Sasuke raced his motorcycle down the street back towards his house. Today was a very important day for the Uchiha family since it was young Sasame's seventh birthday. Sasame didn't know that she was really a very powerful ninja. Her parents had kept that secret from her due to the fact that Orochimaru had been targeting them when she was a baby. Her uncle and Lord Hokage to the hidden leaf village Naruto Uzumaki had let them go to the land of rainbows in order to protect them since his chakra is what Orochimaru and all the other sound ninjas were really after.
Sasuke loved Naruto like a brother and it tore him up inside to leave him and his niece and nephews behind, but he loved his wife and child more so in the end, he wound up doing what he believed was best for them. Sasuke drove into the driveway and parked his motorcycle before a little blonde haired (brightly colored) green eyes rushed outside in her pink flowery dress. "Papa!" she exclaimed bursting into giggles as Sasuke simply just grinned at her.
"Hn." He said before removing his motorcycle helmet and getting to his feet. "I see that your mother tied your hair up into pigtails." He said as while she flung out her arms and continued giggling. Sasuke squatted down and then lifted her up into the air before giving a rather loud grunt. "Wow, you're getting heavy." He told her while planting a kiss on her cheek and then placing her by his hip and adjusting his grip. "Happy birthday sweetheart." He told her.
"Guess what Papa? I lost a tooth! See?" she questioned him as she smiled at him and the pointed to the hole inside her mouth.
"Hn. I see. Well did you throw it down on the ground so that when your new permanent tooth grows in it'll grow in straight?" he asked her while carrying her inside as she nodded her head.
"Yes, mommy reminded me." She replied as Sakura greeted them by the door.
"There you are." She began before they both turned their heads towards each other and exchanged a kiss on the lips. "You're just in time for lunch." She told him as he grinned back at her.
"Great. I ordered Sasame's birthday cake and I also brought something back with me that we all can enjoy." He said while setting his daughter back on the ground beside him.
"What is it Papa?" she asked him as he squatted down in front of her and smiled warmly at her.
"I'll show you." He told her as he removed his satchel and set it down on the carpet between them. That's when suddenly she heard a tiny little whimper.
"It sounds like a puppy!" she exclaimed excitedly as Sasuke grinned from ear to ear before a tiny black and brown little puppy popped his head out of the bag. "It is a puppy!" she cried as Sasuke chuckled.
"Yep, he's all yours." He told her while the tiny puppy perked up his tiny black ears and barked before climbing out of the bag.
"Oh Papa, he's so adorable! I think I'll call him Taki." She said before hoisting him up inside her arms.
"Careful Sasame, don't drop him." Sakura warned.
"Don't worry Mommy I won't." she assured her before she turned around and walked away as Sasuke slowly rose to his feet again.
"Well Sasuke, it looks like we finally have a dog." Sakura said.
"Yeah, I figured that she was old enough to handle at least some of the responsibility." Sasuke told her with a grin.
"Well come on, soup's on the table and we should hurry up and eat so that we can make it to Sasame's pool party in time." Sakura told him. "And it wouldn't do for the birthday girl to show up late." She added before Sasuke took a deep breath and sighed heavily.
"No. I guess it wouldn't." he replied.
"Are you alright Sasuke?" she asked him.
"Yeah I'm fine." He began. "I was just thinking about something that's all." He said while slowly hanging his head.
Flashback
…..
Sakura slipped off her sandals and wadded into the ocean. Naruto was already doing dolphin flips and swimming around on his back. That's when suddenly he sat back up and looked over at her. "Come on Sakura, the water's great!" he exclaimed excitedly while splashing some of the water over at Sasuke.
"Hey knock it off you idiot!" he cried while quickly turning away from him but Naruto just simply scowled at him.
"Oh come on Sasuke, stop being such a sourpuss and lighten up!" Naruto yelled back at him.
"Hey!" Sasuke snapped before turning his head back to look at his wife. "Hey Sakura, can I please have permission to murder your brother?" he questioned him before Sakura giggled.
"No! He's your brother too you know!" she called back at him as Naruto grinned.
"That's right Sasuke, admit it. You know you love me." He teased as Sasuke grinned back at him.
"You know what? You're right." He began. "And just to prove it I'm going to kiss you." He told him.
"Oh no you don't!" Naruto cried before he started swimming away from him.
"Yes I am, I'm going to get you Naruto!" Sasuke cried while he chased after him.
"Sorry but I don't think so!" Naruto exclaimed while quickly leaping out of the water and racing over to Sakura and hiding behind her.
"You better watch it sis, I do believe that your husband's gone crazy or something!" he cried frantically before Sasuke got to his feet.
"Ha! Now who's being the sourpuss?" he questioned him while placing his hands upon his hips as he tilted his chin and grinned proudly.
"Honestly, aren't you two ever going to learn to get along?" Sakura asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah, as long as he really doesn't try to kiss me." Naruto said with a scowl as Sakura giggled while they both waded back inside the water.
"Oh Naruto, you really are hopeless you know?" she questioned him.
"Oh yeah? Well just for that it's your turn to get wet." He told her with a grin before he started splashing her and then she suddenly burst into a fit of giggles.
"Hey! Cut it out Would ya!?" she exclaimed while quickly turning her head away from him before she started splashing him back and the two continued to splash and play together while Sasuke just smiled at them as he watched them from afar.
End of Flashback
…
Sasuke breathed a deep and heavy sad sigh.
"Are you sure that you're alright Sasuke?" Sakura asked him with uncertainty finally snapping him out of his trance before he slowly turned his head to look up at her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need a bit of fresh air. I'll be right back." He said before he turned around and started heading towards the front door.
"Why does Papa seem so upset?" Sasame wondered as she hurried out of the kitchen with Taki right at her side.
"Don't worry Sasame, he'll be alright. Go ahead and eat alright? I just need a moment alone with your father." She told her before she followed him outside.
…
Sasuke walked out into the backyard before digging his box of cigarettes out of his pocket. That's when suddenly his wife walked around the corner. He quickly grabbed his lighter with his other hand unaware of his presence. "What's wrong?" she asked him while he lit the tip of his cigarette and glanced up at her.
"What makes you think that something's wrong?" he wondered.
"The only time you've smoked in the last seven years is when something's bothering you." Sakura pointed out. "You were thinking about Naruto again weren't you?" she questioned him as Sasuke slowly lowered his head and had the image of the man that he had come to know and love as his brother flash inside his mind.
"I'm sorry Sakura." He began sadly. "I try not to, but sometimes,.. on days like this well,.. I really can't help it. Naruto loved the water, and I know he would have loved Sasame to death. He probably would have loved her just as much as I do. But now I'm not even sure if I'm ever going to see him again." He said.
"Oh don't worry Sasuke, I'm sure you will. After all, this arrangement was only for our protection until Naruto will be able to destroy Orochimaru once and for all." Sakura told him.
"You don't get it Sakura, it doesn't matter how strong Naruto gets. He'll never be able to destroy him. He's immortal as long as he has a body to transfer his soul into." He told her but she simply just giggled.
"Obviously you don't know Naruto as much as you think you do." She told him. "For all the years that I've known him he's never given up. In fact I don't think he's ever taken no for an answer. And somehow he always finds a way to turn a negative into a positive." She said as he smiled sadly at her.
"Yes, he was always very good at that." He told her before all of a sudden Sasame ran outside with Taki chasing after her and barking energetically.
"Come on Papa! Push me!" she cried as she raced towards the swing set and then sat down on top of one of the swings.
"Alright, I'm coming! Just hold on a second!" he told her with a proud grin while he raised his chin and placed his hands upon his hips before turning his head and looking back at his wife. "Sakura." He said while she turned her attention away from Sasame and back at Sasuke.
"What is it Sasuke?" she asked him.
"Thank you for everything." He told her before he turned around and started walking away. "Maybe you're right after all Sakura. Maybe this really isn't goodbye between me and Naruto. Maybe it's just until next time." He said before he started pushing his daughter higher and higher into the air while she giggled excitedly.
