Spring After the Winter

A gentle breeze swept by the village where peace had settled itself after the Fourth Shinobi World War. It had already been 14 years since then. It was dark and the full moon shone so bright it made him remember the day Itachi had slaughtered his clan. It didn't faze him a bit. His road to redemption had taken care of that.

Uchiha Sasuke had finally come back from his mission that almost destroyed his family. It was ironic, really that the mission took immeasurable amount of time that he could not even recognise his very own daughter. But he knew why he needed to take that risk. His wife and daughter were so precious to him that the thought of an anonymous enemy lurking in the shadows and not knowing when he would strike frustrated him to no end. He would never let anything take away his family again; they were his new hope, his second chance at life. He had a family now, one he knew he didn't deserve because of his past sins. Then there was Sakura, the one who, no matter how many times he coldly pushed her away, loved him earnestly, trying to give his freezing heart the spring sunlight. She was home to him and he would do anything in his power to rekindle the bonds he thought he had shattered. After all, it was his own decision that he chose to leave them. He had mountains of things to make up for and now it was time to do it.

"So I get that the mission went successfully." Uzumaki Naruto, otherwise known as the seventh Hokage looked up from the piles of paperwork scattered all around his desk. "Welcome back, Sasuke." He grinned at the tall figure before him.

"Ah" greeted Sasuke handling him the mission report.

"Sakura-chan is going to be so happy when she finally sees that you're back." Naruto quickly scanned the report, a cheeky grin plastered on his face as he kept talking to Sasuke.

"I'm heading home." With that said, Sasuke left at once, leaving Naruto to laugh out loud.

"Couldn't wait to see your family I guess." He muttered to himself before groaning at the amount of paper work that kept piling up on his desk.

Sakura was preparing dinner humming a soft tune as she laid out the plates on the table. It had been a couple of months since Sasuke returned for a brief moment because of the fight with Shin Uchiha. He had stayed for a day before continuing on his mission again.

Sarada was reading a book on the couch when she suddenly blurted out a question which made her mother smile brightly. "Ne mama, does papa ever say sweet things to you?"

"Sarada, papa is a man of few words. He doesn't express himself much." This made Sakura ponder on how Sasuke used to act towards her. She knew he cared for her and loved her. He wasn't always the great expresser of feelings like Naruto but she knew, through his actions alone how much he loved and cherished her. Thinking of their early days made her smile but her words only received a frown from Sarada.

"Papa is weird." Sarada pouted. Sakura couldn't help but resort to a fit of giggles at her daughter's antics. She was adorable.

"Papa is like that. That's the way he is and you can't change that. But you also know that his actions speak volumes for the words he does not say."

Sarada seemed to understand that perfectly. Her eyes shone brightly as she looked to her mother. "I love papa no matter what or how he is. Once he comes home, I'll give him a great hug he'll never forget!" Her fists pumped in the air. "By the way mama, why did you keep a secret about the woman with glasses and about papa's betrayal to the village?" she asked worriedly.

"Sarada, your papa had been through a lot. He was once an enemy to this village, a wanted criminal who had a bounty on his head. No parent would want their child to know about their horrible past. We didn't want you to worry or feel bad about the things your papa did in the past." Sakura's eyes softened watching her daughter's form that was deep in thought. "And Karin was a good friend. She was the one who helped me bring you into this world."

Sarada's eyes widened hearing those words. Sensing her daughter's confusion, Sakura continued.

"When your papa and I were travelling together on his journey to redemption after we married of course, I quickly became pregnant with you. We couldn't go back to the village right away and I had no choice but to give birth to you in one of Orochimaru's hideouts. Karin helped me greatly then. She too loved your papa and at first she was disappointed that we got married. But later we came to a mutual understanding. She is a great person." Sakura finished.

"Well that explains why there was no record of my birth in the hospital."

Sakura paused for a while before she started to speak again. "Sarada, the reason I kept the photo of Sasuke's other team a secret was because if you knew about it, then you would've known all the things your papa did that he still regrets to this day. That photo was the greatest evidence there is and I couldn't afford for you to find out. I know it was very selfish of me."

"It's alright. I understand mama." Sarada's eyes softened, a genuine smile tugging on her face. Nothing mattered. Her father will soon be back and her family would be complete again.

"Come dinner's ready." came her sweet mother's voice.

After dinner was over and Sarada went to bed, Sakura sat on the couch and leaned her sore back over it. She had just finished doing the dishes. It was hard for her. She was a single mother looking after her daughter, trying to fill the gap of her husband's absence. Her work was rough and taxing. She knew why her situation was like this; she respected her husband and understood his work more than anybody else but sometimes, even though she was really supportive of him, it frustrated her greatly at the fact that she and Sasuke had a long-distance relationship. The only reason she had that kept her going through all of the hardships were the memories that they had shared. Her fond memories of the time when Sasuke finally returned her feelings and said he loved her were the ones that kept her standing through all odds. Tired and heavily drained, she drifted off to sleep, and dreamt of wonderful memories she shared with him.

12 years ago...

Somewhere in the forest, a raven haired man rested under a tree. Various thoughts were running in his mind, the warm rays of sunlight adorned his pale complexion as he gazed up towards the clear sky. Sasuke has been on his journey of redemption for a couple of years and, although he is welcomed to return to Konoha if he wants to, he is unsure to whether he should or not. How would he be sure? He was the one that betrayed his friends and the guilt wouldn't stop eating him alive. What would be waiting for him if he came back? What was there left in that village that he could go to? Did he still have the right to move on and forget nothing ever happened? Could he bury his past? All these thoughts seem to haunt him. What would be waiting for him there? He closed his eyes and for a brief second, a colour of pink flashed in his mind. His thoughts immediately travelled back to Sakura. He had deep feelings for the girl. But he didn't know whether it was worth it or not. He was a sinful man, dark and corrupted while she was like a strong flower, keeping its beauty even during winter and never losing to the cold waiting for the hope of spring. He didn't in the least deserve her. He knew she had deep feelings for him and he sincerely believed that her feelings will never waver. Perhaps, that may be the reason why he yearns to see her and talk to her. Once she evades his senses, he always feels an overwhelming sensation to return back as fast as he could and stay by her side. One part of him continuously urges him to be with her while the other part of him tries to drag him away from ever stepping foot into the village. Which one was stronger, he clearly knew. It was the one continuously urging him to her side. But sometimes he wondered if she would even be there waiting for him after so long. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of Sakura together with a man that wasn't him. He wished in a tiny part of his heart that if he were to return, Sakura would be with him.

His train of thought was interrupted at the arrival of his hawk. It landed on his arm and he drew out what appeared to be letters from the small pouch attached to the bird. It was Naruto's handwriting no doubt. No person would ever write so sloppily even for a drunkard. It mentioned about Sakura remembering his childhood dream of joining the Konoha police force. At that Sasuke instantly realized what he had been missing. All those times that he had spent thinking about not being accepted and everything seem to have become forgotten piles at his feet. She was there, waiting for him. She was there all along and he had been too blind to see it. He was sure of his decision this time round. There were no lingering thoughts of what ifs at the back of his mind. He would return for sure. He had decided. He would return for her, for Sakura. His home was with her.

Finished...for now. Finally...I wanted to turn it into a oneshot but couldn't write anymore. My fingers are giving out. I tried really hard to portray what might have happened with Sasuke's feelings for Sakura after the war and I hope I really did get it right. Please review and tell me what you think. I love to receive feedbacks. Especially, I want to know what everybody thinks of this story. I might finish this story in the next update or so. I am really pissed at some people for thinking that Sakura hid team Taka's pic and didn't tell anything about Karin to Sarada because she hates Karin. I hope this story clarifies a bit about why Sakura didn't mention about Karin to Sarada. It was for Sasuke's sake. I hope this story doesn't suck and look stupid. Reviewww please.