𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐘 | sasuke uchiha

十九

"Can you still believe this? Any of this?" Everything was so surreal to [Name] as she lay in bed with Sasuke that night, both restless, and staring up at the canopy of their bed frame. They still kept their distance, even after weeks of sleeping together, and there was no shaking the gap that was between them, regardless of whether they were an engaged couple or not. "It's so surreal, like... I can't even."

"'I can't even'," taunted Sasuke, making [Name] scowl and reach out an arm to hit him on the chest.

"Shut up," she snapped, crossing her arms over her abdomen. "But like, woah, marriage. Are we supposed to fall in love after that, or something? Have kids? Grow old together? I'm not joking when I say that as soon as I get the opportunity to, I'm walking out of the marriage." Sasuke snorted.

"You and me both," he sneered, blowing his raven bangs out of his face. "Don't expect me to be loyal."

"Don't expect me to be your personal slave," [Name] shot back, poking her tongue at the Uchiha in the dark. "In fact, I might just leave you for Shisui, hmm?" Sasuke groaned.

"Good luck breaking the news to mother," he snickered, making [Name] roll her eyes. "And as a matter of fact, I'm not sure either. I know you already love me, I'm not sure I'll ever reciprocate, though." I already-

"Well, figuratively speaking, and not like I want any, but how many kids would you like?" asked [Name] casually, making Sasuke raise his eyebrow in surprise. "I'm not hinting, or anything. I'm not having kids with you."

"Definitely don't want to have even numbers. It's better to have odd numbers so they can't gang up in little factions and start shit with each other- it's never pretty," he said thoughtfully, chewing on his tongue. [Name]'s eyes widened in surprise. He actually sounded like he'd put thought into it. "Probably three, five, or seven. Three's a manageable amount, but then there'll always be the two who are inseparable and the loner one left behind. Five seems good, but a bit more to handle. And seven's just like- woah, having to give birth seven times? I guess after the initial pain, seven makes it the more, the merrier. Five or seven kids. Definitely no even numbers."

"So you want me to give birth to seven kids?" joked [Name], glancing at Sasuke out of the side of her eye. She couldn't quite make him out in the dark, but she could tell that he was looking right at her.

"I didn't say anything about having you in the picture," shot back Sasuke, hoping to gauge some sort of hurt reaction from [Name], anything to tell him that she felt something. She merely laughed; but just like Sasuke, she was good at hiding her emotions, and it was this little game of tsundere tag that kept the two at bay from showing proper affection.

"I know, I know," [Name] said breezily, waving a hand in the air. Sasuke's heart sunk yet again- there was her fleeting, almost emotionless reply. It was almost as if she didn't want to be with him. Well, duh, she's been complaining since day one.

"How about you?" he asked, trying to deter the subject. [Name] shrugged, and rolled over so that her back was facing him.

"I don't really care, to be honest. Whatever happens, happens," she said nonchalantly. "I'd be happy with just one, or even ten. I guess in the end it's all up to the man I'm having kids with." A smirk crept onto Sasuke's face as he inched closer to [Name], intending to pull her to his chest.

"Looks like you'll be having five kids," he whispered huskily, pressing himself against the back of [Name]'s body and draping an arm over her shoulder. She sighed, but decided to let it slide. It was no point being a married couple if the two didn't even touch each other.

"If you're trying to seduce me, you're failing terribly," she said boredly, half shrugging him off. Sasuke ignored her and leaned forward, his breath tickling the back of her neck.

"Is it so wrong to want to lay with my own wife?"

"Firstly, neither of us want to be here, so that counts completely against everything else. Secondly, the last time I checked, you absolutely loathed me. Touching me like this isn't going to make me like you any better, alright? If you expect me to fall for you just so you can use my feelings to annihilate what little dignity or emotion I have left, then I'm sorry, but expect to be deeply disappointed." Even though she sounded furious at the Uchiha, [Name] was actually confused, and maybe just a tad flustered. Sasuke was an incredibly good looking man, and for someone like her to be with him, like this, of course she was going to feel a little jumpy.

"Not using you is a part of the contract, just in case you've forgotten, [Name]," said Sasuke in a cold voice, his arm tightening around her. "You have your rights, and I have my responsibilities. I'm not such a sexist pig you make me out to be. I'm no Hidan, anyway."

"Responsibilities? Tch, as if, Sasuke."

"[Name]." Sasuke sighed, and drew himself even closer to her. His head was now overlooking her shoulder, and she had somehow shrunk, not wanting him to get any closer than he already was. "I promise to take care of you. I promise to do whatever it is a husband has to do. I promise that I'll look out for you. Okay? All financial stuff aside, I've got you, [Name]. I'll step up, and be responsible."

"Are you doing this just because you fear your mum?" smirked [Name], resulting in Sasuke kneeing her in the back. "Ouch! Okay, or is it because of Kushina?"

"Baka [Name]!" he barked. "It's because I l...! Uh, like to be in charge of stuff..." Uh oh.

"'Like to be in charge of stuff.' Right." [Name]'s voice was a monotone, but Sasuke's change in speech kind of scared her.

"I want to take care of you. Please." Mikoto's words floated into [Name]'s mind, in a high pitched, victorious voice.

"You're the type of girl Sasuke needs! You said so yourself, he's an asshole!... With you around, Sasuke still has a chance of becoming a decent man."

[Name] couldn't help but feel that she had met Mikoto's words far more than she had originally intended; [Name] was meant to be the light that would guide Mikoto's troubled, egotistic son out of the dark, and judging by Sasuke's change of behaviour and new willingness to be with [Name], there was no denying that she was already beginning to play her part in the evolution that would be the man who was Sasuke Uchiha.