101Disclaimer: I don't own anything yet.
Chapter 8: Dreams come true.
Sakura waited patiently at the village gate, hands clasped behind her back as her foot went up and down towards the ground, making her swing. In the distance she could see a familiar figure, walking towards the village gates, with an almost inhuman calm that could only belong to one person. The last heir of the Uchiha clan still lived up to the grandeur of his ancestors.
"Sasuke-kun." She greeted happily when he reached her and before he could fight her in any way, Sakura pulled him into a tight hug, letting go shortly thereafter to look him in the uneven eyes. "It's been a long time." She whispered as she looked at him with a smile on face, happy to have him back.
He nodded and looked back at her and surprised Sakura when he pulled her into another hug as tight as the one she had given him.
"Sasuke-kun?" She exclaimed with wide eyes when he released her and took a step back.
"It's been a long time." He responded with the same stoic tone as always, but she didn't miss the small twitch at the corner of his lips.
Sakura thought that show of affection was completely unusual from him, but she was not willing to complain, she missed her friend who had left long ago on a journey of redemption for his past sins. Facing him more closely, she was able to notice all the changes that had affected him over that time, Sasuke had the most masculine features, the lean teenager face he wore during the war gave way to a more angled face and the looking hard and fierce, now it seemed much more peaceful.
She realized that just like Naruto, he had changed a lot in the last year. In addition to his physical characteristics, the light-colored poncho that replaced the black cloak that covered him the last time she saw him, made the last Uchiha look less somber. Sakura found out that she liked this new Sasuke much more, and surely Naruto would approve too.
They walked through the village towards the Hokage Tower and after a few minutes of comfortable silence, Sasuke asked if she knew what the important mission that Kakashi would assign him this time. When Sakura's only response was a laugh, he stopped abruptly to face her.
Sakura supported the weight of her body on one leg while her right hand rested comfortably on her slender waist. "Of course, Kakashi-sensei was going to invent some important mission to bring you back to Konoha." Sakura declared when she stopped laughing, but kept a huge smile on her face.
Sasuke was immensely confused and he hated not knowing things, it reminded him of a time when he pursued revenge for lies that he was forced to believe most of his life. He wondered why Kakashi would lie to him about a mission. The lie itself did not surprise him, especially from his former mentor, but it still bothered him.
When he felt Sakura's small, soft hands holding his hands, Sasuke realized that whatever Kakashi's reason for lying to bring him back to, was important. He wondered for a second how she could have such soft hands when she used those same hands to destroy the rocky soil with minimal effort, but he dismissed the thought as quickly as it came, deciding to focus on the seriousness of the situation.
"Naruto and I are getting married." She said almost timidly, but the smile on her face did not disappear, if possible, it became even more radiant.
Sasuke stared into those emerald eyes long enough to realize that she was much happier than he had seen in years. Not that he had been around for a long time, but the little that was around her was enough to know for sure that expression was the happiest he had ever seen in Sakura. That smile on her face seemed almost permanent.
"I think Kakashi-sensei invented an important mission because he thought you wouldn't come any other way." She let go of his hands and turned around, continuing on the path they had been previously on. "I prefer to believe he was wrong." She murmured over her shoulder and he didn't miss the way her furrowed brows replaced the radiant smile she had before, he didn't like the change in mood.
Sasuke followed with slow steps, trying to process the information that his two teammates were about to get unite for the rest of their lives. After several minutes lost in thought he found that he was happy for them.
Naruto always loved Sakura, and from what it looked like Sakura loved Naruto back, genuinely. He didn't want to think about how she kept those bright eyes and that smile just for him in their genin days, while Naruto could only be content with her rebukes. He made peace with the past and the attraction and affection he felt for her after the war was part of that past. A past that he would not risk looking at or trying to recover. And if that affection in her eyes when talking about Naruto was any indication, now he wouldn't stand a chance with her, even if he tried.
He sighed deeply and smiled to himself when he discovered that Kakashi was wrong. If the scroll the Hokage sent was actually Naruto and Sakura's wedding invitation, he would face the journey of several days and arrive in Konoha in time to see his best friend's union with the woman he missed the chance to love.
"Kakashi was wrong." Sakura heard Sasuke's husky voice echoing behind her, and for a second she thought she had imagined it.
She stopped walking until he reached her, so she held his hand tightly and linked their fingers together. "We will find Naruto. He will be happy to see you." She said in a much happier tone, as she changed direction, taking him away from the Hokage Tower.
When that smile, which looked a lot like Naruto's smile, returned to her face, Sasuke felt his own lips lift slightly. It was good to be home.
The sun's rays invaded the window, making a beautiful kunoichi rub her eyes lazily. The warm arm that rested on her waist made her feel safe. She opened the eyes, looking towards the clock on the bedside table and the late hour made her sit up abruptly.
"Naruto." She screamed loud enough to wake anyone up for miles.
Naruto opened his eyes and was greeted with the perfect body of his wife who was exposed before him and as much as he tried to resist, the temptation was too strong, and if he were a little sincere with himself he would be able to admit that he never had the intention to resist Sakura since he was nine.
Sakura stared at her husband's sleepy face and felt his warm hands feeling her body and when an involuntary moan escaped her lips, she hit his hand and got out of bed. "We don't have time for this, Naruto." She grunted angrily and pulled the sheet off him, waiting for him to get out of bed and follow her to the bathroom.
She went into the bathroom and turned on the taps waiting for the water to heat up, after some minutes without Naruto's presence being made known, she went back to the room and snarled when she saw that he had gone back to sleep.
Walking with heavy steps she pulled him out of bed and dragged him into the shower, sitting him on a bench while she poured the liquid soap over him, trying to hide her indignation when she realized that he was making no effort to help her. She grunted the whole time as she fervently rubbed the muscular body of the irritating shinobi she married.
After the shower Sakura dressed quickly and turned to help Naruto tie the white cape that Kakashi had given him the day before. She smoothed the cloak over his chest and when she saw that he was still sleepy she lose the little patience was left.
"Sakura-chan." Naruto whimpered, rubbing his shoulder where Sakura punched. "Why did you do that?"
"Today is the most important day of your life and we are more late than Kakashi-sensei has been in his entire life." She said angrily taking a last look at the clock.
Naruto felt his eyes widen as he remembered the event they were late for. "Why didn't you tell me?" He cried out in alarm, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the door to their house.
Sakura felt her left eye tremble with nervousness but decided that they were too late for an argument, so she allowed herself to be dragged through the streets of Konoha, increasing the flow of chakra in her feet to keep up with his speed.
"And just so you know..." Naruto mumbled a little breathlessly, never slowing down on the run. "The most important day of my life was when you said yes."
Sakura knew he was smiling even though she didn't see his face and she felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips when she remembered the day he proposed to her during the war, just after their first night together.
She knew he was trying to appease her mood after that morning's delay, and as much as it worked and that one sentence dissipated the anger she was feeling, she would never admit it. Sakura knew that Naruto was far more cunning and clever than people gave him credit for. And that was another thing she would never say out loud, she would keep the secret of her husband's rare wisdom to herself.
Naruto slammed the glass down on the table, causing the drink that was inside to spread everywhere. He looked at the spilled drink and after a few seconds of silence he laughed, as if it were the funniest thing he had ever seen in his life.
Gaara stared at the glass in his hand for several seconds before taking another sip. Then he looked at the wet table and laughed along with his friend. His laugh was not as loud as Naruto's, but it was still a laugh, and that was a rare thing to be seen coming from the always stoic Kazekage.
Sakura made a move to get up from the table but felt a hand around her wrist, preventing her. She looked at the owner of the hand and saw Sasuke's uneven eyes staring at her as if to tell her to leave Naruto alone. She sighed, and leaned back reluctantly on the padded seat in the pub.
"Let them have a little fun." It was Kankuro who vocalized what Sasuke was unable to say.
"Sakura-san is right to want to intervene. They are exaggerating." Temari grunted, her tone with hints of irritation.
"He looks like a mix of Tsunade and Jiraya. And I'm not talking about the good points." Sakura snorted when she saw Naruto rise from the chair, staggering, spilling more drink on the table, making Gaara laugh out loud this time.
"People are looking." Temari added.
"If you intervene it will draw much more attention." Shikamaru mumbled lazily.
Several minutes passed before Naruto and Gaara walked towards the table where the others were. Naruto had a silly smile on his face and an expression so unusual that it made Sakura consider the idea of getting him drunk more often when they were alone, because she found that expression completely adorable.
"Gaara, these are my two best friends." Naruto pointed in the direction of Shikamaru and Sasuke.
Shikamaru's raised eyebrow showed that he didn't know that Naruto considered him so much, but the small smile that took over his face immediately made everyone know that he was happy with that new discovery. He always considered Naruto a good friend.
To everyone's surprise, Gaara bowed slightly, murmuring that it was an immense pleasure to meet the best friends of his best friend. Sakura decided to ignore the sounds of Kankuro's laughter and Temari's forehead hitting the table. She concentrated on the pair in front of her and stood, deciding that it was time to end the night before one of them did something completely irreversible.
"This is my wife." Naruto shouted towards Gaara with a satisfied smile on his face, the instant Sakura stood next to him.
'At least he remembers that we are married.'
When Kankuro's laughter got louder she realized that she had said that phrase out loud. But Gaara's outstretched hand was what got her out of her thoughts.
"We already met." She mumbled as she shook his hand, because even though Suna's war hero and powerful leader was acting like an idiot, it would be rude of her not to greet him, and Tsunade would kill her if she knew she was rude to an ally.
"Oh." It was Gaara's only answer.
"We fought together in the war." She added with narrowed eyes. "We saved this idiot's life together." She tapped Naruto on the chest with the back of her hand to emphasize her point.
Gaara opened his mouth and nodded as if he remembered all the events she mentioned and Sakura realized at that moment that she needed to leave that pub or she would start another war, hitting the Kazekage.
She was exhausted and everything around her was irritating. She was tired of more constant mood swings than usual, and the fact that she couldn't even drink to ease the tension made her even more upset. Seeing Naruto's drunk and relaxed face broke the last string of her patience.
Giving a quick kiss on the top of Sasuke's head and a kiss on Naruto's cheek, she waved goodbye to the others and apologized, leaving the pub, not even bothering to drag Naruto with her as she had planned when she got up from table. Knowing that Sasuke and Shikamaru would take care of him, she quickly walked home, wishing for a bath and a comfortable bed.
Closing the door to the room Sakura got rid of the clothes, discarding them on the floor, promising herself that she would pick them up in the morning. She was tired after the double shift at the hospital, the meeting between Naruto and Gaara and their drinking night drained her completely.
She didn't want to admit the real reason behind her tiredness. She would think about it in the morning when Naruto was sober and she could share it with him.
Taking a few slow steps toward the bathroom, longing for a warm, relaxing bath, she froze halfway through the feeling of someone else in the room.
The sound of a kunai hitting the wall echoed through the dark room and Sakura gasped audibly when she felt strong arms pinning her to the bed. "That was very dangerous, kunoichi." A husky voice sent chills down her spine and she felt her whole body relax instantly.
"You almost scared me to death." Her voice was less irritated than she intended.
The invader laughed hoarsely and pressed her even closer to the mattress. "You could have hit me with that kunai."
She held back the laughter that wanted to spill out of her throat, because she knew he was pouting. "That was my intention. Who breaks into your own home through the window?" The teasing left her mouth before she could stop it. The firm palm of his hand, lightly tapping against her thigh in retaliation at the bold response, made her shudder and moan involuntarily.
"Naruto." She moaned again when she saw him move far enough away to rip off the hokage cloak, jacket and shirt, so fast she would have missed it if she hadn't been staring at him.
With the little light coming in through the open window, she could see the fierce gleam in his blue eyes burning her skin as he stared at her.
Positioning his body on top of her, he dragged himself slowly, caressing her cheek tenderly.
"What is on your mind?" She whispered, losing herself in the look that changed suddenly. Just a few seconds ago his eyes were covered with hunger and lust, but suddenly disappeared giving way to something she couldn't immediately identify.
"I was thinking about the first time I had you in my arms like that." The smile that adorned his lips made her heart race.
She remembered that night, the first time she had allowed herself to give in to the feelings she had for him for some time, abandoning all fear and insecurity.
She wrapped her legs around his hips and both hands rested around his face. "I never regretted that night."
Naruto felt his heart accelerate even more at that moment. He remembered the night in the cave and how she was afraid about giving herself to him. He would never forget the way she said she loved him the second time, but that time he believed her. Looking at his wife lying under him, every inch of her skin touching his, he lost himself completely in the heat of her body.
He never loved another woman besides Sakura and knew for sure that he would never love anyone after her. Knowing that she belonged to him was more than he could wish for. He thought that life couldn't be better than it was at that time.
"Naruto." Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Are you still drunk?" She asked suspiciously.
Laughing lightly, he shook his head in denial. "I burned alcohol from my system with chakra the second you left the pub."
"Oh." She replied looking away and he realized that something was bothering her.
"Sakura, just tell me." He distributed kisses on her neck, loving the way she tilted her head to give him better access.
"What?" She mumbled breathlessly.
"Something is bothering you." He licked a tender spot on her neck and smiled when she squirmed under him. "You can tell me anything."
"I know." She mumbled again.
"Sakura." Naruto insisted in a slightly firmer tone of voice, never ceasing his ministrations on her skin.
"I'm Pregnant."
Naruto sat up abruptly, bringing her along with him, sitting her on his lap. "Repeat that." He begged completely breathless.
"I'm Pregnant." She repeated with a dazzling smile on her lips.
The heat that flooded his chest was indescribable and he realized that he had been wrong when he thought that life couldn't be better. But he was not surprised by this, because Sakura always had the power to make everything even better than it already was. Her presence made everything more radiant.
He didn't realize there were tears streaming down his cheeks until he felt Sakura's hands on his face as she whispered his name with a slight note of concern.
"Thank you, Sakura-chan." His voice was full of gratitude.
Through the faint light of the moon that invaded the window of the dark room he could see that her beautiful green eyes were full of unshed tears. Her happy laugh flooded the room. "Don't be silly Naruto..." She hugged him tightly and he knew she didn't want him to see her crying. "Dont be silly."
"No, Sakura." He removed her arms that were tightly around his shoulders and forced her to face him, confirming that he was right. He did not wipe away the tears that streamed down her face freely, knowing that they were tears of happiness. He thought she never looked so beautiful as she did that night. "I want to say that." He whispered. "Thank you for giving me a family, for not giving up on me. Thank you for being by my side and for saving my life." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I don't think I ever thanked you for that."
She interrupted him, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Don't thank me for any of this." She scolded slightly. "I will always be here, because I love you." She kissed him again. "This is what families do, take care of each other."
All he could do was nod and kiss her back. Lying on the bed, he kissed her belly more than necessary, completely ecstatic to know that they had done something so precious together. Naruto realized that everything he ever wanted in his life was right there before him. It was never recognition or being the leader of their village. What he always wanted was a family and she gave it to him.
He knew there would be difficult times, that becoming a Hokage was more of a responsibility than he was used to. He knew that being a father could be a challenge and that taking care of a family and a village would take its toll. But looking at the beautiful woman lying under him, he was sure he could do anything.
Everything would be fine because he had Sakura and she was all he wanted.
Note: There will probably be an epilogue. Sorry for those who expected more... This story was just a oneshot, I don't even know how I got eight entire chapters. Thank you for who followed until the end.
