Sakura focused her energy onto watching the steak pieces in the oven, as she bent over, eyes squinting at the still red meat. She looked at the timer and back at the steaks and sighed.

"Mom, please save my steak cooking skills." She stood up straight and stirred the pot of vegetables she was boiling, and crossed her arms. She sighed loudly and looked up at the ceiling. She then looked at the clock, and decided Sasuke wouldn't be home yet. She headed into the hallway, and picked up the phone out of it's cradle, her finger beginning to dial Ino's number. As she was putting in the last digit, the door opened and closed. Sakura jumped, and put the phone back, turning towards her husband, who was standing in the doorway, his hands behind his back.

"I didn't think you'd be home yet." She said shakily, and disappeared back into the kitchen, checking on the steaks, determining that they would be done soon. She turned back around to see if Sasuke had followed her into the kitchen when her nose was engulfed in petals and the smell of dew. She bounced back and stared at her husband, who was holding out a bundle of six white roses to her. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again.

"I-I-" She tried to speak but he cut her off, looking away, a small blush on his cheeks.

"Here." She gently took the roses from him and held them in her hands.

"They're beautiful, Sasuke.." She looked at her husband, but he was still looking away, his hands buried deep in his pants pockets.

"Aa.." He felt a pair of lips on his cheek, his other covered by a small, warm hand. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry." She pulled away from his cheek and looked up at him, smiling softly. She shrugged, still clutching the roses like a newborn.

"Me too. Now let's have something to eat."

They both looked at the small vase filled to the brim with the roses as they ate in silence. Sakura stole a look at Sasuke a few times, and when he returned her gaze questioningly, she looked away, biting her lip. They finished, and before she could stand up, Sasuke took both of their plates to the sinks and ran the water. He was about to reach over to collect the first pans too, when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist in a tight hug. But as soon as they did, they slipped away, and Sakura was standing near the calendar, humming softly.

"This marriage is rocky, ne?" She let out an awkward laugh, and crossed her arms. She stole a glance at the wedding invitation, and sat back down in the chair.

Sasuke finished washing the dishes, but left them to air dry in the sink and sat back down, facing her. When he saw her eyes glance over at the little invitation on the table by the flowers, he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Neji asked me to be in his grooms party." Sakura looked up and tilted her head.

"I thought you didn't want to go to the wedding?"

"I said yes." Sakura tried to hold back a smile.

"Guess we'll have to find something to wear then." She commented and placed her hands in her lap.

"Hn."

She was almost happy to have the old Sasuke comments back.

She stood up and grabbed a dish towel, beginning to dry up the dishes that Sasuke had left. She continued humming to herself quietly, and Sasuke picked up the teapot and steeper. She watched him once more give up on the oven dials and use his fire to boil the water, and she giggled. After she finished, they stood in the kitchen, both sipping down the refreshing liquid. Sakura looked at Sasuke, watching as his eyes met hers. He set down the teacup on the counter and move closer to her, and before Sakura could completely blink, he was in front of her. She put down her own cup, and Sasuke bent his head towards hers.

Before he could place the kiss on her lips, she cupped both of his cheeks and guided her lips to his. He placed his hands on either side of her against the counter, and Sakura moved her lips against his, her tongue snaking out to prod at his closed ones. He jumped slightly, and pulled away. Sakura blushed, and pulled her hands from his cheeks, looking down, ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, I didn't mean to push you-" She stopped when she felt his lips on the crown of her head. She closed her eyes, feeling herself blush and placed her hands on his hips gently. His hands moved from the counter to her hips, and he hoisted her up onto the countertop, standing between her knees. She blushed, remembering what happened last time he put her in such a predicament.

His fingers found the edge of her shirt, and he lifted it slowly over her head, and then pulled his own off, as a habit. She reached up to cup his chin with her hands, her lips finding their way to his neck, where she kissed his skin repeatedly, ignoring the swift movement of his fingers undoing the bra clasp. She pulled her hands away, as he slipped the material off her arms, and wrapped her own around his neck. He picked her up once more and moved towards the hallway, and then the bedroom.

He put her down on the floor, his hands still on her waist, his eyes boring down into her own. She wasted no time pulling off his pants, and then undoing her slacks, and stepping out of them, and within minutes they were both rid of all clothes, and he placed her on the bed, and leaned over her. He adjusted himself so he was kneeling between her legs and she blushed as he gently pulled her legs to wrap around his hips, and her lower half was angled upwards above the bed. He leaned down, and she wrapped her arms back around his neck (where they belonged, in her opinion).

Her eyes widened as he buried his head into her neck, his lips parted against her skin and he entered her gently. She let out a breath, and closed her eyes, liking this new position he had her in. His thrusting was gentle, almost fragile, as if he was scared to break her, and was a change from his usual fast pace. She heard him panting against her neck, and her hands moved up to run through his hair. She bit her back to hold back a moan.

This time when the two came together, it was a soft moan that escaped both of their lips. Sasuke's head collapsed against her shoulder, trying to control his breathing, and Sakura merely laid there, stroking his hair. He pulled himself away from her and positioned them under the covers. Sakura didn't realize how tired she was until her head hit the pillow. She turned on her side, head leaning on her folded arm, to face her husband. He was lying on his back, slowly pulling the covers up to his stomach. Sakura smiled, and closed eyes.

"I love you." She murmured, once more, not expecting an answer. But just before she drifted off, she received a quiet one from the man beside her.

"I know." She smiled.

When Sakura opened her eyes the next morning, Sasuke was gone from the bed once more, and she shrugged to herself. She stood up, looking down at her naked thighs, a small blush forming on her cheeks. Slowly she recovered all of the memories from yesterday and rubbed her abdomen gently. She was happy, and she knew that slowly, Sasuke was fixing things with her. But she understood that it would take him time to open up.

The roses though were a sign that it was possible.

After a shower and some toast, she headed to work, intending to do a half day, and then catch up on laundry and cleaning when she got home. The first half of the morning was filled with the care of a genin boy, who had gotten caught in chakra wire while playing with it from his dad's weapons. After a large scolding and half a ton of healing ointment, Sakura left the boys room, smiling and headed back to her office, intending to get in an hour on her master thesis. She hadn't had anytime this entire week or the last to work on it, it seemed.

When she reached her door, she heard the phone ringing. She rushed in and answered it, taking a seat at her desk.

"Doctor Haruno." She used it as her address only on the phone, because there was a possibility that someone was easier to recognize her maiden name. She assumed soon, she would have to change it to Doctor Uchiha. When the realization set in.

"Sakura." She recognized the deep voice instantly, and couldn't help but let her heart melt a little bit. But then she sat up straight, frowning. Sasuke never called her at work, or in general.

"Is everything alright, Sasuke?" She looked around for her purse, just in case she had to hurry home.

"Hn. I just called to tell you I'll be out on a mission tonight. I'll be back in the early morning." Sakura sighed out in relief.

"Ne, Sasuke you had me worried for a second! Ah.. alright, I'll see you tomorrow morning." When he didn't respond, she thought he had hung up, and reached to hit the end button, but then she heard his husky voice.

"You should use Doctor Uchiha instead." Then he hung up. She blushed and put the phone down. Maybe she would start addressing herself as Doctor Uchiha. She stood up and retrieved her work from her filing cabinet and continued her master thesis, her mind unable to get off of Sasuke. Still, she pushed through and finished her hours worth of work, and when she found out that the hospital was having another slow day, she left early to get home.

She managed to get two loads of laundry done, before eating an afternoon snack and then making her way outside to the garden. The sun was still high in the clouds, and the air was humid. Sakura tied up her shirt above her stomach and went over to the cracked walkway. She used her monstrous strength to pull away the broken pieces and stack them in a pile on the deck.

She then raked up the fallen leaves, watered her Azalea seeds (which had happily began to break soil) and cleaned out the shed. When she was done, she collapsed on the couch in the living room, before feeling like reading a book. She stood up once more, groaning a little bit and headed over to her bookshelf, searching the various novels. Her eyes landed on a blank, pink book. She grinned and pulled it out, reading the title on the front.

Haruno Sakura's Journal

NO UZIMAKI NARUTO'S OR BOYS ALLOWED

She laughed loudly and flipped through the pages, looking for a date in particular. May 6th, two years ago. She laughed as she began reading her own voice right off the page.

It had been the first time Sasuke had appeared in her life since he had been back in Konaha. Sakura had passed her ANBU exam months ago, and was getting used to her new job as head medic at the hospital. On her way from work, she had stopped by Ino's Flower Shop to say hello, and was stopped outside of the door.

"Sakura." She turned towards the sound of the voice, blushing as she recognized the husky tone. She turned to see eighteen year old Uchiha Sasuke leaning against the other wall, his hands in his pockets. Sakura smiled gently and walked over, bowing at him.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke. what brings you to Ino's flower shop?" She blinked at him, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. He shrugged.

"You." She blushed deeper and opened her mouth.

"M-Me?" She watched as he pushed himself off the wall and began walking past Ino's flower shop. She followed after him, waiting for him to explain, but he never did. he directed her towards her apartment door, and stood there, looking at her. When she opened her mouth to question him again, he looked away, the tips of his ears turning red, and bid her goodnight.

After that encounter, Sasuke had slowly made his way back into her life. At first it was walks home. He would ask Hana for her schedule, and meet her outside the hospital lobby. They never said anything, and when she reached her door, he would say goodnight and walk away. He would even come with her when she had to make a stop at the market before heading home, even holding some of her bags once.

After two months of walking her home, he had asked her, well rather mumbled an invitation to join him at dinner. She had said yes, and blushingly let him pick her up and take her to a small restaurant. Again, the meeting was silent, apart from Sakura's small comments, and Sasuke's one worded answers.

In a span of three months he asked her out on about a dozen dates, all of them restaurant or movie events. He never held her hand, nor touched her, but Sakura acknowledged that she was being courted by Uchiha Sasuke. And in a way, she liked it, even if she wished that he showed her affection.

One night, after a movie, he had walked her home, and as he was going to bid her goodnight, she hesitated at the door and turned to him. He froze, hands still in his pockets, as Sakura stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. She pulled away quickly and disappeared inside, and Sasuke fled away from her apartment. He didn't see her for a month, probably out of embarrassment.

That was the closest she had ever came during their courting to physically touching Sasuke. After that, he didn't walk as close to her, or sit as close. But he continued to ask her to come with him to dinner or events.

It was about a year into their courting when he suddenly popped the question, or rather, mumbled it in the structure of a command.

They were enjoying a peaceful meal at his place for once, and he had cooked up a simple bowl of rice and chicken, but she gladly ate it. She was right in the middle of chewing on a tender piece of meat, when he put down his chopsticks, and looked away, with a small blush on his cheeks.

"Marry me." He said quietly, and she choked, coughing. She cleared her throat, put down her chopsticks, and gaped at him.

"W-What?" He refused to meet her eyes, but repeated himself and slowly slipped a small ring onto the table, a silver band with rubies.

She looked down at the ring, and folded her hands in her lap.

"Yes." She murmured, nodding.

It wasn't until after he had walked her home, and she had kissed his cheek that she slipped the small band onto her finger and slid to the floor. Her mind began to analyze her choice then. Everyone else in their age group had coupled up, but Sakura still had other choices other than Sasuke, and he her she knew. But she loved him. And she knew that this was the only man she could ever love romantically. So she nodded to herself and held the ring to her heart, and closed her eyes, tears of joy slipping down her cheeks.

It no longer mattered that she had barely touched Sasuke, or that he never spoke when they went on dates. She was going to marry him.

And sadly, that was also the night when she had her first nightmare about him. The first had not been so bad, the worst came a week into her marriage, but the first left it's scar. She had been standing in a field, blood dripping down from her chest. It had been scary seeing him look at her so darkly with those Sharingan eyes. And when he plunged his Chidori into her already injured chest, she had woken up screaming and sobbing. She had changed her shift at work for the next week hastily and asked Hana to give Sasuke the old schedule, not giving an explanation. She had hidden from him, and after the week, when she thought she was rid of the nightmare, she saw him again. And after another date and dinner the next week, she experienced her second nightmare. But by her fifth, she had learned to just go on with her life.

After that, she was engulfed in the stress of planning her wedding while Sasuke had the easy job of getting her father's approval. It was given on a whim, Papa Haruno hadn't forgotten all the tears his heartbroken daughter had shed over the Uchiha, but realizing marrying him would make her happy, he agreed. Which explained why he later on felt guilty when Sakura hadn't been happy with her marriage. He blamed himself.

The ceremony of the wedding went by quickly, she was ushered down the aisle by her teary-eyed father, she and Sasuke read the vowels, and kissed.

Their wedding night was different. As tradition deemed, Sasuke carried Sakura bridal style from the gardens of Konaha towards the Uchiha mansion. However, when he set her down on the bed, and undressed, giving her time to undress too, he took one look at her "wedding night undergarments" and blushed. He had gotten into bed beside her and prompt fallen asleep.

Sakura had rolled over, letting tears come to her eyes. She cursed Ino for pressing her to buy white lingerie for said night. The next week was all about Sakura moving in her things from her apartment. Naturally, Sasuke helped with the heavier boxes, and then disappeared on his usual missions, leaving Sakura to unpack her stuff throughout the day alone.

She had held back tears, wishing her marriage hadn't started out so.. lonely. She avoided the questions of the lack of a honeymoon and swiftly adjusted her life to living in Sasuke's house.

It took them a week to finally consummate their marriage, and for the first time since Sasuke had started courting her (not counting the necessary marriage vow kiss at their wedding), Sasuke had kissed her. It was small and chaste but still a kiss, so Sakura blushed, and melted into his hands.

It was after a usual dinner they had shared. Sasuke had returned home from his mission that day early, so the two shared a quiet dinner. Sakura had done the dishes and she and Sasuke had spent a few hours sat out on the porch, reading in silence. Then, when she was changing into her night gown, Sasuke had cornered her against the wall and quickly kissed her. Her arms wound around his neck, happy for the contact, and he slowly pulled off her nightgown, and then slipped out of his pants. She had blushed (this was the first time seeing her new husband naked), and closed her eyes when he laid her on their bed and entered her.

It was gentle, but didn't last long, probably out of Sasuke's embarrassment. He came quickly in a panting breath, Sakura following suit, and rolled off of her and fell asleep on his side. She had only shed one tear as she curled up in the bed, but squeezed her thighs together, savoring the moment they had just shared.

From then on, she expected sex with Sasuke on a regular basis, as he always pressed a kiss to her lips first.

It was 3 am before Sasuke returned home tiredly. Part of him expected Sakura to be waiting up for him, with a pot of tea, or the coffeemaker going, but he could not sense her chakra in the kitchen. He dropped most of his outer gear on the coffee table in the kitchen and headed into the hallway, his eyes stopping at the light on in the living room. He stepped in and saw Sakura asleep on the futon, curled up. On the floor was her closed journal. He bent down and picked up the book, replacing it in it's spot on the shelf and picked up his wife, slowly making his way to the bedroom.

He set her down gently on the bed and stripped himself of his vest, headband and shirt. He stretched, pulling his arms over his head, and heard Sakura stir from the bed. She sat up, yawning.

"Sasuke? Mmn.. what time is it?"

"3:30 in the morning. You fell asleep in the living room." She smiled and closed her eyes, rubbing them. She yawned again.

"Sorry." She said guiltily, not knowing if she was apologizing for actually falling asleep or making him carry her to bed. Well technically, she didn't make him, he could have just woke her up from the futon. But he didn't.

"Aa."

She pulled her shirt over her head and slipped out of her skirt, and slipped under the bed covers, thumping her head on the pillow. She closed her eyes, feeling Sasuke slowly get into bed beside her. She was slowly drifting off into sleep, when she felt Sasuke slowly shuffle closer to her in the bed. She opened her eyes and stared at him in the moonlight that illuminated from the half closed curtains.

"Sasuke?" She murmured, licking her lips. He leaned his head on his crooked elbow and looked back at her. She smiled inwardly, thinking about how young and .. innocent he looked when he did that.

"I want a child." She opened her mouth and closed it again, her eyes sleepily opening and closing. She leaned over and kissed his cheek lovingly.

"Someday." She murmured, and curled up into a ball on her side, facing him. She felt his lips momentarily on her hair, and then he was rolled back over on his side of the bed, facing away from her.

"I love you." She said quietly, and fell asleep.