A/N: This was a little shorter. Let me know what you think! About anything!

5. While looking at them they're the only one you see

Naruto stood in front of his bride, his mouth stretched into the biggest grin anyone has ever seen. Hinata stood facing him, her smile soft and warm as they said their vows. All eyes were on them.

While Sasuke watched his best friend become overwhelmed with happiness, he felt the corners of his own mouth turn upward. He imagined himself in Naruto's place – something that never occurred to him before. The thought scared him a little at first.

He pictured Sakura in front of him saying her own vows. It wasn't hard imagining her promising herself to him, saying that she would be by his side for the rest of their lives. In fact she already has, on more than one occasion too. Contrary to popular belief, those things stay with Sasuke.

Sasuke shifted his glance over to Sakura beside him. She was quiet, but he could tell she was trying not to cry. Her lips formed a genuine smile, but they were quivering. Her hand was closed into a fist as she tried not to start sobbing loudly in the middle of their vows. Without thinking, Sasuke gently laid a hand on top of hers, causing her expression to change to surprise as she looked up at him, eyes wet.

Then his world froze, and everyone around him disappeared.

He imagined a life with her in the future. How it would feel coming home to her every night. They would have their own place, close to the hospital, but also near her favorite dango shop. They would live in a nice, modern apartment, just like she wanted. Even if she could afford the most luxurious home in Konoha with her pay, she was a very simple person, and so was he. He had been spending more nights at her apartment, and he concluded that nothing was more calming to him than her being the first and last things he saw each day.

They would raise their own family: a new generation of Uchiha. They would have three kids: a daughter to protect and two sons to keep the Uchiha name alive. Their kids would have his hair and her eyes- his skill and her intelligence, his cool and her fighting spirit. It sounded amazing, and Sasuke found himself smiling at the thought. Sakura smiled back up at him, unaware of what was actually racing through his mind.

When Hinata's gentle voice said, "I do", he imagined it in Sakura's voice. Sasuke swallowed hard.

Then everyone's loud cheers erupted, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts. He felt a little shaken and overwhelmed from his visions of the future. They came so fast, and now his mind was all over the place. He suddenly felt really dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Sai asked beside him. Sakura turned her hand around and gave his a squeeze, reminding him she was there. Although it comforted him, it really wasn't helping the situation very much.

"Aa," Sasuke nodded, gently removing his hand from hers. "I just need some fresh air. I'll be right back."

He looked back through the crowd to see Sakura tears of joy for her best friend. She looked so perfect in the dress she was wearing- even more so than the night he spent with her at the festival. Sakura was a grown woman now, he realized, both mentally and physically. She was no longer the little girl that used to cling on him all the time, or the little girl that hated Naruto so much. Amongst all the things that changed about her, her love for him remained, and Sasuke knew this. It brought peace to his heart.

She was a potential partner: she was someone he knew he could spend the rest of eternity with. She would make a wonderful companion with her undying loyalty. She would be a great mother: so caring, loving, and understanding. A great lover too: the passion in her eyes would be most inviting in the bedroom.

Sasuke's lower half suddenly felt tingly in addition to his stomach turning upside down. With an irritated grunt, he turned around and turned his attention to the sky.

Sasuke was surprised, first of all, that he was thinking such things. They were only 21, and he was already imagining how it would be like raising a family with this girl. They weren't even dating, although this could be arguable with how much time they spend, and how much intimacy there really was between them.

Then again, Sasuke pondered, he had known her almost all of his life. So thinking these things was not as bad. And Naruto did just get married at 20, but that didn't make it any less scary for the lonely man. The dobe probably knew what he was doing. He knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with that one specific woman that he loved. He knew his path; Sasuke didn't.

This became a very frustrating thought to Sasuke, seeing as he took an entire two years of self redemption to figure out what he wanted to do next. Now, Sasuke was a changed man. He was no longer the lost, deranged, and vengeful boy he was a couple years ago. The years spent on his journey alone changed a lot about how he perceived the world and others, and most importantly, himself. And he only returned when he was convinced that he knew what he was going to do when he came back. But, of course, with his luck, he had no idea how to tackle the most important problem. He didn't even know where to start with her.

Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted again when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Hey, are you okay?" It was Sakura. She looked concerned. She was hugging herself to keep from the cold.

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

"Do you want to be left alone?" When he didn't answer, she assumed he meant yes. She turned around to walk back to the crowd, but his voice made her stop.

"I'm happy for him."

She turned around again to read his face but his eyes were covered with his hair. "But…?"

"But I don't know where I'm going. It makes me think…Naruto and I have always been different: he follows a path of light and love. I never did. I never knew how." He wasn't sure why he was telling her all of this, but something inside of him felt relieved to let it out. To let her know.

"Now he's married. He's starting something new and, once again, I'm behind because I don't know how to live the life of a normal person." Sasuke clenched his fists, unsure of who to blame for this mess he called his life. "I've always been taught: revenge, hatred, murder. And even if I was able to pull myself out of that mindset, now I don't know what to do."

Sakura watched as he leaned against a tree, eyes still focused on the stars above them. She still couldn't see his eyes but she heard the pain in his voice. Softly, she told him, "Well, if it means anything to you, I think you're on the right track, Sasuke-kun."

"How?" His tone was soft. He was sincerely curious.

He seemed so vulnerable. It kind of frightened her to know that he was putting so much trust into her. She placed her hand on his arm and gently moved him to look at her. When she caught his eye, she made sure to give him a reassuring smile, "Well for starters, you're back home."

Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat at her words. She was right: he was home. He was back in a place that wasn't full of revenge, hatred, and murder. If anything, it was the opposite. He had his new family here, and, like Sasuke, the village was also recovering and learning new things about itself.

"You don't need to stress about getting married at this very moment, just because Naruto decided it was time for him to settle down." She stroked his arm, sending shivers down his back. "Whatever happens happens for a reason, when the time is right."

It took him a moment, but a smile tugged at his lips. He nodded solemnly and then reached up to poke her forehead gently. She scrunched up her nose cutely and he smiled.

"Thanks."

Sasuke wondered how long he had been sitting at the same table now. His lower half was beginning to feel sore from the lack of movement. Around him sat his teammates and Ino, who had stolen Naruto's seat. Everyone else seemed to enjoy all the mingling, while Sasuke's mind was still clouded with thoughts of his future with Sakura.

He tried, as much as possible, to make it seem like he was okay, but every time she would look over to him and smile, brush her hand against his, or call out his name, he would feel a mixture of happiness and confusion (though mostly the latter) and it was back to square one. He remained quiet for the evening to prevent having to stick a foot in his mouth.

So in the end, Sakura was doing most of the talking. Sai was studying everybody, and Kakashi just listened to his kids talk. Though he wouldn't admit it, Sasuke knew his former sensei was secretly trying not to get emotional in the middle of all of this.

"They look so happy," Sakura sighed wistfully, resting her chin on her hand.

"Are you jealous?"

"Of?" she looked back at her team, rather taken aback by the question.

"Hinata?" Kakashi asked her seriously, "since she just tied the knot with the man of her dreams." Now, Kakashi would never ask a question so bold and insensitive, but his ulterior motive of poking at Sasuke was his driving force. He checked Sakura's frown, making sure he wasn't pushing his boundaries.

"A man who will sweep her off her feet." Sai sighed, mimicking a princess who just found his Prince Charming.

"That could'a been you up there instead of Hinata you know," Kakashi chuckled softly, "but you would have beat the shit out of poor little Naruto for the rest of his sad life."

"You guys are assholes," she sank in her seat, a cute pout drawn on her features. Kakashi eyed Sasuke, almost evilly. The glint in his eyes made Sasuke uneasy. He did not like being put on the spot, much less in this situation.

"Why? You have so many choices." Kakashi said easily. "You don't like any of your suitors?"

"I don't know, not really." She dismissed the question very passively. They were having so much fun picking on her today, and to be honest, she really didn't care for the men after her. "Most of them just want to get in my pants anyway."

Sasuke's eye twitched.

"Shouldn't you be protecting her from these men?" He finally spoke up, visibly annoyed. "Not encouraging her to run off with one of them?"

"No, that's big brother Naruto's job."

"She's older than him." Sasuke countered, unsure of why he was even participating in such a trivial argument at this point.

"She's older than you too but you're getting pretty defensive." Kakashi grinned under his mask, and for a moment Sasuke considered jumping across the table and fighting this man he called Hokage. Sakura was quiet beside him and Sasuke felt his cheeks feel very warm. He felt embarrassed for her. "Besides, Sakura is a big girl. She can take care of herself."

Sasuke could tell Kakashi was poking at the bear. He was well aware of the game his former sensei was playing at. He was waiting for Sasuke to say something extremely embarrassing regarding his feelings for the kunoichi. That, or he really was just being an ass, having fun humiliating him in front of her.

It was Sasuke's turn to pout for a while.

"Why are we even talking about my 'love life'?" she changed the subject, putting air quotes around love life. "This whole night is about Naruto."

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, satisfied for now. "I suppose you're right."

As the celebration continued, Sasuke grew tired. Despite Sakura's attempt to comfort him, he still felt a little uneasy thinking about his future. He just wasn't sure what to do. It was hard enough thinking about his feelings for her. Kakashi and Naruto talk about confessing like it's such a simple task to be performed, when in reality, Sasuke felt it was much more complicated than that. Then again, they were considered normal. And they probably didn't over analyze everything the way he did.

When Sakura eventually turned to him again, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

He contemplated on talking about his feelings, but he knew she was just trying to enjoy the evening, especially after that whole episode with Kakashi. So, instead he went a completely different and unexpected route and asked, "Do you want to dance?"

"D-dance?" she repeated. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, refusing to repeat himself. It was embarrassing enough the first time. He wasn't even sure where that proposal came from. Then she smiled, "You dance, Sasuke-kun?"

"No," he answered easily. "I was hoping you do though."

With a giggle, Sakura stood up and offered her hand. "Well we can figure it out then."

Sasuke almost laughed at his luck when they arrived on the dance floor. His timing was truly impeccable. A slow song was playing and everyone who was dancing held their significant other close. He looked down to see Sakura trying to hide a blush by averting her gaze as well. With a nervous breath, Sasuke offered his hand. He had never done this before, but it was quite thrilling.

They stood about a foot apart. Sakura was following his slow patterns, hoping he would say something. He was just looking at her, making her feel extremely self conscious. She wasn't feeling as bold as she was the other night to poke fun at him.

"Sakura," his soft voice caught her attention and she looked up at him. "Relax."

This time he was looking at her straight in the eye. She smiled up at him. It seemed as if it was only them that evening on the dance floor.

Something about him drew her in, and before she could stop herself she moved in slowly. When he didn't protest, she closed the distance completely and rested her head on his chest, his slow footsteps still leading her. They swayed slowly and without much rhythm. Nevertheless, they remained graceful and completely at peace.

"What does your future look like?" he asked her suddenly.

"My…future?" Sakura's voice was slightly muffled from her position. She shrugged against him. "I see the main hospital being mine. I'd always work to help people. Maybe a nicer apartment…I could definitely use some of those new technologies around my house."

Sasuke grunted to let her know that he had been listening.

"Hopefully you'll be around," She added a little hesitantly after a moment of silence, "assuming you won't leave again." It felt more like a question than a statement to both of them.

He gave her hand a little squeeze. "I won't." She seemed to relax immensely at his words. Sasuke felt calmed by her closeness as well.

All of a sudden, it hit him: he knew what he wanted in his future. The way that he only saw her in the midst of the crowds showed him how it could be for the rest of his life. And honestly, he was pretty fond of the idea.

He remembered how girls from his childhood used to scream in his presence. When they proclaimed their love to him, they would state how he made their hearts flutter, and continue to scream about how he made them so nervous. He remembered when Naruto always told him about how Sakura gave him butterflies in his stomach, and he would always end up giving himself a panic attack when trying to talk to her.

But with Sakura, he didn't feel any of that. It was complete peace. When he saw her, his heart rate would slow, he would catch himself smiling stupidly at her cute antics, and her presence gave her this comfort he couldn't explain. There was no anxiety, no panic attacks, no fear. She felt like home.

He still wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but he knew it was Sakura. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Sakura.

Quietly, but sincerely and innocently, he asks, "Come spend the night with me tonight." Sakura is completely shocked out of her relaxed state. She shifts her head against him a little bit but not enough to move their position. She's suddenly aware that her face is heating up. Smiling, she gave his hand a small squeeze as a confirmation.