STORY COVER COMMEMORATION: A beautiful drawing done by 'nami64' on DeviantART (I am now posting the links to the artwork on my profile)

Author's Note: This will be a multi-chapter, and longer version of a story, so if you reach the end of a chapter, and there are no more posted, it isn't the end, I probably just haven't updated it yet.

Of course, I don't own any of Kishimoto's work on Naruto, nor do I own any of the names, circumstances, blah. I have tried to stick close to the story line of Kishimoto's work, wish a few changes, and some add ons, such as the inclusion of some American items, personality changes, and future events. I tried my best to keep Sasuke as close to his personality as I could, but of course, he probably strays off that path a lot, so yeah, don't flame that. Also, I advise that if you don't like lemon, don't read this, or you can skip the scenes. The actual scenes are not graphic, and don't go far with descriptions, so it's not heavy. This story is not intended to be lemon-centered, because Sasuke and Sakura are married, of course there will be instances for the "clan revival". And as a lover of the pairing, I apologize if I do get a bit carried away with their .. couplings. Oh my.

Also, the story may seem to flip flop around from graphic nightmares to a regular day, but that's how it's intended. So.

Okay, yeah, enough of the author's blarg, on to the story.

Take off all of your skin
I'm brave when you are free
Shake off all of your sins
And give them to me
Close up, let me back in
I wanna be yours, wanna be your hero
And my heart beats

• EMPIRE •

The woman looked around her, instantly sickened at the sight. Two bodies were sprawled in front of her, a mass of kunai spilling out of their backs. Another, she noted from the other side, was still alive, his arm moving very slowly, dried blood coated lips opening as if to form sounds. Instantly, Sakura recognized the blood coated, blonde hair, even under the mass of cuts and blood on the young man's face. She let out a scream.

"NARUTO!" She tried to run over to him, but her legs refused to cooperate with her. She swallowed the saliva in her mouth, and was surprised to taste the metallic liquid of blood. She finally was able to raise a hand up, and touched the cupids bow under her nose gingerly. She pulled her fingers away, and stared at the bright, red liquid.

In the air was a deep, smokey smell. It was as if someone had set off a forest fire that she had been used to experiencing in Konaha in the hot summers.

Then she heard the birds.

She shook her head. No, they weren't really birds. She was instantly shoved against the nearest tree, her head snapping back to collide forcefully with the trunk. Her eyes watered, but she turned her head to see her blonde haired teammate on the ground, still trying to form words, trying to move, to get up.

"N-Naruto.." She forced out, before a large hand enclosed itself around her neck, not tight enough to restrict her airways, but it was getting there.

She didn't want to turn her eyes to meet the face of the attacker, because she already knew who it was. But nevertheless, her head turned itself, slowly and painfully to meet obsidian, cold eyes. Through her half-lidded gaze, she could tell that his lips were moving, that he was talking to her, but her ears were still ringing, omitting a low humming sound from being thrown against the tree. She licked her lips and willed herself to clear her mind, to try to listen to him. Finally, the ringing diminished, leaving a dull, throbbing pain in her head and neck.

"So weak." The captor spat at her, his eyes changing from black, to red. His Sharingan, Sakura thought. She coughed, sending a small spray of blood drops onto his pale, exposed neck. He smirked darkly.

"You are nothing to me." Her chin tilted upwards, and she let out a small mewl of pain. Cold metal cut into her neck, and she closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see his katana against her skin again.

She heard the birds again. If she could look down, she would see that his other hand was filled with the bright light of his Chidori, and that it would be over soon.

"Weak." He said once more, his tone flat, almost bored.

It wasn't until he shoved the Chidori into her heart that Sakura finally willed herself to let out a scream.

She sat up in her bed, her chest heaving sweat and tears pouring down her face and hitting her night gown. Her hand reached out to cover her heart, where he had driven the Chidori into in her dream. She willed herself to calm her breathing, her other hand wiping away the tears that had poured down her face. She looked to her left at the nightstand, squinting at the clock. It was 2 am. As usual.

Sakura took a deep breath once more, and turned to her right, looking at the empty side of the large bed next to her. She felt better instantly, seeing that there was no one inhabiting the sheets. She pushed herself to the edge of the bed, pushing away the covers, and placed her feet on the ground quietly. Her hands pulled away her mass of pink hair from her sticky neck and she fanned herself.

"What a nightmare.." She trailed of softly, and stood up, willing her wobbly legs to push herself towards the bathroom.

She stripped herself of the sweaty material and stepped into the shower, blasting the cold water. She was instantly awake, and ready to control herself.

Haruno Sakura couldn't remember how long it had been since she had slept through an entire night. For months, she had been plagued with similar nightmares, all ending in the same way, all with her getting killed. By her husband.

She exhaled and pressed her forehead against the cool tile wall of the shower. She closed her eyes.

After finally abandoning his plight for revenge, and helping the Hidden Leaf village fight Madara alongside Naruto and Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke returned to his hometown. Of course, the Hokage was not quick to let him off the hook so easily. He was subjected to various psychological tests, interventions and questionings held by ANBU's finest. And after about three years of questioning, Tsunade finally deemed Uchiha Sasuke ready to return to a life of normalcy. Provided that he start over his ninja training from Genin once more. In less than a year, he had been promoted up to Jounin, and was ready to take the ANBU exam.

Sakura let a small smile come to her lips, feeling the cold water fall down her back and legs.

At first, the return of Sasuke to Konaha had been everything she had dreamed, Team 7 was finally reunited, and Sasuke was home, and home without revenge. But as the three of them grew older, she began seeing less and less of Sasuke, and later Naruto. The blonde man had taken a liking to spending his days courting Hyuuga Hinata and going through his training to be the future Hokage, successor of Tsunade.

Sasuke, on the other hand had dissipated almost completely from Sakura's life. If he wasn't being questioned, he was in a meeting with the council and Hokage, or taking his numerous tests to move up the ranks, or training, or keeping to himself. And Sakura, well, after surpassing her mentor in brute strength and skill, Tsunade had no other option than to name her head surgeon and medic of Konaha's hospital and to place her on the entrance list for the ANBU exam.

When Sakura was eighteen, she had passed the ANBU exam, and was given recognition of her achievements. Thanks to Tsunade's commands, Sakura was able to remain as head medic at the hospital (the job she preferred the most), but was an ANBU that the council would only call on in dire situations.

But one year from then, she was suddenly flurried into a mass of wedding plans, invites and finally the big day. She was twenty, and now Uchiha Sakura, every girl's dream. But Sakura did not feel the extent of that happiness. Of course, she smiled pleasantly for the wedding photos, ignoring the obvious lack of expression on her cold husband's face. She was happy.

Right?

Sakura let out another breath and turned off the shower. She stepped out, wrapping herself in her bathrobe and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She bent over the sink and looked at her eyes, seeing the faint hint of dark circles under her usually bright, emerald orbs. Seeing that she really had nothing else to do, and was already awake, she began making faces in the mirror, giggling, as her fingers pulled at the skin around her mouth. She laughed out loud, and stared at the rest of her appearance.

She had began to grow out her hair again. It wasn't as long as when she was younger, but it was just touching her shoulder blades. At first, she had wanted to keep it short out of necessity, and easy grooming for missions, but Sasuke had objected.

"It looks nice long." He had deadpanned one morning while they were sharing the large bathroom. She had snuck a look at him, and dropped the piece of hair she was holding to keep out of her eyes. He leaned forward over the sink, resuming his shaving, as if he had never spoken, and Sakura turned back away from him, and nodded.

Sakura looked at her hollowed shoulder blades poking through the thin bathrobe. She wasn't skinny, she was of normal weight and height, with normal proportions. She untied her bathrobe, and let it fall to the floor, as she turned to her side in the mirror, inspecting her thighs, arms, and then her stomach.

Ninja training kept kunoichi's with flat, muscled stomachs and abs, which was a plus, but right now, Sakura kind of wished she had a small rounded belly.

She placed a hand on her lower stomach, looking at herself in the mirror, before taking in a breath and pushing her stomach out as far it could go. She giggled, and smiled, imagining what it would be like to carry a child. Because she was now wife to Sasuke, she was of course expected to begin the process of the Uchiha clan's revival, so the use of contraceptives was not necessary. And honestly, Sakura wanted to be a mother. She didn't think she was too young, and taking time off work wouldn't be hard, Tsunade-shishou understood her situation, and would happily give her work leave. It seemed that the entire process of the Uchiha clan coming back was all up to her. Sakura huffed.

How stressful.

Suddenly, there was a muffled creak from the main entrance to the Uchiha compound, and the door slammed. Sakura's eyes widened, and her hand dropped from her stomach. She bent hurriedly to pick up her robe, wrapping it around her. She fixed her hair quickly in the mirror and hurried out of the bathroom and down the long hallway to the kitchen, where her husband was sat, waiting at the table.

"Gomen, Sasuke, I didn't think you'd be home for another day, Naruto said it was a five day mission." She gave him a small smile, and rubbed the back of her neck in a Naruto-like manner. She had stopped using the -kun suffix quite some time ago. At the beginning, it had felt weird, but now, she was happy to rid herself of it.

"Hn."

Sasuke pulled off his gloves and placed them on the table, his hands reaching for the zipper of his vest to undo it. Sakura stole a look at her husband, seeing he wasn't battered, and only had a few scratches on his face and hands. She walked over to him, her hand cupping his cheek as she healed up his scratches. He didn't meet her eyes, and continued to pull off his vest, and then reached up to untie his headband, but Sakura's hands pushed his away. He frowned.

"Ne, Sasuke, let me do it, you must be tired." She untied the headband and pulled it off gently, and placed it on his gloves. She stepped back from her husband and turned away from him, her hands reaching for the tea pot on the counter.

"Would you like some tea, or are you going to sleep?" She pulled out two cups and reached for the tea jar, knowing whatever his answer, she was going to sit down here and drink some tea anyways. He made a small noise, and she heard him stand up.

"Tea. I'm going to shower." She heard him turn away from her and head towards the hallway. She nodded, as if he could see it, and put some hot water on to boil. From her place at the counter, she could hear the water running in the bathroom, and the door close. She placed the cups and spoons ready on the counter next to the teapot and headed towards the bathroom, opening the door. She saw the silhouette of her husbands figure in the shower amongst the mass of steam. She blushed and bent down to pick up his stray articles of clothing.

She wasn't a silly teenager anymore, but somehow, the sight of her husband's body still made her blush. He was, of course, very handsome. She smiled and placed the clothes in the hamper and reached for a towel on the rack, laying it over the counter for him. She closed the door to the bathroom again, and headed into their bedroom. She supposed that once long ago, it had been his parents, based on the grandeur and largeness of the bed and area. She carefully straightened the sheets and pillows and cleaned up.

She had begun humming a tune that her mother used to sing to her when she was little, and had not heard the shower turn off, or the bathroom door open. She turned around to leave the bedroom, and saw him standing right in front of her, his eyes boring into hers. She let out a small noise, taking a step back away from him, and placed a hand to her chest.

"Ne, Sasuke... you scared me." She gave him another small smile, pushing her thoughts back. She tried not to think of the dream she had had. How he had shoved his Chidori through her, and ended it.

"Aa." He turned away from her, his hand clutched to the towel wrapped around his waist. Sakura caught a glance of his toned muscles, and blushed again, she placed her hands behind her back, and turned towards the door once more, hearing the tea pot whistle with steam.

"I guess I'll go serve the tea then-" She turned to him once more, and was cut off at his stark nakedness. His towel lay, a forgotten pool of material, at his feet. He was turned away from her, rummaging through his drawers to find clothes. Her eyes traveled to his buttocks, before she blushed deep red and hurriedly dissapeared from the bedroom and into the kitchen.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned against the counter. Che, she was a lucky wife to have such a sexy husband. Too bad he was so cold. She shrugged to herself and poured out the hot water, and mixed in the tea leaves into the steeper. She poured out two cups of tea, and laid them on the table, just as Sasuke appeared in the doorway, newly dressed in dark pants and a white shirt. She picked up his gloves and gear, eager to avoid his eyes and placed them on the coffee table. She sat down opposite him and took a cup, holding it to her nose.

She breathed in the sweet, chai scent, and closed her eyes happily. She took a sip, and opened them once more, looking at her husband as he took a sip of the tea himself. He looked at her, and she bit her lip, not sure what to say.

"How..er, how was the mission?" She forced out, and took another sip of the tea, looking out the window into the early morning darkness.

"Fine." He answered quickly, and looked towards the calendar she had hung up on the kitchen wall. He stared at the two small x's she had placed on two different dates this month, his brow furrowing, wondering what they meant. They were about five days apart. The last x was two days ago. That was one of the days that he had rolled over one night, intent on .. said things, and she had said no. He frowned.

"What are your plans for later today? It is, like 3 am in the morning." She giggled, and looked back at him, nightmares and awkward situations forgotten. He huffed, and finished his tea.

"We have a meeting with the council for the missions' status." He placed down the cup and folded his arms.

"Ah, right. That makes sense." She finished her own and stood up, offering him another cup. He shook his head, and she poured herself another, leaning forward against the counter, peering out the window.

"I think I might go and see how Hinata is doing later. I'm sure she has a lot to tell me about her and Naruto." Sakura smiled, and took another sip of her tea. She hadn't seen her second best friend in what seemed like eternity, but it was really a couple of months. Sakura had been busy with hospital work, and Hinata devoted her time to helping Naruto train, and her own fighting. Sakura smiled, hoping to get some quality time in with her friend tomorrow. Suddenly, Sasuke was behind her, his body inches from hers. She opened her mouth, letting only air out, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

His lean arm passed her face, reaching out to place his cup in the sink. As soon as he did, he pulled away from her, and stood, leaning against the table, watching his wife. Though he'd never admit it, he had a perfect view of her body through the thin material of her robe. His eyes strayed down her shoulders, past her hair and curved back to her well defined ass. He felt the pit of his stomach heat up, and he looked away.

"Hn. I'm going to bed." He headed out the kitchen and towards the bedroom, not really intending to get any sleep just yet.

"I'll be there in a second." Sakura responded gently, and placed her own empty cup in the sink. She cleaned up the counter, and turned off the kitchen light, while straightening the chairs. She headed down the hallway, taking her time, and entered the bedroom. The door shut behind her, and she turned to look at her husband. Her heartbeat quickened, her thoughts flowering back to all of those nightmares. Was he going to-

He headed over towards the bed and pulled his shirt over his head in one fluid motion, chucking it on the futon in the corner of the room. Sakura calmed her breathing, and rid herself of any thoughts, and went to get into the bed when she stopped.

Oh, I'm only wearing my robe. A small tinge of red came to her cheeks, and she swallowed, heading over to her dresser to find another nightgown to throw on. But as she opened the drawer, ready to pull out the first piece of material she saw, a hand came out from behind her and closed the drawer in one fluid motion. She swallowed, and turned to face Sasuke, and found herself backed up against the chest of drawers.

His cool breath fanned across her cheeks, and his obsidian eyes stared into hers. Though she knew there was no love in them, she could tell there was lust. Her heartbeat quickened once more, ready to see his Sharingan activated, to feel the cold metal of his katana against her throat, but instead, she found a pair of warm lips placed on her own.

It wasn't a deep kiss, he had never been good at things like that, so it was a simple, chaste kiss. It let her know what he was thinking, even if for a moment. She felt the usual heat come to her abdomen and between her legs as her eyes shifted down his well defined chest. She felt the tie on her robe tugged undone, and the material slip off her shoulders and to the floor, leaving her naked to his eyes. She hooked her arms around his neck, as he lifted her quickly off the ground, throwing her on the bed.

Their..lovemaking, as Sakura called it sometimes, was never the fireworks and unification she had read or heard about. Ino had told her that with Shikamaru, it was fireworks, fuzzy sight, and tingling toes. Tenten confided that Neji was a screamer, but theirs was heated and rough. Sakura had read (embarrassingly, in those stupid teenage girl magazines) that it would leave the two people breathing heavily, and other sounds would leave their mouths, and that the perfect intimacy and foreplay (she blushed at this word, twenty or not) was a storm of kissing and touching.

But with Sasuke, there was no touching, it was minimal. Usually, Sakura was left to hook her arms (and sometimes legs) around him, sometimes to dig her nails into his back, and Sasuke merely held her in position with one hand around her waist, or on her thigh, the other hand was always balancing himself on the mattress as he thrusted into her.

The kissing was one-sided. Sasuke initiated it with a small chaste kiss to her lips, but for the rest of the time, Sakura was the only one, placing butterfly kisses into his neck and shoulder, and she knew that usually he ignored it.

And as for the screaming, well.. there was no coupled moans, names called, none of that. Just Sasuke's grunting and panting, and Sakura's small mewls at the end. And after his release and her final finish, he pulled away from her and turned his back to her. Sakura would lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling, trying to calm her breathing. She would then pull the covers up around her, turn on her side, away from him, and slowly fall asleep.

Sometimes, she would have the guts to utter the three words she had been using since they were thirteen, and sometimes she didn't. Tonight, she thought, she would say it, because it had been a while since she had.

"I love you." She murmured and closed her eyes, not really caring if he was still awake or had heard it or not.