After drinking his water, Sasuke asked, "Are you finished?" He looked at Sakura who took the last scoop of her meal.

She nodded once she swallowed the food. To her surprise, Sasuke stood up. "Fantastic, let me show you something." He informed her as he walked towards her direction.

Sakura folded her table napkin then Sasuke grabbed her wrist. "Where must we go?" She questioned and Sasuke only smirked in response.

"You shall see."

Stuck in the midst of confusion, Sakura allowed her husband to drag her to somewhere Sasuke only knew.

It might sound as weird, but even though Sakura had been staying in the Uchiha castle for more than a month, she still has not memorized the different rooms and corridors—it was that enormous.

Suddenly, Sakura's mind snapped back to the moments she was with Sasuke. They both snuck out the castle since Sasuke insisted on spending time with her.

She was smiling at the thought, until she reminisced the reason why she had to avoid him. Why she had to be strict. Why she had to give limitations. Why she had to be mean.

"I never want to love again, Sakura-chan..."

"Sakura. Sakura, are you all right?"

Rubbing her eyes, she concentrated on what was occurring in the present as she disregarded the past—at least for once, at least for now.

"Yes. What do you want to show me?" She asked as they paused on the door after walking to the top floor.

"After you." Sasuke answered while opening the door and stepping back, enough space for Sakura to go through.

It was a balcony with the view of the whole kingdom. The glimmering lights all over the land flashed before Sakura's vision and different trademarks of Konoha could be seen from where she was standing. Even the stars twinkled up above, the clouds roaming around while the moon illuminated the dark sky.

"Wow," was all that Sakura say before gripping on the railings. Her eyes scanning the environment with such admiration.

Sasuke came along as well after her as he shoved his hands inside his pockets. "I often come here to think."

"It is lovely." She commented, her eyes staring at the reflection of the sky from the ocean, as well as the people strolling around the kingdom below. "This, by far, is the most wonderful venue in Konoha. How come you never brought me here until now?"

"Because I never did." He spoke, taking a seat on the ground.

Sakura's eyebrows scrunched—bafflement was evident on her expression. "What do you mean?" She sat down next to him, despite her long dress.

"This is my own private spot, if you may consider. I have never shown anyone this, except you."

"How come?"

"Let us put it like this; if you had a ticket to go anywhere by yourself, then what is the point in going if you do not have anyone to share those memories with?" Sasuke locked his gaze at Sakura as she turned away.

"Why me—out of all people? You should despise me for all I know. I took your freedom to marry who you want." She dropped those words as if it was venom.

"I am a prince. I would not marry you if I did not want to." He told with a fulfilling grin which caught Sakura's attention. "Furthermore, I am fully aware that you need this place more than I do."

Hearing his message, Sakura recalled her conversation with Temari wherein Sasuke most likely heard a part of the talk.

Sakura stayed silent for a while and Sasuke let her think. It was the purpose of showing her the spot anyways.

"So, what is your story?" Sasuke began, frustrating Sakura in the process.

"My story?"

"Precisely. Everyone has a story, do they not?"

Sakura had never, in her entire life, felt freedom in speaking her own words. It was always structured. How come this prince made her feel so free?

She averted her sight towards the display before them as she replied, "Tell me yours then I shall tell mine."

"Fair enough." Sasuke straightened his posture before he started talking. "I have grown up to be prince, taught to protect in general. As you may know by now, my brother is going to be the king soon and I must be the one to keep him from jeopardy."

"Doesn't that sound odd? A prince guarding a king? They both needed to be safe, do they not?"

Sasuke shook his head in remembrance. "Not in this town, I suppose. Ever since I was young, I was trained to fight for the protection of my family. Which is also why I am the head of the military force."

"That explains the horse-back riding and the reason why you do not understand self-defense." Sakura countered, nearly smiling once Sasuke chuckled.

"Finally, you understand my bloody thoughts." He joked, resulting for Sakura to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"On the contrary, is it not injustice? That your brother would get more advantages and opportunities in comparison to you? Just because of being the first-born?"

Shrugging, Sasuke sighed at the inquiry. "I have never thought of it that way, but I believe so. I would not go against it though, he is the only person suited for that position in the family."

"You could be a great king as well in all honesty." She remarked, making Sasuke laugh.

"I do not have any plans to be king. It is not my dream to be one."

"I am guessing that being polygyny would be your dream?" Her own reply brought her to laughter.

"I have you know that almost every male in my family had been through having fans."

"If you say so."

Sasuke scratched the back of his head before moving on. "How about your story then? I shared mine, what is yours?"

In response, Sakura smiled timidly. "There is nothing much really."

"Discuss further, then."

Biting her lip, she battled between telling the truth or making up a cover story. She wandered into his eyes and in that moment, she decided to tell the truth. "I am like a puppet."

"Pardon?"

"I am like a puppet. My life is controlled by someone else. All I have ever done is obey and follow, whether I like it or not." She knew she was on the verge of tears, but she could not care less. She had been too strong to hide all of her emotions—and now was the time to let it all go. "Have you ever felt being used?"

"I suppose."

"That is what I feel every day of my life." Sakura gulped, wiping the tears off of the edges of her eyes. "I apologize for having you affected with—"

"Have you ever felt comfort?"

"Excuse me?"

In a blink of an eye, Sakura could feel strong arms locking her in an embrace and she could feel her heart bursting. Although, she could not comprehend whether it was from shock or fear. "What are you doing?"

"Comforting. I suppose no one has ever done this to lift your spirits up?"

"Never. They never took my thoughts and feelings into consideration."

When Sasuke released his grip from Sakura, she slowly felt the cold breeze surrounding her skin once again.

Imagining life without comfort could not seem possible to Sasuke with his mother's care. What more could he think of when his wife had never experienced any forms of solace?

"Tell me, have you ever had a relationship with other men?" He shifted the topic to cloud her mind from the mournful memories.

Sakura shook her head with the edges of her lips curving down.

"Really? I find it hard to believe with your beauty and personality." He answered as Sakura bit back a snort.

"Not even one man piqued your interest?"

Once he pressed the subject, Sakura just shrugged—emotionless. "What is the point in loving if you know they cannot be yours in the end?"

"You claim that my life is unfair, though in fact, your life is the one that has so much injustice." He said, caressing his forehead with such irritation.

"How about you? I know that we are in a commitment, but any lady in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, there is."

That caught Sakura in surprise even though it was expected of a charming prince like him.

Sasuke coughed, noticing the change of atmosphere. "How is your stay in Konoha so far?"

"Much better than my hometown. At least I felt freedom here rather than before." She returned with a bright smile.

"Do you miss your former kingdom?"

Sakura playfully gagged. "Absolutely not. That place is like hell compared to this place. This is nearly close to heaven."

"You never want to go back there, do you?"

"The only reason why I want to go back is because of my sister." She confessed and Sasuke sighed in regret.

"I am truly sorry for accepting the fixed marriage." He acknowledged. Sakura shook her head repeatedly as she interlinked her hands with his.

"Don't be. You gave me freedom and that is the best thing that I have received. I only longed for my sister...but I got used to it now." She ensured before grinning. "Thank you and do not be sad. It was the first time I got out of the castle because of you."

"First time? Have you literally been locked up inside a castle all your life?"

"On certain occasions I get to leave, but nonetheless, I only get a glimpse of what is really behind the borders." She responded as if it was not really a big deal, which yet again, shocked Sasuke since she was like an outsider who knew nothing about the world.

Suddenly, a ball of fire zoomed in the sky with an alarming rate of speed before it vanished. At the same time, lanterns were rose up from the land.

"There is a myth wherein elders say that if you see a lantern and you made a wish as it floated for a long time, it may come true." Sasuke brought up and Sakura turned to him with interest. "If you had one wish, what would it be?"

"I want to be a normal person." Those were the only words she stated, but it left a big mark. Every maiden in the land would wish to be a princess, however she wanted to be normal—to have an average life. "How about you?"

Sasuke hesitated, "I believe I have everything I need. I suppose I only wish for this to maintain."

Smiling in content, they proceeded on watching the stars twinkle as the two drift on their own thoughts. For the first time, Sakura could feel a heavy weight being lifted from her shoulders. Now, she was at peace.

···》···》···》···》···》

PUBLISHED.//1.28.16//

Will probably not put author's notes unless it's important, so that your reading may not be disturbed. :)

Thanks for supporting!

~Kikaraaa