DISCLAIMER- Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno are owned by the very talented Masashi Kishimoto. I am just borrowing them for my own selfish needs.

Straight to the Heart of Love

I could not be your liberator when you collapsed into the arms of iniquity

Is it in you to forgive me for my weakness?

Let me be, I pray thee, your light for this once

Let me pull you out from this dark oblivion of nothingness...

I will survive

As long as you stay by my side

Cause I am Stronger,

Stronger,

Stronger...

Of Untainted Mirth and Unwavering Devotion

You could not simply go without appreciating the remarkable tranquility of the panorama that unfolded itself like the bosom of the never-ending ocean...

They were sitting under the cherry blossom tree, her back against its trunk and his head resting in her lap; the grass blades soft underneath them; quietly looking at the petals of her namesake taking a ride in the moaning wind, the moonlight milking them into a lavender hue. The cool wind brought with itself a fusion of flowers and forest fruits. The sound of the rippling water beautified by a delightful radiance; of the river flowing nearby, echoed in the silence of the darkness. The moonbeams painted the landscape silver; its glimmer dusting the treetops with a lovely sparkle; with only fragments of clouds hiding the moon occasionally, throwing vague shadows on the ground beneath. The sky exhibited its casket of starry jewels flamboyantly, which chimed down at them, twinkling brightly.

All in all, the night was as perfect as it could be.

One could easily spot Mount Fuji from this distance, the volcanic mound looming alone in grandiosity. It roared high into the sky, as if challenging the authority of Diana in the heavens above. Everything else looked midget in its comparison.

She loved each and every moment of their time together. It was like living a dream she never wanted to wake up from. She glimpsed at him again, her love-filled eyes scanning his form. Even when at ease, he lay with such elegance, whereas, she was more of a flop-down-in-any-position kind of a person. His face, so peaceful, that it looked almost angelic. Closed as his eyes were, Sakura knew he was aware of everything that was going on around him.

Her hand ran through his hair gingerly, loving the feel of its touch against her fingers. His hair was on the coarser side and not silky, as she had previously thought.

Sasuke brought her here often, just the two of them, escaping from the world for the briefest of moments. It was here that Sasuke was liberated, dropping his guard only for her to see. It was here where she could see who he truly was, where coupled with those shaky breaths was the smile that put even the most innocent of babies to shame, that smile alone was reason enough for her to exist. These were the most intimate moments of their life-the innocent touches, the loving smiles. Moreover, this was where Sasuke had proposed her so, this place was important in more than just one-way.

As she continued playing with his hair, her eyes fell on the diamond ring on her finger. The tell tale glint of the stone reminding her of her new status.

UCHIHA SAKURA

Finally, all her dreams had come true. She was married to the man she had loved since forever. Also, he loved her too.

Cha! She squeaked internally glowing with joy at the thought of her fantasies coming to life.

They had been married for nearly a month now but it seemed only yesterday when she sat next to Sasuke in her wedding gown, taking vows that bound them together for eternity. Her friends had decorated the venue to perfection and the ceremony was loud and joyous, maybe a little too boisterous for the innately private Sasuke. The day had gone down in the blink of an eye and before she knew, she was the mistress of the last remaining Uchiha. However, they had not consummated their marriage yet, something she was thankful to Sasuke for. Yes, she loved Sasuke unconditionally, but the burden of being an Uchiha was more than she had anticipated.

Moreover, they were taking things slowly. Understanding each other and taking their relationship to another level. Sasuke was in no hurry to revive his clan. He was aware of Sakura's anxiety and wanted to give her all the time she needed to fine-tune herself to this new chapter of her life. She knew she was being selfish by denying Sasuke of what he wanted most but this was for the best she reasoned with herself. There was no point in landing in this affair with such haste only to end up disappointing him.

Sasuke wanted her; she could tell it by the brazen kisses he landed on her lips. They, the kisses, were like molten lava changing her very foundation. Yet another reason that scared her beyond bounds. The way in which he kissed was enough to gauge his desires; the enthusiasm that shrouded him was frightening and gratifying at the same time. His touch was like rampaging, wild fire, leaving a blazing sensation in its wake. Her hand trembled, thinking of the passion that enveloped the two of them even though they were fully dressed at each of the private moments they had shared.

Surely Sasuke had to be the best at everything he did, she knew how much of a perfectionist he was, but who knew he would be equally proficient at stuff like this?

Staring at the vast expanse of the landscape, lost in her reverie, she did not notice that her husband was observing her with a peculiar smirk on his face. He could easily sense the imbalance in her chakra form and the rosy blush adorning her perfect face fascinated him. He caught her chin between his forefinger and thumb and gently turned her face so that she was looking down at him.

"What is it?" his velvety voice inspected curiously, bringing her back to earth.

Her cheeks morphed into the darkest shade of crimson as heat crept into them, embarrassed Sasuke had caught her thinking what she was thinking. However, all thoughts vanished as soon as she looked in his eyes. She could not answer him because she was lost into his midnight orbs for the millionth time now. Before she could gather herself, she was falling into that dark abyss of endless bottom.

She fiddled with the pendant that Sasuke had gifted her on her eighteenth birthday as nervousness overtook her. Maybe she was ready now to take that leap. What was she thinking? This was Sasuke. The man she had always wanted and as she looked at him from behind those glassy orbs, she knew that Sasuke too, was nervous.

Then, just like that, all her insecurities faded away, much in the same way as the strong wind blows away the dark clouds, revealing the moon on a clear night. A smile spread on her face as she realised what their union meant. Soon, she hoped, there would be little cherubs running about the Uchiha compound sharing their name.

Life with Sasuke was going to be so much more beautiful...

"I love you Sasuke-Kun," she whispered shyly before placing a kiss on his forehead.

Though he did not discern what just happened, he smiled nonetheless. Sakura was an interesting creatures yes, but right now she was at the pinnacle of being a coyous little minx. Her aura assured him that nothing was wrong. Next, she looked at him with such worship in her eyes that it left him speechless, and in that, very moment inhibitions ran low, passion rode high and he pulled her lips to his.

Another blissful moment that will forever be etched in her heart.

No sooner had their lips met; everything ceased to exist for the both of them. The sounds, the scenery and everything was swallowed by a gigantic void, and time seemed like a distant concept altogether. The universe and all the vitality it spoke of came to a standstill. In the moment that ensued, the flaming desires burst into colours shading the world with bright vibrant hues. The world came back to life, and for a second, it was all nothing but a rushing sound.

His hand treaded through her cascading tresses, pulling her closer. He let her lead the kiss, it was slow and languid and he smiled into the kiss as he felt the emotions she poured into it.

She caressed his face lovingly with gentleness of a budding flower, her fingertips outlining his angular jaws; memorising every contour, line and curve.

In this one act, she revealed all that was locked inside her heart. She just wanted him to know that he meant everything to her. She loved him more than she loved anyone else, more than she loved anything.

The fervent emotion gave way to tears that welled up in her eyes; a stray one even managed to slide onto Sasuke's cheek, compelling him to pull away from the kiss and look at her rather anxiously. The sight that met his gaze left him awe-struck because whatever had transpired in that instance found its way through her eyes that beamed with pure happiness and newfound confidence.

She took his hand and locked her fingers with his when she spoke.

"Sasuke-kun, I really, really love you..."

Sasuke knew it was true, had not doubted it since they were twelve.

"Thank you" he smirked, poking her forehead with his index and forefinger before closing his eyes again, smilingly.

His gesture sent through her a bolt of electricity, lighting up her spirits.

She was ready to accept his darkness, had always been. She was ready to bear the burden of his sins, to repent for the abysmal atrocities committed, to share the legacy of the cursed blood of the Uchiha. She wanted to be the person Sasuke could open up to, the one he could confide in, the one who he could trust enough to shed his tears in front of. She was determined to do everything in her power to give him the utmost care she could muster. Sasuke had been through enough and as his wife, it was her duty now to protect him, and provide him with a family he was wrongfully deprived of.

She could not be his light when he treaded the path of dark nothingness, the stinging guilt at this realisation will forever haunt her, but now, that she was with him, she wanted to be a part of who he really was. If this is what was needed to rescue Sasuke, to bring him back to life, she was ready to risk all and everything for him. Because irrespective of what he himself and others thought of him, she knew that Sasuke was still that little boy who was trapped in a nightmare of loneliness and dejection, a boy who was afraid to live again, a boy afraid to love again...

Who knew that all the tears, the pain, and hope would culminate into something this beautiful...

At last, the prayers were answered.

Well, here it is. This is my first fanfic and that makes me really nervous. English is not my first language so any grammatical errors are deeply regretted. Do read and please review. Constructive criticism is always welcome, go a little easy on me though.