Author's Note: I'm back! Thank you so much for your follows, favorties, and reviews. They inspire me when life and writer's block make things difficult. Just a reminder, this is rated M for a reason (not just the juicy limes and lemons) and heavier adult subjects will pop up from time to time. This chapter included so please read at your own risk. There is content that might be considered trigger material.

I DO NOT CONDONE SEXUAL ABUSE OR ASSAULT IN ANY WAY AND REFUSE TO WRITE RAPE/NON-CON SCENES IN MY WORKS!

Events will be explained and mentioned from time to time but I will not write them out in explicit detail now or ever.

Sasuke stood in front of the coffee table and studied his wife who was sitting on the couch in front of him, her hands tightly squeezed together, her face pale, her jade eyes refusing to meet his own. He didn't like it. Not one bit. She was hiding something from him, something huge. Something so important she couldn't even look at him. He wasn't sure if it was out of guilt or if she was afraid he'd use his sharringan to get the information he wanted out of her. It didn't really matter, both thoughts irritated him.

"Would you mind telling me what this is all about?" He said as patiently as he could though he couldn't quite take all of the steel from his words.

Sakura flinched and then sighed looking down. "Do you remember Ikeda Village?" she asked.

His eyes flicked upward as he searched his memories. After a few moments he jerked his head sharply.

"Yes. It was just after the Chunin exams. We were hired by a Lord to take care of a group of bandits that had set up shop on his territory. It turned into a full blown rescue mission when the Lord's stupid son got himself kidnapped because he tried to run off and be the hero, instead of staying put with you like he was supposed to." He said recalling an idiotic looking man with green hair and a massive attitude. "He got kidnapped and beaten pretty badly. We had to extend our stay by a couple of days so that you could heal him properly."

"The Lord's son, was Lord Sakamoto." She said softly.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "That's him?" he said before his eyes narrowed again. "His obsession started that long ago?"

Sakura sighed. "I don't really know, but it wasn't until I ran into him by coincidence while returning from a solo mission as a chunin that things started to get weird." She raked a hand through her hair. "I stopped in a village for the night on my way back from an herb gathering mission right before the war. He was traveling with a group other upper-class Land of Fire citizens to one of the designated safe zones. We ran into each other in the village where we'd both stopped and he asked me to talk with him for a while. The longer we talked, the weirder the subjects got and I eventually made up a lie to get out of the situation. He wouldn't let me leave unless I gave him my address so he could write me, so I just jotted it down and gave it to him." She lowered her head and gripped her hair with both hands. "I was so anxious and stressed out at the time, that the thought of giving him a fake one never even occurred to me. He wrote me a couple of times before the war, but I never read them because I was so busy. It wasn't until after the war ended that I took a look at what he'd sent me." She shuddered. "They all started out innocent enough. Telling me about his transition from heir to Lord, asking about the state of the village and me post war. Simple things, but over time they got stranger and stranger. He told me about a new religion he started following, about how he'd been told in a dream-vision that he was destined for greatness and that he was growing suspicious of some of the shinobi who served his father." She sighed. "I wrote him back a couple of times, just for the sake of the Village. He was the reigning Lord over Ikeda Village and the surrounding areas. We needed an amicable relationship with him, but I was really uncomfortable with it. When he sent me one ranting and raving about how his God had told him that I was 'created for him' and that he needed to marry me as soon as possible to 'save my soul from the stain of the shinobi lifestyle' and create his 'army of angels' to liberate God's 'chosen people'. I freaked out. I threw the letters at Kakashi and told him that I refused to play nice anymore and wanted the creep to stop contacting me. He agreed, blocked incoming letters from reaching me, and I thought the entire thing was over." She said.

Sasuke sat down next to her content that she was finally explaining things. "Then what happened?"

"The letters started again only this time they came under different names and addresses so they weren't caught in time. He started sounding more and more disturbed claiming that demons were interfering in our relationship and that we needed to marry quickly to create the army to fight them." She sat up and glanced at the ceiling. "Then, the chunin exams were announced and he came with the Feudal Lord's entourage. I didn't notice him at first since I was busy with the medical core but he approached me after the second day of the test and followed me everywhere he could asking why I wasn't responding to his letters and being a total pain in the ass. It was in The Village Hidden in the Stones so I couldn't really shake him off the way I wanted to. I finally told him I was exhausted and needed to go to my room so I could get up early to prepare for the third day of the trials and left. I thought that was the end of it and went to bed." She leaned forward and gripped her hair in both hands. "I woke up in the middle of the night because I was uncomfortable. It was too hot in my room and my blankets felt like they weighed a ton. When I rolled over, I realized it was because I wasn't alone." She pulled her knees to her chest. "The slimy bastard had somehow slipped into my room and snuck into my bed. I shoved him off and demanded he get out. He apologized saying he just wanted to be near me and got carried away and refused to leave saying he'd just stay in the living room and let me sleep in peace. I was about to punch his lights out when Naruto and Shikamaru showed up. Naruto held me back while Shikamaru dragged Lord Sakamoto out by the hair."

Sasuke took a deep breath. Perhaps it hadn't been as bad as everyone said. He was still livid that the creep had slipped into her bed but nothing terrible had happened. One glance at her pale face though told him the story wasn't over.

"What else happened?" he asked prompting her to continue.

"Nothing much. He stalked me until his envoy left and I thought that was the end of it. Until the next chunin exams that were held in The Land of Water." She said wrapping her arms around her legs. "I helped with the medical core again and he came with the Feudal Lords. I did my best to avoid him and was doing pretty damn good until the end of the exams at the after party. As you know, it rains pretty heavily in The Village Hidden in the Mist so it was held inside. I stepped out onto a small terrace to get some air alone and sensed someone join me. I didn't think anything of it until I heard them sliding one of the heavy metal chairs that were out there on the patio across the floor. I turned to ask what the person was doing and realized that it was Lord Sakamoto and that he'd slid the chair in front of the door beneath the handle making it almost impossible to open. I asked him what he thought he was doing and he told me that he was doing what his God had commanded him to with this crazy look in his eyes." Her own eyes clamped shut and her face paled. "I turned away and was about to climb onto the railing of the terrace and make a break for it since the space was way too small to fight in and felt something prick my ankle. It was a blow dart filled with enough sedative to take down a full grown man twice my size." A tiny broken chuckle left her lips. "I knew then that I was in serious trouble. I slumped over the railing trying desperately to just slip over the edge since I was only two three stories up and would probably survive the fall. Unfortunately he pulled me back onto the terrace, took a kunai from my holster and cut my dress off." Her body started shaking her knuckles turning while as she gripped the fabric of her dress tightly. "I screamed and yelled but between the rain, the blocked door, and the pounding music inside, no one could hear me. I couldn't hit him either, my body was completely numb because of the drugs. The only thing I could think to do was release my seal and try to use the extra chakra to burn the drugs out of my system fast enough to escape." She clutched at her head. "His hands were all over me and he had this sick, crazy, look in his eyes. He kept saying 'This is God's will' 'God made you for me' over and over again. He stood and started to take off his own clothes and I realized that I wasn't going to make it. There was no way I was going to be able to metabolize the drugs in time, so I did the only thing I could. I focused as much chakra as I could into my fist, lifted it as high as I could off the ground, only a few measly inches, and slammed it into the floor of the terrace. Thankfully, the power I gathered was enough. The cement crumbled and I fell through it and the ceiling of the terrace one level below. It was where most of the current Kage were gathered actually." A watery laugh left her lips. "I nearly gave Kakashi a heart attack. I all but landed in his lap and Gaara barely managed to cushion my fall with his sand. I knew I was safe then and lost consciousness." She pulled her knees to her chest wrapping her arms around them. "When I came to, the creep was in my hospital room talking to Lee, Hinata, and Naruto who were visiting like it was no big deal. I panicked and came at him swinging but Naruto and Lee stopped me before I got a chance to break his face. When I explained the situation, Lord Sakamoto was thrown out of the Village and banned from attending all future shinobi events and told to stay away from me." She covered half of her face with one hand as tears streamed down her face. "Stupid isn't it? I'm the strongest woman The Leaf has to offer and I couldn't even protect myself from a freaking pervert."

Sasuke stood up and stalked across the room, his rage so great that the rain laden clouds overhead suddenly electrified as his chakra spiked, a massive lightning bolt striking the top of the apartment building making the pink haired woman jump as the lights flickered and the building shook. The charge around him was visible flashing ice cold blue in tiny sparks around him as he moved. It wasn't like him to lose control at all but he was so damn angry! Why had she been alone? Why didn't anyone notice she was gone? How had this creep that stalked her manage to so get so close? But more importantly….

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" he asked quietly, his voice a calm contrast to the storm raging both outside and inside his soul.

"I just wanted to forget the whole thing." Sakura replied looking at the floor. "I never imagined he'd show up here of all places."

"He harassed and sexually assaulted you!" Sasuke spat. "Isn't that something I should know!?"

"I'm a kunoichi. It's an occupational hazard." She replied extending a leg to the floor. "Now, you know and I'm going to take a shower, because I feel disgusting." She said standing up.

"This conversation isn't over!" Sasuke snarled blocking her attempt to leave the room. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"You didn't need to know." She replied. "He didn't manage to rape me so it's not like I was damaged goods or anything and Kakashi had taken all of the proper measures to keep it from happening again. Leave it alone." She said pushing past him.

"No." he protested grabbing her arm. "How did you end up alone with him tonight?" he demanded.

"He approached me as soon as TenTen and Shino left." She replied.

"Why on earth would you go anywhere alone with him!?" he exclaimed.

"Because I wanted to avoid a public confrontation and find out how he managed to sneak in." she replied. "Let me go Sasuke."

"I will not!" he snapped. "This is serious Sakura. You can't keep things like this from me."

Her eyes sparked dangerously at that. "Don't you dare lecture me on secrets!" she snarled. "I know almost nothing about your time as a rogue ninja and I never ask because I respect you enough to know you'll tell me about those things if and when you feel like it."

"Nothing happened then that you need to be concerned with." He replied. "That isn't even relevant here. Your abuser showed up and you didn't even try to call out to me. Are you insane?" He snapped.

"Oh yeah?" Sakura countered a pink brow arching high. "What about Karin?"

His eyes hardened at that. "What about her?"

"I've seen how she looks at you. I've seen how she acts around you and whenever your name is mentioned. I even heard from her guards about how she yelled crazy things at your photograph while in their custody. I know about her boorish, straightforward approach to what she wants, her fiery temper, and manic tendencies." She said her eyes blazing. "How many times did she try to lay her hands on you?" she demanded her tone dripping with venom.

Sasuke nearly flinched his grip on her arm slackening slightly. "It doesn't matter. It's all in the past and I never let her have her way with me."

She yanked her arm out of his grip. "So it's fine because she's a woman, because you're a man? Is that it? Or is it because you're stronger and smarter than her so you knew she'd never actually be able to rape you while you slept in spite of her numerus attempts? You keep your abuser around for years because you need her but mine comes out of the blue and approaches me and suddenly you're entitled to know everything? You freaking hypocrite!" She snarled. "You know what? I'm way too tired and pissed off to have this stupid conversation with you. Screw it! I'm out of here." She said stomping down the hall and into the bathroom slamming the door with enough force to make little spider web like cracks around the frame.

He heard the sound of items hitting against the walls and quiet sobbing before the water turned on and covered all of the other sounds his wife might be making. Alone for the first time since the night had gone to Hell, he sat down and rested his head in his hand. She had a point. He knew Karin's intentions towards him weren't pure. There'd been several incidents where she'd tried to force herself on him as well. He'd simply brushed them off and tolerated her presence, telling himself that he needed her to reach his goal, that it was just one of the prices he needed to pay to get to where he wanted to be. What a warped way of thinking, he realized. Sakura was right, his relationship with the redhead had been toxic, twisted. Even though he'd kept her at bay, there was no denying he'd been effected by her obsession. He was a hypocrite for demanding to know about her abuser when she knew so little about his own.

He should have been comforting her, not berating her for not telling him. What kind of husband was he? What kind of person was he to blame her for the confrontation instead of the bastard who had actually broken the rules to get close to her? To blame her for not telling him about the obsessed Lord? He should've just held her and assured her the bastard would never touch her instead of attacking her the way he did. After several minutes the water shut off and he waited for her to leave the bathroom. When almost fifteen minutes had gone by and he hadn't seen her leave, he approached the door and knocked lightly.

"Sakura, is everything alright in there?" he called out.

"I'm fine. Just go away!" she replied her voice thick and distorted though still firm enough to tell him she was riding the edge that might leave him with a tender Sakura-fist sized bruise on his skin if he approached her recklessly. He nearly flinched and then took a deep breath. He was not going to leave her alone, not now when she clearly needed him, he just needed to proceed with caution.

"Sakura, we need to talk." He prodded his voice as gentle as he could make it.

"I'm done talking." She replied wrenching the door open with so much force he nearly crashed into her. "I'm going to bed." She said firmly stalking past him with a towel wrapped firmly around herself.

He couldn't help but notice how red her skin was and reached out to touch it. When she winced, he frowned.

"What happened to your skin?" he asked.

She paled a little but flipped her hair. "None of your business." She replied with narrowed eyes.

With sure but heavy steps, still indicating how ticked off she was, she stormed down the hall, entered their bedroom and slammed the door shut. With a sigh he went down the hall and twisted the door knob. When he found it locked, he nearly growled in irritation. She was so freaking difficult when she was like this. It was bloody exhausting! When he picked the lock and it still wouldn't budge, his brow twitched with irritation. She'd used a bloody jutsu on the blasted door! How dare she!?

Deciding a walk would help him clear his head and give her the alone time she seemed to so desperately want, he strode to the front door, pulled on his cloak and shoes and left the apartment. With dangerous but elegant steps, he swept swiftly down the stairs and out onto the mostly empty streets.

"Did Sakura kick you out, or are you just taking a breather?" A familiar voice asked.

"Get lost. I'm in no mood to talk to you." He snapped as Naruto dropped down beside him.

"You don't have to talk." The blonde replied. "I'll do all the talking for you."

"I mean it!" Sasuke snarled whirling on his friend with eyes blazing, one shifting to blood red, his hand balled into a fist. "Back the fuck off, you loser!" he was riding a dangerous edge at the moment and with Sakura, the one that usually calmed him, the reason for his rage, he was feeling lethal.

Naruto studied him for moment and then sighed rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Calm down a little. Look, I'm not going to try to tell you how to deal with Sakura. We both know that out of the two of us, you've always been better at handling her than me, but considering I have a few years of hands on experience dealing with that temper of hers, let me give you some advice. The harder she pushes you away, the more desperately she wants you to stay close to her." He glanced up at the stars with his hands clasped behind his head. "When she's upset and alone, all she does it work too hard or cry, usually both."

Sasuke looked at the ground his jaw tight. He wasn't stupid. He knew that already, but what was he supposed to do? She'd locked him out, literally and emotionally.

"Try not to be too angry with her for not telling you." Naruto continued. "It was really traumatizing for her. When we finally got that whole disaster taken care of, she begged me not to tell you."

"Why?" Sasuke replied softly.

Why… The question was eating him alive. They were husband and wife, life partners. He was supposed to be her most trusted companion. So why…

"I don't know." The blonde said with a shrug. "I even asked Hinata about it. She said that she wasn't sure herself but guessed that it was a mixture of pride and embarrassment. She didn't want you to think less of her because of what he'd done to her and was embarrassed that she'd ended up in such a situation."

"Stupid." The ink haired man muttered.

As if he'd think less of her for such a thing. It clearly wasn't her fault. The one to blame was Lord Sakamoto, a man who he vowed would be six feet under before the year was out. Orochimaru was always looking for more victims that he liked to call test subjects. Perhaps he could make a suggestion to the snake that he take a look at the Lord's seriously screwed up brain…

Naruto nodded. "I think so too but this is Sakura we're talking about. The whole thing was pretty public too. She was exposed in front of so many people. I mean, Gaara did his best, but he was more worried about getting her medical attention than her modesty."

Sasuke nearly sighed but nodded. He could hardly fault the Kazekage. In fact, he was grateful to the sand wielder for helping her.

"Anyway, I'm really sorry. That was the worst way you could have found out about all that." The blue eyed ninja said hanging his head.

"It's the Lord's fault, not yours." Sasuke replied glancing over at his friend. "I put him under genjutsu before his hired goons showed up."

"And…" Naruto prompted.

"This isn't over. His mind is diseased, twisted. He truly believes that Sakura was made for him by his God." His brow furrowed as he looked down at the ground again. "Unless he's locked up somewhere, or killed he'll keep coming after her."

The blonde nodded and a sound of irritated contemplation left his throat. "And unfortunately for us, he has the money and political power to stay off the grid and keep approaching her through other means." He glanced at the ink haired Uchiha. "I'll talk to Kakashi about it. See what we can do. Oh, and here," he said passing a decent sized box to his friend. "This is all of the letters he's sent her so far. Do you want to read them? Kakashi said you could if you wanted to, but he needs them back to put in evidence just in case things get ugly."

"Fine. The more we know about how this guy thinks, the better we can prepare for his inevitable attempt to take Sakura again." Sasuke said carrying the box to a nearby bench.

"I'll stay here with you." Naruto said sitting down beside him. "I've gotta return the box anyway."

Sasuke nodded and took a deep breath before opening the box and pulling out the first letter.

Almost two hours later, Sasuke arrived home covered with a sheen of sweat, evidence of the forty five minutes he'd just spend on the training grounds doing his best to beat the blonde loser unconscious in a desperate attempt to work off some of the murderous rage he was feeling. The contents of the letters had started out innocently enough as Sakura had explained but as time went on, the letters became more disjointed as the man's sanity clearly slipped becoming more and more obsessed with the pink haired medic, his bizarre God, and the idea that all Shinobi were demons in human form. In the most recent one, dated a week ago, the deranged lunatic had said he was coming to take her away and save her soul. Apparently the plan to slip in had already been concocted at that point.

He was angry, with his friends and wife for hiding the situation from him, and at Kakashi for not taking the threat seriously. Then again, it wasn't as though any of the man's other promises had come to pass so he knew it wasn't exactly warranted. However now that he was a little more calm and composed his concern for his wife was growing. She'd been hounded by a psychotic admirer for years and now the man had stepped foot on her home soil and threatened her. He could only imagine the fear and pain that must have been plaguing her. Even if she didn't want to let him in, he was getting into their bedroom to remind her that she didn't have to fight this battle alone.

He bypassed the stairs all together and instead jumped straight to the terrace and opened the sliding glass door. Just as he stepped inside, a kunai came flying at his face. He caught the knife with ease and shut the door behind him.

"Easy. It's just me." He assured his wife who was crouched on the bed dressed in a pink nightgown already rearmed with a pair of shuriken.

"Prove it!" she challenged him her jade eyes wide and tinged with panic.

"On our wedding night, you offered yourself to me by formally kneeling and bowing according to the traditions of my clan even though it wasn't a custom you were familiar with." He said his gaze steady but a little soft to reassure her. "On our honeymoon you were given a red dress by Prince Hikaru from The Land of the Moon and you look stunning in it."

"Sasuke." She breathed setting her weapons down before looking away from him. "So you decided to come back?"

He ignored the venom in her voice and unclasped his cloak leaving it on the chair near the glass doors, kicked off his sandals, and strode over to the bed sitting down beside her.

"What are you-" Her words died when he pulled her into his embrace tucking her head beneath his chin.

"Sorry." He said softly. "I wasn't considerate of your feelings before. It must have been hard suffering through all of that alone." His grip on her tightened. "You did nothing wrong and he's a disgusting animal for trying to force himself on you the way he did."

She trembled in his embrace her hands flattening against his chest. "It's fine." She said in a wispy voice as she pushed lightly against him.

"It's not." He countered. "I'm not going anywhere so stop trying to push me away."

Her hands pushed once more before they fisted in his shirt and sobs bubbled from her lips. "Damn it. I thought I was finally done crying for the night." She whimpered.

"Hush now." He said siding his finger through her hair. "Just let it out."

After ten minutes, she collapsed against him emotionally and physically spent and he laid her down in bed tucking her in securely. He locked the terrace door and then quickly went to the bathroom to shower himself. As he stood under the steaming spray, he tried to come up with a way to comfort and reassure her. He'd never been the best with words. He was usually either too short and blunt, or spoke in a cryptic way that threw everyone off, except for Itachi of course, though Sakura was quickly learning how to understand it as well. With a sigh he decided to do what felt the most natural. Since he was a man of actions rather than words anyway, he'd just show her. That he loved and wanted her more than anyone even knowing the disgusting things that had been done to her; and that he would never let her go.

He toweled off quickly scowling at his unruly spikes in the mirror for a moment before deciding to forgo pajamas altogether. Gathering his dirty clothes, he picked them up and dumped them into the hamper inside the bedroom. He slid into bed with his wife and wrapped his arm securely around her waist pulling her against his chest.

"Sasuke?" she murmured reaching back to wrap her arm around his neck.

"Were you expecting someone else?" he replied pressing a kiss to her nape his hand sliding over her flat abdomen over the satin of her nightgown.

She shuddered and moaned as he licked the length of her neck and nudged her legs apart wedging his knee between her thighs.

"Sasuke." She whimpered turning towards him.

"No. Stay like that." He whispered slipping his hand into her panties and stroking over her slit.

A high pitched cry of pleasure left her lips and he smirked stroking and rubbing her until she came crying out his name. He slid her soaking wet panties down her legs and pulled her nightgown over her head tossing both to the floor.

He rolled her beneath him and sheathed himself in her in a graceful, fluid motion shuddering with pleasure. She was so warm and tight, it nearly stole his breath.

"Sakura." He moaned settling into his rhythm as her arms wrapped around him. "I will never let you go." He growled kissing down her throat, her blunt nails raking up the length of his back as she groaned. "I don't care about what anyone may say or think." He grasped her waist and squeezed lightly, the action making her arch up to take him in further. "I don't care what the Gods may decree." He kissed and then nipped at her collar bone making her gasp with pleasure her legs locking around his hips to take him even deeper. "You are Sakura Uchiha. You belong to me." He vowed. She came apart again with his bold declaration and he followed soon after spilling himself inside of her. She panted for a few moments shivering from the aftershocks of her orgasm before she sighed contently and curled up against him.

"I love you Sasuke." She whispered.

"I know. I love you too." He replied kissing the top of her head. "Sleep now Tsuma. You'll need your strength tomorrow."

She yawned and nodded before falling asleep in only a few short minutes. He nearly chuckled at how quickly she'd drifted off and laid his arm across her waist tucking her head beneath his chin. His fingers traced nonsense patterns across the skin of her lower back enjoying the quiet moment of peace. After a few minutes, he reached for the blankets and pulled them up to her hips then suddenly stopped. His instincts told him they were being watched and his eyes locked on the slim section of the glass door that was exposed by the curtains that had been left slightly parted to let moonlight into the room. He wanted to quickly yank them shut, to protect her from the prying eyes but didn't dare move and disturb her sleep or leave her defenseless with the eyes of the enemy on them. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. If the sick son of a bitch wanted to peep so badly, he'd make damn sure he regretted it. Though he disliked the thought of using Sakura in such a way, the fact was that as the most powerful genjutsu user in the world, he was a master at psychologically warfare. He knew damn well the best way to get someone to screw up was to make them angry and he had the absolute best weapon to make the pig livid in his arms. He intended to use it to his advantage. The sooner the bastard revealed himself, the quicker he could send him to his grave. Pressing a soft kiss to the crown of his lover's head as a silent apology for using her, he initiated a psychological attack on his enemy.

"Feast your eyes you sick, twisted, bastard." He whispered running his fingertips up the line of his wife's spine to the nape of her neck caressing it in a sensual and possessive gesture. "Sakura is mine." He said his eye shifting from black to red as his fingers sliding through her silky blush colored locks. "Your filthy hands will never touch her."

$%$

Lord Sakamoto stared in shocked horror at the image displayed on the monitor inside his rented room. His eyes were fixed on a woman, his woman wrapped in the arms of a demon in human form. The creature looked straight at the camera as his hand caressed the woman's bared back that bore red finger shaped marks of passion at her waist and shoulders. He had defiled her again! Filed her with his black, tainted seed! The vein in his forehead jumped when the demon caressed her neck brushing his fingers over a darkening bite mark slipping his fingers through the woman's angelic bubble gum colored hair. His black eye shifted to blood red, the tomoe's rotating to form a demonic looking star pattern.

He could hear the message loud and clear. The demon had taken what was his and had no plans to return the precious Cherry Blossom Princess to her rightful Prince. He'd use his precious angel to create his own army of darkness.

With a strangled cry he threw a vase at the screen startling the pair of shinobi with him when the glass shattered.

"My Lord? What's wrong?" A ninja with orange hair asked walking into the sleeping chamber.

"I want him dead." He snarled. "Do you hear me!? I want that Uchiha demon dead! I want his head on a platter and his body in pieces!" The Lord shrieked.

"It will be done my Lord." The shinobi assured him. "Have patience. We must meet with our allies first."

"He's tainting her soul." Sakamoto muttered his hands wringing the sleeves of his kimono his eyes nearly glowing with madness. "Defiling her body, using it to create his demon spawn."

"That will not happen." A second shinobi, a man with black and white streaked hair said walking into the room. "My sources in The Leaf have told me that Sakura's Fertility Seal is still intact. As long as it remains, she will bear no children, so rest. We are due to meet with one of our ally's tomorrow evening. You'll need your strength."

"Yes. Rest." Sakamoto murmured staggering to his futon. "Sakura, my beautiful angel of light." He murmured as his eyes closed. "I'll save you, just wait for me."

Sasuke awoke early the next morning and stared at his sleeping wife who was curled up beside him sleeping peacefully. He smiled down at her and brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her cheek gently.

"Sasuke." She sighed opening her eyes with a sleepy smile on her lips. "Good morning Darling."

"Good morning Tsuma." He replied. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a rock." She replied her hands sliding up his bare chest.

"That's good." He replied stretching his arm above his head. "The mass exodus is today. Hopefully you won't be too busy."

His eyes widened when Sakura hovered over him and sealed her mouth over his. It was so unexpected he barely had time to react before she was stroking her hands over his skin sending bolts of lightning straight to his groin.

"Sakura!" he gasped when she griped his length in her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Loving you." She replied kissing down the length of his throat and moving lower over his chest and abdomen her back arching like a cat as she worked her way down towards his throbbing erection.

His eyes rolled back in his head and a low rattling moan left his lips when her mouth bobbed over his shaft his hand fisting in the sheets. Her lips, tongue and teeth moved with expert precision as her hands continued to stroke and caress his skin making his heart pound and his breath leave his lungs in short pants.

"Sakura." he groaned. "Gods Sakura." he moaned when she sucked him deep her hand fondling between his legs. "Don't stop!" he was so close to release, his body already tinged with sweat as his hips jerked forcing himself deeper inside her perfect mouth. "I'm going to come!" he warned her.

She merely met his gaze with a heavy lidded one of her own and squeezed with her hand while her tongue swirled around the tip and he released with a shout his head thrown back against the pillows.

He heard a low, sexy giggle tumble from Sakura's lips before her hand was on him again. His eyes flew open and his gaze snapped to her and watched with rapt attention as she stroked him to attention again and then positioned him at her soaking wet entrance.

"Sasuke." She sighed as she descended over him taking him deep within her body.

"Damn!" Saskue hissed as her heat enveloped him her walls squeezing his already sensitive member in a vice grip.

Her hips lifted and then lowered again and he moaned at the delicious friction. He reached out and grasped her hip guiding her into a slow, sensual rhythm. As much as he enjoyed a quick, fast race for release, he wanted to go slow and steady this time. He wanted to savor the sights of sounds of his wife in this rare moment of peace, particularly after the traumatic events of the previous night.

His eyes were drawn to the form of his wife moving above him with grace and splendor. Her slender body slicked with sweat, her firm breasts and rosy nipples shifting in time with her hips. Her eyes were closed, her head thrown back in pure bliss as she rode him, her pink hair shimmering in the early morning light. He watched in awe as she slid one hand over his abdomen to his hip anchoring herself as her second hand stroked over her own body. The slender fingers trailing over her own hip, up her defined abdomen, between her perky breasts, along her throat peppered with his red bites and up to her face where she bit her own fingernail to cover up a wail of pleasure before running her fingers through her hair. It was the most exquisitely erotic thing he'd ever seen in his life.

"Beautiful." He crooned breathlessly as he squeezed her hip and then trailed his fingers over the same path her own had taken pausing to squeeze her breast. She gasped and then mewed in pleasure and he gently plucked at her nipple drawing another moan from her. "Gods, you're gorgeous."

She was more than that. Full of grace, and light. It felt as though it was pouring out of her. Crashing over him in waves filled with love, devotion, and adoration. He'd never seen her more exposed and beautiful and his sharringan activated memorizing every glorious detail.

He rose up and wrapped his arm around her waist, latching his mouth onto her breast. He shifted her into his lap and took control of their love making, thrusting hard into her wet heat. Her cries increased and her hand tangled in his hair holding him more firmly to him as her second hand raked up the length of his back.

"Sasuke. Sasuke!" she cried throwing her head back. "Don't stop! Please don't stop!" she begged.

He nibbled on her breast and then switched to its sister sliding his fingers up her spine to her shoulder pressing her tighter to him as he rocked into her. The heat was nearly maddening, thick moans falling from his lips as high pitched wails flew from the mouth of his wife.

"Sasuke! I'm coming!" she sobbed clutching at his neck and shoulders, her walls starting to flutter around him.

"Me too." He gasped before he came undone with a shout as Sakura convulsed in his lap a sharp cry followed by a low rattling moan falling from her lips as she came around him. She slumped forward draping herself over his shoulders as she shivered.

"I don't wanna go to work today." Sakura whined as he leaned back against the headboard with her in his lap. "Let's just stay in bed." She suggested drawing lazy lines down the length of his arm with her fingertips.

"As tempting as that sounds, you've got appointments with the Tsuchikage, Kazekage, and Raikage." He reminded her brushing his lips across her temple.

"Forget them." she replied. "It's not like they don't have my phone number. If there's an emergency, they can call me."

Almost on que the phone rang and she hissed in frustration. "Damn it. I'm still boneless." She admitted blush feathering across her cheeks.

He chuckled and slid out from under her. "I'll get it." He said wrapping a black robe that had been a surprisingly thoughtful gift from Shino around his body as he strode over to the kitchen and plucked the phone from its rest. "Hello?" He said in a clipped tone.

"Who is this?" a man's voice replied in a slightly nervous tone.

"Sasuke Uchiha." He replied his brow twitching slightly. "Can I help you?"

"This is Chojuro. Is Lady Haruno available?" the voice replied.

"Lady Uchiha is occupied at the moment." He replied the muscle in his jaw jumping. "Is there a message I can relay to her for you?"

The man took a deep breath and swallowed noisily before speaking again. "Please inform her that Lady Mizukage has requested a private meeting with her."

The ink haired man nodded. "I'll let her know." He assured the caller.

"Thank you very much. Have a good day Lord Uchiha." The caller replied before the line went dead.

"Who was it?" Sakura asked walking into the kitchen wrapped in her own cream bathrobe.

"Chojuro." He replied replacing the phone on its stand. "He said the Mizukage wants to meet with you today in private."

"Ah, I see." Sakura said filling up the teapot. "It seems like I'll have a full day today." She said raking her fingers through her hair.

"At least the start of it was pleasant." He said stopping to nip her ear before continuing to the fridge to grab a carton of eggs.

Sakura smirked at him, heat flaring in her eyes. "I'd say it was more than pleasant." She argued.

He swept forward and kissed her soundly setting the eggs on the counter before trapping her between his body and the cupboards as he plucked and nipped at her plump lips.

"If you're not careful, the kitchen counter will be the next place that gets defiled the same way the table did." He growled playfully in her ear.

She shuddered and then smirked kissing his cheek. "Down boy. I've got too much to do today. You'll have to wait until tonight to fulfill any wicked fantasies involving sex outside of our bed." She said sliding her foot up his leg.

He chuckled and nibbled on her ear. "I'm looking forward to it." He whispered before taking down a bowl to crack the eggs into. "Though sex in our bed is enjoyable too. Particularly when you take the initiative."

Her cheeks colored and before she shook her head. "Tease." She muttered as she brewed their tea.

A few minutes later, their breakfast was on the table.

"So what are your meetings with the Kage usually about?" Sasuke asked.

"Why do you ask?" Sakura replied as she took a bite of the omelet they'd made together.

"Curiosity and it's useful information to have." He replied.

She chuckled. "That's just like you. Always thinking about work." She said with a smile. She took a sip of tea before resting her chin on her hand and met his even gaze. "My meetings with the Kazekage are usually focused on the cultivation of medicinal herbs and unique healing techniques to make up for the poor quantity they're able to grow in their harsh environment. Not only is it exceptionally hot and dry, but their soil is weak and sandy. Our recent efforts to improve their greenhouses and increase their medical ninja's knowledge of medicine including how to make it last longer seem to be having a positive effect so far." She said with a smile.

Sasuke nodded. "I noticed the Sand Shinobi seemed to be have better medical ninja then they had in the past during my travels. I should have known it was your influence."

His wife blushed to his pleasant surprise tucking a section of silky pink hair behind her ear. "Thank you." She said softly before the color left as she focused on the rest of her explanation. "In the Village Hidden in the Mist we focus primarily on illnesses and injury complications due to their climate. Getting injured is bad enough, but when a simple knife wound on the arm can turn into a full blown septic infection requiring amputation or worse because you can't keep it dry, it significantly complicates things." She explained. "However, they're able to grow medicinal herbs of the highest potency when they're able to protect them from rain rot anyway. It's a decent trade off if you're able to do it right." She explained.

"That makes sense. Their climate does make many things more difficult." Sasuke admitted sipping his own tea.

Sakura nodded. "The Village Hidden in the Stones is generally lagging behind as far as medicine goes." She explained stroking the edge of her tea cup with her thumbs. "Due to their extremely secretive nature before the war and their general dislike of us here in the Leaf Village who were and still are the leaders in medical ninjutsu, they're just several years behind the rest of the villages. Getting medical ninja trained and well educated enough to meet the demands of their fighting force has been a struggle." She raked a hand through her hair. "I bet you anything Lord Tsuichikage going to ask me to take one of his medics as my apprentice again."

"Is that a bad thing?" Sasuke questioned.

The pink haired medic shrugged and then sighed. "It's not bad that he asks. It's not like I have anything against the Hidden Stone Village, it's just that I don't have time to seriously train a disciple right now. To be honest I don't feel like I'll have time like that any time in the near future." She sighed again. "I'll just have to make a couple of trips to The Stone in the near future and do a bunch of workshops on medical ninjutsu." A small groan left her lips. "They're certainly effective but so much work to organize even if I choose not to go myself."

He smiled a little at her whiny tone. It wasn't one he heard much outside their bedroom anyway. "That sounds like a lot of work." He agreed. "What do you talk to the Raikage about?"

She sipped her tea and then looked down at the cup. "We've been working on creating cures and remedies for members of their villages suffering from the ill effects of using stolen jutsu." She replied softly.

Sasuke's brow cocked at that. "Stolen jutsu? What do you mean?" he asked.

"The visual prowess of the Hyuga and Uchiha, Chakra from the nine tails, gekkei-genkai. Generally speaking they're easy enough to obtain. Steal a limb, an eye, chakra, a life and take the power for yourself to make the village stronger. That's how the Village Hidden in the Clouds did things for a long time. Kushina, Naruto's mother, and even Hinata were targeted by The Cloud for their unique abilities. Just because those attempts ended in failure, doesn't mean they didn't succeed in other villages or even at different times." She studied the vase filled with red lilies on the table. "The jutsu usually works well in the beginning. Sure you have cases where the power outright rejects the new host and won't attach or even kills them immediately, but once you've jumped that hurdle the power is yours." Her hand clenched into the fist. "However, it seems that over time the power deteriorates and sometimes even attacks the new host. Symptoms ranging from chronic pain and fatigue, to seizures, and sudden heart arrhythmias. Some shinobi are even just dropping dead with no explanation except for their 'stolen' power. Clans with such powers have been hunted nearly into extinction and the few that remain do their best to remain hidden. With almost no information to go on, coming up with effective treatments has been exceptionally difficult."

Sasuke studied his wife his brow knitting together as he noted the crease in her brow, then tension in her fingers, and a small spark in her eyes indicating her temper flaring.

"You're conflicted." It wasn't a question. It was a fact, they both knew it.

She offered him a small smile. "How can I not be? I'm a member of the Uchiha Clan now." She reached over and brushed his bangs away from his face before touching the corner of his amethyst colored eye. "How many years have you been hunted because of the power that resides here? Even the creeps that kidnapped me just before you returned to the village were after your eyes." Her head bowed as her fingers fell away. "Most of these people with stolen power killed the one they took it from. It's hard not to be conflicted. I mean, wouldn't anyone want a final parting shot at the one that murdered them? Took something that was such a part of them it was ingrained in their DNA for themselves? The only recorded cases I know of where a voluntary transfer of such power took place was when Itachi bequeathed his eyes to you, when Minato transferred his nine tails chakra to Naruto, and when the Sage of Six Paths gave you and Naruto part of his power. Everything else including the transferal of the Tailed Beasts in the past were all done by force." She raked a hand through her hair. "You and Naruto haven't suffered any ill effects but is that because the power was given to you willingly, or because you were close blood relatives? Or is it because not enough time has passed since the transfer? There's no way of knowing and maybe I don't want to know."

Sasuke reached across the table and gently stroked the back of her hand unsure of what to say. Her hand flipped so that she could grasp his fingers.

"Did you know that Danzo was dying before he even met you on the battlefield that day?" she said softy.

The ink haired man's eyes widened. "What? I don't understand." He'd taken careful note of the bastard's power and chakra. There was no way a dying man could have been that powerful.

Sakura sighed. "I was forced to help with his death report and autopsy, what little could be done anyway." She said shuddering a little. "It seems that before his death he was taking a crazy cocktail of medicine, most of them were painkillers. His medical records also indicate that he was not only in constant, crippling pain but that his body was being attacked from the inside at a cellular by some unknown force we haven't been able to decipher. I can't help but wonder if it was the will of all of the stolen sharringans he was using manifested." Her hand balled into a fist. "I don't blame you for what you did but even if you hadn't, he never would have survived to fight in the war, not without resorting to one of Orochimaru's forbidden techniques, then again, he probably would have for the sake of the village." Her hand free hand slammed onto the table denting it a little. "What a load of crap!" she snarled. "Did you know that he'd already possessed a sharringan before he took Shisui's? That no one knows how or when he got it except that he'd likely acquired it sometime around the Third Great Ninja War? He didn't need Shisui's eyes. He just tried to take them because he thought that he would be able to use it better." Her jaw clenched. "Damn it! Just thinking about it pisses me off!" she glanced at the clock. "I think I'm going to have to hunt down Lee this afternoon. I want to spar now."

Sasuke's mind was reeling. Danzo Shimura. The man had left a trail of blood, lies, and darkness wherever he went. Why had he hated his people so much? Did he really covet their power that badly? His heart stuttered as a terrifying thought entered his mind. If he and Sakura had a child, would they be hunted down the way he and his ancestors had? All for a pair of eyes and unique power. He knew that any child they had would be well protected. Sakura would never let anybody lay a hand on their offspring, even at the expense of her own life. However it was this very thought that made him hesitate when Sakura got that longing look in her eyes when she looked at infants within the village. How could he willingly create a child that would one day be hunted down for their rare, powerful genetics?

Warm lips touching his cheek shocked him out of his dark thoughts and he barely had time to focus before Sakura's mouth was claiming his igniting a flame that he couldn't ignore. He grabbed her hip and pulled her into his lap as their tongues battled for dominance. When she finally pulled away panting, she smiled and framed his face in her hands.

"Sorry for bringing up such heavy stuff." She said touching her forehead to his. "It's not fair for me to just unload on you like that. You brood enough without my help." She teased sliding her cheek along his before nipping lightly at his ear. "I love you Sasuke." She whispered wrapping her arms around his neck. "I may be angry about what happened in the past but I have hope for the future." She pressed her face to the side of his neck. "I have hope because you're here with me. We'll protect the future of our family together."

He nearly sighed at her sentimentality but felt a strange sense of comfort at her words. Even if he still had no intention of having any children in the near future, knowing that she would be the one to protect and nurture them gave him a sense of relief and peace. He held her a little tighter and lowered his head resting it on her shoulder, soaking in the peace and love he could sense pouring off of her. It was like sitting in the sun on a spring day, warm and comforting without the suffocating intensity of summer or the bite of winter. Perfect.

"Don't you have to go soon?" He said softly after several minutes.

"It's alright. I want to stay like this for just a little while longer." She replied laying her head on his.

He didn't reply. There was no need. He didn't want to move any more than she did. So for a few more moments, the Uchiha clan enjoyed a quiet, peaceful, well-deserved reprieve from their duties as Shinobi.