#sssnippet

He doesn't get her.

The way she was giggling at his lame pick up lines. He had better. The fact she accepted his rose, didn't he give her one like that yesterday only for her to throw it in the trash?

And how she was giggling acting all flustered and blushing. She wasn't really taking an interest in him, was she?

"What makes him so special?" Itachi and Shisui stopped mid conversation following his gaze. Ah so that was what was making the youngest Uchiha pissed. 

The new doctor taking his teammate out. Apparently he was quite the flirt like Sasuke, no wonder he seemed so annoyed.

Well it may be a date, it may not be.

It wasn't any of their business.

"Maybe he flirts better than you?" Shisui shrugged with a smug smile enjoying his torment. "And who knows, he might actually be interested in her."

This caused Sasuke to glare at the man, they knew how serious he was about her.

So it was okay for this guy to flirt around and he can get a date. But if he does it, he gets a punch to the face? How unfair was that?

"You should ask him how he does it, then who knows you might actually get somewhere with Sakura." Itachi scolded Shisui because knowing his brother, he might actually do that.

And sure enough he did, as Shisui found a little note thanking him for the idea.

This wasn't the first time Shisui gave a dumb idea to Sasuke (without meaning to) nor would it be the last.

The time wherein Sasuke and Naruto slept weeks away on hospital beds after the war where amongst the most confusing to Sakura. Despite the dizzying flurry of tending to the wounded and mourning the dead and healing beyond the psychological scars left behind by the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Sakura’s mind gravitated toward Sasuke.

1–

Sarada was used to the hustle and bustle of their home even though growing up it was just mostly her and her mama.

Now that's she's an adult, the house was never quiet either, but what throws her a little off balance is that it's her papa filling the silence.

He seemed so different but still so gentle and patient with her. Mama used to joke that papa's quiet because he's still growing into his tongue. Papa would glare at mama halfheartedly, and she would grin. He'd shake his head and smirk with a low muttering of 'annoying'.

What an odd couple. How could that one word means so much to them?

'Annoying.'

Then she remembers that her parents had a life before her, one filled with pain, sacrifices, and war. That one word encompasses their history and everything they had to get through to where they are.

"I'm leaving for my mission, Papa!"

He comes to the door and sees her off, like he did every day without fail.

"Have a great day, Sarada. I love you."

She still gets flustered when papa does this! She was an adult, not some kind going off to the academy, but she understands.

She meets the Hokage and before official business he'd always ask, "How's Sasuke doing?"

And she'd say same old, same old. He'll wake up, prepare breakfast, see her off, talk to mama, clean, read scrolls, talk to mama some more, and more chores.

"Still afraid of the silence, huh?"

She'd nod, and they'd let the conversation sit between them. This would be the part when one of them confesses to the other.

"I think he just misses her."

"We all do, Sarada." He wasn't wrong. In the haze of the morning, she'd still sometimes to open the door and rush her into her routines, just so she won't be late, but her father bears a heavier cross.

She shakes her head, "I think he regrets it. Not saying that he loved her with words. before she…."

"Sakura knew," he replies without any hesitation.

"I don't think it matters that mama knew. I think he still aches about how she was always the one to say it for the both of them."

"That bastard was always a coward." She didn't approve of this, she still held a torch for the only man in her life, but he let him continue.

"He's terrified that if he said it out loud, she'll be taken away from him too." Like his parents, his brother, everyone he ever loved.

"Now, she's still gone, and he's missed his chance," she finishes for him.

The blonde nods. There was a beat before the blonde was Hokage-sama again and briefs you on your short mission.

"Papa, I'm home!"

"Hn. Welcome back. Dinner's ready so go wash up."

She indulges him like this, talking about her day, asking questions so he doesn't feel the weight of the looming fact that it's just the two of them now, devoid of doting, nagging pinks and red in their life.

The conversations grew thin, and words were few and far now when she finds her courage, disliking the stillness.

"Papa, what did you love most about mama?"

He hummed and she knows he's reminiscing. It's so easy to fall into it,

"Sakura…" He lets mama's name slip from his lips, so gently and nostalgic.

"She gave me the reason to continue living."

He looked at her then and saw the tremendous love and affection he had for her. How even before she knew what it meant, she knew they were connected because of her. She recognizes why mama never needed words, never asked for it when papa's feelings are tangible enough to touch.

She finds Sasuke easily. A lone figure rested against a trunk. She considers nagging him about making himself too visible for a wandering bandit, but that could come later.

Much later after this insomniac crisis that took him away from her side.

It's his stance, a raised knee to his chest, a wistful stare at the full moon, guarded and vulnerable at the same time.

He doesn't move or protest when she arrives. He simply accepts her in his orbit, and she grants him the companion of silence.

"It's the day he died," Sasuke says after a while. His hand opens and closes like a child. "The day I ki-"

"The day he died," Sakura repeats with finality. "And tonight, you remember him."

She treads slowly on the invisible line. Sometimes, he pulls her in. Other times, she's outside looking in.

But his shoulders are heavy for sins not of his own, sins of the dead and long gone, and in those moments, Sakura reminds him there is still the weight of life to carry.

(Soon, his shoulders will be home to a child's pair of legs. She'll call him unicorn, seldom papa, and this is life, still life.)

She watches him make the same hand movements. Open and close. Fingers clutching a kunai. A chidori. She looks at her own hands and her mind compels her to form a shape.

In the drapery of twilight, her fingers reach out and poke his forehead. Itachi's first and final gesture of love. It will still be love, will now be home and hope and countless see-you-soons.

It’s been over two years since he stepped foot inside of the village hidden in the leaves. Finally ready to return following his journey of redemption, the spring sun shines high and cherry blossom petals float by with the wind while Sasuke walks through the gates a different man than when he left, one who’s atoned for his sins and is open to receiving Sakura’s love wholeheartedly, coming home to her as he promised. 

He walks into the hospital for an examination Kakashi says he needs in order to be reinstated as a Konoha shinobi, and of course she’s his doctor because Sakura is the only one he trusts enough to look at his eyes, let alone touch him. Her sweet voice rings in his ears as she welcomes him back, smiling so wide it reaches her beautiful bright green irises and makes his heart rapidly beat in his chest like it’s about to pop out at any given moment. Once she’s done Sasuke asks if she’s eaten recently or offers to take her out after her shift is over, where they can catch up and reacquaint themselves with one another. 

Wondering what she thought of the letter he sent a few days ago, Sasuke hopes she still feels the same way about him and he isn’t too late, if she’s willing to give him a chance after all this time. 

That’s how it should have been at least.

A few days have gone by already. Sasuke sits on the floor, knees pulled to his chest, of the apartment Kakashi rented for him until he finds a permanent place of residence, with the windows and curtains closed, lights turned off. Wanting nothing more than to be alone, he ignores all those who try to check in on him, aware he’ll inevitably lash out at anyone who tries to console him.

It had been an accident, so he heard. Kakashi gave her a solo mission to deliver a scroll to the Kazekage in which the leader of Sunag gave her another one to bring back. On her journey to Konoha she was ambushed by a group of notorious bandits, being at the wrong place at the wrong time as mentioned by Shizune. Using what was left of her strength she summoned Katsuyu, giving the scroll she had been assigned to bring to Konoha to the slug before fading away only seconds later.

According to Tsunade, it’s hard to say what got her first; the poison eating away at her chakra system or the blood loss. Either way, like a true warrior, she fought until her last breath.

There’s only one person who loved him unconditionally throughout everything he’s done, one who he wanted to become a better person for, one who he could have ever imagined himself being with and now that’s impossible because she’s gone.

Sasuke had lost many people in his life, but never did he imagine losing Sakura too. 

With dark irises devoid of life he stares at the unopened letter in his hands, the same one he sent to her days before his return only to be given back by the Hokage after he told Sasuke of what happened, that contains his anticipation to pursue a relationship with her and unveils his deepest feelings for her. Sakura never read or even received it, gone a week before he’d even sent it. And perhaps that’s what hurts him the most right now, she never knew how much he truly loves her.

If he had sent his hawk a few days earlier then she’d know how much he cares for her and his plans to return. Had he come home sooner then maybe he could’ve joined her or the mission would’ve been given to someone else. More and more possibilities fill his mind of alternante outcomes had different choices been made, however none of them matter because she’s still gone.

It’s late into the night when he finally decides to get up. Sasuke doesn’t remember the rules he was given by Kakashi since his return, but he doesn’t particularly care at the moment. From the conversations he heard earlier on, the group of bandits who attacked Sakura tended to hang around a small town two-hours west of the village, and so that’s where he’s going.

Finding them wasn’t hard, not when they were all drinking and boasting about their recent success of terrorizing innocent people who passed by, even going on to laugh about how they took down that ‘pinked haired bitch’.

The next thing Sasuke knew there was a man, the one who made the comment and presumably the leader of the group, cowering in fear under the frightening gaze of his Sharingan and Rinnegan, with the rest of his group knocked unconscious. Taking this man’s life wouldn’t be difficult, it’s not like anyone would miss scum like him anyway, Sasuke would be doing the world a favor by getting rid of one more piece of filth. Despite the years that have passed he’s still an avenger at his core, in a way this is how he always grieves; with his parents, Itachi, and now Sakura. 

Wanting to watch the earth crumble in the background, Sasuke raises his arm with the Chidori ready in his palm. He so desperately desires to go back into his old ways just this once, to quench his thirst for revenge and have the satisfaction of being the one who punishes all those who took her from him.

As if her arms warmly embrace him from behind like she’s keeping him from falling into darkness once again, forehead gently pressing against his back, and her trembling voice calling his name and pleading him to stop, causing the lightning jutsu fades away until it completely disappears. This single act would undo everything he’s done to improve himself, and in his heart of hearts Sasuke knows Sakura is against this. Justice without the unnecessary cause of more bloodshed is how she preferred to handle situations.

Sakura may be gone, but she’s tattooed herself into his soul forever. It’s for her alone he’s willing to stay on the right path, wanting to be the man she believed him to be in her final moments.

Instead he knocks out the leader and seals them all in order to bring them back to Konoha.

Dawn breaks across the village by the time he gets back, stopping by the T&I unit and tosses the scroll to Ibiki Morino without a word before heading to the Hokage tower. Sasuke isn’t surprised when Kakashi gives him an earful for disappearing in the middle of the night with no prior warning or reason, especially after everything his former teacher has done for him. When he’s finished his lecture the lone Uchiha discloses his plan to go on another journey, needing time and space to himself to properly lament Sakura’s passing. In truth Konoha is filled with too many memories and too many possibilities of a future that could have been, Sasuke doesn’t think he can live there contently.

 Kakashi looks slightly taken aback, the boy only just returned and now he wants to leave so soon, but must understand his former student at the same time. He gives Sasuke an indefinite mission, one which would take him out of the village with little need for him to come back if he doesn’t wish, only needing to communicate through letters from time to time. 

The offer comes as a shock to Sasuke, nonetheless he accepts, assuming it’ll be good for him to have a solid goal in mind and being able to protect the village from outside threats. It’s what she would’ve wanted for him too.

With what little of the belongings he owns packed up, Sasuke makes one stop before departing from the village, and it’s there where he spots Naruto. The blonde lifts the corners of his lips, telling him of how happy he is to finally see Sasuke here. Silence fills the air, both having their own unspoken conversations while staring down at the tombstone with Sakura’s name engraved across the top, flowers and presents from loved ones surrounding the grass floor.

Sasuke is the one who speaks first, informing Naruto of his decision to leave and the new assignment he’s been given. The dobe seems disappointed by his sudden announcement, but hides it under his empathetic grin, commenting about how they’ll need to spar should they cross paths again and asking for a promise to keep in touch. Sasuke can only nod in return. Giving him a last goodbye, Naruto leaves him to have some privacy with Sakura. 

Sasuke hopes that in another life he and Sakura are happy, that he was able to keep all of his promises of protecting her and never hurting her again. A life where they fully love each other against all odds and ignorant of the judgment given by everyone around them. Maybe they travel the world together, start a life together, and build a family together.

His eyes burn with tears he hadn’t realized were there until they slip down his cheeks onto the ground, and for the first time since her passing Sasuke allows the bottle he’s been holding all of emotions, these last few days, to shatter. All of his regrets come out in choked sobs and labored breaths as he drops down to sit on the grass, unaware and uncaring of anyone who passes by. Sasuke stays there until he has nothing in his system, tear ducts running dry and throat left raw.

When he’s ready to leave, he takes the letter out of his pocket and places it among the rest of her offersings, having comfort with the knowledge that at least it’s with her now.

Pink flashes in front of his eyes and when Sasuke looks up she’s standing in front of him, mouth pulled into a sad smile; Sakura leans down to kiss the top of his head. However between his dry eyes and the wind, he blinks and then she’s gone, like she was never there to begin with. Gaze dropping to the letter, a cherry blossom petal blown from the nearby trees now sits atop the parchment almost as if it landed there intentionally.

The first time she heard him talking to her belly, they were resting in a clearing in the forest. She is almost sure that it is a trick of her half-asleep and dreamy mind. Because the moment her eyes open, he is looking at the sky as if nothing has happened. So she let it go.

The second time is his hand caressing her now apparently belly that wakes her up. Again she can't be sure what he said or even if he was saying something. Because too soon he realizes she is awake, it’s his slightly pink cheeks that denounce him as if he had been caught in his little secret moment.

The third time she caught him, she could finally hear clearly. He's definitely talking to the baby, in such an adorable way that she can now understand why he was embarrassed in the first place. His words are full of hope, love and pride. Even if he wasn't stroking her, his gentle tone would do it. Sasuke is so lost in his own moment, so focused on his task that he hasn't seen her eyes open yet. It’s only when he finishes his speech about their future as a united family that he looks at her face.

Knowing that he can no longer hide, he smirks when he says provoking her. 

It seems like everyone found out about her shinobi deregistration to join Sasuke’s travels overnight. Sakura should have expected this; after all, both Naruto and Ino saw her deliver the necessary paperwork directly to Kakashi. While she’s not quite sure what Naruto did with the information, Sakura received an earful from everyone: her parents, her patients, even some of her friends…

“Uwaa Papa’s back, Papa’s back!” Sarada jumped from her seat running towards the front door before Sakura could get a hold of her to stop the little girl. Considering her hands were full with the other little bundle in her arms waking up at the noise. Or maybe he wanted to see Papa too like Sarada.

“Ah Sarada, what have I told you about running inside the house.” Especially as Sasuke hadn’t even set foot inside yet. She could hear the little squeal and her husband telling their daughter to be more careful but his voice was full of tenderness.

“I’m home,” Sasuke came through the living room with a small Sarada clinging to his leg grinning away.

“Welcome home.”

“Ah,” the two were then interrupted by a cry of their youngest as Sachihiro’s small hands reached out to Sasuke wanting his attention. “I’ll take him.”

“But you just got back.”

“I need to do my part in parenting too,” Sakura let out a small grateful smile as Sasuke beckoned Sarada to follow after him so he could tell her all his stories whilst he was travelling.

She adored her little family. 

It seemed tonight they would all be sharing a bed as Sarada stated, since Papa was back this was his way of making it up to them. The two didn’t mind and it wasn’t long before Sarada fell asleep, her arm protecting Sachihiro. They let out little sighs and snores. 

“They really missed you dear.”

“Ah,” he nodded thinking. Was this really their best option? “Do you regret anything?” His question took her off guard as to what he was implying.

“Regret what?”

“Living here, staying here with me… it might be easier to raise them in Konoha.” That way they would have plenty of people to keep an eye on them and babysit. And whilst that may be true she thought of her children first. This village was safe and small and easy for Sasuke to get to and back.

If they lived here instead of in Konoha, he could help raise and watch their children grow. What was there to regret?

“Of course not, I mean these two are a handful but if living here means they get to be with you. Then I couldn’t be happier.” And me as well, were words left unsaid but her husband knew. Besides, it wasn’t as though they never visited Konoha. They just had to be careful.

Sakura reached out her hand to take Sasuke’s.

“As long as we’re with you, that’s all that matters right?” Sarada let out another snore before turning, her little hand whacking against Sasuke's cheek in the process making Sakura giggle.

Almost as if she knew they were talking.