Sasuke's eyes fluttered open at the soft sound of water pattering against tile coming from down the hall. Sakura had certainly become an early riser, then again that was expected from The Leaf Village's number one medical ninja. He rose himself and stretched memories of his dinner with Yamato and movie night with Sakura drifting through his mind. It had been surprisingly pleasant doing such domestic things. He was looking forward to training with the man who had acted as Team Seven's captain and seeing Sakura's smiling face was satisfying as well.

He slipped out of bed, padded over to the drawers, and pulled out a set of fresh clothes. He was going to be training the team captains again. He didn't want something quite as heavy as he'd worn yesterday since he was planning to exert himself a little more today. It was clear that though many of them had gotten a wakeup call, the lesson hadn't been harsh enough. He was planning to put several unfortunate souls under mangyko sharringan level genjutsu to drive his point home. Underestimating genjutsu had gotten people killed, he didn't want his own villagers to suffer the same fate. He snorted as he walked out of the bedroom and stopped at the linin closet to pull out a pair of towels

"I'm starting to sound like Naruto." He muttered approaching the bathroom door just as it opened, steam billowing out.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Sakura asked one hand working a towel through her damp cotton candy locks, the other tucking the corner of a towel around her chest to secure it in place.

His mouth watered at the sight. She was so tempting. The floral scent of her shampoo and body wash clinging to her skin, the water dripping in sinuous lines down her body, the knowledge that all it would take is one flick of his finger to have Sakura in all of her naked glory in front of him.

"Sasuke?" she asked tilting her head to the side. "Are you ok? You don't need to be up yet. It's only a little after five and you don't have to train the others until eight."

Using his nearly superhuman speed, he rushed inside the bathroom setting his clothes and towel down on the counter before he reached out and yanked Sakura back into the small steamy room shoving her up against the door as his mouth descended on hers.

Sasuke was a man who was a master in self-control. He had to be in order to command the volatile elements of fire and lightning the way he did. In every part of his life he had exercised tight control over his urges going to far as to abstain from alcohol, sex, and recreational drugs; anything that could potentially become a distraction to his goals. Now that he was free from those shackles, he was finding resisting his desires for Sakura a losing battle. He'd made up his mind not to have sex with her until their wedding night. It was something that had been drilled into him by his late mother that he wanted to honor. Even so, it was tempting as Hell to throw all of that sentiment away when he had her wet and willing against him.

"Why are you so damn tempting?" he growled against her skin as he peppered the slope of her shoulder with bites and kisses.

She sighed a soft, high pitched sound in response and he shuddered as a bolt of lightning went straight to his groin. She was going to be the death of him. His hand slid up the length of her creamy thigh lifting the towel ever so slightly as he went until he finally found it. The heat he'd been desperate to touch for so long.

She squeaked in surprise and squeezed her legs together, her face turning scarlet. "Sasuke!" she exclaimed breathlessly.

"Damn." He hissed himself the tightness in his pants reaching unbearable heights.

All he wanted was to rip off his clothes, burn the flimsy towel from her body and sheath himself in her. Take her hard and fast against the door to claim her body for himself. He knew she was untouched, not only from her reactions to him but because she was the type of girl who would only let a man touch her if she loved him. Being the only man she'd ever loved meant she had saved herself for him. He panted as he struggled to find control and sank his teeth into the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She went still at the pressure and he silently thanked her for it as the haze diminished and his rational brain slowly flickered back to life.

"Are you ok?" Sakura asked running her fingers lightly through his ebony spikes.

"I'm fine." He panted. "I just wasn't expecting that." He confessed running his fingers through her hair.

She smiled and then looked at herself in the mirror her blush darkening.

"What is it?" he asked.

Her fingers reached up and traced over the bite-mark that was just starting to turn color against her pale skin.

He reached out to touch it himself. "Does it hurt?"

She shook her head and he felt a flood of relief and male satisfaction as he studied it. Physical evidence that his mouth had been on her skin. Even so, she was a little on the shy side and he wouldn't fault her for removing it.

"I'm going to shower now." He said firmly pushing her gently out the door.

She giggled and leaned up to press a kiss to his mouth. "Alright. I'll get breakfast started."

He nodded then quickly stripped and jumped into the shower turning it from the scalding heat of Sakura's to as cold as he could stand to deal with his overexcited body. He leaned against the tile wall on his forearms willing images of Sakura splayed out naked beneath him from his mind. He would have her in that way, in every way in a month; he told himself. It was only four weeks away, six at the most. He'd waited years to offer her his feelings, he could wait a few days more to have her body.

At the thought of their wedding, he realized they'd never actually picked a date for it. They'd chosen the month but not the day. He scrubbed his hands through his hair and thought about it. He didn't have any family, except for Naruto though he was a soul brother not a blood one. The only people he really wanted there were Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura's parents though he was certain he'd never get away with that. In fact, he just wanted the wedding ceremony. He didn't need or want a dinner, reception or all of the other stuff that everyone else associated with such events. Maybe he could convince Sakura to go along with him.

"A June wedding." He murmured to himself.

His eyes widened as he remembered a date in June. How could he ever forget?

&%&

"Hey Sasuke." Sakura said cheerfully as she laid down a tray with miso soup, rice, and grilled fish in front of what he'd come to adopt as his seat. "Do you want tea or coffee?"

"Tea." He replied as he sat down.

She nodded and poured him a cup before doing the same for herself and sat down across from him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing." He replied. "I just had a thought."

"About what?" she asked picking some rice from her own bowl with red chopsticks.

"Our wedding." He replied.

Her blush made him smirk. She was nearly as red as she'd been when he'd had her up against the bathroom door just a half hour before. Her reactions were so amusing.

"What about it?" she asked tucking her hair nervously behind her ear.

"Was there a date you had in mind?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No but I suppose we should choose one soon so that my mom and I can start preparing." She said glancing at the calendar hanging on the wall. "It doesn't need to be big or fancy, but there are some things I'd like to prepare."

"June ninth." Sasuke said glancing at Sakura. "Would June ninth work?"

Her jade eyes blinked in surprise before she stood and walked over to the calendar lifting it to reveal the next month.

"June ninth is on a Thursday." She replied. "That would actually be perfect." She said touching her chin. "Why that day though?"

"It's Itachi's birthday." Sasuke replied softly.

Her eyes widened and then softened. "Yes. I think that's perfect." She said walking up to press a kiss to his cheek.

He nodded and felt a weight lift from his chest. The world may see his older brother as a traitor to be expunged from the records of the shinobi world but he knew the truth and so did she. The rest of the world would see the date June ninth and think nothing of it. They however would know that it was also a quiet memorial to his dear brother who had scarified everything for his happiness. It was only fitting that the day that he took a hold of the happiness freely offered him be on the birthday of the man that had made it all possible. It was a link to his family, their family that they would cherish in secret on the same day they celebrated their union.

"We should stop by my parents' house and tell them." Sakura said. "Would tonight be alright?"

He nodded. "I need to go to the Hokage's office first to drop off my report. Then I'll train the captains again. After that I'll visit you for lunch. Yamato and I are supposed to meet for training in the afternoon" He said. "He'll probably let me go early if I ask."

The rose haired girl nodded. "Sounds good to me. I was hoping to squeeze in a little training this afternoon as well."

He nodded. "Shall we meet at six to visit your parents then?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me. I'll probably be on training grounds three." She said standing to take care of her breakfast dishes.

Sasuke nodded and finished his breakfast smiling in surprise when Sakura laid a manila file folder down in front of him.

"I put it away when I came home and found you asleep." She explained as she washed her dishes.

"Thanks. I appreciate it." He said rising from the table and carrying his dishes to the sink.

When he lifted his hand to start washing them, Sakura pushed it away.

"Go ahead and get ready to go." She assured him. "My things are already waiting by the door."

Marveling at how efficient she'd become over the years, he nodded and walked into the bedroom and gathered his training equipment. He packed it carefully in his bag and soon returned to the living room just as Sakura put the last of the dishes in the drying rack and took off her apron. For the first time, he noticed that she was wearing an off the shoulder green shirt that did nothing to hide the bite mark that stood out against her pale skin. He smirked in masculine pride at the mark and walked forward catching her by the arm and pulling her back into his chest. His mouth claimed her in a passionate kiss that made his blood warm but he ended it before that heat could travel south.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

She blushed and touched her cheeks. "You did that on purpose didn't you?" she accused her brow furrowing a little at the smirk on his lips.

He opted for silence neither confirming nor denying her suspicion and walked with her to the gates of the hospital.

"See you at lunch." She said giving his hand a light squeeze. "If any of those cocky greenhorns gives you too much attitude, I don't mind if you put them in one of my hospital beds." She said with a wink.

He smirked at that. "Thanks for the offer. Hopefully it won't have to come to that though."

A light laugh flitted from her as she waved and walked through the gates children clamoring for her attention as she went. He nodded to Zen who waved before grabbing Sakura's hand. Rolling his eyes at the child's obvious crush, he turned and headed towards the Hokage's office taking to the rooftops to avoid gawkers and screeching fan girls. He landed lithely on the ledge of the window and suppressed a chuckled when Kakashi waved him in without turning around in his chair.

"Morning Sasuke." The masked ninja said as Sasuke stepped inside. "What can I do for you?"

"I just came to give you this." He replied handing him the folder Sakura had prepared with his report inside. "You've got a few idiots that are going to get themselves killed if they don't start taking their roles as ninja more seriously. Just because we're in an era of peace doesn't mean that it's safe out there."

Kakashi nodded and leaned back in his chair. "That's true. So many are taking this peace for granted. It's a bit frustrating but I can't help but feel grateful. I much prefer this to the pain of sending them out onto a battle field where I know that not even all of my best will return home from. Is that selfish of me?"

"Not really." Sasuke replied. "I'm glad to see that things are peaceful as well. It's just that, this peace wasn't free. We fought hard for it. It's hard for me to believe that they've forgotten that already."

The masked ninja sighed. "That's true but you have to remember that hardly any of them know the full story of what happened." He turned and looked out the window over the village. "Sorry for dumping such a difficult assignment on you."

Sasuke shrugged. "It's not difficult really, just something I'm not good at."

"There's something Sasuke's not good at?" Naruto said walking inside with a stack of paper in his arms. "I need to record this momentous day."

"Can it you loser." The raven haired young man hissed.

"Lighten up, I know better than anyone that you're not perfect." The blonde insisted.

"I'll seriously end you." Sasuke grumbled.

"Now now, be nice." Kakashi scolded. "Sasuke has to be the big, bad guy and make all of the team captains afraid of Genjutsu." He explained.

Naruto blanched his hands going to his throat. "Ugh! I remember when Itachi shoved a crow down my throat while I was in his Genjutsu. I thought that it was just part of his illusion until the feathered menace popped out of my mouth while I was fighting him and Nagato later."

Sasuke blinked in surprise at that. "He planted one of his crows inside you? Why?" he asked.

The blonde looked at him with those unwavering blue eyes of his that both annoyed and uplifted him at the same time.

"That particular crow had Shisui Uchiha's mangyko sharringan implanted in it." Naruto explained. "It was programed to activate when I came into contact with you and put you under a genjutsu that would make you want to protect The Leaf instead of destroy it. When Kabuto tried to take control of Itachi during our battle, the power was activated and the genjutsu was placed on him instead of you."

"Incredible." Kakashi breathed. "When did he plant the crow?"

"When we were tracking Sasuke after he'd killed Orochimaru and was looking for Itachi." Naruto replied. "It was like he knew what was happening. He knew Sasuke would kill him and wanted us to bring him home to the village once it was over." His head bowed a small smile touching his lips. "He was always three steps ahead. Too bad Obito was ahead by four."

Sasuke looked at the ground and felt even more determined to live in a way that would make his brother proud. He'd gone to such extreme lengths, to the point where he'd completely neglected his own body to protect him and guide him down the right path. Now that he was on it, he was never going to turn back.

Thoughts of his brother reminded him of the decision he and Sakura had made that morning. Lifting his head, he looked at the two men that were as close to family as one could be without being blood related and nearly smiled.

"Sakura and I have decided on a date for our wedding." He said breaking the tension in the room.

"Really? That's great! When is it?" Naruto exclaimed his blue eyes nearly glowing in his excitement.

"June ninth." The raven haired man said noting the slight widening of Kakashi's eyes. The man had once been Itachi's superior, it didn't surprise him at all that he'd recognize the date.

"Really? That's not far away at all." Naruto commented. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't have any family and Sakura's an only child. We don't need a big celebration."

"What do you mean you don't have any family!?" Naruto exclaimed reaching over to grab him by the shoulders. "What about me?!"

"I thought we were friends." Sasuke replied.

Naruto's eyes welled with tears that soon dripped down his face. "Sasuke." He said his voice cracking. "Did you hear that Kakashi!? Sasuke said we're friends!"

"I heard him." Kakashi replied raising his hands. "Please don't ruin the documents near your feet with your tears."

Sasuke's nerves were fraying under the onslaught of his best friend's emotional outburst and he stepped away from him. "Is Shikamaru here? I want to go over the plan for today's training with him."

"Yeah. He's in the office next door." Naruto said pointing with a thumb in the right direction. "What's with that evil glint in your eyes?" he asked studying his best friend warily.

"Sakura gave me permission to fill her hospital beds as I see fit today." Sasuke replied as he walked towards the door.

"Kakashi, can I go watch?" Naruto asked as the Uchiha neared the door.

"Why?" the masked ninja asked. "You don't need that kind of training."

"That's not why." Naruto replied. "There's nothing more fun than watching Sasuke put down people who think they're untouchable."

Sasuke smirked at that and heard Kakashi mention something about a quota of work to finish as he closed the door. Following Naruto's lazy instructions, he found his way to Shikamaru's office and knocked on the door.

"Oh, you're here." Shikamaru said when he opened the door. "I was about to go looking for you."

"I wanted to go over the plan for today's training with you." Sasuke said stepping inside the much more organized office.

"Yeah, so did I." Shikamaru said motioning for the Uchiha to sit down at the desk across from his own. "I noticed a few of the class members at the library and Kurani sensei mentioned a couple of kunoichi came to ask her for some information, but that's not nearly as many as I was hoping for." He admitted pressing a finger into his temple. "They're still not taking this seriously enough."

"I know, that's why I plan to use my mangyko sharringan today." Sasuke replied.

The shadow wielder's eyes widened at that. "Are you out of your mind?!" he hissed. "That caliber of genjutsu will put most of those idiots in the hospital."

"Sakura gave me permission to put as many in the hospital as I want." He replied with a shrug. "Kakashi didn't object either. Didn't you have trouble with Sai and yourself succumbing to genjutsu not too long ago? Just because I'm the most powerful genjutsu user out there doesn't mean that there aren't others with substantial skill who could harm our ninja or village. I'd rather put them in a hospital myself, here where I know Sakura is here to heal them than send them unprepared into the unknown and have them end up dead or worse because they weren't ready."

"You're right." Shikamaru agreed leaning back in his chair. "We can't take chances. Genjutsu nearly ended this world, we need to show them why."

Sasuke nodded. "Should we get going then? I want to place them under the same basic genjutsu I did last time at the start of class. It'll be a good way to weed out those who are adept with genjutsu or studied and those who are still taking this training lightly."

The shadow shinobi nodded and stood up. "Let's get going. I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll do."

%&%

"I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed or angry." Shikamaru grumbled as they stood ignored by all but ten of the class. "Only five more than yesterday figured it out."

Sasuke's brow twitched in irritation. What part of 'if you get caught in the enemy's genjustu, you're screwed' did they not understand?

"Fine!" he snarled. "If that's what this means to them, I guess I'll get serious. Release!"

Just like the day before, the majority of the class seemed shocked and turned around to face their instructors. At least some had the decency to look embarrassed. Far too many of them were joking about their failure for his taste.

"Why are you laughing?" he growled at a group of men gathered near the front of the class. "Do you think this is funny? That it's so sort of joke?" his black eye shifted to blood red. "Genjutsu is no laughing matter. I wasn't joking when I told you both myself and Kakashi were put in comas by this kind of jutsu and we're both naturally adept at it!"

"There aren't many genjutsu users around anymore." One protested. "Besides, releasing it is simple enough, we're just training."

"It appears you need Orochimaru level training." He hissed so low that only Shikamaru heard him.

The shadow wielder paled a little. "You're not seriously going to go that far are you?" he asked.

"No. These idiots wouldn't survive it." Sasuke answered. "I'm just going to put the fear of genjutsu in them. That is what Kakashi asked me to do after all."

His mismatched eyes swept the crowd gauging chakra levels and chose twenty five targets. It would be pushing it, even for him but he was sick and tired of their ignorance. They didn't know just how terrifying it was to be at someone's mercy, completely immobilized as death came for them. He did. He'd felt such fear when he was pinned down in Kaguya's gravity dimension as her ash spear flew for his heart, knowing that there was no way to escape death if it touched him. Manipulating the memory until it was ambiguous enough to fit everyone was a simple task and unlike in his own situation, there was no Kakashi standing in front to protect them. His students would be completely alone facing down the goddess that had nearly destroyed the world without a prayer of succeeding. It was harsh, cruel, and heartless but if his tactics saved even one life it would be worth it. Even those who weren't put under his genjutsu wouldn't be left unaffected either. He knew that most of those placed under the illusion would scream or cry out in fear, those that didn't would probably collapse. That would be enough to scare the rest straight, at least he hoped it would. He gathered and focused his chakra his brow furrowing a little when his body fought him. He'd always been in a habit of keeping enough chakra to form half a Susanoo at all times. It was his ultimate defense after all. This situation was different though, even if he overdid it, Sakura was nearby, she'd infuse him with chakra if he needed it. With that thought as his anchor, the tomoes in his eye shifted becoming the star like pattern of his mangyko sharringan.

"It seems you all still aren't grasping the concept so I'll show it to you first hand." He said his voice drawing the attention of all of the ones he'd chosen to be his 'victims'. "Mangyko sharringan!" he said the pattern swirling as he dragged those he'd locked onto into his illusion and a single tear made of blood slid down his cheek.

Seven immediately dropped to the ground the illusion too much for them and whispers erupted as their peers knelt next to them.

"What happened?" A man who had been mouthing off earlier demanded as he lifted his friend's limp form. "What did you do?"

Another one of his friends clutched at his chest and screamed falling to his knees. "No!" he screamed. "Stop it! I don't want to die!"

A third man could only scream his hands lifting and then falling back down as his body reacted to the gravity being simulated in his mind.

"Explain yourself! What the hell is this!?" the man demanded.

"They're under my genjutsu." He explained his voice a little breathless from the exertion.

"You bastard!" the man shouted. "You didn't have to go that far! Who the Hell do you think you are!?"

"Instead of shouting at the guy who's doing his job, why don't you do yours and take care of your comrades." Shikamaru suggested.

"How?" the man demanded. "How do I help them?"

"Did you not listen yesterday? He told you how to free someone from a genjutsu induced illusion. If you want their suffering to stop, you'd better figure it out." The shadow wielder said. "Imagine this is a battlefield. Your comrades are down, caught in a genjutsu and the enemy is rushing you. Your friends are caught, unable to free themselves, what do you do?"

The man blanched. "I- I can't remember." He stuttered.

"That's too bad." Sasuke replied. "Are you going to run away to save yourself, or die trying to defend them? In the second one I guess you get to go with your conscious intact, even though your friends will probably die right after you do."

"Monster!" the man snarled. "How dare you?"

"I know how to free my comrades from genjutsu." He replied. "I would have freed them and moved on by now. It isn't my fault you think being a team captain is some sort of game."

"Please!" a young woman exclaimed tears streaming down her cheeks as she cradled her friend who was screaming in terror. "I'll take this seriously from now on, I promise just tell me what I need to do to make this stop!"

Sasuke nodded and dropped down from the platform where he stood and walked over to the girl not wanting to give away the information to those who weren't sincere. "Force your chakra into her system." He explained softly. "It'll disrupt the flow that I'm controlling and free her from the illusion."

The girl sniffed and nodded closing her eyes and pulsed her chakra. The other woman opened her eyes and groaned pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked.

She nodded. "That… That was an illusion right?" she asked.

"Yes, however I used pieces of my own memory to create it." He replied. "I really fought a woman with powers like that in a place where the pressure was so great I could hardly move. I was able to project that kind of terror so accurately because I felt that myself." His eyes hardened. "Start taking your training seriously so that the teams you lead don't have to suffer the consequences of your incompetence."

"Yes. Thank you Sasuke." The two women said bowing to him. "We'll try harder in the future."

He nodded and returned to the platform with a leap landing lithely next to Shikamaru.

"Damn. What kind of illusion did you trap them in?" the shadow wielder asked looking out over the crowd.

"What do you know about the final battle between Team Seven and Kaguya?" Sasuke asked.

"Only what was written in the reports plus some snippets here and there I've heard from Naruto and Kakashi." He replied.

"Did either of them tell you about her gravity dimension?" he asked.

Shikamaru nodded. "Naruto talked about it once. He said it was where Obito died."

"All of us nearly died there." Sasuke said looking out at the crowd himself. "To be honest, in that moment when I watched that ash spear coming straight for me, I felt fear, true fear for the first time in a long time. It didn't last long because fear isn't really an option when you're fighting a psycho goddess over the fate of the world, but it was intense. I couldn't run away, my limbs felt like they were trapped in cement and there was nothing for me to trade places with using my rinnegan. I knew that once that thing touched me, I was dead but there was nothing I could do but watch it fly." He looked over at the shadow wielder. "I took that memory, the sensation of complete helplessness and changed it just a little. During the battle with Kaguya, Kakashi stood in front of me to shield me. In the illusion I created, they're alone facing down that Goddess and their death."

"You're cruel, but I'm positive that after today, none of these guys are going to take genjutsu lightly again." Shikamaru said.

"Good. I'd hate to have drained myself this much for no reason." He grumbled before he formed seals and bit his thumb. "Summoning jutsu!" he said touching his hand to the ground. A hawk appeared and landed lightly on his shoulder picking at his ebony spikes with his beak.

"Can you write a note to Sakura telling her to come down here and determine who has to go to the hospital and who can go home?" he asked.

The shadow wielder nodded and quickly scribbled out a message. Sasuke took it and slipped it into the tube on the bird's leg.

"Take it to Sakura."

The bird clicked its beak and chirped before it took off soaring in the direction of the hospital.

"How does it know how Sakura, or any of the rest of us are?" Shikamaru asked "It's not like they can talk… can they?" he asked.

Sasuke nearly snickered at that. "All summoning animals can talk. I've found that my hawks are just a little more… quiet, compared to others. They know who I'm sending them to based on chakra signature." He explained. "Any signature that I recognize, they do as well though I'm pretty sure they recognize Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi visually now."

Shikamaru blinked in surprise and then shrugged. "Well that's one mystery solved. So how long are you going to let them suffer?" he asked.

"Until someone releases them from the jutsu." The Uchiha replied. "This is training. They need to do it themselves."

"I'm starting to believe what Naruto says about Kakashi being a more Spartan teacher than Guy." Shikamaru confessed.

Sasuke nearly smirked before he controlled is face again and looked over the crowd. About seventeen of the twenty five had been released from the genjutsu so far. Most were resting in the care of concerned friends while the others were lying unconscious on the ground. Sakura might be a little miffed at him for the number of team captains that were in such a state but she had offered her hospital beds to him.

In a matter of minutes, Sakura stepped out from between the trees and walked towards the platform with two other medics, one male and one female by her side.

"How many did you cast that jutsu on?" she asked him as she jumped lightly onto the platform that over looked the training area.

"Twenty five." He replied.

She sighed and he was about to defend his actions when her palm suddenly pressed to his forehead. Her green healing chakra surrounded her hand as she instantly eased the headache building behind his temples, the ache in his eyes, and gave his chakra a healthy dose of her own bolstering his strength.

"You're pushing yourself too hard." She scolded gently wiping the blood from his face. "It looks like you didn't strain anything though." She turned back to the other medic's she'd brought with her. "Get going. You know what needs to be done. Triage the injured, heal those that you can, and come get me if you run into any problems."

"Yes Sakura sensei." The two medics replied in unison before splitting off and moving through the crowd attending to those effected by the jutsu.

"So did you put the fear of genjutsu in them?" she asked.

"I think so." Shikamaru replied. "Even those who didn't experience it firsthand saw just how devastating the effects of a malicious genjutsu can be. I think it changed their perspectives on it."

Sakura nodded. "Too many younger ninja think that genjutsu is just a cheap trick. They don't appreciate just how scary it is to be caught up in a malicious illusion."

Sasuke nodded. "Even those of us who are skilled in genjutsu can still get caught up in it."

Sakura nodded and then smirked. "That reminds me of the time we escorted that brat from The Land of Tea." She said. "There was that double layered genjutsu that caught Naruto and the kid we were escorting."

"I remember." Sasuke said nearly rolling his eyes at the memory. "The idiots went running right off the edge of a cliff because of it."

"Naruto lost all of his ninja tools, I got nicked by a kunai, your curse mark acted up," she sighed and shook her head. "What a nightmare."

His brow furrowed. "I remember waking up at the bottom of a cliff, why was I there again?"

Sakura laughed. "You fell off of it. I managed to save you but only barely. Those rocks were so hard to get a good grip on and I was so tired. We both ended up falling but the distance wasn't far enough to do any major damage."

"Sounds like you guys had a pretty close call." Shikamaru said glancing over at them. "Your team seemed to get the assignments that started out so simple but would always escalate into these huge conflicts that a bunch of genin had no business being caught up in."

"What do you expect?" Sakura said with a shrug. "Sasuke and Naruto are trouble magnets. I just got caught in the middle."

"I bet Tsunade thought the same thing back in the day." Shikamaru replied.

Sakura chuckled. "Get her plastered and ask her about her days during the third great ninja war. You'll never see the Sannin the same again."

"Sakura Sensei!" one of the medics called out. "I'm having trouble with this one!"

She nodded and hopped down from the platform and walked over to where her male medic knelt in front of one of the men that had been in the circle of clowns, as Sasuke thought of them.

Her hand glowed green and she frowned before growling in frustration.

"What kind of idiot shows up to training drunk!?" she demanded in irritation.

"He isn't drunk." One of his friends, a thick, burly man with grey hair and green eyes protested. "It's that damn Uchiha genjutsu!"

"No. He was drunk and then had powerful genjutsu placed on him. That's a match made in Hell." She snapped standing up. "This guy is going to need to be moved to the hospital. He's on the verge of alcohol poisoning, that's the reason he's not waking up."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" the grey haired man exclaimed shoving her away from his friend. "You're just trying to defend that Uchiha bastard so you can keep him in your bed, you sow." He growled balling his hand into a fist ready to strike her.

"Don't touch her." Sasuke snarled as he landed between them his chakra dancing just beneath his skin, crackling ominously with his electric charge. "If she says your friend is unconscious because he drank himself into that state then it's the truth; or do you suddenly have medical credentials?"

The man growled and flared his own chakra. "Just because she lets you crawl into your bed at night doesn't mean you're special, Uchiha trash." He snarled.

Sasuke's eye flared red ready to take the idiot down a peg when Sakura's hand gently touched his arm.

"He's not worth it." She said softly. "We'll report this to Kakashi and let him deal with it. It's more important that we get this man the help he needs. His liver is shutting down."

"Right." He replied turning towards the downed man.

"Please leave the training grounds." Sakura said firmly as she stared down the angry man. "You're a danger to yourself and others right now."

The grey haired man looked her over and snorted. "You're such a pretty thing. It's such a waste. Filthy, Uchiha loving, whore." His hand sailed through the air just as she began to turn away to attend the injured man and the resounding slap silenced the field as Sakura's head snapped to the side on impact. The man's hand print formed on her cheek in vicious bright pink, a small split running down part of the length of her cheekbone from the metal plate of his fingerless glove.

In a flash Sasuke leapt at the man, grabbed him by the throat and slammed him back first into the ground the impact making a crater in the ground. He straddled the man pinning him in place with his knees his mismatched eyes blazing.

"How dare you?!" he snarled.

A kunai appeared in his hand and he held it just over the man's jugular, light glinting off the sharpened blade. There was something about this man, a darkness that tinged his aura and chakra. It was vile, dangerous, rank. He'd hurt Sakura when she'd turned to help his friend. There was no way he could be allowed to escape unscathed.

"Sasuke! What's going on here!?" Naruto shouted appearing at the edge of the crater.

"This bastard just backhanded Sakura." Sasuke replied his voice as cold as ice.

"What!?" Naruto hissed his potent chakra flaring in response to his anger.

"That bitch deserved it!" the grey haired man spat. "Spouting nonsense about my friend being drunk to clean up the mess this son of a bitch made of him!"

Sasuke's hand shifted forward until the blade was touching the man's throat. "Say another word and I'll end you." He promised darkly.

"Let him go Sasuke." Kakashi said softly. "I'll take care of it."

His eyes snapped to those of his former teacher's rage burning in the mismatched orbs. When the same rage was reflected back in his teacher's dark eyes, he calmed a little and stepped away knowing that Kakashi wouldn't let the bastard get away with what he'd done.

"Get him out of my sight before I kill him." The ink haired man snarled slipping the knife back up his sleeve before he leapt up to the level ground above.

He stalked past the crowd to stunned onlookers but didn't look twice at any of them. His gaze was focused on the woman in green and white quietly directing the two medics with the drunk man on a stretcher, her back to him. She sensed his approach and turned towards him and his mood darkened further at the marks on her skin. The cut was gone obviously thanks to someone's medical ninjutsu but the wicked redness and a streak of drying blood from the mad man's strike was still glaringly obvious against her creamy white skin.

"Sasuke." She said a small smile touching her lips. "I'm fine, don't worry ab-"

He didn't let her finish. In one swift motion he tossed her over his shoulder. "We're leaving." He said firmly knowing that between Kakashi, Naruto and Shikamaru one of them would have heard his message before he took to the trees.

"Sasuke! Put me down." Sakura protested. "I need to get back to the hospital."

"Shut up." He snapped his grip on her waist tightening.

He didn't stop until he landed on the balcony of her apartment. With a flick of his foot he opened the terrace door and stepped inside slamming it shut with enough force to rattle the glass and threw Sakura onto the bed.

"Geeze! You don't have to be so rough." She grumbled rubbing her head.

He ignored the comment and climbed on top of her pinning her place with his knees. Her eyes widened when he reached out and stroked her bruising cheek with shaking finger tips.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. "That never should have happened."

"It's not your fault." She said. "I let my guard down."

"I should've broken his hand when he first raised it to strike you." He protested.

"Don't say that." Sakura replied reaching up to cup the side of his face. "Neither of us imagined he'd be that stupid. Let Kakashi take care of it."

"It's because of me-"

"Now you shut up!" The pink haired medic growled fisting her hand in his hair and jerking his face closer to her. "That man acted that way because he's a troglodyte that thinks he can bully his way out of any situation he doesn't like. He's jealous of your natural talent, good looks and the fact that you acted like a total psycho for years and seemingly 'got away with it'. None of his actions have anything to do with you no matter how much he rants and raves that it was."

She crushed her mouth to his and he immediately collapsed on top of her, too exhausted mentally and physically to fight her or himself. Her hands slid under his cloak and rubbed gentle circles into his back as she kissed him with languid, unhurried passion. Her every move was perfection, soothing him, calming the rage within him that wanted to find the son of a bitch and rip through his heart with his chidori.

"That's it." She murmured against his lips, shifting beneath him causing ripples of pleasure at the delicious friction between their bodies. "Breathe with me."

He had neither the will nor the desire to deny her. He sighed and let her switch their positions her lips caressing the column of his throat as she unsnapped his cloak and pushed it away from his body. His eyes drifted closed as her fingers caressed his torso slipping beneath his shirt to slip and slide over his skin. A low groan left his lips when her mouth traveled the same paths her fingers took.

"Sakura." He breathed. "I-"

"Shh." She cooed. "Let me take care of you."

Her hands and mouth continued to stroke and touch him willing away the anger and frustration. Warm feelings of love and devotion quickly replaced them and he found all of the tension in his body leeching away until he could barely stay awake.

"Sleep." Sakura urged him her fingers rubbing gently along the lines of his neck. "You need your rest."

"But I-"

"Doctor's orders." She said cutting him off with a press of her finger to his lips. "I'll even rest with you."

He relaxed when he felt the weight of her head and arm on his chest. "Just for a little bit."

"Alright." She agreed easily. "Just a little bit."

$%$

He was awoken short hours later by Sakura gently shaking him.

"Sorry." She said softly when he groaned and sat up. "Yamato is here. You have training today."

"Right." He muttered shoving a hand through his dark hair.

"I've packed a lunch for you. I thought about waking you up so you could eat it earlier but you looked so tired I let you sleep instead." She explained. "How are you feeling?" she asked pressing a hand to his forehead her hand glowing green.

"I'm fine." He assured her his eyes sweeping over the spot where she'd been hit earlier that day. "What about you?"

"He's not nearly as strong as he thinks he is." She replied with a smile. "I'm just fine now."

Sasuke sighed and slipped out of bed. Any unsteadiness left from using so much of his chakra was gone and he was positive his fiancé had taken care of that in his sleep as well. Always giving and ignoring her own needs again. Part of him wanted to shake her in frustration but he was grateful for her help. Not having to bite her was a bonus as well.

"Going back to the hospital?" he asked when he noticed her picking up a couple of files that were sitting on the kitchen table.

She nodded. "I'm using your training as a chance to do my own. Too few of my medics have experience healing genjutsu related injuries." She replied. "I also need to check on that man that tried to drink himself to death."

"Where's Yamato?" he asked as they approached the front door.

"He said he'd wait in front of the building for us. Something about not wanting to disrupt young lovers in bed." She replied with a little shrug.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes but did feel appreciative to the wood style user. He clearly possessed some tact, unlike the whiskered idiot and their scarecrow mentor.

Just before Sakura opened the front door, he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her up against it.

"What is it Sasuke?" she asked blush feathering across her cheeks.

"Stay out of trouble." He told her firmly.

"I'll do my best." The medic assured him with a smile.

It wasn't the answer he wanted but it was close enough. He studied her face for a moment looking for any evidence of the trauma from earlier that day and was satisfied that it was gone. Gently, he cupped the side of her face and leaned down kissing her softly. He'd honestly intended for the kiss to be quick, but when her arms slid up to twine around his neck, he found he couldn't help himself and pressed his body to hers. Her tongue slid out to glide along the seam of his lips and he immediately responded stroking her tongue with his own. She moaned softly and arched into him her breasts pushing firmly against his chest and his hand slid down to her hips jerking them to his. Gods he wanted this woman. This strong, brave, smart, beautiful woman.

"Sasuke." She whimpered turning her head to the side as his lips caressed her jawline. "Yamato's waiting."

The wood ninja could damn well wait. His hand slid up under the hem of her shirt and slid along smooth, soft, hot skin turning the flames dancing under his skin into electricity as he found her breast and squeezed gently.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sensation and he didn't even try to cover up the smirk that touched his lips at her reaction. When a knock sounded at the door, the pair of them jumped apart.

"Sakura? Is everything alright in there?" Came Yamato's voice.

"Yes! I'm fine. We're coming out now." She replied tugging her shirt back into place.

Sasuke chuckled and pressed another kiss to her lips before opening the door and nodding to the wood style user.

"Yamato." He greeted.

"Sasuke. You seem to be feeling better." The brunette replied with a little smile on his lips.

The Uchiha nodded. "I am." He said simply before walking down to the street.

"Don't forget, we're meeting with my parents tonight." Sakura reminded him. "I'll see you then."

He nodded and watched her walk out of sight turning down the road that led to the hospital.

"Shall we go?" Yamato asked.

"Yeah." Sasuke answered. He was looking forward to what training with the legendary ninja would be like.

%&%

Sasuke's gaze swept the forest floor his eyes narrowing when he spotted the crushed remains of a flower. He dropped down from the tree he'd perched in and knelt beside the downed plant. The imprint of the edge of a sandal was clearly visible on the edge of a petal but it was deep and distorted as though someone had purposely ground it under their foot instead of just trampling it in an attempt to flee. Straightening, he glanced around and noticed a light foot print pressed into moss on the side of a nearby tree. A flicker of movement caught his attention and he quickly armed himself and then let his shuriken fly. The distinctive sound of metal on metal hit his ears as Yamato deflected his attack and dropped down from the tree landing lithely beside him.

"Good work. You didn't get distracted by the false sign." Yamato said with a smile. "Even so, you probably shouldn't immediately attack like that."

The Uchiha shrugged. He'd known the wood style user was skilled enough to defend against his attack and that the exercise would only end when he caught him. It was a simple solution to both situations.

"Let's take a little break before working our way back." The wood style user suggested as he sat down at the base of the tree. "You're much quicker than most of the others I've helped train over the years. I think your brother is the only one that ever figure out that particular false sign that quickly."

Sasuke nearly smiled at that and sat down next to the former captain of team Kakashi and drank from the container of water Sakura had sent with him.

"I'm glad to see you and Sakura together." Yamato said as he set down his own water container.

"You are?" Sasuke replied genuinely surprised.

He'd expected Naruto to be pleased. In spite of his crush on the pink haired girl, he'd always known that he'd quietly been cheering her on. No one wanted to see them happy and together more than he did. Kakashi's happiness at their union was also to be expected. He'd watched over them both for years after all. This man barely knew him.

Yamato nodded. "There's a light in her eyes now that I've never seen before. A peace in her aura that didn't exist until I saw you two together when we had dinner the other day. It makes me happy to see her so content since she's usually so stressed." He glanced up at the treetops. "Oh she hides it well enough underneath her smiles and constant instance that she's fine, but I could tell."

Sasuke nodded. "She always takes on more than she should." He agreed.

Yamato nodded. "She's a great girl though. Really. She truly cares about her friends and comrades."

The Uchiha nodded and remembered how Yamato had stepped between Sakura and his blade without hesitation years ago. "That's something she learned from you." He said softly.

The wood style user's eyes widened as he turned to look at him. "You think so?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded and lowered his head to the man who had saved his beloved on more than one occasion. "Thank you for protecting her." He said firmly. "You saved her many times, even from my own blade. I am grateful."

Yamato blinked and then smiled warmly at him. "It was my pleasure." He replied before standing to brush his pants off. "We should head back. A meeting with the in-laws isn't something a man should be late for."

Sasuke nodded and the pair of them quickly sailed through the forest of death towards the village.

"You're more like your brother than I expect you to be." The brunette said as them moved through the trees. Sasuke glanced over at the man who smiled back. "He was an exceptional ninja, so are you."

The Uchiha felt a little warmth spark in his chest at that. He admired his brother now more than ever and wanted to protect the village in the same way his brother had. Being compared to him by a man who had known a side of him that he hadn't know existed until he'd inherited Itachi's eyes was more gratifying than he'd anticipated it'd be.

They landed lithely outside the fence and Sasuke glanced back at the forest. As a genin, it was the most terrifying place he'd ever set foot in. Now he hardly felt any fear at all standing in its shadow.

"It certainly isn't as daunting as it seemed when you took the Chunin exams." Yamato said seeming to read his thoughts.

"What do you know about that?" Sasuke asked.

"I was in the ANBU then. I was one of those overseeing the exams. Orochimaru popping up was something that never should have happened. Even so, the three of you handled it better than any of us anticipated." He replied as they walked.

They arrived at another field and watched as Sakura sailed through the air dodging attacks from Lee as she went landing lithely on the ground before launching her own assault on the green clad ninja.

"Wow. They've improved since the last time I saw them." Yamato commented as the two ninja exchanged blows craters popping up around them from the strength behind their fists and feet.

Sasuke watched with rapt attention as the pair spared. At one time, he himself couldn't match Lee's speed. Even now though he was faster, the new Blue Beast of the Leaf had stamina that put his own to shame. Sakura appeared to be just fine though, drops sweat dripping from her chin the only indication that she was doing something strenuous.

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!" Lee called out aiming a series of kicks at the kunoichi.

Sakura avoided all but one of the kicks. The one that connected send her flying and Sasuke felt his heart lurch at the sight. She flipped just before she smacked into a nearby tree and used it like a spring board slamming her feet against the trunk with enough force to crack it and went flying back at Lee.

"Cha!" she shouted as she plowed into the bushy browed man sending them both crashing into the ground.

The earth shook and cracked under the force of her attack and when the dust settled, Sakura was straddling Lee's torso one hand on his shoulder, the other holding a kunai that was pointed at his throat.

"It looks like this victory belongs to me Lee." She said with a smirk.

"You are right about that." Lee replied. "It appears as though this time, I am the one that owes you lunch."

Sakura chuckled and moved off of him extending a hand to pull him to his feet. "Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked.

"It is nothing that some rest will not cure." He assured her with a wave of his hand. "Guy sensei has always said that pain is weakness leaving the body."

"Fine." Sakura said clearly used to having this kind of conversation with the stubborn ninja before. "If anything starts to bother you, let me know. Good spar, I needed that."

Lee smiled. "Yes it was a good spar." He agreed.

"Oh. Hey Sasuke, hello Captain Yamato!" Sakura greeted waving to the two observing them. "Finished with training for the day?"

"That's right." Yamato replied. "You don't have to call me captain anymore though."

Sakura smiled. "You'll probably always be Captain Yamato to me. I can't help it."

"Sasuke is training with Yamato now?" Lee asked.

She nodded "They're working on tracking." Sakura explained.

"Perhaps when you get some time, the two of us can spar, Sasuke." Lee said wiping the sweat from his brow. "I would like to improve my skill against those who use rely on genjutsu and ninjutsu more."

Sasuke nearly sighed but nodded, Lee was a skilled opponent and he needed to learn to better fight those who used mainly taijutsu anyway. With a nod he accepted the bushy browed ninja's request.

"We'll arrange a time later." He said. "Sakura, are you ready to go?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. My mother is expecting us, I called her while you were sleeping today."

"Same time tomorrow afternoon?" Yamato asked looking at the ink haired man.

"That's fine." Sasuke said before walking with Sakura away from the fields and towards the village center.

"That felt great." She said with a sigh stretching her arms above her head. "Sparing with Lee is the best tension relief." She pulled off her leather gloves and slipped them into her pack. "How did training go?"

"Good." Sasuke replied. "He's an excellent teacher."

The pink haired medic nodded. "Yeah. He taught Naruto and I a lot while we were in his squad. He had a talent for explaining things in a way that everyone could understand."

He nodded and then reached out linking his fingers with hers. She blushed at the contact but smiled moving closer to him as they weaved through the busy streets of the village. They arrived at the home of Sakura's parents and Mebuki welcomed them in warmly.

"I'm glad you stopped by. Dinner is already on the table. Please make yourselves at home." She said with a smile.

"Thank you." Sakura said moving into the dining room with Sasuke at her side.

Once seated, he ate and listened to the conversation flow around him. It soon became obvious where Sakura had gotten her forward, slightly overbearing genin personality from. Mebuki was exuberant, and loud, Kazashi was even more so laughing boisterously at his own jokes while Sakura cringed and covered her eyes in shame.

"So can a ninja fight in the dark?" Kazashi asked with a grin.

"Dad…" Sakura growled in warning.

"Sure-he-can!" the Haruno head exclaimed before he threw his head back and laughed again even harder than before.

"Please stop." The medic groaned holding her head in her hands.

"Now Sakura, you know that this is just how your father is." Mebuki reminded her daughter.

"That doesn't make it any less embarrassing." The pink haired woman grumbled softly before she sat up and cleared her throat. "Anyway, we came here tonight because we wanted to discuss the wedding." She reminded them.

Her parents glanced at one another and then nodded.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Mebuki asked.

"We've decided to get married on June ninth." Sakura said firmly brushing her fingers gently along Sasuke's leg under the table.

"June ninth?" Mebuki repeated glancing at the calendar hanging on the wall. "That doesn't give us a lot of time to plan. Why the rush?"

Sakura glanced at Sasuke asking silent permission to reveal the true reason for their choice of that date.

Though Mebuki and Kazashi were soon to be his in-laws, they were not joining his clan. They didn't know, nor did they need to know its history including his brother's involvement in the most recent ninja era. Perhaps later when he and Sakura were well established with children of their own they would reveal the truth behind their chosen wedding day, but not now. He lowered his head once and she lifted her own a smile and gentle squeeze of her hand on his leg letting her know that she understood and agreed with his decision.

"We just don't see any reason to wait any longer than that." Sakura replied easily. "Neither of us want a big wedding. Besides, we're both S ranked ninja now. There's always the possibility we could be sent away on a long term mission at any time. We want to get married before something like that happens."

Sasuke was impressed by her explanation. It wasn't a complete lie of course but she'd neatly dodged the real issue while also swaying her parents to their side. He'd always admired her ability to come up with convincing arguments on the fly the way she did. It was a testament to her sharp wit and well-honed intuition.

"I understand." Kizashi said looking at his daughter and then at Sasuke. "Do you have anything else planned besides the date?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded. "My wedding clothes are already taken care of." He explained. "Sakura is free to wear whatever she feels best in." he said glancing at his wife to be. His mother's wedding clothes had been lost when the nine tails had first attacked the village. The hair piece however had survived, that was more than enough to mark her as the Uchiha matriarch for him.

"That's acceptable." Mebuki said grabbing the dishes and clearing the table. "Do you have a venue in mind?"

Sasuke's brow furrowed at that. Traditionally, they would have held their wedding at Naka Shrine. Now that it was rubble, he wasn't sure where to hold it.

"No. We need to talk to Kakashi about that." Sakura replied quickly.

"Will he be officiating at this wedding of yours?" Kazashi asked.

Sasuke nodded. He hadn't asked the masked man yet but considering that he was the closest thing to a father he had and being Hokage gave him the authority over such matters, there wasn't anyone else he could imagine fulfilling such a responsibility.

Mebuki returned to the table with a pen and paper in hand. "Since you're here, let's get the guest list started. Roughly a month is short notice for most people so we need to get this done quickly." She explained.

The couple glanced at one another and Sasuke felt a little spike of nerves hit him for a reason he didn't quite understand.

"Well, Kakashi, Naruto, Iruka Sensei, Hinata, Shikamaru, Temari, Ino, Sai, Chouji, Lee, TenTen, Kiba, Yamato, and Shino are obvious." Sakura rattled off. "Even if we didn't invite them, they'd just show up anyway."

Sasuke nodded. She'd already names the people he wanted to attend. He didn't care who else she invited now.

"Lady Tsunade and Shizune should be invited as well." She said tapping her chin thoughtfully. Her gaze turned on Sasuke and narrowed slightly as though something was on her mind before she shook her head and continued to think out loud. "I can't really think of anyone else who needs to be invited, can you?" she asked him.

He shook his head. Naruto, Kakashi and her parents were enough guests for him.

"That's a good start." Mebuki replied with a smile. "We'll start sending out 'save the dates' as soon as possible."

"Thanks mom." Sakura said with a smile before glancing at the clock. "We should get going. I need to check on a couple patients before I go home for the night."

"Alright dear." The blonde replied leading her daughter and son-in-law to be down the hall. "Please stop by again soon. I'll take care of as much as the preparations as I can. I know you're busy sweetie." She said running her fingers through Sakura's hair. "Just draw me the lines and I'll stay inside your box." She said with a wink.

Sakura beamed at the older woman and hugged her gently. "Thanks mom. You're the best."

Sasuke smiled at the exchange his gaze fixed on Sakura. When she turned to him and her smile brightened further his own warmed in response as he reached out and laced his fingers with hers. They walked out hand in hand leaving her parents staring after them.

"There's no way I can doubt how that boy feels about her when he looks at her like that." Kazashi said softly to his wife.

"It's true." Mebuki replied. "I guess we really do have to accept him."

Sasuke silently thanked them in his heart as they descended the stairs. Their words of acceptance bolstered his confidence. They made him feel like he had the potential and ability to truly make her happy the way he wanted to.

"Is there anyone else you wanted to invite?" Sakura asked as they walked down the street. "Someone you didn't feel comfortable mentioning in front of my parents?"

He cocked a brow at that. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I thought you might want to invite your old teammates." She said as they neared the hospital. "Jugo, Karin or Suigetsu."

Sasuke blinked at that. It had never even crossed his mind. He thought about it for a moment. Jugo wouldn't be bad. The man had his moments obviously, but his sharringan neutralized any threat that the man's rages might present. Out of all of his allies he'd traveled with during his days as a rouge ninja, the gentle giant's presence was the one he missed from time to time.

"Perhaps, of course that runs the risk of Orochimaru finding out about it." He pointed out.

Sakura shuddered at that briefly but soon straightened. "That snake doesn't scare me the way he used to." She admitted.

"He probably wouldn't show up anyway." Sasuke pointed out. "Jugo though…"

"Invite whomever you like Sasuke." Sakura said squeezing his fingers gently. "It's your wedding too you know."

He nodded and followed her through the doors of the general hospital. She walked with sure steps to the intensive care unit and walked inside the room.

"How's he doing?" she asked an assistant attending the bedridden man.

"Much better Lady Sakura." The young woman replied. "We were just waiting for your approval to move him."

Sakura looked over his chart and nodded. "He seems stable enough." She agreed. "Go ahead and move him to the general medical wing. Keep his IV. The fluids will help him recover faster."

"Right away." The medic replied rushing around to get the preparations made as Sakura moved to another part of the room.

"What about this one?" she asked a second medic this one a young man.

"He's stable now too Miss." The young man replied. "He was awake just about an hour ago and complained of a splitting headache but that's all."

"Perfect." Sakura replied snapping the chart closed. "Move him to the observation wing. If his condition doesn't deteriorate at all during the night, you can release him tomorrow morning after he wakes up."

"As you wish." The medic replied.

"Alright. Let's go home." She said linking hands with Sasuke again.

"You've become quite efficient at this." He noted as they walked through the halls and out into the cool night air.

She shrugged. "I had a great teacher and hellish experiences to accelerate my training." She explained. "The day Pain attacked the village was my first real harsh taste of reality. Lady Tsunade was busy protecting the village and Shizune was busy trying to protect her. The only choice I had was to step up and run things in their place." Her head bowed. "I'll never forget it. The wounded pouring in like a never ending stream, the elderly and children mixed in with battle hardened shinobi. The smell of blood and the burning scent of disinfectant. The screams, moans, and cries of those who were in the wrong place at the wrong time filling the room." Her gaze shifted to the moon hanging over head. "The War was one thing. As heartbreaking as it was to lose so many on the battlefield, the fact of the matter is that they were trained fighters who knew what they were getting themselves into. It was different when Pain attacked. Innocent civilians fell just as quickly as the soldiers did even though they had nothing to do with what was happening."

"I'm sorry." Sasuke said squeezing her hand gently. "I should have been there."

She shrugged and squeezed back. "It's alright. Everything turned out just fine in the end. Besides," she glanced up at him and smiled. "you're here now. That's what matters most."

He nodded and the pair stepped inside her apartment. They spent the rest of the evening in companionable ease and comfort. Sakura's head was cradled in his lap as she scanned through a medical report. He himself was reading the book he'd started before detailing the events of Pain's assault on the village the book propped open on the arm of the couch so that he could run his fingers lightly through her hair as he went.

After several moments of this, Sakura spoke. "Hinata visited me at work today."

"Oh? What for?" he replied knowing she wouldn't have mentioned it if she didn't want a response.

"She asked me about her fertility seal." She replied.

Sasuke's eyes snapped down to her. "She did?"

Sakura nodded. "You know what that means don't you?" she asked.

"Another blonde menace is going to be spawned sometime in the near future." He muttered darkly.

Sakura chuckled and then glanced up at him. "What about me?" she asked. "When should I have mine removed?"

His eyes widened at that. All kunoichi were given fertility seals the day that they graduated from the academy. The seals were designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies among the female shinobi. Only medical ninja with the highest level of clearance were given the knowledge to place and remove them. It was one of the reasons that in the past, ninja villages had been forced to resort to kidnapping members of rare bloodlines as children. There wasn't a way to cultivate such powerful traits otherwise. If she was willing to have hers removed, that meant that she was willing to have a child, his child. The thought touched him in a way he hadn't been expecting and a tear slipped from his eye and dripped onto her forehead.

"Sasuke?" she asked sitting up and cupping his face, her brow knit with concern. "What's wrong? We don't have to worry about it until you're ready." She assured him. "I just wanted you to know that I was willing if you are."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close his head resting on her shoulder. "Thank you." He said softly.

She wrapped her arms around him holding him close and she knew he understood. He wasn't ready. The demons that haunted him were too fresh for that. Becoming a parent was terrifying for someone with such a tainted past. However, it was something he desperately wanted in the future and knowing she was not just willing but eager to bare his children was a gift.

That night after Sakura had drifted asleep, he slipped out of bed and wrote a simple message. Sakura had made it clear that it was his wedding too and that he could invite who he wanted. He didn't expect Jugo to show up, he was an associate of the man who had once tried to destroy The Leaf after all. Even so, he wanted them to know where his life was headed. In spite of everything, his former team respected him nearly as much as they did Orochimaru. Telling them that he was marrying Sakura would give her an extra layer of protection. None of the white snake's followers would touch her knowing that she was his woman. Some, like Jugo, would likely protect her if the situation arose. It was simply best to let them know even if it ran the risk that a snake might show up at his wedding.

Once his raptor had glided through the window with his message in tow he closed the window and slipped back into bed with his lover. His arm circled her waist and pulled her flush against him and he buried his face in her floral scented, cotton candy colored locks. Her words about removing her fertility seal floating around in his head. What would a child of theirs look like? Would they inherit his raven locks, or her bubble gum colored tresses? Would their eyes be dark as night like his or the color of fresh spring grass like hers? His breathing slowed and his eyes shut as he drifted asleep, but not before the image of a raven haired girl with Sakura's smile and onxy eyes appeared in his mind's eye.

%*%

"Well well." A smooth voice murmured as he studied the slip of paper in his hand. "This is certainly a surprise. I never imagined that child would do something like this so suddenly."

"Well I'll be damned. The bitch is going to flip when she hears about this." Suigetsu said flashing a jagged toothed grin as he too looked over the writing. "Who's Sakura Haruno?"

"Sasuke's former teammate." Jugo replied taking the slip of paper back from Orochimaru's hand. "She's the pink haired woman he was with on the battlefield."

"That chick!" the white haired swordsman exclaimed. "She's cute I guess but I can't imagine a guy like Sasuke settling down with anyone. I was starting to think he swung the other way if you know what I mean."

"Sakura Haruno is no ordinary woman." Orochimaru said leaning back in his chair and resting his head on his hand. "She's Princess Tsunade's protégé and has inherited all of her most powerful techniques including the strength of 100 seal." He explained.

"What's that?" Suigetsu asked.

"It's the technique that allowed Lady Tsunade to continue living even after being cut in half by Madara's Susanoo." Orochimaru replied. "A very formidable, forbidden jutsu."

Suigetsu's eyes widened. "Damn!" he exclaimed. "Leave it to Sasuke to find a girl that's basically immortal."

"I've seen some of what she can do up close." Jugo said. "Sakura is certainly unlike any woman I've ever seen."

"Who are you all going on about?" Came a demanding voice from the other end of the room.

"Don't tell her!" Suigetsu hissed as Karin walked through the door with a tray of tea in her hands.

"Why?" Jugo asked.

"Because I want to live, that's why!" the shark toothed boy hissed. "I'm always the victim of her psycho rage!"

"Karin," Orochimaru said with his signature smirk. "We were just discussing a message that Jugo received from Sasuke today."

The red head's eyes lit up. "A message from Sasuke!?" she exclaimed. "What does it say!? Show me!" she demanded setting the tray down and launching herself at the mild mannered berserker.

"I don't think you want to see." Jugo cautioned trying to keep her at arm's length as she flailed trying to reach for his pants pockets.

"Seriously." Suigetsu replied. "It's just boring guy talk." He lied.

"I don't care!" she exclaimed. "It's from Sasuke! I need to see it!" her fingers snatched the paper and she cackled at her victory holding the slip of paper above her head. "Ha!" she shouted before bringing it to her face and scanning over the message with bright eyes. Those magenta orbs dimmed and her face fell as she read the note once, twice, and then three times. "This can't be real." She whispered. "Is this some sort of sick trick of yours Suigestsu!?" she snarled turning a dark glare in his direction.

"I like living too much to play that kind of trick on you." He replied moving to cower behind Jugo.

"Sorry." Jugo said with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders. "I know how you feel about him."

"I'm pretty sure everyone knows how she feels about him." Suigetsu said with a sneer.

"I just can't believe it." She said her hand shaking. "Are you sure this isn't just a sick joke?" she asked running trembling fingers through her hair.

"It's not." Orochimaru said sipping on the tea she'd brought. "My sources within The Leaf confirmed it as well. The news has created quite a stir within the village. Sasuke Uchiha, the last Uchiha is set to marry Sakura Haruno, the cherry blossom princess of The Leaf on the ninth of June."

"Sakura Haruno." Karin muttered to herself.

A vision of Sasuke standing over her with electrified blade in hand ready to deliver what she knew would be a killing blow filled her mind. The man suddenly stopped and some of the manic light in his eyes dimed as he sighed in annoyance and turned away from her to face the new chakra signature she'd sense approaching.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?" Sasuke called out in an almost bored tone with just a snap of coolness to show his annoyance.

Though it was faint, Karin noticed a slight waver in his chakra. The ice cold aura that had become terrifying as he succumbed to his bloodlust warming slightly. She lifted her head as best she could and spotted a young woman with light pink hair, creamy skin, and one of the warmest chakra signatures she'd ever felt moving towards them. She was curious about this other woman who also clearly had feelings for Sasuke. That curiosity only grew when the girl used her medical ninjutsu to save her and asked for nothing in return.

"How did she do it?" Karin muttered to herself. "How did she weasel her way under his skin enough to get him to marry her?" she sneered in disgust.

The snake sannin shrugged. "I can't say for certain since I've never been able to truly understand the boy." He replied. "However, I can tell you that Sakura has always had the ability to help suppress Sasuke's darker instincts. She was able to pull him back from the brink of insanity when he'd been completely overtaken by my curse mark for the first time with a simple embrace. Since he has no interest in following those dark impulses anymore, perhaps he desires the companionship of one that keeps such things at bay. Regardless, the question is, should we attend dear Sasuke's wedding or not?"

"I'm in!" Suigetsu exclaimed raising his hand enthusiastically.

"Me too. I'd like to see Sasuke again." Jugo replied.

"I haven't seen Kabuto in a while, maybe I'll stop in and pay him a visit." Orochimaru drawled.

Karin's hand curled into a fist crumpling the note. "I'm going." She said firmly. "I need to check this out for myself."

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting. I really do appreciate every single one. If you have questions about things please feel free to PM me or even just review and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability. Guest reviews are a bit more difficult for me to address because the only place I can really talk about those are here in the Author's Note and not everyone wants or needs a long note at the end of each chapter. I will say this though. I have a plan (I almost always do) for Sarada's appearance and the general time line of this story and I am doing my upmost to keep it as close to cannon as possible. She is coming, I promise; as is making her which means lemons for you rabid citrus lovers out there ;) I'm also trying to set a very realistic pace for this story while doing my upmost to keep the characters as true to their nature as possible. Anyway, thanks again for reading! See you next week.