#ssm18d1

Prompt: Sasusaku Month Day 1, Heroes

Summary: Her parents were heroes. She selfishly wishes that they didn’t have to be.

Note: So I’m not sure who exactly the enemy will be Boruto so that’s a little vague but none the less. Also umm… Sorry?

When Sasuke first tells Sarada the story about her uncle Itachi she is fifteen years old. She cries through most of it not for herself but for her father, her uncle and her entire clan. Then she gets angry. Angry at Konoha, angry at her parents for not telling her and angry at herself for being ignorant for so long.

But in the end she’s just filled with an overwhelming sense of pride as she says,”Uncle Itachi was a true hero.”

“Your uncle was a hero Sarada.” He agrees with her but his eyes are sad,”But I wish he didn’t have to be.”

___________________

The attack happens so suddenly that nobody has time to blink.

One second everything was fine and the next Sarada’s world had turned on it’s axis violently, her village, her home thrown into chaos.

While the Chunnins had all been on guard with most of the village elders gone she hadn’t expected things to go so wrong so fast and after an hour of continuous fighting Sarada finally thinks this is the end when her enemies blade looms over her and she’s too chakra depleted and injured to defend herself.

But then her hero arrives.

Armed with nothing but pink hair, large jade eyes and a punch, her mother sends the enemy flying back. But this is a small victory for the larger more eminent threat still looms over them threatening to destroy everything they know.  

Sarada’s knees wobbled making her stumble but someone catches her, supporting her weight.

“Sarada!” A voice calls out frantically as her vision blurs and she can vaguely make out that along with her mother Boruto had arrived too.

“Boruto?” She asked faintly,”Mama?”

“I can’t spare anymore chakra but I’ve stop the bleeding and closed most of the  wounds.” She tells Sarada and then looks at Boruto once she’s done healing her daughter,”You have to get her out of here safely.”

“But Aunt Saku-“ Boruto started but her mother put her hand up as if to stop him.

“This is not your fight Boruto, not while I’m here.” She says,”Right now it’s your job to save Sarada and the civillians who don’t have the means to defend themselves.You have to get them clear of the village.”

Her mother turns towards her and there is something so utterly sad in those green eyes but before Sarada can understand she’s pulled into a tight hug that smells like...home.

“Sarada, I’m so so proud of you.” Her mother mutters,”You know that right?”

“Of course.” Sarada groans,”But mama you’re squishing me.”

Her mother pulls back sheepishly and apologises,”Sorry.”

Sakura then nods at Boruto who picks Sarada up,”Keep her safe.”

Her mother turns around and it’s then that the devastating realisation of what her mother is trying to do sets in.

“Wait what- mama no!” Sarada manages to say and her mother freezes.

“No. No. NO!” Sarada screams trying to claw out of Boruto’s strong arms around her,”Mama PLEASE! LET ME -”

“Boruto.” Sakura said clenching her fists keeping a straight face,”Take care of my daughter.” His grip on Sarada tightens who was sobbing uncontrollably and heartbreakingly.

“I love you.” Her mother smiles, but Sarada can see the tears in her eyes and hear the finality in her tone,“Thank you for being my daughter Sarada.”

And everything goes black.

__________________________________

By the time Sasuke arrives he knows it’s already too late. He’d hurried as soon as he’d sensed something was wrong but he’d been too far away to make it in time. Sarada was already in the relief camp that had been set up.

Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, her name rings in his mind and her chakra is easy enough to find in a Konoha that is painfully quiet. The scars of the devastating battle that has reduced the once peaceful village are everywhere and at the heart of it all the perpetrator lies dead.

But she was still alive, waiting, waiting like she always had for him, propped up against a crumbling wall covered in blood, her purple diamond no longer present but a weak smile gracing her beautiful features that even death couldn't take away from her.

“Can you heal yourself?” He asks desperately but he knows her answer before she gives him a sad smile as she says,”I’m sorry.”

Sasuke immediately bends down wrapping her arm around his shoulders his mind analysing the best possible plan to get her to safety, to a medic, but the irony is not lost on him when he realises that in this situation the only medic who would be able to heal Sakura was Sakura herself.

But that didn't matter. He would not give up.

“Anata.” It’s all she can manage and he turns to her, her steady green eyes holding his mismatched ones steadily.

Understanding courses through him and his resolve crumbles pathetically. His heart beats erratically and he feels like it's been torn out of his chest.

"I'm sorry." She repeats.

Mismatched eyes meet green and suddenly his black eye shift to a blood red and the world around them fades.

Instead they are thirteen and Sasuke is leaving the village. Once again Sakura runs after him, she screams that she loves him so much that she can’t stand it and she vows to give him happiness and promises him that he would not regret it.

Only this time he hugs her and promises her that he'll stay. That he won't leave her.

It plays out like a movie after that. Sakura still trains under Tsunade in Konoha, there is no war, Naruto is still irritating, Kakashi is still a pervert but this time around Sasuke loves Sakura as he should have.

He smiles at her like she’s his world, he goes on countless dates, holds her hand and never lets go. Itachi comes back to the village, they get married and Sarada is born surrounded by all their closest friends and family.

Sasuke stays to become the chief of police in Konoha and watches his daughter grow up. They have a happy, mundane life together where Sasuke always greets Sakura after a long tiring day in the hospital.

“Welcome home.” He says tucking her hair behind her ears.

She wraps her arms around him and kisses him,”I’m home.”

Sarada becomes a Hokage like no other and she carries on the Uchiha legacy with her father’s pride and her mother’s compassion.

And Sasuke grows old with Sakura after he gives her the life that she truly deserved.

He gives her the life he wanted with her.

And then once again they're thirteen standing in front of that bench.

Except it’s Sakura who is leaving this time.

And once she goes, Sasuke knows she'll never come back.

"You stayed." Sakura says smiling softly,"You stayed in the village for me."

She stands ahead of him a few metres apart her pink hair flying in the gentle breeze that blows through the moonless night.

"It's what I should have done." Sasuke responds firmly.

She smiles at him faintly and closes the distance separating them. She puts her palms on either side of his face and says ,"I'd love you in any version of reality Sasuke-kun. May it be the one where you stayed or the one you left. You’re you, no matter what you do, no matter what you become.”

"Don't leave me." A strangled gasp escapes his lips and his panic shakes up the very foundation of the genjutsu they're in.

“I’m so in love with you, I can’t stand it.” She whispers the same words she’d said all those years back and even now they hold just as true if not more.

“Me too.” He says quietly.

“Did you regret it?” Sakura asks taking a step back her hands behind her back, a bright smile on her face,”Being with me?”

He shakes his head,”Never. Not one second.”

She takes another step back.

“I’d promised to give you happiness.” She says and takes another step back, “Was I able to?”

“You are my happiness.” He responds,”You and Sarada are everything to me.”

“You know I’ll do anything for you Sasuke.”

But she already has.

“You’re annoying.” He grumbles and she laughs out loudly her voice ringing out clearly in the night. He smiles.

“Yes.” She says, “I suppose I was a lot of things.”

“But not weak.” He says,”Never weak.”

Her eyes widen and tears spring to her eyes.

“Sakura.” He says and there are a million things he wants to say, stay, don’t leave me, I love you, I love you, but instead he simply says,“Thank you.”

And for the last time ever Sakura Uchiha smiles. But this smile is different. This is a smile that she can only give him, a smile that’s because of him, for him. It’s a smile that will never fade, it’s a smile that encompasses her compassion, her strength and her love.

“For what?” She asks faintly.

For Sarada.

For loving me.

For waiting for me.

For never giving up.

For being you.

Thank you for…

“Everything.”

The genjutsu breaks and Sasuke catches his wife and places her gently on the bench.

And then he kisses her goodbye.

Just like he’d done all those years ago.

___________________________________

Sakura may have been the one who died that day but Sarada had lost both her parents that day.

Outwardly Sasuke remains unaffected to most people, he’s now undoubtedly in charge with the seventh hokage missing, the sixth hokage injured and with the greatest medic in all five nations dead all the responsibilities fall squarely on his shoulders.

He doesn’t bend or break and sometimes people wonder if he’d ever even loved his wife. But that’s because they had never seen the extent of his love for her, the softness of his eyes and the kindness in his voice whenever she was there.

But Sarada, Sarada knew.

After all it had been her who had found him, clutching her Mama’s body crying so devastatingly that Sarada had to stop wonder if this was the man she’d known to be her father. But as her eyes sharpened, her Sharingan evolving itself to the pattern of a Mangekyo she saw all those things she’d missed before.

And she saw the large crack in the soul of a man who was broken beyond repair.

That day when she cried beside her Mama, she cried for the loss of her best friend, her hero and the man her father was.

And then comes the day that Sasuke finally falls in battle.

Boruto weeps and weeps over losing his sensei but Sarada just sits there holding her fathers hand in his last moments and giving him a soft bright smile that reminds him so much of his wife.

“Say hi to Mama for me.” Sarada says softly,”As much as I want to I’ll only be able to join you after living a long life where I’ve set everything straight.”

It’s a promise to him.

It’s a promise to her mother.

Their sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain.

“I’m proud of you Sarada.” He says faintly,”You’ve got your mothers strength and your uncles kindness.”

“And I’ve got your heart.” She says softly. The heart that had loved her and her mother quietly and endlessly.

Her father raises his hand and weakly and taps her on her forehead,“I’m sorry there won’t be a next time.”

That day Boruto inherits her father’s katana and his cloak while Sarada carries her mothers strength and her fathers eyes.Through his eyes she sees the world as he saw it, filled with cherry blossom pink hair, green eyes and ever present smiles. Through her strength she protects the things she cares about bravely and unflinchingly.

And with their love she lives a life they would be proud of.

“Your grandparents were heroes.” She tells her children years later with a far off look in her eyes,”But I wish that they didn’t have to be.”

___________

if i could do more, i promise you, i would (x)

SasuSaku Month 2018

Day 1: Heroes

***

Author’s Note: Ugh barely made it~ I’m baaaack for SasuSaku Month 2018! I had a lot of fun writing the prompts last year, and decided might as well enter this year, since it’s my last month of freedom before I enter medical school. I finally got that scholarship I applied for and I have to study even harder than my undergrad years. With that, I can’t fangirl as freely as I like~ 😭

FFnet link

***

Onyx eyes observed two figures huddled together in the kitchen.

“Mama, papa, what are you two doing?”

Immediately two heads looked up from the book they were reading to look at their daughter. Sakura smiled and motioned for Sarada to come closer to them.

“Would you like to help, Sarada? We’re deciding what to cook for dinner tonight, something new from the cookbook that papa bought,” the medic answered. The young Uchiha eyed it, noting it was the same one her papa presented to them when he came home last night from his travels.

“There’s this sweet meat dish that we tried in our travels at Kumo which is really good,” Sakura continued. “And also this rice dish we also had at Suna.”

“That was really delicious,” Sasuke commented. His wife nodded in agreement.

“So what’s the final verdict, anata? Sarada?”

Their daughter smiled and pointed at the picture of Suna’s cuisine. “I vote for this one!” Husband and wife shared one quick look and Sakura handed out aprons for the three of them.

“Yosh! Let’s start making it then!”

Sasuke proceeded to take out the necessary pots and pans, while Sakura went to the refrigerator to get the ingredients. While cutting the onions, the only pink-haired shinobi of the family shared her day at the hospital, noting an increase of patients with the flu.

“I just hope it won’t be an outbreak. Which reminds me, you two need to have your flu shots as soon as possible. Maybe tomorrow?” she gave her husband and daughter a questioning look, to which the two gave a simultaneous, “Hai.”

The smell of fresh herbs filled the room and Sarada inhaled deeply. “It smells really good, mama!” She went towards her mother’s left side as her papa took the other. The genin took it upon herself to read the instructions on what to put in the pan next as the man of the house handed it to his wife.

As the last ingredient was placed, Sakura covered the pan and set the stove to low fire. She took a small piece of the dish and placed it on a small plate for the three of them to judge.

“Uwaah, it’s delicious!” Sarada and Sakura exclaimed and the mother and daughter looked too much alike, Sasuke mused. He himself allowed a small smile in agreement.

“And now we wait for five minutes. Sarada dear, can you please set the table?”

“Hai, mama,” she replied as she took three plates.

“I’ll make tea,” Sasuke offered, and was rewarded with a bright smile from his wife. “Arigatou, anata,” she replied as she helped him remove his apron.

Time passed by quickly and the three sat at the dining table, Sasuke and Sakura at one side with their daughter facing them. Sarada told them about her day, training with her team and meeting up with their friends for lunch.

“Chouchou then dragged me to her house to watch a movie. It was funny, and it was about a duo of drop-outs who saved their country and became heroes.”

“Did they train hard?” Her father asked, and Sarada immediately shook her head.

“Not at all. They found this strange rock from the sky and when they touched it, they got their powers.”

“Ah! The title is ‘Rockman and Waterman’ right?” Sakura asked. Her daughter nodded and swallowed her food before answering. “Did you watch it already, mama?”

A giggled escaped from her as her husband had a questioning face. She knew the gears in her head were working and trying to find it in his memory, and after one pointed look from her, Sasuke remembered.

“That weird movie?”

Sakura nodded. “That weird movie.”

Sasuke sighed and Sakura couldn’t help but laugh at his exasperation. Sarada tilted her head to the side in question. Understanding her gesture, Sakura explained it to her.

“During our travels, your papa and I helped an orphanage once. The kids liked that movie and idolized the two actors so much they wanted your papa to dress up like Rockman.”

An image of her papa in that hero’s weird costume flashed in her mind and it was too funny for her to take. She tried to stop a fit of laughter and failed horribly. The tips of Sasuke’s ears started to turn red and it didn’t help that his wife joined their daughter’s glee.

“It’s not funny,” he grumbled. He noticed a stray grain of rice on Sakura’s cheek and removed it with his thumb. She held his hand in place on her face and leaned on it.

After a few minutes, the laughter of the two most important people in his life started to die down. They resumed eating, and after filling their stomachs with the dish that they all helped to create, Sasuke grabbed the tea he prepared while Sakura took out the dango she bought before coming home.

“Rockman and Waterman are great and all that but I still think that mama and papa are really better than those heroes,” Sarada proclaimed.

Sasuke handed a cup of tea to her. “Why is that?”

“Because mama and papa don’t wear undies outside your pants,” their little girl announced proudly, a wide smile on her face. Jade and obsidian shared one quick look before laughter was shared between the happy family of three. Bright onyx eyes looked at her parents, a feeling of contentment and happiness filling her heart. She will forever treasure the little moments like this with the three of them complete, may it be training or doing mundane, domestic things like cooking dinner.

She listened to her papa voicing out his lack of knowledge about the new trend of movies, and her mama teased him that they’ll spend an entire day or two just watching it for him to understand. And since they’re all free tomorrow, they sealed the deal.

And as she laid down to sleep that night, Sarada closed her eyes with a smile. She’s excited to spend an entire day with her parents just watching movies of heroes and their superpowers. Though of course, no fictional superhero can match them.

To the world, Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura are two feared, legendary heroes of the shinobi world.

.

Sakura's running low on energy. She's spent majority of the night on making the antidote for a poisoned chunin team, a not difficult but time-consuming task. She slept barely three hours and she's already cutting it close for a morning meeting with the Hokage. Sakura brushes her teeth in a hurry as she dresses, then runs out of her apartment without breakfast.

She arrives at the Hokage tower with a few minutes to spare. To her delight, Sasuke is there too, and... in his hand, is that...?

“For me?” she asks hopefully, pointing to the object and he nods.

Sasuke wordlessly gives her a ham sandwich with cucumber and Sakura scarfs it down quickly.

Her green eyes light up when when he holds out to her a steaming paper cup with coffee to wash down the food. Sakura moans at the aroma of her favourite blend of coffee beans, cream and sugar, prepared in just the way she likes. “Sasuke-kun, you're my hero!” she exclaims. She chugs the concoction down and immediately feels the strength return to her tired limbs.

Sakura licks her lips and beams at Sasuke. “Thanks, I really needed that,” she says. She spots a trash bin in the corner and hurriedly disposes of the empty sandwich wrapping and the paper cup. A thought comes to her. “Wait, how did you know I didn't have breakfast?”

Sasuke shrugs nonchalantly. “Just a hunch.”

Before she can bug him for a clearer answer, they're called into the Hokage's office.

Sasuke is saved this time from revealing his ways. It wouldn't do for his cool reputation to admit that he saw her stagger down the street at an ungodly hour just before the dawn (his usual time for morning practice) and secretly followed her to make sure she got home safe. His lips twist in a frown. Sakura should take a better care of herself. She's been a mess since she moved out of her parents' house.

He'd have to do something about it.

.

Sasuke is supposed to have more of a downtime but the urgent request for help from the border village comes just two days after his return from the last job. He has no time except to gather his weapons and say goodbye to his wife. Too bad he can't find his favourite black cloak, it was all ripped up and he meant to fix it in his free time, but it would have done for one more mission...

“Sasuke-kun, wait!” Sakura stops him at the doorstep and he turns impatiently. She runs to the laundry room and comes back triumphantly holding up his cloak. “Here, I stitched it up and washed it for you.” She helps him put it on, then fiddles with his collar. “Looks good. Be careful out there and kick some butt, okay?” She smiles and winks at him.

“Sure,” he replies, still in awe that between working in her clinic, teaching the medic course and keeping up with her ninja training Sakura found the time in her busy schedule to repair his cloak for him. His wife is truly incredible. What he would even do without her? On the impulse, Sasuke leans in and brushes his lips softly against hers. “Thank you,” he says, smirking at the light pink tint on her cheeks. It's so easy to make her blush...

Sasuke leaves for his mission in high spirits, wearing a cloak that looks like new. He's already planning to take Sakura out for a nice dinner after he comes back.

It may seem trivial in a world of indomitable powers and epic conflicts, but in the everyday life Sasuke and Sakura are each other's heroes.

.

SasuSaku Month 2018 - Day 1: Heroes

Rating: T

~*~

Sakura Haruno had been called many things in her short, young life - some especially hurtful things behind her back, she’s sure, but she’d learned to let them roll off her shoulders. One lesson her shishou had drilled into her was that labels and titles did not define a person. It did no good to dwell on how other people defined you and since then, Sakura had made sure to let her actions speak for her. After the Fourth Shinobi War, much had changed afterwards, but what she absolutely did not expect was to be singled out as one of the greatest medical nin and kunoichi in the five nations. In fact, she’d just about fainted on Ino when the bubbling blonde had cornered her in her office and relayed the news, which she had heard from some traveling civilians in one of her recent missions to the Land of Waves.

She kept a level head and gracefully accepted that her growth as a shinobi had been acknowledged. Something that she had been chasing since her resolve to catch up to her two teammates ever since she was a genin. She had truly thought that nothing would be better, but here she was, standing frozen in the middle of the early morning marketplace. Her mouth dropped open in a small ‘o’ as she stared at the old woman handing her a small bag of bright red tomatoes.

“Sakura-san?” The older lady nudged her slowly. “Are you okay, dear?”

The world caught up with her again. She shook her head slightly and smiled apologetically for her rudeness. “I-I’m sorry. You caught me off guard.”

The older woman laughed good naturedly and patted her hand gently to accept the bag she was trying to hand her. “It’s quite alright, dear. Like I said, I wanted to show my appreciation of your courageous services during the war. Without you, many of our own would have perished. You’re a hero.”

A small blush tinted her usually pale cheeks as a sliver of embarrassed bashfulness fluttered around in her stomach.

“I’m no hero,” Sakura replied truthfully, averting her gaze. “I simply could not let good men and women die, not if I could help it, and I certainly was not about to stand by and watch as our world ended.”

“My dear, one who fights for others that cannot fight for themselves is a hero,” the older woman stated confidently. “Now, don’t fight your elders on this one. Please accept this token from this humble old woman.”

Sakura bit her lip before smiling softly and nodding. She took the small bag and held it close to her chest. For a fleeting moment, the ruby red eyes of the boy she loved flashed across her mind and with it, her heart raced in response. The blush on her cheeks intensified as she became flustered, then cursed herself silently at the strong reactions he could get out of her. And he wasn’t even there.

“T-thank y-you,” stuttered Sakura. Great, I’m stuttering now…

The old woman bowed lightly and grinned at her, her steel grey eyes twinkled playfully. “Perhaps they may guide your sweetheart back to you.”

“Sweetheart?!” Sakura squeaked and almost dropped the bag startled. “What? No! I don’t have a-a… sweetheart.”

“Oh, do forgive this old woman,” she chuckled, waving her hand around dismissively. “I assumed you and that handsome Uchiha were together at last. It certainly seemed like it before he left.”

Sakura… thank you.

Her heart fluttered and her stomach churned, like a thousand butterflies had suddenly taken flight inside her. She dropped her gaze down to the floor shyly and a tender smile danced upon her lips as she remembered Sasuke on the day he left for his journey of redemption.

“We’re not together,” Sakura sighed softly.

The old woman clicked her tongue, then smiled. “You listen to me, dear. That boy, however many wrong decisions he made in the past, he paid for them on that battlefield and he became a hero too when he decided to save our home. He’ll be back soon.”

Sakura’s throat tightened with unshed tears as the older woman’s words sunk in. She knew people had not forgotten about any of the transgressions made by the young Uchiha and were even less likely to forgive, but to hear that someone, at least one person, thought him a hero was all she could ask for. A small, tentative smile erupted on her face as she thanked the older woman and began making her way back to her apartment with her fresh ingredients. She had nearly forgotten she’d promised to drop off a box of warm breakfast for Kakashi before she headed to work as a small thank you for all the paperwork she had been sending his way because of the children’s clinic. It’s been almost six months since the clinic was fully operational, but it seemed the paperwork would never end. She laughed quietly under her breath as she remembered Kakashi’s look of betrayal when she walked in with the first stack.

As she walked by the main road leading to the gates, she found herself stopping and staring off into the distance. She could make out the guards in the distance and even further, past the gates, an empty road. A crushing feeling of loneliness started up in her heart as she couldn’t but wonder when Sasuke would be back.

“Please, be safe,” Sakura whispered to the wind like a prayer. And come back to me soon.

~*~

Author’s Note: