A/N: Old submission for Sasusaku Month 2014 Day 19. Prompt: Rusty.

"Do we have to go?" Sasuke grunted when his wife tidied the sheets of paper and rolled the opened scrolls lying messily on the table before him.

"Of course we do. This is the anniversary of the shinobi alliance." Sakura stacked the sheets of paper together and put them on the corner of his desk.

"Tch." He scoffed. He honestly felt there was no need for him and Sakura to go. It's not like they would notice it. Yes they would, as Sakura continuously mentioned, since they were pretty much the ones who ended the war along with Naruto, Kakashi, and Obito. Deciding not to argue with his wife in a conversation he so obviously would lose, he got off from the couch and proceeded to the bathroom.

He lazily took a quick shower and slipped into a suit Sakura had gotten out while Sakura wore an elegant long strapless burgundy dress that complemented her features. He could've sworn he saw her green emerald eyes glow even brighter. Her pastel hair was tied in a bun with a sakura blossom clip on top with a few strands of hair escaping around the side of her face.

She wore a beautiful silver necklace with a small Uchiha crest dangling at the bottom. It was an engagement gift he had gotten her. She had only worn it during their wedding and on special occasions, claiming that it was too fancy to be worn every day. He couldn't help but smirk at how the emblem suits her, and at how beautiful she looked.

He figured, the event wouldn't be much of a drag when he could just stare at his beautiful wife.

.

.

The ballroom was packed with people from other villages who had gathered for this special occasion. The five Kages were present, Naruto including, and new acquaintances they met on the battlefield. Old village enemies were rekindling and talking as friends. It's amazing how peace had transcended in this new age.

Friendship wasn't the only thing that spread throughout the event. Couples were visible left and right. Naruto was introducing his wife Hinata to the Kages, Ino was flirting with Sai and he looked like he enjoyed it. Kakashi, well he was talking with Guy, bickering about their rivalry and how they stood as competitors. It looked like they were about to have another match to test their youth spirits. And as for Sasuke, he was happily hooking his arm with his pink-haired kunoichi when they entered the vicinity.

The moment they walked in, people had already recognized who they were and were initiating conversations.

"Teme! Sakura-chan! I knew you'd come."

"Hn." Sasuke was still sulking from the looks of it.

"Nice to see you too Naruto." She ignored her husband's brooding and hugged her Hokage best friend before she greeted Hinata, giving her a hug.

Round tables were laid out across the room, with colorful flowers settled in the middle of the table. People started making their way to their seats, including the Uchiha couple.

"Hey come sit here! The event's about to start!" Naruto ushered them to the table and made them sit next to where Naruto would be sitting. The four other Kages were taking their own places around the table while their other friends were scattered around other tables, still busy chatting with each other.

When everyone seemed comfortable in their seats, Naruto stepped forward to give a little speech.

Sasuke didn't remember most of it, the only thing registered into his mind was how he said that he was thankful everyone could come, how he was bad at speeches, how he felt content that people were settling their differences and chose to live in peace, and etcetera. Something a typical Naruto would say.

To Sasuke's prediction, dinner was the hardest part of it all. This meant that people were free to talk to anyone, which also meant he had to socialize. His most favorite activity. Sasuke had to admit, they served food only suitable for high end societies and party gatherings, food that he would never see aside from tonight.

The next step had to be interacting with other shinobis, and he was sticking close to Sakura like autopilot, hoping that she would be the one who responding to the conversation so he wouldn't be stuck with having to deal with awkward situations.

The mood had been lovely as the festivities started lifting up people's moods. Music was playing in the background, adding to the whole ambience. With dinner being over, people had started dancing, grooving to the background music. Without realizing, they had formed a dance party in the middle of the ballroom. The upbeat music did a great job getting people on their toes and move with confidence.

In a second, the song changed into a softer one. Harps, flutes, and violins rang through the ballroom, calming down the atmosphere. People started dividing themselves into partners, swaying to the calm music.

Naruto had managed to drag Hinata to the dance floor, causing her to blush madly as they moved along with the music. He looked a bit disoriented but Hinata soon guided him and they soon moved in unison. Sai seemed to be doing a good job impressing Ino seeing how blown away she was at his dancing skills. That was probably because of the many books he had read.

Sakura adored the sight in front of her, heart warming up seeing how happy her friends were. She turned over to Sasuke, placing her hand on top of his.

"Let's dance Sasuke-kun."

"Hn. No." He stayed glued in his seat, determined not to move an inch.

"Why not?" He didn't respond but she gave him that pleading look. He had to turn away from her to resist the temptation.

"Let's just go home." She could've sworn he was slowly giving in, but she knew he was probably embarrassed to dance in front of so many people. He tried to read his face and couldn't exactly pinpoint the expression he was making. It was somewhere between bewildered, confused, and pity? Deciding it was best not to push him, she let the matter drop.

"Well alright we don't have to dance. But let's just stay a little longer, mkay?" He internally thanked her for not forcing him to do so. It was already a miracle for Sasuke to agree to come along. He knew his selfishness was getting in his way again.

"Okay." She still held on his hand and leaned back on her chair, rubbing his thumb on the back of his palm. He saw the look on her face, she was disappointed, but she was hiding it quite well.

He then realized the mistake he had made. Sasuke was never the romantic type. The way he expressed his love was nothing grand, and so far, Sakura had done a marvelous job trying to understand him. But did he ever consider what she wanted from him? He had always been the selfish one. Regret was hitting him harder than anything else.

He decided he would have to make it up to her. Conveniently, tomorrow would be their wedding anniversary. Which meant it would be the perfect opportunity for him to surprise her.

.

.

It was their second wedding anniversary. Seemingly able to wake up earlier than her all the time, she was still asleep with his arm draped around her waist. Her head was resting on his chest, with her arm snaking lazily around his torso. He always loved looking at her sleep. He shoved a few locks of hair out of her face and tugged them behind her ear. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

She soon stirred, trying to pry her eyes open as sunlight blinded her vision.

"Morning." He planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Hm. G'morning Saske-kun."

He had come up with a reasonable excuse saying he would be home doing some "work". Right after she left the house for work, he set out his plans in motion. He went to the market to get some ingredients he would need to make dinner.

Sakura didn't come home until seven in the evening. The moment she stepped into the house, she was greeted by a savory smell. Slowly, she patted her way to the kitchen and was met by none other than Sasuke who was standing beside the dining table.

A large plate of chicken was displayed at the center of the table, with other side dishes at the side. Two plates laid at the ends of the table.

"Sasuke-kun? You did this?" Taken aback by the sudden gesture, she looked around the kitchen.

"Hn." His lips were curved into a smirk. When he saw the look on his wife's face, he felt his pride sky rocketing. There was amazement, surprise and happiness carved on her smile. He motioned her to sit and they enjoyed the food he had prepared. To be fair, from all the recipes he had found, this was the only thing he could cook that actually tasted good.

Dinner with Sakura had always been lovely, but tonight had never felt more beautiful. The way his wife glowed, the way she smiled at him, the way she looked at him with all the love in the world. There was no where he would rather be than right there with her.

When they had finish eating dinner, Sasuke stood up, grabbed their plates and put them in the sink. Sakura was about to follow him to wash the dishes when he stopped her and dragged her to the living room.

"What are you doing?" Turning on the music player, he held her hands in his.

"Let's dance." Her eyes widened so much that it was about to pop off her sockets. He had never asked her to dance before in their entire lives and she knew he wasn't the type to do so. This aroused a suspicion in her.

"Who are you? What happened to my Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke snorted. He was just trying to be a good husband that's all.

"I'm right here Sakura." She still looked at him with suspicious eyes but didn't move away from him. "I felt bad that we couldn't dance yesterday." He elaborated. Her heart swelled, touched by his thoughtfulness. She had completely forgotten about it, not knowing how he had been bothered so much by it.

"I'm a little rusty" He said not beyond a whisper. It dawned on Sakura. That look he made yesterday, maybe he didn't want to dance because he wasn't sure how to. She giggled at his quirky yet romantic behavior. No matter how many times Sasuke said he wasn't a romantic, she always thought of him as one.

"Here." She guided his right hand to her waist and placed her left hand on his shoulder before lacing their free hands together, holding it at shoulder's height. "We'll move in motion together."

With small steps, she began moving backwards, urging Sasuke to move forward. Forward, backward, left, right. Sasuke was a bit rigid and tense at first but he soon picked up the rhythm and began guiding her. They let the music guide them, soothing their awkwardness.

They finally managed to settle on a comfortable rhythm. He hooked his hands together, bringing her close to him. She rested her head on his chest, letting his heartbeats soothe her and his warmth envelope her. She felt so peaceful and safe being in his arms.

"Happy Anniversary, Sakura." She lifted her head to meet his eyes and they closed the distance, meeting their lips together.