"Where is she?" Sasuke impatiently asked the nurse, who sat behind the reception desk in the hospital. He had a scowl plainly etched across his features.
The nurse hesitated before saying, "I'm sorry, but Sakura hasn't checked in for the last few days." As the words left her mouth, Sasuke was already out the door, off to the next place to check. The nurse called out to Sasuke's retreating form, "but she did mention something about family matters! May I ask what you need her for? The next time I see her I can relay the message."
"No." Sasuke quickly replied. "It's a message from the Hokage," Sasuke couldn't help but roll his eyes. That stupid fool loved making him run errands, just because he could.
He flicked his wrist at the door and waited, hearing the sound of footsteps from inside approach. The door opened a crack and Sakura peered outside, her green eyes surprised to see her teammate standing there.
"Sasuke? What're you doing here?" She asked, still hiding behind the door.
His errand temporarily forgotten, he arched an eyebrow at the girl. "What are you doing?"
"You interrupted my nap ... I don't, y'know, look so good."
Sasuke sighed, making his annoyance known. "Sakura. I've seen you caked in dirt, sweat, and blood." He shook his head, " Anyway, I need that report from your mission. Naruto asked me to pick it up for him."
"Oh." Sakura mentally kicked herself, "I completely forgot. I've been kind of busy lately. Well, more so than usual." She then sighed and opened the door wider, reluctantly inviting him in. Sasuke eyed her bed hair, sticking up in all different directions like in had just been rubbed with a balloon. A furious blush crept across her cheeks and she scowled and retreated into her den.
'How does her mind work?' Sasuke mused to himself.
Sakura walked up to a wooden desk where a mountain of documents were scattered. She started to murmur to herself, digging through the pile.
He watched her, silently. She was oblivious to his curious gaze. She wore a white, fitting tank top and loosely fitted shorts. Sasuke, realizing what he was thinking, suddenly directed his view at the kitchen tile.
A loud cry interrupted his thoughts. Immediately, he watched Sakura drop the piece of paper as if it was on fire and run into the next room. He heard her cooing, and couldn't stop his feet from drawing closer to the room she went in.
"Hey ... It's okay. What is it, kid?" Sakura lifted the infant out of his blue crib and started cradling him. "C'mon, tell your auntie." His wail didn't cease, and Sakura was looking around the room frantically.
"A baby?" Sasuke suddenly said, appearing in the door frame.
Sakura looked up, surprised to see him. "Yeah," she said sheepishly. "Hey, can you hold him real quick? I have to get his formula."
Sasuke, however, didn't have the say in the matter. The kunoichi practically threw the infant into his arms while she ran off into the kitchen. Sasuke held him up by the armpits, dangling him as his cries started to die down. The baby gazed at Sasuke in curiosity, almost as if he was in a trance.
The ANBU Captain kept his stoic face still, but his thoughts were on overdrive.
'Since when did Sakura have a nephew?' He questioned himself, not remembering if Sakura had mentioned a sibling. All he knew about Sakura's family was her parents, who he had come to know relatively well over the years. To say the least, he was surprised he had not been known of it.
Sakura had come back with a tired smile on her face. "Oh good, he's quite! Sorry about this," she said, clearly embarrassed. "He's been causing trouble for me ever since my cousin came to visit." She carefully took the baby back into her arms where she started to feed him. The expression on her face as she watched her nephew could only be described as motherly.
He observed her, amazed and shockingly enraptured by the sight of Sakura holding a child. He tried snapping out of it. "The documents."
"Oh! Right."
As Sasuke shut the door behind him, he did a quick reflect. He had never felt his paternal instinct so strong before as he witnessed the angelic-like face that Sakura showed. He sighed in defeat and started to walk down the steps when he heard a soft voice.
"Push me out to sea
On a little boat that you made
Out of the evergreen
That you helped your father cut away
Leave me on the tracks
To wait until morning train arrives
Don't you dare look back"
Frozen, Sasuke peeked in the corner of his eye to look back at the door of her home. A ghost of a smile on his face, he set off to the Hokage Tower. The thought of a family in his mind.
In case anyone wondered, the lyrics are from a song called Landfill by Daughter. I recommend listening to it, it was so beautiful that I had to share it.