Hello! Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews; this is something I've had on my mind for a while and it's nice to finally develop it! Just a quick warning; some characters may seem OOC, but I've developed a very specific post-war world! Anyway, no chapter yesterday - so here's an extra long one!
Enjoy!

As I Can Be

She's collecting medicinal herbs in one of the most beautiful gardens she has ever seen. She is wondering where her Husband found the idea to give this place to her as a wedding gift; when her former teammates stroll through the clearing. She could no longer avoid the sinking feeling in the bottom of her chest; even from 60 feet away, she knows that they know now. She wonders if they'll hate her for keeping it from them; sneaking off to get married while they were trapped in some cabin in the Snow.

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed, beaming as he ran over to her. He almost breaks one of her ribs as he hugs her. She realises it is the most physical contact she has had with someone since moving to Suna, so she allows him to do it until Sasuke speaks;

"Oi. You're hurting her."

Naruto immediately drops his arms, bringing one hand to sheepishly run through his hair as he quickly apologises. In that time, Sasuke is quick to plant a chaste kiss on her cheek as a greeting. They come bearing gifts; mostly things from home and more importantly, she realises, food.

She uses a spare pashmina she brought as a make shift blanket; and lays in down over the dry, sand-covered grass. She wonders if she'll ever grow used to this place - one of few places in Suna that has grass, and still, it's not the same as home.

They sit and eat and talk. Well, she eats as much as she can muster, her earlier appetite subsiding the more she hears about Konoha. Sasuke sits, occasionally nudging her to eat more. And Naruto talks... and talks, and talks. She knows why he's babbling; and she's grateful for it. It's easier to listen to him than think about the conversation they should be having.

Then finally, he asks the question that's been hanging over the three of them with more intensity than the desert sun; "So... How come you didn't tell us?"

Her breath is caught in her throat, and she suddenly feels winded. For a moment, it feels like maybe the rest of the world is too. The soft and welcome breeze had suddenly dissipated - stopping the gentle rocking of the plants around them. The nearby waterfall forgot to flow for a moment. The parakeets must have mistaken the day for night. Then, as quickly as time stopped, it starts again. She is breathing.

She turns away from her friends, her boys. "I'm not sure... " she trails off, "I think it was just easier not to." She looks toward them again, and realises that this is going to be a far bigger conversation than she imagined.

So there they sit. For hours in the desert heat, picking at treats that remind her of home. Talking and going over and over her life over the last two months. Naruto eventually falls asleep with his head in her lap, and her hands running through his hair. She is left with Sasuke in a stunned silence. He has changed so much over the last few years; they are twenty-years old now and she wonders if this is the person they spent sixteen years missing out on. Above anything, he is kinder now, more loving. She likes that.

He lifts a hand to stroke her cheek, and she sees worry in his eyes. "Are you happy?" he asks.

"As I can be." She replies.

He drops his hand.