Hey guys. Okay, here is the next chapter of the story. I got motivated again : ) Updates will slow down, though. School starts back up tomorrow, unfortunately. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. It makes me happy knowing people like the story! Okay, moving on... Enjoy!

Sakura stood before the mirror hanging in the foyer of her new home, staring at the reflection. The woman in the mirror looked back, her face radiating an ethereal glow. Her emerald eyes were shining with tears of happiness.

It was her wedding day. She had finally married the man she loved more than life itself. Sasuke belonged to her, and she belonged to him.

The lovers had exchanged vows before friends and family earlier that day beneath the cherry blossom trees of Konoha. The delicate pink blossoms of spring had soared down from the heavens that day, dancing in whirlwinds of ribbons around the young man in black and woman in white. Sakura had been so beautiful, a blushing bride of eighteen. The audience had clapped and cheered as she kissed her new husband beneath the trees.

The reception that followed lasted for several hours after the wedding. Sasuke had reserved a private party room for the event at one of the finest hotels in downtown Konoha. The traditional ceremonies were carried out once the bridal party arrived: the dances, the toasts, the cutting of the cake.

Even when the bride and groom retired for the evening, the guests at the party had decided to continue on with the festivities. The music blared, the dancing commenced, and the alcohol flowed. It would be many more hours before the last of the guests had stumbled through the hotel lobby as they attempted to find their way home.

The newlyweds decided to stay in their new house on the first night of their new life together. Sasuke had carried Sakura up the walkway and through the doorway, setting her on her feet in the foyer, then disappeared into the second story of the house. She had opted to stay right where she stood until he came looking for her. She had seen the look in his eyes before he disappeared up the staircase.

Sakura placed a shaking palm over her racing heart as she realized the reason he had stared at her with such a startlingly fierce gaze. It was their wedding day.

She started pulling the bobby pins from her bubblegum tresses which were swept into a sensational style as she tried to keep herself busy. Every few moments the metal pins would drop into the small bowl on the side table beneath the mirror. A pink tendril of hair would tumble down her back or shoulder, resting lightly against her porcelain skin. When there were no more pins left in her hair, she took a breath and closed her eyes. She listened to the rush of her pulse in her ears.

When she opened her emerald eyes once more, Sakura gasped in surprise. Sasuke's reflection stood behind her own in the mirror. The corners of his mouth were curved ever so slightly into a smile, yet his face had never appeared so serious. He was staring at her with those onyx eyes, studying her. Her now ghostly pale image stared back at him. She glanced down at her folded arms as Sasuke's footsteps, almost silent on the wooden floor, approached her.

She shivered at the heat of his body against her back, which only served to make her heart beat even faster. She felt one hand resting carefully on her hip. How did he do it? What was it that took her breath away? He'd always had that affect on her; it had always been so hard to say no before. Whenever he'd looked at her that way, like the day in the field of sunflowers, she'd asked him to wait. Until they were married. Until she was ready.

His strong hand gently brushed her bubblegum locks away from her face, her neck. He planted a tender kiss on her cheek, then her jaw line, then here and there in a line along the curve of her neck until he reached the smooth shoulder exposed by the low cut of her snow white gown. Sakura closed her eyes and leaned back into Sasuke with every kiss, until she felt his firm chest against her back. She released her breath in a heavy sigh as twenty different emotions swelled within her. Excitement. Anticipation. Longing. Love. Fear.

The fingers that had swept her hair away now traipsed along the skin of her back. They were feeling for something at the edge of the dress. When it was firmly in their grasp, Sakura felt a slight tug and the sound of a zipper sliding down. Sakura opened her startled eyes as the dress material surrounding her shoulders slowly sagged and slid down her arms.

She caught the dress just before it had the chance to slip away from her bosom. She held it up with trembling arms and turned to face Sasuke.

Sasuke stood before her. He had discarded the neck tie and black coat, and his white dress shirt had been untucked. The front was no longer buttoned, so the shirt now hung open, revealing the muscled chest and abdomen. His onyx eyes still gazed at her, possessing that expression of desire and passion that had always lain dormant. However, he no longer held it in check as he once had for her sake.

She knew he would hold nothing back now. There was no reason for him to restrain, just as there was no reason for her to resist. He had patiently obeyed her wishes, for he loved her more than life itself. But he was still human. He was still a man.

They were married. She should have been ready. It didn't matter now.

She did not protest as he embraced, and then picked her up in his arms. She held tight to his neck as he carried her up the staircase to the bedroom. Their bedroom. She let the dress fall to the floor littered in rose petals as he set her down beside the bed. Their bed. She felt his eyes on her as she stood there in her simple undergown. She felt the flush of blood in her face. She would let him stare. He was her husband now.

She watched him as he slipped the dress shirt from his shoulders, revealing his strong arms and body; the very same that had always protected her. There was no reason to be afraid. It was a first for him, too. She knew that he'd hold her close, caress her bear skin, and whisper sweet words into her ear. He wouldn't hurt her.

They would be afraid together. They would learn together. She was ready. It didn't matter now.

Sakura sat straight up in the bed, knocking the covers away from her. Her entire body tingled with the warmth of his touch. He had been there. She swore it. He had to be. She ripped the covers from the bed to find nothing. She slammed the bathroom door open, hoping to see him standing there, but only met her lonely reflection in the mirror.

She was alone. No.

She was always alone. No.

He really was dead. No.

How could he have been there? Damn it!

The sound of impact rang through the silence of the house. Sakura's chest heaved as her face creased tight with pain. Her fist was slammed into the bathroom mirror. The ring of cracks in the reflecting surface etched farther and farther from the place of the collision. The rectangular sheet crumbled into a thousand shards and fell in a single wave. The bits and pieces of mirror chinked and tinkled against the porcelain sink.

Sakura pulled her hand back to her chest as she flipped on the light. Blood trickled down from her knuckles and dripped onto her nightgown. She held her face with her uninjured hand and sighed again and again, until she felt her breathing return to normal. She stared at the blood as it ran down her fingertips, threatening to fall to the floor. She went to the hallway closet and pulled out the first aid kit. She trudged down the stairs and headed for the kitchen.

A kettle of hot water heated up on the stove as Sakura cleaned the wound on her hand. She flinched every few minutes as she picked out several shards from her flesh with fine tweezers. She studied the marred hand and shook her head. She couldn't believe her own actions. There had been other times where she had pounded the pillows flat and flailed her fists against the mattress. But this time was different; the dream was so real. It had gotten out of control.

She rubbed wearily at her tired eyes as she wondered what had caused this dream, of all dreams, to visit her tonight. She knew why. It was because of Kakashi. It was because she kissed him. Her mind was taking revenge for her body's rebellion. Defiance could not be tolerated. She had to be reminded of the man she had loved first, even if he was gone.

That was why she had punched the mirror. It was a last resort of the body. Smash the soul and break the grasp.

Sakura pulled out the bandages and started to wrap them around the freshly prepared wound. It was always a battle of body and soul; of mind over matter.

Common sense told her that she had just been caught up in the fervor of the moment with Kakashi. The kiss alone was dangerous ground. She knew where it could lead if she allowed it. Through the front door, up the stairway, into the bedroom. She wasn't stupid. That was how it had been with Sasuke. She'd always have to fight every emotion in her heart and body and the sensations running through it just to shake her head at him. She never gave in until their wedding night. That was the first time they made love. She had relinquished her whole self to him.

So why was it different with Kakashi? She couldn't deny that she felt something for the man. When he'd held her in his arms, she had thought about it. Asking him to stay, begging him to hold her tight just a moment longer. It wasn't just about physical attraction or sex. She needed him to be there because of the man he was. He had been a teacher once, a wise and trusted mentor. He was a friend now, a source of laughter and a shoulder to cry on. She did love him, and after the event only hours before, she knew that he loved her. Couldn't he be her lover as well?

The tea kettle whistled its way into Sakura's head, disturbing the thoughts that had congregated there. She got up and removed the kettle from the fire. She sighed as the thoughts faded away from her.

There was an urgent knock at the door.

Sakura peered out the window, flashlight in hand. The porch light was still out. Kakashi had promised to come fix it a few hours from now.

A ninja stood on her doorstep dressed in the guise of the ANBU personnel. Sakura's chest tightened. Although she hadn't glanced at the clock, she figured it must have been on two or three in the morning. ANBU didn't show up at your door at all hours of the night just for a friendly chat. She noticed a letter in the gloved hand. She quickly unlocked the door and greeted the masked ninja.

"Uchiha Sakura." The black holes in the animalistic mask stared at her momentarily, and then held the letter out to her. "You are to report to Headquarters in one hour for a meeting. That's at 4:30 am. Bring this document with you when you arrive."

Sakura nodded to the ANBU member, who disappeared in the next instant. She peered at the paper grasped firmly in her hand. What could be so important that they're calling a meeting?

She fumbled with the seal on the letter and unfolded it. She sat down at the kitchen table before lifting the letter to her eyes to read and took a breath. She didn't want anymore surprises to knock her flat on her back today.

Thank you for reading! All reviews are welcomed and can be directed to the reviews section : )