Thanks man. Now, I really wish there would be more discussion in this thread about the story. It is one of the best fics with some of the more organic character development I've seen in fiction. The premise focusing on fanmade characters all but proves something that I hold dear, and that is that a good fanmade character is an asset to a fanfic story, not a liability. It's sad that people tend to equate fancharacters with Mary Sues and Gary Stus, even though well constructed fan characters allow for plots and situations you otherwise couldn't create with just what is available in the official material.
The situation between Sasuke and Sakura, which is one of the main foci of the story, is one of the best represented regarding a relationship between those two, as it doesn't just make things better just because they are together romantically. Zapenstaff took into account possible issues that a damaged individual like Sasuke Uchiha would have after all he's gone through and made use of them rather than ignore them. The conflict that arises from those issues, I feel are very well crafted and dynamic, and the problems that arise from them provide some well done conflict between the characters, not just Sasuke and Sakura but also their friends and acquaintances, which can't and shouldn't be solved with just a handwave.
I do have some things that bother me in the story, but it's more me being nitpicky than anything else, as there are not enough of them to really stop my enjoyment of the story.
I really hope Zapenstaff comes around to the forums again. It would be nice to discuss things with the author directly.