Disclaimer: wish i owned Naruto 3

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...

In another life, in another time, Sasuke thinks that he will do right by Sakura.

…

Sasuke is five, happy, and excited for his first day at the ninja academy. Excited to finally, finally learn the things his aniki boasts about, and happy to finally make his father proud. Sasuke is five when he bumps into something pink, and later, Sasuke will come to know in his little heart that things will never be quite the same.

Sakura is five and crying and running as fast as her little legs will carry her, praying, praying that the other kids won't catch up to her. Running from the girls who laugh at her huge forehead and the boys who pull on her pink hair. Sakura is five when she nearly bowls over a blob of blue and black, and later, Sakura thinks she knows what her mummy means when she is talking about love at first sight.

The boy of blue and black offers her a hand, and she hesitantly takes it and lets him pull her to her feet. There is a frown on his face when she stiffens at the sound of footsteps coming to a stop behind her, and immediately he stands in front of her. Sasuke doesn't understand why he is feeling protective of a stranger, but he puffs out his chest, tries to look strong and tells them to leave her alone. When Sasuke turns around, Sakura is staring up at him, trembling lips and hiccups that has him rolling his eyes affectionately. She has her hands clasped in front of her chest, tear streaks staining her cheeks, pink bangs long enough to cover her eyes but when he moves to brush them away, he sees her green, green eyes with startling clarity, and they are shining with an emotion he can't quite understand.

"I'm Sasuke," he says. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"Ha…Haruno Sakura," she offers meekly. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." And she hiccups.

This is how they begin. Tears, scraped knees and broken confidences. Sharing bento during lunch and ice creams on weekends. All of the other kids say that Sakura is a freak with a giant forehead and ugly pink hair, but Sasuke-kun tells her otherwise and that's all that matters.

…

They are twelve when they are assigned to a three-man team. Sasuke pretends not to care when he is assigned to the same team as Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto, the Yondaime's son who calls himself Sasuke's best friend. Sakura can't stop the grin on her face and Sasuke thinks that he wouldn't have her any other way.

They're Team 7 and train and take missions with Kakashi-sensei, and they quickly become family. Sasuke and Naruto argue and fight all the time, but Naruto has become his brother and best friend. Kakashi is stern, but he has so much pride for his team and has become a second father figure. Sakura is the sister Naruto never had but Sasuke thinks that to him, she's something else. To Sasuke, Sakura is the girl with soft pink hair and pretty green eyes and he'd give anything to protect her smile.

They are thirteen when they take the chuunin exams and pass with flying colours, but this makes Sakura's heart skip a few beats when she realises the missions will become harder and more dangerous, and the thought of blood on her hands doesn't sit too well with her. Naruto and Sasuke are thrilled, they both have parents who hail from legendary clans that they need to make proud and Sakura with her civilian parents feels like she doesn't belong. But her boys tell her not to worry, tell her that they'd always be there to protect her and she'd never have to dirty her hands.

They are fifteen when they return from a C-class mission gone wrong in Wave. Sakura in the middle, supporting a heavily bleeding and barely conscious Sasuke on her left, and Naruto who's barely able to walk with his mangled leg and broken arm on her right.

They are fifteen when Sakura is overwhelmed with the fear of losing her boys and finally, finally realises that she needs to do better for them, for Sasuke. She begs Tsunade-sama, one of the legendary sannin to take her under her wing, and when Sasuke sees her making craters with her fists in the training grounds, his heart soars with pride.

This is how they grow up. Bloody missions and stolen innocence. Sweat, tears and blood. But amidst it all there are Tuesday night team dinners at Ichiraku, Friday night desserts at Sakura's, and Sunday afternoon teas at the Uchihas'. Amidst it all, there are stolen glances and hidden smiles.

…

They are sixteen when Sasuke and Naruto are approached by the other two sannin, Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Sakura braces herself because this means less time together as a team and less time with Sasuke. But Naruto is the Yondaime's son and Sasuke is an Uchiha and they do what they must. Sasuke appeases her with a treat to her favourite teahouse the Sunday before they start training separately, and buys Sakura all the dango she can eat. "Stop looking so sad," he says. "It's not like we won't see each other anymore after this." But she is Sakura and she bites her lips to keep them from trembling and tears well up in her eyes. But when Sasuke cups her cheeks and wipes away the tears before they can fall, she can't help but believe that things will still be the same. He hasn't promised anything, but Sakura will take what she can get.

They are seventeen and are all capable jounin of their own merit. They barely do missions as a team anymore, each paired with different shinobi to guarantee the success of their missions. Sakura misses her boys, but thinks that perhaps it isn't so bad when Naruto comes back one day from a mission with Hyuuga Hinata, and declares that he's found the one he wants to marry. Sakura can't help the tears in her eyes and Sasuke smiles and pats Naruto on the back. When Naruto tells Sasuke that it's his turn next, Sasuke looks away and mumbles something about how Uchiha have no time for love.

But Sakura doesn't want to miss out on love, so she loves Sasuke quietly. It's always been Sasuke, and so she sends him off before every mission with a kiss on his cheek, and waits by the gates for him to return. She stays up late making his favourite tomato onigiri, and makes sure to always supply him with more than enough food and soldier pills she's created before he leaves. Only the best for Sasuke-kun, because Sakura is a medic before a fighter and her heart tells her that nothing, nothing can happen to Sasuke-kun.

And sometimes, Sakura thinks that Sasuke-kun may just love her back. The way his tired eyes brighten when he spots her at the gates, and the way he leans into her for support overwhelms her. Sasuke-kun makes her feel like when he comes back to Konoha, he is coming home to her.

This is how they keep the faith. Promised Sunday mornings at the dango shop, promised bentos of tomato onigiri, and silent promises of always coming home to each other.

…

They are eighteen when Konoha is under attack. Sasuke looks around and there is fire, fire everywhere and buildings falling and dust rising. His eyes are frantically searching the rubble and broken bodies that once was the hospital for any sign of pink, heart rate rising and bile forming at the back of his throat. 'Where are you?' he thinks, and prays that she has made it out safe. When he realises that there is no sign of pink anywhere, his hands shake as he scales what little rooftops remain, eyes flashing red and praying to every God that existed that she was okay.

From his vantage point he picks up trees falling and earth breaking, and there are only two people he knows of who are capable of doing so. His feet pick up their pace and Sasuke is running like he's never run before.

His eyes widen when he reaches the battle field, fallen trees and craters everywhere. Broken bodies of Konoha's enemies litter the grounds, but all he can comprehend is the sight of Sakura and an unknown shinobi. Sakura has one of her hands around his neck and the other on the enemy's katana, preventing it from going deeper into her chest. Sasuke's eyes zero in on where the katana is, eyes blazing and he sees with startling clarity. He sees with clarity how Sakura struggles with her breathing, sees with clarity how the katana moves just a little bit more with each breath she takes. Sees with startling clarity as the katana is pushed further into her and how she grits her teeth and her hands bleed as she holds its blade, trying to stop it from going further. Sees with startling clarity the smirk on the enemy's face as he twists it further into her, sees how Sakura slowly tightens her grip around his neck. He sees with startling clarity how much blood is coming out of Sakura and he is shaken out of his stupor, and rushes forward in a fit of fury and fear.

He kills the enemy with a chidori to the heart and catches Sakura before she falls. Sasuke pulls the katana out with shaky hands and his breathing is uneven as he watches Sakura whimper and struggle to summon her healing chakra to fix her wound.

The pale flicker of her chakra scares him, and he doesn't notice how tightly he is holding on to her until she breaks him out of his reverie. "Sasuke-kun," she breaths softly. She reaches up and wipes off the tears on his cheeks he never noticed, smearing his face with her blood. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun." He swallows hard, feeling his stomach do nauseas flips and his heart beat racing. "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay, Sakura. You're gonna be okay," he croaks, voice hoarse and eyes dilated in fear and Sakura feels her heart break. "I'll be okay, Sasuke-kun. The bleeding's stopped. I'll be okay," she whispers, and closes her eyes. "I never wanted you to see me like this, Sasuke-kun. I never wanted you to see this side of me." But she is surprised and her eyes shoot wide open when she feels Sasuke's lips pressed tightly against her own, desperate and conveying the words he couldn't say. She smiles against his lips before closing her eyes and returning his kiss.

"Don't ever scare me like that again. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you," he whispers against her lips, and scoops her up in his arms, running towards the outskirts of the village where the other shinobi and villagers are gathered.

This is how they fall in love, faster and harder than either of them imagined possible. The reality of being shinobi sinking in and Sasuke and Sakura can't imagine a life without each other. Sasuke can't imagine a life without her eyes and her smile and her laughter and Sakura can't imagine a life without Sasuke's hands. His hands that hold her entire world, hands that are warm and calloused but hands that love her with the warmest and gentlest touch.

…..

They are nineteen on a chilly Sunday morning when they have dango together at her favourite teahouse. She huddles into her navy blue scarf, the same scarf Sasuke gave her as a birthday gift five years ago. The Uchiha crest is imprinted on the corner of the scarf, and while Sasuke can't remember why he gave her something with the Uchiha crest on it before, he thinks now that the words Uchiha and Sakura go well together.

She is staring into her warm cup of tea, steam rising before disappearing into the cold air. The sweet smell of dango is comforting and Sakura stops him mid-sentence, eyes downcast.

"Daddy…"she says suddenly. "Daddy wants me to stop seeing you." She stops, and waits for him to say something. Anything. But she isn't prepared for the look in his eyes and she looks away almost immediately, her heart in her throat.

"Why?"

"After the scare a few months ago," she starts, hands automatically moving to her chest, and Sasuke winces, because he has seen the scars of her battle. Seen her scar that he forced her to show him when he found her crying by the training grounds, and told her that she was beautiful and it only made her stronger. "He doesn't want me to be a shinobi anymore. He wants me to be normal, have a normal civilian life and marry a normal civilian man, and leave the shinobi world to the clans. He says I'm not made out for this," she says bitterly, but the look in her eyes when she turns to face him takes Sasuke aback. "But I love you, Sasuke-kun. He can't tell me how to feel."

Sasuke surprises her by reaching for her hands across the table and taking them into his own, his thumb caressing her hand softly.

"My father spoke to me last night," he admits, eyes dark and heavy. She swallows, suddenly nervous about what Sasuke has to say despite her confession. "He wants me to start thinking about my future. The future of the Uchiha clan. Itachi is already engaged to be married," he continues, and suddenly he can't meet her gaze. "He doesn't approve of us...of you. You're…not one of us. You'll taint the Uchiha gene pool."

Sakura is so shell shocked that she has no words, her eyes are wide and her lips are trembling and she says nothing as Sasuke gets up, his hand still in hers and tugs her out of the teahouse after leaving a few crumpled bills on their table. He takes her to the riverbank by the outskirts of the village. It is snowing lightly and the cold is sending shivers down Sakura's spine, but she doesn't care because Sasuke's hands are in hers and this is all she needs. They take a seat on the bench that overlooks the river, and Sakura remembers that she should be thankful that Sasuke is even here.

She stares into the river, her emerald eyes unblinking, lost in memories of their past. Sasuke opens his mouth to say something, and she knows, knows what he is going to say and she can't bear to hear it, so she stops him. "Ne, Sasuke-kun…I think we're just like Romeo and Juliet." She feels Sasuke tilt his head slightly, and giggles softly because of course, Sasuke-kun wouldn't know about Romeo and Juliet. "They're the definition of star crossed lovers, Sasuke-kun. A tragedy written by William Shakespeare. I read about them once while I was on a mission in Snow."

"Star crossed lovers separated by their families…I've always wondered how our story would end, Sasuke-kun. I guess…you're Romeo and I'm Juliet." Sakura's voice is tiny and quiet, and it breaks Sasuke's heart. He reaches out to her to hold her, comfort her, anything, he thinks, to ease this pain, when she turns around and kisses him. They've kissed many times since her near death experience, but this kiss, Sasuke thinks, is different. Sakura holds on to him, pulls him closer in a desperate attempt to hold him there, like he is her lifeline. His hands move to cradle her face and he feels the tears prickle at the corners of her eyes. Her hands fists in his shirt when Sasuke kisses her with a ferocity she never knew existed, and Sakura thinks that while she may be prepared to lose everything if it meant being with Sasuke, she knows that Sasuke is an Uchiha and his name will always come first. There are no words afterwards, just heavy breathing and flushed faces and tears, and Sakura can't help but feel like this kiss means goodbye.

This is how the world breaks. Sasuke is haunted by memories of Sakura and the fleeting ephemeral moments of utter and blinding rapture that they shared. In front of his family, Sasuke hides behind lies, pretends that he's not lonely, pretends that he doesn't still dream of Sakura and her eyes and her smiles and her touch. Sakura has made the hospital her home, working graveyard shifts and long days to avoid seeing Sasuke. Sakura doesn't show up at Ichiraku on Tuesday nights, doesn't open her front door on Friday nights, doesn't visit the teahouse on Sunday mornings or turn up at the Uchihas' on Sunday afternoons. Anything and everything reminds her of Sasuke-kun, and she loves him so much, and knows she will break if she sees him. There is nothing in life that she values more than Sasuke-kun, and she suddenly understands what they mean when they say home is where the heart is.

…

Sakura is twenty one and making her way to their riverbank after her thirteen hour shift at the hospital when she feels his chakra, strong and intimidating. She masks hers and hides in the shadows, ears perking up at the sound of a feminine laugh and feels her heart drop when she sees Sasuke-kun…her Sasuke-kun walk right past her with a dark haired kunoichi attached to his arm. They are both in ANBU gear, faces covered by their masks but she can't help but wonder if this kunoichi is an Uchiha and if she is the one Sasuke-kun's chosen.

That night, Sakura doesn't sleep. She is wide awake, staring at the glow in the dark star stickers on her ceiling Sasuke had put up for her one summer night when they were seventeen. "Look at the stars when you can't sleep," he had said. Tears fall from her eyes and down the sides of her face as she turns back time and thinks of everything that's transpired between them. How they had started and how they had ended.

Sakura thinks that she is like the night sky in Sasuke's life. The moon, the stars, and the infiniteness of life. She remembers telling Sasuke one night, after he had kissed her breathless, that their story was like a series of memories made up of romance and magic and dreams. Sakura thinks, hopes, that she will be his memories of a lover's arms, boundless and full of love.

But this new kunoichi, she thinks, is like his sunshine. Her dark hair and dark eyes tell Sakura that she is more than likely an Uchiha too, just like Sasuke. She will be the reality of his world, of life in daylight with all harsh realities of the truth. This Uchiha kunoichi will understand what it means to carry the Uchiha name, will understand what it means to put their clan before anything else, she will be strong and demand respect and will be everything that Sasuke needs.

The next morning, Sasuke is called into the Hokage's office, and is surprised to see her. She is dressed in her ANBU gear and Sasuke thinks that there must be some sort of mistake because the only person he knows with pink hair is her and she doesn't take missions anymore. He quietly shuts the door behind him and stands next to her, eyes focused on the Hokage, but inside his mind is racing and his heart is threatening to burst out of his chest.

"Hokage-sama?" he questions. Tsunade, now the hokage, clears her throat and addresses the two shinobi in the room. "Taka, I have already briefed Neko on the details of the mission, she will go over this with you before you leave tonight. In summary, this is a seduction mission to get information on a prostitution cartel we believe is operating outside the borders of the Fire country. There are rumours that the leader, Koizumi Aoi, is related to the bastard who attacked Konoha three years ago. If you can't bring him in alive, I want him dead. Neko hasn't been on an ANBU mission in a while, but I need a kunoichi who is capable of both fighting and healing herself if things go wrong. You will be the only back up she's got. You have a week to complete this mission, is that clear?"

"Hai," they answer in unison, but Sasuke grits his teeth behind his mask and clenches his fists so tightly his knuckles turn white and swears that he will protect her with his life.

Later that night, they are leaping through the lush canopies of Konoha's forests, the first time they have been alone since their last kiss.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he promises quietly, and Sakura feels the tears well up because he still cares. His promise is not written, is not set in stone, but Sakura swallows her fear because a promise from Sasuke-kun alone spoke volumes, and Sakura has always had faith in him.

Ten days later Sasuke walks through Konoha's gates, Sakura on his back, bruised and battered. Her hair is matted and dirty, clothes stained with blood and Sasuke is struggling to breathe.

Tsunade would tell him later that he was having a panic attack at the fear of losing Sakura.

This is how Sasuke wakes up. Watching her walk away, sacrificing herself and what's most precious to her all for the sake of a mission. Because it's what shinobi are trained to do. Over the years, Sakura has become his strength. He thinks about the shinobi code, and doesn't know if he can follow it anymore if it meant sacrificing Sakura. He thinks of the Uchiha clan and of his father's stern face, his straight shoulders and his small smile when he is proud of him, but he also thinks of Sakura's tears and screams and doesn't think that he can continue to let his father tell him how to feel and who to marry. He has given up on Sakura once before, but he cannot do it a second time. Sasuke needs to choose his own direction in life because Sakura has always told him to follow his heart.

Sakura is leaning against the headboard of the hospital bed, staring out the window. She sighs in resignation as she recalls the mission. There had been a traitor amongst ANBU. Their mission had been compromised from the start. She remembers the ambush in the dead of the night, the way it felt to fight side by side with Sasuke-kun again. How they were slowly losing and how Sasuke took the hit that was meant for her and how she abandoned her mission and her village as she begged them to let her heal him, let her stop the bleeding and in return she would tell the hokage that they had completed the mission and she would let them escape. She recalls how Aoi stood forward, a Konoha ANBU by his side, and promised her Sasuke's life in exchange for hers. She remembers how her shaky hands poured her chakra into Sasuke's wound, how her tears fell freely and how Sasuke weakly looked up at her, and it reminded her of a time long ago in the land of Waves. A time when they were still twelve and innocent and thought they could take on the world. She remembers how Sasuke's eyes widened and he managed to yell out a strangled cry before she felt something hit the back of her neck and then the world went black.

She shudders at the memory of waking up to Aoi's breath against her neck, his hands roughly groping her, teeth sinking into her flesh, drawing blood, marking her. The way she felt her sanity leave her when she started to struggle, desperate to escape but the chakra bands on her wrists made it impossible. The sound of men laughing and the sound of Sasuke calling out to her and the humiliation that followed when she realised that he was being held down at the opposite end of the room, chakra bands also on his wrists. The sound of Aoi unbuckling his pants and the sound of clothing ripping and then she was crying and begging for him to stop, begging for him not to touch her in front of Sasuke-kun. What happened next was a blur and all she remembers is the red of Sasuke's sharingan and the blue of his chidori, and the sound of bones breaking and men choking on their own blood.

Sakura brings her knees up against her chest and wraps her arms around them, buries her head in her arms and sobs.

This is how Sakura feels alive again. Sasuke walks into her room and closes the door behind him with a soft click. She stills as she feels the bed dip under his weight, as she feels him wrap his arms around her, as he places a kiss on top of her head. "I'm sorry it's taken me this long to realise that it's always been you," he says softly, voice barely above a whisper. "If you want…we can leave Konoha. Go somewhere, just the two of us. I'm not Romeo and you're not Juliet. We're Sasuke and Sakura, and we'll make it work." His voice is quiet, but Sakura hears everything. "Tsunade says you'll be discharged in three days. So five days from now, I'll wait for you by the riverbank." He places another kiss on top of her head, and just as quietly as he came, he was gone.

…

Five days later, Sakura visits the Uchiha compound, when she knows Sasuke will be out training. Despite the many times she's been here, this time she feels intimidated, feels the eyes of curious Uchiha following her. She has not set foot in the compound since they were nineteen and she feels a wave of nostalgia flow through her.

"Sakura-chan!" Mikoto looks surprised to find her at her doorstep, but nevertheless moves to bring Sakura into a big hug. "You've grown so much since I last saw you," she says fondly, ruffling Sakura's hair like she used to. Sakura blushes under her dark gaze, and her eyes are so much like Sasuke's that Sakura feels her heart ache.

She is nervous, her knees are shaking and her hands are clammy but all she can think about is Sasuke-kun and how much she loves him and how much she knows he loves his family. She cannot bring it in her heart to force him to choose, but she cannot afford to give up on Sasuke again.

"Is Fugaku-san home? I haven't seen him in a while and…I'd like to talk to him, if it's okay." Sakura prides herself on being stronger than most, but the thought of standing up to Sasuke's father is enough to make her want to surrender. But she thinks of Sasuke when he was five and Sasuke when he was twelve and Sasuke through the years and Sasuke has always prided himself on being an Uchiha, and so her resolve strengthens. Mikoto looks at her knowingly, and squeezes her shoulders lightly before ushering Sakura in.

Sakura cannot remember the last time she saw Fugaku, and she thinks it's absurd that she has never felt more intimidated by him than right now. She feels her entire being quake when she sees him, but holds her head a little higher and her shoulders a little straighter, folds her hands like Sasuke has taught her to do and tucks her feet underneath her. This Fugaku is not like the Fugaku she is used to on Sunday afternoons. This Fugaku is not a father, this Fugaku is the leader of a prestigious shinobi clan and Konoha's police force and he is looking straight at her, and she can see now why Sasuke has always followed his orders.

She takes a deep breath, and begins.

"Sasuke-kun…I love him, Fugaku-san. I always have. Ever since we were five and he told me I had pretty eyes. When we were twelve and learnt what how to be shinobi. When we were fifteen and learnt why people go to the ends of the earth to protect those they love. When we were sixteen and learnt what it meant to put our village before anything else. When we were seventeen and learnt that loving someone meant making compromises and sacrifices, but sacrifices that were worthwhile when we got the little moments in between. When we were eighteen and Sasuke-kun made me realise what it meant to fight for someone you love, when I learnt that he had become my strength and my life. When we were nineteen and I learnt what it truly means to let go of the person you love, but still be reminded in every breath and every waking moment that once you fall in love, you can't change your mind and you can't stop loving. And Fugaku-san, I can't stop loving Sasuke-kun."

Fugaku's eyes are unwavering and burn right through her, but she clenches her hands into fists and forces herself to keep going.

"I love…that Sasuke-kun makes me feel like I can cross oceans and move mountains. I love the way he looks at me and the way he holds my hands, the way he loves the Uchiha before anything else. I love how Sasuke-kun is anything but selfish, how he can come across as cold and aloof but really is so, so warm and full of compassion. I know I don't belong to a clan, and that my pink hair and green eyes will forever taint the Uchiha gene pool, but Fugaku-san you've known me since I was five and you know I'm strong enough to hold my own and I'll do my best to make him happy and protect him. I'll hold him close, give him strength and fix his heart."

Another breath.

"Please let Sasuke-kun go."

It is past midnight and Sakura is sitting by the riverbank, watching the fireflies across the calm river. She has been here for an hour and there is still no sign of Sasuke-kun and she can't help but think, has he changed his mind? Her eyes start to water and she thinks that maybe, maybe this was a mistake from the start. She mumbles out his name, and tells herself that this will be the last time she chases after Sasuke-kun and if he doesn't show up tonight then this is where it all ends. She has always been waiting, always keeping her faith but now Sakura's faith is fading and she thinks that Sasuke-kun may never come around. And even though he is Sasuke-kun and she will always love him, Sakura is getting tired of waiting.

She pulls herself up and her body feels heavy and her legs numb. It has been three hours and Sasuke hasn't showed up and she bites her lips to keep them from trembling as tears spill from her eyes. They were Romeo and Juliet, after all.

"Sakura."

Her eyes widen and she turns around and there he is, standing before her. His voice is husky and makes her hair stand, his eyes so smouldering she has to look away. "I'm sorry," he says, and takes a step forward.

"This was a mistake. I shouldn't have said what I said. I shouldn't have asked you to leave Konoha and your life behind. All I thought about was you and how much I didn't want to lose you again, and I lost sight of my responsibilities."

All the while, he is taking slow steps forward until they eventually stand toe to toe. Sakura can no longer look up at him so she stares down at her feet, vision blurred by all the tears. She tries her hardest not to whimper as the tears keep falling but she does anyway, and the hiccups start and don't stop.

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun. Thank you, for everything. I'll choose to remember that you loved me, hopefully as much as I love you."

Her eyes widen and she looks up in shock as Sasuke starts chuckling, and she feels her face redden. Sasuke looks at her so endearingly it makes her heart want to burst and she tries to hold back more tears as he pulls her towards him, holding her flush against him. "Sakura," he murmurs into her ear and sends shivers down her spine.

"I talked to your father yesterday. He's given us his blessings. My father…he still doesn't feel the same way, but I can live with that. I'll pave my own path as an Uchiha if it means being with you." He pulls back just slightly so that he can see her eyes, and they are so green, even though shining with tears, are brimming with love. All of a sudden they are five again and Sasuke knows now what he saw in her eyes and he knows he's made the right choice.

"For the past few years, I've been fooling everybody but myself. I pretended that I was alright without you, that I didn't need you and that I wasn't thinking about you. I'm sorry I gave up on you, on us. But Sakura, I don't want to live another day without you being mine. You deserve somebody who will choose you and continue to choose you, someone who will love you and fight for you and protect you. I…I won't pretend that I'm good enough for you, because I never will be, but Sakura, I've loved you since we were five, and I promise to love you for a thousand more lifetimes. This ring…it isn't much, but I want…I hope you'll accept it, and accept me."

This is how Sasuke knows what he really wants in life. He may bear the Uchiha name, carry the Uchiha blood and the Uchihas' Sharingan, but he is also Sasuke and Sasuke does not exist without Sakura. Sasuke would not exist if he didn't have Sakura to love, Sakura to protect, Sakura to please. He would not exist without her holding him up, protecting his heart and breaking down his walls. And as Sasuke reflects on the kind of man he wants to be and the kind of life he wants to lead, he finally, finally knows that he wants to be Sasuke before an Uchiha.

Sakura cannot stop the tears anymore but she also cannot stop the smile that has found its way on her face. She tackles Sasuke to the ground and places sloppy wet kisses all over his face, but she cannot find it in herself to care. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," she mumbles. "Yes a thousand times over." She tries to wrestle the ring out of Sasuke's hands, and suddenly they are rolling and tumbling until they're just a pile of limbs on the ground, laughing and breathless and then they're kissing and Sakura can't see or feel anything except Sasuke but it doesn't matter because this is so much better.

This is how she gives back to Sasuke. "I talked to your dad today, Sasuke-kun." She spares him a glance as he sits up in alarm, but ignores him otherwise. "I think," she says slowly, "He's opened up to the idea of having little pink haired Uchiha running around one day."

…

She stands on the balcony, head tilted backwards and stares at the night sky, and marvels at how the stars and moon shine so brightly. She hears the soft rolls of the ocean waves and breathes in the salty air. Her lips curl into a smile when she feels him come to stand beside her, feels the ghost of his fingertips along her exposed arms, his lips at her ear.

"I love you."

Hearing those three words from Sasuke still amazes her, still makes her blush and still makes her skin tingle. He wraps his arms across her front and draws her into him, and she holds onto his arms with hers, keeping him there.

Her eyes are already closed when he seeks her mouth with his, and he kisses her so sweetly that she wonders if she might faint.

At twenty five, this is how life goes on, and how happily ever afters are made. Sakura is reminded every day how fiercely Uchiha Sasuke loves, how fiercely Uchiha Sasuke protects, and how fiercely Uchiha Sasuke gives. Sasuke is reminded every day how fiercely Uchiha Sakura loves, how selflessly Uchiha Sakura loves, and how completely and faithfully Uchiha Sakura loves.