,
massive wooden door. "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha, we have been expecting
you." The receptionist welcomes the couple with a friendly smile. "Good
evening." The Haruno replies politely. "May I take your jackets off?" The man
immediately inquires. Sasuke immediately slips out of his jacket and hands it to
the employee before he also helps his wife out off her coat and hands it to the
receptionist, who immediately hangs them up. "Our head waiter will personally
take care of you tonight." The man explains briefly and points to the man who is
standing next to him. "Good evening." Said man welcomes the two with a slight
bow. "Good evening." The Haruno too bows slightly. "If you would follow me to
your table, please." The man says and leads them to a table for two. When Sakura
is about to sit down, he pushes the chair a little closer to her, as was learned
in the old school, and then lights the candles on the table. "Oh. So that's what
you planned. A candlelight dinner.” Sakura exclaims with a bright smile at her
husband when the waiter is at their table again. "The menu cards." He says
politely while handing each of them a slim folder. "Which wine can I pour?" The
man turns to Sasuke, who takes care of that briefly and then searches the menu
for his dinner.

The waiter comes back and pours the married couple some of the red wine. “Have
you already made up your mind?” He then carefully explores. "Yes, I would like
menu 5, please." The pink haired woman explains with a smile and hands the menu
card to the waiter. “I'll take menu 3.” Sasuke then adds before he too
closes the card and hands it to him. "Very well." The man notes everything down
and then moves away from the table. "You could dig yourself into croquettes,
couldn't you?" The young woman asks with an amused smile while resting her two
elbows on the table, crosses her fingers and rests her chin on it. The black
haired man grins crookedly at her question. "Should I pack only croquettes into
your bento from now on?" She then asks, making him laugh quietly and put his
crossed arms on the table. "No, but I definitely won’t complain if you put in
a few more tomatoes, too.”
He replies, the grin still pulling on his lips.
 
Sakura averts her gaze from her husband and lets them wander around the room.
Melancholy overcomes her and makes itself visible on her in the form of a smile.
She lowers her eyes and turns her face towards the table. "Are you okay?" The
question comes from her husband and gains her attention. "Yes, I just remembered
my first time here. Everything looks just like it did back then...” She
explains quietly and then looks to her left, through the window. “I was
little, five years or so, I think. I thought European was some strange fish.
Ryosuke laughed at me when my parents wanted to pull me into the restaurant. I
whined around so much that in the end my father had to carry me inside.”
Sasuke can’t but laugh softly just by imagining the scene, while she explains
her first experience at this place. "You were so cute back then, huh?" His
question makes her turn all red and form her lips into a soft pout. “The first
time I came here had been four years ago. My parents celebrated their wedding
anniversary here and my mother once told me how suitable this place is for a
date. That's why I brought you here." He then confesses his own experience to
her quietly, making her smile again.
 
The waiter comes back to them and serves the first course. A pleasant silence
settles over them during the meal, nobody speaks a word and still enjoys the
togetherness. Even if the restaurant is full down to the last corner, every
table somehow has its own privacy. Soft violin and piano music emerge from the
speakers and underline the romantic atmosphere. As soon as the two have put the
silverware aside and emptied their plates, the waiter is already serving again.
Sasuke looks at his wife in silence, wondering whether he should dare to bring
up this topic or not. “My mother… told me that two weeks after that golf
tournament, your parents died. I'm sorry.“ He then begins silently, suddenly
feeling so cold. "Thank you, but your mother has been dead for a month too. How
are you doing?” She explores carefully, watching him swallow hard. "I just
can't change it." He says afterwards and even shrugs his shoulders, trying to
appear as relaxed as possible. She could tell so, but she doesn’t want to dig
deeper either. It’s the wrong place for that. "I keep asking myself, after
your parents died, Ryosuke was still at the boarding school with us. So who took
care of you at that time?" He looks at her questioningly. “Ino's parents took
me in. When school was over, Ryosuke's high school was over too and we both
continued to live in the house until he moved in with Honoka. After that we sold
the house with a heavy heart and I moved into my own apartment. Only one year
later Ryosuke told me about the engagement." Sakura explains and smiles once in
a while. Understanding, the Uchiha nods and then watches the waiter who is
serving the next course.
 
With the second course, this topic is closed and they turn back to their food.
Whereby Sasuke is caught in a rollercoaster of temperatures. One moment so
unbearably hot and the next moment so cold. All until his body has made up its
mind and makes him sweat. The green eyed woman puts her spoon in the empty soup
plate and then looks at the Uchiha, while she thinks about what to talk about
next. Only after a while she notices the unusual blush on his cheeks. He too
lets the spoon sink and then takes a long sip of his wine, which still worries
her as he normally doesn’t even like to drink. The plates are immediately
covered again. “Is everything okay? Your face is all red. Do you have a
fever?" It comes concerned over her lips and stretches her hand over the table
to touch his forehead, but he catches his hand out of the air and stares at her
through his dark grey eyes. "Nonsense. It's just warm in here. That's all." He
denies her suspicions with a smile and places his hand, with which he is still
holding hers, on the table. "Are you sure? If you aren’t feeling well we
can-“ She watches him with uncertainty, but he doesn’t let her finish her
sentence and interrupts her. "Yes everything is okay, don’t worry.” He
smiles at her and rubs his thumb over the back of her hand soothingly.
 
The head waiter comes to the table with two plates. “One chicken medallions
with croquettes for the lady and a roast beef with herbs and croquettes for the
gentleman. Enjoy it." The man puts the mentioned items on the table with a
smile. "Thank you." Sakura exclaims at the waiter and throws another examining
look at Sasuke, who is already cutting off the first piece of his meat. Inwardly
she sighs and then turns to her food. Once in a while she peeks at her husband
to check on him, while he fixates himself on his food. In one hand he curses his
condition and in the other he tries hard to make everything look okay. He just
doesn’t want to destroy their first date because of a stupid cold. It just not
worth it. With a quiet grumble and rather unwillingly, she accepts that Sasuke
doesn't want to end the date no matter how bad he feels. Though, the silence
feels more tense now.
 
The green eyed woman exhales with relief as she puts her silverware on her
plate. The Uchiha also finishes right after her. Just like before, she lets her
gaze wander around the room when she suddenly remembers something. "I had a
dream back then. I mean after the golf tournament.” She begins to tell and
looks around at him. He returns her gaze a little surprised. “A dream?” He
asks back after analyzing her statement and assigned it correctly. The waiter
takes the plates with himself quickly and almost unnoticed and leaves them alone
again. "Yes. Back then I dreamed that I would play fetching sticks with my dog
in the garden. The garden was surrounded by a shoulder-high wooden fence and at
some point I threw the stick over the fence and heard a thud and a curse. Then
it rustled for a moment and you appeared on the other side of the fence with
your forearms resting on them. You looked over at me with the stick in your hand
and a small laceration on your temple.” The green eyed woman then tells with
amusement. "So you actually had dreams of me back then?" He asks with a grin,
supporting his crossed arms on the table with interest. “Yes, and then my
bernese mountain dog jumped over the fence, buried you under himself and licked
over your whole face.” She replies with an equal grin to his somewhat smug
question. The Uchiha grimaces in disgust and leans back in his chair. He doesn't
need to know that she just thought up that part, especially since it wasn't even
a bernese mountain dog.

Giggling, she leans back against the backrest, but straightens up again and
looks out of the window. "Tell me... Would you want to have one?" The Uchiha
draws her attention back to himself with his question, while the head waiter
serves their desserts. A Sachertorte for Sakura and a raspberry parfait for
Sasuke. “What?” She asks, a little confused. "A dog." He then says briefly
and puts a small spoon full of his desert into his mouth. She pauses, thinking
and pressing the cake fork against her lower lip. "I'm not sure. I used to have
one. A cocker spaniel, her name was Sparkle. I loved her and she loved me. She
really liked to annoy Ryosuke. When going on walks she was always a very good
girl around me, but with Ryosuke she always suddenly started tugging. He fell
and scraped himself up because of her so many times. She also peed on his things
several times, although we trained her properly and she never did it anywhere
else. It always made him go super mad. My father just laughed and said that she
was marking her territory because she was in love with Ryosuke and that she
claims ownership of him.” She giggles at the fond memories of her childhood
and this story makes him chuckle as well. She puts the next piece of chocolate
cake into her mouth before she continues. "But Sparkle was only 8 years old when
I was 13, she got cancer and eventually died." She smiles sadly for a brief
moment before looking up at her husband again. “I don't know if I want a dog.
It used to be always my plan to get married and then when I have a child i would
adopt a dog. Like that the baby will always have a friend and protector that
will play with it and the dog too, will have a friend for life.”
"And then my mother came and thwarted this plan.” The black haired man
continues silently, making her look up with widened eyes. "No, no! That-“ She
starts, wanting to fend off his statement immediately, but he just shakes his
head. "It’s okay. That's the truth after all. It was her idea and Ryosuke
eventually agreed, even though I don’t know his reasons for doing so. Besides,
I already understand what you meant. You should only have a child with someone
you love.” For a moment she looks a little perplexed at him, before trying to
cover up with a smile, how uncomfortable this makes her feel at the moment.

“Can we talk about something else?” She explores and scratches her temple.
"Sure." The dark grey eyed man nods apologetically. "Do you want anything else?"
He asks after a quick glance at her empty plate. “The cake was tasty, but I'll
seriously get fat if I eat any more. So no thanks.” She exclaims a little
ashamed. "Nonsense. You will only get cuter.” He just replies, which makes her
turn all red again. "I need to bake this cake someday too anyway, so it’s
fine." A little smile pulls on the corner of his lips, at her confession. "Then
I will pay?" It is more of a question than a statement, making sure that she
really doesn’t want anything else. His wife nods positive and watches how he
gets the waiter over, briefly tells him what he wants and then hands out a card.
The waiter nods in understanding and then disappears again. Sasuke then gets up
and walks around the table, carefully pulling the chair back while his wife gets
up. Only now does she notices that compared to before, relatively few guests are
still sitting at the tables. Quietly they go back to the reception counter,
where the receptionist is holding out her coat. Sasuke takes it and helps her
into it, before he slips into his own jacket. The waiter comes back with the
card and the bill and gives them to the Uchiha. "Thank you for your visit, we
hope for you to honor us again soon!" The two employees say their goodbyes and
the couple leaves the restaurant and steps out into the rain.

Sasuke opens the umbrella, watching his wife clutching back onto his arm again.
“Do you want to take a walk through the park?” He asks quietly and looks at
the path through the park, which extends in front of them and leads towards
their car. "But it's raining!” She exclaims rather surprised. "So what? Do you
mind having a little walk with me under the umbrella, while you keep cuddling
onto my arm?” He explores with a slight grin. "N-no." She then mumbles back
with a blush. "There you go." He then says with a smile and steps towards the
path. The gravel crunches softly as they step over it and the trees to the left
and right of the path catch some of the drops. It is quiet between them. Too
calm as she finds and therefore cuddles even closer to her husband. He smiles
slightly and then looks up at the sky, a spot can be seen that seems lighter
than the dark clouds around. "Did you have a pet?" She then explores to break
the silence. "No." He answers shortly and they arrive to a place with an
illuminated fountain. They keep following the path which leads to the left and
to the parking lot. "Hm. No pets and hardly any friends. Could it be that you
were such an unpopular nerd?” She then asks with a giggle. "What?" It comes
perplexed over his lips and turns his face to her. "At school. Were you one of
those unsportive nerds with fat glasses and a fable for comics and computers?”
She then explains her statement in more detail. “No, not really. I was pretty
sportive and one of the most popular students.” He denies after a moment of
thinking, but she doesn’t seem to believe it. “Sure." Sakura then replies
and stretches her exclaim a little out, in order to express her disbelief. "You
don’t believe me? Do you want me to prove it to you? Shall we play squash next
weekend?” “Is that you asking me out on a second date?” She explores
skeptically. "No. A challenge.” He corrects and shakes his head with a smile.
"Fine, if you want to lose. You won’t hold a candle to me." She grins
thoughtfully as she loosens her arm from him.
 
"Are you sure? After all, I only lost one point at mini golf.” He replies with
an equally grinning smile. "Yes, but only because you cheated." It comes from
her, before she sticks her tongue out at him. "As I said before, in a fair game
you would never win against me." Confidently, she looks forward and puts her
hands behind her back to entangle them, but he just smiles at her claim. "Ah
yeah. I am playing unfair? Then what was that at the tournament 8 years ago?”
He asks further and stops to look at her. “That was an accident. But one thing
is certain. You played better after the blow on your head, than you did before.
That was such a catastrophe. That showed that you are totally unsportive and
incompetent.” She laughs and then starts walking down the path on her own. It
takes a second for it to get through to the Uchiha. "Just you wait, you!" He
then exclaims and runs after her, the umbrella tightly gripped in his hand. They
come out of the park, he a few meters behind her. "Catch me if you can!” It
comes from her with a laugh. Sasuke doesn't have to be told twice and just
throws the umbrella to the ground. Laughing, the pink haired woman runs across
the empty parking lot, her hair already wet and sticking to her face, but she
doesn't seem to mind. He chases after her. She runs in circles and sinuous lines
while the rain falls unceasingly down on them. A couple of lanterns illuminate
the parking lot and the moon breaks through the cloud cover.

The black haired man extends his arms and grabs his wife. She stops laughing and
turns to him. “That should have been much faster. But I attribute that to your
cold." It comes from her slightly out of breath. Sasuke swallows and tries hard
not to show her how exhausted this bit of running has been for him. "Are you
okay?" It comes from her with concern when she realizes that he just keeps
staring into her eyes. He just nods slightly, unable to say anything. That small
crack of moonlight is reflected in their eyes and makes them shine. He just
can't break away from the sight, not even noticing how the rain is soaking their
coats and hair. Sakura smiles softly and brushes through his wet hair. His hand
lies on her cheek and gently strokes it, while he slowly draws her face closer
to meet her in the middle. A blush adorns her cheek, letting him do as he
pleased and when he's only a short distance away, her eyes close like on their
own. His slightly cold lips settle on hers, kissing her with gentle pressure and
sucks lightly on them, before his mouth opens a crack to let his tongue run over
her lips. Reluctantly, she too opens her lips, letting her tongue met his.

His arms wrap around her waist and press her against his chest while hers wander
around his neck. Carefully he advances his way into her mouth with his tongue
and nudges hers once more and lets their lips mold together. Suddenly she feels
a passion flare up in her and pulls herself up in order to be even closer to
him. A little out of breath, he breaks away from her, watching her red cheeks,
as she looks shyly up at him. “Why so shy today?” He asks and grins
crookedly, making her go even redder, but says nothing about it. He laughs
softly and presses another kiss on her lips. "We should get out of the rain." He
then notes and looks up into the dark and cloudy sky, releasing the hug and
taking her hand into his. They quickly overcome the few meters to the car, where
he picks up the umbrella and closes it. While he did so Sakura has already
escaped into the car, so he quickly walks to the drivers door and gets in as
well.
 
The drive back home goes smooth. Sasuke concentrates on the street and Sakura is
silent, embarrassed. Because she has never kissed anyone so deeply before and
she can't say exactly where this passion and desire that she felt suddenly came
from. Desire for more. A few minutes pass. The Uchiha also struggles with this
new experience, but is sure that this will not be the last. It just felt too
good for that. He smiles slightly and stops the car in front of the garage.
After parking the car he gets out to open the door for Sakura again. Together
they then approach the front door, which they unlock and enter their warm home.
Slipping out of their shoes and jackets they look through the foyer. She then
turns to him a little hesitant, before getting up on her toes and pressing her
lips on his cheek. "Thanks for the nice evening." "You're welcome." He replies
with a smile and watches as she goes up the stairs. He has to hold his burning
head for a moment, until it fades away. This changing of burning and freezing is
going to make him go crazy. With a little sigh he locks the door and turns off
the light in the foyer, before following her upstairs. When he enters the
bedroom, she is already peeling off her clothes, which simply fall to the floor.
Walking to the wardrobe, she looks for a sweater, which she puts on and walks
past him into the bathroom.

A smile pulls on the corner of his lips when he sees his wife in his sweater. He
approaches the windows and closes the curtains before he turns around to get
ready for bed too. Approaching his side of the bed, he takes off his clothes to
slip into his sweatpants and shirt when he hears the hairdryer. A tired yawn
leaves his lips and his feet carry him into the bathroom to get a towel and dry
his hair. "Nice hickey." It comes from him with a grin as he stands in the door,
leaning casually against the frame. Startled, she pauses and turns her head a
bit, while she holds her hair up. Her eyes immediately catch the blue spot on
her neck. “You!” She exclaims with a little pout. He smiles at her reaction
and straightens up again, only to walk closer to her. "Shall I make you another
one?" He then asks while smiling seductively at her, halting right next to her.
Embarrassed, she quickly points the blow dryer at him, which makes him laugh and
dodge the hot air to encircle her. She quickly puts the hair dryer aside and
almost throws herself on him, which makes him chuckle before he sits down and
lies down on his back. Immediately she takes the opportunity to sits down on his
stomach and takes the blow dryer back into hand to blow with it into his face.
Amused he turns his head back and forth with closed eyes, while she lets out a
chuckle. When his hair is dry again, she turns it back to herself and dries her
own her. Smiling, the Uchiha keeps laying on the floor while watching his wife
blow drying her pink locks, noticing that she has already removed her make-up.
Her eyes seem a little smaller than before, but they are still so indescribably
beautiful.

The sound of the hairdryer ceases. Sakura sets the device aside and then looks
down at her husband, on whose stomach she is still sitting. His breathing is
regular and his features relaxed, eyes closed. Which kind of makes her feel
disappointed, since she hoped to look at his eyes a little more. Apparently he
fell asleep. With a silent giggle she leans over to him. Just a little more. But
before she could get any closer, suddenly his arms go around her and press her
down to his chest. He opens his eyes again and grins sneaky at her. “Whoa, you
bastard!” She exclaims and tries to break away from his embrace. "Meany, if I
may ask.” He corrects and starts tickling her again. Amused, he watches his
wife writhing and laughing in his arms, before he turns her around, so that she
is now laying under him while he continues to tickle her. Kneeling between her
legs with a deep chuckle. Only when he can see tears forming in her eyes from
all the laughter, he dares to stop. Gently brushing the tears from the corner of
her eyes with his thumb, he studies her face while she puts her hands on his
cheeks and pulls him down to her. He follows her silent plead and gets closer to
her, only to be stopped briefly in front of her lips. "You'd like that." She
whispers against his lips, but she doesn’t expect his next words and blushes
hard. "I wouldn't just like it." He replies with a grin and immediately closes
the little gap which has been bothering him, only to press his lips on hers.

He kisses her gently before he loosens his lips from hers and breathes a trace
of kisses on her skin, until he gets to the right side of her neck and starts to
whisper there, making her scream. "Sasuke! No. Off! Bad Sasuke! Bad! No!” It
comes from her with a gasp and laugh and tries to push her husband's face off
that certain spot. With a frown he lifts his head and looks at her. "I'm not a
dog." He grumbles dissatisfied. "Are you sure about that?" "Oh yes." He starts,
only to move closer again. "And this is all mine, that's why I'll give you a
hickey if I want to." He growls out softly only to touch the same spot with his
lips again. "Bad dog!" She says seriously, before grinning, but he doesn’t
dare to move away. "That’s it!" He says with a deeper growl, before he leans
forward and continues where he left off, placing kisses all over her neck until
he feels like sucking onto her warm skin again. This time on the left side of
her neck. She laughs and tries to squirm underneath him. "Sasuke." He can hear
his wife whine and squirm. "Hm?" A hum is all that leaves his throat, before he
pulls himself off her neck with a loud smooch. Smiling, she kisses him and puts
her arms around his neck, so as not to give him the chance to move his head in
another direction.
 
His fingers slide under his sweater which she's wearing and gently caresses her
bare skin underneath just to tickle her again. Laughing, she breaks the kiss and
releases his neck again. Sasuke grins and stops briefly, only to continue
tickling after she has caught her breath again. After a while he bends over to
her neck again to give her another hickey. "Monday will be fun with all those
hickeys." She muses with an inward smile and shakes her head. His lips loosen
from her neck with another smooch, only to look into her eyes. "I can also leave
a hickey somewhere else, if you like. That’s no problem for me." He then
explains with a crooked smile and lets his gaze run over her face and neck,
showing two slight reddenings, the places where he wanted to make her a hickey
and got interrupted. The thing is that he just doesn’t want to stop even
though he feels actually dizzy. This newfound feeling inside him just keeps his
desire to keep going, stronger than his desire to just go sleep. His fingers run
over her belly at which he looks down. Through her constant squirming, the
material has slipped up and is now exposing her entire belly. "Maybe here." He
hums thoughtful and taps onto the side of her bellybutton. "Or here." He
continues, tapping her right shoulder and carefully pulls the oversized collar a
little further down, exposing her shoulder and even her chest. "Possibly here."
He caresses the inner side of her breast, watching her shiver and goosebumps
forming on her light skin. "Or here, too.” He whispers in a rough voice and
taps on her right collarbone.

Ignoring his last suggestion, his lips move down and starts breathing soft
kisses between her breasts. "You sure are daring today." Sakura whispers to him
in a hotter voice. "Then on your belly?" He grins and bends down to said place.
"No! No more markings!" She exclaims and tries to push his head away, but he
catches his hands out of the air, crosses his fingers with hers and supports
himself with his forearms next to her head so that he holds her hands over her
head. "Oh yes! One more!” The black haired man breathes against her lips in a
rough, seductive voice. His dark grey eyes are fixed on her green ones. His look
is somehow dark and seductive at the same time, slightly wicked and with a touch
of desire. Somehow she can’t stop thinking of him as a dog right now. A dog
that keeps trying to mark its territory, like Sparkle had with Ryosuke. Only
when she notices to what conclusions her thoughts would lead, she blushes hard
and brushes that thoughts off immediately. No, that’s not possible! “I like
caressing your skin right now.” She hears him whisper against her lips,
pulling her out of her thoughts and the gentle scent of raspberries catches
penetrates her senses. The heat on her face gets worse and she feels how Sasuke
gently lays his body down on hers. With half open eyes, she gazes at him when
she notices that he is approaching her lips again. Their lips meet and she
closes her eyes completely, giving herself in to the kiss. Somehow she doesn’t
even notice her quickening heart. The feeling of her soft skin immediately
increases the need for more in him and he nudges her lips with his tongue,
already excited to make out with her again. To feel her hot tongue and play with
it. Slowly he lets his tongue run over her lips and she doesn’t hesitate to
grant him entrance and is already looking forward to the game of tongues that
they are about to fight. Playfully she nudges his tongue with his to tease him,
only for him to lay down on her with all his weight, so he can be as close to
her as physically possible.

He gently loosens from her lips after their heavy make out. His lips curl up
when he sees her automatically and subconsciously following him with her face,
indicating that she wasn’t expecting him to stop already and wants more. Her
breath rattles slight and her eyes flutter open, to look into his dark grey orbs
with a sigh. His smile gets warmer and loving, only to lower his lips back down
on hers. "Well? Shoulder?” It comes from him in between some kisses, slowly
moving down and trailing kisses over her cheek and chin. "Breasts?" He then
continues to asks between the next two kisses and already places his lips in
between her mounds only to stay there for a while. "Belly?" It then leaves his
lips in the form of a hot breath, kissing his way back up to her neck. "Or
collarbone?" His lips touching her hickey and in the next moment she can
suddenly feel something hot and soft run over that same spot. A silent gasp
escapes her lips when she realizes that he is licking over it. A strong shiver
runs down her spine and goosebumps form on her skin all over again. “It's all
yours. You have to make up your mind." The Haruno whispers with a shaky sigh. He
chuckles softly against her skin and looks up. Carefully he gets up from her
again and lets go of her hands too, with which she immediately reaches for his
hair to play with it. With a smile he keeps pushing himself up on his upper arms
and bends down to her chest, breathing kisses down her collarbone, a little
lower and sucks down onto the inside of her left breast. His wife lets out a
sigh of relish and looks at his head, through which she runs her fingers. This
morning she didn’t dare to believe or imagine that she would be lying here
with Sasuke on the floor in their bathroom and that he would give her one hickey
after the other.
 
After a while he then stops sucking on her soft skin and kisses himself back up
to her lips. He stops in his movements, hovering over her and just looks deep
into her eyes. But then he notices how she tries to suppress a little yawn and
it seems that he isn’t the only one tired any longer. "Lets go to bed." It
comes from him in a whisper, giving her a loving smile and kisses the tip of her
nose. She watches him stand up, letting herself getting pulled up. Already about
to make her first step, she gasps in surprise when she feels being lifted up.
One of his arms under her thighs and the other around her back. Eventually her
surprise turns into acceptance, putting her arms around his neck and cuddling
onto him with a soft hum. He turns off the lights and leaves the bathroom,
carrying her to her side of the bed and put her down carefully. She looks at him
through tired eyes and gently runs her hands into his hair. He sits in silence
on the edge of the bed, his hands on her left and right, bent over her and
looking into her tired green eyes. She smiles. "Kiss me.” It comes from her in
a whisper and another smile steals onto his lips. He can’t remember ever
smiling this much in one day. This woman is really something. Carefully he bends
down to her and presses his lips on hers. Suddenly he can feel her tongue one
his lips, making him break away from her. "Oh, you mean that." He whispers with
a chuckle and climbs into the bed with her, carefully laying back on top of her
and starts hogging her lips again.
 
As if unable to wait, she pokes with her tongue against his lips, which he opens
with a smile and presses against hers. Her arms move back behind his neck and he
turns with her, letting her lay on top of him. His arms close around her waist
and press her closer as if it would work. His fingers lightly caress her sides,
only turning back to the side a little. Releasing the kiss only when he needs to
breath again, he lets out a deep sigh before he puts his head back on his pillow
and leans his forehead against hers. "I had a lot of fun tonight." Her gentle
voice reaches his ears, watching her cuddle down against his chest. "Yes, me
too. Especially in the bathroom." He replies with a chuckle, listening to her
laugh. “I don't even want to know how I look.” She muses silently and feels
him hug her tighter. "Lovely and sweet." He answers her as if she asked and
caresses her back in circles. She hums against his chest in response, startled
when her husband suddenly releases the hug and turns back. "Don't go away.” It
comes from her in a whisper, her eyes falling almost shut. "I’m just going to
close the light." He whispers back reassuring and uses a switch on the night
stand. Then he turns back to her and pulls the covers over the both of them
before putting his arms back around her to hug her close to himself. He needs
her as close as possible. He doesn’t want to dream. At least not this night.
Not after this day ended so good. Sighing, he thinks back at how their date
went, before closing his eyes with a satisfied smile. Today, yeah today felt so
good. He hadn’t felt this relaxed in so long.



                       Kapitel 21: Step 21 - Friendship
                       --------------------------------


Friendship is a little bit like marriage. The right friends aren’t just by
your side in good times, but also when your feelings are in the dumps. Real
friends laugh and cry with you, sometimes they will try to give you advise or
help when you need it. But sometimes friends can be really annoying too. They
want to know everything down to the smallest detail. Yeah, sometimes they can
even make you feel secondhand embarrassment for them and certainly not just
once. But one thing is certain and that’s that one can be happy to have their
friends, even on the days when you want to send them straight to hell. However,
it’s also known that married couples bonds can get so strong, that they too
become into dear friends, best friends. Actually, it is the secret as to how to
have a happy marriage, but most people sadly don’t know that, or just simply
ignore it. In conclusion, friendship is an important part of our lives.
 


The young woman hums in the middle of her colleagues in the elevator and keeps
an eye on the floor display. Around every floor it stops and people push their
way out until finally only she remains in the transporter. The weekend and the
date are both over. The fruits of their prank should be evident today and cause
trouble for the Kaseguchi. A soft "ping" sounds and the elevator stops on the
top floor, letting her get out as soon as the door slides open. She briefly
looks down the corridor on the right to the other two elevators, which are also
busy at the moment. After all this is the time when everyone comes to work.
Everyone, except for a certain red haired woman. The elevator behind her
immediately closes and already goes down to take in the next load of employees.

 
Few of her colleagues in the department have already arrived before her. With a
slight smile, she walks past the offices when her office colleague, who is now a
good friend too, comes towards her. “Good morning!” It comes from the
brunette in a good mood. "Good morning." The pink haired woman replies with a
smile and stops in front of her in the hallway. "Why in such a good mood? It's
Monday." Sakura then asks immediately and looks at her colleague, who is
standing in front of her in a skinny jeans and a cute and at the same time noble
top, over a blazer. Her hair tied into a simple ponytail. “It's the Monday. I
came earlier, I was even the first today. After Sasuke, of course. Nobody comes
earlier than him, except for ayame maybe, unless you sleep here." The brunette
says and laughs. The elevator doors open quietly and the Haruno turns back to
see who has come, only to be meet with a grey haired,  middle aged man. "Good
morning Mr. Hatake." She greets him with a smile as he walks past them. "Good
morning." It also comes from Natsuki. "Good Morning. Mrs. Haruno, Ms. Hondo.“
He replies briefly and passes them both. With a slight smile, the pink haired
woman starts moving and the Hondo turns to the direction from which she came.
“By the way, pretty top. Where did you get that from?” The green eyed woman
explores and throws another quick glance at the cream colored top. “Thank you,
I bought that in Gotenba this weekend.” The blue eyed woman responds with a
little smile.

“What is this crap? Who was that? Who is doing such nonsense?“ The two
suddenly hear loud cursing from the open plan office. As if the two of them
didn't know anything, they stop in front of his door and look inside at his
desk. A little stunned but also angry, he looks at his table which is covered
with cress. Some of their colleagues gather behind the two women and force them
a little further into the office. The grey haired man meanwhile looks at all the
others and then to the tables of his colleagues, before he notices the little
trail of cress and goes to the Kaseguchi’s new seat, opens the drawer and then
slams it close again even more furiously. With fast steps he goes back to his
table, throws all the cotton wool with the cress together, only to let it all
drop on her table. "Are you okay, Mr. Hatake?" Sakura then asks carefully,
looking at him a little sorry. After all it was still her idea. Said man looks
angrily at her before his gaze returns to normal and lets out a sigh. "Yes,
thank you. After all you can't do anything for this nonsense. Where is ms.
Kaseguchi?” He explains to her and tries to stay calm. "She’ll come an hour
later today." Natsuki answers his question shortly, making him look at her in
confusion. "Why is she coming later?" It bursts out of him again, but they all
just shrug their shoulders. “Well, I'll take care of that later. Please go to
your work now. It will take a while before the meeting starts.” He then
instructs them and turns to his desk. Sakura and Natsuki, just as the rest turn
away with an understanding nod and disappear into their own offices.

"She will get in so much trouble." Natsuki exclaims with a satisfied giggle and
sinks into her seat. Grinning, Sakura nods and slips out of her jacket, which
she also need in the morning. "Well, she deserves it." The brunette woman then
comments and then looks out of the window. Sakura does the same after putting
down her bag and hanging the jacket over her back. Thick clouds are clouding the
sky, leaving no room for the sun to get through. No rain was predicted, but no
sunshine either. The temperatures are also staying down, but going out with just
a sweater should also be possible in the afternoon.
 
“So a scarf it is. The easiest way to cover a hickey.” Grinning, the
brunette woman leans back in her armchair and clasps her hands behind her head,
watching her colleague stare at her perplexed before her face turns red. "What
do you mean?" Sakura tries to talk herself out of it immediately and sits down
on her armchair, however, Natsuki knows better. The Hondo sits up properly again
with that knowing smile of hers, while supporting herself with her elbows on the
table. "Oh, nothing, nothing." She just utters with a giggle and reaches for her
screen with her left hand. The green eyed woman smiles slightly in response and
then bends down to start her computer. "I just read something. Somewhere."
Natsuki suddenly explains and pulls out an object from behind her screen,
looking at the cover to read the big letters. "Japan's dream couple as in love
as on the first day!" Smiling, Natsuki turns the object to her colleague, who is
still bent over to the right under the table and is looking for her smartphone
from her handbag. The pink-haired girl laughs in amusement. “Where did you
read tha-?” She slowly sits back up and falls silent when she sees the cover.
She stares in shock at the picture chosen by the editor as the cover. The font
in thick letters also catches her eye, which Natsuki had read out loud just now,
but something else catches her attention. Exclusive: The Uchiha’s romantic
date in the rain.

Sakura swallows in disbelief and then slowly reaches out her hand for the
magazine, which gets passed to her from over the table, not reacting to her
colleague who gets up to go around the two L-shaped table constellation and
stand behind her. She is still staring at the magazine in shock. "It was one of
the last. People would do anything to find out something about you two and your
marriage!" The brunette explains with a smile. "Oh really?" The Haruno's voice
just resembles a desperate squeak before she opens the magazine and flips
through the article. When she sees the two full A4 pages, her eyes almost jump
out at all the photos of her date. Tons of them surround the actual article in
the middle of the two pages.
 
After a long time of silence, we got a "sign of life" from the dream couple of
Japan. To all the conspiracy theorists out there; who have already doubted their
marriage and said it won't last long and that they will get divorced as quickly
as all the other celebrities. We are happy to disappoint you! Sasuke and Sakura
Uchiha still love each other like on day one, as you can see from the pictures
and how they just enjoy the togetherness and silence around them. Rightly so,
because it's been a tough time for both of them in the last few weeks.
 
Mikoto Uchiha died of an illness a month ago, but Sasuke made a really good
choice with Sakura and, above all, found a great woman for life. He can already
laugh again and enjoy so many things, as we were able to determine from the
date.
 
But the dream couple not only shows us that love helps over pain and grief, no,
it also shows us that you don't always need nice weather and sunsets for a
romantic date!
 
We discovered them on their date and are now reporting exclusively!
 
The dream couple from Japan redefines romantic dates: First some fun and
exercise, instead of the usual cinema visit, Sasuke kidnapped his wife to mini
golf. He has decided on a charming, small and very romantic mini golf course
hidden right behind the tennis center. What should be so romantic about this
place? The roof is made of a glass dome! On clear nights you can see the stars
and the owner has also taken care of cloudy nights: chains of lights adorn the
cross braces and give a special flair not only to the gray sky above but also to
the whole hall. A nice secret tip for the unimaginative romantics among you.
Tested by Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha.
 
We all know the saying: what loves itself teases itself. And that's right! We
couldn't hear what was said, but a picture is worth a thousand words and Sakura
hasn’t blushed shyly only once and the smile on Sasuke's lips said more than a
thousand words! The teasing turned into tenderness afterwards. Little cuddles,
even during the game: Sasuke didn't want to let go of his beloved wife when it
was her turn, even when it was his turn and she moved to the side, he pulled her
back to him, put his arms around her and only then made his blow! Japan's dream
couple is just plain cute. This tenderness even turned into caresses! After the
18th hole that the two of them hit together in each other’s arm. (To the men:
take an example!)

Then it happened. Sasuke made a hickey on the right side of her neck! As you can
see clearly in the pictures, suddenly the stain is there!
 
After the sweet game on the mini golf course, the dream couple of Japan has gone
back into the pouring rain. Under an umbrella, cuddled close together! Of
course, a real date also includes a nice meal, and mr. Uchiha has not been
spoiled for choice. He took his wife out, of course to a fancy place as it
should be. Whereby “fancy place“ is totally understated and inappropriate
here. He took her out to the most excellent establishment. You are right, if you
think of this restaurant now! To Alessio! Exactly into the most famous, most
renowned, prestigious Alessio. The best European in all of Japan! A salad from
this restaurant alone is already a treat for the palate and costs a
fortune!
 
In this restaurant, Sakura was immediately expected by a candlelight dinner,
with the best food and the best wines, recommended by the Somali and chosen by
her husband. The four-course menu, which makes your mouth water at the sight of
it, was accompanied by amorous looks, entertaining and, it seems, a few serious
topics and finally even hands were held! A date to melt away! If it were to be a
love story, no eye would have stayed dry! But after dinner the date wasn't even
over. As one of the last couples, they finally left the Alessio and decided to
take a walk through the park despite the pouring rain. We wanted to treat them
to a little togetherness and so waited at the parking lot. But apparently there
was teasing again in the park, because Sakura Uchiha came running out laughing
and her husband a few meters behind her. Arrived at the parking lot he dropped
the umbrella and chased after her until he finally caught her and then it came
to this romantic and passionate kiss.
 
As ordered, the moon also came out and gave the date a perfect romantic
end!
 
Finally, briefly about Sakura's outfit. Who put this together? The designer or
herself? The outfit is simply beautiful and suitable. The white dress with the
flower pattern and the emerald green waistcoat with the wide belt. There is
still something summery about it but at the same time with a warming vest for
cooler nights. Of course, high heels would have gone with the dress, but it's
also cute with the ballerinas and much more practical for a date. Girls, we can
still learn and copy a lot from her!
 
We are curious how things will go on between the two of them. With so much love
and passion, who knows? At least we wouldn't be surprised if little Uchiha
babies were toddling through Tokyo soon. But the two are still young and newly
married, they still have all the time in the world. We remain vigilant and look
forward to more of Japan's dream couple!
 
"Oh my God!" The Haruno exclaims in disbelief and shock. "Then the lightning was
from them!" "But this is so cute. I would love to be so in love too.” The
brunette says with a dreamy look and looks at the pictures. How Sakura leans
against Sasuke's chest on the golf course and looks at the stars, as she stands
in this position and she laughs. Them in the rain, playing mini golf arm in arm,
in the restaurant when they hold hands. Dozens of photos and of course not to
forget the kiss in the rain. The reporters really didn't leave anything out,
even a comparison before and after to show how clearly you can see the hickey.
Even a larger shot of the spot on the neck. The green eyed woman drops her face
into the pages of the magazine and hides in it in despair. Her very first time
making out and they also took a picture of it! “I can’t believe they went so
far... I feel like my privacy has been violated... all those moments between us,
no longer just ours. I feel so naked. And what is this copying part supposed to
mean?” Natsuki could see how unpleasant this makes her feel and although she
found it cute, she kind of could understand what she was trying to say. “Being
born and married into a rich family sure is hard, huh?” Sakura just sighs at
her friends remark.
 
"Well, I would say that at least your worries about the date were unreasonable."
Natsuki then tries to cheer her up with a smile and sinks back into her own
seat. The pink haired woman looks up at her and then nods slightly, but not
convinced. The brunette turns her gaze outside again. It is not worth starting
work for an hour. Sakura sighs softly. Natsuki thinks that everything is fine.
That she and Sasuke got married out of love and that they really do love each
other, just like it’s portrayed in the magazine. But that's not the case. Her
worries are not simply forgotten either. Sasuke was so nice and sweet on the
date and put a lot of effort into it, but... "He was distant again on Saturday."
She then mumbles and looks up from the magazine to her colleague, who is
surprised and at the same time looks around at her in disbelief. "Why that?" She
explores immediately. “I made him go to bed. He slept a lot and complained
that he didn't like lying around in bed like a potato bag. I told him that he
could come into the living room on the couch, but he didn't come down the whole
day." Reports Sakura. "Maybe he just didn't want to get up?" The Hondo tries to
draw conclusions. "But he also got his tablet out of his work bag in the
office." The green eyed woman simply replies and sighs again. "Sometimes when I
looked for him it also seemed to me as if he pretended to be asleep." Sakura
continues a little worried. She notices that he is distancing himself from her,
especially after the thing in the bathroom. It's more than obvious. “Maybe
it's just because of his mother's death. You shouldn’t forget that it’s
still only a month since she left." Natsuki tries to cheer her up. "Yeah,
maybe..." Sakura nods with a smile and closes the topic for now. She should
probably talk about it with her friends, Naruto, Itachi or even Fugaku.

Her gaze falls on the magazine in her hands. At first she can’t be really
recognized on the pictures because her hair is already wet and doesn't seem so
pink in the light and still it’s only a matter of time before Karin picks up
this magazine. "Damn it!" The pink haired woman grumbles out loud and buries her
face into the magazine again. "What’s wrong?" Natsuki immediately asks
confused. “This magazine is wrong! In so many levels! Besides, Karin finally
has to understand when she sees the pictures and reads my name!” Sakura
grumbles and throws the magazine back to her colleague. “With that all the fun
is over too. When Karin reads this, she will know that I am Sasuke's wife!"
Sighing in annoyance, she falls back into her armchair. "And I already had such
a brilliant plan to make her suffer some more!" An annoyed moan comes from
Sakura’s lips. "This magazine is destroying everything." The green eyed woman
complains with a growl, silencing when suddenly there is a knock on the door.
"Yes?" She growls loudly and the door opens. "Hey. Um, Karin is coming.” A man
in their age reports with a slight grin. "Oh! We don't want to miss out on the
fun!” The brunette immediately exclaims excitedly, already getting up to
follow him out of the office. Sakura too gets up, her mood a little lightened
again, into the hallway and pretending to be the busy ones, like almost all
other colleagues.
 
In a good mood and with a big smile on her face, the Kaseguchi struts down the
hallway confidently and Sakura just thinks how that will be blown away in the
next minute. Her handbag is dangling from one arm and she is holding a something
like a thin book with the other. “She has the magazine with her!” Sighing
hopelessly, the Haruno hides her face in her hands. Just for a moment, at least
she doesn't want to miss the scene. For a moment, Karin seems to be amazed at
the presence of almost all of her colleagues, but then she continues undeterred
and enters her office. The colleagues immediately gather around the door.
 
"What's that supposed to mean?" The redhead exclaims when she sees her table
filled with all the cress. Now Kakashi seems to have noticed her too, because he
gets up with a serious expression and everyone can see his expression, which
shows that you shouldn’t be joking around with him like that. He approaches
her table and watches her as she sinks into her seat and opens the drawer with
all the cress over her magazines. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" She suddenly repeats
like a mantra and lifts all the magazines out of her drawer, hastily frees the
notebooks from the cotton and the cress and then examines the pile to see
whether the cress might have eaten in somewhere.
 
"Ms. Kaseguchi!" It comes sternly from the Hatake, who has been standing in
front of her table for a few minutes now and is still being ignored.
“What?!” She snaps irritated and looks up at him before realizing who has
spoken to her. "Ouh!" A murmur goes through the crowd. “You said the right
thing earlier: What's that supposed to mean?” He begins, “But I want you to
explain to me. Why are you spreading cress all over my desk? Is it that you
don't like the decisions I make? Do you seriously believe that this is the right
way to do things?” The grey haired man crosses his arms angrily in front of
his chest. “But, mr. Hatake! I didn’t do anything! That wasn’t me-“ The
redhead tries but fails to defends herself, because his expression doesn’t
waver even a bit. “Stop making excuses. I really have enough of you. You have
hardly worked for the last week. You behave completely irresponsible towards
your employees and why are you only coming now?" Kakashi immediately intervenes
and stops her. “I wanted to make use of my time off…” Karin explains
briefly and a little intimidated. "What kind of time compensation please? For
that you need overtime and you don't have any. You usually are the first to
come, but also the first to go. You storm out as soon as the clock hand reaches
4pm. Every day!” It comes in a loud tone from the head of the department. "In
addition, you drink coffee all day long, boss around your colleagues who do more
in one day than you do in weeks, take countless breaks and read these magazines
when you should be working!" He leans on the table and taps on the stack of
magazines. “I have enough now. You will rework the hour that you missed out
on. Actually, you should rework the entire last week and seriously reconsider
the way you work! Also, these magazines are herewith confiscated." Kakashi
growls with a tone of finality, takes the new magazine from the table, puts it
on the pile and takes them all. "No! Not the new magazine. I haven't even read
it yet and it was the very last!” The redhead exclaims in desperation.

“Shut up now. The first thing you can do is go to the conference room!” The
gray haired man instructs her sternly and then looks around at all the
colleagues. “The show is over. Please all go to our meeting in the conference
room.” His voice still sounds stern but he tries to be friendly towards his
other colleagues, which everyone understands, so they all turn around in
silence. A few go back to their offices for a moment and others head straight
for the conference room. Kakashi himself walks towards Sasuke's office, the pile
of magazines is his hands. "Seems like we'll have our fun for a little longer."
The Haruno exclaims with a smile, as she and Natsuki head for their office to
get their smartphones. "Yes." The brunette nods and steps through the door.
“And I already know our next prank, but I need Takumi for that. Can you let
him know?" Sakura looks pleadingly at her office colleague, while she grabs her
smartphone and lets it disappear into her blazer pocket. "Why do you think he'll
come when I write to him?" The brunette explores and walks back to the door. The
green eyed woman follows her and together they leave the office again. “Your
date went really well. When is the second?” She immediately asks a counter
question. "He didn't ask me for a second one.” The Hondo just answers with a
shake of her head. “Well, then he will definitely come when you write to him.
He also needs the opportunity to ask you on a second date.” The pink haired
woman explains confidently and they enter the meeting room on the same floor.
Many of her colleagues are already present, Kakashi and Sasuke have also already
arrived, the latter's gaze clearly on her. His gaze wanders to her scarf and a
crooked smile forms on his lips. When Sakura realizes this, she automatically
presses her hand on her chest area to protect her neck and cleavage from his
eyes, even more than the scarf is already covering.

An amused smile pulls on his lips before he looks at the floor, shaking his head
slightly and then looks back at his wife. It didn't surprise him that she is
hiding the stains. Of course, a scarf is perfect for this, which is why he
immediately thought back at the scene in the bathroom when he saw the beige
scarf with a leopard print. He gave her five hickey marks, two are just a slight
reddening because she interrupted him from his doings. Sasuke examines his
wife's entire outfit briefly. She wears a light green shirt with the beige
leopard scarf, which he identifies as one of the few shirts with longer sleeves
that she has. Like a polo shirt, it has buttons over the chest and a thin ribbon
is sewn into the hem at the end of the shirt, which can be tied into a bow on
the left side. She is wearing a simple black blazer over it, her legs are
covered with tight skinny jeans and underneath all that she wears ankle boots.
 
The clearing of a throat to his left makes him look up and at Kakashi. The grey
haired man looks through the group present and seems to be counting them. "We
can start, everyone is here." Said man explains briefly and Sasuke nods in
response. "Good morning!" He raises his voice and silences those present with
his dark tone. He catches the look of his wife, who looks at him a little
worried and also surprised, as she immediately seems to have noticed his hoarse
voice. Everyone's attention is on him as he raises his fist to his lips and
clears his throat politely. “We called this meeting to announce a new design
assignment. I know it's unusual because all the industrial designers are
present." The Uchiha starts and glances briefly at his wife and her office
colleague. “But this time we want to give everyone the same chance. The point
is that we want to bring a new product onto the market. Something completely
new. That's why you're all here. We need every idea we can get.” He explains
and looks through the crowd of designers, a few sitting, while some are
standing. His eyes move back to his wife, who is leaning over to her colleague.
“Each and every one of you will draw their ideas down and give it to me by
November 17th. With this project there are no limits and no specifications.
There are only-“ Sasuke pauses when a second voice sounds in the room and
interrupts him in his explanation. “Be quiet, Haruno!” The redhead hisses
through the whole room. "Kaseguchi, be quiet!" Kakashi hisses back, using the
same tone as her, just that his expression has more impact. "I just said the
same thing to mrs. Haruno." She explains only briefly and looks at him
innocently. "But compared to you she didn’t interrupt me, so be quiet." The
Uchiha growls out, obviously pissed at her constant meddling and acting all
innocent and looks at her with cold eyes, before turning back to everyone. The
redhead falls silent after his cold words and glare and looks at the floor.
 
"There are only 2 points to consider." Sasuke then finally continues with relief
when silence has returned in the room and holds two fingers up into the air.
“It should be useful in the household and a child should be able to play and
have fun with it. The idea behind it is to help a mother with a small child
around the house. So a child should be able to play with it and at the same time
be able to help with the chores.” A low murmur goes through the group.
“After the drawings have been submitted, I want you to design a model for it.
Those models will be examined and evaluated by everyone here present and a few
others, by the time when we planned the next meeting for it. We plan to bring
the product onto the market next year." The Uchiha continues and lets his hand
disappear into his pocket again, while he notices how heat suddenly overcomes
him again. A fever attack. But he tries to make sure that no one takes notice of
it. “Today is October 20th. From now on you have exactly one month to draft
it. We will set up another meeting for November 17th, in which I will explain
the further process.” Sasuke explains and briefly glances at Kakashi to see if
he might want to add anything. "Thank you for your time and I wish you all the
best of luck with this project." With these words, the youngest Uchiha closes
the meeting and after a last brief look at his wife, who looks at him worriedly,
he turns away and leaves the conference room.

Sakura keeps looking silently after her husband, worried about his condition.
"Let's go." Natsuki exclaims right next to her and pushes her slightly towards
the door. Sakura does what she gets told and returns to the office with the
brunette. "Have you already written to Takumi?" She inquires as they walk down
the hall. The brunette only nods briefly because the pink haired woman asked her
similar questions earlier. "Today is a beautiful day." The Haruno then sighs
with pleasure, too thrilled with how Karin keeps getting folded together and put
back into her place by their bosses. In the meanwhile she had just asked Natsuki
a question, which Sasuke noticed and didn’t see as a hindrance anyway. That
woman really is an embarrassment to her own self. “Well, the sun isn't
shining, but it's not raining either. It's kind of something in between." The
brunette replies matter of factly, making Sakura on her left laugh out loud. "I
wasn't talking about the weather, Natsuki." She notes with a giggle, while the
two enter their office. "So what was your brilliant idea?" The blue eyed woman
explores when the office door is closed. "We will let Karin believe that Sasuke
recently made a colleague put his number on the desk of one of our female
colleagues, in order to meet her in secret." The pink haired woman begins to
explain her perfect plan. "But Karin won’t believe that." The Hondo
immediately replies doubtfully. "Not yet." Sakura winks knowingly at her. "And
further? That wasn't all, was it?” Natsuki then asks, almost a little
disappointed. "Tomorrow there will suddenly be a message from Sasuke on her
table with a cell phone number." explains the green eyed woman. The Hondo's eyes
widen in disbelief, while she keeps explaining. "But it won’t be Sasuke's
number, it will be...” The Haruno holds up a card on which the name is clearly
legible. Kakashi Hatake.
 
“I feel so sorry for him. You let him suffer so much because of her." The
brunette notes pityingly. "I know, but using the number of another colleague
would be useless and I will definitely not give her Sasuke’s number! He’s
already overworking and sleeping restless enough. He doesn’t need her to
burden him even further." Sakura has to smile after that. “Don’t worry,
after that I will give her a little break. Maybe again in the first week of
November or something. ”Natsuki nods slightly and then tidies everything on
her desk. “And what do you need Takumi for?” She finally explores. "Karin
probably knows our handwriting. The chances that she remembers others
handwriting is quite small, but I don’t want to risk anything and so I need
him to write me the message." The Haruno shrugs her shoulders and also clears
out the work of the last week. "What do we have to do now?" The brunette then
asks further, a little confused as what to do next. “The next time only Karin
is around, we'll pretend you telling me that rumour. You supposedly heard it or
something." The pink haired woman explains with a smile. “Okay, let’s do
that!” The Hondo says happily. Sakura smiles slightly and then looks around.
"I'll get myself some tea." She then utters briefly, hearing her college walk
after her. "Wait, I will come with you. I'm still missing my morning coffee.“
Natsuki exclaims only to follow her out of the office and into the empty
kitchen. Sakura examines the types of tea with a critical eye, while the blue
eyed girl next to her already puts a teaspoon of sugar and some milk into her
cup and mixes it with the black caffeine containing broth. "And how was your
weekend otherwise?" Asks the Hondo and leans against the wall while Sakura fills
the kettle with water and turns it on. “You mean while Sasuke slept? A bit
boring. Nothing to do." Mumbles the Haruno and shrugs her shoulders. "But thanks
to the magazine, everyone knows about our date." She grumbles briefly and stares
at the kettle a bit angrily. After all it was supposed to be a special evening
between them. Their first date ever. And now all of Tokyo knows in detail what
happened. It’s so unfair. “They really can be such shameless stalkers, i
kind of get how frustrating that must feel. But, who actually put your outfit
together, if i may ask? That was really nice!" The blue eyed woman asks, trying
to lift her mood up a little, while stirring her coffee. "I picked it out in a
hurry that evening." The Haruno just replies sheepishly and then puts a teaspoon
of sugar into her cup with the tea bag.
 
"Do you know what I heard? Allegedly Sasuke got someone to put his number with a
small message on the table of one of our female colleagues desks, so that they
can meet in secret.” The Hondo suddenly starts to explain out of the blue,
making Sakura look sceptically at her, before she takes an unnoticeable glance
at the kitchen door, in which she discovers the kaseguchi standing with her
arrogant look. "Oh, come on. That’s nonsense. Sasuke doesn't do that! He and
his wife just had that super romantic date that is mentioned in such high
spirits in all the magazines. The reporters literally went all out and described
their whole date in detail. Two whole pages just to describe what happened and
that even with tons of pictures. There’s no way he would ever give his number
to another woman.” The Haruno replies with a small grin that Karin cannot see.
"Oh yes, I haven’t forgotten the hickey he gave her. That with the number is
just what I heard from others.” Natsuki explains briefly, trying not to giggle
at how Sakura tries to rub the article into Karin’s face, now that she won’t
learn that she’s actually Sasuke’s wife. “Someone must have allowed
themselves a prank on that woman. Sasuke isn’t that kind of man.” The green
eyed girl continues with a smile and fills the water into her teacup. "Hondo.
Haruno. Stop gossiping and get down to work.“ She immediately plays the boss
again. "If I were to be you, which I’m glad I’m not, I would rather take
care of myself instead of looking after everyone else all the time. I’m not
the one who keeps getting in trouble for spacing out all the time." The pink
haired woman says calmly and looks for a spoon from the drawer. "Shut up,
Haruno! You got me in enough trouble already. I received a warning because of
you and you were the one with the cress too. I know that!” The redhead growls
out pissed at her. “I didn’t get you into anything. It’s not my fault that
you can’t take work serious and have to middle into other peoples businesses
that doesn’t have anything to do with you. That you got a warning isn’t my
fault. I didn’t throw myself overboard, it was you who pushed me. Apart from
that, complain to Sasuke. I told him not to send you any warnings, but he still
did it.” The Haruno shrugs her shoulders and walks towards the door, followed
by her colleague. “And that with the cress. Find yourself another scapegoat,
after all you’re so good at that, even Sasuke and mr. Hatake know it. I have
better things to do than play around, for example, work. I think you don't have
too many enemies here in the office, do you?" Sakura smiles sweetly into her
face, before she makes her way back to her office together with Natsuki.

"Then we would have done that too." The Haruno mumbles. "Damn, you really
roasted her today. So much entertainment today, I can’t believe that it’s
really Monday." The brunette says with a silent laugh as they enter the office.
"Well. Then let's finally start work, otherwise it will be noon before we even
started.” Sakura sighs and sinks into her armchair, puts down her cup of tea
and picks up her pen. Natsuki giggles for a moment before she turns to work as
well.
 
There is silence in the office. The two women do their work with concentration.
While the brunette is working on the construction, which she is supposed to
redesign on the computer, Sakura is drawing her design on paper. They both
belong to Karin's group, but have received different assignments. Although the
Kaseguchi cannot really be portrayed as a group leader. On the day of
submission, she just collects the drawings and brings them to Sasuke's office
and then fetches them again to distribute them to their owners. She no longer
gets paid and no special appreciation for it. She just likes to act superior,
when in fact, through her actions she puts herself into the lowest position.
She’s such an embarrassment to herself.
 
After a while there is a soft knock on the door, breaking the silence between
the two women. "Come in." The Hondo calls out quietly, while Sakura slowly wakes
up from her concentration. The door opens and a blonde head appears in the
crack. "Hello." Greets the blonde while going in through the gap and closes the
door again. "Hello Naruto!" The pink haired woman smiles happily. "Hello Sakura.
Hey Natsuki.” He says and nods at the brunette with a smile. "Hello." She
replies, too. "You and Sasuke had a nice date, it seems." The Uzumaki grins
immediately. "You have read the article." Sakura states and sinks back into her
seat. “Who hasn't?” The blonde asks with a laugh. "Karin. A few hours ago
Kakashi took the magazine from her and confiscated it." The Hondo throws in with
an amused smile. Naruto laughs again at that. “The reporters are getting
better and better. I still can’t believe they followed you on your date. Did
you notice anything?“ The Uzumaki asks with interest. "Stalked. They
practically stalked and talked in the magazine like we needed their permission
for privacy. Just what the heck? But coming back to your question; not really.
There was only a camera flash at mini golf, but I thought that someone from the
others took a picture of their companion. Fortunately, they didn't follow us all
the way home.“ Haruno shrugs her shoulders and then takes off the scarf and
reveals her cleavage.
 
Natsuki stares at her neck in shock while Naruto takes out his smartphone and
suddenly takes a picture of her. “What happened to you?” The brunette
explores in disbelief. "Eh?" Confused Sakura looks at her colleague and then at
her cleavage. A slight blush settles on her cheeks as she realizes why she had
the scarf on. "Sasuke has found himself a new hobby." The Haruno mumbles and
reaches for her cell phone somewhat overwhelmed, when it starts to vibrate.
"Hello?" She answers the call. “Sakura Uchiha! You will have lunch break with
Tenten, Hinata and me. Right now!“ She hears the angry voice of her best
friend before she hangs up. They have seen the magazine. Sighing softly, Sakura
looks at the watch and then takes her scarf, handbag, blazer and jacket and
slips into them. "Then I have to go too." “Not before you delete that picture,
Naruto. I had enough with the paparazzo’s already.” She exclaims, watching
him salute and delete it, before leaving them behind. "Friends." The pink haired
woman sighs out and rolls her eyes. Natsuki chuckles softly at that. "See you
later." She watches as Sakura leaves the office.
 
Sighing softly, the Haruno types around on her smartphone before holding it to
her ear and waiting for the other person to pick up the phone. "Hey. Ino, Tenten
and Hinata are forcing me to have lunch. Want me to bring you something?" She
raises her voice when the call is taken. “No thanks, I don't need anything.
What do you mean, forced?“ She can hear the hoarse and confused voice of her
husband.

Sasuke raises his eyebrow while he looks at his screen and waits for his wife to
say something. “You've probably already read the magazine." The Haruno
grumbles out and sighs. “Okay, see you later. "" Mhm. ", The Uchiha mumbles
and then hangs up. "The magazine...” He then mumbles on and placed the
smartphone on the table. Of course he knows what she was talking about. Kakashi
brought it to him this morning with a bunch of others. The cover with the
picture of Sakura and him had caught his eye. Who would have expected the
Paparazzi to discover them on this small, hidden mini golf place? He himself
only discovered the hall because he was looking for one and it was precisely
this that was described in the reviews as a nice location for a date. He would
never have believed even in his dreams that, of all things and on that evening,
when he and Sakura are there on a date, that there would be reporters lurking
around and wait that maybe some celebrities come around. 

Sasuke sighs slightly and picks up his tablet. His fingers slide across the
touchpad and finally open the folder and the game. He leans back in his armchair
and makes himself comfortable, easily cuddling into it. His eyes are fixed on
the tablet and the game, as his fingers slide across the screen. In the next
moment the door is thrown open. Startled, the Uchiha drops his tablet, but then
quickly catches it before it can fall off his legs and to the ground. Grumbling,
he looks up and towards the door. "Hey. Tell me, what did you do to Sakura?”
It comes a little stunned from the Uzumaki, who closes the door and approaches
the table. Confused, the black haired man raises his eyebrows and immediately
forgets that he just wanted to give his best friend a lecture about learning how
to knock the door, even if it will be unnecessary because he will never learn.
“What do you mean?” Sasuke explores, because he doesn't know what the blonde
meant. "Have you ever looked at her?" Naruto continues, still stunned. The
Uchiha watches his best friend gesticulating, but he still doesn't know exactly
what he wants from him. Personally, he would not have noticed anything about
Sakura, or is she just hiding something from him that the blonde has now seen?
Maybe something is bothering her? Maybe his hard work lately and coming home
late? While this is unlikely, it must be something else that is bothering her.
“She looks like a hickey carpet!" Naruto exclaims still in disbelief, pulling
him back to reality.
 
The Uchiha raises an eyebrow in disbelief before smiling in amusement. So that's
what it's about. "What did Sakura say about that?" The black haired explores
with a slight smile. “That this would be your new hobby!” The blonde is
still pretty stunned by the discovery he just made. Sasuke laughs softly, yes,
you could describe it that way. "Whats so funny about that? The way Sakura looks
like is half a foreplay!” The Uzumaki says, who looks at him in complete
disbelief. “Don’t tell me you two have!?!” He exclaims in shock, making
the youngest Uchiha laugh. "No, no, we were on the floor in the bathroom and..."
he wants to explain but is immediately interrupted by his best friend. “On the
BATHROOM FLOOR?!” Stunned the Uzumaki puts his hands on his cheeks and stares
at him. Another laugh of the Uchiha makes him look up and look at his friend in
confusion. “Are you all right?” He asks skeptically, silencing his laughing
friend. “Yes, actually. Why are you asking?” The black haired man replies,
while he feels this unpleasant warmth rise again. “You laugh all the time. So
you're either in love or sick. And you are certainly not in love. You don't act
like you did back then.“ The Uzumaki supports himself on the table top and
leans forward to his best friend.

"Nonsense. I'm not sick. I'm fine." Sasuke says coolly and pushes his friend
away from him again. Is he really that easy to see through? On the date, Sakura
also immediately knew that he had a fever. Naruto also notices it immediately,
albeit from a different point of view. When did he open up to others like that?
He's still so cold towards strangers, but he behaves differently towards his
friends, doesn't he? Inwardly, he shakes his head and looks into the blue eyes
of his best friend. "So. Back to the topic. Sakura and I lay on the bathroom
floor after the date, because she wanted to blow dry my hair. I already gave her
one on the date and the others just arose there between a few kisses. We had no
foreplay or anything like that, just made out a little and I tickled her, that
was it." Sasuke explains the situation and all the blue and purple
discolorations on his wife's neck in an almost business-like manner. “Made
out? You even made out? Okay, how do you even know how to do any of that? I
didn't explain that to you at all." The blonde explores, watching his best
friend sigh while rubbing softly over his own forehead. “Some things don't
need to be explained. Do you remember how we noticed that after a while the skin
discolours when you suck on it? We taught ourselves that when we were only
kids.” Explains the black haired man, rolling his eyes briefly at his friends
curiosity.

“Why are you so stunned about it?” The dark grey eyed man now notices.
Embarrassed, the blonde laughs and scratches his cheek. "Well, it was just so
surprising, seeing Sakura with all the hickeys and so." The Uzumaki notes. A
crooked grin creeps onto Sasuke's lips. “You are really a mess. When do you
ask Hinata for a second date?” He diverts the topic of conversation. A slight
blush settles on the blond man's cheeks. "I actually planned to do it
tonight.” The blue eyed man reports, a little embarrassed. “Unforcedly?”
The Uchiha explores with an amused smile. Naruto nods slightly. "Well, some need
to be forced to happiness." It then comes from the company owner. "Says the
right person.” The blonde responds with a grin. Sasuke raises his eyebrow
questioningly. “I wasn't forced. I did it voluntarily.“ It comes from him.
"But you would never have thought of doing it yourself, choosing Sakura as your
wife, that is." Naruto shrugs his shoulders and buries his hand in his right
jeans pocket. "Firstly, you don’t know anything about us and therefore you
can’t know how our future would have looked like even if they didn’t decide
on engaging us, so your claim is already invalid. Secondly, at least I didn't
have to be monitored to ask Sakura on a date." The black haired man smiles
underhandedly. "I would watch out, she seems a bit of a control freak.” The
blonde notes immediately. "No. Your inability to do the obvious on your own
almost caused Sakura to end the date before it even started.” Sasuke growls.

"Hey. Hey.” Laughing embarrassed, the Uzumaki scratches the back of his head.
For a moment the blonde is finally silent. His gaze lays on Sasuke and finally
wanders further out of the window, where he stops briefly. “You two seem to be
pretty attached to your first date.” “What do you mean?” Sasuke asks in
confusion. “Just like you growled at me just now, Sakura was desperately
complaining because your date was completely exposed to everyone, because of
those paparazzo’s.” Surprised, Sasuke looks at his best friend. Sakura did?
It takes him a moment, but then his lips pull into a gentle smile. Naruto takes
notice of it, smiling as swell. “You know, Sakura is actually really lucky. I
don't know why, but you have always been kind to her from the start. You even
smile a lot when you are around her or when someone talks to you about her. At
the beginning maybe very distant, but friendly nonetheless. I mean not only in
public but also with us, where you didn't have to play the lovesick. She’s
really lucky, because even with me, your best friend since childhood, you have
rarely spoken so friendly. I often see only your cold side, but I think you have
never talked to her like that, have you?" The Uzumaki asks. Sasuke looks at his
best friend skeptically. "I think you should hurry up a bit with Hinata." He
just remarks, before he continues. "You became my best friend because you
didn’t stop annoying me. But do you even know how Sakura and I got to know
each other?” He looks questioningly at his blond friend, who only briefly
shakes his head. "I thought your mother got you two engaged?" He adds briefly.
“Yes, but we already knew each other before. My mother noticed her because I
once brought Sakura to someone’s company party. But we got to know each other
much earlier.” The Uchiha smiles again gently, as he falls silent. The blonde
looks attentively at him and waits for him to continue telling him until he
realizes that he will not do that. “Are you seriously making a secret of this
now? Really?" He explores offended. Grinning crookedly, Sasuke shrugs his
shoulders and puts his tablet on the table. At least that he will leave a secret
between him and her.
 
Naruto glances briefly at the desk before he raises an eyebrow in confusion and
looks at his best friend skeptically. "A game? Do you have so little to work or
are you just taking a break?” He asks, looking from the tablet at the piles of
documents. "I wanted to take a break, but then you came and took all my spare
time away.” Explains the Uchiha with a sigh. “But you've never taken breaks
until now. Aren't you going home late then?” The Uzumaki continues to
research. "That happens, especially when you keep me from working any longer."
Mumbles the black haired man. "Okay, okay. I'm going already. Don't take too
long and go home to Sakura." The blonde says shortly and leaves the office
again. Sasuke sighs. He can't tell Naruto that that's exactly his goal; to get
home as late as possible. But no later than 8pm. After that he packs up his
things anyway and drives home, sits down in the office and continues to work. He
deliberately tries to spend as little time as possible with Sakura. It's just...
It's not like he's uncomfortable next to her or anything. It’s the opposite.
But... He sighs again and leans back in his armchair. In such moments he misses
his mother. She would know what to do or what to say. She always knew everything
when he didn't. She was just there. He misses her every day, every hour.
Sasuke's sad look falls on his hands.

Suddenly he feels cold, feeling goose bumps forming on his arms and legs. He
gets up immediately and closes the tilted window behind him. He sighs annoyed.
He doesn’t need that now. The whole time he has fever attacks again and again,
but he never had that sudden feeling of cold to the extent that he is almost
freezing. Lying in bed all weekend and sleeping didn't help much. On Friday it
started with the sudden attacks of fever and those are not gone either, they
come over him again and again, just like at the meeting. The runny nose is still
there too, but at least he doesn't have to sneeze anymore, which he thinks is a
relief. But apparently the rain on Friday wasn't so good for him after all.
Especially this light exertion of running in the rain itself did his health a
disservice. But whether that might be good for him or not, he hadn't even
considered it at that moment but just did what he wanted and at that point it
was easy; Capture Sakura.
 
Although this sleeping himself to health was not even possible for him. How so?
As soon as he closes his eyes and falls asleep, these dreams haunt him again.
The same dream over and over again in the most varied of facets. But it's always
the same content. It may be that he sleeps, but this sleep is far from restful.
Every day this tiredness plagues him because he sleeps so restlessly and every
night he is plagued by nightmares. The youngest Uchiha doesn't really know why,
but on some nights these nightmares suddenly disappear and he can sleep in peace
without constantly rolling back and forth. All he knows is that in such moments
a comfortable warmth envelopes him and makes him relax. Not only once did Sakura
tell him that he kicked her awake.
 
Sasuke just hopes that he will soon be over this cold. You could almost say that
he is suffering from it. As a boss, it is not that easy either. He can't just
celebrate sick. Who is supposed to represent him? And without him, some work
would come to a standstill. Sometimes he really hates this job, he'd rather want
to be a simple employee like Sakura, then he would have more free time and the
public wouldn't be interested in his personal life either. Once again he
wonders; how does Itachi manage to have so much free time? Once when he came to
his office, he had seriously played mini golf in his office, like it’s known
from series and movies! How does his big brother do that? And then Naruto has
the audacity to question him playing a little game on his tablet for five
minutes. Sasuke has to snort at that thoughts. Friends.
 
Sighing, the black haired man rubs his upper arms before he picks up the
receiver of the office phone and presses the button for his secretary, to whom
he is immediately connected. "Please bring me some tea." He says briefly into
the mic and hangs up again. Sullenly, he closes the game on his tablet and then
picks up the first folder from the pile. He briefly gets an overview of the
topic before opening the relevant and necessary documents on the computer and
tablet. With a quiet sigh, he now fully opens the folder and reaches for the
pen, since his hands always have something to do. Even if it doesn't seem so and
he enjoys the peace and quiet, he always needs something to do and if he has
nothing, it turns into a bobbing up and down of his leg. He can never sit or lie
still, even when he’s so exhausted. Just lying in bed and recovering from it
is simply impossible in this regard. In this point he is similar to Naruto.
Perhaps it may also be due to the blonde and Ryosuke Haruno, who used to
persuade him to do countless activities.
 
There is a soft knock on the door. "Come in.” He says, knowing that it's Ayame
with his tea. The cold still envelops him, but he tries not to let it show, in
hope that the tea will warm him up again and will not turn into a fever attack
again. "Please have your tea, mr. Uchiha. Is there anything else I can do for
you?” The woman inquires politely and smiles. "No thanks, Ayame." The black
haired man says without looking up. When she stepped out of the door and closed
it behind herself, he immediately puts his fingers on the warm cup and carefully
lifts it to his lips to take a sip of it. He finally puts the steaming cup back
on the small saucer and then looks for the box of cookies from his work bag that
Sakura always prepares for him. He immediately takes one of the salty ones and
bites into it. Holding the cookie in one hand, the youngest Uchiha now fully
turns to his work and ignores the cold he is feeling.



                      Kapitel 22: Step 22 - Reaching Out
                      ----------------------------------


Sometimes it takes a lot of effort, turns out to be difficult or impossible, but
we must never stop trying to reach out to someone important in our lives. If a
couple, siblings or even friends have quarreled, they have to try to reach out
and reconcile things between each other again. Things like quarrels are normal
and are part of our lives, but the most important thing is that we can talk it
out together afterwards. If one has already given up hope, the other needs to
make sure not to give up as well and must reach out in order for things to get
better again. After all, nothing is given to us through leaning back. It is
difficult to jump over your shadow to approach someone who only rejects you and
it’s not easy for either of us. There's always something you'd rather run away
from, but still we can't stop trying. Spouses, in particular, should try to
talk, ask and listen, instead of ruining their marriage right away.
 
"Where is she? Where is this bitch? That whore! Where is she??” The scream of
an angry woman sounds through the department and storms down the hallway,
looking into every office that she walks past. "From the description the woman
used, I would say that she’s looking for Karin." Mumbles the Hondo next to the
pink haired woman. The two were about to get a cup of coffee and tea, when the
screaming sounded in the hallway and they stopped in surprise. The two women let
out a girlish giggle at the scene. They could already tell what is going on.
"Excuse me, can I help you? Who are you looking for?" The young Haruno raises
her voice and the angered woman immediately rushes towards her. "Where is that
bitch? That whore! That slut?!“ The woman repeats again and looks at the green
eyed woman with fury in her eyes. "Who exactly do you mean?" Sakura continues to
ask, while trying to remain friendly. “This Nasebuchi. Hasetuchi. That
pussyguchi! Whatever the name of that slut is!” Grumbles the brown haired
woman. "Kaseguchi?" It comes from Sakura. "Yes, exactly, that bitch!" The woman
in her seemingly 30 years immediately exclaims. The pink haired girl briefly
looks over her shoulder and at her friend and colleague, who has to resist from
laughing. "I'll bring you to her." The Haruno then suggests in a friendly manner
and Natsuki immediately stands happily next to her and smiles at the unknown
woman, who just nods, while she’s obviously trying but failing to keep her
anger in check.
 
Sakura goes first, followed by her friend and the woman, right in front of the
door of the wide office. “The one with the red hair sitting at her table over
there is Ms. Kaseguchi.” The green eyed woman then explains with a smile and
the next moment the woman is already rushing in. “You little bitch! You
fucking whore! My husband and i are happily married! Just who do you think you
are, calling him in the middle of the night, whispering and moaning such filthy
and swinish stuff into the damn phone?! You are such a slut! Whore! What are you
even doing in such a place? If you want to be fucked so badly, go to a fucking
brothel!” The woman yells at the shocked redhead. "Eh, Karin is really a
slut!" Natsuki notes softly. Sakura and her office colleague giggle in
amusement. “You already know who that is, right?” The pink haired woman
explores and looks at her friend. "Well, I would say that this is mrs.
Hatake.” It comes from the brunette, smiling with amusement, but also feeling
a little sorry for his wife. Behind the two of them the pack of colleagues has
romped around again. Nobody wants to miss such a show.
 
“My husband doesn't need anything like you! You cheap bitch! Keep your
perverted fantasies to yourself! I will say it again! We're not on the sex
hotline here! Satisfy your disgusting cravings elsewhere and leave me and my
husband in peace! You disgusting pig!" The woman continues to preach, obviously
reaching the limit of her nerves. "What's going on here?" It suddenly sounds
next to the pink haired woman and Kakashi pushes through the crowd. "Anko, what
are you doing here?" He then asks with surprise, but she doesn’t get to say
anything, as someone completely else now approaches the office. "Who is yelling
around here like that?" Another, rather irritated, voice sound from behind and
Sakura looks up in surprise. In the last few months she has gotten so used to
the sound of his voice that she would have recognized it blindly. The crowd
splits and Sasuke enters the office. His cold gaze wanders over everyone present
and gets stuck on Anko, Kakashi and Karin. "I'm sorry, mr. Uchiha! I can explain
all of this to you.“ Says the grey haired man, obviously troubled. "All right.
Solve the problem and then please come to my office." Replies the Uchiha, turns
around and leaves again. "Anko, please calm down." Kakashi mumbles to his wife,
who is still seething with anger. "Mrs. Haruno? Could you please make my wife
some coffee?" The Hatake turns to his boss's wife, making her look at him in
surprise. "Of course. Come with me, mrs. Hatake.“ The green eyed woman
exclaims with a friendly smile. After a quick look at her husband, who is
smiling at her, Anko approaches the pink haired woman and follows her to the
kitchen. The crowd in the other hand dissolves like they were told and Natsuki
quickly goes after the two and into the kitchen.

Almost shyly, the woman stands in the kitchen and looks around while Sakura
takes out a cup for her. “What would you like to have? Mocha, cappuccino,
latte macchiato, espresso?” She then asks and counts to her superior's wife.
“A cappuccino if you could, please.” The older woman says softly and also
seemingly exhausted from all the anger. Sakura presses the button and Natsuki
puts out any items she may need, before taking two more cups out of the cupboard
to pour in some hot water. "Here you go." The pink haired woman exclaims
friendly and hands Anko her cappuccino. "Are you okay?" She then asks carefully,
when she notices her staring silently into her cup. "I must have caused a lot of
trouble for my husband now." The woman explains her concerns. Sakura smiles
friendly to sooth her worries. "No, I don't think so." "Didn't you see Sasuke's
cold look?" Natsuki suddenly asks somewhat surprised at the Haruno’s
statement. “Yes, I did. He looked at me just as coldly as he did to you and
all the others. But that's how Sasuke is. He always looks like that and you know
that. I hardly believe that he will warn mr. Hatake because of that. It wasn’t
even his fault what happened, but Karin’s alone. If Kakashi tells him that, i
don’t believe that it will look nice for that woman." Explains the pink haired
woman with an amused smile. The Hondo nods in understanding and then hands
Sakura her cup of tea. "Don't worry about your husband, mrs. Hatake. Sasuke may
look cold all the time, but he knows who’s really at fault and he won’t let
this slide. That woman will definitely get what she deserves." She pats the
woman's arm briefly before she sees the head of the department standing in the
doorway. "Thank you mrs. Haruno and mrs. Hondo, you can go back to your work."
The grey haired man smiles at the two women. "No problem." Sakura waves it off
friendly and leaves with her colleague back to their office.

The two return to their office in silence and sit down at their tables, while
Sakura silently turns her gaze out of the window. "It’s bothering you, right?
The cold looks he’s been giving you lately?" Natsuki notes quietly and sips
from her cup. "Yes." Sakura nods with a sigh, while looking at her own mug. "I
should just try to speak to him about it." She ponders and looks up at her
colleague. She can't tell her that he isn’t only looking at her like that, but
is actually completely distancing himself from her. Because even though she is
one of her friends, the Hondo still doesn't know the truth about their marriage.
She doesn’t know that the wedding was arranged and that they have no clue
about how romantic love feels. The pink haired woman bites onto her lower lip
and looks up from her table to her colleague.
 
The brunette smiles encouragingly and nods towards her. "How are things going to
keep going with the slut from now on?" Asks the Hondo with an amused smile, to
change the subject. “I'm going to give her a break now. Maybe next week again.
But I have to come up with something first. But I think she has had enough for
now.” Sakura explains while shrugging her shoulders and looks back outside.
 
It is now Wednesday, yesterday she put the message, written by Takumi, on
Karin's table. And the idea has paid off, as you can see. "Actually this woman
is so stupid. We kind of told her that it was going to be a prank and she still
called him anyway. But I can’t believe that she really went this far. I
can’t imagine what would have happened if it was really Sasuke’s number.
He’s already working so much and sleeping so restlessly with that cold of his.
If I was in his shoes and got that call on top, I would rip her into pieces,
though, afterwards I would probably look even more exhausted than mrs. Hatake."
The Haruno remarks with a shake of her head and laughs silently. "Anyway, I hope
that she'll be silent from now on. I really don’t need her keep asking what
I’m doing as soon as i leave the office. She’s such a hindrance.” The
Hondo shrugs her shoulders and picks up one of her pencils while saying that. "I
hope that too. But she should really be like a good colleague in the near
future, or even Sasuke will loose his patience. I think Kakashi is going to make
life really difficult for her.” Replies the Haruno and looks through the
window again. Clouds cover the sky, but again no rain or sun are predicted. Just
boring, dark clouds that cloud the mood.


~> * <~
 

Sighing, the black haired man returns to his office. The Kaseguchi is straining
his nerves again and she doesn't even need to be present. The scene in
Kakashi’s office of the design department explained everything. He was
surprised to find Anko in the office, but since she was standing in front of the
redhead, everything somehow explained itself and yet he has no idea what it was
about. It was just this noise that got through the open door of Ayame. He
wouldn't have noticed anything of it if he hadn't walked into her office at that
moment. Surprised by the sudden screaming, he of course checked what was going
on in the department and then noticed the accumulated crowd through which
Kakashi had pushed his way at that moment. But he knows why he made Kakashi of
all people to the head of the department. He got everything immediately under
control and made sure that the room was quiet. Now he is waiting for him to come
and explain the situation to him, since he seems to be personally involved when
his wife shows up at the company and yells at Karin. It wouldn't actually
interest him a bit, if it wasn't for his company building in which it took
place.
 
Sasuke approaches one of the windows, opens it and looks out into the with
clouds covered sky. Cool air hits him from outside. The fine hairs on his arms
stand up immediately and he lets his hands sink into his trouser pockets. He
takes deep breaths and feels how the cold air fills his lungs, in hope that it
will cool his body down a bit. The coming and going fever attacks have meanwhile
turned into a constant but tolerable fever. But since it is bearable and he
doesn’t have any other flu-like symptoms, he doesn't think it’s necessary to
stop working. After all, it doesn't hinder him. Sometimes, especially in the
evening, he usually gets a shiver even though he still feels so hot, but since
he usually cuddles up in bed and goes to sleep at night, it doesn't bother him
too much either. The whole thing is just one more reason for him to stay away
from Sakura. The less time he spends with her, the less chance she has of
noticing that he has a fever. He doesn't know why, but somehow she seems to have
an eye for it. She noticed it on the date and also at the meeting, even if she
didn't point it out to him the second time, he still noticed it in her eyes. She
would notice and then, he is sure, would force him to stay in bed until he is
back to his normal temperature.

Sakura would make him do it, even if she had to knock him down with a golf bat.
He laughs slightly in amusement at his thoughts. He likes to pick on this point.
At the way they got to know each other. He doesn't know why, her just simply
likes to do it. Again he takes a deep breath and breathes the warm air out of
his lungs by the window. It must have rained during the night, because the
morning is surprisingly fresh and the air he breathes comes out as a white
cloud. He smiles slightly. Somehow he likes those fine clouds in winter,
watching them as he exhales.
 
There is a soft knock on his office door. "Come in!" He utters, his voice clear
and strong, no sign of flu or cold, it's just this fever. No cause for alarm. He
can hear the door being opened and quietly closed again. Dull, heavy steps show
that a man is stepping closer to the table. Sasuke takes another deep breath of
the fresh air and then turns around, hands still in his pockets. "Kakashi." The
black haired man utters and looks briefly at the grey haired man. He is only 4
years older than Sasuke himself and, despite everything, pays him the greatest
respect. “Mr. Uchiha. I'm sorry what happened there. My wife-" The man
immediately starts with his apology, but gets interrupted. “It's okay,
Kakashi. There’s nothing to worry about. I don't mean to reprimand you here or
anything like that. I really just want to know why your wife comes all the way
here to yell at Kaseguchi." The Uchiha walks around his desk and approaches a
couch in which he takes a seat and points to the upholstered armchair opposite
him. "Take a seat, please."
 
He actually only uses this small couch when he has a small meeting with business
partners or customers. It consists of a black two-person couch and three
upholstered armchairs which are arranged around a small glass table. After a
moment's hesitation, the Hatake approaches the couch and sinks into one of the
armchairs. "Thank you." He then says briefly and then looks at his boss. “So
what did Kaseguchi do this time? Your wife doesn't come into the office for no
reason.” Sasuke asks the question to open the conversation. He leans back
calmly on the couch, puts his elbow on the right armrest and taps his chin with
his finger, waiting. The grey haired man clears his throat briefly and looks
down for a moment. "She called me last night." He begins to explain. "I didn't
even know that you gave her your number." Sasuke comments with surprise. "I
haven’t. I don't know how she got it. Anyway, she called me last night and
when I picked up, she started moaning into the phone and told me some things
she'd like to do. Lots of perverted stuff. Of course, Anko woke up from the call
and picked up my phone and had to listen to it before she yelled at Karin and
hung up. That’s why Anko came into the office.” At the end his words are
only a mumble and Sasuke can understand how uncomfortable he must be feeling
about it.

The Uchiha exhales loudly through his nose, rubbing over his burning eyes. “I
understand why your wife was so upset. Kaseguchi has been pushing boundaries
lately. It is slowly becoming unacceptable.” Sasuke lets out a tired sighs and
then looks at his employee, before he continues to talk. “I got a call from
production this morning. There is a problem with one of the design drawings.”
The youngest Uchiha reports to the department head. “Which designer?” Asks
the Hatake immediately, since he too always has to be informed about such things
in his department. “Kaseguchi Karin.” The dark grey eyed man utters coldly
as he continues. “This Woman is nothing but trouble. I will now warn her one
more time. She has to pull herself together quickly, otherwise I don't see a
future for her here. Most of her drawings are a mess. If one of her drawings
causes problems in production, it can result in high costs and we both know
that.” Says the company owner while standing up from his seat. “Kaseguch is
very negligent and burdensome. We don't need that in this company. She has only
one chance left." Sasuke says and approaches his desk, which Kakashi all agrees
on. "You can go now." The black haired man then explains with a look at the head
of department, who also gets up and leaves the room after a short and polite
bow.

The Uchiha sighs softly and then looks at the open window. The fresh October air
flows in and slowly replaces the stuffy air in the room. Again he approaches the
window and extends his face towards the cool breeze, pauses for a long moment
and then approaches his desk again, using the tablet's black screen as a kind of
mirror, to see if he, in any way, gives the impression that he has a fever or
that he might not be feeling well. But since he cannot find any reddish cheeks
or anything like that, he averts his gaze from his "mirror" and takes his
smartphone. He immediately lets it disappear into the pocket of his suit jacket
while he puts the tablet back on the table and connects it to the charging
cable.
 
Sighing softly, the dark grey eyed man straightens up again and approaches the
office door in order to leave his room through it. He leaves the window open so
that when he comes back, there will be no longer any stifling air in the office
and is properly ventilated. He passed his secretary in silence and also leaves
her office to walk down the corridor. He sees the Kaseguchi walking towards the
elevator with her head bowed. Anko and Kakashi have apparently folded her neatly
together and put her back into her place. Sasuke smiles slightly amused and then
turns into a side corridor. He'll meet the redhead in the production department
anyway. He comes to a stop in front of a door and knocks briefly on the wood.
"Come in." The request sounds softly through the door. He sighs once more and
then opens the door, briefly looks at the Hondo and then at Sakura. "You haven't
been down to production yet, have you?" He just asks his question briefly,
watching his wife shake her head in silence. “Come on then. I have to go down
because of a problem." He says only briefly and shows her to follow him.
 
The pink haired woman gives her colleague a quick look before she takes her cell
phone and follows her husband to the hallway, where he has been waiting for her.
When he sees her coming towards him, he immediately starts moving. One step
behind him, the young woman follows her husband to the elevator, which at this
moment is just reaching their floor and opening the doors. A few colleagues pour
out and empty the elevator, which the two of them enter immediately. Sasuke
pushes the button with the number two and the doors close with a low whirring
sound. The Haruno leans silently against the rear wall of the cabin and looks at
the floor. She would love to talk to her husband and find out why he is so
dismissive and aloof, but he doesn't even look at her properly.

The Uchiha sighs silently and looks at the metal door in front of him, his wife
is reflected in it and he can see that she is a little burdened. Probably
because of him distancing himself from her. For the past few days he has only
stayed away from her, from the first glance to the last. He has completely
stopped his loving moments.

Sakura looks up from the floor, her gaze neutrally directed at the elevator
doors. Even if he distances himself she doesn't want him to notice that this is
bothering her. Especially if it’s like right now, because he just seems to be
ignoring her again. Apart from him, the whole company doesn't need to notice
that something is wrong. She wants to understand what's wrong with him,
especially in the last few days. The doors open and the two of them leave the
elevator. She looks around in silence as she follows her husband. To the right
is a long corridor, as in all the floors above, which connects all three
elevators and the staircase hidden behind them. Sasuke opens a door and lets her
walk through it before he follows her. Huge machines extend from the ground
floor, up to her on the second floor. There are various places with smaller
machines and other work tables and cupboards on the floors. “It's only a small
part of the production. Most of the production is housed in an external
building.” Explains the Uchiha and walks towards the stairs. The green eyed
woman nods and follows him on. The production hall extends over three floors,
which is built like a gallery and people are able to look down into the lower
floors.

Staying close to the wall and not glancing down even once, Sakura walks after
her husband and down to the first floor and the ground floor. Immediately she
can make out a head of red hair there, which stands next to two muscular men.
The redhead turns around at that very moment and immediately looks arrogant and
angry at her. “What are you doing here?!” Said woman screeches out with
anger. Though, just as Sakura is about to reply and explain at the same time,
Sasuke raises his voice in a cold tone. "Stop acting like her superior. I am
showing her the production and it's always good to have a capable employee
nearby." Sasuke interrupts at once, silencing the Kaseguchi. In disbelief,
Sakura looks first at the younger of the two company owners, then at Karin and
then at the other two men, who look just as surprised as her and at the same
time give her the confirmation of her unspoken question. Yes, he just described
Karin as incompetent! Sakura has to grin inwardly at that fact. It seems that
he’s really no nerves for her left.
 
“So what's the problem?” Asks the Uchiha with a sigh, drawing everyone's
attention back to himself. "Her sketch is the problem." One of the men answers
while pointing to the redhead. “My drawing is not the problem at all. You are
simply unable to work according to my design!” The Kaseguchi immediately
denies and crosses her arms with a huff. “Can I see that?” It comes once
more from the company owner, watching as one of the workers points to a table
that looks very much like a drawing table for architects. A lamp is attached
above and shines down on the drawing. He then approaches the table and briefly
lets his dark grey eyes move over the sketch, only to turn back around with a
frown on his forehead. "Kaseguchi! Didn't I ask you to revise this drawing
before you send it down here? The lines are just as disastrous as I gave them
back to you and in all seriousness you still take the liberty to call both
gentlemen incapable! You can't even draw with a sharpened pencil! I understand
very well that this is a problem and I can't believe that the production is
being delayed because of your messy and careless work!” It comes loud from
Sasuke and Sakura could swear she never saw him snap this hard at someone
before. The guilty woman gets smaller with every word, facing the floor. "Do you
know how long it will take until you have revised and corrected this drawing?"
The Uchiha growls out once again. "Uhm..." It escapes the Haruno’s lips, who
is standing next to the drawing, almost shyly and attracts her husband's
attention. “May I?” She asks, holding up an eraser and pencil, which she
picked up from the table.

"No! You will destroy everything!” The redhead hisses aggressively at her, but
gets interrupted again. “You just shut up. You don’t have the right to say
anything, after all the problems you’ve got me and everyone else into. I don't
want to hear a single word from you!” The Uchiha hisses back immediately and
approaches his wife, already sounding softer again. "You think you can change
something there?" He asks in a normal, almost friendly tone. "The design is
pretty simple, I think so." She explains with a smile and pulls a chair back to
sit on it. Without hesitation, she puts on the eraser and erases lines, changes
the drawing utensil and draws a perfectly beautiful line. Sasuke closely follows
his wife's craft, who erases the next part in order to draw it again. A few
minutes pass, then she erases all the fingerprints, which shows how much that
woman has really messed around. “Kaseguchi, you can go, we don't need you here
any more. I hope that you have learned a lesson from this.” He turns to the
redhead, who bites her lower lip and starts to withdraw in silence.
 
The Uchiha's gaze returns to his wife, who renews other lines in a concentrated
manner, pauses for a moment and then touches up the next. A few minutes later
she gets up from the chair and steps aside. “Done. I hope it fits that way?”
She asks with a smile and the two workers approach the design to take a closer
look. “Perfect, thank you!” Says one of them again, possibly the department
head or perhaps the project manager, or simply the more talkative one of the
two. "Thank you, Sakura.” She suddenly hears her husbands voice, as she sees
him look up from the drawing and into her eyes. She just nods in response and
puts the chair back to its original place. "Then the two of us can go again."
Sasuke says suddenly next to her, who only seems to have spoken briefly with the
workers.
 
He presses the button for the elevator and then buries his hands back into his
trouser pockets. Sakura stands next to him in silence and plays with her scarf.
In one hand he seems to be ignoring her, on the other hand he doesn't allow
Karin to say anything bad about her. She just doesn't know what to think or do
anymore. The elevator stops in front of them and they get in. Just like when
they were going down, they stand in the elevator again. Sakura leans against the
rear wall of the elevator and Sasuke stands by the metal door. The doors close
and silence overcomes the two.
 
While Sasuke is already thinking about the exact reasons and wording for the 2nd
warning, he pulls his smartphone out of his pocket and pays his attention to it.
The Haruno silently watches as he lowers his head a little. If he doesn't want
to tell her what's going on, she has to try to get it out of him somehow,
whereby it is less of a burden that he behaves so distantly, but rather the
reason for being ignorant. If she notices that something is wrong and she
doesn't know what the reason is, it always makes her restless. She just can't
stand something like that. She swallows once, she must at least try. "Are you
coming home early today?" She asks softly into the silence. In the next moment
she already inwardly hits her hand against her forehead. The way she asked the
question, sounds like she's the betrayed and lonely wife waiting for him at
home, while he sleeps with someone else with the excuse of working overtime. But
she knows that's not how it is. That’s not it.
 
"I can't promise, but I'll see what I can do." He says after a small sigh.
"O-okay." He only hears her say softly, before she raises her voice again.
"Uhm... I have to get out on the 58th floor.” A little confused at her
statement, he looks over his shoulder and towards her. After all it had been him
who got her out of her work and she didn't seem like she wanted to go somewhere.
But she just looks at the floor. With her hands crossed behind her back, she
leans against the wall and draws small patterns and lines on the floor with the
tip of her shoes. He then looks around again and sighs silently before pressing
the button to the floor she wants. Just in time, because two floors later the
elevator stops in it. "See you later." She murmurs softly and quickly walks past
him, pushes through the still opening doors and disappears to the right.
 
He raises his eyebrow skeptically while wondering what is suddenly going on. He
has answered her question, close to her wish. So why is she almost fleeing from
the elevator and then on another floor? The doors close again and he can see
Naruto turn the corner and go straight down the hallway on his right. Actually
he would have thought that she would go to Naruto when she gets off on the 58th
floor, but it doesn't seem to be so. He sighs silently and looks back at his
smartphone. After being the one who keeps his distance, he shouldn't wonder too
much, right?



~> * <~

 
In the meantime it has started raining again. Although no rain or sun was
predicted, there is always a certain percentage for both. Autumn is just living
out. Sighing softly, the black haired man shifts into reverse and puts his right
arm on the backrest of the passenger seat. He easily lets go of the clutch and
rolls towards and into the garage. He looks at the side mirrors and pushes
straight back until his car is in the dry garage. He then turns off the engine
and secures the car before using the remote control to close the garage door. He
takes off his seat belt and collects his things from the passenger seat. With
his bag and smartphone in hand, he leaves the car, locks it and walks towards
the connecting door to the house.
 
Sasuke complied with his wife's request and went home earlier. Although he's
here now, he has brought the remaining work with him. After all he can't just
leave it behind. Actually, at first he didn't want to come early, but only when
he had finished the work. But that Sakura left the elevator almost insulted even
though he gave her an answer and then didn't even go to Naruto as he believes,
has worried him a little and now he is here. He silently closes the door behind
him and locks it immediately, taking off his shoes and walking quietly down the
hall. Light shines from the living room onto the corridor and shows him where to
find her. He hears her laughing softly from the room and pauses in front of the
door in the dark. “I would really like a strawberry daiquiri right now and we
have everything for it at home, but I can't possibly call Kiba to come through
the rain just to make me a drink.” He hears her say before she laughs again.
“No Ino, I can't do that.” She laughs once more. He smiles slightly and then
passes the door, takes a quick look inside and sees his wife's pink hair over
the back of the couch.
 
The Uchiha walks on, puts his keys in the bowl on the dresser and puts his shoes
away. He leans his work bag against the wall in front of the stairs and then
goes into the kitchen. He quickly looks for all the necessary things and finally
prepares everything. After a few minutes he is ready and takes a plate from one
of the cupboards, opens the refrigerator and takes out a few croquettes and
chicken nuggets to put on the plate and heat up in the microwave. He doesn't
need more than three pieces each. With the glass with the red liquid in hand, he
finally goes into the living room to his wife, who has meanwhile sat down to the
side of the door to the garden.
 
"Here, see it as a small apology, because I still have to work." He whispers and
hands her the glass. For a moment she looks at him in surprise, but then takes
the glass and takes a quick sip. "It tastes just like Kiba's." Sakura notes
immediately and even forgets for a moment that she is talking to her best friend
on the phone. "Yes, he showed it to me at his party back then." The Uchiha
shrugs and appears with the plate in the door, only to disappear again
immediately.
 
"Sakura! “ The young woman hears her best friend's voice again and immediately
holds the cell phone back to her ear. "Yes, I'm still here." She exclaims with a
soft laugh. "What happened?“ The blonde explores on the other end of the line.
"Nothing, Sasuke made me a strawberry daiquiri." The pink haired only explains
and sips her drink again. " Eh? He can do that?“ The Yamanaka asks further.
"Kiba apparently showed him." Sakura shrugs her shoulders, knowing that her
friend cannot see it anyway. " Kiba that...! Grrrr!” Ino then growls into the
phone. "What has he done again?" The Haruno asks in amusement. "He doesn't have
time for me! It's more important to stroll through the city with the tea shop
lady." Explains the blonde in a hissing tone. “He hasn’t been available for
the last week. It's called best friends, but apparently not for him!? The green
eyed woman sighs silently. It's that time again. Ino is jealous. Well, Hinata
and she always thought back then that there was something else between Kiba and
the blonde other than friendship, they just didn't want to see it. "I'm sorry
Ino." Sakura mumbles into the phone. “Yeah, that's fine. I'm with my parents
tonight anyway. I have to go now too. See you.“ It comes from the blonde again
in a neutral tone. "That’s good. Have a nice evening and greet them from me."
The pink haired woman smiles and sips her drink again. "Thank you, you too and
if it comes back to hickey marks, then I want to find out from you and not from
the magazines!" Ino trills again in a good mood. "Yes Ino." Sakura laughs in
amusement before she hears that she has already hung up.
 
Sighing, she lets her cell phone sink, puts her glass on the table and goes to
the patio door. Hickey. Apparently it won't come to that. Not with the way
Sasuke is behaving at the moment, but she can't just tell the blonde that when
she's stuck in her jealous dilemma again.
 
*Warning!!! Ino in jealousy mood! Kiba has no time and instead goes out with the
tea shop lady!*
 
Sakura sends the message to her two friends in silence. Ino will definitely get
in touch with them too. Her gaze falls on the dark garden. She can see scattered
leaves lying on the terrace. It is that time of the year again. The leaves turn
into the most beautiful autumn colors and fall to the ground, giving the
children joy when they can jump into the high piles of leaves and the colorful
leaves always make a beautiful picture. The autumn is here. The pink haired
woman crosses her arms behind her back and smiles slightly.



                        Kapitel 23: Step 23 - Breakdown
                        -------------------------------


Machines can break down. Systems, constructions and buildings. Just like humans
too. Sometimes a breakdown can be a good thing. When a computer or phone breaks
down, it is said that it has died. It may have overheated, due to overuse and/or
overwork. A system sometimes works perfectly again after a breakdown, because it
comes to a standstill for a moment. It gets a break. A system also needs
something like this. Not just us humans. It can also be that, despite the
breakdown, the problem persists or even worsens, but still you know that there
is a problem, making it able for you to search for the problem, repair and fix
it.

A knock sounds from the office door, making the youngest Uchiha lift his head in
torment. "Come in!" It comes in a rough tone over his lips and he hopes that the
person in front of the door is able to hear him, since his voice has been
failing him ever since the early morning hours. The door opens quietly and a man
enters the room. "Hey little brother." The voice of the older of the Uchiha
brothers sounds in the room, as he closes the door behind himself again. "Hey."
Sasuke replies rather unwillingly, since every word leaving his mouth is
scratching his throat, making him grimace a little while trying to make it go
unnoticed. The man with the dark brown eyes approaches the table and sits down
in the armchair across from his brother. “Are you okay?” Itachi inquires
after briefly examining his brother. "Yes, yes. Everything's fine.“ Sasuke
waves him off and looks at his brother rather confused. “What's up?” He then
asks instead, since his brother rarely visits him in the office. The elder sighs
briefly at the question and gives his brother an examining look. "Sasuke. What
is going on with you at the moment?” The long haired man begins after a moment
of silence, keeping a close eye on his little brother. "What do you mean?"
Sasuke asks back rather confused at his question. “Sakura came to me on
Wednesday. She says that you are distant and cold towards her. What's happening?
You've never been like this to her, not even after the wedding. You have always
been kind to her, but now you seem to treat her like a business partner, a
stranger. Tell me why?” Itachi then continues and lets his hands drop on his
thighs. "So she went to you that day." Sasuke states and smiles slightly. He
should have guessed it. "And why are you only coming to me now? That was almost
an week ago." He then continues and looks at his older brother, who lets out a
sigh.
 
“I told her to wait and look if there might be any chance that things get
better over the weekend again, that it’s possibly just a phase, but since you
haven't changed, she called me earlier. What's up Sasuke? Nobody can help you,
if you don't talk about it. Is it because of the dreams you told me about the
last time?” Itachi examines his younger brother searchingly, as if hoping to
find an answer in his face. Sasuke just glances up at his big brother and the
latter realizes, by looking into his eyes, that he will not answer him. “You
have to talk to us. You are worrying Sakura with your sudden distance too much
and she can't handle it. She actually realizes that you have problems, but she
doesn't know what exactly is bothering you to the point were you leave her in
the dark. Sasuke. Talk to us. Talk to Sakura, with father, Kakashi, or even
Ayame. But please just talk to someone about your struggles and what's 
bothering you.“ Pleads the older one. Thinking about it, he puts his hand to
his lips and watches his brother, who just stares straight at him or looks at
his trousers for a moment, maybe even at the table. "I know." Itachi then
suddenly adds with a soft laugh, before he continues. "Mom was always gifted
with this special talent that you really liked. She always only needed to give
you a single glance, in order to know what’s wrong with you. She always knew
what the problem was and what to say or do. But you have to consider,
Sasuke...” The older of the two pauses for a moment and looks up at him with
saddened eyes. “Unfortunately, mom is no longer with us and none of us has her
special talent to read your problems out of your facial expressions. Maybe
Sakura will be able to do that someday, after all, Mum didn't choose her for you
without a reason, but until then you have to talk to us and if you only provide
small clues. But please say something. We want to know what's wrong with you. We
are all worried.” Itachi smiles towards him and hopes to find out something
after his rather long speech.
 
The younger breathes in deeply, before breathing out just as soundly.
"Everything is okay, there’s nothing to worry about." Sasuke just mumbles and
looks to the side. The long haired man sighs resignedly at his answer and lets
his hand fall back on his thigh with a loud thud. "There’s nothing to worry
about, you say, but you really don't look good Sasuke." He finally says,
watching his little brother frown. "I'm just missing a bit of sleep and my
throat is scratchy, but other than that everything is okay." Explains Sasuke,
while running erratically with his fingers through his hair. A deep sigh leaves
his lips and then looks back at all the papers on his desk. “If there is
nothing else, I need to keep working. Unfortunately I don’t have as much free
time as you, so there’s still a lot I have to finish till afternoon.“ It
comes rather annoyed from the younger one and to underline this statement, he
takes his pen back into hand and lifts one page up to read through it. Itachi
sighs resignedly at his brothers words and stands up after a quick last glance
at him. He approaches the door and puts his hand on the handle, but he doesn’t
turn back again when he says his next words. “Talk to Sakura. Please. This
silence is killing you and her too." Annoyed, Sasuke throws the paper back on
his table after his brother has left the room again. He should have expected
that she would go to Itachi. Of course she didn’t went all the way up with
him, since it would have been obvious if she suddenly went to the right instead
of going back to her office. He would have asked her where she’s going and she
probably didn’t want him to ask that when he is the one distancing himself
from her in the first place.
 
Sasuke sighs out softly. It's all right. Nobody needs to worry about him. He has
only been sleeping bad and restlessly lately and just can’t get rid of that
stupid cold. He distances himself a little from Sakura so as not to let her see
how he is and risk possibly infecting her. After all he doesn’t even know if
his condition is contagious. This cold just wears him completely out, which
keeps him from working and he hates that. 
 
Sighing, the youngest Uchiha presses the palms of his hands against his eyes,
presses his head against the cushion of the headrest and carefully rubs over
them. His head is booming as if someone is working with a jackhammer right next
to him. Beside that it’s also throbbing, as if someone keeps hitting him with
a hammer at regular intervals. His ears and eyes sting, just as they are
burning. His throat is scratchy and the fever makes him sweat. His mouth and
throat is also constantly dry and he feels scratches in his lungs whenever he
breathes in and out. It's just unbearable and keeps him from doing his work as
efficiently as possible. If it weren’t for this problems, he would be able to
have more breaks in between to relax.

Tormented, Sasuke puts his hands on his head. He's been feeling like this ever
since the early morning hours, all of a sudden, just right after the weekend
ended. It's almost unbearable. He can’t sleep, or eat and even breathing is
sometimes difficult. For a month now he has only been sleeping restlessly or
waking up at night. He looks around his table for a moment, grabs his glass and
greedily drinks out the liquid in it. His throat burns and hurts with each
swallow. He takes a deep breath and tries to collect himself, squeezes his
burning eyes for a moment and then shakes his head a few times. He has to pull
himself together! It's not even noon yet, which means he still has a lot of work
to do. Even if he has difficulty concentrating, he can’t simply stop working
because his body is limping. He's just missing a little sleep and that’s all.
The Uchiha grits his teeth and devotes himself back to work.
 

 
~> * <~
 

The pink haired woman laughs. Natsuki too is laughing aloud to the extend
she’s about to throw herself on the ground. Ever since Karin got her two
warnings and got put back into her place by both Sasuke and Kakashi, the mood in
the women’s office has been even better than usual. Sakura leans her elbow on
the armrest of her chair and lets her head fall back from all the laugher. The
sudden ringing of the office phone is the only thing that is able to make the
two fall silent. Grinning, the Haruno caresses a tear from the corner of her
eye, before clearing her throat and picking up the phone, because it's usually
always just her phone anyway. Somewhat surprised, she looks at the name on the
display, as certain numbers are stored with names. She groans a little annoyed
when she realizes what this is going to be about. "Hello Ayame." She greets her
husbands secretary friendly and sighs inwardly. When Ayame calls, it's always
because of Sasuke, because he wants or needs something from her and she
seriously doesn't feel like going to him at all. “Tell him I'm not in mood, or
that i have no time, whatever, I don't care. I don’t care what he wants." She
then continues immediately and examines her fingernails, looking for possible
nail polish that could have chipped off. It's his own fault, he distances
himself from her and sometimes even ignores her, she doesn't feel like giving
him attention after all that now and she doesn't really need to. "Mrs. Uchiha,
you must come immediately!“ She suddenly hears the desperate and hasty voice
of her husbands secretary. Confused, she raises her eyebrow in response. On one
hand because she agreed with her that she would address her with Haruno and on
the other hand because she sounds so desperate. “Has something happened?”
She explores relatively calmly, awaiting the woman’s explanation. “Mr.
Uchiha! He suddenly broke down!” Explains the secretary hurriedly and
obviously scared.
 
Her eyes widen in shock, as her grip on the receiver loosens. The green eyed
woman is almost dropping the receiver, as she feels very much reminded of a
situation that has happened not too far back. "O-Okay. I'm coming." She utters
briefly, quickly gets up and accidentally slams the receiver back onto its
place. In the next moment she turns around and overcomes the meters to the door
and storms through it, her surroundings disappearing from her vision. Everything
she sees is the door in the end of the path. Her heels come up on the carpet in
quick and short intervals. They echo dully through the hallway, which she walks
along and past her colleagues who look at her in confusion and surprise. Some
even evade her in order not to collide with her.
 
Without knocking, she slams the door to Ayame's office open, which bounces off
the swing of the door stopper and falls back into its lock. She carries her legs
further into her husbands office, whom she sees as soon as she steps through the
door. He is lying on the floor, in the middle of the room, only two steps away
from his desk. Suddenly a similar memory shoots through her head and she can
think of nothing else, only a straight line and a high sound. Her heart skips
for a brief moment, knocking the breath out of her lungs. "Mrs. Uchiha!" The
secretary calls out to her, a little relieved. "What happened?" Sakura asks
completely shaken and approaches her husband with quick steps, rushes to his
side and gently runs her fingers through his hair. He is laying on his stomach
with his face turned to the side. "I don’t know. I just heard a loud crashing
sound and when I came to check on the situation, I found him unconsciously
laying on the floor.” The older woman reports and looks panicked at her boss. 

 
“Sasuke, you idiot! Wake up! Stop this crap?!“, Sakura grabs the black
haired man by his shoulder to shakes him lightly, but he doesn’t even flinch.
"Sasuke!" She calls out once again, while panic slowly spreads through her whole
body. She bends very close to his face, which is covered by a wet film of sweat
and is glowing in heat, perceiving his breath very faintly. "We have to get him
into the stable side position!" She comments and looks up at Ayame. "Have you
already informed Fugaku and Itachi?" She then asks, overwhelmed, while she turns
her husband on his side and places his head on her stripped blazer. Goosebumps
immediately spread over her arms, but she hardly notices the prevailing cold.
She puts her hands on his cheeks. "I have already informed Fugaku." Ayame says,
when Sakura jumps up and runs through her hair in panic. She just doesn't know
what to do next. "And what about Itachi?" She asks desperately. "His line is
busy, I can't get through to him and his secretary is free today.” Explains
the secretary and looks at her boss's wife with concern. Said woman immediately
turns around and runs out of the office. "Ms. Uchiha?!" She hears Ayame call out
to her, but instead of turning back, she immediately runs down the hall to the
elevators, in order to get to Itachi's office.
 
Without any warning or knocking, she storms first into the secretary's office
and then further into Itachi's. Jumping up in his seat by the sudden opening and
slamming of the door, he looks up and at her. "Excuse me, mr. Tachimoto!" The
older brother interrupts the man on the other end of the line. before turning to
his sister in law. "Sakura. I'm in the middle of wor-" He begins, but when he
sees the panic in her expression, he stops. “What happened?" He then starts to
ask instead and immediately gets up from his chair. “Sasuke… Sasuke broke
down. Please Itachi, don't tell me that it's the same as your mother's. I can't
handle that one more time!" She comes up to him in panic and clings to his
shirt. He can see tears well up in her eyes. She said what she had been fearing
all along. "Sakura, please calm down. Otherwise you will get a panic attack.
What happened?” He tries to calm her down, since he barely understood a word.
“Sasuke collapsed! He's lying unconscious on the floor of his office!” She
exclaims in panic and tears run down her cheeks. Itachi stares at her in shock
before turning to his phone, pressing a button and picking up the receiver. "Mr.
Tachimoto, I’m truly sorry, but an emergency has occurred. I have to leave
immediately." He speaks into the receiver and hangs up shortly afterwards.
“Sakura, go ahead and take care of Sasuke. I'll follow you immediately.” It
comes from the Uchiha, while he looks into her tears stained face. "He doesn't
have anything like Mikoto, does he?! He won't suddenly disappear just like she
did, right?! He mustn't leave me alone. I can't do it alone, I need him!" She
asks him panicked. Her hands are shaking and her breathing slowly turns into a
kind of gasp. "Sakura! Sakura, please calm down! Take a deep breath.“ His
hands grab her shoulders tightly when he sees a light film of sweat on her
forehead. Her attention is on him. "No. Sakura, he doesn't. Calm down. Take a
deep breath!" He instructs her again and she nods tentatively before sucking air
into her lungs, only to exhale again. She repeats this a few times, before he
raises his voice again. "Are you okay?" He looks worried at his sister in law
and watches her nod in silence.

Relieved, he quickly takes his smartphone to hand and then leaves the office
together with her, locks the office door and returns with her to his brother's
office. Halfway through, the green eyed’s pace quickens. Concern for her
husband drives her forward and lets her walk the remaining meters into his
office. When she enters said place once again, Fugaku looks at her, while Sasuke
is still lying on the floor unchanged and Ayame kneels next to his motionless
body. "Sakura." Her father in law calls out to her with relief. "Where have you
been?" She looks at him with a desperate look. "I- I went to get Itachi." She
says and as if on cue, said man enters the office right behind her. He
approaches his father and looks at his brother critically. "I should have sent
him home, he was already pale earlier." Itachi notes and shakes his head in
defeat. Worried, Sakura sinks back to the floor next to her husband and gently
strokes his hair. "The rescue team has already been informed." Reports Ayame and
rises up from the ground. “Good, Sakura, I want you to take him to the
hospital. We will follow you directly. I'll take your car and father will drive
his.“ The older of the Uchiha-offsprings raises his voice. "No, you should go
with us." The overstrained woman shakes her head, glancing back at her husband.
"No, you are his wife and you should be with him." Her brother in law explains
and smiles encouragingly at her. "I don't know, Itachi. Maybe one of us should
go with them." Fugaku now gets into the conversation, so as not to overwhelm
her. The whole situation is already enough for her after all. However, his
eldest son turns to him and whispers something into his ear. "She'll do it."
Itachi then says out loud with confidence. "But... I don't know anything about
your family’s medical history." The Haruno then protests, watching him smile
at her. "That doesn't matter." Itachi explains with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Please go with him, Sakura." The oldest Uchiha in the room, now agrees to his
son as well, watching her nod resignedly.
 

 
~> * <~
 


The pink haired woman leans her crossed arms on the windowsill and stares out.
The room is dominated by silence, nobody dares to say a word. The youngest
Uchiha is still lying unconscious in the hospital bed, while Fugaku is sitting
at his side and Itachi is sitting at the foot on another chair. Only she has her
chair almost at the other end of the room. They have been waiting for him to
wake up for almost an hour and a half now, but he still hasn’t even budged.
She could no longer sit, especially not calmly, because the anger inside her
became too unbearable. She is so damn angry at him, she would like to grab him
and shake him until he wakes up. Her spirited manner has come through again
after such a long time. She stares at the tree below in the hospital courtyard.
Of course, Fugaku and Itachi noticed her anger, but nobody says anything, maybe
because they partly understand her. She doesn't know for sure. A low sigh breaks
the silence in the room, making her look around and at her father in law, who
rose up from his chair. “I'm going to take a walk.” He explains himself
briefly, which is not surprising. After all, he has only been sitting lately and
the doctors have already crossed out any worrying possibilities, such as heart
problems or perhaps something with the head. The only thing that is known right
now, is, that he has a high fever. The doctors being unable to say more right
now. "It's okay." It comes from the pink haired woman, trying hard to stay
friendly. She has always made sure that only those people suffer from her anger
who are responsible for it. Fugaku leaves the room, which is actually intended
for two patients. But since the patient is an Uchiha, a second one is not
assigned. After all, they are considered celebrities and so their privacy is
protected in hospitals.
 
Sakura turns her back to the window and leans against the windowsill again. Her
indefinable gaze lays on her husband, whose chest rises and falls regularly and
he actually looks like he's sleeping. A melody suddenly sounds in the room and
her gaze slides to Itachi, who takes his smartphone out of his inside pocket.
She looks back at her husband, the reason for her anger. “This is Misuki. I'll
go out briefly and talk to her. You're not going to kill him while i’m gone,
are you?” Her brother in law turns to her with an amused smile, drawing her
attention back to him. A slight grin lies on his lips when she lets out a sigh.
"I can't make any promises." She mumbles truthfully, but in the end she can't
suppress a small smile either. The long haired man laughs softly at her response
and leaves the room, accepting the call. Nobody seems to be really worried about
Sasuke anymore, which isn’t really a wonder. After all, the serious things
have been excluded. Her anger at him also predominates. He's such an idiot.
That’s what she thinks over and over again.

The young woman groans in annoyance and pushes away from her window, slowly
walks across the room, heading for her chair close to the door where the second
bed is standing. When she arrives at the chair, she briefly looks at her
handbag. She was so shaken about his breakdown that she hadn't even thought of
her purse or anything. Itachi brought her handbag and jacket with himself, when
he came to the hospital not much later. He probably also shut down her devices
while he was at it. A low snort comes over her lips as she turns and walks back
to the window. Sun shines through the thick glass, it’s almost funny and kind
of ironic. The whole time they wanted the warm sun back and exactly when Sasuke
collapses and is brought to the hospital, the sun suddenly comes out again.
 
The green eyed woman hears her husband taking a deep breath and looks back
around at him. Tired, he squints his eyes and rubs his right hand with the
infusion over his eyes. She walks slowly towards the bed and comes to a halt at
the end of the bed, while he blinks and then looks at the needle that is stuck
in his forearm, to a tube that leads to the infusion attached to it. "Oh damn
it." It escapes his dry lips with a groan, his gaze wandering from the white
ceiling until his eyes meet hers. "Hey." He mumbles and even seems surprised for
a moment. The fingers of her right hand drumming angrily on her left upper arm,
as she still keeps her arms crossed in front of her chest. She tries to calm
down a little, counts down from 10, but it doesn't help. "Tell me, are you
insane? What was that shit about? Breaking down while you work! You almost gave
me a heart attack!" She yells at him immediately. Counting definitely didn't
help. Of course not. Lately he has treated her so coldly, he even ignored her
and then he suddenly collapses out of the blue. Should she have pity on him too?
Her eyes are almost sparkling from anger and she doesn't care if it's a hospital
they are in at the moment, just as she doesn't care how he feels. If he has a
headache, it would even be a satisfaction for her if it hurts even more.

He grimaces for a moment, apparently he actually has a headache, but she is not
sorry. Though, unfortunately there is no feeling of satisfaction either. He
looks a little surprised at her before he raises his scratchy voice. "Sorry."
She can hear his raspy voice, before it turns into loud coughs, which only makes
him grimace again. But in her anger she doesn't go into it any further. "You are
sorry. How great, really, but that doesn't help me either now. If you had talked
with me, we'd both not be here now."
She growls mercilessly at him and spreads her arms to draw attention to the
hospital room. “What happened?” The black haired man explores and lets his
wife keep ranting on him. "What happened, you ask? I will tell you what
happened! You broke down at work because work is more important than anything
else! What the fuck? Damn it, Sasuke! If you have a fever, just stay home! I
thought it was something else, maybe something to be taken seriously. But no!
No, everything is fine, my husband just collapsed with a fever of just under 39
degrees. But other than that everything is okay!” Towards the end she stops
screaming and becomes sarcastic instead. She snorts aloud in disbelief. "I'm so
mad at you. But that's not your problem, is it? You'd rather stay at a distance
and watch me struggle. Damn you! you make me so angry I- agh!” She yells and
in the next moment storms towards the door to get out.

The black haired man looks a little perplexed after his wife, while he is also
relieved. Her screaming didn't do his headache any good. Sighing in agony, he
lifts his upper body slightly up from the bed and pulls the pillow up, adjusting
it so that he can lay a little more upright and then puts his throbbing head
into the soft and fluffy cushion. His eyes burn, even if not as much as they did
in the morning, but his lungs and throat are hurting, making the cough from
earlier cause him even more pain. The door through which the Haruno rushed out
and left a crack open, opens again slowly. Sasuke looks up at the soft creaking
sound and towards his brother. The latter smiles mildly at him and closes the
door behind himself, immediately sinking his hands into his trouser pockets and
stepping to the end of the bed, where Sakura was standing just a moment ago.
"What was that just now?" It comes tiredly over the younger ones lips and raises
his eyebrow while he looks briefly back at the door.
 
A small smile pulls on Itachi's lips when he looks briefly at the door. "She is
temperamental." He notes with a shrug and looks at his brother lying in bed "And
really pissed off because of you." This time he even looks a bit serious as he
says this. A sigh comes from the younger man's dry lips. “I scared her, I get
it. But she doesn't have to exaggerate, does she?” He says and every word
hurts in his throat, making him moan slightly. Normally, Itachi would have
snorted in amusement or even laughed briefly by now, but nothing like that
happens. "Sasuke." He exclaims seriously and waits until he gets his brother’s
attention. "She didn’t exaggerate. To be honest, she even understated the
situation." Sasuke just raises one of his eyebrows in disbelief, as it is one of
the few things he can do without being in pain. "Oh yeah?" He asks the question
which he was trying to express with his facial expression. Itachi nods briefly
in response, before raising his voice again. "Yes. Firstly, you didn't have a
fever of under 39 degrees, but 39.4 degrees." He grins slightly while he says
this. Of course, normally he doesn't like giving bad news at all and would like
to avoid it, but if not now, it may never work. The younger Uchiha clicks his
tongue with a grumble, because his brother apparently just wants to annoy him,
which is typical for him. However, his thought are disturbed when he sees his
brother's look suddenly turns serious again, making him look up at him with
surprise.

Itachi sighs again before starting to speak. "Sasuke, i’m not joking. The last
time Sakura came to the hospital because mom broke down, she never saw her
again. Do you know what kind of a shock it was for her when you suddenly broke
down too? Lying motionless on the floor in your office? She was one breath away
from a panic attack because she was afraid that you would never leave the
hospital again either." The brown eyed man reports the events, which took place
while his brother was lying unconscious on the floor. Almost shocked, the
younger stares at him, swallowing and almost not even feeling the pain. "Damn
it." He utters and closes his eyes. He had no idea what he has done. Itachi
sighs at his reaction and examines his brothers face, which is still as pale as
it was in the morning. “Sasuke you have to talk to her. It can’t go on like
this. Did you think that she won't notice? Of course she noticed that you have a
fever, but you were so cold to her, that she didn't even dare to say anything.
That's why she's so angry at you.” The older of the brothers explains briefly,
hoping to give his brother a push into the right direction. Sasuke now looks up
at him in disbelief. "Because of that?" He asks skeptically. Sakura was so
furious because she didn't dare to talk to him about his fever? His brother must
be trying to make fun of him again. "Yes." The man with the longer hair nods
briefly and looks up from the bed frame at his brother. “Do you think she's
saying this for fun, that you should stay home when you have a fever? Sasuke,
also fever can be dangerous. Yeah even life threatening." He continues and looks
his brother serious into the eyes. "She is worried sick about you and all you do
is distance yourself and are cold towards her. Do you want to punish her for
something? What did she do to you?” Questioningly he looks at Sasuke, who
lowers his eyes on the blanket. She hasn't done anything, he's just an idiot.
Itachi pauses for a moment and looks out into the surroundings, lit by the
bright sun.
 
"You worry her by ignoring her and then you even collapse in the middle of work
and drive her to a near panic attack." Itachi finally says and looks into his
brother's dark grey eyes. Said man looks up at him ruefully. It hadn’t been
his intention to cause any of this. He was just thinking of himself, he's a
damned egoist. The older one sighs at his silence. “She's angry with you
because she's worried and cares for you, because you are important to her. Even
if you say that you don't love each other, I can see clearly how important you
two are for each other. Heck you even jumped after her when she went overboard.
But suddenly you only worry and scare her. If it’s because of your dreams,
then you need to tell her.” He explains briefly the behavior of his sister in
law and can even understand it. The dark grey eyed man looks at him in silence.
What his brother said concerns him. Of course. After all they are talking about
his wife here. Itachi's gaze is directed at him, his dark brown orbs filled with
sadness. “Sasuke, she was crying. Do you know what she said? She was literally
begging me. I quote: Please tell me that it’s not the same as with Mikoto. He
mustn't leave me alone. I can't do it alone, I need him. I can't cope with this
one more time.” The older Uchiha reports bitterly to him and Sasuke can see
that his brother doesn't find it easy, he likes Sakura. "She thought that she'd
never see you again and the last thing she saw of you was a cold look." Itachi
almost only whispers towards the end, as if his voice is failing. Sasuke feels a
stab in his chest, making him gasp silently. He had never intended to hurt her
with his distancing, but now he even made her cry. "You have to talk to her
Sasuke." The older one adds with an emphatic voice.

The youngest Uchiha sighs and puts his hands on his face, pressing his head into
the pillow. What did he do? Of course, his collapse was not planned, but had he
only not been such an idiot and listened to her, on one hand he might not have
ended up here and on the other hand he wouldn’t have let her go through such
thoughts and pain. It wasn’t his plan to hurt her. He distanced himself from
her only because he couldn't cope with his own self. He acted as if he wanted to
punish her, but that wasn’t it. It wasn’t her fault. She is not responsible
for Karin pushing her into the sea and thus triggering everything and getting
him into so much troubles. All these nightmares night after night, his cold, his
fears... It is not her fault and he never intended to make her feel like it is.
It’s all just the Kaseguchi’s fault that it all came this far, that he felt
so troubled and went on distance out of fear. He was an ass to her and she still
stayed by his side and took care of him! He doesn’t deserve it. Desperate, he
presses his hands to his face. What did he do? Just what the fuck did he do?
 
"I'll go look for her then." His brother explains after a while of silence,
leaving the room with quick steps.
 

 
~> * <~
 

Sighing softly, the pink haired woman grips the bottle of lemon iced tea, which
stands in front of her at the table. She shouldn't have yelled at him like that.
They are in a hospital and he collapsed, even if she was venting out her anger,
she still shouldn't have yelled at him. Apart from that it was unnecessary,
since she is still on the same level of knowledge as before. It wouldn’t
wonder her at all, if she has just lost her last chance, that he will ever talk
to her about it. All just because she couldn’t hide her temper.
 
Sakura looks around the large room. After running back and forth for a while and
a few minutes outside in the park, she retired to the hospital cafeteria and
bought a bottle of lemon iced tea. She smiles slightly at the bottle. Sasuke
loves this stuff. A dejected sigh comes from her lips and she lets go of the
little bottle with which she was playing around. If they loved each other, he
would have had to run after her and somehow she also wishes that he would do it
even now. But she knows that he won't do that. He's in such bad shape, who knows
if he can even stand. Actually, as his wife, she should be upstairs and stand by
his side and take care of him, but who knows if he even wants to see her at the
moment.
 
The double door to the cafeteria swings open and causes the pink haired woman to
look up. Yes, she just wished that it was him who came after her. She averts her
gaze from the man who has just entered the room and looks back at the bottle in
front of her, running her thumb over the label. "Hey, you left him alive.”
Itachi rises his voice and lets himself sink into the chair opposite from her.
"I'm sorry that I yelled at him like that. I'm still angry with him, but he's
not doing so well and besides, we're in a hospital.” She says, while running
her hand through her hair to cling to it. "Don’t worry. Hospitals should have
that much of soundproofing, I mean, how often do women scream in despair when
their husband dies or something? You can't ask them to be quiet either.”
Replies her brother in law, making her snort in amusement. He's actually right.
“Do you think he'll talk to me?” The pink haired woman explores and looks
up. Itachi sighs softly at her question and runs his fingers through his hair.

"I hope so. I just talked to him and told him what he did with his behavior and
why you are so angry. He looked rather remorseful. I really can’t promise you
anything, but I hope so." A gentle smile forms on her lips at his words. "Thanks
for your efforts Itachi, I really appreciate it." "Hey, we are family." He
replies with a smile of his own and ruffles her hair. "The only problem is that
your husband is an idiot.” He adds playfully, making her laugh slightly. "Come
on, let's go back, otherwise father will be worried." The black haired man
raises his voice after a while, watching Sakura nod silently as the two of them
rise from their seats. She takes the bottle from the table and then follows her
brother in law towards the double door. They are walking leisurely down the
hall, while she plays around with the bottle's label again until it finally
falls down. Sighing, she picks it up and looks at Itachi, who has stopped a
little surprised. "Sasuke always drinks that stuff." He remarks after a quick
look at the bottle. “Yeah. I bought it as an apology for Sasuke. I prefer
peaches and I've already emptied it.” Explains the woman as they step into the
elevator. "Oh man, Sasuke really doesn't deserve you." Itachi exclaims with a
shake of his head and an amused smile. Pressing the button to the wished floor,
he finally leans against the elevator wall with his hands in his trouser
pockets. Sakura snorts in amusement at his comment. “You sure are a nice
brother. You have Misuki anyway." She interjects and looks at the floor display.
"Yes, I do and I'm also glad and grateful for it, but I'm sorry that you got
such an idiot." He then replies with a crooked smile, making her laugh once
more.
 
The elevator finally stops on the 7th floor and the two of them get out,
silently walking side by side across the hospital corridors, past nurses,
doctors, patients and some visitors. It seems like the patients are getting
their food, meaning, visiting hours will soon be over. In the hallway, in front
of Sasuke's room, they finally see the head of the Uchihas smiling at them. "Why
are you standing out here?" Itachi explores in confusion. "A doctor is currently
examining him." Fugaku explains only briefly, watching the two averting their
gaze towards the door. "But you can go in, Sakura." With a nod, he points to the
door, watching her approach it. She swallows a little uncertainly and finally
knocks on the door. Without waiting for a response, she opens the door and
enters the room. Her gaze falls on her husband, who is sitting upright in the
bed, dressed in a hospital shirt and looks at her while the doctor is listening
to his lungs. The older man looks up briefly and then concentrates again on his
patient. Sakura puts the bottle in her purse and straightens up again, looking
her husband in the eyes. He returns her gaze in silence, not taking his eyes off
of her until the doctor asks for his attention. "Okay." The man in his white
coat exclaims silently, picking up the medical record to make a note on it. Then
he turns to the heart machine and presses a few buttons before scribbling into
the file again. "Okay, I'm done, the gentlemen are welcome to come back in." The
man finally announces, while standing at the end of the bed.

The pink haired woman glances at her husband to find out if he wants that too.
When she sees him nod, she approaches the door again and opens it. "You can come
in." She then announces and holds the door open for them. Both men enter the
room, before she closes the door again. She gets up to Sasuke's side and shakes
up his pillow when she notices that he wants to lean back into it. "So, mr.
Uchiha." The doctor raises his voice once more and looks up from the medical
record. "Your lymph nodes are swollen, your throat is inflamed, as are your
eyes, your lungs are occupied and you can also see on the X-rays that you have
bronchitis. Your sinuses are blocked and currently you have a body temperature
of 38.5 degrees." Reports the doctor and also briefly shows the X-ray, which
Sasuke can’t even see in his laying position. "In short, together with your
other symptoms, headaches and body aches, you have the flu." The doctor finishes
his explanation and looks at his patient. “However, since flu is usually
triggered by viruses and we haven't found any in your blood, the question now
arises whether you might have been infected somewhere. Influenza is transmitted
via droplets.” The man continues to investigate. "No, I haven't had much
contact with other people lately, especially not any sick ones." Sasuke replies
with that scratchy voice of his. The doctor nods in understanding. "Do you have
any other idea where you might have got the flu from?" He asks further, giving
everyone else in the room a quick look.
 
The youngest Uchiha just shakes his head. "We went overboard." The pink haired
woman suddenly begins. Confused, the doctor looks at her. "I beg your pardon?"
He explores a little baffled. “We went overboard around a month ago. He caught
a cold because of it, but ignored the cold and therefore never really cured it.
That was almost two weeks ago.” She then explains matter of factly. The medic
nods in understanding and notes something into the file. “Of course it could
be that the cold you missed has developed into flu, especially in your
condition.” The doctor looks back to Sasuke, who raises an eyebrow. “You
seem a little starved and stressed, in general you are also a bit pale. I guess
you didn't eat too much, because of lack of appetite caused by the flu. The food
contains nutrients which are important for our skin and the immune system. You
are clearly overworked, mr. Uchiha.“ The doctor explains seriously, who now
closes the file and holds it in both hands. “That, in combination with the flu
and the high fever caused the break down. We will continue to monitor you over
night, but I think we can discharge you already the next day.", The doctor
finishes and then approaches the door. "If you will excuse me, I have to go to a
few other patients now." He then explains and leaves the room behind.

"Jackpot! Flu, bronchitis and overworked all in one!" Itachi exclaims with the
clap of his hands. "Well, now that we know what you have, I think I can go
without having to worry. Misuki is waiting and you have Sakura anyway." He then
continues and smiles. Patting his brother on the shoulder, only to bid them
goodbye. "Thanks Itachi." Said man smiles back at her before he walks towards
the door, waves again briefly and disappears from their sight. "How long do you
think it will take him until he realizes that he can't get away from here
without me?" Fugaku looks at his daughter in law questioningly, when he realizes
that she was talking to him. She smiles gently when the door opens again and
Itachi peeks in while holding onto the door frame with his arm. “Uhm, Dad?”
He utters briefly, watching Sakura laugh, as Fugaku lets out a sigh. "Yes, yes,
I'm coming." He quickly waves his first son off, only to turn to the other two.
"You're just like me when I was younger." He then says at his son and gently
puts his hand on his shoulder. "Oh yeah?" Sasuke simply mumbles, watching his
father laugh at his question. "Yes. I worked myself to exhaustion until I broke
down." Fugaku answers with a nod. “And that is a sign that something has to be
changed. But we'll talk about that when you're back to health again.” He pats
a few times over his son's shoulder and gives him an encouraging smile, before
he makes a step back. “You should get some sleep, Sasuke. And listen to what
your wife tells you.” The older man then suggests and takes his hand
completely away. “I should slowly go too. If there’s anything you need, you
know that you can always call me, but there are enough doctors and nurses here
anyway." Sasuke watches his father bid goodbye to them as well and gives Sakura
a last hug, before he approaches the door. "Bye.” Sasuke exclaims silently
with that croaking voice of his, as they watch his father leave the room and
close the door.
 
The young woman sighs once and then looks at the bedside table, on which she
sees a tray with food. "Come, you should eat something." She pushes the table to
her husband so that he only needs to take the spoon and fork. "I don't want to."
The Uchiha growls and looks at the glass of water. "What did the doctor just
say?" Sakura warns him with a sigh and crosses her arms over her chest. "I
can’t swallow that. Not with that throat." Sasuke explains with a shake of his
head, watching his wife taking off one of the covers and putting the plate
closer to him. “Then at least eat the soup. It will do you and your throat
good." She then explains and hands him the spoon. Reluctantly he lets himself
give into it. She smiles slightly and then takes the iced tea from her handbag
to fill the empty glass with it. Then she takes the cover from the second plate
off as well and watches Sasuke grimaces when he sees the plate. Taking the fork
from before into her hand, she sits down on the edge of the bed and eats the
curry in his place. "Yuck, hospital food." He utters when he sees her seriously
eating that stuff. Sakura just shrugs her shoulders in response and empties the
plate while Sasuke eats the soup and then drinks his iced tea, which by now
turned lukewarm. But he doesn’t want to complain about that. Not after she
bought him that on her own free will, although she still seems to be mad at him
and since cold it would only damage his throat further anyway. The pink haired
woman puts the empty dishes back on the tray and then pushes the table to the
side again, only to sit down far away from him, on the chair near the door,
where her handbag is still laying.

With crossed arms, she watches him as he uses the remote control to lower the
headboard of the bed to bring it into a flatter position. Her gaze is directed
out of the window. The sun has set and has given way to the darkness of the
night. The room has also got dark, only the lamp above Sasuke's bed providing
the room some light. He sighs softly and finally, after staring at the ceiling
for a few minutes, turns to his right side, searching for his wife. With her
arms crossed, she sits on the chair at a safe distance and returns his look. He
doesn't deserve her and yet she's sitting there instead of just going home.
 
"Come here." His voice sounds silently through the room, lifting his blanket
slightly up and trying to invite her to lie down with him. "No!" It comes from
her, while she looks at him with a slightly angered look. "I'm sorry that I
yelled at you earlier, but I'm still mad at you." She then continues, to make
the situation clear to him. He sighs softly at her words and lets the covers
sink back down again. He doesn’t question it, after all it only turned out
this way because he pushed her away first. "Okay." He says quietly and closes
his eyes for a moment before looking at her again, staring at her in silence for
a long time. "I don't understand why you came back in the first place. I didn't
deserve it, but I understand that you're still mad at me.” He looks at her
ruefully, while her look stays the same. "I'm sorry, I should have told that I
wasn't feeling well this morning.” He then includes before closing his eyes
again, swallows and grimaces in pain. “That's not why I'm angry at you. Why
are you distancing yourself from me like that? Just why? What have I done?”
She replies angrily. Sasuke opens his dark eyes again and looks towards her. In
pain, he lifts his head slightly from the pillow and finally lowers it back down
again. "I am sorry. You have done nothing. It’s not because of you. I've been
an egoist, I really don't deserve you and your care. It's...” He pauses
briefly and swallows again. His throat just feels so dry. “I jumped after you
so selflessly. I could have died just from trying to save you and still I jumped
after you. I didn't even think. I just jumped without any hesitation, because I
knew that otherwise I would have never seen you again…” He starts to explain
and looks into her now dark green eyes.
 
Sakura's tense posture loosens and her eyes soften. “That fact got me to
think. I'm generally quite reserved, aloof and cold towards people, but when
it’s you i’m suddenly so different. Mother already told me once that I will
feel scared at one point when I discover things I never did before my entire
life. But even though she said that, you becoming this important to me, shook
and scared me to the core.“ The Haruno looks rather surprised at his
explanation, before her lips curl up into a soft, but still amused smile. “You
were afraid of showing care towards another person?” She asks and all the
anger seems to have disappeared. He smiles with relief. "No. It’s not that. It
all happened so quickly. Do you know how long it took Ryosuke or Naruto? How
long they had to bother me until I could even tolerated them around me? How much
longer it took me to accept them as friends? Until I let Naruto get away with
calling me his best friend?” The Uchiha ask, trying but failing to ignore the
pain he feels with every word he says and she notices too that it is difficult
for him to speak. She looks at him worried and smiles gently. He knows that she
wants to tell him that it's okay, but he wants to sort it out now. "It all took
me years to accept, but then you suddenly come into my life and everything
happened so fast. I accepted you around myself within a few weeks, your friends
have become my friends. We have been married for almost half a year. You have
become an important friend. My best friend by all means. It was even more
important to me to save you, than to think about my own life. It all happened so
quickly, that it seriously frightened me.” Taking another short break, he
tries to breath in deeply, but fails as it end up in a mess of coughs. She
quickly stands up, but he just hold up his hand to signal her that it’s okay.
After he calmed down again, he looks back at her and swallows unwillingly to
give his dry throat a little soothing, even if it hurts. "I kept my distance not
because of you, but because I was so frightened at this sudden change. Even
though she told me it’s normal to discover such moments, it still threw me off
the seat." He finally ends and looks into her eyes.

Sasuke swallows in pain and watches his wife stand there with that surprised
look. Slowly she step closer to the bed, putting her handbag down next to it and
holding out her hand to gently run her fingers through his hair. "It's okay."
She then whispers sincerely at him. "It was stupid of me, but it was so
unfamiliar that distancing felt like the best thing to do." He closes his eyes
with relish at her soft touches. “It’s okay, you don’t need to explain
yourself further. I need to apologize too. I should have come to you and
confront you about it, instead of leaving you alone with your struggles and
doubting your intentions like that.” He doesn’t open his eyes or says
anything in response to her words. He just feels glad, that she seems to accept
his apology and that everything seems to be okay again. "Sasuke?" The Haruno
raises her voice again after a few minutes. "Hm?" It comes relaxed over his dry
lips, listening in to her voice. “What are the dreams that are plaguing you
night after night? We have to do something about that. You really need your
sleep. A quiet and healthy sleep.“ He hears her whisper and opens his burning
eyes slowly. Again he tries to lift his head a little and looks into her eyes.
Nothing left in her gaze of her previous outburst and anger towards him. He
sighs a little pained. "It's always the same dream in all its facets." He starts
and looks away from her eyes. "I see mom dying.” He continues and clears his
throat before he swallows and grimaces again. "Shortly afterwards you die too
and leave me all alone." He explains and she looks at him surprised but also a
little shocked, but he doesn’t stop and keeps telling her what he keeps seeing
every night. “You always die differently, but most of the time it doesn’t
happen naturally. You get shot, hanged, stabbed, drowned and many other ways."
His eyes still stare down, until he decides to look up into her eyes again.
Sakura puts her hand on his cheek, which is still burning. “You know what they
say about dreams. It is the subconscious that processes your wishes." She starts
to explain while moving her thumb over his warm skin. “But it also shows your
fears.” Now she understands everything. Especially why he was drinking himself
until wasted, even though he doesn’t even like to drink. It was all to drown
his fears.

"We have to find a way to get you back to sleep." She then finally mumbles
thoughtfully, already trying to think of a solution. "Your proximity." He
suddenly replies, making her look at him in surprise. "What?” He has to smile
at her reaction. He finds it kind of cute. "On the nights when I slept
peacefully, I always found you laying cuddled up to me in the morning or you
were simply holding my hand." he says, briefly, seeing her blush a little at his
words. "You mean, it’s my warmth that you feel and makes you sleep well,
because your subconsciousness notices that I am with you?" She then asks with a
smile and cresses his hair again. Sasuke lifts his dark orbs and looks back into
her eyes, his lips curling up into a gentle smile. "I don’t know, but
wouldn’t that mean that you always have to cuddle with me at nights?" He notes
with that scratchy voice of his. Sakura hums thoughtfully at his question and
looks out of the window with one of those looks before she smiles at him. "I
think that can be arranged." She then whispers with a small grin. "Come here.”
Sasuke immediately repeats his statement from before and lifts the blanket again
so that she can get in. Smiling, she slips out of her shoes, before she climbs
under the covers in order to join him and lies down on his right arm.
Immediately he wraps his arms around her stomach and presses her close to his
own chest. "Be careful, or I'll get sick too." She giggles, but leans back
against his chest. “The doctor said something about droplet infection, not hug
infection.” The Uchiha grumbles against her ear and cuddles his cheek against
her head.

"I'm sorry I was such an idiot." he whispers wearily. “I guess we all agree on
that for once.” She grins with closed eyes. "What? Who?” It comes confused
from him, looking down at her. "Itachi, you and I." She counts and makes him
chuckle silently. "I will try to improve myself." He says and strokes her
stomach with one hand. "Mmm." She mumbles tiredly. He smiles slightly and closes
his eyes, cuddling himself a little closer to her. “Next time don’t drown
yourself in alcohol, when you were the one asking me to drink less in the first
place.” She suddenly adds, making his eyes flutter open in surprise. He lifts
his head again to look into her eyes. “You remember it?” She just nods once
and shyly at his question, watching his lips lift up a little. He didn’t
expect that to happen. Laying back down, he hides his face into the crook of her
neck and closes his eyes. Taking in a soft breath, silence resounds in the room,
until tiredness overwhelms the both of them and pulls them into the land of
dreams. The day was long and exhausting. Filled with lots of emotions, ups and
downs.



                        Kapitel 24: Step 24 - Illnesses
                        -------------------------------


There are many different definitions and opinions for being sick. The most known
terms are mental and physical illnesses. While depression and anxiety are known
as mental illnesses, cold and flues are known as physical illnesses. People, who
are suffering from either of it, don't feel well and are plagued by all sorts of
symptoms. Just as some symptoms happen to be different for each person, since
each of us responds differently to illnesses and it’s treatments. May it be
due to a low immune system, self esteem, the amount of impact of trauma, or any
other reason. Some people become terminally ill, with little chance of recovery,
while others become children again, want to be pampered from top to bottom and
some are just constantly morose and sleep all the time. However, there are also
those who hide their problems, or aren’t being taken seriously by those around
themselves, forcing the sick person to fight through this hard times all on
their own, which unfortunately could eventually lead to worse.
 
A soft grumble comes from the young woman laying in the bed, as she runs one
hand over her eye and lets out a long yawn. There is a deep hum sounding behind
her, making her open her eyes and look around. "Oh God!" She then exclaims with
a laugh and straightens up a bit, making her husband's arm falls off of her and
release her from his grasp. “What?” The black haired man grumbles out in
confusion, in a darker and barely audible voice. “I fell asleep and stayed in
the hospital over night.” She then explains what she recently discovered
herself. Slipping out from under the covers and into her shoes, Sakura adjusts
her clothes a bit and then goes into the bathroom to straighten her hair and
repair any blemishes on the makeup. After a moments she then returns from the
bathroom and looks at her husband, who has passed out into slumber once again.
She quietly stands by his bed and looks for her smartphone from her handbag,
glances at it briefly, only to find out that it’s  already shortly before 8am.
Actually, she should soon be going to work. There is a knock on the door and
shortly afterwards it is opened and a nurse comes in with a tray. "Good
morning." The woman exclaims friendly towards the two. "Good Morning. I'm sorry
for falling asleep here last night. The fact that I stayed here was definitely
against the regulations!" Replies the Haruno, a little embarrassed. “It's
okay, don't worry. It happens once in a while, so it’s nothing new to us. Here
is breakfast and the medicines for Mr. Uchiha. Doctor Yazumi is about to come to
the rounds in a bit as well.” Explains the young nurse and puts the tray down
on the patient table.
 
Sakura looks after the nurse briefly before she turns back to her husband with a
sigh. She gently caresses his hair, gently massaging his head. It doesn't take
long before she can already notice the first movements in his face. He squints
his eyes briefly and then squints at her. "Good morning." She whispers to him in
a gentle voice, making sure not to hurt his head more like she did the day
before. "How are you feeling?" "Shitty." He just mumbles in response and runs
his hand over his face, feeling her hand touch his forehead. Tired, he rubs his
eyes and then slowly sits up, already feeling her hand behind his back as she
shakes his pillow fluffy again. When she’s done, he raises the headboard of
his bed with the remote control and leans back into the pillow again. "Here. Eat
your breakfast, you have to take medication." Sakura already pushes the table
with the tray towards him while telling him what to do, while he just observes
the plate critically. Bread, a small package of butter and two different jams.
"Mmmm." He grumbles out, not really convinced of the choices. He never liked
eating sweet stuff right in the morning. Cookies are different though. Cookies
exist in different varieties, just like salty ones too. "Come on, you have to
eat something before you take the medication." She reasons with a smile, when
she notices her husbands criticizing look, and sits down on the mattress next to
his legs, the table being the only thing separating the two from each other. The
Uchiha just continues to look at the plate from which the pink haired woman
takes the bread roll and cuts it open, careful not to let any crumbs fall down
to the mattress. “Which jam?” She asks while spreading the butter on both
halves of the bun. "Strawberry." He just grumbles out since he has no other
choice and picks up his cup of tea to sip carefully on it. His wife puts the
smeared bun halves back on his plate and then puts the knife down with a smile,
watching him as he bites into the bun with a dissatisfied grumble. He better
gets a lot of cookies for this when they’re back home. Is, what he thinks.
 
There is a knock on the door and the doctor enters the room with a friendly
smile. "Good morning Mr. Uchiha." He greets his patient, before turning to said
mans wife. "Ms. Uchiha." He then exclaims to include her in his greeting and
looks at the file in his hand. The young Haruno gets up immediately from the
bed, while Sasuke just continues to eat his breakfast unbothered and
undisturbed, although swallowing still causes him slight pain. "How are you
today?" The doctor asks after a moment of silence causing Sasuke to roll his
eyes in response, just to repeat is answer from before. "Shitty." The doctor
laughs slightly at his choice of words. "I can imagine that. So, the night was
calm and without any abnormalities. We will refer you to your family doctor for
further treatment and you will be discharged today at noon after a final
examination.” Explains the doctor after another look at the file. He then
closes the file and turns fully towards his patient. “You have already
received the medication. You will also be given an antibiotic later, which you
must take twice a day. Other than that I can just ask you to keep taking some
rest and I'll see you later for the final examination." The doctor explains and
then turns away again in order to go to his next patient.
 
The young Haruno sits down on the bed again and watches her husband as he lets
the last piece of his bun disappear into his mouth. "Were you able to sleep?"
She explores carefully, watching him nod as he’s still chewing in silence.
"Without nightmares?" She then continues, seeing him swallow a little pained.
"Without nightmares.” He then confirms with another nod and gets a relieved
smile from him in response. "Well, uhm... I'll go home quickly and freshen up
before I go to work. I'll pick you up at lunchtime and bring you comfortable
clothes to wear instead of that suit." She briefly explains her plan for the
next hours and immediately gets up to hang her handbag over her shoulder and
take her jacket off her chairs armrest. Sasuke takes his medicine before Sakura
pushes the table away again and runs her fingers through his dark hair. "Okay
then, you should listen to the doctors advice and take some rest." She smiles at
him and is about to leave, but his hand closes on hers tightly, preventing her
from making another step. "What? I don't get a goodbye kiss?" He asks in
disbelief, acting a little pouty at her. Somewhat surprised, she looks back at
him before smiling and leaning forward, to give him a kiss on his head. "See you
later." She exclaims with a smile and then disappears from the room. With a soft
sigh, Sasuke looks after her and then picks up the television remote control.
The next hours going to be boring.
 
The Haruno quickly runs out of the hospital and searches for her car. When she
has found it, she quickly drives to her house to have breakfast herself, carry
out the morning routine, just leaving out the shower this time, and dress
freshly. When she’s done, she makes her way to work. Just this time, however,
she decides to order a cab for herself instead, so that she can take Sasuke’s
car later on to fetch him and get home. She sighs out loud after getting out of
the cab and walks across the wide path towards the huge building. The last few
hours just rushed past her so quickly. It was an hour before the end of work
when Sasuke collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. She just left everything
behind, her work, her handbag, her jacket. Even though she was angry, she still
rushed over to him. In fear, that things could be repeating itself all over
again. Only a few hours have passed and now she is no longer angry with him.
Worry is still outweighing her other feelings, but still she feels so relieved
that he’s more or less okay now. He told her what's wrong, what was bothering
him all this time and now she has her lovely Sasuke back, who cuddles, wants
kisses and is friendly to her.

"Good morning, Mrs. Haruno." Someone’s voice sounds from the side, making her
look up with surprise. She turns her head to the right and looks at the doorman.
"Hello." She then responds friendly and walks towards the elevators, pressing
the call button and peeling herself out off her jacket. A light tone sounds,
indicating that the elevator has reached the floor, allowing her to enter, as
she’s already pressing the button for the top floor. Standing in the middle of
the rear cabin wall, she takes a quick look at her outfit. In all the rush, she
simply threw together some items of clothing and put them on without looking
whether they even fit together or not. Burgundy trousers, a white blouse and a
gray vest, plus a gray scarf with winered and white decorations. Looks pretty
good, she muses and smiles slightly at herself. Fashion magazines really seem to
love her style, feminine and a bit playful, that's how they keep describing her
in the magazines. Sighing, she lets her fingers run over her hair, which she has
tied into a loose bun, letting her plans for the next hours go through her head.
First she will go to Ayame and get Sasuke's things from his office, then she
will go to her own office and at 11am she will have to drive again and pick up
Sasuke from the hospital and bring him home. After all that she will have to go
back to the company. Suddenly, the bright tone of the elevator sounds and makes
the young Haruno startle out of her deep thoughts. She takes a quick look at the
floor indicator and then leaves the elevator. Her legs carry her past her
colleagues, who greet her in a friendly manner as heads forward to reach Ayame's
office. "Mrs. Haruno!" The voice of the Hatake sounds from behind her and makes
her stop and looks around at him. “I just wanted to inform you that you are
released until Mr. Uchiha is healthy and able to work again. Take good care of
him.“ The grey haired man smiles encouragingly at her, to show her that
everything is okay. She looks at him somewhat surprised before she too smiles
thankfully towards him. “Thank you, Mr. Hatake. I'll make sure that he's
healthy again as soon as possible." She then replies, with a bow of her head
“He can take as much time as he needs. He doesn’t need to rush anything. I
just wish you a nice day and Mr. Uchiha a speedy recovery.” He just waves off
with a laugh and turns away after saying goodbye and leaves Sakura alone. Still
a little confused, she turns back to her plans and continues her way down the
hall.

With a brief knock, she immediately opens the door of Ayame's office, greeting
her husbands secretary as she enters the room and closes the door behind her.
"Mrs. Haruno!" The older woman exclaims happily at her sight. "How is your
husband doing?" She immediately inquires about the well being of her boss. "The
flu caught him pretty bad." The Haruno explains with a slight shrug of hier
shoulders. Ayame nods in understanding. "Well, but i will make sure that he gets
better. He'll be released from the hospital at lunchtime and I actually just
wanted to fetch his things." Sakura then continues and smiles at the woman in
front of her. "Of course. You can go in right away. Your brother in law is
inside too.” It comes understanding from the brunette woman, indicating
towards the door. "O-Okay. Thank you.“ Sakura utters rather a bit confused in
response and walks towards the office door. Why is Itachi in Sasuke's office
when he is not there?
 
She knocks briefly on the wooden door, waiting for Itachi to allow her to enter.
Still a little confused, she opens the door and looks not only at her brother-,
but also at her father in law, who is sitting on her husband's office chair.
"Hello Sakura! It’s nice to see you again so quickly.” The oldest Uchiha
greets her with a smile and gets up to go around the table and give her a hug.
"Hello. What are you two doing here?“ She replies, the surprise obviously
written into her face. “Now that Sasuke has fallen ill and is incapable of
working, someone needs to take over his place and do his work, so that he can
recover without having to worry that productions will be delayed. Besides, I
don't think there is anyone better for this.“ Fugaku explains with a knowing
wink at her, making the Haruno laugh in amusement. "No, there is definitely
nobody who could assist him better!" She exclaims with a shake of her head.
“And how is Sasuke? Surely you've already went to see him this morning,
haven't you?“ The oldest Uchiha then ask, while sitting back down on the
armchair and looking up at her expectantly. “In Sasuke's wording: Shitty. The
flu is a real pain in his ass, but i can already take him home at lunch. And,
well, about the visiting part... I didn’t visit, since i was already with him
... I accidentally fell asleep with him in the hospital last night and actually
come from there, I only went home to change my clothes." She explains a little
embarrassed and scratches the back of her head with a soft laugh. "I see." Her
father in law smiles immediately, glad that thing seem to be alright between the
two. "By the way, you are free until Sasuke is on his feet again. I won’t let
you work, while he needs someone around." Itachi now says. "Yes, thank you. Mr.
Hatake has already informed me about it." Replies the young woman and puts her
bag on one of the armchairs and hangs her jacket over the armrest.
 
"I understand. Well, I just wanted to get Sasuke's things and since I am not
needed here at the moment, I will probably just go again." She looks around
briefly. "Of course, I already packed everything up, here." Fugaku quickly says
and lifts the work bag and jacket up, holding it towards her over the desk.
"Don’t forget to check if his tablet in inside, so that he has his games when
he’s bored." Itachi suddenly exclaims with a grin. "Don’t be ridiculous.
Sasuke doesn’t have any games on the tablet.” The Haruno laughs with a shake
of her head and takes her husband's things from her father in law. "Oh yes,
wanna bet?" Her brother in law replies with a grin. "No, I don't think so.
Beside all that, Sasuke won’t have time to feel bored anyway, if he’s not
home alone." Sakura explains to him with a grin of her own and puts his things
to her bag. "Okay then. I should go now. I still have a lot to do at home
anyway." "Sure, if you need anything just give me a call." Smiles Fugaku and
watches her take her and Sasuke's things. “Tell Sasuke that he should be a
good husband and do what you say and that he is not allowed to enter the office
without your permission." She hears the voice of her father in law once more
when she has reached the door and wants to open it. The pink haired woman laughs
and nods in response. “Okay, I will. See you.” Opening the door, she then
leaves the office and approaches Ayame's desk after closing it again.

The brunette woman looks up at her with a smile, but neither of them gets to say
anything, as there is a knock on the office door and it opens. "Good morning."
It comes happily from a female. "Good morning." Ayame replies back out of
politeness, waiting for the woman to state her reason for coming. "I wanted to
see Mr. Uchiha." Karin smiles in a good mood and only briefly throws Sakura a
bitchy sideglance.  "Sasuke is not here." The Haruno just replies for the
secretary, wiping that stupid smile out of the red haired woman’s face. “And
where is he then?” Asks the Kaseguchi, her good mood immediately subdued. "He
is sick at home." The Haruno says calmly, while she is looking for the car keys
from her husband's work bag. "Are you crazy?! What are you doing with Mr.
Uchiha's workbag, rummaging through his personal belongings just like that?!"
The woman screams out loud and wants to reach for her boss's work bag, not
expecting Sakura to slap her hand away with an angry look. “The question is
more, where do YOU get the nerve to touch your boss's work bag? You don’t have
any permission to do so, while i will be the one to bring his belongings back
home to him.“ The pink haired replies with a stern look, but calmly
nonetheless, holding the work bag at a safe distance from her. "No. You will
please go back to work!" The redhead hisses at her, seemingly displeased. "No,
I'm free for the next week or so. depending on how long the recovery takes."
Sakura simply says and pulls the car key out of his bag. "Give me the bag
immediately! Mr. Uchiha will definitely come. He can't be sick! Who should
replace him, please?” She tries to reach for the bag again, but gets her hands
slapped away once again. “Are you even hearing yourself? He’s human too and
just like every human he will get sick once in a while as well. But you out of
all people should know it better, since it’s your fault in the first place
that he’s in this state. Since you were so smart to push me down the ship and
therefore made him jump after me.” Karin boils from anger at this point,
starting to screech at her in more than just a loud tone. “Why would he ever
jump after you!? You are so full of yourself, you-“ “Because she’s a part
of our family, if you still haven’t understood that.” Suddenly a deep male
voice interrupts the redhead and makes her stop trying to tug on Sasuke’s bag.
Sakura also looks around at her father in law, a little surprised, as she hasn't
even realized that the two men have come out of the office. “Sasuke just lost
his Mother, who meant a lot to him, and to us all, and was fighting with the
pain of her loss. You think he would have just watched another important person
die and worsen his pain? And about your earlier question, i will happily replace
him until he’s healthy again.” Sakura looks back at the redhead, who has
been scolded throughoutly by Fugaku, enjoying how the woman averts her gaze at
the harsh words. “Now let go of my son's bag. You don't have permission to
touch it.” He continues coldly and the Haruno now understands where Sasuke got
it from.

The redhead immediately lets go of the bag, watching Sakura close it properly.
Itachi, who has stayed quietly next to his father, raises his voice too now, to
give the woman a piece of his mind. “We all already know that it was you who
ruined the company party. This occasion meant a lot to us, but you made
everything into a nightmare. You should be rather grateful that Sasuke gave you
only a warning for your irresponsibility, instead of just calling the cops on
you. I heard that you have been testing his nerves a lot lately. If you don’t
work on your manners and responsibilities in this company, he will fire you
faster that you can look and we will all agree to it with out any questions.”
Itachi tries to stop himself from laughing, clearing his throat to sound rather
professional while he tells the Kaseguchi all this, making the woman go
completely pale. "If you would tell me now why you are here." Fugaku’s
demanding voice rises again, after his son has ended his own remarks at her and
his voice seems like a cold wind that drives the clammy cold deep into your
bones. "I... i wanted to bring my group's designs to your son." The Kaseguchi
explains meekly. "Well, since he is not here, you can give me the drafts and
then leave right away and let Sakura do her work." Fugaku holds out his hand
demanding and intimidating, as Karin hands him the folder with the drafts.
"Well, then I'll go home and look after my husband." The pink haired woman
smiles and leaves the office with a short goodbye and a smile on her lips. She
appreciates how they both backed her up like that. However, if that redhead has
still not understood after all those indications, that she’s indeed Sasuke’s
wife, then that woman must be really stupid. Humming, she makes her way to her
own office with all her belongings. "Sakura!" She immediately hears her friend
call out for her, as she steps through the door. "Hey Natsuki." The green eyed
woman greets with a smile and closes the door behind her. “I saw what happened
yesterday. Is everything okay? How is he?“ The brunette immediately asks
worried about her boss, while Sakura walks to her own seat. “He's overworked,
but he’ll be okay. I'm only here to clean up my mess from yesterday. Kakashi
released me until Sasuke feels better.” Sakura then explains her plans briefly
and immediately starts collecting the pens and distributing them to the storage
places, a few in the holding box, some in the drawer and the rest in the
original set box. The drawings and paper are quickly stowed away as well. "Of
course." The blue eyed woman nods in understanding and watches as she puts
everything away. "I shut down the computer yesterday." The Hondo explains her
doings to her colleague, who nods with a smile. "Thanks for that. Well then, see
you when Sasuke is better.” Sakura straightens up with a smile and waves her
friend goodbye. "Sure." Smiles the Hondo. “Oh yeah! And have fun with Takumi
on the date." Sakura grins and stops in front of the door with an amused laugh,
when Natsuki blushes at her words. "Bye." She then says one last time and leaves
the brunette alone in the office to go to the elevators.

Getting into the elevator, she pushes the button for the ground floor. Since she
talked to Sasuke and cleared up the misunderstandings, she feels so much better
and therefore is in a much better mood, or maybe it just seems to her to be that
way. The elevator suddenly stops again, making her look up a little surprised.
The doors open and a blond man looks at her. "Hey." With a broad smile, Naruto
gets in as well and hugs her tight, startling her with his sudden action. "Hey."
The pink haired woman then replies and watches him move a step back again.
"Well, where are you going? In the early lunch break? Have a coffee?“ The
blonde explores innocently as he stands next to her and the elevator keeps
moving again. "Eh, no. Actually home, since I'm free.” Explains the young
Haruno and checks which of the two black jackets is her own. "Why are you
released?" The Uzumaki asks further. "Didn't you notice what happened
yesterday?" Sakura now asks back a little surprised. "What?" Confused Naruto
looks from the numbers above the doors and back at her. “Sasuke overworked
himself and broke down. Now he's in hospital because of a huge flu.” Explains
the pink haired woman, shocking the man next to her. “What?!” The Uzumaki
almost screams. “Sasuke Uchiha and sick?? Something like that happens?” The
blonde stares at her in disbelief. She in the other hand looks a little
disturbed and dumbfounded at her husband's best friend. "Yeah... What? Has he
never gotten sick before?” She explores. “Yes, yes, of course. But that is a
rarity.” Explains the Uzumaki, sill a little baffled. “Besides, he always
says that he isn’t sick. For example, he doesn't have a fever, it's just a
little warm.” The Haruno laughs at his words. "Yes, I know that statement."
She nods and slips into her jacket. "Well then, I have to go and get Sasuke from
the hospital."
 

 
~> * <~
 

The black haired man sighs out bored and turns his gaze from the television to
the window. Although the sun came out yesterday evening, fog and clouds are
hanging over the city again today. It is only too clear that autumn and
therefore winter is coming. A yawn comes over his lips. He's bored and wants
cookies. In the hospital you only get jelly or regular pudding as desserts, but
he wants cookies! He grumbles sullenly and keeps staring out of the window.
Hospitals are terrible. Nothing good is happening on screen and there are no
cookies. He just wants the damn cookies. He sighs again and then turns to the
side, making a face because he still has a slight pain in the neck. Sakura
should come already and finally pick him up! He wants to go home and he wants
cookies!
 
Sasuke sighs in agony. He's so bored that it's annoying, just as it annoys him
that he doesn't get any cookies. yes, he’s desperate for cookies. Desperately,
he runs a hand through his hair. This boredom is torturing him. How is he
supposed to survive alone at home when Sakura is working all day? There will be
nobody to spend their time with him, or bring him cookies. His hand falls back
on the bed with a sigh. His gaze is fixed out of the window and on the fog. He
hates being sick. Besides, all his things are at work too, so he can't even play
on the tablet or maybe on the smartphone when he’s alone at home. Desperate,
he exhales and closes his eyes. Sakura could bring him his things, but he still
has to get through the afternoon and the next day. When will she finally get him
from the hospital? He just wants to go home and above all get out of that
hospital nightgown already, which he thinks is scary.
 
A knock on the door makes him open his eyes again and slowly turn around as the
door is opened. The doctor enters the room, indicating him that they’ll be
doing the final examinations now. At least one good news for the bored out man.
“So Mr. Uchiha, you are free to go home after this final examination.”
Explains the man in the white coat as he comes up to the Uchiha. Sighing softly,
the person addressed sits up in the bed, his legs hanging down from the
mattress. The doctor comes up to him, first looks at the data on the heart
monitor, partially writes it down and then switches off the screen. He goes
around the bed again and stops in front of the black haired man, removing the
electrodes from his chest. "So. Then let's get it over with” The doctor says
and then begins the examination, feeling the lymph nodes, looking at his neck
and ears and listening to his lungs. “Do you still have headaches and neck
pain?” The doctor inquires, but he gets no respond, so he just continues to
ask. “Stinging ears and burning eyes?” This time the Uchiha nods. “Yes,
but it has lessened.” He says and then immediately hears the soft scratching
of a ballpoint pen. There is another knock on the door, which opens only slowly.
Sakura’s head cautiously pokes through the small crack and looks at him,
before she steps into the room properly. "Hello, Mrs. Uchiha." The doctor greets
her as he looks up from the file. "Hello." She replies with a smile and comes up
to the bed, placing a bag with her handbag on the floor. She smiles as she looks
at him and runs her fingers through his hair.

"Well then. Here are the prescriptions for the medication.” The man says and
hands her a few equally sized pieces of paper. "Thank you." She just says in
response and puts it in her handbag. Sasuke just watches them in silence while
the doctor continues. "As already mentioned, you will be referred to your family
doctor for further treatment, to whom you should also go for a check up. Other
than that, you can go home now. Don’t do any sport activities and don’t
exert yourself. Don’t forget to take lots of rest and water.” He then
continues. "Of course." Nods the pink haired woman. "Well then, all you have to
do is sign the discharge papers at the nurses' station before leaving.” The
doctor ends, already turning around. "Many thanks. Doctor!“ Sakura exclaims
and bows politely to the doctor, who just smiles and leaves the room.
 
Sasuke stretches out his arm and puts it around his wife's waist, pulling her
closer and cuddles up to her. She squeaks in surprise, as he cuddles up to her
with relish and closes his eyes, listening to her soft giggle as he can feel her
fingers run through his hair. The black haired man hums happily at her soft
touches. “Don't you want to change so that we can go home? I brought you more
comfortable things to wear." He hears her ask and opens his eyes to look up into
her emerald eyes. Sighing slightly, he lets go of her and watches her pick up
one bag and place it next to him on the bed. "Here, a shirt, sweater and
sweatpants." She pulls each item of clothing out of said paper bag and holds it
out to him. He takes the things in silence and then loosens the bow on his neck
that holds the hospital shirt together at the back. He carefully slips into the
shirt, careful not to make any hasty movements that could cause him pain, doing
the same with the sweater and the sweatpants. Meanwhile, Sakura folds his suit
and puts it into the paper bag, as well as his work shoes. Finally, Sasuke slips
into a pair of socks and the sneakers, which she put in front of his feet. The
young Haruno looks around once more to see if she has forgotten anything and
then smiles. "Okay, we can go. Come on.“ She hands him his coat and hangs her
handbag over her shoulder, takes the other with her jacket in one hand and
approaches the door immediately. He looks after her with a quiet grumble and
gets up from his bed to catch up with her. They leave the room as his hand
quickly finds hers, gently enclosing it. Smiling, she looks up at him as they
approach the nurses station. There they are immediately given the discharge
form, which Sasuke signs sullenly and then lets himself guided out by his wife.
 
After a few minutes of walking side by side in silence, they leave the hospital
and enter its parking lot. Sasuke can feel how a warmth rises and spreads inside
of him and it gets warmer with every step he takes. The Uchiha looks around for
his wife's red car, while she leads him into a certain direction. She is heading
straight for a black car. Surprised, the black haired man stops in front of it
while Sakura unlocks the car and encircles it. “That's my car.” He notes
surprised and looks at said vehicle for a moment. The pink haired woman smiles
at him over its roof. "Yes. I took it, together with your bag, tablet and
smartphone from the company.” She explains briefly and opens the door to the
drivers seat. "Yay!" It escapes him and his lips twist into a pleased smile. It
seems he will at least have something to play with at home, when he has to stay
home all alone. Sakura looks back up at him in disbelief and raises one of her
eyebrows, looking at him and his almost childish smile. "Did you just say Yay?"
She asks and examines him carefully. As if he hadn't heard her question, he
takes the missing step towards his car and opens the passenger door to sink into
the passenger seat. Fastening his seat belt, he looks around like a child to all
sides, since he only knows his car from the driver's side. Sakura gets in and
closes the door behind her, her hands resting on his cheeks and turn his face
towards her. Skeptical and worried, her eyes move over his features and study
his face, while he just stares at her through his dark eyes. “Is everything
okay?” She inquires doubtfully. "I'm so hot!" Sasuke says immediately and
turns his head down to open his jacket. His wife's hand now rests on his
forehead. "You have a fever." She then states his sudden uneasiness about the
temperature, then turns to fasten her own belt.
 
She starts the engine and notices how he immediately opens his window. “Close
your window, or you'll end up getting an ear infection!" Exclaims the Haruno and
closes his window again. “But It’s so hot!” He whines out in protest and
pushes the switch back down. "I know, but the airflow is not good for you at the
moment." She explains calmly and immediately activates the window lock after she
closed the window again. "Open the window. It’s hot! I’m burning!” Sasuke
begs and repeatedly pushes the switch down, in hope that a miracle would happen
and the window would open again. “We'll be home soon.” The pink haired woman
replies, puts the car into gear and drives off. Sasuke's head is hammering in
pain again and his neck hurts worse than half an hour ago. Leaning his hot
forehead against the cold window, he closes his eyes with relish. “You're so
mean.” Her husband complains with a dark hum. "I'm sorry." He hears his wife
say and feels her hand on his thigh. Opening his eyes, he turns his gaze down to
his thighs, where he finds her hand patting him right above his knee. Bored, he
takes the zipper of his jacket in his hand and starts pulling it up and down
over and over again. Fascinated, he repeats this a few times until the car stops
and he looks up. A busy road and a red traffic light come into his view. He
sighs in agony and looks around at his wife, who is staring at the street with
concentration. His gaze returns to the interior paneling of his car door and to
the windows switch, which he carefully pushes down, but to his dismay the window
doesn’t go along with his wish. Pouting, he leans his head back against the
cold window, only to close his eyes with relish. It seems that he is forced to
be satisfied with that much. Unfair. 
 
Sasuke can feel how the car slows down after a while and turns around a corner,
before it comes to a stop completely. He looks up at the green lawn a little
further ahead, bushes sprout from the ground and partially cover the fence. His
gaze turns to the right as he makes out the villa. The car starts moving again,
as his wife drives backwards onto their property. He is home. Maybe now, if he's
lucky and there are still some left, he'll get his cookies! Finally Sakura
brings the car to a stop, turns off the engine and moves the driver's seat back
to its usual state, before unfastening her seatbelt. Sasuke also unfastens and
immediately gets out of the car. He exhales with relief as he steps into the
cool garage air. Finally the torture has found an end. Sakura goes around the
car and walks towards the connecting door to the house to open it. "So. You
should eat something first and then take a bath." He hears her explain as they
enter the house and get out of their shoes, walking down the hall to the foyer.
“I made you a soup. Do you want some?” She then asks, while putting down the
handbag and the bag with his clothes and looks up at him questioningly. "No! I
don't want soup, I want cookies!” He says defiantly, thinking that he has
waited enough already and even deserves it for all the torture he had to go
through over the last hours. "You have to eat real food Sasuke, no cookies!" She
explains completely amused at the way he huffed out in annoyance. But he stays
stubborn. “I want cookies.” He exclaims with another huff and crosses his
arms over his chest. “No Sasuke. There are no cookies. You are going to eat
some soup now. You need something warm in your stomach first before you can even
think of something like that." The Haruno replies calmly and slips out of her
coat, hangs it on the cloakroom and goes into the kitchen. "I don't want soup, I
want cookies!" He repeats defiantly and follows her into the kitchen, where he
can hear her sigh as she turns on the stove. He’s already feeling hot enough,
he doesn’t need some soup to heat him up even more. "First soup, then cookies.
This is my last word, otherwise you won't get any cookies at all.” Not really
satisfied with her words, he sits down in his place at the table, waiting for
her to bring him the soup. It doesn't take long before he feels the fever again
and takes off his jacket. In the next moment his wife is already standing at his
side with two plates and puts them down. Sasuke looks at his soup critically and
checks the spoon around in it while she sits down across from him. Reluctantly,
he lifts the spoon to his lips and tastes the soup. Well, at least it doesn’t
taste shitty, he muses. As it would do normally in times of sicknesses. You get
sick and everything suddenly tastes like shit. Everything, but somehow not
cookies.

Shortly afterwards he has already emptied his plate. He has to admit that the
warm liquid has done his throat good, but now he's sweating even more than
before. Just like he expected. He looks expectantly at his wife, who lifts the
last spoonful of soup to her lips. When she puts the empty spoon in the equally
empty plate, she lifts her gaze and is immediately caught by the expectant gaze
of her husband. She takes the two plates with an amused shake of her head to put
them away into the dishwasher. He huffs out again, before a hand with a cookie
appears in his field of vision. He immediately reaches for the biscuits in her
hand and begins to bite into it, while a small plate with three more is placed
in front of him. "Meanwhile I'll prepare the bath for you." He hears his wife
and watches her leave the room. Quickly he throws the rest of the cookie into
his mouth and then picks up the next one. Taking the other two as well, he
quickly gets up and follows his wife up the stairs to the bedroom. He can almost
feel the beads of sweat on his skin as he climbs up the stairs and enters the
bedroom. Cool and fresh air greets him immediately and he breathes out with
relief. He can’t believe how just that much already got him so exhausted.

The Haruno comes out of the bathroom and smiles at him while he eats the next
cookie. “I ventilated the room and put on a new sheets, so that you can take a
good rest after the bath." She explains while approaching the dresser. Eating on
the last biscuit, he watches her doing as she takes a fresh boxer short of his
from one of the drawers and brings it into the bathroom. "So. The bath is ready.
Just make sure to call me when you're done and stay inside." She instructs and
pushes him towards said rooms door.
 
Sasuke then disappears into the bathroom and, after undressing, gets into the
greenish water that smells strongly out of eucalyptus, while the pink haired
woman goes into the kitchen, puts away his coat, puts cookies into a bowl and
prepares some tea for him. She has learned something new about him in the past
one and a half hours. When he's sick, he acts like a child. A defiant toddler.
Sighing, she puts the tea on a tray, together with a mug and the biscuits. Now
she also understands why Itachi said that it’s important that she keeps an eye
on him especially in such times. Smiling in amusement, Sakura puts the tray down
on her husband's bedside table and then looks for dry, fresh clothes from his
husband's closet to slip into. "Sakura." She then hears him call out for her
from the bathroom. The only question is whether he behaves like this on purpose
or doesn’t even takes notice of it. The black haired man is sitting bored on
the edge of the tub, the steam having fogged up the mirror and window and keeps
him warm too, while he's just sitting there and waiting for her in nothing but
his boxershorts. The door opens and cold air rushes towards him, his fine hairs
rising with the goose bumps which immediately show up on his body. "Here." She
then exclaims with a smile and holds out a shirt and sweatpants. “Why should I
wait in here anyway?” He explores and slips into the shirt. "It’s so that
you won't collapse because of the temperature change between the bathroom and
bedroom." She explains to him and starts to dry his hair with the hairdryer.
Exhausted, he beds his head on her stomach, while she runs the warm stream of
air through his hair.

"Okay, come on. Off to bed with you." It comes from her as she puts the
hairdryer aside. Sasuke rises from the edge of the tub with a dark hum and
slowly walks into the bedroom. The cold floor feels uncomfortable under his feet
until he finally sits down on the bed and slips into the sweater lying right
there. His wife gives him a pair of socks, which he puts on, only to crawl
underneath his blanket and cuddles his head into the pillow. Smiling gently, she
sinks down next to him on the edge of the bed and runs her fingers through his
hair. “You should get some sleep, Sasuke. Meanwhile i will go to the pharmacy
and get a few things. Do you want anything in particular?” She then explains
to him and watches him lay there in silence, listening carefully to her words.
"Cookies!" He then replies without thinking twice. She smiles at his response
and shakes her head. "What about dinner?" She keeps exploring, but he just
shrugs his shoulders calmly and turns on the television. “Don't you have to go
back to work?” He then finally asks, as he thought that she would be long gone
again. “No, I was released from work.” She explains briefly. Smiling, she
leans over to him and presses a kiss onto his temple, before she gets up and
leaves the room.
 

 

~> * <~
 

 
Sighing softly, the pink haired woman closes the front door behind herself and
puts the shopping bags on the kitchen counter. Slipping out of her jacket, she
returns to the foyer to hang it up there, clearing away the groceries, almost a
whole bag full with different biscuits. Finished with all the unpacking, she
takes the last small bag with Sasuke’s medication and goes up the stairs to
look for her sick husband. She carefully opens the door and looks at the bed.
Since he is laying there so calmly and doesn’t move, she thinks that he must
have fallen asleep, but as she approaches him she realizes that he is just
staring straight into the television and is watching a movie. Smiling, she
kneels next to the side of his bed. "Here your medication, antibiotics, ear
drops, eye ointment, vitamin C and all the other stuff." She utters briefly and
then looks at the half empty bowl of biscuits next to the bed. Smiling, she sits
up again and looks at her sweating husband before she looks at the television
and stops in disbelief. Staring into the television, she discovers a Disney
movie. For a moment she even doubts her own perception. "Am I just seeing stuff
or are you really watching Oliver & co.?" She explores skeptically, while she
encircles the bed and heads for her side of the bed. She stands at the window
front made up of two panoramic windows and looks out into the garden. "These
kind of things don't stress my head that much." She can hear his husband mumble,
making her look back at him. "I see." Sakura then giggles and turns to take a
picture with her smartphone.

Sasuke sighs softly and takes a sip from his mug. After putting it back, he
grabs one of the cookies, only to make it disappear in his mouth and leans back
on his pillow. The mattress next to him sinks in as well now, making him look
briefly to his right, where he sees her sit down on the bed next to him and
leans against the head end, looking at the television with a slight smile. He
too turns his gaze back to the screen again, watching it in silence. "And what
excuse do you have for watching the movie?" He raises his scratchy voice after a
while with pure curiosity. “I don't need an excuse. It just feels good to
watch a movie like that once in a while.” She says earnestly and looks relaxed
at the colourful screen. He smiles slightly and leans on his right, laying his
head on her shoulder and cuddling up to her. "Are you tired?" She explores
quietly and runs her hand over his. "I'm too old to take an afternoon nap." He
tells her like a brave little boy. "I don’t think so. I think that you can
never be old enough for some power naps." She replies and he can hear a slight
laugh in her voice. Silently, he just cuddles even closer to her shoulder, a
strand of her hair tickling his ear. A smile suddenly pulling on the corner of
his lips. “Get some sleep, Sasuke. Afterwards you will get something delicious
to eat and a few cookies, then you will take your medicine and can go back to
sleep." The Haruno speaks softly and soothingly to him. "Mmm." He just hums back
in response. Fatigue slowly winning the fight and forcing his eyes to close. He
turns on his right side, cuddling even closer to her and puts an arm around her
stomach. Sasuke just didn’t want to tell her that he was waiting for her to
come back home, so that he could fall asleep in peace.



~> * <~



Small drops fall quietly against the window panes. Due to the amount of
drizzling water, it can also be heard inside the room. Two beeps sound, before
music replaces the beeping and fills the room with soft tunes. Sighing, the pink
haired woman stretches to press the button of the alarm clock and turn it off.
Relaxing her muscles again afterwards, she caresses over the forearm of her
husband, which is still wrapped around her stomach. She smiles tiredly but
lovingly. She has her dear, friendly husband back with an addition, a flu, which
is exactly why the alarm clock is ringging at this time. She gently takes her
husband's arm off of her waist and places it down on the mattress instead,
before she gets up and slips into her socks on the floor in front of her bedside
table. After washing her face, she pulls on a vest and quietly walks towards the
bedroom door, carrying her legs down the stairs to the ground floor and into the
kitchen, where she puts on the water for some tea and looks for a pot and tea
bags. Preparing two cups, she then pours the boiling water into the pot,
carrying her legs back up the stairs and into the bathroom for the morning
routine. On her way back to the kitchen, she immediately takes the tray from
Sasuke's bedside table with her, while she thinks about which breakfast to
prepare for him, before she starts working on it.

After she prepared everything, she goes back up to the bedroom to get him up.
"Sasuke." She calls out for him while playing with his hair in circular
movements. Grumbling, he cuddles deeper into his pillow. "Sasuke. Stand up. You
have to take your medicine.” He hears his wife's soft voice, but he just lets
out a negative tone. "Come on biscuit, get up." He can almost hear the smile in
her words, making him grumble. “I'm not a cookie.” Tired, he opens his eyes
and looks at the empty bed next to himself. "But you would like to have one."
She laughs in amusement as his hand already reaches demanding into her
direction. A yawn comes over his lips when he turns to look at her pretty face.
“Go to the bathroom and freshen up. I made breakfast.” She instructs him and
plays with his hair again. He just growls and slowly gets out of the covers.
"I'll put fresh clothes out for you." He can hear her explain, when he's already
halfway to the bathroom. He just takes some fresh boxer shorts from the drawer
and then goes into the bathroom to wash his face, brush his teeth and change his
underwear.
 
Still tired, he enters the bedroom again and walks to the bed, pulling his
sweater and shirt over his head. Somewhat surprised, he suddenly realizes that
his neck pain has disappeared and his headache has lessened as well, but he
still doesn't feel any better. The trousers are also swapped with fresh ones
before he climbs back under the blanket. At that very moment the door opens and
Sakura stands in the room, giggling at the fact that he has already cuddled back
into the sheets. ”Get up, biscuit, food is waiting for you.” With a
disapproving grumble he gets back out of the bed, walking after his wife and
into the kitchen where he immediately sits down at the table, looking at the
plate in front of him. Pancakes. Looking back up at his wife, he watches her sit
down. Humming softly, she begins to eat and after a short time he follows her
example and eats his own pancakes. When the plate is empty, Sakura gets up again
in order to give him his medicine. While he dutifully swallows the antibiotic,
she decides to take the empty plates.
 
"Done. Now, durning the morning you should sit down on the couch so that we can
ventilate the bedroom.” He hears her explain and looks up at her, watching how
she puts away the dirty dishes. Sighing softly, he gets up and leaves the
kitchen. While he goes to the living room, she prepares his tea mug and a bowl
of fresh biscuits, before she places them on the coffee table and covers him
with a throw blanket, only to leave the room and go up the stairs. Silently he
reaches for the remote control and switches on the television, his thumb resting
on the right arrow key. "Nope." He mumbles and switches to the next channel.
"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.“ He repeats with each channel and keeps zapping
through. "Nope. Nope. Ouh! The Lion King!" He suddenly exclaims, puts the remote
control aside and grabs a second pillow, which he encloses with his left arm and
presses very close to him, bedding his cheek on it. His gaze is focused on the
large screen, when his wife reenters the room and bends over the backrest of the
couch. "You already know that this is not a stuffed animal?" She explores with
amusement when she notices how he is cuddling onto the second pillow in his
arms, making him look up at her. "Should I buy you a get-well-soon teddy bear?"
She asks with a grin and he just turns back to the movie. "Okay, I'll go then.
Be nice and drink a lot.” She smiles and straightens her scarf. "See you
later, biscuit." He hears her say before she leaves the room and as if on cue,
he then reaches into the bowl and pulls out a biscuit.
 
The Uchiha is following the movie in silence while he eats one cookie after the
other as if in a trance. Chips, shortbread biscuits and a colorful mix of any
other biscuits disappear from the bowl and into his stomach. The movie is
drawing to a close when the front door suddenly opens and he can hear his wife's
shoes hit the floor. Sighing softly, the Haruno puts the bags down in the foyer
and goes out again to get the next ones out of her car. She carries her legs one
last time out of the house and to the gate, where she picks up the mail from the
post box and then takes the last bag out of the trunk of her Mazda. The trunk
lid slams shut and the lights flash twice briefly. This time she bought more so
that she doesn't have to go shopping the next days, she wants to use the time
and concentrate on something else. She pushes the front door back into its lock
with a gentle push of her foot, after finally getting out of her shoes, and then
approaches the kitchen counter, puts the bags on the floor there and puts the
mail on the worktop. Sighing, she peels herself out off her jacket and hangs it
onto the cloakroom, before she returns to the kitchen and clears the groceries
in the refrigerator and a few other cupboards. Smiling slightly, Sakura pulls
the two fabric objects out of her bag and examines them again before she puts
them to one side and puts the bottles out of the bag and in a drawer, as she no
longer needs to cool them in autumn and winter.

Sasuke can hear his wife quietly entering the living room, but she doesn't seem
to have stopped behind the couch this time. He looks around skeptically in the
part of the living room that he can see without moving, as suddenly a white
teddy bear appears above the backrest, wearing a blue shirt with a brown,
sleeveless, suit jacket. A bow adorning its shirts collar. He looks at it
skeptically, while the head of his wife appears next to it with a wide smile.
"Here." Sakura exclaims happily and puts the teddy bear on his stomach. "I don't
need a plush bear." He mumbles into the pillow, which he is still cuddling
against. "Why not? It's cute.” She responds with a slight pout. "I don't
care." He continues to grumble and looks back at the colourful screen.
Disappointed, his wife sighs and gets up, standing at the other end of the
couch. "Then I bought mine for nothing." As she says this dejectedly, she pulls
out another plush bear from behind her back, making Sasuke raise an eyebrow and
turn his attention back to her. She looks sadly at the little bear in her hands
and he can see a pink bow on it’s ear, wearing a pink dress with a brown and
sleeveless vest. She turns the bear into his direction and waves with one paw. A
slight bemused smile pulls on his lips, making him take the other plush bear
into hand, in order to wave back with his bear's paw, which makes her smile.
It’s not like he could say no after seeing her smile like that anyway.

“Do you want him here or should I bring him upstairs?" She explores and takes
the bear from him, holding it together with hers and only now does Sasuke
realize that the two plush bears can sit down together and hold each others
paws. "I don't need him here." He shakes his head, watching her nod in response.
"I thought you drove to work." He then remarks and makes her look at him. "I
already told you that Kakashi gave me time off." She then replies with a shrug.
"For how long?" He inquires in a slightly scratchy voice. "Until you are healthy
again. He also said that you shouldn't rush anything and take a good rest." She
then says and turns around. Smiling, she leaves the room and goes upstairs to
the bedroom. The cold air from outside hits her and gives her goose bumps. The
fresh air fills her lungs as she steps over to the panorama window, which can be
pushed open like a door, and closes it again, since the room has ventilated
enough for the day. She places the two bears on the narrow headboard and then
devotes herself to making her bed. She also shakes up Sasuke's pillow, but
doesn't bother to make his part of the bed because he will definitely lay down
in it soon again anyway. She just slips out of her jeans and instead gets into
cozy trousers, while swapping her blouse and vest for a simple tank top and a
sweater with a shoulder neckline.

Quietly humming, she goes back down the stairs, enters the kitchen and
approaches the kettle to fill it with water and turn it on. Her legs carry her
further into the living room, resting her forearms on the back of the couch and
briefly observing her husband. Her gaze then moves on the empty teapot on the
coffee table and the equally empty bowl. She snorts in amusement and shakes her
head. Sasuke looks away from the sequel of the previous movie and turns to his
wife to find out what amuses her so much. "You can now go back to bed." She just
explains to him, while playing with his hair. He just nods and turns off the TV
before straightening up and getting up from the couch. He walks slowly to the
living room door and leaves the room, back up the stairs. The pink haired woman,
like a good wife, goes around the couch and takes the bowl, teapot and mug to
bring them into the kitchen, immediately brewing him some fresh tea and putting
the bowl aside for later. Until the tea for Sasuke has finished, she brews a cup
for herself and immediately adds two teaspoons of sugar to her mug.
 
Sasuke in the other hand cudles deeply into the cold bed sheets as if it would
be much warmer there. His attention is back on the movie. A little tired he
looks at the door, which opens and sees his wife enter the room with a tray. He
sighs silently, as the tray finds its place once again on his bedside table. "I
don't want any tea. I’ve enough." He grumbles annoyed and presses himself into
the pillow as if he could escape from it like that. "But it's best for your
throat." She reasons and reaches for something else on his bedside table. His
gaze falls on the ear drops, only for him to hiss out in defence. "No. I don't
wanna!" He whines immediately and presses his hands over his ears and deeper
into the mattress. “These are just ear drops!” She says with a slight smile.
“No!” He exclaims, really sounding like a small child. "Sasuke." The Haruno
sighs and grabs one of the Uchiha's hands. "No. I don't want to!” He hisses
out again and this time he sounds like a cat in defence mode, shaking his head
from left to right so as not to give her the opportunity to even get near his
ears. It’s funny now that she things about it, how he turned from a
territorial doggie, into a cute kid and from that to a cautious cat. "It'll be
over very quickly." Sakura tries again and strokes through his hair. She gently
turns his head and then drips two drops of the liquid into his ear, which makes
him whine. The pink haired woman laughs inwardly.

Sasuke lets his head turn unwillingly into the other direction. He really hates
it when someone blows in his ear or even lets something drip into it, especially
something cold. He hates ear drops! Even if they are warm, it feels so
uncomfortable. He's just incredibly sensitive there. When the liquid touches his
skin, he squints his eyes, while goosebumps start forming on his arms and on the
back of his neck.
 
The Haruno then clears away the ear drops and picks up one of the mugs. Sipping
on it, she walks around the bed and sits down on her side of the bed. She also
makes herself comfortable in the pillows and turns her attention to the movie.
Sighing softly, he stretches his hand towards the nightstand and feel up the
bowl of biscuits. When he doesn't find it, however, he turns his gaze to the
tray and looks for the cookies. "Cookies. Cookies. Where are the cookies?” He
asks, alarmed and looks around the nightstand and back to his wife. "You won't
get any more cookies now, otherwise you won't have lunch." She explains calmly,
making him growl with a pout. "You are so mean. First the ear drops and then no
cookies. You torture me!" He accuses her offended and crosses his arms in front
of his chest. "You poor biscuit." She pities him and pats his hair and although
she is obviously the bad one, he takes refuge in her arms as if she were a
protective mother. Laying his head on her side, he makes himself small and hides
himself underneath the covers, while she just keeps patting his head. "You poor
baby." She whispers flatly and thinks to herself, how the only thing missing is
that he would suddenly start sucking on his thumb, biting her lower lip to keep
herself from laughing aloud at those ridiculous thoughts. She doen’t mean to
make fun of him. It’s just that, experiencing Sasuke being so childish and
pouty is something that she still cannot fully grasp.

The second movie also ends a little later, while Sasuke is still cuddling onto
Sakura's side, who now turns her gaze to the clock on her bedside. It’s lunch
time. "Attention." She mumbles softly and then carefully moves away from Sasuke,
whose head immediately slumps down on the mattress and remains there. He looks
offended as she disappears into the bathroom. Shortly afterwards he can hear the
water running into the bathtub and he already knows what’s going to come next.
His wife comes back after a few minutes and looks at him with a slight smile.
"Time for a bath." She announces and approaches his drawe to pick out a pair of
sweatpants and a shirt. He already predicted after all. "But I don't want to."
He just protests with a soft grumble and cuddles more into the mattress. "You're
going." He hears her reply calmly and looks for a pair of boxers from him. So
their relationship has actually reached a new level. She realizes only now that
she’s doing something new, that she has never picked out his underwear before.
a little in thoughts, she just looks with her emerald eyes at the fabric.
“No!” He protests stubbornly, pulling her back out of her thoughts.
“Yes!” She continues to say calmly. "Who gives you the right to tell me what
to do?" He asks with a growl and glares at her, making her laugh. "I reserve
this right." She exclaims bemused and puts fresh socks onto the prepared
clothes. "Oh yeah?" He now growls dangerously. "Yes. Quite simply because I'm
not the one who collapsed and is now in bed with the flu.” After these words,
she enters the bathroom again, even if only for a moment. Sasuke puffs up his
cheeks and crosses his arms, while he is still lying in the embryo position in
the middle of the bed. "Apart from that, your father said you should be good and
do what I say." She then adds. Annoyed at the fact that she’s taking full
advantage of his fathers words, makes him grumble again. "But now the third part
of The Lion King will start!" He throws in offended and suddenly sits up.
“It's exactly like the first part, only with Timon and Pumba as commentators
and part of their story. And now, up you go into the bathroom! Otherwise you
won't get any more cookies!” She threatens to be angry. "Yes." Sasuke utters
in a sad, intimidated voice, climbs out of bed and slurps into the bathroom.
This woman really has some nerves threatening him. “And make sure to wait just
like yesterday and let the air in the room cool down a bit.” She then calls
after him through the closed door.

She ends up laughing while she goes into the kitchen to cook something small for
the both. Sasuke can be adorable too! In the kitchen she immediately turns to
cooking. A soup, rice, meat, some vegetables. After all, Sasuke not only has to
regain strength but also needs to put on some weight that he has lost through
his little-to-no-eat-while-working. Sighing, Sakura shakes her head, how can you
neglect yourself so much for work? She covers the meat and vegetables to keep
them warm while she fills the soup into two plates and places it all on the
tray, adding the cutlery next to it and pulls out an iced tea bottle from the
drawer. She can understand that Sasuke doesn't just want to drink herbal tea, so
she puts two more glasses on the tray, the tray onto two mini bed tables and
then goes back up the stairs to the bedroom. As expected, Sasuke has already
bathed and got into the tracksuit she had put out for him and cuddled himself
back into bed and stares at the TV. "Here. Some soup.“ She announces, watching
him sit up with a sigh. Soup again. She puts the tray aside to put the mini
tables which she’s still holding, one over his legs and the other on her side
of the bed, before walking up to her half of the bed and puts the serving plate
there on the mattress. Carefully, she sits down next to him and hands her
husband one of the plates, which he immediately puts down onto the bed table in
front of himself. Normally they would eat at the table, but she guesses that she
can allow it this once after all and all of a sudden Sakura wonders whether
Sasuke would take care of her in the same way when she happens to get sick.
Although, she can't really say how she behaves in such times either, since
that's probably rather something you do subconsciously.
 
Sakura lowers her spoon into the empty plate with a smile and the Uchiha watches
her in silence as he wonders what has been going through her head, since she
seems so absent. His gaze is directed back to the television and the movie,
which seems to be about halfway through. After a short moment he can hear the
clattering of empty dishes and shortly afterwards his wife is already walking
through his field of vision with the tray in hand. Tired he just runs his
fingers through his hair, his focus back on the movie while he waits for Sakura
to come back with the next course. After all, the doctor said he has lost a lot
of weight. Whereby one question arises in his mind. Why is he sick and Sakura
not? Although she was longer in the cold than him, had equally soaked clothes as
him and he even kissed her when he had a fever. He doesn't understand. The pink
haired woman comes back into the room with another tray. Sighing softly, he sits
up and watches her as she puts the tray on the bed and hands him the necessary
cutlery. It rustles and two glasses come into view, which in the next moment are
already filled with a brown liquid. Surprised, Sasuke looks up at his wife, who
is smiling and screwing the cap back onto the iced tea bottle. "But only while
eating." She then says and places the bottle on the floor next to her feet. He
just nods in silence, since he hasn’t expected it in the first place and then
turns to his plate, as does she.

The meal goes on in silence as the two of them concentrate more on the
television. When he's finished, he puts everything together and the mini table
next to the bed and onto the floor, only to lean back against his pillow. His
stomach is full to the top, he can't eat any more. Except, of course, cookies!
Sakura in the other hand immediately clears away the dishes and hides the bed
tables behind one of the drawers, before she leaves him alone in the room. A
little tired he leans his back more against the pillow, the movie ending shortly
afterwards, as already a new one begins. A slight smile pulls on his lips when
he recognizes the movie, he used to enjoy watching as a kid. Tarzan. He also
always enjoyed watching the series “The Land Before Time”. Sakura quietly
comes back into the room and he can immediately discover the most important
things. A bowl of cookies and his tablet too. She puts both items on the bedside
table, before she already turns away again. "What are you doing?" He explores
when he notices that she is heading for the door again, making her look back
into his dark grey eyes. "I wanted to use the time when I don't need to
concentrate on you and do something for work." A soft hum escapes his lips at
her words. “Do you already have an idea? I mean, for the project.” He then
asks, looking at her with curiosity. "It would be unfair if I tell you that."
She tells him with a wink. He nods slightly in response and studies her for a
moment. "Say, why am I sick and you not? I even kissed you when I had a fever."
He asks the question that has occupied his mind for quite some time now.
“That's because I have a stronger immune system than you. On one hand because
I eat regularly, healthy, well and balanced and take in many necessary vitamins
and on the other hand because I do sport regularly, which you don't, because you
work so much." She just explains and makes her way to her office.
 
Sasuke growls out of tune, laying down on the bed parallel to the wall and pulls
his pillow under his head, which he wraps around his head and cuddles up his
cheek, before he concentrates on his movie again. It doesn’t make sense.
Anyone would have gotten at least a runny nose, a cold, from something like
that. Immune system, or not, she still passed out. She was weak and freezing.
Compared to him she had barely any strength to fight through the ocean. She’s
scary, he then just muses. Super scary. Going through that and still staying
unfazed, it’s just way too scary. Meanwhile, while he’s thinking about all
that, his wife goes into her own office, looks at a few of her designs and
drawings hanging on the wall and examines her models before she stands at the
window and looks at the nature.
 
A few hours pass before it gets dark again. Darker than the previously rainy
day. The day turns into night. A sign for the Haruno to stop working and take
care of the food again. Sighing, she puts her pen on the table and puts away her
draft. After all Sasuke shouldn't see it before she has handed it in. As she
leaves her office, she takes a look through the slightly open bedroom door,
opposite from her office, but from there she can’t really see him either. She
just approaches the stairs and goes down to cook in the kitchen. Tired, Sasuke
stretches out on the bed and only closes his eyes for a moment. Although he
doesn't do anything, his lungs scratch all day, his throat burns and scratches
as the mood takes it. His voice can't decide between rasping and scratchy, his
head is still throbbing and his eyes are burning slightly, while the stinging in
his ears has only eased slightly. He can even feel the congestion in his sinuses
whenever he lightly runs over them.
 
When he opens his eyes again, he sees Sakura approaching him with a tray. He
sits up nicely and makes room for her to get out the bed tables again and serve
the dinner. Soup, like always and then croquettes with the meat from lunch.
After she has cleared away the dishes and sits next to him on the bed again, he
suddenly feels a heat rise in him and Sakura seems to have noticed this too,
because she disappears into the bathroom and comes back with a clinical
thermometer to measure his temperature immediately. "Poor biscuit." She whispers
and pats his head when she sees the temperature. He also takes a look at it and
sees something at 38.2 degrees. But that doesn't really bother him. His gaze
falls on his wife instead and in the next moment he is suddenly overcome by lust
and desire. He throws himself on her, making her squint and squeal out in
surprise. The clinical thermometer flies to the floor and slides up to the
window front. He stares into her emerald eyes, before he comes closer, feeling
her breath on his skin, but two hands press against his chest, preventing him
from getting any closer. “No, Sasuke. Only again when you are healthy. Who
should take care of us if I get sick too?” She exclaims with a giggle, making
him pout and lower his head in disappointment. “Oh, so suddenly it’s a
problem if we kiss... what happened to your scary immune system?” He asks a
little pouty, getting a giggle in response. She pulls him closer and into a hug,
giving him a chaste kiss onto his cheek.

"You look tired. Haven't you taken a nap at noon? ”She then explores instead,
making him fall to one side. "How? You were busy.” He just mumbles and curls
up again. He’s still scared that the nightmares will come back. Sighing, she
tries to get up when his hand wraps around her wrist, making her sit back down
and look at him questioningly. “Will you watch this with me?” He asks
pleadingly, nodding towards the screen. "Why?" She explores a little surprised
at his wish. "It's my favorite movie from my childhood." He mumbles, a little
embarrassed, seeing her smile in response. She understands, as childhood
memories are still the best. "Okay, just give me a moment.” She then agrees
and disappears briefly from the room. Waiting, Sasuke stares at the door, not
letting it out of sight even for a moment and it seems like a long time until
she finally comes back. Leaning back on the pillows, she puts her smartphone on
the top edge of the head end, while he looks at her like a shy deer and watches
how her lips curl up into an amused smile. "Come here." She then invites him and
pats the mattress next to her, watching how he gets up and crawls towards her.
Sitting down next to her he puts his arms around her stomach, his head on her
left shoulder and cuddles up to her. She looks a little surprised at his black
hair before gently stroking his head.
 
Her attention is now on the television and she immediately recognizes which
Sasuke's favorite movie was. Wall-E. A really cute movie. She’s a little
surprised that this should be his favorite movie. “Do you see anything at
all?” She asks, slightly amused, and turns a little sideways. "Yes." Sasuke
nods in response on her chest. Suddenly her smartphone vibrates and she looks
up, feeling up the headend for the device. As soon as she holds it in her hand,
she unlocks the screen and taps the messenger icon. A group chat opens as she
looks at the contact list, which consists of her female friends.
 
Ino Yamanaka: Hey. Naruto said that Sasuke got sick. How is he?
Said blonde asks and sends an innocent smiley right underneath.
 
An amused snort reaches the ears of the black haired man. "How are you,
biscuit?" She then asks, making him grumble and cuddle closer to her chest.
"Shitty." He gives a status update, although its just the same answer as the
previous day, and continues to look at the screen. He can hear her typing
something in on her smartphone, before another vibration sound close to him.
"Get well soon, from our friends." She then mumbles and runs her hand through
his hair. "Mmm." He growls as his eyes start fighting against fatigue. His
eyelids are slowly getting heavier and heavier, which makes it difficult for him
to stop them, but he really wants to watch the movie through to the end.
 
Tenten Ama: Is he behaving though?
Sakura Haruno: Yes, just like a small child.
Ino Yamanaka: Really?
Sakura Haruno: I mean it as I write it.

The chat falls silent afterwards. Sighing softly, she then looks at the ends of
her hair. "Maybe I should straighten my curls again.” She then whispers and
talks to herself. The Uchiha's eyes have lost the fight against fatigue and so
he concentrates on listening to the movie instead and at the same time on the
regular heartbeat of his wife, which he hears and feels right under his ear.
“I like your curls. They are pretty." He mumbles already half asleep, feeling
her fingers keep playing with his hair. "Thank you.” Smiling, she reaches out
her hand to her left to pull his blanket closer and spread it over the both of
them. The black haired man sighs with relish on her chest. Suddenly she thinks
back at his words from two days ago. The nightmares he had, the struggles and
fears he went through on his own, making him stay away from her, and she never
dared to ask. Instead she just followed his example and ignored him as well,
even went as far as telling Ayame that she wasn’t in the mood to come to his
office, even though it could have also been the case that he maybe wanted to
clear things. Even if the. Possibility was quite low, i still existed. Besides,
the wounds of his mothers death were still fresh as well. There were many
reasons as why she should have gone and just asked him. She worried about him
all the time, but still she didn’t ask him even once. Instead she just hoped
that he would tell her himself, when she hasn’t told him everything about
herself either. Instead she waited until he broke down from all the heavy loads
of work and fighting his problems all on his own. And now she feels bad, for not
at least trying to ask him, even if she wouldn’t have gotten an answer. The
green eyed woman smiles lovingly and bends her head slightly towards him. "I
will never leave you alone, Sasuke." She then whispers to him and presses a kiss
on his forehead, in hope that it would sooth his fears. "Hmmmm." Is his only
reaction, which gets quieter and finally falls silent. Shortly afterwards, her
cell phone vibrates again and she looks up, alarmed, quickly pressing the lock
button to stop the vibration. She waits a moment to see if the sound made him
reacted to it, but now he seems to be finally asleep.
 
Ino Yamanaka: I don't believe you!
Sakura Haruno: Shush! Little Sasuke has finally been able to fall asleep.
 
With a slight smile, Sakura decides to take a selfie of herself and Sasuke and
places it into the group chat, knowing that it would stay there and won’t go
around, like it did with their first date. When she looks at the picture, she
has to realize that he really is lying on her chest like a small child. Silently
she turns off her smartphone and puts it onto the nightstand, so that it wont
fall on their heads the next time it vibrates. With one arm around her husband
and her gaze back on the movie, which he failed to watch through to the end, she
rests her cheek on his head.



                         Kapitel 25: Step 25 - Changes
                         -----------------------------


Changes can be good, just as they can be bad. A change means the end of
something old and at the same time the beginning of something new, perhaps even
something better. Changes shape our life and occur so often that we no longer
really notice them. A change can be a breakup in a relationship or a haircut,
maybe even just to change plans and the way of work. In principle, change is
usually a good thing and it is up to you to ensure that it does not change into
something bad, that it doesn’t change you as a person.
 
There is silence in the room. Only regular breathing can be heard. Not even the
morning rain shower outside of the house is disturbing the married couple from
their slumber. There’s only a slight rustling as the man's hand lifts from the
bed and moves to his wife’s back, while she cuddles deeper into her pillow.
Peace and quiet reigns in the bedroom, just like it should be. There is nothing
that can destroy such an idyll and tranquility between two people. Even the
breathing of the two is parallel, making it sound like there’s only one person
sleeping in the bed. Nobody would dare to wake them up. Nothing, but a certain
annoying thing.
 
The time display of the clock jumps to 6am and a sudden loud beeping sounds
through the dark room, making the young Haruno turn her face to the window and
presses her ear on her pillow. "Sasuke, your alarm clock." She mumbles tiredly,
obviously trying to ignore the beeping. "Mhm." The black haired man hums in
response, more asleep than awake. Her head turns the other way when the beeping
takes no end, looking at her husband who keeps sleeping, oblivious of all the
noise. Her eyes open a crack, hovering above him in order to be able to aim for
the alarm clock, only to press its button. When the annoying beeping finally
stops, she lets out a sigh of relief and lays her head back on her pillow next
to him, only to move back into a comfortable position.
 
She exhales noisily before she has already dozed off again. Peace and quiet
return. A smile lays on her lips while her back rises and falls slightly as she
lies half on her stomach, with her head resting on his shoulder. His right hand
slips underneath her shirt, pulling the fabric up the further his hand moves up
and exposes her back. His other hand hanging loosely from the bed. He takes in a
deep breath and pulls his left hand to his face, as he is slowly waking up from
his sleep. He turns his head to the right and cuddles deeper into the pillow and
his nose hidden in her pink hair. The alarm clock starts beeping again, forcing
the black haired man to open his eyes. "Sasuke, your alarm clock is annoying!"
His wife grumbles immediately at him. Rubbing his eyes, he sets his gaze to his
left on the nightstand. "I know." He then responds with a sigh and switches off
his alarm clock. His dark grey eyes look around the dark room, until they settle
on his sleeping wife. "I have to get up and prepare for work." The man starts to
explain, while rubbing his eyes again. "Mhm." The Haruno grumbles only half
awake. "You know, you have to get off me for that." He then continues with an
amused smile, when he notices her dosing off again.
 
Sakura’s head is still resting on his right shoulder, one of her legs is
between his and the other on his right, more or less using him as a mattress.
That's why her breathing has adapted to his. "Shut up!" She grumbles in response
and cuddles her cheek closer to his chest. "Cookies don't talk!" A soft laugh
escapes his lips at her words, making his chest vibrate slightly. He gently runs
his fingers up and down her spine, only to press her against his stomach with
gentle force and turn around with her so that she ends up lying underneath him.
She squeaks, startled. Sasuke supports himself on his left hands next to her
head, watching her grimace and growl. "You squeak like a cute little bunny." It
comes from him with a smile. He carefully lifts his body and lies back down next
to her, only to copy her position from before and cuddle himself onto her left
side. "Behave, Sasuke, otherwise I'll rethink the whole thing about you going
back to work." She grumbles annoyed by his constant movements. The black haired
man just smiles and leans forward, gently pressing a kiss on her right cheek. He
would love it if she would do that, but unfortunately he doesn’t have the
luxury to do so much longer. He has already been off work for a whole week.
Carefully he pulls his arm out from under her back and moves away. He would love
to cuddle up in bed with her longer, but he has more time for that in the
evening.
 
Still tired himself, he takes the blanket and covers his wife with it properly
before he gets up from the bed and makes his way around the bed to open the
curtain. Outside the window, too, darkness greets him. Although not quite as
dark as it had been in the room. Winter is getting closer and closer, the nights
longer and the days shorter. But on the horizon you can already see the bright
clouds that cover the rising sun.
 
He yawns and stretches himself, slowly turning away to take a shower and devote
himself to his morning routine. He quietly closes the door behind himself to let
his wife rest some more. With relish, she turns around in her bed and pushes her
head deeper into the soft pillow, while she pulls her legs up to her body. She
only notices vaguely everything around her, except for the room brightening up
more and more with every minute that passes by.
 
A double beep sounds in the room before music replaces the annoying sound. Her
alarm clock’s radio has turned on and is now playing the latest charts. Tired,
she opens her eyes and finally turns on her right side, gazing at the window
pane which is covered with raindrops, as many more are still falling from the
sky. The song on the radio ends and gets replaced by a man's voice. “Good
morning Tokyo! Today is going to be a wonderful day. We are expecting 20 degrees
in bright sunshine!” She hears the moderator say and she cannot stop herself
from rolling her eyes in annoyance. “Stop talking nonesense!” She growls as
the door to the bathroom opens. “What?” She hears his husband ask with a
smile, walking up to her and the bed, examining her questioningly, while he
supports himself with his arms on her left and right. "The radio news are
claiming and promising nice weather, while it is pouring outside." The young
woman explains with a grumble and lets her fingers run through her husband's
hair. "Well, i guess we can’t change anything about it." He replies and bends
down to her. "Good morning.” She murmurs softly to him, making him smile at
her. “Morning, beautiful." He then suddenly grabs her and turns with her so
that she is back on top of him and puts his arms around her. Startled, she lets
out a squeak, but doesn’t wait to lean her head down on his chest. "Does this
mean, that you don't want to go to work yet after all?" Sakura explores with a
smile and cuddles herself more into his arms, making him sigh. "Right, there was
something." He mumbles and carefully lifts her off his chest again.

Slowly getting back up from the bed, Sasuke goes to the closet, pulls out a suit
and two shirts. "The nightblue one." It comes from his wife as she rolls onto
the side of the bed to finally get up as well. "And why blue?" Her husband
inquires and looks around at her. "I like blue, besides, it fits you." She just
shrugs her shoulders calmly in response and approaches the bathroom door. "Well.
Then you'll put on green today." Replies the black haired and hangs his green
shirt back into the closet. Somewhat surprised, she looks up from the chest of
drawers, from which she was about to look and choose fresh underwear. "I like
green." He just continues calmly and looks for a matching tie. Smiling, she
shakes her head, takes fresh underwear and goes to the bathroom to do her own
morning routine.
 


~ > * < ~



The Haruno puts the lid on the Bentō box and then turns around. Her husband is
sitting there on one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter. The plate in
front of him empty and his mug stands next to it, while he leans on his elbows
and has apparently been watching her. She smiles a little uncertainly at him and
looks at the clock. “What is it?” She asks, sipping her tea. “Not many
women look as beautiful in green as you do.” He smiles charmingly, making her
flush, making him grin when he discovers the blush on her cheeks, which doesn't
surprise him. She is already dressed and made up, but she still has her hair on
large curlers, which destroy the picture a bit. No woman would call herself
pretty at this moment, but he still said that he finds her beautiful. "Don't you
have to go?" She explores quietly and puts the box next to him, before she sips
on her mug again. "Mmh, I still have a little bit time." He replies. "And what
about you? Are you ready for work already?” His grey eyes move over her hair
in order to indicate what he means with his question. "As good as." Sakura
smiles and puts down her teacup. "Well, do you want to drive together then?”
He suggests with a smile, making her look up at him with surprise and examines
him carefully. "No thanks. I don't plan on staying at the company until
midnight. Besides, I'm going to take a different, faster route.” She teases
with a grin. "Oh really?" He says, playing astonished. Grinning, the green eyed
woman nods and runs two fingers into her hair to pull out the curlers in a swift
movement. "Yes. In addition to the faster route, I also know where my car has
the accelerator.” It comes from her calmly and pulls the last curler out of
her hair, which falls over her shoulders in its pretty big curls. "Are you going
to bet?" He grins at her. "If you want to lose." Sakura shrugs in response and
walks towards her handbag. She hums softly while looking around in it before
picking up the purse and smiling at him. Sasuke shakes his head in amusement,
letting out a chuckle and picks up his lunch box and work bag. "Let’s see."
The pink haired grins confidently and takes her food box.

The two of them leave the kitchen and slip into their shoes and jackets before
taking their car keys. Her legs carry her to the garage. “I'll give you the
chance to drive out first, so that you have a chance when we drive behind each
other.“ The Uchiha smiles at her. "Too friendly.“ The Haruno responds
snootily and gets into her car. “Don’t worry. I'll wait until the gate is
closed.” She says before she closes the door of her carriage. Sasuke also gets
into his car and starts it, as does she. While the garage opens, the two fasten
up their seatbelts and make the necessary adjustments in their car. Heating or
air conditioning to prevent the windows from fogging up. When the garage door
went up, she is the first to get out of the garage, followed by her husband. He
then closes the gate by remote control while she lets the entrance gate open.
When this is also open, she drives out and stands on the right on the street,
which surprises him, since he purposefully let her drive out first. But there
she is standing down the street on the left, waiting for him to push the button
to close the entrance gate. With a smile, the Haruno waves to him through the
rearview mirror when the gate is closed and steps on the accelerator and sets
the car in motion. Sasuke smiles and steps onto the gas pedal as well to get the
car rolling. The competition has started.

The Uchiha drives to the Uchiha Corporation for almost 25 minutes, while leaning
calmly in his driver's seat. It’s not like he is in need of driving faster
than allowed. He already knows that he’s going to win anyway and even if he
should loose, he at least won’t cheat by going against the limit rules.
Though, he’s kind of disappointed that it turned into a bet, when he just
expected her to say yes and go to work together with him instead. He would have
just taken the remaining work and drive her home, if it was really only because
of the time differences. It’s not like he’s still running away from her.
After all, they have already talked out their problems a little over an week
ago. With a slight sigh, his lips curl up into a smile, as he drives past the
parking lots into the underground parking lot, which in summer always ensures
that he gets into a cool car. He slowly lets the car roll past the parking lot.
Surprised, he steps onto the brakes and stares out the windshield, at the
parking lot next to his, which unexpectedly is already occupied. Smiling, his
wife leans against her car, arms crossed slightly in front of her chest, as she
lifts one arm and gives him a slight wave. Letting out a soft sigh, he cant stop
himself from smiling in amusement. She really waited for him, instead of just
going up? He thought she only wanted to take this ‘short cut’ to get to work
faster. Or did she really just not want to drive with him? Disappointed, his
dark eyes move around the place, before he parks in his parking lot and gets
out. "Well, first!" She grins like a child and watches him as he encircles his
car and walks towards her until he stops in front of her. "And how many
penalties for driving too fast will we get soon?" The Uchiha explores with a
grin. "None at all. I don’t need to break laws in order to beat you." She
smiles satisfied and looks into his grey eyes. “Says the one who bragged about
knowing where the accelerator is.” She pouts, as he has hit a point. She
shouldn’t have said that after all. "And what do you get for winning?" The
words of the black haired man resemble a purr. Sakura shrugs her shoulders with
a sigh, before she turns around and takes her work stuff out of the car and then
locks it. "No idea, betting for money is kind of tasteless after a fun
competition." Sasuke smiles amused at his wife’s claim and then does the same
as her and gets out his belongings.

Together they enter the office building and walk down the empty corridor to the
elevators. Sasuke presses the call button and then looks at his wife, who is
waiting for the number above the elevator, which shows how long they have to
wait until it arrives, until finally a low tone sounds and the elevator stops in
front of them. He lets her go ahead and enters right after, before the doors
close again and silence falls over them both. "Tell me." Sasuke begins the
conversation after a moment and puts the work bag against the wall on the floor.
“How about we go on vacation during Christmas holidays?” He explores,
putting his hands into his pockets. "Vacation?" The young Haruno looks up at him
from the side. “Are you all right?” She suddenly asks and holds her hand to
his forehead, making him frown. "Forget it. I obviously shouldn’t have
asked.” He should have expected her to make fun of him again. “No. No, I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of you. It’s just, your question surprised
me." She smiles apologetically and lets her hand drop again. "What’s that
supposed to mean?” He asks and reconsiders his sentence. "Going on vacation."
She replies with a smile. "What's so weird about that?" Now completely
irritated, he moves his fingers through his hair. "That you even know what the
word vacation means." She explains with a grin. Sasuke snorts briefly and looks
at her with an angry look. “Sorry that i was scared to let anyone in, but this
doesn’t testify anything about my experiences. What you don’t seem to want
to see is, that i don’t work till night because i love it. If i could, i would
gladly change positions with you.” Shocked she looks up at him. She never
expected him to say such a thing. “Then... then make me understand...” He
hears her whisper, making him look back at her, just to avert his gaze again
with a sigh. What would it help telling her. How could she understand how hard
it is to keep a company running. It’s not as easy as her job. His
responsibilities are just too big as the boss. Silence overcomes them and they
both find it kind of awkward.

“Sorry, i really didn’t mean to mock you.” He hears his wife mumble a
little awkward, making him look at her again. He stares silently at her side
profile, seeing her regretting her choice of words. He can’t help but feel his
gaze soften again, as a gentle smile pulls on his lipsz Unnoticed, he
automatically reaches out his hand to her and suddenly begins to tickle her. She
squeaks in surprise and tries to escape her husband's fingers, but he has long
since pulled her into his arms and holds her tightly as he keeps tickling her.
She doesn't even have a chance to escape. "Sasuke! That's mean!” She laughs
and writhes in his arms. “So were you!” He just grins in response and
continues until a tear of laugher falls from her eye. He stops immediately when
he takes notice of it and lets her catch her breath. Gently putting his arms
back around her waist, he presses her against his chest. Out of breath, Sakura
smiles. "I'm glad you're okay again." She mumbles, looking up at him almost
shyly. "But only because of you." He smiles and caresses her hair. She blushes
and in the next moment she feels his fingers, which tickle her again. Even if
she tries to suppress it, she doen’t succeed for long, as she is already lying
laughing in his arms again. A few moments later the bright tone sounds again and
the elevator doors open. The Uchiha pauses in surprise and looks at the empty
hallway in front of him, while his wife's laughter fades as she quickly gets out
of his arms and tries to appear serious. Quickly Sasuke picks up his things
again, in order not to occupy the elevator much longer and let it go it’s way.
Together they then leave the elevator and walk down the hall. "You don't have to
come with me to my office." He says, when they walk past her office. "I have to
go to Ayame." She just waves off and smiles at him. 

The black haired man sighs in agony, when they arrive in front of his
secretary’s office. "What’s wrong?" Sakura explores immediately. "After I
was sick, all the work was left behind." The Uchiha murmurs almost dejectedly,
"It will take a long time until I have finished that. I will have to work even
longer than usual." He sighs, while he opens the door to his secretary's office.
"No, I do not think so. You had the best replacement there could be in this
company." His wife explains with a reassuring smile. "Thank you Sakura, I really
like to hear that." Both of them suddenly hear a different males voice and look
around to the side. "Dad." Sasuke exclaims with surprise. Fugaku smiles and
looks at his son over  for a moment, before he turns to his daughter in lae.
“Does he have your permission to set foot in here?” "Yes, of course." The
pink haired woman smiles and hugs her father-in-law. “Well then, come Sasuke.
There’s something that i need to talk to you about." Fugaku then notes and
points to the office door of his son. "See you later." The Haruno smiles at her
husband before the door is closed between them. “Good morning, Ayame. From now
on Sasuke has an appointment every day at 12pm.” Sakura explains and
immediately turns to her husband's secretary. "Of course and may i ask what is
it for?" The brunette woman asks as she is already typing around on her
keyboard. "Having lunch with me. Otherwise i fear that he will drown himself
back into work and completely forget about the food again." Sakura then explains
with a smiles while Ayame nods in understanding. “Okay then, see you later."
Sakura says her goodbye and leaves the office to go to her own. 

The hallway is almost completely empty. Only two or three people run across it
briefly to get a coffee or something similar in the kitchen. Smiling slightly,
the pink haired woman opens her office door and enters the still empty office.
She puts her bag on her desk and takes off her beige trench jacket, hanging it
over the backrest of her office chair, before pressing the power button of her
computer. The bag with the food box and the handbag find their place on the
floor and the work materials and the drawing which she already started over the
last week, are all spread out on the table. Sighing, she sits down in her chair
and picks up the pencil. In the next moment the door gets opened, as her
brunette collegue enters with a sigh and closes the door behind her. Silently
and still undiscovered, Sakura watches her friend and colleague as she puts her
bag on the desk and slips out of her jacket. Sighing again, the woman strokes
her fingers through the brown hair and shakes them gently. A few scattered drops
fall to the ground as she does so, only to pause in surprise when she finally
looks up. "Hey." Greets the Haruno with a smile when Natsuki has finally taken
notice of her. "Hi." The blue eyed woman greets back with a smile. "Is Sasuke
all right again?" The Hondo looks at her questioningly while she falls into her
own chair with relief. “Yes, everything is fine now. He still has a slight
runny nose and coughs once in a while, but the doctor said that he could go back
to work.” Explains Sakura with a nod.
 
Curious, Sakura leans on her forearms and leans over the table as far as
possible. “And?” She then explores with a grin, making the brunette look
around a little surprised. “What, and?” She replies, confused. "Well, you
have to tell me how your date went. Unfortunately I can't read that in a
magazine." The green eyed woman winks at her colleague with a smile. "Oh."
Natsuki laughs slightly and leans back in her chair with a slight blush on her
cheeks. "And? How was it?" Asks Sakura, wiggling a little with her eyebrows.
"Well, he seems to have read the article from your date." Mumbles her collegue
and Sakura stares at her friend in disbelief. “Don't tell me that he took you
out mini golfing as well!” She exclaims, almost stunned. Natsuki laughs. "No,
no. He took me out to bowling.” She explains with a wave of her hand. “He
picked me up from home and we went there on foot. He showed me around for a
while until we got to the bowling hall. There he led me to a part in the back.
Nobody but the two of us was there and the train was also so kind of cute.
Decorated with a string of lights and everything is really pretty.
Unfortunately... I had never bowled before, so it kind of turned into an
embarrassment." Reports the brunette a little dejected towards the end. Sakura
smiles encouragingly at her, while the Hondo just groans in agony. “I did a
pretty bad job there. He had to teach me first. It was so embarrassing!” The
Hondo holds her hands in front of her face.

"I think it's cute that he had to show you first. At least that way you could
get closer to one another. In addition, men always find it great when they have
to explain something to a woman. And when we act a bit stupid, most of them find
it cute, too. Not all of them, but still most of them." Explains the Haruno
calmly and smiles encouragingly at her friend. “How did it go on?” She then
asks excitedly and looks expectant at her colleague to continue. “We ate at
the bowling alley and then he took me home. He said goodbye and left. It didn't
seem to me as if he thought it was cute or something like that." The Hondo says
dejectedly, taking a pause before continuing. "And he certainly doesn't want to
see me again either!" The green eyed woman sighs softly. Men are such idiots!
"Nonsense! I'm sure he'll get in touch. Otherwise he's an idiot and doesn't
deserve you at all." The Haruno smiles encouragingly. She said so, because she
actually has the feeling that this Takumi guy is serious about Natsuki and her
feelings almost never fail her. "Do you think so?" The brunette looks up
uncertainly. "Of course. Men are idiots. I know it. I married one and he admited
it himself!” Sakura explains with a grin to cheer her friend up. She stands
up, smiling slightly. "Everything will be fine.” She says one last time and
walks towards the door. "I'll get us some tea." Is the last thing Sakura utters,
before she leaves the office and closes the door again. She didn’t take more
than three steps, when a man with a bouquet of flowers came out from the main
hallway. A smile steals itself on her lips when she sees who is approaching her.
Speaking of which! "Hello mr. Takumi." She greets the man which she is walking
past. "Hello." He greets back a little shyly if not even a bit insecure.
"Natsuki is in the office." She explains and points to said door with an
encouraging smile, before she walks down the hall and towards the kitchen.
 


~ > * < ~
 

Awaiting, Sasuke leans back in his armchair. His gaze lays on his father, who is
sitting across from him on one of the two guest armchairs. His father wanted to
talk to him and Itachi and that’s why they are waiting for the older heir to
arrive as well. "Have you already thanked Sakura?" Fugaku explores to pass the
waiting time. "What for?" His son asks back, a little surprised about his
fathers sudden question. "That she took care of you." The older of the two
explains calmly, making his son raise an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought that
you released her for it?" "Yes." Fugaku laughs immediately, "But she could have
simply seen the time as a vacation and spent it as such, instead of taking care
of you." Sasuke looks silently at his fathers smiling face, before letting out a
soft sigh. "No, I haven't yet." He mumbles truthfully and runs his fingers
through his hair. In the elevator he had told her that he’s okay again only
because of her, but that can be hardly called a proper thanks after all. “Buy
her something. Anything. It doesn't need to be anything outstanding. It will be
perfectly enough as long as it shows your appreciation." Fugaku explains to him
with a smile and supports himself on his left elbow, after he has leaned
comfortably back in the chair.
 
Sasuke hums thoughtfully at his fathers words. Nothing outstanding, but still
enough to show his gratefulness and appreciation. After a moments thought, he
turns to his desk and reaches for his smartphone to unlock its screen and
scrolls through his contact list, until he finally finds and dials a number.
“Yamanaka here, hello.“ A female voice sings happily into the line. "Hello
Ino. Can you do me a favor?“ Asks the youngest Uchiha, amused by the good mood
of his wife's best friend. "Oh, hello Sasuke! But of course i can! What is it
that you need?” He hears the sing-song voice of the blonde. “Can you put
together a bouquet for Sakura? As a thank you.“ The black haired man explains
with a smile, watching his father smile as well. "A bouquet of flowers as in,
thank-you-for-nursing-me-back-to-health?“ The Yamanaka continues to hum and he
can hear her fiddling in the background. "Exactly." He responds, amused.
“Should I add blue roses? I still have some left.“ Asks the blonde casually,
surprising him a little. "Blue roses?" He repeats, curious as to why she was
asking. “It’s Sakura's favorite flowers.“ The blonde woman explains with a
giggle, making him smile warmly. “Definitely.” He then answers her previous
question, hearing her hum as if nodding in response. “Will you pick up the
bouquet, or should I hang a card on it and have it delivered to the office?”
Ino continues to hum, while he can hear the sound of scissors in the background.
"Please have it delivered to her." The Uchiha asks of her. With all the work to
do, he will probably not be able to get it himself and besides, like that it
would be an even bigger surprise for her. “Okay. Hope to see you again
soon!“ He hears her say. A typical phrase from her to her costumers. "Thanks
Ino. Bye.“ The Uchiha exclaims before hanging up and putting his smartphone
back on his table. “Blue roses, huh?” He whispers with a gentle smile,
before looking back at his father.
 
“Blue roses?” Fugaku asks, confused. "Sakura's favorite flowers." His son
smiles slightly at him. "Blue?" The older one explores again, making him
chuckle. "Her favorite color." Sasuke explains with a shrug of his shoulders.
One more thing he learned about his wife. His father nods, before a brief knock
on the door breaks in the conversation. "Hey little one. You are really well
again." Itachi greets his little brother happily, while coming into the room.
"As you can see." The only dark grey eyed man in the room replies, since Itachi
inherited his brown eyes from their father. "Before we start, i wanted to tell
you both that Misuki and I have something to say to you and would be delighted
if you, including Sakura, of course, would honour us for dinner today." Itachi
announces and looks back and forth between his brother and father for a moment.
"Sure, no problem. We would love to come." Sasuke nods, amazed at his brothers
sparkly appearance. "Of course i'll come too. It has been a while since our last
gathering anyway." Fugaku too nods with a smile at him. "Nice. Then we can
start.” Exclaims the older of the brothers, seemingly delighted. Somehow,
Itachi looks so bright today and Sasuke really is interested what this is all
about. However, sadly he will have to submit himself back to work instead for
now. "What is it all about?" Asks the youngest of the Uchihas and rises to sit
down with his family members on the couch of his office, with Sasuke sitting on
the couch, Itachi on the upholstered armchair to the right and his father right
next to him.
 
"I replaced you last week and did your job, to make sure that productions
won’t get delayed and end up getting you into problems and longer working
hours again." Begins the father of the two. “However, i am not surprised that
you have overworked yourself to this degree, with all the work that you have
taken onto yourself.” Explains Fugaku further, the concern visible in is eyes,
before he continues to explain his discovering. “I only did half of your daily
work during the whole week and still I always got out of here way too late. The
amount of work you have been shouldering is simply too much for one person to
handle.” Itachi nods in agreement to his fathers words, intending to say
something as well. “We wanted to talk to you because of that and want you to
think about which work you can give to whom and how. If necessary, we will even
hire a few more people for it.” He explains matter of factly. Understanding,
Sasuke nods and looks down at the coffee table in front of himself. "I
understand that you have to be the one who controls the drafts and sketches
yourself, but besides that you should perhaps only deal with the reports, if at
all, before a meeting or something similar." Continues his father. “Sasuke,
you have to share your work. Give them to the department heads, because
otherwise they will have too less work, while you keep getting overworked. There
needs to be a balance. Also, durning my stay here i noticed this Kaseguchi
woman. She’s a big example for this. While everyone works properly and stays
until end of work, that woman does rather too less and not even properly and
goes home sooner than everyone else. You need to balance this out somehow.”
Explains the oldest between the three, watching his youngest son look at him in
silence. Sasuke doesn’t show it, but internally he’s letting out a deep
sigh. And then there is that woman. Even his father noticed her weak
performances and that only in a time span of a week. That woman is seriously
going on his nerves. But he of course understands what his father was trying to
say too.
 
Fugaku sighs out at the silence, before he starts to talk again. "Look. You need
a few breaks between work. Especially if a job takes longer than planned, you
need a break and especially be able to have your lunch in peace. Because that is
important. Even if you just go out to have a coffee or tea or something like
that..." Explains Fugaku, still a little worried about his son. "Or ask Sakura
to come to your office for a quickie." Itachi suddenly adds with a grin, risking
Sasuke smacking the back of his head with full force. "Idiot, we don't do that!"
Sasuke growls and glares at his big brother through his darkish grey eyes, while
watching his head flying forward from the impact. “You shouldn't even think
about that!” Fugaku complains with a scowl towards his older son, unable to
believe what he just said so casually into the round.
 

 
~> * <~


Music is playing softly in the office, since the two young women have decided to
replace the silence with music during working hours. The Haruno sighs slightly
and rests her right elbow on the table top and her chin on her fisted hand. Her
attention fixed on the drawing in front of her, as she holds the pencil in her
left hand and lets it swing back and forth between her fingers. after a while of
thinking, Sakura turns her gaze out of the window. The clouds have cleared and
bright sunshine is illuminating the city. “That guy was really right!” It
escapes her lips, a little incredulous. "Hm? What guy?“ It comes back a bit
confused from Natsuki and looks up from her work. "Those from the radio claimed
this morning that the weather would be nice and i didn't quite want to believe
that." The Haruno waves off with a smile. Natsuki lets out a short giggle when
suddenly they get interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in." She exclaims
surprised. The door is opened carefully and a huge bouquet of flowers appears in
it. Confused, Natsuki and Sakura look at each other. "Good day, is ms. Haruno
present?” A man asks as he steps in and comes closer. "Uhm, yes?" The green
eyed woman stands up and looks surprised at the delivery man and then at the
bouquet in his hand. The man gives her a friendly smile, before he gives her the
large bouquet. "This is for you." "Thank you." She utters back in astonishment.
Never did she expect someone to buy her flowers. "I wish you a nice day, miss."
The man politely grabs his cap and then leaves the office, just as quickly as he
had come. Natsuki gets up immediately, closes the door and approaches her
friend, to look at the flowers. “It's so beautiful!” She almost squeaks out
at the sight. Sakura in the other hand looks at the bouquet of white lilies
carefully, as well as white and red roses with a few blue ones in between.
“Blue roses! They're so pretty!” The brunette exclaims completely head over
heals. "My favorite flowers." The pink haired mumbles enchanted. "Where do you
get those from? Who send you those?” The Hondo explores excitedly. With a
smile, Sakura now searches the bouquet for a card or something similar, before
reading the inscription of it. "Thank you for nursing me back to health." She
reads on the small white card, before her heart skips a slight beat. "The
bouquet is from Sasuke." She then notes with surprise. “So cute! It seems that
everything is alright between you two again." The brunette observes with a
relieved smile, watching her pink haired friend smile with a slight blush. "Yes.
yes, everything is okay now." The pink haired woman answers with a smile and
looks around for a vase. "Here, you can use this one. Just let me go and fill in
some water.” Natsuki says, while pulling out a vase from one of the cupboards.
"Thank you." It comes quietly from Sakura and watches her leave the office,
before her eyes move back to the bouquet, which was clearly put together by Ino.
A soft blush settles on her cheeks, when she realizes that he really got her her
favourite flowers, wondering where and when he learned about her favourite
flowers. He bought her flowers. This fact kind of makes her happy. He never did
so before.
 
Smiling, Natsuki comes back after a while and puts the vase on the sideboard, to
the left of the door, where Takumi's bouquet is also standing. "Yours is a lot
bigger." Natsuki states after Sakura put the bouquet into the large vase, only
to turn all of a sudden around to look at the clock and walks towards her
belongings. "I have to go now. Takumi is waiting." She squeaks hastily and
quickly packs her handbag before she walks out the door. "And let him finally
kiss you!" Sakura quickly calls after her with a laugh, before shaking her head,
looking from the bouquet to the bright blue sky and then to the clock on the
wall. "12:08pm. Time for lunch." She says with a hum and reaches for her
smartphone and the bag with the Bentō. Just like the brunette a few minutes
ago, she leaves the office and closes the door behind her. Going through the
hallway and towards Ayame's office. She enters said room and smiles briefly at
the older woman, before she goes on and towards Sasuke's door. She knocks on it
briefly and opens it when she is asked in. "Hey." She says as she enters the
office and closes the door behind her again. "Hey." Sasuke smiles back and leans
back in his armchair. “What are you doing here?” He explores, curious. "Take
care of your health." He hears her explain and watches her hold up her bag.
"It’s time for lunch. I will just quickly warm up my food. Do you want me to
warm up yours too?” She looks at him questioningly, making him smile. "Sure,
why not." The Uchiha nods and hands her his box from his own bag. 
 
Smiling, Sakura takes it from him and leaves the office to warm up the food in
Ayame’s small, hidden kitchen, only to return to the office with the food
boxes a few minutes later. Startled when she doesn’t find her husband on his
chair at his desk, she looks around the large office, until her eyes catch him
sitting on the couch, two glasses already standing there filled with ice tea.
"Come here." She watches him pat on the cushions next to him, as she approaches
him and lets herself sink onto the couch next to him. "Thank you for the
flowers, Sasuke." She smiles at er husband, while she hands him his box. "You're
welcome." He replies gently and gives her cheeks a short caress with his thumb,
before picking up the chopsticks. “What were they for?” She explores as if
not knowing it’s reason, making him look back at her a little confused. "Thank
you so much for your effort last week." He explains to her, moving a bit closer
to her. "Wasn't there a card or something?" She smiles gently at him as she
lifts a piece of meat to her mouth. “So, does that mean I won't get a bouquet
every week now?” It comes from her, with a hint of disappointment in her
voice. Sasuke smiles and shakes his head. Of course she saw the card. She is
just playing around a little. "Such a pity. I thought you became a romantic and
want to spoil me." She hums with a pout and takes some of the rice, making him
smile. However, she doesn’t really take notice of it.

“And did you sort everything out together? What was so important this morning,
that your father needed to speak to you so urgently?” The young woman explores
after they ate their lunch and leans on his shoulder. “Nothing important. Just
talked with him and Itachi about work.” He explains briefly, as he wants to
keep it a secret for now. He wants to surprise her when he comes home earlier
today. “Oh yeah, there’s also this. Itachi and Misuki invited us for dinner
and said they want to tell us something.” He then includes in his explanation.
Surprised, but also visibly delighted, she look up at him to give him a nod.
“That’s nice. I was never at their home before.” She then replies with a
smile and takes a sip of her drink.

 

 
~ > * < ~
 

The Uchiha quietly closes the door of his car with a sigh. Ever since the sun
came out in the morning, it has been shining constantly and made him sweat a
lot. Even though it's not more than 15 degrees, it’s still incredibly warm
under the sun. But it's only a matter of hours, if not minutes, until the sun
leans back towards the horizon and gives way to the night again. Who would have
thought that the news this morning would turn out right? To his own surprise, he
left the company quite early that day and made a short trip into town to get
something. Going up the few steps to the front door, which he opens quietly, he
peels himself out of his jacket and shoes just as quite and undetected. He does
everything as quietly as possible, in hope that Sakura won’t notice him, so
that he can surprise her. He puts down his car keys and puts his empty Bentō
box into the kitchen, before he looks for the small box that he got in town. But
before he goes to her, he quickly goes upstairs and into the bedroom, washing
his hands and afterwards picks out a jeans and a fresh shirt, to quickly take
off the suit and put on the clothes he just put together. When he has changed,
he looks for a sweater from the closet, which he takes downstairs with himself.

Searching, he looks around for his wife next, whom he finds on the couch in the
living room. With her back facing him, as she seems to be reading a magazine. He
approaches her silently and when he arrives right behind her, he reaches out for
her head and puts his hands over her eyes. He leans forward, smiling slightly.
"Sasuke?!" She gasps surprised and takes his hands in hers and from her eyes to
turn around to him with a smile. “What are you doing here?” She asks in
disbelief. "Since my father replaced me, he took off some of my work. In other
words thanks to him i could come home earlier." He explains to her and bends
down to kiss her forehead. 

Now he takes out the little box which he got in town and holds it in front of
his wife’s eyes. "Are you going to spoil me after all?" She asks with
amusement and takes the small box with the chocolates. "No, that's just another
little thank you." Sasuke says with a smile and sits down next to her.

"What do you have there?" He explores interested, when he notices that there are
letters on her lap rather than a magazine. She follows his gaze to the letters.
"I'm just going through our mail." She explains calmly and opens the box of
chocolates. "I see. I thought those were letters from admirers." He growls
softly, but as soon as he realizes that, he quickly tries to cover it up with
boredom. “Anything special?” He asks instead and looks out to the garden.
She just smiles, chooses one of the chocolates and lets it disappear into her
mouth. “Would letters from admirers make you feel jealous?” She inquires and
looks for another chocolate from the box. "Only if you read it." The Uchiha
grumbles and looks at the praline with the dark chocolate, which his wife is
holding in front of his lips. He opens his mouth and lets her put the piece of
chocolate on his tongue, quickly closing his mouth before Sakura can pull out
her finger, which he gently holds with his teeth. Sakura lets out a squeal and
tries to pull her finger out of his mouth, however, he doesn’t let her.
"Sasuke what is that supposed to mean?" She squeals further, although she cannot
suppress a laugh either. He loosens his teeth from her finger and begins to suck
on it, as he gets closer and closer to her. Laughing softly, she lets herself
fall back and on the couch, letting him climbs over her, while still sucking on
her finger. "Why would it make you jealous?" She asks him instead, watching him
release her finger and eating the praline in his mouth and moves down to her
face.
 
"Because you are my wife." He smiles at her and approaches her right ear, into
which he gently blows his answer. The Haruno squeaks again and tries to escape
from him. “No Sasuke! Don't whisper into my ear!” She whines, because she
doesn't like it at all. He looks a little surprised into her face. With narrowed
eyes, she tries to turn her head away, before he already approaches her face
again, moves from her chin up to her ear with the tip of his nose and then
upwards the skull a bit. She lets out a low whimper, in fear that he will blow
into her ear again. He moves the tip of his nose along her cheekbone to her
nose, on which he then presses a kiss. She carefully opens one eye and when she
sees him smiling, she opens the second one as well. "You're so mean!" She then
complains to him with a pout. He grins and kisses the tip of her nose once more,
as she sticks out her tongue at him. Smiling, he aims for her lips next.
However, he doesn’t expect her to turn away her head, making him kiss her
cheek instead. “No, you won’t get a kiss! You were mean!" She utters with a
pout and turns on her stomach to press her face into the seat’s cushion. "I
want one." He just says with a smile and breathes a kiss on the back of her
neck, on her spine, and back up to her ear. "No!" Sakura muffles into the
pillow. He just grins at her pouty behaviour and puts his arms under her
stomach, pulling her with him and makes her sits on his lap. "Kiss! Kiss!
Kiss!” He demands with a low and hot voice, trying to get closer to her lips.
"No." She replies stubbornly and Instead, just picks up one of the letters and
opens it with her little finger. While Sasuke continues to try to steal a kiss
from her, she takes the card out of the envelope and examines it before
unfolding it.
 
"What do you have there?" He asks and puts his chin on her shoulder. "An
invitation to a gala." The pink haired replies confused. "Christmas gala?" He
explores and presses a kiss on her neck again. "Yes." She replies briefly,
before she continues. "but why do we get an invitation?" Sasuke lets go of her
neck for a moment, to give her a smile. "Welcome to my world. My family goes to
this and a few other galas every year.” He explains to her and then goes back
on kissing her skin again. “I think Ryosuke is always there too. Has he never
taken you with him?” The black haired man asks now and puts his chin back on
her shoulder again. Sakura shakes her head. "Up to our wedding, many didn't even
know that I exist." "But now all of Japan knows." He smiles and presses a kiss
on her cheek. She nods silently, while he takes a look at the clock. "Okay then,
we have to go too." He sighs and loosens his arms from her stomach so that they
can stand up. “I'm not giving up on the kiss yet!” Murmurs the Uchiha in
addition and grins slightly as she gets up from his lap. "You can try your
luck." It comes from her as she giggles teasingly at him and walks towards the
living room door. "You'll see!" He replies only to follow her up the stairs.
 
He slips into his sweater and then into a black leather jacket. “It’s rare
to see you being so handsome.” Murmurs the pinkette as she slips into her
trench jacket and wraps a scarf around her neck. Her husband looks at her in
surprise as she gets into her high heels and opens the door. "You think I'm
handsome?" He explores with a slight grin. "Possibly." She replies with a shrug
and walks towards the car. Sasuke locks the front door behind him and unlocks
his car. As he approaches the car, his wife gets in and immediately fastens her
seatbelt. With a small sigh, he sits down on the drivers seat and closes the
door. “What does ‘possibly’ mean?” He asks, fastening his own seat belt
as well. "Maybe better in jeans than in work suits." She explains and looks
around at him. "Is that so? Does that mean you find me ugly in work clothes?" He
asks with a soft laugh. “No, but it makes you look like a boring workaholic.
Jeans suit you more.” Another laugh escapes his lips as a wide grin forms on
his lips. She notices also how he comes closer again, quickly pulling away from
him "Forget it." She suddenly exclaims and laughs when he grumbles disappointed
and starts the engine. He drives silently down the driveway and out of their
property. The minutes pass in silence during their way to Itachi’s mansion.
 
"Tell me." The Uchiha breaks the silence after a while, making her turn back to
him with a questioning hum. “I'm not allowed to do any exerting activities
yet.” He begins and she nods in confirmation. "But we can still have fun,
right?" He explores. "Yes. Depends on what kind of fun you’re talking about
though." She nods again, making him smirk, but continue to talk. “In addition,
it should be really warm again at the weekend, with summer temperatures.” He
continues and makes his wife raise an eyebrow skeptically. "Possibly." She
replies, confused, because she can't really figure out what exactly he wants
from her. "Will you go out with me on Saturday then?" He asks, looking at her
when he has put the car to a stop at one of the red lights. She smiles when she
finally understands what he was trying to get at and nods. "Will you tell me
this time where we're going?" She now asks, but just gets a no in response.
"Okay." Sakura then answers with a sigh. So, he will play the mysterious guy
again, huh? The black haired man grins again with slight amusement and
concentrates again on the road and the way to his brother.
 
Half an hour later he steers the car into a driveway, noticing his wife looking
around with interest, but because of the darkness that has already set in, she
can only see outlines that represent the garden. The car stops and the Haruno
looks at the villa in front of her, which in her opinion resembles an old
ruler's estate in terms of architecture. Only smaller and more modern. She gets
out of the car in amazement. "Dad doesn't seem to be here yet." Sasuke notes and
steps up next to her, his hand closing around hers and pulls her with him
towards the brightly lit entrance, where he rings the bell and a minute later
Itachi opens the door. "Hello. I'm happy that you two came!” He greets the two
with a smile. "Thanks for the invitation." She then greets him back and enters
the house. She looks around the entrance hall, completely amazed, while Sasuke
also enters the house, watching his wife as she looks around the house. "Misuki
should come soon too.” Itachi explains and takes the jacket from his brother.
Smiling, Sasuke shakes his head and walks up to his wife, puts his arms around
her from behind and opens her jacket. "Hey! What are you doing?” She exclaims,
startled, and looks down at his arms. "Taking off your jacket, obviously." He
explains and pulls it off her shoulders to hand it to his brother. Itachi laughs
and hangs the jacket on the cloakroom. Torn out of her amazement, Sakura now
also takes off her shoes. "Hello! Thank you so much for coming!” Misuki
suddenly shouts and comes down the stairs.

"Hello Misuki." The Haruno smiles and greets her with a hug. "We haven't seen
each other for a long time." The brunette woman smiles happily. "I know. Not
since the company party!" "Hello." Sasuke now too greets his sister in law, when
she looks and waves towards him. "You look great. So unfamiliar.“ Itachi notes
after a moment and examines his brother again, who just growls and pulls his
wife back into his arms. "She's already said that." It comes from the younger of
the brothers, watching his wife look over her shoulder in surprise. Quickly he
tries to take his opportunity and comes closer to her to steal a kiss, but she
turns her face away again, making him kiss her cheek. "No!" It comes from her
with a huff, as she already releases herself from his grasp again, takes two
steps away and instead continues to examine the hall and the pictures. “You
have never been here before.“ Misuki notes and stands next to Sakura, who nods
at her statement. "I'll show you the house until Fugaku has arrived." She then
suggests to her sister in law and animates her to follow her up the stairs.
 
“What was that just now?” Misuki asks with an amused smile. "He doesn't get
a kiss as a punishment." Sakura shrugs his shoulders calmly. “What are you
punishing him for?” The brunette woman continues to explore in confusion. What
could he have possibly done to her that she refuses him this hard? "He was
teasing me." The pink haired woman says only briefly as they enter a room and
Sakura looks around with interest once again. "This is the music room." Smiles
the brunette woman. "Do you play the piano?" Inquires Sakura when she sees one
in the room. “No, Itachi does. I play the violin.” Reports Misuki. The green
eyed woman smiles and follows her sister in law out of the room. "Here we have
Itachi's office." "Does Itachi spend so much time inside?" Sakura looks up at
her questioningly, watching Misuki shake her head with a giggle. Understanding,
the pink haired nods and leaves the room again. "Otherwise there is actually
only a bathroom and our bedroom." The brunette explains, while she  opens said
doors and Sakura only looks around briefly so as not to sniff around in their
private room too much. "And lastly, two guest rooms." Misuki explains and opens
the door across from the bedroom. "Although this is going to be rebuilt soon."
She explains as a happy smile pulls on her lips.

“I have to say, Misuki. You are quite sparkly today. You look totally happy
and your outfit is very pretty too.“ Notes the Haruno as they leave the room
again. The brunette in front of her is wearing a white dress, reaching to her
knees and a longer blazer over it, which also extends to the middle of her
thighs. "Thank you Sakura." Misuki's cheeks turn red as she looks embarrassed at
the floor. "Itachi really seems to make you happy a lot." The Haruno comments
with a smile. "Yes, he does and I am sure that Sasuke will make you happy
too.” The older of the two says with a nod of her head "Do you think?" Sakura
asks a little uncertainly and follows her friend down the stairs. "Oh yes! You
already look quite happy whenever you two are together, besides, Sasuke is very
different with you. It will happen. I highly believe in in it." Misuki smiles
sincerely and stops. "Apart from this. Look how he looks at you.“ The brunette
tells as her gaze is directed through a half open door into a room, in which
Sasuke and Itachi are standing and talking to each other, while the younger one
pays his attention to his wife and a slight smile steals onto his lips.
 
The two women then move away and leave his field of vision. When Itachi looks
around at what his brother was looking, he can only see Sakura disappearing
behind the door. "Tell me, little one." He begins and waves the glass in his
hand. "Hm?" Sasuke growls and looks back at him. "Are you already feeling
symptoms of love?" Itachi explores and looks at his brother, as he seems to have
startled “What?” Itachi smile at his reaction, before he explains himself.
"Joy when you see her, tingling on your skin, palpitations, longing to be close
to her." Itachi gives a few examples. "No." his little brother replies briefly.
"And have you settled this distancing problem?" The older Uchiha changes the
subject at his rather harsh reply, watching him nod once. This time not so
straightforward like the previous answer. "Will you tell me what it was about?"
His big brother continues to explore. “No.” The younger one shakes his head
with a smile, making him sigh. "Man, I'm really jealous of Sakura sometimes." He
says afterwards, making Sasuke snort in amusement. "Why?" He explores with
interest. “You were nice to her from the start. You aren’t even that nice to
me. You're so different with her. You always look like that when she's
around.” Itachi explains with a low grumble.
 
Sasuke looks confused at his brother. "What nonsense are you talking about?" He
asks suspiciously. “You don't even notice it yourself, but you're different
with her. Look at you. You even smile at her nonstop and laugh around her so
freely. You barely to never do that around us." Itachi explains with a knowing
smile. “You are so lucky to have her, Sasuke. She's the only one who can ever
make you as happy as Misuki makes me happy. Don't screw it up!” Sasuke snorts
with a shake of his head at his brothers dramatic words. "What did she say about
you coming home earlier from now on?" Itachi continues the conversation. “I
haven't told her yet. I wanted to surprise her." Reports Sasuke with a shrug of
his shoulders. "I see. And how is it going between the two of you now?” Itachi
keeps asking without a pause. "We're trying to have a relationship." Explains
Sasuke and takes a few steps across the room. "So that's why she didn't want to
be kissed!" Itachi then exclaims with a laugh, as if something dawned on him.
The younger one snorts in response and rolls his eyes, as a door opens. "That's
because he was mean to me." Sakura replies with a smile. “And that is the
dining room, with a connecting door to the living room.” Misuki explains next
to her with a smile.
 
Itachi laughs, but gets cut off when the doorbell suddenly rings. "Sasuke.
You're not supposed to be mean to your wife." He just tells his younger brother
as he approaches the front door to open it. "Hello Dad." The older brother
greets his father and lets him step in. Sasuke looks sullenly at his wife, who
just comes up to him smiling innocently and caresses his cheek. "Hello Fugaku."
Misuki greets her father in law happily, who gives her a warm hug and then comes
up to the two youngest in the room. "Hello, you two." He smiles and hugs his
youngest daughter in law. "Hi Dad." Sasuke says with a slight smile. "Hello."
Sakura then greets him as well, when she has separated from him. "So what is so
important?" The youngest Uchiha turns to his brother questioningly. “Now, now,
wait for the food, kid. Since when are you so impatient?" Itachi replies with a
smile and leaves the foyer. Misuki in the other hand smiles apologetically and
follows him. Sighing softly, Sasuke goes into the living room and sinks down on
the couch, followed by his father and wife. “Fugaku, I think you can assist
Sasuke more often. He was at home shortly after me today.“ The young Haruno
breaks the silence between them. "Oh really, is that so?" The addressee smiles
questioningly. Sakura nods and sits down on her husband's lap. "Dinner needs
another 10 minutes." Itachi's voice sounds from the back when he and his wife
entered the room.

Surprised, Sakura looks at her sister in law. “You don't cook yourself?”
Misuki blushes slightly as she shakes her head in embarrassment. "I can not cook
at all. That's why we have a housekeeper." Admits the brunette, with her head
held down. "Yes, we prefer to enjoy the time that she is not in the kitchen."
Itachi gently puts his arm around his wife and presses her to him. She looks up
almost shyly and he presses a kiss on her forehead. Smiling, Sakura looks around
at her father in law. He's smiling but somehow he seems sad. "It's nice to see
you all so happy." He then says and gets everyone's attention. Everyone realizes
that at this moment he misses his wife infinitely. "We are the only ones who are
happy!" Itachi comments to his fathers words. "Sasuke isn’t even allowed to
kiss Sakura because he was mean to her." The youngest Uchiha looks angrily at
his brother, while Fugaku just laughs. "What loves, that teases, doesn't it?"
The oldest in the round replies and makes Itachi and Misuki laugh too. "Sorry.
We aren’t that far yet." Sasuke grumbles. "Yes, because you work all the t-."
Sakura Beginns, but gets stopped as she’s squirming on the couch, laughing, as
she gets tickled by her husband mercilessly. “It's time you change that
Sasuke.” Fugaku smiles at his younger son, watching the cute scene unfold in
front of his eyes. The youngest Uchiha lets go of his wife and looks back at his
father. "That's why you spend a lot of time in the evening to give her hickeys,
don’t you, Sasuke?" Itachi exclaims with a wide grin. 

Sasuke snorts at his brother, while Fugaku watches his sons and daughters in
laws with a warm smile on his face. "Poor Sasuke." Sakura murmurs and strokes
her husband's hair pityingly. "Do you want a kiss?" She says and looks at him
questioningly. Immediately he turns to her and looks her over briefly to know
beforehand whether this should be a joke, but when he doesn't see anything that
would indicate it, he leans over to her. A grin forms on her lips as she backs
away until she slips onto the couch. "He's really longing for her kisses."
Laughs Itachi, satisfied with the scene in front of him. Because no matter what
the two keep saying and denying their suspicions, something is going on between
them and his mother seems to have already noticed it from the beginning. Sasuke
snorts again and straightens back up. "Do you know what he said this morning?"
He asks and looks at his wife, before he smirks revenging at his brother. "That
I should take time to have a quickie with you in my office." Explains the
youngest Uchiha. Fugaku laughs again while Sakura scowls dangerously at her
brother in law. Surprised by the sudden turn, Itachi opens his mouth before a
loud clap sounds through the room and he holds the back of his head. “What was
that for now?” Itachi asks his wife, stunned. "Keep your perverted fantasies
to yourself!" She too growls at him. "Apart from that, it's none of your
business what your brother does in his office!" "I'll go look after the dinner."
The older brother says with a pout, when he sees that the tables turned on him
and leaves the room, while Misuki smiles apologetically at her brother and
sister in law.

"So actually, we should be even now." Says the youngest Uchiha and looks at his
wife. "Yes, you are right, we are even." She smiles and is pulled by him onto
his lap. "So do I get a kiss now?" He explores happily. "No." she shakes her
head. "Why not?", Sasuke raises an eyebrow questioningly. "If I keep giving you
what you want, you will be totally spoiled when you grow up." She says and then
giggles. "Sakura." Sasuke growls as his fingers run dangerously over her
stomach, making her squeak. “No!” She pleads and hugs around his neck,
making her husband laugh. Misuki and Fugaku smile knowingly. "The food is ready.
Let's go to the dining room." Itachi enters the room and watches his father
stand up. They already move towards the dining room, while Sakura still sits on
her husbands lap. “Come on Sakura. Dinner." Sasuke says and watches his wife
nod. "Yes." Fugaku, Itachi and Misuki stop by the door and look at them. "I have
to get up for that." The youngest Uchiha replies to his wife. “Are you sure
about that?” She grins questioningly, making him laugh. “Yes, I am.” He
nods. "Okay." Says the Haruno, lets go of him and goes to her in laws, only to
turn back to him with a grin.

“Sasuke, what do you take so long? We want to eat." But to her surprise, he
smirks back. "I would be careful if I were you. Don’t forget we are going home
after all this." The pink haired woman sticks out her tongue, while the others
already disappear into the dining room, so she too turn to go in. However, she
doesn’t expect him to grab her hand and pull her back, to press his lips
agains hers, making her gasp in surprise. He breaks the kiss with a smooch
shortly after, to smirk at her blushing face. He could have done it earlier, but
he wanted to weight her into safety to make her think that she has the upper
hand. He can play dirty too after all. “You spoiled idiot...” it comes from
her in a mumble, making him chuckle lightly. “Says the one who desperately
wants to get spoiled with flowers every week. Besides, that wasn’t even a
proper kiss yet.” Satisfied he watches her go a shed redder at his words and
turn back around to finally go into the dining room. Sasuke too follows with a
slight chuckle, where everyone sits down. Fugaku sits down at the front of the
table and Sakura and Sasuke across from the hosts, of course the two gentleman
help their wives with the chairs.


“Bon appétit.” Misuki smiles and picks up the spoon. "Bon appetit." The
Haruno smiles too, before silence falls and everyone eats and enjoys their food.
As the housekeeper clears the plates, Itachi stands up. "I'll get something to
drink." He announced and follows the housekeeper out of the room. "Shall I teach
you to cook?" Sakura suggests to her sister in law after a moment of silence,
who smiles ashamed. "Do not make the effort. I'm a hopeless case.“ Waves the
brunette with a shake of her head. "We can give it a try." Sakura winks
encouragingly. Itachi enters the room again and pours everyone some wine and
puts, with a knowing look at his brother, another bottle of Sprite on the table.
While Sasuke reaches out for it to just fill another glass with the see through
liquid instead, Itachi sits back down, while the housekeeper reenters the room,
pushing a carriage on which the main course is standing. The woman serves
everyone a plate and then withdraws again. "Enjoy." Itachi smiles and lifts his
wine glass. The others at the table also lift their glasses and smile at each
other.
 
“What about our bet on Naruto? Has something happened?” Fugaku finally
explores and breaks the silence during the meal. “A bet?” Misuki explores in
surprise and watches Sakura nod. "At the company party we did bet on how long it
would take for Naruto and Hinata to become a couple." She explains and makes the
situation clear to the brunette female in the round. Understanding, she nods.
"Well, I haven't heard anything from them since the second date." Sasuke replies
after thinking for a moment. “When was the second date?” Itachi inquires
with interest. “Sometime around October 20th.” Reports the youngest Uchiha.
"And what were your assumptions?" Misuki looks around asking questions.
“Fugaku gave him 2 months. Me until the end of the year, Sasuke until January
and Itachi half a year.” Sakura counts and states the assumptions to her.
Misuki shakes her head with a smile and looks at her husband. "Everything is
possible with that chaotic man!" He quickly says in defence and a grin settles
on Sakura's lips.
 
"And now there is another dessert?" The pink haired woman inquires a few minutes
later. "Is there even still room?" She asks to herself and rubs herself over her
stomach before she smiles. "Yes, I think so." Sasuke mumbles after looking at
her stomach. Smiling, she punches him on the shoulder, which doesn’t really
seem to bother him. “Now, Itachi. You have kept us under suspicion long
enough. Why did you want us to come here?” Fugaku redirects the subject. "Do
you want, or should I?" The addressee just looks at his wife questioningly.
Smiling, she leans over to him and whispers something in his ear, before he nods
and looks back at his family. The two stand up. "Well, Misuki and I invited you
because we want to announce something." The Uchiha begins and then looks at his
wife, who clears her throat briefly and then looks around. A slight blush
settles on her face as she smiles happily, making the interest grow. "It’s
me." It comes from her lips. "I'm pregnant." For a moment Sakura looks at her
sister in law in disbelief before she squeaks and gets up. "That's great! My
congratulations!“ She squeals out in excitement and walks around the table to
hug the brunette woman. "Then this guest room will be..." Sakura continues when
she has released the hug. "A child's room, exactly." Misuki smiles and nods.
Fugaku and Sasuke also rise. "Well done." The oldest Uchiha pats his oldest son
on the shoulder. "Congratulations." Sasuke too smiles and offers his brother his
hand. "Thank you." He murmurs, almost embarrassed, because of what his father
said. "How many months is it already?" Sakura explores enthusiastically. "In the
fourth." Misuki replies with a smile. "Then you already have a ball in
December!" Smiles the pinkette. Misuki nods with a smile, while Sakura sits back
down on her chair. She still has to process this great news. "We wanted to tell
you last week, but after Sasuke collapsed, we wanted to wait until you feel
better again." Misuki explains while the dessert is being served. “In any
case, it is fantastic news and you both will definitely be great parents!” The
Haruno girl exclaims  happily.



~ > * < ~



Sighing softly, Sasuke locks the front door behind him. “Who would have
thought the evening would turn out so long?” He mumbles to himself and slips
out of his jacket. It is now shortly before midnight and the conversations about
Misuki's pregnancy dragged on for some time before they finally said goodbye to
each other. "Who would have thought that Misuki is pregnant." Sakura replies
with a smile and slips off her shoes. Tired, she stretches briefly and then goes
into the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink too?" She calls out to her
husband from the kitchen. "Sure." He says and stops behind her, watching her
pour iced tea into the glasses. "Here." She hands him one of the glasses and
then walks out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Sasuke takes a sip of the drink
and then follows her into the bedroom. "Winter is coming slowly." It comes from
his wife as she pulls the curtain to cover the window. “That's the way it
is.” Agrees the black haired man and puts his glass on his bedside table, to
shortly go to the bathroom and wash his hands and face. Sighing, he peels off
his blue sweater and gray shirt afterwards, pulling out a shirt from his
wardrobe and pulls it over his head. His wife appears next to him to look for
sleeping clothes from the wardrobe. She smiles slightly at him and then
disappears into the bathroom, while he swaps his jeans with sweatpants and then
closes the wardrobe again.

He collapses on his mattress and sets his alarm clock before turning on the
light on his bedside table, the big light on the ceiling long since closed. The
bathroom door reopens and Sakura steps out with a freshly washed face. The make
up gone and her clothes swapped with her pyjamas. "I'm actually way too young to
be an aunt." She suddenly sighs out and runs her fingers through her hair.
"Actually, you are just the right age to have a child." Sasuke grins and walks
towards the bed. She sighs again and falls onto the side of her bed. “How long
have Itachi and Misuki been married?” She asks after a moment. "3 years, why?"
Replies her husband a bit confused about her question. “So I have to have a
baby in three years?” She asks, stunned. Sasuke laughs. "No. That has as much
time as we need." He reassures her with a smile and sits down on his half of the
bed. “One thing is certain.” She then says, making him look at her
questioningly. "I will be a great aunt, but you, you will be a miserable uncle."
She grimaces a little disappointed. A dark growl comes from Sasuke's lips and
jump onto her. “I warned you!” Before she could understand what’s
happening, she’s already letting out a loud scream.
 
The Uchiha threw himself at her in a flash and now presses her into the
mattresses underneath him. "Now it's your turn." He now smiles and leans down to
her. "I had to wait a whole week for that." He mumbles agains her lips, his
breath already becoming heavier. "Do you think I'll let you?" She explores with
a grin. "Oh, no, beautiful. Rather than that, you have no other choice." He
grins and bridges the last few centimeters between them. Gently but firmly, he
presses his lips on her warm and soft ones an he smiles and feels her kiss back
without any resistance. This time, however, he makes sure that the kiss won’t
end so soon. Kiss her properly, without anyone who could disturb them this time.
If it hadn’t been for the place they had been in, he would have already kissed
her senseless hours ago. Her arms move around his neck and he carefully puts his
weight on her body. He gently loosens his lips and looks into her face. Since
she has her eyes still closed, he grins and wanders to her neck, on which he
spreads kisses, listening in to her giggle as she opens her eyes. "You know
what's coming now." He grins at her. "Not if I can prevent it." She replies and
pulls him back up to her lips. “It's no use.” He just laughs softly after
breaking the kiss. She pushes out her lower lip with a playful pout. Too bad it
doesn’t work on him. Smiling, he kisses her pouting lips, before biting and
sucking it, letting it go again with a smooch. Kissing his way back down on her
neck, he breathes a kiss on one spot and looks up at her again. "No protests?"
He explores, a little surprised. "It's autumn, so I always wear scarves anyway."
She smiles and lets her arms slip from his neck. Sasuke grins in response and
kisses this spot again before he starts sucking on the skin. After a few minutes
he lets go of her neck and kisses further down. His fingers gently run down her
stomach to the hem. As he caresses her neck, he slips his hand underneath the
fabric of her shirt. With a circular motion he lets his fingers wander back up
to her bra where he stops and moves back down. Sasuke loosens his lips from her
collarbone and looks up at her. A delightful smile lies on her lips while she
has closed her eyes. He gently runs his finger over her armpit and then kisses
her neck again. His lips travelling to her ear and down again. His hands find
hers and crosses his fingers with hers, gently pulling her hand towards him and
breathing a kiss on the back of her hand.

She opens her eyes again and looks at him. Her hands separate from his, watching
him support himself on both sides next to her head. She gently runs her hands
over his cheeks and through his hair. Smiling, he leans over to her and briefly
holds still above her lips. They look each other in the eyes in silence until
she lifts her head from the pillow, making him bridge the last few centimeters
and put his lips back on hers, adding soft pressure on hers before he pokes his
tongue against her lips. She doesn’t hesitate to let him in, eventually
feeling him challenging her to a game. She gives in to the kiss with relish and
presses herself close to her husband. Their kiss id deep and feverish and he
likes it. Only after a while he dares to break the kiss, only to put more
delicate kisses on her lips and turns over to pull her on top of him. Desiring
and full of affection, he involves her again in a passionate play of tongues,
feeling her press herself as close to him as possible, while he runs his hands
underneath her shirt and strokes her spine. A sigh of pleasure escapes her,
which makes a smile pull on his lips. He gently releases the kiss and sits up
with her.
 
Sakura looks at him questioningly, while he just examines her face in silence.
"You are so incredibly beautiful." He expresses his thoughts and brushes her
hair out of her face. With his finger he runs over her right temple, with his
thumb along her cheekbones and nose, then gently caresses her full lips. Sakura
in the other hand blushes from the compliment and looks up at him shyly. His
thumb runs over her lips again before he bends over and kisses this velvety soft
skin. His hand rests on the back of her head and presses her lips against his.
After a short time, he only releases the kiss to replace it with a more
demanding one. His tongue penetrates her mouth and searches for hers, nudging
her teasingly. Sasuke lets himself sink back into the pillow, without breaking
the kiss, carefully rolling over and swaping places with her once again to
squish her between himself and the mattress. He gently releases the kiss and
smiles at her. A little tired she looks at him and runs through his black hair.
"I missed you.” She suddenly mumbles at him at makes him stare into her eyes
in confusion. "I wasn't gone to begin with." He replies quietly, before
realizing what she really meant. “I'm sorry.” He whispers, watching her
stick out her tongue. He laughs softly at her childish action. "I can do that
too!" He grins and sticks out his tongue at her before losing himself in her
eyes again. He gently bends over to steal another kiss from her and she gives in
without hesitation. After a short moment he releases the kiss and breathes
another one on her lips. “We should sleep. You are tired." He mumbles and
kisses the tip of her nose, listening in to her soft hum as she lifts her head
up to press herself against him. He smiles gently and turns back down on his
back and pulls her into his arms.
 
Carefully pulling the blanket over each other, he lays back down on the pillows
and examines her pink hair with a smile. Pressing a kiss on the top of her head,
he finally closes his eyes as well.



                       Kapitel 26: Step 26 - Second Date
                       ---------------------------------


You haven’t jumped in bed with your crush on the first date and actually got
invited on a second date? Congratulations! Your crush is definitely interested!
Still, it's blah blah blah. Isn't that how some articles in girls' magazines
always start? Another popular topic in such magazines is: Is he in love with me?
The 10 signs! - or something like that.
The second date is just as important as the first date. Leaving a good first
impression has been done, now it's about going into the depths! On the second
date, it’s important to be careful that the conversation won’t come to a
standstill. But those who are interested, will always find a topic and above
all, want to know everything about the other. Nevertheless, a date should always
be a lot of fun and a little romantic too.
 
“Daaamn Sasuke! Tell me already where we're going!“ The pink haired woman
whines impatiently at her husband, in which’s black Audi they are sitting and
driving to their destination. Sasuke smiles amused at her childish impatience
and shakes his head, which makes his wife sigh and look out the window again.
“We've been driving over the highway for at least half an hour already!” She
states with a grumble and watches the brown noise barriers on the sides of the
highway. “Where are you kidnapping me to?” She tries it once again and looks
back at him questioningly. "You will see it when we have arrived" A small grin
lies on his lips, as he tells her this. Pouting playfully, she pushes out her
lower lip, crosses her arms childishly over her chest and looks out of her side
window with a huff. Sasuke keeps driving and follows the long road, which goes
into a slight but long curve. Sakura keeps looking out of the window in silence,
while her husband just keeps concentrating himself on the traffic around them.
Only a little later noise barrier disappears  and makes way to the beautiful
view to the blue sea bay. "Hey. There is the Miracle Land!” The young Haruno
immediately exclaims with a smile, as soon as her gaze meets said amusement
park. For a moment the Uchiha throws a sideways glance towards his wife and sees
how she almost presses her nose against the windowpane while she stares out.
"You seem to associate some nice memories with it." He comments silently and
pushes down the turn signal to change lanes. "Yes. I used to come here a couple
of times with my parents." She replies and her look becomes slightly sad, her
smile filled with melancholy. After a while of silence, she sits back on her
seat properly and leans her head against the window pane, looking through it and
towards the Miracle Land. "I haven't been there for a long time, although i
really loved it." It comes over her lips in a soft mumble. "Tell me when we have
arrived." Sasuke glances briefly towards her at her request, seeing how she
closes her eyes with a soft sigh, which makes him smile. "Okay."
 
The car rolls slowly through the parking lot, towards one of the empty places
where he could park his car safely for the rest of the day. A few minutes later
he finally brings his car to a standstill and pulls the handbrake, turning off
the engine right after. Unfastening his seat belt, the young man gets out of his
car after removing the key, only to walk around the car and open the passengers
door. "We have arrived." It comes from him, when he sees her eyes still closed
and watches as his wife opens her eyes. She looks around a little confused, but
doesn't seem tired at all. "That was quick now." She states with a smile, not
knowing whether the way was really so short, or wether the time has just passed
way too fast because of delving in the memories of  the times when she was
visiting Miracle Land with her parents. Maybe she can go there with him when
winter is over. After a moment of delving in thoughts, she unfastens her
seatbelt and gets out of the car and looks a little confused at her husband, who
watches her with that mysterious smile. Raising one of her eyebrows skeptically,
she closes the car door behind herself and looks into her husbands eyes, who
takes two steps to the side and reveals to her the place behind himself.
"You’re making fun of me, right?" It comes from her in utter disbelief. Her
facial expression derails for a moment, before her lips form into a happy smile.
"Sorry. Unfortunately it isn’t a five star restaurant or European." Sasuke
explains with a slight sigh and plays the disappointed husband for ‘not being
able to please his wife’s expectations’. "However, i hope that you’ll
still like the surprise." He now tells her with a slight grin, only to get a
squeak in response, watching her jump onto him happy and excitedly.
 
Smiling brightly, she lets him go again and looks back up into his grey eyes. "I
would have never imagined that you would find your way here by yourself, or even
know what the Miracle Land is." She explains still a little surprised, risking a
growl from him in response. When she notices, that now she’s the one who is
about to ruin the date before it even started, she quickly tries to ease his
fouling mood by rewording her claim. "That's why it's all the nicer and makes me
even happier that you planned to kidnap me here for our second date!" Hoping
that it helped, she quickly leans forward, to press her lips on his cheek and
walk past him towards the entrance. The Uchiha looks after her a little
perplexed, as it takes him a moment to realize what just happened in what speed.
"Sasuke! What are you taking so long?!“ He hears her call out for him with a
laugh, making him look around to her. She is already standing by the entrance,
waving at him. Amused, he lets out a snort and shakes his head, moving leisurely
to catch up with her and go to the ticket hut with her.
 
The rush towards the Miracle Land is great. The visitors forming longer lines in
front of  the entrance. The two line up next to each other, waiting for their
turn. “I hope we won’t be found and stalked by the press again. I really
don’t want our date to end up in the magazines again." It comes resigned from
the pink haired, after a few minutes of waiting. The Uchiha laughs briefly at
her words, looking down and into her face. "Why not?" He explores and examines
her questioningly. "Well, I'm not going to be lucky twice in a row, that, for
some reason, Karin won't be able to read the article again. If she knows that I
am your wife, she will make my life a living hell and I like to mess around with
her. Besides, it’s not like they have a right to lurk and sniff around in my
personal life. What they do needs to be illegal. I want to see their faces if
someone would be stalking them around and reveal their most private moments to
the whole world." Annoyed at the shameless reporters, she grimaces and imagines
the scene the Kaseguchi would make. She would go crazy and turn into a fury.
Worse than she already is. Sasuke grins in amusement and shakes his head with a
chuckle. “I don't think that we're so unlucky to be spotted on a date twice in
a row. Apart from that, there are so many people here that we’ll disappear in
the crowd.” He replies calmly and lets his hands disappear into his pockets.
Smiling, his wife hooks up on his arm and cuddles herself against his shoulder.
"What are you doing to mess with Karin?" The Uchiha now asks a little curious
and looks down at her pink hair. The idea of her putting that woman back on her
place kind of sounds interesting after all. Sakura immediately lifts her head
and looks at him in surprise, before smiling sheepishly. "You are my boss and
the boss of my boss, I can't tell you that." She explains and can't help but
grin. Skeptical, he raises an eyebrow, but she just steps a few steps further
towards the entrance.
 
"Say, do you know how it’s going between Naruto and Hinata?” With this
question, Sakura draws his attention back to herself, watching him looks up into
the sky thoughtfully. “Right now there is no developement. He only told me
that he’s going to ask her out on their third date, but not when. Is Hinata
not telling you anything?” A grin steals on his lips, as she lets out a sigh.
"Well, yeah... I know that things are going better than before between them.
They stopped ending up in bed with each other and even meet for a cup of coffee.
But she can't tell me what Naruto is planning next.” Reports the green eyed
woman as they get closer and closer to the entrance. “The third date. He shows
quite a speed. How am I supposed to catch up?" Sasuke suddenly mumbles to
himself, making her look up at him in disbelief, since she’s only wearing flat
shoes and therefore is much smaller than him. “It's not a competition!” She
says with a giggle and slaps his shoulder lightly. Surprised he looks at her
through his dark grey eyes, before his lips twist into a small grin. “Besides,
unlike him, you don't even need to date me to win me over. After all, we’re
already married. We might not love each other in a romantic way yet, but we are
still definitely way further than him." He hears his wife explain to him with a
giggle and wraps her arm around his again. “Good. If that is the case, then we
don't even need to go in there.” He just muses and turns around in order to
walk back to his car. “Hey!” Exclaims the young Haruno angrily and he
can’t stop himself from letting out a laugh, before he turns back to her. "I
was just kidding. Of course we'll go in.” He says amused and takes her with
air filled cheeks into his hands, pulling her closer for a chaste kiss.
 
"Next one, please!” Sasuke smiles crookedly at his wife and takes her hand in
his, gently pulling her after him to the cashier, who just called out for them.
"Hello. Tickets for two please!“ The Uchiha utters briefly and pulls his wife
closer to himself, lets go of her hand and wraps his arm around her waist
instead. "Sure." The woman exclaims with a smile and turns around while he takes
some money out of his pocket to pay for the bracelet IDs. "Here you go! Have
fun!” The woman hands him two of the bracelet IDs and takes the money in
exchange. The couple goes on and wraps the bracelet IDs around their right
wrists. "Well? What are your next plans?" The pink haired woman explores with a
smile. “Having lots of fun, with something to eat in between." Sasuke replies
as they approach the control counters and both hold their IDs on the scanner, in
order for the access barriers to open and let them enter the actual amusement
park.
 
"Well?" It comes from Sasuke, while he looks around briefly. "What do you feel
like doing first?" His attention is on his wife, who looks at a certain place
with a bright smile. "The bumper cars!" She exclaims with a slight grin and
immediately points to the ride. "Okay." The two approach said place and open the
access barriers with their IDs and get into some of the last bumper cars and
drive from the area which serves as a parking lot. Grinning, Sakura drives
through the crowd of cars.
 
The Miracle Land is a very special amusement park. On one hand, it is built
right by the sea and one of the roller coasters, or rather called water
coasters, even leads out to the sea. It’s the most popular and spectacular
ride of the whole amusement park - the Supersnake. And on the other hand, at the
beginning you pay for a bracelet ID with which you can enter every ride as often
as you want. There are no operators, but only security officers and service
people who supervise the attractions around the clock and take care of the
visitors. The amusement park is gigantic. Some guests even book a room at the
hotels, right across the street, only to be able to ride the attractions all
weekend. Although, one day would be fairly enough to ride each ride at least
once. In addition to the attractions and rides, there are of course game and
food stalls, some of them also only working with the bracelet IDs. At the end of
the visit, the IDs are returned and scanned, in order to sum up the amount of
money for all the attractions they visited through their visit in the park. Of
course there are also possibilities to take pictures or to have them taken as a
memory.

The black haired man looks around searchingly and past the other visitors, in
search of his wife. Her sudden laugh reaches his ears, when she suddenly drives
past him. “Can't you find the gas pedal like you couldn’t on your car?”
She calls out to him, while driving away in a fast pace. Immediately, he stomps
onto the gas pedal and drives after her. "Oh! You know where it is, or was that
just a lucky hit?” She continues teasing him, when he came up next to her. "Of
course I know where it is. Last time you only won, because i didn’t drive
faster than allowed." He smiles, making her huff. "Yeah right, you and letting
me win on purpose. You’re just a bad looser! I will show you that you can’t
catch me!" She laughs and suddenly steps on the gas again, before she drives
away quickly. Which makes it unable for her to see his triumphant smirk.
“Challenge accepted.” It comes over his lips in a form of a chuckle and
immediately chases after his wife. A gasp escapes her when she notices that
he’s already back behind her and tries to evade him. However, she doesn’t
expect him to react on spot to her retreating tactic. With a wide smirk on his
lips, Sasuke makes a rapid turn backwards, only to ram her car with full force
and quickly drive off into the opposite direction. “Hey!” The young woman
exclaims with a huff, but also kind of shocked that it did’t even take him a
minute to catch her. Now, the fact that he could have really just let her win
their other race the other time, doesn’t seem so ridiculous to her anymore.
Puffing up her cheeks in annoyance, she quickly turns her car over and chases
after her husband. Sasuke in the other hand steers his bumper car across the
place, stopping and waiting directly in front of some other passengers, only to
evade them in the last second, so that Sakura has to slow down to prevent these
people from crashing into her car. However, she doesn’t really succeed with
her plan and ends up colliding with others several times, which the others
accept with laugher. The thing is, that she loses sight of her husband because
of it, forced to search for him through the whole place. A few minutes pass as
she’s about to drive over a crossroad, but stops herself, when she spots her
husband on the left. Sitting in his bumper car with his elbows on the little
steering wheel and his chin resting on his fist, he watches her with amusement
as she drives past him. His lips still formed into an amused smirk, before he
steps back onto the gasp pedal and drives off. Sakura lets out a slight curse
and drives the way to the end, in order to drive onto another path and catch up
to her husband. Though, she doesn’t expect him to approach her from the side
and ram into her bumper car with full speed. The young Haruno squeals aloud at
the collision, ending up laughing.

"Let’s meet up at the starting line." She explains after a moment and drives
off again, which he accepts with a nod and heads for the starting line, where he
can already see her waiting for him at the side. He stops next to her carefully,
looking over to her and into her eyes. "Already giving up?" It comes from him
with an amused chuckle, when he sees her pout at him. “You deceived me!
That’s unfair! You were supposed to be a bad looser!” She pouts, making him
laugh amused at her pouty behaviour. “Who flies high, needs to expect to fall
deeper. I had actually intended to seriously win that day, but like i said,
unlike you i not only know where the accelerator is, but also where the limits
are. Besides...” He pauses for a moment in his explanation, to watch her with
an amused smirk. “I still had to punish you somehow either way, for declining
my offer to drive to work together, although i had seriously considered your
wish to spend more time with you. Even if it’s just a simple ride to work.”
Surprised, Sakura looks back up at him, before she looks down at her hands. She
never knew. Only after a moment her lips form back into a soft smile and looks
back up again. “Come here.” She then replies and tugs on his arm. A bit
confused, he follows her request and leans over to her, watching her lean closer
to him as well and takes out her smartphone to hold it up over the both of them.
She cuddles her head against his shoulder, sticks out her tongue and makes the
peace sign with her fingers. He raises an eyebrow skeptically when he sees her
doing so on the screen. The picture freezes for a moment and the selfie gets
saved. Sakura smiles contentedly at the outcome of the picture, which makes him
smile and watches her take another selfie with him. "Want to go on a different
ride now?" It comes from her while she puts her cell phone back into her mini
handbag, which she carries around her upper body, from her right shoulder to her
left hip. "Sure, if that's what you want." Sasuke replies with a smile and
watches her get out of her bumper car, before he too follows her out. "What do
you want to do next?" The Uchiha asks with interest, while he takes his wife's
hand and crosses their fingers together, gently caressing the back of her hand
with his thumb. With a shrug and a smile on her lips, she just looks up into his
grey eyes.
 
“What about roller coasters? I mean, because of your fear of heights.” He
then starts and watches his wife’s reaction with interest. “Roller coasters
are okay, but not those high falls! Not even ten horses will get me up there!”
The Haruno explains with a shudder, pointing to one of the highest attractions.
"And what about you and your claustrophobia?" She then asks back and watches him
slightly grin. “Want to go on one of the roller coasters? Maybe the Water
coaster?” He just asks a counter question, making her look at him perplexed.
"Sure." She then finally agrees and briefly examines the different lanes. “The
Supersnake would be cool, but for that one we would have to wait so long. How
about the one over there?" Sakura then suggests with a mumble, before pointing
to one of the lanes. "Whichever you like." The Uchiha says with a nod and walks
towards the one she has chosen. His wife walking right beside him. With a slight
smile, she looks down at her hand, which he’s still holding and running his
thumb over the back of her hand.

A relieved, but also pleased smile pulls on her lips. She has him back. She has
her friendly and gentle Sasuke back. She really has him back. Shifting her
weight to her side, Sakura leans her head against his shoulder, while closing
her eyes contentedly. He's who he was again and hopefully this time he'll stay
that way. Forever. When he told her at the end of their bumper car ride, that he
had seriously thought about her and wanted to spend time with her, she felt so
weird, she couldn’t describe it properly. All she could tell is that she felt
happy and didn’t mind anymore that he let her win the previous time. Her
memories return to the times in which everyone kept saying, how different he is
with her and she can finally see it too. An amused smile pulls on her lips. If
someone would have told her back at her first weeks of marriage, that he would
be like this towards her, she would have probably laughed at them. But now she
knows, that they would have been actually right. It seems that she needs to stop
judging people by their covers.

 When Sasuke feels her head on his shoulder, the Uchiha looks around to his
right. A smile settles on his lips as he places his temple on her head for a
short moment. Shortly afterwards he slows down in his steps, which causes his
wife to open her eyes again. She sees a small line of people standing in front
of the roller coaster and waiting for their turn. Screams and screeches can be
heard from the roller coaster, which makes the black haired man look up, where
he discovers the row of cars and the visitors who happily put their hands up
into the air. His eyes follow the ride in silence, which is already entering the
station again. People pour out and make space for the next passengers. The line
in front of them is cut in half and the two of them come to a stop in front of
the entry barrier. Actually, standing in line for almost twenty minutes just to
have five minutes of fun is nonsense, but it's worth the time every time. The
ride starts moving once again and Sakura follows it and listens to the joyful
screams and shouts. The journey doesn't take long and the ride rolls back into
the station, before the passengers pour out again, making it able for Sasuke and
Sakura to finally pass through the access barriers and make their ways to the
seats. "Come on, there is still space at the  front." Announces one of the
security guards and points in the direction, so the two follow the request and
take a seat in the ride’s first row.
 
Sasuke smiles slightly at his wife, before they get secured properly and
prepared for the upcoming ride. Sakura immediately puts her hands on the safety
device in front of her chest and looks happily at the rails in front of her.
Sasuke also turns his gaze back to the front as the carriage finally starts
moving. Slowly it picks up more and more speed and already drives up the first
incline. Shortly afterwards the train shoots down again and a screech reaches
Sasuke’s ears. Sakura has happily raised her arms, but no sound leaves her
lips. She’s enjoying the moment and it relieves him. The train goes up again,
makes some curves, a loop and over a few more hills of different heights.
 
Laughing, the young Haruno leaves the station and back in front of the access
barrier and looks around for her husband. "What next?" He asks, pleased that she
is having fun. “The next roller coaster!” Exclaims the green eyed woman and
immediately points to the train she wants to ride next. "Come on!" She grins and
takes his hand to pull him with her, which he accepts by simply following her
with an amused smile. Sakura walks through the place of the amusement park and
towards the next roller coaster she has chosen. "Do you know what I noticed?" It
suddenly comes from the Uchiha while he follows her. “What?” She asks with
interest and looks at him over her shoulder. "You haven't been clumsy lately."
As if his remark was the push of a button, his wife suddenly stumbles forward
and over her own feet. Sasuke reflexively grasps her hand tighter than before
and pulls her abruptly towards him. Startled, she lets out a squeak, before she
can feel how she falls into his arms. "Apparently I was wrong." He then remarks
with an amused grin and watches his wife, which immediately turns all red and
looks embarrassed to the ground. With a slight chuckle, he presses his lips
gently against her temple and then starts walking towards her requested
destination once again. "But well, in the end i don’t mind it anyway." He then
adds with a wink and puts his arm around her waist to hold her close.

Until they both arrive at the desired station, the Haruno doesn't make a single
sound, still quite embarrassed about the trip. She really thought that she'd
gotten her clumsiness more under control. “I think this clumsiness of yours is
really cute.“ The Uchiha whispers into her ear and presses another kiss on her
temple, when he notices that she is still uncomfortable about it, making her
look up at him with bright red cheeks. This is the part about it, which he likes
the most. Her bright red cheeks. He couldn’t describe this feeling, but it
looks so beautiful on her. “Come on, it's our turn.” He says, pulling her
through the access barrier towards the ride she wanted to get on next, which the
previous visitors are leaving. Surprised, she looks around briefly before she
sits next to her husband, onto one of the seats. Sasuke watches her again, while
the other passengers are still getting on the ride and pull down the safety bars
over their shoulders and secure them properly. The pink haired woman shakes her
head briefly in order to concentrate on the here and now again, instead of
delving into the confusion she feels because of her husbands statement. He is
just saying all of this to tease her and that’s it! This is what she tells
herself with a soft nod.
 
The carriage starts moving again and goes up the lift hill. When the coaster
suddenly rushes down, even the Uchiha lets out a small, "Woah!". The air, which
is flowing in the opposite direction, presses against his stomach and makes him
laugh. Sakura on his right screams happily and stretches her arms in the air,
the train loops, back up a hill, a few steep curves and another loop. It goes up
and down a few more times. The Uchiha can't stop laughing at the air pressure on
his stomach. With a shriek from most of the guests, the train drives the last
hill down into a curve and finally slows down until it comes to a stop again in
the station. The safety bars get de-secured again automatically and release the
visitors from their seats. With a smile on his lips, Sasuke now gets out of the
car as well, before taking his wife’s hand to help her out and on her feet.
When she stands next to him, his fingers immediately close around hers and
entangles them. The pink haired girl looks up at him and into his grey eyes,
which seem even more visible and therefore more beautiful than usual. Maybe she
was just imagining, but at the moment it really didn’t seem like black at all.
It’s like the color is truly shining through to her and he replies to her
silent stare with a smile. “Do you want to have some food, or ride another
attraction?” He explores and leads her out of the place.
 
"Let's go to the mirror maze before we have something to eat." She suggests
while looking around for it, but reconsiders when she remembers his little
problem. "Or, is that not possible because of your claustrophobia?" The Haruno
pauses and looks back up at her husband, who nods amused. "Of course it works.
After all, there are no narrow spaces, just mirrors. If I should still panic, i
will just break one." Sakura laughs with a shake of her head at his last claim
and heads for the mirror maze with him. With their bracelet IDs they open the
door and enter a brightly lit room in which they can make out a few other
guests. A corridor leads deeper into the interior of the building, with the
first mirrors hanging at the far end of the corridor. The Haruno stops for a
moment to examine herself in one of the many mirrors, before she lets out an
agonized groan. "I should really lose some weight." She grumbles and holds her
stomach. "What are you talking about? You are slim enough, a few more pounds
wouldn’t be bad either.” The Uchiha exclaims, stunned, as he stops and turns
back to his wife, just to make the few steps back to stand right next to her.
“But, I really have to lose weight! Just look at this!" She says accusingly
and points to the mirror right in front of her. When he turns his gaze to the
mirror, she can’t stop herself any longer and bursts out laughing, because
they are both standing in front of a distorting mirror, which makes them appear
fat. Sasuke grins and shakes his head in amusement and then continues down the
hall towards the door. "Hey, wait for me!" She exclaims and follows her husband
with quick steps down the hall. He waits for her in front of the door and
finally enters the actual mirror labyrinth, together with his wife.
 
“Do you really think I'm too thin?” She explores and lets the door close
behind her. "You are pretty the way you are. The thing is, even if you should
gain a few more pounds, you would still be beautiful. You don’t have to change
for me or anyone else." He explains reassuring to her and then looks around. He
is reflected several times on all sides. Sakura too is now looking at the
mirrors, in which they are both reflected like a kaleidoscope. "Well then, let's
search for the exit." Suggests the Uchiha and looks at his wife, who studies
herself in all the mirrors. Looking for the hidden path that should lead to the
end of the labyrinth, he slowly starts moving. "Hah! This way!” The green eyed
woman exclaims enthusiastically and walks towards one of the mirrors. "Or not."
She then reconsiders with a laugh and looks around before standing at her
husband's side again. “Make sure not to loose me!” She instructs him with a
serious look into his eyes. His throat suddenly goes dry at her words and
returns her gaze rigidly. It felt for him like she doesn't just mean that he
shouldn't lose her in this labyrinth. He swallows unnoticed and tries to smile
in amusement. "I will try very hard not to lose you." Putting an arm around her
shoulders, in order to strengthen his words even more, he pulls her close to
himself. His other hand placed on her head to gently caress it. Her fingers grip
into his sweater, while she closes her eyes with relish and leans her head
against his chest.

"Do we want to go on then?" He asks softly next to her ear. "Yes." A smile forms
on his lips at her response and entangles her fingers with his once again. "I
think it’s that way." He explains after a moment and points to a mirror
further to the left in the room. The two walk towards it and finally discover
the corridor behind one of the mirrors, which leads to the next of these larger
spaces in this maze of mirrors. After the short corridor they then finally enter
the next room. Sakura looks around in amazement. The rooms themselves aren't
actually that big, but the mirrors make them look much bigger. However, Sasuke
doesn't let that confuse himself and always finds the way to the next room
relatively quickly. Again they enter one of these rooms for the fifth time, as
she lets her hand slowly loosen from his and this time tries to find the way out
herself. With a slight smile, he watches her do so and then looks at the mirrors
more closely as he walks through the room. "Here!" He says when he has found the
passage and points in the direction where it is. His wife looks at him through
the mirror and smiles slightly. "I'll go ahead." He then explains his plan to
her and disappears into the corridor. "Hey! Wait for me!" The Haruno immediately
calls out for him and runs in the direction where she can make out her husband's
back.

She is heading straight for one of the mirrors, when he turns back around. He is
just about to warn her, but sees her slam into said mirror and a faint crack can
be heard. Immediately he runs back to her and supports her as she stumbles back,
while holding her head. "Ouch!" She whines and presses her hand to her forehead.
"Are you okay?" He questions, while pulling her hand from her forehead in search
for any injuries. "All right. In worse case it will leave a slight bump, so
nothing to worry about." He smiles reassuring at her and then looks at the
mirror, which has a small crack. "Wow. You sure have a hard little head there."
He comments with a slight laugh and looks back at her. She looks offended at his
sweater, making him laugh once more. “I said that if I panic, I'll destroy one
of the mirrors. Besides, I would have used my foot, instead of your pretty
head." He smiles and presses a gentle kiss on her forehead, making her blush
again. "So, and now," He starts and takes her hand in his as before and crosses
his fingers with hers. "I won't let go of you until we are out of here."
Agreeing with this, he gets a nod in response as she follows him into the next
corridor before they discover the door to the exit, two rooms later.
 
The black haired man exhales a little relieved, when they step outside through
the door and he can finally suck in some fresh air again. "Why did you want to
go in there anyway?" Interested, he looks at his wife next to him, who just
shrugs her shoulders happily. “Do you want to eat something now?” He
continues to explore. "Yes, please." She nods and the two start moving again.
“Do you want to go to the restaurant or do we order something from one of the
takeaways?” He asks further, watching her look around again. "Well, the
takeaways are simply what makes the amusement parks, what they are." Sakura
grins at him while still holding his hands. “So takeaway it is.” She hears
him reply with a nod and walks towards one with her on his side. "But it is
unusual for November to have such a warm and humid day again." She muses
silently and looks up into the dark night sky, which has spread over the Miracle
Land, because even if the weather on this day looks like summer, it is still
autumn and even soon winter. "Yes, but I couldn't have wished for the weather to
be better." The Uchiha smiles at her and then pulls her towards one of the food
stands.
 
"Choose something." He says with an inviting wave of his hand over the menu.
"I'll have a chicken burger, please." The pink haired woman smiles at the
seller. "And I'll get a hot dog." Sasuke adds and takes out his wallet from his
pocket. “Drinks?” Asks the seller in a friendly manner, while he is already
starting to prepare the food. "Ice tea?" The Uchiha looks questioningly at his
wife, who nods with an amused smile. He and his beloved iced tea. "One peach and
one lemon iced tea and a portion of french fries too." He replies to the
salesman, who nods and immediately puts two small bottles of iced tea on the
counter in front of him. Next to it a cardboard bowl with french fries and
finally the two plates with the burger and hotdog. Sakura immediately takes the
drinks and tucks them under her arm, before she takes the plate with the burger
and walks towards one of the bar tables behind her. Sasuke in the other hand
pays for the food and drinks, before he follows her with the hotdog and the
fries. Sitting down with his plate next to his wife, he immediately lifts his
food to his lips to bite into it. However, he stops himself when he makes out a
sudden flash and looks confused to his left, where Sakura has pointed the camera
at him with a big smile, making him shake his head with a roll of his eyes. For
her part, she lets her cell phone drop on the table to devote herself to her
chicken burger. With a slight smile, she looks at the scenery around her, which
is reminiscent of a fair. Only with the difference, that the floor is made of
cobblestones and not a field, as it’s usual at a fair, but the decoration and
the music and everything around it reminds her a lot of fairs from movies. She
is biting into her burger, when another flash of light appears again and sees
Sasuke with her smartphone in her hand and a grin on his lips. Smiling, he puts
the smartphone back on the table and reaches for the fries, while she takes a
picture of him again. After he has finished off his hotdog, he takes back her
cell phone and keeps taking pictures of her, regardless of whether she is biting
into her burger, puts it on the plate, takes some fries or sips on her ice tea.
 
The light flashes again and she holds up the burger, in order to hide part of
her face behind it. "Man, Sasuke! Stop it already!" She whines and keeps trying
to hide from him somehow, which doesn't quite work and makes her finally puts
the burger back on her plate to give him an angry look. Grinning, he takes one
last photo. “Sasuke!” She almost hisses and he smiles and puts her
smartphone on the table to devote himself back to the lonely fries, which are
almost getting cold. Shaking her head at his behaviour, she turns back to her
burger, in order to eat up the rest that’s still left. When she is done with
it, the two throw the cardboard dishes into the trash can and start walking
again. the young Haruno smiles softly and looks at the scene in front of her.
The place is bathed in soft lights, which shine from almost all sides and look
beautiful. Charmed by the scenery in front of her, she turns to her husband on
her right side, only to notice that he has disappeared. Confused, she stops and
looks around in all directions, but cannot see him anywhere. "Sasuke?!" She
calls out for him after a moment and into the soft music around her, but no
answer comes back. "It's an insolence to just disappear on a date." She grumbles
and crosses her arms over her chest. A sigh escapes her lips before she turns to
the scenery and takes a few photos with her smartphone.
 
Suddenly something pink shows up in front of the camera and animates her to hold
down her device. "Here." Her husbands voice sounds next to her and holds out a
cupcake that is covered with pink fondant and decorated with a small, white
sugar flower. "It reminded me of you." Sasuke explains with a smile, as she
takes the small pastry out of his hand. "Pink and cute." He then adds, which
makes her blush again. "Of course, there’s also cotton candy, which is pink
and sweet, but i-" He continues, but falls silent when her lips meet his. It
takes him a moment to realize that she is kissing him, before he returns the
kiss and pulls her closer to his chest. After a short moment they break the kiss
again and he watches her smile a bit embarrassed. "Thank you." His lips find
their way to her nose, where he places a kiss on its tip. loosening the baking
paper from the cupcake and immediately bites into it, before she holds it out to
her husband, so he can take a bite as well. However, he just shakes his head
with an amused smile. After all, he doesn’t like it too sweet.
 
"So, cupcake, what do you feel like doing next?" It comes searchingly from the
Uchiha and takes her hand back in his. “Not another roller coaster after we've
just eaten.” He then adds thoughtfully, although he himself wouldn’t mind
either way. A grin forms on the lips of his wife. "Yes, lets do another roller
coaster. As long as it’s not too high." She replies, making him raise an
eyebrow. “Which one?” He explores. Smiling, she points to one. "The Water
Coaster!" She announces the name of the attraction, which is located directly at
the sea and is one of the roller coasters. "Okay." It comes from him, as he nods
in agreement. Together they walk towards the water coaster which is already
brightly lit at this time, but is still well attended. The track consists of a
lift hill, five curves and a small hill, the deepest point leading through- and
then ending in the water. After a short wait, they can both get on the train,
looking for a place a little further back, so as not to be sprayed too wet at
the impact with the water. If they decide to sit in the first row, they would
get out completely soaked and neither of them wants to walk through the
amusement park like that. Then the ride starts to move and after a short while
the loud screaming of the women can be heard, because it goes downhill and
everyone gets splashed with water. The cold water splashes in all directions as
the train rushes through the sea. Some of the drops land on Sasuke, making him
jerk back slightly, as to not get completely showered. 

The train drives back into the station when the ride comes to an end. The safety
bars get de-secured again, as Sasuke gets out and wipes the water from his face.
His left sleeve got almost completely wet. His gaze falls on his wife, whose
right side doesn't look any different. A gentle smile pulls on his lips as he
watches her wiping the water from her cheek and then hides her hands in the
sleeves of her black vest, which she wears over the gray print shirt. He notices
that she feels cold, since the water is still cold, as usual for November.
Warming up now would be good for both of them. The Uchiha looks around
searchingly and discovers the toilets, which will definitely be equipped with a
warm air hand dryer. Immediately his fingers wrap around her hand and pull her
toward the building with the toilets.
 
"What now?" Sakura inquires in a good mood, after she is wearing a dry vest
again, which she has dried in the toilet. Of course she couldn’t stop herself
from making a selfie with Sasuke first, in which they look like two soaked
poodles. She looks up to the right and at her husband, stopping in her steps
only to watch him as if spellbound. Behind him stretches the beautiful and
romantic scenery, which has already enchanted her before. Confused, he watches
her as she takes her smartphone out of her small shoulder bag and holds it while
she takes a few steps back. He sighs softly and shakes his head before walking
towards her. "If you’re gonna do it, then at least do it properly." He
comments and takes the device from her small hands. She stares up at him,
somewhat perplexed, when she sees him approach someone. "Sorry, could you maybe
take a picture of me and my wife?" Sasuke asks one of the employees', who
immediately approaches them both. "Of course." The man smiles friendly and takes
the smartphone from him. "Thank you." The Uchiha responds with a nod and pulls
his wife back with him to the place where she stood before. When they have
arrived, he pulls her close to himself, with her back against his chest and his
head against hers. The young Haruno blushes slightly and smiles happily into the
camera. The flash illuminates the area for a moment, before it's already over
again. "I'll do a few more if you want!" The man calls out to the couple, which
makes her clings to her husband's arm with a happy smile.

A few minutes and a few pictures later, the two thank the man and take the
smartphone back. With a pleased squeak, Sakura immediately looks at the
pictures, which makes the Uchiha smile slightly. “Why are you taking so many
photos all the time today?” He finally explores with curiousity. "Well, we've
been married since June, but apart from the wedding photos and those from the
first date from the magazine, there aren't any of us." She mumbles softly. "And
because we didn't really know each other before marriage and didn't do anything
together, there aren't any photos of us either.” She looks up at him from her
smartphone as she continues. “We still need photos to stick in a photo album,
which we can look at years later and remember the good moments." Sakura smiles
blissfully. "I hardly think so." Sasuke shakes his head with a grin. "What? That
we will have a photo album?” She asks a little confused. "No, that we will
look through them later." He corrects with a slight grin and looks up from her.
 
“Hey, do we want to go to the Scare House?” He suggests, changing the
subject. He has raised his hand in the appropriate direction, as his index
finger points to the attraction. Sakura follows his gaze and briefly looks at
the building. "No." She shakes her head and stows her smartphone back in her
pocket. He studies her for a brief moment before a grin forms on his lips and he
lowers his face slightly to her. "I understand, you are scared and you don't
want to expose yourself to me." He explains knowingly. Unexpectedly, the young
Haruno looks up, bored. "No. I just don't know what's scary about it, it just
bores me out." She responds with a shrug of her shoulders. "You have to prove
that to me first!" He immediately throws in and takes her hand to pull her
towards the ghost train. After all, every woman screams in a ghost train.
 
Sighing, Sakura opens the access barrier for herself with her bracelet ID and
looks at the small crowd, which has formed a waiting line as only two people at
a time can enter the place. As soon the car disappear into the darkness of the
building, they can already hear the screams of girls. Sasuke observes his wife
with interest, who stands calmly next to him and looks over the fence that
separates the area of the ghost train and the other attractions. The girls who
drive into the house screech again and the pink haired girl can't help but roll
her eyes. Since several carriages drive at a certain distance from each other,
the line in front of the couple dissolves relatively quickly and they both get
their turn shortly afterwards. The empty car stops in front of the two of them
and the Haruno follows her husband's request and sinks onto the carriage's
bench. Sasuke sits down next to her and the carriage starts moving again.
Driving slowly from the spot, flooded by spotlight, towards the entrance to the
building and through a black, hanging curtain into the inside, which is also
kept relatively dark. Only the attractions inside are illuminated a little, as
they shoot out of their hidden places.
 
When Sakura sees the first scary attraction, which always makes the girls
scream, laughter breaks out of her instead, which she does again with every
further, terrifying attraction. In disbelief, the Uchiha watches his wife, who
is having a lot of fun instead of screaming in panic. It takes a moment before
he can turn his head back ahead. Again and again the car stops briefly and then
drives on again, his wife's laughter drowns out the screams of the other
visitors until it slowly falls silent. A small grin forms on her lips as she
averts her gaze from Sasuke and, when the car stops again, quietly and unnoticed
gets out. The car drives further forward and Sakura goes back into the direction
from which they came, with a big grin on her lips.
 
"Well, did you lost your laughter now?" Sasuke asks in amusement when he can’t
hear her any longer and looks around to her. However, the Haruno's place turns
out empty. Startled, the Uchiha gets up, while he is still considering whether
to jump over the back of the car, he just jumps out and walks back the distance,
through the darkness of the ghost train. "Sakura!" He exclaims while looking
around. He can hear her laugh, but it is not an amused laugh, as it was before,
but a horrific one. He slowly approaches her laughter, which seems to be moving
away from him at the same pace.
 
Again the dark laugh comes from her lips while she presses herself against the
dark wall and waits for the next passengers to arrive. She quietly hears the hum
of the car and puts the vampire mask, which she stole from a mannequin a few
meters away, over her face. She laughs again and jumps into the light next to
the car, making the girls in the wagon scream in panic before they disappear
back in the darkness. Sakura laughs in amusement and then continues back to a
larger square where they passed a few minutes earlier.
 
"Sakura!" Sasuke exclaims again when his wife's laughter ceases. In the next
moment he can hear panicked screams and then the amused laughter of his wife. At
least he knows she's fine when she can laugh like that. He calls out her name
again and then follows her gruesome laugh, walks past a car with two girls who
scream in shock when they see him walk past. But it doesn't bother him and keeps
walking until he comes to a stop at a larger square. His wife's laughter has
stopped. He looks around searching, but can hardly see anything in the darkness.
Suddenly something jumps at him from behind and immediately lets go of him
again. Startled, he turns around, hearing faint footsteps but not being able to
order them in any direction. In the next moment he gets a gentle push from
behind and immediately turns around to look into the face of a vampire with pink
hair, a little startled he lifts an eyebrow. Suddenly the vampire laughs and
pulls the mask off it’s head.
 
Sasuke exhales noisily with a shake of his head. "Are you scared?" He can hear
her explore with a grin as she puts the mask aside. “Yeah, for you. You can't
just get out of the carriage like that! Seriously, what were you thinking going
around doing such nonsense?” He accuses her with an angry hiss, before his
gaze softens. "I thought some perverted guy was hiding in here and kidnapped
you." He explains further to her and runs his fingers through his hair. "Don't
ever do that again." He chides her with a sigh, before pulling her into a hug
with relief. “Okay.” He can hear her say with a nod, before he lets her go
again. "Well, let's look for the back exit. We can hardly walk out there after
what you did." It comes from the Uchiha with a soft mumble and lets go of her
again. He squeezes his eyes a little to see something in the dark. When suddenly
a light appears behind him, he looks around in the direction and directly into
his wife’s camera. She smiles and looks at the photo, which makes her laugh
because it just turned out so perfect. Sasuke's gaze is dark and dangerous
because of his narrowed eyes while she stands in front of him with a mock panic
face.
 
The Uchiha's hand wraps around his wife's and then immediately pulls her back in
the direction from which they both came and follow the hidden emergency exit
signs. After a while, she laughs softly, making him look around at her in
confusion. "We're so bad." She murmurs in amusement. "Sneaking out secretly
through the back door." A smile forms on Sasuke's lips at her words, before he
feels the wall and pushes the curtain aside, exposing the door behind it which
he then opens. Sasuke looks cautiously out of the door and in all directions
before he looks back at his wife. "Everything is clear. Want to escape?" He
explores with an amused smile, when he hears his own question and holds out his
hand to her. She grins and puts her hand in his. His fingers tangling up with
hers.
 
"Run." He instructs and then pushes the door open a little so that they can both
run out and across the square, between the other attractions. Sakura laughs as
they walk across the place and finally come to a stop. She supports herself with
her hands on her knees and looks up at him. “There weren't any guards!” She
laughs and slowly sits up again. "I know, but if we're sneaking out secretly,
running away is part of it." Sasuke explains to her with a shrug of his
shoulders, while his lips escape an amused chuckle. Just what the heck is this
woman doing with him? He would have never imagined doing any of these things in
his entire life and still she is here making him do all that. "Didn't know you
could be funny too." She teases him with a smile and he can’t stop himself
from grinning again in response, before he pulls her close and presses a kiss on
her cheek. “There's not much going on at the Supersnake right now. Do you
still want to drive it?” It comes from him, while he puts his arm back around
her waist and is already walking towards the most popular roller coaster in the
amusement park. "Of course!" His wife exclaims enthusiastically. The two
approach the train and then stand in line. The pink haired woman looks around
briefly. It seems to have gotten quite late, because the number of visitors has
been reduced by half and most of the remaining visitors are rather gathered by
the carousels, bumper cars and such.

She looks around at him with a slight smile. "It's getting late." He just muses,
which she already noticed. She nods and then looks forward again to where the
train is coming to a halt. Since 22 people can fit into the entire train, the
crowd in front of them is reduced relatively quickly and so, one trip later,
it's already their turn. With a happy smile, the Haruno sits there and waits for
the protective bars to fall over her.
 
After everyone has got in and the security bars have moved down and lie down
over the upper bodies of the visitors, the train slowly starts moving. They
drive up the lift hill and then along a horizontal stretch. Since the two sit in
the front row, the first thing they see is of course what is coming. The smile
disappears from Sakura’s lips and her heart begins to pound harder and faster.
Her hand that lies between her and Sasuke on the bench, tightens into a fist and
she squeezes her eyes together fearfully. A smile pulls on her husband's lips
when he notices this and gently puts his hand around hers. Surprised, she looks
up at him and sees him smile encouragingly at her before the carriage drives a
bit forward and immediately dashes down into the depths. Sakura joins he women
in the back and starts to scream, while the wind blows her hair in all possible
directions. The train takes a rapid right curve, continues down and with the
momentum up again. When they get to the top, his wife laughs before the car
quickly descends again and into a loop. From this point on, the train leads out
to sea, only for a short stretch. They take a left turn and then straight back
into a right turn up another lift hill. From this it goes on into a helix, from
which they drive up a lift hill again with a lot of force, but slow down until
the carriage rushes down backwards. Women scream in panic, while Sakura squeezes
her husbands hand harder. Even Sasuke squeezes his eyes shut in that moment,
since the fall backwards is quite unusual and breath knocking.

When the carriage has rolled back down the mountain backwards, it rolls a bit
back up the mountain behind it. The switches switch again and the carriage rolls
back to the front, into a curve and up a lift hill for one last bit of speed.
The train goes back down the mountain, past two curves and finally ends again in
the station. With a pounding heart, Sakura gets off before she laughs aloud,
because this train is just amazing and simply too high for her, but she feels
that it was worth any risk for her to be able to ride this train. Sasuke's heart
is also beating hard against his chest because of this crazy ride. "Okay." The
Haruno utters after her heart has calmed down again. "What now?" She continues
and looks up at him questioningly, watching him shrug his shoulders with a
slight smile. "Let's walk around a bit and see what will catch our eyes.” He
suggests after a moment of thinking. To show her agreement, she nods and then
entangles her hand with his again. Together they stride across the square in the
direction of the still prevailing crowds. The Ferris wheel, any carousels and
shooting stands are still very well attended. The pink-haired woman looks around
with a slight smile when something comes into her field of vision that puts a
happy smile on her face. A photo booth. "Come, Sasuke! Let's go over there!" She
immediately exclaims happily and points to the photo booth. The Uchiha follows
her request in silence and approaches the machine with her, stops in front of it
and examines it in silence.

"And now?" He inquires, although he knows exactly what she wants from him. "Go
in there!" She instructs him and points to the open curtain. "Why?" He asks and
puts his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Because I want to take more
photos.” She explains to him obediently. "No." He utters and suddenly feels
her hands on his arm, with which she tries to push him in. "Please!" He can hear
her whine pleadingly, making him look back at her. "You have already made enough
today." He continues to resist and remains on the spot, although he actually
only wants to tease her. "But not like this!" She begs further and keeps trying
to push him into the cabin. “What is so special about these photos?” He asks
and has to suppress a laugh as she presses her back against his arm. “I just
love photos like that, they have something special about them.” She explains
with another whine and turns around again. Sasuke sighs, playing annoyed.
"Whatever." It comes over his lips with a hum, before he takes a step into the
cabin and his wife almost falls to the ground as her resistance suddenly
disappears. "Careful, little clumsy." The Uchiha says while he catches her and
suppresses a laugh.
 
The two sit in the photo booth as Sakura closes the curtain. Sasuke in the other
hand throws in the desired amount of money before looking seriously at the
camera. She looks at him briefly before looking ahead just as seriously. "Come
on, Sasuke! Smile already!“ She complains with a sigh and puts an arm around
his neck, to place her index fingers at the corners of his mouth and pull them
up. "Don't do that." He exclaims with a growl and shrugs off her hands
immediately. He has been smiling all day and he seriously doesn’t mind, but
it’s a whole different story if she comes and forces him to smile. Snapping,
she sticks out her tongue, which he does as well. "Damn, you’re so childish."
It comes from him, teasingly. Outraged, she crosses her arms, turns her face
forward and puffs up her cheeks. A smile creeps onto his lips before he puts his
arms around her and presses a kiss on her pouty cheek. "I don't mean it
seriously." He just whispers into her ear, watching her drops her arms and look
a little surprised up at him. "I just like to tease you." He explains with a
smile and approaches her to give her a gentle kiss. Shyly she returns the short
kiss, which he breaks right after, to look at her with a gentle smile. “So I'm
not childish?” She asks quietly and uncertainly. "Well yeah, you are, but that
doesn’t really bother me. It’s cute." He explains while cuddling against
her. "Let's take a look at the photos." She suggests after a moment with a
slight shy smile and gets up to leave the cabin, push the curtain aside and
steps out. Reluctantly, the Uchiha follows her, as he actually wanted to cuddle
with her a bit longer and looks over her shoulder at the five photos.

On the first they both look serious, on the second she pulls his lips up into a
smile, on the third they show each other their tongues, the fourth shows his
kiss on her cheek and the fifth the real kiss. “They are pretty.” The pink
haired exclaims happily and stows the series of photos into her small shoulder
bag. Sasuke nods in silence when he sees one of the attractions and smiles
sneaky at her. "Wanna ride another attraction before we go home?" He turns back
to her and watches her nod. "Of course." She responds with a smile and feels how
he takes her hand back in his. "Good and since you scared me so much earlier, I
can choose this time." He says and immediately heads for the attraction. Sakura
laughs softly and looks at him in defeat. "Okay." She agrees and looks to all
sides. "Well? What is it that you want to do?" They can hear the music from the
carousels as they walk across the square, until Sasuke finally decides to stop.
"This one." He explains with a grin and as she looks ahead, her heart pauses for
a moment. The Ferris wheel. She swallows hard and hesitantly follows her husband
to the entrance. "Does it have to be this one? That's too high for me." She
whines and grabs the fabric of his sleeve. "Oh nonsense. You can do it. The ride
only takes 10 minutes." He smiles encouragingly and puts his arm around her
shoulders. "Besides that, I'm also there." Again she swallows fearfully as they
approach the access barrier and open it with their IDs.

One of the cabins stops in front of them and the guard opens the door, so that
the two can get in and the man locks the door behind them properly. Sakura
immediately claws her fingers into the thin wood of the bench, on which she is
sitting across from Sasuke. He smiles encouragingly at her before he looks
around briefly and realizes that he doesn't like this room either. It's a little
too small for his claustrophobia, but he tries not to let it show. If she
notices it, she would panic and he wouldn't know what to do to calm her.
 
The gondola begins to move slowly, almost unnoticed. If you couldn't see through
the windows to the left and right, you wouldn't even notice that the Ferris
wheel is moving slowly. With a pounding heart, Sakura clings to the bench while
she squeezes her eyes and just prays that it will be over soon. Meanwhile, her
husband tries to distract himself with the view outside the window. “Don't you
want to take a picture of the view? It's breathtaking." He finally asks with a
gentle smile and looks around at her. Pressing her lips together, she shakes her
head. "It would definitely be worth it." He smiles and leans his head back
against the wall of the gondola. "Relax yourself. Concentrate on something
else." He continues and sounds as relaxed as possible while his heart beats up
to his throat. "It’s over soon." He says more to himself than to her and
suddenly he asks himself why he wanted so desperately to come up here again in
the first place. It’s like the fear is fogging his memories. At the moment
when the gondola reaches the highest point of the Ferris wheel, it suddenly
jerks and Sakura falls forward into her husband's arms. The wheel comes to a
standstill and the gondola swings back and forth slightly. Startled, she
straightens up and looks around. The right hand prayed on his chest. “What
happened?” She asks, slightly panicked. "I don't know." The Uchiha utters,
while desperately trying to concentrate on his breath and heartbeat.

Her gaze is directed to her hand, which lays right above the pounding heart of
her husband. "Your claustrophobia." She murmurs softly and stares into his face.
"How can you sit here so calmly, while your heart is beating like that because
of the adrenaline?" She asks and looks him into his dark grey eyes, stunned at
how much he has himself under control. “When I'm calm and relaxed, you're more
likely to relax. If you knew that I also have problems with this gondola, you
would get a panic attack.” He explains calmly. A sigh escapes his lips and
places his hand over Sakura's. "I'm sorry, I'm screwing up our whole date with
this gondola ride." He says ruefully and looks down at the hand he is gently
caressing. "I thought it might be a little romantic climax, but it just destroys
everything." He mumbles on, not expecting her to suddenly shake her head.
“That's not true. You didn’t destroy anything. I should just have listened
to you and relaxed." She shrugs off his statement. “I shouldn't have brought
you in here. Sorry." He looks up into her eyes apologetically, seeing how she
shakes her head again. Seeing how she intends to say something again, his lips
gently find their way on hers. He kisses her lips lovingly while his hands lay
on her cheeks, feeling how she holds onto his forearms and shyly returns the
kiss.

He gently releases the kiss after a while with a smile. "Give me your
smartphone, I'll take a picture for you." He whispers and nudges her nose with
his. Quickly she takes out her device from her bag like he wanted and hands it
to him. She could never say no to memories. She slips off of his lap and watches
him move to the window to take a picture. "Here." Smiling, he hands her back her
smartphone, which she immediately puts back in her pocket and lets herself get
pulled back onto his lap. She looks him in the eyes, almost shyly. A smile forms
on his lips as his heartbeat slowly finally normalizes. His hands rest on her
cheeks and pull her towards him, into another tender kiss. His right thumb
brushes her cheek and her hands run down his forearms over the sleeves of his
sweater, to the back of his neck. His hands carefully wrap around her upper body
and pull her close to him. Her heartbeat also regulates slowly. The fact that
they are hanging 200 feet over the ground is slowly fading into the background.
 
Slowly and unnoticed by the two of them, the gondola starts moving again. With a
slight smile, he releases the kiss and leans his forehead against hers. Sakura
in the other hand closes her eyes with relish and lets out a sigh. She is lucky
to have him. She never wanted to quite accept it, but she isn’t able to any
longer. He knows how to take her fear away and calm her down in a panic
situation. Something that not even her brother could do. Suddenly there is a
soft drumming, which makes her look surprised at the window pane, on which she
can see the first raindrops. "I should thank you." She mumbles softly and looks
back into his face. "What for?" He explores a little surprised. "This may sound
stupid, but..." She looks hesitant into his breathtaking grey eyes. “Thank you
for putting both of us into such a situation and not only me. So it was kind of
fair. And somehow... i feel like you helped me a little to face my fear. So,
thank you." She mumbles, slightly embarrassed, because she actually considers
her statement to be the purest nonsense, but he just responds with a soft laugh.
"You’re so cute." He whispers and gives her a little kiss on the tip of her
nose. Sakura immediately turns red and looks embarrassed at his blue sweater.
 
“Shall we go home?” Sasuke inquires as he rubs her back up and down with his
hand. He doesn’t show it to her, but he’s glad that he could help her with
something this serious. "Yes." She smiles slightly and then looks out of the
window, as the lights shine into the gondola again. The journey ends and the
ferris wheel comes to a standstill, as the guard opens the gondola door. The
couple gets out and are immediately hit by the big raindrops, quickly leaving
the area of the ferris wheel. Sasuke looks at her with a slight smile. “I'm
faster at the exit.” She explains to him and already runs off towards the
exit. "Hey. Wait!” He calls after her in surprise and follows her immediately,
before he lets out an amused snort. His mother sure got him a playful and
childish wife there. “Decades will pass if i have to wait for you!” She
exclaims with a laugh, but gets caught immediately by him, as he holds onto her
hand with a chuckle. "Sheesh. Seems like you can run after all!" She laughs,
which also elicits a laugh from him before they reach the exit and can take
shelter under the roof. Returning their bracelet IDs, Sasuke goes to the cash
register and pays for the IDs, while Sakura just takes a look back at the
amusement park.

Sakura pulls her smartphone out of her pocket with a smile on her lips,
intending to take one last pic of the amusement park. Even now that it started
raining, it still looks so breathtakingly beautiful. “Ready to go home?” She
can hear her husbands voice from behind, before she can feel his arm wrapping
around her waist and looks up to him with a smile. She nods and turns around
with him as they start walking over the with rain soaked asphalt, towards the
parking lot. While they are still walking, Sasuke unlocks his car with it’s
remote. Quickly the both of them escape into the car, where Sakura quickly takes
off her vest and instead puts on a jacket, which she has taken with her and left
in the car, in case that the weather should change. And she’s glad that she
has listened to her intuition. Meanwhile, Sasuke takes off his sweater, before
he starts the engine to turn on the heater. His gaze turns to his wife, who
replies to his silent stare with a gentle smile. Without saying anything, he
turns slightly to his right and puts his right leg on the seat, in order to be
able to get closer to her. His hand hold her by the back of her head, pulling
her closer to himself for a kiss. Her hand is leaning on the arm rest in between
of them, as she closes her eyes and moves closer to her husband. Carefully, she
gets pulled more onto his side of the car, until his head leans against his
window, with her half on top of him and her hands resting on his thighs. His
lips break away from hers, only to replace it with a new, deeper kiss. His arms
have long since found their way around her back, pulling her further down and
onto himself, until she lies completely on top of him.
 
He loosens his lips from hers rather unwillingly after a long and passionate
kiss. His eyes stay closed, listening in to his and her uneven breathes. He
feels hot and he can not deny it. "Should we go home, or spend the night at the
hotel?" He breathes against her lips, eyes still closed. Unaware of her bright
flushed cheeks, or the fact that the way he asked the question, sounded more
than just innocent. All he can feel and hear is the quick and gentle peck of her
lips on his. "Let's go home." She replies just as quietly. "Okay.” But even if
he says so, he just puts back his lips on hers, listening in to her soft giggle.
"Sasuke... we have to stop for that." He hears his wife giggle in between his
hot kisses. "I don't want to." It comes from him with a mumble and follows her
up with a dissatisfied hum, when he feels her move down from him. Her lips
escaping another giggle. He finds it strange, how much he has come to like
listening to her soft giggles. His eyes are still closed, as he cuddle close to
her and feels her hand caressing over his warm cheek. "But I want to get out of
my jeans." Her lips close to his ear, she whispers those words into his ear,
making him shudder slightly. It escapes his throat in the form of a dark hum,
while he just keeps occupying her lips. "Besides, it's more comfortable in a
bed." Her last words make him pause and move away from her, to look deep into
her eyes, finally taking notice of her bright red cheeks. A slight gasp escapes
her lips and nervously tugs a stand of her hair behind her ear, when she can see
his dilated pupils. She has never seen him like that. A small grin forms on his
lips at her reaction, before he sinks back into his seat and fastens his seat
belt. Sakura too fastens up completely flustered, watching him drive down the
almost empty parking lot and directly back toward the highway, from which they
came hours ago. Averting her gaze out of the wet window on her side and into the
darkness, the young woman slips out of her ballerinas and pulls her legs up to
her upper body. Sasuke throws a glance into her direction, before concentrating
back on the street with a smile. His heart is still beating him up to his throat
and he feels so incredibly hot. Letting one of his thumbs run over his lower
lip, he breathes out deep, but quietly. He has never felt this way before in his
entire life and that’s why it confuses him so much. He can’t tell what this
means, or what he’s supposed to do with it. 
 
Not even half an hour passes, in which they drive home in silence. Each of them
delving in their own thoughts, until a bright light suddenly illuminates the sky
and a loud sound of a crash makes them both startle out of their deep thoughts.
However, unlike Sasuke, his wife reacts quite shocked about it, looking out of
the front window and into the sky. Another light illuminates the whole sky,
before a loud thunder crackles and roars so loudly, she could swear it was
shaking the earth. At the next moment, the young woman's heart begins to beat
faster. Throbbing against her chest in panic as she hides her face on her knees
with a soft whimper. Her husband, who heard her slight shriek, takes a worried
glance to his right, where his wife has curled up in her seat. Knowing that this
less of weather is enough to shake awake her fears, he sees how she is sitting
totally cramped in her seat. Suddenly the brave woman who made fun of the
passengers from the ghost ride, is completely gone and replaced by a shivering
and whining little girl. He can see from the angle of his eyes, how her fingers
claw tightly into her jacket, as her knuckles must be already sticking out
white. "Are you okay?" He explores worried about her condition. He knows how
much she hates such weather. He knows what it can do with her. After all, he has
already experienced several thunderstorms with her through their marriage. But
he has never seen her tense up like this because of it. She’s sitting there
just as tense, if not even worse than back on the ferris wheel. "Yes, of
course." She says against her knees, but he doesn’t believe her words. She’s
not okay at all. He can see it and he can even hear it in her trembling voice.
"Should I stop so that you can lie in the back, or do you want to hold my hand?"
He asks instead, intending to stay careful with his words, but she just shakes
her head. "I'll be fine." He hears her mumble while she’s bravely trying to
concentrate on her breathing. Concerned, he turns his gaze forward again, before
he briefly removes one hand from the steering wheel to turn on the radio. Music
immediately fills the car and even swallows the roaring thunder a little.

But still, his tries seem not to help, as his wife keeps staying this cramped
for the rest of the ride home. Even after they have left the highway, she
hasn’t changed a bit. She feels like she’s sitting on a branch, 350 feet
above the ground. The thunderstorm doesn’t cease, as masses of rainwater pours
to the ground. Again and again, the whole city is drowned in light. Sasuke
silently turns off the engine and takes off the key, watching as his wife
immediately unfastens her seatbelt and practically flees out of the car. Sasuke
also quickly gets out and walks around the car he has parked in the villa's
garage. Approaching her, he touches her cheek to caress over it and looks deep
into her emerald eyes. His arms move around her, to pull her into a strong
embrace. He wants her to know that he is with her and that he won’t leave her
alone. That she can depend on his warmth too. He can feel her slowly, but
surely, calm down with every breath. Until her heart beats slow and regular
again. "Are you okay?" He asks once more next to her ear, listening to her
taking another deep breath, before she lifts up her head to look up at him and
give him an earnest smile. "Yes. Thank you, Sasuke." She utters and sees him
smile back with relief, before he cuddles his nose back into the crook of her
neck to suck in her scent. “I’m glad.” He whispers relieved and closes his
eyes for a moment, but looks up startled, when she suddenly breaks the hug to go
to the door and unlock it.
 
He looks after her with new worry. She just said that she’s okay, but still
something isn’t right. Her smile a moment ago seemed so earnest and now he has
to notice, that in reality, she just gave him her first fake smile. He knows
that she's afraid of thunderstorms, but he's never seen her so panicked because
of it. Neither that she would give him a fake smile after he seriously tried to
make sure of her wellbeing. Letting out a deep sigh, he runs his hand through
his hair and takes her wet vest and sweater out of the car before he locks it
and also enters the house. Taking of his shoes, he locks the connecting door,
before turning around and following the passage to the foyer. A flash of
lightning flashes and illuminates the living room, as well as the kitchen and
the foyer. The roaring thunder following right after. He doesn't need to see his
wife to know how she just flinched. He just has to quickly check whether the
windows are all closed and then he can be with her. The Uchiha stops in the
middle of the foyer and briefly looks up the stairs. She is always trying to
appear strong in nights of thunderstorms, but he can see how much it really
hurts her mentally. Putting the wet clothes over the railing of the stairs and
his shoes in front of the entrance door, he turns back around to check the
windows.
 
Suddenly a loud crack sounds right above their house, as if a tree just split in
two, accompanied by a bright flash of lightning which illuminates the
surroundings so brightly that for a moment he can only see white. With the
bright flash, the light suddenly disappears from the whole house, leaving them
in complete darkness. Sasuke hears his wife cry out in shock when the light goes
out around her and stands alone in the darkness. She raises her gaze to the
light switches, but no matter how many times she presses it, the light wont come
back. The thunder rumbles deep and dark, making her feel again as if the ground
is vibrating, forcing her down on the carpet on the bathroom floor. The door
gets thrown open and Sasuke almost rushes in to her. "Sakura, are you okay?" He
asks for the third time this evening, before he kneels down and takes her into
his arms. "I was just shocked because the lights suddenly went of..." The Haruno
mumbles and looks up hesitantly. The constantly flashing lightning shows the
outline of her husband, who doesn’t take off his eyes from her. "Wait here a
moment." He whisper calmly and presses a kiss on her forehead, before he gets up
and leaves the bathroom for a moment. Like a small child, she presses her hands
over her ears and squints as the thunder and lightning never stop twitching,
rumbling and crashing loudly and scare her to her core.
 
Sasuke comes back to her after a moment and gently takes her hands in his to
pull her back up and lead her out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. The
curtains are already closed, not allowing the bright lightning to enter the
room. the only thing that keeps lighting up the room, are candles with their
faintly flickering flames. She can make out three candles on her bedside table
and three on his, which Sakura had put there earlier that week. Three candles of
different sizes, one white, one brown and one beige. Sasuke must have lit them
to bring light into the room. "We have a power outage, so unfortunately we have
to be content with the candles." She hears her husband explain right behind her,
when he must have noticed her staring at the candles. A slight smile forms on
her lips, before she turns around and putts her arms around her husband's neck.
He gently replies to her hug, by pulling her closer by her waist and presses his
lips on her forehead. Sakura lifts her head slightly and gets up on her toes to
close up to his lips. They stay like that for a while in silence, feeling and
listening in to each other’s steady breathing. Her lips touch his for a soft
peck. “I’m sorry...” She whispers against his lips, hearing a sudden
shudder in his breath before he swallows hard. “What for...?” A smile pulls
on her lips at his question, breathing another kiss on his lips. “For worrying
you.” A soft moan escapes her lips, when he returns the kiss gently and lowers
his head more to her, seemingly not satisfied with just a few pecks, as he lets
their lips meet over nod over again. Sakura smiles shyly into the kiss, which he
releases immediately to replace it with another. His lips open slightly to suck
and nibble on her lower lip, making her moan.

One of his hands releases from her waist and instead leans on the back of her
neck, gently pressing her head even closer to his. There is this sudden heat
again, which he has felt back in the car. His heart starts to rise and his
breath becomes more erratic. He releases her lips with a soft smooch, watching
how she kisses him once again. He smiles warmly into the kiss and presses her
upper body flush against his with one hand. Her stomach pressing against his,
while he opens his lips and lets his tongue slip between her lips to nudges
hers. Not releasing the kiss, Sakura takes a step back, causing him to
immediately follow her with slow steps, until they end right on the edge of
their bed. Their play of tongues becomes deeper and deeper, until he lets out a
shaky breath and presses his lips against hers. She moans deep into the kiss,
while he keeps playing with her tongue and roams with his hands over her body.
Sakura too lets her arms drop from his neck and he can feel her fumbling with
her hands between their bellies. When she can feel her legs pressed against
their bed, she releases the kiss with a gasp and lets herself fall back onto the
mattress, her cheeks tinted red just like he likes them and slides further up
into the bed towards the pillow and looks at her husband. A small grin lies on
his lips when he sees his wife fiddling with the knob of her jeans, trying to
pull it off her legs. Slowly he kneels on the bed and crawls towards his wife,
gazing down at her when he kneels right above her. His fingers run over her
skin, starting at her knuckles, sliding down her knees and back up to her pelvis
and waist. Smiling, Sakura straightens up a bit when he approaches her again and
immediately returns his passionate kiss. His hand slips underneath her shirt and
caresses her warm and soft belly. Pushing her back into the pillow, he breaks
the kiss with a sigh and smiles lovingly at her, only to replace it with another
deep play of tongues. She too lets her hand wander underneath his shirt,
touching his skin and gently pulls the fabric up. Further up to his chest and he
briefly releases the kiss, to let her pull the shirt over his head.
 
Smiling, he lowers his head to her neck to smooch and caress the skin there. He
can hear her breath heavily because of the many passionate kisses and he can’t
stop himself from spreading many gentle kisses on her skin, while his hands
caress her stomach with tender touches, down to her back. With one hand he
sneaks underneath her back and pulls her lower body up and presses her against
his. He breathes as if the breath being knocked out of his lungs, when he can
feel her rub herself against him right there. With a flowing swift movement, he
changes their position and lets her lie on top of him. Sakura's lips suck on the
skin above his raging pulse, which he accepts with a smile, while he opens and
pushes down his jeans to his knees, before he frees his legs from the fabric.
His hands move underneath her shirt and over her belly again, before he goes up
and gives her clothed mounds a soft squeeze. He gets a gasp in response and it
animates him to try it again, massaging her two breasts with deep care. He can
hear he moan and it makes him suddenly feel even hotter. In search for her lips,
he breathes shakily against hers and gets her into another deep and passionate
kiss. Sakura carefully sits on his stomach and brushes her hands over his chest,
feeling how her husband sits up slowly, making her slip into his lap. And again
he feels his breath being knocked out of his lungs by it, as she straddles him.
His hands brush over her belly, down her sides, up to her shoulders and back
down again. He finally grabs the hem of her shirt and releases the kiss, before
he pulls her shirt up and over her head, throwing it at his feet and off the
bed. His hands come to rest on her waist and hers on his cheeks, before lowering
her lips back to his. He can’t stop himself from growling into the kiss and
close his eyes with satisfaction. Surprisingly, this heat inside of him isn’t
uncomfortable.

Sasuke lets himself sink back into the pillow and in the next moment turns
around with her again, kneeling in between her legs, straddling her. He wants
this feeling to continue. He releases their passionate kiss with a smooch to
place many small ones on her neck and décolleté. Smiling, he indulges in his
newly found hobby and starts sucking on her skin, right on her beating pulse. He
also sucks a hickey right underneath her right ear before he approaches her lips
with a smile, only to kiss her eagerly and he can’t stop himself from touching
her breasts to give them another squeeze. A deep moan escapes her throat and he
sees it as an invitation to do it once more, massaging her, until she releases
the passionate kiss to gasp for air. She smiles gently at him through heavy
breathes, which he replies with a smile of his own. "Sasuke." She breathes out
his name between heavy breathes. Attentive, and breathing just as hard as she,
he looks into her eyes as he sits down in bed to her right. Smiling, she beds
her head on his left forearm and looks up at him. "Thank you." It comes over her
lips and this time he can truly see her earnest smile again. It relieves him.
"What for?" He explores between breathes and kisses her fingertips with which
she approaches his face. "You awakened memories in me that I almost forgot and
at the same time, you created new, wonderful memories with you. I... I’m so
glad that you became a part of my life." She explains and gently caresses his
cheek. "I'm so grateful to you for that." She says quietly and watches a warm
smile settle on her husbands lips. He doesn't reply and just presses his lips
back on hers. He turns to her left side and breaks the kiss, wrapping his arm
around her stomach and pulls her back to his chest. "I’m glad that i could do
so." He whispers into her ear and kisses her left shoulder tenderly.

Her hand rests on his arm, gently caressing over it. With a slight smile, he
sucks on the skin on her shoulder and leaves a hickey there too, before moving
his face back to her ear. Smiling, he starts licking and nibbling on her
earlobe, immediately getting a shudder and moan in response. He takes her hand,
to cross his fingers with hers. She turns her head to him and turns slightly in
the mattress until she lies with her back in it and looks sideways at Sasuke.
Sakura smiles lovingly, when he lowers his head to her for a brief kiss.
Breaking the kiss again, he lets out a sigh, breathing a gentle kiss on the back
of her hand, which is still crossed with his, before letting go of the hand.
Moistening his fingertips briefly, he then extinguishes the three candles on her
bedside table. His fingers find hers again right after, moulding his lips with
hers again and lays himself down on top of his wife. Pushing their entangled
hand over her head, while the other catches hers as well and places it next to
the other ones over her head. He opens his lips, as does she, letting him plunge
his tongue into her oral cave as if by itself, where he was already eagerly
awaited by her. The Uchiha breathes heavily when he separates from his wife's
lips again, closing his eyes for a moment to take in the moment. They loosen
their hands, as they already end up in another passionate kiss, a fight of
tongues that neither of them wants to lose. 

"Sasuke?" She murmurs breathless from all the kissing. "Hmm?" He hums deep from
his throat. "You're lying on my shirt." She mumbled on, which makes him chuckle
slightly before he sits up in bed again. Smiling, he takes away the shirt she
just took from the bed and instead pulls her back for another French kiss.
 
He gently loosens his lips from hers and pulls the shirt back over her head.
Sakura laughs softly and then kisses him again before pulling the other shirt,
which is still lying in bed, over his head. Sasuke smiles and slips into its
sleeves before he puts his hands back on her head and presses her face very
close to his for another passionate kiss. Slowly he loosens his hands from her
face and grabs the blanket, sinking back into the pillows. He gently releases
the kiss and replaces it with tender, loving kisses, as he notices that his wife
is already tired. The Uchiha gently kisses her forehead before she cuddles onto
his left shoulder, her ear leaning right above his heart, which is beating so
fast. He carefully puts his arms around his wife, who has already fallen asleep
and doesn’t even take notice of the roaring thunder any longer, which makes
the earth vibrate slightly. Sasuke smiles and wets his fingers once more to
extinguish the candles on his bedside. Wrapping both arms back around her, he
pulls his wife on top of himself again, before he too closes his eyes with a
satisfied smile, unable to stop thinking about the heavy and hot feeling he has
been feeling ever since earlier this day.



                      Kapitel 27: Step 27 - Prone To Fall
                      -----------------------------------


Sometimes we are prone to fall. This can be meant metaphorically or literally.
Metaphorically, as in feelings, or in other words, mentally, is the feeling of
standing in front of a deep abyss and threatening to fall into a deep and dark
hole. Literally is, when someone is really standing on a cliff and is
threatening to fall with nowhere to escape. And still both are considered being
the same. Since in both, the emotional world and in the real world, you need
someone to keep you from falling or to catch you when you slipped. Someone who
can help you. In the emotional world, our saviors can be our parents, or a soul
mate, which represents the best friend, and or spouse. They hold us tight when
we face the abyss. They throw themselves to the ground when we fall, trying to
catch our hand at the last second.

“Good morning, Sasuke, my dear brother in law. Did anything happen?“ The
cheerful voice of Sakura’s brother sounds from the other line of the
Uchiha’s smartphone, from which’s lips escapes a soft sigh. "Morning,
Ryosuke. No, nothing happened. Sorry for bothering you so early in the morning."
The black haired man replies in silence, listening to him laugh. "No problem,
really. What else gives me the honor to be called by you?“ Sasuke has to smile
for a moment at that question. He calls his friends so rarely that they always
consider it a honor when he actually does call them. "I wanted to ask you
something." He then finally answers to the question and looks briefly through
the kitchen door and up the stairs. When he doesn’t hear anything from
Sakura’s brother, he just takes it as an invitation to continue and takes a
soft breath. “The rain reminded me of it. I had already completely forgotten
about it.” Looking out of the kitchen window into the pouring rain and the
forming fog. "What did you almost forgot?“ Ryosuke’s voice sounds partly
amused and partly interested when the Uchiha takes a long pause in his words.
“I went out with Sakura on Saturday. On the way back home, there was a
thunderstorm and all of a sudden Sakura tensed up, as if standing on a cliff or
something." The black haired man finally finishes his observation to his friend
and brother in law.

“Do you have any idea why that could be? I've never seen her like that because
of a thunderstorm.” Sasuke now asks rather thoughtfully, before he takes
another glance up the stairs. He can hear his friend hum thoughtfully at his
concern and he notices the soft pause the Haruno makes, before he gives him an
answer. “No, I'm sorry. I don't know what that was." Ryosuke pauses once
again, before he suddenly changes the subject. "How is she today?“ Confused,
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He is obviously hiding something important and he
doesn’t get why. After all, it must be something serious and he doesn’t want
to do nothing when he knows something is definitely wrong with his wife. By all
means, she has become his best friend and means a lot to him. With a sigh he
closes his eyes for a moment, to at least answer his brother in law about his
question. “She doesn't seem to have slept well. Her mood seems a bit off as
well. Why do you ask?“ It comes obediently over his lips, before asking a
counter question. "Oh nothing, it just has something to do with our parents. But
Sakura is a bit closed up about it. Probably she feels like she is scared to
remember, or burden others with her problems. But if she wants you to know, she
will tell you.“ It comes from the brunette Haruno. "Okay." Sasuke sighs in
response, staring through his dark grey eyes to the floor. He has the feeling
that Sakura would never want to talk to him about it. Especially after he saw
her fake smile on that evening. If there should be anything else, you can of
course call me at any time.“ Ryusuke then adds thoughtfully, making Sasuke nod
slightly while looking down at his teacup and thanks him. “No problem. My
sister can be tricky sometimes, doing things she wouldn’t like others do to
her. But i don’t believe that she will hide it from you forever." The brunette
man on the other end of the line explains with a soft laugh, before saying his
goodbye “Well then, Sasuke. See you!" "Yeah, see you." After these words,
Sasuke lowers his smartphone to end the call and stare on the screen for a
while.
 
Sighing, Sasuke puts his phone after a while on the kitchen counter, before he
hears soft footsteps coming down the stairs, watching his wife enter the kitchen
right after. "Hey. Good morning.“ He immediately greets her with a smile and
pulls her onto his lap, pressing a kiss on her cheek. “You look so tired. You
didn't even react to my alarm clock today either." He starts in a soft tone and
puts his arm around her waist so that she can't slip off his lap. Handing her
the cup he has prepared for her, he watches her smile weakly, before she leans
her head on his shoulder. “You don't need to prepare lunch today. I'll just
get myself something when I'm hungry." He whispers, while breathing soft kisses
from her cheek up to her temple. His wife just nods tiredly and leans her
forehead on his cheek, to close her eyes for a moment. Only when she opens them
again, he watches her put her cup back down and lifts her head to kiss her
husband on the cheek. However, since he turns his attention to her and looks
down into her eyes, she end up kissing his lips instead and he doesn’t
hesitate to return the kiss, before he breathes another one on her lips as they
part. "I have to get ready." He then whispers next to her ear and presses his
lips once more on her temple. A soft sigh escapes her lips, as she slips
silently from his lap and lets him stand up. But instead of walking away
immediately, he gives her a tight hug.

Sakura sighs aloud and looks down at her tea. To her luck Sasuke just thinks
that she is tired, but that’s not the case. Something else is plaguing her
today and it is darkening her mood. Her eyes move to the small calendar which is
hanging right next to the refrigerator. It's November 12th. Sakura runs her
hands over her face and wipes her fingers over her eyes, which she already used
make up on. She's already wearing her jeans and socks. All she has to do is
decide on a blouse or a shirt, maybe a top or a blouse. Maybe in wine red,
green, beige, white, or rather black, which she is clearly tending to today. But
instead of doing any of that, she would rather love to crawl back into her bed
and pull the covers over her head. All she wants is go back to bed, or just have
a large pack of chocolate chip cookies and sad music to go with it. She would
like to completely forget what today is. She used to forget it, but now she
can’t do so any longer. It suddenly feels like its burned into her head.
Letting out another sigh, she runs her fingers over her eyes again, when she
hears her husbands heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, neatly dressed like
every day. "I'm going now." He announces to her, buttoning up the sleeves on his
wrists. With a slight smile, Sakura gets up and goes through the kitchen door,
which has actually been standing open ever since she's been living in this
house, and into the foyer. She waits a moment for him to turn and look at her,
feeling how he gives her cheeks a gentle caress. "I'll see you later." He then
says encouragingly and breathes a kiss on her forehead, which she replies with a
nod and a smile on her lips, before he turns to the door again.
 
With a quick press of a button, he lets the gate open while he walks towards his
car, opens the driver's door and lets himself sink into the cool seat of his
car. The gate has opened completely and reveals the garden, covered in thick fog
which makes him even unable to see the entrance gate. Letting out a deep sigh,
he quickly starts the engine to turn on the heater. November spread across Tokyo
in all its facets. Fine drizzle drops immediately fall on his windshield when he
drives out of the garage and the further he gets out of his with trees filled
garden, the heavier the drizzle pours. Taking a short look to the left and
right, he then drives out of the driveway and heads towards work. Maybe he
should visit Sakura later at lunch break, to see how she is doing. After the
phone call he had with Ryosuke, he doesn't believe anymore that she’s just
tired. She doesn’t tell him anything, but he knows that there’s something
that keeps her so out of touch.
 
The Uchiha brings the car to a standstill at one of the red light and turns to
the passenger seat, on which he always throws his documents when he gets in. He
searches for his smartphone, grumbling quietly. A red traffic light and a
searched passenger seat, as well as a rummaged work bag later, he sighs in agony
and tries to remember where he put his smartphone. After a few moments he
finally remembers, he put it on the counter in the kitchen, then pulled Sakura
onto his lap and changed clothes, simply leaving the smartphone there. He sighs
again in agony. Why does he have to forget his smartphone of all things? Why not
his work bag or the tablet? If he had at least his smartphone with him, he would
have called and asked Sakura to bring his other stuff to work for him. Calling
her when he's in the office would also be completely pointless, since she won't
be at home anymore. So he has no other choice but to drive back home, to get the
device himself. If Sakura hasn’t found and taken it with herself already, that
is.

Immediately he turns on the blinker and turns right at the next intersection, to
go back home through the morning traffic. This will affect his working hours
again and he will come home later and the heavy drizzle doesn't make the journey
any easier either. The road is, despite the fact that there are only fine
droplets, covered in wetness and even makes the roadway slippery in some places.
A large number of motorists drive carefully and slowly, only a few speeders, or
people in hurry, run across the wet streets. It’s always those  in hurry, who
cause accidents and thus harm innocent people and end up clogging the traffics.
With every day approaching winter, people are becoming more cautious and that is
why some car journeys take a little longer.
 
Surprised, the Uchiha brakes in front of the entrance gate, which is still wide
open. Usually Sakura closes the gate when she drives to work. He sighs softly
wile driving through the gate. Maybe she has just forgotten it, after all, she
seems so off today, what preoccupies and distracts her. Maybe it would have been
better if he had taken her with him. He just hopes that he won't be contacted at
some point, that she had an accident. He steers his car into the driveway,
further and stops in front of the front door. He quickly parks the car and gets
out, walking to the door to unlock it and enter his empty house. He looks around
briefly, so Sakura has really already gone to work. Taking off his shoes, he
quickly walks into the kitchen where he sees his smartphone on the counter,
which makes him sigh in relief. At least he didn't go home for nothing. Taking
the device into his hand, something else suddenly gets his attention and makes
him pause in surprise.

Soft, muffled music reaches his ears. Following the music into the foyer, he
drops the cell phone into his suit pocket and looks around in confusion. He
hadn't heard the music outside and the sounds are clearly coming from upstairs.
"Sakura?" He calls into the empty house, but as expected, he gets no reaction,
making him sigh. She probably turned up the music and then just forgot to turn
it off. How off she must be to forget so many things at the same time. In
silence he then just approaches the stairs and gets up quickly. The closer he
gets to the end of the stairs, the louder the music gets and he can slowly
understand the lyrics. His steps slow down as he approaches the bedroom door.
Something is wrong here. His wife doesn't usually listen to this kind of
depressing music either, and this song seems to be put on a loop. He shakes his
head. Everything will be all right, she's just a little distracted today.
 
Sasuke opens the door and pauses in surprise, when he finds his wife sitting
there on her side of the bed. "Sakura?" He asks, puzzled as to why she’s still
here. As if he had startled her, her shoulders jump up, before she throws a
quick look over her shoulder and into his direction. "I'm sorry! I'll be leaving
soon.” She quickly exclaims and becomes quieter and quieter towards the end.
The Uchiha sighs silently. What's up with this day? He can see that she is not
doing well at all and she still thinks that he wants her to go to work.

Carefully he approaches the bed and sits down next to her on the mattress, but
she doesn't even react. "Sakura?" He asks gently, placing a hand on her back to
rub over it in circles. "Today would have been his 49th birthday." His wife
mumbles, while holding a photo a little away from herself. Sasuke gets a bit
closer to her and keeps rubbing his hand over her back. “He was 40 years old.
40. He was healthy. Nothing was wrong with him and still he died. It all
happened so fast.” His wife whimpers, while staring at the photo in her hand.
The corners are already a bit worn out, but you can still easily recognize the
friendly, smiling man on it. He had always smiled so warmly. "It all happened
too fast!" She repeats and suddenly she feels the tears rising up in her, which
she had so successfully suppressed in the recent years. “I just don’t know
how to handle it!” Her voice breaks and she tries to fight back the tears. Her
husband's hand continues to wander up and down her back, trying to sooth her
pain. She takes a deep breath and looks up to her left.
 
“I know it's been 8 years... and I know I should have slowly get over it
already, but it doesn't work. I just can’t and i don’t know why. Your mother
died just two months ago and you seem to be able to deal with it so easily and I
still can't do it after years!” Tears well up in her eyes, but she doesn't let
them run down her cheeks. The black haired man looks at her sympathetically,
while he continuously strokes her back. "Everything happened so fast. One minute
they were still there and the next they weren't. I couldn't even say goodbye to
them and I think that's why. That's why you can handle it and I can't.” Her
voice is nothing more than a whisper as she drops her gaze to the ground. “You
knew it was happening. She said goodbye to you, but i couldn’t.” She shakes
her head and squeezes her eyes shut, suddenly feeling how his second hand rests
on her right cheek and pulls her towards him. He gently pulls her closer and
makes her rest her head on his chest. For a moment she feels a soft vibration,
as his soft laugh sounds next to her ear. “I don't think it's because my
mother said goodbye, or because I knew it was going to happen. When you do, you
think you are prepared for it, but when it does happen, it is just as shocking
and painful. And about her saying goodbye... When we were in the hospital and my
mother called us in one by one... her last words to me were; that I should take
care of you, be there for you and show you what love is.” He whispers softly
next to her ear and she can hear the bitterness and sadness in his voice.
 
"And even still, even though she said goodbye to all of us, every other goodbye
was like it was the last. Like i would never see her again. Knowing that she
would be gone in less then a few years was like torture. Imagine having to think
every time you say good bye; will i be able to see her again? I haven’t gotten
over it, Sakura. And i don’t believe i ever will." He keeps whispering and
watches as she lifts her head, to look up into his eyes, which look towards her
with sadness and compassion. The right corner of his mouth lifts up for a soft,
encouraging smile, while he doesn’t hesitate to pull her onto his lap and puts
his arms around her to hug her close. She smiles bitterly against his chest and
hides her eyes in the crook of his neck, her fingers griping into his suit
jacket. "Why aren't you getting some sleep?" He asks thoughtfully, feeling her
shake her head. “I have to go to work.” She utters weakly. “No you don't
have to. You can't concentrate, so you should stay at home.” Sakura hears her
husband whisper and kiss the top of her head, before he pushes her off his lap
and puts her behind him on the mattress. Making sure that she’s laying
comfortable, he then pulls the blanket over her shoulders. With a slight smile,
he takes the two stuffed bears from the head rest of the bed and places them in
the middle of the bed next to her pillow. A gentle smile pulls on her lips at
his actions, as he take the TV remote into his hand. “And this was what helped
me a lot.” He explains, while turning to the television, which can be used to
go straight to the Internet, Netflix and YouTube, where he clicks on the search
bar on Youtube and enters the song title. The previous song stops and is
replaced by the other song chosen by Sasuke.

Sakura watches her husband as he gets up from the bed and closes the curtains.
“You should go to work.” She mumbles sadly, because she doesn't really want
him to go. She would love to ask him to stay with her, but she knows it would be
irresponsible for him to ditch work. "Okay." He whispers and leans down to her
for a last kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back soon." He reassures her before he
gives her a last smile and leaves the room. Sighing softly, the pink haired
woman turns to her left and stares at the video on the television. The soft
sounds of the instruments fill the room. The lyrics, however, bring tears to her
eyes, which she then closes and tries to swallow her grief. She takes another
deep breath, in order to calm herself and her mind again.
 


~ > * < ~



The Uchiha silently opens the door and carefully looks inside. On the bed he
sees the sleeping beauty, who is now, thanks to his mother, his beloved wife.
Yes. Even though he’s feeling so weird around her lately and he can’t really
put together it’s meaning, Sakura has still become the most important person
in his life. He doesn’t know what he would have done if he didn’t have her.
He can’t tell if he would have been able to get back up on his feet after his
huge loss all on his own, if his mother didn’t arrange this wedding and tried
to hook them up. Quietly he enters the room and walks towards the bed, examining
her briefly before he peels off his suit and replaces it with sweatpants. When
that’s done, he carefully sits down next to her in bed, caressing her hair
with a warm smile. "I'm back." He whispers quietly, not wanting to wake her from
her slumber. For some reason, her parents' deaths are still hurting her this
much. Of course, he doesn’t believe either of them will ever get over it, but
he heard that it gets still better. That you can talk about your deceased loved
ones, without feeling the need to cry your eyes out and still feel sadness and
melancholy. But whatever it is that is burdening her so much, he just thinks
that sleep is best for her now. Watching his wife move and rest her hand on his
knee, he can’t but smile and puts the teddy bears aside, since they’re
preventing him from seeing her face. She lies there relaxed, the grief from
before no longer visible. Gently putting his hand back on her, he caresses her
hair with his thumb. Again and again. But this silence doesn't answer his
questions. Sighing softly, he takes his smartphone out of his sweatpants pocket,
into which he had stowed it a few minutes ago. Maybe it will be good to go ask
his brother in law once more.

After dialling the number of his brother in law, he holds his smartphone to his
ear, waiting for the Haruno to pic up his phone and it doesn’t take long
before the brunettes voice sounds from the end of the other line for the second
time that day. "Hey Sasuke. Is everything alright?“ Sasuke could immediately
hear the worry in the brunette’s voice and he muses that it isn’t really
surprising, considering the fact he doesn’t normally call his friends often
and especially not twice a day. "Hey. Yes, but i should ask you that. Tell me,
how are you today?” The black haired man explores in a calm and soft tone, as
he watches his wife sleep right next to him. He can hear Ryusuke laughing at his
question. “Wow, Sasuke. Marriage really changes you. I never imagined you
caring about how others are feeling.“ Sasuke scowls and lets out a soft snort
at his words. A frown showing up on his forehead at his friends claim. "I
haven’t changed. I may be distant, but i've always been interested in my
friend’s wellbeing." The Uchiha replies with a slight grumble, not believing
that he even has to explain himself. He thought they would know without him
having to tell them. "All right, sorry buddy. I'm actually pretty fine. I can
not complain.“ The Haruno replies with a snicker and Sasuke can hear it in his
friend's voice that he is serious about doing well. That he isn’t pretending
like Sakura did on their second date. "Tell me, Ryosuke." Sasuke begins, before
he pauses for a moment. "Yes?“ He hears the voice of his friend, expecting him
to continue. "Why is it that you are coping so well with the death of your
parents, but Sakura can’t?" It was just a question. It was his curiosity. What
is it that made Ryosuke handle the situation better than her, although they had
went through the same loss. Empathy are visible in his dark grey eyes, as he
looks back next to himself and at his sleeping wife. A sigh sounds from the
phone, which gains back his attention. “I don't know either, sorry. Is she
okay?“ He hears Ryosuke say. "Yeah, she is sleeping right now." The Uchiha
answers with a soft nod, brushing her hair slightly with his thumb. "Are you
with her?“ It comes from his brother in law and Sasuke could practically see
the surprise written in his face, even though they are just talking on the
phone. Sasuke in the other hand just shrugs at his question. “I didn't want to
leave her alone, so I brought my work home. She didn't leave me alone either."
The Uchiha explains with a gentle smile.
 
"To get back to your question.“ He hears the Haruno start, perking his
curiosity again. "Yes?" Sasuke turns his gaze away from his wife and up to the
television, which is still running. “Do you remember back then? We were in
boarding school together, you and i. That one weekend, when i was informed by
one of the teachers and got taken home. That weekend, i learned about my parents
deaths. Sakura was with the Yamanakas, but even to this day not even i know the
details of what happened to them, so i can’t tell what she saw or experienced,
while i had been away. At that time she only cried, but never spoke to me or
anyone else about it. So i really can’t help you either. I can only guess and
think that she's afraid of going through this pain again, if she tells someone
else about it. But maybe that’s why i can handle things better than her.
Unlike you, i wasn’t at my parents’ death bed. I didn’t see them die like
you did.“ Ryosuke pauses in his explanation and lets out a deep sigh, while
Sasuke listens carefully to what his brother in law tells him. He doesn’t dare
to interrupt him in his words, because he knows, even if Ryusuke said that he
didn’t saw his parents die, it still is hard for him to talk about it. "It was
at that time we agreed that Sakura would stay with the Yamanakas, while i would
go back to boarding school until graduation and then go to university, before i
go back to live with her again. So, if anyone could tell you something, then i
guess it would be Ino, but as I told you, Sakura is peculiar in this regard. She
doesn't like it when you get informations about her from someone else. She'll
tell you someday, maybe not today, or this year, but someday. Just make sure not
to push her, or you could end up making her block you out completely.“ Reports
the brunette Haruno further, whereby Sasuke could swear he was grinning while
telling him this. Sasuke sighs once and rubs himself over his face with his free
hand. "Okay, thank you Ryosuke." He finally mumbles. In conclusion, he still
doesn’t know what it is that burdens Sakura so much and still, he knows a bit
more than before. So he still appreciates Ryusuke’s help. "No problem." The
Uchiha hears his friend say, before they both say goodbye to each other and hang
up.
 
"What is it that burdens you so much...?" It comes over his lips in a whisper,
while he caresses his wife's hair one last time with his hand. In one point
Ryusuke was right though. It’s unfair that she went all out on him, but ends
up hiding her own problems from him. That she does it herself, when she
doesn’t like others doing it to her. With a sigh he carefully moves away from
her and gets up from the bed, in order to leave the room and let her rest
longer.




~ > * < ~

 


The pink haired woman slowly wakes up from her sleep, as she slowly start to
recognize the music again. Suddenly she is aware of what kind of day it is
again. Feeling the sadness well up in her chest again, she opens her eyes and
stares at her hand, which is laying on her husbands bed side, which no longer
looks as neat as it did in the morning. Although she made the bed in the
morning, just like every other day. Closing her eyes again, she cuddles her head
deeper into the mattress, to close her eyes again and listen to the melody. "I
pray you'll be our eyes and watch us where we go." She silently sings along the
lyrics, before she opens her eyes again and sits up in bed, examining her
clothes. In the morning she had still thought about it, although it was already
clear to her from the start that she would wear something black anyway. With a
deep sigh, she swings her legs out of bed and gets up to change into something
more comfortable. Jeans and sweaters aren’t really comfortable when hanging
around and delving in sadness.
 
Her work clothes land on the floor after she took them off and are replaced by a
cozy sweatpants and shirt, before she goes to the bathroom to remove her make
up. Gloomy eyes meet her, when she looks at herself through the mirror. She
hates days like this. Over the past few years she has always survived it quite
well on her own. But today she just wants Sasuke to be with her. She wants to be
with her best friend, cuddle with him and feel his kisses on her skin. Without
him, she feels so lost and lonely. Sighing in agony, she runs her fingers
through her pink hair. She knows how much work he has and that's why she didn't
ask him to stay with her. Even though she sure wished he could. Turning to the
door with slow steps, she leaves the bathroom. She desperately needs something
in her stomach, since she hasn't even had breakfast yet. Everything she had, was
the tea which Sasuke prepared for her before leaving to work. Sighing
listlessly, she turns off the television and then leaves the bedroom, walking
quietly through the large hallway of the upper floor and towards the stairs.
It's one of those days again when the villa is too big and empty for her alone
and this fact is simply unbearable. Her gaze wanders over the wall, next to the
stairs and then back to the stairs in front of her, over which she goes down to
the ground floor. When she suddenly hears the sound of rain pounding hard on the
floor and the front door closing, she looks up in surprise. Stoping down at the
end of the stairs, she looks at her husband in astonishment, who is standing in
the foyer, running his hand through his hair in order to shake out a few
raindrops.

The Uchiha rises his head from the drawers and focuses his grey eyes on her with
a smile. "Hey." He greets her in a warm tone and watches her as she walks slowly
towards him. "Hey. Is it that late already? Are you finished with work?” She
asks him a little confused as she comes to a stop in front of him. “No.” He
answers with a soft laugh and shakes his head in addition. “It's only noon
yet. I didn't want to leave you alone, so I just got the documents from work a
few hours ago.” He explains with an encouraging smile. Gently, he pulls her
against his chest and puts his arms around her waist, while he presses a kiss on
her temple. She too puts her arms around his back and presses her head against
his shoulder with a smile. "Thank you." Carefully he rubs over her back and
closes his eyes to take in her scent. "I went out once more to get us some fast
food." He explains silently next to her ear, while repeatedly rubbing her back.
Surprised, she lifts her head up to look him into his dark grey eyes, making him
break the hug. "Since i didn't know what exactly you want, I just got us several
things." He reports, holding up two bags and four drinks.
 
Smiling, he walks past her and into the living room, where he puts the food on
the coffee table and puts aside his folders from work, which he was working on
at the coffee table while she was asleep. Immediately, he takes out the food,
while Sakura looks at him and sees something that makes her laugh, making her
husband look immediately up at her in confusion. "What?" It escapes his lips and
raise an eyebrow. “Why are you wearing sweater and sweatpants?” She asks in
amusement and sinks down on the couch to his right. Looking down at himself for
a moment, he just shrugs it off with a smile. "It’s uncomfortable to sit at
home with a suit on, while working on all those folders." He explains to her and
then looks back at the table in front of him. "Choose what you want." He then
says with an inviting wave at all the food. "Thanks. I will stick to the chicken
products." The Haruno explains with a smile and immediately reaches for some
chicken nuggets and a chicken burger, which obviously seem to be from KFC.
Understanding, the Uchiha nods and then chooses something himself before leaning
back against the backrest. Sakura sits down on the couch and crosses her legs,
before she turns on the TV to switch through the channels until she finds
something interesting and leans back against the backrest as well. A few minutes
pass before she glances at her husband and realizes that he already ate up and
got back to work. A small smile pulls on her lips. Without her saying anything,
he stayed at home. He took all his work home just to make sure that she won’t
be alone in the big villa.

She carefully moves closer to him. With one leg stretched out on the seat and
the other one upright, he sits in the corner of the couch. With his tablet and
one of the folders on his lap and a ballpoint pen in hand, he is staring at the
documents, even though Scrubs is playing on the television in front of him. She
watches him in silence, while he keeps staying absorbed in his work. It takes a
moment before he realizes her gaze on him and looks up. Smiling, she approaches
him and kisses his lips, feeling how he returns the kiss just as tenderly before
it's already over again. “Do you mind if I stay close?” She asks shyly and
looks at the piece of couch between them. A smile pulls on his lips, which he
strengthens with a soft hum. "No." He replies gently and brushes one of her hair
strands behind her ear. She beams happily, as she already closes the gape
between him and herself and cuddles onto his side.
 
Concentrated, the Uchiha continues to work through the folders, while Sakura
keeps leaning against his side and watches diverse series and programs until she
finds nothing of interest any longer. Sighing, she then gets up and walks around
the couch to leave the room and her husband behind. Sasuke looks after her for a
moment, before she comes back and looks hesitant into his dark eyes. "Sasuke?"
She mumbles after a moment of silence, watching him put down his pencil.
“Yes?” Walking closer, she sits back right next to him and looks up into his
expectant eyes. "Will you watch my favorite childhood movie with me?" She asks
while looking at him pleadingly, but also questioningly. He sighs silently and
looks at the folders in front of him and then examines the stacks for a moment,
before smiling slightly. “Do you want to help me quickly with the drawings?
After that i have got time.“ He explains, while lifting one stack up. Sakura
nods with a smile and sits back right next to him, while he puts the tablet and
folder aside. With her trained eyes, the two deal with the pile relatively
quickly, so that Sasuke can happily put it away.
 
Sakura in the other hand turns on the movie, while he makes himself comfortable
on the couch and suddenly notices how his wife puts a packet of cookies next to
him. "Come here." She hears him say and gets pulled down onto his lap, before
she could even think of sitting down on the couch again. Cuddling up against his
chest with a happy smile, she opens another packet of cookies, which he observes
with a slight smile, before he turns back to the television. "Lilo and Stitch?"
He asks, surprised. "I always wanted to have a dog like Stitch." She explains
immediately, which makes him laugh, putting an arm around her waist and then
starts the movie. "I also like Hawaii." She then adds while the movie is already
starting. A few minutes pass before the first laugh comes over her lips, which
makes him smile with relief.
 
A quite sob makes the young man startle and avert his gaze from the movie, to
his wife. "Are you crying?" He explores a bit startled, starting to caress her
hair again. The Haruno straitens up a little on his lap and looks into his eyes,
making it able for him to see the tears in her eyes. “I haven't seen this
movie ever since I’m little and with 8 young years not everyone understand
what it all means. Lilo is bullied because her parents are dead and she is
different because of that and is punished for it even though the others provoke
her. It’s like when someone tells you all of a sudden that its raining and
your parents died in an accident. It makes you unable to grasp the situation.”
Rubbing the sleeve of her sweater over her eyes, she closes her eyes for a
moment to breath in rapidly. An encouraging smile forms on his lips, while he
wipes the remaining tears from her cheeks and pulls her against his chest again.
A depressed sigh escapes her lips as the movie ends and the credits roll. “I
don't have a family anymore.” She suddenly mumbles, making him look at her
perplexed, before he gently pushes her away and takes her face between his
hands, to make her look at him. "What are you talking about? You have Ryosuke,
he's your family. And you have me too. I’m your family too, just like my
family is your family as well. I won't let you alone and neither will Ryosuke."
The black haired man utters and plays with her hair. It pains him to hear that
he’s the only one who thinks of her and himself as a family. He thought it
would be obvious since they are married and became so important to each other.
He was considering her his best friend and he thought she did too. "Really?" He
hears her explore carefully and even a little hesitant. "Of course we are.
Don’t you feel the same?" He answers with a slight smile, making her hug him
tight. “I do. I was just scared. We don’t even love each other and...”
Sasuke shakes his head with a sad smile, leaning his cheek against her forehead.
“It doesn’t matter. You still mean everything to me. You said you don’t
want to loose me and neither do i. We are friends and that’s already enough."
Her smile becomes slightly wobbly at his words. That sounds like her parent’s
relationship. Unlike her and Sasuke, they were always so in love with each
other. They were the perfect couple and still they also looked like two
inseparable best friends. She always thought it would be impossible for her to
have such a beautiful relationship with him in such an arranged marriage, and
still he is here saying that they are already friends for a lifetime and beyond.
Being able to have a relationship like her parents sounded like a fairy tale to
her and now she learns that they already have a part of it. The friendship.
“Do you want to watch the second part as well?" The Uchiha now suggests,
making her nod with a happy smile and press her more against his chest.
"Everything will be fine." She hears him say, while pressing a kiss on her
head.
 
Over an hour later, the credits run across the screen once again. Sakura
straightens up with a sigh and slips off her husband's lap. Her eyes become
gloomy again as she stares at the couch, before lifting her eyes back up and
into her husbands dark eyes. "I..." She starts, but falls silent again, turning
her gaze back to the couch. "I miss my parents." She then utters quietly,
feeling his arms back around her body. "Of course you do. I miss my mother too."
Sasuke mumbles while pulling her even closer to himself and caresses her back
soothingly. "Do you want... How does it sound if we build an altar for your
parents and my mother?" He finally submits the idea that has been floating
around in his head for a few hours now. The young woman raises her eyes and
looks at her husband with big eyes, who watches her expectantly while she is
considering his suggestion. "I think yes, that's a good idea." A sincere smile
pulls on her lips as she nods and gives in to his hug with a deep and relieved
sigh. "Then it’s settled. You can design it and we'll take care of the
construction on the weekend." He then explains in a whisper and gently presses a
kiss on her temple, feeling how she nods in agreement. Watching her leave the
room to fetch a pad and pen, which she uses while sitting down next to him
again, he watches her for a while, before turning back to his work. He wants to
get over with work as soon as possible, to be able to spend more time with his
best friend.



                         Kapitel 28: Step 28 - Support
                         -----------------------------


Everyone needs support at some point. Support doesn’t always mean help. It
doesn’t always have to be material support in form of money or the like. It
can be emotional support too. Someone who backs you up and encourages you in
something which everyone else thinks is stupid. But it can also mean assistance.
Someone who is there and supports with their presence. One always hopes for
support from friends and relatives, the family. Sometimes they disagree with
your way of thinking, but it is all the better when they are of the same opinion
and support as you.
 
Thick fog has been hanging over the city since the early hours of the morning
and even now that is has turned afternoon, the weather hasn’t changed one bit.
The car door is thrown shut with a soft thud, while the driver has long since
encircled his car and walks towards the front door of the villa. He briefly
rings the bell and immediately looks at his smartphone to see whether there has
been any calls or messages, but there were none.  Sighing out loud, he lets the
device sink back into his pocket again. When the door opens, he looks up and
into his big brother's surprised face. "Sasuke." The older of the two brothers
exclaims, surprised at his sudden visit, before he takes a step to the side to
allow his little brother to enter. "What are you doing here?" Itachi then starts
to ask still in surprise and closes the front door behind the younger man to
keep the cold out of the house.
 
The temperatures hardly exceed 12 degrees and the next few days aren’t
expected to get any warmer either. You'd rather spend the weekend at home in
intimate togetherness with your significant other, in front of the TV and with a
nice warm mug of tea in your hands. The weather is exactly as it should be in
mid-November, just two weeks before the start of winter. Cold wind, low
temperatures, rain or fog are currently standard, whereby the fog could even be
described as fair weather even.
 
"Is Sakura with you?" Sasuke suddenly explores instead of answering his brothers
question and looks around briefly through the foyer, where he sees his sister in
law come out of the living room and approaches them with a smile. He can see her
wave at him in greeting, which he replies to with a nod, before she responds to
his counter question. "No she is not here. How so? Did you two have a fight?”
Misuki explains calmly and puts her hands on her little baby bump. "No, we have
not. But she isn’t at home and doesn’t answer my calls either. I've already
tried to reach her ten times, I think. I've also been at Ino, Ryosuke, dad and
Hinata. I talked to Neji and Tenten, but neither of them saw or even heard of
her.“ The youngest Uchiha explains in obvious worry, while he lets his fingers
run through his hair. "Maybe she went shopping." Itachi suggests in hope that it
would calm him a little, but Sasuke only shakes his head. “She would answer my
calls if this was the case. What if something happened to her?” It escapes his
lips desperately, showing them how upset and worried he actually is. "Why should
something have happened to her?" The pregnant Uchiha explores with empathy. She
understands that he is scared. She would feel the same if her husband would
suddenly disappear without a trace and unable to reach.
 
Sasuke sighs and runs his rigid fingers through his hair anew. “Last wednesday
would have been her father's 49th birthday. She was totally off because of it. I
don't know, maybe something happened today that reminded her of the death of her
parents. I have no idea. I haven't seen her ever since this morning.”
Desperately the young man pulls on his hair while he tells them this, before he
loosens his grip again. "Sasuke. Calm down. Surely nothing happened to her."
Misuki starts and gently puts her hand on her brother in law's shoulder. "She
may have just stopped at a park and is taking a walk. She probably left her
phone in the car, so that she can have a few minutes to herself." She then
continues, while encouragingly smiling at him. Sasuke nods only slowly, letting
her words seep in and hopes that she’s actually right.
 
“You should go home and wait for her. Not that she comes home soon and goes on
search for you too." He hears his sister in law suggest, which makes him sigh
again. He tries to collect himself, before he gets up the strength to nod once
more. "Yeah i will do that. Thanks." He mumbles and takes a step back towards
the front door. “If she's still not back in an hour, please let us know, okay?
We'll make sure to come over to you then." Itachi now too raises his voice
again. Sasuke nods again, showing his appreciation, before he disappears from
his brother's house, noticing that his brother and sister in law have decided to
wait at the door until he went off completely.
 
Sasuke breathes the cool autumn air in deeply. Misuki is right. Everything will
be okay. Sakura must be taking some time for herself to go through thoughts and
clear her head. After all, a lot of things have happened this year. Much that
she would have liked to tell her parents about, or would have liked to
experience together with them. The black haired man gets back into his car and
takes another deep breath, before he starts the engine and fastens his seatbelt.
So many things have happened this year. Not only for her, but for him too, so he
can understand. Half a year ago he wouldn’t have thought to react like that,
just because Sakura is not at home. it’s not like he wouldn’t have cared
about her at all, since they are married after all, but at that time they were
still so distant and living like two ghosts under the same roof. He probably
wouldn’t have even noticed her absence, since he always came home so late
anyway. Half an year ago he never expected her to become his dearest and best
friend, or that he would worry about her this much. He is just overreacting. He
didn't even have to get out of his car and ring peoples doorbells, since he
would have found her car standing at one of the driveways, if she really
happened to be at one of their friends or family. He lets out another sigh and
then starts driving out of his brothers property, back to his own home.
 

 
~ > * < ~
 


Her gaze is fixed on her passenger seat, where her smartphone is lying and
moving around due to the vibration it makes. The picture of her husband and his
name pops up on it’s screen, but she doesn’t really pay attention to it. A
child's laughter can be heard softly through the closed windows and doors of her
car, making her look up. Searching, she directs her attention out of the window
and lets it wander over the surroundings. Her eyes catch sight of a group of
children of primary school age, who have formed a group at the way home and are
just crossing the street. The young woman smiles gently and follows the group
with her green eyes until they have disappeared into a side street.
 
Children's laughter can be heard again and animates her to look around to her
right. Children of different ages run out of the house onto the lawn, kick a
ball around or climb around on the climbing frame. the young Haruno's smile
turns into a bitter one. There is a difference between normal children and
orphans. If you ask a normal child in this regard what they want for Christmas,
they would immediately come up with a long list of material goods that they
would like to have. But when you ask an orphan the same question, there are only
two specific kind of answers. One is, “I would like my parents to come back
and take me back home.” or the other would be, “I would like for a nice
couple, which would love and care for me, to come and take me home.”
 
These orphaned children can also be distinguished between those two statements.
Those who would like their parents to come and pick them up, are still young and
maybe only recently orphaned. The others who would like for a couple to come and
adopt them, have been orphans for a long time, or have never met their parents
at all. But these children, the orphans, know that it’s not about wonderful
gifts to show off to friends, but about love and family. They just want to have
a home, to be loved and feel safe. They just want an intangible asset -
feelings. Normal children always want material goods and don’t know the word
modesty. Of course, children are able to understand, if they are properly
educated about it. But the thing is, that it’s too rare that parents teach
their children about what is really important in life. Being with their family
doesn't count for these children. It’s more a though in the back of their
heads, since they rather want to be showered with lots of toys and gifts.
 
The pink haired woman quickly wipes the tears out of her face and takes a deep
breath, pressing her head against the headrest and looks up at the beige fabric
of her car cover. She knows what she's talking about. After all, she too was
once an orphan and still is, even if people are no longer referred to as orphans
when they are of legal age. But she is lucky. She has friends who love her, even
if they cannot give her the feeling of parental love. She has a home and she has
her soulmate, her husband and best friend with which she feels content and safe.
She rubs over her cheeks again, when her smartphone begins to vibrate again. She
looks at it in surprise and feels her lips curl up into a gentle smile. This is
his eleventh call. He's probably really worried about her and she'd be too, if
she wouldn’t be able to find or reach him for hours. Smiling, she reaches for
her cell phone, on whose screen the eleven missed calls light up. Calling her
own number, she checks on the voicemails which her husband left for her. "Hey,
cupcake. Where are you? Uhm... I'm worried about you. Are you all right? If not,
let me know and I'll pick you up, no matter where. And... I am here for you.
Please come home soon, Sakura.“ She hears his worried and dark voice. With a
warm smile, she throws her phone back onto the passenger seat next to her and
starts the engine to drive back home.
 
Driving over the highway, she tries to get back home to her worried husband as
soon as possible. Almost an hour later, she leaves her car in front of the front
door and enters the house uncertainly. Who knows if he's mad at her for worrying
him unnecessarily? Carefully and with a soft sigh she closes the door behind
herself, already hearing quick footsteps approaching her from the kitchen.
Sasuke appears and immediately pulls her tightly into his arms, one of his hands
finding its way on her head. "Are you okay?" He whispers as she puts her arms
around him as well. "Yes. I'm sorry for worrying you so much. I was driving
around and didn't answer the phone because of it." She whispers back against his
shoulder, before pressing her lips against it. "The most important thing is that
you are fine." She hears him whisper with relief and her fingers dig lightly
into his suit jacket, lowering her face to hide her eyes on the fabric. He was
so worried, he didn’t even change into more comfortable clothes.
 

 
~ > * < ~
 


Pleased, the young Haruno lets out a sigh and leans back in her armchair. She
puts her hands behind her head and plays with her ballpoint pen by pushing the
refill in and out. A small smile lies on her lips as she looks at the calendar
in front of her, on which the current date has been encircled for an important
meeting. "What is it?" Natsuki explores with a slight smile at her content sigh
and lifts her head to look at her. "This calm." Sakura explains with a contented
smile and leans her head back a little. Her brunette collegue raises an eyebrow
questioningly and briefly looks around the office, making her laugh. “i
don’t mean our office. I just thought about how Karin hasn't bothered us for
three whole weeks. The fact that she was also put back into her place by Fugaku
at that time, probably made her fall silent completely. She doesn't even dare to
make comments in the hallway." Explains the pinkette, watching her immediately
join the smile. "You definitely have to enjoy that." Natsuki says with a nod of
her own and places her pencil on her table.
 
Smiling, she too leans back and makes herself comfortable in her chair. “It
really is so beautifully nice and quiet.” The Honda now agrees end exhales
with relish, as the two of them listen to the song on the radio that is playing
in the office. Sakura lets her arms drop into her lap and directs her gaze out
of the window. The morning fog has cleared and reveals the thick clouds,
covering the whole sky. This Fall is in general pretty dreary, with a little sun
and a lot of rain. Although she hardly noticed or realized anything about the
weather in autumn. Too much happened during this time of the year. Miktoto's
death, the company party where she went overboard, her dates and slow progress
in her relationship with Sasuke, the announcement about Misuki’s pregnancy,
the announcement meeting and Sasuke’s breakdown with the flu that followed
right after. The months were filled, as there has always happened something
weekly.
 
Sakura only hopes that the winter will be all the more beautiful and quieter.
Especially since there is usually little snow in Tokyo. The time will come soon
and she will start her first winter with her husband. "It's about time." Natsuki
suddenly raises her voice and pulls her out of her thoughts. “What?” She
asks in confusion, as she gets pulled back into reality. "The meeting. We should
slowly go." The Hondo replies to her with a smile. "Oh, yes." The Haruno
immediately exclaims and gets up after a quick look at the clock and walks
towards her colleague, who is already standing at the door, waiting. She pauses
for a moment, before she walks back and grabs her smartphone from her desk
before she approaches Natsuki once more and leaves the office with her.
 
"And how are things going with Takumi?" The Haruno explores with interest, while
they approach the conference room, in which the whole department is slowly
gathering, in order to take part in the meeting. A month has passed ever since
the entire department was commissioned to create a new product, based on their
own ideas. The next steps will be explained in the upcoming meeting, to which
they’re all heading right now. The hondo on her right blushes slightly at her
question. "Well..." She mumbles embarrassed, but doesn’t really get to answer
from shyness. "Are you a couple now or not?" Sakura asks calmly, while Natsuki
keeps blushing. "Yes." She then mumbled softly and stares at the floor. "That's
great! Since when?” Sakura continues to research, while looking forward in
order to make sure not to collide with anyone. "For almost two weeks now." The
blue eyed woman replies obediently, making Sakura look at her in surprise. "Two
weeks already! And why didn't you tell me that?" It comes astonished from
Sasuke’s wife, but doesn’t really wait for an explanation, as she already
continues to investigate. “Well, is he nice to you?” Smiling, Natsuki nods
at her question, while pushing open one half of the door to the conference room.
"I know that you are older than me, but I have the feeling that I have to
protect you from bad boys like a younger sister." The Haruno then says with a
laugh and looks around the large room, as she can hear her colleague chuckle
lightly.

They step through the room and lean a little further forward against one of the
walls. Most of the designers are already here and form discussion groups, while
the rest of them are slowly coming in. The room slowly fills up and in the next
moment the door opens again, as Kakashi enters the room together with Sasuke.
Both men walk straight to the top of the room, where everything they need for
the presentations is already prepared. The Uchiha's gaze wanders across the room
and comes to a halt when he finds his wife, who smiles and waves slightly
towards him. Next to her, as usuall, stands her brunette collegue. "Is everyone
here?" He explores while looking back at the head of the assembled department.
"Not quite yet." Kakashi replies obediently, who has already counted the people
present. The door opens and the Kaseguchi comes in, strutting through the crowd
with her head held unnecessarily high and takes a seat in the front. "Now
everyone is here." Kakashi utters and smiles politely at his boss. "Good."
Sasuke nods and looks at the crowd in front of him.
 
"Good morning!" He starts a little louder to draw everyone's attention to him.
Immediately the conversations in the room fall silent as everyone turns to him
obediently. “Today is November 17th and as agreed, I will explain the further
process of the project to you. In the meantime, all the drafts have been given
to me and I have already given most of them back to their owners. If I have
placed my usual post-its on anyone’s work, then it is only because of
inaccurate lines or errors in the scale. I ask for those drawings to be
corrected and submitted to me within the next two days. The drawings that I
received yesterday or today, will be examined by me in the course of the day and
will be given back to you before the end of the day.” Sasuke explains calmly
and puts his hands in his pockets. "In the next four weeks until December 15th,
you will model your designs. Since the Christmas season is approaching, there
are fewer improvement orders anyway and so you have enough time to concentrate
on the modeling and make it as detailed as possible.” The Uchiha lets his gaze
wander through the crowd for a short moment in silence. “We will rate the
models in the week of December 15th. Of course, each of you will briefly present
your idea, before all of you have the right to rate each other's model.
Colleagues from a few other departments will also come and rate on the models,
so that we all can decide together which idea will be chosen after the company
holiday and which will come onto the market next year.” Ending his speech, he
gives them all a slight smile.

“Mr. Hatake and I will set a date on which the models will be accessed and you
will be informed by email as usual. I wish you all the best of success in
realizing your idea.” The Uchiha looks at the man next to himself with a nod,
thus ending the meeting. Murmuring fills the room from all sides, as the staff
slowly leaves the room. His gaze moves back to his wife, who is currently
looking at him. Smiling, he gestures her to come to him, watching her touch the
Hondo's shoulder and talks briefly to her, before she stops and waits for her
colleagues to leave the room. When only the two of them and Kakashi are left in
the room, Sakura starts moving again and walks up to him.
 
With a smile on his face, he puts his arms around his wife and hugs her tight.
His lips leaving a sigh in relish. "Do you have a packet of cookies with you?"
He asks after a moment of silence and cuddles his cheek against hers. "No, how
come? Are you getting sick again?” A soft laugh escapes her lips, being a bit
amused by his sudden question. "No. Do I have to be sick in order to get some
cookies?” He replies questioningly, watching her laugh with a shake of her
head. "I don't have any cookies with me." A disappointed sigh escapes his lips
at her words, closing his eyes with a soft pout. “that's a shame.” He steals
a brief glance at his wife, before he loosens his hands from her waist and cups
her cheeks. Smiling, he pulls her closer and steals a gentle kiss from her. Only
after that he pushes her towards the door and lets her free. "Back to work." His
dark grey eyes follow his wife walking away, seeing how she looks back over her
shoulder at him and sticks out her tongue.
 
When he arrives in his office, he immediately lets himself fall back into his
armchair and starts working on the drawings, which he still has to check for the
project. When he's done with that, it will soon be time for lunch too, so he has
to concentrate properly on it. Hopefully he won’t be disturbed until then at
least.

Sighing out silently, Sasuke looks up from his work after a while. To his luck
he has finally managed to go through his work, letting his pen down onto his
desktop with a satisfied smile. Glad that he could make it on time to his well
deserved lunch break. Now that he doesn’t have to do as much as he used to, he
feels so much lighter and relaxed. After all, he had never liked the burden that
had been weighing on his shoulders as the creative department’s boss. Picking
up the folder with the last drawing, he closes it and puts it on top of the pile
with all the other drawings as well. The youngest Uchiha then gets up from his
seat and pushes it aside with the back of his knees, taking up the whole stack
of folders in order to put it into the shelf in which he always stows his
finished work, so that Ayame can get them later. His gaze wanders to the clock
on the wall, thinking about it for a moment, before taking his jacket and
smartphone and leaving the office. When he walks out of his secretaries office
and is standing on the corridor, he sees some of his employees armed with
jackets, as they too are starting their lunch break. Observing his surroundings
for a moment, he then finally starts walking again and moves down the hallway,
while pulling his jacket over his suit. He can see the Kaseguchi, who
immediately stops when she spots him and watches him. He in the other hand just
prefers to ignore her and continues his way and turns into a side corridor,
knocking briefly on one of the office doors and opens it right after to glance
with a smile into the room.
 
"Sakura. I have to go to a business lunch and I need a designer by my side,
please come with me." It comes pleading from his lips, which makes his wife look
back at him a bit surprised. “Am I even suitable for that? I mean, there are
definitely other people who could assist you better, so shouldn’t you ask
someone else?” The young woman utters back a bit hesitant, still a bit
perplexed about his sudden request. "If ms. Haruno doesn't want to, then i would
be happy to accompany you, mr. Uchiha." Suddenly another female voice sounds
from behind him, making him look over his shoulder briefly, only to see that
Karin is standing in the door frame. Annoyed, he looks back around to his wife
with a huff. He can’t believe that this woman really followed him all the way
to this place. What a freak. The best would be if he just acts like he hasn’t
heard her offer in the first place. When his eyes meet those of his wife once
more, his features turn softer again, looking at her with a smile. "I don't
think there is anyone more suited for this than you, so i would be happy if you
could assist me." He then continues and responds to his wife’s earlier unsure
question. "Maybe there is. After all, I'm the senior of this department." The
uninvited woman tries to gain his attention once again, which makes him growl
silently. “That may be the case, but how much experience do you have with
business lunches? Do your parents have a big company too and took you with
themselves to company lunch meetings when you were younger? Besides, even though
you are a senior here, i still don’t see you suited for this at all. Not
before i finally get to see some improvement and more consistent and tidy work
from you." Another growl leaves his lips while he tells her this and doesn’t
even take the time to turn around to her properly, just giving her a warning
glance over his shoulder. "If you don’t take work more serious, the third
warning won’t be too far either. Besides, I don't want to end up being pushed
into the water as well. So just go back and work on your errors instead." He
continues and then turns back to Sakura, who has to suppress a laugh, trying to
stay professional. His lips pull into a warm smile, when his eyes meet those of
his wife once again. “Now that this is cleared, would you come with me,
Sakura? Please.” Her lips too pull up into a smile, when he hears him add the
plead in the end of his question like that. How could she say no if he is
begging her like that? Reluctantly, because she would rather not go to a
business lunch if she didn’t have to, she gives him a nod and packs her
handbag. Picking it and her jacket up, she then follows him out of the office
and past the Kaseguchi, who stares after them with an evil glare. But Sakura
doesn’t let herself be bothered by that woman and catches up to her husband to
walk next to him. It’s that woman’s own fault that he thinks so poorly of
her and does nothing but giving warnings.

Silently and with a cold look, the youngest Uchiha walks with his wife by his
side to the elevator, where he pushes the call button and waits for it to
arrive. Almost shyly, she lifts her gaze to her side and examines him briefly,
as she has long since noticed how tense he is. After a moment of waiting, the
elevator finally stops in front of them and lets the two enter. Stepping inside
the empty cabin, Sasuke now presses the button for the first floor, watching as
the door slides shut again, before he lets out a deep groan. Startled, she
notices him suddenly coming closer, as she could already feel his hand cupping
her cheeks and pressing his lips on hers. Closing her eyes, she slowly returns
the kiss, feeling how one of his arms goes around her waist to pull her closer
and presses her belly flush against his. His touches and his lips stay gentle on
her, releasing her lips only after a moment and that rather unwillingly. His
lips escape another sigh, watching as she opens her eyelids again to look into
his dark grey eyes. "It's a shame that we aren’t home." He mumbles against her
lips, before enclosing them with his once more. "I want to do this with you all
day long." She hears him whisper in another short pause. She touches his upper
arm with a giggle, while she lets her other hand fondle the hair on his neck,
making him growl in satisfaction and close his eyes again.
 
The elevator comes slowly to a halt, letting the doors slide back open, but they
don’t let themselves be bothered by it. "Hey guys!" They suddenly hear the
good humored voice of the Uzumaki, while the doors slide shut again. “What are
you doing there?” The blond continues to ask, which is why the Uchiha lets out
an annoyed grumble and breaks away from his wife to glare at his friend. "Tell
me, why are you always in the elevator when you're not five meters away from
your office?" He growls dangerously towards him, while letting go of his wife
completely now. The blonde laughs caught at the Uchiha’s question and
scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. With a slight smile, Sakura in
the other hand straightens her clothes, which haven’t actually slipped. "Am I
bothering you?" They can hear the sound of a clap at his confused question,
drawing the Haruno’s attention back up to her husband, who gave himself a
facepalm. "Tell me Naruto, just how on earth did you become a software
programmer?" It comes doubtful over the Uchiha’s lips, before he turns back to
his wife with a huff. "You see what i mean? If we had been home, we would have
continued as usual without any idiots getting in the way." Sasuke stops in his
words again, when he feels his friend leaning himself against his shoulder and
stare at him with interest. “What?” Sasuke asks rather annoyed, making the
blond shake his head with a wide grin. "Nothing, nothing. Just keep talking."
The Uzumaki shrugs his shoulders, but doesn't move away from the couple either.
Disturbed, the Uchiha moves a step aside in order to create some distance
between him and himself again, but Naruto just smiles innocently and keeps
studying him inquisitively. "I would have buried you underneath myself." Sasuke
continues to talk to his wife, staring at her with his dark grey orbs. When he
feels his friend glueing to his face again, he immediately put his hand on the
blond’s chest and pushes him away. How can someone be so dense and meddle into
other peoples business this much? Slowly he moves down to his wife and leans his
lips against her sensitive ear, to whisper his next words in there with a smirk.
“And i would have kissed you until we fall asleep in each other’s arms.”
Sakura’s cheeks turn into a dark shade of red, trying to suppress the shudder
she feels because of his hot breath against her sensitive ear.
 
“Stop! Stop! What the actual- get yourselves a damn room!” The Uzumaki
suddenly exclaims, even though he hasn’t even heard his best friends whispered
words. He just assumed things from seeing his smirk and her bright blush, making
Sakura frown. “Says the one who banged a girl whenever he drank himself
wasted, instead of just asking her out! You don’t even know what he said, so
keep your disgusting fantasies to yourself!” The elevator comes to a stop as
the doors slide back open for the three to leave. Naruto looks at her as if she
had poured a whole bucket of water over his head, while Sasuke just chuckles
mischievously at him with a wide smirk on his lips. “You- you bastard did that
on purpose!” The company owner chuckles again at his blond friends accusation
and pushes him out of the elevator, before he too gets out with his wife as
well. “Next time you will keep your nose out of other peoples businesses.”
Putting his right arm around Sakura’s waist, Sasuke then heads with her to the
underground parking lot, leaving behind a stunned Uzumaki. The couple gets into
Sasuke’s car, as he already drives out of the parking lot and heads out onto
the street. Together they drive across the parking lot in front of the building,
which is still fully occupied. "Look, there are Naruto and Hinata." Sasuke
points towards the entrance to the building to his left, while he is waiting for
a gap in the traffic. "Yes, they seem to be going for lunch too." Sakura nods,
watching the two for a while, even after her husband has already driven out onto
the street. "So." The black haired man starts, in order to draw her attention
back to himself. "What do you feel like doing?" He then asks with a slight
smile, making her look up at him in disbelief. "I thought we are going to have a
business lunch?" She says, making him smile crookedly in amusement. "No, I just
wanted to go out to eat with you." He shrugs his shoulders only once, while he
can feel her still staring at him in disbelief. “And you are sure you don't
have a fever?” She explores a little skeptically, making him laugh. "No! How
do you even get that idea?" He throws a side glance towards her, curious as to
why she would even think that. "First you want cookies and now you kidnap me for
lunch.” The young woman explains stunned, watching him smile gently, while his
eyes are fixed on the street in front of them. “What would you like?” He
just replies, making her think for a moment before giving him her answer.
"Okonomiyaki?" She makes her suggestion, which he agrees to with a nod. "Then we
will go to Chūō." He comments his next steps and drives onto the highway.
 
The journey between the couple goes on in silence. At first Sakura just looks
out the window, but then she turns her eyes away and stares at her fingers, with
which she starts playing rather nervously. Again and again Sasuke keeps glancing
at her, concerned about her sitting there so quietly. She has been looking at
her fingers for a long time and seems somehow sad. It’s impossible for him not
to notice. "Are you okay?" He finally raises his voice and breaks through the
silence. As if he had startled her, she quickly lifts her head and looks around
at him with big eyes. "Yes. Yes of course. Everything’s okay." He hears her
mumble, before returning her eyes on her fingers. Worry overcomes him again when
he notices that she is hiding something from him again, before turning his gaze
back to the street. "Sasuke?" She then raises her voice again after a short
time, making him look at her a bit surprised. "Yes?" His eyes meet hers only
shortly, as he is forced to look back onto the street. All he needs is for her
to know that he is listening. "On Friday, when you've been looking for me... do
you want to know where I've been? " he hears her asks, making him glance at her
once more. "I thought you were just driving around aimlessly?" It’s obvious
that he is surprised at her words. After all she had told him that she drove
around and therefore couldn’t answer his calls. “I was in the car, but I
didn't drive around. I stood next to a sidewalk. I could have answered each of
your eleven calls, but I didn't." She then tells him the truth and looks briefly
out of the window to her right. He listens to her words in silence, not daring
to say a word. Ever since she reappeared on Friday evening, she's partly lost in
thoughts. Just like she is now. “Do you want to know?” She then asks once
more. A warm smile pulls on the Uchiha's lips, shaking his head slightly at her
question. “If you want to tell me, then just tell me. It’s your choice if
you want to entrust your problems to me or not." He explains to her with a short
glance to his right.

"Can we go to Edogawa for a while before we go out to eat?" The Haruno raises
her voice after a brief, thoughtful moment. At first he looks back at her in
surprise, before he gives her a nod. “Of course, if that's what you want.”
The corners of his lips lift up into a warm smile, before he changes lanes and
speeds up a little more. Ten minutes later he already leaves the highway again
and drives into the part of town, to which his wife wanted him to bring her. She
instructs him the exact way to her destination, which he follows obediently,
until she makes him halt next to a side walk, where he parks his car and turns
off the engine. The Haruno gets out of the car without a word and closes the
door behind her, against which she leans herself with her back. Sasuke in the
other hand removes the key, before he too gets out of the vehicle and encircles
it, while looking around. After a moment he too leans himself against the car,
right next to his wife and stares straight ahead, to where she is looking ever
since they have arrived. "Nice environment, but what is that ruined house?” He
breaks the silence between them after a while, while he wonders what she was
doing in this area. “This is an orphanage.” She replies quietly to his
question, getting him to look back at her in surprise. "What are we doing here?
Don't you think that we should work on our marriage first?” It comes from him,
confused as to why she would suddenly want to come here.
 
“I've been going to orphanages for Christmas every year ever since five years.
I buy the kids gifts, Christmas decorations and a Christmas tree. The day before
Christmas I bring over the tree and decorate it together with all the children.
I leave the gifts with the carers, with two gifts for each child. I also bring a
few presents to other orphanages in it’s vicinities. I play Santa Claus
personally for those orphanages, who brings them a few things which they don't
even dare to dream of." The Haruno explains her doings of the last five years to
his husband in a silent voice, his eyes widening when he hears what she is doing
for the children every year. “I was an orphan too, but compared to others I
didn't lose everything. We still had the house, the money, friends... but these
children lost everything, mostly also their dreams for the future.” She
continues to explain sadly, taking a slight pause to take in a deep breath and
swallow down a small lump that was about to form in her throat. “But this year
I chose this orphanage. What good are presents, if they are freezing at
Christmas because of broken windows and a missing roof?” Sakura raises her
head and looks at him through sad eyes. He swallows softly, before trying to
smile at her encouragingly. “Have you been inside before? Maybe it looks worse
out here than it actually is."

Silently she shakes her head and stares again at the building in front of her,
which looks so dreary and bleak in this friendly environment. With a gentle gaze
Sasuke looks at his wife next to himself, who looks at the house with pity and
sadness, and has to admit that he is flabbergasted by what she has just told
him. He knew that she’s kind and loving, but he would never have expected such
warm and compassionate commitment, when it comes to orphans. She is so selfless,
he is sure that going to these houses is always reminding her of her tragic fate
when she was only a teenager. Loving, Sasuke puts his hand on her back and
caresses lightly over it.
 
Suddenly both of them hear a dull impact, at the same time as crunching gravel
and the breaking of autumn leaves lying on the ground. Surprised, Sakura leans
forward to see past her husband and the path down to the right. A couple of
children have gathered there and are laughing, pointing with their fingers
towards the floor where another child is half siting, half lying. The children
start pulling on the old and tattered school bag of the little girl who is
sitting on the floor, wearing worn out clothing and shoes. "Hey!" Upset at the
scene unfolding behind her husband, Sakura quickly pushes herself off from the
car and walks with quick steps towards the children, in order to help the girl
on the ground. “Leave her alone!” She says angrily and stops near the group.
Sasuke too comes closer, watching her glare at the other children, while he
crouches down to the girl. The children look up at her fearfully, scream and run
away. The young Haruno shakes her head with a snort at their behaviour. She
can’t believe that even in elementary school the children are already so mean,
and then to someone like this girl, who obviously has it difficult enough. Most
likely, she belongs to the old, run-down orphanage behind her. With a silent
sigh, she turns to the blonde girl who doesn't seem to be older than 7 years and
her husband who is helping her up. She looks at her sympathetically. "Hey, is
everything okay?" She explores carefully and bends down to the little one as
well, with a loving smile on her lips. The little girl lets herself helped up,
as both of them take her by her hands and pull her back onto her feet. The
blonde nods hesitant at her question and then wipes her hands over her eyes, you
can tell by the twisted lips that she is crying, even if no tears can be seen.

"Please don’t cry. Everything is okay.” She whispers lovingly while stroking
the little girl's hair. "Come, we will take you home." Sakura holds out a hand
to the girl, which the girl cautiously embraces two of her fingers and looks
uncertainly up at the pink haired woman. She smiles encouragingly at her and
then takes the first step forward. The little one also starts moving and they
approach Sasuke, who has taken a few steps backwards and looks gently at his
wife, with his hands buried into his trouser pockets. His eyes move away from
the Haruno and down at the child with sympathy, who looks up at him uncertainly
and then pulls Sakura to the right through the broken wooden gate. The partially
dried up lawn is mostly covered with death leaves. The gravel from the path
crunches underneath the weight of the Haruno and the Uchiha, who follows the two
in silence. Without a word, the blonde girl pulls her up the three steps and
towards the front door, which she then opens and goes in.
 
Sakura looks over her shoulder and at her husband, who closes the door behind
themselves and then comes to a stop right next to her. A young woman emerges
from one of the rooms and looks at the couple in surprise, before turning to the
blond little girl. "Hello Hotaru. There you are." The brunette woman smiles and
strokes the girl over her blond hair, who has already let go of Sakura’s
fingers and has approached the other woman instead. Without a word, the little
girl walks past the woman and goes out into the room from which the woman came.
"Has something happened?" The brunette woman inquires worriedly at the couple.
"A couple of children were bullying and pushing her around." Explains the
Haruno, which makes the young woman sighs in disappointment, before smiling at
them again. “Thank you for helping her out. Is there anything I can do to help
you?” She looks at the couple questioningly, when Sakura raises her voice
again. "Well, actually..." she begins a little hesitant and looks around the
hallway and she notices that it doesn't look any better than on the outside
either. "Actually, I wanted to give the children a nice Christmas, but... What
happened here?" Sakura looks at the brunette woman with a sad, questioning look,
who starts to sigh and closes her eyes for a moment, before looking back at
them.
 
“The orphanage has been forgotten by the city.” The supervisor of the
orphanage starts to explain, before looking up at the Uchiha, who starts to
frown at her words. “No repairs and hardly anything else was done. Some of the
windows are broken, making some of the rooms uninhabitable. The roof is leaking
and the heaters sometimes stops working.” The woman continues explaining and
looks around the house sadly. The helpless look of the woman in the middle of
this house, makes Sakura feel a pang of pain in her chest. "You need help." The
pink haired woman states the obvious, which she knew from the very beginning
ever since she discovered the house. The supervisor nods sadly at her statement
and looks to the ground. “May we have a look around?” Sasuke suddenly asks,
which surprises not only her, but also his wife too. The supervisor nods
briefly, which Sasuke responds with an appreciative smile, before he takes his
wife’s hand and walks through the house with her to have a look around the
place. Each room shakes the two of them to their core. One more than the
previous one. You see children playing with old things, next to broken beds and
mattresses lying on the floor. A few others are playing tag and run past the
shaken couple.
 
"Don't you even want to ask one of the children what they want for Christmas?"
The Uchiha inquires after a few minutes, while he closes one of the doors behind
himself again and prevents the cold from entering. He examines her
questioningly, watching how she slowly lifts her head and looks at him with sad
eyes. "No, I do not want to. You can do so if you want, but I don't need to ask.
I already know the answer." She mumbles broken and shakes her head as she walks
on. Sasuke watches her in silence, seeing how close this all is getting to her.
With a sigh he crouches down next to one of the playing children, which he
estimates to be around 5 years old. "Hey." He smiles friendly, making the young
girl look up at him from her stuffed animal. "Will you tell me what you want for
Christmas?" Sasuke explores and looks at the little girl, who lowers her gaze
again to her stuffed animal and ties its little arms together as if it were
praying. "That Mommy and Daddy will come back and take me home." The little girl
mumbles. Sasuke stares at her stuffed bunny with widening eyes, before
swallowing and gently caressing the girl's short hair. He gets up again and
walks to his wife, who is leaning against the wall around the next corner. "It
tears your heart apart, doesn't it?" She looks up at him questioningly, seeing
how he comes closer and puts his arm around her shoulders to take her into a
hug.

The two of them walk slowly on and want to go back down the stairs, when a girl
comes up to the both from the side, with a little boy by the hand. “You are
not allowed to close the orphanage. The house is old and broken, but the
supervisors do their best and take good care of us.” The girl exclaims
seriously, which Sasuke guesses only having become a teenager recently. Sakura
smiles gently at the girl and bends down to her height. “We don't want to
close the orphanage. We want to help you.” The girl stares for a moment into
her emerald eyes, before she nods and takes the little boy into one of the
rooms. Sakura watches after the girl, before the two return to the supervisor in
the kitchen, who welcomes them with a smile. “Where are the other
caretakers?” Sasuke explores after a moment of silence, when he notices that
he only met children. “One is running errands and the other is at a
children’s clinic with one of the boys.” Explains the supervisor, as Sakura
too starts to ask another question. "How many children are you taking care of
right now?" Both Sasuke and the brunette can see how much this all is getting to
her. “Almost 30. But we only have about 18 beds, the rest are broken. The
little ones have to share the beds with each other.” The young Haruno has to
swallow hard. She never thought that it could be that bad. This is worse than
she could have ever imagined. "Thank you. We should slowly go then." Sasuke
replies with a slight traditional bow and gently pushes his wife to the door,
where they say goodbye to the supervisor and then return to their car. 

"These poor children." It escapes the shocked Haruno’s lips in a form of a
gasp. All the thinks she saw and heard are simply too much for her to process.
The Uchiha nods in silence, still in shock from all the heart breaking
informations. He doesn't know what to say. He slowly starts the engine, after
they have sat down in his car again and then drives into the direction of the
previously targeted restaurant. Neither of them said anything through their ride
to their lunch break. Each of them deep in thoughts. Only when they enter the
restaurant and ordered their food, Sasuke comes up with a different topic in
order to lighten up the mood a little and think of something else, but he
himself notices how difficult it is after seeing all that. Because of this, the
mood between them becomes very gloomy, even when they talk about good news like
Itachi’s and Misuki’s upcoming parenthood. “It's all just too much. They
don’t need repairing. They need a complete new house, with new furniture, new
clothes and everything." The pinkette suddenly utters while eating. Sasuke looks
at his wife in surprise, while she keeps talking more to herself than to him.
"In order to do such things, one would have to organize an event to collect
donations for a completely new and designed house..." Sakura falls slowly
silent, the desperation visible in her eyes.
 
"Why don't you do it then?" It is more of an idea than a question, which comes
over her husbands lips. “What?” She looks at him, perplexed, as her food
drops from her chopsticks and back on her plate. “I'm supposed to organize a
fundraising event? Do you really think so?” Sasuke nods in silence and can’t
stop himself from smiling crookedly, when he sees her incredulous and baffled
face. "Of course. Nobody can empathize with the children better than you and so
nobody can sensitize others to their problems better than you.” Sasuke looks
deep into her eyes, examining her as she shakes her head hopelessly. “I can't
host a gala. I have no idea about such things. Nobody would be interested in it
anyway." She shakes her head once again and this time even more dejectedly. "Are
you kidding? Of course you can. After all, you are japans dream woman. People
want to know what you are doing and what you think. You already know yourself
how fast thinks about you spreed around. Whatever you do, it will be a total
success.” He replies with an encouraging smile, unable to hide the amusement
when he only imagines how people would fight with each other to get to interview
her. "Besides, you are the best thing that could happen to these children. You
have ideas and you’re the most creative woman i’ve ever met. You have the
chance to change something. You can change something in those ignorant people
too, Sakura. you have what it takes to convince them.” Convinced of the idea,
the Uchiha smiles at his wife and rubs his thumb over the back of her hand. Even
if not all should be convinced, which is near impossible to happen, there will
definitely be still enough people who would feel honoured and love to work
together with her. 
 
"But who would help me with such a ridiculously mind blowing idea?" She
explores, still not completely convinced about all this and he can’t help but
smile, while taking her hand into his. "You have your brother with an entire
advertising company, you have my father with many good contacts" His smile
becomes warmer and gentler with each word that leaves his lips, intertwining his
fingers with hers and giving her a gentle squeeze. "And you have me. I will
support you wherever I can."



                      Kapitel 29: Step 29 - Making Plans
                      ----------------------------------


We are constantly making plans in our lives. Plans about what to wear, what to
eat, or buy, where and when to work or the like. There are always plans
everywhere. Construction plans, route plans, marriage and many other. The
important thing about planning something is to be spontaneous from time to time
as well. However, not everything is possible to go smooth and according to plan,
since a lot of things still happen unexpected. You plan to get married, you plan
a wedding, a honeymoon, but things like, for example death, illnesses, pregnancy
and the like, happen mostly unexpected and it’s best not to live your whole
married life according to plan.
 
Thick fog is lingering in the air, making it hard for people to even see ten
meters through it. December is just around the corner. There are only a few days
left, until the last month of the year begins. The temperatures are getting
colder again and the fine, white clouds of breath will no longer be uncommon.
 
The young, pink haired woman enters the kitchen of her villa with a soft hum.
For a moment her gaze turns to the with fog covered surroundings outside the
window, before she turns back and opens the fridge. She pulls out the vegetable
drawer and takes out a bag of carrots. Quickly closing the fridge again, she
puts the plastic bag on the counter, to take a pair of scissors out of a drawer
and cut open the bag. Emptying it’s content on the counter and dumping the
plastic bag into the trash can, she looks back at the vegetables in front of
her. One of her eyebrows rise skeptically, only to pull her smartphone out of
her sweater pocket and unlock it’s screen. Intending to take a picture of the
vegetables and put it into the chat group, through which she keeps her contact
to her female friends, she lets her fingers move over her smartphones keyboard
and types in a message.
 
Sakura Haruno: ‘Is it just me, or do they all really look kind of
perverted?’

After sending her message to her friends, the young woman puts her smartphone
aside onto the kitchen counter and turns to the vegetables, from which she
chooses one and puts the rest back into the fridge. A soft hum escapes her lips,
while washing her carrot and cuts of it’s ends, before her cell phone vibrates
and announces an incoming message.
 
Ino Yamanaka: ‘Oh my god! They seriously look like orange penises!’
 
A laugh comes over her lips at the message. So, after all, she wasn't just
imagining things and her carrots really look perverted. Biting off the
carrot’s head, which Ino called ‘the orange penis’ she leaves the kitchen
again and approaches the living room instead, but pauses in the middle of her
way. When she looked into the living room a few minutes ago, Sasuke was reading
a book with such concentration, that she didn't want to disturb him. He has been
so busy all week, that she doesn't want to bother him when he is concentrating
on something other than work.
 
Silently she then turns around and instead of going into the living room, goes
up the stairs and into the bedroom. Biting off another piece of the vegetable in
her hand, she suddenly takes notice of a noise coming from the bathroom.
Sceptical, Sakura pauses in her doings and looks at the bathroom door for a
moment, before deciding to take a look. Holding the rest of her carrot in
between her mouth, she walks to the bathroom door and opens it. Her gaze partly
lowered, the young woman takes a step forward, as the door closes again behind
her. Suddenly, she stops in her movements, as her emerald eyes stare right in
front of herself in shock. Since she has lowered her eyes to waist level, she is
now staring at her husband's bare pelvis, his bare bottom, or in other words;
his manhood. She is standing there, frozen and wishing for the floor to open up
and swallow her whole. She can feel her cheeks burn immediately and she is sure
that she’s competing with a tomato. With a hitch, which resembles a gasped
squeak, she quickly turns around, in order to dash out of the door and avoid the
embarrassing situation.
 
Unfortunately, embarrassing moments are just a magical attraction for her. A
loud bang sounds in the bathroom, when her forehead, her nose and the rest of
her body bangs mercilessly against the wooden door, while the carrot in her
mouth breaks off and falls to the floor. With narrowed eyes, she staggers back
from the impact and lets out a pained groan. Her hand immediately finds its way
to her forehead. Why does her clumsiness have to make a grand entrance right
now, when things were already embarrassing enough without it? She notices how
she’s about to hit the floor and also has to slowly approach this need when
her knees start to fail. Her upper body is already lowering towards the floor
when she suddenly feels arms wrapping underneath her armpits and a warm and
manly chest, against which she gets pulled back.
 
Groaning, she holds the painful spot on her forehead with her fingers. "Are you
okay?" She hears the voice of her husband, who carefully sets her down on the
floor. "I guess so... My clumsiness had to set in again." Mumbles the Haruno,
but refuses to open her eyes. “Why are you even here? You were just downstairs
and reading a book!" She sounds almost reproachful, while he pulls her fingers
from her forehead, on which he discovers a small laceration. "I poured my drink
over my pants and had to change." She hears him explain silently, while he gets
back up and takes a handkerchief which he moistens, before sitting back down
next to her on the floor. He wipes the little trickle of blood from her cheek
and up to her temple, to her eyebrow and then starts gently dabbing the wound. A
hiss escapes his wife's lips as he gently touches the injury. "And why were you
naked?" She asks, her face distorted with pain. The Uchiha clears his throat
briefly, obviously embarrassed. "I poured it right over my crotch." Sakura opens
her eyes in disbelief and looks at him, only to look away again.
 
Sasuke clears his throat again and throws the handkerchief into the sink. "You
have a small laceration." He begins, "We should put a band aid on it." Getting
back up on his feet, he pulls his wife back up as well. When she is standing on
her own feet again, he immediately lets go of her hand, trying to cover up how
uncomfortable he is feeling about the fact that she saw him completely naked.
Even if he quickly put on new boxer shorts as soon as she turned around, it
doesn’t change the fact that she still saw everything. It happened unexpected
and ended up in an embarrassing mess for the both of them. So far they have
never gone further than making out and touching each other here and there. They
have only ever seen each other in underwear until now. But he thinks that it is
partly his fault too, since he should have locked the bathroom door. Since she
had been in the kitchen, he thought that he could change up quickly, but as it
turned out, it didn't work. "And why are you up here?" He inquires, while
opening the bathroom door for her. "I didn't want to disturb you while reading."
She explains truthfully and picks up the orange thing from the floor, which she
had in her mouth only a few minutes ago.
 
Sasuke turns back to her in surprise, his dark grey eyes staring at her in
disbelief. This all had to be a bad joke! When Sakura lifts her eyes shyly and
meets his, he immediately turns away and looks at their wardrobe. "I see." It
comes over his lips in a soft mumble, while he opens the doors to his dresser.
“It wouldn't have mattered anyway, since i’m going to meet the boys for
squash now. But thanks for the thoughts." He smiles slightly into her direction,
while he puts on everyday clothes and puts his sports clothes into a bag.
"Okay." He hears her say, before she leaves the bedroom. When the door falls
back into it’s lock, he lets out a sigh. Partly relieved. This uncomfortable
tension between them is unbearable. How are things supposed to work out when he
comes back in the evening after this embarrassing mess? Their plans for the day
had been that he meets the boys for Sqaush, while Hinata would come for a visit
because of the fundraising gala, which Sakura wants to organize for the orphans.
After all, Hinata is working as an event manager and therefore was the best
choice to help Sakura with the plans. In the evening they had planned to go out
to a club with all their friends and relax a bit. But  just how are they
supposed to relax, if there is such an uncomfortable tension between them now?
 
The Uchiha zips up the bag with his sports clothes and then lifts it up to put
it on his bedside. His dark eyes stare on the made bed. Forget the plans. Just
how on earth are they supposed to sleep in the same room when they come back at
night? it’s not like either of them could forget so easily what just happened.
His lips leave an agonized sigh. Just why did this have to happen now that they
barely made up again, after all that has happened between them and after they
decided to go a bit further on their relationship? He seriously fears that this
unexpected and embarrassing moment will end up destroying all their efforts with
a single blow. Lifting the sports bag over his shoulder, Sasuke slowly walks out
of the room and down the stairs. A faint hiss makes him look up, when only a few
steps separate him from the ground floor. Sakura is standing in the hallway,
loosening her fingers from the wound, making him able to see the dark red blood.
Now it occurs to him again, that he actually wanted to put a band aid on her
wound, so he walks past her into the kitchen and opens the cupboard in which
they keep the band aids. He takes out one of them and pulls off the protective
cover. "Here.” Sakura turns around at his silent hum and looks at him in
confusion, watching him as he gently sticks it onto her wound. "Thanks." She
mumbles, still quite embarrassed. Briefly he examines her from embarrassment
flushed cheeks, before he starts moving again. "See you later." She can hear him
mumble back, as he walks past her and towards the garage. A little distance will
be doing the both of them good at this point.

Sakura stares at the ground in front of her feet in silence, until suddenly an
image appears before her inner eye. A soft groan escapes her lips, when she
catches herself thinking of her naked husband standing right in front of her
again. Her cheeks burn while she tries to shake of the thoughts with a wild
shake of her head. This can’t be happening! It’s as if the image of the
naked Uchiha has been burned into her brain. Shaking her head once more, she
quickly heads for the stairs to the basement, in order to get on the treadmill
and perhaps get to other thoughts, instead of her naked husband. Desperate and
annoyed, she lets out a grumble and starts stomping down the stairs.



~ > * < ~



With a gentle push, the Uchiha slams the door of his car shut and looks at the
garden in front of him. His and Sakura’s garden. “I thought about doing a
presentation about the children, for whom the house is supposed to be
constructed. So our guests can see for whom they will actually be willed to
donate and maybe someone would even end up wanting to adopt one of the
children.” He hears the voice of his wife and immediately looks around, before
following it in order to find her. "I also think it's a good idea if the guests
can bring their children with them to the gala, where they can be looked after
in a separate room." His wife keeps explaining her thoughts, while he comes to a
halt and watches his wife and her blue haired friend raking the leaves. "I
thought Ino is the  garden and plant friend." It escapes his lips a bit
confused, drawing their attention to himself. He can see how his wife flinches,
startled, and looks up, while Hinata just turns to him a little surprised.
"Hello." She says friendly, while Sakura needs a moment to collect herself. "I
was already working in the garden when she came, so she decided to help me out
while discussing the plans for the fundraising gala." His wife then explains
silently, before immediately concentrating back on the lawn and the leaves in
front of her. "Okay... By the way, it's already 5 pm.“ The Uchiha explains the
situation tho the two women, to remind them about their plans. "Oh, really? I
seriously should get going then, have dinner and prepare. Your ideas are great
Sakura. Let’s sit down together again on Sunday and put together the first
plans, okay?” Smiling, the young Hyuga quickly leans the rake against the wall
and runs to the driveway with a wave of her hand. “See you later!”

“You can go in already. I'll come in after I’ve put everything away." The
Haruno explains without looking up and takes the rakes in order to bring them
back from where she got them. He watches her in silence, before going back to
his car and gets out his bag. Sakura lets out a deep sigh while putting the
garden tools back into the shed and then closes it’s door behind herself,
before walking back through the damp lawn and to the house. She can hear an
engine start before a car drives away. Probably Hinata, who has just fetched her
handbag. The young Haruno lets her gaze wander through the surroundings. The fog
is still thick, but it has cleared a bit, so that she can actually see as far as
to the street, which makes a little over 150 feet. The sun shines through the
fog in an orange-yellowish light and it makes her smile slightly, when she
enters the house and takes off her jacket and shoes.
 
The young woman walks into the kitchen and begins preparing and cooking dinner.
She doesn't even want to know where her husband is, but ends up thinking that he
probably went up to take a shower. Immediately another image appears in front of
her inner eyes and she would like to just bang her head against something
instead of imagining her husband in the shower with all the details. With bright
red cheeks, she stares back at the ingredients with a stern look and tries to
concentrate on them, but Sasuke, who is dancing naked through her brain, makes
it way too difficult for her. Maybe she should get herself so drunk at the club
that she ends up forgetting the whole day! But then again she remembers
promising him not to drink herself wasted anymore, which makes her let out a
slight sigh.
 
The Uchiha slowly approaches the kitchen and runs his fingers through his still
wet hair. Playing squash with the boys did him good and actually distracted him
from the embarrassing thoughts. Finally, he silently enters the kitchen, in
which his wife is already cooking the meal. "How was it?" He can hear her ask,
when she takes notice of him and stirs the pan. "Quite well. And what about the
gala planning?” Clearing his throat, he walks to one of the drawers to take
out the plates and cutleries, to start setting the table. At least they can both
be in the same room again and talk to each other, without having to feel that
uncomfortable. "After we quickly found the right place and also fixed the date
thanks to your father, we were already able to send out the invitations, now we
are actually concentrating on the details and the schedule." She explains to him
and turns off the stove. "So things are going well." He notes with a slight
smile. He's happy for his wife. That she’s having no problems with her plans
to help the children, so that hey can have the chance on a better future. "Yes."
She confirms and puts the food on the table.
 
"I thought that we could go shopping next Saturday, to get ourselves some
clothes for both gala’s.” The black haired man utters while his wife
distributes the food into the plates. "If you have time, that is." He then
quickly adds, since he can imagine that she will have a lot of stress. Even
though she’s planning this event, she still refused his offer to be released
from work. So she’s actually going to work and preparing the fundraising gala
at the same time. It’s a lot of work and gives her little time to relax. "Of
course. The sooner we handle that, the better. Then I don't need to worry about
it later. It will definitely save me from a lot of stress." Sakura smiles
briefly at her husband before she looks back at her plate and starts to eat in
silence.
 
"I think we'll order a cab tonight, right?" The young Haruno finally breaks the
silence while eating. "There’s no need. You know i won’t drink.” Sasuke
explains briefly and shortly afterwards finishes his meal. Sakura has to smile
while looking at her plate. She can’t stress enough how glad she is to have
her husband back. Sasuke waits in silence until she ate up as well, before he
starts clearing the table and putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. “I
will go and read a little more in the living room. Let me know when you're done
upstairs.” He takes a quick glance towards her and over his shoulder, while
telling her this. It seems like it will take them some time before they can look
each other in the eyes again. "Sure." His wife replies behind him, before he
disappears from the kitchen. It seems like the evening will be really a bit
tense between the two after all.

A little about an hour later, Sasuke can hear his wife shout down the stairwell
that she’s done so far and that he can come up if he likes. With a sigh, the
Uchiha then closes his book and puts it aside, before he gets up and slowly goes
upstairs to the bedroom. Through the open door he can see inside the room, where
he finds Sakura sitting on her half of the bed. She put her natural curls on
curlers, like usual, and covered her body in a bathrobe. For a moment he watches
her pulling tights in her skin tone over her graceful legs, before he turns away
and walks towards his side of the dresser. He examines its insides for a moment,
before he hears the door to the bathroom being closed. A quick look to his side
confirms his suspicion that she went into the bathroom.




~ > * < ~



"Sakura! Heyhoo!“ A well known females voice sounds through the noise in the
club, animating said woman to immediately looks around for her best friend, who
is standing next to the cloakroom and waves at her. "Hey." Sakura then finally
replies and hugs her blonde female friend tightly, happy to finally see her
again. "Is everyone already here?" The Uchiha inquires, when he steps next to
his wife to greet the Yamanaka with a quick wave of his hand. She too waves at
him, before shrugging her shoulders once. "No. Kiba is still missing." Ino
appears relatively calm while explaining him the situation, while Sakura slips
off her black trench coat and hands it to the lady in the cloakroom. "Classic,
but pretty and sexy." The blue eyed woman comments immediately with a smile and
winks conspiratorially at her friend. At her comment, the Uchiha looks away from
the surroundings and at his wife, whom he eyes with interest. With slight red
cheeks, Sakura lifts her gaze from her outfit and at her friend. Now that she is
married, she could actually come in casual clothes to clubs, but since she is
more an It Girl for some people in Japan, she is rather forced to pay more
attention to her looks. That's why she opted for a simple, white tank top with a
beige pencil skirt which reaches to her knees and a pair of glittering pumps.
 
Sasuke completes his silent examination and then looks at Ino, who has long
since immersed in her conversation with his wife. “Where are the others?” He
simply asks the blonde and breaks her flow of speech, making her immediately
pause with a smile. "Let me take you there." The Yamanaka points into a certain
direction in which their friends seem to wait for them already, asking the
couple to follow her as she starts to walk through the crowd. More secluded from
everything else, they can see their friends sitting on a big couch, chatting and
laughing with each other. Naruto immediately gets up with a wide grin on his
lips, as soon as he discovers the newcomers approaching them. “Hey, you
two!” The Uzumaki seems quite delighted to see that his best friend came as
well and gives him a typical men’s handshake, before the others too welcome
and greet them.
 
Sakura sits down with her female friends, while Sasuke makes himself comfortable
between the other men of the group. He looks around in silence, until his eyes
fixate on and observe his blonde friend just sitting there in silence and
sipping his beer. Neji too takes notice of the usually loud man. “Want to go
to the bar for a drink?” The Ama suggests while getting up, as the other women
already follow her to her destination. Smiling, the female group occupies some
of the bar stools. In between their chatter and giggles, they order heir drinks
and make themselves comfortable.
 
"Did you and Sakura have sex?" The Hyuga suddenly asks into the silence between
the three men. Sasuke’s eyes immediately move back towards the brunette man in
surprise, while a noise can be heard from the Uzumaki, which sounds as if he was
desperately trying to hold himself up from spitting his drink out in a fountain.
"What?" It escapes both men at the same time. "Where did you come up with that
shit?" The Uchiha then adds, stunned at his friends assumption. "You two are
embarrassed about something." Neji starts to explain with a shrug of his
shoulders, "Mishaps during sex aren’t so uncommon, especially at the first
try." The Uchiha just shakes his head in deny at his words, confused as to how
sex was his first, and seemingly only, thought. "No, I haven't slept with her."
And after all, that is the truth. “When can I actually sleep with Hinata
again?” The Uzumaki suddenly  interjects his question after he has calmed down
from his shock, making the Hyuga choke on his beer next. Sasuke looks at his
friend, dumbfounded. "Why are you asking us for permission? Are you okay?" One
of his perfect eyebrows jerks up, watching how Naruto frowns at his question.
"You and Sakura more or less forbade it when you didn't let us drive home
together on my birthday." Naruto’s frown slowly turns into a soft pout at his
own words. He didn’t touch her ever since. "They forbade it so you wont end up
getting as embarrassed on your first date as Sasuke and Sakura are now." Neji
grins at his own explanation, seeing how Sasuke shoots an annoyed glance at him.
"I told you already that i didn't sleep with her." The Uchiha repeats his
earlier statement and turns to his best friend with a sigh, to answer his
earlier question. “I can’t tell you when to deepen your relationship with
Hinata. That is your decision, not mine." He just holds his fist towards Neji,
who bumps his own against his with a smirk. For the subliminal allusion.

The Uzumaki growls at the two men, watching his best friend ordering himself
something to drink. Obviously alcohol free. At this point no one complains about
it anymore, rather happy about the fact that he is even coming to such places
now. After all, the Uchiha used to decline to hang out with them most of the
time when he was single. "How did you even get the idea that Sakura and I could
be embarrassed about something?" Sasuke tries to appear calm while asking the
question, which the brunette replies to with a shrug. “Well, normally i always
see you two sitting next to each other, but today Sakura suddenly went down to
sit with the girls, far away from you. Apart from that, you basically avoid
meeting each other's eyes.” Sasuke has to sigh inwardly at his observations
and curses himself for it. Why did Neji have to notice it? The long haired man
examines him in silence, while he pays for his drink which gets served to him.
After a quick look at his friend, he lets out a resigned sigh and sips on his
newly brought drink. Leaning back against the couch he stares at his glass,
swaying it slightly in circles and thinking about if he should tell them about
the embarrassing situation or not. “She bursted into the bathroom this morning
when I was changing.”  The discomfort visible in his eyes. "And? You change
next to each other every day. So what's so special about it?” Naruto looks
bored at his best friend with a shake o his head, a bit disappointed even, since
he's been waiting for Sasuke to come up with something exciting. "It’s because
i wasn’t wearing anything at that moment, you idiot." Sasuke lets out a growl,
unable to hold back a blush.
 
Neji on his right laughs amused. "That's it? She saw you naked? There was really
nothing more to the story?” The Hyuuga now integrates himself back into the
conversation with a smile. "Nice that you find it so amusing. It was fucking
embarrassing." Sasuke grumbles at the fact that his friends are taking it so
lightly, while he is here sitting and doesn’t know how to process this
experience. "Why? Were you erected or something?" The Hyuga continues to
explore. "No. Why should I have been erected?“ The question came unexpected
and it makes the Uchiha look up in a mix of surprise and skepticism. “The
question is more, why weren't you erected? Have you ever looked at your wife? I
mean, properly? All men are excited after one look, but you tell me you
aren’t. Just look at all the other men, they are literally undressing her with
their looks!” Neji points to the Haruno and the men around gawking at her.
Sasuke follows his request in silence and looks around the club, only to see
that in fact most of the men are staring greedily at the four women at the bar.
His eyes are slowly narrowing and darkening at what he is getting to see. “Are
you sure you're not gay?” Sasuke growls menacingly, when he hears his friend
to his right ask this question. However, unfortunately it doesn’t have the
effect he had hoped to get and instead gets an amused laugh in response. It
would have worked on any other, but Neji seems to be more used to it and that
fact annoys him even more.
 
"Believe me, Sakura got it way worse than you. It’s that you were the one who
was seen completely naked. Compared to hers, your feeling of shame will pass
quickly. Sakura, however, is the one who saw you naked. The picture of your
naked body will haunt her forever and you will be able to tell every single
time. You’ll be able to tell it when she suddenly turns bright red out of
nowhere and looks like she would want to sink into the ground. It will mean that
you reappeared in her head naked or she maybe even was imagining things.”
Another shrug comes from the Hyuga while he says all this with a slight grin and
takes a sip from his bottle. Meanwhile, his gaze lays on the young women at the
bar, across from them.
 
"Say, is Sakura's ass really as tight as it looks?” Neji suddenly asks into
the round, while looking at said woman's bottom. Sasuke’s features turn into a
sceptical frown, before he looks back at his friend. “Where should I know?”
He replies, just as questioningly, only to get a shocked look in response.
"Hellooho! She's your wife!" He interjects with a sigh and shakes his head
before just deciding to continue to investigate. "And what about the breasts? Do
they fit nicely into your hands, or are they too small? Maybe too big? What is
her cup size? Is that B or C? No, no, that has to be C!” Sasuke growls at his
shameless interrogation and looks at him, not uttering a single word. Of course
he touched her breasts once or twice through her bra or clothes, but it’s not
like it’s anyone else’s business. The long haired man returns his look in
shock. "You seriously never touched her like that before??”

“Sasuke.” Neji sighs for a moment and shakes his head in disbelief. “Your
wife consists of more than just pretty clothes and a beautiful face. Sakura's
ass and breasts are not to be ignored and it is a shame you don't pay any
attention to them. Especially in this outfit, the high cut skirt emphasizes her
breasts and ass particularly beautifully. Women don't emphasize their curves for
nothing and you just choose to ignore it.” The frown on Sasuke’s face
becomes stronger the further the brunette man talks. He doesn't like at all how
Neji keeps talking about his wife while staring her up and down. "Sasuke. A
woman doesn't just want to be seen as pretty, but also as sexy, so she
emphasizes her breasts and ass. You also have to take a closer look at these
advantages, not just her hair or her face." Following his own remarks, the Hyuga
carefully observes the young woman in her outfit some more, obviously not done
with his unnecessary teachings.
 
“A woman's podex and breasts are made to be touched and caressed. Women want
us to do that. You think it's nice, but I tell you it is best if a woman's
breast fits perfectly into your hand and your wife really has extraordinarily
pretty breasts and a beautiful ass. You'd like to fiddle around with it.” A
threatening growl comes over Sasuke's lips, killing his long-haired friend again
and again with his death glare. The Hyuuga falls silent, but seemingly not
enough. A moment later he’s already back on his rambling.
 
“Maaan! She saw you naked, Sasuke! You can fiddle around and elicit a few
little sounds of pleasure from her. I mean, just take a damn closer look at
her.” He makes a dissolute gesture with his hand at Sasuke’s wife, while
looking at him. “Are you really sure that you're not gay? You can’t tell me
that you feel nothing when she's standing in front of you in black lace
underwear." The brunette man smirks when he sees how much he is pissing him off
with all his rambling. But could this stop him? Definitely not.
 
"Admit it, you've never looked at her carefully when she stood in front of you
in underwear or bikini and you've never let your imaginations run wild either.
Imagine when she stands in front of you and leans forward, when she stretches
that magnificent ass towards you, or sits on your lap and rubs her buttocks
against your little friend." Sasuke is seething at this point. Every single word
pisses him off more and more. "Or her breasts, if she leans forward and you can
see directly into her cleavage and i believe that she can certainly work some
miracles with her mouth too." That’s it. This sentence brought the barrel to
overflow. Sasuke shots up on his feet with his cold death glare and grabs him by
his collar.
 
"Shut up! You're talking about my wife here!” A deep growl rumbles through his
chest while he hisses loudly at his friend. The girls at the bar seem to have
heard his outburst too, as they too look over to them now and it pisses Sasuke
off the more, that his fiend still takes it all with humor and has the nerve to
laugh calmly. “I'm just teasing you! Relax. Don't worry, I am not interested
in Sakura. She’s a pretty woman and has her advantages, but other women like
Tenten have them too." Sasuke slowly lets go of him, but not without glaring at
him one more time before he sits back down with a disgusted huff and sips on his
drink. “That you keep your eyes on her face during a conversation and won’t
look down at her breasts makes you a decent guy and I know that you are a decent
guy, Sasuke, but it's about time for you to take it a bit further. You’re
married. Do it in small steps, small gestures, which show her that you like
those parts of her too and not just her face and the outfits.”
 
"You seriously need to get laid, Neji." Sasuke snorts dismissively at his fiend
and averts his gaze briefly at Naruto, who is sitting silently next to his left
and hasn’t said a thing in quite a while. He wonders if there was something
wrong with the blond today. After all it’s no like him to be this silent for
more than a minute. "Maybe I just want to get you to go to Sakura and kiss her."
He suddenly hears the Hyuga reply to his right, which Sasuke responds to with
another snort. "I will certainly not do that just so you pervert can horn
yourself up on it. There are so many women here in the club, choose one and go
to the damn toilet with her." The Uchiha says, annoyed, and leans back to look
at his wife across from him. "I would like to, but how is that supposed to work
when Japan’s dream man is here with his wife and it seems as if they’re in
stress? They’re all gawking at you." Neji lets out a growl at the end of his
statement, but this time it’s Sasuke who just takes it with humor. "That." The
Uchiha starts and looks around at his friend with a malicious smile. “Is
certainly not my problem.” With those words he just turns back around to his
wife and watches her in silence. 

In a good mood, the young ladies toast to each other and take a sip of their
drinks. Smiling, Sakura looks slightly around the place, until her eyes meet her
husband, sitting calmly between his friends on the couch and looking at her.
Immediately her head wipes into the opposite direction, trying to avoid any eye
contact and turns back to her laughing friends. "Tenten, can you tell me by any
chance what nonsense your best friend implanted into my husband's head?" Her
question comes out sounding a little angry, because Sasuke is still staring at
her and she doesn't know why. The ladies immediately fall silent in their
giggles and look around at her. "Hm? I don't know. Why are you asking?“ The
brunette one of the four ladies briefly casts a glance at the men at her
question, making Sakura shake her head once. "Sasuke is suddenly staring at me
nonstop." The words leave her lips in a soft mumble, while staring stubbornly at
the liquor bottles in the bar. Her blond friend turns her gaze back to the black
haired man and examines the situation for a moment, before she turns back around
with a soft giggle. "Sorry, sweetie, but he isn’t staring at you. He’s
staring at your boobs and ass!" Her statement makes the young Haruno blush hard
and lower her gaze to her lap. Her friend can’t be actually meaning it. He
never did such a thing before.

Of course her brain has to give in to it as well, as she can suddenly see
herself alone with him in a dark room. Her imaginations are running wild and she
can do nothing to stop it. Imagining a light shining on the floor in front of
her and onto an upholstered armchair, on which a naked Sasuke is sitting and
staring her up and down intensely. It reminds her a lot of a villain scene from
a movie. Suddenly a light shines above her and she looks up, frightened, before
her eyes move back to her husband on whose lips she can see a smile. Not one of
those warm and gentle smiles which she got used to, but rather sexy and hot. She
looks down at herself uncertainly, only to see that she is standing in front of
him in nothing more than sexy and black lace underwear.

The laughter of her friends pulls her back into reality, making her look at the
floor in embarrassment. She could swear that her cheeks turned a few shades
darker because of it, while she simply wishes to bang her head on the wooden
counter again and again, without having to worry that anyone would stare at her
as if she were crazy. "Say, Sakura." The Ama starts again after a moment of
silence, watching as said woman snaps her head back up and looks into her eyes.
"What actually happened there?" The brunette woman points to the band aid above
Sakura’s left eyebrow, only for the Haruno to turn her face back down in sheer
embarrassment. "I... ran into the bathroom door." She desperately hopes that her
answer will be enough in order to close the topic. "Typical Sakura." The
Yamanaka smiles amused and takes a sip of her drink. After all, things like that
aren’t really new anymore when it comes to Sakura. “Why are you running into
the bathroom door?” Of course, Tenten would ask this out of pure innocent
interest. After all she’s the only one who has not yet made that much
acquaintance with Sakura's clumsiness. "She wanted to get out of the bathroom."
A mans voice sounds behind them and makes the young Haruno wince slightly. The
fact that he is standing right behind her and heard their conversation only
makes her feel even more embarrassed than she already is. While she stubbornly
stares at her drink to avoid his gaze, her friends look up at him, as he comes
to a halt right next to them with a slight smile.

The women turn back to Sakura with expectation and interest, but she waits in
silence for her husband to return to the couch. They watch him in silence,
ordering some drinks for the others, when the bartender approaches him, and pays
for it. A moment later he already leaves them behind again, while Sakura follows
him with her gaze to make sure that he’s out of reach. She is so not ready to
talk about this without knowing him far away. Turning back around only when she
can see him sit back down on the couch, she lets out a silent sigh and looks at
her friends, which are still staring at her as expectant as before. “Why would
you try to run out of the bathroom?” Ino finally asks in order to get her to
satisfy their curiousity. "I ran into him when he was in the process of changing
his clothes." A deep sigh escapes her lips at her own explanation and scratches
her head in embarrassment. Sometimes her clumsiness can be so annoying. It just
had to hit her again in the most unexpected and most inconvenient moment. Ino
nods calmly and picks up her cocktail to take a sip from it. "What is so special
about it?" Tenten then questions further, while raising her eyebrow skeptically.
Hinata in the other hand just stirs her own drink with it’s straw. "Well..."
The Haruno starts to explain, the redness on her cheeks not lessening at all,
while she thinks about how she could describe it best. "Let's put it that way...
It wasn't as orange as the carrots." Her voice breaks at the end, but not out of
shyness. For a moment her heart beat so strong against her chest from the
memory, that it knocked out her breath. "What?!" The Ama squeaks in shock, while
Ino spits her drink back out in a fountain and onto the wall next to her.

"You... you... you saw him naked?" The Hyuga falters a bit, but all Sakura could
get out was an embarrassed nod. "I guess you should try to take it with humor."
Tenten then suggests in order to cheer her up and gently pats her upper arm. "Or
you get drunk." Ino continues with a wink. A laugh escapes Sakura’s lips.
After all that's exactly what she had thought at first too. Once again it shows
what connects Ino and her. They are so close with each other, there’s no
wonder that she’s thinking just like her. The group toast with each other’s
glasses once more. 

“Let’s see it this way: It had to happen at some point. You two are married
and live together for half an year now, so it’s completely normal for you to
forget to lock something like a door sometimes. Of course, it could have
happened after you had sex many times too and it wouldn't have been as
embarrassing for you. But in the end of the day what happened, happened." The
brunette woman explains calmly, while poking around in her glass with the straw.
"The bad thing is actually that I often catch myself imagining him naked now."
She feels so embarrassed about this, but all her friends do in response is
smile. “Come on, laugh at me! It's okay!” Her lips leave a grumble, as
she’s convinced that her friends are actually suppressing a laugh. "No.
Sakura, we're not laughing at you.” Hinata, the once overly shy girl of the
group, says with a shake of her head, which the other two clarify with a nod of
their own. "Basically it means that you are ready to take the next step with
him.” A proud smile lies on the blonde's lips while saying this and caressing
her pink hair almost like a big sister. "Really?" The pink haired woman looks
uncertainly at her. "Of course. If you're ready to be more intimate with
someone, you usually picture them naked. Besides, only you know what Sasuke
really looks like." The other girls nod in agreement to her words, watching as
Sakura takes a deep breath. She feels a little relieved, but the emphasis stays
on a little. Even now she still feels unsure about it.

"And now that we've cleared this up, go and kiss your husband!" The Yamanaka
starts again in a now demanding tone and points to the Uchiha with a wave of her
hand. Sakura raises her eyebrows skeptically, looking at her blonde friend in
that shimmering blue waterfall top and the black skinny jeans. The blonde woman
raises her finger up and into the air with a warning look. “Somebody's gonna
make out here today. And if it's not you and Sasuke, who knows, maybe I'll
smooch you instead.” Sakura giggles at her friend’s words and watches her
wave her finger from left to right and back. "I love you too, Ino." She kisses
her best friend on the cheek, but all the blond does in response is getting up
from her seat, pointing her finger at her and walking back to the couch. "I
warned you." Sakura and the other two look at each other briefly, before
shrugging their shoulders and join the three men on the couch.

“Where is Kiba anyway?” The Uzumaki asks a bit confused, when Hinata sits
down next to him on the U-shaped couch, watching the other girls sit down as
well. "I have no idea, I haven't heard from him for a while." The best friend of
the mentioned man just shrugs her shoulders and leans back against the couch’s
backrest and looks around at her female-best friend with a smile. "Apart from
the fact that he accepted to meet us here, I haven't heard anything about him
either." Neji also says, while he puts a hand on the back of his best friend,
who sits down to his left. The Yamanaka chuckles softly, which catches the
attention of the pink haired woman to her left. Sakura looks around at her
friend questioningly, who only nods into Sasuke's direction with a small grin on
her lips. The Haruno also takes a look at her husband, who, among his other
friends, looks like a sausage in a hot dog bun.

With a sigh, the black haired man gets up and picks up his own glass, silently
walking around the small table and sits down next to his wife, leaning back only
to put his hand around her waist. Sakura blushes at his sudden closeness and
stares at Ino to examine her in her outfit. "Okay! If Kiba doesn't show up, the
party will start without him.” The Uzumaki suddenly exclaims with a grin at
the group and turns to the waiter who is walking towards them. "Six tequila
please. Then a whiskey sour. What do you want?“ The blonde orders and then
looks at his friends questioningly. "A Blue Lagoon." The blue haired woman next
to him answers with a smile. "Gin Tonic." Neji growls. "Mai Tai for me, please."
Adds the Ama and looks at Ino which lets out a purr. "A touch down." Sasuke in
the other hand moves even closer to his wife, while giving out his own order. "A
Citrus Peach Cooler and what do you want?" The Uchiha looks at his wife
questioningly, seeing her slight blush. "Pink Mojito." She then answers with a
smile and watches the waiter disappear. She tries to stay calm, but somehow she
couldn’t stop herself from breathing in sharply when his leg presses against
hers. He is so close and suddenly, after Ino’s statement about his stares, she
asks herself if Sasuke’s choice of drink was some kind of indication. Peaches.


Sakura takes another deep breath and puts her empty glass on the small table,
only to slide back a little, because she is sitting on the front edge of the
couch. "And you and Kiba really had no contact?" She then explores and turns to
Ino, avoiding still her eye contact to her husband. But when she sees her
friends mimic slightly changing, she becomes somewhat worried, even if it's the
typical course. Kiba gets to know someone and forgets about Ino. Only when he
and his new interest become a couple, it suddenly occurs to him that Ino still
exists and contacts her again. "It's been a while, more than a month now." The
Yamanaka mumbles and now puts her empty glass down on the table. “It'll be
fine, you’ll see. He'll get back in touch with you in a few weeks, like
usual." Sakura smiles encouragingly and pats her friends arm, which stares at
the drinks on the waiter's tray. Everyone gets their drink and also a tequila,
which the Uzumaki pays generously.

"Hey guys." It sounds after a while from the direction of the bar, which makes
the group look up. "Hey Kiba!" The Ama greats him with a smile first, while he
greets everyone and looks back next to himself where they can see a woman. "This
is Thalia." He introduces the young woman next to himself with a smile, who
immediately bows politely. "Hello." The round greets the brunette woman.
"Hello." She replies a little shyly and looks around the group. "These are
Hinata, Naruto, Tenten, Neji, Sasuke, Sakura and Ino, my best friend." The
Inuzuka introduces the group to his girlfriend dutifully and then smiles. Thalia
nods and looks a bit uncertain. “I'll get something to drink. What do you
want?“ Kiba immediately inquires and gives her a brief look. "BacardiCola."
She replies, watching him as he already disappears towards the bar.

"Make some space." The Uzumaki announces immediately, which Sasuke listens to
with a soft sigh and slides up to Neji on the right, immediately pulling his
wife back against his side. Ino also moves to the right and closer to her best
friend. Almost shyly, Thalia sits down on the end of the couch, looking through
the group for a moment. They could tell that she doesn’t seem to have it easy
between so many new faces and they could understand. No one would want to be
alone between a group of strangers. Unless your name is Naruto Uzumaki. He makes
friends with everyone anyway. “When are you going to go shopping for the
gala?” The Yamanaka turns to her friend to her right, watching how she turns
to her with a smile. “Sasuke and I had planned this for next weekend. The
company party is also close and we wanted to buy everything together. What about
you, Hinata? You will come to the Christmas-Gala too, aren't you?" The blue
haired woman looks up at Sakura a little perplexed. "Oh. Uhm, I don't know.”
She then answers a bit shyly, since the question confused her a little. "Wait.
Naruto hasn't asked you yet?“ The Ama states in surprise and the look of the
younger Hyuga already says it all. "Really now, Naruto? You have to ask Hinata
sooner! The dress for such occasions don’t just hang around in everyones
wardrobe!” The Haruno immediately accuses her husband's friend with a frown,
watching him as he scratches his head somewhat embarrassed. Sasuke in the other
hand smiles gleefully at him.

The Inuzuka comes back to the couch and immediately sinks onto the couch between
his companion and his best friend. "Kiba, we missed you at our squash round
today.” Neji suddenly interjects and gains said mans attention. "Yeah, sorry.
I was busy." He smiles apologetically. “And Thalia, what are you doing?” The
younger of the two Hyuga’s inquires in a friendly manner, although everyone at
the group knows exactly what she's doing for a living. “I'm a saleswoman at a
tea shop.” The woman explains. “How old are you?” Tenten is the next one
to ask and gets a quick reply as well. "22." The Yamanaka growls unconsciously
and looks at her best friend. “Dance?” She asks only briefly, which Sakura
then responds to with a nod and smiles slightly. The two look at their other
female friends questioningly, which also agree and put down their glasses in
order to get up. "See you later." Tenten calls out to the men with a grin, when
she has already stepped down the steps and walks towards the dance floor.

"You should have kissed her quickly to make your territory clear." The Hyuga
says and looks at his black haired friend. The latter shakes his head and stands
up. “The only one who should do something is you getting laid and stop going
on my nerves.” Neji just lets out a huff and watches him walk down the steps
as well. "Well, are you going to make up for it now?" The long haired man
can’t stop himself from smirking and takes a sip of his gin. “No, I'll hand
my jacket over to the cloakroom.” With another shake of his head, Sasuke walks
away and leaves the men behind. “And how did you get to know Kiba?” The
Uzumaki asks, directing the question to Thalia.

The young women found themselves a place in the dancing crowd and finally move
to the music. Smiling, Tenten and Hinata stand back to back and dance a bit,
which makes them all laugh. Ino in the other hand puts an arm around her best
friends shoulders in a good mood and dances as if there is no tomorrow. The
young women let themselves get carried away by the music and when the DJ finally
asks if they want to hear a first Christmas song, they and the other women start
cheering in a good mood. A moment later the song can be heard from the speakers
and the group begins to sing. Although there are still a few days until
December, that doesn't matter to them at all. They just give in to the song and
even dance some kind of choreography, while they sing along to the song "All I
want for Christmas" and always point at each other. They laugh happily when the
song is over and then go briefly to the bar to take a few shorts and then
surrender to the music again.
 
Meanwhile, the men are talking about a wide variety of topics, occasionally
watching the women dance again and again. The ladies slowly come back to the
group. Smiling, the Uchiha rises from his place once more and apologizes
briefly, before he disappears towards the exit. Thalia too suddenly gets up
after a few minutes. "It was nice with you, but I have to go now." The young
woman bows politely and then disappears into the direction in which Sasuke went
too. The Inuzuka immediately jumps up and runs after her, past the Uchiha who
comes back out from the toilets.
 
"Hey now, wait a minute." Kiba calls after his girlfriend and Sasuke looks
around at him in surprise. Only then he notices that it wasn’t him who was
called out, but still decides to remain hidden behind the wall. "What's going
on? Why are you suddenly running away? I know my friends haven't talked to you
too much, but they just don’t know wha-" He hears his friend talking to
someone, but gets interrupted in the middle of his explanation. "How long have
you been in love with her?" Sasuke’s attention sparks at her question. He can
hear the disappointment in her voice clearly, but it doesn’t surprise him.
That woman only needed this less time and already knows what’s going on.
It’s so obvious, but of course there is only one who doesn’t want to see it.
"With whom?" The Inuzuka's voice sounds again. “With Ino!” Thalia states,
enraged. “I'm not in love with Ino. I told you already that she is my best
friend." The brunette man denies immediately, but gets a huffed laugh in
response. "Come on Kiba, I have eyes in my head. You kept watching her the whole
time while she was dancing. I'm not stupid." She accuses him. "What are you
talking ab-" The Inuzuka begins, but gets cut of once again. “Do you really
think I wouldn't have noticed? I'm just like her!” The first tears slowly
sound through Thalia's voice. All the anger and frustration that has build up in
this short time, it all comes out in a form of a sob. “She's your best friend
and that's why you don't want to accept it. That’s why you keep denying it.
But that's just not fair of you! Not fair to me! Leave me alone!” These are
her last words before Sasuke can hear the door.
 
The Uchiha lets out a sigh and goes back to his friends. He sinks into his seat
and immediately empties his glass. “We have already ordered a new round.” he
then hears his wife explain to him, which he responds to with a nod. With a
slightly angry look, the Inuzuka comes back to the group but doesn’t sit down,
while the waiter is already serving the new drinks and takes away the empty
glasses. "Are you okay? Is Thalia coming back?" Ino asks a bit worried. The
young man snorts at her question. "No, Ino, she's not coming. You screwed
everything up." Bewildered, the blond looks up into his eyes. "I did? I didn't
even speak to her!” She immediately interjects vigorously. Kiba, however, just
turns back around without a word and sits down at the bar instead, leaving
everyone behind. Ino lets out an angry snort, tumbles the tequila down her
throat and takes a long, greedy gulp of her touch down before rising back up on
her feet and rushing to the dance floor. "What's going on now?" Naruto looks at
them in confusion, which Sasuke responds to with a sigh. “Thalia accused Kiba
of being in love with Ino and only liking her because she is so similar to her.
That's why Kiba thinks that she screwed everything up.” The only married man
in the round explains the situation to his friends, who are interested in
listening to his descriptions. "Oh man. I can’t believe how stuck up he is.
Can’t he just finally accept and end this mess?" Sakura sighs out loud, before
she lifts her short up, which the others agree to and empty their own shorts as
well.

"Then I’ll be taking care of Ino." The group watches her get up with a sigh,
in order to walk to her friend on the dance floor. The young woman pushes
herself through the crowds and walks to her best friend with a slight smile.
"Hey, Ino, don’t worry too much. Kiba is an idiot! You know him better than
anyone else. Tomorrow everything will be okay again." Sakura immediately pats
her shoulder as she tries to persuade her friend. "I know, i know that. But I
won't let him accuse me for scaring off his girlfriend, when I really haven't
done anything." Ino let’s out a soft huff, trying to dance the frustration out
of her body. "Look at it this way, now at least we both have a reason to get
drunk today." With a wink, the Haruno manages to make her blond friend laugh
again, dancing and looking so liberated. "Dance with me!" The blonde exclaims
with a whistle and takes her best friend's hands in hers. Sakura giggles at her
friend and then also begins to move to the music, her friend's exuberant
laughter infecting her as well. Her emerald eyes glance back towards the couch
with her friends, from which she can see Tenten and Hinata come and join them
too.
 
Time flies by. While Ino dances her frustration out on the dance floor,
accompanied by her girl-friends, the Inuzuka gets drunk at the bar and the other
men chat with each other at the couch. Neji laughs in amusement and looks back
at the ladies, through the glass-wall which separates them from each other. "I
guess it’s time for you to go and mark your territory." With a movement of his
head, the Hyuga points to the dance floor with a grin. Sasuke immediately raises
one of his perfect eyebrows questioningly and looks around, until he can make
out his wife in the dancing crowd and all the men who are staring her down with
lustful eyes. A frown shows up on his features again, but he doesn’t stand up
immediately.

Only a moment later, when he sees one of the men daring to approach Sakura, he
stands up from his seat. He walks around the glass wall and goes to the middle
of the dance floor, where he can see his wife dancing in a good mood, oblivious
of her surroundings. His hand gently wraps around hers, which she was just
stretching up a little sideways and pulls her towards himself with a single and
simple movement. She looks up at him in surprise, before smiling at him with a
blush. With a smile of his own, Sasuke caresses her warm cheek, while pressing
his lips gently against hers, only for her to cuddle herself into his arms and
return his gentle gesture. Smiling, he breaks the kiss, but doesn’t think
about letting go of her hand. "I told you so!" Ino whistles next to her with a
slight laugh. Sakura’s cheeks get a shed darker, while her husband makes a
step back, pulling her gently back with him to the couch. Sighing, she lets
herself sink down on the couch and reaches for her glass. A soft laugh escapes
her husbands lips at her tired sigh. “Are you okay?” She too smiles mildly
at his question and lets her shoes slide off her heels and back on again. “My
feet hurt.” He nods in understanding and pulls her slightly towards himself,
to put her legs over his lap. With relish, she drops her pumps to the floor and
looks at Kiba who is still sitting at the bar. "Doesn't one of you want to check
on him?" She then asks after a moment of silence and takes Sasuke’s drink out
of his hand to drink from it herself. She’s thirsty after all that dancing and
everyone knows that alcohol doesn’t help in such cases, so she chooses his
drink instead. A soft chuckle escapes her husband lips when he can see her drink
so greedily from his glass. “Do you want me to get you some water?” He
suggests, but she just shakes her head with a smile.
 
The Hyuga gets up with a quiet sigh and goes to the bar, while the other women
of the group come back and let themselves slump down on the couch. One of the
waiters approaches the group and the girls immediately order themselves
something. “And here we have the drunkard." Neji’s voice sounds from the
side and pushes said man on the couch next to Naruto. "So hilarious, Neji." The
Inuzuka replies with a grumble, obviously not in the mood for jokes.
 
"Before we go on, I have one more question." The Uchiha begins, while gently
caressing his wife's legs and gets eyed by everyone with interest. "Sakura and I
have planned to go on vacation over Christmas. Does any of you want to come too?
If so, we should book something soon.” The black haired man remarks, watching
the waiter bring the drinks. “Of course!” Ino exclaims happily, as the
others agree shortly after as well. Smiling, Sakura cuddles up to her husband
and sucks on her straw, feeling how her husband happily puts an arm around her
waist and presses his lips on her head.



                    Kapitel 30: Step 30 - Old Acquaintances
                    ---------------------------------------


Throughout our lives we keep meeting new people. We talk to each other and at
the end of the day we are acquaintances. However, we can’t tell whether out of
this acquaintanceship will develop something more, or if we will just end up
staying acquaintances. Most of the time we choose to strengthen the bond and
become friends. We end up doing a lot together, maybe even all the time. We may
become best friends forever, or the day comes when everything changes. The
friend, or you, suddenly have no more opportunity, no time, or maybe your life
goals and dreams separate each other over time. You lose sight of each other and
years go by. Most of the time we end up never seeing each other again. But
sometimes, for some people, it happens that they meet again, but then they will
be nothing more than old friends or past acquaintances
 
"Come out already, Sakura." Sasuke has been standing and waiting in front of the
changing cabin for a while now, his hands hidden in his trouser pockets and his
eyes fixated on the dark curtains of the cabin. His wife isn’t making any
signs as if she would be opening those curtains anytime soon. "I don't know."
She then replies after another moment of silence, before finally pulling the
curtains open. Her beautiful face is showing a soft and unconvinced pout. "Don't
you think that the dress should be a bit simpler?" Looking down at herself, she
lets out a hum at her own question, only to make a pirouette in order to present
the dress to her husband. Sasuke in the other hand looks at his wife baffled. "I
don't understand what is your problem. The dress is simple. It doesn’t have
any ruffles, no accessories like bows or a belt. Nothing. Just the silk and the
slight decorations on the upper part." He replies, still quite stunned. "Yes,
but these pearl decorations on the back somehow look like wings." She turns her
back once more on her husband, in order to show him the back of the dress, which
is purely made out of organza. "It's perfect for the gala, Sakura." He tries to
dispel her concerns, only for her to turn back to him with another pout. “But
I look like an angel! Isn't it way too exaggerated?” He understands her
uncertainty. People love to judge, especially the higher the social status is
and she probably is just worried that they would think of her as smug.
“Sakura, look at me.” A smile pulls on the corner of his lips, as he takes
her hand into his, only to pull her a bit closer to himself. “You are working
so hard day in and out, in order to give those children a future and maybe even
a family. For these orphans you are an angel. The dress is perfect for you and
for the fundraising gala.” Lifting her hand up and over her head, he makes her
rotate once more. "Okay.” Her lips curl up into a warm smile as she comes back
to a halt and looks up into his dark grey eyes, watching him as he comes closer.
"But I'm not going to wear a pink shirt or a pink tie." He then adds softly,
making her giggle, before his lips meet hers for a quick kiss.

“And now you go and find yourself some suits. I still have to look for the
other two dresses and then have my measurements taken. Afterwards i will help
you with the colors for your shirts and ties.” With a smile, the young woman
pushes her husband gently towards the men's section, before she turns halfway
around. “We still have to go shopping after all that, so don’t dawdle
around!” She calls after him for a moment, before going back inside the cabin.
"Hey! I wasn’t the one who made you wait to finally get ready and get out of
the house!" He replies in disbelief and turns back to her as she closes back the
curtain. "And I wasn't the one who didn't find my way out of bed." He could
practically hear her grin through her words, even though he couldn’t see her
at all. Letting out a slight snort, he then continues on his way to the men’s
section, in order to get his suits and his own measurements done.
 
It's the first Saturday in December. Santa is celebrated in many other
countries, but since the dresses will have to be customized productions, they
must all be ordered now. The suits too. Both of them got invited to a gala and
are holding one of their own as well. It’s impossible to arrive to such
occasions with clothes bought right from the peg. Their social status is just
way too high for that. It is now noon. Sasuke just didn't want to get out of bed
and Sakura had taken her time in getting ready, which ended up in them leaving
their home only after 11am. Until the evening they still have a lot to do. They
have to buy suitable shoes, then choose suitable evening handbags for her
evening dresses, and afterwards do the normal shopping.
 
Sakura stares spellbound at the dress that covers her body. She smiles. This is
definitely the dress which would fit for the Christmas gala. Even the color fits
perfectly. After a few more turns to the left and right, she takes the dress off
again and goes in search for another, third dress. The third dress doesn't have
to be as spectacular as those for the gala’s, since it’s meant just for the
Christmas party, but it still should be fit enough nonetheless. not much later
she already finds one, which she immediately tries on and ends up loving. After
taking the dress off and getting back into her own clothes, she lets the
employees do their work, which makes a note of the clothes and then takes the
exact measurements of the Haruno, before said woman can make her way to her
husband.

The Uchiha slips into his vest with a silent sigh, before pushing the curtain
aside to leave the cabin. As soon as he steps out, his eyes meet those of his
wife, who is just coming to a stop in front of him. "Are you already done
searching?" He asks, surprised at her sudden appearance. His wife gives him an
innocent smile, shrugging her shoulders once, which he comments with a shake of
his head. The time of her looking for her dresses must have probably balanced
itself out with his time trying to fit his suits and measuring his sizes. “And
what colors did you chose for your dresses?” He then explores with interest,
while they make their way to the shirts. Sakura walks next to him with a smile,
holding her fingers up to count the colours to him. "Ink blue, white with a bit
of gold and that pale pink one which i tried on in front of you." Her eyes move
around to look at the display, before picking out a white tie, another one in
matt gold with shiny stripes inside and one in pale pink with burgundy and
white, crossed patterns of different widths on top, before handing them to her
husband with a slight smile. “No pink." He immediately contradicts her choice
for the tie which he is supposed to wear at the fundraising gala and holds the
tie out to her again. "Nobody will see it anyway, but it stands out slightly
from the white shirt and the color is falsified by the red pattern anyway."
After her little explanation, she just pulls him gently by his arm and goes with
him to the employees in order to order the customized shirts. One shirt they
order to match the dress and the other two in white.
 
The couple pays straight away and take the bag with the ties, before they make
their way to their next destination. The shoe store, where she sends him
straight to the men's section and goes to the women's section herself. The
search for the shoes turns out to be more difficult. Especially for Sasuke, who
doesn't understand at all why he should buy new shoes, a different pair for each
evening. To him it's just nonsense. Nobody is gonna pay any attention to a pair
of shoes if they fit to the clothes and black shoes always go with everything,
especially with a black suit.
 
"Hey, do you think two more ribbons are too exaggerated for the dress?" He can
hear his wife asking, right before a pair of pale pink shoes appear in his field
of vision, on which a bow adorns each of the two synthetic leather pumps. The
Uchiha slowly lifts his eyes to his wife, who looks at him questioningly. "I
don't think so, but will they even be visible underneath that dress?" He replies
with a counter question, watching as she shakes her head. "No, but you know and
that's why I have to be pretty." She winks boldly at her husband, gaining a
baffled reaction in response. However, when he sees her turning around to go
back into the women’s section, he immediately rises his voice again in order
to stop her from walking away and draws her attention with a nod to the shoes,
which he selected so far. "Say, which pair of shoes do you think I should take?
I would take the black one here." He explains while holding said pair up.
“What color are the suits?” She explores, which he answers by holding the
shoes up a bit more. "Black." His wife raises an eyebrow sceptically at his
answer, turning back to him properly. "So, you are telling me that you actually
went and tried a suit and ordered that three times?" She looks at him in
disbelief, because no one would buy the same clothes three times. Sasuke in the
other hand just shakes his head. “No. One is slightly shiny, the other has a
slight bluish cast and the third is matt black.” The corner of his lips rises
slightly, which she replies to with a shrug of her shoulders. "So why only one
pair of shoes?" In the next moment she already disappears again, leaving him
alone with all the pairs of shoes. Sasuke has to shake his head with a slight
laugh. The logic of women. Find it weird to buy the same clothes thrice, but
find it okay to buy different shoes for each outfit.


~ > * < ~


"Tell me, how do you like this one?” Sasuke raises his voice in order to get
his wife’s attention, holding a figure of a polar bear with it’s cub in his
hand. "Sweet." Sakura smiles and looks up from the figure, into his dark eyes.
"Where did you get them?" Her husband points behind himself at a small section
which is filled with Christmas decorations and she takes a look at it, before
looking back up at him. “Do you want to take them with you?” She then asks,
while taking two packs of napkins. "Should I?" Sasuke replies, just as
questioningly. Sakura has to smile, as they approach the shopping cart where she
stows her shoppings into with a smile. "Of course, if you want. Take with you
whatever you like. After all you should like it too when i’ve decorated the
house." Her gaze moves around the place again, taking a look at the light
chains. A small smile pulls on the Uchiha's lips as well and puts the figure in
the car, before he looks around some more. She is always making sure to do
everything in a way so that he likes the outcome as well.
 
Sasuke keeps spending some time in the Christmas section, while Sakura is
looking for everyday things, like candles, handkerchiefs and other stuff and
puts them together in the cart. But the fact that her husband keeps staying in
the Christmas section the whole time actually surprises her a lot. The Christmas
section isn’t even a big one, consisting of nothing more than three short,
built-up slopes and two cross aisles. But at the same time she thinks it is kind
of cute. After quite some time, she then takes a look at the clock, before going
in search of her husband. "Sasuke? Come on, we have to move on.” She calls out
to the place where she last saw him, as she can see her husband's head
immediately peeking out from one of the corridors. “Already?” He asks, a
little surprised. “Yes, you've already been in there for an hour and we still
have to buy the rest.” A soft laugh escapes her lips. It doesn’t happen so
often to catch him so off guard. He really must have been quite deep into it.
Sasuke in the other hand looks at his wife quite perplexed. He never thought
that it has already been an hour since he got in there. "Come on, you will get
your cookies too." As soon as those words leave her lips, she can already see
him standing next to her and ready to go. She has to chuckle softly at her
husbands childlike manner when it comes to cookies. 
 
Together they walk through the wholesale market, past the other aisles, which
represent their own sections and into the grocery store. The pink-haired woman's
gaze wanders over the fruit and vegetables, looking for the things she has put
on the shopping list, while in between she just puts some of her or Sasuke’s
favourites into the shopping cart. Sasuke seems to have vanished in the
meantime. With a sigh she shakes her head and continues on her way to the bread
and then to the sausage and meat sections. Again and again she crosses out the
things from the list in her hand, while she is deciding between the different
types of sausages.
 
Sakura turns around in shock, when someone suddenly drops some packages into the
shopping cart. Perplexed, she looks at her husband and then at the cart in which
he has put some packages of his favorite biscuits. "Oh good, i see you took some
with you for tonight too." Sasuke looks at her a bit confused, back at the
cookie packs in the shopping cart and then again at his wife. One of his perfect
eyebrows jerk up in confusion at her words, before his lips open just a tad.
"What are you talking about? These are all mine.” A frown shows up on his
handsome face, watching as she stares at him in disbelief, before letting out an
amused huff. "Okay, then please get some for tonight as well and take some chips
and snacks with you too." Sasuke lets out a brief hum, while his wife turns back
to the sausage seller, and walks back to the confectionary displays, in which
different warrieties of chips and the like are deposited, which aren’t even
sweets.
 
With a sigh he drops a few bags of snacks and biscuits into the shopping cart,
while his wife puts rice, flour and noodle bags next to it. “Do you really
think that the others will take their swimsuits with them?” The Uchiha then
explores after a moment of silence, continuing their way through the wholesale
market to the drinks. "I hope so. If not, it would be more than strange if Neji
has to walk around in one of my bikinis." She shakes her head for a moment to
get rid of the picture of said man in her bikini and then grins at her husband,
which laughs out at her claim.
 
Before things get stressful and busy in the near future, with gift shopping,
gala preparations, house decorations and work, the pink haired woman wanted to
have another small party and so they spontaneously invited all their friends to
a pool party at their home. Yes, after all, a pool party in winter is no problem
for them, with the swimming pool in their basement. "Yeah, that would be too
strange." The Uchiha takes a six-pack of mineral water on the carrying device
provided for it, before he piles the iced tea and Sprite on it as well, while
his wife fills the cart with fruit juices. Smiling, she adds a few packs of tea
into the cart and then looks back at him. "Only the milk and the like are
missing. However, our friends are going to want their alcohol too."
 
"Are you sure that the cart will be able to move now?" Sasuke raises his
eyebrows in skepticism, as he watches his wife putting the milk, cheese, eggs
and more from the refrigerated shelves into the cart as well, which is almost
overflowing. "Yes." She answers him only briefly, while heading towards the
alcohol section. Sasuke lets out a silent sigh, before bracing himself against
the shopping cart to set it in motion and to push it after his wife, who
definitely has no longer the strength to do so. Even he has his problems with
it. He has just arrived at the aisles, when she puts the first bottles of wine
the lower part of the cart. "We need tequila!" She then announces immediately
and walks towards said bottles. The Uchiha is skeptical of the shopping cart
into which his wife keeps putting a few bottles of tequila and some other.
"What? Don’t worry, nothing’s gonna fall out!” The young woman explains to
reassure him, while positioning the last bottles on the mountain. "And the
alcohol doesn't go bad when it's standing around, either." She continues to
explain, but he just continues to look at the mountain in the shopping cart.
"Actually, i'm just sincerely wondering how everything is going to fit on the
conveyor belt and how long the cashier will need to scan all the stuff." Sakura
now too takes a look at the mountain before she smiles at him with a shrug of
her shoulders and then tries to push him aside, which remains at an attempt.

Sasuke sets the cart back in motion, while his wife turns to pick up two boxes
of beer and carry them to the cash desk. The cashier looks at the shopping cart
with wide eyes, which Sasuke has expected already. He really doesn’t get his
friends and how they could drink so much, oblivious of their own health. But in
the end he just muses that it’s their livers, their lives and their decisions
to make. Not his. Sakura puts down the two cases of beer and then begins to
clear the content from the cart and onto the conveyor belt. When everything is
placed on the conveyor belt, together with some shopping bags and a hinged box,
the Uchiha carefully puts the Christmas figures at the end of the line, before
he pushes the cart forward and immediately clears everything the cashier
scanned, back into the cart once again.
 


~ > * < ~



"Tell me." His wife begins three hours later, while she is putting the dirty
dishes into the dishwasher. Sasuke looks at her attentively while taking a sip
from his glass. "How come that you stayed so long in the Christmas section?"
After putting away the last dirty dishes, she looks back at him with interest.
 
The Uchiha places his glass on the table top of the counter right in front of
him. At first he stays silent for a moment, before he decides to answer her.
“It's kind of a tradition.” He then starts and looks at the glass carefully.
He is calm and still she can see the slight sadness in his eyes. “Ever since I
was little, I go... i went every year with her to a shopping center and together
we rummaged through the Christmas section for hours. It became something like
our tradition and we never left without taking at least one figure. Even after I
moved out, I kept going with her to the shopping center for Christmas.” She
can see the warmth and the sadness in his smile, while he recalls the melancholy
in his memories, watching as he takes another sip of his drink. A compassionate
smile settles on her lips, encircling the counter, in order to walk up to her
husband and put her arms around his neck. He smiles slightly but sadly and
presses a gentle kiss on the palm of her hand, with which she was caressing his
cheek. Smiling, she leans her forehead against his, before gazing over the
figures and candlesticks that he has bought.
 
"Actually, I didn't expect you to choose a fairy figurine." He hears her remark
with slight surprise and looks at the fairy, which is made out of white ceramic.
He also turns his head in that direction to look at the figure. "My mother would
have liked it." The words leave his lips only in a whisper, but she understands
each word still. His dark grey eyes move back to his wife, watching her for a
moment before pulling her closer for a cuddle. He can feel how she opens her
mouth to say something, but ends up closing her lips again without saying
anything. A moment later, a smile pulls on her lips. "Then it will have it’s
own special place." Letting slowly go of him, she takes the figure into her hand
and gives it another glance. She makes her way over to the living room, where
she heads for the piano, which stands in the right corner next to the window. In
the left corner there is a fireplace at a distance from the TV, which they’ll
certainly use more often in the near future. She carefully places the fairy
figurine on the piano, which must mean a lot to her husband, or it wouldn’t
actually stand in this house. She can't play the piano, so he has to be able to
do it. It meaning a lot to him is the only option, even though she has never
heard him play it.
 
Sasuke smiles slightly when he sees the place she decided to put the figure on,
watching how she takes a few steps back and then turns around. She looks at him
questioningly in order to find out whether he likes it or not, but instead of
saying anything, her just smiles softly and pulls her closer to himself for a
kiss. It elicits a giggle from her, before she returns the kiss happily. Her
lips slowly break away from his, so she can look up into his dark eyes. "We
should slowly go and change, before our friends arrive." Her lips lift up gently
and he too smiles, responding to her with a nod. 

In the meantime evening has already fallen over Tokyo, which isn’t really
surprising. After all, in winter it gets dark quite fast and so Sasuke slowly
lets go of his wife, in order to go upstairs and put on his swim shorts
underneath his clothes. Meanwhile, sakura goes downstairs and into the basement,
where she turns on the music. Only when she hears the bell ringing through the
empty foyer, she stops in her doings again and walks upstairs, while shouting
through the house for her husband to hear. “I'm going!” After a moment she
comes to a halt in front of the front door and opens it to greet her first
guests with a smile. "Hey, you two. Nice that you are here!“ She doesn’t
wait to let her childhood friend and the Inuzuka enter her warm foyer, watching
as they quickly escape the cold. "Hiii!" The blond woman exclaims happily and
gives her bestie a quick hug, before she takes off her coat and shoes. "Hey."
Kiba too, smiles and hugs her in greeting, before she gets occupied by her
friend again. "Wow! You got some pretty new shoes there!” The Yamanaka
compliments to her, when she sees the pair of shoes on her. After all, nothing
escapes her blue eyes. Kiba in the other hand, just stands next to them freeing
himself from his outdoor-clothing as well. "Thank you." The pink haired woman
responds with a smile of her own and looks down at her feet. "These are the ones
i plan to wear at the Christmas gala. I’m just walking around the house with
them a bit until the others arrive." ino nods in understanding. “In your place
i would do that to. After all, that gala is quite a responsibility and we
don’t want you to get clumsy again either.” The young Haruno can’t help
herself and pouts at her best friens’s little joke. But she doesn’t really
feel mad about her remark. After all that’s exactly what she had told herself
too. She doesn’t want to embarrass herself at the gala and so she’s now
trying to get used to her new shoes. "Hey guys." The voice of her husband
suddenly sounds from behind her, animating the three to look around at the
Uchiha.
 
The two men give each other a friendly handshake, before he waves the blond
hello and turns to his wife. "I'll take care of everything. You can go upstairs
to change." Sakura nods in understanding and goes upstairs with a quick thanks
directed at him, while he turns back to the newcomers. "The others haven’t
arrived yet. Can I offer you something?" Sasuke looks back and forth between the
two, who shake their heads with a smile. "Okay, then, do you want to wait for
the others, for Sakura, or do you want to go downstairs already?” He then asks
as he counts the options to them. “Wanna wait here?” Ino turns to her
brunette friend, who nods in agreement, following her into the living room.
Sasuke too is about to head for the living room, but gets interrupted when the
doorbell rings again, which he then goes to open. "Hello." He greets the
newcomers shortly and has to notice a bit surprised, that his best friend
actually has come together with the younger Hyuga. “Hey, Sasuke!” Naruto
immediately makes a step forward to grab his best friends arm with a wide grin.

 
The young Haruno is walking out of the bedroom with soft humming, when the
doorbell rings once again. When she’s downstairs again, she can see that all
their guests have already arrived, greeting them all with a smile. "Hey guys!"
The whole group turns towards her, greeting her back with hugs. "Well then, now
that everyone is here i guess we can go downstairs." She continues, taking a
look around the round. The young women look at her in confusion and so do the
men. “You want to hold the party in your basement?” The question comes from
the Ama with quite some uncertainty. but who wouldn’t? After all, none of them
knows anything about the basement at all, which makes Sakura giggle knowingly.
"You haven't been to our basement yet, have you?" She grins amused and then goes
ahead and down the stairs. The others behave and follow her, while Sasuke
decides to stand in the end of the row. The friends look around in amazement, as
soon as they arrive at the end of the stairs.

Opposite from the stairs, there is a bar, which is quite some meters long and to
the right of the bar there’s a door, which leads into another room. In the
right corner of the room there is a billiard table and opposite the bar, a large
couch with space for at least 15 people. "Wow! Where does the door lead to?“
The Uzumaki looks at his best friend with curiousity and points to the door
right next to the billiard table. "To the training room." Sasuke, who has
already went behind the bar, opens the first beer bottles for his male friends.
“Who wants popcorn?” He then continues to explore, while his wife is already
tearing open the packages of the snacks and biscuits, filling them all into the
bowls which she put ready a while ago, placing them all on the bar counter and
the table by the couch landscape. With a nod, Neji and Hinata answer the host's
question, who then immediately goes through the door to the right of the bar.
"And where does that door lead to?" The blonde asks again with interest,
watching how the Haruno takes a look at the direction he points at. "To our
private home cinema." She puts down the first glasses on the counter and looks
at her childhood friends baffled face. “You have your own private cinema??”
The Yamanaka squeaks in disbelief. "Yes." The Uchiha chuckles and comes out the
door with a bowl, full of warm popcorn. "So can we play movie drinking games in
the cinema today?" The Inuzuka looks at them with a grin, which Sakura responds
to with a soft laugh. Sasuke in the other hand just shakes his head to himself,
letting out a chuckle in disbelief. 

“Well, today there is pure self-service for drinks. We have alcohol here,
while you can find fruit juices and the like in the fridge.” Smiling, Sakura
puts out seven small glasses and fills them with tequila, lifting one of the
glasses. "Then I would say, the party can start." Tenten takes up her short as
well now, before everyone else follows their example. "Yeah!" It suddenly comes
from Naruto, when he sees how Sakura stands up again and turns on the system to
flood the room with music. "Here, guys." Sasuke hands out the beer bottles to
the men, while the girls decide to mix themselves some mojitos.
 
While the girls make themselves comfortable on the couch, the men are already
gathering around the billiard table. "So, is everything okay between you and
Kiba now?" The brunette between the females asks with interest and lets herself
fall on the couch, looking at the blonde questioningly. "Yes." The Yamanaka nods
and drinks from her mojito. "It's always like that, they quarrel and the next
day everything is normal again." The pinkette shrugs her shoulders with a smile,
before she decides to get up again. "Excuse me for a moment." She then continues
and walks to the only door which leads to the left part of the room, goes
through it into the darkness and closes the door behind herself again.

The Uchiha observes his wife’s departure with a slight smile, before putting
aside his drink. “So, you have a home cinema and a gym and you never told any
of us about it?” Naruto begins, when he can see his best friend straighten up.
“Yeah, and?” Sasuke looks back at the Uzumaki with boredom, before Neji too
gets into the conversation. “So, does that mean that we can actually always
come to you instead of going to the fitness center?” The Hyuga’s question
makes Sasuke grin slightly in amusement. "Oh you go to the fitness center?" A
soft snort escapes the addressed man, watching as Sasuke lets out a chuckle,
before considering his question properly. "Yeah, why not? Just make sure to
register yourselves in advance, before you decide to come over." The host then
agrees with a slight nod. “What else have you hidden here that you haven't
shown us yet?” Kiba explores after a moment of silence and takes a brief look
around the room. "A laundry room, a storage room and three guest rooms."
 
Some time goes by in which the men are still playing billiard and the women talk
about their latest experiences. “Well, Sakura? How are the plannings for your
fundraising gala going so far. What can we expect?” The Yamanaka explores with
great interest, watching her best friend shrug her shoulders, whereupon the two
women turn to Hinata instead. "Well..." The blue haired woman starts to explain
and puts down her glass. However, she doesn’t expect Sakura to throw herself
on her in order to cover her mouth. “You can’t Hinata! Did you forget that
we agreed on not revealing it to anyone? The other guests don't know what's
going to happen either. it’s only fair i we don’t tell anyone.” Towards
the end, the young Haruno can’t help herself and starts smiling, fore she lets
go of her again. “Well, are you at least gonna tell us whom you did invite?”
The Yamanaka lets out a soft grumble, because important informations are being
withheld from her. "The usual, of course. Well known models, big company bosses,
singers, actors, politicians and the like.”
 
The sudden ringing of the door tears everyone from their activities, before all
eyes move to the hosts in surprise. Sakura doesn’t take notice of all the
stares and jumps up on her feet with a delighted squeal. "I got another surprise
for you, Ino!" With a big smile, she immediately rushes up the stairs to answer
the door, while Ino shouts after her warningly. "It better is no pizza!"
Everyone starts to laugh at her words, including the men, who now sit down on
the couch as well. “Pizza?” It comes from Naruto. Half interested and half
confused. “She's done that before and then it turned out to be just  a
pizza.” Ino lets out a slight huff at the memory, while Sasuke shakes his head
with a chuckle. The music is still playing in the background, alternating party
music and Christmas songs.
 
The pink haired woman smiles happily as she approaches the door. She hasn’t
even reached out for the door, when she can already make out a male’s voice.
“What are we doing here?” She can hear him ask at the other side of the
door, as already a second voice, a females voice answers the other. “We're
invited to a party.” 
“At such a time?” She can hear the next question and she can also hear that
he doesn’t seem to be really fond of this whole invitation thingy, which makes
the Haruno giggle silently. She’s glad to notice that he hasn’t changed at
all. “I just had an appointment!” The woman hisses back at her company.
“And what is the crap with the swimwear? Besides, since when have you known
our neighbors?” The man continues to explore again, which makes the woman sigh
out loud. “This is a pool party, that’s why. So finally be quiet and stop
complaining!” Sakura starts taking pity on them and opens the door for them,
since it's super cold outside. "The good old complaining Shikamaru... I thought
you had got him to stop that old habit of his by now.” Sakura turns with an
amused smile from the brown haired man and to the blonde woman, who innocently
shrugs her shoulders. "Sakura?" Shikamaru exclaims perplexed, staring at the
host in complete disbelief. “Hi, Shikamaru. It's been a long time. But come in
first, you two. It's really cold outside!” Sakura has to shudder at her own
remark when she feels a strong and cold wind gust enter the foyer.
 
Quickly she takes a few steps aside to make room for them and invite them in.
"Thank you." Temari replies politely while they enter the house and get out of
their shoes and jackets, while Sakura closes the door behind herself again. "We
haven't seen each other for such a long time. How many years have it been?"
Shikamaru is amazed to see her again so suddenly. Sakura takes their jackets in
order to hang them up next to the others, before turning to the blond woman.
“May i?” Sakura points her finger at the woman’s fiancé in order to get
her permission, which just nods with a giggle and watches as Sakura is already
hugging him tight. "It has been super long... It’s really nice to see you
again.”
 
Not much later she already breaks the hug again, before they already follow the
pink haired woman down the stairs to the basement, from where they can already
hear the music. Sakura happily looks around on the couch and the group, which
haven’t taken any notice of the newcomers’s presence yet. They all seem
rather captivated in the conversation about this year's trend color of the
baubles? She raises an eyebrow with scepticism and looks at the two behind her,
who also seem a bit confused by the subject. "Ino!" The young Haruno finally
draws everyone’s attention to herself. Said woman looks up at her in surprise,
before her eyes take notice of the newcomers and her facial features derail. "Oh
my God!" She squeaks in disbelief and if she had still held the glass in her
hand, it would have made acquaintance with the floor by now. The Yamanaka
immediately jumps up on her feet with delight and runs towards the brunette man,
who immediately embraces her back.
 
Sakura smiles brightly and looks back at her friends, who are all watching the
scenario with confusion. Only Sasuke stands up, the surprise written in his face
as he looks at the Nara to her left. "It has been so long." The Uchiha hears the
blonde mumbling before she breaks away from Shikamaru, who gives her a slight
smile and lifts his gaze to the crowd in front of him, only to get surprised as
well. "Sa-Sasuke?" Shikamaru stares at the other host of the party totally
surprised, yeah even a bit baffled. "Shikamaru." The Uchiha utters back, before
a crooked smile forms at the corner of his lips, when he realizes that it is
really him. "Hey." The Nara exclaims with a grin, before the two greet each
other with a handshake and even briefly hug each other with their free arms.
“I heard about your mother. My condolences.“ Shikamaru is about to take a
step back again when the corner of Sasuke’s lips jerks up for a slight moment,
before they return to it’s usual shape. "Thank you." 
 
"Uhm, yes, folks. These are Shikmaru Nara and his fiancée, also known as the
well known model Temari Sabakuno." Sakura regains her voice after a moment and
introduces the two newcomers briefly, who then go through the group to
introduces themselves with a handshake, except for Hinata, who also already
knows Shikamaru. "So..." The pink haired host then begins a new conversation.
“How do you know each other?” She asks just at the same time as her husband.
The group laughs briefly at that before Shikamaru raises his hands reassuringly,
who has made himself comfortable on the couch with his fiancée. "Well, I went
to one of the same courses as Sasuke in university and after on i decided to
study art history for a semester and was with Sakura at the same university and
that's how I got to know Ino and Hinata as well." The Nara end his little
explanation and gratefully accepts the bottle, which Sasuke is reaching out to
him. "Then why did you never introduce us?" Naruto looks at his best friend
questioningly, who goes back to his wife with a shrug of his shoulders and
casually puts an arm around her waist. "Because you are exhausting to have
around." Sakura has to smile at his answer and looks up at him for a moment,
before looking back at the others. "But it actually surprises me that you two
are a couple and am i wrong, or are you really living together even?" Shikamaru
looks back and forth between the two hosts, who glance at each other, not giving
Shikamaru the impression of being wrong in his observation. "Since when have you
two been together?"

The only married couple in the room now too take their places on the couch
again, before Sakura answers his questions a bit embarrassed. "To be honest,
we've been married since June." The Nara chokes on his drink and coughs a few
times, only to put his bottle down on the table. "Married? You’re married?
When did you two even get to know each other? Four years ago or when?” He
asks, in shock and surprise. "We got to know each other... When was that again?"
Sasuke looks at his wife questioningly. “I was 15 and you...?” She ponders
while looking to her side and into his eyes. "I was 18. Our first encounter was
when she hit me straight on the head with a golf bat.” Sasuke has to smile,
just like always when he remembers that particular moment from the past. The
ladies of the group giggle softly at his words, while Shikamaru clears his
throat once more. "So you are telling me that you were already a couple when I
met you?" The Nara investigates further. Sakura lets out a laugh while the rest
of the group listens intently. "No, that’s actually only how we meet each
other for the first time, but we didn't see each other again after that." Sakura
too has to giggle at the memory. "And how did the wedding come about?" Temari
now too raises her voice with interest. "That was a spontaneous idea of his
mother and my brother." Sakura smiles slightly at Shikamaru’s expression. He
looks so confused and as if he couldn’t believe the whole story at all.
"You’re trying to tell us that your wedding was...?" 

"An arranged wedding. Exactly." Sakura nods once and takes a sip of her drink.
“So you're actually not in love?” Temari inquires in disbelief. "I would
rather call us best friends." Sasuke leans back slightly while rewording her
question. “You mean, friendship with certain benefits.” Neji chuckles
lightly, only to get confronted with Sasuke’s silent glare. He had already
told him often enough to stop it. "Oh, don’t listen to them. They are both
actually quite doing well and just don’t want to accept it." Ino smile, but
Sakura just shakes her head. she’s the one to talk. "You already know how it
is." Her words are directed at the Nara, who gives a nod in response. "You,
Sakura, are afraid to love and you Sasuke, are unable to love. Although, i still
don’t understand very well in which way you’re claiming yourself as unable,
because i know that you aren’t unable of feeling deep care for someone. It
doesn’t have to be necessarily meant romantically. You always loved your
mother deeply and talked very respectful and fondly of her too."
 
"How can you be afraid to love?" Naruto suddenly asks for the group, which are
surprised at his, as facts expressed, wording. "That happens when you lose
someone who was really important to you. Humans actually grasp situations in
different ways, but it’s actually common for people to fear new bonds after a
great loss or trauma." Sakura lowers her eyes in silence, immediately feeling
her husbands hand on her back which is gently moving up and down. She has to
smile. It was neither out of happiness, nor out of sadness. Just somewhere in
between these two feelings and again she just feels so glad to have him. “But
how can one be unable to love? Like Shikmaru said, we all saw often enough,
especially towards Sakura, that he can love and care for someone deeply. But how
do you know if you're romantically in love or not, if you've never been so
before?” The younger Hyuga turns her attention to the Uchiha, who frowns at
her question. "Did we want to celebrate a party, or did we actually gather here
to talk about her and my feelings?" Sasuke let’s out a soft grumble, a little
annoyed of their continuous interrogation. The group remains silent at that,
siping on their drinks, as nobody knows exactly which topic they should bring up
now. "Oh yeah, thank you so much for inviting me to the fundraising gala,
Sakura. We'd love to come." The Sabakuno smiles after a moment of silence. "You
are welcome. I'm happy about it." The Uchiha watches his wife smile back just as
happily as she said she felt about it, before suddenly a little laugh draws
everyone’s attention to the Nara. "Are you okay?" Temari looks at her fiancé
skeptically, who just nods with a slight chuckle. "Yes. It is just that, a few
months after I finished university, I thought Sasuke and Sakura would make a
good couple and so i wanted to introduce them to each other. However, by then we
had already lost contact to each other. And now, years later, i suddenly meet
them again and get told that they are even married.” Shikamaru smiles
crookedly at his own observation of the coincidence, which makes the girls
giggle again.

"Oh yes, i forgot to tell you that the drinks are on self-service." Explains the
young Haruno to the two newcomers, while everyone else have already turned
towards each other and made some discussion groups. "Okay." The Sabakuno nods
understanding at her neighbour and get up to make herself her own drink. When
she sits back next to her fiancé a few minutes later and leans herself back
into the couch, she starts following the girls conversation in silence.
 
"Tell me Sakura, you said something about a pool party, right? Do you really
intent to go out in this weather?” Everyone turns to Tenten, who decided to
ask the question which had been on everyone’s mind since the beginning.
Smiling, the addressed woman just lifts up her pointer finger to show them to
wait a moment, before she walks towards the door behind which she disappeared
earlier in the dark, opens it and turns on the light. "Seriously?! You have a
pool in the basement??“ Naruto, who has yelled out the question in disbelief,
immediately storms into the room and stares at the pool as if to convince
himself that the pool is actually real and not just a 3D picture on the ground.
"As well as a whirlpool and a sauna." Sasuke explains calmly and puts his glass
aside. “Who wants to change?” The pink haired woman asks a rhetorical
question into the round, which immediately animates Ino and Naruto to hold up
their hands at once like two excited children, while Tenten loosens the belt
around her waist. In a matter of seconds, the group is already divided into two.
One, who is already wearing their necessary clothes underneath their everyday
clothes and the other, who have to change first. "I'll show you the place where
you can change in." Sakura then suggests with a smile and steers back into the
now empty party room, followed by some of her friends. “Here is the fitness
room and here the laundry room. I’ve also already put a hair dryer for later
into the fitness room of course.“ As soon as she points out to two doors, two
of her friends immediately disappear separately into them, while she just
decides to return to the others at the pool.
 
Tenten is already in her bikini by the water and carefully puts her hand into
it. "The water is warm!" The words scape her lips in surprise at her discovery,
which makes Sakura giggle slightly. “Of course. After all, nobody wants to
jump into cold water in such a weather.” Hinata is also already there in her
swimsuit, testing out the water with the tip of her toe. “Water bomb!!” They
all suddenly hear the Uzumaki shout from the other end of the bar, while running
into the room with full speed, before everyone in the room gets splashed with
water. Sakura has to laugh and decides to take off her sweater and jeans as well
now. "Nice bikini, Sakura." The Sabakuno winks at her, while she comes to a stop
next to her. "Thanks Temari." The addressed smiles with slightl red cheeks,
before looking over the blond woman, who is wearing a black and sexy swimsuit,
making her job as a model all justice. "Uuuuh look at you! Are we trying to
seduce Sasuke again?" The Yamanaka agrees with Temari, making the Haruno go even
a shed redder. But before she could even open her lips to protest, they suddenly
hear a dark voice sounding behind themselves. "What about me?" The women turn
around, only to be meet by the man which they were just talking about. Sasuke,
who is too now standing there in nothing but his shorts, looks back and forth
between the three women, before his eyes meet those of his wife. "Oh nothing,
nothing." Ino just laughs it off in a good mood and walks to the pool, followed
by Temari, who pulls her fiancé in with herself at the same time.
 
"Tell me, how did you find those two, when you had no contact to him either?"
Sakura looks up at her husband, who had asked her the question while watching
all their friends splashing around the pool in a good mood. Even his shorts are
already drenched, because he was pushed by the Uzumaki. "Well..." Sakura
stretches out the word, while scratching her cheek thoughtfully, trying to
figure out how best to tell her husband the news. "That..." She continues in her
stammer, crossing her hands behind her back with a sigh. "They live opposite our
house." Her husbands facial features immediately derail, watching as his head
whipes around to her in shock. “You are trying to tell me that they’re our
neighbors?” He exclaims in disbelief, staring at her cheeky grin. "Yeah." He
keep staring into her eyes for a while, before he lets out a silent breath and
looks back at his newfound neighbours. "Who would have thought that we would
ever end up being neighbours..." Sakura shrugs her shoulders at his mumbled
words and looks back at their friends. He repeats his mumbled words aain, but
this time with a smirk on his lips. Immediately he moves closer to her and lifts
her up on his arms, which makes her scream in shock, only to carry her over to
the pool where he drops her into the water. Dusting his hands with a chuckle, as
if he had done a good job, he watches her emerge after a moment with a snort.
She looks around in confusion, while brushing her wet hair out of her face. The
others in the other hand have moved to the other side of the pool, frightened,
before laughing in amusement.

Sakura swims the bit towards the edge and braces her hands on the floor, looking
rather offended at him. Sasuke holds out his hand to her, a little worried. "Let
me help you." She hears him says, while taking her hand. He wants to pull her
up, but at the same time she quickly braces herself against the wall and pulls
him down into the water. Neji, Shikamaru and Naruto in the other hand start
booing, as if they were watching a soccer game and a player made a foul. Sasuke
appears back on the surface, shaking his head wildly to get rid of the water.
His gaze turns around to look at his wife with a nasty grin, making her flinch
as he comes closer. But before he can reach out to her, she quickly splashes a
big load of water into his face. Sasuke shakes his head again, immediately
starting the counterattack with a wide smirk. "Water fight!" The Uzumaki
suddenly shouts into the round and starts to spray the others, who defend
themselves. Sasuke approaches his wife with a slight smile, who laughs at a
fight between Hinata and Temari. The Uchiha immediately uses this chance, grabs
her by her hips and turns her back around to himself. She looks at him in
surprise, before smiling and playing with his wet hair, feeling his hand resting
on her cheek and his thumb moving over her upper lip. Sasuke takes another step
towards her and then another one, watching as she backs away until she feels the
pool wall against her back. He smiles slightly and moves closer to her to
whisper against her lips. “Caught you.” A shaky breath escapes her lips,
when he presses his lips against hers for a quick kiss. Right after a second
follows, a third one and then a more passionate one, which ends up in a heated
battle of tongues. The others don't notice anything about their heated making
out session and just keep splashing each other with water or, in the men’s
case, pushing each other under water.

Sakura looks up at him with slight red cheeks, after he released the kiss with a
soft smooch. His lips curl up into a warm smile and his arms go around her waist
in order to pull her against  his chest, lets himself fall back and float in the
water. Giggling, Sakura tries to flee from his grip, but he doesn't let go of
her. He is about to kiss her again, but get’s interrupted, when suddenly a
ball hits his head. The Uzumaki, who shot the beach ball at him, lets out a big
laugh at that, while Ino just catches the ball and continues to play it towards
Shikamaru, who hits it against Sasuke head as well. Sasuke’s patience is gone
at that point, glaring angrily at his friends while approaching the beach ball,
only to take it into his hands and hit it with full force right into his blond
friends face. At this point, the water fight turns into a water ball fight, from
which the women decide to stay out. 
 
“Shall we go to the whirlpool while they are fighting over that ball?” The
girls hear the Haruno suggest, which they all agree to. However, everyone except
for the Sabakuno decide to come a bit later. Thus, leaving Temari and Sakura
alone even if just for a little while. "Well, that gives us more space to relax
in." Sakura shrugs her shoulders with a smile, while she gets out of the pool
together with her neighbour and both grab their cocktails, before they sink into
the whirlpool with a sigh. "Well, as long as we are alone, you can tell me a
little bit about the relationships in here." The blond suggest attentively,
while leaning back against the wall to relax a little. “Sure, why not. But
there isn’t really much to tell. Naruto and Hinata are dating. I think it’s
the fourth now, but in between they go to lunch or have coffee too. that’s
actually all i really know." Temari nods in understanding, before taking a
glance at the crowd. “And what about Kiba and Ino?” Sakura takes a sip of
her cocktail, before letting out a soft sigh. "They are just best friends." At
this point it doesn’t surprise her that Temari asked about them and is looking
stunned at her explanation. "What? I thought they’re together. I mean, he's
been looking at her that way the whole time and seems a bit jealous too.”
Sakura nods at her confession and puts her drink aside. “Yes, we're actually
still waiting for it to happen one day. They are just too dense and stubborn to
accept their own feelings. Instead they keep going out with someone else and
either end up jealous, or giving each other the blame for everything that goes
wrong with their date.” A soft hum escapes the young model, while she takes
another glance back at the group. "And what about Neji and Tenten? They look
kind of close." Temari investigates further, while inspecting said people some
more from afar, but Sakura just shakes her head. "No. They are the same,
actually." Confused, Temari looks at her and back at the two brunette friends.
"You can’t be serious? I mean, come on, he even puts his arm around her all
the time. They have barely separated from each other ever since Shikamaru and i
have arrived." She watches as the host shakes her head at her observation. "No,
poorly we're still waiting here too and i can’t tell if they’re better or
worse that Ino and Kiba. Like you said, they are so close to each other and
still there is nothing. I actually never saw Neji jealous either and still they
have no other date and keep sticking together." Sakura shrugs her shoulders with
a smile, before the other women approach and join them in the whirlpool.

Laughing, they watch the men for a moment, before delving into a conversation
about the Christmas season and the plans. The men in the other hand switched
back from playing ball, to delving into the water. Only Shikamaru is drifting
leisurely on the surface, until someone grabs him by the legs and pulls him down
into the water, animating him to kick his feet and splash everyone with water.
Actually, there is no precise definition of what exactly they are doing.
 
“Man, Sasuke, your house is so cool! If I get married, will I get a house like
this? If so, I'll get married right away!” The Uzumaki lets out a sigh, half
an hour later, when the men are all leisurely floating in the water. Their heads
close to each other in the middle of the pool. The Uchiha and the others laugh
out loud at his stupid question. Who would marry someone, without even being
ready for such a step yet, only to get to live in such a house? "You get a house
like this if you can afford it." Sasuke then just answers with a slight shake of
his head. "Which would probably never happen in your case, Naruto. My deepest
condolences." Neji smirks mischievously at his own remark and gets the whole
group to laugh out loud once again. Except for Naruto, of course. Shikamaru is
the first to catch himself again, before he continues to notify him the current
facts that he is missing in his statement.  "Apart from that, every house is
built and furnished differently, so you will never get such a house, unless you
design your dream house yourself and order someone to build you it as wished.
However, i don’t believe that you actually have any clue about designing,
right? Like Sasuke said, the design, the material, the property and all the
constructors all together will cost you a whole fortune." Naruto lets out a
gruff sound, while Sasuke drifts a bit further away and closes his eyes with
relish. “What are they talking about over there anyway?” Everyone, except
for the host, look at Kiba, who had asked the question into the round. Seemingly
uninterested in the marrying and construction topic. “Just what women usually
talk about. Probably shoes or the latest make up trends and hacks.“ Neji
growls out the answer for him, however, Naruto is all intent to change the topic
again. "Say, Shikamaru, how did you even get to know Temari? I mean she's a well
known model and super popular with men." Kiba on his left lets out a soft
grumble and pushes his head deeper into the water so that his ears sink into it.
“Through Sakura. She dragged me to a party and that's where I bumped into
Temari.” Naruto laughs happily at his words and stretches his arms up into the
air with a wide grin. "I knew it! With Sakura we finally got someone with
contacts!” Sasuke can’t help himself and lets out a snort at his words and
turns his head to glare into his direction. “What is that supposed to mean
now? I also have contacts.“

 "Who needs you when we have Sakura?" The blond just asks back with a laugh,
unaware of his best friends frown. Sasuke lets out a deep growl, only to turn
around and press him down into water. “Traitor." He growls out anew and
presses him deeper into the water, before watching his friend wiggle back up
with a big gasp of air. The Uzumaki complains with a loud snort of his own,
watching as his best friend just lets out a chuckle and walks towards the edge
of the pool. “That was for your stupid claims. Suck it up now.”
 
"I'm going out." The Uchiha announces briefly after, before doing as said and
gets out to dry himself off with one of the many laid out towels. With a small
smile on his face, he picks up the beach ball which they threw out earlier and
aims directly at his best friend's head. "Hey!" Said man complains again at the
impact and wants to swim to the area with the steps. However, he doesn’t
expect for a hand to appear and grab him by his ankle to pull him back down
under water. Sasuke laughs bemused, as he watches the scene from outside and
looks at the culprit, while Naruto reappears with a loud snort and looks around,
only to find a laughing Inuzuka smirking maliciously at him. “Don’t rush in
front of the queue.” 
 
The blonde immediately gets back at him, ending up breaking out a fight in which
both keep pushing each other’s heads under water one after the other.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru and Neji just leave the pool and begin to dry themselves
off as well. The host looks seriously at the brunette man in the pool. "He's so
calm." He then notes in a mumble, while the Hyuga comes to a stop right next to
him. “I know and that’s actually worrying me. He seems to be pretty jealous
of Shikamaru." Sasuke nods slightly at the long haired man’s worry, while a
frown settles on his face "I just hope that this wont turn into anything worse."
The Uchiha lets out a deep sigh at his own words, while the ladies walk past
them in a mix of giggles and laugher.
 
“What do you actually do for a living?” Sasuke then asks his old friend
while they go to change back into their clothes. After all, they haven't seen
each other for quite some years now. “I'm an economics engineer.” The Nara
replies with a shrug of his shoulders and starts rubbing his towel through his
loose hair, which he actually always ties into a small hair knot. “The perfect
job for you, isn't it? You lazy dog.“ The Uchiha pushes his old friend aside
with a laugh, eventually getting him to laugh as well. “And what about you,
mister company owner? You surely don't have much to do either." Said man lets
out a slight huff and shakes his head. “You wish. There are days when i have
to stay at work until 8pm, but I'm working on changing that somehow.” Actually
he is the one who wishes that it would be different. He wishes that he
wouldn’t have so many responsibilities as the boss. Now that his father and
brother know his situation and helped him, he doesn’t have as much to do as
usual, but still it is a big load. After all, he is the one everyone comes to
when they need something. May it be a designer, his secretary, the department
heads, his brother or father or even those in charge of the productions. The
company is just huge and he is leading the heart part of it, it’s just
exhausting. With a slight sigh he gets his clothes from the fitness room, before
disappearing into the laundry room to change back into his dry clothes.
 
The ladies also change their clothes one after the other and dry their hair with
the hairdryer before they sit down on the couch with fresh cocktails in hand and
the rest of the men join them in dry clothes. The party has been going on for a
few hours already. “What are you looking so serious about?” Sasuke lets out
a soft laugh and looks at his wife next to him, whom he had caught zoning out
and seemingly deep in thoughts. "Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking." She
waves off his question with a smile and looks back at the glass in her hand.
"About what?" Sasuke explores further with interest. She stays silent for a
moment, before she decides to tell him. "I was thinking about how we would have
met again, if your mother and Ryosuke hadn’t decided to engage us." Her words
make their female friends look up at them with interest. Listening just as
intently as Sasuke, as she continues in her observations. “If we assume that
the contact with Shikamaru didn’t break off so quickly, he would have
introduced us to each other. But even Ryosuke would have introduced us at some
point and the latest would have been at his wedding. Maybe I would have made
friends with Tenten after she started working at Ryosuke and she would have
introduced us. We might have met at a Christmas gala that Ryosuke and Ino would
have taken me to, or we would have met again if I had started working at your
company." Sakura counts and always sticks out a finger of her hand. "Although
I'm not quite sure about the last one." While saying this, she looks at the last
finger she extended. "There’s no doubt that you would have gotten the job with
your talent. Besides, maybe i would have been the one finding you again, like i
did one and a half years ago at the opening of the Tokiwa Towers." Sasuke
explains with a smile and caresses a strand of her hair behind her small ear. He
can see her cheeks slightly go red and her lips curl up into a slight smile,
while the girls around them start to whisper and giggle. “You said that it was
Ryosuke who had recommended me to you. So it wasn’t you who found me.” She
then notes, which makes him chuckle with a slight shake of his head. “I could
have ignored his suggest and just searched for someone else. But i didn’t.“
She immediately sticks her tongue out, feeling how her cheeks get a tad warmer.
“About your claim that i would have got the job either way, i was actually
wondering if I would have even applied to you in the first place. I mean, just
think about it. You’r company makes household devices, but if i wanted to i
could design cars just as good.” His wife now grins cheekily at him, not
expecting his frown to turn into a dangerous smirk. "You little..." his lips
leaves a soft growls, but can’t help himself from laughing slightly either as
he begins to tickle her. She too starts to laugh, just even lauder than him
while she starts writhing in his arms, begging him for mercy.
 
It takes him a few minutes to consider her pleads and let her go again, to let
her gasp properly for air, watching as she immediately flees to the bar with her
cocktail in hand and leans herself against the bar with a deep sigh of relief.
She empties her glass in silence, before filling it with a new drink. Smiling,
she watches the group of her friends, who are drinking and talking in a good
mood. After a few minutes Temari comes up to her and also briefly looks at the
group. “It’s quite visible that you and Sasuke have a really strong bond
there. I wonder how this can be. I mean, you two keep saying that you are not in
love and all that and still you are like a real married couple." She finally
starts a conversation, while she refills her own glass. Sakura looks at her in
surprise before briefly observing her husband, who picks out his favorite
cookies from the bowl of cookies and places them on the table in front of him. A
warm smile pulls on her lips before she looks back at her glass. “I don’t
think we are anything near something as a dream couple, even if people keep
claiming us as such. But we are making progress, i guess. At least we are seeing
each other as best friends and family now.” A slight hum comes from the blond,
while she takes a seat next to her and makes herself comfortable. “How did you
end up so close? If it’s okay to ask, that is.” Sakura looks at her for a
moment, before looking back at her glass with a smile. “That comes when you
experience the same thing and know how the other is feeling. Actually, we may
not be together for that long yet, but we have actually already been through a
lot together and stuck together through it all.” She lifts her gaze to her
neighbor, who looks at her slightly questioningly. "Sasuke's mother died in
September, Shikamaru mentioned that before already." She the utters after a
brief moment of silence, which Temari responds to with a slight nod, because she
apparently knew this. But this doesn’t really surprise her. After all, it was
in all the magazines and news, as was the wedding. Only Shikamaru doesn't seem
to read these kind of magazines that much or listen to the news.

"8 years ago... I was 15 years old... it was actually shortly after i have meet
Sasuke for the first time. It made me completely forget that he even exists."
Sakura rises her voice after a sip of her drink. She guesses with a sad smile,
that it had to be the impact of the trauma which made her ban him out of her
head. Now that she thinks about it, she kind of regrets forgetting him. Maybe he
would have done her good like she did for him. Maybe they could have become
friends much earlier and maybe they would have been able to fall in love with
each other someday without having to be promised to each other. Maybe. "Around
that time my parents died in a car accident." That side of her, which she
doesn’t want anyone else to see is coming out again. After all those years she
just still doesn’t want anyone to see how much it’s actually tearing her
apart. "I'm sorry to hear that" Temari murmurs sympathetically and gently pats
the hostess' shoulder. "It's okay." The two sit there for a while longer, before
they go back to the couch, were Sakura sinks back down next to her husband and
lets herself get pulled closer to his side. His arm staying around her, while he
would rub her arm up and down. She cuddles up to his shoulder with relish and
closes her eyes for a moment, while the song "Hold on to me" sounds from the
speakers. After a moment she then lets her eyes flutter open again, watching as
the Inuzuka gets up and disappears up the stairs. "Say. Aren't you jealous when
Shikamaru keeps chatting with Ino?” Sasuke suddenly asks his female neighbour,
who looks up at him in surprise and then shakes her head slightly. "Weren’t
you like that with Sakura either?" Naruto then continues to ask, which makes
Sakura laugh out loud.
 
"Oh god! You all should have seen the first time we met each other months ago."
Sakura chuckles in amusement, infecting the Sabakuno with it as well. "She would
have loved to tear my head off, because I'm the daughter in law of Shikamaru's
mother’s dreams." The dark blonde continues to laugh in amusement, only to
shake her head. “What do you mean by tearing off your head only? I literally
wanted to chop you into small pieces and bury you in the garden." Sakura looks
at her in complete disbelief, before she breaks out into laugher all over again.
"Seriously?" They watch as Temari nods back just as amused, before she continues
in her mini tale "And now you are my favorite neighbor!" The young model throws
her hands up in the air to clap into her hands, making everyone burst out into
laugher as well. Distraught, Kiba looks at his friends, who are laughing in a
good mood, while Temari apologetically caresses her fiancé's cheek and gives
him a peck on his lips.
 
Sakura sits silently in between her friends and takes a sip from her glass,
while she watches her husband eat one cookie after the other. For a moment she
listens to the conversation between him and Naruto, which makes her raise her
eyebrow skeptically. Are they talking about shoveling snow? She diverts her
attention again and sees her husband's hand approaching the last cookie.
Grinning slightly, she leans forward and grabs the cookie, watching as his
husband’s fingers keep scanning the table to reach out for he cookie. But when
he can’t get a grasp of it, he looks at the table with surprise and then
around until his eyes come to a halt at his wife, who stuffs the cookie halfway
into her mouth with a slight giggle. A grin settles on his lips as he leans over
to her, watching as she slowly leans back, slides down the backrest and onto the
seat. When she can no longer escape from him, the Uchiha approaches her mouth
with a smile and bites off the cookie right in front of her lips.
 
He chuckles lightly while crushing the biscuit in his mouth and pressing his
lips on hers, feeling how she returns the kiss gently. "Get yourselves a room."
Naruto suddenly shouts through the round in a good mood, drawing everyone's
attention to the married couple. The Uchiha breaks away from his wife to look
back and give his blond friend an evil look, before his lips turn into a
malicious smirk. "How so? We're already at home, aren’t we?" He reminds him
matter of factly, before he decides to straighten up properly and let Sakura sit
back up as well. "We could tell you to go home and the problem would be solved."
The host smiles underhandedly at his friend, who turns his head away with a pout
and takes a looks around. "Hey you have Monopoly!" The blond man immediately
gets up on his feet, to get to the bar and take said board game from the upper
part of the shelf.
 
"Do you remember when we saw that miserable movie in the cinema?" Sakura hears
the voice of her female best friend, who reminisces in her memories with
Shikamaru. He grimaces at her question and nods before they continue talking
about what they have done. List bars, clubs, parties. The Uchiha looks carefully
at Kiba, who is sitting next to him and has been so quiet the whole evening and
at the same time looks pretty pissed off. "How come I didn't get to know
Shikamaru back then?" The Inuzuka looks at Sakura, who looks back at him, a
little surprised about his sudden interest. "It was the semester when you
studied in Hokkaido." Sakura smiles mildly, before Ino lets out a soft laugh.
“And once we were even in the zoo!” Sasuke lets out a sigh at that. He just
hopes that this won’t end in a- "i see that you found a replacement for me
pretty quickly back then." The Inuzuka suddenly bursts out in anger, which makes
the party crowd fall silent and Ino look around at him in surprise. "You can’t
be serious!" The addressed woman hisses back at his accusation and Sasuke just
wanted to give himself a face palm. Just when he hoped he wouldn’t.

Everyone in the room immediately knows that this is an argument which the two
should have had a long time ago. “You're not starting this all over again in
all seriousness! Who brought in a new one last week and then accused me of being
to blame for the fact that she ran away??” She growls dangerously at him, only
for him to let out all his built up frustration at once. “Of course it's your
fault! I can see how you treat people like dirt if you want. You've been
ignoring me all evening!” He replies loudly. “Don't start crying Iike a
pussy! I treat people like dirt, oh yeah! At least I'll be in touch, instead of
forgetting my friends over a crush for literally months! You are the one who
doesn’t give a sign of life when you get yourself a new one, way until
everything is clear. Who cares if that takes two months, right? There is no
mortal word from you, while we are all just here wondering if you’re even
still alive!” She continues, frustrated that he keeps pushing all his faults
on her. “You've been acting like a huge asshole lately and I really don't need
someone like that as a best friend. Just forget the whole thing i just said
since you don’t care anyway!" She then continues to yell right into his face,
before letting out a snort and then goes to sit down next to her best friend,
who immediately puts an arm around her.
 
“Okay guys. How about a drinking game! We have to get drunk quickly so that
the evening will be nicer again!" Naruto comes back to the couch after following
the scene from a safe distance at the bar. "But we won't sit down in front of
the TV again and watch Finding Nemo!" The Haruno immediately addresses the
change of subject, in hope that they can really save the evening with the game.
Couldn’t the two by all means choose another day to argue? In worse case,
they'll end up dragging everyone down and destroying the evening. She had
actually hoped to enjoy this evening without everyone having to drink themselves
wasted until no one remembers anything of the whole evening. “Finding Nemo?”
The Sabakuno explores with amusement. "Yeah. Last time they took a short,
whenever someone said nemo or mine.” Sasuke is the one who decides to explain
it to her, unable to stop himself from letting out a sigh and gets up to clear
away the empty glasses from the table. He too had hoped for thinks to turn out
differently. "No, we're going to play Monopoly!" The Uzumaki laughs out in a
good mood, sits down next to Shikamaru and holds up the game for a moment before
he unpacks it. “And how do you want to turn it into a drinking game?” Tenten
looks through the round with skepticism, which Naruto answers to with a move of
his finger.
 
“That’s easy. Sasuke get the tequila and the short glasses!” He then
exclaims and continues moving, while the addressed man follows the instructions
with another sigh and distributes the glasses to everyone who places them on the
table around the game board, while naruto explains everything to the round.
Sasuke too listens in to his friends explanations, shaking his head in silence.
He got himself some really troublemaking drunkards as friends, who just can’t
confront any situation properly and at the proper time and place. “You can
only go to the toilet if you come to one of the waterworks fields, but you can
also refuse a short one and have to pay for it, like when you want to go to the
toilet, the money is placed in the middle and whoever comes to the free parking
field can take all the cash.” Naruto then ends his explanation of the game.
The others nod and then look at each other, before everyone chooses their
player. "Well, the game is actually harmless, only the beginning ensures that we
end up drunk." Neji then sums it all up, which makes the others laugh before
they fill the glasses and start drawing lots.



                     Kapitel 31: Step 31 - Just Like Them
                     ------------------------------------


The same way as they did. It can be meant in a good or bad context, depending on
how the story ends, but sometimes what they did can be seen as a guide. As a
kind of role model. It's not a bad thing if it ends well, right? Besides, if it
has helped others, why shouldn’t it also help yourself? Of course, you should
always think carefully about whether you should really do take someone as an
example, but you can still try things out. Perhaps it helps to do it the way as
they did.
 
"I can hardly believe it! There’s even less than a week left until
Christmas.” Natsuki whistles in a good mood when she hears one of the
Christmas songs on the radio. Sakura to smiles at her words and looks out of the
window for a moment. A lot has happened lately. Her planner was completely full
and everything was pretty stressful, but hopefully it will be worth all the
more. She ran from A to B and back to A, was in the orphanage and then again
somewhere else. Her project meets with support everywhere and yet she had a lot
to do and even now still has so much left to do until Christmas. Before
everything starts before Christmas, she has to attend an event every day, first
the company Christmas party on Saturday, the donation gala on Monday and the
Christmas gala on Tuesday. Not that you might think, that she can relax in the
morning. No, the donations have to be counted and then a few gifts have to be
bought for the children. Hopefully they will be able to collect enough money
from the donators. Hopefully she will manage to sensitize the people to the fate
of the orphans. Just because these children have lost both parents, doesn't mean
they are worth less than the other children. Every single one of them should be
given the same opportunities as normal children have. But until now this has not
been taken into account. Orphans are constantly being avoided and it just hurts
her deeply. She just doesn’t understand why. It’s only the social status,
which separated her from all the other orphans. She lost her parents, but she
didn’t loose her social status and was pitied by everyone. It’s just not
fair to separate people with the same problems, just because one has a fortune
and the other doesn’t.

The young Haruno sighs slightly. She shouldn't worry about it now. Or rather,
she does have the time for it now. She can only hope that everything will turn
out well in the end. Instead, she decides to open a different topic to her
collegue, which she watches humming with a smile. “Did you already buy your
dress for Saturday?” Neither of them really has to work properly. At the
moment, the priority is the completion of the models for the meeting on the next
day. The meeting in which will be decided on, which employee’s project will be
chosen. "Yes." The brunette exclaims with a beaming smile on her lips, as she
already starts to explain it’s design. "The dress is blue and relatively
simple, but I still hope that Takumi will like it." Sakura has to laugh softly
at her words. When it comes to that, Natsuki always reminds her of her blond
friend. She sighs again. Ino and Kiba. The two haven’t spoken to each other
ever since the party. A week has passed since that day, a disaster in
Kiba-and-Ino-years. Hopefully the two of them will get along soon, or at least
clear things up. She really wants to have a nice holiday and above all a nice
vacation. She wants it and she seriously needs it too after all that happened
the last months.
 
"Will you finish your model today?" Sakura gets pulled out of her thoughts by
her brunette friend, which animates her to look up in surprise, before she looks
back at her model. "Yes." Smiling, the young Haruno gives her a nod in response
and concentrates again on the pile of clay in front of her, which has already
taken shape. All that is missing are the finishing touches and she can relax a
little more again. Again, she is just delighted with her ability to concentrate
on work, even when her mind is somewhere else. The blue eyed girl hums to
herself in a good mood and continues to work on her model, while Sakura takes
another look out at the sky. Thick gray clouds cover the light blue of the sky
while the cold winter temperatures keep people busy. But no matter how cold it
is, whether at the 0-degree limit or 1 degree below, it does not snow,
everything that falls out of the clouds is rain and the young Haruno feels kind
of sad, because she had hoped for a white Christmas. "I'm dreaming of a white
... christmas." She suddenly hears her friend hum softly to one of the songs,
which is currently playing, making her look up with surprise before a soft laugh
escapes her lips.
 
She turns back to her model, but gets interrupted when the door suddenly opens.
Surprised, both women look up and at the door. Nobody dares to enter the office
without knocking, even Sasuke knocks before he enters. The Kaseguchi appears in
the doorway. With a sigh, Sakura then rolls her eyes and looks towards the
floor, where she spots the red-haired woman's shoes. Red boots with rhinestones,
which show the shape of normal high heels, but are laced at the front like
hiking boots. But it is much more the heels of at least 10 centimeters, which is
to blame for Karin's picture. Inevitably, Sakura wonders how often the redhead
slipped on the smooth floor on the way to her car and it is exactly that thought
which makes her grin in amusement.
 
“What are you grinning so stupidly?” The Kaseguchi lets out an arrogant
hiss, which makes her look up at her in annoyance. “I can smile as stupidly as
I want in my office. Which brings me to the topic. Have you ever heard of
knocking on before you walk into someone else's office? it’s called
manners.” She stays calm in her words, while putting her modelling tool aside.
“I just wanted to see how far you are with your models.” Karin ignores the
question of the pink haired woman and takes a quick look at Natsuki's work,
before stepping closer to Sakura’s table. She supports her hands on the table
top, while Sakura skeptically raises an eyebrow and throws a questioning look at
the Hondo, who just as unsuspectingly shrugs her shoulders. That woman sure has
some nerves for still playing the boss after all the warnings she got. "Hmm." It
suddenly sounds from the Kaseguchi, whose fingers have slipped underneath the
board, on which the model work is based. She lifts the board higher on one side,
whereupon it slides over the edge of the desk, as the model falls on the ground
together with the board. "No!" Natsuki yells in disbelief, while the young
Haruno jumps up and looks at her work with surprise, which is now sticking to
the floor like mud. “Are you crazy?” She yells at the redhead in front of
her, which only shrugs her shoulders innocently. "Whoopsies." The Kaseguchi
whistles hypocritically, while playing with a strand of her red hair.

"What's happening he-" Kakashi immediately appears in the doorway, as he was
apparently across from the office and got alarmed by the scream. Startled, the
redhead turns to him and exposes the picture of her crime, looking at her
supervisor with big eyes in panic. "What happened here?" A deep frown shows up
on his features, while he asks the question with a snort. He seems to be angry
and that suggests that he can already guess what happened. "Karin came in here
and willfully destroyed my model for tomorrow's meeting." Sakura immediately
reports the crime, her green eyes seething with anger. The redhead immediately
tries to deny this, however, before she can even open her mouth, she immediately
gets interrupted harshly by the grey haired man. "Ms. Kaseguchi you are leaving
this office IMMEDIATELY! You will sit down at your desk and every time you want
to get up, you will first ask ME for permission!" He almost yells out his demand
and raises his hand in the direction of the hall. The redhead leaves the office
immediately like a huddled puppy, although puppies are far too cute to be
compared to her.
 
"Should I talk to Mr. Uchiha?" Kakashi explores, realizing that she can hardly
model the same model once again until the next day. "Not necessary. I will
manage it somehow." The Haruno kneels on the floor with a sigh in order to pick
up the mess which Karin created. Natsuki also lets herself sink down next to
her, in order to help her and lifts the board from the clay. "Please let me know
if you should change your mind." Sakura looks up at him, watching as he is
already intending to leave the office again. “Can we at least throw the clay
at her now?” He can still hear the anger in her voice as he can already see
her dig her fingers into the pile of clay, which is still sticking to the
ground. "I didn't hear that question." Her supervisor smiles innocently and
raises his hands up, before finally leaving them and the office behind. A dark
and malicious smile pulls on her lips and takes two handful of clay, before she
gets up and walks to the office door. Natsuki follows her through the door, also
armed with clay. As soon as they arrive, both of them start throwing the clay at
the redhead, who is stumbling with her boots towards the open plan office. Both
clay balls hit her in the back. Before she can turn around,  however, the two of
them throw the other two clay lumps at her as well.

Sakura’s clay ball hits her head, while Natsuki hits the back of her knee,
making her kiss the ground. “Headshot!” The Haruno exclaims happily, which
elicits a laugh from her friend as well. "Right on the knee!" They give each
other a high-five and grin widely at the flattened Kaseguchi. “Mr. Hatake!
They're throwing clay at me!” The  Kaseguchi complains out to her superior
like a spoiled brat, when she has identified the bullets and sees the grey
haired man walk past them in silence. "I didn't see anything." The man just
explains, his voice sounding bored, while the two women in the back know exactly
that he is actually enjoying this jus as much as them. She deserved it and
everyone knows that. His gaze wanders from the redhead to the floor, before he
looks back at the other two women. "Clear away the dirt and then go back to your
office." He then continues, pointing to the clay lumps on the floor, before
disappearing into the open plan office. “This is bullying!” Karin stomps her
foot on the floor like an offended little brat who doesn’t get things the way
she wants, which makes the Haruno laugh even more. "Isn’t that exactly what
you always do? Is hard, isn’t it, getting delivered back by someone else
tenfold? Maybe next time you will think before acting, bimbo." Bemused, she
makes a hand sign to her friend and then turns around. “Would you like some
tea?” The Hondo then asks her with concern, which the pinkette responds to
with a smile. "Sure. Now that you mention it, i could really need one now,
before I have to clear away that woman’s filth from the office." Natsuki
laughs amused at her choice of words, while they already make their way towards
the kitchen.
 

 
~> * <~
 

Sasuke closes the folder with a deep and tired sigh and leans back in his
armchair. He pauses for a moment before turning slightly to look back and out of
his office window. The darkness has long since spread over Tokyo. Like almost
every day when he leaves work. Now in winter it's not very surprising either,
but a look at the clock confirms his suspicion that it is shortly before 7.30pm,
animating him to get up and distribute the stack of processed folders in the
filing unit, before preparing himself for his departure towards home.
 
He's been going home early the whole last week, but there was a lot of work for
him to do again today. Even if they have now hired someone who will help him
with his job so that he can go home earlier, if only by an hour, he still has a
lot to do. But at least, an hour is still an hour more to relax. In addition,
the training of this employee took a lot of time last week, which had been the
main reason as to why he had to do some of the pent-up work today and now it has
become so late again. Sakura would be waiting for him at home with the meal now,
if she wasn't so busy with the preparations for the fundraising gala. A smile
pulls on his lips. He feels a little pity on her. Normally she puts her legs up
as soon as she gets home and cooked the meal, but lately she’s going through a
lot of stress as well and keeps working and planing even at weekends.
 
He sighs again and then shuts down the computer, while stowing his tablet into
his work bag. After the company holidays, over Christmas and New Year,
everything should have been integrated and he should be able to leave the office
more early in a regular patern. Even if it’s only by an hour, it will still be
one more hour that he can spend together with Sakura. He also prefers to watch
something with her in the evening, than to go to his office after dinner and
continue working there. He snorts at himself in amusement, since he wouldn’t
have considered such thoughts a year ago.

The Uchiha then finally takes his winter coat and his work bag, stows his
smartphone in the inside pocket of his suit and then walks towards his office
door to switch off the lights and lock the office door behind himself. His legs
carry him through his secretary's empty office and out into the empty hallway.
The hallways are only lit by a few lights, which serve for the security camera,
while all office lights are switched off as well. As always, he's one of the
last ones at work, but probably not just on this floor, but in the entire
building. The night watchmen would be the only ones which are still here besides
him. His gaze is fixed on the floor, but comes to a halt again when another
light source catches his attention. Surprised, his head moves to the right
passage, where he can see an open door to the right, from which he can see light
and even hear music playing.
 
He slowly approaches the office, which is clearly that of his wife. Probably the
two women just forgot to turn off the light and simply overheard the radio at
their departure. Which doesn’t surprise him in his wife’s case. After all,
she has been overwhelmed with tasks lately. He looks carefully into the office,
intent to close the lights as he stands in front of it. But instead of finding
an empty office, he discovers his wife sitting at her desk with some modeling
tools in hand. “What are you still doing here?” He enters the office in
silence, the surprise clearly written on his face. A tired sigh leaves her lips
in response to his question, but she doesn't turn her gaze to him and continues
to concentrate on the model. “Has it really gotten that late?” She then
instead asks a counter questions, while he walks closer to her desk. "It's
already half past seven." Sasuke puts his bag on the sideboard behind him and
his coat next to it, before watching her in her doings again. “Weren't you
long since done with your model?” He then asks the most obvious question,
eliciting another sigh from her. She doesn’t really sound annoyed. More than
that it was the tiredness which is written in her face. "I would be finished
already if that red bimbo didn’t decide to barge in this morning and willfully
destroy it." His dark eyes widen in disbelief at her words. Letting her words go
through his head a few more times before he could actually grasp that woman’s
actions. "She has what?" She can clearly hear the shock in his voice. Of course.
After all, no one had expected for that woman to go as far as to do such a thing
on the last day before the deadline. "She just threw my model on the floor."
Sakura then decides to explain to him in more detail, which makes him frown.
"This woman is so, so..." An angry growl leaves his lips, while shaking his head
in anger. There are just no mortal words to describe how much this woman
disgusts him. “Kakashi has already put her back into her place, since he was
in the office across from here when she played that stunt. She isn’t even
allowed to go to the bathroom without his permission and Natsuki and I shot her
down with the remnants of my former model.“ She lifts her gaze up and smiles
at him towards the end of her explanation. It’s written in her face how much
she had enjoyed doing that.

"Good." He replies to her with a smile of his own, giving her the impression
that he was even proud of her for doing that. "But it can't go on like this
either. You need a break. We'll just postpone tomorrow's meeting for a few more
days. You deserve at least as much as that.” His hand covers hers, in order to
prevent her from continuing. “Come on, we're going home. That's it for today."
He stays gentle in his words and carefully removes the modeling tool from her
hand to set it aside. She sighs resignedly in response and arranges the board
with the model on top, then turns to the computer to turn it off. Sasuke watches
her in silence as she packs her things up and turns off the radio and gets up on
her hurting feet, which stem from sitting and not moving for too long. “You
must be completely tired.” He then remarks silently, while she pulls her coat
off the backrest and hangs her purse over her shoulder. A slight and tired smile
pulls on her lips, while walking around her table to lean herself against his
chest with a sigh. “Yeah... I’m sorry for ever saying that you are married
to your work.” A soft chuckle escapes his lips at her apology, before his arms
wrap around her body for a hug and presses his lips on the top of her head. 
 
Sasuke rests his cheeks on her head and studies her work for a moment.
"Actually, i'm really looking forward to your presentation now." Sakura has to
smile at his confession, before he breaks the hug, to take his belongings.
“Your model is clearly representing a car. Or did you actually mean it
seriously at the party, when you said that you would much rather design cars?”
He explores and takes her hand in his, which she responds to with a smile.
“No, that was just a joke. Maybe sometime later. But at the moment I'm
satisfied with my place in here.” He nods in understanding, before they leave
the office and Sakura switches off the lights. “Can I really leave the model
here like that? What if Karin destroys it again tomorrow morning?” She tells
him about her concerns, which makes him smile with a shake of his head. "Just
lock the office up." Not letting him repeat himself, she follows his advice and
locks the office, before putting the key into her handbag. They set off and walk
towards the elevator, which quickly arrives and opens it’s doors for them to
enter. "But somehow Kaseguchi has to be punished for this nonsense. I can’t
let her get off so easily. She has violated too much for me to close an eye on
this." Sasuke starts with the previous topic and thinks about it briefly, while
both of them enter the elevator and turn to face the doors. "I know. I will just
pay the hours you worked overtime for the model, with her loan." He smiles
towards his wife, who looks at him in disbelief. “That's bullshit!” She
laughs slightly while shaking her head, but he isn’t the same thought as her.
"No I do not think so. She was the one who willfully destroyed the model you
worked on for weeks, so she can just as willfully give up her loan to you for
your overtime’s. It’s her own fault if she acts without using her head.”
Sakura has to laugh in amusement. She has to shake her head, but in the end of
the day it’s his decision. After all he is the boss and he can do whatever he
things is right. However, she can’t deny that she likes his idea. She would
really love to see that woman’s face when she realizes how deep she has cut
herself with her own stunts. She’s just too stupid for her own good.

“Go home with me. We'll just leave your car here.” He gently puts an arm
around her waist and pulls her close to his side. “You have concentrated so
much on your work all day, I don't want to put you up with that traffic now.”
Leaning his cheek against her head, the corners of his lips pull up when he can
feel her nod in response. The elevator doors open again at their destination,
letting the two of them step out. With his arm still wrapped around her waist,
they walk towards the underground parking lot, where he unlocks his car and
sinks into his seat. "How about if we order something to eat? They should arrive
just about the same time as us, so we won’t have to wait any extra time." He
suggests to her, since she must be pretty tired. After all, he knows exactly how
tired a person can get from concentrating on work all day. "What do you want?"
Sakura already pulled out her smartphone, ready to order, while he drives out of
the underground parking lot, which is already empty. “What do you feel like
eating?” He then just asks a counter question and gives her a quick side
glance. “Chinese?” Sasuke nods with a smile, while driving onto the street.
He doesn’t need to tell her what he wants. After all, she already knows his
favourites anyway.

The music sounds silently from the radio, while he is steering his car through
the streets. After ordering the food, Sakura has snuggled herself deeper into
the heated seat and closes her eyes. He can't even blame her if she falls asleep
now. What the Kaseguchi did there again is simply irresponsible and he can’t
believe how many times he had thought this in the last few months. You can't
just destroy a colleague's work. Itachi and his father will agree and pay
Sakura's overtime with the redheads' salary. It sounds only fair to him. She
wouldn't even have to work the overtime if the Kaseguchi hadn't decided to
destroy the model just one day before the meeting. She shouldn’t have done it
in the first place. Actually, she can ascribe it all to herself. It’s her own
fault that she won’t get paid this month. He sighs in silence, but annoyed.
This woman strains his nerves to a degree where he just can’t take it any
longer. After his father had throughoutly put her back into her place, he had
thought that she would finally be quiet and get more serious about work, but
even that didn't help. She probably just took a break from being a bitch. Yeah,
he isn’t sorry for addressing that woman that way. He can understand all too
well why she now always has to get permission from Kakashi, even if she just
meant to go to get herself a coffee. He himself would pin a guard on her heels
who watches her every step, but at the same time she isn’t worth the extra
costs at all. If he hears her name being brought up to him one more time, he
won’t hesitate to kick her out this time. He just has enough of that woman and
her actions. Not only does she walk around like a slut, when in fact his family
has strict rules about clothing at the company, but she also bullies, harasses
and physically harms her co-workers. He would have long since reported her to
the police, instead of just giving her some stupid warnings, if it hadn’t been
for Sakura being too good to that woman.
 
After a few quiet minutes, he then steers his car into the driveway and opens
the garage door through remote control. Leaving the car outside would not even
occur to him in a dream. He really doesn’t have the nerve to scrape the ice
off the windows first thing in the morning. When the car rolls backwards, his
wife opens her eyes and looks around briefly. A quiet sigh escapes her lips,
waiting as he switches off the engine, before the two of them leave the vehicle,
take their things and walk towards the connecting door, through which they enter
their warm villa. "Somehow fresh here." She notes, while entering the actual
foyer and peels herself out of her coat and shoes. Sasuke too hangs up his coat
and puts his shoes aside, before letting out a sigh of relief. Finally home.

Suddenly the loud growl of Sakura’s stomach disturbs the silence of the house,
which makes Sasuke laugh out laud. "The food is coming soon." He then reassures
her and walks towards the stairs. Sakura quickly follows him with bright red
cheeks, to put on warmer clothes. On the upper steps she finally wants to push
past him, which he of course notices and laughs softly, wraps his arms around
her stomach and prevents her from running away. "Don’t move." He then whispers
softly next to her ear and presses her back closer against his chest. The two go
on laboriously. Just a few steps later his wife makes him stop in his doings and
stands on his feet. Just like little children standing on their parents' feet to
take their first, not their own, steps. "Okay, continue!” She then says with a
nod, which makes him laugh again. He cuddles himself even closer to her and then
slowly and carefully continues on his way, while carrying her on his feet and
into the bedroom. Sakura gets off his feet again when he has arrived and heads
straight for her closet.
 
Sasuke shakes his head with a slight smile and then pulls out his sweatpants,
shirt and sweater. They change clothes next to each other and when the
pink-haired girl tries to find one of her jogging sweatshirts, he simply puts
his over her head. She laughs and slips into it’s long sleeves, while he puts
on a sweatshirt too. Smiling, she then shakes her head and goes ahead, because
Sasuke is still changing his socks. Quietly humming, she walks back down the
stairs and goes on search for her smartphone, in order to sit down with it in
front of the television. It's relatively fresh, which is why she takes a look
around in order to see if they might have forgotten to close one of the windows
this morning.
 
"I'll make a fire." She suddenly hears her husband's voice behind herself, which
makes her look up. Her head nods once, before she decides to cuddle herself
deeper into the couch, from where she also has a direct view of the fireplace,
which he is now approaching. "Then let me go look if we forgot any windows open
somewhere.” She then suggests and shortly afterwards walks through all the
rooms, only to find out what she knows anyway. All windows are closed. Sighing,
she comes back into the living room and looks up when she hears the crackling of
a fire. “It's gotten pretty cold. I'll turn the heaters up as well." He
watches her walk back to the couch with a nod, before he himself walks
downstairs.
 
Just as the Uchiha is about to go back into the living room, the doorbell rings,
giving him the message that the food has finally arrived. He quickly fishes his
wallet out of his work bag and then opens the door for the delivery man, quickly
pays for the food and then takes the food from the man, before he closes the
door again and thus locks out the cold. The ringing of a cell phone catches his
attention, which causes him to pause briefly, before recognizing it as his
wife's and walking back towards the living room. "Hey, Ryosuke!" He hears his
wife answering the call. She hasn't talked to him for a long time and if only
because of the fundraising gala, that's why he decides to wait in the door and
allow her to be with her brother. "You want to take Honoka into the family?" He
hears his wife say, after a moment of talking, which perks his interest "Sure, I
always wanted to have a big sister!" A small grin pulls on his lips when he
hears her obvious teasing. "I know that you were trying to say that you want to
marry. I was just teasing you." She laughs, amused, before continuing to
investigate. “So it’s finally time, huh?” He notices how she suddenly
falls silent for a moment. “You want to propose to her. You mean something I
never got?” This sentence makes the black haired man look down.
 
Right. A proposal is something every woman wants, isn't it? And she never got
one, because she got engaged to him. They never had an official engagement
party. He couldn’t even at least put the ring on afterwards. They didn't meet
again until the wedding. But what if they had been put in an apartment together
right after the engagement? Would things be different now? "Sure I'll see what I
can arrange for you." Sakura's voice tears him out of his deep thoughts and back
to reality. "Okay, see you then.“ Only when he hears her say those words, he
dares to enter the living room again and sinks down on the couch next to her.
"Here." Handing her the food that is meant for her, he gives her a genuine
smile. "Thank you." He watches her as she takes the food box and on the table,
placing the chopsticks on top of it. She briefly disappears from the room, only
to come back with two glasses and a bottle of Sprite. “Ryosuke called. He
would like to propose to Honoka at my fundraising gala.” She then starts to
tell him about her phone call and pours some of the liquid into both glasses.
"Oh yeah?" He asks, surprised by the day and the place which his old friend
chose for it. Sakura nods slightly and leans back against the couch, while
opening her food box.
 
"In moments like this... Do you regret having agreed to the engagement?" His
question is hesitant, while he leans back right next to her and looks into her
face. “Sometimes for a moment, but in the end we can't change it and now, in
retrospect, it's also nonsensical. Besides…” She pauses for a moment. “If
i got a proposal, would i have gotten something like I have with you now? Would
I then also sit with my spouse in front of the television with an ordered
Chinese meal and at the same time in front of the fireplace? At some point, i
can’t even imagine anymore that it could have been someone else than you. I
can’t imagine someone else being my best friend for life. There is just you."
Sakura smiles gently at her husband, who looks at her with widened eyes. "I
think that it is as good as it is. They both will know what they are doing when
they get engaged. And we... i like how we are right now. Even if there is no
romantic love now, who cares?” Sasuke too smiles at her words, before he moves
closer to her and let’s her cuddle herself against his side. For a moment he
leans his cheek against her head again, while she puts her legs over his and
both divert their attention back to the television.
 
"How are things going for you at the moment? I mean, do you have less work to do
now that it’s Christmas season?” The Haruno asks after a while of silence,
as she puts her empty china box on the table. He in the other hand replies to
her with a soft hum, while taking a sip from his glass. “I’ve noticed that
you came home earlier than usual last week and that even almost regularly.”
Her eyes are fixed on her husband, who puts his glass down on the table and
returns her gaze. “No… it’s that…” He starts and then turns properly
to her, to take her hand in his. “We have hired someone who does a few tasks
for me so that I can go home earlier and so that the two of us can spend some
time together without me having to go back upstairs for work.” He smiles at
her amazed expression, watching her in silence for a while before deciding on
continuing to explain. "Today it took me longer again, because I had to train
the man and that's why a lot has piled up on my desk again. I try to do it like
my father did. He was always at home at 8pm and spend some time with us before
we went to sleep. Mum always said that he still worked, but she didn't mind. She
said it was enough for her that she could sit next to him while reading a book."
The corner of his lips pul up into a warm smile, while he brushes one of her
strands behind her ear. "The new employee takes some of my tasks off of me, but
not the most time consuming ones. If he did, I would be able to come home every
day at 5pm, instead of 7pm." He then continues, watching as she too starts to
smile. "You want to spend more time with me?" Sasuke nods and gives her a kiss
on her temple.
 
They turn back to the series they were currently watching, with her on his lap.
They sit there in silence, holding each other’s hand and sometimes even
unconsciously playing with each other’s fingers. Or in his case, playing with
her curls. “Was there something your parents did? As a kind of ritual, or
something like that?“ The Uchiha explores when the series is over and the adds
are running, watching as she lifts her gaze up at him with a melancholic smile.
"Do you remember when I danced with Ryosuke at the wedding?" She replies with a
question. “You mean like, when you started to cry?" He then asks a little
confused, which she responds to with a nod. It’s not like that was something
one could easily forget. Something that makes a woman cry at their wedding.
“My parents actually had something like a ritual. Whenever they heard a
certain song, they started dancing to it. It was the song I danced to with
Ryosuke." Sasuke nods in silence, before considering her words for a moment.
"Okay. Get up.“ He pats her thigh gently, watching as she follows his
instruction and gets up from his legs in confusion. He switches the television
to the radio and pulls her towards the open space in front of the fireplace,
which radiates nice warmth. "So. The next song will be the one, we will always
dance to from now on. Just like your parents always did.” He then explains his
plans to her as the current song slowly nears it’s end. Sakura smiles touched
and responds to him with a slight nod. But when the next song starts to play,
she can't help but burst out into laugher. "Okay, forget that. We'll take the
one after that.” Sasuke then says with an equally amused smile. The song that
is now playing is Numb from Linkin Park, which is not exactly romantic.

Smiling in amusement, Sakura looks at the television and simply enjoys standing
near her husband and the warm fireplace. Her husband's arm lays around her,
while his hand gently caresses her back up and down. A few minutes later the
song nears it’s end, making the couple listen carefully. "And now comes a song
for the couples in love among you." The moderator then announces happily. Sakura
looks up at her husband, who smiles slightly at her, as the first sounds of the
music set in. Soft piano sounds fill the room, the Uchiha gently takes her hand
and with the singer's voice they start to stand up blues. A small smile lies on
the Haruno’s lips, as she leans her head on his shoulder. She just finds it so
sweet of him that he always wants to do this for her now. There is also a smile
pulling on his lips as he leans his cheek on her forehead. He lets go of her
hand, which finds it’s place on his back, just as his is on her waist. Sakura
closes her eyes with relish and gently presses her forehead to his cheek. They
dance to the music in small, even movements. Turning a little bit with every
step.
 
The fire flickers in the fireplace and is the only source of light in the room,
since the television's radio has a black image. It cracks softly as the fire
digs deeper into the piece of wood. Sakura smiles sadly as she remembers her
parents' dances. She could cry, but the moment is so beautiful right now, she
doesn't want to destroy it with tears. She swallows lightly and then focuses
back on the regular beating of Sasuke's heart. Only now does she realize that
her husband’s hands have long since ceased to rest on her waist and have slid
lower. This fact turns her cheeks reddish, making her smile from shyness. Slowly
the song, I wanna grow old with you by Westlife, ends and is immediately
replaced by another music.
 
"I'm dreaming..." He lets out a hum at his own words and grabs his wife's right
hand again to hold it tight with his. He leans his cheek against hers and begins
to take bigger steps as he moves in a good mood to the music. Sakura has to
laugh, because he reminds her more of Naruto at that moment. "And a pirouette!"
He then exclaims and stretches his arm up. Giggling, his wife turns on her own
axis and falls back into his arms. "You can do better!" The Uchiha too laughs,
as she repeats the rotation. He pulls her to his side and puts his arm around
her waist, hugging her. With her he takes two small steps to the right, bends
slightly on the right and then does the same in the other direction. The Haruno
laughs again in a good mood and lets her husband pull her back into his arms.
They end up again in the standing blues and listen as the song ends. "Sakura?"
She hears him mumble after a while against her forehead, which she responds to
with a hum. Her eyes closed. “Do we have cookies?” She sighs inwardly at his
question. Actually, she doesn't want to let him go now and stay like this for a
little longer. "At least you haven't eaten those from the weekend." She mumbles
silently against his shoulder, trying to pull it out a little longer. “Will
you come with me?” He then asks briefly, which she just responds to by shaking
her head and letting go of him.
 
He immediately disappears towards the kitchen, where he opens all the cupboards
and looks around for his cookies. Another smile pulls on Sakura's lips. He's
always so cute when it comes to his cookies. In no time at all, the Uchiha
opened all the cabinet doors and drawers, only to close them again in
disappointment when he does not discover any cookies. He sighs in agony. His
wife is such a meanie for saying that there are still some, only for it to turn
out that she actually hid them away from him. He returns to her in the living
room and watches her decorating the room. “Do you really want to continue
decorating now?” He asks doubtfully. “At some point I have to finish that,
but another question. Shall we put up a Christmas tree?” Her green eyes fixate
the jewelry in her hand, as he shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know, after all
we're celebrating at my father's." Sasuke just ponders, watching as she turn
back to look at him. He pulls her into his arms with a smile, pressing her back
against his chest and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Sakura smiles slightly embarrassed and looks at the jewelry in her hand. Sasuke
averts his gaze from the blazing fire. "Sakura?" He murmurs softly next to her
ear, watching her stare at the jewelry with great interest. “Where are the
cookies?” He asks slightly pleading, which makes her laugh out softly and gets
out of his arms, to put the jewelry back in the box. When she leaves the room he
immediately follows her to the kitchen, but gets hold up by her, before he can
reach said door. “You wait here!” She smiles decisively and pushes him back
into the foyer next to the door, so that he cannot look at the cooking area of
the kitchen. He crosses his arms and hums softly as she enters the kitchen,
listening as she is opening the door to one of the cupboards and then rummages
around. "Here." He then hears her say as she places the package on the counter.
 
Sasuke slowly enters the kitchen and approaches the counter, briefly looks at
the packaging and then at his wife. "You are not a cupcake. You are a cookie
bear!" He then says with confidence, making her look around at him in confusion
and he has to smile when he sees the doubt written in her face. “My mother
used to have a cookie jar. It was a simple, white cookie jar held by a roaring
bear. She wanted to prevent me from eating cookies all the time." The black
haired man explains to his wife, who then starts to smile in amusement. So his
addiction is actually a thing of his childhood. "You're a cookie bear." He then
says with a grin, watching as his wife is backing off as if trying to flee from
him. "You are a bear." He continues, taking another step towards her. "A sweet
little bear." He smiles when he can see her back coming in contact with the
wall. His hand rests on her cheek and he bends down a little. "My little bear."
He breathes those words against her lips, emphasizing the my in his claim even
more, before kissing her gently. His thumb brushes her cheek as he hugs her with
his other arm and squeezes her close to his chest. Smiling, she returns her
husband's kiss and puts her arms around his neck.
 
"I have a suggestion for you." He then explains to her, as they break the kiss
again with a soft smooch. She looks up into his eyes with interest. "A movie."
He begins. "Cookies." His lips curl into a warm smile. "And cocoa." His wife
thinks about it briefly, before agreeing to it with a smile. He lets go of her
and takes the biscuits to carry them over to the living room, while she would
quickly cook a pot of cocoa for the booth of them and follows him back into the
living room. She sees him adding some more wood to the fireplace, as she enters
the room and puts the pot on the table. "And." The Uchiha then suddenly
continues his words from before, stepping behind her again as he puts his arms
around her, only to cuddle himself closer with a smile. "I won't let you go for
the rest of the evening."



                         Kapitel 32: Step 32 - Dreams
                         ----------------------------


Dreams are very important to us humans. They accompany us through our sleep and
through our lives. It is the wishes that we want to fulfill, our dreams that we
want to make reality. Dreams through the night usually show us beautiful
experiences that gives us a feeling of happiness or contentment inside of us and
make us sleep well. But some dreams make us sleep poorly, evoke feelings of fear
and often make us wake up in cold sweat. Those dreams which are called
nightmares. Our dreams at night mostly show us our wishes or fears, even in the
most bizarre dreams you can discover hidden messages from our consciousness and
sometimes they show us something from our past, which we still haven’t
processed.
 
The storm presses heavily against the windows of the houses, lashing the rain to
the ground, while lightning flashes, accompanied by a loud roar of thunder. The
heavy downpour leaves the sound of hailstones on the glass panes and due to the
amount of water trickling down the window panes, it gets hard for someone to see
the outside. The bright flashes of lightning light up the clouds and the dark
evening gets so bright, that for a second you can't see anything except white.
Some of the thunders even make the ground vibrate as if it were to be slight
earthquakes. A real storm, which is making the civilians outside take shelter at
a safe place. It is truly a thunderstorm that struck Tokyo and caused a lot of
chaos.
 
Only people who have been in their safe houses since the beginning of the
weather, are hardly worrying about it. The doorbell rings through the villa,
which makes the two young girls stop in their laugher. Ms. Yamanaka gives the
two girls a slight smile, as she comes out of the living room in order to answer
the door.
 
"Good evening Ms. Yamanaka." The woman gets greeted by a man, as soon as she
opens the door to look at the newcomers, while Sakura stands behind her and ties
her shoes in a good mood. The young girl had only talked to her parents a while
ago and therefore thought that they have already arrived to get her. "We are
looking for Sakura Haruno." Another man explains their sudden visit to the
Yamanaka’s, which makes the blond woman look at them with worry. “What is it
about?” The newcomers can see the confusion in her eyes as she asks them the
question, while the earlier mentioned girl steps next to her best friend's
mother with a smile. Only when she takes notice of the two men in police
uniforms, her smile slowly fades and makes way for the confusion. “Miss
Haruno?” One o the two men then asks as he looks at her. The pink haired girl
nods timidly in response, watching as the man smiles somewhat sadly at her.
"Miss Haruno. We came to inform you that your parents had a car accident."
 
A loud crack sounds as lightning brightens up the whole bedroom. As if the
lightning had hit her, the young Haruno wakes up with a loud gasp and sits
upright in bed in a matter of a second. Her eyes are widened with shock and fear
and her short pyjama drenched in cold sweat, as she stares into the darkness of
the bedroom. Confused, she looks around, searches around her bedroom for her
parents. Tears well up in her eyes as she realizes that all the years which have
passed ever since that day, wasn’t just a dream, but the painful reality. Her
parents are no longer with her. They have died 8 years ago. She shakes her head
to get rid of these thoughts an still tears run down her cheeks and drip onto
the blanket which she is clutching onto for dear life. Suppressing a whimper,
she squints her eyes and lowers her face towards the covers. They are gone, left
her and Ryosuke alone. Silent sobs escape her lips. She tries to suppresses the
sounds, but cannot prevent the tremor that is making her body shake.
 
But no matter how hard she tries, the tears and the sobs do not want to take an
end. Again and again whimpers escape her against her will, as the thunder roars
loudly  right above their house. She throws her blanket immediately aside and
walks towards the bathroom. She has to leave the room. Somewhere where no one
can hear her breaking apart.
 
The ground vibrates slightly as the loud roar of thunder sound through the night
once again. The Uchiha hums softly before opening his eyes just a tad and looks
into the darkness, before turning to his right side with a soft grumble and
reaching out his left arm to wrap it around his wife and pull her to his chest.
However, it stays at an attempt, as his hand comes in touch with an empty bed
sheet. His hand moves searchingly over it, but no matter what, he only feels the
already cold fabric. Confused, he lifts his head from his pillow and looks at
the half of the bed, in which his wife is supposed to be laying right now. But
all he can find is her side being empty and cold. He lets his gaze wander
through the room next and stops at the small, glowing crack underneath the
bathroom door. Rolling himself over to the other side of his mattress with a
confused frown, he too pulls his blanket aside now. It is the slight concern
inside of him, which animates him to get up and slowly walk towards the bathroom
door. Since the sheet is already cold, it means that Sakura must have been out
of bed for quite a while. Maybe she isn’t doing well and has upset her
stomach.
 
Tired, he rubs himself over his eyes and is about to knock on the bathroom door
in front of him, when something completely else catches his attention and makes
him pause in his attempt. Soft whimpers and sobs sound from the other side of
the door, which make him look at the wooden door in surprise. Suddenly he's much
more alert and carefully pushes down the handle of the bathroom door down to
peek inside. The light from the bathroom mirror illuminates the room, less than
the light from the ceiling would have done. His wife, however, sits crouched on
the floor, right in front of the bathtub. Her legs drawn to her upper body,
which she hugs close with her arms and her head resting on her knees. Her body
is shaking from all the sobs, which only get interrupted by some whimpers in
between.
 
Sasuke carefully approaches his wife to sit down right next to her. He gently
touches her shoulder, lets his hand move to her back and caresses it up and
down. "What is wrong?" His voice stays soft and careful, but when he doesn’t
get any reaction, he then pulls her between his legs and against his chest.
During the time of their marriage, he has never seen her cry like this. Not even
when his mother died. He hugs her tight to himself and leans his cheek against
her head, while rubbing her back soothingly. "I had talked to them on the phone
and then, not even much later, these police officers stood in front of the door
and said they had an accident!" The words leave her lips between all the sobs
and tears and he listens attentively to each of her words, while rubbing her
back more in circles. She wraps her arms around herself as if it would prevent
her body from falling apart.  

The police car hadn't even stopped completely, when she already jumped out of
the car and stormed into the emergency department. She was pushing herself past
the injured and past their family members. She could hear screaming. Screams and
cries of pain and desperation, while she just kept looking around in fear and
panic. Looked at each one, searching for her parents' faces, until she ended up
in front of one of those shock rooms, from where a doctor rushed out with a
bloodstained plastic gown and threw it into the trash can with a loud curse. He
hissed angrily and suddenly hit the wall in front of himself and when she looked
inside the room through a window, it felt like she was being choked. She
couldn’t breath and started screaming when she saw someone put her mother into
one of those black body bags. She started desperately screaming for her mother
like a mantra, pounding on the window and asking for her to open her eyes, while
one man looked at her pityingly and the other pulled the zipper over her
mother's head. A nurse came closer and kept telling her they are sorry. That
they couldn’t do anything for her any longer. He kept repeating that while she
just kept screaming. “No! No stop putting her inside that! She isn’t
death!” Only when she remembered her father, she let out a loud gasp and
looked around the place again. Her head wiped from left to right with whimpers
escaping her lips, before she turned back to the nurse and asked him where she
can find her father. Seconds later, she had been pulled away by him into another
direction, to which she let herself guided. She only looked up when the man
asked her if this is the person which she was searching for and stopped with her
in front of another shock room. And it was him. He was still alive at that time
and she ran to him, past all the nurses and doctors. She was sobbing, calling
out for him and dropped to her knees right next to his head and he was looking
back at her while the doctors hectically tried to treat his wounds. His gaze was
on her while she kept sobbing and tried to tell him what happened to her mother.
She tried, but the words just wouldn’t come over her lips and still he was
smiling. He was smiling before he closed his eyes and that bright and steady
tone replaced his heart beats. She had to watch as the doctors tried to
reanimate him quickly. She started screaming. Begged him to open his eyes, to
wake up and go back home with her. She told him this over and over again, but no
matter what, he didn’t wake up. She had to watch him die. She shouted
desperately into his face with all her might, tried to shake him, but one of the
nurses came up to her and pulled her to her feet. No matter how much she
screamed and tried to fight back, she still got pushed out of the room. She was
screaming through the window that he couldn't leave her alone. She had just lost
her mother, so how was she supposed to handle his death as well? “No! No! Let
me back inside!” She screamed again and again. The caretaker had to hold her
up and tried to make sure that she wouldn’t have fallen to the ground, but she
just pulled herself out of the nurses grasp and fell to the ground, where she
pulled her legs to her chest and started to rock herself back and forth between
whimpers and sobs. But no matter how many times she tried to wipe away her own
tears, they kept coming back anyway. Only when she could hear fast steps and a
person calling out to her, she dared to look up again and into the face of a
person, which is much familiar to her. Just as familiar as the voice that made
her look up in the first place. She saw Ino come up to her with fast steps,
together with said girls mother. “NO!” She screamed aloud again, held and
shook her head wildly, while they tried to take her into their arms to comfort
her.

Sasuke holds her in his arms gentle, but firmly, with the intention to calm her
down somehow, while she is reliving that most horrible evening in her entire
life, in her head all over again. She wriggles around, intent to defend herself
from his grasp, as she is confusing him with the caretaker from the hospital,
who had pulled her away from her father many years ago. “No! No! Mom! Dad!
No!” Sakura screams again and again, trapped too deep in her memories.
"Sakura!" The Uchiha says, carefully, to get his wife out of her memory. Her
heartbreaking sobs and the desperate screams which escape her lips, in
connection with this memory, slowly let the tears well up in him as well. It
hurts him to see her suffer like that. "Sakura!" He repeats, this time a bit
louder and more emphatically, while the first tears eat at his voice. Her
screams slowly fall silent and she stops fidgeting. Her eyes swollen red and
filled with tears, she looks around. Sobs shake her body as she looks up at him
and into his dark grey eyes, in which she can make out tears as well. He's about
to say something, but gets held up as she presses herself against his chest for
dear life and claws her fingers desperately into his shirt. “They died on me
just like that!” She sobs desperately. "I had just spoken to them on the phone
and then they just died like that!" She cries bitter tears, while he keeps
caressing her hair and hugging her tight. "I know." He whispers those words next
to her ear, while softly and carefully rocking her back and forth. “They only
strayed off the street because of this thunderstorm!” The pink haired woman
continues to sob as her tears soak his shirt. "Ssch. Everything will be fine.
You are not alone. I’m here." He whispers continuously into her ear, trying to
sooth her fears and her pain. "I am here." He repeats and continues to rock her
back and forth in his arms.
 
Her sobs are lessening over time, while Sasuke keeps making soothing noises and
rubs over her back in circles. after a long time, he then carefully lifts her up
on his arms and slowly gets up from the bathroom floor. Sakura holds tightly on
to his shirt as he carries her back into the bedroom and lays her down on the
bed. He lies down next to her, while covering the both of them with his own
blanket and pulls her back into his arms, just as he meant to do already before.
She presses herself against his chest as close as possible and removes her hands
from his shirt. Sasuke in the meantime start rubbing her back again, feeling her
cuddle up to him and trying to hide her face in the crook of his neck. He smiles
a few minutes later, when he takes notice of her calm breathing and closes his
own eyes again as well.
 
 

~> * <~

 
 
The storm that kept Tokyo busy during the night has finally withdrawn. A few
trees have fallen and lightning has struck several places. And yet this storm
brought something beautiful with it. Tiny white flakes are falling out from the
thick gray clouds and to the ground. The noise in the night, which sounded like
heavy rain, was actually a heavy hail shower, which then turned into heavy
snowfall and in the morning it was all over the city like a thick white
blanket.
 
The Haruno lets out a weary yawn and holds her hand in front of her mouth, while
rubbing her eye with the other. Her brunette colleague takes notice of this and
looks at her with concern. “Are you okay?” Sakura grumbles questioningly at
her collegue, before realizing what she actually meant. "Yeah. I just didn't
sleep so well last night." Natsuki nods in understanding, taking a little pity
on her. “You will soon have enough time for that. The holidays already start
the day after tomorrow!” Natsuki happily claps her hands. The work for the
last few days have been reduced to the smallest possible extent and so the two
of them are enjoying drinking some tea and listening to Christmas songs. "I
guess, we should slowly go then." Sakura then reminds her co-worker about the
meeting and stretches herself with a moan, before slipping back into her boots
which she had taken off during work. She just needed it as comfortable as
possible. "Yes." The Hondo smiles at her suggestion and goes up on her feet.
"Tell me, what have you two planned for the holidays?" Sakura lets out a sigh at
her question and walks toward the door with a big stretch. "Well, first of all,
we have all these important events, galas and so on. We'll celebrate Christmas
at Fugaku’s and then we'll go on vacation with Naruto and our other friends."
They slowly walk out of their office and make their way towards the large,
reserved meeting room. They already handed their model’s out to Kakashi in the
morning, who receives them and takes care that something like what Karin did
cannot happen again.

"And you and Takumi?" Sakura then explores and runs her fingers through her hair
to get it back in shape a little. “We will go to a hot spring over the
weekend, other than that we decided to go on some trips." Natsuki shrugs her
shoulders with smile. Sakura too smiles as the two enter the meeting room, which
has already been set up and many of their colleagues have already occupied the
seats. The tables were set up in a circle and each model stands on its own
table, to which the respective designer will then also stand. Her gaze moves
over the crowd and next to her designer colleagues, she can also discover a few
other people whom she doesn't know. Sasuke too is already on his place and
examines her with worry. A little tired, she smiles at him and is also
infinitely grateful to him for being there for her that night. The traces from
last night were still visible in the morning, but she was able to successfully
cover them with her make up. She can't think about resting. She still has way
too much to do until the weekend, before the company’s Christmas party will
takes place and then also the fundraising and Christmas gala. Too many occasions
on top of each other.
 
The door opens again and already by the sound of the heels, they all can tell
that it is Karin who has just entered the room and is now wobbling her way to
her model. As always, she is the last, because shortly afterwards Sasuke raises
his voice to open the meeting. “Good morning! I am pleased that everyone
managed to come for this meeting today, despite the weather chaos. As you know,
we want to present and rate everyone’s ideas today in order to find out which
product we will be launching in the upcoming year. I've invited a couple of
department heads to join us today and of course, the head of the finance
department too.” Sasuke points to the people on his left and then to Itachi,
who comes out from behind him with a smile and a polite nod as a form of
greeting. "Each of you now has the chance to briefly explain what your product
is supposed to represent and what your idea behind bringing your model into
shape, was." The youngest Uchiha then continues and looks at his wife, who
smiles slightly and looks from him to her brother in law. The older of the
Uchiha’s lets his gaze wander over all the models and grins when he sees that
of Sakura’s. “We will then rate the models all together. You can give each
model either 3, 2 or 1 point, which will be registered on the tablet in front of
the models. We will also take a look at each model and take our parts in rating
them.” Sasuke points once again to the other department heads and his
brother.

The designers present nod briefly to show him that they have understood, before
Sasuke turns to Kakashi, who calls out the first person to tell everyone their
idea behind their project. Everyone listens attentively to what their colleague
has to say and after a while, it is already her friend's turn. Kakashi prompts
the Hondo, which bows slightly. "My idea was a kind of robot, which should
animate the children with funny quotes. The purpose is to help the children
separating, for example, the garbage and, above all, to throw it in the garbage
can, so that the children can take off some work from their parents and have fun
at the same time." The brunette then explains, who has designed a kind of trash
can with a cookie monster-like figure. Murmurs go through the room until the
next person gets called out to explain their project. After a while Sakura too,
gets called out, watching as Kakashi smiles slightly at her, while the others
take a look at her model and begin to grin or smile in amusement. "I know, it's
a car." She grins slightly, at her own words. “I thought that the problem with
children and housekeeping is that, if you start vacuuming, you can't hear the
child anymore because of the noise. That's why my idea was a vacuum cleaner in
the shape of a car. The best thing about it is, that you can put children up to
a certain age, weight and size in the car and let them drive through the
apartment by remote control or automatic, like these vacuum robots. In this way
the child has fun and at the same time the mother can perhaps even relax. When
the child gets older, however, they can drive their own vacuum cleaner, like a
model car.” Again general murmurs fills the room, while Sasuke looks at his
wife in amazement.

Finally there is the Kaseguchi in the end of the row. Everyone can tell that she
hasn’t given the project any thoughts, because her model shows a feather
duster and her explanation is nothing more than that parents should give their
children one of these and just show them how it works. Sasuke snorts
disapprovingly at her words. He knew she wouldn't come up with any useful ideas,
so why did he even let her participate? It was just a waste of time and
materials. “Well then, we can start rating the models. Please start with the
model on your left and then go on in a circle!” The Uchiha then explains and
watches as the other department heads go to the circle of tables, line up
between the designers and inspect the models, before rating them. Sasuke has
also lined up in the end of the row and starts rating them one after the other.
 
Some time later, when everyone finally rated all models, Sasuke picks up his
tablet with a quite sigh, on which the results are listed and given names.
"Okay." He then says, as Itachi steps up next to him, looking at the tablet
together with him. With a slight smile, Sasuke pushes the tablet into his
brother's hand, showing him the winner, while a slight unrest breaks out among
the designers, as everyone talks to his neighbour about the results and points.
“The new product that will come onto market in the next year, will be the
product with 130 points, which belongs to Haruno Sakura.” The long haired
Uchiha announces the results in a good mood as those present start to clap.
Sakura looks completely baffled around the crowd and then at her husband. The
number of points is not really surprising with almost 40 employees and the other
department heads present. She just didn’t expect that it would be her vacuum
cleaner that would win. Thankfully she smiles at the group, who is genuinely
happy for her.
 
"Well, then. We will sit down with the technology department and others
immediately after the holidays, to send the product to production and market it
as quickly as possible.” Sasuke then explains, while looking at his wife with
a proud smile, who nods almost shyly. "Thank you all for your participation and
your ideas and enjoy the upcoming holidays." With these words he closes the
meeting and after a short moment, the designers pour out of the conference room
with their models in hand, in order to move to their offices and do the last bit
of work they have.
 
Sasuke also slowly goes back to his office, where he turns to his secretary.
"Could you please tell my wife to come to the office?" The woman looks up at him
for a moment and then nods before he disappears into his office. He's worried
about Sakura. She also doesn't look particularly fit and well rested. It doesn't
surprise him either, after the breakdown she had that night. He doesn't know
what it was that suddenly, in the middle of the night, caught her in this memory
again. He even wanted to postpone the meeting again to let her sleep at home for
the day, but she didn't want to. He also knows that she can't just take a nap
after work like him, because there is still a lot to do before the fundraising
gala takes place. At the moment she spends a lot of time in the orphanage with
the children, but she doesn't want to tell him exactly what she's doing. And in
the evening it is now she, who sits with the laptop at home and works way until
late. It wasn't actually planned for things to turn out that way, when he hired
himself the new employee to give up some of his work, but thankfully he knows
too that things will turn back to normal right after the fundraising gala.
 
He lets out a sigh, not really liking the idea of letting her drive around alone
when she has hardly slept the previous night. He had only reluctantly agreed
that she would drive to work on her own. Slowly he looks up from his screen,
which he was staring at while he was lost in thoughts. He is also tired because
of this eventful night and actually didn’t expect that such a tragic story was
leaning behind all this. But at least he can understand now why Sakura was so
weird when they drove home from their second date. He just can't believe that
she really experienced something like this and, despite everything, developed
into this lovable and wonderful woman. For that she is to be admired. He admires
her for that.
 
There is a brief knock on his door, which makes him blink for a moment. "Come
in." he looks back at his screen, in order to at least pretend that he is
working, until the door opens quietly and makes him look up again. A gentle
smile pulls on the corner of his lips, when he can see his wife enter. "You
wanted to see me?" She explores after closing the door behind herself and
walking towards his desk. "I wanted to know how you are." He shakes his head,
while correcting her statement and watches her as she raises one of her
eyebrows. "Couldn't you have asked that over the phone?" She asks, the confusion
written in her face. "You look pretty exhausted." The Uchiha smiles
sympathetically at his own statement, instead of answering her question and
turns to the side with open arms. "Come here." Silently, she complies with his
instructions and approaches him, letting him pull her onto his lap and places
her legs over his right armrest. “You really don't want to go home after
work?” She can hear the worry in his voice and starts shaking her head with a
sigh. "I can't. I still have a few things to do for the gala." He smiles
crookedly when he can see her rest her head on his chest to cuddle herself into
is arms. "Do you want to rest a little then?" Sasuke points to the couch in the
right corner of the office, listening in to her soft laugh. "No, thanks. No need
for that." It’s her mumbling that make him stay sceptical, about to ask her if
she’s sure about that. However, he stops in his attempt when he hears her hum
slightly.
 
An amused chuckle escapes his lips as he puts his arm protectively around her
waist. Her calm breathing shows him that she has already fallen asleep, making
him carefully pick up the office phone receiver. "Ayame. Please don’t let
through any phone calls for the time being, except for my father and Itachi.
Apart from these two, nobody is allowed to come to me and please make sure that
it stays quiet outside." He says quietly into the phone and after hearing a
sound of approval from his secretary, he hangs up again. With a soft sigh he
puts the receiver back in it’s place and then looks down at his wife again.
She is such a good hearted person. It is painful to lose one's parents and he
knows exactly how it feels to have to watch them die. But he can't and doesn't
want to imagine how bad it must have been for Sakura, when she had to watch her
parents get packed up in those black bags, soon after she had had a normal phone
call with them. It all happened so suddenly, like being hit by a truck. Even if
he was there too when his mother died and it was hard to watch, it is still
different, than when you watch doctors frantically treat critical wounds, trying
to stop the flow of blood and trying to electrocute the person in front of your
very eyes. All only to watch how they take their very last breath. She hasn’t
really told him the details, but he could put 2 and 2 together through her gasps
and pleads. She was brought to the hospital by the police men and had to see all
those thing which everyone gets to see at the emergency.

The sudden vibration of his smartphone makes him startle out of his thoughts. He
picks it up in surprise and looks at the screen before answering it. "Hey
Ryosuke." He greets his brother in law silently. His cheek resting on his
wife’s forehead. "Hello Sasuke." He hears the voice of the brunette man. "What
gives me the honor?" Sasuke then starts the conversation with the question, with
which he is always greeted by everyone, which makes the older Haruno laugh. “
I just wanted to ask how Sakura is doing. The storm last night was pretty bad
and reminded me of how our parents died.“ Ryosuke then finally answers, the
worry visible in his voice. "She's pretty tired because she couldn’t get
enough sleep." Sasuke smiles slightly, hearing his brother in law hum on the
other side of the line. "But, is everything else okay?” The Haruno then
continues to explore. "Yes. And, Ryosuke?" He utters after a brief moment of
silence, before getting another hum in return. A sigh leaves his lips, lowering
his face with a sad look. “What happened back then? What kind of accident was
that?“
 
He can hear his old friend sigh too, but just a little louder. “That evening
lightning has struck a tree, which fell onto the road. My father dodged the
tree, but ended up driving into a pothole on the side of the road. The car came
off the road and fell down the steep slope. The car flipped over several times,
hit the driver's side against a tree and only came to a halt when it crashed
into another tree with the passenger side. That’s at least what i got told.”
The brunette man reports the accident with quiet and broken words and Sasuke
can’t stop himself from swallowing at the information and pulls his sleeping
wife closer to himself. "Sakura told me last night what she saw back then. Or
rather, gasped her memories out, as if she was reliving the past all over again.
I thought she was going to have a panick attack." A shaky sigh leaves Sasuke’s
lips at his memories of the last night. All the screams, all the gasps and sobs.
It’s all still sitting deep in his bones and makes him shiver slightly.
“What happened back then?” His brother in law asks him immediately. It
seems, that she really has never even told her brother about the details she saw
and it makes Sasuke understand how much she has learned to trust him in just
this 6 months. He never thought that they would get this far. At least he
didn’t expect for it to happen this fast, since she could never even talk to
her own brother about it and instead just left him all in the dark for so many
years. “You know how she is when it comes to this topic. All i can really tell
you is…“ The Uchiha takes a deep breath, feeling his wife cuddling herself
closer to him. "You are lucky that despite everything, she is still this good
natured, gracious and loving woman."



                         Kapitel 33: Step 33 - Appeal
                         ----------------------------


There are two kinds of attractions. Physical and emotional attraction.
Attraction is a strange magnetism that makes you unable to think straight, but
this kind of magnetism mostly doesn’t last long. The thing is, people often
mistake attraction for love and misunderstand love for attraction. Who says that
it's love at first sight clearly never heard of attraction before. You might be
attracted to a person but it does not necessarily mean that you are in love with
them. Attraction can happen any time of the day, while love is something that
takes time to grow. To put it simply, love does entail attraction, but
attraction can exist without love. You can simply say you're attracted to
someone because of their beauty, talents and or personality, but love goes
beyond that. Love doesn’t need a reason. But hey, attraction is a step towards
love too. It takes time to fall in love, yes, but the more you open your heart
to the possibility, the greater chance it is for you to make it grow to
something more meaningful than just a plain lure of your carnal instincts.



Music echoes from the speakers through the hall, mingling with the many voices
of the people present. Many are having conversations with other colleagues,
while a few are on the dance floor dancing. There are also some standing outside
on the snow-covered balcony to smoke. "Yeah, yeah. We have never had this much
snow at any of our company’s past Christmas parties.” Fugaku is sipping on
his drink, while taking a look through the crowds. As it is usually the case
with company celebrations, he is either with his family, or with the board of
directors and the department heads. "Well, it makes the whole atmosphere even
more Christmas-like." Misuki smiles and looks around too, searching for a
certain person. "Sasuke, where did you hide Sakura anyway?" The oldest Uchiha
turns to his younger son, watching him sigh with a slight shrug. "I don't know
either. I haven’t seen her ever since we handed in our coats. It seems to me
as if she’s making a complete secret of her dress.” He too starts to look
around the place in silence, searching the crowds for his wife’s pink hair.
 
"Wow." It suddenly leaves Fugaku’s lips, his eyes fixated past his youngest
son. Sasuke turns around in surprise at his reaction, as does his big brother
and sister in law. Everyone's attention is focused on the Haruno, which is
approaching them in her white evening dress with a smile on her lips. "Hey." She
greets her relatives in a good mood, coming to a halt right next to Sasuke, whom
she then gently pulls down by his arm, to give him a kiss on his cheek. "Sakura,
your dress is a dream!" Misuki immediately compliments her with a wide smile.
Said woman looks around at her sister in law too and lets out a slight laugh.
“Thank you, Misuki. Yours is also beautiful!" Sakura looks once more over her
in the pink dress, which also slightly covers up her growing belly.

"You look so beautiful again today." Sasuke has leaned himself slightly towards
her, whispering those words into her ears, which makes makes her blush. "Well,
Sakura, I heard that you are the one who designed the product which we will be
marketing in the new year." Fugaku then diverts her attention to himself, making
the said woman smile in slight embarrassment. “Well... Yes, it seems to be
like that.” She scratches the back of her head, watching her father in law
giving her an earnest smile. “Tell me and Misuki about the product.” The
oldest Uchiha then demands with interest, looking at said woman and then back at
Sakura, who nods in understanding. “Well, i thought that for those who have a
baby, it would be hard to vacuum clean the house and take care of the baby in
the crawling space at the same time. So that's why I thought that a vacuum
cleaner in form of a car would be nice. It can be used with remote control or
per steering wheel too.” Fugaku smiles proudly at her explained product, while
Misuki seems quite impressed. 
 
"Where have you been for the last hour and a half?" Itachi then interjects after
a moment of silence, since the pink haired woman has not been with them ever
since she arrived to the party together with her husband. "Because, unlike you,
I have actually other friends here." She pretends to be cocky while making her
statement into the round, which makes her husband snort in amusement. Her head
wipes around at the sound, grinning just as amused. "It is true after all. I
have definitely more friends than you and the department heads don't count.”
She slightly hits her husband with her elbow against his ribcage, watching how
he touches the place with surprise, before he too looks at her and suddenly he
feels this deep desire to kiss her again. He's buzzing inside, because they are
still keeping their relationship about being husband and wife, a secret as much
as possible in the company. All because she doesn’t want people to think that
she got her job because of her marrying the creative department’s boss and
because of that red haired woman, who would give her even less rest than she
already does. Itachi laughs amused at her statement to her husband. “And how
many friends do you have in the company?” His wife then turns to her laughing
brother in law with a wide grin, which makes him fall silent again. Sasuke has
to chuckle at that. "Definitely less than I do." He has fun, watching his big
brother clicking his tongue and look almost offended away from them. “I wonder
how your child will be, if they are like this. Do you already know when it’s
time?” Sakura then redirects the topic with a sigh, which he sister in law
responds to with a nod. "In April." Misuki smiles and caresses her
5-month-belly. "So there is a high chance for it to be an Aries like me,
that’s nice! But the bad thing is that I'll be an year older by then." The
pinkette lets out a soft and annoyed grumble at her own note, making her husband
look down at her in confusion. "What's so bad about it?" She shakes her head
with a sigh, while slightly gesticulating with her hands. “You see, I'll be 24
years old by then.” his wife lets out another grumble, but when she sees him
still as confused as before, she turns towards him with a pout. "It means that i
will be an years closer to 30!" Her words elicits an amused laugh from all of
their relatives, which makes her pout even more.

only when Sasuke takes notice of red hair, he lets out a grumble. "Over there is
the Kaseguchi." Everyone falls silent at his words, the laugher in the round
completely dying out in an instant. "Well then, i'll go over to her now and let
her know. Itachi.“ Fugaku looks at his older son, to make him come as well.
"I'll come with you too." Sasuke then says and walks with them away, leaving the
two women behind. "What does he want to inform her about?" Misuki looks at her
sister in law in astonishment, who just shrugs her shoulders with a smile. "She
thought it would be cool to play the center of attention again and destroyed my
model one day before the deadline. I had to work overtime because of that, so
they decided they would pay me with her loan." A slight laugh escapes her lips
at her own explanation and takes a look around for one of the waiters, which are
walking around with various drinks on their serving trays. When one of them
finally walks past her, she immediately takes an iced tea from his tray and
hands it to her sister in law, who gratefully accepts it.
 
Sasuke turns his attention to the front again and ends his brief look over his
shoulder at the Uchiha women, even if his name hasn’t left either of their
lips. The three men slowly come to a stop in front of the redhead, who of course
has chosen a totally inappropriate dress for the evening. Fortunately, she's not
invited to the Christmas gala or the fundraising gala, because the dress would
be a total scandal and would put the Uchiha name into a bad light. Extremely
short and tight, as well as revealing. It’s like she came to a club, or even a
brothel. She just doesn’t know where the limits are and it pisses him off so
much. He really would love to badmouth her, saying what she is in his eyes, but
by any means, he doesn’t want to degrade himself to her level. "Ms.
Kaseguchi." Fugaku raises his firm and serious voice and it’s a miracle that
she doesn’t even flinch at all. "Yes?” The woman immediately turns to the
three men with a suggestive smile, making the youngest of the three men cringe a
little. The eldest of the Uchiha’s clears his throat briefly before continuing
with a stern look. "Feel informed, that the overtime worked by Ms. Haruno will
be deducted from your loan." He then announces with another piercing look.
It’s obvious that none of them could stand her and her behaviour in the
slightest, but she’s just too stupid to see it. Or rather, she just shuts her
eyes, because she doesn’t want to see it. "I hope, this won't happen a second
time.” He only adds with a bitter tone in his voice, before they turn around
again and leave a stunned redhead behind. She can only see Sasuke’s
disparaging look, while he too turns around to walk back to his wife. She only
lets out a loud hiss, before the sound of her heels come up on the floor with
loud and fast sounds, as she tramples her way towards one of the bars.
 
"Wow, someone will have to drink herself wasted now." Misuki shakes her head at
the sight, when the men have arrived back at the two women again. Confused,
everyone looks into the direction in which she is looking and discover the
Kaseguchi standing at the bar, furiously cursing and screeching around. Sasuke
just shrugs his shoulders and then puts his hand on the waist of his wife to
pull her closer. It’s her own fault. He can’t stress enough how lucky that
woman is, that Sakura just won’t let him kick her out and report her to the
police already. He would have done so with pleasure and he can’t deny that
internally he’s just wishing that he could finally give her the third warning,
so that they all can finally get rid of her for good. Not only is she behaving
poorly, by bullying and harming his employees, no. She’s also harming the
Uchiha name and the whole company with her behaviour and clothing style, putting
them more and more in a bad light. That woman doesn’t even want to understand
that such occasions aren’t founded to get drunk until wasted, which makes
Sakura’s ’she wouldn’t have pushed me overboard if she wasn’t drunk”
excuse invalid too. That woman disgust him more and more with each day. She has
been stressing his nerves long enough and he just finally wants his peace for
damned sake. "How about Naruto and Hinata?" His father’s question pulls him
out of his annoyed thoughts and back into reality, animating him to shrug his
shoulders. "I'm not sure. At least they're here together today.” Itachi takes
a look around the place at his words, but doesn’t seem to find them. "And
where?"
 
Everyone else too now looks through the place, from the bar to the dancing crowd
and through the seated employees. "Maybe they went to one of the other rooms."
Misuki remarks thoughtfully after a while of silence. “They're out on the
balcony.” The pinkette finally discovers her friends standing outside and
looking at the huge garden in the back. "They seem pretty close, actually." The
oldest Uchiha then remarks, while they all watch the couple who are talking to
each other. They can see how a smile creeps on Naruto's face, before he leans
slightly over to the Hyuga for a kiss. "What is that exactly supposed to mean
now?" Itachi asks through the round in surprise of the sudden scene unfolding on
the balcony, which is probably the main thing floating around in each of their
heads. However everyone is too astonished and surprised to even register his
question. Neither of them had expected to see this happen so suddenly. Sakura is
the first to slowly wake up from her trance, her lips pulling up into a slight
smile. "I guess, we will learn it in a moment." She walks towards the balcony,
watching as the Hyuga looks after the blond male walk back inside.
 
after a while and when she’s sure that Naruto is gone, she approaches her
friend with a smile. "Hey, Hinata." Surprised, said woman look up at Sakura,
watching as she throws up her arms with a smile. "Tell me something I don't know
yet!" The Haruno demands with a happy smile, which startles and confuses the
blue haired woman. “What do you mean?” The question makes Sakura shake her
head with a laugh. "Come on, Hinata! I saw you two kissing!" She explains to her
friend. "So?" Hinata suddenly turns all red and looks embarrassed at the floor.
Her shyness is showing itself again after a long time and it makes the Haruno
smile with relief. It seems that her friend hasn’t changed after all. "Does
that mean that you two are a couple now?" She then asks the question that has
occupied the Uchiha’s minds. However, due to her friend's sudden shyness, she
can figure out the answer by herself. Actually, Hinata doesn’t even get up the
courage to say it out, ending up just nodding in silence. Just as Sakura is
about to say something about it, to express her congratulations, she sees the
blonde come back. "Speaking of the devil.“ The pinkette lets out a slight
amused laugh, looking at her husband's best friend.
 
He looks at her in confusion and stops right next to the two women. “What?”
He explores, perplexed. "Nothing. Congratulation you two! " She smiles slightly,
whereupon the Uzumaki turns red as well and looks to the side. "Then i won’t
bother you two lovebirds any longer." She then announces with a nod and turns
around to quickly leave back to her husband and relatives. She smiles softly as
she comes to a stop at her husband’s side, giggling at their expectant looks.
"Well, are they a couple now?" Itachi persists to finally get the news, watching
as she nods with a smile. A small grin settles on Sasuke's lips at her
confirmation. So he finally manned up, huh? “So, whom does that make the
winner of the bet now?” His father ask through the round, to get everyone’s
attention.

"You all bet on us?" A stunned voice sounds from behind the youngest Uchiha,
which animates the group to look around to the person in surprise. Naruto and
Hinata are standing there together. Holding hands. The blonde stares at them all
in disbelief, while Hinata seems to find the floor quite more interesting.
"Yes." Sasuke answers shortly, before he turns back to his family. "Itachi was
completely wrong, what had you bet on again?" The youngest Uchiha then asks and
turns to his brother, completely ignoring his friend behind him. “Half a
year.” The older brother answers with a chuckle, which obviously isn’t to
Naruto’s liking, since he immediately makes his complaint. “I said that he
would take until January. Dad, what did you say again? 2 months, right?“
Sasuke continues the conversation, completely undeterred. "Exactly." Fugaku nods
in agreement, watching as his youngest son turns to his wife now. "Sakura and
yours was closest to Christmas." The addressed woman looks up and smiles back at
him. "I said that he would take until the end of the year, actually." She then
corrects him, watching as he shakes his head. "No, you said Christmas." The
Haruno can’t stop herself from smiling at his attitude, shaking her head as
well. "It was the end of the year, Sasuke." "Christmas." Sasuke lets out a
slight grumble and leans closer to her. Actually, he doesn’t care about when.
He already knows that she’s right. He just seriously wants to kiss her here
and now. “It doesn’t matter. You two were the closest and so you both
won.” Fugaku has to smile at the two, who are now looking back at him. "But
what about you? You said two months and that’s right!" Sakura then interjects,
trying to suppress a grin. The plan behind all this had solely been to piss
Naruto off anyway. They never really took this serious. "Yes, that was October
4th, so my deadline was December 5th and the end of the year is nearer."

"I still can't believe that you all bet on us!" Naruto intervenes and pushes
himself a little closer to them into the circle. The oldest Uchiha laughs out
loud at his grumbling. “It was clear from the start that there was something
between the two of you. Everyone could already see it at the wedding.” Sakura,
who is still standing close to her husband, nods at her father i law’s words.
"Actually, after you carelessly jumped over each other while you were drunk,
instead of just dating and learning to know each other, i had thought for a
while that it just had been attraction. But when you finally decided to man up
and date her, i was confident in you again." Itachi too nods in agreement, only
for Naruto to raise one of his eyebrows. “There’s no difference in being in
love and attracted.” A groan of disbelief goes through the group, while Sasuke
shakes his head with a snort. “It’s obviously not the same, idiot. Are you
really the one who had already countless dates in the past? Oh wait, they never
lasted more than 3 months for a reason. Idiot." The Uzumaki watches in complete
disbelief, how his best friend diverts his attention back to his family. Only
Sakura lets out a giggle and gives him a pat on the shoulder. “Well, you
better do it better with Hinata.” The blond man turns to her, just as baffled,
watching how they turn all back to the conversation from before. “Well? What
do the winners get?” Itachi looks at his father’s dark brown eyes
questioningly, which he inherited from him. Said man looks around, just as the
younger couple. “Wasn’t this just a joke bet anyway?” Sakura seems
surprised, since she didn’t really expect them to really take the bet so
serious. Fugaku laughs at her question, with a shake of his head. "Ever since
you two married you had no vacation together yet, so the outcome of this bet is
just an excuse. So i think we could pay your next vacation." Itachi laughs in
amusement at his fathers suggestion. "Yes we'll do that. That will probably
never happen anyway, with that workaholic over there!" He sound so enthusiastic
while looking at his little brother, who glares slightly back at him.
“Actually, Sasuke was the one who suggested to me a few months ago to go on a
vacation and therefore we already made plans to go on winter vacation with or
friends on the 25th.” Sakura smiles innocently at her brother in law, whom’s
facial features derail at her confession. Sasuke in the other hand smirks
satisfied at his big brother, while the rest of the group starts laughing in
amusement.
 
"Misuki, do you want to go on search with me to find Natsuki?" Sakura then
suggests after a few minutes, when the men have changed the topic and are now in
a deep conversation. "Of course." The brunette woman nods with a smile, eager to
see the Hondo again too. "Come on, Hinata. Let’s go together." The Haruno
smiles at her blue haired friend and together they go on a search and leave the
men behind. Meanwhile some time has passed and the night has begun, a buffet has
been set up for the hungry people, which is already looted by some by some. The
bartenders are also very busy and serving the guests.
 
Sakura and Misuki look around searchingly for the Hondo, while Hinata, who
doesn't know the brunette yet, simply follows them in silence and instead looks
around the large hall. “Is that her over there?” The brunette woman raises
her voice after walking around for a few minutes and points to a young woman in
a blue dress. "Yes." The pinkette confirms her sister in law’s suspicion with
a nod, before they head towards the single woman. "Hey Natsuki, why are you
standing around here by yourself?" She immediately greets her colleague and
friend, who looks back at her with a smile. "I just wanted to look at the snowy
landscape a bit.” After her statement, she turns her head and takes notice of
Itachi’s wife too now. "Hello Misuki, it has been a while." She then also
greets the Uchiha, before she takes notice of her stomach with wide eyes.
"Congratulations!" Misuki laughs slightly at her reaction, giving her her honest
thanks. “I want to introduce you to my school friend Hinata. Hinata, this is
Natsuki, friend, colleague and constant support in the fight against Karin.”
Hinata smiles shyly at her and is about to say hello, however, gets interrupted
immediately. "Oh my God! You were the wedding planner for Sakura’s wedding!”
Natsuki suddenly exclaims in awe, eliciting a laugh from the married women of
the group.
 
"And you are the lucky one who can see how Sakura makes this Kaseguchi woman
livid with rage." The Hyuga replies with a smile as the two briefly shake hands.
Natsuki gives a short laugh at the Hyuga’s note. "Yes and it makes the day
more beautiful every time." She says afterwards and smiles with satisfaction.
Seeing that woman dig herself her own grave is just too hilarious and
satisfying. "Karin seems to be famous already." The brunette co-worker then
continues with a chuckle. "When it comes to scoring an own goal, then yes." The
Hyuga nods and all four start laughing again. "Sakura once said you made a video
of it." Hinata then explains, perking Sakura’s memories. "Ah right! You still
have to send me that, so that I can show it to all my friends too.“ The
pinkette then reminds her collegue thoughtfully, while taking out her
smartphone. "Of course!" The Hondo immediately agrees and also takes out her
phone to send her the video immediately.
 
"Sorry. Can I borrow my girlfriend?” A man's voice sounds behind them, making
the women look up at him. "Of course. You can keep her too. But you better
behave, young man!" Sakura winks at Usui, who laughs slightly in response and
puts an arm around Natsuki to lead her away. "Huh. How time flies.“ The Haruno
let’s out a sigh as she watches the two leave. Misuki too sighs, approving to
her sister in law’s statement.

"I can't believe that Ino and Kiba haven't spoken to each other for two weeks
now, though!" The Haruno turns to Hinata, who turns back at her with a nod. "Ino
and Kiba?", Misuki explores confused, glancing back and forth between the two.
“My first bridesmaid at the wedding, who gave the post-Naruto speech, and her
best friend. I don't think you had much to do with them.” The Haruno explains
to her sister in law briefly, getting a nod in response. “What has happened
that they haven't talked to each other?” The Uchiha then decides to inform
herself further. Sakura in the other hand starts to think about how best to
explain thinks to her and holds up her pointer finger. "Well... do you know Neji
and Tenten?" She asks after a moment. "Do you mean the couple with whom Sasuke
is friends?" The blue eyed woman let’s out a thoughtful hum, making Sakura
laugh with a shake of her head. "Yes, but they are not a couple." Misuki looks
at the two in confusion, before putting a finger on her lips with another hum.
"But they look like one." “And it's the same with Ino and Kiba. When you see
them, you know that there is more between them than friendship, but they don't
want to admit that. The thing is, while Neji and Tenten keep staying together
like velcro’s in denial, Ino and Kiba keep being jealousy’s in denial." The
brunette woman giggles slightly at Sakura’s explanation, and shakes her head
in amusement. “You’re seriously telling me that they are denying each other,
but get jealous when the other get’s a new date?” 
 
“Yeah...but lately it has kind of gotten worse. Kiba recently got a new one,
but she dumped him because she saw that he’s actually into Ino and he blamed
the outcome all on Ino. Recently, however, Ino spent the whole evening talking
to an old friend of ours, whom we haven't seen in years and Kiba freaked out.”
Sakura let’s out a tired sigh, feeling how the Uchiha pats her back in
comfort. "I understand, that must be hard to handle." Misuki obviously tries to
cheer her up, intent on changing the topic to lighten the mood.
 
An amused laugh makes the dark grey eye’d man look up and turn around. His
wife, accompanied by her friend and sister in law, are all walking back towards
the group. He silently looks away from the three women and instead takes a look
around the huge room. They rented a large and old castle-like building for the
company’s Christmas party. The whole lower floor is available for the
celebration. Several large halls are lined up and offer a wide variety of
things, such as a balcony, a dance floor and a bar. "Hey." Itachi smiles happily
at his wife and holds out his hand, puts it on Misuki's back and kisses her
gently as she comes to a stop next to him. Sasuke too looks at his wife, quite
expectant, but she only looks up at him with a shake of her head. "No, not
today. Karin is always around." She then whispers to him with a smile, making
him understand that they could be seen. However, it only makes him frown. He
can’t stand how that woman keeps stalking him and his wife literally all the
damn time and gives them no breather. If this keeps up, he fears to be unable to
withhold his temper much longer. No matter what the topic, somehow that woman is
always part of it and it’s so unbelievably frustrating. "She's confused that
she’s never able to meet your wife." A small grin steals itself on his lips at
her words and suddenly his mood is back up again. That woman is seriously so
stupid for her own good. He can’t believe that she still hasn’t understood
anything, even though she even keeps reading those magazines. Only when it comes
to teaching that woman a lesson, he always likes to play along with his wife’s
games. Those revenging games of Sakura are the only thing that makes the Karin
topic enjoyable.
 
“Aren’t we going to get something to eat too already? I’m starving.” It
suddenly comes from Naruto, which is typical of him. "Sure." Fugaku nods in
agreement, before the group starts moving to look for a free table and
immediately occupy it. Everyone chooses their place, as Naruto is already
storming off to get himself enough of the food. A little ashamed, Hinata shakes
her head at her now boyfriend’s behaviour and slowly starts follows him.
Itachi and Misuki also go out to fill the pregnant woman's stomach. The youngest
Uchiha just looks around the room in silence. Some of the employees have already
sat down at the tables and are eating. In the meantime it has gotten late and
the night has long since set in.
 
A little later the Uzumaki comes back with a fully loaded plate and takes his
place on his seat with a wide smile. With a smile, Sakura looks up at her
husband, after seeing his best friend like that. "We should slowly get up and
get ourselves something too, otherwise Naruto will finish the whole buffet on
his own." Sasuke has to snorts in amusement at his wife’s remark and gets up
as well now, since that can really be possible with his best friend after all.
"Hey!" The mentioned man complains again, however, just gets ignored by his best
friend, who gets up together with his wife and father, walking with them towards
the buffet. Sasuke examines all the food for a moment, before he takes a plate
and puts some of the food on it. At about the same time, Fugaku and Sakura
already go back to the table, while having a conversation. "Is there something
to eat at your party too, Sakura?" Naruto explores immediately, while cutting
off a large piece of hi meat. "No. My celebration is also a gala and apart from
small finger food there won't be anything edible. The goal is to collect
donations and not to feed the guests. Besides, it will take place at a time when
you should have eaten a long time ago." The questioned woman shakes her head
with a smile and sits down on the chair.
 
A while later they all are sated, sitting next to each other in quiet company
and listen to the band's music. “How are you, Fugaku?” Sakura’s voice
suddenly breaks the silence between the group, getting Sasuke to focus on his
father's face. "It's okay... Thank you for always caring about me, Sakura. But
I'll be fine.” He smiles just as thankfully at her and pats her hand lightly.

For a moment, Sasuke wonders if maybe his mother chose Sakura for him as well.
As if she knew that she would care about his father too? Of course it has not
escaped his attention, how Sakura keeps being so worried for his father every
time they have such an event. After all, his mother was always his companion in
all occasions, but now she is no longer here and he is all alone. He is slowly
starting to understand his mother’s wish. He already started to understand
through his own marriage with Sakura, little by little, but now that he sees his
father so lonely and alone, it dawns on him even more. She knew she would die
someday and she just didn’t want him to end up all lonely, like his father had
to. To his surprise, Sakura starts speaking out his thoughts, making him startle
out of his thoughts again. "And how are you doing alone in that big house? After
all, Sasuke and Itachi don't live with you any more.” His father laughs softly
at her question and for a moment he smiles rather sadly. "I'm not really alone,
I do have my housekeeper. But it has gotten pretty quiet." Sasuke opens his lips
to say something, however, Itachi is faster, cutting him off in his attempt. "If
it's too quiet, bring Naruto over to you for an hour, then you'll need another
two months of vacation!" His brother laughs in amusement, while Naruto just
pouts.
 
The dark grey eyed man in the other hand lowers his gaze sadly. He knows exactly
what his father means with that. Silence was a foreign word for his mother. She
kept singing around or played some CDs which filled the house with songs. And he
also knows that his father wouldn’t put on any CD’s, because it would just
make everything worse. It would make him remember her even more if he did that
and end up making him feel even more lonely. Sasuke understands that. He gets up
in silence and practically flees to the balcony door with fast steps and lets
his hands sink deep into his trouser pockets. It has never been so quiet as on
Christmas Eve, in the quiet night. Sasuke swallows hard, while opening the
balcony door to step out onto the empty and with snow covered balcony. And now
every night has turned into a quiet night for his father. His eyes are directed
up into the starry sky. It was clear to him from the start that everything would
be different with the death of his mother and that many things would suddenly no
longer be as joyful. But every time it is Sakura who reminds him, that the death
of his mother not only hit him hard, but also what his father lost. The door
behind him opens quietly. Somewhat startled, he turns around and looks into his
wife’s emerald eyes. He can see her eyes laying on him with concern. "Are you
okay?" She then asks, carefully, and he takes another deep breath before smiling
slightly and nodding. "Aren't you cold?" He then replies, equally questioning
and immediately pulls her into his arms to give her warmth.
 
"Shall we stay out here for a moment?" She keeps asking quietly, while her hand
moves up and down his back. His eyes slowly close and he lets out a sigh. How
can she read him like that as if he is an open book? While others don’t
understand him even the slightest? Reluctantly, Sasuke nods and pulls her closer
to himself. Why do these moments always surprise him? She always worries about
his father, but when she asks such questions, it is always him who reacts to it.
He can’t laugh it off like his father manages to do. He is just adamant to
keep his pain a secret in order not to burden everyone else. Everyone has their
own loads to cary and he has his. Sasuke just enjoys her presence in silence and
is even grateful to her for it. He understands now that this is what his mother
meant at that time. She knew that it would be so difficult and that Sakura would
understand and be there for him.
 
The cool air slowly fills his lungs as he takes in a deep breath and slowly lets
his troubled mind find calm. "Let's go back in, otherwise you'll freeze to death
here." He finally murmurs, which she agrees to with a smile. She is shivering
and goose bumps have long since spread over her body. Together they reenter the
hall, where they are met with warmth, that immediately eats itself deep into
their bones and all of a sudden, neither of them feels cold anymore. "Let me go
warm up my hands, before i end up shock freezing someone when they take my
hand." A slight giggle leaves her lips, before heading for the ladies' room to
wash her hands with warm water, while Sasuke just looks after her in silence.
"Are you okay?" Itachi steps up next to him and looks at him questioningly.
"Yes." The younger one nods, still looking into the direction which his wife
left to. "She just got a little cold." With these words he leaves his brother
standing and walks away. Of course he knows that Itachi's question was related
to him, but he can handle it. There is no need to worry about him.
 
With a glass for his wife in hand, the Uchiha goes in the direction of the
toilets, from which his wife is already coming towards him. "Here, for you." He
smiles softly and hands her the drink. Sakura smiles slightly, thankfully taking
the glass to take a sip from it. He watches her with a smile, before turning his
attention to a movement in the corner of his right eye. He takes notice of his
brother, who is standing with the board of directors and gestures him to join
the conversation. "Excuse me for a moment." Sasuke then apologies to his wife
and immediately leaves her alone.
 
A little surprised, she looks after him before turning around and slowly walking
through the hall to look for Misuki. Not even a minute later, she can hear loud
heel sounds quickly approaching her, as if an elephant was intent to run her
over. If she had to guess, she would be assuming that it is Karin wobbling
towards her in order to complain again. Sakura looks around searchingly, the
glass raised to her face with her left hand and her right hand placed in the
crook of her left elbow.
 
“Haruno!” The hissing voice of the Kaseguchi immediately rings in her ears,
making her laugh slightly. "100 points for Sakura Haruno!" The pinkette turns
around, grinning right into her face. “What?” The woman already starts
growling at her as she comes to a stop right in front of her. "Nothing. What do
you want?” Sakura just shrugs indifferently at the woman’s hisses and looks
closely at her. She can't even stand properly on these shoes, maybe she's just
too drunk to stand properly and without wobbling, since the shoes aren’t even
that high for a change. "What is this crap about your overtime being paid from
my loan?? I can't help it that you haven't finished in time!" The redhead again
hisses angrily at her, which elicits a laugh from the Haruno. "You’re
seriously asking me that after destroying my work half a day before the
deadline? Stop bitching around because you cut your own flesh. That’s for your
own stupidity, bimbo." Sakura replies to her with an amused giggle, while
putting her glass on the tray from a waiter who is walking past her. Karin
snorts furiously at her, visibly distraught at being in a disadvantage. “And
what was that earlier? Why were you alone on the balcony with Mr. Uchiha?? Stop
feeling so important! You-” The woman then continues, while Sakura just
watches her in boredom.
 
Lately she has given up listening to Karin’s complains. In the past few days
she has even gone over her schedule for the afternoon in her head instead. She
doesn't care much about what that woman says or thinks of her. Over time, the
bored watching becomes more and more difficult, especially because she sees a
few beads of sweat on the forehead of the redhead, which arise because she talks
herself into a rage. And what she says is so pointless. It is exactly this
chatter that makes a friend knock you down so you can regain your senses. This
is exactly what the Kaseguchi now seems to need. Even if they are not friends,
she does not want to deny her that.

The sound of a slap can be heard, which makes the redhead fall silent. Stunned,
she holds her cheek and looks at the pinkette, who had just slapped her right in
the face. "I think you just needed that to come down." Sakura smiles innocently,
which infuriates the Kaseguchi only more and you can see that she is about to
start talking again. "And now, excuse me, I'd better leave before I get a rash."
The Haruno continues to smile innocently and scratches her forearm lightly.
“What is that supposed to mean again??” Karin snaps at her angrily, not even
noticing how she has drawn everyone's attention to herself. "I have a bitch
allergy." Sakura explains with a cute smile and walks away. She can hear Karin
stamping furiously, before trampling away. Probably to drink ten more glasses of
whatever. She has to suppress a laugh at that. That woman is such a victim of
her own self. Suddenly the Haruno’s hand is grabbed by another, before she
gets pulled away. Surprised, she looks up and at Sasuke, who pulls her with him.
“It just doesn't work that way!” The black haired man growls a little
angrily, while he pulls her through a door. Confused, she looks at him and
follows him up the stairs to a darkened floor. "What exactly do you mean?" He
hears his wife ask, while pulling her further into a room, lets go of her hand
and closes the door.

"You are so unfair! You can't just keep making yourself so beautiful all the
time, prance around in front of me, do that kind of scene with Karin and still
have the audacity to kiss-deprive me all evening!" He growls at her
reproachfully and runs both of his hands a little angrily through his black
hair. His wife laughs amused. “What?” He lets out a soft sigh at her
question and takes a step towards her. She can see his pupils dilated and his
breath restless, before he cups her cheeks and in the next second, pulls her
into a deep kiss. She returns the kiss with a slight moan, with her hands
resting on his chest. The Uchiha smiles into the kiss and presses her even
closer to himself. He would love to bury her into one of those beds around and
kiss her for the rest of the evening or even the night. He just can’t with
her. She’s seriously driving him crazy.
 
For a moment they release the kiss to replace it with another passionate kiss.
His lips eagerly meet hers. This is something neither of them can deny. The
attraction between the two of them has already been immense for quite a while
now, but lately it has gotten even stronger. Sakura wraps her arms around his
neck with another moan, feeling how his hands are moving down and lower, until
she feels him gently groping her bum. Sakura gently releases the kiss with a
moaned gasp, and stares into his dilated pupils with a slight blush. “Who said
anything about the whole evening? All i asked you was during the celebration.“
She grins at him with reddened cheeks, making him let out a slight growl, before
she greedily closes her lips with his again. He pushes her back to trap her, not
intending on letting her go for the next half an hour. His wife releases the
kiss with a surprised gasp, when she bumps into something behind her and hears
something shake. Sasuke also pauses until the sound stops, breathing shakily for
air, against her already slight puffy lips. "You should maybe wipe your lips. It
could be that you have some of my lipstick on you." She lets out a slight giggle
and lets go of him to go back downstairs. He quickly wipes his lips with a soft
hum, before following her back to the guests. There goes his plan of having her
to himself a little longer. But if he can not have that, he will get himself
something else. So he pinches her bum with a slight grin, which makes her squeak
in surprise and him chuckle with satisfaction. Yeah, she’s his and that
won’t change. He won’t let anyone change that.



                          Kapitel 34: Step 34 - Push
                          --------------------------


Sometimes we get stuck in a situation, it may be because we are simply too
stubborn to admit something, or have been following a path for a long time and
just don't dare to turn off and walk a new one. Often we don't even see what the
problem is and just need a little push into the right direction. Or we are the
ones who see that someone is stuck on their way and so we decide to be the ones
to give them this helping push into the right direction. The bizarre about this
thing is that sometimes we really only need a little push in order to be able to
solve or face our problems.
 


Thick flakes are falling from the sky which are covering Tokyo with a thick
layer of snow. The winter of this year came early and quite strong and seems to
be one of the snowiest that has ever happened. The young Haruno is leaning
herself against the kitchen counter, while looking out at the falling snow and
puts her steaming cup down. She has to smile at the feeling of two strong arms
being wrapped around her stomach and a manly chest pressing against her back.
“Do you think that things will turn out well today?” Sasuke’s head is
resting on her shoulder for a while now, as he slowly begins to nibble on her
chin. "I hope so. Otherwise they don't even need to come to the fundraising gala
or on vacation with us. I definitely won’t let them come like that and destroy
everything with their ridiculous fights." The pinkette lets out a soft sigh and
leans herself further back into her husband's arms. She has already thought of
numerous ways to make those two make up again. "Maybe I'll lock them into our
sauna, or take their car keys and jackets from them and lock them out.” She is
seriously considering these two options, which makes the Uchiha raise one of his
perfect eyebrows. “Did I bring you the wrong chocolate figure on December 6th?
I think the devil form would have been better than the Santa one." Sasuke has to
laugh lightly into her ear, before too looking out into the winter landscape of
their garden.
 
“Those two won’t ruin my Christmas. I won’t let them. Not after all these
years, when I'm finally looking a little forward to it again.” Even though
Sakura is just whispering, he does actually hear and understand every single
word she says, which catches his attention. “What do you mean?” He hasn’t
expected her to say such a thing. Not after she has been the one who decorated
the whole house like that. Even the guest rooms are decorated with Christmas
decorations and even now Christmas music is playing  through the whole house,
which makes it seem to him as if it had been his mother who decorated the house.
The whole time his wife has looked so pleased and happy, as if she loved
Christmas, so why is she saying now that she hasn't been looking forward to it
for years? He can hear a slight sigh leave her lips, her temple coming to a rest
against his chin. "Well, last year my brother had the brilliant idea to get me
engaged to an idiot, right before Christmas." Sakura begins to tell, which makes
him growl and tickle her side as a punishment.
 
"No, to be honest," Her voice stays silent and her eyes narrow in slight pain,
which animates him to stop in his tickling again. "For me there has been no
reason to celebrate Christmas. I was living all on my own, had no reason to
prepare anything for Christmas except the presents and still I kept baking
cookies and decorating my apartment from top to bottom. I just wanted to have
again what I loved so much about Christmas in my childhood. Actually, it’s not
really the Christmas that i was always looking forward to. It’s just the
things that i had been able to do when they were still with us. Everything that
I’ve lost and couldn’t experience again because of it. The snowball fights
with Ryosuke, tobogganing with my father, baking cookies with my mother,
shopping with my parents. I always tried my best to decorate the place and felt
transported back to the time when everything was still okay and then, when
everything was done...” His wife pauses for a moment to swallow, before a lump
could be forming in her throat. “When i was done decorating, I realized again
what I had lost. That I'm alone and it always gave me the feeling to just tear
the whole decoration down again. Christmas was reduced to the one day for me
where I first exchange gifts with my friends and then go to Ryosuke and his
girlfriend for dinner, just to let them show me again that I am all alone and
unhappy, while he is not. I loved Christmas, or rather spending time with my
loved ones and have fun, but since the death of my parents it turned into
torture." She falls silent, staring out of the windows some more, before turning
to her husband.
 
She looks at him with a sad glint in her eyes and he could feel it too. As if
her pain is flooding inside him. “But that’s not the case any longer. I'm
not alone anymore, because I have you." She smiles gently at him and he too
smiles and hugs her tight to himself. “It’s so incredible how you achieved
such a thing in such a short time. Despite having friends and my brother, i felt
so lonely, but now I don't feel alone at all. I feel comfortable and secure with
you." Sasuke smiles with his eyes closed, as she whispers those words into in
his ear. It makes him feel all strange again, his nose dipping into her hair so
that he can take a deep breath of her addicting scent. "That feeling of yours,
it’s based on mutuality." His lips press on her forehead, while he feels his
wife turning around in his arms and looks back into the garden of her villa. She
is glad that he feels the same as her and cuddles up to him with relish, his
lips finding their way back to her chin, which he starts nibbling on again. She
giggles at this, feeling how he kisses her chin, up to her cheek and near her
ear. "Are these withdrawal symptoms, because you couldn’t kiss and give me
hickeys for more than a month now, or is this the aftermath of yesterday?” She
sounds rather amused, but he doesn’t let himself bother by it and keeps giving
her kisses down her neck. He even pulls her sweater a bit down, so that he has
more access to kiss her shoulder.

When he kidnapped her the previous night and kissed her in that dark room, it
had been quite late already. A few hours after that, the Haruno was overcome
with so much tiredness that Sasuke decided to dive her home. He himself had been
quite tired as well, actually, but he had insisted on kissing her a little more,
before they went to sleep and ever since they woke up today, he has been using
every possible minute to somehow kiss her. You'd think that's been some time,
but actually it isn't. They only woke up close before noon, then the boys signed
in for fitness training for the afternoon and Sakura invited the girls over to
watch some Christmas movies together in the evening.

Sakura is really enjoying the fact that she’s being caressed by him like that
with countless kisses and leans slightly to the left, in order to create more
space for him on her neck. "Or did the slap which I gave that bimbo the previous
night, just awaken your desire?" She then explores further with a slight
thoughtful hum, which makes him smile in amusement. This woman sure got some
imaginations there. Her hand moves to the back of his head, where she starts
fondling and playing with the short hair on his neck. The gesture elicits a hum
of satisfaction, deep from his throat, his eyes closing while he keeps enjoying
her caresses. "Will you be able to bear without it now when the boys come for
training, or do I have to sit down with you?" She then asks with a soft hum of
hers, which makes him stop in his doings for a moment. "You just want to see me
covered in sweat." A slight chuckle escapes him, his lips forming into a wide
smirk, before turning back to kissing her all over her skin again. The young
Haruno sighs playfully and starts to fan herself with her free hand. “Oh yes.
That would be super hot!” But her giggle turns into an surprised squeak, when
she feels his teeth bitting lightly into the soft skin on her neck, before
giving the same spot feather light kisses. Surprised by his bite attack, Sakura
looks around at him in disbelief. The corners of his lips jerking up in slight
amusement, as he is already turning her completely around. His hands find their
place on her bum, so that he can pull her closer to make her straddle him. His
breath goes erratic, while he keeps pressing her as close as possible against
him and breathes against her lips. He can’t deny that he’s become addicted
to her warmth and scent, that he wants her as close as often as possible. And
with each day this feeling gets stronger and stronger. A slight giggle escapes
her pink lips, while his lips hungrily press against hers, animating her to put
her arms around his neck. 
 
They are so deep into their make out session, that only the sudden ringing of
the doorbell makes them both startle out of their deep kiss. Their eyes are
still locked with each other’s, as they heavily breath for air, their lips
still parted and dangerously close. A soft growl of dissatisfaction escapes his
throat, when the bell rings a second time and forces him to let go of her. "Just
when things are getting so good." Another sigh escapes his lips at the sight of
his wife. He had finally gotten her this far again, only for his friends to ruin
the mood completely. So before they would end up ringing the bell a third time
and therefore make him send them all back out of annoyance, he quickly lets go
of his wife to open the door. She can’t stop herself from giggling at his
pouty behaviour and follows him into the foyer to greet her friends as well.
"Hey guys." The Uchiha greets his friends with a slight grumble, who have
appeared to have come as a group. A quick look at the outside shows the married
couple, that the men all came with Neji’s car, which then greet the couple
back happily as they enter the warm house. The Uchiha quickly closes the door
behind the last of the three and then goes back to stand next to his wife. The
newcomers slip out of their shoes and jackets, their faces brimming with
motivation for training. "You know where to go." Sasuke turns around at his
wife, when the Hyuga, Naruto and Kiba are already going down the stairs and into
the basement in order to change into their sports clothes. "See you later." He
gives her one last peck on her lips, before going down the stairs to the
basement as well. Sakura in the other hand returns to the kitchen with a slight
blush on her cheeks. Her female friends won’t come until one and a half hours
after the men, so she had still time for other things until they would arrive as
well.
 
Sakura sits down on one of the bar stools and looks back out of the window. When
it's this cold outside, she automatically starts dressing herself warmer at home
too, although it wouldn't be necessary because of the heaters. But it's just her
natural instinct that animates her to dress warmer on such days. Sasuke does the
same anyway. A soft sigh escapes her slight puffy lips, which she touches with
the tip of her fingers. She can’t deny that the kiss kind of overwhelmed her
as well. She expected the men to notice it and tease her and Sasuke for it, but
it seems that they were just too happy to work out in the basement, as to notice
anything around themselves. Well, in the end she doesn’t mind. They don’t
need to notice everything in the first place. She just hopes everything will go
well today with all her friends present. All she had planned for today was to
sit down with her friends in her home cinema and watch some of the most popular
Christmas movies. Maybe they could drink a warm cocoa to it and just relax.
After all, all her friends aren’t only invited to her fundraising gala on the
next day, but also to the Christmas gala on the following day and to vacation.
All of her friends will be present at both events. She knows that Ino would
behave and won’t start things, but she's not so sure about Kiba at all. His
accusations and jealousy attacks are just the worst. He only needs to make eye
contact with the Yamanaka and he already explodes on her. Of course she would
have liked for him to come too, but with this growing problem it’s just
impossible. He would seriously be just as troublesome as that red haired woman.
She’s just too glad that the Kaseguchi won’t be present at either of the
upcoming events. That woman is too much of an embarrassment with that
nonexistent manners. Normally Kiba would be coming with Ino, however, they don't
even talk to each other anymore and if they do, they just keep badmouthing and
hissing at each other. The pinkette sighs in agony. One thing is clear. If those
two won’t make up by today evening, they won’t be allowed to come to the
gala’s and neither will they be allowed to come with her on vacation! At this
point, no one will disagree with her. If by today no miracles happen. 

The ringing of the doorbell makes her startle out of her deep thoughts, before
she gets up quickly and goes to the front door, so that her guests don't have to
wait too long in the cold. "Hey!" She is happy to see her friends, watching as
they enter the house to flee from the extreme cold. "Hi." Ino squeals happily
and comes up to her best fiend to give her a hug. The other two give her a quick
hug as well, before everyone gets out of their street clothes. “I'm glad that
you’ve come. I hope the afternoon will be relaxing and leisurely." Sakura
smiles at the two of them while she hangs their jackets on the cloakroom and
leads her friends into the kitchen. The brunette woman looks at Sakura a little
confused, which makes her look at the Yamanaka and watches her as she goes to
the bathroom to wash her hands. “Kiba and the others are downstairs in the
training room. I also thought of not letting them come with us on vacation, if
they won’t make up by the end of the day. I really don’t want Kiba to
destroy everything, while Sasuke made such an effort on planning this
vacation.”
 
The two women nod in understanding and watch Sakura go up to the kitchen’s
cupboards. “Anyway, what do you think of Cocoa for our movie session?“ The
pinkette explores with a smile, which they agree to with a nod of their own.
"Sounds good to me." Ino too now comes into the kitchen with a smile on her lips
and looks at her best friend standing in front of the stove to warm up the milk
and prepare a pot for the cocoa. “Isn't that Neji's car outside?” The
Yamanaka then inquires immediately, which makes the other women briefly look at
each other. "Yes. The boys are here to work out a little.“ The pinkette
answers to her truthfully, which makes the blond frown immediately. "Does that
mean, that the asshole is here too?"
 
"Oh, yes. Hinata. How far did you and Naruto go last night?" Sakura immediately
changes the subject and looks at the Hyuga, to close the previous topic and her
best friend seems to immediately bite the bait. “What do you mean?” Ino
accepts the change of topic and sees it as fine, because she just doesn’t want
to think of that man at all. She came here to have a movie session with her
friends, not an argument with that ass. Hinata turns all red at their questions,
which makes Sakura laugh. “You don't know yet, do you? They've been a couple
since last night!” Tenten looks at her best friend’s cousin with surprise,
while Ino lets out a gasp. "No!" With a shy nod, Hinata just assures them, that
their host is actually right.
 


~ > * < ~



“Neji, if you want, you can come up with me and blow dry your hair." Sasuke
looks at his long haired friend, knowing that it is a hassle to go out in such
weather with long and wet hair. The men had jumped into the pool, after working
out in the training room for two hours straight. The Hyuga nods gratefully at
the host in response, while Naruto just bursts out into laugher and is looked at
in confusion by everyone. "You blow dry your hair?" The blond man explores in
disbelief and Kiba chuckles too. "Looks at you laughing like an idiot, while you
don't even know how good that actually feels. Especially, when a pretty young
lady is sitting on you while blow drying your hair for you." Sasuke looks at his
friend with a grin on his lips, before he walks towards the door of the room
together with the Hyuga and goes upstairs to his bedroom. “Sakura is blow
drying your hair?" The long haired man behind him starts to explore, which
Sasuke replies to with a shrug of his shoulders and opens the door to his
bedroom. "Yeah, on our first date we got caught up in the rain."
 
"So this is the room where you both make love." Neji notes and looks around
briefly, which makes the Uchiha growl and push him to the bathroom door. “I
told you countless of times that we haven’t done that and that you should stop
fooling around!” With another growl, he then walks closer to his wardrobe to
swap his wet boxer shorts for a dry one and to put on something more
comfortable. After a while he can hear the hairdryer in the bathroom go silent,
before his friend comes back out of said place. "I'll be right behind you."
Sasuke watches him leaves the room to go downstairs again, before walking to the
bathroom himself to blow dry his own hair as well. Although, he would much
rather have Sakura do that for him again.
 
A few minutes later he goes back down to the basement, where he meets his
friends in the training room. "What else did you do?" The Uzumaki immediately
inquires with interest, while he hands him the wet clothes. "Blow drying my
hair. Obviously.” Sasuke grins confidently at his blond friend, taking the wet
clothes to put them into the dryer.



~ > * < ~



"Hey Sakura, can we watch the Karin video while we are already here? I’ve
gotten really curious after hearing about it yesterday." Hinata looks at Sakura
with interest, as the credits of the movie are rolling. “Of course. Let me
just go and ask Sasuke if he wants to see it too." The others immediately get up
with her and follow her, which makes the host look back at them in confusion.
"Why do you all get up too?" Ino pouts at her question a little embarrassed.
"Well, if the boys are training right now..." Sakura has to laugh at that and
shake her head, before they leave the home cinema and head out into the party
room. The men come up to them in dry clothes just at the same time, which makes
the host bit her lower lip at her brunette friend’s reaction, as soon as he
takes notice of his supposedly best friend. He’s going to explode again. "What
are you doing here?" The Inuzuka immediately exclaims as expected and everyone
can tell that he is not very happy about her presence. Ino just hisses back at
him and builds herself up in front of him, which looks quite funny since he's
actually half a head taller than her. “You sure ask some stupid questions.
I’m friends with Sakura since eternity, while you know her only through me. So
you are the last person to question my presence in this house. Get out of
here!” A little pissed off, Kiba kneels a bit down in order to be at eye level
with her, before glaring right into her eyes. “Make me.” The words leave his
lips in a growl, which makes Tenten cough slightly into her hand. “Cat war.”
However, the bickering couple doesn't seem to have heard her at all.
 
Sasuke looks questioningly at his wife, since both Ino and Kiba have been
friends with her, much longer than they have with him. "At least they are
talking to each other again." She shrugs her shoulders with a slight sigh,
suddenly gaining both of their attention. “We aren’t!” The Yamanaka hissed
at her. "I agree for once! Talking to Ino is impossible!” The Inuzuka exclaims
his complaint in a förmlich of a grunt, which makes the blonde turn back to him
to give him her opinion. “I’m not the one who started all this bullshit! I
can’t do anything for her ditching you! And i was even so idiotic to be
sincerely concerned for you, asshole!” Sakura lets out another sigh. This
willl seriously escalate again, if she won’t get in between the two right now,
so she puts her hand between them, like a barrier. “Okay, you two. This is
enough. You both will talk to each other properly and clarify things right now,
before you did that you are not allowed to go back in with us to the home
cinema! In short, you either make up now, or never talk to each other again. If
you decide to choose the second, you don't need to come to the fundraising gala
tomorrow, or even think about going on vacation with us. I don’t need you to
destroy everything with your ridiculous bickering!” The Haruno looks seriously
at her friends, which look back at her in complete disbelief. "Are you crazy??"
The Yamanaka yells at her immediately, watching as she shrugs her shoulders in
response. "You are the only crazy ones here right now. Crazy as in madly in
love, but too stuck up and stubborn to accept it.“
 
"Actually, we just came out because we wanted to ask you guys if you would like
to watch some movies with us." Sakura simply ignores the two and looks at her
husband, who smiles crookedly at her. "We were just about to join you, actually.
But what do we do with those two?" His dark grey eyes move over his wife’s
features and points with his head at the two trouble makers of the group, which
makes her sigh resignedly. "I'll take care of it myself." Sasuke’s eyes grow
wide for a moment, intent to stop her from her crazy plans. "No Sakura, no sauna
and no garden either." But he wouldn’t have expected what his wife was really
planing. With a simple push, she pushes the Yamanaka against the Inuzuka, which
end in her lips crashing against his. "Done. And now, be quiet." The Haruno just
simply claps her hands as if dusting her hands for doing a great job, before she
turns around and goes with the others into the cinema room and closes the door
behind herself. Everyone else just looks at her, too stunned to say anything.
 
"Do you think that will work?" Sasuke explores after a moment of silence and
lets himself fall onto one of the seats in the front row. "I don’t care. You
already know what the consequences are. it’s up to them to decide.“ With a
shrug of her shoulders, she then takes a seat next to her husband, who puts an
arm around her shoulders to pull her a bit closer and give her a kiss on the
head. "We decided to watch the Karin video, which Natsuki finally send to me the
other day." The pinkette then announces with a grin and switches on the video
because. She had already transferred sid video to her video folder on the
television that morning, so that she can have access to it here at any time.
"But we need popcorn for that!" Naruto quickly stops her from starting the
video, which Sasuke immediately responds to with a laugh and gets up to prepare
the snack. After a few minutes he then gives his friends enough of the popcorn
and Sakura leans back into her seat and presses the play button with a smile,
only to get interrupted by the opening of the door.

The sound of the door animates the pinkette to immediately presses the pause
button once again, as everyone turns excitedly back at the two standing in the
door. "Is everything okay now?" The brunette woman immediately explores with
interest, which Ino nods to in response. "Yeah. Thank you Sakura. We probably
needed that strictness of yours." Kiba smiles at the pink haired host, who
smiles back just as glad. "Well then, sit down. We were just about to start the
video!" The Haruno grins at them in amusement and neither of them lets her tell
them twice, immediately taking a seat in the front row next to Neji and Tenten.
Sakura smiles satisfied and presses the play button once again, to finally start
the video that everyone was so curious about.

They hear Natsuki say something while they realize that the video was shot on
the ship months ago. Misuki can also be seen on the screen.

"Well, well, look who we have here." It suddenly sounds from another direction,
before the camera gets turned towards a red haired woman in a way too
inappropriate dress. "Karin, don't you have any friends on the ship that you can
annoy? Are you really that poor?" Sakura is shown quite bored when she is asking
the question and watches as the Kaseguchi immediately reacts completely offended
to it. "What does that concern you? And whom are you even dragging around with
you?“ The Kaseguchi immediately asks a counter question and looks at Misuki
with arrogance and even a little disgusted. "I don't know what it's got to do
with you, but this is Uchiha Misuki. The wife of Itachi Uchiha, which makes her
the sister in law of Sasuke." As soon as Sakura introduces her sister in law
gleefully, the Kaseguchi immediately turns pale and looks around briefly.
“Speaking of which. Since you are so good friends with Mr. Uchiha, where is
his oh so great wife and why doesn't she walk around with her, instead of
spending her time with a looser like you.” The redhead gets back to her
arrogant mood and points to Misuki with a nod. “Sasuke's wife is already here.
She's talking to a colleague. Oh, yeah, you don't even know that yet, do you?
She has been working for the Uchiha Corporation for some time now and is often
visiting Sasuke in his office. Oh damn! I wasn’t allowed to say that!“ The
Haruno exclaims with a laugh, only to slap her hand over her mouth and look
around a little scared.

"Well then, thanks for the information. And by the way, cute outfit. Did you get
that in pretty too?” Karin grins arrogantly once again, while Sakura just
looks down at herself and then at her two friends with a smile. Her smile
eventually turns into a slight laugh, before she turns back to the Kaseguchi.
"Funny that you would say that. Forget the pretty, Sasuke actually thinks i'm
beautiful even, while he doesn’t even want to look int your direction. And
just as a little information, i think you took a wrong turn earlier. The brothel
was three blocks away.” Sakura winks at her at the end with another giggle,
while Karin immediately turns red out of fury and turns around in frustration.
"You're just jealous of me!" The red head screeches aloud, while stomping away,
which makes Sakura laugh aloud once again while she follows Karin with her eyes,
who is wearing a bright red dress with a black corsage lacing on the back and
which ends just below her bum. “Nice ass Karin! Is it actually real or are
they just cheep implants?" She then calls after her, which makes Misuki hold
herself onto the railing, while Sakura herself is careful not to spill anything
while laughing.
 
The video ends and the group bursts out into laugher as well, Naruto being
clearly the loudest, as he is almost falling off of his seat. “Awesome!” He
snorts, crackling in his seat. "That look of yours was literally the best!" The
Ama agrees to the blond man with a giggle. "Yes, Natsuki calls it my Karin
look." Sakura grins at her friends in amusement. “I have to remember that!”
The Yamanaka replies enthusiastically at her best friends explanation wich the
others agree to as well. Sasuke just chuckles silently, while pulling his wife
closer against his side. "No wonder that Karin is always so aggressive when you
look at her like that. That slap yesterday was the cherry on top" He presses his
lips on her temple with a smile, only for her to rest her head on his shoulder.
"Okay. Since we're having so much fun right now, does anyone want to watch Home
Alone or Lost In New York?” She then asks the group, which everyone
immediately happily agrees to, before she picks out the movie. The Uchiha
meanwhile folds up the armrest between her and his seat and pulls her onto his
lap, letting her cuddle up to him, while he makes himself comfortable and puts
his legs up. "Hey, I want to do that too!" The Uzumaki immediately starts to
complain. "Then fold up the armrest." Sasuke doesn’t even glance at him and
just watches as the film starts, while his wife puts the remote aside.
 
Actually, the pinkette is more laying on her husband than sitting on his lap,
but it doesn’t bother either of them. Her head is resting on his shoulder,
while his left arm is resting around her waist. Only her feet are hanging down
to the floor. Some time goes by, which passes in silence, except for the
laughter and soft chewing of popcorn. the young Haruno smiles and looks at the
wall where the movie gets projected by the projector. For a moment she takes a
look at her childhood friend, who is cuddling the Inuzuka and kisses him on the
cheek. At least they made up again, whether they are a couple is another topic
though. Sasuke in the other hand doesn’t take any notice of his wife’s looks
and gives her a kiss on her temple. Again and again he gently kisses the same
spot, until she finally decides to turn her eyes towards him after a few
minutes. His lips curl up in satisfaction, occupies her lips and pulls her
closer up to himself.



                          Kapitel 35: Step 35 - Maybe
                          ---------------------------


Maybe is a strong word. We generally do not attach great importance to this
word, but actually this maybe can mean much more. We use it as a synonym for
possibilities or to give estimates. But some sentences can be given a much
greater weight, a much greater meaning than one could ever suspect. This maybe
can sometimes bring something not so beautiful to light. Maybe this word can
trigger the end of a relationship. Maybe things could have been different or
worse even. And maybe things are actually good exactly the way they are now.
 


The music of the live band echoes through the hall, which is also filled with
many voices. The hall is reminiscent of the throne room of a castle, which are
known from disney movies. Many guests have already gathered here, laughing in a
good mood and talking to acquaintances and friends. Everyone is wearing the most
magnificent dresses. Short or long, simple or extravagant. The richest people
try to show off their outfits, while the waiters walk through between them, in
their simple black trousers and sleeveless vests, with a red tie over their
shirt and provide the guests with drinks. But also in front of the hall, in the
first foyer, the guests cavort on the red carpet, which is surrounded by
reporters and leads inside.
 
It looks like a perfect movie scene, inside the old castle the guests slowly
gather for the solemnity of the evening, while outside thick flakes are falling
from the clouds and the city's lanterns make the snow glisten brightly in the
dark night. A smile lies on the lips of the pinkette, the hostess of this
occasion. Her concentration is directed on the surroundings outside the hall,
but she redirects it and looks at her glass, in which she is slightly reflected
and discovers her husband, who is walking towards her with that charming smile
of his. "I know that this is like a dream out there for you, but you should
perhaps slowly step among your guests and greet them, after all, you are here to
get them to donate a good sum of money." His chest lightly touches her shoulder,
when he closes up to her to whisper those words into her ear. Sakura turns
around to him with a smile, touches one of her husband's cheeks and gets up on
her toes to reach up to him. Sasuke bends slightly down in response to her
silent plead and kisses her gently on the lips, even if only briefly. "And again
you have to be satisfied with this one kiss and with not being allowed to do so
again for the rest of the evening." She smiles and then takes his hand, which he
is extending towards her with a smile of his own. A soft chuckle escapes his
lips at her words, just to glance at her with conviction. "Don’t worry about
that, beautiful. I'll find enough chances and use them." The Uchiha lets his
finger run over her wedding ring. So often has he felt it on her hand through
their marriage and still he never really took notice of it until this very
moment.

After a moment of silence, he then lifts both of her hands up and lets his dark
grey eyes wander over her wedding ring. The five small diamonds, imbedded next
to each other in a row, sparkle towards him in its beauty and he looks at it
some more as it perfectly fits her beautiful hand. Only when she withdraws her
hands from him, he looks up again a bit startled. "Good evening. I'm really
happy that you attend to my invitation." Sakura has turned away from her husband
and smiles at an older couple with a slight bow. Sasuke too greets them
immediately and after a short conversation together with his wife, he then makes
his rounds with her through their other guests. Both of them meet some of the
most important personalities and of course, the entire upper class. After all,
it is the dream woman of Japan who has invited them to come and attent her gala.
Politicians, singers, actors, models and a lot of big company bosses have
already arrived and there will be more to come soon. Over time the hall fills up
more and more and the music is slowly pushed into the background by the mass and
volume of voices. But of course, the music is still loud enough for everyone to
understand it’s lyrics.
 
The young Haruno meets many familiar faces in the hall, as she and her husband
keep walking through the crowd of guests, some of whom she had meet at their
wedding, or even spoke to them briefly. Whereby she mostly knows the company
bosses. Of course, she also knows the singers, actors and models. After all,
they all belong to the high society of Tokyo, just like herself. She just simply
never got the chance to meet them in person before. Sasuke next to her also
seems to know many of these people, which doesn’t surprise her at all. On one
hand he always has to meet with business partners and on the other hand he has
been regularly at such events ever since he was young.

“The dress is really a dream, ms. Uchiha. It really looks so beautiful on
you!” A man smile’s charmingly towards her, which makes Sasuke, who is
standing right beside her, snort softly. Looks, like this man is giving Sakura
right now, never escape the Uchiha’s sight. He knows such men, even if they
try to make it look innocent. He could always distinguish those looks.
Especially when those looks are meant for his wife, or when it’s that
Kaseguchi gawking at him. It pisses him off all the time and still he is forced
to stay calm and maintain his professionalism. "Thank you. After all, it was
chosen for me by my husband.” She gestures towards the Uchiha with a smile,
who is forced to smile at the man as well. "Indeed?" The gentleman looks
astonished into her emerald eyes and slowly starts to get on Sasuke’s nerves.
Sakura in the other hand bends up to her husband and kisses him on the cheek,
when she takes notice of his stiffness. "Well then." The gentleman exclaims with
a slight bow and starts walking away from the couple. "Such guys annoy me to no
end." Sasuke lets out a deep and dissatisfied growl, while putting his arm
around his wife's waist and gives her a gentle kiss on her temple, before
continuing to walk with her through the crowd. 

“The perfect dress for an angel!” A familiar voice sounds from the crowd,
which makes the couple stop and look to the right with surprise, watching as
Fugaku steps out between the conversation groups that have gathered together.
Sakura immediately blushes and smiles sheepishly at her father in law’s
compliment, while playing with one of her pink curls. "Thank you, Fugaku." Right
after that she greets the oldest Uchiha with a hug and a kiss on the cheek,
which makes him laugh out in amusement. "I'm only telling you the truth." He
gives her a gentle pat on her head, before deciding to turn towards his son and
also briefly greet him with a hug. "Your son knows what suits his wife the best,
after all." Sakura now too agrees with her father in law with a smile, before
another voice sound at them from the side. "The dress is supposed to be chosen
my brother?" They look around to the newcomer, who comes to a halt right next to
Fugaku. His features are showing disbelief, as he looks at the two, while his
wife can only shake her head at his behaviour. “Be nice to your brother for
once, Itachi. It's Christmas and besides, you seriously should stop teasing him
every time you get to see him!" The brunette immediately reprimands him, which
is why the older of the two brothers pulls a little pout at her. "Hello." Misuki
now looks at her in-law’s and hugs Sakura with a bright smile on her lips.
"Hey. You look amazing, Misuki." The pinkette immediately returns the hug with a
giggle, before stepping back to look at her growing belly. 

“And how is the little one doing in there?” Sakura then explores further,
while giving the pregnant belly a gentle and loving pat. "Quite well, actually.
It seems to feel pretty comfortable in there.“ The brunette replies with a
slight grin, which makes the hostess giggle, before taking another quick look at
Misuki's dress. Blue, on floor length and strapless.

"Unfortunately we have to continue and greet a few more guests." Sasuke
immediately apologizes to his family and takes his wife’s hand in his, to walk
with her through the big hall. Some guests will be greeting her personally,
especially the big donors, before she can finally go on stage and open the gala.
"Good evening Mr. Domoto!" The Uchiha raises his voice a little later and stops
with Sakura in front of an older gentleman with gray hair, who has been strictly
observing everything. "Good evening. Thank you for attending and being with us
today." The Haruno smiles politely at the grey haired man, who is now looking at
them with that stern look and seems a little as if he has forgotten his glasses
at home. "Good evening." Domoto grumbles back and sounds a bit out of tune. His
gaze falls on the pinkette, which he examines briefly. "Thank you for the
invitation." After that he looks back into the hall and keeps examining
everything critically. "I'm curious what the evening will bring." Finally mr.
Domoto starts to say with a nod and then turns around, to walk away and slowly
disappear into the crowd. “Did I say something wrong?” Sakura directs her
question toward her husband, while continuing to looks after the grey haired
man. “No, don't worry. He's an investor and owns some of the best real
estates. He just seems pretty strict because he pays close attention to whom he
entrusts money or sells his property to. Many companies already tried to buy his
land from him, in order to build new company buildings on it. Most invite him
simply because they hope he will donate a large amount, but he is hard to
convince. He is sceptical about his donations being used for what they were told
to be collected, or if the whole thing was just an act. After all, many people
lie without any shame, in order to get what they want." Sasuke looks at his wife
with a slight smile, watching her as she nods in understanding.
 
"Sakura!" A female calls out to her and shortly afterwards comes up to her in a
pretty lavender colored dress. "Hinata." The pinkette smiles at her blue haired
friend, who is also her helping hand as the organizer of this event. "It's about
time to open the gala." Sakura nods in understanding at her friend and takes a
brief look around. While she immediately follows her friend to the stage, Sasuke
decides to silently follow them as well to the stage on which a small desk is
standing for her presentation. The band stops playing and the music fades away,
while the Haruno enters the stage and walks towards the desk. With a smile on
her lips she walks behind the pedestal, which is resembling a music stand.
 
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Sakura Uchiha and i'm looking
forward to welcoming you all to my fundraising gala." Sakura smiles at her
guests, which are all looking and listening to her attentively. “Before I
begin, I would like to thank everyone for coming and attending this gala, and my
husband, who supported and encouraged me with the organizations of this event
and making all of this become reality.” The pinkette smiles gratefully and
happily at her husband, who is also standing in the massive crowd in front of
the stage, while the guests applaud. Sasuke in the other hand returns her smile
with a slight grin.

“We all gathered here today because we want to help someone. To be more exact,
we want to help orphans. I know that all of you must be asking yourselves now;
why any of you should trust me with your money? Who can guarantee all of you
that i won’t treat myself to a luxury vacation instead?” The young Haruno
looks briefly through the crowd, not forgetting to smile, before continuing in
her words. “After all most of you didn't even know that I exist until I got
married into the Uchiha family. I already asked myself all those questions
before as well and then it occurred to me, that my husband is the owner of one
of the largest houseware manufacturing companies in the world and that the
Uchiha products are certainly responsible for keeping your home clean as well.
So we have enough money in order to afford several luxury vacations, without
having to beg for it from others.” She watches her guests laugh at her little
joke and smiles with relief. Things are going just as she had planned. She was
able to break the ice. Sasuke too smiles, but more out of pride than anything
else. She is doing very well for her very first donation gala. It’s as if she
is a real natural talent.
 
"We all want to urgently help the orphans." She begins again and a picture
appears on a screen right next to her. “What you see here is the Edogawa
orphanage. They currently accommodate around 30 children, while there are only
18 beds and the smallest are shared by three children at once. The roof is
broken and so are the heaters. Some of the rooms have broken windows as well,
making them completely uninhabitable. I don't know about you, but I don't feel
comfortable at all, celebrating Christmas when these children have to freeze
like that.” Sakura has to pause for a moment and swallows silently. No matter
how many times she has already seen and talked about it, it is still hurting her
like on day one.
 
“Orphans lose both their parents and their home. They cannot help that they
have been abandoned, given away as babies, or that their parents died and yet
they have to live in such conditions as if one wanted to punish them for their
fate as well. But the thing is, aside of all this, orphans don't have it easy in
the world of work either. They cannot go to the best schools, or get a good
education, most of them ending up neglected and bullied and in later
professional life they don’t have it easy, because they are rarely hired due
to prejudices.” The pinkette takes in a deep breath as she continues in her
speech.
 
"Can you tell me, whom of you would hire an orphan for your job?" She looks
questioningly into the crowd of her guests and she can see a few hands rise,
among these few hands the hostess discovers Fugaku and Itachi, as well as her
brother, Ino together with her parents and of course, Sasuke. "And which of you
would hire me?" She then continues to explore and almost everyone in the whole
hall starts raising their hands. Sakura nods, the sadness visible in her
glistening emerald eyes. “Why would you hire me? Is it because of my
qualifications, or because I come from a good family?” She then asks further,
to which she doesn't even want to hear an answer. “I know, you all don't know
much about me. You know that I come from a good family, that my family has their
own company which my older brother is running on his own. But you do not know
anything about my qualifications and which degree I have completed. But aside of
all that you don't know something fundamental, because as i know there haven’t
been released any articles about my life and generally do my husband and i
barely give any interviews. Rather than that we are being followed on our
dates.” The hostess smiles and the crowd starts to laugh again.

"In any case, I would like to tell you something about myself that none of you
would be expecting now." She takes a brief look at her cards with her speech,
starts to play around on it’s corner and wets her lips once. "As many of you
surely know, my parents died years ago. It was one month after my 16th birthday
when they both died in a car accident.” She takes a look through the crowd and
she knows that the reason as to why her guests start to whisper amongst each
other, is because her words are containing the hidden message. “I was 16 years
old and therefor not of legal age. I was an orphan." She swallows briefly,
before taking in another deep breath. Her emerald eyes keep wandering through
the crowd in silence. "But I'm only up here today, because my brother was of
legal age and therefor lost my parents, but not my chance of a good future.”
 
Sasuke looks at her a little worried, while the murmuring stops again and
everyone looks back attentively at his wife. “I'm up here today and I will
stand up for the orphans who have lost their chances of a promising future and
their dreams. Because orphans can only hope for scholarships and they have to
prove that they can do something, although being an orphan doesn’t
automatically make you incompetent. Therefore we have to support and help them,
so that they can have a warm home, clothes and food as well. We have to give
them the chance to discover something for themselves. Be it an instrument, a
kind of sports, sewing, or painting. And if we have to build them a castle with
a music room, kitchen and a sewing room, with a sports ground in the backyard
for it. We have to give them the chance and who knows, maybe in 10 years an
orphan will be standing up here in my place and stand up for something else.”
She watches as her guests applaud enthusiastically for a while, while putting
together her next words in her head.

"You know." She then says when it gets quieter again, before continuing in her
beliefs. "If we can’t fulfill their wishes, we should at least make life
easier for these children." Sakura looks back at the screen to her side, on
which the face of a little girl appears. Sasuke immediately recognizes her. He
could never forget that face, or any of the other faces, after the things he had
heard and seen happening right in front of his eyes. It is the girl which he
asked the question about what she wants to have. "For Christmas I wish..." The
girl in the video starts to mumble and looks at the broken stuffed animal in her
hand, which she so dearly cuddles to her chest. "I want Mommy and Daddy to come
back and pick me up." The short video ends, as complete silence overcomes the
whole hall. No one dares to make the tiniest sound, staring at the screen in
loss of words. The youngest Uchiha slowly approaches the stage to wait for her
in front of the steps. “I now ask you to help me, in order to help these
children together. I have also prepared a presentation with the children, who
are currently living in this orphanage, how old they are, since when they have
been living in the orphanage and why. The presentation also contains my ideas
about what I want to make possible for the children with your donations." The
hostess then ends her speech and looks once again through the crowd, to open
another topic. 

“Finally I wanted to say; that I originally planned on wearing a simpler
dress. I didn't want to literally look like an angel, but the sponsor of this
dress insisted that it has to be this one. What had you said again?" Her emerald
eyes find the onyx coloured ones of her husband, who comes up to her on the
stage with a smile of his own. "I said that i don't understand what is your
problem. That the dress is already simple and doesn’t have anything, but the
silk and the slight decorations on top. You were working so hard for those
children day in and out and still you didn’t even let me free you from work.
For these orphans you are an angel. The dress is perfect for you and for the
fundraising gala as well." Sasuke smiles warmly at her, while a touched murmur
from the ladies, can be heard through the whole hall. Sakura in the other hand
blushes slightly. She didn’t expect him to go into details, when she asked him
to tell the crowd, what he had told her back then. "The children of the
orphanage have prepared something for tonight as well." Sakura then points with
a smile at the screen, where the children can be seen in school uniforms, before
Sakura bows at her guests. "I wish everyone a nice evening." Her guests start
applauding again, which makes her look at them with a relieved smile. "Thank you
very much." The young Haruno says one last time and leaves the stage together
with Sasuke, while everyone keeps applauding her a little longer. The video then
begins to play and shortly afterwards the children start to sing and the song
Joy to the world sounds through the whole hall.

Many of the guests look at the screen and examine the children singing, while
others discuss Sakura’s speech and its content. "You did well." Sasuke smiles
at his wife with pride, while putting an arm around her waist and presses a
gentle kiss on her temple. The pinkette closes her eyes with a relieved sigh and
leans her forehead against his cheek, before they continue walking through the
crowd. "Sakura!" A joyful cry can be heard from in between the crowd before the
Yamanaka’s arms are already around the pinkette’s neck. If Sasuke hadn't
been standing right behind his wife, the two women would have fallen to the
ground. Kiba too walks towards them. "That was crazy!" Ino immediately starts to
chat happily, which makes the Uchiha raise one of his perfect eyebrows in
skepticism. Although this is Sakura's first gala, she knows how to behave way
better than Ino. "And all of those who don't donate are heartless idiots."

"Okay! Stop right there, Ino!" The Ama and Neji approach them from the side,
while the brunette woman continues in her lecturing, with her fists stemmed on
her sides. “You act like a teenager. Did you forget that we are at a gala?“
Sasuke lets his dark grey orbs move briefly over his friend in her beige-brown
dress, which actually reminds him of those Chinese style dresses, and then he
looks at Neji, who is wearing a matching Japanese style suit. He can’t believe
they are even walking around in matching clothes now and still deny their
feelings for each other.

"But now something else." Sakura then changes the topic and pulls her husband
out of his thoughts, making him look questioningly back at her. "What is
actually going on between you two now?" The pinkette then inquires of her
childhood friend, which instantly turns red and looks down in embarrassment.
"Well." Kiba then begins and scratches the back of his head, just as
embarrassed. "We came to a conclusion and agreed that there is more than
friendship between us after all, but it's weird to suddenly kiss your best
friend." The blonde mumbles with a slight pout, which Kiba nods to. "We just
need a few more days, I guess." The Inuzuka now agrees, while Sasuke lets his
gaze wander through the guests, until he can make out his father, who hand signs
him to come over. "Please excuse me." He holds up his hand towards his friends
briefly and then moves away to go to his father, where he also meets Itachi and
Misuki. “I have to look after my guests from time to time as well. See you
later, guys." Sakura smiles apologetically into the round and then turns away
from her friends, to devote her attention back to her guests.
 
The happy laughter of children reaches her ears and it steals a little smile on
her lips, when she glances to the right into a separate room and sees her
guests’s children. Some of them are playing catch and laugh wildly together
and this is exactly how she imagined things to be. That the children could play
together, while the parents would celebrate and donate. Normally the children
are looked after by nannies on such evenings, but since this gala is about
helping children, why leave their own at home when they could be playing
together with others? The pinkette has even arranged game consoles, which are
eagerly used by the older children in the next room. “Miss Uchiha?” She
hears a woman and looks at the voice’s owner in surprise. She still has to get
used to being addressed as an Uchiha, since she never went to such celebrations
with Sasuke yet and she has not yet taken over her husband’s last name either.
Her emerald eyes meet those of an older woman who comes up to her. Her friendly
and soft face is framed by beautiful, brown and slightly curly hair.
 
"Miss Uchiha, I'm so impressed!" The woman then raises her voice again and stops
right next to her. “It is remarkable how you stand up for these poor children
and at the same time make sure that all your guests do not forget their own
children. If you want to see your child you can simple go and get it. Such a
nice idea.“ The brunette woman smiles enthusiastically, who Sakura then
recognizes as ms. Tomodachi and looks at the children playing. “Children are
such a blessing.” The woman then mumbles softly, before turning back to
Sakura. “How about you? Are you already planning to have children? After all,
you're going to be an aunt soon.” Ms. Tomodachi smiles at her, which makes the
young Haruno laugh briefly. “We want to wait a little longer, since we've only
been married for six months yet, but I definitely want to have children in the
future. At least two. And since I'm going to be an aunt soon, I can also
practice a bit." At the end, she cann’t help herself but grin slightly, before
she looks back at her conversation partner. "How about you? Which one of them is
yours?” Sakura looks at her guest with curiosity and then back at the playing
children. A sigh escapes the woman’s lips, before she decides to answer her.
"None of them. I am not allowed to have children." The woman looks at the
children with so much sadness, while Sakura looks back at her apologetically.
"I'm sorry. You'd have been a great mother.” The hostess smiles slightly,
watching her nod and look longingly at all the children. Sakura can’t imagine
how painful it must be to never be able to have your own child. Especially since
she wants to have children of her own in the future as well. It would be so
devastating to find out to be unable or not allowed to have babies.

"In the video with the children’s presentation i noticed a little blonde girl,
standing apart from the other children and not singing along." Ms. Tomodachi
then continues and shares her observation with her. A smile settles on Sakura's
lips and nods slightly in response. So people noticed it after all. “Yes, that
is Hotaru, a little sunshine.” She then finally explains. “Why didn't Hotaru
sing along with the others?”

“Hotaru hasn't talked ever since she came to the orphanage. The children in
her school also bully her for it.” Sakura lets her hands move over her dress,
while ms. Tomodachi looks at her with worry. “What happened?” The Haruno
sighs slightly at her question. She’s glad that someone is seriously concerned
for the little Hotaru and wants to understand her. "Hotaru is in the orphanage
because her father shot her mother first and took his own life right afterwards.
All right in front of her eyes." Sakura replies to her sadly and hears how her
guest gasps in shock, while putting a hand on her own chest. "That's terrible!
That poor girl!” The older of the two women exclaims in shock and despair.
“Yes, and after such a terrible event, the children have to live in such a
rundown orphanage and I don't think that's fair. Everyone deserves a nice home,
encouragement and support.” Sakura smiles at the woman next to her. "You are
right and I think it's great that you are so committed to these children. Your
husband is right, you really are like an angel for them." She then agrees, which
makes the hostess blush and look to the ground in embarrassment. 

"Yes. You have always stood up for children. Especially ever since you got of
legal age." A male suddenly agrees to ms. Tomodachi, which makes the two women
look around with surprise. "Please excuse me, ms. Tomodachi." Sakura quickly
walks up to her big brother and hugs him briefly, but tightly as a greeting. Her
face is beaming with happiness to finally see him again. "Hey, how are you?" The
brunette man explores with an amused huff, when she breaks the hug again and
looks up into his eyes. "Pretty good and what about you? Are you nervous
already?" The younger of the two siblings looks at him with a bright smile, just
as questioningly, while stroking his reverse where even a red rose has been
draped. "A little, yes. Honoka is with Misuki right now. Could you send her to
me into the room in around twenty minutes?” Sakura can see the uncertainty in
his eyes at his question, deciding to sooth him a little with some uplifting
words. "Sure, i would love to do anything for my beloved big brother. So just
relax and go with the flow. She isn’t going to say no." The pinkette has to
giggle when she notices, that her brother is way more nervous than he pretends
to be. She gets a slight nod in response and then watches him walk away and into
the direction of the mentioned room, which Sakura has specially prepared for his
proposal. Red rose petals are scattered on it’s whole floor, while a radio
will play a song. Sakura has planned everything carefully and she certainly
doesn’t have any concerns about Honoka saying yes. After all, she was the one
who caught her bouquet at the wedding.
 
"I can’t believe you're holding a gala and don't even say hello to us."
Another male notes next to her, which makes her look around at the person and
smile, when she sees Shikamaru, together with his fiancée. "Hello, you two.
Thank you so much for coming!“ The hostess holds her hands happily together,
before giving her old friend a quick hug and then turns to the blonde model.
"Wow, Temari, that’s such a nice dress!" She looks impressed at the dress a
bit more, before hugging the Sabakuno in her ivory one-shoulder dress, which
reaches down way to the floor.

“That may be true, but it can't compete with yours at all." The Sabakuno lets
out a giggle, while Sakura takes notice of her childhood friend coming towards
them as well. "Ryosuke has really dressed up nicely for this evening. There’s
even a rose." Ino then throws into the round and looks after the older Haruno in
astonishment. Smiling, Sakura also looks after her brother with a nod. "Yes.
After all it’s a big day for him too.” She then agrees and makes them look
at her questioningly. Especially the Yamanaka. "Really?" All her other friends
gather around her as well and look at her just as confused. They all heard her
little statement and want to know the details now, which makes the pinkette
giggle again. “He wants to go by the rules of the bridal bouquet.” Sakura
grins happily, while the others look from her at her brother in astonishment and
back at her. "So he is actually seriously planning on proposing to her? Here?"
The Yamanaka stares at their hostess with big eyes, which nods in response with
an amused giggle. It makes the blond girl sigh with envy. "I always thought that
I would be the one to get married with him someday." Her sudden words makes
everyone turn around to her with big eyes, while Sakura looks at her even
dumbfounded. “What?” Her childhood friend laugh out aloud in amusement at
her stunned face and shakes her head while wiping a tear from the corner of her
eye. "Oh, Sakura. That was just a joke! Ryosuke was never really my type!"
Sakura immediately turns towards the Inuzuka with a skeptical look. Her friend
is just acting way too suspicious. “You haven't had sex yet, have you?” She
then asks, which makes her brunette friend blush and shake his head wildly.
“So you can't have screwed her brains out either. Then why is it that she is
so crazy today?” The hostess presses her pointer finger against her lower lip
with a soft hum, indicating that she is seriously trying to find an explanation
for her best female friend’s behaviour. "Or maybe it's exactly because he
hasn't done it yet." Neji then tries to suggest his own thoughts, which animates
his friends to start to grin. Only Kiba glares at him, while Ino is already on
trying to kill him with her sharp look. Sakura in the other hand steals herself
away with an amused grin and goes on search for her soon to be sister in law.

On her way she discovers her husband, who is talking to some business partners,
and Fugaku, who is having a conversation with Mr. Domoto. The two actually seem
to get along well, which makes the Haruno feel a little relieved. After a few
minutes, Misuki and Honoka come into her view, which animates her to walk up to
the two women a bit faster. "Hello, Honoka!" Sakura greets her as soon as she
comes to a stop next to them and discovers Itachi also standing with them. The
pregnant Uchiha smiles happily, while the pinkette steps closer to hug her
brothers girlfriend. "Sakura you look so pretty in that dress!" Honoka
immediately compliments her, while her ice blue eyes study her with interest.
Sakura can’t stop herself from laughing heartily at her compliment and winks
at her. "Thank you, yours is also really beautiful! But to be honest, neither of
us can compete with the radiance of the pregnant beauty here." Honoka chuckles
and the two look at said woman, who smiles and looks down with a slight blush.
"Anyway, Itachi, take good care of your wife. Unfortunately I have to take
Honoka with me now. My brother would like to speak to her." Sakura smiles
apologetically at the couple and finally walks away with a wink, with her soon
to be sister in law by her hand.
 
“Where's Ryosuke?” The brunette then explores after a moment of silence and
Sakura looks back at her with a slight smile. "I am leading you to him, don't
worry." Together they make their ways through the crowd of guests and head
towards one of the closed doors, a room, separate from the rest of the whole
event. "He's in here." The hostess then explains and opens the door for the
brunette. Soft music immediately hits their ears and Honoka hesitantly enters
the room, only to be surprised by her boyfriend. Smiling, the pinkette leans
against the door frame and watches them both through a small crack which she
leaves open, so that she can peer inside. Ryosuke is standing in the middle of
the room with a smile, his hands hidden in his pockets. Sakura can't understand
exactly what the two are saying, but she doesn't mind.
 
"Are you stalking your brother proposing?" Her husbands voice suddenly sounds
from behind her and close to her ear, as she can feel his chest press against
her back. His arms wrap around her and pull her further against his chest for a
hug. Sakura keeps watching her brother and Honoka inside the room, as her
brother start kneeling down and opens the box with the ring. From the beam in
Honoka's eyes and her smile, she can already read the answer, with which she
throws herself into his arms. Sakura leans back in her husband's arms more and
lets out a slight sigh. "He arranged my engagement and i'm stalking his. It’s
only fair, i guess." Her whispered words turn into a giggle, before she then
turns around in his arms and looks up into his dark grey eyes and cups one of
his cheeks. Smiling, Sasuke leans himself closer towards her and steals a kiss
from her pink lips. "I should go on then." He nods at her statement and lets her
go, even if only reluctantly, before watching her walk back into the large
crowd.

With a smile on her lips, she keeps walking through the crowd of guests. Only
when she can hear a little louder conversation near herself, which catches her
attention, she takes a look around at a few men. "How much do you want for the
property?" Two men, to be exact, are standing next to mr. Domoto and talk to
him, while he has turned away in denial and sips on his glass in silence. The
scenery makes her sigh in disappointment. So someone is actually trying to buy
something from him again and she slowly needs something to drink again as well.
"Gentlemen." She immediately raises her voice at the three men and walks up
closer to them. "Ah, ms. Uchiha." One of them immediately greets her, seemingly
pleased to see her. "I am sorry if i bother you." She begins and stops at the
three. "Oh, do not worry about such a thing." The other immediately responds to
her with a smile and holds up his hands to show her, that they seriously don’t
mind. "I am glad and thankful that you came to my fundraising gala, but I don't
want to have any sale agreements at my gala.” The hostess explains her
intentions with a serious look, to get the message through. It’s just too
inappropriate for people to do such a thing, while she is here desperately
trying to get others to donate for the poor children. "Of course, we understand.
We're truly sorry.“ The other starts to apologize, while both of them bow once
to show their sincerity. Mr. Domoto in the other hand just stands by and watches
the scene unfold in front of him in silence. "Thank you. If you'll excuse me
now.” The pinkette smiles friendly again and then turns around, in order to
continue in her previous doings.

"Here. I noticed that you haven't had anything to drink in a while.” Sasuke
extents his wife a seemingly alcohol free drink, as she walks past him and
watches her smile in slight amusement. “Am i not normally the one who has to
make sure that you drink and eat properly?” She then asks and gratefully
accepts the drink. The Uchiha just smiles back and presses her a gentle kiss on
the temple, before they both go their separate ways again. “Ms. Uchiha!” A
group of women calls out for the pinkette, who approaches them. "Good evening,
ladies." The young woman looks at the group politely as she stops by them and
looks at one with black hair. “We wanted to ask how you found out about this
orphanage.” Sakura smiles mildly at her question. 

Sasuke is standing in silence at the edge of the action and watches everything
unfold in front of his eyes. His friends are right in the middle of the hall,
chatting, while Ino and Kiba are on the dance floor, dancing and looking like a
real couple. Sasuke looks briefly at the Yamanaka in her dress, before an amused
and crooked smile pulls on his lips. And Sakura says her own dress is
extravagant, because of the slight accessories.

"Hey." Someone to the right, makes the Uchiha startle out of his thoughts and
gets his attention to themselves. "Hey. Congratulations." Sasuke then quickly
replies with a smile and holds out his hand to his brother in law, which he
gives a strong hand shake to. “How do you know about it?” The brunette man
inquires immediately with surprise, which makes Sasuke chuckle. “Come on,
I’m your sisters husband. I knew it as soon as you told her to arrange
everything and i also stood right behind her when she stalked you on your
proposal a while ago. After Honoka threw herself into your arms like that, i’m
assuming that she said yes.” With a smile on his lips, he takes a sip from his
own glass, watching his brother in law stare at him with surprise. "Sakura was
watching us? And wait- you too?" Ryosuke looks at him now completely baffled,
while the Uchiha lets out a slight sigh. One that goes under in the halls music
and conversations. "She would have preferred a proposal, rather than for you to
announce it to her. You are engaged to Sasuke Uchiha." The Uchiha mumbles the
answer, which his opposite barely manages to hear. "I'm not stopping you from
falling on your knees in front of her." Ryosuke replies with a smile, which
makes Sasuke grumble and glare at his friend. "I don't need to propose to her
anymore, so kneeling down in front of her won’t make any sense." His dark grey
eyes rest on his brother in law, who smiles slightly with a shrug of his
shoulders. “Unfortunately, you can't have everything in life.” The Haruno
sinks his hands into his trouser pockets, while he watches his sister with a sad
look. “Maybe she would have got it, if we had known each other earlier, i
mean, if we had meet each other again. Why did you never take her to one of the
galas?” Sasuke looks at his brother in law questioningly, who looks back at
him with a slight smile. “Well, I wanted to give her this life. But she lost
her parents so young and i didn't want her to loose her private life if I take
her with me into our circles here. But well, the plan didn't quite work out
either. After all, you two are the dream couple of Japan.”

"Do you really think that things would have turned out differently if you had
seen each other again three years ago?" Ryosuke then continues to explore, which
makes Sasuke turn silent for a moment. His thumb moves over the glass in his
hand and starts slightly scratching on it with his nail. "I don't know." He then
mumbles back honestly and empties his glass, before he can feel a hand patting
his shoulder. His head turns around questioningly, where he can see Hinata
standing. "Sasuke. Could you please kidnap your wife over there and bring her
here?” She seems to be in professional mood again. After all, she has to be
strict with the time, at her work as an organizer. The Uchiha nods slightly and
then gives his brother in law a slight pat on the back. "Congratulations again."
With those words he starts walking away from the two and gives his empty glass
to one of the waiters, before heading towards his wife in the mids of a group of
women and men.

He fights his way through the crowd in silence, which is listening to his wife
and are seemingly amusing themselves. His gaze wanders over his wife. She has
put her curly hair over her right shoulder, which exposes her back and he can
not help but notice that she must be feeling uncomfortable, after all she is
standing here in public and is not wearing a bra. Or is he just not seeing it?
After a moment he finally comes to a stop at the group with his wife. "Excuse
me." Everyone’s attention turns to him, as they start looking at him with
interested. "Cutie bear, Hinata says I should kidnap you, but I can't just
kidnap you, so would you come with me, please?" He smiles charmingly at her and
immediately gets touched gasps and aw’s from the ladies around him, while his
wife nods back at him with a smile. "Please tell me just how you do that." One
of the women in the group suddenly asks of the couple, which makes them look at
her in confusion. “What exactly do you mean?”

"You both seem more in love, than you already did on your wedding." The woman
smiles almost dreamy, which makes the pinkette play a little embarrassed with
her pink curls and looks sideways at Sasuke, who is still standing right next to
her. He too smiles slightly and looks sideways into her emerald eyes. "We
don’t know. Things just happen on their own." He then explains truthfully to
the woman and puts an arm around his wife, before leading her away from the
group. It seems like they did a really good show at their wedding, if people
keep saying that they really looked deeply in love. But the fact that they seem
even more in love today, is simply because they know each other now, somehow
have a relationship and are used to having the other around them. Because they
have become dear and important to each other.
 
After a few minutes, he lets go of her waist again and takes her hand instead to
pull her through the crowd. He immediately crosses his fingers with hers and
keeps looking back at her while he makes his way through the crowd for the both
of them. After a few minutes they arrive at the stage and approach Hinata, who
is waiting there with a satisfied smile. "She decided to come with me
voluntarily." The Uchiha watches Hinata push his wife further and up the stage,
before he decides to move a little to the side. He can see his wife being
confused as to why she is standing up here again and especially when she sees
his father standing on stage as well. Fugaku stands there with a smile on his
lips, holding the mic in hand and clear his throat briefly. The crowd of guests
is now getting aware of the two as well and the music gets quieter. "Sakura."
His father then starts, happy to announce his decisions to her now. "I am
pleased to inform you on behalf of the Uchiha Corporation, that we will replace
and maintain all household appliances in all orphanages of Tokyo for free." The
crowd applauds enthusiastically and Sakura looks at her father in law in
surprise, while said man continues in his announcement with a proud smile.
 
"In addition to that, we already arranged for the heating and the windows of the
Edogawa orphanage to be repaired and for each child to have their own bed by
tomorrow evening." Sasuke has to smile slightly at the stunned face of his wife
and watches his father take her into his arms to loud applaud. Sakura hugs him
back, before she gets accompanied back down the stage. Sakura looks at her
husband in disbelief, while he just smiles innocently at her and gives his
shoulders a slight shrug. A radiant smile shows up on her lips, as she comes up
to him to wrap her arms happily around his neck. With a chuckle he hugs her back
just as strongly and lets his face disappear into the crook of her neck, to take
a deep breath of her beautiful scent. "You idiot, why didn't you say anything?"
She exclaims, completely touched and presses herself closer to him. “You're
not crying, are you?” He immediately explores with a slight chuckle and breaks
the hug to look into her emerald eyes. "No. I just can’t quite believe it
yet." She replies quietly, which makes him smile crookedly. "It was father’s
and Itachi's decision. I just simply agreed with it, because it was a good idea
anyway." He then starts whispering into her ear and his hand gently strokes her
back and down her bum. "Idiot." The word escapes her only in a soft mumble,
whereby he suspects that it is because he is actually stroking her ass in
public. She step a step back from him and then walks away with a slight blush on
her cheeks.
 
Sasuke looks after her for a moment, before a man with long and brown hair
attracts his attention. The Hyuga comes up to him with a broad grin on his face
and comes to a halt right in front of him. "And? Tell me, is her butt just as
tight as it looks?“ The long haired friend of his looks expectant at him and
starts wiggling with his eyebrows, however, Sasuke just stares back at him
without any emotion, before looking through the hall and the guests again. "Come
on now, tell me already." Neji keeps uttering, while he nudges his side with his
elbow. "Tell me, Neji." Sasuke begins to demand of his friend instead and looks
back at him in boredom. “When was the last time you got laid?” As soon as
this question leaves his lips, the Hyuga’s facial expression starts to derail.
"What?" The Hyuga exclaims in shock, animating Sasuke to put his hand into his
pockets and turn properly around to him again. "Do you know what I think? Now
that I'm married, Naruto taken and Kiba is finally in some kind of relationship
with Ino too now, you are the only male in our group who is still single. Only
now you are beginning to realize that we are no longer at university, where you
still had fun screwing around with the girls. You realize that it is time to
bond and that is why you haven't had one night stands for quite a while now and
that's also why you keep pestering and asking me about Sakura's body. And it’s
seriously annoying, that you keep asking me that about my wife. She’s married
and it means you have to hold your horses and fantasies to yourself." The Uchiha
explains his point of view to his friend.
 
"Don't talk shit, Sasuke." The words are leaving the Hyuga only in a mumble,
before he then disappears through one of the doors onto the balcony. A slight
snort escapes the black haired man at his friends reaction. He knows exactly
that he hit the nail on the head, but Neji just doesn't want to accept it. It's
just like it was back in university. "What did you tell Neji that made him leave
in such frustration?" His big brother comes to a stand still right in front of
him, his hands in his trouser pockets. "What he already knows himself, but just
doesn't want to accept." The younger one of the two Uchiha brothers starts to
reply calmly and watches his wife walk through the crowd and start a
conversation with another guest. “And you really don't feel anything when you
see her like that?” His brother continues to explore quietly and Sasuke sighs
softly in response. What does everyone suddenly want from him? "No palpitations?
No tingling in your stomach? No sudden sweaty hands?” His older brother
continues in his research, which makes him shake his head in silence. Now it is
his brother who lets out a sigh. “What are we going to do with you, kid? You
two have been married for half a year and you still feel nothing when you look
at this wonderful woman?” Itachi makes sure to only mumble those words out,
because it would end in a catastrophe if anyone overhears them. Sasuke silently
looks at his wife, not facing his brother while asking his own question next.
“Is that why I am a bad person now? Because i see her as my best friend?”
Sasuke is seriously starting to feel bad about it, but he can't force himself to
love her either. "It’s good that you see her as your best friend, Sasuke.
That’s how marriage should be. You should rather be worried, if you can’t
see your wife as you best friend. But do you think it’s normal to look at and
touch a woman, like you do with her, if you really only see her as a fiend?”

Itachi makes a pause in his words and lets out a slight sigh, when he sees his
brother still standing there in silence. “Just let me tell you one thing,
Sasuke. One small truth. Love can’t come in, if you shut everything up and
don’t allow it in. Don’t tell me that I’m wrong, because i clearly see it
standing right in front of you and animating you to do things you usually
don’t. You just forcefully try to stop that wall in between from braking
apart, as if you want to punish yourself for something. You're not a bad person,
just a rather complicated one. I just thought that you would understand it on
your own, since you could see through your friends’s denial too.” Itachi now
ends his own observation and turns around with a smile, leaving a startled
younger brother behind. Sasuke is staring after his big brother with widened
eyes for a while. His brother is right. Why does he and Sakura keep lecturing
their friends about being in denial about their feelings all the time? That
there is more than friendship between them? Are he and Sakura looking to
everyone just as obvious as Ino and Kiba? Or Neji and Tenten?

A few minutes pass in which Sasuke keeps spacing out, only until he can hear a
door opening and a person approaching him from behind. Silently he looks back
and at Neji, who is coming back into the hall from the balcony. With his hands
sunken in his trouser pockets, he slowly approaches the Uchiha once again, who
has meanwhile leaned himself against the almost waist high stage behind him.
"Was it that obvious?" The long haired man starts to asks in silence, coming
back to their conversation from before, and leans himself against the stage
right next to him. "At least it was obvious that you need it." Sasuke lets out
an amused snort and turns back to his friend who hums silently in response.
"Such a friendship with certain advantages can also be something beautiful."
Neji then remarks quietly and looks down at his shoes, which makes the Uchiha
stay silent for a moment. "Don't you have any woman in mind, who could possibly
be of interest?" Sasuke starts to ask after a while and looks at his friend, who
then immediately lowers his eyes from the crowd. A bit confused, one of the
Uchiha's perfect eyebrows twitch in response to that. "No. No one like Sakura."
The Hyuga suddenly replies, which leaves Sasuke confused. "What do you mean by
that?" His dark grey eyes stare at his best friend a little irritated. Is his
friend indicating to be in love with his wife? "It’s definitely not what you
are thinking now!" Neji laughs at his reaction, while waving his hand to weight
on his words. "What i was trying to say is, that there isn't one that looks as
good and is at the same time as friendly and intelligent as your wife. I'd like
to have someone like that too. But without pink hair.”

“What about Tenten?” Sasuke’s sudden question throws the Hyuga a bit off, 
before he can catch himself again and shake his head slightly. “She's my best
friend, Sasuke. What are you thinking about me?” The long haired man lets out
a grumble and the Uchiha suddenly remembers his big brothers words from before.
Slowly he closes his eyes for a moment of silence, before opening them again and
looking at his friend, who is still frowning at him. “I’m not going to
destroy our friendship.” All Sasuke could do is sigh and pat his buddy on the
shoulder. "I understand." Another moment of silence between them, in which the
Uchiha takes a quick look around. “But you can still have fun with her now.
That's not forbidden, is it?" The black haired man immediately takes notice of
his friend, who questioningly raises an eyebrow at his statement. With a small
smile on his lips, the Uchiha then points his head in the direction of their
brunette female friend, who is standing around alone and seemingly a little
bored. "I think she could need some company." With those words he pushes himself
off the stage and lets his long haired friend behind.
 
Sasuke lets out a slight sigh, while taking a stroll through the crowd, his
guests still having conversations with each other in a good mood. He takes a
quick look at the time, only to see that it is already late. Many of the
children will be asleep by now and therefore some will soon go home so that the
children can go to bed. His way leads the Uchiha past the rooms that have been
prepared for the children and just as he already had suspected, many of the
children have already cuddled themselves together and are sleeping on the
couches, while the older ones still play their games. He smiles slightly and
passes by the big box, into which the guests throw their checks with donation
sums and he is glad to see that it is already filled with large and folded
pieces of paper. He stares at it for a moment, until his attention gets captured
by a small, blonde girl, probably around three years old. Laughing happily, it
walks through the crowd of adults, the white dress making her look like a little
angel. Sasuke stops at that and continues to watch the little girl, until she
runs into one of the adults. It bounces off the woman's dress like a ball and
falls back onto her behind. Her cute face immediately turns into a grimace and
the first whimpers overcome her lips.
 
The woman in the dress picks her up and let’s the little girl sit on her
waist. Only now he takes a look up at the woman and discovers that the woman was
his wife all along. With a smile on her lips, she rocks the little one back and
forth, making her laugh happily. He can see a radiant smile on his wife's lips,
which can also be seen in her eyes in a form of a sparkle. She really looks like
an angel with a little angel on her arms. Her emerald eyes meet his and the
smile on her lips becomes even warmer. She takes the little girl by the hand,
waving together in his direction. And then suddenly it is there, for the first
time in a very long time he can feel it again. His heart is beating loudly and
quickly against his chest. This radiant smile on her lips triggers a warmth in
him and a very slight tingling sensation goes through his stomach, which is by
no means unpleasant. A tender smile pulls on his lips, but he doesn't know why.
He averts his gaze from his wife and looks at his chest and stomach. Should it
really be like that? Are these really love symptoms? Was his brother really
right after all? Did Sakura really manage to make him - unable to love - fall in
love with her?
 
Sasuke looks up again with a deep breath and sees the little girl being taken
out of his wife's arms. She turns to him and then slowly starts setting her legs
back in motion. The conversation with Ryosuke from earlier comes back to his
mind, as he sees Sakura slowly walking towards him.
 
Do you really think that things would have turned out differently if you had
seen each other again three years ago?
 
If her parents had been alive, they would certainly have taken her to galas like
this. Or like Sakura said at the pool party, it could have been Ryosuke or
Shikamaru introducing them to each other at some point. There would have been
many possibilities either way and who knows, maybe he would have met her again
many years ago. But perhaps they wouldn’t have recognized each other, or
hardly spent any time together, although he can hardly believe that after his
first encounter with her. It’s just that, there is always that if in the back
of the head. What if everything would have still turned out differently if they
had met again years ago? And suddenly, the more he keeps thinking like this, a
glint of sadness can be seen in his dark grey eyes. If things went like that
instead of the arrangement, maybe they wouldn't be married today and suddenly he
can no longer imagine not knowing her, not seeing her in the company and around
himself every day.

Sakura keeps approaching him with a smile, unaware of his deep and sad thoughts.
The things which he keeps overthinking. He knows that it’s stupid to see it so
negatively and to overthink it so harshly, especially since he knows now, that
back then he had already felt attraction towards her and caught his heart
beating so unbelievably fast the more he thought back at her and their first
encounter. It had been years ago, but now that he feels this feeling again after
over 8 years, he knows he has felt it before. That he has already fallen for her
years ago. She just simply rekindled this feeling over time and Itachi opened
his eyes. "Hey." Her soft and bright voice makes him break out of all those dark
thoughts and look into her smiling face. Right before she can come to a halt in
front of him, he quickly reaches out his hand to her and pulls her closer to
himself with gentle force. His lips gently touch hers, his eyes already closed
and suddenly the tingling in his stomach gets stronger, while he lets his other
hand lie on her waist to pull her as close to himself as possible. If it was
possible, he would never ever let go of her again and just hold her in his arms
for the rest of his life.
 
Her fingers cling to his sides and hold on to his suit while she returns the
kiss with slight surprise. It seems to her as if the kiss is lasting minutes and
she realizes with surprise, that she has never felt such an intensity of
tenderness in any of his kisses before. After a moment he lets go of her lips
only reluctantly, the corners of his lips pulling up gently, while his dark grey
eyes meet her emerald ones. Sakura returns his smile still a bit surprised,
while he brushes one of her pink curls behind her ear. "Are you okay?" She then
starts to explore a bit amazed at his sudden action. She didn’t expect him to
do such a thing in front of so many eyes. "Everything's fine." He smiles gently
at her surprised expression. "Tomorrow you'll have me again for the whole
evening." She seems a bit confused by his sudden change in tone, while she says
those words to reassure him. Just a while ago, when he was talking to Itachi, he
didn't look at all like he was in the mood. "I hope so." His answer throws her
off completely, as he keeps smiling and giving her a kiss an her forehead. Then
he lets go of her, but not of her hand. Only when he starts to walk past her, he
slowly lets her hand slide out of his.
 
She watches him walk off and through the crowd, leaving her behind still
completely baffled. What was that just now? Are these withdrawal symptoms?
Confused, she turns back to the front and goes to the bar to get herself
something to drink. Her gaze falls on the box with the donations, which is
already full to the brim. Pride spreads inside her when she sees this. If the
checks are filled just as much as the donation box, then she can easily arrange
to build a new orphanage and support the orphans just like they deserve it. 

In the meantime it has become quite late. The first guests have already said
their goodbye’s to her. Mainly those which came here with their youngest
children, who are all slumbering peacefully in the playroom under supervision.
So far, in her opinion, the evening has been a complete success. But she too, is
really looking forward to her cozy mattress and her beautiful pillow. For the
most part, people keep asking her the same questions, before talking to her
about another topic. In addition, she has been standing all evening and would
like to sit down again. Even if only for a moment. In her opinion, the guests
can slowly leave, after all, they will all see each other again the following
day anyway. She barely saw Sasuke and didn't have much to do with her friends
either. She couldn’t even see her brother and Honoka, except for the short
time in which she could stalk and congratulate them on their engagement. But
that was it. "Tired?" She then hears her brother ask next to her, to which she
turns with a slight sigh. The pinkette nods to his question and lets her right
and then her left foot rotate a little to loosen her worn out muscles up. "Tell
me, what was that with Sasuke just now?" He then starts to ask his next question
and grins knowingly at her. Sakura in the other hand can only shake her head
with big eyes. "I have no idea!"

Ryosuke laughs at her plate like eyes, before coming back to their earlier
topic. “Everything’s gonna be fine. Soon it’s over and you will be able to
rest.” He pats her shoulder encouragingly, before turning around and walking
away again. Inwardly she sticks out her tongue at him, while pouting and
crossing her arms for a quick moment. It's easy for him to talk, after all he
can go whenever he wants.
 
She surrenders with a sigh to her duty and disappears back into the crowd of
guests, although probably having already talked to each one individually anyway.
She stops in front of the stage and looks at the crowd in front of her, which
has already been minimized a bit. She can discover her friends in between.
Naruto is trying to hold himself back to not attack Hinata in public, while Ino
and Kiba laugh exuberantly like usual and Neji and Tenten are having fun too.
After a moment she also notices her old friend, Shikamaru, kissing his beautiful
fiancée. She can also make out Ryosuke and Honoka in the crowd, with Itachi,
Misuki and her husband, who is less involved in the conversation and is actually
rather looking over at her. She smiles slightly at him and then lets her gaze
wander further.
 
"Miss Uchiha." A dark and elderly voice sound next to her, which makes her look
to her right in surprise. She hasn’t expected him to reach out to her this
evening one more time. "Mr. Domoto." She then responds to the man with a
friendly smile. "Miss Uchiha, I have to admit, you have impressed me a lot." The
hostess blushes slightly at the elder man’s praise and scratches her cheek
with a little smile on her lips. "Thank you, Mr. Domoto, but I would never have
been able to do all this on my own."

"I knew your parents, Miss Uchiha." Mr. Domoto suddenly begins, which makes the
pinkette catch her breath. "You knew them?" She repeats questioningly and
watches him nod. "You are very much like your mother, Miss Uchiha. But you
definitely have your eyes from your father.” A smile forms on the usually
serious gentleman’s lips and the compliment makes her blush once again. It
surprises her how good he actually is with praises and compliments. Well, after
she has gotten married to someone like that, she should know better to not judge
a person by their looks after all. "Thank you so much for your kind words, mr.
Domoto." Her gaze turns to the floor, still a bit embarrassed off his
compliments. "You have convinced me Miss Uchiha, with your ideas, your
implementation and with your kind, helpful manner. That's why I would like to
give you this." He pulls out a neatly rolled paper from the inside of his suit
jacket and reaches it out to her with an encouraging and satisfied smile. She
reaches out for the scroll a bit hesitant, before taking it from him, which is
neatly bound with a thin and red bow. "Thank you Mr. Domoto." She bows politely
at him, not quite sure what to do with it. “This is the deed of one of my best
properties. It's in a nice residential area and I think it's the ideal location
for a new orphanage. It also has some of the best state schools around as well.
Some wanted to buy it from me to build new residential complexes on it, but I am
sure that it will be in much better hands with you." Sakura looks at his smiling
face in complete disbelief, which makes him laugh deep from his chest.
 
"Miss Uchiha, I would like to thank you for this lovely evening and take this
opportunity to say goodbye." He extends his hand at her in a friendly manner,
which she accepts after a brief hesitation. "I am already looking forward to the
next time i find an invitation to your donation gala in my mailbox and I hope to
be able to support you again." He then continues, which makes her smile happily.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Domoto. You are a truly benevolent man.” The
pinkette bows once more, while holding the scroll to her chest dearly, hearing
how the grey haired man laughs. "If I had a son or grandson of your age, I would
like to have you by his side." The man now turns around to the side, his arms
crossed behind his back. "Goodbye." With these words, he heads through the crowd
to get back to his home. "Thank you so much for honouring us with your presence
this evening!" She then calls after him one last time and bows slightly in his
direction, before he gives her one last polite nod of his own and completely
disappears from her sight.
 
“What do you have there?” She can hear her husband approach her again,
making her look up from the rolled paper in her hand with big eyes. The rest of
her family by marriage also comes up to her, since they must have all seen her
conversation with mr. domoto, who is normally known as strict and reserved.
"That's a big check." Itachi suddenly notes, his eyes just as big, which makes
her shake her head with a slight giggle. “It's not a check, but even more
valuable. Would you take it, please?“ She looks up at her husband, watching
him nod and carefully take the scroll from her hand, before letting it disappear
into the inside of his suit jacket. "Take good care of it." She then asks of him
with a smile and gets him to smile back. 

"Sakura! The evening was amazing! But before we leave now, I have one more
question for you!" Misuki now attracts everyone's attention to herself and
throws her arms around her sister in law’s neck for a moment, before letting
go of her again. Sakura smiles gently at her in response, to show her that she
can do so anytime. Sasuke also looks at his sister in law with interest,
examining her briefly in the dress,  which successfully diverts the attention
from the baby bump. Sasuke has to smile at the fact that his brother will soon
be a father.

"Sakura, after all that you have done and planned for those poor orphans
tonight, we wanted to ask you..." the brunette Uchiha pauses in her words to
take in an exited breath. "Would you like to be the godmother of our baby?" For
a moment the Haruno’s facial features derail, until a beaming smile settles on
her lips. "Seriously? I mean, do you really want that?” The pinkette starts to
explore, completely touched at her sister in law’s sudden question. "Yes.
After everything you have done here for all those children which you don’t
even know, i believe that you will be a great godmother."

"Of course I'll be the godmother if you want me to!" The Haruno holds her hands
together in front of her face, so touched and happy, watching as Misuki suddenly
burst out into tears. "Oh. It’s okay, Misuki." Completely moved, Sakura takes
the brunette woman back into her arms, while turning her eyes towards her
brother in law. "I think it's time for you to bring your wife to bed, Itachi."
Said man nods understanding and takes his wife’s hand, which Sakura then
releases with a wave of her hand. "See you tomorrow." They all watch the older
couple leave with a smile, while Sakura leans herself with a slight dreamy sigh
against her husband.

“Why is Misuki crying, Sakura? What have you done again?” Her brother’s
sudden approaching voice makes her stand back up strait and look at him and when
she turns to look to the other side, she can no longer see Sasuke nor Fugaku
beside herself. It’s as if they both vanished all of a sudden. So she turns
back towards her brother and his fiancée with an amused smile. "Those are her
hormones, you idiot.", She grins cheekily at him. He raises an eyebrow at her,
but she knows that he was just kidding anyway. "She just asked me if i want to
be the child’s godmother and i said yes. That’s why she responded so
emotional." She smiles at the two, while already being hugged by her soon to be
sister in law. "Congratulations!” The brunette woman immediately exclaims
happily, which makes Sakura laugh in amusement. “You should be the ones to be
congratulated here! You soon to be husband and wife.“ With a slight giggle she
then starts to look around for her husband and father in law. Shortly
afterwards, she can spot Fugaku standing with a few other guests, but there is
no trace of her husband. Silently and unnoticed, she then lets out a sigh. She
just doesn't understand. First he's so unbelievably sweet and gentle and then he
suddenly disappears without a word.
 
Sakura turns her gaze back to the newly engaged couple on her right and then at
the ring on Honoka’s finger. “What did he actually say? I only saw that he
fell on his knees and pleaded for your hand in marriage.” The younger of the
two Haruno’s looks at Honoka with a small grin, which elicits a slight giggle
from said woman. "I didn't plead!" Ryosuke immediately grumbles at his sister
and hugs her to cuddle her to death, which makes her laugh aloud into his chest.
Soft piano sounds suddenly reach her ear and make her stop in her laugher and
animates her to pull herself out of her brother’s grasp. Instead she looks up
with surprise, as she recognizes the melody. She doesn’t pay attention to her
brother’s questioning face and instead keeps letting her emerald eyes search
through the crowd, until she can finally see her husband in the mids of it. With
a smile on his lips, he is standing in a free space between the guests and looks
at her. Now she starts to understand where he vanished to. He went to the band
and told them to play the song.
 
Sasuke watches his wife come up to him with a bright smile and slightly fast
steps and when she is only a few steps away, he already reaches out his left
hand to her. She too extends her hand and lets him take her hand in his. He
pulls her gently towards himself, his right hand resting on her waist and begins
to dance a standing blues with her, letting her lean her head on his right
shoulder. The Uchiha smiles slightly in response and presses a kiss on her pink
hair, before leaning his cheek against it and closing his eyes with relish. This
warmth goes through his whole body again and his heart beats loud and fast
against his chest. His wife should actually be able to hear it clearly, but even
if she does, she isn’t giving him any signs. His hand, with which he is
holding hers, and his cheek too start tingling as well, as he can feel his wife
cuddling herself even closer to him. With a slight smile, he opens his eyes
again and looks into the crowd around him.
 
They are dancing together in silence, on this small open space, in the midst of
this crowd of people, who don't even seem to take notice of them. It was the
only way for him to have her to himself for a little longer that evening and so
he took the oppurtunity. That's why he told the band to play the song which they
chose to dance to, just like her parents used to as well. Sasuke wanted to have
a moment to themselves and now he wishes that this moment will never end. Maybe
Sakura was right when she said that everything is good just the way it is.



                    Kapitel 36: Step 36 - Christmas Spirit
                    --------------------------------------


The Christmas spirit is something beautiful. When the stress subsides, you get
home earlier. Outside the cold snow lies and falls and conjures up a beautiful
white landscape. The house smells of biscuits and orange peel, as well as
vanilla. Candles burn and spread a warm, pleasant light, not like these normal
lights that shine white from the ceiling, while a small fire burns in the
fireplace. Such times just invite you to cuddle up together in front of the
fireplace, put on a cozy sweater and a cup of cocoa or warm tea. Even if you
feel lonely as a single, you solve this problem with friends and family, with
whom you can spend a few nice hours.
 

The sudden ringing of the doorbell echoes through the silent house. The
disturbing sound makes the black haired man turn on his side with a deep growl
and put his arms around his wife, to pulls her against his chest. "Sasuke. The
bell is ringing.“ the pinkette too grumbles and tries to get out of his grip,
but he doesn’t seem to care much about the person waiting outside the house.
All he wants is a fulfilling amount of sleep and his wife in his arms. No more,
no less. "Don't get up." The Uchiha replies softly and hugs her a bit tighter
than before. "That's Itachi." The pinkette then tries again and manages to free
herself from his hug. Sasuke blinks briefly at his wife. Her oversized shirt
hanging loosely over her shoulder and exposing it a little. “What is he doing
here so early in the morning?” The question leaves his lips in nothing but a
quite growl, while he lets himself fall back on his pillow. Warmth spreads
inside of him and makes him sigh comfortably. “He is going to help me count
the donations. You in the other hand can go back to sleep." He now hears his
wife walking towards the door and opening it, before leaving him alone in the
room. His dark grey eyes close again and his throat leaves a brief and sark hum,
as he goes back into the land of dreams just as he was told to.
 
The Haruno walks down the stairs with a slight shiver, rubbing her upper arms as
if that would make her get a little warmer. Still all tired, she then unlocks
the front door and opens it, but at the same time hides behind it like a shield
against the cold. "Good morning." Her brother in law smiles at her, while
entering the house and getting out of his out door clothes. “Are you still
asleep?” He then explores, a little amazed, when he notices her looking as if
she just got out of bet. "Unlike you we couldn’t leave early. We had to stay
awake till 5am." She grumbles at him a little out of tune and closes the door to
let the freezing cold outside. "Did the gala really last that long?" Itachi
stares at her in disbelief, while she keeps rubbing herself over her arms. "A
few of the guests just didn't want to leave until 4am. The donation box is in
Sasuke's car, by the way. Could you pick it up while I quickly go to the
bathroom?" Itachi nods understanding at her and takes his little brother’s car
key, which Sakura extends to him. So as he is walking towards the garage, in
which Sasuke had parked his car hours ago to protect it from the freezing
weather, Sakura immediately turns around and quickly walks back up the stairs to
the bedroom, to grab herself a jogging suit and a pair of warm socks. In the
bathroom, she then changes into the chosen clothes and washes her face with warm
water. After doing so, she wants to sneak back out of the room unnoticed, but
her husband's sudden grumbling makes her flinch and look back at their bed.
Sasuke is laying there, cuddling onto his pillow and blinking sleepily at her
with a tired hum. "Sakura." Her name leaves his lips only in a soft mumble, but
still loud enough for her to understand, while he reaches out one of his arms
towards her. It makes him look as if he is trying to beg her back to his side,
while his hand keeps leisurely opening and closing in addition.
 
The young woman walks over to the bed just as her husband wishes and bends over
to his side of the bed. “You go back to sleep, i will come back later." She
then starts to whisper and gives him a brief kiss on his lips. To her surprise,
he isn’t thinking of letting her do so and starts wrapping his arms around her
shoulders, in order to pull her down to himself. When he can hear her giggle at
his move, he too lets the corner of his lips lift up. Only until she manages to
actually free herself from his hug. “Later Sasuke. Itachi is waiting
downstairs." She smiles gently and brushes one of her grumbling husband’s
strands from his face, before walking back down and into the kitchen. Her
brother in law is already sitting there on one of the bar stools, with the
donation box and the checks next to him on the kitchen table. “Can i offer you
something?” The pinkette immediately starts to explore, while she is already
on heating some water for her tea. "If it’s from you, I’m not gonna say no."
Itachi smiles charmingly towards her, which animates her to smile as well.
"Well, what do you want? Tea, coffee, or maybe something else?” She then
starts to suggests and looks at him over her shoulder. "Green tea would be
nice."

Sakura immediately nods in understanding at his request and takes out a box from
one of the cupboards, in which she had stowed the matcha tea powder. "Here, have
some cookies. But don’t tell Sasuke." The pinkette places a plate with
Christmas cookies on the kitchen counter, which the Uchiha already reaches out
to. "Woo cookies! Are those homemade?” His words escape him rather happily, as
he is already letting the biscuit disappear into his mouth. His dark brown eyes
meet hers questioningly, as she raised an eyebrow with scepticism and watches
him a little dumbfounded. “Is that a family thing, or something?” The
question blurts over her lips with out a second thought, which make her brother
in law stare back at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" He
doesn’t understand what she is trying to say. Not in the slightest. Silently
Itachi watches her place his tea cup in front of him on the table with a shrug
of her shoulders. "Sasuke always gets super happy about cookies as well and when
we don’t have any left at home, he keeps sulking until we get new ones. He
also hates to share his cookies with others, so I have to buy extra packages for
our visitors." Slowly she takes out the tea bag from her tea cup and throws it
into the sink, before letting herself sink down on the bar stool across from
him. "He really does that?" He stares at her with big eyes, as she is resting
her chin on her palm with a slight smile. “Yep.”



~ > * < ~



With a radiant smile on her lips, his wife bends over him and lowers her head to
his. His hand finds its way into her hair, which he carefully holds back while
he lifts his head a little up to make their lips touch. Her sweet breath brushes
his lips and he slowly starts closing his eyes with a soft and satisfied hum,
while her warm and soft lips keep remaining on his.

Timidly he opens his eyes and looks into the darkness of his bedroom with a deep
hum, when he realizes that what he just saw was not real. Just a dream, huh?
Sullenly, he turns himself to the side with a sigh, to take his wife back into
his arms. However, his hand only makes contact with the empty and cold sheet. It
takes a moment for him to actually remember that Sakura has already gotten up
and is sitting downstairs, alone with his big brother. A soft grumble escapes
his lips at the thoughts, before he already starts pulling the bed covers aside
in oder to get up from his warm bed. He disappears briefly into the bathroom, in
order to wash his face and put on a comfortable jogging suit. When he steps out
of the bathroom again, his attention lays on his suit, which he had been wearing
the previous evening. After a brief look inside the suit jacket, he notices that
the important document, which Sakura had entrusted to him the previous night, is
still inside it’s inner pocket. So he decides to take it out, before leaving
the dark bedroom, which is inviting him to go back and disappear underneath the
warm sheets instead. His lips leave a yawn, while slowly going down the stairs
and into the kitchen, where he can find both his wife and brother sitting and
busily counting and scribbling the numbers into a note pad. "Hey, little one!"
Itachi immediately greets him, lively as ever. Sakura looks around at him a bit
surprised, since she didn’t see or hear him coming, as she is sitting with her
back towards the entrance of the kitchen. The younger brother grumbles out of
tune in response and makes himself a cup of tea as well, standing right next to
the two at the kitchen counter. "Here." His exclaim resembles that of a soft
mumble, while he puts the paper roll on the table and pulls his wife down from
her bar stool. The confused pinkette watches him doing so and seating himself
down on it instead.
 
Only after putting his cup down on the counter, he then looks down into his
wife’s confused, emerald eyes and pulls her back up and onto his lap. His
throat leaves a deep and satisfied hum, his arms wrap around her belly and
cuddles himself against her back. "Didn't you want to sleep?" He hears his wife
ask after a moment of silence, feeling how he cuddles up his cheek against hers.
"My bear was gone, so i went on search." His words come out in nothing but a
mumble, as if he is still half asleep. His lips press onto the crook of her
neck, before he beds his head on her shoulder and closes his eyes with relish.
"Your wife has been pretty successful so far." Itachi suddenly says into the
round and gets his little brother to grin leisurely with satisfaction. Sasuke is
simply enjoying the warmth that is radiating from his beloved wife and which has
spread inside himself as soon as their bodies came in contact. "It's my wife we
are talking about, after all." He then replies quietly, while letting his thumb
move over her belly in circles. He can hear his brother's soft laugher, but
doesn’t pay it any attention, as he just keeps cuddling himself more to the
warmth in his arms. “Tell me, what is that rolled paper now? You haven’t
told us when i asked you last night either." Itachi is inspecting said item from
afar with curiosity and perks his younger brother's curiosity as well. He lifts
his head from Sakura’s shoulder tiredly and looks at the rolled paper, which
he has placed on the table a few minutes ago. In fact, they are all quite
interested in what mr. Domoto gave her there, but she hasn’t even told him
about it’s purpose.

"This is a deed of ownership for one of mr. Domoto’s properties." A gentle
smile lies on her lips as she picks up the next check and unfolds it. "What?!"
Itachi exclaims loudly, his chin almost dropping down on the kitchen counter in
disbelief. Sasuke growls out of tune at his brothers volume, but is still
surprised himself at the piece of information. "The Domoto Kasuki has given you
one of his properties? For real? No joke?" The older of the brothers continues
to stay loud as he asks her so in utter disbelief. She, in the other hand, just
looks back at him in confusion, unable to understand why he is so extremely
shocked about it, while Sasuke growls at his brothers growing volume. He clearly
doesn't like how his brother is so loud. “What do you mean by; he gave it to
me? It’s not for me. He donated it for the orphanage.” The pinkette looks at
the man across from her a little irritated, watching how he catches his breath
for a moment to recollect his thoughts. "How did you do that?" Itachi then asks,
a little more calm now than before. Sasuke hums appreciatively at that, while
secretly also looking forward to the answer. After all, everyone knows exactly
that Domoto Kasuki doesn’t give away his land so simply and never gets
impressed of any amount of money, no matter how much of a fortune people keep
offering to him. "He said that I have won over his conviction with the gala and
my commitment to the orphans. He was of the belief that the property would be in
much better hands with me, than with any other." She can’t help but smile when
she thinks back at the previous evening. How Domoto Kasuki said that she is so
similar to her mother. Does that man even know how much these words actually
mean to someone who has lost their parents?
 
“Sasuke, your wife is simply amazing! You have to take good care of her!" The
older Uchiha smiles at his brother. Sasuke too smiles and presses his lips on
her neck, before letting his nose disappear back into the crook of her neck and
closes his eyes with pride swelling deep in his chest. "You don’t need to tell
me that." He will certainly not give her up voluntarily. His gaze moves back
over the table and on the open collection box of the donation gala, which is
still quite full. “You should continue to do what you came here for, so that
Sakura can get some more rest, before we go to the Christmas gala tonight.” 

 “Aye, Aye, sir!” The man with the dark brown eyes salutes, brimming with
motivation and immediately turns back to the checks. "Do you have a pad and a
pen for me too?" Sasuke then starts to explore near his wife's ear, not missing
her reaction at his warm breath. But she tries to cover it, by looking around
briefly before she finds another pen and Itachi pushes another note pad into
their direction. With a soft sigh, the youngest Uchiha then picks up a check and
does the same job as his brother and wife. Still embracing her, he writes down
the sums of the checks on his pad.

After some time the eldest in the room has to smile, when he sees his brother
and sister in law like that. Sasuke is still cuddling up against her back, with
his cheek on her shoulder, peering over it at the checks and the pad.

The three of them work in silence. The minutes go by, the box slowly empties and
at some point the checks are removed from it and added to those which have
already been processed. The pinkette reaches out for her teacup with a sigh, but
stops in her attempt when suddenly a light flashes and brightens her view, which
animates the young woman to look up with surprise. She looks at her brother in
law, who is typing around on his smartphone with a grin on his lips. "What a
nice pic." He then remarks with a smile on his lips and shows her the pic he
just shot. "The little one fell asleep." Sakura looks at the phone’s screen
and gets to see a picture of her sleeping husband. She has to smile and her
cheeks warm up a little when she notices how cute he actually looks on the pic.
His cheek is slightly pushed forward, due to it being squished against her
shoulder by his heads weight, while his eyes stay closed. He looks so content
and relaxed, that she can feel a warmth spread inside her chest. "I've already
sent it to you." Her brother in law starts to explain and winks at her with a
slight smile pulling on the corner of his lips, before putting his smartphone
back into his jeans pocket. A small smile settles on her lips as well, as she
can feel Sasuke’s breath brush her cheek, while her eyes catch the check and
the note pad in his hand. His hand is still resting on it, the pen lying loosely
between his fingers and the tip of the pen is still placed at the end of the
circle which he had drawn before falling asleep.
 
She carefully takes the pen and check from him in order to put both of them
aside, before turning back to the last of the checks in the box. Itachi
meanwhile pulls his brother's pad towards himself and begins to calculate the
sums. Less than twenty minutes later they finally have the sum’s result of all
donations. "Well then. I'll leave you two alone now, so that you can rest a
little longer too." Itachi get up on his feet, and pats his legs with a slight
sigh. Only when he looks back up and watches the two for a moment, he decides to
nod towards his still sleeping brother. "Do you want me to help you with getting
him upstairs?" She smiles appreciatively at his suggestion in response, but
shakes her head. "No, thanks, I will manage it on my own somehow." The pinkette
waves him good bye and watches as he leaves the kitchen and soon after also the
house.
 


~ > * < ~



"Sasuke." The Uchiha can feel fingers playing with his hair and petting his head
lovingly. It makes him hum simply with relish at the feeling. "Sasuke. Come on,
let’s go back to bed.” The heat source from his stomach disappears at that,
just like the warm support for his cheek, which ends up in letting his head fall
slightly forth, until he lifts it back up in his unconsciousness. He growls out
of tune at the sudden lack of support and besides, he really liked the gentle
fingers on his head better. He feels someone starting to slowly pull him up by
his arm and makes him slip down from the object on which he was sitting. He hums
again a little disturbed when he feels the heat source in front of him trying to
move away from him and so he quickly wraps his arms back around it to prevent it
from leaving. With slow and unconscious steps, he starts to follow the moving
warmth in his arms, while this lovely scent in front of his nose is keeping him
in this dozy state, preventing him from waking up. As if he were sleepwalking,
he follows the heat source on his chest, which he has surrounded with his arms
protectively. "Be careful with the steps, Sasuke." He just hums back at the
warning and keeps letting himself led further. It’s not like he was taking
really notice of anything except the warmth in his arms anyway.

After a while, while still in trance and half asleep, his unconsciousness takes
note of something cool and fluffy underneath himself and his head. He can’t
stop himself from humming at the feeling with satisfaction. With this, he pulls
the source of heat, which he had been clutching to all along and even closer to
himself, before he rolls slightly onto his side. A chuckle sounds next to his
ears and he can’t but smile at the soft sound, letting his nose burrow into
the warmth with a deep sigh, as a pleasant warmth goes through his whole body.
It is quiet around him and also dark. The only thing he can feel is the cuddly
warmth he is holding against his chest and a gentle pressure, which makes him
open his eyes hesitatingly. His sight is blurry and everything is dark around
him, so it takes a moment for him, before he can make out his wife, who is
laying in his arms with a gentle smile.



~ > * < ~



A sigh of pleasure comes over Sasuke’s lips when he wakes up again next and
takes a look around the room for a moment. A little confused, he looks into the
darkness. Hasn't he been in the kitchen together with Sakura and his brother? So
how on earth did he end up in bed? His eyes move around to the alarm clock,
which is standing right opposite of him and shows him the current time with
luminous numbers. Briefly he rubs over his eyes, noting that he doesn’t have
to get up yet and that they still got  another hour, before they need to get
ready for tonight’s gala. The gala, which he and his family are invited to
every year. The Uchiha gazes back at his wife, who is still held and trapped in
his hug. She lies there relaxed, with her face turned towards him and her hands
nestled between her and his bodies, while one of her hands is being held by his.
With his free left hand he carefully caresses one of her pink strands out of her
sleeping face. He would love to kiss her right now, but he's scared to wake her
up like that and that's exactly what he doesn't want to happen. They both were
pretty tired and so he wants her to sleep some more as well. So instead he keeps
watching her sleep so calmly, as a memory from the previous evening suddenly
appears in his inner eye. It is the moment he saw her looking at him with that
beaming and happy smile on her lips, while she was holding that toddler in her
arms. And suddenly he can feel his heart beating faster again, while his gaze
and the smile on hid lips becomes even gentler.

His hand rests on her side and his thumb slowly moves over her skin, which is
exposed to him. A quiet sigh escapes her lips at that, cuddling herself more
into the pillow and it makes it unable for him to stop his lips from curling up
into a gentle smile at the sight. He keeps watching her slumber some longer in
silence, until she slowly starts to wake up as well. "Hey." The word escapes her
lips only in a soft mumble, as she closes her eyes again with relish. "Hey." He
too whispers, his thumb now moving over her rosy cheek. "You can still get some
sleep. We still got an hour." Sakura’s eyes open again at his words and starts
shaking her head in response, as he comes even closer to her. "No, no. I’m
fine." Her fingers move and rub over her tired eyes, feeling his hand wander
back down and underneath her sweater, where he returns to touch and caress her
skin. "If you say so..." With gentle force he then decides to pull her flush
against himself and back into his arms, only to press his lips greedily against
hers for a deep kiss. He can’t but smile into the kiss, when she responds
immediately and allows him to enter with his tongue. With a swift and easy move,
he rolls himself over his wife, to burry her underneath himself like a predator.
As soon as he does so, he can hear her giggle into the kiss and moan. Slight
goosebumps form on is skin at her reaction, animating him to caress and touch
her skin further. His heart is beating fast and his breath goes erratic, as he
breaks the kiss to look deep into her emerald eyes. He can hear a slight eep
escape her pink lips. His hand is resting on her breast and slightly massaging
it, while he watches her reaction. She isn’t wearing a bra underneath her
sweater, since she always takes it off before going to bed. A soft moan escapes
her pouty lips at his soft squeeze, on which she bites down slightly and
suddenly he feels the urge to kiss her again. However, he wants to watch her
reactions some more as he touches her. Her cheeks turn slightly pink and her
lips escapes another shy moan.

“Sasuke...” He stops when he hears his wife moan his name so softly and
looks back into her eyes. The brightness of the day peaks out from the underside
of the curtain and gently illuminates the room. It is enough in order to be able
to see each other’s face’s. Her slightly disheveled hair lies like a carpet
on the mattress and pillow, her emerald eyes are glistening slightly and her
breath is kind of uneven from his touches. She too looks up into his dark eyes,
with a beautiful and slightly shy smile on her lips. With her hands she cups his
cheeks, only to pull him back down and to get his lips back on hers. A soft
chuckle escapes his lips, as he returns the kiss gently, tightening his grip on
her back and pressing himself closer to her. So that’s why she had said his
name. He gives her another kiss on her lips and then up on her cheek, before he
moves lower again in order to caress her neck with lots of kisses. "No hickeys
today, Sasuke." She can’t stop smiling while telling him this, but she also
can’t stop herself from completely submitting herself to him and enjoying his
lips on her skin. "Exceptionally." He smiles back at her, while pulling down the
zipper of her sweater just a little and kissing her left collarbone. She giggles
softly at his behaviour and looks down at his black hair, which is standing up
in all directions. She has to admit that he looks super cute and hot at the same
time with his bed hair. Her lips curl up into a smile and her fingers start
playing with his messy hair, as she takes notice of him bedding his cheek on her
chest with a hum. “Am I that cozy? You fell asleep in the kitchen earlier
while leaning against me too.” His eyes slowly start to fall shut again, while
he listens to her silent question. Another hum escapes his lips and he cuddles
himself more into her chest with relish. “You are my bear after all. My plush
bear.“ 

It becomes quite after that. But only until the silence between the two is
disturbed again by the grumbling of his wife’s belly. It makes him smile
crookedly. "A hungry bear." He looks up at her with a smile on his lips,
watching her turning slightly red and turn to the side in embarrassment. The
Uchiha suddenly moves and before she can see what he's doing, he gently kisses
her cheek and pulls her up from the bed with himself. With a small grin on his
lips, he crouches down, only to embrace her thighs and get her up on his arms.
His sudden and unexpected action makes her screech with surprise and hold
herself onto his sweater. "Sasuke!" His name leaves her lips with a soft whine,
because he has never done anything like this before and she has no idea what he
is planning to do. “What are you going to do?” As if he didn’t hear her
question, Sasuke just stats to move and exits the bedroom with her on his arms.
The door’s are high and so she at least didn’t have to worry that she would
hit her head in the process. "Sasuke!" She tries to get him to talk once more,
while he leisurely walks down the stairs, like no care in the world. "Sasuke!"
She repeats his name once again when she is being carried further and into the
kitchen, where her husband finally puts her back down onto one of the bar
stools. All he does after that is smile at her and brush one of her pink strands
behind her little ear. "Feeding the mistress." He then starts to whisper agains
her lips, almost seeming like he is going to kiss her again. But when her lips
start to close, he suddenly moves away, leaving her completely baffled. 

He walks towards the stow and searches for one of the pan’s, but when he
notices how there is coming no sound from her, he decides to turn back towards
her. His lips curl up in amusement, watching her sit there completely baffled
and her cheeks tinted slightly red. His throat escapes a slight chuckle and his
feet starts moving back the few steps towards her. “What is it? Did you expect
something else to happen?” Her cheeks turn a shed darker at his question and
it makes his heart jump with excitement. Before she can avert her face from him,
Sasuke cups her cheeks and makes her look back into his dark grey eyes. Slowly
he bridges the gap between himself and his beloved wife and watches her trough
half lidded eyes. Alone the fact that she was expecting more and her breath
becoming slightly erratic, makes goosebumps form on his skin. Even the hair on
his neck does get up. Slowly his lips press against hers. First gentle and then
with more pressure. He pushes her back, almost ending up pushing her down onto
the kitchen island, while his hands would move down and roam over her body. His
tongue breaks through her lips with ease and his hands cup her mounds from
below, which elicits a soft and cute moan from her. 
 
Only after a long and passionate make-out, the Uchiha dares to slowly break the
kiss again and let’s her sit back up properly. With bright red cheeks and
heavy breaths, Sakura watches her husband move a step back with a slight grin on
his lips, before he turns around and approaches the refrigerator. Every time she
had teased him at the beginning and thought that she had him around her little
finger, she now fully understands that in reality it had been him who had her
under control all along. He let her think that she had the upper hand all the
time, but she got painfully aware that this wasn’t the case. Already back on
their second date he had demonstrated it to her. But back then she still
couldn’t believe it and thought it had just been sheer luck. “What does the
mistress want for dinner?” Sasuke’s question makes her jolt out of her
thoughts and look at his back. “You can cook?” She watches him with
astonishment, as he turns back towards her with a slight grin on his lips. “I
can do rice, pancakes and eggs. I think searing some piece of meat is no big
deal either.” The Haruno giggles for a moment and leans herself back against
the island, where she lets her elbow rest on the countertop. "Well then,
convince me." Sakura keeps watching her husband as he puts on the rice cooker to
cook the rice and prepares the pan with some butter. After washing some
vegetables, he gets himself a knife and a kitchen board, before starting to chop
the vegetables. Sakura smiles slightly at this. It's the first time that he is
cooking something for her. Let alone him cooking in the first place. And
somehow, since last night he has been, how should she put it? It’s not like he
is different, or like he changed. Rather than that, he has become much softer
towards her. “Is everything okay?” She then inquires quietly and watches him
pause in his cutting.

Sasuke looks back at her and into her emerald eyes. Did she notice? "Sure, why
are you asking?" His reply comes with a slight hesitation, as she lets her chin
rest on her palm. "Well, you suddenly got even gentler towards me. You haven't
caught a cold again, have you?" For a moment she looks at him carefully. A
little embarrassed, he looks back down at the vegetables. The fact that she is
suddenly watching her so intensively makes him almost uncomfortable. He isn’t
exactly used to such a thing.

"No. Everything’s okay. Is it bad that I behave like this?“ The Uchiha
continues to cut the vegetables while he asks her this, unable to see her shake
her head in response. "No, I was just a little surprised." She smiles and
watches him turn to the pan with the cut vegetables. “I'm just in the
Christmas spirit. That’s all.” Obviously that was just an excuse right now.
He isn’t in the Christmas spirit. Not in the slightest. Fact is, he is in love
with her. However, it seems to him that this feeling of his isn’t mutual. That
his love for her is only onesided and that thought kind of hurts him.
“Suddenly at a fundraising gala?” He then hears her questioning further and
he can clearly imagine the smile on her lips. “I just saw an angel. How did
you actually get me up into the bedroom?” He immediately changes the subject,
while stirring the vegetables. "You clung to me as if I were a cookie." The
pinkette grins and looks to the side and out of the window. Sasuke looks a
little bitterly at the vegetables. Maybe he should try keeping it a secret.
Especially in front of his friends and family. He should be content with her
being around for now and who knows? Maybe he’s wrong. Maybe his feelings will
turn out to be just some infatuation, which ends just as quickly as it started.
But just as he thinks so, something in him hurts. He doesn’t want it to leave
again. It already happened once. They meet only once and she already occupied
his mind. But over the time he forgot her and he got emptier again. It like when
they meet again and got married, this emptiness was filled again too.
 
It sizzles softly as Sasuke puts the meat into the pan and starts searing it. At
the sizzling sound, Sakura turns back toward her husband and looks at his back. 
"Actually...” she then starts to speak, sounding a bit nervous and uncertain
if she should tell him or not. She doesn’t want him to misunderstand her words
and end up stopping his behaviour. “I think it's really nice when you are so
kind and gentle towards me." Her words are only a mumble and towards the end she
becomes even quieter. The Uchiha looks around and at her with surprise, trying
to decipher in his head if he heard her right, or if it was just his
imagination. She lowers her gaze to her fingers and he can see a gentle but also
slightly sad smile on her face. "I mean... when you do that i kind of feel like
I'm special and not alone." She keeps mumbling, more to herself than to him. The
Uchiha looks back at the meat and he can’t stop his lips from lifting up into
a smile. So he didn’t just imagine it. She really said that. Maybe... yeah,
maybe at least when he’s alone with her, he can let his feelings run wild.
Even if she doesn’t feel the same as him. He quickly puts the meat on the
plate, with some of the vegetables and a portion of rice right next to it,
before turning towards her and putting the plate down in front of her. "That’s
because you are special. But above all, you are not alone." He smiles warmly at
her and hands her the cutlery. She looks up at him a bit perplexed, as he gets
back to the stow to get himself his own food. She didn't think that he would
hear that.
 


~ > * < ~



The young man adjusts his shirt and suit sleeves, just as the cufflinks, before
turning to his other arm. "Are you ready? Do you need help with anything?" His
gaze turns towards the door to the bathroom, behind which his wife is preparing
herself for the gala tonight. "No, thanks. You can wait downstairs! I'll be
right there." Her answer makes him raise one of his perfect eyebrows, unable to
understand why she would want that. “Why should I go down? I can wait here
too.” Letting go of the ends of his sleeve, he lets both of his hands
disappear into his suit pockets. The bathroom door opens and he can see how his
wife’s head pops out through the little opening. Her pink hair is pinned up
elegantly, as if she had been to the hair saloon for it. "But I want that wow
factor when I come down the stairs, so could you please wait downstairs for
me?” She smiles innocently into his direction and all he could do in response
is letting out a low sigh, before nodding in response. After that he starts to
turn around and walks out of the room, down the stairs.

When the door is closed, the pinkette quickly gets out of the bathroom and to
the wardrobe, from which she takes the dress, which is still safely wrapped in a
garment bag. A satisfied smile pulls on her lips when she has taken out the
dress from it’s bag and gives it one more glance. If this dress doesn't
achieve the wow effect that you know from movies, where the woman comes down the
stairs into the ballroom and impresses everyone, she doesn't know either. She
carefully steps into the dress and slips her arms into the short lace sleeves.
With a bright smile on her face, she looks herself over in the mirror on the
inside of one of her closet doors and she seems quite satisfied with how she
looks. Due to the makeup and the dress she has chosen, her eyes also appear
slightly bluish, but it still perfectly matches her eye colour either way.
 
The Uchiha sighs, somewhat tormented. Why does she have to make such a secret of
the dress? Why the unnecessary wish of showing him the dress while walking down
the stairs, like in fairy tales or movies? It’s not like her walking down the
stairs, will magically change his opinion about her in the dress. Either he will
love it, or love it. There is no other option, because it’s not the moment or
the dress which makes her so attractive and beautiful to him. He thought she
already knew that. With another sigh he turns around and goes back that little
bit to the stairs, when he can hear his wife finally coming down. Overwhelmed,
he stares at her when she stops on one of the steps and turns slightly to the
side, with an inconspicuous little handbag in her hand. The blue-green dress
reaches down to the floor. It looks like a layer of lace has been attached over
a strapless, white dress, which also forms the sleeves of the dress. The Uchiha
opens his mouth to say something, but in the end no sound comes out of him.
“What happened? The cat ate your tongue?” She explores with a giggle. Sasuke
closes his mouth again and swallows lightly, unable to say anything. It feels
like his heart has stopped for a moment. Still speechless, he watches her as she
descends the stairs and approaches him with that bright smile on her face. She
stops right in front of him and looks up into his dark grey eyes. Now she’s
still quite smaller than him, but when she gets into her high heels, she will no
longer be as small and still she won’t be too tall either.

"Why don’t you ever make yourself so beautiful for me?" The question blurts
over his lips all of a sudden, which makes her stare at him with surprise. "I
already made myself pretty for you too." Sakura then replies and looks at him
with wide eyes. She hasn’t expected him to say such a thing at all.
“When?” The Uchiha lets out a low growl, while leaning a little forward to
her. "At our wedding." Her reply is quite and for a moment she even surprises
her husband with her words. “But that was only once!” The pinkette looks
down a little sadly at his words. She hadn’t expect his reaction to turn out
this way. "I keep making myself pretty for you all the time." She then reports
to him quietly and a little dejected. She had thought that he already would have
noticed that she is always tying hard to look good in his eyes. “It's always
just because of me?” Sasuke looks at her in astonishment, watching her look
back up with slight tears forming in her eyes. "Of course! Whom else do you
think I’m doing it for? I don't care what all of Japan thinks about me! You
made me Japan's dream woman, not me! I want only my husband to think I'm pretty
and that’s all. I thought that you had understood that by now, but i guess i
was wrong!" She hisses angrily towards him and wants to go to the door, about to
get into her high heels. 

"No." His hand grasps her wrist with the silver bracelet, only to pull her back
to himself with gentle force and put his arm around her back. "You are the one
who still doesn’t seem to understand." His words are nothing but a soft
whisper against her lips, as he lets his thumb gently move over her cheek. “I
don’t care about princesses walking down the stairs, or trying to find and
wear the most beautiful dresses to impress men. To me you are the most beautiful
woman, no matter what dress you are wearing. You are the only woman next to my
late mother, who never even needs to try, in order to impress me. You are
beautiful no matter what you wear or do, especially when you're not wearing any
makeup. This includes even every morning, when you still look totally sleepy and
your hair is sticking out in all directions. Just look at Karin desperately
trying everything possible to look good in my eyes all the damn time and still i
don’t care what ever shit she is wearing, even if you happened to give her
your dresses. Because it’s her that i don’t care about." He smiles honestly,
giving her a peck on her cheek.

Sakura stares up at him with widened eyes, unable of knowing what to say. She
never knew that he actually thought so about her and she can see in his eyes
that he is serious. A small, crooked smile shows up on her lips. All this time
she was trying so hard, only to be told that she doesn’t even need to. She has
to laugh lightly at the irony. The fact that he just called Karin desperate is
kind of funny too. It makes her so happy that he thinks like that about her.
That he likes and is taking notice of every single thing she does, without her
needing to try so hard. She always thought that she had to prove herself to him
in order for their marriage to work, but in the end he likes her the way she is.
Sasuke smiles and leans his forehead against hers, only to give her a kiss on
her lips. "By the way, in the mornings you not only look beautiful, but also
particularly cute." He whispers those words into her ear, when she responded to
the kiss with a hug. "I really like this Sasuke in Christmas mood." Sasuke’s
heart beats a tad faster, unable to say anything in response. If she just knew
that this has nothing to do with the Christmas spirit. Just what is she doing
with him? His heart will overwork at this point if she continues like this.
"Let’s go. The limousine is waiting.” He smiles at her, before stealing
another kiss from her. The Uchiha holds out his wife’s faux fur stole, while
watching her get into her high heels, before she gratefully puts the fur around
her upper arms. After that she nods once in order to show him that she is ready
to go and walks with him towards the door. The cold of the winter night makes
her shiver, while she takes notice of the already waiting limousine in front of
their property. The chauffeur is also there, waiting in front of the vehicle to
welcome them. Sasuke locks the front door behind himself and puts the house key
in the inside pocket of his suit jacket, before walking with his wife down the
driveway, which is definitely not made for limousines. With her dress slightly
raised, in order to make sure that it doesn't get wet and dirty because of the
snow, the Haruno walks down the driveway while holding onto her husband's arm
and towards the gate through which they step.

The driver immediately greets them with a polite bow and opens the door for them
both. "Good evening. Did you have to wait a lot?" Sakura then replies just as
politely, which animates the driver to smile back. "Don't worry about me." The
man watches as she gets into the limousine and shortly afterwards Sasuke too is
already sitting next to her, giving the driver the signal that he can close the
door. The pinkette looks around for a moment, which makes her husband smile
slightly. He looks down at her hand and gently takes it in his, before crossing
his fingers with hers. He seriously likes this feeling, which is triggered every
time as soon as he touches her. The car starts moving slowly and Sasuke decides
to look ahead, where the partition to the driver's cab was let down and he can
see the chauffeur, who keeps glancing at them both from the rearview mirror. Of
course, the Uchiha does not miss the glances which is meant for the both of them
and he also understands why the man does it. They both got married so quickly,
especially without anyone even knowing if they had a relationship before or not,
that most of Japan thinks that their decision was too premature. After all, the
couples run out of breath quickly after the wedding and just end up divorcing
soon after. However, he doesn’t even think of doing that. He never was
planning on doing so. At first it was only because it was his mother’s wish,
but now it’s not just because of that, but also because he truly wants Sakura
to stay by his side.
 
"I only said that because I think you might have made yourself a bit too
beautiful and men would end up looking at you in a wrong way." The Uchiha
suddenly explains his earlier behaviour without being asked, which makes his
wife look at him with surprise, before a warm smile spreads over her face. He
can even see it in her emerald eyes. "I don't care about the other men." With
those words she slides closer to him, if that's still possible and he too moves
closer to her face. “That doesn’t change the fact that i don’t want any
other man gawking at my wife.” He can feel her breath shakily against his lips
and it animates him to press his lips against hers. It’s so impossible. He
can't get enough of her at all. Only reluctantly he breaks away from her and
stares into her eyes with a slight grin. She too smiles shyly and lifts her
thumb, in order to place it on his lips. "You got lipstick." She then explains
and wipes the reddish color from his lips.
 
Sasuke let’s her do as she pleases and closes his eyes, listening in to her
giggle. When she is done, he starts wrapping his arm around her and hugging her
against his side, while gently caressing her stomach. A few minutes later the
journey already comes to an end and the car stops at a huge property. Several
limousines are standing in front of them and and are letting out the guests of
the gala. Therefore it takes their limousine a moment until they too reach the
entrance to the huge building and the door on their right gets opened by the
chauffeur. Countless flashlights blinds the married couple’s sight as soon as
the door opens. Sasuke sighs soundlessly at that, before he gets out and briefly
adjusts his suit, then extends his hand to his wife to help her onto her feet as
well. Somewhat surprised at the crowd, she looks at her husband, who smiles
comfortingly, puts his arm around her waist and then leads her the short
distance over the red carpet inside. Inside the building they are immediately
greeted with bows, before they are redirected towards the cloakroom to their
left. “Do you want to hand something in?” The Uchiha glances questoningly at
his wife, who nods in response and walks with her husband by her hand to said
place. They are greeted there as well and looked after in a friendly manner. The
pinkette hands in her stole and receives a number, which she puts into her mini
handbag.

"There will be more reporters around, so don't be alarmed." The Uchiha brielfy
explains to her, as they keep following the red carpet that leads around a
corner. “This time we also have to pose a little. It's really like on TV
here.” As soon as he says those words and goes with her around the corner,
they already get caught up in another downpour of flashing lights. Some
paparazzo’s pay their attention straight away, while others still take
pictures of the guests in front of them. Sakura looks around a little
uncertainly, as she keeps following her husband. The Uchiha comes to a stop,
puts his arm around her waist and gently presses her against his side, to give
the reporters their food. She looks up at him with surprise. Everything here is
so new to her, it kind of overwhelms her. She hasn’t been surrounded by
reporters like this ever since the wedding. Sasuke notices her uncomfortableness
and starts smiling gently at her, which makes her smile too. Then he turns his
gaze back to the cameras, whereby his smile fades. The pinkette does the same as
him, but keeps her smile up anyway, before they decide to go on. “Miss
Uchiha!” Sakura then suddenly hears someone call out for her and looks back
over her shoulder with a smile, before looking back at the reporters and poses
once more with Sasuke.
 
A few minutes later they finally arrive in the actual hall of the festival.
“You are a natural talent.” The Uchiha starts whispering near her ear and
gives her a kiss on the cheek. Sakura laughs a little embarrassed and then takes
a look around. Today it's her friends turn, since she had so little time for
them the previous night. Her husband takes her hand again and crosses their
fingers. His thumb moves over her wedding ring again and he is grateful.
Grateful that his mother went to Ryosuke and grateful that Ryosuke agreed. for
him this marriage is the most right thing that could have happened and he
doesn’t care what anyone speculates out there about him and Sakura. "Sakura!"
They both can immediately make out the familiar voice and turn around into the
direction, in order to greet them. Shikamaru and Temari are standing there,
while Temari waves happily towards them. Sasuke sighs unnoticed as they approach
them. He had hoped to have Sakura all to himself for a few minutes longer. The
day with her wasn't enough, especially since Itachi was there and they slept
through most of it. “Hey!” Sakura immediately greets her neighbors happily,
when they are only a few more steps away. Temari immediately greets her with a
tight hug, before she lets her go again to let her hug her fiancé. “Wow, what
a dress. One more beautiful than the other." The dark blonde then notes, after
greeting Sasuk as well. "Oh nonsense! Yours is way more beautiful." Sakura
immediately waves off her friend’s flattery with a giggle.
 
"It's not the dress that makes Sakura pretty, it's her that makes the dress
beautiful." Sasuke suddenly starts to explain to the Sabakuno, which makes his
wife look down with bright red cheeks, while the model sighs, completely
touched. The Nara sceptically raises one of his eyebrows at his old friend’s
choice of words and stares at him questioningly. "Please tell me that you read
that somewhere and didn’t just came up with that on your own!" Temari turns
towards the husband, almost close to tearing up from the cutesy, but Sasuke just
looks back at her in silence, while inwardly scolding himself for his loud
mouth. He wanted to be like usual in public and now he ended up being too open
again instead! "Does he keep saying things like that to you?" The model in her
black dress looks back at Sakura with interest, however, Sakura just shakes her
head. “No, not all the time. He seems to be in Christmas mood." The Haruno
takes a brief look at her friend’s dress and quickly changes the subject to
close the conversation about Sasuke’s sudden behaviour. She doesn’t know if
she could handle any more cute words from him today. “Did i already say that
your dress is beautiful too? it really is an eye catcher. Are you really as slim
as you look?" She then explores with fascination, which makes the blonde woman
look down on herself, before looking back at the woman opposite from her. "How
thin do I look?" Temari replies with a question, which makes Sasuke grin
slightly. "Women." Shikamaru grumbles in agreement at his friend’s whispered
words, as they keep following the women’s conversation. "I think i wouldn’t
have discovered you behind a broomstick." Sakura then replies, making the model
giggle. "What? Come on now, please stop!"
 
“Where are the others?” The Nara now inquires, bored of the conversation
between the two women, making Sasuke reluctantly look away from his wife. "I
have no idea, we just arrived here." He shrugs his shoulders and then looks
around briefly, to look for his friends as well. “But all of this is pretty
prestigious, don’t you think?” The Haruno suddenly notes, which gets the
men’s attention back. "Yes. Almost a bit exaggerated, actually." The Sabakuno
mumbles back, a bit unconvinced of all the hoo-ha and tam tam. “That's because
it's not an ordinary gala. The one who hosts this gala every year is one of the
richest men in Japan. He just wants to show off his wealth and power and
therefore tries to outdo himself every year. There are several live bands
playing and there will even be various show acts.” Sasuke then explains
quietly to his wife and Temari, who nods in agreement. "Like you can see, this
gala doesn’t have any noteworthy purpose. All the people here only attend the
invitation to this gala, because it is treated as the most important gala of our
social class. All the important people are here and if you don’t come, it
could actually put you in a bad light.” The Nara then adds to Sasuke’s
explanation and Sakura nods in understanding. She can already imagine what he is
trying to say. If they don’t attend the occasion, no matter what the reason,
they would end up being the gossip number 1. Everywhere would be said and
written that they were ‘too smug to even attend to a simple and important
invitation like that’. And all this is exactly why she doesn't feel
particularly comfortable here. She really can’t stand those overly wealthy
show people, who do all of this only to show off their wealth and make other
people down, just because they are pissed when their invitation gets declined.
 
Immediately she steps aside, in order to get closer to her husband, her hand
searching for his. Surprised, Sasuke looks at his wife, who is obviously feeling
his arm for his hand. So he pulls his hand out of his trouser pocket and
encloses her hand, watching her look around uncertainly. "Shall we look for the
others?" He then suggests, which makes everyone look around at him with
surprise. "Yes." Sakura smiles happily and enjoys her husbands protective hand
around hers. Shikamaru and Temari too agree with the idea, as the small group
start to walk through the hall, to look out for their friends. "You don't feel
comfortable here, do you?" The Uchiha quietly utters his guess and gets a shake
of her head in response. Just as he had thought. He smiles encouragingly towards
her and she bravely returns the smile, before continuing to look around.
Although the hall is quite large, the guests are all standing close together and
make it difficult to find anyone in particular. A while goes by in which they
keep searching and they are almost giving up, as they walk along the stage to
the left. There are large windows, extending behind the crowd. The clear dark
blue sky can be seen through the windows and they can even see the stars
shining.

The mass becomes sparse until it dissolves completely, as they could finally
make out their friend further in the back. Sakura looks around with relief and
amazement, as there is a wide, open area in front of her. No wonder that their
friends were no where to be found. Barely anyone is standing in this place,
which makes it more comfortable. "Sakura! Your dress is stealing my
spotlight!“ The Haruno immediately looks at her blond best friend in the
group, in which she also discovers her brother. The blonde stands in the middle
with her arms crossed, in a dark blue one-shoulder dress. Sakura has to smile at
her friend's statement and comes to a stop next to the group together with her
husband and her neighbours. "She's the dream woman in Japan, do you really think
you can have the spotlight at this point?" Temari starts to explore with a small
grin on her full lips and makes the Yamanaka pout even more. Sakura in the other
hand walks up to her brother for a hug, who accepts and returns the gesture with
a smile. They both seem quite happy to see each other again so fast. In the mids
of her friends, Sakura immediately feels more comfortable and relaxed and starts
greeting everyone in the group.
 
"Hey, Sas!" Ryosuke starts greeting his brother in law with a handshake and a
half hug, which Sasuke replies to, before turning back to glance at his wife.
"You did right by not taking her here with you." The Uchiha then notes quietly,
making his brunette friend look at him questioningly. Sasuke too looks back at
him and puts his hand back into his pockets. "She feels completely uncomfortable
here." After that he too starts greeting the rest of the group. Only after a
while he looks back into the crowd in front of the stage, from which they just
came. "Like squashed sardines." Everyone giggles and chuckles at his comparison,
while he keeps his eyes on search for his family. That’s when he sees Kiba
appearing from the crowd and immediately looking at the men with a slight grin.
"Gentlemen. If only you would accompany me to the bar to get drinks for the
ladies. They have to talk about their clothes anyway.” The Inuzuka starts to
play elegantly, which brings the group to laugh once again, while the men
immediately agree. "What do you want?" Sasuke now glances back at his wife, who
puts her finger thoughtfully against her lower lip. “let me guess. It has to
be something elegant, right?" She just asks back, just as questioningly, making
him grin with amusement. "I'll just bring you something." 

The men turn and leave the women behind for them to discuss their female topics
in peace. "How long did you stay up last night?" Neji is the first to open a
topic, which makes Sasuke only sigh once again. "Don’t even ask. They just
didn’t want to leave and by the time we finally got home and went to bed, it
was already past 5am.” The Uchiha lets out a deep growl. “But it was also a
great evening!” Kiba is intending to cheer him up, however, it doesn’t seem
to affect the Uchiha in the slightest. "Yes. If you can control whenever you
want to go home, that is." Sasuke growls again and gets his brother in law to
pat his shoulder in a friendly manner. "Don’t worry, you can catch up on that
from today on." Sasuke has to grin crookedly at his words. He noticed that
Ryosuke always uses comforting words like these a lot. "Let's see about that."
The Uchiha simply shrugs his shoulders as they fight their way back through the
crowd in order to reach the bar. "I wouldn't even be surprised if someone ends
up dying here in the crowd." Shikamaru interjects into the round with a grumble
of his own, it makes Sasuke chuckle in amusement. That's how he knows the
genius, almost constantly annoyed and bored about everything. When they arrive
at the bar, they start to line up one after the other.
 
"Sasuke?" The Uchiha had just gotten his wife’s drink, when he was called out
from the side. He immediately looks around at the person with surprise, only to
discover his sister in law walking towards him with the same uncomfortable look
as his wife earlier. She comes to a stand still right in front of him. "Hey,
Misuki." He starts greeting her with a slight smile and a quick hug and that’s
when he can feel her relax her tensed shoulders. "Could it be that you lost
Itachi?" He then continues to asks, which she responds to with a helpless nod.
Of course she feels that way, in this large crowd, alone and pregnant. There is
no way he would leave her alone in such a situation. He know that Itachi would
neither, when it were to be Sakura. No matter how much they keep bickering, they
are still brothers after all. "Come here. Do you want something to drink?” He
keeps continuing to explore and pulls her carefully between himself and his
brother in law, who too greets her a little surprised. “A cola, please.“ The
brunette female immediately answers to her brother in law’s question with
relief and watches as the bartender nods and already hands her a glass with the
dark liquid. Shortly afterwards he also puts the other drinks on the counter,
which the men pay and then take them with themselves on their way back. "Just
hold on to me." Sasuke turns back to his sister in law, who nods understanding
into his direction and hooks herself lightly on his right arm. Ryosuke walks on
her right side, while Kiba walks with Neji in the front. "Like bodyguards."
Misuki then starts to mumble softly, but still enough for Sasuke to hear and
chuckle in amusement. A little bored, Shikamaru trots after them until they
emerge from the crowd and discover that the free space has still not filled in
the slightest.

Eventually they slowly come back to the group of ladies, which shortly
afterwards become aware of the men approaching. "Look who has found me at the
bar." Sasuke smiles at his wife, when he and Misuki have arrived right next to
her. The pinkette immediately hugs her sister in law with a beaming smile,
welcoming and asking her of her and the baby’s wellbeing. Sasuke just watches
the two with a smile, while pulling out his smartphone from his inside pocket.
After unlocking it, he quickly taps around the screen, before holding the device
to his ear. He has to smile crookedly, when his call is being answered to and
looks at his sister in law, who is now talking relaxed with his wife. “I
picked up something on the way. White, floor length, with a flower holder. We
are on the left side of the stage, right next to the windows." After giving off
the location, he hangs up again, without even letting his brother speak. His
gaze returns to his wife and can’t stop himself from smiling.

"Misuki!" The group turns around to look at the person who is calling out for
the pregnant woman, only to be meet by the older of the Uchiha brothers. Itachi
is walking towards the crowd with quite fast steps, as if he had been worried to
death just a moment ago. The brunette woman smiles at her approaching husband
and already holds up her arms, already expecting him to take her into his arms
for a hug. "I've been looking everywhere for you." Sakura has to smile when she
can hear the relief in her brother in law’s voice. It must have been hard on
both of them. Misuki must be feeling just as uncomfortable as her in this place,
but in addition she is also pregnant too. So it’s no wonder that Itachi seems
as if he almost freaked out when he lost her back in the crowd. "It's good that
you found her, Sasuke." Her eyes meet those of her husband, who is standing
right next to her and watching the reunited couple just like her. Itachi, who
has overheard the pinkette’s words, now turns around to them with a nod.
"Sakura is right. Thanks for finding her, little one." Itachi smiles at his
younger brother with relief, but Sasuke can just shake his head in slight
amusement. “It wasn’t me who found her. She found me when i was getting
Sakura something to drink." Sasuke starts to slightly wave his hand, in order to
show them that it wasn’t a big deal at all. After all, that’s what brothers
are for. "I’m still thankful that you didn’t leave her on her own." In order
to strengthen his words, he then walks up to his younger brother and gives him a
short but strong hug. 

"And how did things went? Are you well rested now?" The older of the two now
starts to explore, with a slight grin pulling on his lips. The younger Uchiha
just raises his eyebrow in response to his question. There goes the mature big
brother. Whenever he grins like that, it always means that it’s time for his
teasing and annoying routines. "You fell asleep leaning against Sakura earlier."
As soon as Itachi says those words, he already pulls out his smartphone in order
to show him the picture he shot earlier that day. Sasuke just hums softly at the
pic. Of course he had to take a picture of that and just like he knows, Itachi
will soon pass it through the whole group too. Just too good that Naruto isn’t
here tonight to see it, since only celebrities and other important tiers are
being invited to the Christmas gala. And just as he has suspected, their friends
immediately start asking if they can see too and just as generous as Itachi is
with giving out private informations, he immediately gives his phone away with a
wide and proud grin. Sasuke can’t stop himself from rolling his eyes, while
everyone looks at the phone screen with interest and keep passing the smartphone
through to each other. "You are really cute here." Ino immediately reviews on
his sleeping face, which makes him snort with annoyance. Sometimes he really
wants to take his brothers stuff and just smash it against the next wall, only
so that he will stop doing such nonsense. It’s no one else’s business how he
looks when he sleeps. He guarantees, that not even Itachi would go as far as
risking his phones getting demolished every time he does such nonsense. But just
as soon as those thoughts start crossing his mind, he can feel his wife’s
fingers on his neck where she starts fondling his hair. Sasuke closes his eyes
with relish at the feeling and he gets carried away by that in an instant. It
almost got him as far as to purr out loud, but he is glad that he could restrain
himself from it in the last second. The power his wife suddenly has over him is
a disaster. Even a single touch already makes him go so weak.

“How do things look for tomorrow? Did everyone manage to get their presents
ready already?“ The Haruno takes a look at her brother in law and his wife,
while leaning herself against her husband. "Yes. I think we'll already be with
him in the early afternoon." Itachi nods at her with a warm smile, which Sakura
responds to with an excited nod. "We will pick up our present on the way, but
don’t worry we won’t let you wait." Sasuke too starts to explain, which
perks everyone’s interest. "What are you talking about?" Neji looks at the
younger Uchiha with interest. The other too seem to want to know. "We bought a
sweet little present for Fugaku and we think he will really like it." Sakura
smiles happily at her own announcement. She really can’t wait to see his
reaction. He will be so happy. “What about me?” An elder voice suddenly
sound right behind the youngest couple in the family, which animates them all to
look around. "There you are, father. We were already starting to wonder where
you left." Misuki explains with a beaming smile on her lips and already
approaches him to give him a hug. Sakura too quickly walks up to him for a hug,
which makes him laugh slightly. "You have found yourselves a nice and quite
place." The oldest Uchiha notes into the round, while letting go of the
pinkette. “Hello Sakura, Misuki. You two look so lovely again.” Both women
smile appreciatively at his compliment, before indulging back into their
conversations.
 
"I think the nice and fun time in the company is over now." Sakura lets out a
sigh of sadness, when she notices one of the photographers who is taking photos
of the guests inside the hall. Of course there will be such allowed inside too.
“Why?” Her husbands question makes her look up into his slightly surprised
face. He must be confused as to why she would say such a thing. "Well, with all
those paparazzo’s and photographers around, there is no way Karin won’t know
that it’s me who got married with you." Itachi and Fugaku look at her with
surprise, while Misuki seems to be rather amused. "How? She still doesn't
know?” Sakura has to giggle at her sister in law’s question and starts
shaking her head. “Not even in the slightest! She’s just stupid, that’s
all. She probably saw our wedding pictures, but there were no articles about me
starting to work at the company and that's probably why she forgot my face. The
last time something about us came out in the magazines was on our first date,
but Kakashi confiscated it along with all the others after she made him furious.
And well, she’s just too dumb to actually google Sasuke’s wife for once.
Because, why should she, right?” The Haruno giggles in amusement. Ino and
Misuki join her in as well, while Sasuke and Fugaku just grin in amusement. That
woman really is a hopeless case. "Seems that it will really be over now, huh."
Itachi glances at one of the reporters around the place, before he too cracks a
smile. Tomorrow the magazines will be full of Japan’s most desired ex-bachelor
and Japans dream woman for sure and just like Sakura said, it would be more than
weird if Karin wouldn’t get her hands on that magazine. 

The eldest in the group clears his throat for a moment, before shoving his hands
back into his trouser pockets. “Itachi, Sasuke. It’s time for us to go and
talk to a few business partners.” He then remarks with a gesture towards the
crowd, which makes the two brothers sigh out in agony. “I already did that all
previous night long. Please give me a break, dad.” Sasuke growls annoyed, but
everyone knows that his sudden foul mood isn’t directed to his father in
particular. "You know, we still have to." Fugaku then replies with a smile and a
shrug of his shoulders. All Sasuke can respond to that is another sigh. "I
should make my rounds too." Ryosuke now too agrees, which Neji nods to in
agreement. So all men except Kiba start walking away. Even Shikamaru decides to
talk to some people around, but Sasuke doesn’t think of leaving his wife
before giving her a peck on the lips.

Some time goes by. The men have long since left the group for business talks and
now, Sakura is standing alone with the Ama by the windows. Temari has also
walked away to met a few of her model colleagues and Kiba is going on with Ino,
while Honoka and Misuki apologized a while ago to go to the toilet. "Say,
Tenten." Sakura then starts to raise her voice after a moment of silence, in
order to get her only left friend’s attention. "Hm?" The brunette woman lowers
the glass from her lips, in order to look questioningly into the Haruno’s
emerald eyes. "How are you doing, actually? Now that Ino is somehow taken,
you’ve become the only single among us women." The pinkette takes her eyes
from the large crowd of guests, which has gotten larger and the nice free space
has been minimized, in order to eye her friend with a slight smile. "Don’t
worry about me, i'm fine. At least I have Neji." The brunette smiles at the
Haruno, waving off her question. “Are you sure?” Sakura tries it again,
however, Tenten doesn’t seem to change her mind and therefore gives her a nod.
"Yup." Again, the older of the two smiles and takes a quick look around, before
turning back to the Haruno. “Will you excuse me for a moment?” All Sakura
can do is look after her friend with a sad look and watch her disappear in the
crowd.

And now that she is standing all alone, she feels so unbelievably uncomfortable
again. She doesn't like to stand here alone, but she doesn't want to try to look
for Sasuke or the others either. She would either just get lost on the way, or
run past them all the time. Her gaze moves over the other guests in front of
her, who are talking to each other in a good mood and over to one of the
waiters. Even they are wearing golden vests and balancing golden trays on their
hands around the whole place. Everything is screaming with pride and power, it
literally disgusts her. "That guy should have built a hospital in Africa with
all that wealth, instead of having unnecessary gala’s like these each and
every year." Sakura growls sullenly, unable to understand such power hungry
bastards. And to be honest, she’s happy she can’t understand them. For her
it’s unthinkable to live like this and do absolutely nothing productive, all
while being aware of the condition of the poor. This man keeps bragging with his
wealth, while out there are 25.000 people starving to death every single day.
Just thinking about it makes her stomach churn. she doesn’t want to be like
that. Now that she isn’t alone any longer and has others who support her, she
want to make sure that a lot of people can be saved with her donation gala’s.
Yes. Soon after her first project has succeeded, she wants to do another gala
and she knows that she has a lot of people who will support her again. 

"Unfortunately, not all people can be as charitable and good hearted as you,
Miss Uchiha." Suddenly, the voice of an elder man sounds from her left, which
makes her look up with sincere surprise. "Mr. Domoto!" She is so astonished and
happy at the same time to be able to meet him here again and that so soon, too.
"Good evening." She greets him with a bright smile on her lips, as she watches
him approach her with a respectful nod. But it’s not just that. She can also
feel relief wash over her, now that she is no longer alone. The grey haired man
smiles back at her and then turns his head slightly to the side, where he takes
a quick look over his shoulder. “It’s really such a shame, having to see all
this. With all this wealth, Mr. Kitsuwa, just like so many others, has
unfortunately not stayed on the ground and now is organizing this gala every
single year, in order to show off what he has and that he is the best.” With
those words, mr. Domoto lets his hands sink into his suit pockets and looks back
down into her emerald eyes. His look sullen and rather disappointed, which
doesn’t surprise her at all. For her, wealth wasn’t given to humanity to
brag about. It’s a gift that was granted in order to help those in need. In
the end everyone will die and leave this world and with it, all the belongings.
This life is like an exam. Nothing will stay ours and that’s why we need to
use and invest our money wisely. Bragging will give you nothing. Everyone will
just talk behind your back, while money can buy everything, but not the most
important things in life. Trust, respect and love doesn’t grow on trees and no
amount of wealth can achieve that. 

“Unfortunately, not all of them are as generous as you, Mr. Domoto.” The
pinkette smiles earnestly at the older man, which replies to her with a soft
laugh. "Just call me Kasuki." The young woman has to smile. Everyone calls him
strict and unapproachable and here he is, being so friendly and open. In the end
it just depends on how you act yourself. "Only if you call me Sakura." The
Haruno then conditions to him, which the man accepts without a word. "Oh well. I
may be generous, but only when I am convinced that my properties wont be used
for unacceptable and irrelevant stuff like this here.” He gestures around the
place, which animates her to nod in understanding. "You must have been pretty
convinced of me. In addition to the property, you also donated a large amount of
money. We are all truly thankful for that!" The Haruno bows towards him, in
order to show him how indescribably grateful she is for his help. Kasuki just
smiles at her politeness. "There you are." The sudden sound of a male’s voice
makes the both look to the newcomer with surprise. Ryosuke approaches them with
a slight smile and stops right next to them, while looking directly into his
sister’s eyes. “You must undoubtedly be miss Uchiha's brother. You are truly
like an image of your father." Mr. Domoto starts the conversation and extends
his hand to the elder Haruno. The brunette man returns the handshake a little
confused. He doesn’t seem to know the man, as Sakura immediately notes from
his reaction. "Yes, this is my older brother Ryosuke. Ryosuke, this is Mr.
Domoto." Sakura briefly introduces the two men to each other, before turning
back to her big brother with a bright smile. "He knew our parents." She then
starts to explain the man’s words to her brother, who nods briefly, but still
seems to be quite confused. "Where from?" At his question, Kasuki lets his hand
sink back into his pockets. "We were neighbours, before they moved into that
house."




~ > * < ~



The youngest Uchiha looks around searchingly. Up until now he had talked to his
father and brother and a lot of business partners, but then he could make out
Ino with her boyfriend in between the crowd. And when he discovered Neji with
Tenten, he slowly began to worry. If his friends are all scattered in the crowd,
who in the world is with Sakura? So in order to make sure that she won’t stay
alone any longer, he decides to go back to the place where he left her in the
presence of her friends. On the way there, he finally meets his sister in law
and Honoka and the assumption that Sakura is standing there alone by the window
is slowly being confirmed more and more. Sometimes he would like to scowl at his
friends. He only left Sakura’s side because he was content knowing that she
was with the others. What worries him is the fact that his wife feels totally
uncomfortable here and everyone just seems to have left her alone for whatever
reason.
 
Sasuke sighs with relief when he steps out of the crowd and finds his wife,
together with Ryosuke and Mr. Domoto. He is so glad that she's not alone. He
slowly keeps approaching the three, while he is a little surprised to see Domoto
Kasuki with his wife. Sasuke can immediately see the happiness in his wife’s
eyes, when she notices him coming closer. Her lips adorns a warm and beautiful
smile, which makes his heart rise for a second, animating him to put his arm
around her waist and gently press his lips on her cheek. "Mr. Domoto." The
Uchiha turns to the elder man with a polite nod and shakes his hand in greeting.
"Mister Uchiha. You are really lucky to have a wife like Sakura." Kasuki
immediately states as he returns his handshake. “I am, mr. Domoto. I am."
Sasuke is rather surprised about the fact, that mr. Domoto and Sakura seem to be
on first names. It makes him wonder what exactly happened, that could have made
them become like this towards each other. After all, no one ever really saw the
Domoto Kasuki being this familiar with someone before. "If I had children or
grandchildren, I would like them to be like Sakura, or have a wife like her. She
is truly noble and kind hearted." The elder man can help but smile at the
couple. "Have you ever thought about adopting a child?" The pinkette eyes him,
trying to stay careful in her wording. "Adoption in my age? Oh, no. The kid
would have an old geezer as their guardian when they get into puberty.” Mr.
Domoto can’t help but laugh at his own words. No. He really doesn’t want
that. “I was thinking more of a teenager, rather than a child. You can still
adopt that too. But they are rare, because everyone always wants babies and
toddlers and well, someday you could have a heir or heiress, who would continue
on working with your ideals. That way you wouldn’t need to worry about your
properties getting into the wrong hands, even in distant future." Kasuki looks
at the only women in the round with surprise. He did’t expect such a
thoughtful response, but it just made his respect for her grow a lot more than
she already did. This woman is really getting more sympathetic with each day and
he only knows her since the previous night yet. A smile pulls on his lips.
Uchiha Sakura doesn’t only seem to be incredibly kind and warm hearted, but
also pretty intelligent as well. He is glad that Uchiha Sasuke does seem to be
aware of it and appreciate this facts as well. Sadly, a lot of people stay
unaware of what gems they have married. “To be honest, i've never really
thought about that. Especially not that far.”

A sudden melody reaches the Uchiha's ears, which he immediately recognizes and
animates him to smile at an instant. Slowly he moves down to his wife, in order
to whisper into her ear. “They're playing our song. Shall we dance?” His
dark grey eyes meet those emerald one of his wife questioningly, who responds to
him with a smile and agrees, by putting her hand on his extended one. "Please
excuse us, mr. Domoto." The Uchiha smiles at the older gentleman, before he
walks away with his wife and goes to an open area, where he holds her hand
gently a little more up and gets with her into dancing position. Shortly after
the singer begins to sing, both of them begin to move and dance to the music.
Sasuke’s eyes lay on his wife with a smile, as they move to the wedding song
that his mother had chosen with deep care. If he thinks about it, his mom had
picked the perfect song. The song is about the red rose that is associated with
love. They are being planted and when spring comes, the flower start sprouting
out of the earth. It's kind of like the two of them. His mother knew from the
start that he would fall in love with Sakura. She already told him that she saw
something between them when she first saw him together with Sakura at the Tokiwa
towers. She said that they were already harmonizing perfectly too. She saw it
all only in the time span of a single night and all this makes him smile and at
the same time he feels like wanting to cry as well. He misses her so endlessly.
He wishes that she could see him now. See that she was right with her
observations all along and see, how happy he is now all just simply because of
her trust in him and Sakura’s bond. All she did was give them a push to
strengthen their bond and he is grateful that she did. He needed it.
 
With a slight smile, Sakura releases herself from the dance position and simply
let’s herself fall into his arms. Sasuke too, doesn’t hesitate and puts his
arms around her and buries his nose into her pink locks. He can’t stop himself
from breathing in her breathtaking scent, while he somehow hopes that she
won’t take notice of his heart beating so incredibly fast. Sakura sighs
silently on his shoulder, her eyes closed with relish. She doesn't care that the
two are the only ones dancing. The few minutes that the song lasts fly by, but
even when the song is over, the two are still dancing on the same place, taking
small steps and within a circle.
 
"Somehow..." They then suddenly hear the Yamanaka’s voice next to themselves.
Sasuke lifts his gaze and towards the blonde woman, who stands there smiling and
watching. Sakura too opens her eyes and looks at her best friend questioningly.
"You two are always the only ones dancing." Sakura just shrugs her shoulder in
response to her friend’s observation, while the couple still waits for her to
explain, why she actually disturbed their little alone time. "Actually, I wanted
to borrow you for a moment, Sakura. Could you come with me for a second?" The
Uchiha sighs quietly at her request in agony, before letting go of his wife.
"Just this once." Actually, he didn't want to let go of his wife for the rest of
the evening, but now he has to watch his wife and her friend walk away into an
unknown direction. He sighs again before looking around and taking a few steps
back to lean against the side of the stage.
 
After a while he can see his old friend, Shikamaru, walk towards him with a
crooked grin, before he too leans himself against the stage to the Uchiha’s
right. "Well, well." The Nara suddenly starts to growl, which does confuse
Sasuke. After all that’s not a reaction you get to see of him all that often.
"Christmas sprit it is, huh?" Confused, Sasuke lets his gaze turn to his old
friend, who keeps looking towards the crowd. What was he getting at? "Does
Sakura know what that stands for?" The brunette continues to explore Sasuke’s
sudden behaviour, which makes the later snort silently. "I have no idea what you
are talking about." The Uchiha tries to fend off, but understands why Shikamaru
is exposing himself to the noise in the back. Nobody can overhear their
conversation with the volume behind them. “Don’t play the idiot, Sasuke. Of
course you know!“ The Nara laughs at his friends weak attempt to deceive him
and yet it seems very quiet compared to the noise from the band behind them. The
Uchiha simply remains silent and continues to look through the window at the
clear night sky. He doesn’t have to justify himself in front of him. He
already knows his own feelings, but it’s not like he needs to talk with
everyone about it too now. “You act different in her presence. Of course, you
have been like that with her ever since I met you again and i noticed from the
start that there is something more between you two. But recently you've been
behaving even more like that and now i got the proof that i was actually right
all along." Shikamaru continues letting his gaze wander over the crowd, while
Sasuke just keeps to simply stare out of the windows. He doesn’t need to hear
what he already knows anyway. “You are always looking if she is around. When
you are annoyed about something, she only needs to touch you and you immediately
forget what you were even stressing about. You worry immediately when you know
that she is feeling uncomfortable and you have no idea whether she is standing
around alone or with friends." Shit. That’s exactly what goes through the
Uchiha’s head right now. It’s seriously scary how perfectly that genius
observes the situation. That he noticed it all and is quickly drawing the right
conclusions. The Nara has simply always been a good analyst. But at the same
time, Sasuke knows that most of the fault is still his own, since he can’t
control his emotions in front of everyone at all.

“Maybe you don't know what to do with all these feelings now, but it's very
simple Sasuke. You are in love with her. You already were before, but now
you’re literally head over heals for your wife. Even if you don't want to
believe it and feel that you are unable to. It still happened. You love her.“
Shikamaru smiles honestly at him and again, Sasuke acknowledges it with silence.
He didn't want anyone to notice it and that is exactly what the genius does.
“I won't tell anyone. But you should go to her now and protect her." The
genius’ sudden note makes the Uchiha raise an eyebrow questioningly, before he
looks into the direction, in which his friends is looking as well. As soon as
his eyes catch attention of his wife and her company, he is quickly pushing
himself up and practically runs to her side. He approaches his wife and the
black haired young man who is standing with her. It's not that he is jealous,
maybe just a little bit, but it's rather because he knows that man. He knows
that that man is never up to any good. Shikamaru knew too and that’s why he
told him to go.
 
"Hey, beautiful. Sorry that I kept you waiting.” As soon as Sakura can make
out her husband's voice, she can feel relief washing over her. She looks up at
him, who smiles at her and puts his arms around her waist, while giving her a
peck on the lips. Ino had moved on to talk with someone else again and so she
thought that she has to stand around all alone again. Last time she had the
chance to be rescued by mr. Domoto, but this time she wasn’t so lucky and this
pushy guy showed up, eventually making the feeling of discomfort inside of her
only increase. "Ah, Sasuke, what a surprise. So, she's your wife?" The young and
unknown man then starts to explore with a slight grin, but it doesn’t seem to
faze the Uchiha at all. "Don't pretend like you don't know." Her husband
doesn’t growl, but his voice sounds so cold, she could feel a cold shiver run
down her spine. It seems that she was rightly uncomfortable around that man
after all, since Sasuke's reaction says it all. She immediately presses herself
closer to him, feeling how his hand lightly caress her side. “You sure got
yourself a nice toy for the bed. I can imagine it being a lot of fun with her."
The stranger grins at the Uchiha and then looks back at the pinkette lustfully
and again, she feels super cold, but this time the feeling is accompanied with
disgust too. “Unlike some people i’m satisfied with what i have, which makes
that word of yours nonexistent in my vocabulary. Coming back to your
imaginations now, you'll never find out anyway, so stop chasing what’s out of
your league and hold your eyes in your sockets, before they end up falling out.
And now disappear, Sai.” Sasuke’s words leave his throat in such a freezing
cold tone, while he keeps pressing her protectively against his side, that she
is starting to wonder how that man is even still standing. after that, Sai turns
around with a lustful grin and walks away. However, she could actually make out
a glimpse of delusion on his face too. Sasuke’s words does seem to have fazed
him after all.

"Are you okay?" The Uchiha immediately turns to his wife with concern, when he
saw the bastard having moved away on a safe distance from them. As soon as their
eyes meet, his eyes are no longer cold. He looks into her green pools with
warmth and deep concern, which makes her smile and nod. "Yes, you came just in
time." She is relieved and grateful, seeing how he too relaxes at her words.
“Actually, i really liked how you dissed him earlier.” His lips curl into a
smirk at her praise. This is the first time she didn’t complain about his
coldness. "Don't worry much about him, he's the host’s son and every
conversation he has is actually a prelude for him. But now that he's running
around freely, I won't leave you alone anymore." The pinkette giggles slightly,
gaining his curiouity. “What is it?” Confused he watches her as she holds
her hand slightly to her lips in amusement. "You talk about him as if he were a
dog." Sasuke snorts briefly at her observation and looks into the crowd, seeing
that he has completely disappeared from his sight. And that was pretty wise for
a bastard like him. "Because that’s exactly what he is." A slight growl leaves
Sasuke’s lips, but to his surprise she shakes his head in response to that.
“No, he's not a dog. Maybe he’s a pig, but certainly not a dog.” Sakura
smiles in amusement, what makes him look back at her. “I see no difference."
Again she responds to his words with a giggle and shakes her head. "Well, if you
think that he’s a dog, then he would be just as good as you. After all, you're
a dog." He snorts aloud at her claim, although, the music makes the sound go
unnoticed. "I'm not a dog."
 
"Such a shame." With those words she takes a few steps away and turns to the
window, where she looks through and into the clear and starry sky. Shortly
afterwards, she can feel strong arms close up around her waist from behind, as
the scent of her husband penetrates her nose while she can feel his lips on the
back of her neck. A soft giggle escapes her lips in response to his gentleness
and closes her eyes with a soft moan. "See? You're just as affectionate as a
dog." Her words make him growl softly next to her ear and it makes her smile.
"And you growl like a dog, too." For those words, he gently bites into her neck
muscle and listens in to her squeak in response. "Out! Bad dog!” She laughs
again, but she didn’t expect him to let her go with a loud growl. Her lips
escape a slight gasp, before she already turns herself around to enclose her
hands gently around his arm, in order to prevent him from leaving. "No. Stay
here." His dark eyes move back towards her and into her insecure eyes, which
look at him pleadingly. He can even see her bite her lower lip as if she were
sorry for making him mad. "I didn’t mean to hurt you, Sasuke. I mean that
because you’re dear to me. I keep associating you with dogs, because they are
loyal and affectionate by nature. Dogs are sweet, which that guy isn’t. I love
dogs.” He can hear it in her voice that she is uncertain and he knows that
it’s not because she isn’t sure of her words, but because she is scared that
her explanation could make him mad. When he looks at her without reaction, she
drops her hand and turns back to the window, with a slight sad face. "I'm
sorry." Those were the last words he hears of her and even though she only
mumbled it out, he could actually hear it clearly. She crosses her arms and
starts looking back out of the window.
 
The Uchiha sighs silently. He just can't be angry with her and sometimes he
feels like she knows that and takes advantage of it. He knows that she doesn't
necessarily mean her comparison in a bad way. Actually, when she said all those
things and that she associates him with dogs because she loves them, he tried to
hide it from her, but he actually felt his heart beat faster. She said that he
is like a dog and that she loves them. He really doesn’t want to give himself
fake hopes by misinterpreting her words, that she might mean that she actually
loves him and still, hearing that from her means so much to him. In secret he
just wants her to tell him more. Just to be able to listen in to her beautiful
voice some more and also hear how she keeps counting those traits she likes
about him. At the beginning of their marriage she only kept making fun of him,
calling him boring, cold and married to his work. She said so many unpleasant
and hurtful stuff, but now... 

He takes two steps towards her in silence and wraps his arms back around her
stomach. His upper body presses against her back, while he blows kisses on her
cheekbones in front of her ear. "It's okay." He whispers to her softly and he
can feel her relax under his touches again. "Thanks, biscuit." Silence overcomes
them at that, while her fingers enclose with his. 

"Now I want one." He grumbles silently and listens his wife as she giggles at
his addiction for the backed goods, before snuggling herself closer into his
arms. "If you get tired, let me know and we'll go home." Sasuke then announces
after a while of silence, listening to her moan in response. It seems that
tiredness is already nagging on her again. “What about the limousine?” His
wife then asks instead, which animates him to look at her mirroring through the
window’s glasses. "It is waiting at a collection point that was sent by the
organizer." With those words he lets his cheek rest against her head, before he
too closes his eyes. “Don't you have to talk to business partners?” Sakura
then continues, but he just hums in silence. "No, Sakura. Stop chasing me off, I
have to take care of my wife.“ His lips pull into an amused smile, before he
opens his eyes again and looks with her out into the starry night sky.




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