Chapter Thirty-Six; The Promise

Sasuke pulled his car inside his own driveway before putting on the brakes, parking it, and turning off the engine. Then he heaved a heavy sigh while he slowly turned his head and looked over at Naruto. "This is it." He told him as Sasuke hung his head and sighed.

"I don't think that I can do this. Both of them are going to be crushed." He told him.

"I know, but you don't have any other choice." Naruto said as Sasuke heaved another heavy sigh.

"Let's just get this over with." He said before pulling his keys out of the ignition.

"I'll wait here for you. That way you can have your moment alone with them to say goodbye." Naruto told him as Sasuke smiled sadly at him before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you. I'll be right back." He told him before he threw off his seatbelt and climbed out of the car and then slammed the door behind him again. He clung to his cross necklace while he slowly walked up the driveway and over to the front door. As he rang the doorbell Taki leapt up onto the couch and started to bark at him. Sasuke took a long drawn out breath and scowled. "It's me you idiot." He muttered underneath his breath before his wife answered the door.

"Sasuke? What are you doing back here so early?" she questioned him with uncertainty before stepping out onto the porch. "I thought you were spending another night over at Naruto's." she said.

"I was." Sasuke began. "But I really needed to talk to you."

"Is Naruto alright?" she asked him nervously.

"He's fine. He decided to wait in the car." He replied.

"Ah phew, because for a second there I thought_" she began breathing a sigh of relief while wiping sweat off her forehead before Sasuke suddenly interjected.

"Sakura." He began.

"What is it Sasuke?" she asked him.

"Look, this isn't easy for me to say to you at all so I might as well just say it and be done with it. The fact is that Naruto and Sasame both had the same dream about Orochimaru coming after you and her. So Naruto and I are leaving to make sure that that doesn't happen." He told her before Sakura let out a rather loud and astonished gasp.

"What?" she questioned him as he took ahold of both her hands and held them inside her own while gazing deeply inside her eyes.

"It's for the best Sakura." He told her but she quickly backed away from him suddenly feeling tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No! You can't go! Why would you do this to me!?" she cried.

"Because I love you. Don't you remember our first kiss where I promised you that I would never let you get hurt again. I promised that I would protect you and our daughter." He told her.

"But you also promised that you would never leave me again!" she yelled while the tears continued rolling down her cheeks.

"I know but that was before this happened. I'm sorry Sakura, I don't have a choice." He told her while he placed a tender hand to her cheek and rubbed away her tears with his thumb and kissing her lips passionately while his heart pounded against his chest. "I have to do what's best for you and our daughter." He told her.

"Do you have to go?" she sobbed blinking away the rest of her tears.

"I'm afraid so. I love you both so much that if I lost both or either of you I don't know what I would do." He told her before she glanced down at the ground.

"What about Naruto though? He's also in danger if he goes with you." She said.

"I know. And you don't have any idea of how worried I am about him. But he's grown man and the seventh hokage. I have to trust and have faith in him that he can take care of himself." He told her.

"And what!? I can't!? You said it yourself that I'm stronger than I used to be!" she snapped while her tears continued rolling down her cheeks and hitting the ground beside her feet.

"I know. But you have to stay here and take care of Sasame. As your husband and her father, I feel like it is my duty to protect you both. Especially Sasame since she's only still a child." He told her before she took a deep breath.

"You be careful Sasuke Uchiha." She began. "I want you and Naruto coming back home to me in one piece do you understand?" she questioned him.

"I promise." He told her before they both exchanged a kiss on the lips. "Now you have to promise me that you and Sasame will both be waiting for us when we get back." He told her while she slowly turned her head away from him but Sasuke quickly grabbed ahold of her chin and turned her head back over to face him. "Promise me now Sakura. After all, don't forget, you're also carrying our second child right now." He told her while he brushed some of her hair out of her face and tucked it around her ear. "Promise me now and never let go of that promise." He told her before she stifled a laugh and smiled through her tears.

"I should have never let you watch Titanic with me." She told him. "But I promise Sasuke. Just as long as you promise that you'll come back to me and never forget how much I love you. How I've always loved you." She said.

"I promise." He began. "And I love you too." He told her before he wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her inside his chest before they both closed their eyes and started kissing each other passionately. Sasuke even let his tongue slip inside her mouth quite a few times before they broke apart. "Can you do me one more huge favor?" he questioned her.

"Sure, what is it Sasuke?" she asked him back.

"Say goodbye to Sasame for me. I'm afraid that if I did it myself that she would run after me and try to stop me. And I don't want to break her heart any more than I already must. Just give her a kiss and explain to her that I'm doing this for her as well as for you since I love you both more than my own life." He told her as she nodded at him.

"Alright, alright I will. I promise. I'll tell her." She told him as Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned his face towards hers before giving her one last kiss goodbye and then turned around and hanging his head slumped down the driveway while Sakura helplessly just watched him go. Then she watched as he stopped by his car and lifted his head again and turned over to look at her as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Goodbye Sasuke." Sakura whispered before she watched him climb back inside the car and drive away.