Sasuke walked through Sakura's apartment and felt an intense pang of loneliness as he packed his bag for his mission. Though the space hadn't changed at all, it felt less lively, less colorful without her presence. He sighed and slipped a bottle of food pills into his pack and was about to close it, when he spotted a photograph of Sakura standing alone on what looked like the training grounds. She was facing away from the camera, her gaze fixed on something out of that camera's sights tugging on one of her leather gloves as she smirked, her pink hair tossed in the wind. The lack of indigo on her forehead as well as the style of her clothing that consisted of a red top, black shorts, tall shinobi sandals and a pink skirt told him that the photo was a little older. Likely from her chunin days. The smirk that played on her lips and smudge of dirt above her eye indicated that she was likely locked in combat with someone.
He took the framed photograph down from its place on the shelf and smirked admiring the look of confident determination on her face. It was easily one of his favorite expressions on her. He slipped the framed photograph into his bag, feeling the strange desire to carry part of her with him and left the apartment locking it securely behind him.
He moved quickly through town to the hospital. There were about twenty minutes left until dawn. Just enough time to say his goodbyes. He nearly sighed at how sentimental he'd become. Sakura was unconscious. It wasn't as though she'd notice when he left. Even so, he knew he'd never be able to concentrate on his mundane mission without seeing her one last time before he went.
Bypassing the front desk completely, he leapt to one balcony and then the next and slipped into her second floor room through the window. He glanced at the machines and found that her vitals were holding steady and stable. He walked up to her bedside and held her hand in his.
"I have to leave on my mission now." He told her feeling a little silly for speaking to her this way but needing to do it anyway. "I'll be back in a few weeks. Hopefully before you wake up. You won't even know I'm gone." He squeezed her hand lightly. "Your mother will be by later this morning to check on you." He glanced around the room looking for any trace of another's presence before he leaned down and pressed his lips lightly to hers. Her mouth was dry and cool but the taste of her mint infused lip balm was still present. He pulled away and touched his forehead to hers. "Take care Sakura." He straightened and tapped two fingers to her forehead. "I'll see you when I get back." He said before striding out of the room.
He was only mildly surprised to find Naruto leaning against the wall just outside the door with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I'll walk with you to the gate." The blonde said as he met the Uchiha's gaze.
Sasuke nodded and the pair swept through the relatively quiet halls of the hospital and out onto the streets.
"I'm sorry about all this." Naruto said. "It's not really fair for you to be sent out on back to back missions, especially with Sakura in the state she is. If I could go with you I would."
"It's fine." Sasuke replied. "It needs to be done. Besides, I need someone I trust to look after her while she can't take care of herself."
"Right." Naruto said nodding in agreement. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to her while you're away. I promise."
"I'll hold you to that." Sasuke replied as they neared the gate.
"See you later." Naruto said extending his fist to his best friend.
"Yeah." Sasuke replied tapping his fist to Naruto's before taking to the trees.
He'd trust his friends and Sakura's parents to keep her safe and focus on completing the mission as quickly and efficiently as possible. That's what she'd want him to do anyway.
Sasuke spotted the two lightning ninja right away and walked towards them even as they glanced around.
"Do you see our escort anywhere?" Omoi asked.
"No." Karui replied scanning the crowd. "It doesn't help that we don't know who they are."
"What if they were attacked on the way here?" the blonde muttered touching his chin.
"Don't start that already!" Karui snarled. "That worry wort streak of yours is freaking contagious you know!"
The ink haired man took a deep breath to gather his patience and strode forward. "Welcome to The Land of Fire." He said stepping up to the two. "I was sent by Lord Hokage to escort you to The Leaf Village."
The two cloud ninja stiffened slightly before approaching him.
"Why were you sent?" Karui demanded.
"Let's get going. We need to move rather quickly to reach the next town by nightfall." He replied ignoring her question.
"I don't like this." Karui muttered to Omoi as they made their way through the busy port town.
"Neither do I but just deal with it. I know Kakashi wouldn't send anyone that would hurt us to be our escorts." Omoi said confidently. "Naruto and Sakura like him a lot too. Don't you trust them?"
"Whatever." Karui snarled. "Let's just get this over with."
The day was uneventful and they arrived only a little later than what Sasuke wanted at their inn.
"Make yourselves at home." The hostess said ushering them into their room.
Sasuke walked in first and activated his sharringan. He checked the space from top to bottom twice before announcing that it was clear.
"You're quite thorough." Omoi commented as he laid his things down in the room.
"Does that come from the experience of having every shinobi nation in the world after you head?" Karui sneered.
"Partially." Sasuke replied walking over to open a window.
"What are the other parts from?" Omoi asked.
"Living with people that I knew only saw me as a means to an end." He replied laying his bag against one of the walls.
"Oh." The blonde replied slipping a new sucker into his mouth.
Sasuke pulled a scroll from his pack and set it within easy reach before pulling out a map and tracing over the route he'd picked for their journey to the leaf. Even when he traveled with Sakura he'd taken more secluded routes, still determined to avoid direct contact with people whenever possible. It was a habit he'd had from the moment he stepped outside of The Leaf Village as a child. When you're a rouge ninja being pursued by powerful people, you avoid making drawing attention to yourself. As a young man with good looking, and distinctive face as well as the Uchiha crest displayed proudly on his clothing, he avoided making connections whenever he traveled. It was how he'd stayed alive and under the radar for so long. His usual travel methods weren't exactly ideal while escorting Lightning Ninja ambassadors.
A light chirp caught his attention and he glanced towards the window. A white bird hovered just outside and he quickly unrolled the scroll he'd prepared. The bird chirped once more and then dove through the window kamikaze style and slammed into the paper.
"What the hell was that?!" Karui demanded her hand flying to the hilt of her sword.
"Don't worry, Karui. It's just one of Sai's communication birds." Omoi said calmly. "Is everything alright at your village?" he asked.
"Yes." Sasuke replied easily as he picked up the scroll and read over the message.
"Sakura is stable and steadily improving. Ms. Haruno will stay with her tonight." Was all it said.
The ink haired man re-wrapped the scroll and put his map away. He really wanted to return to the village as soon as possible. He wanted to be there when she woke up just like she'd always been there for him.
"We're leaving at dawn." He said laying out his futon. "I suggest you head to bed soon."
"Alright." Omoi replied digging through his bag for his toiletries.
"Ugh. What a slave driver." Karui muttered as the Uchiha made his way to the bathroom with his own bag of personal hygiene items.
He quickly brushed his teeth and hair before splashing water on his face as he worked to calm his mind. Sakura was fine. The Village was fine. Everything would be fine, even if he was stuck with two people who hated him most in this world, though the blonde was doing a much better job at hiding it.
He left the room and sat against the wall as Karui entered the bathroom next. Omoi was busy sharpening his twin swords so he took the opportunity to take out the picture of Sakura that he'd brought along. It was stupidly sentimental but when he looked at her like this. With that challenging gleam in her eyes and the way she held her body that screamed confidence and strength it was easier to convince himself that she'd recover completely and quickly.
"You've been looking at that picture for a while." Omoi commented as he sheathed his blades. "I never figured you to be the kind of guy that carries something like that around." Sasuke nearly blushed but only glanced up at the Lightning Ninja who was studying him with curiosity instead of malice in his eyes. "Can I ask who's in the photo?"
"Yes." Sasuke replied easily turning his attention back to the photo.
"Alright. So… Who is it?" Omoi asked.
"None of your business." Sasuke replied.
"Ugh! I had a feeling you'd say something like that." The Lightning ninja groaned. "You were stringing me along."
The Uchiha shrugged. "Someone once told me that just because you ask a question doesn't mean you're entitled to an answer." He said with a smirk thinking of Kabuto and then his battle against him with his brother. "I figured the same logic applied here."
Omoi blinked in surprise and then chuckled. "You're not nearly as unpleasant as I imagined you'd be." He confessed. "Then again, I can tell you've changed a lot since the war. I guess we all did." He admitted lightly running a finger along the handle of one of his swords. "Is the person in that photo of yours still alive?" he asked. Sasuke nodded. "That's good. It's always best when the people important to us are living. That's one of the reasons we train so hard right? To protect them."
Sasuke shrugged and then lightly traced the profile of Sakura's face with his thumb before slipping the photo back into his bag as Karui walked in.
"Your turn." She said to Omoi. "Did you have time to finish babying your swords?"
"Hey now!" Omoi protested. "These swords are Kiba, legendary swords that once belonged to one of the great ninja swordsmen of The Mist."
"I know! I've heard the story a thousand times." She complained.
"Then stop mocking them!" Omio exclaimed in exasperation.
"Fine, I'll mock you instead ok sucker boy!?" Kauri snarled throwing her bag at the blonde ninja who fell backwards knocking his head on the wooden table behind him.
"Oww! That hurt Karui." He whined clutching at the rabidly swelling spot on his head.
"You're an elite ninja and you can't even dodge a table? Pathetic!" Karui sneered before walking over with a sigh. "Here. Let me see it." She said reaching out to touch the back of her partner's head.
'It's like listening to Naruto and Sakura all over again.' Sasuke thought to himself as he laid down in his own futon.
&#&
The next three days passed without major incident. The Lightning Ninja bickered like children while taking turns giving him death glares when his back was turned. He learned that Omoi had a tendency to worry and overthink everything while Karui had a hot quick temper and little patience.
On the fourth day, the weather took a turn and dumped buckets of rain on them as they walked down the muddy road.
"Ugh! I hate the rain!" Karui whined.
"What if it rains so much that the rivers swell and wash out the roads?" Omoi mused. "Then we'd end up in the trees but what if the water weakened the roots and they fell over too!?"
Karui shivered under her grey cloak. "Ugh. Please don't start the 'what if?' game right now. I don't wannna play with you."
Sasuke rolled his eyes and scanned the forest. They were nearing the part of The Land of Fire where the anti-ninja faction had been launching their attacks on passing shinobi. He wasn't foolish enough to think that a bit of rain would keep them away.
A glint of silver caught his eye and he immediately activated his sharringan.
"Scatter!" he snapped drawing his katana.
"Take this you damn ninja!" a man shouted throwing a series of explosives at him from where he was hiding behind a series of boulders piled near the path.
He pulled on his lightning chakra funneling it into the blade and lengthening it as he sliced through the bombs before they could explode. He then drew a series of shuriken and threw them pinning the man down to the ground where he was crouched.
"How!?" The man exclaimed tugging on his arm that was pinned to the ground. "There's no way you should've been able to see me!"
Sasuke materialized in front of him making the man squeak with fear.
"Are you alone?" Sasuke demanded curtly.
"What?" the man replied staring at the imposing ninja dressed in black.
"Did you come here alone?" Sasuke repeated his eyes narrowing.
"I don't have to tell you anything!" the man snarled. "You ninja are a bunch of parasites feeding off the violence in this world. Preaching peace as you spread war." He spit in Sasuke's face. "All of you will burn in hell."
"Fine, don't tell me. I'll ask your mind." Sasuke replied his sharringan morphing as the tomoes rotated.
With a push of power, he entered the man's mind. It seemed he had come alone however, he was able to get the names and faces of the ones that had put him up to the bombings. As soon as they reached shelter, he planned on sending that information on to Kakashi.
"Release." He said freeing the man's mind.
The terrorist shuddered and gasped at the sensation.
"What… What did you do to me?" he demanded.
"Just took a look inside you mind." Sasuke replied as he pulled a spare cloak from his pack.
The man's eyes widened when the Uchiha wrapped it around his shoulders pulling the hood up to protect his head.
"What? What are you doing?" the man asked.
"Your friends are supposed to be coming to check on you in an hour right?" he said calmly. "You're stupid, and ignorant of both the ways of this world and the role of shinobi in it, but no one deserves to die over such trivial things." Sasuke said before rising to his feet. "If you'd rather fight your own wars, please do but I'd suggest training a bit more first."
"I.. I don't know what to say." The man rasped.
Sasuke shrugged and moved away from the man towards the main road again. "Omoi, Karui, the coast is clear." He called out. "Let's get going."
The two Lightning ninja dropped to the ground on either side of him.
"That was pretty smooth what you did there." Omoi said. "See? He's not so bad." He said looking at his partner.
Karui snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I already knew he could fight good. It's his rotten personality that pisses me off."
"Is it safe to leave him like that?" The blonde asked quickly changing the subject.
"He's just a pawn in a much bigger game. I've already learned everything that he would have been able to tell the interrogation core." Sasuke explained. "He's terribly misinformed, that's all. He thinks we ninja are just killers that benefit financially from murder and war."
"I see." Omoi said. "Why leave him your cloak?"
"He'd catch pneumonia in this downpour otherwise." Sasuke replied simply.
The two lightning ninja glanced at one another and shrugged before following the ink haired man down the road towards Konaha.
#&#
Two days later they were attacked by another group of anti-ninja supporters. This time, Omoi took the lead quickly taking them out with a series of precise strikes from his lightning infused swords.
"Cloud style! Crescent moon slice!" the blonde exclaimed taking out the group of five fighters with ease.
Kiba crackled with electricity and shocked the last two as they tried to escape and Omoi grinned.
"Anymore?" he asked Sasuke.
"No. You got them all. Your sword technique is impressive." Sasuke commented as they walked.
"Thanks. Lord Bee is an excellent teacher." Omoi said as they walked.
"It shows." Sasuke replied.
"I can't even imagine wielding a katana one handed." The blonde confessed. "I'd like to see how you fair in a one on one match."
"Maybe later." Sasuke replied.
&#&
"This town sure is lively." Karui commented as they walked through the busy streets several days later.
"It's been this way for as long as I can remember." Sasuke said glancing around the town. "The last time I was here…" memories of being pecked by an ostrich wearing a bow tie while he and Naruto bickered floated to the front of his mind and he nearly cringed.
"Shinobi." A beggar woman whispered as they walked past. "Please, won't you spare a little money?" she asked.
"Keep walking." Sasuke said side stepping her.
"What? Why?" Karui asked.
"It couldn't hurt." Omoi added.
"Just keep going." Sasuke insisted.
The woman reached for the redhead and he extended his foot kicking her into a nearby wall.
"What the hell was that for?!" Omoi demanded.
"You heartless bastard!" Karui hissed when he blocked her attempts to help the woman. "You're going to die alone in a gutter somewhere and no one will mourn your passing." She snarled, venom dripping from her words.
"Maybe." He replied before stepping forward as the woman stood up with tears streaming down her face.
"How could you?!" she exclaimed. "Can't you see I'm just a poor beggar woman?" she said reaching for him again.
"A shinobi who relies only on his eyesight is a fool." He said grabbing her by the forearm above her gloved hands. "That's especially true of dojutsu users." He pinned them above her head to the wall behind her. "I smell death on you." He said softly.
"W- What are you talking about?" she squeaked.
"You can drop the innocent act. That poison on your hands is quite potent, one touch to their skin and your victim will die in three days with no way to trace it back to the 'poor beggar woman' they ran into before." He said his hands igniting to burn the tainted fabric away.
Her innocent expression suddenly turned angry. "How did you know?" she demanded.
"I could smell it on you." He replied. "My former teacher was quite fond of poisons and testing them out on human victims. The one on your hands is one of his favorites." He said before throwing her to the ground.
"Damn you!" she snarled. "Damn you and all shinobi like you! Murders!"
Sasuke cocked a brow at that. "Oh really? And how is what you're doing any different? How many people have you killed?" he asked as he quickly bound her arms with rope.
Her eyes widened. "I didn't kill them. The poison did."
"Oh, is that how you sleep at night?" he asked. "I'll have you know, that the greatest, most powerful shinobi I know has never killed a single living soul that I know of."
Her eyes widened further. "You're lying. All shinobi are murdering cowards who only care about lining their pockets!"
"That isn't true at all." Sasuke replied. He hauled the woman to her feet and dragged her towards the police station. "By the way, the antidote you should be taking daily to protect you from that poison on your gloves, was created by a shinobi." The woman's eyes widened. "You anti ninja fanatics seem to be really fond of our tools and methods considering you're a group that is supposed to hate us so much." He said shoving her towards a pair of milling officers. "This woman attempted to kill me and my companions using poisoned laced gloves. I suggest you use caution while dealing with her. If you have any questions, go ahead and send a message to The Village Hidden in the Leaves." He said before turning on his heel and leaving.
"Her gloves were poisoned?" Karui asked.
"Yes. A deadly but slow acting poison." Sasuke replied. "One touch to your skin and you'll drop dead in three days."
Omoi's eyes widened. "That's why you wanted us to keep on walking."
Sasuke nodded once his focus shifting to getting them to their inn for the night.
"Why? Why protect us?" Karui asked.
"I was given a mission by Lord Hokage to get you to The Village Hidden in the Leaves quickly and safely. I am doing my best to complete that mission to the best of my ability." Sasuke replied evenly.
The two lightning ninja's eyes widened in surprise. Karui's expression softened and she sighed.
"I'm sorry for doubting you and your intentions." She said after a few minutes. "That being said, I still don't forgive you for what you did to Lord Bee!" she growled.
"That's fine." Sasuke replied. "I don't expect your forgiveness. Now let's pick up the pace."
"Does that guy have a heart?" Karui hissed in Omoi's ear. "I can't tell."
Omoi smirked. "Oh, he has one alright. I think he just left it at home."
Sasuke leaned against the wall of their room in the Inn. They were less than two weeks away from the village now. Sakura's condition had been improving and there were a steady stream of family and friends looking after her. At the rate she was going, she'd be awake and waiting for him when he returned. That was fine. Great even. The sooner she recovered, the sooner the nagging sense of unease in his heart would fade away.
"So do you have to pour your chakra into these to make them work?" Karui asked motioning to Omoi's twin blades. "I always wondered about that."
"No." The blonde replied. "They're imbued with lightning jutsu. I can pour my own into them in order to give them a boost, but I usually don't worry about it." He explained.
Sasuke was half listening to the conversation having wondered the same thing himself after watching the ninja wield them against the small group of anti-ninja attackers' days ago. He'd figured they worked that way, though it was nice to have confirmation.
A squawk from the window heralded the arrival of Sai's messenger bird and Sasuke unrolled the scroll with his foot and watched the bird dive onto the paper. No matter how many times he watched it, he couldn't help but be fascinated by the way the chakra infused ink shifted forms to change from bird to words.
His eyes widened as the message took shape. It was longer, more detailed this time. He grabbed the scroll and read over the message, once, twice then three times.
"Sakura took a sudden turn for the worse. She had several seizures last night. Lady Tsunade managed to get them under control however, she is under close observation since the cause is unknown. We will send you more details when we receive them. I'm so sorry Sasuke."
His fist slammed into the wall behind him splintering the wood. Seizures? It was a common side effect for those who had been put under powerful genjutsu. Was it his actions, his jutsu that had caused them? If he was there he'd be able to check for himself, or at least by her side. Here, he was useless. Good for absolutely nothing while she suffered.
"Whoa!" Omoi exclaimed jumping at the sound of crunching wood his swords clattering to the ground. "Is everything ok?"
"Damn it all to Hell!" Sasuke snarled stalking out of the room.
He had to get out of the enclosed space before he did something irrational. He stepped out onto the veranda, leapt to the railing and then to the roof top settling on the narrow beam that marked the middle of the roof. Leaning forward, he gripped his hair in his hand and tugged lightly his eyes squeezed shut as Sakura's smiling face appeared in his mind.
"Sakura." He whispered his voice cracking as a crow cawed somewhere nearby. "Itachi, if you can hear me, please… Please watch over her." He pleaded softly.
The feeling of helplessness was crushing him. Stealing the breath from his lungs. Sakura was his home, his heart, his reason for living. Knowing that she was suffering, potentially because of his own powers was eating him alive. Clawing at his soul where the demons were threatening to rise up and sink their claws into his heart.
"Ribbit!" a voice croaked next to him.
He glanced down and noticed a small toad with a scroll holder attached to his back.
"From Naruto?" Sasuke asked the creature. It nodded and he clucked his tongue pulling the tiny piece of paper free. "What the fuck does he want?" he snarled unfolding the note as the creature vanished with a pop and puff of smoke.
"I visited Sakura today. When I told her you were on your way back she squeezed my hand. She's strong Sasuke. The strongest girl I know. Just focus on your mission and hurry home. She'll be here waiting for you just like always."
Sasuke sighed and gripped the note in his hand. "Naruto, that loser." He muttered. "Thank you."
Even though they were just sloppily written letters on a scrap of paper, his best friend's words had managed to calm him significantly. He glanced up at the moon and watched a crow fly across its silhouette. Feeling more in control of himself, he slid down the roof and dropped down to the veranda of the room he was sharing with the lightning ninja. He stepped back inside and his eyes narrowed when he found the two sitting at the table with the scroll that he used for Sai's messages laid out in front of them.
"Hey Sasuke. Can we talk?" Omoi asked.
"Sure." Sasuke replied sitting down in the seat furthest from them at the table.
"The messages you've been getting daily from your village. They're all updates on Sakura's medical condition?" The blonde asked.
The ink haired man nodded wishing that he had two arms so that he could fold them over his chest. It just wasn't comfortable to try attempt it with one.
"Is it Sakura Haruno, the medical ninja?" Karui asked.
"It's Sakura Uchiha now." Sasuke replied.
Omoi's eyes widened. "What? Since when?" he demanded.
"We married in June." Sasuke said touching the forehead protector that hung from his belt.
"Aw man! C is gonna be crushed. He was totally planning to ask her to come to The Hidden Cloud with him during the chunin exams." Karui lamented shaking her head. "Lord Raikage was all for it too."
"Ok, so it makes a lot more sense why you're getting updates on her condition." Omio said. "But what's wrong with her?"
Sasuke sighed and raked his hand through his bangs. "A little while ago a demon attacked The Leaf. It took possession of four of our kunoichi including Sakura." He sighed. "It's a long story but Sakura ended up in a coma when it was all over. She hadn't regained consciousness when I left."
"You left while your wife was still in a coma?" Karui demanded. "Why would you do that?"
"I didn't have much choice in the matter." The Uchiha said. "Our best genin teams are preparing for the chunin exams and with four of our best kunoichi out of commission there weren't a lot of other options."
"And sometime in the last twenty four hours, Sakura took a turn for the worst?" Omoi asked.
"According to that message, yes." The ink haired man said his irritation flaring at the cross examination.
It was none of their damn business. Why wouldn't they let it go? He was shocked when the pair of lightning ninja glanced at one another nodded and then bowed deeply to him.
"Thank you for escorting us." Karui said.
"We truly appreciate it." Omoi added. "Perhaps we can pick up the pace a little and arrive a little ahead of schedule?"
"Yeah. All this walking is going to make me soft. A good run sounds great." Karui agreed.
Sasuke blinked in surprise and then nearly smiled. They were doing this for him, because they understood his circumstances. If he'd told them earlier about his situation they might have done so from the start. It had never been his intention to force them to move faster just so that he could get back to Sakura's bedside sooner, but he wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away.
"Alright. We'll leave tomorrow at dawn. It would be best for everyone to get some sleep." He said standing from his seat at the table.
"Right." Karui said moving towards her folded futon.
"Good idea." Omoi agreed setting his swords down next to the futon he'd already laid out.
Sasuke laid down on his own and closed his eyes an image of Sakura's hair blowing in the wind a smile on her lips as she held on her hand to him floating to the forefront of his mind. Just a little longer and he'd be home at her bedside where he belonged.
They arrived in The Leaf Village a full two days ahead of schedule and though the two lightning ninja were a bit tired, he was honestly thankful for their sacrifice.
"That was quick." Kakashi commented as the three of them stood in front of his desk. "I take it things went smoothly?"
"More or less." Omoi replied. "Sasuke Uchiha was a great escort."
The masked ninja nodded. "I'm glad to hear it." He replied. "Sasuke, I'll expect your report in the next few days." He said. "You're dismissed." A little smile touched his face beneath his mask and his eyes nearly glowed with a knowing light.
Sasuke nearly blushed but bowed instead. "Thank you Lord Hokage." He said before slipping out the window and dashing across the rooftops his gaze fixed on the hospital in the distance.
He arrived at the entrance in no time and walked up to the reception desk. "Sakura Uchiha." He said curtly to the receptionist.
"She's still in the same room." The young woman replied. "Welcome back Sasuke."
He nearly wrinkled his nose at that. It just didn't sound right coming from anyone else but Sakura. He nodded and quickly dashed up the stairs and down the hall to his wife's hospital room and slid the door open. Quietly, he closed the door behind him and approached Sakura's bedside breathing a sigh of relief when he found her color much better than it had been when he left. He sank into the chair at her bedside and took hold of her hand.
"I'm back Sakura." He said softly stroking his thumb over the back of her hand.
Her fingers squeezed his and his eyes shot to her face. He wasn't positive but he thought that her lips had twitched into a smile for just a moment. Then again, he was so tired he might have just imagined it. With a sigh he laid his head down on his arm near their joined hands and quickly fell asleep.
Sasuke was awoken by the sound of sheets rustling against his ear and his head instantly shot up, his gaze focused on Sakura's face. Her head shifted once and then twice before her eyes fluttered open.
"Sakura!" Sasuke exclaimed knocking over his chair when he jumped out of it, moving closer to the head of the bed.
She turned her head towards him and her jade orbs met his for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
"Sasuke." She breathed lifting her hand towards his face. "You saved me."
He covered the hand she had pressed to his cheek with his own and shuddered at the sensation of her skin on his. It had been so long since she'd touched him like this. Moisture stung his eyes as tears began to form.
"You had already nearly saved yourself." He replied. "I just helped you a little."
She smiled warmly at him melting the thin layer of ice around his heart that had formed in her absence.
"Welcome home Sasuke." She said softly. "I'm so happy to see you."
Overcome with emotion, he leaned down and kissed her. It was a sweet kiss full of appreciation and gratitude. She was finally awake and he was finally where he belonged, by her side. There was nothing else he wanted.
"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Sakura asked wiping away a tear with her finger.
"Sakura… Do you know what day it is?" he asked.
She cocked a brow at that. "What day is it?" she glanced at the date displayed on the board in her hospital room and her eyes widened. "No way! How can this be?"
"The demon really did a number on you." Sasuke said sitting next to her on the bed, unwilling, or unable to move away from her now that she was awake. "I had to use very heavy handed genjutsu in order to free you from her hold. You've been unconscious for almost three weeks."
She groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. "This is awful. The chunin exams are just around the corner and I have so much to do. I-"
Sasuke pressed his mouth to hers again unable to resist her now that she was awake and clearly perfectly fine. There was no way she'd be worried about the chunin exams if she'd suffered any lasting damage from either his genjutsu or the demon's wretched spell. He tipped her head up with his fingertips plunging his tongue into her mouth, desperate to taste her again.
"Sasuke." Sakura squeaked as he settled half way on top of her as he plundered her mouth.
"Shut up, Sakura." He said between wet kisses.
His hand tangled in her hair feeling the silky tresses. He stroked her cheek feeling the soft warm skin beneath his fingertips. All the while he kept his mouth sealed to hers plucking, nipping and sucking at her plump lips until he had no choice but to pull away so that they could both catch their breath.
"Sasuke." Sakura murmured framing his face with her hands. "I love you. I love you so much."
"I know." He replied pressing his forehead to hers.
The door slid open and Lady Tsunade marched inside followed closely by a blushing Naruto. Sasuke wasn't sure why he was blushing but he had a pretty good idea based on the way his friend's blue eyes avoided making contact with his own that the reason would probably make him angry.
"You're awake finally." The legendary kunoichi said stepping up to Sakura's bedside. "It seems your husband made it home from his mission just in time too."
"Mission? What mission?" Sakura asked her eyes narrowing at Sasuke while Lady Tsunade pressed her fingers to her wrist and then laid a green tinged hand across her forehead.
"Just an easy escort mission. Nothing major." Naruto assured her with a smile. "Right Sasuke?"
The ink haired man nodded. "It was easy." He said sliding off the bed and righting the chair at her bedside. "I brought Omio and Karui to the village."
"Right. They're in charge of doing prep work for the chunin exams for The Hidden Cloud right?" she asked.
"That's right." Naruto replied walking up to her and laying his hand on top of her head. "You really had us worried there for a while." He admitted.
Sakura blushed a little before her eyes widened. "Hinata! Temari! Ino!" she exclaimed in rapid succession bolting upright in bed. "I remember they were there with me. What happened to them!?" she pressed a hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut. "Ow!" she hissed.
"Easy." Lady Tsunade said pushing some of her healing charka into Sakura's body. "You've been bedridden for nearly a month. You know better than to sit up suddenly like that." She scolded.
"They're all fine Sakura." Naruto assured her gently. "The others woke up a few days ago and are already recovering at home. I'm sure they'll come running when they find out you're awake."
"Just like you did?" Lady Tsunade said glancing at the blonde.
Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I was worried too."
"Sorry for troubling all of you." Sakura said her head lowering. "It's my fault for-"
"Stop it." Sasuke said firmly. "Blaming yourself is the same as laying the blame at my feet."
Her face paled at that. "No, I-"
"If you want to blame someone, blame the brat that got drunk and ripped the sealing tag off." Naruto said firmly before his face softened. "Relax Sakura. We're all just happy that you're ok. Leave the worrying to us for now." He glanced out at the clouds and yawned. "I'm gonna head back to the office and let the others know how you're doing. See you around Sakura, Sasuke." He said waving to both as he headed out the door.
Sakura sighed and pressed her fingers to her temple. "Can I go home?" she asked.
"Hmm…" Lady Tsunade said touching her chin. "You're muscles haven't atrophied much and your brain function and chakra network are fine however…"
"What is it?" The pink haired medic asked.
"You have a tendency to over work yourself. If I let you go home, you'll probably try running the hospital from your own bed." The blonde said giving her student a hard look.
"You don't need to worry about that." Sasuke said. "I'll make sure she doesn't strain herself."
Lady Tsunade glanced at him and then smirked. "Something tells me you're the only one capable of pulling off such a feat." She said. "Alright then. You can go home, but if you step foot in this or the children's hospital or I hear word of you 'helping' with preparations for the Chunin exams before I give you the ok, I'll make you wish you'd stayed here."
Sakura swallowed noisily and then nodded. "Yes milady." she said softly.
"Excellent. I'll get your discharge papers ready." The blonde said with a smile.
"It feels like I was just here." Sakura said sitting down and leaning lightly against the wall to catch her breath at the entrance to her apartment.
Sasuke knelt in front of her and reached for her sandal clad feet.
"I can do that." Saukra assured him reaching out to bat his hand away. "Just give me a second." He ignored her protests and quickly slipped off one sandal and then the other. "Sasuke, I'm fine really."
"If you think you can fool me, you're wrong." He said tugging her swiftly to her feet. When she stumbled into his chest, he wrapped his arm around her. "See? You don't even have a decent sense of balance right now."
Sakura sighed and took a small step back. "Maybe I was just pretending so that you'd hold me." She said offering him a coy smile. "Anyway you probably haven't eaten yet right? I'll go make us something." She said pulling away to walk down the hallway towards the kitchen.
Sasuke's brow twitched. This girl. This annoying girl had only grown more stubborn with time. She was still using the wall of the hall to keep herself balanced. Did she think he was stupid or something? That he wouldn't notice her weakness? She should know better than anyone that he picked up on things like that faster than anyone else. It was one of the reasons he was so good at what he did. Figuring out the enemy's weakness and then exploiting it was how you defeated them quickly and efficiently after all. He swept forward, grabbed his wife around the waist and slung her over his shoulder.
"Sasuke! What are you doing?" she demanded twisting to try to look at his face.
He kicked open the door to their bedroom and carried her inside tossing her gently on the bed.
"I am going out to get us something to eat." He told her firmly. "If I come back and find that you've moved from this spot, you're going to wish you'd stayed in the hospital with Lady Tsunade breathing down your neck."
Her eyes widened before she sighed and looked away. "You're all so demanding." She grumbled crossing her arms over her chest. "All I need is to get back to my old routine and I'll be fine. Doing a little paperwork or training won't hurt."
Sasuke's jaw clenched and his hand balled into a fist. "Will you just listen to me for once!? You damn annoying woman!"
Sakura's jade eyes widened and she flinched her hands flying up to cover her heart. The action set his own heart aching and he hissed out a breath raking his hand through his hair. He hadn't meant to hurt or frighten her. He was just frustrated with her lack of care for her own wellbeing.
"I'm sorry Sasuke." Sakura whispered bowing her head. "Please…" tears welled up and slid down her cheeks. "Please don't leave me." She pleaded drawing her knees up to her chest as she softly sobbed.
He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for her his heart clenching when she flinched at the sight of his hand coming towards her. He touched her gently cupping the back of her head and pulled her against his chest.
"Stop." He said softly. "I can't stand your tears."
"I'm sorry." Sakura whispered trembling against him.
"I told you to stop!" he said more insistently his grip on her tightening when she tried to pull away. He took another deep breath. "Sakura, please try to understand. I nearly lost you. You were seriously injured during that incident with the demon. You were unresponsive when I left on my next mission and your condition temporarily worsened while I was away." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I know that you're strong but even the strongest people have moments when they're weak and need to rely on others." He pressed his cheek to hers. "Rely on me. Let me take care of you, Sakura."
She sniffed and shifted brushing her lips across his cheek. "Alright Sasuke. Please take care of me."
"That's a good girl." He said pressing a kiss to her temple. "Now as I was saying, I'm going out to get ingredients for dinner. Is there anything else you want or need?" he asked standing from the bed and straightening his cloak.
"Something sweet?" Sakura said a hopeful tone in her voice. "And can I at least have a book to read before you go."
"Sure. Is there a specific book you had in mind?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. Anything will do."
He walked over to the small book shelf near their bed and looked through the titles. Spotting the botany book she'd bought on their honey moon, he pulled it from the shelf and handed it to her.
"I'll be back soon." He promised pressing a light kiss to her lips. "Stay in bed. I mean it."
"Alright." She replied touching her lips to his cheek. "See you later."
He nodded and walked back through the apartment making a quick stop to check on the contents of the refrigerator. Somebody, her mother most likely, had taken all of the perishables and left only and bare necessities. That was just fine with him. It was much better than opening a fridge to find a bunch of expired spoiled food. He searched through the cupboards and found her store of rice and filled her rice cooker figuring a light lunch of rice balls would work for both of them. He slipped his shoes back on and left their apartment closing the door firmly behind him.
He made his way into the village was surprised that fewer eyes and whispers followed him. Perhaps they were all finally starting to get used to the fact that he was here to stay. He stopped at a vegetable stand and scanned the selection. It was hot and he was not a fan of the heat. He wanted something crisp and cool for dinner. Crisp vegetables, a chilled pasta salad with fresh fruit for desert sounded perfect. It would be something easy for Sakura to eat as well.
"Can I help you sir?" A middle aged woman said stepping towards him.
He glanced up at her and her eyes widened. "Wait! You're Sasuke Uchiha aren't you?" He nodded. "You married Lady Sakura did you not?" she asked.
"Yes." He replied trying to figure out where the conversation was going.
"Ah! That poor girl. I heard she's been bedridden for the past several weeks. Tell me, how is she?" the woman asked.
"She's at home resting." He replied.
The older woman breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." She said with a smile. "Doing the shopping for her?"
"Something like that." Sasuke replied placing the items he wanted in the basket she offered him.
"What a fine husband." She said with a knowing grin. "I was a little worried when I heard the news at first." She confessed "But Sakura has had a glow about her ever since you two tied the knot that simply can't be ignored."
Sasuke nodded and handed the woman her money and was surprised when the woman laid a bunch of medium sized bright red tomatoes in his bag as he was leaving.
"Umm…" he said awkwardly.
"I little birdie told me that her husband has a fondness for those. You'll be helping me out by taking this bunch off of my hands." She said with a wink. "Let Sakura know I wish her well and look forward to seeing her again."
"I will. Thank you." He replied leaving the stand behind and making his way to his next stop.
He stepped inside the grocery store and collected the noodles and sauce he needed and quickly stepped out again. "One more stop." He said to himself glancing down the street at a sweets shop.
He nearly groaned. He couldn't stand sweet things. Itachi had always adored them sucking down sweet dumplings like they were nothing while he quietly gagged behind him. Even so, this was for Sakura, not him. He stepped inside and his nose wrinkled at the overwhelming scent of sugar.
"Hello sir, can I help you?" a young man at the counter asked.
Sasuke stepped up to it and glanced over the selection candy, sweet bread, dumplings and red bean soup and frowned. What would Sakura like best? His brother had been partial to tri colored dumpling but Sakura… His brow furrowed. What had she always gotten when she dragged them to sweets shops in the past? Naruto liked sweet bean soup, but Sakura…
"Would you like a sample? It might be easier for you to decide that way." The young man offered.
"It's not for me. It's for my wife." Sasuke replied.
"Ah, that explains it." The young man said with a smile. "If you tell me your wife's name, I might be able to help you out. If she's a regular here anyway."
"Sakura Uchiha, formerly Haruno." The ink haired man said curtly.
The man's face brightened into a wide grin. "So you're the infamous former rouge ninja everyone's been talking about." He said reaching into one of the glass cases. "Lady Sakura is quite fond of our anko dumplings." He said placing several into a container and drizzling syrup over them before handing them to the dark haired man who slipped them into his bag.
"How much?" Sasuke asked struggling a little to reach his coin purse with the bags draper over his arm.
"It's on the house." The man said with a wave of his hand. "Tell Lady Sakura we wish her a speedy recovery."
Once again Sasuke was surprised by the generosity offered in behalf of his wife and bowed before heading back in the direction of the home her shared with Sakura.
"Look at that. The rouge ninja is back in town." Kiba called out approaching him with a silent Shino by and dog Akamaru by his side. "Long time no see Sasuke."
Sasuke glanced at the dog handler with a little wariness in his eyes. Out of all of his former classmates, Kiba had been the most openly distrustful of him. He hadn't really seen him except in passing since his own bachelor party.
"Hello Kiba, Shino." He said greeting the pair of ninja in turn.
Kiba seemed a little surprised at his greeting. "What are you doing?" Kiba asked studying the bags he carried. "I heard Sakura's in the hospital. Shouldn't you be with her? You are her husband after all."
The Uchiha didn't miss the hardness in the tracking ninja's voice. Whether it was from jealousy, protectiveness over Sakura or something else, he wasn't sure but it put him on edge.
"She was released almost two hours ago." Sasuke replied.
"So you're doing the shopping for her?" Kiba asked his brow cocking. "Well aren't you just the model husband."
Sasuke didn't have anything to reply to that so he simply continued onward towards his destination.
"Where have you been anyway?" Kiba asked falling in step beside him.
"An escort mission." Shino answered. "He escorted the representatives from The Cloud in the same way we escorted the representatives from The Mist."
"Oh." Kiba replied lamely. "Well we should probably get to Lord Hokage's office. We were summoned after all. See ya Sasuke."
Sasuke sighed and mounted the stairs to the apartment and was about to set his bags down to grab his key when the door swung open.
"Sasuke dear! I thought I heard you coming. Come in." Mebuki said ushering him inside. "What a wonderful young man you are, doing the shopping. Here, let me take those for you." She said reaching out to pull the packages off of his arms.
The Uchiha blinked in surprise and nearly sighed as he bent over to take off his shoes. Sakura's mother was so different from his own. She was loud, head strong, and had no qualms about dragging you along at her own crazy pace. He stepped further into the home and saw several rice balls sitting on the table.
"Sorry about that." She said as he stepped into the kitchen. "I saw the rice made and just couldn't help myself.
"It's fine." He replied. "It's what I had planned to do anyway."
"Oh good." Mebuki said putting the groceries he'd picked up away at a speed that boggled his mind. "It looks like you've got dinner for tonight taken care of. I'll bring you by something tomorrow." She said with a smile. "Alright!" she said admiring the organized refrigerator. "Perfect." She walked into their bedroom with quick steps. "Sakura dear! Sasuke's back so I'm going to head out. Your father and I will be by tomorrow for dinner. Rest up!" she walked back out into the kitchen and patted Sasuke on the shoulder. "I'm really glad you're back. Please call if you need anything. Sakura knows the number." She gave him a quick bone cracking hug. "Thanks again for looking after my little girl. I know she's a handful." She smiled broadly at him before nearly dancing out the door. "See you both later!" she called out closing the door firmly behind her.
Sasuke blinked several times before picking up a rice ball from the nearby plate and staggering into the bedroom.
"Are you ok?" Sakura asked looking up from her book.
"Your mother… she…." He couldn't quite put into words how the blonde woman made him feel.
Sakura snorted and then laughed out right curling over her as she clutched at her stomach. "I'm sorry." She said as she gasped for air. "It's just Kakashi said the exact same thing with the exact same expression on his face when I asked about their first meeting." She sat up and smiled at him. "She throws you off doesn't she?"
Sasuke nodded and took a bite of his rice ball as he walked over to his wife. "Did you eat already?" he asked.
The pink haired woman nodded. "I did. My mom all but shoved two down my throat and was going for a third when I reminded her I hadn't eaten solid foods in almost a month and would probably be sick if I tried to eat any more."
"Sorry I was gone so long. The shopping took me a little longer than I'd anticipated." He said glancing around the room for proof that she'd done as he asked and stayed in bed.
"It's fine." Sakura said. "My mom showed up only a few minutes after you left. I think it made her happy to fuss over me a bit. I don't let her do it much anymore." She ran her finger over the stitching in the pale green comforter that covered the bed. "It's one of the reasons I moved out actually."
"Oh?" Sasuke said finishing his rice ball. "What were the other reasons?"
The pink haired woman's lips quirked up into a tiny, sad smile. "I had really nasty night terrors after the war. I'd wake up screaming between two and four times a night for several months. It scared both of my parents to death. I could tell it was taking a toll on them so I left. They fought me of course but I won in the end."
"Sorry." Sasuke said softly.
There was no doubt in his mind that he was the root of most of her terrifying dreams.
Sakura shrugged. "It's in the past now." She said simply. "So how did shopping go?"
"Good. You're well liked in the village." He commented.
Sakura smirked at that. "Maybe, or they might just want to get on the good side of their doctor." She said leaning against him when he sat down beside her. "Thanks for doing the shopping and sorry about earlier. I'm just so used to taking care of everyone else that letting someone else take care of me," she sighed. "It feels wrong."
Sasuke shook his head and nudged her with his shoulder lightly. "It's fine. How are you feeling?"
"Much better." She replied. "Can we go for a walk?" she asked. "It doesn't have to be long, I just want to get outside for a little bit."
Sasuke studied her for a moment before he sighed. "I'll make you a deal. We go on a short walk if you agree to rest afterwards and not lift a finger during dinner preparation, serving, or cleanup. Is that fair?"
Her jade eyes narrowed slightly. "You drive a hard bargain Sasuke Uchiha." She grumbled, "But alright."
He nodded and helped her out of bed and started towards the door.
"Wait!" Sakura exclaimed stopping in front of her closet. "I need to change first."
Sasuke's brow cocked as he looked over the pink shirt with white Haruno symbol on it and the white knit, knee length shorts she wore. He'd prefer her wearing the Uchiha crest but other than that, he thought her clothes were fine.
"What's wrong with what you're wearing now?" he asked. "We're just going for a short walk."
Sakura groaned and slammed a palm to her face. "Men!" she grumbled. "You never understand. Just give me five minutes to change."
"Alright but I'm staying in here." Sasuke said sitting down on the chair in front of her mirrored table.
She blushed and sighed before quickly grabbing a green short sleeved shirt and tan pants. "I need to go shopping soon." She muttered pulling her tee shirt over her head before shimmying out of her shorts.
"Why?" Sasuke said glancing at her closet.
It wasn't overflowing really, but honestly how many sets of clothing did someone need? Then again, his mother's closet had been much fuller. Perhaps it was just part of being a woman.
"I just don't have a very large selection, and…" she picked up one of her red dresses and touched the Haruno symbol on the back of it. "It's time for this to change isn't it?"
Sasuke's eyes widened and then softened as he stood and walked over to her wrapping his arm around her waist. Beautiful, she was so beautiful and thoughtful. It made his heart swell in ways it never had before he'd opened his heart to her. He laid his lips on the side of her neck and slid his hand down over her abdomen to the waist band of her panties making her gasp.
"Sasuke." She whimpered when his fingers slipped beneath to fabric to slide through her slick folds. "Our walk…"
"We'll go later." He replied nipping at her earlobe. "Right now, I want you Sakura."
She blushed scarlet and leaned against him as he stroked and teased her with his fingers.
"Sasuke." She groaned hooking and arm around the back of his neck tipping her head back in total surrender.
"Yes." He hissed withdrawing his hand and guiding her to the bed.
While on his escort mission, he'd take along those freaking perverted books of Kakashi's determined to learn more about pleasing his wife. Sakura always made sure he was satisfied and he wanted to do the same for her. Reading the damn porn in words had been borderline mortifying, particularly since he knew exactly who had written them and who the inspiration for most of the characters had been. Still, he had to hand it to the old Toad, he clearly knew his stuff, or at least knew how to write like he did.
Sakura laid out on the bed, her shirt hiked up to neck and he frowned. She'd always been trim and fit, but for the first time, he could see what her weeks of being in a coma had taken from her. She was quite thin now, her ribs clearly visible beneath her skin, her collar bones protruding from her skin more than he'd seen them before. Even her hip bones jutted out of her skin at an almost sickly angle.
"Sakura." He murmured softly skimming his fingers along her rib cage a little sickened that he could count every rib. "You've gotten so thin."
She blushed and looked away. "I didn't even notice." She confessed tugging on the hem of her shirt so that it covered her again. "I'm sorry." She said sitting up her arms wrapped around her body as she looked down. "Let's just go on that walk. I'll be back to normal in no ti-"
Sasuke's jaw clenched in anger as he threw her back onto the mattress in a move that looked so similar to a combat clothesline it probably would have frightened anyone else who'd seen it. He climbed on top of her straddling her hips and held her wrists in his hand above her head.
"Are you going to take every observation of mine as an insult?" he demanded all of the fight leeching out of him when tears welled in her eyes and she turned away from his gaze. "Damn it!" he growled leaning forward until his forehead touched hers. "It's not supposed to be like this." Making her cry was the last thing he wanted to do.
He gently kissed her forehead, then her temple, the corner of her eye, her cheek bone, her nose, her chin, and the corner of her mouth. When he finally kissed her lips he did everything in his power to make sure it was sweet and gentle, keeping a tight rein on his passion for her as he coaxed her gently into responding to him. When he felt her wrists go lax in his hands and her lips finally began to move with his, he pulled away. He released her wrists and sat up cupping her face with his hand, brushing away the lingering tears with his thumbs. When she still refused to meet his gaze, he sighed and pulled his shirt off tossing it carelessly to the floor.
"Sakura, look at me." He commanded softly.
Her jade eyes hesitantly met his and he nearly cringed at the uncertainty and insecurity he saw there. She was such a lovely thing both inside and out. How was it that she couldn't see just how beautiful she really was? Then again, she'd be picked on since their primary school days about her forehead. He'd also heard Sai's brutal nickname for her as well as Ino's causal comments about how her chest was 'flat as a board' which he knew for a fact was completely untrue. Perhaps she was more delicate than he'd originally thought. After all, even he had his own body insecurities.
With a sigh he picked up her hand and lifted it until it was touching the bandaged remains of his right arm. "Sakura, do you think any less of me because of this?" he asked.
Her eyes widened in alarm. "Of course not!" she protested loudly the spark of anger he'd been hoping to ignite in her flashing behind her eyes. "How could you even think that?! I love you, just the way you are."
"Then why do you think I would reject you over something as trivial as your weight?" he asked.
Her eyes widened and she flung her arm over her eyes covering her face. "There are so many girls. So many beautiful girls who still fawn over you. I'm just afraid that my body and my feelings aren't going to be enough to keep you with me." She confessed.
Sasuke closed his eyes. Her insecurities were much deeper than he thought. It was also likely a side effect of having been in the coma for so long. She was physically weaker than normal and unable to perform even the simplest tasks the way she wanted to. His eyes flew open as he came to the startling realization that she was feeling vulnerable. What she wanted, no, needed from him was comfort and reassurance.
He leaned down and pressed his lips to her lips and then trailed them back to her ear. "Sakura, I love you." He murmured. "It has always been you for me and that will never change."
Her arm moved away from her face and he felt her tremble beneath him.
"Do you mean that?" She asked softly.
"Every word." He replied before kissing down her neck. "Now, where were we?" he said reaching for the hem of her shirt. "I believe I was in the process of getting you naked before your inferiority complex barged in and ruined the moment."
Her eyes widened and blazed. "Excuse me? Inferiority complex?" she sputtered.
"Umhmm." He murmured as he pulled her shirt over her head. "You should know about it Madam Hospital Director. You've had one since the chunin exams at least, maybe even a little before that."
"You arrogant little sh-"
He cut her off by squeezing her breast while he nipped at her collarbone.
"Ah ah. That kind of crude language is unbecoming of an Uchiha." He teased reaching around her to unclasp her bra.
"You're starting to piss me off." Sakura warned him.
"Good. You look sexy when you're angry." He replied smirking at her from where his head lay between her breasts and pressed a kiss between the two lovely mounds.
She blushed red all the way to the roots of her hair before her eyes narrowed. "I thought you liked it when I was submissive?" she reminded him.
"That side of you is nice too." He replied before kissing down her abdomen.
He reached the waist band of her panties and pulled them down smirking at how wet she already was. He stroked her once, then twice admiring the way her back arched and her head pressed into the pillow before taking a deep breath. He'd read about it in Kakashi's porn books and heard enough men boasting in hot springs and at bars in his lifetime to know that what he was about to attempt was a sure way to please a woman. Apparently, foreplay was important to the fairer sex unlike men who tended to just rut and get it over with. Sasuke was eager to pleasure his wife, particularly after all of the pain he'd caused her both in the past and now. Sakura had done something similar to him in the past, so the least he could do was return the favor.
He studied the pink petals between her legs before leaning forward and swiping his tongue along them. The taste was musky, not exactly pleasant by any means, but not intolerable. He focused on the pearl at the top that always made Sakura tremble when he touched it and touched the tip of his tongue to the small, pink, nub wiggling it gently. Sakura immediately tensed and reached for him shoving at his shoulders as she tried to scoot her body further up the bed and away from his mouth.
"What are you doing!?" she demanded.
He'd anticipated such a reaction from her and grabbed her hip tightly wedging himself firmly between her legs as she tried to clamp them shut.
"Relax Sakura." He cooed. "Let me please you."
"No!" she stated firmly shoving at his head as he moved closer to her core again. "It's dirty and gosh this is so embarrassing."
He rose up to look at her nearly smirking at the redness of her face and mortified expression in her eyes.
"Sakura." He nearly whined. "I want to. Please let me."
Her hands covered her face which darkened further as she moaned in frustration watching him from between the gaps in her fingers. "Gods! It should be illegal for someone to be so sexy." She groaned quietly.
He smirked at her praise before lowering his head and licking her slit again listening closely to her cries of pleasure. Sooner than he'd anticipated, she came after a particularly rough tonguing of her clit and shrieked as she arched off the bed before her upper body curled forward as she moaned and shuddered in the aftershocks of her climax.
Before she had a chance to fully recover, he pushed off his pants and boxers throwing them to the floor beside his shirt and sheathed himself in her groaning in bliss at the sensation of her warm wet walls around him. Gods it had been so long since he'd filled her this way and he quickly set a fast pace. His hand tangled in her hair and he kissed and sucked at her neck and shoulder as he rocked doing his best to keep it gentle, mindful that she was still recovering from her ordeal with the demon.
Her arms wrapped around him one hand sliding into his hair while the other pressed into his back between his shoulder blades. Her legs wrapped around his waist inviting him deeper and he gasped at the sensation.
"Sakura." He groaned against her neck. "Gods Sakura." He tugged on her earlobe as he felt the tension signaling his impending release building.
"Sasuke!" She exclaimed. "I love you. So much."
Her walls twitched around him and it was enough. He spilled himself inside her with a shout and then collapsed half way on top of her. He was home. There was no way to deny it now. Here in her arms was what he'd always wanted but had been too blind to see and then too ashamed to take. He'd been such a fool. Now though, he was fairly certain he could be counted among the happiest, and most content men in the world, all because he had her.
"I can't believe you did that." Sakura grumbled as he rolled to his back.
He glanced over at her as she curled into a ball her face aglow with her embarrassment and smirked. "You enjoyed it so what's the problem?" He reached out and tugged on a lock of cotton candy colored hair. "I look forward to doing that again. I've never heard you shriek that loud outside the battlefield."
"You jerk." She grumbled. "I couldn't even remember my own name there for a second."
"Good, then I did my job right." He replied stroking is fingers over the curve of her waist.
"Making me come is your job?" she asked her eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Absolutely. It's a husband's job to keep his wife satisfied in every way." He said nuzzling her shoulder.
Sakura blushed and glanced away. "You're such a tease in bed." She grumbled.
"Only you would know." He reminded her smiling when she yawned and curled up against him. "Did I manage to wear out the Legendary Slug Sannin?" he asked as she nuzzled his chest.
"Can it, you." She muttered. "Just wait until I recover. I'll be the one to wear you out."
"I'm looking forward to it." He said kissing the top of her head. "Go ahead and sleep. We'll take that walk you wanted after dinner. It'll be cooler then anyway."
"Ok Sasuke." Sakura replied her voice slurring before she dropped off to sleep beside him.
He nearly shook his head at her obvious exhaustion and watched her sleep for more than a quarter of an hour ensuring that her breathing was even but not too deep before he slipped out of bed and pulled the covers around her. He picked up his clothes and pulled them on with lazy grace and draped Sakura's discarded clothes over a chair before padding lightly out to the kitchen.
Since he'd lived mostly by himself for the past couple of years, he'd learned to do several things one handed. That included cooking. It wasn't graceful or easy but he managed just fine. Having someone watch him cook made him a bit uncomfortable but he figured that would go away with enough time and practice.
He'd just dumped the noodles for the pasta dish into the pot of boiling water when there was a light rapping at the door. His brow wrinkled in irritation as he laid the bamboo mixing spoon across the top of the pot to prevent it from boiling over and stalked towards the door hanging up the apron he'd been using on a hook near the hallway.
"Whoever that is better not wake her up." He grumbled under his breath as he reached for the door knob.
He pulled it open quickly and blinked in surprise at the sight of Kai Yamanaka with his arms filled with an arrangement of red, pink, and white flowers, and Kou Hyuga who had a basket of fruit in his hand.
"Hello Sasuke, how is Lady Sakura?" Kou asked.
"She's resting at the moment." Sasuke replied though not as curtly as he would have in the past. "Do you need her for something?"
"Not at all." The mild mannered ninja replied holding out the basket to him. "Here's a get well gift. Lady Hanabi and the rest of us send their regards."
"Oh, thank you." Sasuke replied taking the basket.
"Here, these are from Ino and the rest of us." Kai said laying the flowers on top of the basket. "She said she'd stop by in a couple of days when Sakura was back on her feet. To be honest, Ino's still pretty worn out herself."
"Thank you." The ink haired man said again a bit unsure of himself. Drawing on the manners his mother had all but etched into his bones as a child, he took a step back. "Would you like to come inside?"
The two ninja glanced at one another and then nodded.
"Sure, just for a little bit though." Kai said stepping inside.
Sasuke nodded and carried the fruit and flowers inside and set them on the kitchen table. He opened the cupboard where Sakura kept a collection of vases and choose the second largest one and filled it with water. He stirred his pasta and then turned the heat down a little before carrying the vase over to the table and filling it with the flowers. He then grabbed the teapot from the counter, filled it and set it on a nearby burner to prepare tea for his unexpected guests. It was amazing how easily his mother's teachings came back to him.
"Wow. You and Sakura have a pretty nice place." Kai said entering the kitchen.
"Thank you." The ink haired man replied turning back to the vegetables he'd started cutting before they arrived.
"Preparing dinner, this early?" Kou remarked glancing at the clock.
"What I'm making needs time to chill before serving." Sasuke explained.
Besides, everything took longer when using only one hand. It was better to start early and have a little time left over than to start later and have to wait to finish. Particularly since punctuality was so important to both him and Sakura.
"Ah, that makes sense." Kou said.
Kai sat down at the table and fussed with the flowers until they looked the way he wanted them to in the vase. "Isn't that kinda hard to do with one hand?" the blonde commented motioning to the carrots Sasuke was cutting.
"Kai." Kou admonished quietly.
Sasuke nearly chuckled at that. "It's fine." He replied setting the knife down to dump the cut vegetables into a bowl. "Most things are more difficult with one hand." He said carrying the vegetables to the fridge.
"Have you thought about a prosthetic?" Kou asked.
Sasuke paused for a moment as he reached for an apple before he picked it up and laid it on the cutting board.
"I've decided not to get one." He replied slicing through the red fruit.
"Really? But why?" Kai asked. "Wouldn't it make everything a lot easier?"
"Definitely." Sasuke replied. "However, after seeing what happened to Madara, I'd rather not mix my Uchiha blood with Senju cells if I can help it." It was only a small part of the real reason but he didn't feel the need to share his closest feelings with them.
"I'm not sure I understand." Kou confessed.
Sasuke cursed himself a fool forgetting that few people knew what had actually happened after Madara had launched the Infinate Tsukinomei jutsu. It wasn't 'top secret' or anything. Just not common knowledge.
"Kabuto used Hashirama's cells to enhance Madara's already incredible power during the war. The combination of his Uciha blood and Hashirama's cells was what allowed Kaguya, the progenitor of Chakra and the driving force behind all of the entire war to reincarnate using his body." He explained dumping his cut apple into a different bowl and picking up the whistling teapot and putting the tea leaves inside it to steep.
"So that's how it happened." Kou said touching his chin. "Isn't she sealed away now?" he asked.
Sasuke nodded. "That's part of the problem. She's not dead, or destroyed, just sealed away. There's a chance that she could return to this world if one of my decedents lost themselves and tried what Madara did though I'll do my best to insure that never happens."
"I think I understand." Kai said. "Couldn't you use curse marks the way the Hyuga do in order to destroy the sharringan upon death to prevent that?"
The Uchiha immediately shook his head. "No. I can't imagine putting one of those things on any child, let alone my own. In addition, the reanimation jutsu brings you back in your most complete form. It wouldn't really make a difference."
"How do you figure that?" Kou asked.
Sasuke turned and touched the corner of his onyx eye. "These are my brother's eyes. I had them implanted in myself after he died." He said. "Even so, my brother appeared as a reanimated shinobi with his eyes and visual prowess completely intact."
Kai's eyes widened. "You know, no matter how many times I hear about that, the idea of transplanting someone's eyes into another person's head freaks me out a little."
"Wait until you watch someone pull out their own eye without flinching." Sasuke muttered pouring each of them a cup of tea.
"No way!" Kai exclaimed with a shudder as Sasuke carried the cups one at a time to the table.
"Please try to keep the noise down." The ink haired man said glancing towards the bedroom door when he heard Sakura's breathing change, when it settled back into a normal rhythm indicating that she'd just shifted positions he relaxed again. "My wife is resting."
Kai clapped his hands over his mouth and dropped his chin to the table. "Sorry." He whispered. "But still…" he said raising his head. "How could anyone just… rip their own eye out like that?"
Sasuke shrugged and then looked down at his hand. "Perhaps it's because my people have high pain tolerance."
The Yamanacha shrugged and sipped his tea. "That still sounds crazy." He said. "Which reminds me, I've always wondered, how does that giant of yours work?" he asked. "I mean, I've seen you make a full grown armored man with four arms but I've also seen you make just a head or a limb."
The Uchiha stirred his pot of boiling noodles before grabbing vinegar, oil, and herbs to mix into the dressing for his pasta salad.
"It's a matter of necessity. Why create a fully armored four armed behemoth when the rib cage is enough to protect me?" he said frowning when the oil bottle slipped from his fingers and flew towards the floor. He caught it with the top of his foot and then snapped it upwards again catching it easily.
"Impressive." Kou said with a smile already standing to help with the potential mess. "I also have a question about your Susanoo, do you mind?"
Sasuke shrugged. It wasn't like either of them could steal the technique even if they knew about it.
"How does it feel?" The Hyuga asked. "What's the sensation like?"
He blinked in surprise at that. He hadn't expected that question. While thinking of a response, he drained the noodles and then poured them in a bowl. He then drizzled the dressing over the top and began mixing it together.
"It's a bit hard to explain, but it feels as though every cell in my body is in pain." He said his brow furrowing as he struggled for the right words. "The bigger and more complete the Susanoo, the more intense the pain becomes."
Kou and Kai exchanged a look before the Hyuga spoke.
"Fascinating. I suppose it's only fitting though. Great power comes at a great price otherwise the temptation to abuse it becomes too much." He said.
Sasuke nodded and turned with his bowl and carried it to the refrigerator. As he walked past the counter, his elbow caught the edge of a wooden spoon that swept across the counter top and sent the cutting board and knife clattering to the floor.
"Damn!" he hissed when he heard Sakura's breathing suddenly change and the springs in the mattress shift as she bolted upright in bed.
"Sasuke?" she called out, her voice roughed with sleep.
With a sigh, he closed the fridge and quickly strode across the room to the bedroom and slipped past the door, closing it quickly behind him.
"Sasuke?" Saukra murmured pulling the sheet up to cover her chest. "What's going on?"
"Go back to sleep." He said walking around to her bedside and gently pushing her back into the pillows. "I just dropped something while cooking. There's nothing to worry about."
She reached for the glass of water on the bedside table but he beat her to it, and handed it to her. She sipped lightly and then sighed when he took it from her.
"Who else is here?" she asked. "I can hear movement in the kitchen."
"Kou and Kai stopped by." He replied brushing her hair from her face.
"You made new friends?" The pink haired medic said with a little smile. "That's great."
"I would say I consider them friends." Sasuke replied glancing away from her.
She chuckled softly and grabbed his hand squeezing it lightly. "Perhaps they could earn that honor one day." Her eye lashes fluttered and her grip slackened.
"Sleep." Sasuke said leaning forward to press his lips to her forehead. "I'll wake you when it's time for dinner."
"Alright." She replied softly before closing her eyes again her breathing already slowing.
He smiled down at her and brushed his fingers over the curve of her cheek before leaving the room closing the door silently behind him.
"Is Lady Sakura alright?" Kou asked from where he stood over the sink washing the dishes.
"Yes." Sasuke replied. "What are you doing?"
"Just helping a little." Kou replied. "I'm sure you could do this yourself, but caring for your wife should be your top priority." He said with a smile. "There's a cup of tea for you on the table."
The ink haired man blinked unsure of what to say or feel.
"Just say thank you and sit down." Kai said from where he stood next to Kou drying the dishes with a towel. "Your wife is down for the count and you've hardly had time to breathe since returning from your escort mission. Take a break and let someone help you. Both you and Sakura are important to the village and having you both ragged isn't good for anyone." He smirked. "We comrades are supposed to look out for one another on and off the battlefield aren't we?"
Sasuke's eyes widened at that. The fact that these two grown men, warriors in their own right were willingly doing dishes in his home because it was for the good of the village was mind boggling. This was what made a village different from a group like the Akatsuki. It wasn't every man, or partnership for himself, it wasn't even just teamwork. A village was almost like a giant family. Sure there were bad apples, he himself had been one not too long ago. But at the end of the day, the ninja here looked after one another. He'd forgotten that, or rather, he'd never been willing to receive such acts of kindness before, determined to do everything on his own. Now, older, wiser and with someone else to think about, he was finally in a place to not only accept such help but be thankful for it.
"Thank you." He said sitting down at the table feeling a surge of gratitude for his two former companions as they offered him a kind of support he'd never really felt before.
Author's Note: Phew! That was a long chapter…Thank you for reading, favoriting, and reviewing! You guys are great. I've noticed a couple of reviewers caught that sometimes I've typed rouge instead of rogue. I apologize for the typo. Yes I know what the difference is, however as a working parent of a toddler with no beta, who does all the writing and editing solo some things just slip through the cracks, particularly when they're both words that neither my spell, nor grammar checker catch. (since they're both correctly spelled, true words). I do my best to make sure that the chapters come out on time and sometimes that means other things slide. Again, I'm sorry for the confusion but I do not have time to go back and edit all previous chapters for that particular mistake without putting off the release time of upcoming chapters. I hope to get to that sometime in the future when this story is completed. Until next time!
