Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and its characters.
Title: Kazoku
Summary: "Are you happy, Sasuke-kun?" SasuSaku, Canonverse
Prompt: Sasuke Week Day 6 – Family
Rating: K
Notes: I am obviously late for this prompt… but that doesn't I won't post it. Enjoy!
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~For one so small, you seem so strong~
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm~
This bond between us can't be broken~
I will be here, don't you cry~
–Phil Collins
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Kazoku
He stared at the small bundle that laid soundly in his arms with the regular rise of its chest and then glanced at his wife who had fallen asleep as well. However, the only difference was that her appearance was disheveled. It only made sense that she didn't look too well and was tired after everything had transpired that day, he mused.
They had been walking through the forest when his wife started feeling unwell. They decided to take a break, although his wife insisted that she didn't feel that terrible. However, she had contradicted herself once they realised her water had broken, ensuing panic among them. It had been very painful for her because of the contractions and he picked her up instantly and ran back full speed to his old comrade's hideout they had visited not too long ago. Karin was surprised when both of them, him carrying Sakura, had showed up at the hideout's entrance, however she was still more than willing to help them out in any way she could.
The next few hours were very agonizing for Sakura… and for him as well. It was pretty obvious why it was painful for Sakura since she was the one giving birth to their child. However… the way she had screamed during labour was unbearable for Sasuke. He was not oblivious to the fact that giving birth is a long and unpleasant process for a woman – he had talked about it with Sakura and also done some research himself. But witnessing childbirth for real seemed way worse than he imagined.
He was there – next to her – and squeezing her hand while giving moral support. He didn't know who had squeezed their hand harder – whether it was Sakura from pain or him worried about her. His heart clenched a little every time she screamed or sobbed in pain. The way her face was scrunched up and her body shook was quite unnerving for Sasuke. But nevertheless, he stayed by her side, making sure she was alright.
And then it happened. After Karin had commanded Sakura "to push", she tried with all her might, even though it hurt a lot, and a few "pushes" later… a loud cry resounded through the whole room. His wife no longer screamed, and she didn't seem to be in pain anymore as calmness overcame her. He was about to inquire if she was alright when his ex-teammate stood up with a small bundle in her arms. He steadied his gaze at the bundle and his breath had hitched once he saw his (correction – their) bawling child in his old acquaintance's arms. She had a soft smile on her face as she whispered: "It's a girl."
The moment was surreal for Sasuke. He couldn't believe this was happening. It was as if everything around him stopped and the only thing he could focus was on their little girl. Letting go of his wife's hand, he walked over to the woman and reached for his baby who was still wailing. Once he had her settled in his arms, many emotions surged through him at once. Some of them he deciphered as:
Joy.
Wonder.
Pride.
As his eyes landed on her face, he felt another strong emotion surge through him. Love. His hand brushed the short onyx-coloured hair on the bawling baby's head and a smile stretched over his lips at the sight of his little girl.
"Sasuke-kun…" over the loud crying he heard a quiet mumble and turned around to see his wife still lying on the bed with her eyes closed.
Suddenly, distress overcame him at the sight of his wife, "Sakura?"
A hand immediately landed on his shoulder and he turned to glance at the red-haired woman. "Don't worry," she said with a slight smile, "She will be fine. She is just tired and all."
He stared at his ex-teammate for a moment and then slowly nodded. Obviously, his lover wasn't dead, however he still couldn't help but be worried about her. But she was fine, as Karin assured, and that's what mattered. Sasuke glanced at his child who had stopped her bawling and had fallen asleep and decided to wait for Sakura to wake up.
"Sasuke?"
He looked at the woman and didn't answer, however he raised his eyebrow as if wondering what she will say. A simper stretched over her lips as she whispered, "Congratulations." And before he could answer, she whirled around and walked out of the room to leave him alone with his family. He lingered there for a moment before going and sitting down nearby to Sakura on a wooden chair.
And now he waited for her to wake up together with their child. He let out a quiet sigh and pressed his back against the wall. He knew this day would have come eventually but he couldn't believe it had happened today. He couldn't believe his child was actually born.
A gurgle snapped him out of his musings and he glanced at his child. She was wide awake and for the first time he saw her eyes. Or rather… his eyes. They were onyx, just like his. She had inherited his hair as well. However, while her features did resemble his, some of them were inherited from Sakura too, like her little button-nose or the outline of her eyes.
A childish grin appeared on the little girl's face as she started cooing and giggling at him, raising her tiny hands towards his face. Suddenly, sense of happiness once again swelled inside of him. He was a father. He had never dreamed of becoming one though, considering his past life. Occasionally he would muse about having children, but he had always pushed that thought away since he didn't have time for that, especially during his path of revenge. Not to mention the fact that there was a low chance he would even survive – he thought he was going to die back when he was still obsessed with avenging his family's death. He was grateful – and still is – at Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi for pulling him out of darkness.
He watched his baby babbling something at him in her own "language" as she was still trying to reach for him. A ghost of smile appeared on his face as he lifted his hand and trailed his index finger down her tiny face. She stared in wonder and confusion as her eyes followed his digit. He wanted to chuckle at her reaction – it was quite amusing. But all of sudden, she raised her arms and clasped his finger. His smile disappeared.
He stared in wonder as his daughter gazed with an innocent smile and once again he felt emotions overwhelm him. She was so tiny and innocent… how could someone like him could have created a child like that? It was unbelievable. He pressed her gently against his chest and she stared at the man before her in confusion, but he paid no mind to it. She was a little precious thing. So pure and innocent… just like her mother. He loved his little girl with all his heart – he had fallen in love the moment he saw her – and vowed to protect her forever. No one would harm his little girl. If they did, there would be severe consequences – because you do not cross a man like Sasuke Uchiha. He would make sure of it, so they would know that his family is not something to mess with. They can throw at him whatever they want – hurls, insults, jabs, knives and so on. But his family? Oh hell no.
A movement from his wife woke him up from his stupor and his eyes snapped at her. Her jade eyes fluttered open and she groaned quietly. She still must be tired, Sasuke mused. Her eyes then settled in their direction and slightly mumbled, "Sasuke-kun? Is that you?"
He stood up with his daughter in his hands and walked over to the pink haired woman, asking quietly with concern, "Are you alright?"
Sakura looked at him with fatigue tinged eyes, "Yeah, just tired that's all." That meant his wife was alright, Sasuke thought with relief. For a moment back there, he was worried that something had happened to her but obviously he was just paranoid. While it may seem that it was unlikely of him to act that way, he still couldn't help it. He then noted that Sakura became quiet as her eyes landed on the bundle in his arms. She whispered, "Is that our…?"
He glanced at the baby in his arms and nodded at her, "It's a girl."
Her eyes widened in surprise and gaped at him, "A girl!?" Although they were both excited to know know the gender of their future baby, they wanted to keep it a surprise. However, it was a shock for his wife since Uchiha clan was known for usually mostly bearing sons instead of daughters. But change for once was good, wasn't it?
Sasuke looked at her softly, "Would you like to hold her?"
A huge smile lit up her face, despite her fatigue, and sat up enthusiastically, "Of course!" He cast an amused look at her. That's Sakura for you. Even when she was completely tired out, she could still become fresh and lively, once she became excited. He carefully placed their baby in her arms and watched as Sakura stopped breathing for a moment at the sight of their little girl, "Sasuke-kun…"
"Sakura?" he questioned, his voice laced with concern.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun… she is wonderful!" she exclaimed as tears started pooling in her eyes from joy, "I am so happy I can't explain it! I can't believe she is finally here. She is so adorable! And so tiny too!" she squealed in excitement.
He watched as his lover began cooing at their little girl and smiled at them, despite himself. For the first time in many years, he felt content because he had a real family. Of course, he considered Team 7 like his family as well and was close to each of them. However… this was different. His smile disappeared once he started reminiscing old memories that he would rather forget at the moment. When he was a little boy, he was a happy child cherished by his family, especially his mother – she could brighten up his mood when he was feeling down and would always assure him when he had doubts about his father. Although, he and his father didn't have a relationship as close as his with mother, Sasuke knew he still cared. And Itachi…
He grimaced. Itachi was a great brother. Although, he does resent him a bit for lying to him, he still missed him very much. He knew Itachi suffered a lot and had sacrificed his happiness as well for the sake of the village – which Sasuke still found inexcusable but came to accept eventually. The remaining elders did, however, receive the punishment they deserved.
Sometimes, he would wonder how his life would have played out if things had gone differently. Would he and his brother have a good relationship? Would his relationship with father become better? Would he still be under the curse of hatred? He didn't know. However, he would probably have a life which wouldn't be filled with fear and hatred every day. And he wouldn't have to push his teammates away for the sake of them not getting hurt. He would probably be happy.
"Sasuke-kun?" a light voice snapped him out of his musings and he saw his wife smiling at him brightly while holding their baby. The scene before him was picture perfect, he mused as he stared at them. But then he composed himself and responded, "Yes?"
Sakura stopped smiling for a moment and then asked him softly, "Are you happy?"
Sasuke blinked. Out of all questions, it was the least one he expected. "Happy?" he echoed.
She nodded, "Yeah. I mean…" she didn't say anything for a moment as if trying to find the right words, "You told me you have always wanted family and it would make you very happy if you did. Well, are you happy now?"
So that's what it is all about, he mused to himself. But he wasn't bothered by the question. Because he, in fact, was happy. He was happy because Sakura never gave up on him and continued loving him all these years. He was happy because Sakura was there, together with him and caring for him. He was happy because he experienced love again with Sakura. He was happy because Sakura gave him a family that he had lost many years ago. And now he was happy because their little girl was there, and he couldn't feel more content. So, he answered:
"Yes. Yes, I am. Thank you, Sakura." And with that he raised his hand and poked her forehead. Her breath hitched, "Sasuke-kun..."
Suddenly, she lunged at him together with their daughter – whom Sasuke caught both in surprise – and started sobbing against him, "Oh, Sasuke-kun! You also make happy! And not just happy, overjoyed too! I am very overjoyed right now!"
Yeah, she is definitely overjoyed right now, he mentally sweat-dropped at his wife's antics but then again – that's why he loved her. Then the pinkette calmed down and stepped away from him with their baby who looked confused at all of the commotion. "Sorry," she said with a sheepish smile, "I just got really excited. But I am really glad you are happy, Sasuke-kun. If you are happy, then I am happy too!"
He let a smile appear on his face at her confession. "Yeah. Thank you, Sakura," he said once again, and he wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed his lips against her forehead. His wife blushed but managed to answer anyway, "Y-You're welcome, Sasuke-kun."
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"Sasuke-kun?"
"Hm?"
"What are we going to name our baby?"
"...Sarada."
"Sarada?"
"Sarada."
Pause.
"Sarada… I like it, Sasuke-kun."
Smile.
"Yeah."
end
I hope you enjoyed this because I am actually kind of nervous how it came out. Honestly, I think it sucks. I will probably do some editing in the near future but for now, I will leave you with this.
I wrote this not only for Sasuke Week but also because SasuSara is my favourite bond and I have always wanted to write how Sasuke felt when Sarada was born. So yeah.
Anyhow, thanks for reading and please review, favourite and follow. I really need to hear your opinion on this one. Thank you! :)
-Sasuke-n-Tomatoes