A/N: So this is a quick fic to celebrate NARUTO's one-year ending anniversary and sasusaku being canon. Woooo~! Please read and review, I love all constructive feedback.

Summary: In the late night, Sasuke wrestles with his inner demons and with the decision to accept Sakura's love. "The green of her eyes, set in steely determination to love him, to free him, to save him, is clear. " "Even if the rest of the world curses you…let me love you." [pre-699/post-700][sasusaku][one-shot]

Disclaimer: NARUTO is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. The lyrics at the beginning and end of the fic are from "Stay" by Emmy Rossum.

~x~

Head rush, are you still breathing?

Shiver, taking me higher

~x~

Years of dealing with the devil, of plunging headlong into yawning darkness had terrified Sasuke Uchiha.

He was afraid of the him from back then, of the him that knew only darkness and vehemently scorned the light. He feared that one small misstep could potentially send him reeling back into that familiar abyss – the abyss, the pit of demons that chanted his name with gnashing of teeth and hellish clamoring. With stomping of feet and hellish cackling, it resounded in his mind and dragged him into murky depths, mockingly reciting the names of those he had lost, his parents, his brother, his clan and of those who had so wronged him and gleefully suggesting how they should pay.

He yearned for peace, for a moment of solace, for a chance to break through the trembling waters of the sea of his darkness and hungrily take in a fresh gulp of air.

And so he roamed the lands seeking redemption and forgiveness. And yet everywhere he went he was still him, and he could never be free from himself. The shackles of the past, of his memories and of his sins weighed down his heart. The poison of vengeance and hatred seared through his skin and swirled in his veins; never letting him go and never letting him forget. His hands were dyed crimson with blood – she turned over to reach out towards him but he drew back – how could he dare to touch her? How could he?

She calls out to him from the opposite side of the futon and he squeezes his mismatched eyes shut.

"Don't. Sakura. No."

His voice is strained through grit teeth and his words come out in sharp, punctuated syllables, breaking the stillness of the night. He hears her exhale, slowly and evenly, as she shifts to face him and he knows that she is not prepared to back down without a fight.

"Sasuke-kun," he wonders why she can't just let this go damn issue go, "don't push me away."

He wasn't pushing her away, he just needed time -

"I love you."

– to understand what he could do for her, if he was right for her – if he could ever be right for her –

"I love you."

- did she not understand that despite Kakashi's decree, he was not a free man? He may have been officially pardoned but he felt eternally convicted, forever damned. How could he, a sinner, dare pull her, a saint, into his oblivion?

She calls out to him again and her voice is a soft, faraway whisper; a gentle spring breeze rustling the fragile pages of his heart. His eyelids squeeze tighter as he desperately struggles to calm the tempest of his soul, but he feels the searing touch of her fingertips as they settle on the sharp slope of his jaw and fresh tears escape and stream down his crumpled, pained face.

She gently wipes them away and he shudders at her tender touch, gingerly opening his eyes to look into hers. His vision is blurred and distorted with tears but the green of her eyes – set in steely determination to love him, to free him, to save him – is clear.

"You can't," he finally answers, his usual rough voice dulled with tired resignation but her fingers set to work, lovingly traveling up to his cheeks and caressing his rough skin with the pads of her fingers. Her touch is an intoxicating melody, a gentle rhythm beating in his veins and humming, "I can and I will".

He silently faces her as they lay next to each other, immobile as she examines him and takes in all of him with silent and gentle acceptance.

"Kiss me."

She tries to demand it but her voice is a shy whisper that almost sounds like a question.

He is stunned by the sudden request. They gaze at each other in muted silence, chests heaving and faces reddening with anticipation before finally there is the sound of shuffling cloth as he makes his move.

The tips of every nerve in his body buzz with restless, crackling electricity as he slowly pulls himself towards her. He can almost hear the familiar sound of chidori chirping to life as he wraps his arm around her shoulder and closes the space between their bodies, enchanted by the pulsing warmth radiating from her and pouring into him.

His heart quivers with anticipation but his hand trembles with careful trepidation as he looks to her. The siren call of her parted pink lips and trembling breath beckons him and the glazed, passionate gaze of her green eyes pour hungrily into his, but his body is frozen with uncertainty.

He cannot take that last step. But she is so much braver and bolder than he ever was or ever could be and she takes the plunge for him as she wraps her arms around his waist and firmly pulls her body flush against his.

The shimmering of her eyes bearing into his and the thrumming of her heart against his shuddering chest repeats the same request, 'kiss me, kiss me, kiss me' and so he obliges.

He slowly cranes his neck down, their noses briefly brushing before he parts his lips and captures the rose petals of hers. The kiss is chaste and brief and he pulls away much too soon, but the rapid beating of her heart and her mouth parted in desirous wonder fill him with red-hot craving for more of her. His chest erupts with a burning greed to make him hers and to make her his.

His heartbeats tolls and clamors its own request, 'again, again, again', and he swiftly indulges it, his rough lips capturing hers again in a raw, desperate attempt to drink in more of her. Her lips part wider and invite him in and he truly tastes her for the first time – the bursting pink of fresh cherries, the swirl of gentle spring winds that reminded of him something familiar yet something new. He cannot stop – a trembling groan rises from the pits of his chest as he rhythmically mashes himself against her pulsating body and drives his roaming hand into her pink tresses – but she does. With her chest heaving, rose locks tussled and lips pinked from his zealous love, she pulls away and takes in the sight of her husband and the wounds of his heart; raw, bleeding and gaping for her to see.

But she is a healer and so she will heal him.

"Even if the rest of the world curses you," she stresses breathlessly, brushing away raven locks of his hair and cupping his cheeks in her hands. Her eyes bore into his weary mismatched ones but she needs him to know, needs him to understand. "I will forgive you again and again."

Her words are sweet salvation to his ears, heaven-sent grace to cast away his demons and bathe him in blinding light. Her forgiveness is his freedom, one that he does not deserve or ever will, but his heart sings as he laps it up desperately and hungrily.

He is a proud man, a proud member of the Uchiha clan, but not in front of his wife. In front of her, there was no need for pretenses. He was just Sasuke. He realizes this as he buries his face into the crook of her neck, as he allows a fresh stream of tears to run down his face and as he admits the words he was always too proud to say.

"I love you."

His words are a whisper, but she catches them and cannot hold back her own tears. She nods in acknowledgement and her hands rub up and down his back reassuringly. "I love you too, Sasuke-kun," she confesses, her voice thick with tears, "so please don't push me away."

A gentle smile illuminates her face as the crying couple embraces even tighter.

"Just let me love you."

~x~

Memorize every moment

Letting this love take you over

Just breathe and stay

~x~

A/N: I guess this can kinda be seen as similar to "As I Lay Me Down"? I tried to capture the whole late night couples talk vibe. Was Sasuke OOC? Was the ending line cheesy? And I might have set up Sakura to be too much like his almighty savior or something. Argh, ah well, who knows. I know I missed the exact one-year anniversary of the manga ending but well, either way; I wanted to get this out there. I remember the day of the manga ending very vividly. Mostly because I couldn't sleep that night as I anxiously waited for the update. When the update came up I was just a crying mess. I had followed this manga for 10 years and it's amazing to think about how much I've grown with this manga.

Well anyway, I won't ramble too much, but I'm very grateful to NARUTO and Kishimoto-sensei. I've been wanting to write a generic limey kakasaku one-shot (do people even say limey anymore, haha), and a sarada-centric multi-chapter (maybe one-shot, who knows) kinda depicting her hating Sasuke and being all Uchiha crazy and all that (I had thought of it before we got the whole father-daughter bonding that was gaiden). So that's what I've got in the works. Oh, yea I wanted to write a Sasuke companion piece to "She Bleeds" as well. We'll see if that happens, I don't really know. Anyway, thanks again for reading. Please read and review, I appreciate all constructive criticism, it gives me life~!