Hello, this is my story for the 2018 SasuSaku Show me the Love Challenge!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Always

Sakura sat atop a stone, as still as a statue as her hair rode along the wind's currents. She'd grown it out past her shoulders within the last several months, yet the day she decided on that seemed like yesterday. Time had flown, like she'd simply been living in a daring, heart-fluttering, emotional dream. She starred out at the setting sun hidden behind bare tree branches and purple clouds with golden undertones.

She was no longer on the outskirts of the Leaf, but instead countless miles away south of where she called home.

It'd been months since she'd even left the village this far out. Never did she think it would be for something like this.

She'd learned how to deal with the reoccurring pain in her abdomen but that didn't make the next round of contractions any more welcoming than the first ones.

Standing up with a grunt she glanced over at her silent travel partner to see he'd been eyeing her rather intensely. Sakura knew just by feeling that he'd had his eyes on her for a while.

"We should go. We have to keep moving... Forward."

She took labored breaths and let her arms rest on her stomach, a small amount of chakra generating from her clammy palms in order to ease the intensity of the cramps, but she did so in moderation to conserve energy. Compared to what she knew was to come, this small discomfort was truly nothing.

After seconds ticked by, his eyes still scanning her carefully, Sasuke gave a subtle nod and stood. Sakura could tell Sasuke wanted her to rest a little longer, but they both knew her safety as well as the baby's depended on them reaching their destination as soon as possible. Still, the journey wasn't exactly as pleasant as their honeymoon and Sasuke was not good at hiding his own discomfort in relation to his wife's pain. He came to her side and they began heading to their destination once more. Orochimaru's Southern Hideout.

…...

Half an hour went by.

"We should be there in about an hour."

When he didn't get an immediate response the Uchiha looked down at Sakura who seemed to snap out of her daze when again realizing his eyes were on her. She gave him a weak smile. "Right. Okay."

Her breath caught in her throat when two strong arms suddenly swept her from the grassy dirt road smoothly, yet gingerly, and she was pressed against a warm chest in the blink of an eye. Once she recovered she rolled her eyes with a sigh. "I'm not that debilitated yet, Sasuke... I'll be fine." When his grip on her only seemed to grow sturdier, it was clear nothing was changing. She adjusted herself slightly to get a bit more comfortable in his arms, despite herself. She held back her hum of contentment and crossed her arms.

She could feel Sasuke go a little rigid. "This doesn't hurt, does it?"

"You could have at least asked me first…" she grumbled.

At her response his muscles slackened. "Hmph. You could pretend you aren't so comfortable."

At her small growl, Sasuke smirked endearingly. Sometimes her stubborn will truly could be just as annoying as it was amusing to him. The kunoichi shook her head.

They'd been planning this journey for weeks, and ran over it a few more times even when it was set in stone and sealed with the assurance of preparation. Needless to say, the triple checks were for Sasuke' s sake. Sakura knew how seriously the Uchiha was taking the journey, as simple as the travel directions were. Instead, his focus had been on the best routes and all possible courses of action that could be taken if the need should arise. As good as he was at hiding it, it was obvious that he was placing the task of making sure she and their child arrived safely entirely on his shoulders. Regardless of how many times she told him they were in this together.

Once she leaned of her pregnancy and informed her small circle of loved ones, she and Sasuke made sure the news was kept under wraps, and along with Naruto's support and the Intel he'd gathered from neighboring places, they knew that precautions would need to be taken in order to ensure that during this vulnerable time no potential foes would attempt to invade the village in hopes of benefiting from the unborn child with Uchiha blood. With that threat lingering overhead, Sakura concluded it was best for both she and the safety of the village to travel with Sasuke for the next weeks leading up to her due date. Keeping in mind that he needed to continue his travels to keep tabs on the world outside of Konoha for a little longer for the month of March, and also knowing that moving around instead of staying in one place for extended amounts of time would be safest, Sakura was not taking no for an answer.

When Sakura stood on her decision despite Naruto's concern, Sasuke surprisingly backed her up. He had someone that would help.

"Like I mentioned earlier, once we reach the hideout, my old ally will be able to take it from there."

Right. The pink-haired woman had been so caught up in the idea of retreating that she'd let slip other rather important details in regards to her delivery.

Such as who they would be meeting up with. The one that would help bring their child into the world. The redheaded woman that had served as Sasuke's teammate. Karin Uzumaki.

Images of the girl crossed Sakura's mind for the first time in what seemed like ages. It was in this moment- where the pain of her labor was steadily growing- that Sakura was taking out time to actually think on who exactly they would be meeting up with, and the fog cleared like an epiphany.

Karin. The one whom Sakura found lying in a pool of her own blood, nearly dead by his hand. The one that Sasuke demanded Sakura kill in order to show her allegiance to him on that dreaded day, The day she'd made up in her mind she was going to kill Sasuke herself.

Sakura closed her eyes, doing her best to block out those haunting memories.

"You've put a lot of faith in her, huh?"

Sasuke seemed to hesitate at the inquiry. "I don't need to explain the level of her skill. I know you're already aware of it."

Sakura agreed. From what she'd known about her in the past, her sensory abilities were unbelievable. They were something that would easily come in handy to keep track of how the baby was fairing if he or she were to fall into distress. Her Uzumaki blood also made it possible for her to heal others at a rate quick enough to rival Sakura's healing abilities, despite the different method used. Karin also had a rather surprising background of experience in delivering babies in her past; even as a young child.

Forced to depart from the village, in this situation, Karin was the most capable and trusted of Sasuke's allies.

That didn't change the fact it'd been over two years.

Sakura wondered if he was looking forward to seeing her.

Honestly, she was at a loss for what he was thinking.

Karin stayed in the village for four months after the war's end. Despite her being an Uzumaki, she'd decided that being trusted as head of Orochimaru's hidden facilities was where she belonged. Only a month after Sasuke and Sakura had officially begun seeing each other.

The more her mind pondered the subject, the more restless and unsettled she began to feel. It wasn't long before another round of contractions came again with a vengeance and her breathing became more ragged.

"So, about the baby," Sasuke suddenly spoke, cutting into her train of thought.

Sakura stared at the never-ending blur of tree trunks they passed before closing her eyes. "Hm?"

"We haven't decided on a name yet."

Sakura's eyes popped open. Discussing names, let alone coming up with one had yet to even be entertained in her mind. Although there was not much importance in picking a name before a child was born traditionally in the village, she supposed it wouldn't hurt to ponder. Besides, discerning that this topic of conversation was her husband's effort to get her mind off of the pain, Sakura was grateful.

"A name? Well, that depends on what the baby will be like. Hmmm..." she mused. "Let's see, if it's a boy..."

"He'll be full of life and strength." Sakura was surprised to hear Sasuke interject so soon. "He'll be born into light and walk a path of light. He'll know the importance of teamwork... and the relevance of relying also on those he loves."

He won't be like me, was what she knew her husband was saying. It deeply pained her whenever she thought of it. Sakura was aware that the scars of his past would forever remain a fragile concept. More than anything, she just wanted to make him forget.

"Don't forget he'd have killer pink hair."

A hint of a smile was on Sasuke's lips. "I was going to mention that last."

"Mmhmm," Sakura laughed a little still trying to ignore her pain. "Now if the baby's a girl, of course, she'll be smart... kind and incredibly strong. Though she'll probably be well-versed in medical ninjutsu, anyone with common sense will be afraid to cross her unless they want their block knocked off."

"Hmph. Don't forget beautiful."

"True. A healer and a heart-breaker." Sakura smiled, knowing deep down that that last trait would only be something her child could get from her father.

It was then that for the very first time in her life, Sakura genuinely wondered how many people Sasuke crossed paths with. How many people had been truly hooked on him? With his mysterious, strangely alluring aura along with his deadly agility in conjunction with his distant personality and glacial features- it had all been enough to draw even the most uninterested eye to him. She wondered how many hearts he'd broken without even realizing it.

She wondered if any of those heartbreaks had truly hurt him as well. If even just a little.

...

Sakura bit her lip for reasons other than the pain of her laboring. She couldn't help looking up at Sasuke. The small measure of buoyancy had been sucked from the atmosphere.

"She… really loved you, you know."

They'd never discussed the matter before. But now, at this moment, in the dark silence with images of red hair, shattered glasses and dark blood flashing across her mind's eye... ignoring the fact felt so wrong. It only took one look into the dying Karin's eyes to know that what she felt had been more than a mere crush.

Had there been more between the two in the past that she didn't know about? Had Sasuke and Karin talked before she left the Leaf for good? And if so, had that meeting been enough to neatly sever all strings attached?

She didn't know. Whether or not tears were shed and more, would forever be a mystery.

But how would this woman be when their paths again crossed? What would Karin say to them? Would she be angry, hurt? Vengeful?

She internally shook her head. That didn't make sense. If that were so, Sasuke wouldn't have trusted Karin enough to bring his vulnerable wife into her presence. He wouldn't trust her with their child. Surely, Karin was expecting their arrival. Still, those thoughts failed to put her completely at ease.

"Sakura, stop worrying."

Sakura stilled, waiting for Sasuke to continue, knowing that putting meaningful thought into words came rarely for him. She attempted to discern what he was saying, but even after all of this time, sometimes she simply couldn't.

"…Let me show you something."

Already knowing what he was implying, she again glanced up to see him staring at her. A silent question to bring her in. She nodded and his single Sharingan was activated. This was something they'd done for a couple years now. Being with Sasuke as intimately as she had she was able to gauge the way he often enjoyed communicating with her in times where verbal communication didn't seem as effective. Being able to break away from the low level of power behind it at any time and knowing he would never use the Sharingan against her, she took delight in the fascinating things she would see in them and trusted him completely.

She allowed herself to go in. To her, the intensity of his eyes always spoke louder than any words most people could speak. It was one of Sasuke' s hidden languages. It was their language.

She saw and felt broken fragments of emotion in ways she herself had never felt before. And yet she still felt them, understood them so intensely. The cold numbness of hurting those that were once so close to him, or wanted to be close to him. And seconds later the pain was becoming something she could no longer hide from. The pain that came with pushing those away to walk into a path of vengeance, all the emotional and physical turmoil he'd inflicted upon others suddenly bombarded her in the form of merciless, frostbiting guilt. His feelings were her feelings.

And on the other half of these feelings came love. Colors, feelings, tastes entered her mind. She felt the sting of what it felt like to be aware of the love being thrown at you and yet avoiding it all like it was death itself. Because if that love was accepted, who would have a cold enough heart to avenge all that was done in the past? All of those years,rejecting all forms of love love had been unavoidable. She knew that's what he felt.

After that another form of love became present in her mind. It was a subtle and blossoming feeling. It was a feeling that gave her warm chills, joy and yet It was brand new. A poke on the forehead. A yearning to leave the village just as much as there was a yearning to stay when they were only thirteen, and then after the war. It was a love that came with a newfound appreciation for the beautiful things in life. This new love came with acknowledgment, realization, sorrow and a pang of regret that was saying-

"It's always been you."

In this season of life, this love was delicate, vulnerable, but certain. Those previous feelings made up Sasuke in the past. This feeling was him in the present. Now.

Naruto had been the friend eager to pull back the curtains, dying to wake him up with the light. Sakura was that dreaded glimmer of sunshine that leaked through the windows, and the rays of light on his field of dark and weeping flowers. And as broken and abused as they were, dying flowers desperately need the light. They wouldn't live without it. And to Sakura, it all completely made sense.

She broke the soul-sharing eye contact with the man she'd chased after most of her life, swallowing the lump in her throat. She snaked her arms around him and squeezed tight. Pressing her forehead against his chest, her own grew warm with a deep sense of peace and understanding that despite everything, she could only feel with him. She blinked back tears.

"You idiot. You know it's practically a crime to make a pregnant woman even more emotional," she whispered. "You can be... so annoying."

Happy belated birthday to Sasuke, and thanks to all who read and review!