Chapter 35 – Epilogue
The front door slamming open startled her for a moment, but as soon as she heard a murmur of "remove your shoes and take your jacket off", Sakura relaxed. Damn she wished he would stop kicking the front door open. It always managed to set Ao off!
And like it was on cue, Ao began to bark from his place beside her on the sofa, but as he was getting on in his years, he no longer ran straight for the door. If he sensed it was a threat, however, Ao would be on his feet and attacking in an instant, no matter how old he got.
Today was her day off and during it, Sakura had spent some time with Ino being pampered at their favourite spa before going out for some lunch. Adding the little – huge – shopping spree they'd both had truly made it a great day of relaxation.
Leaning back on the black leather corner sofa, Sakura sighed and lazily scratched Ao's head, murmuring for him to calm down. This was definitely a life of luxury, there was no denying that. Gaara had told her that they both deserved to live a life of comfortability and safety and definitely luxury after everything they'd been through not only separately, but also together. All of this, everything surrounding her in the large home she shared with her family, was proof of their hard work.
The walls in the living room were cream, seeming to make the room so much larger than it already was and there was a set of beautiful French doors Sakura enjoyed leaving open, allowing a gentle breeze to enter the living room, blowing the white laced curtains inside. Ao also liked having the doors opened as it meant he could run in and out whenever he liked.
Along with the corner sofa Sakura and Ao were both relaxing on, there was another matching leather sofa as well as a chair, although the sofa was not a corner piece like this one. They all surrounded a low, dark coffee table, one that was currently holding her glass of cold lemonade, her phone and a couple of magazines she'd picked up while out with Ino. And looking straight ahead allowed you the most calming view of the stone fireplace. It was old, traditional, but at the same time it was modern (if that even made any sense). It seemed to blend right in with the neutral colours and the wood of the shelf above the fire was dark wood, matching the wooden flooring.
There were pictures here and there, scattered around the living room. They varied from recent family pictures, to old family pictures and then to random shots with friends and other loved ones.
Like the old condo, the living room was fairly open, what with the French doors and the many windows, but unlike many years ago, Sakura didn't feel like she needed to hide, or that too much was on display. Despite her past, they lived far from the city and far from any other houses. This space was their own so that they could be whoever they wanted to be, or do whatever they wanted to do (owning sixteen acres of land allowed them peace and quiet as well as privacy).
Switching off the television which was above the fire, Sakura waited until they entered the living room before smiling up at them.
"Good day?" she asked, though sighed at the response she received.
The eight year old boy threw his bag to the ground with an angry scowl on his face and then proceeded to all but throw himself into the single arm chair (which he always exclaimed was his seat, not allowing anybody else to sit in it).
When he folded his arms over his chest, looking so very much like his father with that scowl, Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing that's a 'no', then."
In response to her words, having heard them while entering the living room after his son, Gaara also sighed. "He's been suspended."
Sakura was on her feet in an instant, eyes going wide before they narrowed dangerously, making her son flinch. "What?"
"Listen to his side of the story before you yell." Gaara told her patiently, giving her a certain look. It was one he'd picked up when he became a father, though Sakura had absolutely no idea where from. It simply happened one day and had been happening ever since. "He told me what happened on the drive home."
Knowing that it had to be serious, she closed the distance between herself and her son, kneeling down in front of him so that they were eye level. "Well? What happened, Hideki?"
Sabaku Hideki. While not their first child, he was the first born and it was safe to say that Sakura had spoiled him, though Gaara put a stop to any brat–ish behaviour the moment it started. She was the soft one (yet could still be completely terrifying) and Gaara was the stern one, the one who took absolutely no shit. However, he also had a soft side when it came to Hideki. Whenever he heard the boy was having trouble, he was on his side in an instant.
She'd been petrified during her first pregnancy after the miscarriage. Utterly afraid that they wouldn't let her keep the baby due to her mental health issues. In the end there had to be a few examinations and assessments to see if Sakura was truly up to being a parent and was capable of taking care of children (there'd been so much trouble in the news at that time about mentally unstable women killing their babies and themselves during episodes of their disorders, so it became a standard procedure to check everyone out). There had been one or two bumps, but Gaara had smoothed them out easily by simply being there and backing her up, making it known that Sakura would not be raising the children alone.
Hideki's rusty red hair fell into his eyes as he murmured quietly, "They were picking on her again. And Misaki came to me, crying about it."
Sabaku Misaki. Their second (born) child. She was six years old and could be quite the handful, as she had so much energy and so much mischief bubbling away inside of her. However, she had her problems. Perhaps not mentally, but physically and it broke Sakura's heart when the other children picked on her daughter because of her epilepsy. Her absences, before officially being diagnosed as absences only a few months ago, had annoyed one of her teachers enough for the woman to comment on it and snap her fingers in front of Misaki's face, leading to the teasing.
It had been a fairly long examination, as had been the process of being diagnosed. Sakura had known deep down in her stomach that something was wrong with Misaki. At five years old, she'd fallen off of a swing set after attempting to climb to the top to impress her friends, hitting her head on the ground. Then started the absences and for a while, Sakura had hoped they wouldn't be anything serious, that her daughter was simply bored and getting lost in that wild imagination of hers. But then came the atonic seizures, where Misaki's entire body relaxed without warning and she collapsed. Thankfully, Gaara had caught her just before she fell into the road they'd been crossing, before she could either be hit by a car, or hit her head again.
From there, Sakura had taken Misaki straight to the hospital, straight to Shizune, but nobody could do much if there was only one seizure. So they had to wait it out to see if it was simply a 'one off'.
It wasn't.
Just a few months later and Misaki had what was known as a myoclonic seizure only a mere hour after waking up. There were no words to describe how scary it was to see her daughter's body twitching and jerking like she was receiving an electric shock and the second it was over, the second Sakura was certain she was okay to travel, she took her straight back to the hospital.
A few weeks later (a month at most) and they had their diagnostic.
Epilepsy. At just the tender age of six, Misaki suffered with epilepsy, which developed after a serious head wound. By serious, Sakura meant stitches at most, but it was serious for a child. No, actually, it was serious for people of all ages and since that incident, Misaki hadn't tried to climb on top of the swings again. Instead she chose to try and climb up trees.
"You're usually more reserved than this." Sakura told him quietly, though was once again silenced by Gaara before she could continue.
"Tell your mother why you got angry."
He shook his head, blue–green eyes filling with tears and not even a second later, Sakura was pulling him into her arms and sitting down in his chair without a second thought, wanting to take his pain away. "I won't be mad."
"But… You always told me that it's bad… That…"
Slowly, so very tortuously slowly, her heart sank into her stomach. "Please tell me, Hideki. You weren't the one to act that way, so I won't be mad at you."
"One of the boys was teasing her again, with his friends watching." he whispered, hands shaking. Even at his young age, he'd picked up on the fact that it was a touchy subject, as just the mere mentioning of disrespecting the other gender would annoy his parents. "Misaki told me that the girls were joining in this time. With the teasing, I mean. But…" There was a pause and during that pause, Gaara nodded once at Hideki, telling him it was okay to continue. "But Misaki doesn't usually come to me in the playground crying, does she, mom?" Sakura shook her head. "There's this game going around in school where all the girls wearing skirts get them pulled down, like the boys do with their pants. It's a game but Misaki didn't like it and they were all laughing at her so I went to find them." His eyebrows knitted together. "And… And I hit him… And…"
"It's okay." Sakura soothed him, rubbing his back even though she felt like she was about to be sick. "Gaara, we're meeting with the principal tomorrow."
Gaara sat down on the large corner sofa. "I already made us an appointment and booked tomorrow morning off."
"Am I in trouble?" Hideki asked quietly.
"No!" she told him the moment the words left his lips. "You'll never be in trouble for defending your sister. Hideki… While the people pulling down pants and skirts may find it funny, the person on the receiving end won't. I don't want to ever hear of you or Misaki playing this so called 'game'."
He nodded quickly, telling her without words that she'd never hear anything about him doing such a thing.
"Are you picking her up tonight?"
Sakura glanced up from cutting the vegetables and then looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. It had just gone five in the afternoon. "Unless you want to? I can always carry on with this later."
Shaking his head, Gaara walked towards her and leaned against the black marble island Sakura was working on, watching as she continued with her job of cutting the vegetables. "It's fine. I will pick her up. Are they back in the same building, or will they be in the temporary one?"
"The former." she answered distractedly. "Her dance instructor sent all of us an email, apologising for the short notice and whatnot. Do you remember where the building is?" He nodded. "Gaara… Will you speak to her on the way home? We both know that Misaki's more of a daddy's girl."
When she placed down the knife, Gaara took Sakura's hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and sighing. "Knowing Misaki, she will have forgotten all about it by now, but yes. I'll try and speak with her, though she may feel more comfortable talking about it with you."
She couldn't help but huff with dry amusement and roll her eyes. "Misaki's five, Gaara. Right now the whole gender thing doesn't bother her much. It probably won't bother her at all, considering how open she is with you."
"Things could change."
"I suppose."
He would never admit it out loud, but Sakura knew Gaara didn't want it to change. Despite her being only six years old, he liked how Misaki told him everything. Right from what she ate for lunch at school, to how her day went and who she played with, right down to going to the bathroom and what she did in there. She was really close with her father and it was something Sakura absolutely adored seeing. Other than herself, Misaki was the only other female Gaara was so comfortable and himself around. He had no trouble in showing how much he adored his daughter, how much he adored both his children.
Breathing deeply, Sakura closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his shoulder. Even after ten years of marriage, Gaara's hugs never lost an ounce of the comfort they surrounded her with. "It's a game." she whispered, hands holding onto his waist tightly. "They pull down each other's pants and skirts because it's a game–"
It angered him just as much but Gaara didn't allow it to show. "They are children, Sakura. I'm not saying it's right," he added when she pulled back, glaring up at him in disbelief, "and I'm also not saying they should not be punished, but don't forget what you have just said. At this age, the issue of gender doesn't really matter. At most, it's a whole 'boys are better than girls' thing and vice versa. Children don't understand why it's wrong."
That was true, though it was still alarming. It was still scary to think of her daughter being targeted in a 'game' such as that. The moment Hideki was born, the moment Sakura became a mother, her greatest fear was the past repeating itself. She was terrified of taking her own mother's place and watching one of her children stumble onto the path she'd previously been on (what made it even worse was that there was a chance of her children suffering with bipolar disorder, since it was in their genetics). However, Gaara always kept her mind off that petrifying fear and while they were protective of their children, they weren't overly so.
And while Gaara wanted nothing more than to find the brat who had pulled his daughter's skirt down, who had humiliated her in front of the other children, at the end of the day, they were all children. It wasn't the kid's fault his parents weren't teaching him right from wrong. However, tomorrow, that would change.
He would personally see to that.
"Papa! Watch this!"
Just like he had told Sakura, Misaki had forgotten all about what happened in the playground earlier that day. Right at that moment in time she was showing him what she'd recently been taught, more concerned with getting it right.
The look on her face, the amount of concentration, amused him and also reminded Gaara so much of Sakura. Even though Misaki had his hair and eye colour (like Hideki also did, although his eyes had a greener shade), she looked so very much like Sakura. Eye shape, the lips, the nose, the forehead. It was safe to say that Sakura hadn't been too thrilled to see Misaki inherited her forehead, though he couldn't see why she was complaining. It didn't even look that big on either of them.
Continuing to watch his daughter, he watched how she leaned forward and did a roll, quickly standing back onto her feet and holding her hands up in the air, a huge grin threatening to split her features in half.
"Impressive." he commented with a smirk.
Misaki ran over to him, grin still in place. "Next week we're doing backwards rolls!"
Her dance class enjoyed mixing it up a bit. From what he was aware, they did a little bit of everything at the dance centre, though Misaki's class stuck to three main types of dance: cheerleading, street dance and gymnastics. So far, however, Misaki hadn't been a part of any competitions, much to her displeasure. The dance instructor told them it was because she was a newcomer or something of the sort, though for the next competition, if she proved she was ready, then Misaki was more than welcome to participate and would even receive her very own uniform.
"Have you got everything, Misaki?" Gaara asked her, glancing around the large room.
It was filled with families and on the otherwise shiny, mixed wooden floor, were blue mats, obviously for the children who had just been doing their rolls. The wall to the far left was just one long mirror, allowing the dancers to see themselves while they performed and on the wall to the mirrored wall's right, was a huge music player. There were also a few tables behind himself, ones that were now filled with empty juice cartons and empty packets of various snacks.
When Misaki nodded, he raised a brow. "Your jacket? I know your mother made you leave with one this morning – like she does every morning."
Childish icy blue eyes widened before Misaki was running over to the pile of bags and jackets, pulling her jacket out from under somebody else's. It seemed she also remembered her school folder, because she was suddenly picking one of those up, too. As soon as she reached him once more, Gaara was holding open the door for her, walking behind Misaki as they made their way to the car.
Unfortunately, after the explosion (over ten years ago), his car had been beyond repair. It was a shame, really, as it had been his mother's and Gaara had liked having part of her with him, as strange as that most likely sounded. There had been the option of buying another Chevy Impala, but it wasn't the same. It hadn't been her car. So instead, Gaara had been buying a new car every few years. The most recent was his Range Rover Sport in the colour black, though he'd bought it thinking of his children more than anything (Hideki had demanded that they get this car, because he liked how big and 'cool looking' it was).
"Can I sit up front with you, papa?"
He nodded though she knew not to immediately sit in the front. It was with surprising patience that Misaki waited for Gaara to move her car seat from the back seat and into the front, though the second it was secure and in place, she reached out to him without hesitation. It was quite a stretch for her to get into the car, after all, so Gaara lifted her easily and placed her into her car seat, strapping her in properly and testing the seat by tugging on it a few times.
Dumping her school folder and jacket onto the back seat, Gaara climbed in, taking a moment to buckle his seat belt and put on the radio for Misaki before driving off.
Like her mother, Misaki enjoyed music a lot. At the moment she listened to everything Gaara listened to and even though she couldn't fully understand some of the words being sung, she sang along loudly, mumbling at some parts before belting out others. It never failed to make him smile.
However, she would not be singing along just yet. Gaara had to speak with her first. "What did you do today?"
"I played with my friends for a bit and then with Hideki–nii–san."
Friends. Was Misaki talking about the kids who had been picking on her? Part of him was torn. What if she truly thought they were her friends? Or what if Misaki was lying to him, still feeling humiliated about what happened? Damn it. He hated bullies. "Hideki told your mother and me what happened, Misaki."
She frowned for a moment before that frown disappeared and she looked down at her legs, remembering what had happened. "They were being mean again."
"Your friends?"
Misaki shook her head, her messy red hair flopping around. "They're not my friends."
Ah. So Misaki had been talking about different people. "Why weren't your friends with you when they were being mean?"
"We were playing tag," she murmured quietly, still looking down at her legging–clad legs, "and I was 'it', but when I was chasing them, the others came over."
It was horrible seeing his daughter so upset, seeing her bottom lip trembling. Misaki rarely cried, after all. She was very much like himself in that regard. The tears simply didn't form unless she was truly hurting. Sure, there was the occasional tantrum when something wasn't going her way, but like her mother, it was only an angry tantrum and not a crying tantrum. Hell, one time, when she didn't like something, Misaki had held her breath for so long that she'd turned blue in the face. She just didn't cry unless she was really hurting.
Reaching out, he pushed her shoulder length red hair behind her ear, wanting to see her face. "Hideki stood up for you, though, didn't he?"
Her blue eyes widened with admiration, with happiness and Gaara was so very grateful for that. "You should have seen him, papa! He scared them so badly that I thought they were going to pee themselves!"
Gaara chuckled.
Misaki adored her older brother and, in a way, it reminded him of the bond Sakura had once told him about. The bond between Sasuke and Itachi. Hideki, as the older brother, was so very protective of his younger sister and in return, Misaki practically worshipped her older brother, she looked at him with great respect and trust and admiration. Just like Itachi and Sasuke.
Two years after marrying Sakura, Sabaku Corporation had gone into business with the Uchiha's company. It was what their parents had been in the process of doing before they died, so he and Sasuke had decided to continue with those plans and now, their businesses were so much better off for the change. So much more business came flooding in that, for a while, it had been difficult to keep up with, but now it had all settled down and Gaara had adjusted to the new workload.
That didn't mean he didn't spend time with his family, though, because he did. He still had every Wednesday off work as well as the entire weekend. On Wednesdays, Sakura also had the day off, so he made sure that Wednesdays were their days. Somebody would babysit the children for them (nearly always Naruto and Hinata), and they would go out Tuesday evening before relaxing all day Wednesday. And then, on the weekends, Gaara always made sure that they were doing something. He just wanted to give his children the childhood he never had. It was as simple as that.
The children enjoyed staying with their uncle Naruto and aunt Hinata. It was mostly because Hinata always made them her home made chocolate whenever they went over, but also because of how playful Naruto was with them. They also enjoyed playing with the Uzumaki's children, too. Little Boruto and Himawari. While not exactly the same age (as Naruto and Hinata hadn't married until two or three years after he and Sakura had wed, and apparently Hinata's family had been extremely against children out of wedlock) the children still got on well.
Sometimes, however, if the Uzumaki family was busy, Misaki and Hideki stayed with their aunt Ino and uncle Sai, or sometimes with Itachi. It all depended on who was busy or not to have the children for an entire night and take them to school the next morning.
It was around a year after themselves that Ino and Sai got married, Gaara recalled vaguely. He hadn't been all too interested in that marriage, though because Ino was very dear to Sakura, he had put on a suit and attended the wedding with her, politely congratulating the couple on their marriage. They had one child, Inojin. He was around Hideki's age, Gaara thought, though he wasn't entirely sure. Those two didn't get on as well as Hideki and Boruto did, because there was always something for the two to argue about. They cared for each other, yes, but there was definitely a rivalry between the two.
"Papa?" When he hummed, glancing away from the road for a second to show her she had his attention, Misaki continued. "Is nii–san in trouble?"
"No." Gaara didn't sigh even though he wanted to. "While he shouldn't have hit that boy, he was standing up for you. And a brother will always be protective of his sister, no matter how small the problem or how scary the problem is."
That hadn't been the case with Temari for him, though. Well, not entirely. Temari didn't need him or Kankuro to be protective of her, because she could be pretty damn scary herself and only a fool would wrong her. Five years ago, she'd finally married Shikamaru and they also had a child together, Shikadai. It was always pleasant to see their son. While he was the exact copy of Shikamaru, Shikadai definitely had his mother's eyes. Like his father, he believed a lot of things to be 'troublesome'.
"And I stand up for him too, right?"
"Of course, but do not go starting any fights, Misaki." he warned her quietly, turning onto the highway. "While today was," inexcusable and unforgivable, "a bad day for you both, it is over now. Your mother and I will be speaking with the principal tomorrow about it and you know how your mother is."
If he hadn't been driving, Gaara would have rolled his eyes at the mischievous look in her eyes, at the laugh she let out.
She knew exactly what her mother was like when it came to protecting her children.
"A–Ah, Sabaku–san, I–"
"No, don't talk over me." Sakura snapped, hands coming down onto the man's desk with a harsh bang. "Yesterday, my daughter was involved in an incident that I find downright disgusting and she was humiliated and laughed at by all the other children! Hideki was standing up for his sister and you refused to hear his side of the story!"
The man sat at his desk was sweating profusely, his dark brown eyes staring up at her widely and with fear. The dark hair atop his head was thin and wispy, appearing to be receding, also. This man was supposedly the head master of her children's school and when you added the cheap grey suit, he was definitely nothing special. Hell, Sarutobi Hiruzen had been twice the man's age and just one look into his eyes had made even the toughest of students scared. This man was nothing.
Sat in one of two seats opposite the head master's, was Gaara. He remained silent, watching as his wife demanded to be heard like she always had. It was the only way, really. According to Hideki, the man hadn't even bothered to ask him for his side of the story and when he tried to tell him it, the man had cut him off, saying he didn't have time for 'troublemakers'.
"Call the other children's parents." she demanded. "I want to speak with them."
"That won't be necessary–"
"Oh, really? Then how would you feel about this reaching the news? It won't look very good when people hear about six year old girls having their skirts pulled down so everyone else can laugh at them!"
All colour drained from the head master's face at not only her threat, but also the fact that Sakura was raising her voice. "Sabaku–san, please calm down–"
This was the woman who had been taught by Senju Tsunade. And while studying under Tsunade, Sakura had become more fierce, she became more determined to be heard instead of pushed aside and ignored. She did not let her mental health issues weigh her down any longer, nor did she let her past take her away from the present. Instead, Sakura used both to further herself in her career. Not by seeking sympathy or pity, but using her life experiences to help others.
It was phenomenal how far his wife had come, Gaara thought as he watched the beautiful, intimidating sight she made.
In the past ten years, Sakura had come to terms with her past and had accepted it. Sure, there were still some moments when she was still suffering (the loss of her parents, the loss of their first child, Zaku using her body to make money and Kabuto raping her), but she put all her effort into coping, into accepting it for what it was. And to do that, Sakura had written everything down in a diary of sorts, forcing herself to go over and remember everything that had happened. That included the horrific scenes on the tapes that she had no recollection of.
After re–watching the tapes, after writing everything down, Sakura went through the diary many times. It had all been difficult for her and more often than not, she would wake up in a cold sweat, tears streaming down her cheeks and body shaking so badly that Gaara would have to hold her still. But he helped her through it, made her take her time instead of rushing through it.
After a year of thinking endlessly about it, she published her diary for the entire world to read.
Gaara could still remember her nerves, could still remember feeling them for her! That diary, that book, shared her entire life and story with the world. It made her open and vulnerable. But at the same time, it showed people how strong his wife, his Sakura, really was. She refused to be kicked down, refused to just roll over and die. Haruno Sakura, now known as Sabaku Sakura, was a fighter and would be right until the end.
The book sold millions of copies and it also brought her a lot of attention, but other than publicising her book, Sakura refused to do any interviews. She simply didn't want to do them. Also, instead of using the help that was offered to her not only by Gaara's company, but also Itachi and Sasuke's, she did it all by herself.
Right at the beginning of the book, she wrote that she was not to be seen as a victim. What Sakura was, was a fighter.
It was incredible the impact her story had on others. Many people stepped forward, came specifically to her, for help. And just like Sakura had always wanted, she was powerful. She didn't live off of his salary and she no longer spent his money. Sure, they paid the bills together, but Sakura earned enough now not to rely on others. She was known as Sabaku Sakura, not as Sabaku Gaara's wife.
As well as the success of her book and the level she was working at, Sakura had also completed another dream of hers. After three years of waiting for planning permissions and waiting for anything else they'd need, she had finally, finally opened up her parents' home to teenagers and children who were either homeless or suffering. All staff who were hired to care for the children had to go through an interview with Sakura herself. They were also paid by Sakura with the inheritance her parents left for her. And, every couple of weeks or so, she would take the children there to visit those living in the house (who absolutely adored having visits from Hideki and Misaki).
It had been hard for her at first, but seeing the progress some of them had made, seeing how far they'd come, made it all worth it. What Sakura offered them wasn't only a safe place to live, wasn't only food on the table or clothes on their backs. She offered them futures. She paid for their education, while also teaching them to live independently at a suitable age, so that they'd be ready for the world when they were officially classed as adults.
"Don't tell me to calm down when I had my son in tears yesterday, not fully understanding what he did wrong!"
Glancing down at the desk to get a name, for he had never wasted his time before to learn it, Gaara looked back up at the man with an unblinking, unwavering gaze. "Hisashi, try to see this from our perspective. Yesterday I was called while at work, having somebody telling me that my son was involved in a fight. Nothing more was said, just that he was in a fight and I was to collect him immediately, for he'd been suspended." There was a pause, his eyes hardening when Hisashi tried to cut him off. "When Hideki and I were alone, I asked for his side of the story."
"He could have been lying–"
"My son does not lie." Gaara cut him off firmly. "Especially not to me." During the dark glare Gaara settled on the man, Sakura sat beside him in her own chair. "Hideki informed me of everything that happened, right from where he was involved. My daughter – who is only six years old – came to him on the playground, crying about the others in her class picking on her. When he found out that a boy had pulled her skirt down, humiliating her in front of everyone else, he did the first thing that came to mind: defended his younger sister."
"That does not excuse violence." Hisashi told him. "He hit the boy–"
"Do you have any sisters, Hisashi?" he cut him off once more. "Cousins? Daughters? Maybe even a wife?"
In response, Hisashi reluctantly nodded. "Two sisters and four daughters."
"And if you heard that one day, one of them had been involved in an incident such as this, had been humiliated the way Misaki was, what would you do?"
"Well, I would–"
"Defend them. Do not try lying to me. Not only am I a father, I am also a brother and a husband. The first thing I wanted to do when Hideki told me what happened, was find the boy and make sure he was punished, or at the very least, tell his parents."
"Our children are raised to know that behaviour like that, is not tolerated." Sakura added, a stern look on her face. "Not only that, but should they ever act that way, we will find a suitable punishment. No more after school clubs and no more games consoles. Things such as those. The first time Hideki ever got into a fight, one that he started himself, we took away all of these things and also grounded him. Since then, he has learned his lesson and this is the first fight in two years that he's been in – outside of his martial arts class, of course."
Narrowing his eyes a fraction, Gaara continued. "Misaki has also been raised this way. By now, it is most likely known that she can be talkative, loud and hyperactive. Not only that, but she has an angry streak within her. Over the years, despite only being six years old, Misaki had been taught to push aside that instinctual urge to hit back. Instead, she finds her older brother and tells him what's happened."
Hisashi sighed, rubbing his temples. "You have to understand that this is a very good school with an extremely high reputation. I can't have fighting going on–"
"But you allow your students to be bullied and humiliated." Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You allow them to be sexually harassed. Whether the child who is doing those things knows it or not is irrelevant. At the end of the day, my daughter had her skirt pulled down while the others all looked on and laughed."
If he was pale before, than there was no word to describe how pale Hisashi suddenly was. "Sexual harassment is a strong accusation to make, Sabaku–san, please–"
"Then what would you call it? Harmless fun?" Gaara questioned. "Would a teenager call it harmless fun if an older man or woman suddenly pulled her skirt, or his pants, down? Would a woman think of it as harmless fun being humiliated in such a way? There is no excusing what was done. They are children, yes, but that is not an excuse. They should be taught that behaviour like that is dangerous."
The man leaned forward, resting his forearms against his desk. "Listen, I know that you are a victim of such abuse yourself, Sabaku–san, but do not try pushing such things–"
Sakura's expression suddenly emptying had him cutting himself off, unsure of how to continue.
Slowly counting back from twenty, Sakura looked away from him, willing her anger to become more ignorable. To do this she examined the room, though was immediately bored with what she found. It was all the same style of wood – oak, she believed – and it was filled with nothing but awards for how great a school it apparently was. And behind Hisashi was a huge window, one that granted him a view of the field that was usually used for sports. It was large and the grass was a beautiful shade of green.
"Do not bring up my past like I'm still stuck in it." Sakura eventually stated calmly. "I have accepted what happened many years ago and I have moved forward with my husband and our family. I will admit that what happened to me isn't something I can forget and I will admit that sometimes, I fear the same may happen to either Hideki or Misaki, but I refuse to dwell on it too long."
Narrowing her eyes, Sakura did the same as what Hisashi had done and leaned forward, watching how he quickly backed up despite the fact there was a huge desk between them. "My children will not be coming back to this pathetic excuse of a school. Not only that, but you should probably expect to see this in the papers very soon." Standing up with Gaara doing the same, Sakura gave him a sweet smile. "I am not a victim, Hisashi–san. I am a mother and a wife and I will do anything to protect my family," she placed her hands on the desk, leaning forward with that same, sweet smile, honestly terrifying the man, "even if it means trampling all over you and your precious school in the process."
Standing up straight, she took Gaara's hand in her own and began to walk out of the office, calling over her shoulder, "Have fun with your last few days of being head master, Hisashi–san!"
After hearing Sakura had the rest of the day off while Gaara had gone back to work, somebody very dear to her turned up, holding a baby carrier as he did.
"Itachi!" She greeted when he appeared from the hallway, having been given a key quite a while ago. "Is that…?"
He nodded once, pride obvious in his eyes as he sat beside Sakura on the sofa, resting the baby carrier on the coffee table. At that moment in time, there was a fleecy, pink blanket covering what was on the inside and Sakura could probably guess why that was. To keep her out of the press. While not wanting to keep her a secret, they didn't want her to already be in the papers and gossip magazines. Itachi was simply keeping her identity a secret.
"Can I hold her?" Sakura asked as Itachi pulled the blanket away, revealing the baby to her.
Once more, Itachi nodded, unbuckling the safety belts and gently taking her out of the baby carrier, handing her over slowly. "Support her head–"
"I know, Itachi." She chuckled at his over–protectiveness. "I am a mother, you know?"
It amused her greatly when a faint blush painted his cheeks, but other than that, Itachi showed no signs of being embarrassed.
"Such a beautiful little Uchiha!" Sakura cooed, stroking the baby's cheek tenderly. "And you already have Mikoto–san's eyes, you lucky thing."
Itachi smiled softly, eyes glued to the baby laying in Sakura's arms. She was only weeks old and Itachi had already noticed the same thing as Sakura. Part of his mother was in that baby.
"So," she smirked up at him, "does Sasuke know you brought his daughter all the way out here?"
His smile was still in place as his eyes tore from his niece's and up to Sakura's. "I am watching her for the day to give them a break."
Around two or three years after the explosion, Itachi finally had enough evidence to send Akatsuki to prison and he did so without hesitation. Of course, during those three years, he gave Shisui whatever information he had to capture Hidan and Kakuzu, who were both arrested mere weeks after the explosion. All men received lengthy sentences and even though she'd thought of the two as friends in the short year she got to know them, after discovering it was Deidara who supplied Sasuke with explosives, Sakura had been unable to forgive the blond. Even now, part of her still hated him. Yes, she was grateful for all he'd done, but he still almost killed Sasuke. Using a well known metaphor: he may not have pulled the trigger, but he handed Sasuke the gun. It was unforgivable.
From what little she knew of the Akatsuki lot, they were all still in prison and doing their time without too much of a problem. And since bringing them all to justice, Shisui had been promoted, though refused to take all the credit for the work that had been done. Itachi had done so much more, after all.
As well as this, at Naruto and Hinata's wedding, Sasuke met his future wife. Who? Well, after Moegi and Konohamaru became an item, it left a certain Hyuuga lonely. Hyuuga Hanabi. It was definitely a couple that surprised Sakura, but seeing the way Hanabi looked at Sasuke, seeing a smile on that woman's face for the first time ever, took away all doubts. And now here they were, married for two years and they now have a daughter who was only weeks old.
Don't get her wrong, because it had taken Sasuke a while to open up to Hanabi. At first, while he was attracted to her, he'd been wary of opening his heart to her (not wanting to be stuck hurting all over again should something happen). But the Hyuuga was definitely determined and persistent, Sakura would give her that. She refused to give up on Sasuke and accepted every part of him. She didn't care about his mental health issues, didn't care about his burns. She just wanted him to be happy.
And finally, Uchiha Sasuke was happy.
"I love her." Sakura cooed, still stroking her cheek even as Itachi reached over and did the same to the other. "I haven't had the chance to speak with Sasuke since a couple of weeks ago. How's he holding up?"
"She already has him wrapped around her little finger." he commented.
"As she does you."
Itachi chuckled and nodded once. "That she does."
Over the years, Itachi had been involved with several women, although did not settle down with any of them. There was always something that prevented him from doing so, whether it be the business, his brother's recovery, or the birth of his adorable youngest niece. He was content with his life the way it was and didn't want to search for more. He felt lucky enough simply being a part of all the families surrounding him.
"How is Misaki–chan and Hideki–kun?" Itachi asked, glancing around the spacious living room. "You said there was an incident at school?"
Holding the baby, who was staring up with wide, dark fascinated eyes at the sight of Sakura's hair, she did not allow herself to show her anger and instead continued to fuss over Sasuke's daughter. "There was, but I think I may have sorted it now."
He raised a dark eyebrow. "So you threatened the head master."
"More like forcibly expressed my opinion." Sakura countered with a smile, listening to the giggling baby in her arms. Her giggles continued whenever pink hair grazed her face or her fingers, just out of her reach. Misaki had also had a fascination of her hair when she was this age, too. "What's her name?"
"Yumiko."
"Child of beauty." she commented. "It suits her."
"Where are they now?"
Reluctantly, Sakura tore her eyes away from the captivating sight of Uchiha Yumiko and looked up at Itachi. "On the way to the school, we dropped them off at Naruto and Hinata's. It's a Tuesday anyway, so they were going to be there tonight. Hinata works from home most of the time and said she didn't mind looking after them."
He nodded once, accepting the story. Hideki and Misaki were just as much his nephew and niece as Yumiko was, and Itachi was just as protective of them as he was the baby. Hearing the story of what had happened to his eldest niece angered him, though he knew that Sakura and Gaara would have sorted it.
"They're moving schools." Sakura told him, gently handed Yumiko over to him when Itachi reached for her. "To the one Ino sends Inojin to. Also, Gaara and I will be speaking with the papers soon about it."
That seemed fair in his mind. Other parents had a right to know what sort of 'games' were going on there. The school Hideki and Misaki had once gone to was supposed to be the best in Konoha and only talented children were welcomed. That wasn't to say other children were any less important, but this school was designed specifically for each over–achieving, talented child. Most parents couldn't afford to send their children there, while other children didn't meet the standards.
It was such a beautiful sight seeing Yumiko being held tenderly in Itachi's arms, watching how the baby looked up to him with wide eyes. Seeing how careful he was of holding her, seeing how gently he stroked her cheek, all warmed her heart. And it was very clear that Yumiko would be very dear to him, as was Misaki and Hideki.
"When does Hideki have his martial arts class?"
"Thursday."
Looking away from Yumiko and over to Sakura, he raised an eyebrow. "I would like to treat them both to dango on Friday after school. Do you mind?"
A warm smile pulled at her lips. "No, no. It's fine! Misaki was asking this morning when she next gets to see her uncle." Then, teasingly she added, "Do you think you can handle the two of them alone?"
Itachi smirked at her. "They bring life to the house."
Her smile faded ever so slightly as she watched him fuss over the baby once more. For the past ten years, Sakura had attempted to set Itachi up with someone, but it never worked out. And the thought of him being alone in that large house never failed to upset her. Since he was now married and had a child of his own, Sasuke had moved out and closer to the city, closer to work, leaving Itachi alone. Of course, he wasn't alone for long, as Shisui moved in not too long after to keep his cousin company in that big, old house. But that was beside the point!
"Itachi–"
"I will find someone when I am ready, Sakura." he told her patiently, giving her a smile. "For now, I am happy with what I have and have no reason to change it."
Was she really that predictable? She sighed, moving a little closer and leaning against him, joining Itachi in fussing over the baby again. She was too adorable to resist. "Fine, but the moment you change your mind, my secretary recently broke up with her boyfriend and–"
"Sakura."
Again, Sakura sighed.
"The kids are out."
Sakura glanced up at Gaara from her book, raising an eyebrow.
He refused to shuffle, or to fidget nervously. "…You said you would do it when they left and we were alone."
It was so amusing seeing Gaara nervous because it was such a rare thing to happen.
Bookmarking the page she was on, Sakura set her book down on the bed, though did so reluctantly. She'd just gotten to an amazing part where her favourite character had been about to choose who she wanted to marry. The man who was nothing but kind to her, always there for her, or the powerful woman who made her feel fragile and vulnerable, but also so very protected and safe. It had taken Sakura a while to get into the book and it was surprisingly steamy, too, but there was no denying it was a good read and definitely worth the price.
Standing, she placed her hands on her hips. "You sure?"
Gaara gave her a blank look, holding up a paper bag.
It was with a sigh that she took it and entered their en–suite bathroom. While not as large as the bathroom in the old condo, it was just as luxurious. Right in the centre of the bathroom was a traditional claw–foot bathtub, which was stationed on a platform, of sorts. And then, to the left of the room, was a spacious shower, which had a fairly long counter opposite it. The counter held two sinks, with one stretch mirror above it and, like their old condo, there were cabinets beneath the sinks, although Sakura had plenty of her creams and makeup on the counter (obviously, on her side of it).
"Give me a few minutes." Sakura told him and shut the door.
Gaara stood in their bedroom, (what he hoped to be secretly) feeling incredibly nervous and that nervousness only increased as the en–suite bathroom door swung open a few minutes later and Sakura stepped out, biting her lip.
"Well?" he asked warily.
She smiled. "I'm pregnant."
The smile was returned by his own.
It had been a joint decision a few months ago that they would try for another baby and although it hadn't simply happened overnight, Sakura was so very grateful that it hadn't taken years.
While she and Gaara were definitely still attracted to one another and definitely still felt the same need, same craving, to be intimate with each other, being parents and full–time workers left them with very little free time. And when they did have free time, they were exhausted from… Well, being parents and full–time workers. However, obviously, they found the time to be with each other in such a way. Every Tuesday night and sometimes even all day Wednesday, too. More often than not (it depended on how much the kids tired them out), they had the weekend, as well.
Ten years ago they had been having sex two, perhaps even three times a day. Sadly, that was no longer the case. But they were still happy. You didn't need to have sex to be intimate with the person you love. Sometimes, a simple kiss was enough for her. Why? Because look at the family they had! Sakura honestly couldn't ask for more.
Gaara reached out to her, pulling her closer and kissing Sakura's forehead. "Thank you."
Even though it had been a joint decision, it had been Gaara who brought up the topic of babies. It was him who asked her if she wanted more. She hadn't been surprised in the least because Sakura knew Gaara wanted a large family, a happy one. He wanted them to have everything he didn't as a child.
Instead of replying, she cupped Gaara's face and tugged it down against hers, kissing him softly.
"Mom?"
"Papa?"
The two children had been playing outside with Ao, throwing his ball as far and as hard as they possibly could for him, until Sakura and Gaara called them inside. It wasn't time for dinner, that much they knew. It was a Saturday, after all. Saturdays were take–out days and they got to choose their own meal. They hadn't chosen them yet.
With a frown, since he had been having fun with Ao, Hideki sat in his chair, folding his arms over his chest and slouching. Misaki, on the other hand, sat on the floor in front of him, legs crossed and swaying ever so slightly with restlessness. That was normal. It was only around four o'clock in the afternoon and usually, she wouldn't be calming down until at least six o'clock.
Sakura and Gaara had taken the children to a petting zoo earlier, feeling nothing but warmth when they saw their happiness and their excitement. Weekends were always spent together because of their jobs and lack of free time.
It had been a month since the incident at their previous school and since then, they had moved schools as well as reported what had happened. At first they kept it quiet, leading the head master into a false sense of security (Sakura's plan) and then they attacked. Well, they informed the papers. Since then, the school had gone through many inspections and the head master had been replaced after a vote in the parent's group.
Also, during the month that had gone by, she and Gaara had gone for a scan.
She was definitely pregnant.
According to the midwife, the baby was growing healthily and so far, everything looked good and the baby had a strong heartbeat. However, Sakura was a little further along than she'd thought. Right at that moment in time, she was ten (going onto eleven) weeks pregnant, whereas before she'd thought to be only a few weeks gone.
Picking up her handbag from the side of the sofa, Sakura plucked out the scan picture, smiling when Gaara's eyes immediately fell to it. Despite how out of character it probably seemed, he was definitely a family man. Sure, he had very little patience for others' kids, but for theirs, he was nothing but patient. Stern, but in his own way, loving.
"This," she turned the picture around and held it up for the children to see, "is your little brother or sister."
There was a pause before Misaki was quickly crawling forward across the floor and resting her hands on Sakura's knees, stretching up to get a closer look. In the end, Sakura had to point out where the baby was, for the girl couldn't find it at all, and when she did, Misaki frowned.
"Why doesn't she look like me?"
"She – or he – is still growing, Misaki." Gaara told her. "When the baby is born, they will look more like you and your brother."
Hideki sighed, his own frown in place. "I want a brother."
"You might have one–" Sakura smiled, though was cut off.
"No!" Misaki argued. "I want a sister!"
"I already have a sister! I want a brother."
"I already have a brother!"
Glancing up at Gaara, she smiled softly. "Think they've accepted it?"
He nodded and after a moment, pointed over to the large dog laying in front of the fire. "Now you have to tell him."
Lifting his head, Ao seemed to look Sakura straight in the eye before huffing.
Her soft smile brightened. "Think you can handle one more, Ao?"
He barked once and pulled himself to his feet, trotting over to her with his stump wagging the entire way. Ao was getting on in his years now, but he still had so much life inside of him when playing with the children. And while they'd been a little uncertain at first (what with the size of him and possibly feeling left out), Ao was so very protective over his family. If one of the kids were crying, he'd start howling with them before knocking them over and licking their faces until they laughed (something he'd always done for her).
Shuffling past Misaki (who was now in a heated debate with her older brother about whether it would be a girl or a boy), Ao sat down in front of his owners, staring up at Sakura and Gaara and tilting his head to the side. The way his mouth was hanging open made it look like he was grinning, much to her delight and Gaara's happiness. That was his acceptance. Even though he was a dog, Ao's acceptance was still important to them, to Sakura.
This was her family.
And like she had stated before:
She would do anything and give anything to protect them.
THE END
A/N – It's over! It's finally over. Quite a few people have mentioned that the last few chapters seem a little rushed and I understand completely. In all honesty, at the time of receiving all those guest account reviews (the ones who were doing nothing but criticising the story and how 'heartless' I am), I kind of lost interest in this story, though kept writing because I hate when stories are left unfinished. Meh, maybe I should have taken a break from this story but knowing me, I probably would have forgotten about it or just eventually said "screw it" and left it.
Every single day on my way to college, I stand outside a café waiting for my bus and every single day, a quote inside the café always captures my attention. "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain."It reminds me so much of this story and They Never Knew for some reason. Sakura has had to go through so much pain and loss and instead of breaking (even though she came so close to in many parts) she learned how to adjust, how to overcome the pain.
There's going to be a prequel, by the way. Quite a few of you have shown interest in reading what happened before The Never Knew, back to before Sakura was attacked and how her relationship with Sasuke started and what it was like. The story will be in Sasuke's point of view and is called 'Discoveries'. You know, so it'd be 'Discoveries' 'They Never Knew' 'Until It Was Too Late'. Kind of proud of myself for that one! I'm not too sure when Discoveries will be posted, so keep an eye out for it! So far I have the first two chapters written and I'm planning on starting the third soon. It's only going to be around 15-20 chapters long.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed Until It Was Too Late. Despite some of the horrible guest account reviews, there were some parts of this story that I enjoyed writing (not in a sick way, since the story is quite painful). I just love drama, basically.