"In the light of the moon or the light of the sun, I will hold your hand without fear. For you are mine and I am yours always and forever." The warmth in her eyes encompassed him completely, all he could get himself to do was grip her hand tighter, no words in answer came to mind.

They stood there in silence, but she did not seem to mind. The warmth in her eyes never faltered, there was to expectation in her gaze. Finally, he answered, "aah," he agreed. I will love you always completely, for I am yours as you are mine always and forever. She giggled, it was not a mocking laugh, but one that said I understand you.

"This is supposed be our vows," there was no anger in her voice no frustration just love and amusement.

"I'm not good with words."

"Aah," she agreed mischief in her eyes. He would never be able to call her his legal wife, but this little ceremony, for their eyes only, made her more his wife than Karin would ever be.

The rumors of his affair had spread, far and wide. Many pitying Karin, others insulting her, "the Uchiha are known to be loyal to their spouses there must be something wrong with the princess." Karin said nothing when the rumors began, she did not acknowledge them. She treated him with the same respect as before, if she felt insulted, she showed not one hint of it. It made him feel worse, because if she had been cruel, or even mean he could excuse his guilt away. Still even with his inability to eat in front of Karin without his stomach twisting and turning, his relationship with Sakura was not something he could bring himself to regret.

Sasuke wished his family had taken to the rumors the way his wife had. Affairs were common, even if his family prided themselves too much to ever take in another. "A marriage is of two people and only two," his father had told him before his wedding to Karin. At the time he believed he would be a loyal husband and found his father's speech to be pointless, a truer waste of his time had never existed.

Now he sat in his father's office knowing what was to come. He could almost imagine smoking coming out his father's ears. "You are insulting the crown!" Fugaku had yelled, "insulting you family, for what? For some little whore who spreads her legs for you?"

Sasuke ignored his father's words, had to, felt his anger boiling at the insult ready to erupt. Sakura had prepared him for this, warned him of all the insults that followed her, told him to ignore them, "if you do love me, you must ignore them. Action makes them worse and besides, their words no longer sting as they once did." Somehow, it still had failed to prepare him for how horrible it felt to hear the words from his own father.

"I ask that you do not speak of her that way," he gripped the armrest, with the fury he felt it almost surprised him he did not break the chair.

"The boy with the whore telling me what to do? Your immaturity is outstanding, have you seen what she has made you?"

"You will never win against the reputation I was born with. If you defend me, protect me, they will only say I bewitched you, that I poisoned you." Things would be worse for her he knew if he fought with his father and it got out. He still was unsure how his relationship with Sakura became known, he had to be careful spies could be anywhere.

"I ask that you respect," her he wanted to say instead he added, "me enough to not insult the woman I love."

"She is very beautiful," his father began, "I can honestly say she is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom." Sasuke knew he would not like what his father would have to say, "do not confuse her natural beauty for cupid's arrow. What you feel for her, is only lust, a lust that you have yet to completely sate. But I recommend sated lust or not, that you end it. Next time I speak to you, your affair will be over."

It was not until a week later that Karin spoke to him about his affair. "Your mother keeps telling me that she is nothing but a whore, that she uses her body to get what she wants. That," she seemed to hesitate, "sorry to be so crass, but, that all you want is something new to put your dick in." He was shocked at her words, before he could question her, she added a defensive, "her words."

"What do you think?"

"I'm a pretty good judge of character," she looked away from him, "and I've never known you to be this happy."

"What does that mean?"

"That you love her," she answered without hesitation, "I've seen the way she looks at you, I have only ever seen that look on a few people. My auntie Kushina when she looks at my uncle, Izumi when she looks at Itachi, and your mother when she looks at your father." She became quiet but he knew she was not done talking, he waited.

"I don't hate that you are in love, I do not hate her." Karin's voice was shaking. "I just wish that you had at least given us a chance. It was not just you forced into this marriage; it is not just you that watched how everyone around them has or had the chance to marry for love." She sounded small nothing like the fiery princess the world thought her as.

Sasuke was so taken aback he said nothing for the rest of the evening. However, an apology replayed in his head until he fell asleep. The knowledge that the only thing he would change was marrying Karin was both a blessing and curse for his conscious.

A/N: so this AU would be pretty sappy SasuSaku there is drama planned but if I ever do properly write this I dont want to spoil things too much

I want to contrast their relationship with what else is going on but it is never linear. For example this starts with a lil wedding ceremony that Sasuke and Sakura have at some point and it contrast with Sasuke realizing that he never really considered Karin as anything more than a wife but without meaning to the word. The conversation with Karin happening in the past and the first bit being more current.

Here we see Karin upset she will have her normal personality back eventually, or at least you should be able to see it at some point. and like I said Karin is not the villain, she is also a victim and sees how unfair it is that her and Sasuke were forced to marry while those around them had found love. Because this AU is mostly from Sasuke's perspective so far and some Sakura, you do not get Karin's perspective of the marriage until this moment. She was not hoping for true love situation, but she was hoping for a friendship between them because that what any relationship is based on a friendship, some trust, some intimacy. For Sasuke however, Karin was kind of just there, he had this "she is my wife," thing without ever really processing her humanity (its the best way I can explain it)

anyway my life is in shambles and I needed an escape, I made a tumblr specifically for updates on fics. I will try to do updates there of when I am writing something for beginnings, or working unexpected. it is under the same name as here tentativewriter