Sasuke Uchiha is 20 and getting to know life. Just entering adulthood in this universe but back in Konoha he was long considered an adult. Naruto is an adult but he still behaves like a twelve year old mostly, but Sasuke knew that Konoha did not see Naruto as a manchild anymore, the blond ninja was more than that. He was mature enough to stand by his motto "making the ninja world a better place for everyone" and never giving up.

When they were twelve Sasuke labelled Naruto as 'Usurantokachi' - thin hammer, useless, dead last. Sasuke was a confident boy and being placed side by side made him feel was not factually wrong when he dissed Naruto as the kyuubi had the lowest marks of all 27 students, but he was morally wrong. No one stays at the last place forever and Naruto had challenged himself with Sasuke's taunt. Sasuke knew all of Naruto's failures and achievements from their peers who never stopped blaming him and praising his best friend.

"You done babe?" Sakura asked the mind wanderer. She had earlier came home unannounced from a morning class and found him having breakfast at the balcony but only in body, his mind was wandering far into Konoha and into the past. Her question had pulled him back here and she saw that as he looked at her looking lost for a second.

Then he smiled as he looked at Sakura and pushed his long dark bangs aside to get a better view of her face.

"When did you come back from class? Thank you for the cake," he said while stacking an empty coffee stained cup on top of a crumble filled cake plate. He then wiped some coffee stains on the surface of the high table he had been eating at.

Sakura had told him that the high table and the high seat he was sitting on, and along with its matching pair were the first items she had bought for the apartment. Sakura had loved the view overlooking the apartment's pool and had right away bought the chair and table for the balcony.

Sakura took off her jacket and draped it over the other chair and looked at her fiancee, "Well, you could help me with the shopping later. I need to fill up the fridge we are running low on food," Sakura said while pushing some strands of pink hair behind her ear.

It was Sunday morning and only two days after Sasuke had arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the city where Sakura was attending homeopathy class. Homeopathy is the the treatment of disease using natural substances and Sakura was eager to learn as many natural remedies as she could for the future of the ninja world. She realized that a lot of this universe was not that different from their universe where Konoha belonged and she took this opportunity to broaden her horizon.

Sasuke lifted the cup and plate and walked to the kitchen. "I want to try their local tea."

"Yeah sure, anything you need we'll go buy," Sakura said giving Sasuke a glance and then turning to the pool to look at some kids with their parents playing in the kiddie's pool. It was Sunday late morning and time for family fun for some apartment inhabitants. Sakura had not time to use the pool at all since she rented the apartment a month ago.

Sasuke did not just place his dishes in the sink but he washed them too. Household chores were easy peas and he had been doing his own chores since Itachi killed the clan. There was a chunin checking on him daily when he first lived alone but after he was twelve they only came fortnightly, still they only cared but his health and physical well being. The little things he had to do by himself.

He returned to the balcony and saw Sakura leaning against the railing looking at the pool. She had a small smile on her face looking at a toddler pitter pattering on the wet pool floor while her mother was looking at her cautiously. Sasuke knew Sakura was not the kind to talk about kids at their age, it was something which was still far away for them.

"I miss my childhood," she said.
Sasuke just hummed and wrapped and arm around her. This proximity between him and her was one of the things that kept him balanced after Kaguya. He did not want to hurt her anymore, he had cried bloody tears thinking of the past. This was now and for the future.

"I know it's still something we don't talk openly about, but I just wanted to say that I am glad we arrived here," Sakura continued.

Sasuke leaned on her head so she was hooked under his chin, he squeezed her with his arm crossing her chest and his hand grabbing her other shoulder in a one hand back hug.

"Thank you."

"I know. But you have to stop thanking me one day when it comes to that. This is not just me," Sakura said as she pulled Sasuke and turned around to look into his eyes. She held his arm in her hand, so he used his other hand which was his new artificial hand to caress her face. Sasuke pulled some of her hair aside and stroked the pink cheeks.

Sakura promptly blushed and looked away. Sometimes she did feel the heat of her attention on her too much though it had been six months since they decided to engage.

"Marry me Sakura," Sasuke said.

"Not today," Sakura said as she looked back at Sasuke. Marriage was a huge thing and although she had fallen for Sasuke for the longest of time, marriage was something else now that she realized what marriage actually means.

"When we return to Konoha," Sasuke continued. His placed his hands on her shoulder. "I am not good to you in the past and I want to make it better."

"You will make it better, we will be better, but not now. We have a lot of things on our plate. We will do this when….," Sakura said as she looked at Sasuke's dark eyes. The eyes held so much to it almost swallowing it with all that she knew about Sasuke. She almost lost Sasuke, almost killed him herself, almost gave up and she was ashamed of that. That was the past and this was the future.

She had been happy when Sasuke had asked her to marry him in the first place six months ago. However Sakura now was not the Sakura then who had pined for Sasuke wholeheartedly, hated him enough to kill him and gave up on him when he was beyond reach. Sakura now was more patient, was more aware of her potentials and was ready for all that Sasuke was going to give her. He had went away for two years before he returned and proposed. Sakura had used that time to spend her energy on herself on Konoha and on her people, something changed her. The urge to marry was not as urgent as before, Sasuke was no longer her ultimate goal and he was not like before too. By then she had realized that he would return to her time and time again. So she had agreed to be engaged but asked Sasuke for time.

"When are we returning to Konoha?" she asked. They had never actually discussed when she would return to Konoha for good.

Sasuke tilted his head and looked at her much earnestly, "whenever you are ready."

Sakura instantly lunged towards Sasuke. Her fiance was a man of choice words but she knew that meant everything she had wanted to ask from him.

Ready meant anytime she wanted, ready meant that they were now and forever entwined. Marriage was for herself, for her family too, it was primary and it meant forever. But what she had in her arms, her Sasuke was primary. She did not want to lead him on though she knew he had already set his eyes on her, Sasuke was not a on a whim kind of guy, nor was he doing things out of his way just to show kindness, so she knew this was what she needed for now. An assurance that he would be here for her.


Author's Note : This is just Sasuke's and Sakura's part. the second part feat Harry and Ginny will be written later.
This is exploratory writing, so it's going to be updated in whenever and going to last forever.