#Cause I don’t think Mikotos feelings would ever affect her too significantly

[transmasccofee]

Unrequited mikosai hits diff sometimes

[7team7]

Choosing Fate: Chapter 5

Fanning the flames. // Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

A/N: I hope this chapter gives you more insight on the oh so mysterious ~uchiha clan~

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“Dedicating yourself to your books again, I see,” Fugaku observed. Hard to read as always, Sasuke couldn’t tell if he approved or not. He decided to be blunt.

“It’s because of her. She’s smart. It would be unwise to let it all go to waste just because she had to marry me.”

“I see. Be sure to use your time wisely.” He walked out of the study, leaving Sasuke feeling frustrated. It grated on his nerves to think of his father disapproving of how he spent his time with his wife. If Fugaku gave Sakura trouble for doing a little reading of all things, Sasuke would have a hard time holding his tongue, he thought.

He grumbled to himself as he finished laying out the materials for the evening. Since when did he get so protective over this little pink woman?

Said woman walked into the room, her hands hardly done drying after finishing washing the dishes from dinner. “Okay! I’m ready now. I didn’t want to leave your mother with all that work, sorry.” She was a bit late, but Sasuke waved his hand and said awkwardly, “No need to apologize.” It wasn’t like he was anxiously waiting or anything.

Sakura, though, had been waiting all day. She didn’t want it to seem like she was shirking her duties as a wife, even taking care to make a particularly labor intensive stew for dinner so that she wasn’t spending all her time locked away in the little room with Sasuke. No, her priorities were perfectly balanced.

“So what are we doing today?” she asked eagerly.

He gestured to the thick, dusty books on the table and the scattered loose leaf papers, “Some history.”

Uchiha family history, to be exact. He had given her tons of readings on medicine, agriculture, literature, but she was still mostly kept in the dark about the family she had married into. Sasuke was incredibly proud of his heritage, even if he had a few issues with the way things were run lately. He didn’t want Sakura to have another reason to resent their situation, but she deserved to know what she had married into.

“The Uchihas have a long-spanning history. My ancestors are some of Konoha’s founders.” Sasuke ran his hand reverently down the cover of one red book. The family tree was updated recently to include Sakura. The blank spaces for his and Itachi’s children stared back at him uncomfortably.

“Our ancestors,” Sakura softly corrected. Might as well embrace her life as Uchiha Sakura, at least out of respect for the elders before her.

When he swung his head from the book to look at her, Sakura thought he might narrow his eyes and spit out some remark that she wasn’t a pure Uchiha like he was. Instead, he smirked, “They certainly didn’t have your hair.”

She giggled, suddenly feeling shy, and turned her attention back to the table. “What’s a pottery book doing with all this? You pulled a metal working one too,” Sakura pointed out. Smart girl, but this time Sasuke hadn’t made a mistake.

“Haven’t you wondered what my father and I are up to when we leave the house?”

“Of course I have.”

He was a little stunned at her nonchalance, so he asked grumpily, “Well then why haven’t you asked?”

She shrugged, “You never seem to like it when I ask questions.”

He blinked and set his shoulders. Oh. That was true. He should work on that. Sasuke continued gruffly, “We go to sell our wares, but all of them are made by the clan. For generations we’ve specialized in firing pottery and metalworking. We’re able to withstand the high heat needed to do this kind of work. Fire is our specialty, I guess. Some of your father’s field tools are probably made by an uncle of mine.” This time, she didn’t even have to ask, the explanation just spilled out of him.

“Artisans, merchants...what can’t your family do?”

“Heal,” he said meaningfully.

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“What if I went into town with you next time? You know, to sell my medicine. I’m sure it could help people besides just Mikoto-san.” They had wrapped up their history lesson for the day and were preparing to go to bed.

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“I could go at a different time than you and your father if scheduling or space are a problem?” The market was rather packed at peak hours.

“No,” he rejected quickly, “You cannot go alone.”

Jade green eyes blinked in surprise. “What? Why not?”

He shifted uncomfortably, “The Uchihas are an old clan, remember? That means they’re very...traditional. Conservative, even.” He didn’t want to spell it out for her, knowing that many of the elders held outdated, even discriminatory, views. His Uchiha pride was often conditional these days.

Now, Sakura’s eyes narrowed. “I see. So I would require some sort of escort to protect me while I go sell what I worked hard on. I understand. Wouldn’t want to get scammed.”

He sighed. “If you ask, I will give you permission. It’s a formality. But…” he trailed off.

“But what?”

“But I would still want to go with you. It’s not always safe to go alone.”

It was Sakura’s turn to sigh. “I’ve been to the market plenty of times by myself. Remember?” Those days felt so long ago. The handsome stranger at the market was now her husband, but she couldn’t tell how much more familiar he had become with her really. He opened up slowly, giving her bits and pieces, but there was still so much left to be desired.  

“Of course I do. That doesn’t mean I can’t worry about you.”

She gave him a meaningful look. After a pause, “Your mother...when she goes out, she visits other members of the clan?”

“Most of the time, yes. Nearly all her friends are Uchihas.”

“So if I wanted to go visit my family, I’d have to get your permission?”

His heart squeezed. Wasn’t he part of her family now too? “Yes.”

“I see,” she clipped.

“Well, there are some family members you can visit at will.” He wanted to save another conversation from going south.

His heart squeezed again seeing the ray of hope light up her face. “Really? Who?”

“My brother and his wife.”

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Sakura couldn’t help but hum happily as she prepared to venture out. She felt like she woke up on the right side of the bed that morning. Itachi and Izumi lived close by, but leaving the house felt so liberating, she would’ve taken any opportunity to stretch her legs. She hadn’t seen them since the wedding and even then she didn’t get much of a chance to speak with them. She wondered what they were like, if the brothers were similar.

“Do we need to bring anything?” Sakura asked her husband before they set out.

Sasuke shrugged, “It’s just Itachi.” His brother would appreciate that they bothered visiting at all. Despite his need for privacy, he knew Itachi missed him.

“What I meant was do I need to bring anything?” Whether it was a jab at the gendered expectations within the Uchiha clan or her desire to impress, the answer was still no. Sakura sighed and decided to bring a jar of herbs, just in case. It would be rude to show up empty handed.

Their house was significantly smaller than the main house, but it still stood proudly with the classic Uchiha elegance. When Itachi opened the door it was with a warm expression, but Sakura couldn’t help but note how tired he looked. She ought to bring ginseng next time.

Izumi seemed a little on edge, but quickly relaxed after some careful small talk. She had kind eyes, but like Itachi, she looked tired. Sakura couldn’t help but notice that her hair was a bit thin and she moved without much energy. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but after observing her sister-in-law for the majority of the visit, she could tell something was wrong.

“How have you been, Sakura-san? Settling in comfortably, I hope,” Itachi said smoothly.

“Ah, everything has been..fine. I miss my parents and my siblings, but I don’t have much else to complain about,” Sakura spoke with equal diplomacy. She still had yet to figure out why they did not live in the main house and wanted to tread lightly.

With this, Itachi visibly eased up a little, “Oh? So my little brother has not been too disagreeable in the mornings?” This caused Izumi to laugh too, a more full bodied sound than Sakura expected from someone who appeared rather delicate. They both gazed fondly at Sasuke, clearly full of affection for someone who was just as much a younger brother as he was a husband.

Sasuke grumbled beside her and quickly switched the subject, “It’s been fine. We came because Sakura just learned about some of our clan’s more backwards expectations. She should know where you live.”

The other couple nodded in understanding, “It is unfortunate, isn’t it? Don’t let our father hear about this. He cannot know that his own children oppose the long standing, ah, values that our clan upholds.�� Sakura heartily agreed, “I’ve tried to keep my interactions with your father to a minimum, he’s a bit intimidating. Your mother is lovely, though.”

More laughter from Izumi and Itachi: “You’ve learned our family well already. Father’s loyalties are often with the clan at large, but he means no harm. He’s too proud to ever consider that he’s wrong. And please make sure my mother doesn’t spoil Sasuke too much, he is her favorite.” Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“Don’t let them pressure you too much,” Izumi advised with particular urgency. “I hope you don’t mind me speaking so plainly, but between two sons and their wives, an heir will be born soon enough.”

The gears in Sakura’s head clicked into place and she understood. Even if Fugaku was not so cruel as to effectively banish his first born son to a different home, the pressure he put on the couple to produce a child forced them away. Sakura supposed she and Sasuke weren't subject to the same pressure yet because the older son should have a child first if all went according to tradition.

“If it will be, then it will be,” Sakura said firmly. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t take care of your health in the meantime, or all the time.” She bowed her head in promise, “If you want, I can try to help.” She had a bit of knowledge on fertility (admittedly, some from farm animals) and women’s health that could be useful.

“Oh?” Izumi said with great pleasure, “We have a doctor in the family now?”

“She took care of Mother when she got sick recently. Don’t let her trick you into thinking she doesn’t know much. Her abilities are nothing short of impressive.” He didn’t expand on the lessons he’d been giving her, but he already felt bashful following his easy praise. She was his wife, after all, he supposed.

“Ah, thank you, Sasuke,” she said softly before clearing her throat. “If you’d like, I can visit more frequently and suggest herbal medicine to foster greater wellness for the both of you. And...if it gets to that point, I’d love to help with a baby.” While her experience here was also limited to farm animals, she earnestly wanted to give Izumi a hand in any way possible. Hopefully next time she visited, they could speak with greater familiarity and ease.

“We welcome your help. The Uchihas have their weaknesses, but they also love more fiercely than any other. You fit right in.”

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The walk home was quiet, Sakura mentally taking notes on what she would bring next time, questions she would ask. She was glad that Sasuke took her to see his brother and his wife, it was a welcome relief from her routine at home.

The sun was still high enough in the sky that Sasuke said, “Wait. Before we head back, there’s somewhere else I want to take you.” Sakura tilted her head in question, but still followed him. “You’ll see when we get there.” They turned back from the path home to head in a new direction.

They didn’t need to go very far when Sasuke stopped and it was clear that they were still in an Uchiha-dominated space. The air was warm, dry and smelled of smoke.

He got right to explaining the layout and pointing out certain spots and people. “My cousin Obito over there does pottery. Don’t talk to him, he’s kind of weird. I know a bit about swordsmithing, but not nearly as much as others. My other cousin Shisui makes a fantastically thin, but sturdy blade. Every time we bring his knives to the market they get snatched up quickly for a high price. But he’s weird too.” Even if his tone was exasperated, Sakura still smiled hearing the affection he had for his family and their practice.

“There are so many of you…” Sakura said wistfully. She had always thought of her family as being big, but now she missed their familiar comfort. The Uchihas were truly a clan. They walked further into the cluster of buildings; Sakura noticed Sasuke had slowed his pace to allow her a moment to really look at their surroundings.

“And when are we going to see some more Uchiha babies running around here?” an elderly woman asked kindly as they walked past, taking a break from sweeping to smile at the married couple. Despite her good intentions, the young couple winced.

“When the time is right,” Sasuke said evenly. He nodded at her again as they passed, grabbing Sakura’s hand so she wouldn’t get caught up in an unnecessary conversation. Besides, it was getting late and it was time to return. He didn’t let go until they reached the wide road to the house.

Sakura was glad to finally get some insight on the Uchiha clan, but the knowledge of it all weighed heavily on her shoulders. She looked forward to taking a bath at home.

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The old woman’s words echoed in his mind. He knew they were expected to have children eventually, but he tried to push that thought away as soon as it threatened to crop up. The thought of Sakura pregnant with his child made his neck prickle with heat. He stood by his words: when the time was right, they would bring a child into the world. But that time was not now, not yet. He felt a little better after making himself some tea. It was time for bed, the day had been long.

Sasuke swung the door to their bedroom open without a thought, only to be faced with the creamy expanse of Sakura’s back as she finished getting dressed. The skin there looked pale, smooth, and soft, unmarred by the harsh touch of the sun. “Why didn’t you tell me you were changing?” Sasuke bit out more harshly than intended, more embarrassed than mad. He closed the door behind him but turned to face the side wall after entering.  

“Do I need your permission to do everything?” Sakura asked sharply.

“Sakura, it’s not like that —”

“I know.” As she adjusted her clothes, she sighed, “It’s just that..we are married.”

“I know.”

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