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age: 7
engagements between children were common between the yakuza in konoha. especially if the most powerful family proposes it.
the uchihas were the top dogs of the country, gaining the top spot with brute force and wealth. it could be said that a snap of uchiha madara’s finger can bring down empires in an instant. some say it’s an exaggeration, but most don’t even dare to test it.
unfortunately for haruno sakura, she happened to catch the attention of the youngest uchiha, sasuke when they were in elementary school.
her parents had no choice, especially when the uchiha madara comes to your house and demands your daughter to be wed to his youngest grandchild that happens to be his favorite.
haruno sakura was a normal girl, in the yakuza world, she was a commoner. the only reason she was able to attend the elite school was because she was smart and was able to get the scholarship even at such a young age.
she absolutely regrets enrolling into that damned school.
ever since she was brought into the uchiha mansion, her life was never the same. she could only see her parents once a week, she was followed by men wearing black suits everywhere.
it’s not like she dislikes sasuke, if she was going to be honest, she was one of the girls in their class who had a crush on him. sasuke was the golden boy of their school, most of the girls had crushes on him. he was any girl’s dream — handsome, smart, and a bit more matured for his age compared to his peers.
she never thought that crush would turn her life upside down like this.
it is said uchihas only loved one woman in their lifetime, and when sasuke told his grandfather that he found his love, madara wasted no time in granting his beloved grandson’s wish. after all, there’s no clan that feels love deeper than an uchiha.
but sometimes it just feels suffocating for sakura.
her friends? all scared to talk to her. sasuke’s glare is enough for them to back away.
a boy talks to her? god forbid.
a boy confesses he has a crush on her? death.
the only person she can talk to right now is ino, which is deemed a ‘safe person’ by sasuke.
“my god, we are seven years old! sasuke is too much!” ino complains as she comforts sakura. if sasuke found out that she cried, she can’t even imagine what he will do.
“is there any way to get out of this? can i help? maybe my daddy can help.”
“it’s okay ino. i have a plan…”
and so for the next few years, sakura acted like a total brat. she expected sasuke to do everything and anything for her. she acted like she was his personal guard instead of fiancé, hoping he’ll get tired of her attitude.
she would make sasuke carry her up the stairs, whining that her feet hurt.
she would point at expensive gifts, even if she didn’t really want it.
she would act overly clingy, kissing his cheek out of the blue and invading his personal space no matter what he’s doing.
age: 13
sakura did all of those and more for five years. now they are thirteen, and sasuke still hasn’t lost interest in her! in fact, he treats her like a princess more than ever. she even forbade him to talk to other girls, and he still is madly in love with her.
seriously, what is this guy’s problem?
he’s probably not right in the head.
“sakura, go with me to grandpa’s office tomorrow.” sasuke says during dinner as he diligently removes the onions on sakura’s meal, she refuses to tell it to the chef and just lets sasuke pick them out for her.
“anything you want as an exchange, princess? a new bag? a vacation to suna? a dress?” sasuke knew well by now. anything and everything had a price or a reward attached to it.
“maybe do me a favor and break our engagement.”
“no can do. you’re free to ask anything in the world and i would give it to you, just not that.”
sakura knows that very well.
age: 16
the moment the both of them turned sixteen, the legal age to marry in konoha, sasuke wasted no time in making her sign their marriage certificate.
great. just great! sakura couldn’t do anything about it, and now she’s legally bound to sasuke. she’s officially an uchiha. her plan absolutely didn’t work. apparently she was too late to recognize that sasuke didn’t mind if she was acting like a spoiled brat or a mean girl, he just loved her for being her.
love? sakura could hardly call this love. if you love someone, you wouldn’t deprive them of freedom.
“what’s on my girl’s mind?” she felt sasuke wrap his arms on her hips as he hugged her from the back, his breath tickling her neck, “you’re uchiha sakura now. i’ll arrange for all your IDs to be changed.”
“sasuke-kun, do you think love includes caging people?”
maybe it was time for sasuke to face the music, he sits down, gently pulling sakura onto his lap. this conversation was long overdue.
“sakura, i love you. more than life itself. forgive me for loving you, but i would rather you hate me than to not have you in my life. love for an uchiha is something that consumes us entirely. it’s… like that’s the only thing that matters.”
there was silence between them. sakura knew about how uchihas only love woman their whole lifetime. thinking about it, sasuke has done nothing but give her the whole world.
maybe it was time for her to accept she’s finally an uchiha?
“now that we are married, i swear i’m going to give you more freedom. just.. don’t leave me. i don’t know how to breathe without you anymore.” this was the side of sasuke that only sakura saw. he was being trained to take over their empire from a young age alongside his older brother, he never had the chance to just be a normal person.
sakura is what makes him normal, and here she was, with her heart still closed off to the person who loves her like it’s breathing.
for the first time, sakura was the one who initiated the kiss, “i’m sorry sasuke-kun.”
“don’t be. i know i dragged you into my world… but remember that i will always be here with you. i love you.” sasuke didn’t utter those words lightly, and sakura knew that came from the bottom of his heart.
after denying it for nine years, sakura finally accepts sasuke’s love for her. she’s ready to be the one and only uchiha sakura.