Chapter 31

"Open your eyes."

Sasuke removed his hands and Sakura gasped, stepping backwards and feeling her back meet with Sasuke's solid chest.

"Oh my God." She could find no other words.

Standing before her, down below, was the Hidden Leaf, rebuilt and looking exactly as it had the first time she had ever laid eyes on it. It was like the war hadn't touched it at all; like Deidara had never blown it up with one of his bombs.

Does that mean the Sand is the same?

Sakura instantly regretted thinking of the Sand and flinched at the powerful pang in her chest. The Sand meant one person, and though Sakura found that thinking of him was becoming gradually easier and less painful, memories and dreams of Gaara still haunted her.

She sighed; it would have come down to her making a choice, between him and Sasuke, but Gaara had saved her from having to make that impossible choice in the end, by making the choice for her.

Gaara... Thank you. For everything...

"Sakura?"

Sakura was immediately brought out of her thoughts and turned, forcing a reassuring smile onto her face and quickly pecking Sasuke's lips. She wrapped her arms around his torso and turned back to the Leaf standing in all its glory below them.

"Does that mean we can come back?"

Sakura loved the Mist, but the Leaf was her home and the thought of returning to it ignited something in her veins. She was sure it was anticipation, but it felt like something more, something she couldn't put into words.

Sasuke affectionately nuzzled her hair, his voice muffled. "Yes."

Sakura released him, eyes glinting as her lips curled upwards. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Catch me if you can," she whispered and broke into a run, not slowing down as she reached the familiar balcony's edge and leaping, the wind screaming in her ears before she landed lightly and raced forward down the familiar streets.

She couldn't see Sasuke, but she could hear him behind her and catching up fast. She ran faster, her blood boiling with excitement and adrenaline. She reached the training grounds where Sasuke and Tsunade had first trained her how to fight, where she had exceeded their expectations and where she had drank the Vampire's Blood in order to become stronger.

Sakura ducked behind a large tree and waited, her heart pounding in her ears, listening to the approaching footsteps, before she tackled Sasuke from the side. He yelped with surprise as they both hit the ground, Sasuke on his back and Sakura on top of him.

She laughed breathlessly and squeaked when Sasuke suddenly rolled so that he was on the one hovering above her.

"You're wild," he breathed and Sakura opened her mouth to reply before gasping instead when Sasuke's lips descended upon her neck. She wound her arms around his neck to pull his body closer to hers, feeling her boiling blood replaced with fire as his hands traced the skin just under the hem of her tank top. But it was a good fire.

Her fingers curled into his hair as his lips trailed her collarbones, and she gasped again when they moved further down.

The old Sakura, the human Sakura, would have already pushed Sasuke away by now, would have probably stalked off in embarrassment.

But this Sakura wanted to go further, wanted to explore more and she was not afraid to finally go all the way with Sasuke.

"Sasuke." Her voice was muffled by his mouth finding hers again, as his hands ventured further, to places where Sakura had never been touched before, but found that she thoroughly enjoyed.

"Don't stop."

xxx

Karin screamed, her fingers digging painfully into Suigetsu's back before he collapsed on top of her, sweating and panting.

A few minutes passed as they both caught their breath before she shoved him off of her and onto his back beside her. "You're heavy, dammit." She tried to make her voice sound annoyed, but it was too high pitched and breathy. And she wasn't annoyed. She definitely wasn't annoyed at all.

"That was amazing," Suigetsu breathed, staring up at the ceiling and Karin giggled giddily. She couldn't have agreed more.

"I always figured you'd be a screamer, but not that loud," Suigetsu turned his head to look at her stunned face, smirking, "I guess I'm just that good."

"As if."

"Tell that to those gorges in my back, princess."

Karin gaped at him. Way to ruin the moment, idiot. She snorted and bared her fangs at him.

"We go again and I'll have you whining like a little bitch!" she snapped and Suigetsu sniggered. His glowing purple eyes said it all: be my guest.

Karin was on top of him in seconds and she didn't miss the surprised look on his face. Huh. He didn't think I'd follow through.

She brought her mouth to his ear, feeling his body shudder beneath her, her voice low and husky. "Ready for round two?"

xxx

Sakura hugged Yugito tightly.

"Come visit and train with me sometime, Sakura," the blonde girl said, releasing her and Sakura smiled. "Of course."

The Druids were finally returning back to the Druids' Land now that the war was finally over and Sakura was glad that it was finally safe for them to return to their homeland, but she was also terribly sad. She would miss her new friends and powerful allies.

Both races, the Druids and the vampires, had gathered at the base of the Mist's great balcony to bid each other farewell. Seeing them now; Sakura found it difficult to imagine that there had ever been a war between them.

She turned to Naruto who was moving toward her, Hinata at his side, her eyes bright with happiness but there was sadness in them too.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Sakura asked and squeaked with surprise when Naruto pulled her into a fierce hug. She could feel the taughtness of his powerful arm muscles as they wound around her, and she was reminded of how powerful this goofy blonde boy with blue fox eyes really was.

He released her and Sakura barely had time to catch her breath before Hinata's arms were around her.

Sakura held onto the willowy girl tightly, her fingers gripping the lace of Hinata's favourite, and familiar, white hoodie.

The Hyuuga girl had chosen to go with the Druids, to be the ambassador for the vampires, for Tsunade and the rest of the Kages, but Sakura knew that it was actually to be with Naruto. She was happy for them but that didn't stop the tears from pricking her eyes.

"Come visit," Sakura said, releasing her friend as Tenten appeared at her side. "Both of you."

The brunette tackled Hinata, nearly bringing them both to the ground with the force of her embrace and Sakura laughed while Naruto chuckled.

The blonde boy bowed his head and Sakura turned to where he was looking and immediately bowed to Minato as he approached. He turned to his son. "It is time to go." Sakura felt a sharp pang in her chest as Naruto smiled at her before prying Hinata away from Tenten and leading her to where the rest of the Druids were already descending the steps to the surface. Sakura watched them go.

I hate goodbyes.

"Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura was suddenly brought out of her thoughts, "What?" she bowed apologetically to the Druid chief and Minato chuckled, reminding her so much of Naruto.

"I said thank you, Sakura," he took both her hands in his own. "For everything."

"I couldn't have done it without the help of you and your people, so thank you," she replied, meaning it. Minato smiled warmly at her, tilting his head in acknowledgment before moving away to join his people.

Sakura gazed ahead at the large group waiting at the steps and spotted Tsunade speaking with the Mizukage. Karin and Suigetsu were standing a short distance away. They met her gaze, Suigetsu winking at her and flashing his strange shark-like teeth brightly, and Karin smiling warmly. She was leaving too, with Suigetsu and the Mizukage back to the Mist.

She could see Hinata and Naruto too, talking to Neji who looked as though he felt the same way as Sakura did, happy, but also sad to see his cousin go. Tenten was hugging him from behind and Sakura chuckled at herself because she hadn't even realised that Tenten had gone with the others.

Sakura began to walk to the training grounds. She had already said her goodbyes.

She entered the woods surrounding the training grounds and felt her pulse speed up when her eyes fell upon a figure lounging comfortably against one of the trees just ahead of her. She would have recognised the figure anywhere.

"Sasuke."

His eyes locked onto hers, beckoning her forward as his mouth curled into a half smile that make Sakura's skin tingle.

Sakura smiled back as she took her first step toward him.

I'll never have to say goodbye to him.

xxxxxxx

One week later...

Sakura eyed the dark crimson liquid in her glass curiously. "What's it like?"

Sasuke chuckled and brought his own glass to his lips, sipping at its contents before smirking at her in a way that revealed the tips of his fangs. "You'll just have to find out."

"Lions' blood," she murmured before bringing the brim of the glass to her lips and tilting the contents into her mouth. She swallowed and gazed down at the glass in her hand in awe. "It tastes like the plains of Africa."

Sasuke chuckled at her reaction and took a perfectly curled ringlet of her styled hair between his fingers, marvelling at the colour and softness.

"I would have wanted you to taste it before, but the circumstances that time were... complicated," his eyes took on a faraway look as he remembered and Sakura didn't blame him for being so vague.

That had been the night they had lost the Leaf to Ino and her allies. That had been the last meeting of the five Kages, until now. The only difference was that the Druid chief was now there too and considered to be of equal importance to the Kages.

"Mm," she agreed, running her hand affectionately down his arm. "I wasn't even a vampire yet." Sasuke chuckled again.

Like the last time, Sakura was all dressed up again, in white lace, with small white flowers in her hair and this time, she felt like she truly belonged there.

Her eyes scanned the room at the formally clad figures dancing and conversing until the settled on the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand.

As if sensing her, Gaara looked away from his siblings and locked eyes were her, his icy blue orbs meeting her emeralds and Sakura held her breath. They hadn't spoken since he had left the Mist.

He tilted his head with acknowledgment before turning back to his brother and sister and Sakura released the breath she had been holding. There had been no hate in his eyes.

Sasuke regarded Sakura curiously, his eyes following where hers were looking and understanding sparked in his eyes.

Sakura felt his cool breath on her ear.

"Let's get out of here."

xxx

"Why here of all places, Sasuke?" The lace of Sakura's ball gown flowed around her prettily with the wind as she gazed at the open air around them and Sasuke grinned at her, eyes glowing through the darkness.

"It's where we first met wasn't it?"

And so it was. Sakura hadn't visited it in ages but she would have recognised her old apartment building anywhere and anytime. She walked over to the edge of the building's flat roof and looked down at the empty street below. She remembered that it had never been busy; the traffic was more toward the centre of Manhattan.

She felt Sasuke suddenly behind her and his arms wound around her. "And it's where you saved my life. So I figured it would be a fitting place."

Sakura turned, confused by his strange words. "For what?"

She realised that if anyone where to see them now, any humans anyway, on the rooftop of a rundown building, dressed for a ball. She wasn't sure what they would think.

She felt her eyes widen as Sasuke got down onto one knee.

Is he...

"Sasuke," she said as he reached behind him and produced a small velvet box from his pocket.

Is that...

"Sasuke," she said again, her voice more high pitched and her breaths becoming quicker.

"Sakura," he began, slowing opening the box.

Oh my God.

"This might be selfish of me," he smiled up at her, and Sakura was sure that his smile could have lit up the whole of Manhattan, brighter than the city lights had ever been. "But I want to spend my eternity with you, my soul mate and my reason for this existence."

Sakura knew that she had stopped breathing.

"Sakura," he pulled the golden ring gently from the box.

"Will you marry me?"

Sakura answered the question by throwing herself at him and kissing him, not caring about getting her dress dirty.

"Yes," she said between kissing him, "Yes. Yes. Yes!"

She straddled his lap as he sat up and gently slid the ring onto her finger, the diamond, shaped like a tiny cherry blossom, winking up at her and Sakura felt her eyes mist over with tears of happiness.

She felt the first raindrop land on her face.

"It's raining," Sasuke murmured against her neck. "Just like when you found me."

Sakura smiled as the light drizzle turned into a downpour, drenching their clothes completely before she closed her eyes and tilted her face up to the sky, letting the rain wash her makeup away.

It was funny how her new life had begun with the rain, and yet again an even newer stage of her life, with Sasuke, would begin with the rain once again. She had never liked the rain particularly before, but she found it so completely beautiful now.

She opened her eyes and looked back at Sasuke, their faces only centimetres apart. She looked into his eyes and saw herself reflected in them. Everything about her had changed so much, everything except her love for Sasuke.

Sasuke had been and still was her reason for being, the reason she had been strong enough to fight in a war belonging to world that was still so new to her. He had been the reason she had survived, the reason she had persevered. He was like the air she needed to breathe. He was her reason for this existence. She had left everything behind to be with this boy, and she wouldn't have changed that for anything.

Sasuke pressed his lips to hers, gentle, as he brushed the soaked strands of her pink hair from her face.

"I love you,"

"Sakura Uchiha"...

End

AND THAT, MY DEAR READERS, WAS THAT.

SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG, BUT I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT. THIS WAS MY FIRST EVER STORY THAT I POSTED ON THE INTERNET SO I HOPE IT WAS GOOD. PLEASE FAVORITE IF YOU ENJOYED READING IT AS MUCH AS I ENJOYED WRITING IT AND PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS! I LOVE READING WHAT YOU GUYS THINK AND HAVE TO SAY!

SO THANKS AGAIN FOR READING AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT! SASUSAKU FOREVER!