And it's breaking over me

A thousand miles onto the sea bed

I found the place to rest my head

Never let me go, never let me go

-Never let me go by Florence and The Machine

Perseus and Pegasus circled the sea monster, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The monster was strong but he was not smart but Perseus wanted the monster to come after him which he did not, the monster only wanted the girl.

Pegasus shot another flash of light and the monster screamed again. The monster was faster than Perseus had thought and so he was knock off Pegasus and into the freezing sea water. The monster followed Perseus into the sea, he had the advantage in the water but Perseus wasn't about to give up.

Perseus managed to climb a rock and waited for the monster to surface, weapon ready and when he did Perseus sliced off his hideous head.

Sakura lay down her baby, careful not to wake him up, she had just fed him and the little angel had fallen asleep in the middle of breastfeeding. Her baby ate a lot, Sakura discovered in the first few days of his existence, he would eat every two hours or so. He was a very peaceful baby, he rarely cried and he loved when people played with his feet.

The door opened with a bang, startling everyone inside the room and making the baby wake up, crying. A tall man stepped through the door and walked towards her. Sakura knew that man.

"Now you have woken the baby." She scolded him while rocking the weeping baby to calm him.

"Baby?" His hide were wide and fearful as he moved to sit next to her, his eyes focused only on the crying baby. With the new proximity, Sakura had the opportunity to study his face better, his hair was longer than before, reaching to just before his shoulders and he had grown a beard these last months but he was still as handsome as ever.

"It's a boy, a very healthy boy."

Sasuke stretched his hand, reaching for the baby but then let it fall to the bed. Seeing this, Sakura grabbed his recently fallen hand and placed it on top of the baby's head and his hand moved almost instantly, caressing the little head.

"What have you named him?" He whispered as though not to wake the now sleeping baby.

"I was waiting for you to name him." She whispered back, smiling at his fascinated face. "Do you want to hold him?"

Sasuke nodded reluctantly and held out his arms, Sakura showed him how to hold the baby and passed him to the awaiting father's arms.

"Itachi." He said after a while. "I want to name him Itachi."

"It's a beautiful name." Sakura whispered, hugging her husband from behind. Oh how she had missed him. She tightened her arms around him, she never wanted to let him leave again. It's been far too long.

"Sire, we need you!" Sir Kiba shouted, bursting through the door and waking the baby once again.

"Now you have woken the baby." Her husband scolded him just as she had him just moments ago. He handed her the baby back to her and rose to go talk with sir Kiba.

After Sakura managed to calm the weeping baby and put him in the bed, she went to her husband who was still talking to the knight and hugged him once again. His hands came to rest on top of hers, squeezing them.

They finished the conversation and sir Kiba left with the promise that the King would soon join him. "You can't leave again, you just got back!" Sakura complained, grabbing his face to kiss him. He cannot leave, I will not let him leave, not after so long, please no.

"I am sorry, sweetheart, but the war is not over yet, we thought we had defeated them all but they had backup and we must defeat them also." He told her, kissing every inch of her face. "Oh, I missed you so, sweetheart."

"Don't leave." Sakura begged him. Nothing matters, nothing, not the kingdom, not the war, not Naruto, nothing as long as you are here with me, please don't leave me.

"I must but I shall return soon and I will take you home, both of you." His lips lingered on hers but much too soon he had moved and Sakura was left wanting more. She watched him kiss his son's forehead and walk to the door, he stopped and turned around to look at them but left quickly.

Sakura was left in tears but she had no idea why she was crying, there was the joy from the reunion with her husband and the sadness from his departure once again but she had never cried because of that before, why was she crying now?

There have been two days, I thought the battle would be quick. Sakura had no idea what was happening because no one would tell her anything, they all still treated her as if she was still with child.

There was a knock on the door and one of her ladies hurried to open it. Sakura saw sir Kiba enter the room and ran to him.

"Sir Kiba, do you have news for me?" She asked him, eager for any information he could give her.

"Yes, your grace. I have come to take you to the palace, the king…will be waiting for you there." Sir Kiba looked very glum for someone who survived a war.

"That means we won, doesn't it?" It was obvious that they had won but Sakura need to hear those words.

"Yes, your grace, we have won."

Sir Kiba had a reason to look glum, Sakura learned later that day when she arrived at the palace. She was anxious to see her husband again but when she entered his bedchamber, there was no one there.

"Where is my husband?" Sakura asked sir Kiba, trying to keep calm. The man did not answer her, Sakura felt tears start forming in her eyes. "Where is he?"

"He's coming." Sir Kiba finally answered, looking at a spot behind her. Sakura turned around to see her husband being transported in a stretcher by four knights, blood all over him. Sakura ran down the stairs to meet them.

"What happened?" She asked them, looking at the huge gash on her husband's stomach. Oh no, no. It cannot be, not now, he just came home.

"His grace was injured in battle, your grace." Sir Kiba was the one who answered her. Yes, I can see that. She wanted to shout at him, scream and cry but she could not, she had to be strong now, for her husband and for her baby boy.

"Take him to his chamber and call the physician."

The knights started moving towards her husband's bedchamber and she followed. He is not moving, why is he not moving? Not even when they moved him to lay on the bed did he make a single sound. Please god, you cannot take him, you cannot. I need him, our baby needs him, our kingdom needs him. Don't take him away from me, please.

Sakura moved all the cloth out of the way of the gash, she grabbed a clean piece of cloth and ripped it to clean the blood of his wound. So much blood, there is so much blood. Where is the physician? Why is he taking so long?

Not long after, the court's physician entered the room. "May I ask what you are doing, your grace?"

Sakura moved aside to let the old man see her husband's wound. "I was just cleaning the blood."

The man nodded and started stir the wound. Sakura could not bear to watch it so she knelt in front of the window of her husband's chamber and started praying. Please don't take him away, God. He is still so very young, he has a child to care for, a kingdom to care for. Do not take him away from me.

Sakura heard the old man call her and she noticed it was sunset already. "Yes?" She asked, eager for news. He'll be fine, tell me he will be fine.

"I am afraid I do not have good news, your grace." He said. "His grace will not survive this wound."

Sakura suppressed a sob, covering her mouth her hand. He is going to die? Sasuke is going to die? Sakura could not master her voice to speak, it seemed that all the strength had left her body, it seemed like someone had ripped her heart out, she wanted to cry, to scream, to disappear. No, it's not true, it cannot be true.

"How long does he have?"

"A fortnight, perhaps. The wound is infected and it will kill his grace slowly." The man informed her.

"And there is nothing you can do?" There must be some kind of treatment, something for the infection. "Something you can treat it with?"

"I am afraid not, your grace, there is no cure for this kind of infection. I am sorry."

Sakura felt breathless and faint, she was watching all this happen and she could do nothing and she hated that, this helplessness, this not knowing what to do, it was too much, it was all too much. She asked the man to leave and went to sit beside her husband. His wound was bandaged and there was nothing else Sakura could do to help.

"You cannot die, I will not let you die." She whispered. Sakura grabbed his hand between both of hers, she lowered her head and she prayed.

"Darling." Her mother called, shaking her shoulder.

"What is wrong, mother?" Sakura asked her, she wanted to stay with Sasuke, she didn't want to be disturbed.

Her mother made her get up. "You have been here for hours, you have to rest. Tomorrow will be a very tiring day for you, there's much to be decided."

"I don't care about any of that, can't you see the state my husband is in?" How could her mother not understand? "I want to stay with him."

Her mother grabbed her arm, pushing her towards the door. "Come, Sakura, you need rest."

"I told you, I don't want to go!" Sakura tried to shake her mother off but the woman was stubborn.

"Don't you want to see your son?"

Only then Sakura remembered that it had been hours since she last fed her baby. He must be starving, my poor baby. I'm a horrible mother.

"Is he alright?" Sakura asked, panicked. Her baby needed to eat, he needed her and she hadn't been there.

"Yes, we got a wet nurse for him, he is sleeping now." Sakura only now had realized that her mother had pushed her out of the room.

"A wet nurse?" Sakura knew they were supposed to have wet nurses but she had gotten used to feeding her baby and she did not want to give that up.

"Yes, the prince should have had one right from the beginning but the circumstances…well he has one now."

They had arrived in her bedchamber and the moment she stepped inside her ladies came to her side, getting her out of her dress to put on her nightclothes.

"I would like to pray." She told her ladies when they finished getting her dressed for bed. Sakura had a small alter in her bedchamber in which she knelt in front of to pray. If this is the only thing I can do, then I shall do it as much as I can.

The morning brought even more bad news, sir Kiba informed her that her father had died in battle, Sakura was sure she had never seen her mother worse than that.

Sakura was to act as regent for the time being and that meant having to deal with the consequences of this war.

"We have no men to spare to go retrieve the bodies, your grace." Sir Kiba told her when she asked him to send men to search and bring back the bodies of the fallen.

Sakura wanted her father's body back and she would have it."Don't you have prisoners?"

"We do, your grace." The knight answered.

"Well, put them to work." Sakura dismissed the knight and the chancellor entered the room. Sakura spent a good part of the morning with the chancellor discussing which lands that were to be taken from which lords, which lands had no owner and to whom the lands should be given to. There was also the issue of deciding who should be pardoned and who should be punished.

"What will you do with the traitor, your grace?" He asked.

"He must die." Her and Sasuke had discussed this several times and he had always said that Naruto had to die, he was a threat to her family.

"A public execution, your grace?"

"Yes."

The young man bowed and left. There were other matters to attend but Sakura wanted to go see her husband, even if it was just for a few minutes. On her way to her husband's bedchamber she heard her baby cry from the nursery and went to see him.

The wet nurse was already uncovering her breast to feed the child. All the women in the room stopped what they were doing and bowed when they say her.

"Give him to me." Sakura commanded the woman who was holding her son.

"But…your grace…" Sakura took the child from her arms and spread kisses all over his face, her baby, her sweet baby that could never get to know his father. "We are going to see the king."

Sakura sat on a chair near her husband's bed and asked Kyra to unlace her corset so she could feed her baby. When Itachi was finished she sat on the bed and put him on Sasuke's chest.

"See, my love, that's your father. He is very sick right now so he cannot hold you but he will be fine, he will live to see you grow, he has to." Sakura hugged her two boys and she cried, she cried and cried until her head ached.

"I apologize, your grace. I did not know you were here." Sakura turned and found the physician standing by the door. She grabbed her baby and got up from the bed.

"Please, do whatever you need to do." She told the man. "Can I stay?"

The white haired man nodded and changed the bandages on her husband's stomach, he then took out a brownish green liquid which he gave to Sasuke to drink.

Sakura was curious to know what that liquid was."What is that?"

"It's a potion made of common rue, honey, old vinegar and sea salt for the fever." He replied.

"Is it normal, the fever?" Sakura asked. Is the fever part of it or did he catch some disease?

"Yes, your grace. The fever is caused by the infection."

Sakura nodded and shut up, letting the man work in peace. When he was done, he left the potion in the table and told her that a teaspoon of it should be given to Sasuke every three hours.

"You see baby, the doctor doesn't think you father will make it but we do, don't we, baby boy?" She cried, kissing the top of his little head. "Yes we do, your father will be fine."

Sasuke wasn't getting any better and he was getting thinner and thinner day by bay. Sakura feared for her husband, if he was getting thinner, how could he get better? The physician told her that he was doing everything in his power but it had been a week and there was no change in his state.

Sakura grabbed the potion from the tabled and filled the spoon then she opened her husband's mouth gently and poured it into his mouth. She changed the cloth on his forehead and went to her baby's side, hugging him.

Itachi had recently made a fortnight and opposite from his father, he was getting bigger every day. It's no surprise, he eats so much.

"You are here again." Sakura recognized her mother's voice but she did not answered her. "Sakura, this is not healthy, not for and not for the baby."

"He needs to spend time with his father." She said, hugging her baby tighter. And Sasuke needs him too.

"But this is too much, you spend your days closed up in this room." Mother placed her hands on her shoulders. "Darling, you being here is not going to help him, it's in god's hands now."

You don't understand mother, you don't understand. I have to be here, with him, he needs me, us, he needs both of us. Sakura simply remained quiet, she did not want to start a fight.

"Come, let us go to the gardens, walk, get some air." Sakura let herself be dragged outside but she intended to come later. Perhaps it's best if the baby doesn't stay so much time here, I don't want him to get sick.

Her ladies were all outside the room, waiting for her. How long have they been there? Do they do this all the time? Everything had been a blur this last week, Sakura only cared about her husband and her baby, they were the only thing that mattered right now. Sakura knew she had duties and she tried her best to fulfill them but she could not bear to be away from her husband for long.

The gardens were beautiful this time of the year, all the flowers were in bloom, all the trees had bright green leaves and everything was cut and shaped to perfection.

"They brought father's body today." Sakura told her mother. "We can give him a proper burial now."

Her mother nodded, visibly distraught. "Where will you bury him?"

"I wanted to bury him here." Sakura told her, she wished to be close to her father. "But I think he would like to be buried at home."

"Yes, I think he would prefer that." Her mother agreed.

"Darling, the doctor says that it's only a matter of days." Her mother said, trying to take her off her husband. "I think it would be best to start the preparations for the funeral."

"No." She would not prepare any funeral.

"Darling it's only a matter of t-"

"No, he is not dead yet so stop talking like he is!" Sakura shouted. She would not accept anyone talking as if her husband was dead already, he was not and Sasuke was strong. He will get better, he will survive. He has to.

Her mother left, probably deciding it was best to leave her alone and Sakura got back to her prayers. No matter what anyone says I will not give up on him. Her knees hurt from all the hours she spent praying beside her husband's bed and her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying. Funeral she says…funerals are for the dead and Sasuke is most certainly not dead.

Her back was aching by the time she got up to go see her baby boy and she could barely walk thanks to the aching on her knees. Still, praying was all she could do and she would pray even if she bled, she would pray all day and night if that returned Sasuke to her.

Forty days, forty days and Sasuke was still the same, he did not die, as the physician had predicted but he did not get better either as she had hoped. His wound was mostly healed now but the fever remained and he still would not wake up, he would not even move, ever.

"You are missing our baby's growth, my love." She told him. "He is such a delightful little boy and he is so grown up now."

Sakura moved some of his raven colored hair out of his forehead. "You must come back to us."

A knock resounded across the room and after her permission to come in, the physician entered the room.

"You sent for me, your grace?"

"Yes, the king is not getting better at all, isn't there something you can do? Something you can give him?" She asked, she refused to believe that there was nothing that could be done.

"I am trying my best, your grace."

"But you don't think he will survive." It wasn't Sakura's intention to be mean to the old man but she couldn't stand that he had already given up on her Sasuke.

"No, your grace, as I said yesterday and the day before that and the day before that…I think it's only a matter of time."

"You said he had no more than a fortnight and he survived more than a fortnight, how can you say he is not going to survive?" You have been wrong before and I will only give up when he's dead, when there's nothing left to do.

"I…your grace…"The man seemed lost.

"Do you have something to give him?"

Sakura heard the man's steps behind her. "Yes, I made a potion which will help the blood circulate."

"And that will help him?" She wanted to know, she needed to know.

The old man shrugged. "I can only try, your grace."

"Have you spoken to any other physicians? Asked their opinions?" She insisted. Sakura knew for a fact that father's physician exchanged thoughts and ideas with other physicians when dealing with an unknown disease.

"I have not." He admitted.

Sakura nodded. "I'll send for some to come to court."

Sakura trusted fathers physician, she would send mother a letter asking her if she could do without her physician for a while. She hope her mother was fine, now that she was alone, no husband and no daughter. When she had left court, mother seemed alright, sad of course, grieving but she had always been a strong woman and it seemed to Sakura that she had come to terms with her husband's death long before they found his body but that had been when she was surrounded by people, either by her ladies and the monks on the abbey or with hundreds of people at court, there she had only the servants to keep her company…poor mother, I'll tell her to come back, now that father is properly buried, perhaps she'll come. Sakura would make sure to write to fathers physician too to ask him to give her some other names.

"You can leave that here, I'll give it to him. How many spoons?"

"Three, your grace, twice a day, morning and night." He bowed and left.

Mother had refused to come back to court, saying she would rather stay home but she had spared the physician who had arrived a fortnight ago and his diagnosis had been the same. Since then, he and the court physician had been working together, trying to find a cure but no success so far.

"He is better, at least I think he is." Sakura told her baby. His fever had disappeared so Sakura assumed that was a good sign.

Sakura felt a squeeze in her hand and her heart jumped. Sasuke squeezed my hand, he squeezed my hand!

"Sasuke? Sasuke, can you hear me?" There was no response from him. "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand again."

And he did, his squeeze was weak but that gave her such hope. All this time and he had not moved once, that could only mean he was getting better.

"Help." She shouted. "Help!"

A servant boy ushered into the room and before he could even open his mouth, Sakura was already giving him instructions. "Go fetch the physician, quickly."

The physician was breathless when he entered the room. "What is happening, your grace?"

"He moved." She said, excitedly.

"Moved?" The old man questioned, walking towards the bed.

"Yes, he squeezed my hand, twice."

The look Sakura saw in the white haired man's eyes did not please her. "That only means that he is conscious."

"But isn't that progress? He never moved during all this time and now he did, you cannot tell me that means nothing." Sakura argued.

"I would advise your grace not to keep your hopes up, this can mean something but most likely it means nothing." He said.

"So you maintain your diagnose?" She asked.

"I would like to examine his grace first."

Sakura nodded and moved to a chair behind the bed where she could watch what the physician was doing.

"Hold his hand and ask him to squeeze it." Sakura advised him. The man looked at her as if she was crazy but did what she asked. Sakura saw him nod to himself and make a note on a piece of paper.

"Well?" She asked when she saw the man was finished.

The man cleared his throat before speaking. "His grace is conscious and his grace does seem to be getting better."

"That's good, isn't it?" He did not seem very pleased.

"Yes, it seems to be a good thing." He was very vague and Sakura gave him a look that meant for him to explain better. Seems to be, how can it seem to be, it is or it isn't. "There are cases where the person gets better and then dies suddenly. We do not know why but it happens."

"Are you saying that's what's going to happen or that it may happen?" Sakura did not want possibilities, she did not want maybes or perhaps, she wanted facts and certainties.

"It may happen."

"But he's getting better?" She asked. "And there is a possibility that he will keep getting better?"

"Yes, there is a very good chance that his grace will recover."

Relief flooded her when she heard the physicians words and she had to contain her joy so that she wouldn't scare the old man.

"Thank you, you may go now, if you are finished." She told him. "And call Lady Mikoto, I'm sure she would like to know."

Lady Mikoto had departed for her late husband's lands soon after the wedding but she decided to come back to court after Sakura had informed her of her son's situation.

After the old man left, Sakura grabbed her baby and placed him on his father's chest, one hand holding the baby in place and the other holding her husband's hand.

"May I?" The Lady Mikoto asked her.

"Yes, yes, of course. Come sit beside me, please."

Sakura took her hand, palm up and placed her husband's hand on top.

"Can he understand us?" Lady Mikoto asked, stoking her son's hand with affection.

Sakura gave her a warm smile. "I believe so, he squeezed my hand when I asked him to."

Mikoto started talking to her son and Sakura picked up hers, leaving as quietly as possible. She needs some time with him.

Sakura opened her eyes and Kyra was standing over her, shaking her shoulders.

"What is wrong?" Why is she waking me at this hour? It's still dark.

"His grace is awake and he's asking for you, madam."

He is awake? Sasuke is awake? Sakura threw the bed covers back and ran to the door, not caring to put on shoes or a robe. He is awake.

Lady Mikoto and the physician were already inside the room, the old man asking Sasuke questions while Lady Mikoto merely observed. The physician looked shocked and only when she saw him staring at her that way did she notice that she was in her nightclothes. How inappropriate. All her rush to get to her husband made her forget her manners.

The lady Mikoto and the physician stepped aside to let her see her husband and Sakura carefully climbed into bed next to him.

"Hello." She greeted carefully. Her eyes were glued to his, those beautiful black eyes she had missed do much.

Sasuke gave her his mischievous smile."Hello, sweetheart."

Sakura was about to launch herself to him, to hug him and kiss him, to make up for all the lost time but she stopped herself before she touched him. He might be hurting… "Can I?"

Sasuke nodded, giving her permission to touch him. Sakura placed her hands on his face and brought it forward, kissing first his cheek then his nose, his forehead and finally his lips. Sasuke mimicked her, placing his hands on his face and kissing her back passionately.

Feeling his hands moving towards her breasts, Sakura broke the kiss and stepped away from him, blushing when she noticed the lady Mikoto and the physician watched everything. What is he smiling about? This is so embarrassing!

Sakura cleared her throat and turned to the physician. "Is he alright now?"

"Yes, it seems that the infection is mostly healed." The white haired man agreed.

Lady Mikoto smiled at her and Sakura smiled back, sharing the older woman's relief and joy in hearing the news. Sasuke is back, he is fine. Sakura turned her head and gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'm going to get my grandson, I'm sure Sasuke wants to see his boy." Lady Mikoto left, dragging the physician with her. The moment the brown wooden door closed, Sasuke clasped her waist and threw her on the back, straddling her. His lips were on her neck in an instant and his hands were already slipping beneath her nightgown.

"It seems you are not properly dressed, wife." Her murmured against her throat.

Sakura felt like she was on fire and he had barely touched her. Apparently I missed him in more ways than I thought. The moment his hand came in contact with her breast, Sakura pushed him back. "They will be here soon."

Sasuke pouted but didn't insist. "How is the baby?"

"He is fine, growing. He is a strong, healthy boy." Sakura answered.

"I am glad." He said. There was a moment of silence where neither said anything. "What happened after the battle? With Naruto?"

"We captured him and he was executed, as you wished." She said. "He is no longer a threat."

Her husband put an arm around her and brought her closer to kiss her head.

"Are you alright?" She asked. Sakura feared that he might be hurting. "Does it hurt anywhere?"

"Yes, I am alright and no, it does not hurt anywhere. I was sleeping for a long time, after all."

Sakura raised her eyebrows, confused. "How do you know that?"

"The physician told me."

"You are in luck, he was awake." Lady Mikoto said, stepping into the room. She gave the baby to Sasuke who looked absolutely besotted with the baby.

"He is so big." He commented absently. "Do you feed him?"

Sakura stroked her baby's head. "Yes, he had a wet nurse for a while but I could not bear it."

Her husband seemed lost, he was looking at the baby but he did not seem to know what to do as if he was afraid if he would break."He likes it when you play with his feet."

In that moment Sakura had a glimpse of how her husband had been as a child as his playful and childish side came out.

"Do not ever do that to me again." Sakura told her husband, tracing the scar the wound had left behind. Sasuke laughed, running his hands through her hair. "I'm serious."

"I know, I'm sorry, sweetheart." He tugged on her hair so that she raised her head from his chest, where it was resting and kissed her. "But I might just let you keep doing my job."

"I couldn't."

"You have been doing great so far. That's quite a good idea, you run the kingdom and I lay around all day, play cards, spend time with my son…" He said.

Sakura playfully punched him on the ribs. "Stop being a lazy ass and go do your job."

Sasuke pretended to be shocked, even going as far as gasping. "Queen Sakura, did you just say ass? My, my, you were so sweet and innocent three years ago and now you are saying ass without even blushing, how dirty."

"My husband is a dirty man."

Sasuke squeezed her ass. "Is he now?"

He captured her bottom lip with his teeth and then his tongue was inside her mouth as he pushed her into the bed.

"How about we prove that theory right now?"

Andromeda was shaking by the time Perseus got to her, she threw herself in his arms and thanked him over and over again and then she kissed him, long and deep.

Perseus knelt in front of the woman he had fallen in love with, he knew it was typical to ask the father first but theirs was not a typical story either.

"Andromeda, will you marry me?" He asked.

The young girl smiled and kissed his lips softly. She had accepted her fate long ago.

The End