Title: Be There To Love Me

Summary: The first time I saw my husband was on our wedding day. The first time we touched was when his lips met mine in a soulless, cold, life-binding kiss. The first time he spoke to me he told me I annoyed him. The first time I felt alive was when he said he loved me. AU SasuSaku

Disclaimer: Yeah, still don't own it. Don't own Final Fantasy or "Eternity" either... -pouts-

Author's Notes:

First off, Thank you so much for reading and/or continuing my humble little story. It makes me feel loved. xD

Second, I've had some questions regarding the content of this fic. As stated in the summary, this story is in an Alternate Universe. In my little universe (unnamed as of yet) ninjas do exist, but without all those nifty jutsus. I was going for a slightly more real approach to the ninja thing. Hopefully that won't deter anyone from reading!

Third, some questions have been asked about the Hokage Palace and living quarters of the characters. I am trying my best to explain, but it may take a few more chapters before I am fully finished. I will make an announcement in the notes of whichever chapter this may be in. If you still have questions after that point, feel free to ask.

Inspiration music: More Final Fantasy piano stuff. Mostly "Eternity - Memories of Lightwaves" (Listen to it. It's absolutely gorgeous!)

Beta Reader(s): Josie and the P. Cats & my mom.

x

Be There To Love Me

Chapter Three

x

Life went on for two weeks more, my life changing ever so slightly with each passing day.

Sasuke continued to take his place on the floor without question. I made him fully aware that I appreciated it, and he simply shrugged off my thanks with his characteristic 'hn'. Our meals were eaten together when I couldn't join Ino, and slowly but surely our conversations became longer and more civilized, even if I was the one doing most of the talking. I could tell that he still found me annoying, and I quickly began to learn how to maneuver around the subjects that irked him. He appreciated it, even if he didn't show it.

Ino and I also began to grow closer over the course of those two weeks. We managed to see each other at least once during the course of the day, and every time we met I walked away feeling slightly more self-assured and less like my uncomfortable self. I was molding to this new life of mine and I was actually beginning to enjoy it.

A few days after my third week in the palace began, when Sasuke and I were eating together once again, he nonchalantly informed me that a few guests would be arriving within a few days.

Later on, Ino not so calmly reminded me.

The blond burst through the doors of the central garden, almost colliding with a group of giggling girls (ogling over Sasuke, no doubt), before stomping her way over to where Sasuke and I were walking. I had previously been talking about the flower arrangements in the main hall and he simply listened, ignoring his little fan club and pausing ever so often to sniff a flower or two.

"Sakura-chan! Did you hear the news?" she called, bowing quickly in greeting. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sasuke looking over Ino, either amused or annoyed. I believed it to be the later because he touched my shoulder lightly, his way of saying goodbye, and bowed his head respectively before leaving the two of us to talk.

Ino stared after him for a moment, her expression unreadable, before turning back toward me with a smile, "The representatives are arriving today!"

I blinked, brushing an unruly strand of hair behind my ear. These representatives must have been the guests Sasuke had told me about. A nod of my head signaled for her to continue.

"Okay, so Sand is arriving today..." she amended, "I'm not exactly sure when Mist is coming, but whatever. Do you know what this means?"

I shook my head no, seeing the cogs in Ino's brain turning.

"Exotic merchandise," she paused for effect, a cocky smile on her face, "Can you say shopping?"

x

A hand upon my shoulder shook me from the sleep I had been seriously enjoying.

"Get yourself ready." I blinked the sleep from my eyes and looked up to see Sasuke. The dark-haired man was fully dressed in what looked to be some of his more formal attire. "The representatives have arrived from The Sand," he said, answering my unasked question.

I nodded sleepily and pushed myself up on the futon. He headed for the door with not so much as a glance. "Find something attractive," he mumbled, "and hurry up about it." With that he was gone.

My feet hit the chilly floor and I frowned. I thought we had finally gotten away from all that underlying hatred of his.

x

It took Sasuke and I, along with another sizable group of Konoha Clan members, ANBU and other officials, a good half hour to reach the front gates of the village. As we arrived we were greeted with another group just as large as our own. Each member of the party was dressed in the traditional garb from their home village of Suna.

I was told to wait behind as Sasuke and a number of other people - an unknown long-haired brunette and the spiky haired Shikamaru catching my eye the most amongst the group - made their way to the visitors.

On further inspection I realized that the people who had been left behind were all women, save for a few masked ANBU guards who surrounded us. Closest to me was a petite ebony-haired girl. She glanced in my direction, blushed, and turned the other way.

I puzzled over this behavior for a few seconds before I felt a hand tapping lightly on my shoulder. I turned to see one of the ANBU officers, the fox-faced mask grinning widely. The hood draped over the figure was having trouble concealing the spiky blond hair of its owner.

"Uzumaki-san?" I questioned. Naruto nodded and slipped his mask to the side of his face ever so slightly.

"Enjoying your nighttime stroll, Sakura-chan?" he asked in a whisper. I yawned behind my hand and he chuckled, "Same for me."

"Uzumaki-san-"

"It's Naruto."

"Naruto-san, then." He smiled playfully. "What time is it, exactly?"

"I'd say a few hours from sunrise."

I blushed slightly at my ignorance, "Then what exactly are we doing out here?" I mumbled. It was a bit forward, but I wanted to know. Representatives came and went from each of the village on a daily basis, and I had never been awoken at such an awful hour just for the sake of greeting them.

His face lit up a bit, "We're meeting with the Kazekage himself, Sakura-chan. He deserves at least this much."

My eyes widened, "The Kazeka-"

My blond haired friend quickly put a finger to his lips and slipped his mischievous mask back into position. His voice was muffled, but I could make out his last remark.

"It's tradition."

Before I could say anything else, Naruto had slipped back to his original position a few steps behind the petite girl I had noticed before. A pregnant silence ensued as the company awaited the return of the rest of its members.

"...thousands of years! Not a fight, but tradition!"

Now I had encountered the deep rooted traditions of the Fire Country twice.

After a few moments more of silence, the group from Suna was officially led into the village. Upon approaching, I turned to walk along side Sasuke. I had taken three steps before his arm was gripping my wrist painfully. Our walk paused. I looked up at him wide eyed, and he glared down at me, a frown marring his otherwise perfect face. Shivers were sent to my toes as the ebony-haired man removed his hand from me as if he had touched something tainted and turned without so much as an explanation.

What had just happened?

I began to step forward, but a pair of strong hands gripped both of my shoulders and held me where I was. I watched as the male members passed by quickly, giving me no second thought.

Once they had all passed the pressure upon my shoulders ceased and Naruto passed me, casting me what was sure to be a sympathetic look from underneath that ever smiling fox mask.

I was still for a moment, watching the back of my husband, before I was shaken from my stupor as the women of the group slowly followed behind the assembly. I took my place with them, teary eyes focused on the ground underfoot.

"It's tradition..."

x

The clash of steel on steel erupted through the rear courtyard of the Hokage's Palace. The midday sun beat down on anyone unfortunate enough to be out of doors this time of day. Ino just happened to be that unfortunate. I couldn't have cared less as I watched the fighters, another clang sounding as their weapons met.

We had headed off on a walk after eating an early lunch together in the gardens as we always did. Soon enough the clanging of metal met my ears and I dragged Ino to the source, ignoring her pleas and cries of, "Forehead-chan, you said just that once!"

Soon enough Ino had given up on getting out of there anytime soon, so she simply fanned herself elegantly beside me as she cast a few flirtatious looks to the men gathered around us. I rolled my eyes, saddened that the only thing she could think about at a time like this was the male population.

"Oi, bastard!" My eyes swung to Naruto, who sat huffing and puffing on the ground. He looked completely beaten. "I get this whole training thing, but so much? We'll die before we get anything accomplished!"

Said bastard stood a few feet in front of his sparring companion, face as unemotional as ever. His stance, relaxed and proud, revealed that the Uchiha was exceptionally pleased with how his latest attack had ended up. One moment he and the blond had been locked in heated battle, the next Naruto was collapsed on the courtyard's dirt floor, complaining about his pains.

Sasuke smirked and sheathed his katana, "If you've had enough, dobe."

Naruto frowned deeply and looked as if he were about to spring at his dark-haired 'friend'. He would've, too, if not for the clang of metal that sounded from the opposite side of the courtyard.

My attention, along with everyone else's, was turned toward the second group sparring in the courtyard. It was made up of two of the representatives from Suna. The Kazekage was sitting against a wall, close to his two brothers who were ineffectively trying to kick each other's asses.

The eldest brother was Daichi. His sandy blond hair was relentlessly spiky, and although I had never truly met him, he seemed like a real 'no-shit' kind of person. He was more graceful than his brothers, showing that off by quickly blocking an attack from Kankuro, the middle child, and flipping back, sending a spiked fan toward him. An odd weapon, but an effective one.

Kankuro dodged his brother's attack, catching the weapon and flinging it back toward the attacker. He stood straight, raising his hands in mock defeat. Daichi caught his fan and snapped it shut, yelling something about 'giving up' and 'lazy ass', but Kankuro shrugged it off and headed for Gaara, who had up until then been watching the duel with an impassive face.

Kankuro grabbed a cloth from his younger brother, who had offered it to him nonchalantly, and wiped his face, successfully removing the rest of the purple paint that had been sweating into his eyes. Yes, purple paint. When he had arrived the morning before, his ensemble had even included a cat-eared hood. I was curious as to the emotional stability of the Suna native.

"Forehead-chan, we're leaving," Ino snapped from beside me, a pout playing at her lips. "It's hot and I'm tired. This is a complete waste of time." I scowled, but gave in without a fight.

Sasuke, who had been staring up at me for the past few moments without my notice, caught my last glance. I blushed and turned to follow after Ino quickly. Anything to get away from the gaze that had scared me so just this morning.

Ino blabbed about something unimportant and uninteresting as we made for the gardens once again. Ino was just finishing up her story when I said offhand, "Ino, last night I joined Sasuke-san and the other clan heads in greeting the representatives from Sand. Something weird happened."

She paused, looking at me with a genuinely concerned look on her face, "Like what?"

"After the greetings were finished, Sasuke-san..." I trailed off, finding the floor rather interesting, "They..."

"They what, forehead-chan?"

"When we were returning, the men - Sasuke - left before the women did. It wouldn't have meant anything much, if Sasuke hadn't..." I rubbed my wrist absently, shifting my gaze to look her square in the eye. "Ino-chan, what happened?"

The blond straightened her posture, face fixed in a refined scowl, "Sakura, there are things you should learn, before you get yourself into a situation you'll regret. Some things-"

"Ino-san, your mother's looking for you." I glanced behind me to see Shikamaru, scanning over the two of us lazily. "She needs some help with the throne room flower arrangements or something..."

Ino pouted, glaring at the sluggard. "Sakura-chan, we'll talk about this later," she mumbled, making her way past me to Shikamaru. "Until then, just don't think about it."

I nodded and watched the duo as they headed back the way Ino and I had just come. Once they disappeared behind a corner, I let out a frustrated sigh. Just don't think about it? Yeah right...

Footsteps shook me from my meditation. I turned to see Sabaku no Gaara staring blankly at me from the opposite end of the walkway. The end I was supposed to be heading toward...

My breath caught in my throat as his gaze penetrated mine. His eyes were devoid of emotion and the dark circles that surrounded them only proved that the Kage of Suna lacked precious hours of sleep. My eyes traced their way from his sea foam orbs to his fiery red hair and on to the odd tattoo that he had attempted to cover-up with his hair.

It spelled love.

I was the first to move, my pace slightly quicker than it had been before I had encountered the Kazekage. He stayed still as I approached him, his eyes following my movement.

I passed within a foot of him, purposely deviating my eyes from his. The malice surrounding him created an odd tingling sensation at the back of my neck. I ceased breathing for a few moments, listening for any sign of movement. When I could no longer hear his retreating footsteps, air filled my lungs once again and my shoulders visibly relaxed. Compared to his other brothers, something about the Kazekage stirred a feral fear within me. Something about him just made me-

A sharp pain erupted in the back of my neck and a lurched forward, all senses gone. Everything went black just before I hit the floor.

-want to scream.

x

Ending Notes: Yeah, yeah. I'm evil. I know. -sadistic smirk- It runs in the family...

And so I believe things will begin to pick up their pace from here on out. Fluffiness and angst are my two special friends, so they are sure to make many appearances.

Question: Should I actually attempt to name the chapters? -ponders- I've been thinking on it for some time, so tell me what you guys think.

Thanks so much for reading! Reviews fuel the fire of my youthful imagination!

Rock Lee totally pwns Gaara, just so you guys know. ;P Nah, they both rock...