1. I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, only this story line and plot nonsense. blah, blah, blah! On with it!
2. This is a one shot, I do hope everyone enjoys it!
3. If you don't like it, please don't kill or hate me.
-Lady-of-Laughter
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The great Uchiha Sasuke sat in the dank cell, with eyes closed, listening to the rhythmic pacing of another prisoner. A door opening and closing met his well attuned ears as the sound of six pairs of feet came at a sedate pace to his door. It was time, his execution was today. After six months in this cell, with a seal keeping him from accessing his chakra, he could only physically work out. So even though he was perfectly fit physically, against the six ANBU about to escort him to his execution, he stood no chance.
His only consolation was Naruto, the loudmouth had fought his sentence until the very end, but the council had decided. He had given Tsunade everything he knew concerning the elders, and she had promised to do everything in her power to save him for that Intel. She had information from another few reliable ANBU members, and all had given her information along the same lines. A very few select, including onlyfive ANBU were going to be acting on the Hokage's orders. Naruto had visited him everyday and been filling him in on everything that was happening.
Only two weeks ago word had gotten out that Danzo was dead, of cancer. Of course that was only a front, but this was Danzo. Would he have gone to the hospital for checkups and allowed someone to tell him he had cancer? Tsunade had reported that he had had cancer for years and it had finally taken him. Then word that the other elders were dead came.
Again their deaths were explained by different natural causes, throughout the time of two months all three elders were dead. Making it appear as if old age had finally caught up with one, age and a stroke had taken Mitokado Homura. Utatane Koharu was reported to have eaten something she was allergic to.
All very skillful strategizing and timing had taken those leaders out of power. Now the council was to consist of Tsunade and two other older, well respected retired ninja. Kakashi was stepping up as Hokage, and he had already stated that he planned to make Naruto his successor when his time to retire came. But those deaths hadn't been quick enough to stop the elders from signing the execution papers of one Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke had heard that Sakura had surpassed Tsunade, and was to take over the position of head doctor at the hospital when Tsunade would step down the day Naruto became Hokage. Word had reached him that Neji was to be the head of the ANBU black ops when Naruto became Hokage. At twenty-four, Sasuke had learned long ago that everything he had left behind had not really been worth the trouble. He should have stayed, but he hadn't. The door to his cell opened and six ANBU walked in to lead him out of the prison.
As they walked him out of doors and into the sunlight, Sasuke squinted. He hadn't been outside since his return to the village six months ago. Blinking Sasuke saw the gathered crowd outside of the Hokage's Tower as they approached. Since when did people gather for an execution they couldn't see? He knew he would be killed in doors, so what was with the crowd? The sound of running made his head lift to the roof tops.
A figure ran by with ninja speed, in an ANBU uniform, and jumped with a flip off the roof to land on a raised platform. From his place on the road Sasuke could see the ANBU land and hand a large scroll to Tsunade. The ANBU then leaned back against the wall to the side of Tsunade, obviously ready to get a front seat to whatever public humiliation they had planned for him.
As they reached the platform, Sasuke was escorted up the stairs and moved to stand beside the Hokage. Lifting her hand to silence the chatting crowd, Tsunade held up the scroll in her other hand. The crowd silenced, as if their complete attention was the only thing that would keep the village alive. When the silence came Tsunade unfurled the scroll and called for a civilian from the crowd to come up.
"To prove that this is not a hoax, I'll let civilians read it, all will be voluntary and without previous knowledge of this. Each person will read one section aloud; the last person to read will say who signed it. Now, who would like to come up?" Sasuke stood with shackled hands and simply watched people glance around, clearly the crowed was unsure of what to do.
From the way their eyes skittered to him and away, Sasuke was sure their unease at stepping forward was because of him. But one young bold fellow, a blacksmith, came forward while wiping his dirty hands on a towel. He stood tall and strong, yet didn't hesitate to back away from Sasuke a few paces upon glancing his way. Taking the scroll and speaking loudly the young man, not much older than Sasuke, read the first part of the edict.
"Any ninja or civilian, convicted of a crime, can be absolved of execution if, and only if a person of good standing and character, known to be loyal to Konoha, will volunteer to marry the individual in question. They are to be given sufficient punishment for the crimes and a set amount of time to be held within the village under the authority and responsibility of the new spouse and watchful eyes of the ANBU ranks for a time." Tsunade let out a breath of frustration and glared at the poor man while pointing to a place lower than where the man was reading.
"In the case of a returning missing-nin, whereupon returning of their own violation and wishing to reinstate themselves, may be given the same chance of being absolved of execution. In the same way, a person of good standing and character, known to be loyal to Konoha may volunteer to marry the individual in question. Given sufficient punishment for crimes and a set amount of time to be held within the village under surveillance of the new spouse and ANBU ranks for a time, forgiveness may be given."The man lifted his head from the scroll and stared at Tsunade is shock.
At her motioning the man left the platform, and Tsunade called up another person. She asked for someone else to come to verify to the crowd and continue reading. One timid, slightly older woman stepped up the stairs and took the scroll. But unlike the big young blacksmith, the tiny woman couldn't have been more than five feet tall but plumb. Yet, she did not move away from Sasuke, instead she looked him in the eye and smiled, motherly and forgiving.
"If upon the acceptance of marriage by a citizen known to possess these standards with a sufficient number of citizens, other than the individual agreeing to marriage, stepping forward to advocate the individual and agree to keep watch until the punishments completion, preferably those of ANBU rank. All of this, only with the agreement of the elders or Hokage; with a preference of both parties in agreement shall absolve any execution edict." The woman handed the scroll back to Tsunade and patted Sasuke's arm.
"It is signed by The Second Hokage." The tiny woman reminded him of Chouji, and upon a closer look, he realized it was Chouji's mother.
Three people rushed up the stairs to look at the scroll before verifying to the crowd that it was indeed signed by the Second. Tsunade at that point raised her hands again to silence the fervent whispers. She then proceeded to ask the crowd if any were willing to agree to marry Uchiha Sasuke andagree to take him on as their responsibility, to absolve him of the full punishment of an execution and replace it with a lesser punishment.
Several hands went up, many Sasuke recognized as his old fan girls, and some that were younger than that. He knew from their faces that they were intrigued, and probably found his dangerous status as desirable and exciting. He also knew that his good looks and tall muscular frame had an influence on their decision to put their lives in danger. He simply couldn't fathom where this law had come from, but then he also didn't care.
As Tsunade explained that something similar to this situation had happened before under the Second's rule, and this law had been made in response to that situation and ones that might come up like it. It had been mostly forgotten because of the rare situation, but Tsunade remembered it and had someone search for and fetch it. The signature made it a law that could be acted upon or disregarded, yet it was still valid no matter how many people may try to object.
The sensing of familiar chakra signatures had Sasuke's head snapping up and his eyes becoming red as he activated the Sharingan. He saw ninja and ANBU tensing and begin scanning the crowd, some even jumping off to confront those coming. Tsunade stood frozen for only a moment, slanting him a glance. The crowd closest to him backed up a few paces, some even gasping, as his eyes bled red.
Sasuke looked back at her, whispering that the ones coming were the very few Sound-nin still alive, and that they were strong. Tsunade nodded and looked to the ANBU behind her, the figure standing in the shadows, unseen and unheard. Sasuke still didn't know who it was, and couldn't help but feel a prick of curiosity at the ANBU's attire.
"I would like all those who volunteer to make an orderly line outside my office, I will see each of you in due time. I wish for you to present your case and why you think you should be allowed to marry Uchiha Sasuke, and how you think you can keep him in control." As the women who had raised their hands stampeded towards the Towers entrance, the gathered people shifted to form a tight knot in the middle of the road.
The ANBU that had brought him to the platform moved with him in tow down the platform and to a training ground. Seemingly to wait, yet Sasuke knew that they were holding him there so that the people coming would look for him in a place they could fight, without disturbing the civilians. It was only moments when four Sound ninja landed in the open grounds facing the six ANBU and Sasuke.
But something happened that Sasuke had not seen coming, another ANBU jumped down. Dressed in the usual ANBU outfit, but with a special mask and head covering, the ninja jumped down in between the two groups. The head covering hugged the head and neck as it tucked into the shirt, hiding everything about the ninja. Sasuke watched as the Konoha ANBU lifted a hand and motioned for the Sound ninja to attack.
Two attached at the same time, one jumping and coming at the ANBU from the sky while the other came from the front. The ANBU took a fighting stance, then proceeded to beat both men. Jumping forward the ANBU's ankle was caught in the grip of the ninja who was coming from the front. Twisting in the grip, the other foot connected with the Sound ninja's face, the sickening snap met Sasuke's ears as the man fell to the ground.
With a side flip the ANBU dodged two flying kunai and landed in a crouch on a small boulder. Jumping from the rock the ANBU catapulted into the air, meeting the other Sound ninja who had landed and jumped again while throwing two Kunai and three Shuriken. Sasuke waited for the ANBU clone to puff away upon contact with the weapons, although he didn't see when the clone had been made.
Letting the Kunai and Shuriken hit, leaving blood to slowly seep out of limbs, the ANBU met the Sound-nin with a punch. The ninja fell to the ground, looking the worse for wear and creating a small ditch with his landing. When he failed to stand up as the other ninja had, Sasuke assumed they were at least unconscious, if not dead.
"Good isn't this one?" A voice at his ear didn't distract Sasuke from the fight in front of him, yet he knew that it was Shikamaru who had spoken. At the moment the other two men had attacked, one was engaged in a fist fight and dodging around. The second man appeared behind the ANBU just in time for the ANBU to take a step back, turn at the torso, and slam the back of his fist into the second man's face.
As the man went flying, crashing into a boulder and leaving lightning like cracks in the rock, the ANBU pushed the fist forward, just barely missing the Sound-nin dodging away. Pulling out Kunai and holding them in between each finger, the ANBU let them fly with expert aiming. An exploding tag followed them and blew a rock to rubble only a scant minute after the Sound-nin jumped away.
In that moment the ANBU was in front of the fleeing Sound-nin and putting a foot in the man's sternum. Again the crunch of bones sounded, and the man fell to the ground, lifeless. Not moving an inch Sasuke waited for what was to come. The ANBU went to each person and checked the pulses then pulled out a book and wrote in it. Walking past them the ANBU tossed the small book to Neji who stood on the other side of Sasuke, opposite of Shikamaru.
In the book the four faces of the Sound-nin were crossed out, indicating that the four were dead. Sasuke noticed how the ANBU was short, almost too short to be a man, yet there was a height of what a shorter man would achieve. He dismissed it from his mind, what woman was that strong? He knew of the Hokage's strength, but hadn't heard of anyone else possessing it. It had been said that Tsunade had taught it to Sakura, but Sasuke had never seen her use it, he assumed she had only surpassed Tsunade in the medical field.
The six ANBU with him chuckled, shaking their heads as they ordered him to follow. Back at the platform Sasuke watched the silent ANBU disappear into the shadows. His curiosity was quipped when a hand came up and started to remove the mask. But just as the mask was about to reveal something, it was lost in shadows. Trying to find anything to be able to distinguish the person later, Sasuke recalled the sight of the hand as it moved the mask.
On the back of the hand was a scar, from the web of the thumb to the first knuckle of the index finger. Two smaller cuts made an 'x' on the back of the hand at the far side between the pinky finger and wrist. Admitting this only to himself, Sasuke conceded that the ANBU was indeed impressive. After half an hour Tsunade appeared, behind her trailed girls who anxiously whispered amongst themselves.
"I have made my decision. Today, Uchiha Sasuke will marry Haruno Sakura. If he refused, his only other option is execution. Uchiha Sasuke, choose!" A gasp rose from the crowd as three girls who had volunteered shouted that Sakura had not even volunteered.
The last comment from the three girls caught his attention, how could the Hokage choose Sakura if she hadn't volunteered? But then he figured that she must have found out before the announcement and already put in her request. The image of a simpering child who cried every time someone got hurt, then the image of a sixteen year old girl ready to punch him and take the blow from his sword came to him.
He could only think that she had grown up and become a medic because her fighting skills were almost zero from what he had witnessed. Why else would she attack head on without dodging from this sword? She must have been relying on hitting him so the others could get to him, and healing herself while the other more capable ninja tried to restrain him. A growl from the shadows had the ANBU appearing beside the Hokage in a scant matter of moments. Mask in place to hide the person from view only a soft drone of speaking met his ears, but he couldn't make out any words.
A heated discussion ensued, but at the end the ANBU gave a slight bow and turned to Sasuke and the six ANBU that held him. With a snort the ANBU strolled away and jumped onto a roof then was gone from sight; Sasuke assumed that the person was going to fetch the woman that had been his team mate once upon a time. But the fierce gaze of Tsunade brought him from his musings of who the ANBU was, perhaps someone who wanted Sakura for themselves?
"I can't marry her." His disagreement was steady and cold as usual; gasps filled the air at his reply.
But his eyes slowly scanned the crowd for another woman, even as he repressed the desire to let his eyes dart frantically around for her. He could never shake the warmth that filled his heart when he thought of Sakura, but that was going to have to be put aside. Even as he tried to kill her, Sasuke knew that he would have turned aside at the last moment and taken her punch that long time ago when he had almost killed Naruto. But after what had happened a year and a half ago, it was no longer possible to have Sakura as his own.
He couldn't say why, but Sakura's ever cheerful smile and bright eyes had haunted his nights, even when he had held another, no especially when he held that other woman. His mind had become tired of Sound and the hate that came with it. So his mind had retreated during sleep, against his will, to a place of happiness and joy. To a place where Sakura's face was the sun, her words music on the wind, and her every wish something to be completed and met without hesitation.
Even as he had tried to break his bonds, the unconscious part of his brain had taken the bond with her, and made it a steel thread, unable to be broken or taken away. She had filled his endless dark days with the one simple sunbeam of happiness, and had continued to show his heart how to love, even if he hadn't seen her in years. The picture of team seven had been hidden, but from its spot, the picture of her smiling face had been seared into his mind's eye.
Her joy and happiness had become his, the only time he felt safe was in his room. And in his room was the only place he could possibly allow himself to think of her. His sleeping habits in Sound had him up at the slightest noise, but in the times of sleep, Sakura had been there to talk to him and encourage him, often begging him to come home to her. He had wanted to. Oh, but how he had wanted to!
But then everything had changed. A woman, rebellious and infuriating, had been thrown at him. Madara had demanded Sasuke marry the woman to continue the Uchiha line. Sasuke would have refused, but when Madara had said she was from Konoha and would be killed if he didn't, Sasuke had agreed. Four months later, while Sasuke had fought and killed Madara, the woman had disappeared. So after searching for her, Sasuke had returned to Konoha, hoping to find her and settle down.
Even through all of that, dreams of Sakura plagued him. In his dreams he had resisted, he had to kill Itachi first, he couldn't just return and have Sound after him either! They could come after him and hurt her! Plus he was already married, which could upset Sakura. All of those things were, in his mind, unforgivable and something that should never happen. So he had stayed away, defeating those that opposed him in the hopes of one day returning. Although it irked him that he could never return to Sakura, he had to return to someone else.
And here he was, almost dying of a heart attack when Tsunade had given him the chance of staying alive, hoping against everything that would oppose him that his wife would confess, or that something tragic had happened and that Sakura was volunteered and that she would be chosen. It was a heartless and cruel thought yes, but he was an Uchiha, known for being that way.
Had it not been for the forced marriage, Sasuke knew that if it had not been Sakura he would have chosen death. Life without her by his side, having to have another woman but see Sakura around, was not worth living for. Now he was faced with the ultimate choice, see if the woman lived and would take him, or die. If the woman lived, he would do his best to get out of Konoha with her, possibly go to Suna for a time. But now he didn't have to worry, everything would be decided now.
"And why not? Is there something wrong with Sakura that you cannot abide marrying her?" Tsunade gave him a chilling look, promising instant death if he spoke one word out of line about her apprentice.
"I'm already married. Madara forced me to marry a girl, he would have killed her otherwise. She's from Konoha. And it was a legitimate and legal marriage." Looking back at Tsunade with his normal empty stare, Sasuke wished he could say yes to making Sakura his wife.
Sakura would have been a wonderful mother to his children, he could have protected her like the life saving gem that she was to him, and he would have loved her until her dying day. Just as he hoped she would love him, the same way she had so loudly proclaimed the day he had left. But that dream was dead now, and he would never have the one woman who had filled his heart with a measure of hope.
His face was still devoid of emotion, he could do nothing about that, after Sound he didn't know if he would ever truly show his emotions. It was the training and the defense mechanism that had become his constant ally in Sound. But he knew, that if there was anyone ever born that would be able to coax a smile or any kind of emotion from him, it would be one Haruno Sakura. And yet fate spit in his face, taking the one thing he wanted and replacing it with a woman he couldn't seem to fully love.
She had seemed familiar, with her fiery eyes and defiant attitude. Her constant staring, but quickness to pretend that she was doing no such thing. The look in her eye when he would say something, a faraway look as if she were reliving memories. Even the blush, whenever he touched her, that filled her cheeks seemed familiar. But then he had known many fan girls who would have done the same thing.
Yet her medium length brown hair, and unusual blue green eyes were different. Added to that was the skill she possessed, Sakura had no such skills that he was aware of. The familiar things about her had tugged at his heart, but every time he looked at her, Sakura's devastated face would fill his mind. And now he was faced with this?
"Oh that, don't worry about that, Sakura is the one you married. She was undercover, only supposed to gain information. But she somehow managed gain Madara's attention, which made him force you together. If you don't believe me, you will soon." With a dismissive wave of her hand Tsunade looked out over the crowd, scanning it for Sakura.
Whispers buzzed through the air like bees, and a path was made as pink hair over green eyes was shown to him by a curtain of bodies that moved away. Slowly Sakura approached, looking much more filled out than the last time he saw her. Unsure of what made him notice that, Sasuke stood with his hands still bound, letting his eyes devour her face to etch it in his mind.
"If that is really true, then I accept." All of a sudden his life seemed to have turned around, and Sasuke couldn't have been happier.
Her eyes seemed to spark with uncertainty, anger and they glowed with something akin to a mother bear whose cubs were being threatened. Suddenly his arms were free, and Tsunade was releasing the seal. Instantly Sasuke was holding Sakura, tilting her head up so he could finally kiss her. A tap on his shoulder had Sasuke releasing Sakura's lips from his and glancing to the side. Tsunade stood their frowning, what else was new?
"There is more, plus you need to be married herefor this to work. Sakura its time he was told." Tsunade quickly had them stand facing her, and performed the short ceremony to marry them in front of the crowd.
Their marriage could not be disputed now, the village had seen it. Afterwards, not a minute after they were pronounced married, Tsunade gave Sakura a pointed look. With a sigh Sakura nodded, and turned to Sasuke. As Sasuke looked at her, wondering what they were talking about, Sakura looked at him with eyes that seemed almost frightened, like a wounded animal before its captor. One of her hands came up, but stopped just short of resting it on his arm, instead she slowly pulled back.
"I was the girl you married. I would have stayed to tell you the truth, and bring you home. But something happened and I got scared. You never once gave the slightest inclination of wanting to return, and I was scared that you would say no to me. I needed to be home, so I ran while you were busy. I'm sorry I ran, and I'm sorry I never got to tell you the truth. But now I'm going to tell you, and I beg of you, please don't be angry with me. Please just don't-" After stopping her hesitant speech mid sentence, Sasuke watched her bit her lip while unable to meet his eyes.
A sound, like a wounded kitten lifted high and unwavering in an octave that would make any dog wail in outrage. In confusion Sasuke watched Sakura rush down the stairs towards Ino and Hinata. From them Sasuke watched as Sakura lifted two tiny bundles from their arms and spoke softly to them before walking up the stairs to him. The anguished animal sound came from one of the bundles that Sakura kept cuddled against herself.
"Sasuke, I got scared because I got pregnant. It wasn't supposed to happen, I wasn't even supposed to be noticed let alone married to you. But it happened, and I got pregnant, when you didn't show any indication of wanting to come home, I had to leave. If I told you I was pregnant I would have had to tell you who I was, any medic would have known instantly who I was. And as I said, I was scared, so I ran. Please forgive me." Sakura's emerald eyes pleaded with him to forgive her of her deceit and not be angry with her.
Suddenly Sasuke's world tilted, of course he forgave her. She was his wife, the one he always wanted. And beyond that, she had made him a father; she had given him heirs to the clan, children to start rebuilding his clan. His last goal had already started, and his Sakura had given him not just one, but two children. Twins were presented for him to look at.
It seemed as if the weight of the world had descended on him. He was a father? He was no longer responsible for just himself, not longer just responsible for a wife who could care for herself. He was now responsible for two children, his children, little lives that could not protect themselves. Staring at Sakura's face, he watched as it started to crumble in defeat. Acting on impulse Sasuke turned and steered Sakura away.
"Can we be excused to our home for some alone time?" Looking at Tsunade with only a glance Sasuke waited.
Tsunade nodded, but her eyes narrowed in warning at him. She would still kill him if he did something wrong with her apprentice. Tsunade patted Sakura's drooping shoulder in a comforting gesture, her motherly smile of pride was obviously trying to encourage Sakura. But with her head bowed and shoulders hunched in defeat, Sakura saw none of this.
"Since we found out that Sakura married you, she has been living in the Uchiha complex with a helper. While she works, the hired woman watches the children. We moved her there in hopes that you would return and join her. Plus, we wanted the children to grow up in the clan home." Tsunade waited for any reaction, but other than Sasuke glancing at her then Sakura, she was not to get a response.
Nodding at that Sasuke started away, the girls of Ino, Hinata and TenTen cheering as the guys from Rookie Nine, Neji and Lee simply watched or smiled. Although Naruto did shout something while Lee cried about how he had been outdone by the Youthful Sasuke. Wondering how no one had killed Lee yet, Sasuke ignored the crowd and the groups of fan girls that glared at Sakura or cried.
When he finally made it into the main house, Sasuke froze. Nothing was the same, this house was all together different. Window treatments, new furniture, even new smells filled the house. Toys and soft blankets littered the large family room as the smell of baby shampoo filled the air. Moving Sakura to the couch that overlooked the playpen and assortment of toys and blankets, Sasuke made her sit.
Sitting Sakura down, Sasuke sat beside her, pressing a kiss to her temple. Her head came up as Sasuke lifted his hands to cup her face and turn it towards his. Looking her in the eyes Sasuke leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips, letting his thumbs gently rub over her cheek bones in what he hoped was a comforting gesture to her. Pulling back Sasuke pressed his forehead to hers, watching as her eyes opened to widen as they looked at him.
Her eyes were tortured, she loved him that much he could see, but she seemed too terrified of what he might say. The small sound that Sasuke realized was crying sounded again. Looking down at their children, Sasuke kept his head against Sakura's. Moving his head to kiss her neck for a moment, Sasuke heard her coo at the baby before moving his forehead back to hers.
"So who do we have here? Am I going to meet my children now?" Sasuke looked up at her profile as she let out a tired sigh.
"On my right is Keigo. On my left is Natsuo. Both our sons are six months." Sakura's voice was nothing more than a whisper as she lifted each child slightly when telling him who they were.
Keigo was the one crying, his light pink hair was tousled as his emerald eyes filled with self pitying tears. Smirking at his son's hair and eyes, Sasuke felt contentment and pride fill him, not to mention he loved that one of his son's looked just like his mother. His son may have light pink hair, but he was an Uchiha who looked the same as his father at that young age. Keigo would not need to worry overmuch about being picked on; the girls would still love him despite his hair color. Plus his clan symbol would keep any child from picking on him.
At the fussing of his brother Natsuo woke up, his small lips puckering in the first stage of crying to come. His raven black hair lay in a thick layer on his small head, onyx eyes like his father's staring at Sasuke. With a hint of a smile Sasuke let out a soft chuckle. In response both babies turned their heads to the sound. With both of his children staring him in the face Sasuke reached to touch them.
Wrapping one arm around Sakura's waist, Sasuke gently cradled his Keigo's tiny head and brushed his thumb over the baby's chubby cheek. Doing the same with Natsuo, Sasuke felt confident. Both were healthy and growing, their looks telling him plainly that no one was lying to him, that these two were his children. He thought they were beautiful, perfect little babies. Although they in no way matched the beauty and perfection that was his wife, if there were anything beyond beauty and perfection, it was Sakura.
"They're perfect. You're perfect. I do forgive you, I wanted her to be you. I couldn't love her because she wasn't you. Now I know the truth, thank you for my children. I love you Sakura, I love only you Sakura, only you." At his whispered words Sasuke watched Sakura's beautiful eyes grow wide and fill with tears.
Standing, Sakura left Sasuke in confusion. What had he done wrong? But Sasuke watched as Sakura rose and set the babies in the playpen, pressed a button on some device sitting on a side table and waited. As Sakura stared at the door Sasuke waited. Minutes later a woman knocked and walked in when Sakura yelled for her to enter. The woman nodded to them both and picked up the babies before exiting back the way she came.
"She will take them to her house for a while, we have the house to ourselves until late tonight. Do you mean what you said, you're not lying to me?" Sakura had come to sit next to him, looking him in the eye with an unwavering stare.
"I meant every word." Sasuke pressed his forehead against hers again, not being able to get enough of her.
At his words, and after searching his eyes, Sakura gave him a smile. Then her lips were on his, her hands weaving into his hair as she pressed herself against him. Cradling her body as if to protect her Sasuke kissed her back. The urge to be near her, to hold her had overwhelmed him the moment he knew who she was. To have her give him children had made her all the more desirable. Lifting her and moving to their room, Sasuke set her down after opening the door. A familiar mask and covering lay on the bed with an ANBU outfit.
Lifting Sakura's hands he studied them, the scars that he had seen on the silent ANBU that had killed four of the best Sound-nin without breaking a sweat, had been all too casual about killing them in a matter of minutes, was his wife. Sakura had not just surpassed Tsunade in the medical field, she had surpassed Tsunade in strength too.
"That was you earlier wasn't it? The one who killed the four Sound." Looking at Sakura, Sasuke watched her shrug.
She was confident and unconcerned on the battlefield. Nothing fazed her when in a fight, she could take whatever anyone sent her way, and she could dish it out tenfold. Yet when it came to him and their children, she was a bundle of anxiety, uneasiness and vulnerability. Sasuke didn't know which side of her he liked better, the confident ninja or the vulnerable girlish side. Although he was sure she would be just as confident a wife and mother once she settled into life with him.
"You're very good." Sakura's shy smile made his head and heart pound even as he questioned why he had ever left her.
"I'm never going to leave you, never again. And just so you know, it's a good thing we don't have a little girl. She would never be allowed to see a man, any guy talking to her would have to die; as an Uchiha she'd be too good for everyone." The girlish giggle that came from Sakura had Sasuke kissing her again.
Even with her laughter muffled, Sasuke heard her huffed laughter and felt Sakura bury her hands in his hair again, this time pulling his head down more firmly to his. He was the only one good enough for Sakura, and that's all that anyone would ever have to know. Sure the arrogance was showing, but he thought it was true. Not one man he knew was good enough for her, she was just too wonderful.
"What if I want a baby girl? Or what if we have a baby girl?" Sakura's voice was still cheerful as she murmured against his lips.
"Well, I have two sons to carry on the clan name. But I'd like to have more sons to aid in that. Of course, if you want a baby girl, then a baby girl is fine with me. But it's going to be annoying to make sure no boy ever touches or looks at her." Sakura giggled at his words; apparently she thought there would be nothing annoying about a baby girl.
Determined to continue with repopulating his clan, and showing her for the rest of their lives that he really meant what he said about loving her, Sasuke kissed her softly. If it took loving her until they were both grey and wrinkled, he would do it. He planned on loving her for all their lives regardless, but if she ever seemed to worry or disbelieve his words, he would see to it that those fears would be put to rest. He was going to protect her like she should have been protected from the beginning.
His family was started, his clan starting to grow and rebuild, and Sasuke was happy with the woman who was the matriarch, she was everything that the clan needed as a strong steady foundation. She would teach the children manners and how to gain friends, she would guide them in how to be human, unlike what he had grown up knowing. She truly was the perfect Matriarch, not to mention she was the perfect medic and woman for his hurt and untrusting heart.
She had always been the one to be there for him, and she was the one who was still there. From child to a woman, she was the loving, compassionate and trustworthy person who embodied happiness, hope and love. Sakura truly was the epitome of perfection, at least for his shattered and cruel world; she was everything that would ever be good for him.