Disclaimer: The ownership of Naruto yet remains with Kishimoto, but now I not only own an Itachi shirt but a Kakashi shirt as well. My conquest is slow but sure, and soon the rights will be within my grasp.

Warning: Vague references to a between-chapter intimate encounter, however, nothing occurs that would surpass the T rating.

Let your nuptial hymns, your nuptial songs, greet him and his [wife]!

Aristophanes

Chapter 5: Heaven hid his stars, and Eos awoke outspraying splendor, and night's darkness fled.

Sasuke Eros, God of Love, awoke slowly to the first songs of the morning birds. His rosy-fingered grandmother, Mikoto Eos, was not yet stirring to sprinkle the dew before her radiant brother, which meant he could linger in bed.

Something he was quite eager to do, for his bed was warm and soft, and his wife was gently cradled in his arms.

His wife! Sasuke tightened his grip carefully, gently drawing her closer to his chest, and she sighed and nestled closer against him, making his immortal heart beat swifter than the running of horses.

Eros sighed softly, a faint smile crossing his face, and ran his fingers through her soft, bridal-shorn hair. It was a wondrous thing, he mused, that the God of Love had never so truly experienced his own dominion for himself until now, and he stood in amazement at his own power. Just having his tiny bundle of a mortal bride in his arms, sleeping besides him upon their marital bed, stirred up such feelings of joy and love and fierce protectiveness as he never knew he could feel.

His wife stirred against him, murmuring sleepily, signs that Shikamaru Hypnos's soft grasp was retreating from her at last. He hated to disturb her, for she was such a pretty picture in his arms—tousled sakura -hued hair, delicate eyelids sweeping her cheeks, and a soft sleeping smile—but the sun's chariot would soon cross the horizon and Sasuke Eros needed to be gone.

He leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear, kissing the rim and nibbling gently. "My love," he murmured, "Psyche, my sakura bride, it's time to waken."

Psyche stirred sleepily, groaning in protest, and slowly cracked open rest-heavy eyelids. It took her a moment to comprehend what the meaning of the warm firmness surrounding her, but then she remembered it all—the black wedding veil and the lonely mountain top, the West Wind and the dark palace, the husband in the darkened chamber, and last of all, the wedding bed. Psyche froze instantly, every inch of her blushing as furiously as if she was lit afire.

"I see you are awake," Her husband's voice rumbled in her ear, and she blushed even darker, burying her face in his chest. She felt his arms holding her against him, his hand threading through her hair, and felt a warmth and happiness in her heart such as she had never known before.

Here, in her marriage bed, in the arms of her faceless husband, she felt at peace.

"…are you well?" She heard him ask hesitantly. "Are you in pain?"

She shook her head, managing to answer, "N-no, I feel fine."

His hand stroked her head gently, and he pressed his lips against her forehead, so she could feel his smile in the darkness of the dawn-dim. "I am glad," he whispered. "Did you enjoy yourself, my lady?"

Psyche let out a squeak, and her hands flew up to cover his face, and he laughed softly. "I'll take that as a yes." One hand snuck between her fingers and lifted it so he could press his lips against the tips. "I did, as well."

Swallowing hard and sending a prayer winging to Hera, goddess of marriage, Psyche gulped and managed to stutter, "I-I-I am gl-glad, as w-well, then." She paused, stirring up her courage, and tentatively asked, "Will you be staying today?"

Sasuke Eros felt his heart constrict at her hopeful tone, and he pulled her tighter against him, burying his face in her hair for a moment. Finally, he spoke, his voice regretful. "Alas, I cannot," He said, "For I have many duties during the day. And speaking of these things—" His voice grew somber, and Sakura lifted her face from his chest, trying in vain to see her husband's visage in the darkness. "Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, bears much ill-will against you, thinking you wish to set yourself up as a rival against her. I have snatched you, Psyche, from her grasp, but we must be cautious. Therefore, I have two rules which must be followed, or our happiness could be destroyed in the wake of her wrath."

Psyche swallowed hard, burying herself in his arms and nodding solemnly against his chest.

"The valley is a safe-haven, guarded by the God of the River to ensure no word of your presence escapes to the ears of Aphrodite." He said, "So be free to wander the gardens and the fields in the valley, but you must not cross the river."

"I'll remember," Psyche whispered, and Sasuke Eros pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Second, you must never try to glimpse my face."

Psyche's heart skipped a beat in surprise, and her eyes widened in the darkness. "B-but—but why? I—I don't understand." She felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment and whispered, "I would very much like to see your face."

Eros sighed heavily, hating to deny her, but knowing that he must. The less she knew, the safer she would be from his ever-jealous mother, lest a stray word echo back to Karin Pandemos. "Please, trust me." He whispered, pleading. "But it must be, for now, until the danger passes."

"But—what kind of wife does not know the face of her husband?" Psyche responded, distress leaking into her voice. The God of Love smiled gently in return as he sat up, tugging her upright along with him. He reached out and stroked her cheek, laughing softly.

"Why need you to know my face? It does not matter whether one knows a face, it is only the heart that matters. And it is in the dark that hearts are seen most clearly."

Psyche thought about this, then shyly turned her head and pressed a cautious kiss into his palm. "I... I understand, husband. Still, I wish…"

Sasuke sighed, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against her own. "So do I. Alas, not even the Gods can have all things as they wish."

Slowly, he slipped away from the couch and stood, leaning forward and pressing a kiss against her forehead, before stepping back and tapping the same spot with his fingers. "Get some rest—it was a long day, yesterday. I have my duties to attend to, but I will come when Nyx draws her husband's darkness across the heavens."

He turned and stepped away from the bed, only for his wife to reach out and grasp his fingers. "Until tonight, then—Sasuke," she said, and the God of Love's heart leapt.

"Until tonight," he echoed, and with one powerful beat of his wings, flew out the open window and was gone.

~0O0~

First, the God of Love descended upon the river without his palace, alighting gently on the riverbank and staring into the water. A moment later, the surface of the river stirred, and the body of the god of the river rose up. He was pale skinned and white-haired, sharp teeth showing in a sharper smile.

"Congratulations, Sasuke, on your wedding." He said, smirking, "Did you have a pleasant time last night?"

"If you speak so to my bride, Suigetsu," Eros snapped, "You will feel my wrath."

Suigetsu, god of the river Hydormene, bowed his head immediately. Brash he may be, but none risked the wrath of Sasuke Eros lightly. "It was merely a jest, Sasuke!"

"I care not," The God of Love retorted. "Watch your tongue."

Suigetsu muttered under his breath, but was wise enough to otherwise refrain from foolish speech.

"Are you certain you kept the news of my bride safe?" Sasuke demanded, and Suigetsu pouted, affronted.

"What do you take me for, Sasuke?" he complained. "Of course I did. No word of you or your little lady escaped my watch."

"Good," Sasuke Eros replied, and felt a tension he dared not address slide off his shoulders. They had done it. Psyche was safe, tucked away from his golden mother's wrath, and he had a bride, and ample time to woo her and win her and make her as happy as she could be. She deserved it, after the guilty misery in which she had heretofore dwelt.

"Keep it up, Suigetsu." He ordered, before leaping into the air, winging swiftly away North, towards Thrace. Suigetsu was left behind in his river, shaking his head in disgust, resigned.

"It's always the same with him. I suppose gratitude would be too much?" he snarked to himself, before sinking back into his waters and his watch.

~0O0~

Psyche assumed she had fallen asleep again, for the next thing she knew, soft golden light sifted in through the window, and the birds sung happily outside. Slowly, she stood, running a hand through her hair and blinking sleepily.

Apparently, everything that had happened last night truly hadn't been a dream. So, what was she to do now?

However, before she could even to try to answer her own question, the door flew open to the sounds of bridal hymns. Psyche squeaked in shock, spinning to face the intruders—only to discover there was nothing there.

Yet she heard the singing, loud and clear and quite nearby. Swallow hard, she managed to speak up. "Is… anyone there?"

"Yes, my lady!" A sweet voice sang out. "I am Moegi, at your service."

"My service?" Psyche asked, surprised.

"Oh indeed," the voice said, "I was sent by your lord husband, my lady, and told to take care of you."

Psyche's heart warmed at this thoughtful gesture, and she smiled, still casting about for a glimpse of her new companion. "Oh, I see. I have quite the attentive husband," she said, feeling a blush beginning to crawl along her cheeks. "But where are you? I would love to speak to you."

"I'm right here, my lady!" The voice said, right next to Psyche, who spun around in shock. The next moment, she nearly wished she hadn't, for she was treated to the sight of the bed seeming to make itself.

"Oh, you can't see me, my lady," Moegi said, giggling. "He believes 'tis best many things stay secret, to protect both you and us."

"Ah… I see," Psyche admitted, a tad disappointed. She had never expected her new home to be full of faceless individuals. Still, she should be grateful—she had a loving husband and kind servants, when she had previously expected he new home to be in a spawn of Echidna's belly.

"My lady, your clothes for today are already laid out, and breakfast is ready in the next room. I'll leave you to get ready, now!" The servant instructed, then the door opened and closed, signifying her departure.

Psyche sat down on the couch, blinking at the door in confusion. It was all very strange—but, she had a feeling she would enjoy getting to enjoy her new life—and her husband. Her stomach rumbled at that moment, so she hurried to dress and partake of breakfast.

She had a new home to explore, after all—and time to whittle away until her husband returned at nightfall.

But first and most importantly, she had to thank the Gods for their mercies. Everyone knew it was unwise to forget the Gods when they bless you, and Psyche had been blessed indeed.

~0O0~

~0O0~

Author's Note:

So… This has been a long time in coming. The last post was in June, so like… five months? I'm so sorry! In my defense, these past five months have been REALLY busy, and I spent a lot of the past months figuring out how to do the next arc of this story. I think we'll have one or two more chapters of newlywed fluff for our love god and his mortal bride, with sprinkles of plot, before the inevitable occurs and the plot takes off full-force (those of you who don't know the original myth, don't blame me when that happens).

I hope I got the name of Suigetsu's river right. River gods in Greek mythology share the same name as their river, so I did my best to translate 'Suigetsu' into Ancient Greek. I don't know if the name 'Hydormene' is properly constructed per the rules of Ancient Greek (for instance, 'mene' 'moon' is feminine but I couldn't find any masculine forms for the word moon? So does that count? I don't know).

Anyway, that's enough ramblings for today, so I'll see you next chapter—which I am quite looking forward too, as it has Psyche exploring her new home, Itachi teasing Sasuke about his wedding, Izumi gushing, and more Sasuke/Sakura fluff.

Until then!