Sasuke couldn't sleep that night.

Shisui's words threw him back to that fateful day; his Sharingan seared the horrors he'd witnessed into his memory like a series of moving stills, each one as clear as a photograph.

He remembered his Nii-san battling the Pein called Yahiko, leaving Shisui and Kakashi to fight the bounty hunter Kakuzu, while Team 10 took on his partner Hidan. He felt the blazing pulse of Naruto's chakra in the distance as he raged against another Pein, while his signature shadow clones rushed to extend Kurama's defensive cloak over the residential areas of the village where people were still being evacuated.

But Sakura…

Where was Sakura?!

It all happened too quickly for Sasuke to register. He'd just defeated the one known as Kisame, when another one of Pein's bodies materialized out of nowhere and launched a chakra missile straight at him.

Sasuke knew his mental calculation of the rod's trajectory was flawless. There was no way to dodge it. It was moving so quickly he could barely gauge its speed, even with his Sharingan activated to the third tomoe.

His last thoughts were of Sakura's wide jade eyes, full to bursting with all of her love.

And he recalled the bizarre feeling that he'd felt the weight of her gaze before, so far before…

As if he'd known that look in her eyes from a time long past.

But he was ripped from that thought when he sensed his girlfriend's chakra approaching at a speed he didn't know she was capable of.

Before he could blink, Sakura jumped down in the path of the projectile - her chest impaled straight through by the chakra rod intended for him, and her body covered in the dark ribbons of what he later learned was the Sōzō Saizei, a kinjutsu that she'd never released before.

He remembered the blood pouring out the sides of her weak smile as she whispered,

"I love you, Sasuke-kun."

And then there was only pain.

Searing pain in his eyes, and the scorching heat of the Amaterasu that he unleashed for the first time, engulfing the enemy before them in black flames.

He suppressed a shudder at the memory.

Gods, he was a fool.

Sasuke finally understood why his Nii-san always argued with their father and the elders against relying on the Sharingan so much; why Itachi warned him against using their kekkei genkai as a crutch:

Having their feared eyes didn't make one all seeing.

Instead of recognizing Sakura's enduring, unconditional love for what it was – he'd been cowardly, and gave himself over to useless worrying instead.

Sasuke puffed out his cheeks and exhaled a deep, clarifying breath.

FUCK. THAT.

Sakura gave him her whole heart when they were children, and he'd been entrusted with it ever since.

He'd damn himself before he failed her.

Shisui was right, and Sasuke finally knew what he wanted to do… what he needed to do. He vowed not to waste another second fecklessly wallowing in his insecurities. He was going to step up to be the partner his girlfriend expected and deserved.

While Sasuke wanted nothing more than to seek out Sakura straight away, he needed to gather his thoughts. He had to find the right words.

His own words.

And even though he was utter shit at things like this, he needed to figure out what to say that could possibly encapsulate everything he felt about her...

And all that he hoped for and wanted for them.

He had two days between Itachi's bachelor party and when he'd see her at the wedding to really think clearly for once. And while those two days were a chaotic maelstrom of last minute fittings, rehearsals, meetings with the monk and shrine maidens, and endless family gatherings with the elders – Sasuke tried his best to tune out all the noise and focus on what was really important:

Coming to terms with everything he was feeling, and trying to find the right words to convey them.

When the morning of the wedding finally arrived, Sasuke dutifully put on the montsuki his mother had custom tailored for the occasion.

And despite the itchiness and discomfort he felt at having to wear such a cumbersome garment, he'd found a personal calm with the realizations he'd come to over the past few days.

Uchiha customs dictated that the actual shinzen kekkon could only be witnessed by clan members, as it took place at the sacred Naka Shrine. As a result, Sasuke spent several hours going through their family procession up to the shrine and sitting through the san-san-kudo ceremony without his girlfriend, before heading back to the main house gardens for the reception.

As he returned to the center of the compound with his family, he felt a twinge of anxiety at the prospect of finally seeing Sakura.

He knew she was there. He faintly sensed her chakra all morning long, and her signature only felt stronger the closer he got to the main house.

He just couldn't see her.

Looking out into the sea of guests, he noticed some familiar faces - like his former sensei dressed sharply in a black suit, standing next to Captain Yamato and Uzuki Yūgao, a kunoichi who served with his Nii-san in ANBU.

He also noticed the Dobe standing next to his nervous girlfriend, taking bites out of a half-eaten harumaki while animatedly talking to her father at the same time.

Sasuke couldn't help snorting at the sight of his blond teammate spraying crumbs in the Hyuuga patriarch's dour face as he spoke.

It was clear that Hiashi was… perturbed, by Naruto's lack of manners. While Sasuke agreed that his best friend was disgusting, he also couldn't care less what Hinata's father thought.

That man was a douche. After all, if it wasn't for his idiot teammate, the Hyuuga compound would have been reduced to a pile of splinters during Pein's attack… so whatever. The old prick could deal.

Sasuke ran a nervous hand through his already unruly hair. He'd catch up with everyone else later. First, he needed to find his girlfriend.

Where was Sakura?

Turns out, he didn't need to wonder for much longer. Because when he followed the bend in the stone path towards the west side of the gardens, he finally found what he was looking for.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks. He took a moment to soak in the sight of Sakura standing on the arch of the soribashi overlooking his mother's prized koi pond.

She looked like a vision out of an exquisite painting, and he didn't know how many times it was going to take before he got used to seeing her like this.

Maybe he never would. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd seen her dressed up… and she was always beautiful in his eyes, regardless of her external appearance.

But there was just something about the way she looked at that moment.

Was it the way her porcelain skin took on the soft, warmer hues of the setting sun? Or was it the way her green eyes seemed to reflect the light rippling off the water below? Or was it the way a few wayward tendrils of her pastel hair escaped her elegant updo and teased the expanse of her slender neck?

Suddenly, it hit him.

While all of those things – her skin, her hair, her eyes – were undeniably alluring, tonight it was her furisode that captured his special attention.

He'd never seen her in such a darkly dyed kimono before. The rich, navy silk of her robe paired with that blood red obi made his breath hitch… and in that instant, he knew exactly why.

Those were Uchiha colors… the signature shades of his clan.

Sasuke regained the presence of mind to look around, and noticed that he wasn't the only one appreciating the view. Sakura always drew stares wherever she went, but this was at another level. There was no mistaking the way fellow guests were ogling her, and while normally, this would have gotten his hackles rising – he tried to tamp down any feelings of irritation.

He reminded himself that this was Sakura, and there would always be someone – a patient, a fellow nin, a dignitary, a co-worker at the hospital, a vendor at the market, whoever, who would want her attention.

But the reactions of those around them wasn't important, and all of these other guests were inconsequential.

The only thing that mattered was their bond.

Sustained by this knowledge, he took sure strides to close the distance between them.

Sasuke took care to steel himself before Sakura could turn around to face him. He knew his words would falter if he looked into her eyes, so he chose to focus on the rhombus of her yin seal instead.

Before she felt compelled to break the silence, he started in a clear voice:

"Sakura, I'm sorry about this past week. I've been crazy, and… stupid."

There was a faint gasp at her sharp intake of breath, and he didn't need to look to know that her eyes were probably taking up half her face.

But he soldiered on, determined to give her the sincere and thorough apology that she deserved.

"And I didn't mean to imply that you don't know how to handle your practice. You are my teammate. I know better than anyone that you're the best of the best at what you do."

Still avoiding eye contact, Sasuke took another deep breath and continued. "And I'm really sorry about that White Day gift. That isn't what I got for you, and that was not my card."

Sakura was floored. She'd never heard her Sasuke-kun apologize like this before, and she could tell from his tone and strained expression that he was deeply remorseful for everything that happened.

She slowly placed one of her perfectly manicured hands on his forearm, silently willing him to meet her gaze.

And when he finally did, he knew everything would be okay.

Sasuke felt overwhelming relief at seeing that familiar empathy in her eyes. He took comfort in knowing that this woman – his teammate, his friend, his lover, his partner – understood him.

And hadn't she always? Even when they were genin, Team 7 always shared an unspoken language. It baffled most of the village; the way they could ease into battle formations without uttering a single word; the way they read each other's body language; all of the silent ways they communicated with one another...

And then, his relief gave way to gratitude - for this incomparable kunoichi in his life, and all of the ways she made him whole.

Time passed quickly after that with Sakura securely by his side. While Sasuke was relieved that he managed to express his apologies in a way that his girlfriend deemed fit to accept, he still struggled to find the perfect moment to say everything else he longed to tell her.

It was difficult when she was so eager to catch him up on everything that had been happening with her since he returned from his last mission.

"I've missed you so much, Sasuke-kun. There's so much I want to tell you!"

As much as Sasuke wanted to continue the speech that he'd carefully crafted over the past few days, he couldn't help the slight tilt of his lips as Sakura energetically described the recent surgeries she'd undertaken, her favorite bakery's new anpan that she couldn't live without, the progress she and Shizune were making on a complex new poison from Kumo…

When her cheerful updates came to an end, she turned to him with a bright smile and lovingly grazed the back of her hand over the lapel of his haori.

"You look so handsome in your montsuki, Sasuke-kun."

He swallowed thickly as his dark eyes took in her heavenly figure swathed in indigo silk. Sasuke gently placed a hand on her obi and met her affectionate gaze.

"You look beautiful… I've never seen you wear these colors before."

Sakura's delicate cheeks flushed at the compliment, as she nervously worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Ah, well… it was a gift."

Sasuke tilted his head ever so slightly. When did Kaa-san have this made for Sakura?

"When I went to check in on Madara-sama yesterday evening, Hitomi-san had this waiting for me."

"Oba-san had this made for you?"

"No, actually… she said Madara-sama instructed her to gift it to me."

Sasuke tried to shake off his discomfort at hearing this. He simply nodded, and responded as graciously as he could.

"That was… generous of him."

Sakura's eyes warmed at his reaction. "I told Hitomi-san that I couldn't possibly accept such a lavish gift. But shortly after that Mikoto-san arrived, and insisted that I accept it and wear it to the wedding."

Sasuke arched a brow. So Kaa-san knew about this?

"Apparently, it is a very old garment, you see… It was made years and years ago, but had never been worn. Hitomi-san said it was carefully stowed away all this time in one of Madara-sama's personal storage rooms. Which is odd, because it fits like a glove. Don't you think?"

Yes, it really did.

Which was unusual, to say the least.

Sasuke didn't care for or know much about frivolous things like fashion. But even he knew from his recent experiences with their clan tailor, and from seeing his mother get fitted for kimonos over the years, that traditional formal wear (especially for women) was extremely costly and required exact measurements of the wearer, along with multiple fittings to ensure that the garment was made correctly.

He took another detailed looked at his girlfriend, and she was right.

This furisode fit her perfectly – the length of the sleeves and lower hem, the width of the collar, and the placement of the intricate embroidery… everything about it was cut and constructed as if it was tailor made for Sakura.

How strange.

"At any rate, it feels bittersweet to be wearing this."

"Why."

"Because… Madara-sama just took a turn for the worst. He's been completely unresponsive since the day before yesterday, and Shishou said he'll likely pass on any moment now."

Sasuke didn't know what to say. While he definitely was not a fan of that ornery jackass, he did worry about how this development might affect Sakura.

His concern must have showed, because Sakura gave him a small, but genuine smile in reassurance.

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun. Of course, it's always sad when a patient's condition deteriorates. But in palliative care, at least you see it coming... And from what everyone tells me, he was more active and his body seemed to have a better handle on the pain this past week than he'd had in years. So I'm relieved that the care he received in these finals days improved his quality of life, at least a little."

Not for the first time, Sasuke marveled at Sakura's inner strength and professionalism. There were no words to describe the extent of her empathy and consideration for others, and he was grateful that his family was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of her compassionate care and attention.

The young couple didn't have time to dwell on Madara's condition for much longer, because they soon found themselves being greeted by this person and that person, and pulled into endless conversations with different parties.

Sasuke was finding it impossible to carve out a private moment with Sakura. There was still so much he needed to tell her, but it was hard when she was such a firm favorite everywhere she went.

He didn't know how to pull her aside, especially when she actually seemed to enjoy talking to everyone. He didn't want to disrupt her good time, especially after the depressing update she'd just given him on Madara.

So, he continued to bide his time as he dutifully escorted Sakura around the garden. She kindly returned greetings from former patients that were eager to say hello and let her know how they were doing, and politely engaged in small talk with his extended family and other fellow guests.

The young couple stopped to say hello to his Auntie Uruchi, who cooed over Sakura's beautiful coloring, while his girlfriend remarked how much she and all of her colleagues at the hospital loved the senbei from his auntie's shop.

Sakura's naturally friendly nature, kind demeanor, and extensive experience working with patients from all walks of life made it easy for her to converse with others about anything and everything.

It took a good hour of mingling before they finally caught up with the newlyweds, as they were making their own rounds among the endless throng of wedding guests.

Sakura waited all evening to personally congratulate Itachi and Izumi on their marriage, and enjoyed an animated chat with the bride over her breathtaking uchikake, before she and Sasuke finally reunited with the rest of their team.

To Naruto's exuberant appreciation, Shisui made his way over to their group with a champagne bottle, several flasks of sake and glasses in both hands. Team 7, Hinata and Shisui settled by a small, but prominent stage erected beside the wagashi tables as they drank and exchanged jokes and pleasantries…

But Sasuke was feeling more frustrated than entertained with every shot of alcohol he downed.

He'd agonized over exactly what he wanted to say to Sakura for days, and was hell bent on telling her everything that was on his mind and in his heart.

The problem was finding a way to start that conversation.

Lost in his own thoughts, Sasuke only noticed the sudden lull in the steady stream of stories that Shisui and Naruto were regaling their group with, when Uchiha Kana took the stage.

Holding a very loud microphone in her withered hands, the catty elder began a long, dry speech that had nothing to do with the couple or their love for one another.

Instead, she droned on and on about how Itachi was the pride of their clan, how he would make an honorable new clan head, how he was a prodigy among prodigies, how Izumi activated her Sharingan before her husband, and all of the same monotonous drivel that the elders loved to harp on to try and emphasize the Uchiha's superiority at every opportunity.

Sasuke swiftly tuned that shit out, and decided this was it.

Yes, they were in the middle of a crowd, and that was far from ideal… but everyone else seemed solely focused on the stage. He knew Sakura wouldn't be interested in anything the elders had to say, which meant this had to be as good a time as any.

He let the liquid courage from the entire flask of sake that he'd just consumed take over, and seized the moment.

Reaching for Sakura's small hand, he leaned closer to her angelic face and noticed her flushed cheeks at his sudden proximity.

In a low tone, he spoke slowly and clearly so there was no chance that she would misunderstand him.

He clung to all that he felt for his pink haired teammate and said:

"Sakura, I – … I love you. You are the only one for me. This is one of the few things in my life that I know with certainty."

He felt her entire body freeze as she absorbed the gravity of his words. When she parted her lips to respond, he shook his head.

"No, please. This is … let me finish. I know I will never deserve you, but… I want so much."

At this point, Sasuke was wracked with so much anxiety, and was so intensely focused on the task at hand, that he failed to notice Shisui taking the stage. (He also failed to notice Kakashi and Hinata's eyes widen as they discreetly stepped away from him, to give the couple some privacy).

Sasuke was focused on Sakura and only Sakura - drowning out everyone and everything else around him.

"I know I don't have the right to ask anything of you… but I want everything, Sakura."

His heart skipped a beat at the tear that escaped her eye, and briefly thought of wiping it away before immediately discarding the thought.

Just finish… FINISH FIRST.

Fully engrossed with fulfilling this singular goal, he continued on, frantically speaking faster and faster just to ensure that he'd get everything out!

"I know we're still young, but I want everything from you and with you. I want you to share my life, I want you to take my name…

I want my crest on your back, I want us to make a home together, I wa – …

I JUST – I… I WANT you to –

.

.

.

HAVE MY BABIES, FUCK!"

A/N: Hello everyone, first and foremost - I hope you and your loved ones are well.

Second, I want to thank everyone who not only took the time to read - but left me a comment as well.

I think there's this misconception that authors expect fancy essays in the review box... but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Personally, I'm just happy to hear from y'alls. Every comment (as long as it isn't a demand for updates!) means so much to me.

And for those who might not be native English speakers, that's no problem at all. I'd love to hear from you in your native language!

I guess all of this is just to day: THANK YOU TO MY REVIEWERS, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.

I do not identify as a writer, and tbh... this rewrite has been kicking my butt. I can't tell you how much I appreciate hearing from every new reader, Guest, and beloved regular alike!

And for those readers who've followed and favorited the story, but haven't left a review - please remember that clicking a favorite or follow button is no substitute for leaving written feedback.

Every chapter is difficult to outline, draft, edit and post - so if you enjoy an installment, please take a minute to leave a comment for the fics you are reading before closing the tab and moving on. Feedback is the only thing that keeps writers motivated to keep on doing what they're doing, and it shouldn't be encumbent on the same handful of conscientious readers to leave reviews for every chapter.

Thank you all for your understanding, and I hope to engage with more of you in the future!