The Return

Chapter 40

The Storm

Sasuke woke in the middle of the night as rain hit the window at the inn. It looked like a thunderstorm was approaching. He stretched and turned over to face his wife. He smiled, gazing at the Uchiha crest on her back. He reached out and traced it with his finger. He pulled back as she turned over though. Did he wake her up?

"Sa-s-uke" she whispered.

"Hn, are you awake?" he brushed his hand against her arm.

"Don't leave me" she muttered with a sigh.

A rush of adrenaline coursed through him as he registered her comment. "Of course not, Sakura I-"

"I'll help get your revenge" she breathed.

He pulled his hand back from her shoulder. She was still asleep. His eyes widened and tears built up behind them as he realized what she was dreaming about.

"Just stay here with me" her brow furrowed. "Don't go."

He brushed away his tears and caressed her face, slowly trying to wake her.

"Sasuke" she muttered.

He moved closer to her, holding his wife in a close embrace as rain pounded on the window. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm so sorry for everything. If I could take it all back I would, but I'm here now" he reassured her.

Thunder struck and a blast of lightning lit up the room in a flash of white.

"I love you" he whispered as he continued to hold her tightly in his arm.

"I love you too" she responded sleepily.

"Sakura? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have woken you" he backtracked, pulling away.

"It's fine" she rubbed her tired eyes. She held her palm away from her face for a moment. "What? I'm...crying?"

Sasuke looked on, concerned. He knew this was all his fault. And he knew that this wasn't the first time she'd woken up in tears because of him. He remembered her sobs back in her apartment. He'd assumed they were for her patients, but now he began to wonder if they were due to the nightmares he caused as well.

Bringing his hand up, he brushed away her tears with his thumb. "I'm here now, it's okay."

"Sasuke?" she gasped as lightning flashed in the room.

He saw her petrified face, still recovering from her dream. "Why do I feel like I lost you? Was that a nightmare? It felt so real."

His heart pounded and guilt overwhelmed him. If he'd never left the village in the first place, she wouldn't be suffering like this. He was so naive back then. "You're not the one who needs to apologize," he said, holding her close. "It was my fault. But it's okay because we're connected now. Wherever I am, my heart will always belong to you. And I will always find my way back to you, I promise."

"Sasuke" she breathed, relaxing into his embrace.

They lay in silence as the storm raged on. Eventually, Sakura fell back to sleep, but Sasuke remained awake, still holding onto her. He felt as though he had to do something to make it up to her. She'd done so much for him and he was so grateful for her love and support. He had to show her he cared just as much for her as she did for him. But what to do?

The following morning, Sasuke stirred with the rising sun. As he opened his eyes, he found his wife still beside him. He was surprised that she slept so soundly after the storm.

"Sakura, it's time to wake up" he shook her arm slightly, kissing her shoulder and making his way to her neck.

She shrugged and giggled before opening her bright green eyes. She yawned and smiled back at her husband. "Morning."

Sasuke smiled before standing and gazing out the window. It was a bright new day, and he was determined to make the most of it. He'd make sure his wife knew how much he appreciated her. He never wanted her to feel lonely or sad again.

As they packed up and left the inn, Sasuke held his wife's hand tightly. He guided her along as they headed back to the main path and he even picked a rose for her along the way. He didn't know much about romance, but Ino, Naruto, and Kakashi acted like they were experts on the topic, so he figured it couldn't hurt to follow their advice.

"Here, my love" he presented the flower with a bow.

"What the heck?" Sakura stepped back. "What are you doing?" This was completely unlike her husband. Did he suddenly become possessed by the alternate universe's Sasuke?

He glanced up. Did he do something wrong? He thought girls liked this sort of thing. This was so difficult. He'd never had a problem attracting women before. They just sort of flocked to him if he simply breathed the same air as them. Sakura was different though, he knew that. Perhaps it would take more than this to show his appreciation? Desperate times called for desperate measures. He removed his cloak and draped it around his wife's shoulders.

"Sasuke, whatever this is, it's getting old really fast." She shrugged off his cloak and handed it back to him.

He frowned. What more would it take? An idea sparked in his mind. He attempted to pick her up bridal style. That said, his one arm wasn't much good in this situation.

"Knock it off, shannaro!" Sakura wriggled out of his grasp and punched a tree behind her husband, snapping it in two.

Sasuke dodged out of the way and hunched his shoulders. He'd have to be careful considering his wife's temper.

"Sasuke Uchiha, tell me what the heck is going on right now if you don't want to be next!" she clenched her fist.

Sasuke's mind raced. He had to think of something fast. "I...um..." he stammered nervously. What more could he do here?

Sakura took a deep breath. "Sasuke, what's this really about? I won't get mad. I'm just worried. All of these gestures are making me uncomfortable. They remind me of a fantasy, but they're not what I want anymore. What I really want is for you to be yourself. Can't you see that?"

"Sakura" he gasped then smirked. "There I go again, not expressing my emotions properly, huh?" He sighed. "I guess, the guilt of my past crept up on me again. I knew I couldn't take back all of the terrible things I did to you, so I wanted to change things now. I wanted to show you how much I've appreciated you staying by my side. You and Naruto are my rock and nothing I do will come close to the gratitude I feel. I just thought I'd try to make it up to you."

Sakura took a deep breath and grasped his hand. "You don't need to do anything. All I need is for you to be by my side right now. Even then, it's like you said, we'll always be connected, right?"

His expression softened and he smiled. "Yeah." He stepped forward and poked her forehead affectionately. 

Hand in hand they walked through the trees, heading towards a new horizon.