AN: Here is the third chapter; I wish you guys would tell me if you like how the characters are developing. Read and review, I'm always glad to see that someone reviewed.

Chapter Three: Promise

Sasuke is ten years old on his third trip to Uzushio, a personal trip for his small family to celebrate Minato-san becoming an Uzu Fuuinjutsu Master. While there are many a person that can call themselves Fuuinjutsu masters, they often pale in comparison to the Uzushio Fuuinjutsu masters, their sealing on a completely different level than even the likes of the legendary Jiraiya. To Minato-san, it is a great accomplishment, as many outsiders are not given the chance to study with the old scrolls of Uzushio. Sasuke is glad his father-in-law has managed to achieve such a high status and thus adding to his legendary status as the Yellow Flash, but he is even more glad to be able to see his bride again, after almost two years of separation he wants to see bright blue eyes once again. While it will only be a short trip, three days overall, Sasuke is glad to be away from Konoha and the Uchiha Compound.

Ever since the massacre, he can't get the image of all the dead bodies him and his mother still managed to find upon their return to Konoha; the small bodies of his younger cousins and even the babies, of his grandparents and aunts and uncles. The Compound rings with silence and pain; it's a misery he can't drag himself from but going to Uzushio and seeing his beautiful bride and all of his brightness brings Sasuke a sense of calm and peace. In a few short months Sasuke will be graduating and starting his career as a ninja, to find who killed his Clan even though everyone says it was his father. That his father was the one that murdered the whole clan, that they found him in the middle of the Compound, having taken his own life and his eyes empty, Sharingan gone. Sasuke refused to listen to anyone because he knows his father wouldn't have done any of that, his father had been forced and taken his own life but someone had taken his fathers eyes.

Sasuke would seek whoever it had been and kill them; he would become the avenger his brother and mother refused to become. And when he had accomplished his revenge, Naruto would be there for him, with bright eyes, golden hair and vulpine expression. His bride would be his redemption.

Uzushio had changed little since the last time he had been here, the buildings had perhaps gotten taller but everything else was the same. The people that Sasuke remembered from his last trip were still the same and he suddenly recalled that this was the Island of Longevity, time slowed down for the people in Uzushio. The hotel they had stayed at before was still there and they were given the same room with the same view of the sparkling river and the Three Clan Island. His family proceed in silence, since the incident Itachi and Sasuke didn't talk much to each other, they didn't talk much to their mother, who tries to stay strong for them and makes noise for all three of them. At the lobby, Minato-san and Kushina-san are patiently waiting for them and Sasuke immediately seeks his beloved but he is nowhere in sight and it makes his heart clench. His bride should be here waiting for him, waiting for his future husband.

Sasuke is quick to catch the look of surprise cross his parent-in-laws faces when he doesn't go and bow or greet them properly but Sasuke has not felt like anything since everything had been ripped from him. Now even his bride is nowhere close to him as if he too has left Sasuke alone.

"Sasuke-kun, Naru is at home making something for you. He wouldn't come because he's been busy all morning trying to make sure it's perfect for you. Come on, I'm sure you'll be glad to see him." Minato-san tells him with soft eyes and Sasuke barely manages a smile but finds that he's excited; Naruto is cooking for him and is as excited as Sasuke is to finally see each other again. As they walk through the streets, Sasuke is glad to see that none of the villagers here look at them as if they have the plague, instead they are still as loud and boisterous as he remembers them; the endless sea of red hair is the same. The Uzumaki-Namikaze household is located by the river and three stories tall, it's painted a bright orange with the Uzushio swirl raised on a flag. The small garden on the side, Sasuke notes, is growing a variety of fruits and vegetables and among them are small, bright red cherry tomatoes.

"Naru-chan started growing those when he found out you like tomatoes Sasuke-kun." Kushina-san gently plucks one of the cherry tomatoes and opens a small tap, washes it and places it on Sasuke's hand. "Have one, Naru-chan won't let Minato or me have any of them, he says they're only for you." She ruffles his hair and heads inside, the rest following after but he stays behind and stares at the small tomato, Naruto, his bride, has been growing these for Sasuke only. His stomach suddenly does a flip and he eats the tomato hurriedly, it's flavorful and fresh.

"Are you gonna stand there all day, teme?" Sasuke hears his neck crack at the sudden movement but there in the doorway is his bride; hair is still a bright gold and eyes are bright and blue. He is just as Sasuke remembers and more, the beauty his bride had has increased by tenfold. "Do you like them?"

Sasuke knows that after the massacre, he has become quieter, more withdrawn from the world around him and perhaps even ill tempered. At the Academy, where he once was a bright and enthusiastic student, he became more quiet and dark but it's because all of the others surrounding him don't understand his pain. But here with his bride in front of him, with eyes the color of the blue sky, he feels all of that pain lift from his shoulders, all the anger vanish and replaced with a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Naruto is looking at him curiously but he's nervous. Sasuke would like anything that Naruto would make for him, anything his bride had to offer Sasuke would treasure for as long as he lived.

"Of course, my bride was the one who grew them dobe."

Sasuke smirks at Naruto, he watches as his plump cheeks redden but his eyes sparkle.

"Well good, they were kind of hard to grow but it's a good thing you like them." Naruto reaches for him and intertwines their hands together, pulling him into the house. "Let's go eat, Anata."

The meal is enjoyable and everyone is happy; his mother especially seems to love the brightness that is Kushina-san, who makes quite a good amount of noise all by herself. He can't blame his mother because when at home all is quiet even when everyone is there. Even Itachi is enjoying himself and is immersed in a serious talk about sealing with Minato-san but Sasuke enjoys Naruto most of all. Naruto, like his mother, is loud but he fills the silence with happiness and Sasuke finds that he is not irritated at all.

Instead, he and Naruto catch up on what they have been doing. Sasuke lets him talk as much as wants because this way he learns that after Sasuke left no one bothered Naruto again, afraid that Naruto's future husband would come back with another Katon. He learns that Naruto is a budding Fuuinjutsu master that his chakra is affecting the way his seals react and thus somehow creating a more powerful seal. He learns that Naruto is taking lessons with Kazuhiko-sama and has created his own seal, the way Naruto explains it is odd as there are multiple equations and technical terms that Sasuke has no knowledge of but the basics of it are that Naruto has created as seal that allows him to leech chakra from other people, filter it so the chakra loses the basic essence of the other persons spiritual energy and thus making him able to take it into his own system and spit it back out with his own chakra signature. Because Naruto's chakra is different, much like his mother, the seals works so much more powerful that the first time he tried it, he almost drained Kazuhiko-sama of all his chakra.

In all, his bride is making a name for himself in Uzushio and this fact alone makes Sasuke puff his chest out in pride.

When dessert time comes around Sasuke is all but curious as to what Naruto spent his whole morning making but as soon as he brings it out Sasuke feels his stomach twist. It's chocolate cake with fresh strawberries on top. Sasuke hates any kind of sweets, his stomach can't handle anything sweet (especially chocolate) it causes him to have great stomach pains that are not soothed with anything, the pain lasting half a day or so. But the look on his brides face is of pride, Naruto looks absolutely ecstatic with his creation and Sasuke finds blue eyes on him to look for his reaction and he smiles because anything his bride made, Sasuke would gladly accept.

"Actually Naruto-kun-"

"It looks great Naru-chan." Sasuke cuts his mother off with a look. "I can't wait to try it."

Naruto gladly hands him a piece and Sasuke struggles so hard to keep the smile on his face but when Naruto is sitting across from with his own slice, an expectant look on his face, Sasuke is careful not to let the smile vanish. He can feel his mother and brother both looking at him with shocked faces but he ignores them and takes a bite of cake. The minute it goes down his throat, he feels his stomach start to protest and cramp but he keeps going until the cake is all gone from his plate. Naruto is smiling so wide and his cheeks are flushed pink, he keeps looking at Sasuke with loving blue eyes, that Sasuke keeps his face void of any pain.

"That was wonderful, I haven't had cake that good in a while, Naru-chan." He wipes his mouth and under the table, he's clenching his fist so tight he knows he is going to make his hand bleed if his nails keep digging in more. "It was sweet just like you."

Kushina-san and Minato-san are both looking suspicious but say nothing when Sasuke and his mother and brother don't say anything. Instead they eat their own slices and continue to talk.

Time slows for him, his bride continues to talk but all Sasuke can feel is his stomach clenching and rolling; the cramps are so bad he wants to curl in on himself. His hand is now actively bleeding and he keeps it close to his dark blue shirt, his forehead is lined with sweat and his ears are ringing. His mother notices and gently touches his elbow under the table.

"I'm afraid we have to get going, it's been a long trip but we'll be here tomorrow around noon." His mother hurries to pull help him stand up and he gently brushes her hands off him, he doesn't want his bride to feel guilty for something he would know nothing about. Itachi instead bows and puts a hand on his shoulder and starts to guide him to the door.

"Naru-chan, let's go to the dock tomorrow okay? Thank you for the meal, Kushina-san, Minato-san and for the delicious cake, Naru-chan." He gives them a deep bow and steps out the door, Itachi behind him. They get to the corner street and as soon as Sasuke knows Naruto won't be able to see him, he collapses against one of the walls. He wants to cry but he won't shed tears instead he allows Itachi to pick him up and take him to the hotel.

Sasuke remembers when he was little, he had eaten a sweet one of his aunts had given him and the incredible pain he had afterwards was unlike any other, he had been taken to the hospital and had been made to throw up all of the candy. Now at ten years old, he headed to the bathroom of their hotel room and made himself throw up all of the cake and dinner. But even after it was all gone from his stomach, the pain wouldn't stop and he kept getting cramps so painful, he ended up curling up in the bathroom floor.

The night is long but his mother and brother are there for him, both telling him off for being stupid and not telling Naruto about his extreme aversion to sweets and it is only when the sun is peeking in through the windows that the pain finally starts to subside and he falls asleep if rather restlessly.

Sasuke wakes up when he feels fingers carding through his hair, at first he thinks it's his mother but the smell of the ocean clings to this person and he knows then it's not his mother. He barely manages to open his eyes and there in front of him, bright blue eyes are staring back at him. Naruto is lying down next to Sasuke, carefully brushing his hair with slim fingers.

"You should have told me you don't like sweets, teme." Naruto whispers, his fingers never stopping. "Mikoto-san told me everything."

Sasuke loves Naruto, he has loved Naruto since the first time he saw him in the Uzukage's party and now as the years have passed, he loves Naruto even more. He wants to love Naruto as he deserves and more, he wants everything Naruto is, everything Naruto is willing to give.

"You made it, Naru-chan. I will happily accept anything you make for me even sweets." Sasuke pulls Naruto close to him and feels Naruto bury his face in the crook of his neck.

"I don't think I will be making sweets for you anytime soon, teme. I was so worried about you when you didn't come with Itachi-san and Mikoto-san." Naruto clings to shirt and pulls him closer. "I'm sorry I made you get sick."

"I never want you to feel bad or sorry for anything, Naru-chan. Especially not towards me, I will love you unconditionally until the day we both die." Sasuke wraps his arms around Naruto and inhales the pure scent that is his bride, the ocean and vanilla. Sasuke is still tired and soon starts to feel his eyes drooping but he doesn't loosen his grip on Naruto, he wants to fall asleep with his bride in his arms.

"I love you too, Anata."

Sasuke dreams of cloudless, blue skies and the wide sparkling ocean.

On the last day, Sasuke and Naruto spend their time together by the dock with a bento made by Kushina-san. It's the same dock as two years before.

"Naru-chan, when I get home, it will be quiet and lonely. The smell of blood hasn't vanished from the Compound and the silence is unbearable. The looks the villagers give us, it's as if we are sick and contagious." Sasuke reaches for Naruto's hand and holds it firmly in his. He doesn't want to appear weak to his bride but he wants to talk to someone about this, the weight in his chest isn't getting lighter to carry.

"Everyone thinks it was my father who did it but I know it wasn't him, he wouldn't have done that unless someone forced him to. My father wouldn't have willingly killed his Clan, Naru-chan. And then someone took his eyes, someone stole the Sharingan." Sasuke looks to Naruto and finds only understanding in those eyes; in the small curve of pink lips and in the hand he is holding. "I'm going to find who it was and I'm going to avenge my Clan, and I want to know if you will still be waiting for me after I've dirtied my hands, if you will still be willing to be my bride?"

Naruto scoots closer to him and leans his head on his shoulder, golden hair tickles Sasuke's cheek but it doesn't matter, the radiance and warmth his bride gives off comforts him, makes him happy.

"You said I was going to marry you since the day we met, and if I haven't said no after all this time then I think it's safe to assume that I'm going to be waiting for you." Naruto looks up at him and smiles, his expression becoming vulpine and Sasuke smiles, he really smiles for the first time in a while. Naruto lightly pecks him on the cheek and blushes. "Sasuke, do what you think is right. If you think avenging your Clan is the right thing to do then you have my support, if you think it your father was forced to commit the massacre then I believe you and if you ever ask for my help, I will not hesitate to give help to my future husband, ne?"

Sasuke once believed that love would be hard to find but with his bride here in front of him and caring and believing in what no one else believed, he knew he had found love. He would treasure Naruto with his bright blonde hair, blue eyes and wide smiles. He would give and take as much as Naruto was willing to and more, he would love his bride until his very last breath because now, now that he had heard from his most loved person, there would be no Sasuke by himself nor would Naruto be alone.

Now there would be Sasuke and Naruto, together until their last breath.