CHAPTER 1

She knew that their relationship confused everyone.

Hell, it used to confuse her, too. That's why she had stopped overthinking it – or just thinking it, in general.

As soon as she stopped thinking about it, it made perfect sense to her. She loved them – it was as simple as that.

Sakura was still half-asleep when she heard Sasuke moving about the room.

"You didn't tell me you had a mission," she said as she drowsily watched him put his weapons into the pockets on his black pants.

Sasuke always got up before her. It was as if he had some sort of an internal clock that screamed at him to get up before the sun rose every morning – it was an especially freaky concept for Sakura to grasp in the summer, when the sun rose at impossibly early hours in Konoha.

He was already fully dressed in his ANBU uniform, minus the mask. What a pity, Sakura thought. Sasuke had the ideal body for a shinobi – he was long and lean, but still muscled. She would've liked to have seen him change, as she enjoyed seeing him without his shirt on.

"Because I know you would've wanted me to rest last night if I had told you." Sasuke walked over to Sakura's side of the bed, and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Go back to sleep."

"How long will you be gone?" Sakura looked up into the onyx eyes that she loved so much. "You only got back from that other mission a few days ago, Sasuke…"

"This one won't be that long, I promise. It's supposed to be a pretty quick one." Sasuke gently pushed strands of pink hair out of Sakura's face. "I have to go now. I'll be back soon."

He leaned over to give Sakura a kiss. She let her lips linger over his, not wanting him to leave yet.

"Say bye to Naruto for me. The dobe better take care of you while I'm gone."

Sakura pouted. "Sasuke, I don't need to be taken care of. We're twenty two, for Kami's sake."

"I know that – I just don't like to leave you." Sasuke gave the pink-haired kunoichi the smile that he reserved only for her. "I love you. I'll see you when I get back."

"I love you, too."

With another swift kiss, Sasuke was gone, and Sakura sank back into his bed. She breathed in the sheets; Sasuke's scent lingered on them.

She fell back into deep sleep that was lulled by the familiar – and welcome – scent of the man she'd loved for a decade now.

It was nine o'clock. Sakura was getting off of her evening shift at the hospital. Just as she set her foot outside, a pair of familiar arms embraced her from the back.

"Hi, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, as she turned around to face him. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You look pretty."

Sakura laughed as she took his hand. "No, I don't. I probably look like hell right now – I've had such a long day."

"You do. You always look pretty to me."

Sakura squeezed his hand as she leaned into the side of his arms. "You always say that."

"And I always mean it." Naruto grinned down at her, as she only came up just under his shoulders. "You're the prettiest girl ever, Sakura-chan."

They hadn't discussed where their feet were taking them; they didn't need to. They had known each other for ten years by now, and Sakura knew that Ichiraku's was inevitable when it came to Naruto picking her up after work.

Once they were settled into their seats at the ramen vendor, Naruto ordered three bowls of beef ramen for himself and one miso ramen for Sakura.

"How was work, Sakura-chan?"

"It was long. A few ANBU came in for their physicals – which I swear they all avoid like the plague. I have no idea why my stethoscope scares them so much." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Which reminded me that Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei still need to come in for theirs."

"Oh, yeah, the teme left on a solo mission this morning, right?"

Sakura frowned. "I didn't know that it was a solo mission… How'd you know that?"

"He told me last night before he went to go pick you up that he won't be able to spar with me today because he'll be gone on the mission." Naruto draped his arm over Sakura's shoulders as he kissed the pink-haired girl's head. "He'll be fine; he didn't tell you it was a solo mission because he knew you'd worry, Sakura-chan. But you know Sasuke-teme – he's way too proud to let anything happen to him."

A couple of hours later, Sakura was tucked safely under Naruto's arm on his bed. She was cradled close to his chest, and she fell asleep to the even sound of his breathing.

She knew that when she woke up, Naruto would still be deeply asleep. Sakura smiled to herself as she thought about how different her two boys were – Sasuke and Naruto were night and day. But different or not, she was in love with both of them, and they loved her back.

That was all she needed.