This was originally going to be a standalone oneshot. But then I had ideas.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it. All rights to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the other proper entities.

Summary: He's been home six months when Sarada brings up the question. "Now that Papa's home am I going to get a brother or sister?"

Rating: T (suggestive themes)

Genre: Family/Romance

Pairings: SasuSaku


Looking Forward

He's been home six months when Sarada brings up the question.

"Now that Papa's home am I going to get a brother or sister?"

Sakura blinks at her dumbly, her mouth parting in a surprised little 'o'. The last time she'd asked about brothers and sisters was eight months before, when they'd found out that Hinata was pregnant again, and Sakura had said something vague about needing Papa's permission for that. Now that little Himawari was born a few days ago, it appears that the question is back in the little girl's mind.

"I don't know." She eventually says slowly. "We haven't talked about it." Which is true. There has been so much to get in order regarding Sasuke's recent return to Konoha that they haven't even discussed the prospect of more children. "Why?" She gauges. "Do you want one?"

Sarada frowns a little while she thinks. The look is so reminiscent of the look Sasuke sometimes gets when contemplating a difficult puzzle that Sakura has to smile. "It might be nice." She eventually settles on. "Boruto seems to like his little sister."

Sakura laughs. "Well, if Boruto likes his little sister it can't be all that bad, can it?" She pokes Sarada on the belly, earning a giggle from the little girl. "I'll ask Papa about it when he gets home."

Sasuke has started taking missions again. They're usually local—bandits in the woods, a nukenin spotted in this particular area, this farming village was being harassed by some dangerous wild animal. The longest he's been gone since his return was a week, and that was only due to a freak blizzard that snowed him into a cave for two days. He'd grumbled a little about it when he got home in the early hours of the morning and stalked straight into the bathroom to wash the mud out of his hair, but his bad mood had been forgotten when he'd come out to find Sarada sitting in the hall waiting for him.

He's currently part of a detail to escort Gaara back to Suna after trade negotiations between the Hokage and Kazekage, and is due back either tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on the weather. Sakura is glad that the anxiety that Sarada has been feeling during his overnight missions is starting to fade now that Sasuke is coming home every time. There is still some part of the little girl that, Sakura supposes, is worried that he'll disappear forever every time he steps out of the village gates.

He arrives at nine that evening, long after Sarada has gone to bed, sighing as he collapses onto the couch next to Sakura, where she is reading a textbook on children's psychology. He knows she has every intention of going back to work at the children's clinic when Sarada is old enough to attend the Academy, and hasn't said a word against it. She knows that his clan had been traditionalist, preferring their women to stay in the home and retire from whatever profession they'd held beforehand, but he seems content enough to allow her to follow her dreams. She'd put them on hold while raising Sarada, but she has every intent of going back.

"How was your trip?" She asks, marking her page and setting it aside. He accepts her kiss when she leans over. In public, Sasuke remains detached and distant, and he even seems a little awkward showing affection in front of Sarada or their close friends, but in private he's more relaxed about it. It's one of the things that makes Sakura laugh when people asked why they rarely touch in public.

"Fine." He looks at her as she settles against him, and his good arm goes around her shoulders, curling almost protectively. "I heard you attended while Hinata gave birth."

Sakura grins. It was the only time she'd come off her leave from the hospital in years—she'd made a promise to Naruto that she would be there to deliver his second baby. "I did, though it only took about three hours. It was an easy labour."

"The dobe wouldn't shut up about it when I ran into him." Sasuke grouses. "He made me look at pictures."

Sakura laughs. "Give him a break, he's excited."

"Hn."

They sit in silence for a little while, broken only when Sasuke gets up to make them tea. Sakura moves to the table while she watches him in the kitchen, a small smile on her lips as she thinks of Sarada's question. She really does want more children. She wonders if Sasuke would be opposed to the idea.

"What?" He asks, looking at her over his shoulder.

"What, what?" She laughs.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" He clarifies when she gets up to take the teapot while he brings over the cups.

She pours their tea and hums thoughtfully. "I was just thinking about something Sarada said today."

"What was it?"

She deliberately waits until he's set his cup down and swallowed his mouthful of tea before speaking; the last thing she wants him to do is choke on a hot liquid. "She was asking about getting brothers and sisters."

"Ah." She has to giggle as the tips of his ears turn pink, but otherwise he seems composed enough. "What did you tell her?"

"That we'd talk about it." Sakura takes a sip of her tea. "What do you think?" She asks.

He gives a small shrug. "To be honest, I never even thought we'd have her." He says quietly.

"So… you don't want another baby?" Sakura asks, feeling a little disappointed. She would never say that Sarada isn't enough for her, because she is, but it would have been nice to have a few kids. But if he doesn't want to, she isn't going to force the issue.

"I didn't say that." He says quietly, sipping at his tea and averting his eyes. "You know I've always…" he falters. "It's not a case of wanting to or not. It's whether I should."

Sakura knows what he's talking about. Everything he'd done as a teenager plays through her mind—the defection, the killing, the pain he'd caused her and everyone dear to them. He is still afraid that, despite the measure of peace they've found together, he might eventually end up hurting them all again. If it hadn't been for Sarada's sharingan, perhaps he'd be able to look past all of that, but he'd confided to her one night that he was reminded of it all every time he looked at her glasses. That all he feels like he does is hurt the people dearest to him.

He wants more children. He's just afraid of hurting them, too.

"What do you want?" He asks suddenly, surprising her. She blinks into his dark eyes. He's looking so serious and contemplative that it brings her up short.

She looks down at her cup. "I've always wanted a few children." She admits. "I'd like another baby, but I'm absolutely satisfied with just Sarada." She hastens to assure him.

"Hm." He makes a thoughtful little sound, turning to look out the window into the night. A hush falls over them, and she can practically hear the gears turning in his head.

"We don't… have to try right now." She says eventually, into the quiet. "It was just… an idea."

"If it's what you want, I don't… mind." He says slowly, his gaze fixed on the street light outside. Then, quietly, "Sarada's about the age Itachi was when I was born." Sakura sucks in a tiny gasp at the mention of his brother. He doesn't speak about his family often—the pain is too deep for that—but when he does it's always with tenderness and regret. He closes his eyes and sighs. "She'll be old enough to start learning the katon soon."

"At five?" Sakura asks, incredulous.

"I mastered it at seven." Sasuke shrugs again. "I won't push her though." 'Unlike my father,' is heard echoing in the silence. Then, he says, surprising her, "I suppose I'll need your help with that."

"Huh?" She blinks at him.

He gives a small, regretful little smirk. "I can't show her the signs with just one hand."

She is silent for a moment, and then she blurts, "You could always accept the prosthetic Tsunade-sama made for you." At his incredulous look, she bites her lip. "She's kept it viable as a… personal favour to me."

"I see." He sounds slightly dumbfounded. Clearly, he hadn't thought that was an option anymore.

"I'll let you think about it." She stands, moving to rinse out her cup and leaving it in the sink to be washed up the next day. "You should bathe. You smell like dirt and sweat." She says as she passes him again, kissing him on the cheek.

He frowns at her as she chuckles, ducking into the hall and heading for their bedroom. She hears him shuffle around for a little while as she changes and settles into bed. She drowses to the sounds of the pipes running while he washes off. He comes in a little while later, calling her name softly into the dark.

"I'm awake." She rolls to face him as he moves to his side of the bed.

"About the arm…" he begins haltingly, standing awkwardly in the dark. She can faintly see his outline standing over her. "Tomorrow, could you…?"

"I'll call Shizune and set up an appointment."

She hears him breathe a sigh of relief as the bed dips. He slips under the blankets and she moves to meet him as he reaches for her, enjoying the feel of his lips on her jaw.

Later, she is pleased to note that he hadn't reached for their birth control.


It's an adjustment for Sasuke, having two arms again. After eight years, he's managed to adapt to doing everything one-handed, and having to re-learn how to use his left hand takes time. He doesn't have to go for regular check-ups or physiotherapy in the hospital, at least—Sakura performs those at home, saying there's no need unless something goes wrong or he develops an infection.

Sarada likes to hold his new hand when they go into town to run errands, and he lets her. Unlike Naruto, the skin tone is close enough to his real one that he doesn't bother to keep it wrapped in training bandages, except over the ugly scar where the prosthetic connects to the flesh of his arm. Sakura has offered to heal them to a fainter line, but he shakes it off, saying that he doesn't care what it looks like so long as it works.

Sakura first allows him to train with it three months after it was attached, and he all but drags Naruto to the training grounds while Sakura trails behind, leading Sarada and holding a picnic basket over her free arm. Hinata and her children are also in attendance, and the women and children have a nice picnic under the trees ringing the training grounds while their husbands beat each other up with basic taijutsu. A triumphant Naruto and a sour Sasuke—Naruto had won their match—join them after lunch and squabble over the leftovers.

"Papa, do I have to be a shinobi?" Sarada asks during a lull in conversation. "Inojin said yesterday that all the kids in his clan have to be. We're part of a clan, right?"

Sakura and Sasuke look at each other while Naruto and Hinata shift uncomfortably. They haven't exactly decided when to tell Sarada about the truth of the Uchiha clan, simply deciding telling her later. When she is older, and can understand. She knows that Sasuke's family is dead—Sakura had had that uncomfortable conversation before Sasuke had returned, when her daughter had asked about why they only had her parents as family, but Sakura never could figure out how to tell her that the whole clan is gone without giving her nightmares.

"No, you don't have to be a shinobi if you don't want to be." He says softly. "I'll teach you some things when you're older, but you don't have to use them."

She seems satisfied with that answer, turning instead to coo over baby Himawari when she begins to fuss. Both Sasuke and Sakura breathe a sigh of relief when she doesn't press further about the clan issue.

Sakura allows herself to be goaded into a spar with Naruto a little while later, delighting in her daughter's enthusiastic cheers as she leaves craters all over the training grounds. It's the first time Sarada has seen her in action. She knows her Mama is super strong—Sakura has, many a time, lifted the couch with one hand when a toy has disappeared underneath it—but she's never seen her fight before. Naruto wins, of course; Sakura is far too out of practice to stand a real chance.

"I have to start training again." She complains when they return to the picnic blanket, dropping next to Sasuke. "I haven't had any real time for the past few years."

"I know what you mean." Hinata has Himawari over her shoulder, trying to burp the baby. "I don't feel like I've left the house in months."

Sarada had climbed into Sasuke's lap while Sakura was gone, and she beams up at her. "That was amazing, Mama!" She crows.

Sakura beams at her. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"You Uchiha are getting soft on me." Naruto teases, leaning back on his hands and grinning. "Only about half of me is bruised."

"I can bruise the other half, if you like." Sasuke growls.

Naruto waves him off. "Nah, I'll manage. Besides, we should get going. Hiashi-san wants us to come over for dinner tonight."

They say their goodbyes while the blanket is folded and placed in the empty basket. Plans are made for dinner at the Uchiha residence the following weekend, and the two families part ways, each heading to their respective homes. Takeout is procured on their way, and the small family of three enjoy a quiet meal together before it's time for a yawning Sarada to have a bath and go to bed.

Sakura finds Sasuke doing the dishes after Sarada has drifted off, moving wordlessly to dry them with a cloth. It's a comfortable domesticity they've found since his return, and they find themselves content to listen to the sounds of the night outside while they tidy up.

"When's your next mission?" She asks eventually.

"Three days or so." He hands her another plate. "Kakashi offered me more medical leave, but I don't think I need it."

"Hmm." She nods. His arm has healed nicely; there isn't really a lot more for the recovery other than to build strength, which will happen naturally over time as he trains. "I've been thinking about going back to the hospital part time when Sarada starts at the Academy in a few months."

He nods wordlessly.

"You don't mind, do you?"

"Why would I mind?"

She shrugs, placing the stack of dried dishes away while he drains the water. "Ino said something yesterday about her mother complaining that Sai lets her work. I know some clans are pretty touchy about it."

Sasuke scoffs. "We're not Yamanaka." He points out as they settle on the couch.

"No, but I know the Uchiha were conservative." She says slowly.

"Even if I told you no, you'd still do it anyway, wouldn't you?" His voice is strangely calm. She wonders if she's made him angry.

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then why bother asking the question?" He raises an eyebrow at her. "I'm not my father, Sakura. I'm not going to demand that you end your career because you're the mother of my child, now. I always expected you would go back when the time was right."

She beams at him. "Good, because I didn't want to have to take that arm back off while I was twisting it."

He just rolls his eyes as she reaches up to peck him on the lips.


As it turns out, the choice is taken away from her a week before Sarada is due to begin classes.

She'd gone into the hospital for a check-up after missing a period, and is delighted to learn that she is expecting. They haven't exactly been trying for a baby, but they haven't been actively guarding against it either. Shizune fills her out a prescription for supplements and congratulates her, sending her on her way with little more ceremony. She stops by the office and asks them to remove her from the roster, which is met with some grumbling, but by the time she leaves the building it has all been taken care of.

Sasuke is home when she arrives, doing a kata out the back, while Sarada reads one of her children's books to the stuffed dinosaur that had once been her father's on the porch. Sakura joins her, peering at the book with interest. It isn't one she bought; it's relatively new, which means that it's a recent addition, probably a gift from her parents.

Her husband begins to wind down when he notices her. "How did it go?" He asks when he approaches, eyes lingering on her stomach before meeting her gaze. She'd voiced her suspicions the night before, when telling him she was going in for a check-up.

She beams. "Positive." She says. His eyes widen a fraction.

"What is?" Sarada looks between them, confused.

Sakura looks at her daughter thoughtfully. "Do you remember when you said you wanted a baby brother or sister?" She asks. Sarada nods. "Well, I'm going to have a baby."

Sarada's eyes sparkle. "Really?"

Sakura nods enthusiastically. "Really, really."

She braces herself as Sarada lurches forward to hug her, but the impact never comes. Sasuke has looped an arm around the girl's waist, holding her back. "Careful." He scolds.

Sakura laughs as Sarada squirms out of his hold and throws her arms around her mother's neck. "Oh, come on, Anata. I'm not suddenly made of glass." She wraps her arms around her daughter, who begins babbling excitedly.

His ears turn pink, but he says nothing as he sits next to them. She watches him from the corner of her eye and is pleased to see his lips twitching up into a tiny smile as he meets her eye.


I'm leaving the work marked as complete, because there probably wont be any real concrete story. If I add more, they'll stand alone.