a/n: I support the theory that the Sarada that Sasuke met was a fake but I also want to believe that he doesn't really know about her (and I'm gonna write another story for this in Sakura's version). So here's a story for that. As always, writing in Sasuke's POV is incredibly difficult. This is also inspired by pinkchidori's post on Tumblr and by Maroon 5's Goodnight, goodnight.

His Little Girl

"Are you one of that creep's friends?" Sasuke began as he sized her up, his sword dangerously hovering over her.

He took in the sight of her: her hair, windswept, with some wisps plastered to her forehead; her eyes, smarted with fear and surprisingly red-rimmed and misting over.

She was staring raptly at him, and he shook off the beginnings of uncalled-for curiosity. After all, he had anticipated this meeting. He had sensed a moving chakra, and he almost thought it was Naruto's except that it didn't have the usual careless, amicable yet blazingly fierce aura. This one was pointedly strange and urgent yet for reasons that eluded him, a vague sense of familiarity throbbed through the whole of his body, and he couldn't wait to see why. When she finally appeared, he immediately understood: Sharingan, an Uchiha, another enemy.

"Why...?" her voice wobbled, and her face wrinkled up in fear and confusion.

"Who ordered you?" he asked brusquely.

She gave out a muffled, plaintive cry as she stumbled backward, and tears suddenly streamed down her pale cheeks. He knew that this might be a form of deception, but her irrelevant expression nonetheless stunned him, and he almost lowered his sword.

"I don't understand..."

He thought, he thought he heard her say something more.

Pa-pa.

Silence pulsed between them before he adjusted his hold on his sword, perfecting his aim.

"Let's stop wasting time."

Casting away every prick of hesitation, he lunged at her, ignoring what he thought he had heard – the word pulsating in the air – "Papa!"

Crash.

Suddenly, a figure loomed above him, tackling him down.

"What..." the figure rasped then barked out, "What the hell, Sasuke!"

Naruto's shell-shocked face came into view, and Sasuke had to blink before narrowing his eyes.

"Get off me, Dobe. The enemy's right behind you."

Naruto had a temporary, nonplussed expression before releasing a nervous chuckle as he got up to his feet, looking back over his shoulder to check on Sarada then looking back at Sasuke.

"You're joking, right, Teme? C'mon!" he said, slapping Sasuke on the back.

Sasuke threw him a dark look. "What are you talking about? That kid is an ally of the Uchiha I told you about. I could've already settled this if not –"

"Don't you...don't you know her, Sasuke?"

He didn't know what Naruto was prating on about, but he decided to give the girl a quick, assessing glance. There was now another kid beside her, talking to her. She seemed to be sobbing into her hands, and he didn't want to know why he suddenly cared.

He turned back to Naruto who seemed to be getting increasingly confused and inexpressibly angry by the minute.

"Sasuke, that girl is your daughter!"

Suddenly, the world seemed to wheel away, leaving only him and that girl. But he quickly perished the possibility of what Naruto was suggesting. He let out a sigh, not wanting to deal with the sheer preposterousness of the situation.

"That's not possible. I've been away for years," he intoned, feigning nonchalance.

He caught the girl's eyes, now gazing dolefully toward him. He wrenched his gaze away. He never knew her.

"I don't know what the hell happened but you have a daughter with Sakura and that's her!"

Sakura. Her name pierced his memory and recalls of pink and green from a far-flung time flooded his mind – her sleep-strewn form, the wrinkled bedspread, and her silvery laugh. But he immediately prised himself loose from the memories and felt an inevitable uprush of anger because if what Naruto was saying was true then how come she didn't even bother to tell him? More than that, however, there was a deep, gray ache somewhere inside him, and he suddenly found it hard to breathe.

But he didn't want to think about this. Not now.

He then began walking, passing by the girl, and avoiding the stricken glances she was sending him.

"But Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, desperation lacing his tone.

He halted in his steps. "Sakura didn't tell me anything about this," he gave a tight, final reply.

But Naruto caught up with him and said firmly, "I don't know why she didn't, Sasuke, but we'll get answers from her. Let's head back to the village."

Before Sasuke could even turn to him, Naruto had already gone to the girl, consoling her, as if she were his own child. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder for a moment how it must have felt like – to be a father, to have a family.

Moments later, they began their journey back, trudging their way through the forest as Naruto filled him in on the current events in the village. He soon learned that the other kid who was with them was the child of Akimichi Chouji with a ninja from the cloud village.

The two children were a few paces ahead of them, but he could see the girl with her head bent down while the Akimichi kid talked volubly, blathering away.

Naruto must have caught him in this rare unguarded moment because he heard a small chuckle and when he faced him, Naruto was already beaming. "Believe it, Teme, she's your little girl."

My little girl. He wanted to scoff at this, but instead he emerged to a new kind of feeling that he would have to deal with when he got his answers. After a long, hesitant moment, he spoke. "What's her name?"

"Sarada. Uchiha Sarada. And she's awakened her Sharingan, too," Naruto grinned.

"Aa. " He knew, and he couldn't help having that sense of quiet pride over the child's achievement.

He froze mid-step when he sensed a malign presence lurking around. A quick stir of leaves, and two figures emerged from the copses.

He shot a glance at the child, and before Naruto could even bark an order, he was already beside her, summoning his hawk, feeling an unusual trickle of fear in his blood . Naruto went to get the other kid while he swept her up into his arms, and in the brief instant that he had held her, he felt warmth welling up through him along with the first filaments of worry.

They had secured the children on the hawk with Sasuke instructing it to carry the kids back to the village as quickly as possible. If he would pitch himself into a battle, he wouldn't want her nearby. He still couldn't believe the reality of his being a father, but he would get his answers soon. For now, he felt the need to protect this child, and he would respond to it. Never mind the appropriate labels.

But before he could even release her, she had already slumped into his arms, crying gaily. "Papa...papa...papa..."

Knowing that there wasn't much time, he placed his hand atop her head, making her look up at him. He didn't know how to be affectionate like Naruto, and in that moment he could've chosen to look at her with his obdurate, cold eyes, but his face could only crease into a soft smile when he saw her eyes.

"You have your mother's forehead..."

"Sasuke!"

He gave a curt nod to Naruto before facing her again.

"And you have my eyes," he reached forward, lightly brushing off her almost dried-up tears, "I'll see you, Sarada."

Her name was a foretaste of home.

...

Fin.

(ok so i had to ask my father and he told me he wouldn't recognize me as her 12-year-old daughter if he had only seen me once when i was an infant. BUT I'M STILL NOT BUYING THAT CRAP.)