Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the songs used.

Author's note: Wow… :) I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually finish this. And now, here I am—writing the epilogue to my first story. (laughs) I feel like I'm going to cry. :) Tears of joy, of course. The good-byes and last words of a first finished chapter story shall be at the end. I'll find some tissues when I finish. (laughs)

Anyways, to lighten up the angsty load of my soon-to-be emptiness that I shall feel when I finish this, I'm sorry that this didn't come out as fast as I liked to it be, mostly because I was out RUNNING, researching about kimonos and such (you'll understand once you read ;D), and I got "married" to my friend Laelia over Facebook (Ha-ha, it was great). So yeah. :D My excuses. (laughs)

Livelaughlovepen27: :) Thank you so much.

Amirah: I'm sorry. This is the end of iSakura… (cries) D: I never wanted it to end either. But—here it is.

Erin: (laughs) I don't remember what you said about authors that made you cry, actually. (dies) x_x Terrible, I know. But thank you so much. :) The story's not over yet, though. This is the epilogue. And you shall love it. BWAHAHA.

Sakura xx: :D Thanks. I appreciate that you like it so much! (cries tears of joy) Alas, this is my last update for you. :) Hope you enjoy.

And special thanks to my TWIN, Yukiume for being my 400th reviewer! :D I hearts you, twin!

Warning: OVERLOAD OF FLUFF.

-xxx-

Epilogue

iLive Happily Ever After

-xxx-

A giggle sounded from her lips as she stood at the counter, making breakfast for two. Rosy locks fell down her back in soft waves, a hand pushing some of them aside to make way for lips that explored at her neck.

"Sasuke-kun, stop it!" The rosette stifled a soft moan as he bit down on a sensitive spot on her skin and sucked. Her hands trembled as she felt his hands at her hips. Clearing her throat, she managed to place the eggs onto the nearby plates before she turned around in the embrace of the raven-haired man behind her to face him. She smacked his chest playfully, pouting up at him as he chuckled.

A slow, soft smirk made its way across his face. "You can't expect to stand there and not have me want you," he murmured into her neck, pressing another kiss into her skin.

She hummed in agreement before she gently waved him off. "D'oh, you're such a horny little boy!" A giggle left her lips as she watched him frown and sit at the table, starting on the enticing tomato that sat before him. She sat herself down and smiled, her gaze traveling toward the iPhone in the middle of the table. She closed her eyes as she soaked in the music, listening and smiling to the music.

Sittin' here on this lonely dock,

Watch the rain play on the ocean top

All the things I feel I need to say,

I can't explain in any other way…

Green eyes peeked from behind slightly closed eyelids, traveling down to the scar on her leg where a fateful bullet had buried itself. The events of her birthday came back to her, fresh as if they had been yesterday. Everything had happened all so fast that she never saw it coming: the bullet, the near drowning experience, and most of all, the old Uchiha's suicide. Sure, she had heard of it from Itachi and he was the one who shot her, but she still couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

.

.

"Wait… so there was more behind the scenes?" The hospital room was quiet. There were only the three of them, two raven-haired men with a small, fragile-looking rosette who was still wrapped in bandages. She stared at the older of the raven-haired men, green eyes searching for answers.

He nodded. "Yes." Itachi shifted his gaze as to stare at both of them—his brother and the pinkette—simultaneously. "Apparently, Mother, Father and Oji-san had a love triangle amongst them."

Sasuke stiffened in his seat. What? His mother, the woman who he believed to be so proper and admirable? The frown on his face was hard to ignore.

"Go on," Sakura encouraged, leaning up a little higher in the hospital bed to listen to him.

Itachi cleared his throat. "Mother used to be Oji-san's…"

"Lover?" Sasuke supplied under his breath, audible enough for Itachi's ears.

"Yes. However, in the end, she chose to choose Father over Madara"—his eyes flickered in the morning sunlight—"and that was what caused his impaired judgment…" Itachi lifted his gaze and stared at his little brother. "…and that was what led him to kill Mother and Father."

As Itachi reported the story, telling of Madara's convoluted plan in taking over the company, Sakura's eyes focused on the slow tightening of Sasuke's hands.

They were ash white.

.

.

Sakura smiled sadly, remember how terrible Sasuke took the information, his frustration practically a part of him each day before Sakura came out of the hospital in three weeks time. He helped her walk again, and she worked to cheer him up, to make him give her his rare smiles and, with the consent of her parents, moved in with him officially, coming back to Konoha with warm welcomes from her former teachers and surprisingly, the rest of the campus. Life on campus dulled to a happier aura, the fangirls staying away from her and Sasuke and the projects all seeming to pass by quickly; and although her mother still held a little grudge against Sasuke, her father soon accepted the raven-haired man into the family.

Itachi and Sasuke were still on their way to mending the bridge of lost time, but, with each others' efforts, they were making it, managing to grunt a hello to each other at work (Sakura always wanted to giggle when she saw them) and occasionally having restaurant nights where they ate and talked business (she always rolled her eyes when she had to come with them).

Her friends, although the shock of her accident did worry them half to death, were happily involved with their beloveds—Karin with Suigetsu, Ino with Shikamaru, Hinata with Naruto, Tenten with Neji—even Itachi had seemed to find a bit of love with his new secretary Yuki (whether he knew that everyone else knew or not). It was amazing at how the world seemed to work.

The drama, the shock, and the pain seemed all a lost part of history now in the two months that had passed.

But Sakura still felt the events of that night like it was etched into her mind, the way that the scar was still on her skin. Life would never be the same anymore.

'Madara… I hope you've found peace.'

"Sakura."

At the sound of her name on his lips, she snapped out of her reverie. "Ah, sorry, Sasuke-kun!" she replied, chuckling at herself softly. "I was a little distracted."

Smirk. "Hn." He watched as she stood up and went to wash her hands, his eyes softening at the way she smiled as she patted her hands dry. She was a dream to him, this girl. He couldn't believe that he had almost lost her, almost had her disappear from his life forever. If that had happened…

'I wouldn't know what I'd do…'

Sure, call him cheesy, call him pathetically in love; but that was what he was. That was all he was when she was with him. He always wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her softly, make her feel beautiful and just take her away; but he knew that he had to hold himself back. She wasn't ready yet. And if she wasn't ready to take that final step with him, then neither was he. Of course, he was going to pull his next move, whether she was ready or not…

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said, looking at him with clear, emerald eyes. "What's wrong?"

Regarding her for a moment, he smirked before reaching across the table and grabbing the iPhone. "Hn." He looked back up to her as his fingers went about touching apps. "Would you like to play a game with me?"

Huh. That was odd.

Sakura nodded slowly. "Okay…" Leaning over the table, she asked as her eyes trailed the way his fingers worked at the iPhone, "What are we playing?"

He didn't look up. "Hangman."

Wait. What? Why would Hangman be a two-player game? Sakura was mind-blown.

Seeing the blank stare on her face, Sasuke shifted his gaze as he finished setting up the game. "This Hangman is a new app; it's a two-player game in this sense. One person writes a word or a phrase or a sentence, and the other guesses." He handed it over to her. "I wrote my message." Smirk. "I put a timer in, too. See if you can figure it out under a minute."

In that instant, Sakura's blood fired up. Oh, how he knew how she loved challenges. She mirrored his smirk with her own. "Fine then," she said, stretching her hands, "I accept."

Her eyes counted the number of spaces. 'Thirteen,' she thought, 'and with a comma after the seventh…' Always go for the vowels first. She typed in an 'A.' In a second, the second, ninth, and the last space were filled. Nice. She stared hard at the six spaces after the comma, with the 'A's filled in at the second and last spots. Her fingers slipped toward the letters. "You wouldn't be that obvious and put my name in this, would you, Sasuke-kun?" she asked him, eyeing him suspiciously.

Another smirk graced his lips. "Hn."

Whatever that meant.

Well, she was going to try it anyway. S… K… U… R. Huh. What do you know? Her name was right there at the end, and at the third and fourth space of the message, the Rs were present as well. Her eyes widened. 'No way…' she thought as she typed in an M and an E. Her hands trembled. There was only one last space. She typed in a Y and stared at the message with teary green orbs.

M A R R Y M E, S A K U R A

She raised a hand to cover her mouth. "Oh!" she gasped, looking up from the iPhone to Sasuke.

"Do you remember me telling you about my favorite songs?" she heard Sasuke ask her. A smirk made its way across his lips. "This is the other one."

She finally heard the song, playing in the background again, realizing that all this time, she had been tuning it out.

I need to be bold, need to jump in the cold water

Need to grow older with a girl like you

Finally see, you were naturally the one to make it so easy

When you told me the truth.

Yeah, I'd rather be with you; say you want the same thing, too…

By now, the tears were running down her face. 'Oh, dear God,' she thought as she stood up and walked over to her boyfriend who was staring at her with soft, charcoal eyes. In his hand was a small, velvet box that encased a simple silver wedding band with red and white diamonds.

"Well, Sakura?" he murmured softly, staring up at her. 'Please… let me have her, God. Let me have her all to myself.'

She managed to smile and take a shaky breath through her tears. "I don't know, Sasuke-kun," she said softly, wiping some of the tears away. "Ask me properly."

The night of when he had asked her to be his girlfriend leaped into his mind. "What would you like me to say?" he responded softly, taking her hand.

"I want you to ask me properly and say please." A small smile graced her lips. "With cherries on top." Apparently she remembered it as well.

Sasuke stifled a groan—but he wanted this. He got down on one knee—and stared up at her with an intense gaze that made her melt. "Haruno Sakura," he started as he held up the ring, "I know that it took me years to figure out that I care for you; and even longer for me to figure out that I love you. But now, I see my future. And it includes you." His gaze seemed to intensify. "I want you to be my better half, my lover, my best friend, and the woman I wake up to in the morning." He watched as her eyes softened at him. "So will you do me the extreme honor of marrying me"—an intense pause stirred before he forced himself to say it—"pretty please with cherries on top?"

Her hands were up at her face, pressed together as if she were praying to God to tell her that this wasn't a dream.

And to him, she looked like an angel. An angel that should be his, forever his.

Choking back a sob of joy, she let her hands down, nodded, and launched herself into his arms. "Oh, Sasuke-kun…" she cried into his arms. "Yes." She pulled back a little, still clutching at his sleeves as if to check that he was there in front of her. "I will marry you, Sasuke-kun…"

He stared down at her, breathless at her reply. A rare smile slowly made its way across his lips. A smile that he only gave her. He pulled her into his arms, onto his lap, and brought his lips to hers, pressing a strong, passionate kiss as if tattooing his sign onto her, a possessive statement that she was his and only his. "Thank you," he murmured against her lips, his obsidian eyes holding her jade ones with such intensity that Sakura couldn't breathe.

Another kiss, another caress and that was all it took to send her soul away. "Thank you," she heard him say again as she felt more tears of joy drip down her cheeks. She felt his arms around her torso, his sigh that sent shudders down her neck and the tightening of his grip on her. And she loved every single moment of it. To think that she was going to spend her entire life with this man made her so very happy.

So happy that she didn't even notice him slipping the small ring onto her left ring finger.

-xxx-

It was finally the day. They had been preparing for it for so long, and here it finally was.

The maids of honor were in a room with the soon-to-be bride, already dressed in their homongi—and it was absolutely tense.

The young lady fidgeted with the small wedding band on her finger, keeping her eyes on her lap, never once letting her gaze stray to the ever tempting mirror. "Ino," she said softly, "Are you almost done yet?" Another fidget of her hands.

Hinata answered for the blonde. "Not yet, Sakura-chan; please, be a little more patient with us, okay?"

A snort came from one side of the room. "Yeah, Pinky. Just because it's your wedding day doesn't mean that everything'll be super-duper quick and all."

Sakura smiled. "Shush, Karin," she told the redhead before a giggle slipped past her lips. "You know that I have a right to be nervous."

This time, it was Ino's turn to snort. "Jeez, Forehead, don't be; you'll be fine. We're all here for you, anyway—you know," she said casually as she continued to do Sakura's hair, "in case you manage to mess up your big day."

Tenten, busy fixing up the beautiful traditional kimono that Sakura's mother had demanded her wear, nodded her head in agreement and tightened the obi around her waist. "Yeah, Sak—don't be nervous. We're all here with you." Giving the bow around her waist a final touch, Tenten tapped her neck. "Now hurry up and look at yourself, you gorgeous thing."

Oh, God… she really didn't want to. But, of course, being the bride, she had to. Lifting her gaze, she stifled a gasp when she saw her reflection. No makeup had touched her face at all, her friends leaving her complexion the creamy, pale way that it normally was. Her hair was put up in a simple chignon, her bangs managing to escape in small pink wisps as they fell and framed her face as to make her look beautiful and elegant. Her emerald orbs shone brightly as her gaze fell toward her garments. Tenten was a kimono genius—although not very surprising, considering how her family was in charge of a traditional Japanese clothing store and owned everything from the everyday uniforms to the Uchikake that she was wearing.

The Uchikake itself was customarily made for her, fitting for her waist and height. The patterns burst at her from the reflection, almost emitting as if they were emitting their own light. The soft baby blue of the kimono made her body look like a slim part of the sky, drawing attention to the peachy yellow of her obi that was snugly tied around her waist and bringing out the color of her hair and eyes. At the bottom of her kimono were cheery sakuras, only parts of the branches shown. Her eyes widened a little at the small but visible Uchiha emblem (his red and white fan) that was emblazoned onto the color of her kimono. She smiled fondly at it and raised a small, delicate hand, brushing her fingertips against it softly. That silly boy…

A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts.

Karin rushed toward the door and put her ear to it. "Who is it? Because if it's the groom, you know you can't come in!"

"It's Mr. and Mrs. Haruno," replied a male voice on the other side. A small giggle was heard.

"Jeez, Tamotsu! Maybe Sakura's not even ready yet."

A grunt. "I just want to see how she's doing."

"You guys can come in!" Ino called, frantically gesturing for Karin to open the door. She swiveled Sakura around just in time for her to see her parents.

Mrs. Haruno gasped. "Oh, dear, you look beautiful," she breathed as she walked over and gave her daughter a kiss. "Your beautiful kimono puts my kurotomesode to shame." Standing back up, she put a hand to her mouth, trying to stop the tears from coming; she couldn't help it. This darling girl, her daughter, was finally getting married. It made her feel old; it made her feel empty even. Just a little. But the pride and the happiness at the thought of her daughter finding her own happiness and giving her tiny little grandchildren (even if it was with that silly boy) made her heart swell. Akane sighed. "It's a shame that you're going to have to wear Western clothing at the reception…"

Sakura laughed. "I have such a silly mama." She reached up and gave her mother a soothing rub to her arm. A smile graced her lips. "I think I'll look just as fine in Western clothing. I wear it all the time, you know?"

"Yes, but you don't wear long, sexy dresses every day. That's a difference."

"Mom," Sakura groaned, giving her a playful smack to the arm, "I thought we agreed on giving me a Japanese-themed wedding and a Western reception."

Akane almost whined. Almost. She leaned down and gave her daughter another kiss to the forehead. "Whatever makes you happy, darling."

"Hey, Akane," called her husband at the door, tapping his zori as he played with the sleeve of his black kimono, "You do realize that we have a wedding to attend to."

Mama Haruno brought her hands to her face. "Oh! That's right." She laughed at herself. "We're holding up the wedding. Onward, now!" Ushering the maids of honor out of the room and toward the Shinto shrine, her mother gave one last smile and took off.

-xxx-

The men stood in front of tall steps in front of an imposing shrine. Shikamaru was laying on a field, watching as the clouds went by; Neji stood nearby, arms folded across his chest…

…and a certain raven-haired man stood at the Shinto shrine, fidgeting with the sleeves of his simple dark blue kimono. His hair still stayed spiky, defying gravity as much as possible with a few discerning locks of black-blue hair that decided to frame his face. His friends stood near him, garbed uniformly in the same dark blue kimono that Sasuke wore.

The blond grinned and draped an arm over his friend's shoulders. "Jeez, teme, I never knew you actually got nervous." His blue eyes turned to the sky and a soft smile formed at his lips. "Heh… You know, I always thought that you two'd get together." The eyes that stared at the sky grew distant as memories came back to him, clenching at his heart (such a beautiful heart of gold). "Sakura's always been in love with you. So the only hard part was getting you to figure out your feelings for her." Turning to his friend, Naruto stared at the raven-haired man a little bit before a large grin overtook his face. He put his arms over his head. "Guess a good twenty years made it clear to you, ne, teme?"

A small, unrelenting smirk crossed his face. "Hn." Yes. It did. He stared back up at the sky, folding his arms across his chest. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander to her, breathing in the air and imaging her scent and just thinking about her waves of beautiful pink hair and green eyes. He was terrible to her over the years. He knew that. 'But I have the rest of my life now to make up for it.'

"Otouto," Itachi called him softly from behind, "they're here. It's time to start the ceremony."

Sasuke glanced up a little too quickly, his breath catching in his throat as he saw the rosette at the end of the walkway with her father, staring timidly at the ground with all the stares of her relatives.

Her hair—although it wasn't quite visible underneath the traditional hood that was worn by every Japanese bride—was tied up, leaving small wisps of hair to frame her soft, blushing face. The kimono she wore, the soft light blue and the yellow obi, swirled with the colors of her hair and eyes—pink, green, blue, and yellow—and brought out the beautiful pale sakura blossoms on the fringe of her garment. On the collar of her kimono, he could make out the emblem of his family—his red and white fan.

It made almost made him flush with pride. Almost.

He watched as she shifted her gaze from the ground to meet his—and felt the hot stirring of his blood. One gaze; that was all it took for him to be under her spell.

When she reached him at the top of the stairs, her father gave him a good, long stare. "I'm handing her over to you," Tamotsu said, gently taking his daughter's arm away from his. His green eyes pierced Sasuke's onyx ones. "Don't make me regret my decision, you hear?"

"If you ever," Akane Haruno whispered harshly to Sasuke, "ever hurt her again, I will come after you. With her father's shotgun. You reckon?"

The raven-haired man nodded once. "Yes, sir." Nodded to Mrs. Haruno. "Ma'am." Holding his arm out to Sakura, he watched as she took his arm timidly and leaned over to her ear. "A little shy today, Sakura?" he murmured in her ear as he led her toward the shrine, keeping his eyes on the ring on her finger—the one that she was going to give to him.

She leaned on him and gave him a soft laugh. "A little," she responded softly, staring up at him. "But I'm happy, too."

Giving her a soft smirk, he led her into the shrine, listening to the traditional music and prepared himself, watching as Sakura's parents and Itachi walked behind them.

In the shrine, a Miko maiden awaited them, bowing to both. "Welcome," she said to everyone present. She smiled at the rosette and the raven-haired man. "Today we are joining these two fortunate young souls, ne?"

Nods from both sides were present.

The maiden nodded concisely. "Alright," she said softly, as she poured some sake into a small dish. She turned to the young couple. "I understand that you two want a more Western approach to the marriage?"

"Hai," Sakura said. "To exchange vows and rings, if that is acceptable."

The young lady bowed humbly. "Of course. It would be my pleasure." She straightened. "Then, we shall begin with the vows." She turned to the raven-haired man. "Uchiha Sasuke-san," she addressed him, "you may speak first."

"Hai," he responded. Turning to her, he slipped the silver wedding band (the one that he had bought for her) off of his finger and held it between two fingers. He looked at her straight in the eyes, with determination and with searching obsidian orbs. "Haruno Sakura," he murmured, "I vow to be the only man for you, to give you my heart and soul and the determination to continue living—as long as you'll want me." He paused to take in her stifled smile, the one that she had kept at bay by biting at her bottom lip. "I do take you to be my lawfully wedded wife."

The maiden nodded and turned to the rosette. "Haruno Sakura-san, you may speak."

Sakura nodded and slipped off the small, simple wedding band off of her ring finger, keeping her eyes toward him. "Hai," she said softly. She cleared her throat once. And spoke. "Uchiha Sasuke," she said, "I vow to be your loving wife—to make it my duty to care for you and to bring you happiness…" She swallowed. "…and to also be your best friend, the one you turn to in your time of need." Another smile. "And I promise that I will always be by your side as your wife and care for our children as a mother. I do take you to be my lawfully wedded husband."

"You may exchange rings."

Taking her hand, he slipped on her silver, diamond-encrusted wedding band, allowing her do the same.

The maiden cleared her throat and held up the dish of sake. "May the close relatives of both parties please approach?"

Sakura's parents and Itachi stepped forward.

"To seal this bond, a drink from both parties must be received." She passed the dish of sake to Itachi first; then to Sakura's parents. After both parties had taken a drink, she nodded. "Now, we must proceed to the sanctuary." She pivoted on her heel. "If you would follow me."

Both Sasuke and Sakura knew that they were going to the Shinto shrine's sanctuary to offer sakaki twigs. It was just the tradition. Locking gazes, they sent each other silent messages.

It's going to be a long day, said eyes of ebony.

Emerald eyes sparkled in laughter. It'll all be worth it afterward.

-xxx-

After that, the ceremony was over. It was short—but of course, all Japanese weddings were. Before they left, Sakura tugged Sasuke over by his sleeve, over to the large bell and the long, thick rope. It was the wishing area, where lovers or friends or even tourists could venture to, toss some money in and make a wish.

The rosette turned to Sasuke and gave him a sweet smile. "Do you have any yen on you?"

"Aa," he responded, proceeding to dig into his pockets.

Sakura put her hands together in excitement as she watched him—her new husband—smiled behind her prayer-like hands. Finally. They were finally together at last. She wanted to laugh, wanted to yell to the entire world about her happiness, so much that she had to bite back fits of giggles and joyful laughs back in the Shinto shrine. And now, here she was, with him, Uchiha Sasuke as his wife, about to make a wish with—

Wait. What did Sasuke have in his hands?

Sakura took a double take, eyeing the small, unmistakable black item in his palm. She looked up at him with curious emerald orbs.

Sasuke chuckled a bit. "I kept it for a while after it broke," he explained, taking her hand and placing it on top of the iPod. "Couldn't get rid of it…"

She stroked his palm, occasionally touching the small, broken thing. "Why?" It wasn't a question of harsh inquiry, of interrogation or anger and frustration. It was simply a question. To find out why. Simple as that.

The raven-haired man shrugged. "Don't know. Guess I was just trying to find some good time to throw it away." He stifled a sigh when he felt her fingers massage his hand. "You said that it was just full of sad memories, too," he murmured, wrapping his fingers around both the iPod and her small hand and bringing them up to his lips. He brushed a kiss onto each of her knuckles, keeping her gaze in the small moments of silence. Only the wind blew, surrounding them with the beautiful blossoms of the spring. "Would you do me the honor of throwing away our broken past?" Sasuke finally asked in a murmur.

She bit her lip again, trying to keep the smile and the incredible happiness at bay as she soaked in Sasuke's words.

"Don't do that."

"Huh?" she replied, feeling her face flush at the gentle way he tucked a strand of her loose hair behind her ears.

He stared down at her, glowing with masculine pride at her blush. "Don't stifle your smile. I like it."

Sakura stopped breathing for the moment. Then, as if already obeying his orders as an obedient wife, a luminescent smile spread along her lips, reaching up to grace her beautiful green eyes.

Their places were switched with Sasuke being the one short of breath, his eyes widening at the sight of her radiant smile before they softened. What a beautiful girl… happy, intelligent, beautiful, wonderful, kind—why in the world did she love him?

She shook her head at him, not realizing the tenderness in Sasuke's gaze. A giggle dripped from her lips as she stared up at the raven-haired man. "You're such a silly boy," she told him, taking his hand and leading him up the steps to the wishing bell, grabbing the iPod from his hand. Placing it at the sliding area of the offerings, she watched as it slid in and looked toward Sasuke.

He grabbed the rope and pulled twice before he put his hands into a prayer.

Sakura placed her prayer hands toward the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. 'Please let this offering be enough,' she told the Shinto shrine gods. 'This was our broken past'—she eyed the raven-haired man next to her, his eyes closed in prayer—'and now, we wish for a new, happy future.' A small smile graced her lips. 'Please bless us in all the years to come and help us find happiness in each other. It'd make me so happy if we did.' She slowly broke her hands apart before she joined them at the front of her kimono, waiting silently for Sasuke to finish.

At the exact same moment, he stopped and turned to her. "Ready for the reception?"

The rosette groaned and leaned in to hug him. "Don't remind me." She laughed softly. "I'm so tired alread—Eep!"

In one swift moment, Sasuke had managed to sweep her up into his arms, holding her bridal style, watching as her face grew pink.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun, what are you doing?" She squealed again when she felt him start to walk and draped her arms around his neck. "Put me down!"

Smirk. "Hn," he muttered before he pressed his lips to hers harshly, his kiss almost screaming with passion. How he wished that Japanese weddings included kissing the bride; all that time, during the ceremony, he wanted to kiss her, to hold her like the beautiful bride that she was and make her smile until her cheeks hurt. How he wanted everything, every part of her so much. He felt her tremble against him and smirked against his lips as he coaxed her mouth open, gently sliding his tongue inside her hot cavern as he walked with her, her small body still in his arms. Then, he pulled away, staring at her half-lidded eyes, darkened with intensity as they stared at him. A small smile was on her face.

"I love you," he murmured to her, feeling her tremble, feeling her erratic breathing against his chest. He brushed his lips against her forehead, watching as she shut her eyes tightly. "So much."

That beautiful beaming smile was on her face again. "I love you, too, Sasuke-kun," she whispered back to him. And she pulled him back into a searing kiss as he carried her to her dressing room to prepare her for the reception, knowing that his silent prayer—'I only want to see her smile, to hear her say that she loves me'—was already coming true.

-xxx-

The rosette hummed as she went about her early morning routine: wake up, make breakfast and then proceed to continue cuddling (yes, cuddling) with her husband before they forced themselves to get out of bed.

Sakura was already in her second year of medical school, already switching out of her general ed classes; she had already completed her music and art credit with flying colors (as usual), and now, she was entering in some more hyper-intensive classes, taking a chemistry and biology course along with her normal psychology and biochem classes.

Sasuke, with his uncle gone and already in possession of a well-paying job, quit his classes and continued to work part time at the family company. It was a flourishing business, and it didn't seem like it was going to be overthrown by any other companies for quite some time.

With Sasuke working only part time and Sakura as a part-time student, they managed to have some time by themselves…

…hence the slight swell of Sakura's stomach.

It was unnoticeable now, but in a few more months, Sakura would have to take classes off for maternity leave and stay in bed all day. Ugh. Sounded absolutely terrible.

But, right now, she was happy; she was pregnant with Sasuke's child, happily married and could stay home part of her time. What more could she possibly want?

The sound of footsteps down the hall made her smile. She didn't turning around, already anticipating his presence.

A warm pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her to a nice, toned chest. She felt his lips on her neck, sucking earnestly. "What are you doing up so early all the time?" he murmured, feeling the way she tilted her neck for more of his kisses. He slipped a hand underneath the shirt that she was currently wearing—his shirt from last night—and kneaded her soft flesh in his hands, listening to the way that she stifled her moans. "Come back to bed with me," he said huskily into her ear before he nibbled onto her earlobe.

She moaned when she felt his hard appendage against the small of her back. God… why did this man always have the power to drive her insane? It should have been illegal. Before she could fall deeper into his trap, she mentally shook herself, struggling to push herself off of the countertop that Sasuke had pressed her against in his antics.

"Ngh… Sasuke-kun… s-stop for a sec…" she panted, biting back a moan when she felt him suck on the sensitive spot on her neck that probably already had red discoloration. She spun around in his arms and stared up at him, panting hard. "Wait—a—minute!" She slowed down her breathing before she spoke again. "I—I have something to tell you." Her voice dropped to a low murmur. "It's… kind of important."

Sasuke frowned, obviously more than slightly frustrated at her refusal. Nevertheless, he pushed himself off of her and sat down by the table, staring at the pink-haired woman who walked over to him and let out a deep breath. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, starting to get a little worried.

She laughed quietly. "No. Not at all." She gave him a smile. "Actually, it's great… here." She grabbed his hand and walked a little closer toward him, giggling a little when she felt him grab her by the waist and pull her into him. She placed his hand onto her lower abdomen and rubbed it.

And he felt the small, almost undetectable lump. His eyes widened. He raised them up to meet her happy, shining emerald eyes and stood up slowly. "You're…"

She nodded, smiling with such love and such intensity that it made him end up—

He gathered her up in his arms and picked her up—spun her around and around, listening to her musical laughter. "You're pregnant," he said, muffled into her skin, her hair as he slowed down and brought the pinkette back to her feet. Leaning down, he tilted up her chin, watching her emerald orbs; and then he was…

—kissing her.

It was soft, slow, filled with so much love that Sakura almost felt the tears come again. She choked them back and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling against his lips as he picked her up and brought her to the living room couch with him.

-xxx-

"No, Sasuke-kun, put on the other one!"

Sakura lay on the bed, her belly swollen to the point where she couldn't see her feet. She watched from the bed as her husband of seven months playing with the iPhone on the iHome radio, waiting for him to play a certain classical music song.

Of course, it was because they wanted something for the baby to hear. Music for an unborn child was said to be very nurturing.

"I want Moonlight Sonata, Sasuke-kun," she told him with a tired smile. She rubbed her swollen belly and giggled when she felt a kick. "Apparently so does he."

The raven-haired man gazed at her fondly from where he was, staring at the motherly aura that she gave off. She was so beautiful; she was practically glowing. He gave her a rare smile when he saw her catch his eye and watched the lovely pink blush stain her cheeks. "Actually," he said, "I think I like Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu better." His eyes caught on another song. "Or maybe this…"

Before Sakura could open her mouth to protest, she stopped when she heard and upbeat drum beat and guitar playing and watched as Sasuke sauntered over to the bed, charcoal eyes warm.

A perfect day is everyday I'm spending my life with you

I can't explain how I fall in love with everything that you do

God sure must like me more than I ever knew

'Cause I could never ask for more from love and life than you

She laughed and smiled when she heard how beautiful it sounded, feeling the love bubbling in her chest when she felt Sasuke's lips covering hers.

'Cause I'm lost in the grace of your smile

To fall in your love is a place I could spend my life

I know we could take on the world, just you and me, girl

With nothing but love

At the sound of the chorus, the kicking in her stomach resumed.

"Hn. Looks like he likes it, too," murmured Sasuke as he gave Sakura another kiss to the temple and squeezed her hand.

And seeing you is seeing how you're making my life so complete

And knowing you will share all your joy and pain and laughter with me

God sure must like me more than I ever knew

'Cause I could never ask for more from love and life than you

Her emerald orbs were so captivating, framed by her radiant face. It made him want to kiss her over and over…

"I love you, Sasuke-kun," she murmured, her eyes trailing his face and stopping at his lips.

And those lips pressed against hers again. And again. And again. "I love you, too…"

As they kissed, as Sakura laughed and Sasuke smiled, they both were comforted by the fact that the child—their baby—could feel their love and hear them.

The baby was very, very happy.

-xxx-

It was a quiet Sunday morning. The Uchiha mansion was quiet. Only a light shone through the windows of the living room.

"Mom, what are you doing up so early?"

A small, raven-haired boy about fourteen years of age stood by the stairs, scratching at his spiky hair while he stifled a yawn and frowned. He looked exactly like his father.

The rosette, who was sitting on the couch and had been flicking through the videos and pictures on the iPhone, turned to her son and smiled sheepishly. "Whoops. Look like I'm caught." She laughed and stood up, brushing off her nightgown as she walked over to her son. "But! I think the question should be why are you up, Ryuu?"

He scowled when she ruffled his hair. "Mom," he droned, fixing his hair back up. "You know I don't like it when you do that."

Sakura laughed before she leaned down and gave him a big kiss to the cheek. "Ryuu, do Mommy a favor"—she didn't miss the way that he smirked at her third person speech—"and call Daddy and Takumi up so we can all have breakfast together. 'Kay?"

Ryuu grunted, flicking his hair out of his face. "Yeah." Then, he disappeared down the hall.

Placing the iPhone onto the counter next to her, she hummed along to a pretty piano intro before the sound of a soothing voice came up.

You say good morning and good evening

The day is done and you've come to find

The words are fleeting, I hear your quiet breathing

Is something wrong?

She giggled when she heard Sasuke groaning and muttering something about 'waking up too early.' The pancakes were honey-glazed brown by the time that Sasuke and the two boys had come to the kitchen, with Takumi piggy-backed onto Ryuu (who was definitely not going to miss a morning of pancakes).

"Morning," Sasuke mumbled before giving Sakura a kiss to the cheek.

Takumi, who was giggling at his older brother, pointed at his parents. "Eww, Ryuu, did you see that? Daddy kissed Mommy!"

The rosette sighed at her boys and turned around, pancakes on plates. "Now you behave, Takumi," she said, giving him a smile, "before I kiss you, too!"

The little nine-year-old squealed when his mother, pancake plates safely on the table, ruffled his raven-black hair, causing more spikes to appear at the back of his head.

Sasuke sat quietly, a Nutella jar (he had grudgingly accepted the fact that he liked sweets now because of that stupid psychology project) quietly in hand as he watched the scene before him. It was already fourteen years since they had been married… and the love never seemed to wear away. If anything, it kept growing stronger. His eyes traced the way her hand tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, and he watched as Sakura cut some pancakes up and fed the younger boy.

"Dad, don't hog all of the Nutella."

Sasuke blinked—turned to the fourteen-year-old next to him. Smirk. "Why not, ne, squirt?"

Ryuu puffed his cheeks indignantly. "I'm not a squirt."

Sasuke studied his son, seeing the flame of defiance in his eyes and the way his hair fell in his face. It was almost long enough to tie into a ponytail. A small smirk crossed his face again as he fondly thought of his brother. He poked his son on the forehead. "Alright then, Ryuu. Whatever you say."

He rubbed at the spot where his father poked him and grabbed for the Nutella jar. "Hn…"

The rosette bit back fits of laughter when she heard the Uchiha's trademark saying on Ryuu's lips. Already Ryuu was taking after his father—that simple grunt was clue enough.

A sharp knock on the door made them all turn their attention to the front of the house.

"I'll get it," Sasuke said, striding over to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open.

Itachi stood on the porch, leaning on one of the stone slabs by the door while his secretary stood awfully close, fixing her hair. From the look of his brother's face and the abrupt way that she straightened herself the moment the door opened, Sasuke knew that he had interrupted something slightly personal.

The raven-haired man bit back a smirk as he caught his brother's amused eyes. He opened the door a little wider. "Come in."

Itachi nodded to his little brother as he brushed pass him, pulling the girl by the hand.

"Itachi-ku—er, Uchiha-sama!" said the girl—her name was eluding Sasuke at the moment—as she gave Sasuke a little apologetic smile.

Sasuke waved it off. It was okay; they were Uchihas. It was hard to show their affection enough already, so he didn't blame his brother.

"Oh, good morning, Itachi-san!" greeted the pinkette to her brother-in-law. She waved to the girl next to him. "Oh, is she your girlfriend?" Sakura smiled at the girl's blush. "It's very nice to meet you." She held out a hand. "I'm Sakura. And you?"

The girl took her hand and shook it firmly, returning a smile. "My name's Yuki Etsuko. I'm Uchiha-sama's secretary." She waved at the boys who stared at her curiously. "It's nice to meet you all; I've been dying to meet Uchiha-sama's otouto's family. He's told me so much about you all."

Sakura exchanged looks with her husband, stifling a snicker when she saw the way Itachi stiffened at the way Yuki called him 'Uchiha-sama.'

Probably because he was so used to hearing her say Itachi-kun, ne?

"Etsuko-chan, Etsuko-chan!" little Takumi called her, reaching out to her with eager arms. "Can you and Itachi-oji eat with us? Please?" The raven-haired boy turned to his uncle (who was currently leaning on the couch) and gave him a pair of large, ebony-brown eyes, forcing Itachi to look at him. "Ji-chan, please can you and Etsuko-chan stay?"

Itachi stiffened once more, his eyes locked on the small, nine-year-old boy at the dining table. At first, he was going to say that he was busy; his office was already piled with more than enough work, and he really wanted to have some alone time in his office with Yuki. But with one look at his nephew, it made him think twice.

The little boy's spiky raven-black hair, messed up beyond repair, stuck up in the back while a mop of bangs stuck to his forehead before his mother parted them, making way for those large, puppy like dark brown eyes that made his lower lip pout stand out.

"Aw, of course your Ji-chan would love to stay," said Yuki to the little boy, already falling for his antics before she turned to Itachi with a pointed look. "Right, Uchiha-sama?"

Oh, she was going to get it good when he got his hands on her. Letting out a heavy sigh, he turned away and folded his hands over his chest, staring at a blank spot on the table. "Alright," he muttered under his breath, watching as little Takumi cheered and launched himself into his uncle's arms.

"Oh, thank you, Ji-chan!" squealed the little boy, his arms circling his uncle's waist. "I'm so happy now!"

The slight blush on Itachi's face was priceless.

With laughter that filled the house, the Uchiha mansion, once empty and devoid of life for years, was once more lively and bustling—Sakura, busy with the food and the children; Sasuke, watching his wife with fond eyes; Itachi, sitting and watching his nephews from afar with his beloved by his side; and the children, the older giving the younger piggy-back rides around the manor.

All of them were sitting, playing, laughing while the sound of music that resonated from a nearby iHome from an iPhone, full of new memories and new music, that seemed to look over them, guard them, and keep them together as one large, happy whole.

-xxx-

Author's note: Well… it's all over now. D: The finally ending of iSakura. Before I get to the final good-byes and the last words, I have some things to point out:

Japanese weddings are definitely different from Western type weddings, especially the Japanese ones of the past. Today, they exchange wedding rings now, so it's more popular. I just added the vows part because I really like the thought of vows. :) It makes me happy. Typically though, they exchange rings, have both sides drink sake, and then make sakaki twig offerings. And then it's over. :D Yup. Short weddings. I also had to research on the types of kimonos. (flounders) If you'd like to know about what each of the kimonos that are described in this epilogue, don't hesitate to ask me about it!

Takumi's tag on Itachi, Ji-chan. Many Japanese titles have variations; 'Ji-chan' is simply another variation of 'Oji-san.' :D I thought it'd be a little cuter like that. ^_^

So, anyways… onto the last words here.

First of all, thank you all so much for reading and commenting on iSakura—friends especially. :) This is the first intense chapter fic that I have ever finished, and the journey's been really worthwhile. The friends I've made, the inspiration, the bonding and the improvements in my writing have all been really magical. Although there are tons more that could be done to improve this, I'm just going to leave it the way it is. :) Mostly because I'm a little lazy. XD

Yeah—iSakura's ended. D:

However: I will be writing companion fics to go with iSakura, ones that include:

-a side story of Itachi's relationship with his secretary (shall be rated M)

-a oneshot of Sasuke and Sakura's wedding night and reception (also shall be rated M)

-and perhaps oneshot of the minor couples (i.e. NaruHina, NejiTen, SuiKarin, and ShikaIno) for their side stories. (Note: For this, please tell me which couples that you'd prefer I write on—this'll be a popularity type thing.)

I will be continuing on my other stories, namely Judging a Book and Comedy Central first. My plans are to finish Herculean with a sixth chapter and then alternate updates between my friends' fics. I have more coming soon, so be sure to check out my profile for the sneak peek summaries! :D

Thanks to Erin for being the first to review my last chapter. :D

Thanks to readers who have recently reviewed: alyssaangel15, Amirah, BananaphoneBob, Cheetay, cutecookiechick, digzzz, Eremophobic, ExistentialGhost, fumiko-chan, IceMaidenOfLegend, ILoveSxS, killmeangel24, livelaughlovepen27, Living-Life-to-the-Extreme, love-is-forever15, LucyHeartFilia9109, Miss Bright, MyLifeInWhole, naisAjet13, ninjahugs, purplexninjaxdragon, rainpelt, Sakura xx, sasusakuluver102398, , TalentedKlutz, uchihasaime, and Yukiume.

That's all folks. :) Love you all to death.

Review, review, review.