Sasuke's gasped as his nightmare took a tighter hold of him.

"No! I don't want to die! Not like this!" He exclaimed running from the main room of his house away from his older brother and the corpses of his parents, desperate to get away.

He threw open the front door of his house only to find the street had changed and instead of the bodies of his clan members littering the streets, it was people from the village. Kou, and Kai dead on the ground next to their weapons.

"What is this?" He mused aloud as he looked down the street.

His eyes widened as he laid eyes on his own house, and his blood ran cold when he heard a blood curling scream that he knew well.

"Sakura!" He shouted teleporting and then willing his body to move like lightning across the space that separated him from his house and threw open the door his breath catching in his lungs when he saw blood on the stairs leading to their bedroom. "SAKURA!" he shouted again sprinting up the stairs. "Answer me!" He threw open the door to their bedroom and gaped in horror as his wife stared at him her jade eyes going dim, blood streaming down her chin, a blade protruding from her chest.

"Sa… suke. I'm… so… sorr-" she never finished her sentence.

The blade was ripped from her body and she slumped forward to the ground her blood staining the wooden floor of their sleeping space. The murderer laughed as he cleaned his blade.

"Too late again. What a shame, especially about that demon spawn she was carrying."

A scream of rage, agony, and grief left Sasuke's throat as he knelt at his wife's side pulling her cooling body into his arms. "No! Sakura! Stay with me!" he begged her wiping the blood from her face. "Please!"

"Sasuke? Sasuke! Wake up!"

He bolted upright his eyes wide and filled with panic as he tried to orient himself. To separate his nightmare from reality while his body trembled. Warm arms encircled him and the familiar scent of flowers and herbs that clung to his wife's skin and hair enveloped him.

"Sakura?" He breathed softly.

"That's right. I'm here." She replied stroking his hair gently. "It was just a dream."

His arm circled her waist and he laid his head against her shoulder accepting her comfort as his heartrate and breathing slowly returned to normal.

"I had a feeling this would happen sooner or later." Sakura admitted her hands running in soothing circles over his back. "I'm so sorry Sasuke. I can only imagine what seeing that scene day after day must be like for you."

The ink haired man said nothing. He didn't need to. She understood. There wasn't anything that could be done anyway. The Uchiha massacre would always be a part of him and this particular situation reminded him of that in a way that could not be ignored. He couldn't walk away from it because this was part of his duty.

When his wife pushed him back onto his bedroll and pulled the blankets from her own over them he didn't object. She kissed him with tenderness, warmth, affection, and love and he drank her in like a man dying of thirst. Her warmth, her scent, her breath, the color of her chakra, the taste of her skin, all of it was grounding him, chasing away the depression that wanted to sink into his soul. He sighed when he felt her skin on his, let his hand roam over the expanse of her sculpted back as rose up over him and took him inside her, his eyes closing in pleasure.

It wasn't a fast, hard race to the finish. It was a slow leisurely climb that allowed him the rare opportunity to observe his wife's every move in the soft early morning light. She wasn't usually so brazen. Making love outside was something she'd adamantly reject before due to her shyness, yet here she was riding him gently as the sun rose over their camp her jade eyes bright with lust and love. When he found his peak and spilled inside her with a groan, she soon followed and laid over him pulling the blankets up over them both.

"Tsuma." Sasuke said softly reaching up to run his fingers through her hair.

"My love." She replied pressing a kiss over his heart. "What more can I do for you?" She asked lifting her head to look down at him her fingers tracing over his cheek.

Sasuke thought for a moment and then reached up pulling her firmly against his body. "Just lay with me like this for a little while longer."

He felt her smile against his shoulder and shift a little laying her hand against his neck. "Of course Sasuke."

:8:

"That's all of them." Sakura said wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her forearm. "I've collected all of the samples I was able." She walked up to Sasuke who was seated on a boulder on the very edge of town keeping watch.

"So you're finished?" Sasuke asked her when she leapt up and took a seat next to him.

She nodded. "I have blood, tissue, organ, soil, and water samples. There really isn't anything more I can do."

"Well then, shall I finish things?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

He shook his head. "There's no need for that. I wouldn't want to risk you getting burned."

"You and I both know that you have better control over your flames than that." She said with a little shake of her head.

He smiled softly at her. She'd seen right through him, however burning the village, corpses and all, was something he was determined to do alone. After all, it was the only thing he was able to do for the massacre victims of the village.

He reached out and tucked a section of her cotton candy hair behind her ear. "This is something I must do alone Tsuma." He said softly.

"I understand." She replied with a smile.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her temple. She handed him a mask and he tied it over his mouth and nose before standing up. "I'll see you when I get back." He said tapping her lightly in the middle of her forehead.

"Right." She replied. "I'll wait here for you."

Sasuke leapt from the boulder and walked with determined steps to the middle of the village. Earlier that day, he'd already made a fire line around it to ensure that the flames didn't burn more than he intended. He glanced around at the carnage once more making a silent vow to find the ones responsible and make them pay.

"I won't forget you, or what happened here." He said softly before he closed his eyes and focused his chakra his eye shifting to red, the tomoes rotating as his mangyko sharringan activated. "Amaterasu!"

The space around him erupted with black flames clearing the ground and the air of the stench of death and decay as the ebony flames swept through the village burning everything in its path. Sasuke stood immovable in the middle of the flames watching them carefully, controlling them when necessary as he cleansed the area the way Kakashi had asked him to. The fire raged for nearly an hour before he called the flames back, willing them to calm and the punishing heat began to dissipate. Sasuke took a deep breath and observed the blackened piles of ash that were all that remained of the village and then turned back to face the direction where his wife were waiting. A breeze picked up and a few pink blossoms floated by, early bloomers that had been shaken free and he plucked one out of the air nearly chuckling at how the color matched his wife's hair perfectly.

"No matter how often I see it, I'm always fascinated by those black flames of yours." A silky voice drawled.

"Orochimaru." Sasuke said with a slight tilt of his head as he turned towards his former teacher. "You arrived sooner than I expected."

"What can I say? I tend to move with haste when presented with a situation that seems amusing to me. This rare request of yours certainly fit the bill." The pale shinobi said sauntering forward through the still smoldering ash.

"Did you come alone?" Sasuke asked pointedly.

"No. Your old team was rather adamant about coming along on this particular venture. I suspect they're making their introductions to your new wife right around now." The raven haired man said coming level with the Uchiha.

Sasuke's jaw clenched at that. He knew Jugo would be respectful, kind even, towards Sakura. Suigetsu would likely tease her, but she was used to stuff like that. It was Karin he was warry of. The redhead had made her dislike for the pink haired woman he'd married quite obvious. Honestly speaking, in a battle situation, he knew his wife would come out on top. It was the verbal warfare he was worried about. Karin could be vicious when she wanted to.

"Don't worry about your wife. I asked them to behave." Orocimaru assured him.

Sasuke nearly rolled his eyes. 'Behave' to Orochimaru simply meant 'Don't kill or seriously maim the test subject'.

"Sakura." He called out as they neared the edge of the village.

"You're finished then?" Sakura replied walking up to him from where she'd stood surrounded by his old team. "Did everything go alright?"

He nodded breathing a tiny sigh of relief when he saw that her eyes were bright and her body language relaxed. Nothing must have happened, yet.

"Yes. Did any of the flames escape?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Not a single one. The fire line you built worked perfectly."

"The fire like you built worked perfectly" Karin repeated in a high pitched sickeningly sweet voice as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Ugh! Give me a break."

"Karin!" Jugo hissed.

"You might want to look in the mirror. I'm pretty sure you're turning green there, which is a shame because it will totally clash with your hair." Suigetsu said with a smirk.

"Shut up you stupid rain puddle!" The redhead snarled leaping at him with her hands wrapping around his throat.

"If you children are done bickering, we could go to the hideout as planned to get started." Orochimaru said his eyes narrowing at the pair.

"Fine." They sighed out in unison lowering their fists.

"What about our camp?" Sakura said touching her chin.

"I took the liberty of packing it up for you." Jugo said motioning to a large pack on his back. "I hope you don't mind."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke who nodded. "That's fine."

The pink haired medic nodded in agreement and the group set out towards the north where on of Orochimaru's hidden bases was located.

"So tell me Lady Uchiha, what have you discovered about these incidents?" Orochimaru asked.

"The illness appears to be a weaponized form of a virus called Scarlet Hand." She replied her hand brushing Sasuke's as she instinctively moved closer to him as Orochimaru moved closer to her.

Sasuke gave her fingers a small reassuring squeeze even as his gaze remained fixed on the path ahead.

"Scarlet Hand? It's not an illness I'm familiar with." The snake sannin replied.

"I hadn't heard of it either until Sasuke and I ran into an old acquaintance of Itachi's during our travels a little over a year ago." She replied. "They explained that they had met him while traveling and had diagnosed him with the illness and given him medication to slow the onset before returning to their home country to get the cure and bring it with them for him. Unfortunately, he died before they managed to return with it, and entrusted it to Sasuke instead. The original cure is in The Leaf Village, but I've sent word for them to send it to me as soon as possible."

"I see. Where does this illness hail from?" Orochimaru asked.

"A country that is not affiliated with any of the five great nations. Another continent. I don't know much more than that." She replied.

"Have you contacted this old acquaintance of Itachi's?" The snake master asked.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke who nodded.

"We have sent a letter but haven't heard anything back yet. As Sakura said, this associate comes from a different continent. It may take some time to receive word." He replied.

The snake man smirked. "Playing things close to the vest as usual, though I suppose I don't blame you."

"So what's your plan?" Jugo asked.

"Sakura is going to do her best to isolate, and study the illness and create a cure for it that is easy to disperse." Sasuke said glancing at his wife. "I will work on the second part of our mission and hunt down members of the Anti-Shinobi faction and find the ones responsible."

"So you're sure this Anti-Shinobi group are the ones responsible?" Jugo asked.

Sasuke nodded. "I'm positive."

"Were you able to talk to a survivor or something?" Suigetsu asked.

"The only survivor was an infant boy. I was able to use genjutsu to review his memories and confirm my theory that these ninja hating pieces of garbage are responsible." He explained reaching out to gently stroke the back of Sakura's hand when he saw her head droop until her bangs covered her face. "The boy died shortly after."

"I see. So not even the infants were sparred." Jugo said his head lowering slightly.

"A pair of assassins attacked the village after the people had been infected with the virus. They didn't wear any protective gear and seemed to be just fine. Their clothing was strange and they mentioned a name I'm not familiar with. It seems that this faction is hiring mercenaries from other nations to do their dirty work." Sasuke said.

"How very interesting." Orochimaru nearly purred.

"Sounds like a pain in the ass to me." Suigetsu replied taking out a water bottle and sipping noisily.

"No one asked you freak." Karin snapped. "So, how do you plan to hunt down these anti-shinobi faction members?" She asked.

"We were doing that before stopping here." Sasuke replied. "I'll just pick up where we left off before we took care of the incident here."

"It sounds like you've already got a pretty good plan in place." Orochimaru said as they approached a seemingly unassuming cliff face. "For now, let's get the preparations started." He laid is palm against the rock and pulsed his chakra. The stone slab wavered and then vanished revealing the entrance to a hideout. "Come," he said leading the way down the winding corridors.

Sasuke activated his sharringgan memorizing the way as he went. They reached the main part of the hideout and Orochimaru motioned to the room directly connected to it.

"The main laboratory is located here. Karin, please help Sakura prepare and store her samples properly." He said.

"Tch!" Karin hissed cocking her hip. "Come on pinky, let's see if you're half the medic people say you are."

Sakura's eyebrow cocked at that and she glanced at Sasuke who nodded to her but narrowed his eyes at Karin. "Please be patient with my wife. The equipment here is likely not like what she's used to." He said locking eyes with the magenta eyed ninja.

Karin shivered a little under his cold gaze and Sakura stepped close to him lightly running her fingers down the back of his hand hidden by his cloak.

"I'm sure we'll be fine Sasuke." She assured him with a little smile. "Thank you for your help." She said bowing a little to the redhead. "My husband troubled you a lot a while back. I assure you, I'm not nearly as much trouble as he is."

He nearly smirked at both the triumphant gleam in Sakura's eye, the mild shock on Karin's face, and his own pride for the way his wife had handled the situation. In two sentences they had both made it clear that they had one another's backs. Damn his wife was impressive.

"R- right. It wasn't a problem." Karin stammered. "Anyway, the lab is this way."

As soon as the pair of kunoichi were out of sight, Suigetsu burst into loud peals of laughter. "Your wife is one tough cookie." He said with a smirk. "Hopefully they don't kill each other in there."

"Jugo, check the food stores and see what you can come up for as far as meals go." Orochimaru said settling into a high backed, padded chair. "Suigetsu, get the generators up and running."

"Right away Lord Orochimaru." Jugo replied laying the bag filled with Sasuke and Sakura's camping things on the floor in a corner.

"Yeah yeah." Suigetsu replied crossing his arms behind his head as he followed the massive man down a nearby hallway.

Once they were out of sight, Orochimaru tilted his head, resting it on his hand. "I've heard an interesting rumor lately." He said conversationally. Sasuke merely looked at him, knowing the snake sannin would continue whether he replied or not. "I was told that Lady Uchiha had her fertility seal removed not long ago."

Sasuke stiffened memories of the pale faced shinobi hunting both him and his brother filling his mind. If the snake even entertained the idea of taking any children he and Sakura conceived for his twisted experiments, he'd kill him for good this time. Make sure there was absolutely no way he could ever resurrect.

The pale shinobi chuckled. "Now now, there's no reason to tense up that much. Kidnapping children for experiments only works if the parents are unsuspecting. Besides, I'm rather fond of you, and that little wife of yours. I'm content with watching the progress of your bloodline from a respectful distance. Even so, there's a chance a certain Lord has learned of your wife's condition as well."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at that as Lord Sakamoto's face appeared in his mind's eye. "What are you getting at?" he demanded.

"Nothing in particular." The snake replied shrugging a little. "However, I would keep a close eye on her. Obsession can lead a man to do very… unpredictable things."

The Uchiha glanced towards the door that separated him from his wife, quickly noting her unique chakra signature and letting its warmth calm him a little.

"My wife is not weak." He said simply.

Orochimaru cocked a brow at that a smirk touching his lips.

The lights suddenly brightened and a few moments later, Jugo and Suigetsu appeared at the doorway.

"The food stores are pretty substantial though we'll probably want to stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats." He informed them. "I'll cook something with what we have for tonight."

"Everything looks fine in the generator room, it could probably use a good dusting though." The sharp toothed man said brushing some from his shoulder.

"Excellent." Orochimaru replied. "In that case, Suigetsu, lay out the map. We'll discuss where you and Sasuke will begin your hunting expedition while dinner cooks and the ladies take care of things in the lab."

;8:

"Thank you for the meal." Sakura said settling down next to Sasuke a couple of hours later her eyes widening at the small feast Jugo had prepared for them. "It looks wonderful."

"Thank you." The gentle giant replied a little tinge of blush touching his cheek.

"How did things go in the lab?" Sasuke asked.

"Alright." Karin interjected before Sakura could speak. "That chick isn't bad at collecting samples but she had so many it took us a while."

She moved closer to him and he instinctively shifted away his leg brushing Sakura's. The pink haired girl glanced at him and offered him a small smile before turning her attention to Orochimaru.

"It might seem excessive, but one of the dangers with using biological weaponry is the virus' tendency to mutate over time. I wanted to make sure that I had samples from every body to ensure I didn't miss a mutation." She explained.

The snake sannin nodded. "Excellent deduction. That's absolutely true." He smirked. "Exactly the kind of thinking I expect from the woman who has risen to rival Princess Tsunade."

Sakura nodded. "I'm hoping to have samples I can examine ready by tomorrow morning. Your equipment is very well suited to such things."

"Of course." Orochimaru replied. "I look forward to working with you Lady Sakura."

#8#

"Please show Sasuke and Sakura to their room. They can stay in Kabuto's old quarters." Orochimaru said hours later after dinner had been eaten and plans for the next day had been laid out.

"Of course Lord Orochimaru." Jugo said with a little bow. "Please follow me."

"Wait, what do you mean their room?" Karin demanded.

"They are married. Most married couples sleep in the same room, Karin." Suigetsu said with a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Karin's eyes blazed and her hands balled into fists. "Fine! I want the room next to theirs." She declared.

"No." Orochimaru said firmly.

"But what if Sasuke needs me!" She whined.

"His wife is the top medical ninja on this continent you know." The sharp toothed boy reminded her lacing his fingers behind his head. "He'll be just fine."

"But I-" she stammered.

"I said no." Orochimaru said firmly. "I won't have your jealous meddling interfere."

"With what?" Suigetsu asked.

"The next phase of my most... fascinating experiment." He replied with a smirk before turning back to Karin. "You will be sleeping in the room closest to the lab. If something goes wrong, inform Sakura at once but only in the case of an emergency, do I make myself clear?"

The redhead glared at him but nodded. "Fine." She grumbled before storming down the hall.

$8$

"So this was Kabuto's room?" Sakura mused as she paced around the windowless room.

Sasuke nodded walking to a chest up against the wall and pulling out a set of bedding. "He usually had the second best room." He replied. "Orochimaru's room is just next door but the walls are thick and he's a fairly heavy sleeper, once he falls asleep anyway."

He carried the futon mattress and blankets to the stone slab that made of up the bed and Sakura took them from him and laid them out making their bed. She walked over to the book shelf and examined what was left.

"How interesting that we studied the same works but took completely different paths as far as medical ninjutsu is concerned." She said fingering the spine of one of the books.

Sasuke nodded and studied his wife as she reached up and unbuttoned the clasps at her throat and then pulled on the zipper, exposing her torso and the bandages wrapped around her breasts.

"It's cold in here." She mused crouching in front of her bag and pulling out one of his old long sleeved shirts to sleep in.

His mouth watered when she unsnapped the button of her black shorts and pulled them down. He couldn't help but remember the dreams he used to have growing up in similar hideouts all over the continent. Dreams where Sakura would suddenly appear in his rooms that looked almost identical to this one. Dreams that would start with her grand speeches about him returning to the village and end with him holding her down against his bed, the wall, the floor, his desk; half hating and half loving her as he took her again and again in every way his hormone driven mind could imagine. Back then, he'd found the dreams distracting and annoying. He realized now it was just his mind and soul conjuring up what his heart truly wanted with a heavy splash of puberty to make everything that much more intense.

Now, was a rare opportunity to make those teenaged fantasy a reality. He wasn't sure why, but he had an intense desire to do so. Just as she straightened from removing her shorts, leaving her clad in only her chest bindings and a pair of sinful red panties, he pounced slamming her up against the nearest wall.

"Sasuke?" she squeaked trembling when his lips ghosted over her neck moving up to her ear where he tugged lightly with his teeth.

"Do you have any idea how many times I dreamed of you while in this snake's den?" He whispered in her ear trailing his fingers over her hip, up her waist and over her cloth covered bust, reaching for the tie. "Dreamed of taking you over and over again until you couldn't even move and your voice was hoarse from screaming my name." She gasped and shuddered at his words instinctively pressing herself against him. He grasped the knot of her bindings and pulled. "Now, I can finally make those dreams reality." He pulled the fabric away from her chest and squeezed her breast before moving his hand down to her panties stroking her dampening slit.

"Sasuke!" She gasped when he pressed his finger inside of her.

"You'd better prepare yourself." He whispered biting the nape of her neck a bit little harder than usual. "I have no intention of being gentle tonight."

He stepped away from her to quickly strip off his own clothes and then spun her around pulling her panties down before slamming her back against the wall again. She gasped at the coolness and roughness of the stone and he wasted no time, positioning himself at her entrance before slamming into her with one rough, hard, thrust.

Sakura gasped and curled around him her legs wrapping around his waist, her arms twining around his neck as she accepted his rough attacks. The sound of flesh, crashing against flesh and her cries were amplified by the stone walls and only encouraged him to move faster, rougher, to completely dominate her the way he'd dreamed of in his youth. He wasn't sure if it was something dark lingering in his soul from his time spent as Orochimaru's test subject and apprentice, or if it was just something in the air itself, but something was effecting him, making him feel just a tad darker than it had been since their marriage months ago.

Her nails sank into the flesh of his shoulders and he hissed at the sensation moving even faster and rougher. Sakura gasped and moaned, her lips unable to form a single word as he took her like an animal against the wall, her legs holding him tightly around his waist.

"What a dirty, wanton thing you are." He hissed in her ear when she tightened around him after a thrust so hard her head slammed against the wall. "If you wanted it rougher, you should have just asked."

She cried out as he moved inside her and came undone with high pitched wail her walls twitching around him. He groaned and spilled himself inside her and stepped away letting his wife slide down the wall to the ground. He studied her for a moment, panting as his body cooled. She was a mess with her hair mussed, sweat gleaming on her skin, and her eyes glassed over with passion. In a matter of moments he was hard again and moved to her grabbing her roughly by the arm and half throwing her onto the bed.

"Sasuke?" Sakura questioned looking up at him.

"I'm not finished with you. Nowhere close." He nearly growled before pressing her face first into the mattress. "I warned you." He whispered in her ear before lifting her hips and slamming into her again.

$8$

Karin paced around her room her mind spinning. It didn't make sense. Sasuke was so different yet the same. He was still aloof, and cold when he dealt with them yet… His chakra was warmer than she'd ever felt it yet still just a potent. He was still as gorgeous as ever with his pale skin, dark hair, and deep eyes that could freeze almost anyone in their tracks but those cold features always warmed just a little when he looked at the pink haired woman. She couldn't understand how this girl had managed to change him so much in such a short amount of time. How was it that this Sakura chick had wormed her way into his heart so easily when she'd tried her hardest for years but had never received a single sincere 'thank you' from the Uchiha prodigy.

"Ugh! I give up!" she snarled throwing a book across the room. "Maybe some tea will help."

The fact that the way to the kitchen would take her right past Sasuke's room had absolutely nothing to do with it.

She slipped a robe over her shoulders making sure that it was just a bit open, just in case she bumped into the ink haired heart throb on her late night stroll and strode out the door. She padded softly down the long winding hallway and felt Sasuke's cool chakra growing closer as she went. Her heart pounded when she realized that he wasn't in the bedroom with Sakura, he was alone, in the kitchen, exactly where she was headed. Perhaps the luck Gods were on her side after all.

She entered the room and quickly focused her attention on the Uchiha masterpiece standing in front of the stove. He looked absolutely delicious, his inky spikes tousled, his grey pants riding sinfully low on his hips, a loose long sleeved blue tunic with a deep v that showed off his sculpted pectorals covering his top. She could even make out a bead of sweat on his collar bone and licked her lips at the thought of licking it off herself. His eyes lifted from the teapot he was watching to meet hers and she tossed her hair before fingering the low open v of her robe lightly.

"Couldn't sleep?" She said softly sauntering up to him.

He nodded once and then took his whistling pot from the heat and took one of Orochimaru's unique tea blends from the cupboard and slipped it inside to steep. While he waited, he rummaged through the cupboards frowning at the limited selection of food.

"Are you looking for something specific?" Karin offered. "I might be able to help."

He glanced at her and then sighed. "Something sweet."

She cocked a brow at that. Sasuke hated sweets; that much she'd learned about him during their time together.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked leaning forward and reaching out to touch his forehead.

He jerked away from her seeking fingers. "Yes." He replied shortly before continuing on his quest in the cupboards.

She watched in confusion as he finally found a box of cookies, a brand that Suigetsu liked from what she remembered, and opened it laying a few on a plate before putting it back on the shelf.

"A sudden sweet tooth?" She asked.

"They're not for me." He replied setting the plate on a tray on the counter.

"Oh." Karin replied lamely realizing at once who they must have been for. After a few moments of tense silence, she steeled her courage and moved closer to him. "So, how is married life? Is your wife, satisfying you properly?" She asked pressing her chest to his arm.

He swiftly moved away grabbing the hot pot of tea from the where it was resting on the stovetop. "She is an excellent wife." He replied laying a pair of tea cups on the tray next to the teapot on the plate of cookies.

He left without a word and Karin scowled as he walked away. After a few minutes of brooding, her desire for tea completely wiped out from her encounter with the cold Uchiha, she nearly stomped down the hall again but stopped outside the room where Sasuke was sleeping when she heard voices.

"Are you sure your body is alright?" Sasuke said.

"I'm fine." His wife replied. "Stop worrying already."

"I was too rough." He replied. "Your back-"

"Sasuke, it's fine. If I didn't want it, I would have stopped you." She said.

Sasuke sighed and Karin could hear the shifting of porcelain and the distinct sound of liquid being poured into a cup.

"Drink this. It's a special blend designed for increasing regenerative abilities." The ink haired man said.

"Thank you." Sakura replied before sipping the tea. "It's a little bitter."

"I thought you'd say that. Eat these." Sasuke replied.

The young woman behind the door chuckled and the bed shifted. "I love you Sasuke, so much." She said softly the tone so full of genuine feeling that Karin felt her heart squeeze and tears sting at her eyes.

This woman truly loved Sasuke. There was no way to deny it. She'd seen how the medic looked at Sasuke and now to hear the way she talked to him… Damn it all, that made it that much harder to hate the wench. To her shock, Sasuke responded to the medic's words.

"I know." He replied his tone warmer than Karin had ever heard it. "I feel the same way about you. I'm sorry for losing control earlier."

Her eyes widened and the tears that had been stinging her eyes welled up and rolled down her cheeks at the words. He felt the same way? Did that mean he loved her? That pink haired girl? The cold hearted prince that had no interest in love, women, or relationships? It was like a knife to the heart and she scrambled down the hall and away from the couple behind the door.

She stumbled inside her own room and collapsed on the bed, sobs shaking her body. Deep down she'd always known he would never love her. He'd helped her once out of a sense of duty and she'd fallen hard and fast for his quiet kindness, killer good looks, and incredible chakra. She'd been by his side for years and had supported him the best she could, yet he'd nearly killed her with his own hands for being a hindrance. After hearing that he'd done the same to the mysterious pink haired girl who had appeared to soften him a little and saved her life, she felt confident that he would love no one and that was fine with her. After all, what was there to envy? Never did she imagine that he would actually fall in love with someone, let alone the pink haired girl he'd left behind in the village he'd abandoned.

She'd wanted to believe that his marriage with Sakura was more political and practical than anything else. That he'd chosen to marry her to secure his place in the village and produce offspring to rebuild his clan. Yet here it was, proof that Sasuke loved that woman. He rarely spoke and never said things he didn't mean.

"Why? Why isn't it me?" She whimpered into her pillow.

$8$

Sasuke opened his eyes and his heart jumped into his throat as he recognized the carved stone wall. What was going on? Had everything been one massive dream or genjutsu? Was he stuck with the blasted snake again?

He turned over and breathed a sigh of relief when his vision was filled with a head of bubblegum colored hair framing an angelic face with a blue diamond in the middle of her forehead. He was in the snake's den… again. However this time he wasn't alone. His wife was with him.

He reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear noting a few finger shaped bruises on the tops of her shoulders. There was no doubt about it, he'd been way too rough with her last night. He shifted a little and pressed his lips to the blue tinged marks on her skin. Though he knew they'd both enjoyed themselves, in hindsight, he hadn't liked that he'd lost control the way that he had. There was no way to take it back now however. His wife's jade eyes fluttered open and she smiled warmly at him.

"Good morning darling." She said softly. "At least I think its morning."

"Good morning Tsuma." He replied brushing his lips over her forehead. "Is your body alright?"

She chuckled. "My dear husband. Considering the battles I've fought in over the years, you can't possibly think one night of rough lovemaking would actually have a lasting effect on me do you?" With a playful shove, she forced him onto his back and then loomed over him the collar of his shirt she was wearing slipping over her shoulder. "Shall I prove to you just how unaffected I am?" she asked her eyes sparkling with mischief and a tinge of desire.

He lifted his hand to her waist and squeezed gently a small smile touching his lips. "I believe you." He said. "Though your offer is tempting, I can sense Orochimaru, and Jugo are already up and about. Though I'm not worried about Jugo overhearing or commenting on what might happen in this room Orochimaru…"

"Good point." Sakura replied paling a little.

Sasuke smirked and pulled her flush against him kissing her with gentle passion until her lips were plump and her cheeks were darker than her hair.

"I'll take you up on that offer of yours when I return though." He told her.

Her bright expression fell a little. "That's right. You're leaving today with Suigetsu and Orochimaru aren't you?"

Sasuke nodded and stroked her cheekbone. "You have nothing to worry about. Jugo will take good care of you. From what I understand, his rages are almost completely under control and there's emergency medicine in case he has trouble. Karin will be staying behind as well."

"She's why I'm worried." Sakura muttered.

Sasuke smirked at that. "Does she intimidate you?" He asked.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's not like that. It's just…" she laid her head on his chest. "She loves you too, in her own way."

"She desires me. That's all." Sasuke replied.

Sakura shook her head. "No, she loves you. We women have a certain instinct about these things you men tend to be oblivious to. My feelings are all…muddled. I feel sorry for her and guilty, but at the same time I feel that she wasn't right for you and I have nothing to feel bad for." She shifted off him and curled up resting her elbows on her knees as she clutched at her skull. "Add to that the fact that I can feel her glaring daggers at me every time I turn my back and I can't help but feel uneasy, like she's going to stab me with a scalpel in the lab the moment I show her my back. Jealousy is so ugly, I know that first hand."

Sasuke sighed and shoved his wife back down onto the bed covering her body with his own. "I've said it before, but it's always been you, Sakura. Not Ino, not Karin, not any of the other girls who have fawned over me." He leaned down and ghosted his lips along the curve of her neck that she instinctively lifted to give him more access. "Just you Sakura." He pressed his mouth to hers kissing her with rough passion. "Our love doesn't have to consider other people. You are mine, and I am yours." He nipped at the skin at the top of her sternum just below the Uchiha crest she wore around her neck. "Do you understand?"

Sakura's eyes widened and then brightened again. "Yes." She replied wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry darling."

"It's nothing Tsuma." He said nuzzling her nose and kissing her once more before slipping out of bed.

He knew this situation was more stressful to her than she'd let on. As usual she was trying to be strong for his sake. The dutiful wife who couldn't tell her husband she was nervous about staying with a woman whom she probably at one point considered her romantic rival because he was leaving for a time.

"Do you want some help?" He asked watching as she struggled with her chest binding standing with her glorious back to him with a fresh pair of black panties on.

"I've been doing this since I was twelve. It's fine." She assured him. "Though I'm considering switching to mesh. Cloth is a little old fashioned and much less convenient."

He thought about it for a moment. She looked good in anything, he was curious as to how she would look in the underclothes other kunoichi preferred.

She pulled on her mission clothes and he smirked when she attached her holster to her leg. "You don't trust them?" he asked.

She smirked. "You never watched mine and Ino's battle during the chunin exams did you? We women can be vicious when love and jealousy get involved. I'm just preparing for the worse. Men aren't the only ones who sometimes have to communicate with their fists you know."

Sasuke chuckled and allowed his wife to examine him before wrapping what was left of his right arm. They dressed quickly sensing Jugo approaching their door and exited the room just as he arrived.

"Oh good, you're up." He said. "Breakfast is ready."

"Thank you." Sakura replied.

After breakfast, Sakura did something Sasuke didn't expect.

"Orochimaru, do you have large space that would be suited for combat training in here?" She asked.

The snake sannin studied her for a moment, his brow cocking and nodded. "Of course."

"Would it be alright if I used it? Though my research is important, it's also imperative that I keep my body in top battle form as well." She explained.

"Of course." He agreed. "Jugo can show you there once we've left, if that's agreeable with you."

"Excellent, I appreciate it." She said bowing a little to the snake master.

An hour later, Sasuke and his party were ready to depart. Sakura stood with him at the secret entrance to the hideout and he looked down at her, sensing the anxiety that she was trying desperately to hide.

"I'll be back soon. We're just confirming leads and taking down lower ranked members right now. I'll only be away for two weeks, maybe a month at the most." He told her.

"Alright." She replied stepping closer to him laying her hand lightly on his chest. "Please take care of yourself."

"You too." He said. "You're fussing again." He muttered when she smoothed the collar of his cloak.

"Get used to it. I'll fuss over you every time you leave until the day you die." She snapped.

"Sasuke, it's time to go." Suigetsu said stepping up to them. "The old snake is getting impatient."

His expression softened at that as he took a step away from her and reached out tapping her in the middle of her forehead. "I'll see you when I get back."

She blushed and nodded. "Yes. Goodbye darling."

"Stay safe Tsuma." He replied before walking away, following Suigetsu and Orochimaru into the trees.

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading, reviewing and favoriting. I appreciate the feedback and it motivates me to write like nothing else can.