Author's Notes: Thanks for reading, reviewing and such so far. I really appreciate it. Sorry for the long absence. I've said this before in my other works but writing lemons is something I'm very new at so they might seem a little rough and rushed. I also don't feel all the nitty gritty details of sex need to be given since I write romance not straight up erotic fiction. It's just not my style. Additionally, in my little Universe where my version of Sakura and Sasuke live, love, and raise their little Uchiha princess Sarada, they both came together as virgins. Unless you are some sort of sex god you need to build up your stamina. Sorry to burst bubbles but no one is magically great at sex and can last forever (the way I've portrayed their sex so far is still pretty fluffy compared to the actual awkwardness of reality) As far as birth control goes for Sakura, in my mind I believe that Shinobi have a jutsu that they administer to Kunoichi's upon graduating the academy. It would stem to reason that something along those lines would be necessary due to the dangerous nature of their work and to avoid any un-planned bundles of joy. It seems to me from watching and reading the series that babies generally came when planned and wanted so in my Universe it's a secret jutsu that can be released only by high clearance medical ninja's from the same village (like Sakura) when a woman decides to have a child. That way enemy shinobi can't use it to their advantage and there are no "Oops! I got pregnant while seducing my target." Or "Crap! I'm on a five year S Class mission and that one night stand when I got drunk is coming back to bite me." Stuff. Also, I don't have a defined time line for this so it might seem a little disjointed. Anyway, rant/explanation over.

$%$

Sasuke glanced over at his companion and the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly as she dashed towards the beach lining the town where they intended to stay for the night. She arrived at the water's edge and grinned as the water lapped at her toes.

"This feels so nostalgic!" she exclaimed tucking her blush colored locks behind her ear.

He tilted his head to the side a little at her comment. "What do you mean?" he asked her.

"I came here once a long time ago." She said her gaze shifting to focus on a large dock where several massive yachts were docked. "One of my missions after the chunin exams. Team Seven was escorting the Prince of The Land of the Moon on an international tour." She giggled lost in her own memories.

Sasuke blinked in surprise and nodded. "So you were short one team member. Wasn't that dangerous? It sounds like a jounin level mission."

"It probably should have been." She agreed crouching to pick up a shell from the shore. "We managed to pull through though. Rock Lee came with us." She sighed a little smile coming to her lips. "Now that I think about it, until Sai was officially assigned to our team just before we caught up with you again, he filled in for you a lot." She grinned. "With him and Naruto together, it was always lively."

The Uchiha looked down a little unsure of what to say to her comment. His mind briefly went back to their first attempt at the Chinin exam, right before their lives all went to Hell.

"My name is Rock Lee! Please be my girlfriend! I promise to protect you with my life!" the jumpsuit wearing ninja had proclaimed loudly winking at the rose haired ninja.

He snickered. "You actually followed through with that didn't you?" he murmured.

"What was that?" Sakura asked glancing up at him.

"It's nothing." He replied. "Don't worry about it."

She nodded and straightened and held out a shell to him. It was the color of her hair and shimmered with splashes of blue, green, and purple as she moved it in the sunlight. "It's pretty isn't it?" she said with a smile.

He nodded and touched it. "Yes it is." He suddenly went on high alert as he heard the sound of a low growl coming from nearby.

"What is it Sasuke?" Sakura asked confused by his change in demeanor. Her eyes suddenly widened as she caught movement off to her right and shrieked in surprise as a big cat suddenly pounced on her. "Chamu!?" she exclaimed holding out her hand to stop Sasuke as he drew a kunai. The big cat purred and nuzzled her affectionately as she shifted out from under him and rubbed him between the ears. "What on earth are you doing here?" she asked.

"Chamu! What do you think you're doing?!" a voice called out.

Sasuke turned to see a boy that looked to be about fifteen or sixteen with black hair, a lithe build, and round glasses racing down the beach with a monkey on his shoulder.

Sakura turned towards the voice and her face lit up. "Hikaru? Is that you?" she asked.

The boy came level with her blinking a couple of times in disbelief before grinning widely a slight blush tinging his cheeks. "Saukra!" he exclaimed leaping forward and wrapping his arms around her. "I'm can hardly believe it! I haven't seen you in so long!" he took a step back and gripped her hands in his. "I'm so happy to see you!"

She nodded and grinned back. "It's so good to see you." She agreed. "How is your father?"

He smiled. "He's doing great! Both he and my mother."

The pink haired medic grinned. "I take it they got back together?"

Hikaru nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes! In fact I even have a little sister now." He said his face glowing with pride.

Sakura laughed as the monkey jumped to her shoulder hugging her around the neck. "It seems like these two haven't changed." She said rubbing the little creature's head affectionately. "I take it that things in the Land of the Moon are going well again?"

The young man nodded. "Oh yes. Much better than the last time you were there. In fact-"

"Prince Hikaru! Where are you!?" came a panicked voice.

The teenager sighed. "Rats. They found me." He muttered.

A man wearing a vaguely familiar uniform jogged forward. "Your Highness! I've been searching everywhere for you." The man said leaning forward to brace his hands on his knees.

"Sorry Touma." Hikaru said shrugging. "Chumu ran off and I had to chase him down, but look who he lead me to."

The man looked up and his brow furrowed for a moment before his eyes widened. "Lady Sakura!" he exclaimed smiling broadly at her he reached out and clasped her hand tightly. "What a pleasant surprise!"

Sakura lifted her head slightly as she remembered him as one of their teammates from their siege of the castle. "I'm glad to see you're doing well. The injury you sustained during that battle was pretty substantial." She said with a smile.

He touched his leg and nodded. "It was but thanks to your expert care it healed very well." He glanced at his watch and frowned. "Your highness, your departure is in less than an hour, we should go prepare…"

"Delay it by one hour." The prince replied.

"But your highness…" the man began.

"Sakura is a precious friend of mine that I haven't seen in years. Without her help our nation would have crumbled. I'd like to spend more time with her, is that wrong?" he asked.

"Well no, I suppose not, even so delaying the launch…" the man murmured.

"Unless, you'd like to come with me." Hikaru said glancing at the rose haired medic.

She blinked in surprise and glanced over at Sasuke who was studying her with unreadable eyes. "I don't know Hikaru." She murmured. "Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want to go. Believe me, I still dream about those beaches, but you see Sasuke and I were headed to The Village Hidden in the Clouds."

"Sasuke? Sasuke Uchiha?" Hikaru said his focus shifting the study the ink haired man. "So it's true then, he actually came back to The Leaf Village like you'd hoped?"

Sakura blushed and shifted her feet nervously. "More or less." She replied. "It's a very long story."

"I'd love to hear it." Hikaru said offering her a wistful smile. "Father, mother, the circus performers, the soldiers. They'd all be really happy to see you again. I'd really like for you to meet my sister too."

The pink haired ninja chewed on her lip nervously. She'd always dreamed of one day going to The Land of the Moon with Sasuke. To frolic with him on their tropical beaches… She snorted a little at her own fantasy, she was fairly certain Sasuke Uchiha never under any circumstances 'frolicked' and imagining him doing something so blatantly out of character for him had her clutching her sides and covering her mouth as she tried to hold in her giggles.

"Do you want to go?" Sasuke asked her interrupting her humorous fantasy.

"What?" she repeated.

"I asked if you want to go." He said his eyes once again unreadable.

She blinked in surprised and blushed. "Well… It's not like I don't want to go." She admitted. "But Sasuke-"

"We're not on a specific time table and our mission is to gather information on how the current world is recovering from the moon incident and The Fourth Great Ninja War." He said in a matter of fact tone. "Going to the Land of The Moon fits well within parameters. If you want to, we can go."

"Are you serious?" she asked him her eyes widening slightly.

"I am." Sasuke replied. "The Prince himself is asking you after all. It would be foolish to pass up an opportunity like this one."

Sakura lowered her head as her heart throbbed in her chest, her emotions threatening to spill from her eyes. Sasuke was truly so gentle and kind. He was doing this for her, offering her a chance to go somewhere he knew was pleasant, an escape from all the difficulty the last few years had brought her. "If you really don't mind…" she murmured looking up at his face. His onyx eyes bored into hers with intensity and gentleness almost asking her to say more so she did. "Will you go to The Land of the Moon with me Sasuke?" she asked quietly her cheeks blazing.

"It would be my pleasure." He answered back a little smirk playing on his lips.

"Excellent! Let us go to the ship at once!" Hikaru exclaimed excitedly leading the way down the beach to where the docks were.

Sakura nodded and balled her hand into a fist and punched Sasuke lightly in the arm.

"Ouch!" he hissed rubbing the spot even as his lips twitched into a smile.

"You were teasing me!" she protested. "Why?"

He chuckled and leaned forward breathing against her neck before he let his tongue slip out to touch the shell of her ear making her breath catch in her throat and her knees weaken. "Because it's fun." He replied simply before he strode away leaving her steaming behind him.

"You damn Uchiha!" she yelled when her legs were working properly again running down the beach after him.

#$#

Sakura sat at a round table with Prince Hikaru and Sasuke eating absently while the young prince spoke of The Land of the Moon and everything that had happened since their last meeting years ago.

"So I heard that Naruto is working with the Hokage now, is that true?" Hikaru asked handing an apple to his monkey companion who scampered with the fruit down to his saber toothed friend laying near the feet of the prince.

Sakura nodded. "It is. He's being trained to be the next successor." She explained. "Kakashi, the silver haired ninja that was the leader on our mission is the current Hokage."

The Prince raised an eyebrow at that. "Is that who it is now?" he replied. "I seem to remember him lying in bed most of the time when I last saw you."

Sakura giggled. "He'd probably cry if he heard you say that." She said with a grin. "Pushing yourself beyond your boundaries always comes at a cost though."

Hikaru nodded and then chuckled. "I remember when you went in the check on him and found him doing pushups in bed. You punched him so hard he had to extend his stay a day."

Sasuke snickered and the pink haired girl blushed. "Hey! He didn't do another pushup until he was recovered though right? I got what I wanted in the end."

"That's true." Hikrau admitted. "It seems that's ususally the case. I remember seeing how you dealt with Naruto and Lee. So Kakashi training Naruto to be the next Hokage then?"

Sakura nodded. "That's the plan at least. Ever since the Fourth Great Ninja War, he's been working hard with that goal in mind." She smiled her mind drifting to her close friend and most trusted companion. "Knowing him, he's sure to achieve his dream. He's definitely on his way now."

"What about you?" the prince asked.

She raised an eyebrow "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You must have a dream too right? Are you on your way?" he asked.

Sakura's eyes widened. Her dream? She glanced at Sasuke who was studying her with his mismatched eyes clearly curious as to what she had to say. From the time she was small, her dream had always been to be by his side. To love him and receive his love in return. To marry the beautiful but quiet Uchiha. However, after watching her beloved fall on the Naruto Bridge as a genin, her dream had begun to change. She didn't selfishly want his love, she wanted to be his strength. Someone who could protect him. Even now, that dream hadn't changed.

"That's a good question." She finally admitted. "I'm not sure of it myself." She laced her fingers together and gently squeezed as she stared down at the table cloth. "I think that perhaps my dream is one that is impossible to reach."

Hikaru blinked and then smiled. "I'm sure you can do it Sakura." He assured her. "Nothing is impossible."

Sakura smiled though there was a tinge of sadness in her eyes as she reflected on Sasuke's great strength and almost incomprehensive power. She was no match for him in terms of chakra or physical strength. How could she dream of protecting someone like that? "I think those words only apply to Naruto." She said after a few moments. Her eyes went to Hikaru and she offered him a slightly bigger more genuine smile. "Even so, I appreciate your words."

A knock sounded at the door before a servant walked in. "Prince Hikaru, the rooms for your guests have been prepared." Said the blonde young man with a bow.

"Excellent." Hikaru said with a smile. "I suppose we should prepare for bed." He said standing up.

"Sounds good." Sakura said following his lead. "This time, I hope we're not woken up in the middle of the night by a squall."

The young prince snickered as he led them from the dining room to the cabins. "You and me both, though we wouldn't have to worry about rescuing a circus full of animals this time around."

Sakura nodded. "That's true. It certainly made for one exciting night."

The prince stopped and motioned to two rooms. "Please rest well. We'll be arriving a little after noon tomorrow." He smiled at Sakura. "I can't wait to hear more about your adventures. See you in the morning."

"Yes. It's been a pleasure Hikaru. See you tomorrow." Sakura said bowing to the prince.

He smiled and left with the servant right behind him leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone. "Well, I guess this is goodnight." She said with a little smile as she touched the door handle. Sasuke nodded a little frown on his face and she nervously tucked a section of hair behind her ear. She knew that look on his face meant he wanted to or was going to ask her something. It was more than likely a question she wouldn't want to answer either.

"Sakura," he said in the soft low voice that always made her heart thunder in her chest. "What is your dream?"

She was spot on. Of course he asked her the one question that she didn't want to answer at least not in front of him. Her feet shifted nervously as she looked down. "I don't really know." she said. It wasn't a complete lie, she honestly wasn't sure what her 'main' dream was anymore. She twisted the handle on the door opening it to reveal the small but functional room behind it. "It's late, and we should head to bed. People in The Land of the Moon love to party so you better rest up now while you can. Last time when Naruto and I came, we got next to no rest."

The Uchiha's frown deepened clearly not satisfied with her answer. He sighed and moved forward wrapping his arms around her waist from behind pulling her firmly against his chest. "You can tell me. I won't laugh." He assured her.

Sakura blushed and looked down. She wasn't worried about that at all. "I know." She replied turning in his arms. Without another word, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth firmly against his. He froze at first, clearly caught off guard but quickly responded one hand sliding up into her hair while the other pressed against the small of her back forcing their bodies closer together. Her tongue slid along the seam of his lips in a sensuous invitation and he immediately responded plunging his tongue into her mouth as he turned them to press her up against the nearby wall. His hands slid under the hem of her shirt igniting a fire in her belly and she gasped as she tugged at his hair when his hands gripped her bra clad breasts. She arched against him instinctively when his fingers tugged at her clothed nipples, her mouth latching onto his neck to cover her moan of pleasure.

"Sakura." He whispered as he moved his mouth to her neck trailing hot kisses along the slim column one of his hands moving to cup her through her shorts. She mewed in response and his teeth latched onto her earlobe and tugged. "I want you." He whispered pressing his hips against hers in a clear illustration of what he meant.

Sakura paused at his words, her brain finally getting a message through her flaming heart and desire. She knew that if he got her into bed, he wouldn't leave until she answered his question. As badly as she wanted him, she wasn't ready to bear this part of herself to him just yet. Besides, the reason she'd jumped him in the first place was to get his mind off the question, not to get him in bed.

"We shouldn't. Not here, there are too many people nearby. Goodnight Sasuke. I'll see you in the morning." She assured him before slipping into her room and closing the door tightly behind her. Her face burned with embarrassment as she leaned against the door and slid to the floor. "I can't believe it." She muttered. "I actually used one of the seduction techniques from pig's stupid classes on how to distract the enemy and I used it on Sasuke of all people." She covered her face with her hands. "I'm the worst."

#$#

Several sleepless hours later, Sakura surrendered herself to the fact that she wasn't going to get any rest and rose from the small cot in her room. She walked over to the porthole and looked out at the sea. It looked calm and serine, the half-moon's reflection shimmering on its surface. Hoping some fresh air would help to calm her troubled mind, she slipped silently out her door and made her way on deck. The crisp bite of the sea breeze made her catch her breath as it tossed her rose colored locks as she walked to the bow of the ship to lean against the railing. She clasped her hands in front of her, her forearms braced on the metal bar and bowed her head forward with a sigh. "Like I could say my dream out loud in front of him." She muttered.

"In front of who?" came a familiar voice.

Sakura turned and saw Hikaru approaching her with Chumu at his side. "Hikaru, what are you doing up?" she asked.

"Chumu is nocturnal. That doesn't change when we're at sea. He makes some of the crew nervous so when he wants to roam, I just come out with him." The young prince explained as he came up beside her and leaned against the railing himself. "So? Who were you talking about?" he asked. "I hope it wasn't me. We're friends forever, you can tell me anything." He said extending his pinkie finger to her in a gesture that she remembered vividly from her last trip to The Land of the Moon.

She smiled and extended hers as well locking them together for a moment. "That's right." She agreed before she sighed and looked out at the sea that looked like ink in the darkness, the same color of her lover's hair. His face floated to her mind and she smiled a little. "You know, when I was younger I had a huge crush on a boy from my village." She explained. "He was dark, broody, and arrogant but so beautiful and talented. I almost fainted from excitement when we were put on the same ninja team and thought that I finally had the chance to get close to him." She snorted and looked down. "He cut me down to size pretty quickly and I realized after seeing him seriously injured for the first time that I was just as annoying and stupid as he told me I was. I decided to work seriously and become stronger so that I could become someone who could protect him, someone he could rely on." She turned to lean her back against the railing and glanced up at the stars. "As we trained and traveled together and I learned more about him, my selfish crush turned into something more genuine and I found myself just wanting him to be happy but…" she took a deep breath. "It was like the entire world was against that. Before I knew it, he was gone and in my desperation to get him back I forced my best friend to make a promise I never should have." She looked down at the ground. "I was so selfish and caused so many of the people close to me grief but… All I wanted was for that boy to come home to where he could smile again, to where I could make good on my vow to myself to protect him and make him happy. It was my only wish, my biggest dream."

"That doesn't sound selfish to me." Hikaru said as he studied her. "What's wrong with a dream like that?"

She snorted and looked down. "I'll never be strong enough to protect him. He has and always will be stronger than me. Not only that, but I don't know how to make a person happy that won't allow themselves to be."

The young prince nodded and then looked up at the sea. "I understand how you feel but I think you're underestimating yourself."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"There's more than one way to protect someone." He said in a matter of fact tone. "Remember when those rouge ninja attacked us on the beach?"

Sakura sighed. "Of course I do. How could I forget? That jerk and his funky petrification jutsu. The annoying girl and her poison gas, not to mention that crazy strong gorilla. They totally crushed us. It actually kind of ticks me off to think about it now."

Hikaru nodded. "Yes they did. I remember feeling so helpless. My grandfather was dead, my father had been kidnapped, and our only way to escape was gone. I remember looking around and seeing Naruto with his head hung in defeat, Lee cursing as he crawled out of the sea, and Kakashi kneeling on the ground staring at what was left of those who had died trying to help us holding his useless arm. It was such a terrible feeling but then," he looked over at her. "Even though you were injured and upset, you rushed over and immediately began healing Kakashi's arm. It was amazing to me that you were able to focus and work in spite of the awful feeling there." He smiled at her. "In that moment, you were protecting your comrades. Giving them the strength and healing their injuries so that when their hearts recovered from the defeat they'd be ready and able to fight again. You really are an inspiration."

The pink haired ninja blushed and then smiled at the boy. "Wow, you really are a prince aren't you? You know exactly what to say to cheer up a girl."

Hikaru blinked and then blushed himself. "I really mean in though." He assured her.

"I know." She replied smiling at him. "I guess I just never thought about it like that before." She raked her fingers through her hair. "Even so, I worry that I'll never be able to give him what he needs to be happy. That he'll continue punishing himself and wandering for the rest of his life."

The prince sighed. "It sounds like this guy you love is pretty troublesome" he said resting his chin on his hand.

Sakura laughed. "You might be right about that." She admitted. "Even so I can't help how I feel about him."

Hikaru smiled and patted her gently on the arm. "I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure someday your love and devotion will be rewarded and he'll marry you just like you always wanted him to."

Sakura turned bright red all the way to the tips of her ear as she gaped at her friend. "What are you saying!?" she demanded. "Who said anything about marriage!?"

"Isn't that what people in love normally do?" Hikaru asked his brown knitting together in confusion. "That was my understanding at least."

The pink haired ninja blinked and then groaned at her own sensitivity to the word marriage. It wasn't strange or scary. People got married all the time and she'd dreamed about it herself; but marrying Sasuke? Perhaps it was the knowledge that it would probably never happen that made her feel weird about it. Marriage meant roots and home something Sasuke had made clear on several occasions he wasn't interested in either of those things.

"It's not Naruto is it?" Hikaru said interrupting her train of thought.

Her mouth gaped and she shook her head violently. "Hell no!" she exclaimed. "Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy, easily one of the best in the world, but no… Just no… He's like my brother. Besides, he's in love with someone else."

"Is that so?" Hikaru said tilting his head to the side slightly. "He acted like he loved you when he was here last."

Sakura groaned. "Well… He probably was back then but it's different now."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it." Hikaru said with a smile. He looked down as Chumu who had finished his nightly patrol of the ship's deck bumped his leg with his nose. "I take it, that's the signal to go back inside." He said petting the big cat on the head.

"Yeah." Sakura said reaching out to pet the cat herself before walking with the prince towards the door leading to the cabins. "Thanks for talking with me." She said as they stopped in front of her room.

"No problem." Hikaru said with a smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah. Goodnight." She said as she pushed open the door to her room and slipped inside collapsing on her bed. Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of everything going on in her heart. Marriage… It was something she'd dreamed of, every girl had. From the time she was small, there'd only been one man she wanted to marry. The idea seemed just that though, a dream and nothing more. Especially with a man who seemed determined to punish himself for eternity for what he'd done over the years. However if he ever decided to stop roaming, to come back to the village to stay would he marry her? Was it even possible? Her eyes closed and a vision of herself dressed in a fine white kimono standing next to Sasuke dressed in fine black robes of his own filled her mind. As the image began to shift into a dream Sakura sword she heard the click of the door next to hers shutting however her mind and body were far too tired to investigate and so she drifted asleep instead.

Sasuke Uchiha held his breath after closing the door to his room, waiting to see if Sakura had heard or sensed him but when he sensed no movement, he breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on his bed. He felt a little pang of guilt as he stretched out and stared up at the ceiling. He'd used his specialized skill of hiding his chakra to indulge in that oldest of ninja traditions. Eavesdropping. He hadn't had much of a choice though. It was clear she wasn't going to tell him her dream when she jumped him like that out of the blue before going into her room for the night. It had bothered him more than he cared to admit that she wouldn't tell him. Of course being a master secret keeper himself, he knew he had absolutely no right what so ever to feel entitled to her deepest desires but that didn't stop him from feeling otherwise.

As he really thought about it, he was fairly certain her dream was to be strong enough to protect him and Naruto. She'd spoken about it before, with him even. So why was she so reluctant to talk about it now? Was it because she worried about what the Prince might think? Perhaps that wasn't her dream after all, or her biggest dream. He sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples.

Sakura had changed a lot in the years they'd been separated after he left the village. She'd grown up considerably and had become a force to be reckoned with. A warrior who had taken on the mantle of Slug Queen of the Sannin with strength and confidence. He smirked as he remembered the fourth great ninja war, when he'd decided to temporarily team up with his old comrades to defeat Marada.

This was a temporary solution. He'd fight alongside them to get rid of the annoying obstacle in his way before destroying the ninja world as it stood and rebuild a new order with the Uchiha clan at the head like it always should have been.

"Don't waver!" Naruto yelled as he took the lead like the show off he was, his finally tamed nine tails chakra giving his body an ominous yellow glow. As much as he hated to admit it, the bastard had become pretty formidable and was sure to be a difficult opponent when the time came to eliminate him, though it made him a very useful ally at the moment.

Desperate to not be undone, he pulled his katana from its sheath and funneled his lightning chakra into the blade and sliced through the monsters in front of him as he and Naruto worked to approach to ten tails. A roar caught his attention from behind and his eyes widened as one of the larger beasts flew forward ruffling his as it slammed into several of its comrades. His eyes quickly searched for the warrior who had managed to knock the beastly creature so far back and stopped in his tracks as he watched a figure clad in navy and green fly through the air in hot pursuit of their prey a flash of pink giving away their identity.

"Cha!" Sakura exclaimed her fist slamming into the monster and splitting the earth beneath it tossing several of the monsters into the air and burying others under boulders created by her strike.

Something that had been dormant for years flickered to life at the sight, a strange heat coursing through his entire being as he looked at Sakura and no longer saw the little girl who had chased after him begging for his attention. Now he could see the woman she'd become, a fierce warrior with a sharp mind to match. As the dust cleared revealing a mountain of destruction and fallen foes with her standing on top with a cocky smirk on her lips he couldn't help but smirk himself. Sakura Haruno was downright sexy and in that moment he couldn't help but want her. Maybe he'd wouldn't kill her like the others. Maybe he'd use her to rebuild the Uchiha clan instead.

He smirked a little as he finished his little trip down memory lane and sighed as he sat up remembering Prince Hikaru's words. 'Then he'll marry you like you always wanted him to.'

Marriage. It was a word he hadn't given much if any thought to in years. It was a scary word, full of promises and commitments. Marriage was binding yourself to another person of your choosing. To walking down the same path as them with connected feelings.

He raked his fingers through his hair as he remembered his parents. The strict father and soft spoken mother who had raised him until their untimely deaths. Their marriage wasn't perfect, then again he was almost positive that none were, but he remembered the way his father looked at his mother. How the hard lines of his face would soften ever so slightly and he'd smile in a way that he didn't smile at anyone else.

His mind drifted to the pink haired medic sleeping next door. She was very different from his mother, from most Uchiha women. They were generally soft spoken, capable women who cared for their homes and families with quiet, fluid grace. Sakura was an outspoken wild cat and he loved her for it. He thought back to their genin days, to the day they'd met as a team and introduced themselves. Naruto had talked of his love of ramen and wanting to be Hokage like the carefree idiot he was and Sakura had confessed her obvious feelings for him. He'd had no interest in either of them, filled with nothing but hatred for his brother and the fierce desire to restore his once powerful clan.

Restore his clan… his eyes widened as he bolted upright in bed and touched his forehead. "Am I stupid?" he said quietly to himself as a little smile touched his lips. From the beginning, he never really wanted revenge. He never wanted to destroy the ninja world. He never wanted to hurt his friends. All he wanted was a family. His mind thought back to the nights he spent alone in his little apartment crying over his lost family, how those nights had greatly decreased after he joined team seven. He looked over at the wall that separated him from the pink haired medic his memory conjuring up the dream he'd had of Itachi in Suna and the little girl he'd seen holding his brother's hand. He stood up and moved towards the wall placing his hand on the steel barrier the separated him from the girl he loved, the girl he knew deep down he was terrified to lose. His hand balled into a fist as a feeling swelled within him, gushing up and wetting his eyes.

"Sakura…" he murmured. If he asked, he knew she'd say yes. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she would marry him, bear the tainted symbol of the Uchiha on her back with pride. Give him the family he desperately wanted. Even though he didn't deserve it and would never deserve it. "I want it…" he hissed through clenched teeth as his imagination ran wild conjuring up visions of Sakura holding a dark haired child. Visions of her standing in a kitchen with the Uchiha crest on her back. Visions of her wishing him a safe journey when he left on missions and covering him with kisses when he returned. Visions of her dressed in white smiling at him with tears in her eyes as she took his hand and offered her whole self, body and soul to him in front of their friends. "I want her… All of her."