Several months passed, and Sasuke and Sakura continued to explore their newfound intimacy. Sakura never questioned why Sasuke sometimes froze in the heat of the moment, a look of trepidation briefly crossing his face before he continued. Sometimes, right when she thought they were finally going to have sex, Sasuke would completely shut down and go for a walk, or mumble something about how Sakura needed to get some sleep before work the next day. While this frustrated her to no end, she knew better than to bring it up in conversation; he would explain everything in due time.


Sasuke vomited into the toilet, his sweaty palms on either side of the porcelain basin. Dammit, he growled internally.

Sasuke's anxious thoughts about his relationship with Sakura were spilling over into his dreams as he slept, and this was the first time in months that his nightmares had made him sick. Hair clung to his sweaty forehead as he spit into the toilet one last time before flushing the evidence. He leaned against the cold side of the bathtub and took a deep breath, steadying himself to return to bed where he knew Sakura would be awake and concerned for his health.

Sasuke grimaced when he heard Sakura rise from the bed and knock quietly on the door as she entered.

"Sasuke?" she mumbled, walking toward him. Her silk nightgown matched her tousled pink hair, and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"Don't lie to me." Sakura reprimanded quietly, sitting across from Sasuke and leaning against the bathroom cabinets.

Sasuke closed his eyes and tilted his head back, taking another deep breath. They sat in silence for several minutes, Sakura being too stubborn to go back to bed without a satisfactory answer.

"Sakura," Sasuke began softly, looking up at the ceiling. "Has anyone ever told you the truth about Itachi?"

Sakura shook her head; her brow furrowed in confusion. "The truth?"

Sasuke nodded, heaving a great sigh as he mentally prepared himself to let Sakura into one of the most personal parts of his life; a part that very few people would ever learn about. "My brother may have killed our entire clan, but he didn't do it in cold blood like everyone believes he did."

Sakura adjusted her sitting position, knowing that she was about to hear a very important story. "He didn't?" she asked, urging Sasuke to continue.

Sasuke told Sakura the entire story of Uchiha Itachi. He explained the tension between Konoha's government and the Uchiha clan, the double-agent that Itachi was forced to become, the people Itachi was forced to kill, and the way Itachi had carefully crafted his plan so that Sasuke would never suspect the truth. Sasuke told her about how he had killed his brother without knowing any of this, and how he had later been told the truth by Tobi when he was still masquerading as Madara. He also told Sakura about his encounter with the resurrected Itachi during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and how he had finally come to terms with Itachi's past, having finally heard firsthand why Itachi had been forced to make such difficult decisions: to protect Konoha, and more importantly, to protect his little brother.

Sakura listened to the entire story without saying a single word. She was afraid that if she interrupted, Sasuke wouldn't have the patience to continue. So she listened intently, absorbing every word he said and committing it to memory. She wore a mask of mild interest as Sasuke spoke, although her true emotions ranged from shocked and disgusted to concerned and sorrowful.

When Sasuke finished the epic tale of Uchiha Itachi, there was complete silence. Sasuke was trying to read Sakura's face as she processed everything she had been told. Meanwhile, Sakura wasn't sure what to say to the last Uchiha.

Finally, Sakura found the courage to speak. "He really loved you, Sasuke." she said softly.

Sasuke nodded and said bitterly, "He did. And I killed him."

Sakura frowned. "But you didn't know‒"

"How long can I keep using that as an excuse for everything I've done?" Sasuke asked angrily. He started to shake as his nightmares replayed in front of his eyes, over and over again. "How can I atone for so many years of hurting the ones who loved me?"

"Sasuke," Sakura said soothingly, reaching for his hand and grasping it gently.

"I've been having dreams about you." Sasuke said suddenly, looking elsewhere across the bathroom, avoiding Sakura's gaze.

"What kind of dreams?" she asked tentatively, knowing very well that they weren't happy ones, as made evident by his tossing and turning every night.

"Flashbacks," he explained. "Every person I've ever killed suddenly has your face. And each time, Itachi is there, shaking his head at me; telling me I'm a disappointment."

Sakura didn't know what to say, so she just squeezed his hand sympathetically.

"I almost killed you once." Sasuke said softly, pulling his hand away. "I almost killed you, and you're still in love with me."

Sakura nodded slowly in confirmation.

Sasuke's brow furrowed as he studied the kunoichi sitting across from him. "Why?"

Sakura didn't answer him.

"Why, Sakura? You could've had any other guy; any other shinobi. You said you've been on dates with other guys – why didn't you choose one of them?"

"It's not that simple, Sasuke‒"

"Answer me." he growled through gritted teeth.

"I tried, okay?" Sakura said defensively, not pleased with his demanding tone of voice. "I tried to give other guys a chance. I tried to tell myself that you were gone, and you were never coming back; that you'd never love me, even if you came home. I tried to convince myself that I could be happy with someone else; that they'd love me more than you ever could." she said tearfully, her voice cracking as she spoke. She looked down at the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. "But it was never enough. I always compared them to you. They could have offered me the world, and it would have never been enough, because they just weren't you."

Sasuke took a moment to absorb Sakura's words; he observed the tears spilling from her eyes. And he was overwhelmed by the realization that this woman truly loved him, probably more than he ever could have guessed. It was one thing to hear the words "I love you"; it was another thing to hear the pain in her voice as she told him how desperately she tried to move on from the pain he had caused her.

"I don't deserve you." he said quietly; resignedly. "I've done so many terrible things to so many people."

"Just because you've done terrible things doesn't mean you're a terrible person." she told him gently.

"But why me, Sakura?" Sasuke asked again, this time with gentle curiosity.

"I think," Sakura struggled to find the words to sum up their very complicated past. "I think I wanted to help you. Right from the start, even when we were children, I knew there was a certain darkness in your past that was clouding your future. And I thought to myself, Maybe I could be the one to save him. I wanted to be the one to pull you out of the darkness."

Sasuke was silent, mulling over her words in his head.

"But Naruto beat me to it," she continued, smiling sadly as more tears spilled from her eyes. "I couldn't bring you back, but Naruto did – just as he promised he would."

"Naruto may have brought me back," Sasuke began, tentatively grasping Sakura's hand. "But you're the reason I stayed; you're the reason I returned to this house. Don't doubt for a second that your role was any less important than Naruto's."

Sakura smiled at Sasuke through the darkness of the moonlit bathroom, and he leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. Sakura sniffled as Sasuke wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'm such an ugly crier." she laughed, rubbing her swollen eyes.

"Don't say that," Sasuke said, using his fingers to brush a strand of hair from her face.

Sakura scooted across the floor and wiggled her way into Sasuke's arms. He held her close to his chest with his chin resting on the top of her head, and they sat in comfortable silence for several minutes. They felt each other's muscles relax as the tension from their conversation dissipated. Finally, when they were both calm, Sakura spoke:

"Why did you wait this long to tell me about Itachi?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, ashamed of himself. "I was afraid that if I told you," he whispered, "You'd see me differently; you'd see me as the monster that killed his own brother for nothing." He swallowed before continuing. "I guess I didn't have enough faith in you, and for that, I'm sorry."

Sakura turned her head to look Sasuke in the eyes. "Sasuke, there is absolutely nothing you could tell me that would make me love you any less." she said firmly. "Perhaps that makes me a fool in some regards, but it's the truth. I'm in love with you, and nothing will ever change that." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and smiled warmly. "All I ask is that you're honest with me."

The word "honest" struck a chord with Sasuke, and he frowned to himself. "I haven't been completely honest." he admitted, averting his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked kindly.

Sasuke took a deep breath and sighed awkwardly. "There's a reason I won't have sex with you." He blurted out the words before he could stop himself. "I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want to freak you out." he explained quickly.

Sakura, remembering her conversation with Hinata about such topics, had a pretty good idea of what Sasuke was trying to say. However, she wanted to hear it from him herself. "You can tell me, Sasuke." she coaxed.

Sasuke suddenly felt very appreciative of the darkness in the bathroom that hid the blush on his cheeks. "I can't sleep with you unless we're married." he said hurriedly, somehow thinking that if he could just get the words out fast enough, the embarrassment wouldn't last as long.

Sensing his anxiety, Sakura gave him a swift kiss on the lips and said, "I understand."

Sasuke's brows rose in mild surprise. "That's it? You understand?"

"Of course." Sakura shrugged. "I'm certainly not going to force someone to have sex before they're comfortable doing so."

"It's not that I'm not comfortable with you," Sasuke said carefully. "It's more of a tradition thing." He fidgeted for a second before continuing. "If we aren't married, and you get pregnant, it would be really shameful to my clan." he explained. "And after all of the awful things I've done, I've decided that if I'm going to restore my clan, I want to do it the right way."

"I understand completely." Sakura said warmly.

Sasuke was a little surprised that Sakura was reacting so casually to everything he had said. "I don't want you to think I'm trying to guilt you into marrying me," he said cautiously. "But you said to be honest, so there you have it. I can't have sex with you unless you're prepared to be my wife and the mother of my children."

Sakura nodded in understanding, as casual as could be.

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "None of this seems to come as a surprise to you."

Sakura bit her lip, knowing that Sasuke would figure it out eventually. "Well, in the spirit of being honest, Hinata told me a while ago that that was probably the reason you weren't sleeping with me." she admitted meekly.

"Why were you talking to her about this sort of thing?" Sasuke asked, scrutinizing her face.

"I was worried that there was something wrong with me; that you didn't think I was good enough for you or something. That's when Hinata told me about the way things like this are handled in prestigious clans like the Hyūga and the Uchiha."

To Sakura's surprise, a small smirk made its way onto Sasuke's lips. "Interesting." he mused. "So you went to Hinata for relationship advice?"

"Yes, you're not mad about that? I know you're very private." Sakura said, trying to gauge Sasuke's reaction.

Sasuke chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "Hinata has been a double-agent, it seems." Sakura gave him a curious look, so he continued: "I, too, have been taking relationship advice from Hinata."

"Since when?" Sakura asked, trying not to laugh.

"For a few months, now." Sasuke admitted. "You know all those nights when I disappear for a few hours? I go to Naruto's house for advice from him and Hinata."

Sakura stifled a giggle behind her hand. "I can't believe neither of them told me that! They're sneaky, those two. I suppose we should thank them, though, for helping us."

"You can thank Hinata, but I'm not thanking Naruto." Sasuke said stubbornly, hiding a smirk.

Sakura laughed and buried her face in Sasuke's neck as he tightened his arms around her in an affectionate embrace. "Do you realize that we've been sitting on the bathroom floor for over an hour now?" she asked him.

Sasuke slid one arm under Sakura's knees and rose from the floor with her in his arms. "Maybe we should get back to bed." he said, carrying her to their bedroom. "Somebody has to work tomorrow."

"You always say that!" Sakura pouted as Sasuke laid her on her side of the mattress before walking around to his side of the bed.

Sasuke smiled smugly, pulling the blankets over both of them. "Because it's always true." he reasoned. "You can't do your job if you're up all night talking to me."

Sakura crawled closer to Sasuke and traced a finger across his muscular chest flirtatiously. "What if I'm up all night doing everything except talking to you?" she asked with a wink.

Sasuke chuckled and shook his head, tucking Sakura into bed next to him and kissing her on the lips. "Not tonight; you have to deliver three babies tomorrow, so you better get as much sleep as you can."

"It's not like I'm the one giving birth," Sakura scoffed.

"Not yet, anyway." Sasuke muttered under his breath, rolling over to face the wall.

"What did you just say?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"Nothing – go to sleep." Sasuke said nonchalantly, grateful that Sakura couldn't see the satisfied smirk on his face as he fell asleep.