Snapshot

There are a lot of reasons as to why she doesn't want to get out of bed to face the day. One is she felt too comfortable on the bed. Another would be because she was still too tired and sleepy. Then maybe because today was the day that she would be married to someone she doesn't even love or barely knows. Despite their love-making session last night, she has no choice but to get up and face the decision she made. "I guess it's over…" she opened her eyes, expecting to see raven locks or onyx orbs staring at her, but she saw nothing but an empty space beside her.

Sighing, Sakura sat up, holding the blanket close to her body, covering her naked form as she scanned the room. The bathroom door was open but there was no one inside brushing his teeth or doing morning activities. She was alone in the room yet her eyes caught the note that was on the side table, where a necklace was on top of it to keep the paper from flying off. Blinking, she took the note and read it.

Hey tenshi,

You're probably wondering where I am right now and I'm sorry that I had to leave earlier. I still have to talk to someone about something important; otherwise, I might regret missing that meeting. Before you leave the house, would you please go to the studio? Kakashi is expecting you there, so are Tsunade and Kurenai. And cheer up for today's event okay? Love you.

Sasuke (your yami nin)

PS. Don't you dare give me back the necklace I bought for you.

She smiled slightly as a single tear rolled down her cheek and quickly wiped it away as it came. She took the necklace that she left him when he was still confined in the hospital and put it around her neck, looking down at the silver tag pendant. "It's good to have this back." She thought. "I felt weird without it."

Chapter 8: Drowning in your love

"What does he want from me right now?" he thought, staring at the estate before him as he took off his helmet and placed it on top of his bike. His right hand felt his bandaged head and closed his eyes, recalling how he had an accident and almost died. "I can't believe I almost committed suicide just for… that…" he opened his eyes and got off of his motorcycle, then rang the doorbell of the Haruno estate. "You want to talk to me huh?" He thought, entering the compound when the gates opened. "Good, 'cause I want to have a few words with you too, Haruno Ikichi."

He walked inside the door and followed the maid that led him to where Ikichi was, inside the man's study room, where he sat on his chair, eyes shut tight and index and middle fingers massaging his temples. "Sir, Uchiha-san is here to see you." The maid said. Ikichi turned to the door and nodded, dismissing the girl as Sasuke entered, closing the door behind him and taking a seat when Ikichi instructed him to. "First of, how are you doing right now?"

"Fine, aside from the wound I have on my head and right arm." He answered, glancing at his bandaged arm. "I'm just thankful I'm ambidextrous."

"I see, that's already an advantage for you then." He said, leaning back on his swivel chair and looking up at the ceiling. I just want to say that I'm sorry for everything. I never knew how much you love my daughter, I'm just too overprotective of her."

"Same here sir." He said, looking down with half-closed eyes. "I too, am overprotective of her, but not in a way that I would keep her from the people she love and care for." Ikichi cringed inwardly, that Uchiha really hit a spot there. "Yes, I know that. And because of my foolishness, you almost died, and Sakura would've probably hated me more." He murmured, his tone sounding grim and depressed. "It shocked me though, when she said that she'll marry Akira, just when I was about to tell her that I'll cancel the engagement."

Sasuke smiled slightly. "True, but that's what she wants you to think." Ikichi looked up at him as their eyes met, Sasuke's looking serious and Ikichi's having confused ones. "Sakura chose the engagement, but are you familiar with the saying, easier said than done?" the older man nodded so he continued. "Last night, I was with her, and she didn't bother to leave, and just stayed there beside me. That alone made me realize what I had to do, at the same time, know that she doesn't want to marry Akira at all."

"Then, what are you planning?"

The photographer smirked. "Are you willing to help me out?"

"Of course."

"Then get my brother to drive."

She eyed herself on the full length mirror, not believing that she was wearing a wedding gown, the same style that she drew when she was still in high school. "Um…" she didn't know what to say. She was curious as to how they got her sketch and when it was done. Tsunade, as if reading her mind, smiled. "Your boyfriend dropped by yesterday, handing us the sketch and demanding our tailors to finish the dress by today." She grinned. "It's a really lovely design too Sakura, it fits you so well."

Sakura forced a smile at them and turned back to her reflection on the mirror as Kurenai fumbled with her gown. "Yeah, I did tell him that when I get married, I want to wear my own designed gown, but that is, if it will be him who I'll marry, not Akira." She sighed and glanced at the clock. Only three hours left before she is taken to the church. "Why did you have to let me be picked up here? It's a farther distance going to the church."

"Tsunade-san," the blonde faced her, raising a brow. "Did Sasuke tell you why I have to be here instead of at home where I should be preparing myself for my wedding?"

"If you didn't come here, you wouldn't be wearing the dress you want to wear on your special day." She said with a smile. "Besides, it's also one of your modeling requirements, according to Kakashi." She took a camera and adjusted the lens before taking her picture. "Since Sasuke has other business to attend to, I have to take his place." They turned to the door when it opened, in came Kiba and Kakashi. "Actually, Kiba will take his place. He owes him." Kakashi said, glancing at the boy who grinned. "Nice dress Sakura."

"Thanks." She whispered and turned back to the mirror. "If you could see me right now, I bet you'd be telling me to smile for you." She thought, a sad smile forming on her face. "Right, you told me to cheer up for today." She faced Kiba when he readied his camera and this time, she smiled a true smile. "For you, I'll smile. For you, I'll be happy."

"Well now, we all ought to be going now. Sakura, the car that's going to pick you up awaits you in front of the studio. Prepare for the photographers downstairs. I think someone had something to do with it." Kakashi said with a smile behind his mask, following the two ladies and Kiba out the door as Sakura sighed and walked out of the room as well, her veil hiding her face. "I guess this is it…" she thought. "Well, not entirely…"

Just like what Kakashi had said, flashes of the cameras blinded her as she tried to get pass the crowd with a few of the security guards' help. She went inside the car when a guard opened it for her. Once she got in, the door closed and was locked by the driver, who had his hat tilted in a way that hid his face. Sakura eyed the driver suspiciously until the car pulled away from the parking lot and headed for the direction of the church. "Che, I was expecting any of our friends to be driving the car and taking me away from the church." She sighed again. "What am I thinking? This isn't a drama series, this is life, and this is reality…"

"Come on guys, we have to hurry setting the place up!" Naruto yelled, fixing his drum set while Shikamaru connected his keyboard to the speakers. Neji, on the other hand, was busy tuning his bass guitar. Shino did the same to Sasuke's, at the same time, connecting both guitars to the amplifiers. "Will you relax Naruto? We have more than an hour to get everything ready." Shikamaru muttered, finally done with his job. "He drives slow anyway, that's enough time to handle everything else." Sasuke added, walking towards them after securing the bandage on his arm.

"Are you sure you can play?" Shino asked, his voice sounding worried for his friend. "Yeah, this is nothing." He said, eyeing his arm and then turned to where the groom was. "I can't believe he would cooperate too." The group all looked at Akira who seemed really nervous as he paced around the church, the priest looking at him with a quirked brow while some of the guests were shaking their heads. As for the female population, you can tell that they were all eyeing the guys, eyes practically shaped like hearts.

"I can't believe that even an engaged man like myself would still attract… them." Neji muttered under his breath, causing the group to snicker. "Relax Neji, we're all in the same state as you are, except for a few…" he glanced at Shino and Sasuke who sent a warning glare at the blonde so he just laughed and waved the subject off. "Speaking of girls, where are our fiancées?" Shikamaru asked, looking for Ino. "Probably still fixing their appearance." Naruto mumbled, knowing Ino, who was very much so into fashion and looks. "Makes me wonder how Shikamaru won her heart…" he thought, squinting his eyes.

Sasuke took out his mobile phone, receiving a message from his mom, telling him that the place was ready for later. He replied a thanks to her and read the new message he got from his dad, informing him that the studio had taken a lot of pictures of Sakura when she left, and again, he replied his gratitude to him. Then he got another from his brother, telling him that they would arrive in probably fifty-five minutes due to a not so traffic road he drove on. "Good enough…" he thought, sending his reply. "Alright guys, my brother told me that they'll arrive in less than an hour, so we better finish up everything."

He walked over to Akira, trying to calm the man down. "Hey, chill will you? It's going to be fine." The husband-to-be only gave a quick nod, wiping his sweat away with his white handkerchief. "I guess this is it… I never did practice it much, but do you think I can do it?" Sasuke gave a reassuring smile to him. "Yeah, you can."

Sakura snapped her head to the driver when he inserted a CD into the player of the car. When she heard the intro of the melody, she turned to the driver with wide eyes. "H-How did you get a copy of… that..?" she asked, wondering. "Sasuke and the guys aren't even a well-known band and they just burn their own CDs. No one has a copy of their songs besides Kakashi and some relatives and close friends…" she heard the driver chuckle, finding it familiar.

"You finally said something Sakura."

"I-Itachi-niisan..?"

"Yep, now, any song request?" he asked, tilting his hat upwards to reveal his face. "Did you cut your hair?" she asked, gaping at his head. "No," he removed his hat, letting his ponytail flow down from above his head. "I had to hide it to not let you know my identity. Now, how about answering my question?" Sakura smiled slightly. "Number five." And he pressed the song number as it played "Forevermore".

She closed her eyes and sang, knowing the lyrics by heart. "There are times, when I just want to look at your face, with the stars in the night. There are times, when I just want to feel your embrace, in the cold night." Itachi whistled in awe. "You know the lyrics, but do you know the reason?" she looked at him, blinking as the song continued to play.

I just can't believe that you are mine now
You were just a dream that I once knew
Never thought I would be there for you
I just can't compare you with, anything in this world
You're all I need to be with forevermore

"What?"

All those years
I've long to hold you in my arms
I've been dreaming of you
Every night
I've been watching all the stars that fall down
Wishing you would be mine

"Just listen and think."

I just can't believe that you are mine now
You were just a dream that I once knew
Never thought I would be right for you
I just can't compare you with anything in this world
You're all I need to be with forevermore

"Just tell me nii-san…" she whispered.

Turn it again
There are these changes that we cannot end
Sure as time keeps going on and on
My love for you will be forevermore

"The first stanza, the one you sang, he's satisfied with just staring at you or being in your arms or vice versa. And back then, in high school, he can't believe that you were his already, thinking that you and him together is just a dream, not knowing that he was the right one for you. Anyway, the lyrics speak for themselves, in case you've noticed. And for the last line of the chorus, it's you he needs to be with, forever and ever." He sighed. "As time goes on, his love for you would still remain, and would be undying."

As in less as forever
Our love will stay together
You're all I need to be with forevermore

"I see…"

"So, I thought you said you still love my brother?"

"I do."

"Then why are you getting married to another guy?"

"He got hurt because of me, and he almost died because of me. He deserves someone else."

"But he doesn't want anyone else." Itachi retorted. "Did it ever occur to you that by leaving him, it would kill him?" Sakura shook her head and said "I talked to him about it last night." He raised a brow and smirked. "You were with him last night?" she nodded. "And did you… do 'it'?" he grinned. Sakura blushed and looked away. He took it as a yes. "I guess I'll be an uncle someday." She looked down. "How? I'm marrying Akira, he'll think it's his."

"You're pregnant already?"

"No! I mean, I don't know… it's only been a day."

"Well, if you are, you should tell Akira who the father is. I mean, the kid might get Sasuke's hair or looks or… attitude." He gave a knowing look to her which she laughed at. Yeah, it would be obvious that it was Sasuke's child when the kid will have his father's attitude and personality. "Anyway, if you were given a chance to back out of the wedding, will you?"

"Of course I will!" she almost yelled, gasping at what she said and Itachi smirked. "If you were given the option to be with my brother, will you?" again, she nodded. "I'm giving you those chances, so, will you?" Sakura clenched her fists and looked at Itachi. "Take me to where your brother is." He nodded and continued heading for the church, stopping by the foot of the stairs to the entrance. "I said take me to Sasuke, not here!" Itachi got out of the car and opened the door for her yet she refused to come out. "I did, he's inside."

Sakura, thinking what she was hoping immediately stepped out of the car and ran up the stairs, forgetting her bouquet of flowers at the process. Itachi blinked when she was about to push open the doors, yet someone grabbed her arm, stopping her from doing so. "Well, my work here is done." He said, heading for the other entrance of the church.

"Dad?"

Ikichi smiled at his daughter and offered her his arm. "A father should be the one walking his daughter to the aisle." He said, handing her a bouquet of her favorite flower. "Your mother is inside, and I bet you know who bought these for you." He said, looking at the fragrant blossoms in her hands. She smiled a bit. "Sasuke no baka…" Ikichi pushed open the door and walked her down the aisle.

"What the-?" she stopped halfway on the aisle and looked up. She saw where the choir of the church was supposed to be, yet in replacement, was Shikamaru, playing the keyboard, and instead of the tone of: "Here comes the bride", it was another song.

"Don't pretend you're sorry." She glanced at the soft drum beats, seeing Naruto, "I know you're not. You know you got the power, to make me weak inside." She heard the bass guitar being played and saw Neji, smirking at her as she walked closer to the front, noticing someone standing on where the groom was supposed to be. "And girl you leave me breathless, but it's okay. 'Cause you are my survival, now hear me say." Her eyes widened when she saw who it was who played the guitar and responsible for singing.

Ikichi smiled at this. "Come on." He whispered, as they continued to walk, her gaze not leaving the altar.

"I can't imagine life without your love." He continued, opening his eyes and looking directly into her own green orbs. He smiled. "And even forever, don't seem like long enough." The music intensified as he continued to sing with feelings. "'Cause every time I breathe I take you in, and my heart beats again." She felt her heart thumping. "Baby I cant help it, you keep me drowning in your love." She reached him and Ikichi left his daughter. "And every time I try to rise above, I'm swept away by love. Baby I can't help it; you keep me drowning in your love."

He stopped playing and Shino took this cue as his role to continue playing his own guitar, leaving Neji to sing the remaining lyrics of the song as Sasuke took her hand in his, bringing it up close to his lips, kissing her gloved hand. "Sasuke-kun…" she whispered his name, eyes widened and shining thanks to the lights the church provided. He smiled. "Beautiful as usual, tenshi." He let her go and walked down the small steps and towards the rest of the band who finally ended the song. "H-huh..?" she thought, seeing Akira take his place, a smile on his lips. "Wait… I thought…" her eyes were stinging since she stopped her tears from flowing. "…Sasuke would…" she was disappointed. "Then, it's really over."

"Are you sure you won't regret this teme?" Naruto asked, having his hands behind his head as he looked at his best friend who crossed his arms, eyeing the two that stood before the presence of everyone. "Aa." His eyes didn't leave Sakura and just continued to stare at her. "Don't cry on me tenshi, just don't." Akira took her free hand and looked down, a smile on his face. "Before this ceremony starts, I'd like to say a few words." The priest nodded, knowing what was going to happen. "I'd like to thank you, Sakura, for giving me a chance. I know you don't really love me the way you feel towards Sasuke. But still, thank you for trying, thank you for choosing me, even if you really wanted him."

"Please stop it…" she thought, fighting the urge to cry. "Just… stop speaking…"

"So, I guess, this is it." He said, taking a deep breathe in and letting it all out at once. Sakura raised her head to voice out her thoughts but Akira beat her to speaking. "Bye then." He said and let her hand go, stepping down from his place and heading towards where her friends are. She blinked in confusion, looking over her shoulder to see what was going on. "You win Uchiha." he told the photographer who shook his head and gave a small smile. "Thanks…" Akira nodded and went to a vacant seat beside a guest, watching as Sasuke casually walked to where Sakura was.

"What's going-"

"Your father and I talked. He was supposed to let you go, but you told him you'd marry Akira, so he had to speak with me about it, knowing that you won't be happy. Everything was planned from the beginning Sak, From the date you had with Akira last night to his goodbye speech."

"S-Sasuke…"

He glanced at Neji from the corner of his eyes and the Hyuuga nodded, cuing the guys to play a song. Sakura blinked when she heard "First Love" playing, minus the vocals. "My brother asked you this, if given a chance to be with me, would you take it?" she gave a nod and he continued, startling her when he knelt down in front of her, holding her hand. "Will you marry me today then?" he smiled at her, and she let her tears flow, hearing the crowd produce "awww" sounds. "H-hai…" she whispered. Sasuke smirked. "I didn't hear you hime-sama."

Sakura looked at him and smiled. "Yes, I will." And he got up, lifting her veil and wiping her tears away. "Glad to hear it." He whispered. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. The priest blinked and chuckled none the less. "I now pronounce you man and wife then." The two broke away and laughed when the crowd cheered. The loudest obviously coming from Naruto who began to play the drums wildly. "Come on and sing Sunday!"

(If you have the song Sunday from Yakitate! Japan, play it and picture/imagine some scenes you'd want to happen before continuing to read)

She was surprised to say in the least and most, that her mother-in-law, Mikoto, actually had one of her husband's newly bought estates as the reception. Their friends were still playing their music, even when they cut the cake, drank the wine or threw the bouquet to the crowd of girls, having Hinata catch hers, and with Naruto, fighting to catch the garter. It was the kind of celebration that she wanted and pictured, and for her, it was a picture perfect, even if it wasn't taken by a camera.

It was growing darker, but everyone was still dancing, drinking, eating and talking. Among them were Fugaku and Ikichi, who happened to be colleagues back in college. "It's no wonder the name 'Uchiha' rings a bell." The Haruno patriarch said, taking a sip from his wine glass. Fugaku laughed a bit. "If you knew, would you still have Sakura be with my son?" Ikichi eyed the newly wed couple, seeing his daughter laughing with her husband and their friends. "I would've let them be if Sakura told me his family background." Fugaku shook his head. "Sasuke didn't want you to accept him from where he comes from but for who is. When I heard of his girlfriend's father not accepting him, I told him to tell you that he was my son, but he refused. You see, his goals back then were to make you accept him for who he truly is, that his feelings are true and sincere towards Sakura, and that not everything revolves around riches and fame."

Ikichi nodded and smiled. "And for that, he even went too far to having his life on the line." He turned back to his old friend and smiled. "You have a great son Fugaku." The Uchiha nodded and smiled as well. "So is your daughter."

She stretched her arms and sighed, leaning against the wide railing made of marble, gazing at the view before her. The grass was green and shimmered under the moonlight. A bed of flowers were added for decoration as well, and a pond was there, where she saw an orange carp jump from it and back into the water. She smiled and felt the evening breeze fan her face, blowing her long pink hair. This place was her new home, and also a gift to her and Sasuke from his parents. "I can't believe that this is happening." She thought, closing her eyes as the wind continued to blow. "Shouldn't you be resting tenshi?" she felt a white sheet wrap her, including the arms she would always love to run into.

"Nah." She said, looking up at her husband and grinning. "Shouldn't you?" she asked back. Though the celebration ended earlier, they were still in their wedding clothes, only Sakura didn't have her veil, or her gloves. Her pearl earrings were discarded earlier, but the necklace he gave her remained. Her hair was now flowing freely behind her back, down to her waist as she leaned back into his arms. He, on the other hand, didn't have his black overcoat on. "Don't need to." He whispered, looking down to meet her gaze. "Are you sure?" she asked. He thought for a while before smiling at her. "I will if you will." Sakura giggled and gave a nod as they both walked back inside, heading to their room.

He felt one of her hands pull his black tie, making him turn to look at her as she smirked. "I don't think this night is quite over just yet." Sasuke blinked and found himself lying on his back on the bed, his wife over him and kissing him on the lips. She pulled away and still had a smirk on, causing him to blink. "Caught you yami nin." She teased. It was his turn to smirk when she squeaked after he flipped her over, causing her to take his place. "Back at 'ya." And he leaned down to her neck. She let her hands wander below his white long-sleeved polo, then pulled her hands back and undid his tie. Her eyes caught something sticking out of his polo's pocket, and she pushed him away a bit, asking him what it was.

"This?" he asked, taking it out and smirking when he saw what it was. "Just you."

"Huh?" he smiled and continued eyeing it. It was a picture of her during the night she wore a kimono and walked down the stage holding a Japanese umbrella. She had a serene smile on her face, and she looked really beautiful in the photo. "Yeah," he replied. "A snapshot of you."

The End

A/N: Whee! I finished it! And yes, this is exactly how short the ending is and was supposed to be. I'd have to thank Uchiharu Sakhara for the suggestion of Itachi driving Sakura to the church and Sasuke being the groom instead of Akira. I just added the singing and Akira's speech thing to have you thinking that it won't be a SasuSaku ending. Please let me know if you thought it wouldn't be Sasuke and Sakura. I need to know how many readers I've tricked. Hehe. So, now it's Yakuza II that's left! Also, I'm thinking if I should go for "The Truth is" or "Neko Sasuke" first. Care to help?

"Neko Sasuke"

-Uchiha Sasuke, an ANBU captain in the age of eighteen, went on a solo A-rank mission to hunt and assassinate S-class nukenin Uchiha Itachi. During his mission, he is unexpectedly harmed in a way no one else can imagine… he was turned into a half-cat in the body of his eight year old self. Frustrated at the situation, Tsunade assigns the cat-minded Sasuke into the care of seventeen year old jounin, Haruno Sakura, until a cure is made or discovered.

Living under one roof with your former teammate and childhood crush is kind of awkward; especially since the usually anti-social and claustrophobic Uchiha snuggles too much at night and always demands her full undivided attention. Not to mention that she can't speak cat language. Sakura faces the life of being a pet owner, at the same time, develop deeper feelings towards Sasuke when the neko version of him just seems to be so adorably cute, not knowing that it is a clue to turning him back to human.

The question is… will he?

"The Truth is"

-The Akatsuki took Sasuke from Oto and knocked some sense into him, causing the young Uchiha to wallow in self-pity and regret. However, his brother appears to be someone he never expected him to be after the Uchiha massacre and finds himself going back to Konoha and trying to force Tsunade that the Akatsuki aren't exactly bad guys but the exact opposite. Setting that aside, he finds Sakura and tells her the truth of his feelings towards her and asks if she still feels the same way, glad that she was still in love with him. But when he asks her to be his girlfriend, he didn't expect her answer to be "It's too late…"

Apparently, she is engaged to his best friend, thus, leading him to go back to his loner mode, having caught a depressed Hinata's attention. He blurts everything to her, finding no one to confide to but her, and in turn, she tells him the reason of her sudden avoidance of almost everyone, including a certain kyuubi vessel. Things get out of hand when Naruto finds out about the two's confession to each other, and this leads to Sasuke getting mad at Naruto for kissing Hinata when he was already engaged.

To make things worse, Sakura is assigned to go with Sasuke on a mission, having the two absent for Naruto's birthday. Hinata, being the only one available, spends the day with him and they talk, eventually, leading to something, while the other two who were out on a mission, can't seem to help the fact that their feelings and rampaging hormones are starting to act up once more. So, what exactly is the truth?