#akihiko being a nervous stutterer is something important to me

[proxythe]

akihiko stuttering when complimenting shinji & shinjiro using a lot of “uh” in his sentences when complimenting akihiko is something i think we should all remember and use wisely

[sagara-megumi]

[Fanfic] Naruto - Family Ties: Prologue

I’ve been away for a week, so between preparations and the actual trip, I couldn’t start the SasuSaku Month on time. Also, I’m going to use it as a sort of excuse to finish a story I began a long, long time ago, so I probably won’t use all the prompts.

So, this is the prologue to said story but since Sasuke and Sakura are only mentioned in it, after asking the mods at @sasuxsakumonth for advice, I’m leaving it out of the Month and the prompts. I’ll be linking it to the first chapter when I post it.

Title: Family Ties

Rating: T/PG-13 (just to be safe)

Words: 1458

Notes: VERY IMPORTANT. When I started writing this years ago, I had just finished reading the manga up to what had been published at that time in my country (I think it was at the beginning of the last arc). Sakura’s parents hadn’t shown in the anime but they have a very important role in the story so, I invented names and appearances for them. And when I saw them in the film, I was quite disappointed so I preferred to stay loyal to my idea. It’s up to you to follow my creation or imagine them as in the anime; whatever you choose, it’ll be good.

As always, if you spot any mistakes, please tell me so I can correct them. I sincerely hope that you like it ^^

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PROLOGUE

Without making a noise, the woman turned on the bed and, propping herself on an elbow, leant her head on one of her hands, staring at the face of the man who slept beside her illuminated by the lights of the city, which filtered through the half-open curtains. Even after almost a year and a half, she could not explain what attracted her so much to him. Maybe it was his eyes, which were filled with tenderness each time he looked at her, or his smile, warm and fascinating, or his way of speaking, with a slightly hoarse voice, always soft and full of kindness.

With one finger, barely touching him, she traced his slightly angular features, his jaw, his slightly plump lips. Perhaps, it was simply that he was different from the men she had known in her life, cold, distant, proud. The only thing she was sure of was that she had not wanted a serious relationship after her divorce and leaving the family clan, and less with someone like him, but his character and his way of treating her had ended up making her fall in love. She did not know where they were going, or how long it would last, but she had decided that she would not worry about it, or regret it. She would enjoy that opportunity and she would love him until destiny decided to separate them.

He opened his eyes slowly, awakening from his slumber, and stared at her for a long time, watching her smile faintly. Since the beginning, she had seemed an unattainable woman, with her beauty and elegant manners, which betrayed her high social status. But when Providence had made them meet again and again, he had seen that behind that capable strong façade laid a deep sadness and a wounded heart. And something had driven him to want to help her move on. He did not even remember when that friendship that they had been building little by little on conversations and coffee had evolved into something much deeper, but he knew that he wanted her to keep on being a part of his life. His feelings now were very different from those he had felt, and he still did, for his first wife, whom he had loved with all his soul. However, he was aware that love at twenty was not the same as at forty, when other things were valued apart from passion, idealism and 'forever'.

“You should keep on sleeping,” she whispered, placing a hand on his chest.

“And you?”

“I'll do it when I get home. We had a meeting to plan the new decoration for the windows yesterday, so I went to bed very late, and I slept into the morning since I had an afternoon shift today.”

One more lie that stained their relationship. She was so used to them now that she did not get upset anymore when they left her mouth. In his eyes, she was a saleswoman in a department store from a city in southern Japan, her parents had died a long time ago, she had no siblings ... Perhaps the only truth she had said was related to her marriage, her children and her divorce although at that point, she was not sure of that either.

He sat down and leant back against the headboard, scratching his head with a sigh.

“What’s the matter, Akihiko-san?” she asked worried, sitting up too and pressing the sheet against her chest.

He shook his head negatively and looked at her hesitantly, and something twisted inside her, sweeping away the peace she felt and erasing the smile from her face.

So soon? She had just thought about when their affair would end, and apparently the moment had come only a few seconds later. Maybe it was her fate that things started to go wrong when she thought that she was about to touch happiness with the tips of her fingers. Like with her husband.

“Mikoto-san... I know that what I'm going to tell you is probably something you don’t expect and that once I’m finished you won’t want to see me again ...”

Her fingers fisted in the fabric that wrapped around her and she opened her mouth to stop him, but he continued talking and she swallowed with difficulty, waiting for the inevitable.

“I want you to know that I’ve been thinking about it a lot, it’s not a hasty decision... We are both mature people and we have gone through this experience before, so we won’t be taking blind steps... What I mean is...” she saw him smile faintly, as if embarrassed to make so many detours, and in spite of the news she was expecting, she could not help but feel some tenderness. “... I would like our relationship to continue for the rest of our lives, without having to meet with a schedule or in hotels because our children are at home...”

Mikoto opened her lips slightly, surprised to see the unexpected turn that everything was taking, and thought that if someone like her could cry, it would surely be very similar to what she was feeling at that moment.

“Would you do me the honour of marrying me?” seeing her lack of response, Akihiko continued, getting more nervous by the moment. "We-we don’t have to have a ceremony or anything like that, just register our names... and...”

He stuttered again, the spark in his eyes wavering for a moment, and the woman could not help a small laugh that stopped him, and made him blush and put his hand to the back of his neck.

“You don’t have to answer me now. I know it's an important decision, that you've been through a lot and that you surely want to talk about it with your children...”

“And what about you?”

He smiled softly.

“You're going to be surprised, but it was Sakura-chan who gave me the push I needed... A week ago she asked me if we hadn’t talked about marriage, and said that if we were serious, we should at least think about it...”

“It's a good girl.”

He nodded and for a moment he stared out the window into the city, lit by thousands of fluorescent signs, street lights and offices where people worked overtime, with a sweet and proud expression on his face, and she knew who was occupying his thoughts. And she did not mind sharing him with her at all.

She leant back next to him and rested her cheek on his shoulder, accompanying him in his silence. She knew that by his side she would be happy, her heart was screaming at her to accept, but there were two things that held her back: her children, who she knew did not agree with their relationship, and all the lies that would be revealed. Who knew how he would react to them, because even the best man’s heart could change if he discovered that everything he believed was false. And though apprehension was starting to invade her, it was she who had to take the next step, and she had to do it with all the consequences.

A warm hand covered hers, cold and pale, and she moved her head to look at him, meeting his eyes.

“If you decide to refuse, I want you to know that nothing will change. I’ll understand your reluctance and respect it.”

She closed her eyelids and smiled gratefully, certain that she would never find a man like him again. She wanted a life with him in a house full of warmth and sounds that spoke of love and family, to listen and to be heard, to make decisions together, to wait and to be awaited... Was that asking too much for a woman like her? Itachi was an adult and had become independent a few weeks ago, when he had taken over the international relations department of a major company, and Sasuke had only one year of high school left, after which, and knowing the attachment he had to his father, he would probably leave her too. Then, she would be alone and regretful about the decision that she was not brave enough to make.

She pressed her lips together and opened her eyes. The opportunity was there, within reach of her hands, she just had to take the risk. She took a breath and turned to him.

“Akihiko-san, before giving you an answer, I want you to know something... that I've been hiding from you” he looked at her seriously, with some concern reflecting on his features, and she crossed her hands tightly. “And if after listening to me, you don’t want to see me again, I’ll understand and accept your decision too.”

TO BE CONTINUED