Disclaimer: Don't own and didn't create Naruto, sure wish I was that creative.
A/N: I came up with a soundtrack for this fic - one track for each chapter (two for the last one), so check out my profile page to hear clips of them!
(Track 1)Prologue:
It was a few months before Naruto would return when "it" happened. And what happened after would change her life forever.
She returned from her own work out after an especially long day of training with Tsunade, who was teaching her the ways of a medical-nin, as well as other jutsu the San-nin had developed over the years. But anyway, when Sakura arrived, she quickly ate the cold dinner her mother had left out for her before her parents had turned in for the night and was about to collapse on her bed in her room , when for some unknown reason she decided to step out onto her balcony for a few minutes.
Bent at the waist, she leaned far over the banister, her big eyes staring at the multitude of stars above her. No matter how hard she tried to discipline herself, her thoughts wandered onto him. She swore to herself many times not to think about it until Naruto returned and as a pair try searching for their teammate, but her thoughts didn't listen. It was in the middle of this chiding herself that a dark figure suddenly jumped next to her.
If it weren't for her flexibility and training, she probably would've flipped over the railing and landed painfully on the street below. Instead, she was wobbly balanced over the railing, stretched out in a superman position. She craned her neck around to observe that the cloaked figure hadn't moved. But his eyes were steadily trained on her. She couldn't see his face, but she knew who it was. She could feel it in the intensity of his gaze. The long since gone Team 7 member. She was almost sure it hadn't been 3 years yet, so at least the transfer hadn't occurred yet, right? Of course, what reason would Orochimaru have to be on her balcony? Of course, what reason would Sasuke have to be on her balcony?
He motioned questioningly toward her bedroom. She nodded that it was ok and he silently followed her inside. As he pushed back the hood shading his face, he began to speak…
Chapter 1: The Words that Started It All
As he pushed back the hood shading his face, he began to speak.
"Sakura. Don't panic. I'm not here to hurt you. I just have a favor to ask from you," he murmured softly
Swallowing hard, she nodded for Sasuke to continue.
Content that she wasn't going to attack, scream, or run for help, he questioned, "Is it ok to talk here?"
"Yeah, sure. My parents are already asleep."
Clearing (quietly, of course) his throat, perhaps buying a few seconds to muster up his courage, he continued "Do you still mean what you said the night I left the village? About being willing to do anything for me?"
Once again she nodded, sans the swallowing.
"Do you still mean them?" he asked plainly.
For the third time, she nodded, a little more slowly this time, though.
"Then will you marry me?"
"Umm…let me think for a minute. That's, uh, not exactly what I was expecting," she managed to get out after about 5 minutes of staring bug-eyed at her former crush. Sure, she loved him before, and she certainly still cared about him and would do just about anything to bring him back as a ninja of Konoha, but marriage? Not even in her wildest fantasy in her earlier days did she think Sasuke would actually propose to her after being teammates for almost a year (ok, maybe in her wildest fantasies). But certainly not suddenly like this after a 2-year and some absence. Well, they do say absence makes the heart grow fonder…Ok, that was a stupid thought. Of course he's not in love with me now. There obviously has to be some benefit for him from all of this.
Sasuke looked nervously out the window. Obviously it would not be good for him to get caught here. He didn't want to give alert of his presence or get into a fight. That's not what he came here for. Man, she's taking a long time. I thought she was obsessed with me. This should be a no-brainer for her or any of the other silly girls from our class. She's not in love with someone else now, is she? Because crap, that makes things more difficult for me. I'd have no freaking idea who to choose if she rejects me.
Noticing his anxiousness, Sakura finally breaks the silence. "Um, do you want to talk about this somewhere outside the village where it's a little safer?"
"What about your parents? Will they notice?"
"No, even if they wake up, I've come home later than this from training before. So…shall we?" she gestured toward the window.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted while he nodded in reply, confused by Sakura's comment about late training.
And so off they leapt rooftop to rooftop until they reached the village wall, and then it was treetop to treetop. Sasuke was surprised how easily Sakura was keeping up with his quick pace. Maybe she had worked out during all this time…maybe. She always had the potential, of course, but to actually train hard enough to make something of it. Maybe this was a better decision than he realized.
He also took time to notice how her legs had grown longer and slimmer, her arms were more defined. Her chest still had room for improvement, but he had to admit that they were still kinda cute despite their smallness. Of course, being a guy, the thought of being a ninja and having large boobs being an inconvenience never crossed his mind. Sakura sure didn't know how Tsunade did it. But he definitely liked her legs.
Sakura, on the other hand, was completely torn in two. After all, this was practically her dream come true without having the end-all battle that she thought she'd have to fight, the motivation for all her hard training over the years. But something just didn't feel right. Maybe having a teammate who left to join the enemy in order to gain more power, even though it meant leaving everyone behind, potentially betraying the village, and even almost killing Naruto, suddenly return with a marriage proposal just might have something to do with the bad feeling. Just maybe.
As the leaves brushed her face, she knew deep down Sasuke wouldn't do anything to hurt her. He was desperate to kill his brother, but he wouldn't cause unnecessary injury. What reason did he have to hurt her? Of course, she had no clue what reason he would have to marry her, so that showed how little she knew of his reasoning at this point in time. What on earth is he thinking? What on earth am I-. Her thoughts were interrupted by Sasuke's abrupt stop as she nearly smacked into his back. Good one, girl. Way to make an impression. Can't even pay attention to the person I'm following. He probably thinks I haven't improved at all.
Sasuke simply waited for Sakura to finish her inner-monologue before clearing his throat to display his readiness to continue the conversation they were having in her bedroom. "This should be far enough away. Now, I'm guessing you want a few more details?" He lowered himself and straddled the branch they had stopped on.
"Well, yeah. No offense, but this is a little suspicious and all. I mean, for all I know, you could already be Orochimaru." As she lowered herself on the branch, both legs hanging off one side, she watched for any sort of reaction out of the corner of her eye.
"It hasn't been 3 years yet," was all she got for a response.
Sighing, she murmured, "So what are the conditions?"
"The most important thing is you can't tell anyone about me. Not Naruto, not Kakashi-sensei. Not even the hokage herself. You got that?"
Sakura nodded.
"And then…we'll just meet whenever I can spare, and you'll, um, you'll, uh…you know…perform your, uh, wifely duty," he stuttered. "And that's all," he added a little too quickly.
I guess even revenge driven males are horny, Sakura thought sarcastically. Still, why would he take the risk when if sex is all he wants he could probably find a girl in the sound village. In fact, I bet Orochimaru would love to get his hands on his child…oh, I get why the risk now.
Sakura decided to refuse his offer, at least for the time being until some things got straightened out, and until she got to know the current situation a little better. Of course Inner-Sakura was already celebrating at the concept of being Sasuke's wife, but she knew better than to jump into something so irrationally, especially if it seemed like he was just going to be using her. She did, after all, grow up some since the last time they met. It was actually kind of insulting to her to think she would just go into it so blindly.
Sasuke fidgeted waiting for a response. "I would consider it a real marriage," he threw out. "And that night, you said you…you loved me and would do anything for me, right?" he almost begged.
Sakura was taken aback at the sudden dissipation of his stoic demeanor. He almost seemed desperate. All that played on her face, though, was the steady gaze she had been holding through all her contemplating.
"Sakura, please. I need this from you. Come on, I already have the priest ready and everything."
She was probably going to regret this, but…. "Ok, Sasuke. Ok, I'll marry you."