Sakura coughed uncontrollably as she moved the rubble and fallen debris aside, "A-Aoba!!" She panted as she held tears back and searched frantically for the boy, "Aoba... If you're dead, I'll never forgive you!!"

"S-Saku... Sakura...?"

She shoved aside a piece of concrete and looked down at Aoba Noiki as he tried to pull himself up off the ground, "Aoba, don't move. I'll heal you before--"

"No, i-it's alright..."

"Damn it, Aoba! This isn't going to be one of those depressing soap opera movies!! At least let me save you!"

"N-no, Sakura, I'll only get in the way... Now forget about me and go find Sasuke... The poison's taking its toll..."

"No!! Aoba, stop talking like that!"

"I can't help it... Sorry about that..." Aoba chuckled as he took Sakura's hand and moved it away from him, "now go save who's most likely to live... That isn't me..."

"Yes it is! Aoba, you have a chance..."

Before Sakura could say anything else, Aoba smiled and shut his eyes.

"Damn it, Aoba!! Damn it, wake up!! Why does this..." Sakura clenched her teeth, "why does this always happen?!"

"S-Sakura!"

She heard a voice from behind her, but it wasn't Watori. She carefully laid Aoba flat on the ground, and turned to the man as tears rolled from her eyes, "Sasuke..."

Sasuke ran to her side and wrapped his arm around her, "you're okay... Did Watori do anything to you?"

"No, he never laid a single finger on me, don't worry." Sakura wiped her eyes, "but... Aoba..."

"I was too late..." Sasuke walked up to Aoba's body and shut his eyes, "I wish this were another Genjutsu, but... This really happened, didn't it?"

"Why was he here?!" Sakura cried, "if he hadn't come... He'd still be alive... I could've saved him!!"

"I asked him to come."

"What?!

"Sakura, your life was on the line, and this was an area of expertise that I knew I couldn't take on by myself to save you."

"Sasuke, I had this under control!! I told you, I'm not that weak, little girl anymore!!"

"But I was worried about you!! I may not show it..." Sasuke turned around to face her, "it may not show in my expressions or my tone, but... I was worried. Really worried because if you'd died, I don't know what I would've done with myself... Aoba felt the same way. So please, I don't want you to be selfless at a time like this..."

"Have a little more faith in me, Sasuke. I'm stronger than you might think, and..." Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, "rely on me, for once... I'm your wife. Your life is in my hands too, you know. I'm responsible for the both of us."

"How adorable."

The two turned around as the man of the hour arrived.

"Imagine my surprise when I come back to the hideout only to find it completely demolished. Care to explain, my dear Sakura?"

Sasuke began to step forward before his eyes caught a movement of pink in the corner of his eye. He stopped and watched as Sakura walked in front of Sasuke and spoke, "we're done here, Watori. Your plan to take Sasuke's life is failed. You think you could kill someone I cared for deeply and get away with it?" 

As Sakura defended him, Sasuke watched her back in awe, a new feeling arising inside of him. It was a sensation he'd never felt or experienced in his life, and he loved it. It was a feeling of connection and relatability. He felt closer to Sakura than he ever did before, and he knew the bond between them could never be broken. And the moment Sakura turned her head to glance back at him, their eyes met. From that single glance, Sasuke knew everything. He saw her heart, he felt her feelings, and he knew exactly what he had to do.

"Are you well enough to fight, Sasuke?"

"I'm a little sore, but I can handle it."

"I know you can. Let's go."

"Yeah."

Watori was momentarily taken back when the two started running towards him, splitting up to attack him on both sides, "ha. Sloppy work!"

"Yeah, right! You underestimate us way too easily!" Sakura pulled out a smoke bomb from her ninja tool pack and threw it at the ground by Watori.

"Damn it..." Watori waved his hand in the air in an attempt to blow the smoke away. He finally caught sight of Sasuke and Sakura quickly running up to him, "Genjutsu is ineffective against Sakura, so..."

Sasuke ran up to him with his katana unsheathed and ready to attack.

"Checkmate, Uchiha!"

The moment Sasuke looked into Watori's eyes, he was caught in Watori's illusion. He found himself in a pitch black room with Watori standing just across from him.

"You're both going to die. I don't think Sakura could last without her poor Sasuke-kun..."

"She's strong enough without me." Sasuke smirked, "she's strong. Unlike you."

"I caught you in my Genjutsu and have only Sakura to take care of. What more is there for me to do?"

"Oh, I don't know." Sasuke chuckled, "get yourself out of the Genjutsu you're in."

"What are you talking abou--"

The room shook and Watori fell to his hands and knees, "wh-what the... What's happening?! This can't be... When did..." He stood back up and brought his shaky hands together to form a hand-sign, "r-release!"

The world around him flashed and he found himself being held by the neck against the wall of his hideout. He coughed and tried to catch his breath as he grabbed at the woman's tight grip, "h-how..."

"I told you..." Sakura smirked, "you completely underestimate us."

Sasuke walked over to stand by her.

Once the smoke bomb blew, Sasuke and I took that opportunity to switch places. We both used the classic Transformation Jutsu, a Jutsu I was positive Watori couldn't distinguish at a Ninja of his level. So, we transformed into each other and I, as Sasuke, took Watori on head-on, knowing he'd get me under his Genjutsu first. Once I was caught under the Genjutsu, Sasuke, as me, would run in and use his own Sharingan against Watori, temporarily putting him in his own Genjutsu illusion. It's been so long. Watori's been putting other people under Genjutsu that he's forgotten the feeling of being caught in a Genjutsu himself. Just as I suspected. Sakura smirked as her grip tightened and felt the small, satisfying cracks under her fingers.

"Ack..." Watori smirked, "n-not bad..."

"Now..." Sakura pursed her lips, "you're going to pay for what you did for Aoba."

"Oh really..." Watori smirked as he let go of Sakura's hand only to reach behind his back.

Sasuke watched in horror and threw his arm forward.

Oh, hell no... Not again...

The kunai that Watori aimed for Sakura's stomach was thrust into the back of Sasuke's shoulder as he threw himself in front of Sakura.

"Sasuke!" Sakura looked down in horror at her husband as her grip clenched Watori's neck to the breaking point, screaming in anger, "Watori Iza, you're dead!!"

Before the boy could say anything more, his neck was completely crushed under Sakura's grip. Sakura threw him to the other side of the room as she turned Sasuke around to look at the bloody wound.

"Ngh..." He squeezed his eyes shut, "s-sorry... Sakura..."

"No, no... Just calm down." Sakura cautiously set her hand on the handle of the knife, "just breathe, okay?"

Sasuke inhaled sharply as Sakura quickly removed the kunai and threw it aside, "that was a reckless move, Sakura..."

"I know. But it was the only way to get to him." Sakura sighed as she set her hands on Sasuke's shoulders and forced him to sit down against the wall, "now hold still... The blade pierced through your shoulder blade..."

"Yeah..." Sasuke flinched as she started to remove his cloak and heal the deep cut, "s-sorry, again..."

"I really should be apologizing to you..." Sakura chuckled, "I feel like no matter where we go or what we do... We always get caught up in this problem."

"Yeah, well..." Sasuke smirked painfully as he leaned his head on her shoulder, "we're alive... You're alive..."

"Aoba's not, though..."

He let out a sigh, moved his hand to hold hers, and pulled her away from his injured back to sit in front of him, "Sakura, listen to me... I'm so sorry about Aoba... If you know me, I wouldn't have called him for help because I wanted to be the one to save you. But I knew neither of us had the expertise to stand against Watori, so... Aoba was my only thought because I trust him more than anyone else. I didn't want the Leaf Village to get involved, so he was my go-to. I never imagined this could've ended this way, but... I'm so sorry for what happened..."

Sakura smiled sadly and cried as she moved pulled her hand from his to hold his face, "Sasuke... Thank you for being so considerate... I mean... I'm devastated about what happened to Aoba, but... I'd rather have an Aoba-shaped hole in my heart than a Sasuke-shaped hole. I don't think I or even anyone else could live with that. He saved many lives today."

"You're worth the world to me, Sakura." Sasuke wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, "please don't go..."

"I won't." Sakura smiled as she hugged him back and kissed his forehead, "I love you so very much, Sasuke Uchiha. So, I swear. From here on out, this is the end of our suffering. We'll start a brand new chapter and I'll protect you, just as you always protected me."

"Deal." Sasuke smiled as she swung her leg over to straddle his lap, "I love you too, Sakura Uchiha. And despite how much stronger you've gotten, I'm never letting you out of my sight, either. Just a forewarning."

"That's good." Sakura wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry... We need to find somewhere to rest... My chakra levels are too low for me to be able to heal you completely, right now. I used a lot in that last fight, the chakra pill Aoba gave me is wearing off, and I feel like I might faint..."

"Are you sick?"

"N-no, I think I just need to sleep is all."

"We'll find somewhere to hunker down." Sasuke painfully pulled himself up and clenched Sakura's hand to help her up after him, "it's getting pretty late, I could imagine. About what time of day is it?" After being in all those Genjutsu... I've completely lost all track of time...

"It's about late afternoon, evening." Sakura muttered as she helped Sasuke walk and they headed out of the hideout, "there's the sunset."

"Wow..." Sasuke smiled at the bright red and orange in the sky. After admiring the colors, he looked down at Sakura, "I always have to keep reminding myself... After that whole fight with you back there, we were teammates before we were lovers."

"Huh?"

"We fought together in perfect sync and we somehow knew what the other was thinking." Sasuke smiled, "that's greater than any ninja ability I've ever known. A bond stronger than any bond any shinobi could have."

"I agree." Sakura clutched his arm tight and laughed, "I may not have been born with any special clan ability, but because of you, I found my ability and I know where my strength comes from. It comes from you and me. Together."

"This is our Shinobi ability that we created all on our own."

"Sure is!"

______________________

Later that night, slowly but surely, Sasuke finally managed to help Sakura to a small inn just on the outskirts of the Hidden Rain Village near Watori's hideout. They'd brought the remainder of Watori's followers and henchmen to the Hidden Valleys ANBU Black Ops just before having a proper burial for Aoba. Sakura's migraine led to her throwing up nearly every meal, yet despite that, she managed to use her chakra to heal over some of the damaged tissue in Sasuke's shoulder and changed the bandage every once in a while to allow the bruised bone to completely heal. From there, Sasuke helped her the rest of the way to the inn and to their room.

"Thank you, Sasuke..." Sakura smiled as he walked her through the doorway of their room and to the bed where he carefully laid her down.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I'm fine for now, thank you..."

"I can see if we can find you a doctor..." Sasuke removed his cloak and set it on the couch nearby, "you stay here and rest."

Sakura nodded and laid on her back, staring at the ceiling before her eyelids fell over her eyes.

"You see this? This is the Hidden Rain Village."

"Yeah, I see that... Have you ever been?"

"I grew up there."

"Oh, I see. What do you do these days? Why aren't you there now?"

"Because... Things happened. And... I don't plan to return, there. My past isn't really something to be proud of."

"Aoba..."

"No, it's alright, Sakura." Aoba rolled up his map and stood up, "well... We'd better start heading back. Sasuke's probably worried about you."

"Oh, he's fine with it. Besides, you're leaving in a couple of days after training with Sasuke." Sakura smiled.

"So, you and Sasuke..." Aoba looked at her, "how long have you known each other? I mean, from my point of view, it's hard to tell how close the two of you really are. If I never knew the two of you like I do now, I never would've figured you were married."

"Well..." She chuckled, "he doesn't really show it on the outside or in public, but he really cares about the people around him. We've known each other since we were little and went to the same Ninja Academy in the Leaf. He always rejected everyone's help and turned us away. He was independent. So seeing him asking you for help like this makes me so happy. As his wife, I really want to see him accept the help of others more, including me, because there are so many people out there that love him and care about him. Plus, I don't really need him to say he loves me all the time because I just know."

"That must be a strong bond. If I weren't told that, I'd get worried and lose faith..."

"Well, we're definitely not perfect, but we know and understand each other better than I might know or understand even myself." She laughed, "people can doubt us and call our marriage a fluke, but between the two of us, we know our love is real, and that's all that matters."

Aoba looked at her, smiled, and nodded, "I believe in that."

Sakura jolted up in her bed, waking from the sudden dream and feeling her stomach churning once again. She covered her mouth and stumbled to the bathroom. When she finished washing out her mouth in the sink, she slowly walked out and looked around, "it's only eleven thirty... Sasuke's not back yet?"

Suddenly, the door behind her slammed open and a man walked up to her, katana in hand.

"Sakura."

"Sasuke?"

"You're so..." Sasuke held up the katana and aimed it at her stomach, "annoying."

"Wh-what are you--?!"

He lunged forward and the sword pierced through her stomach.

"Sasuke!!"

"Sakura?!"

Sakura panted and looked around as the sudden feeling returned. She rolled out of bed and ran with shaky legs to the bathroom.

"S-Sakura?"

She slowly walked out and wiped her mouth as she looked with tear-filled eyes at a very distraught and concerned Sasuke, "h-hey..."

"Are you okay?" he set the scroll he was reading down and walked up to her, "you woke up really suddenly."

"I-I'm fine..." Sakura panted and glanced at the clock, "eleven thirty... So, did you find a doctor?"

"No, I didn't..." Sasuke sighed, "but..." He pulled out a plastic bag and held it to her, red tinted his cheeks, "I think this is all we need."

"This is..." Sakura cautiously looked into the bag, took it, and rubbed her forehead, "I-I'm scared... What if..."

"Then I'll be beyond happy."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Okay..." Sakura gripped the bag and turned to go to the bathroom.

Sasuke stood and watched her as his mind wandered off...

______________________

"Honey, I'm so excited!"

"I know... You're going to be a wonderful mother."

Sasuke glanced over at the couple just down the road from him, standing in front of a small market that stood out from all the other markets. He walked up to the small stand and studied its contents.

"Ah, are you interested in buying anything here?" The salesman walked up to him.

"What are you selling here?"

"Rare new technology for the expecting and the unexpecting!"

"What the hell does he mean...?" Sasuke murmured under his breath and glanced over at the couple nearby, "is that..."

The salesman nodded, "yep. That's something they developed in the Village Hidden in the Cloud. They use it to test for pregnancy."

"I'll take three of these."

This has to be it...

"Vomiting? Nausea? Lack of chakra control?" Naruto chuckled over the phone, "dude, you should probably take a break... Sakura's most definitely..."

Sasuke sat on the armrest of the couch and stared at the floor, "she really is, isn't she... Were those pregnancy tests even needed? The signs are already there... How did I not know?"

A few minutes past and the bathroom door opened slowly, "h-hey Sasuke..."

"Sakura." He stood up and walked up to her, taking her hand in his, "well?"

"It's...." her eyes avoided his and her shoulders shook.

"S-Sakura, hey..." He leaned lower to see her face, and when she finally looked at him, tears streaming down her face, he smiled, pulling her into a tight hug. Her face glowed as she squeezed her eyes shut, hugged Sasuke tight, and laughed, "you did it?"

"Uh-huh." Sakura cried and laughed, "S-Sasuke!"

"I love you, Sakura... I love you so much." Sasuke pulled back and kissed her hard, pulling her body tighter against his as one of her hands clenched the cloth of his shirt and the other clenched the pregnancy test, on it scrawled that fateful symbol.

+