Note: The soundtrack for this story is in my profile, if you want to listen to it while reading.

My darkest thoughts they stick like glue
Too many hours till the daytime comes
And in the meantime I can watch
Shadows dance on my bedroom wall

- Human by The Cinematics

The ocean opened in two and a hideous sea monster emerged from within. Andromeda shook with fear in the moment the beast's head emerged for as much as she had accepted her fate, she could not help but be frightened of such a beast.

The huge, ugly monster moved slowly, something strange for a beast that had wings but the monster was not in a hurry, he knew the girl was his, always had been and always will be.

"…and the priest can be called anytime, as soon as you have everything ready. I will take care of the annulment of your betrothal and when that is done, we can get married." The king told her, walking back and forth, signing papers, reading papers, organizing the papers.

After she woke up and got ready for the day, the first thing she did was meet the king as he had requested the day before. Sakura didn't know the palace yet and so she had asked one of her new ladies to take her where the king was. She found him in the chancellor's room where he was overseeing the writing of the new laws and the reformation of some old ones.

"I also need you to write down what you need, dresses, shoes, whatever you need, so I can order the material for it." He said.

He is so busy with all these papers. Sakura felt sorry for him, so much to do, so little time. I suppose I could help, I'm to be his wife, after all.

Day by day, the hope that Naruto would come and rescue her diminished significantly, after all, how could he rescue her here? When she was inside the city, inside the castle, within the thick, tall walls of the capital where the usurpers army was stationed. How could he ever hope to win her back when the usurpers army was so huge and Naruto's…

Naruto had fled the kingdom, once he lost the last battle, taking with him the remains of his army which was about twenty men, give or take. Those who hadn't died in the battle, had changed sides and pledge allegiance to the new king.

Sakura hoped Naruto had managed to gather a bigger army, she hoped he would come rescue her and take back what was rightfully his but she knew that was very unlikely. This new king's rule was solid and everyone said he was invincible in battle.

"I can do that." Sakura said.

The Uchiha stopped suddenly and looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Can you?"

"Of course, I used to be in charge of these matters, back at home." She informed him but he still didn't look very convinced.

"Why would the duke and duchess put you in charge?" He asked, emphasizing the 'you'.

Sakura made an effort not to lash out at him. He is the usurper, what were you expecting? She was already second doubting her decision to help him.

Sakura spoke sternly. "To teach me."

The man's eyes opened so much Sakura could swear they had doubled in size. "Yes, yes. Of course." He tapped his forehead. "You are his heir, of course. I'm sorry, I had forgotten."

Sakura wanted to tell him that no, she would not forgive him. She wanted to tell him that a real king would know these things, a real king wouldn't embarrass a lady of her status like that, Naruto would never embarrass her like that but his apology sounded so sincere and his eyes, his eyes that were looking right into her own and shone like two obsidian rocks. Those beautiful, beautiful eyes were begging her to forgive them so that she soon forgot all about the thoughts of embarrassing him and helplessly mutter 'it's alright'.

Sakura had never seen her future husband smile before but it's sight took her breath away. He has such a beautiful smile. She had to admit that the man was very good looking.

"I appreciate your help, very much. Thank you." Sakura found herself returning his smile.

"I can also take care of the wedding preparations, if you would like…"

He grabbed her hands, smiling. "If it's not too much for you, sweetheart, I would very much appreciate it."

Sakura blushed. She didn't understand what was happening with her, blushing, finding him attractive…that wasn't supposed to happen, she wasn't supposed to have these…these feelings. He wasn't supposed to make her feel nice or warm or make her heart race. Naruto never made her feel that way so how could this man do it with a simple smile?

Something in the way he looked at her made Sakura think he knew very well the effect he was having on her. He is doing this on purpose.

"Oh, one more thing, you should have many visitors today, the people at court are dying to meet you." The Uchiha winked at her, turning back to his papers after.

Lady Mikoto was waiting for her when she got to her rooms.

"My lady." Sakura greeted, bowing respectfully to the older woman.

The lady got up from her seat and walked towards her. "Hello, Sakura. May I call you Sakura?"

The lady Mikoto had a gentle face, motherly even but she was also very elegant, she walked gracefully, like a true lady.

"Of course, my lady."

They sat opposite each other. Sakura knew she was supposed to say something to the woman but she found herself unable to, she had no wish to be courteous to the usurper's mother.

"You know, I never had a daughter. God graced me with two beautiful, strong sons whom I love with all my heart but I wish I had a daughter." She said. "But now I have you."

Sakura had no idea what to say to her. "I…I have a mother."

I have a mother? What am I thinking? Did I lose my wits suddenly? I have a mother was probably the worst thing she could have said.

Nonetheless the lady continues to smile warmly at her. "I know, but I will be your mother-in-law and you my daughter-in-law and I wish for us to have a good relationship."

The lady was so kind, it was hard for Sakura to refuse her. This was the mother of Naruto's enemy and therefore her enemy too and yet she could not bring herself to dislike the lady, she was so kind and warm, so sincere, so full of honesty.

And we are to be family after all. Before she could answer the older woman spoke again.

"I know, I know you and your family support Naruto and I know you don't like Sasuke yet, but you will. Sasuke may not be always the kindest but he is just and he is good."

"Naruto is good and kind too." Sakura gasped when she realized what she had said and covered her mouth as if she could take back what she had said.

I shouldn't have said that. Sakura had no idea what the woman would do now, this could be considered and offense, disrespect and even worse, treason and if she told the king, he would surely punish her.

The woman remained undisturbed. "Perhaps he was kind to you but he wasn't kind to the kingdom. All that happened, all the wars, all the pain, it was all because of him and his chaotic rule." She said. "You see, Naruto, as king, thought he could do everything he wanted. He would torture his prisoners and worst, he enjoyed it. Naruto wasn't just in his judgments for he would decide depending on his mood and he almost drove the kingdom to bankruptcy." Lady Mikoto's face had changed, the smile had disappeared and she became very serious.

No, that can't be, that's not my Naruto. Sakura couldn't believe the Naruto this woman was describing was the same Naruto she had known. He was always so kind and gallant with her, how could they be the same person.

"Perhaps he was good to you but he was the worst thing that ever happened to this kingdom, even his father wasn't as bad as him, god rest his poor soul." Lady Mikoto told her.

Sakura knew, from what her father had told her, that king Minato had been a bad king only because he was never present. After his wife's death his health became more and more fragile and he would often go into a state of comatose and, in the moments he was actually conscious, it was as if he wasn't present.

"So I believe my son will be a good king, not only because I'm his mother but because I know him, I know who he is."

The lady smiled, then, leaned forward in her chair and took her hands in hers. "I'll tell you a story, when Sasuke was about six, his brother, Itachi, got his first real sword, not the wooden swords they use in the beginning but the metal ones and Sasuke had been training with wooden swords for about a year now. You know how little brothers look up to their eldest and Sasuke was no different, Itachi was his hero and, obviously, Sasuke wanted to do everything Itachi did and so he insisted that he should, too, have a metal sword, like his brother. Obviously no one paid him any mind but Sasuke was persistent so one day he decides to steal Itachi's sword, to train with it."

Sakura gasped. "Steal it?"

The lady Mikoto nodded. "Do you know what happened after?"

"No, my lady."

"Well, the sword was too heavy for my little boy so he had to drag it outside. Sasuke managed to swing it against a tree but the sword got stuck and he couldn't release it. He got back home, all dirty, asking his brother to help him." She said, laughing.

"He really did that?" Sakura asked. The story about Sasuke was quite funny.

"He did, Sasuke was a very shifty little boy, he had many adventures or rather…misadventures."

Sakura laughed.

They spent the whole morning together. Mikoto was a delightful lady, she was very nice and funny and she loved to tell stories about little Sasuke.

Mikoto had just finished another of her stories when Sasuke walked in, he saw them both laughing and smiled, kneeling in front of his mother for her blessing.

"Mother, what are you telling Sakura?" He asked her.

The lady Mikoto laughed. "I am informing your future wife of your little misadventures."

"Mother…" The king moaned, blushing.

It was the first time Sakura had seen the king blush, it wasn't a furious blush that covered all his cheeks red, rather it was a light pink, barely visible.

He looks adorable. Sakura didn't know where that thought had come from, she had just found that the king looked even better blushing like that.

"But why have you interrupted us, Sasuke?" Lady Mikoto asked her son.

Sakura was quite surprised with the lack of formality between them. For a royal family, they are quite warm and informal.

"I have come to ask my betrothed to dine with me." He said, extending his hand to Sakura to help her get up.

Sakura accepted his help but she was confused. "Privately? Not with the court in the great hall?"

"No, there are some people I would like to introduce to you, privately." He informed her. They must be important people then, perhaps the treasurer or some important Lord he would like me to meet personally…or perhaps even a friend?

"Have you broke your fast, mother?" His grace asked the Lady Mikoto.

"Not yet but I shan't go with you either. I'm off to see your father and brother." She sadly informed them.

Sakura noticed that her betrothed looked divided. He let go of her hand for a moment, before grabbing it again, more firmly this time.

"I want to go too." He admitted.

"No, you should go with your betrothed." Lady Mikoto told him but it sounded much more as a command.

Her betrothed didn't seem very happy with his mother's words. If he wants to visit them, I suppose I could go too, they are going to me my family too.

"I want to go, too." Sakura said, surprising them. "Perhaps we could all dine together and after we could visit their graves."

The king's face lit up with delight. "Yes, that's a fantastic idea, thank you, sweetheart."

Her betrothed grabbed her face and kissed both her cheeks, a long, wet kiss that sent her heart racing.

Sakura blushed furiously. That was the most intimate contact she had with a man besides her father, even Naruto had only gone so far a kiss on the hand.

By the expression on his face, Sakura was sure he knew the effect he had on her. And just to make things even worse he kissed her one last time on her right cheek and laughed.

Just to spite me I'm sure. Sakura was sure she was as red as a tomato by now, from embarrassment and shyness and she was so, so hot…

Two of her ladies were tightening her corset while the other prepared her dress and headdress. Mother was walking around her chamber, giving instructions.

With each pull, it seemed that she could barely breath, her ladies were tightening her corset more than usual but this was her wedding day after all.

"Look at you." Her mother said. "You are going to get married."

Sakura was sure she saw tears in her mother's eyes. My mother is always so dramatic.

"Mother, I have been betrothed since I was two years old." Sakura said, of course she was going to get married even though not to the same person.

"You are my only child." She moaned. "And now you're marrying the…"

The usurper mother? In the weeks that had taken them to prepare the wedding and her coronation, Sakura had learned more about her family-to-be, had spent so much time with them she had learned to accept them, like them, even.

The lady Mikoto was kind and she had helped her to see how wrong she was about Naruto. Lady Mikoto had helped her realize that she was living under a fairytale where Naruto was the hero and Sasuke was the horrible monster but it couldn't have been farther from the truth.

"Leave us." She commanded her ladies. They hesitated and some even tried to protest but Sakura wanted to speak to her mother alone.

"You have to understand, mother, this is my family now, and yours too, by default and you can't keep calling my husband a usurper."

Sakura had gotten to know her betrothed and her opinion on him changed completely. The truth is, he wasn't always kind to other people but he was to her but most of the time he was playful. One time he had even said he liked to make her blush. He can be most inappropriate at times.

"Sakura!" Her mother scolded her. "You can't be serious."

"I am very serious mother. You do know it's treason to say those things about the king? About his family?"

Sakura only wanted her mother to support her, to be on her side and, as queen, she couldn't have her own family calling her husband a usurper.

"Are you threatening me, girl? I'm your mother." She shouted.

"Don't shout mother, it's very unbecoming." Sakura said. "And no, I'm not threatening you, I'm simply informing you of the consequences of your words."

Sakura sat on her bed and motioned for her mother to sit next to her. "Sit here, next to me, mother."

Her mother reluctantly did what she asked and as soon as she sat down, Sakura grabbed her hands.

"I don't want to fight with you, mother but I need you to understand. Naruto is gone, he is not the king anymore, my husband is and frankly, he is a much better king than Naruto ever was."

Her mother smiled bitterly. "You are already calling him your husband but you are not married yet."

"We will be, in a few hours." What was the problem on starting early? "Mother, I need you, I need my family. You taught me that, remember? A queen needs to have powerful allies and who is more powerful than my family? Who can I trust most than in family?"

Mother sighed and Sakura knew she had won, she had convinced her mother. "You are right and I will stand behind you but I still don't like this…arrangement."

Sakura kissed her mother's cheek. "I know, we shall talk about it later."

The wedding was huge, hundreds and hundreds of people showed up to see the king get married. All the great lords had received a formal invitation but even those who hadn't had come. The whole city was there.

The lords all had their place inside the church, sitting in order of importance. The most powerful would seat in the front rows, right after the bride and groom's families and the least powerful would seat in the back but the church was crowded, there were many people standing and many, many more had to remain outside for there wasn't enough room inside.

The wedding was a long and boring affair. Sakura's feet were starting to hurt from the many hours standing, listening to the priest. Her corset was so tight she could barely breath and besides it was causing her back pains, along with the dress that was so, so heavy. Sakura could swear that the dress weighted as much as her or, at least, that was what it felt like.

In spite of the pain she felt, Sakura could not help but be exited. This was the moment of her life, this was what she had been born for, the only thing left was to give birth to a son and her duty as a woman would be complete.

After the wedding ceremony, they, now officially man and wife, threw a great feast, in the great hall to celebrate.

Sakura, with the help of the Lady Mikoto, had managed to find the best musicians, poets, jesters and mummers for entertainment.

They had also planned what would be served to the guests. The main courses were duck with cherries and lemon, suckling pig in plum sauce, ham with mushrooms, honey, and dried cherries, rabbit with chestnuts and spices, hen stuffed with carrots, chestnuts, and prunes and trout baked in clay with potatoes and corn. Sakura tasted them all but only a little bit, she didn't want to stuff herself for her favorite course was still to come. She also made sure to send the best courses to the most important lords. A small sympathy that could win them a friend.

They also had smaller dishes coming regularly, consisting mainly on soups and bread. Sakura's favorites were shrimp with persimmon soup and shrimp spiced with honey. She sent those to her and Sasuke's family.

There were many drinks circulating and being served. The men drank mostly red wine and beer but Sakura herself preferred the plum wine for it is a quite light wine with an incredibly intense flavor.

The cooks also made many dessert courses. Hundreds of pies of different flavors were served, Pease pie, pigeon pie, strawberry pie and the most popular of the night, the venison pie.

In between courses they would dance or watch the jesters, they would listen to the poets or watch the mummers perform.

Sakura was found, more often than not, dancing with her husband. He was a very good and enthusiastic dancer and with some beers down his throat, he wanted to do nothing but dance. Her husband hadn't abused his drinks but he did had a few and they had made him…happier than usual.

They took her upstairs while the feast was still going on downstairs. Her marriage had to be consummated and the priest was already waiting. Her ladies were quick on getting her out of her complicated wedding dress. Layers upon layers of fabric of silk. Her nightgown, however, was much more simple, a single layer of white cotton that her ladies helped her get into.

Her ladies moved to a corner when the priest approached her to bless her. They would stand witness to the consummation act, them and the men the king would be bringing.

The king entered the room followed by three men who helped him out of his robe. He had already changed to his nightgown in his own chambers.

"Leave." He said after they all moved to the bed to prepare it. "There will be no need for witnesses."

Sakura had to control a giggle when she saw their shocked faces. Her husband winked.

"But…your grace, this is highly uncommon besides, the witnesses are an important part for the validation of the wedding." The priest complained.

"I understand it's important when you have two unwilling or very young people but I don't see the purpose here." He said. "And I don't like people watching me while I have sex, believe me, I have tried."

Her ladies all gave a collective shocked gasp, bringing their hands to their mouths while the men remained impassive as ever, as if he hadn't said anything at all.

The priest looked as if he was about to drown with his mouth hanging open and strange sounds coming out of his mouth. Even Sakura blushed, they weren't words she was used to hearing. Oh my, those are not words a man like him should utter, not in the presence of ladies, at least.

"Leave, now." Sasuke repeated.

The men were the first to leave, immediately after the King had commanded it, followed by her ladies who were so shocked and so red, they almost looked as if they wanted to be swallowed by the ground. The priest was the one who took more time in leaving, apparently still shocked but after the king raised his eyebrows at him, he left with the tail between his legs.

The moment they were gone, Sasuke exploded in laughter.

"Why did you send them away?" Sakura asked, she was genuinely curious as to why he had done that, that had been such a strange behavior.

Sasuke smiled at her and grabbed her chin, for her to look at him. "This is our night, not anybody else's." He said, his thumbs caressing her chin. "And I want you to be comfortable."

He's worried for me? That is so nice of him. His words warmed her heart and put a smiled on her face.

"Thank you."

Sasuke brought her face closer and kissed her softly, his moist lips gliding over hers. Sakura's face turned red when she remembered his words from earlier. Will he mind me asking? She truly hoped not.

"Do you…hum…did you…" Sakura had no idea how to ask him. "Did you…did you, you know…had…people watching?" She whispered to him.

He laughed again. "No, not that but didn't you love their faces when I said it?"Sasuke said. "Come, let's go to bed."

Sasuke grabbed her hand and pushed her towards the bed and pushing the bed sheets back, he helped her lay down on the bed.

Instead of laying on top of her like she expected him to, he laid next to her, tuning sideways to face her. What is he doing? Is this supposed to happen?

"Are you scared?" Sasuke asked, caressing her face.

What am I supposed to say? Sakura opted to tell him the truth, it was not like he didn't know already or else he wouldn't have asked.

"Yes." She admitted.

"I don't want you to be." He whispered. "We have to do this, there is no way to avoid it but I promise I will be gentle and to make you enjoy it, alright?"

Sakura nodded and he climbed on top of her, kissing her, slowly at first. He spread soft kisses on her cheeks, on her ear and on her neck, only stopping when her reached the barrier that her nightgown represented.

I like his kisses, they make me…hot.

Sasuke's hands moved from her waist to her breasts, playing with them over the fabric. His hands then grabbed the end of her nightgown, pushing it up and, making her sit up, he pulled it over his head, pulling his off right after.

I thought we weren't supposed to take off our nightclothes…Sakura wasn't about to question him about that but everything she had heard about it was always done with the nightclothes on.

Sasuke touched all of her body, from her feet to her head, there wasn't a spot of skin he hadn't kissed, hadn't fondled. His touch made her hot, almost like she had a fever but not quite, his touch made her moan with pleasure and it seemed to be one of the best things she had ever felt.

"Seems like you are ready." Sasuke said when his hand touched her private parts and then he entered her.

To Be Continued...