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The first time Sasuke and Sakura talked of marriage was after Naruto and Hinata's wedding. It didn't seem like it meant anything at the time, though Sakura would realise how pivotal a moment it was in her future.
The Uzamaki, Hyuga celebration was big, and the dinner was amazing. There was dancing and drinking late into the night, but unfortunately Sakura had work in the morning.
"I better get going guys." Sakura finally sighed, before she said an affectionate goodbye to her friends. Naruto and Hinata had already said their goodbyes earlier, and Sakura was almost ready for bed. Of course, if she didn't have work the next day, she could stay and drink – but tonight she would have to settle for comfortably tipsy.
When she went to leave, Sasuke was there beside her, walking her to the door. He was her date for the night and it was going well. Sakura had asked him to the wedding, since they were both in the wedding party, and he had agreed. Unsurprisingly, Sasuke had been a perfect, although silent, gentleman, and Sakura hadfun. Their dynamic didn't feel much different to normal, and the alcohol loosened them up.
Sakura didn't feel the strangeness between them until theywere walking through the streets of Konoha; something was different.
She had discarded her shoes whenthey exited the building, and the uncomfortable heels were held in her lefthand. Sasuke was at her right side, and he seemed content to walk in silence. Sakura observed him somewhat openly, wondering if he could feel it. Her heart thumped irregularly, and she smiled as she noticed the tiny tilt of his lips. There was an expression in his eyes that she couldn't label, and his cheeks were a little flushed from the alcohol; Sasuke looked generally relaxed.
She looked ahead, and sighed happily.
"Tonight was fun." Sakura said softly.
The wind gusted but she still heard him reply, "It was."
They walked another couple of paces…
"When I get married, I hope that I look as pretty as Hinata did today." Sakura dreamed aloud, impulsively, feeling positively girly. "They looked really happy." She mused.
Sasuke responded, "You will." And it took Sakura a moment to realise that he was paying her a compliment.
She glanced to the side, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks. Suddenly, she was nervous, and there were some unwanted images appearing inside of her head.
She pushed any and all Sasuke oriented thoughts away, because Sakura hadn't dreamed of marrying him seriously since they were children.
Sakura acted as if Sasuke hadn't spoke, and she continued on –
"I don't care if I have a big wedding or a small wedding." She smiled, as she floated into her fantasy land. "It's the stuff that comes after that's important, anyway."
Sasuke tilted his head, and their eyes caught. He asked,
"What comes after?"
His tone was curious, and lacked some of its usual distance. Sakura kept his gaze for a moment, and she found that she felt better; she felt safe in front of those eyes.
Sakura considered the question carefully, before replying, "Happiness comes after, and love. I want to marry someone that I love with all my heart, and I want them to love me, too."
"And children?" Sasuke asked without a beat. Sakura didn't notice that their pace slowed considerably to an amble.
"Definitely, when the time is right." Sakura smiled thoughtfully. She always enjoyed working in the children's ward, and although she didn't have a big family, Sakura loved kids. "But I'd still want to work." She said as an after thought.
Sasuke didn't speak for a moment, and Sakura felt compelled to ask –
"What about you?"
He cleared his throat, and Sakura struggled to read his expression.
"I want it all." Sasuke admitted. "I want to restore my clan…and I want to do it with someone that I care for." He murmured.
Sakura smiled, somewhat bitter sweet, and she wished that he was talking about her.
"And she'd care for you." She said, conceding her inner fantasy.
Sasuke nodded once, and replied deliberately, "I hope she will love me with all of her heart."
His words hung in the air after he spoke them and Sakura felt her heart jump into her throat.
She was confused. Did Sasuke say that on purpose? Was she imagining things?
He continued on like he hadn't covertly dropped a bomb, and he spoke with slightly narrowed eyes - like he was deciding,
"I don't care if my wife wants to work as long as our children are loved and cared for." He looked serious for a moment, like he was stuck in a memory. "I want to be a good father."
Sakura's chest clenched. "You will be." She assured him quickly, touching his arm briefly, and Sasuke smiled a small smile.
"Thank you." He said. "You too. You'd be a good mother." He offered.
Sakura's eyebrows rose and she looked at him for a second. Then a wry chuckle made it's way to her chest. Sakura shrugged.
"Who knows if I'll get that far." She sighed. Sakura kept walking until she was tugged to a stop by Sasuke's hand.
She gazed down at his fingers, that were wrapped around her wrist, and then she met his dark eyes. Sasuke looked like he wanted to say something to her.
"Sakura…" He said weightily, and the medic found that she was holding her breath.
"I was going to ask you to Naruto's wedding before you beat me to it." His words surprised her. He didn't say anything for a good moment after, and Sakura was at a loss for words. He shook her into action when he continued,
"I feel comfortable around you." His voice lowered, and his fingers slid down so as to hold her hand.
"I feel comfortable with you too." She replied unthinkingly, and Sakura wondered if he could feel her pulse where their skin was touching.
Sasuke frowned, then, and she wondered if she should have said something else.
It only took a moment for her to understand.
"When I see my future it's hard not to imagine you in it." He said, and this time his eyes lowered. It looked like he was nervous.
He needn't have been.
"Me too." Sakura said in an almost whisper, squeezing his hand with her own. "You know how I feel about you." She impressed upon him, hoping that he understood that nothing had changed. If anything, she felt more strongly for him now.
Sasuke nodded, and he stepped forward again, tugging Sakura along. Without saying a word, his fingers thread between hers and they continued toward Sakura's home.
"Would you like to get lunch tomorrow?" Sasuke asked her when they rounded the corner to her street.
"Sounds good." Sakura agreed."Naruto and Hinata will be on their honeymoon though. There is a send off in the morning. So it'll just be us."
Sasuke clicked his tongue, and shook his head like he did when he was annoyed. He didn't looked annoyed, however.
"Naruto isn't invited anyway." He tried again, and Sakura realised that Sasuke was asking her on a date.
"Oh. Right." She nodded. How stupid of her not to realise. "Noon sound good?" She asked.
"Noon is fine."
"Okay. It's a date." Sakura smiled, and she failed in keeping it small. Soon, she was beaming happily and felt like she was floating.
"Hn. It's a date." Sasuke nodded.
Sakura had high hopes for the future -and little did she know- Sasuke did too.
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