Business Trips
A/N: I feel like my thoughts were all over the place with this one, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sakura or Sasuke, though I do love them dearly!
Sasuke was busy; there was no getting around it. He was never home, gone on business trips for months at a time, and somehow, Sakura managed to stick by him despite his absence.
He futzed around a little bit with his wedding band, recalling when he'd first proposed, and even more so at the slight panic that Sakura was going to faint, rather than answer him. It came as no surprise that she'd agreed to marry him, though he'd be lying if he said that the river of tears that cascaded down her face didn't throw him off slightly. He'd been absent for months even then, before proposing and for a moment, he'd almost thought that her tears meant something else.
A few months after that and he'd returned home again, and stuck around long enough to plan the wedding. It was the longest he'd remained back in Konoha up to date since he first left. They got married, and few days later, he was off again, much to Sakura's dismay.
"I'll see you later," he'd always tell her, and poke her forehead. There were times when he'd contemplate actually giving her a kiss, but a small, maybe even sadistic, side of him always found it rather amusing to watch her try, and fail to make a move on him, and then hang her head while he dodged her and hurried off.
When Sakura was pregnant had been the hardest time for him to be away. He worried over her frequently, despite the fact that he never let it show, and his trips back home were more frequent as well. Sometimes he felt like he wasn't a good husband, and it was that thought alone that almost caused him to never propose in the first place. He wasn't sure if it was because it was the next logical thing for him to do, or because somewhere, deep down, he felt a small bit of confidence that he'd be alright, that resulted in him proposing in the first place.
He stopped messing with his ring and reached into his wallet to pull out the photo Sakura had sent him of her and their daughter. They looked just alike, save for the onyx eyes and raven hair that she'd gotten from him. It always made his heart swell whenever he looked at her, or heard the things that Sakura told him about her. His heart also ached because he was an absent father, and he didn't want to make the same mistakes that his own father did. He wouldn't allow himself to become another Fugaku.
He'd been there to help Sakura through some of her pregnancy, and made sure to stick around to be there when Sarada was born. He couldn't imagine her taking over the family business one day, and he couldn't imagine himself forcing it upon her. Maybe she made him too soft, but it was something where, if she didn't want to, he wasn't going to make her. Eventually she'd have a family of her own, and he hated to even think about her having to go on extended business trips like this.
Sasuke booked a flight back home within the next couple of days. Though he should've called Sakura to let her know beforehand, he didn't. It was a spur of the moment decision, and a small part of him wanted to surprise her.
When he arrived back in Konoha, he finally called her to let her know he was back, and no more than ten minutes later, she was bursting through the door with Sarada at her side. He hardly had time to react before they had engulfed him in their arms.
"Papa," Sarada chirped cheerfully, giving him a squeeze, "I missed you!"
"Sasuke," Sakura still clung to him, even after pulling back slightly to look up at him, "when did you get back? I thought you still had more things to do."
All he could do was offer a shrug at Sakura's question as he replied, "just now. I got enough done that it should be alright." He let his gaze shift over to Sarada, allowing the faintest of smiles to tug at his lips. "I missed you too."
Truthfully, Sasuke still had a lot to get done business-wise, but he didn't mind delaying it if it meant that he'd get to spend some much needed quality time with his family. Holding them both in his arms, he decided that they were worth it, and always would be.