A/N: You guys are so sweet, you make me blush! I love reading your reviews, all of you! I definitely had fun writing this one. I find it funny how much I can really relate to Sakura these days: most of my inspiration was pulled from my own current relationship. It makes it so much easier to understand the pain she goes through, and it also inspires me to keep my head up in real life. I'll definitely be writing more in the future! I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter (I'm so bad at endings)!

10. As you're reading this there's only ONE person on your mind

She watched him sharpen his kunai, taking note of every single detail. His countenance was mostly calm, but his eyebrows were very slightly turned toward the middle; Sasuke was very focused. His mouth twitched a little when he almost cut his own finger. He was leaned forward to where he couldn't see her unless he turned his head in the slightest, but he knew she was staring.

She sat on the opposite end of the couch, reading a book Temari let her borrow. The fact that she was more than three feet away from him during her reading was the first indication to Sasuke that something was up. Normally she would snuggle up against him, no matter what he was doing, and start reading.

And now she was staring at him, as if she was waiting for him to start a conversation. It wasn't just some absent-minded gazing into space deal. She looked so anxious; he could feel it from where he was sitting.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked calmly, not taking his eyes off of his weapons.

Sakura wasn't sure why she was surprised that he asked. She knew very well he could sense her gaze boring into his head. She made a sound indicating she was thinking, before she dismissed it.

"You know you can't lie to me, yet you try." He shook his head teasingly and she blushed.

"It's nothing, Sasuke-kun." She held the book up to hide her face from him.

"Are you sure?"

"Mhmm," her voice was a little muffled from the other side of the barrier she created, and he rolled his eyes.

Sasuke sighed, set his weapons down, and turned to face her on the couch. Sakura suddenly felt ten times as apprehensive. He spoke softly, "I'm going to ask one more time, then you're not allowed to bring it up later if you deny me again."

He knew she did this whenever she wanted to say something but wanted him to prod first. It was one of those weird things she did that he picked up on after spending so much time with her. Most of the time, she just liked seeing that he cared enough to push, but in situations like this, she really was just unsure if she wanted to bring this up or not.

Contrary to popular belief, Sakura did get tired of all the rejection. Even if she endured this long and far, and it seemingly didn't affect her fighting spirit, it did become very difficult to want to talk about their relationship when she knew she was just going to get rejected again.

She thought about how strangely sure Kakashi and Naruto were earlier today. She wondered briefly if they were in on something, but quickly dismissed it before she got her hopes up.

"Um," she started, and he waited patiently. She slowly lowered the book down. She truly didn't know where to start, and whenever she formed a question in her head that she was about to ask, it came with an expected response that made her second guess.

"How do you feel about me?"

"I don't."

"Do you love me?"

"Not like that."

"Why can't we be together?"

"I just don't feel the same way."

She became anxious again, and made a face. Sasuke almost laughed.

"Come here," he commanded gently, making himself comfortable and inviting her into his bubble.

She hesitated at first, but once she crawled on top of him, he straightened his legs out to where she was previously sitting, and she calmed down significantly.

"Talk to me." He told her, "about anything." Hopefully this would be a decent start.

"Naruto and Kakashi-sensei took me to Amaguraima today." She started. Sasuke made a sound of confirmation that he was listening, and she continued. "Have you tried their Daifukumochi?"

"I don't eat sweets." He reminded her.

"That's not true!" she accused. He smiled; she was starting to relax and open up again. This made him more curious as to why she was so uneasy earlier. "We go to the dango shop all the time!"

"Well," he adjusted slightly to get more comfortable. "They're your favorite. Right next to anmitsu."

For a moment, she was speechless and very flattered, but then she giggled. "That's really sweet, Sasuke-kun."

"You're getting off track," he reminded her.

"Oh, right…" she twiddled with her thumbs. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

She started playing with his hand, intertwining their fingers. When he didn't respond, she took that as her cue to keep talking. "I love you, Sauske-kun." He gave her hand a squeeze in response and she smiled. "Do you ever dream of me?"

"What?" She was beating around the bush, he knew. What was so important that got her so flustered she wouldn't just get to the point? Sakura was a very straightforward woman. She usually wasted no time when discussing important things.

"Do you ever have dreams with me in them?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious."

"Aa." He didn't even answer her question. Sakura frowned and dropped his hand. It didn't seem like a good night to talk about this at all. She swore Kakashi and Naruto would pay for this one. Then she remembered she shouldn't blame them for getting her hopes up. She chose this.

"Nevermind," she sulked, picking her book back up. She decided she would just read for the night.

He became still for a while. At first she thought he was just thinking, letting his mind wander. Then she suspects he fell asleep, making her even more angry. She contemplates calling him out on it, even if she was the one who dropped the subject to begin with, when he starts to shift in his seat. From under her, he was digging through his pocket.

"Sakura," he started. She heard the slight nervousness in his voice that he was trying so hard to suppress. He was suddenly very gentle and loving and she felt it. Her cheeks and ears got so hot, she was thankful he couldn't see her face.

"Hm?"

"I was thinking of leaving to travel again."

She froze. "Oh…when?"

"Soon," he began. "There's a lot I wanted to show you."

"H-huh? Me?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Then his hands appeared in front of her; she wasn't sure what he was doing at first. When his hands retreated behind her, she felt something cold and small against her neck.

He locked the necklace and wrapped his arms back around her midsection, burying his face into her soft hair. He too was thankful she couldn't see his face. He was dying inside; Uchiha Sasuke had never been this nervous before. He was sure she felt his heart racing even from her position.

She looked down to see the Uchiha pendant hanging around her neck, and his soft voice sounded behind her, slightly muffled. "I love you too."

"S-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura was completely frozen at this point. She felt tears threaten to spill from her eyes, but she could barely blink.

"Marry me," he said softly. At this, she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing. She didn't need words. Sasuke smiled, then winced. "Sakura…you're heavy."

When Tsunade heard about their engagement, the first thing she did was tell Sasuke he was stupid for waiting so long. Then the second thing she did was tell Sakura she should go with him to travel. Before she could protest and say she had a job to attend to, Tsunade reassured her that she would take over the hospital for a while, and that she's sure the hospital missed her anyway.

So they left as soon as they could.

The first few weeks went by way too fast. Sasuke took her to all the beautiful sights he took to memory when he was travelling alone, and in between, they visited the villages that were previously under reconstruction after the war ended: something Sakura never got the chance to see since she herself was so busy rebuilding Konoha.

Their dynamic had not changed much: they were just as intimate as they were in the previous months they had spent together, only this time Sakura felt more at peace knowing she received this affection as his girlfriend and soon to be wife.

At first, Sasuke had no idea how to be a boyfriend. He knew that they already acted like a couple before, but he knew there was more than just the cute hand holding, the affectionate cheek kisses, and the lingering hugs. He knew very well he was only treading in the shallow waters of intimacy with her. In fact, exploring this newly unlocked stage of relationship was something that made them both a little nervous. Sure, they had definitely thought of each other in that aspect, but to actually have it was different.

It was a rather slow process, but they were comfortable, and overall very happy with how things were going so far.

"Check this out," Sasuke told her from across the small café table. They sat at a small village just outside of Amegakure for brunch (something Sasuke used to make fun of Naruto for having, to which he replied that it was something a man with a girlfriend does).

"Is that Naruto?" Sakura put the menu down and looked over to the magazine Sasuke was holding. It unmistakably had Naruto on the front cover. It was turned to the page that had the cover story.

"Yeah," he snickered. "But it's so inaccurate."

"What does it say?" she asked, now curious.

"Uzumaki Naruto has set his sights on becoming the Hokage since he was very young. With the help and support from his family and friends from a very young age-"

"Is that how it starts?" she raised an eyebrow. "It starts with a bare faced lie."

Sasuke chuckled and continued, "he was able to overcome many of life's adversities. Although he grew up without parents, he was still able to find comfort and family with his team who had a special connection with him from the beginning."

"That's not even stretching the truth, that's just a lie," Sakura scoffed. "What kind of publicity is this?"

"Perhaps they are ashamed of how they treated Naruto when he was younger."

"Pfft," she rolled her eyes. "Keep going."

Sasuke read over the next line to himself and had to try not to laugh. He looked up at Sakura's curious face and continued reading out loud, "Although his female teammate Sakura Haruno denied her love for him as they grew up together, she was rivaled with shy Hinata from the Hyuuga clan."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, look." He passed her the magazine.

Sakura picked up from where he left off, "Sakura's love didn't hold very long, however, when her attention diverted to Konoha's traitor, Uchiha Sasuke- okay, I can't read this."

Sasuke smirked and took the magazine back, "and five years after the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi World War, Naruto's heart was indeed stolen by Hinata. Now, they expect their first child- wait what?"

"Naruto! Oh my god!" Sakura squealed, stealing the magazine again. "I can't believe he didn't tell us!"

"Well, we have been gone for a few months."

She frowned, "he never wrote!"

"Maybe it was news that he wanted to share in person."

Sakura pouted, "That's not fair. His best friends had to find out about this huge news through a magazine."

"He's not my best friend."

"He could have at least written to tell us to come back or something!" She dismissed him completely, "What does the rest of the article say?"

"It's just more stretched truth about Naruto's life," Sasuke skimmed the page halfheartedly when the waiter came by to take their order, "and that the baby is due in the fall."

Sakura laughed, "I wonder how he feels about this awful tabloid. Naruto's not one to stretch the truth about anything."

"Hn," Sasuke closed his eyes and smirked. "It comes with being famous."

"Oh, like you would know," she teased. "I bet you're just jealous you don't have all the attention now, like you did before when you two were younger. He finally beat you."

"No," he corrected quickly. "He's just famous because he saved the world. I didn't have to do anything to get girls to love me when I was twelve."

Sakura rolled her eyes so far back she could have sworn she saw her brain. And now he was pouting. "What?"

"Nothing," he put the magazine in front of his face again.

"Sasuke-kun," she laughed. Pouty Sasuke was funny, and taking shots at his pride was even funnier, especially when it exalted Naruto.

Sasuke ignored her teasing, turned to another page, and was reading again. He was making a face and she asked him what he was looking at. When he dismissed it saying it was "some cheesy article", she smiled at how he was slightly blushing, and got quiet again.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better…" she began, but then she got really nervous.

"What?" he brought her attention back to him, waiting for her to finish that sentence.

She smiled sheepishly. "You'll probably have a baby before he does."

Sasuke froze.

"Ours is due this summer."

Everything came at him at once: emotions and thoughts flooded his mind at a speed even he couldn't keep up with. He had absolutely no idea how to react, so the first thing that occurred to him was, "Why didn't you tell me before?!"

Sakura made a face of confusion. "Why are you angry!"

Sasuke blinked and snapped out of it, and suddenly he was hit with all ten signs again. He simply couldn't stay mad at her. Time stopped for Sasuke. The distinct chatter from the rest of the small café was drowned out: it was just them two, and the new life in her stomach.

"Sasuke-kun?" she looked up at him. There was something new in his eyes; an expression she rarely got to see: hope.

"I'm…going to be a dad?" he croaked. Her smile only got bigger and she nodded. His heart started beating faster. He never thought this day would ever come. His palms started to sweat. There was going to be another girl (or boy) in his life that he was going to love. He hadn't even met them yet and he was already really nervous.

She was babbling on again, this time about what to name it if it was a boy, and how cool it would be to have their child be best friends with Naruto's. Her voice brought a smile to his face. She was so cute. He looked at her lovingly, and then down to her belly.

He stood up from his seat and helped her up, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Sakura." He took in her scent. They were well aware that people were beginning to stare. He didn't care. "I promise," he whispered "to keep you both safe."

Sakura smiled. "I know you will."

It was finally happening. His own family, a fresh start with the only one he could ever bring himself to love. He seemed to forget about everything else in his life: right now it was just the thought of them starting a family soon and finally getting their happy ending.

Then she started giggling. She looked at the page he left open on the table.

"Ten signs you're in love?" she hadn't looked this amused in a long time. "Is that what you were reading earlier? I didn't know you loved me that much, Sasuke-kun." She emphasized the suffix attached to his name.

He poked her forehead and blushed, "Stop it."