Characters react to EBNB

Ch 5: Rest is Needed

Sasuke hesitated. "No."

The word was so small it was questionable that he'd even spoken at all. In the Uchiha household one thing was absolute. When their mother told them to do something, whether it was clean their room, wash the dishes, do their homework, or sweep the front porch, they were to do it. Immediately. Any backtalk was always shut down swiftly with a glare that would strike fear into Madara Uchiha himself. Especially as they got older and knew better. The longer Sasuke's hesitance to comply to her demand lasted the more irritated Mikoto grew. For all her patience the resemblance between her and Sasuke when he was in a bad mood was uncanny. "Sasuke. Now, I said."

Sasuke bit his lip. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to lose their warmth. But if he didn't move soon...

"I'm not telling you again." Mikoto's glare worsened.

"And he already told you no!" Sakura exclaimed, voice matching that of her onscreen self who'd stood in the doorway, her fists clenched at her sides.

Sasuke's eyes went wide beside her, mouth parting as he sucked in a breath that wasn't finding its way out. His head swiveled to look at her. He couldn't believe it. She was....Naruto put his hand on his back to support him. Sasuke so shocked by Sakura that he actually almost fell out of their shared self made couch.

Mikoto's right hand went to her hip. Her glare said it all, but Sakura stayed strong. She wasn't going to cave. Keeping Sasuke with them was too important.

"He said no! He's not going anywhere with you right now." Sakura stared Mikoto dead in the eyes. Sasuke needed her. He couldn't fight with his own mother. That was an impossible battle. As much as Sasuke disliked his father, he still loved his mother. It was too much for him. His heart was too good for that. But her heart wasn't. Sakura didn't care if Mikoto Uchiha hated her until the end of her days. Sasuke was not being forced to leave them. She didn't do anything before when Fugaku had tried to drag Sasuke away. She let Naruto freak out and just held Itachi back. Well not this time. This time it was her turn to stand up for Sasuke!

"Can't you see he doesn't want to go!?" Sakura leapt up in front of Sasuke. She threw her arms out. Emerald eyes staring Mikoto down. She shielded her Uchiha teammate from his irate mother. "Sasuke stays here."

"Who are you to decide who he stays with?" Mikoto demanded eyes narrowing. "I'm his mother and what I say-"

"It's not my decision. It's Sasuke's." Sakura denied. "He said no. Sasuke's made his choice. He doesn't want to sit with you or your husband right now. Whether you like it or not he's more than mature enough to make his own decisions. You're his mother that's true, but you need to listen to him cause that doesn't give you the right to disrespect his autonomy!"

Mikoto was livid but Sakura wasn't done.

"I want to make myself clear." Sakura looked Mikoto dead in the eye. Her fist raised near her chest. "We're both women. I have no qualms about punching you with every ounce of my strength. The only thing that protects you from tasting my fist right now and being sent back to your seat through the air is Sasuke's love for you. He's too good to be treated so awfully. You have no right to overrule him over a seating preference. I don't give a damn how uneasy it makes you or if you like me or not. The only Uchiha's feelings who matter to me are Sasuke's. If he decides to go sit with you in the future that's fine, he's welcome to do so, but until it's his decision it's not going to happen. You're just going to have to accept that." Sakura looked down at her fist for a moment. She shut her eyes and opened her palm. "Your lucky I have more self control than Naruto. Now please, return to your seat. It's been more than made clear that Sasuke is staying here. There's already enough people watching our on screen selves. We've drawn enough attention to the present us as well."