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Epilogue 2/3

"Is that what you really want for Christmas?" Sasuke asked, voice thick with emotion.

Because, how could he not be affected after reading such a letter? After reading such a question… If he was honest with himself, he anticipated that sometime in the future, they'd discuss something similar – together, as a family. But this was completely unexpected; the delivery, the sincere request, and it all came from her – not the other way around.

They were sitting on the floor of their new living room. The whole place was packed with boxes; his and theirs. It had been a year since he "woke up" and finally made a move, going after his girls.

The three of them spent that holiday week together – in the cabin – and if they had any doubts before, those days only served to confirm that they had made the right choice.

A week after, once they were back at the office, Sasuke booked a meeting and invited Sakura, who thought she was just joining him for a project briefing. She was speechless – to say the least – when a quieter than usual Sasuke passed her a manila folder and waited in silence as she read its content.

Her reaction was a mix of relief and indignation. The latter was diffused quickly with a through explanation, including his reasons for doing this on her behalf – and maybe a rough kiss or two.

With that matter settled, Sasuke waited a painful month to finally pop the question that would make this woman his forever. It was nothing fancy or rehearsed. Even though he had a plan to wine and dine her first then drop to one knee, the right moment came sooner than he expected.

It was during a celebration. They had closed a seven-digit contract, and Sasuke knew that it was all due to Sakura's charm (again); if that little witch could enchant even him, a former heartless man, it wasn't a surprise that her charisma would get Uchiha Enterprise any deal really.

So, a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a few heated glances later, Sasuke knew he couldn't wait any longer; with two strides he was in front of her, cupping her face, and asking her to be his wife.

Ten months of spending time with each other – hanging out with Sayuri, with the Uchihas, and becoming best friends – passed before Sasuke and Sakura tied the knot. The lovely ceremony was held in the same little town where they spent the holidays together the previous year.

It was small and private, with all their closest friends and family; Sayuri was the flower girl (of course) while Sakura walked down the aisle arm-in-arm with Fugaku Uchiha – who secretly and discreetly teared up when she asked if he'd do the honors.

A couple weeks and a honeymoon later, they were here, ultimately living under the same roof. And the last thing Sasuke thought he'd be asked that day – or any day in the near future – was something as significant as that.

"Yes." The little girl said in a heartbeat.

He was still motionless, astonished, holding the wrinkled paper when Sakura entered the room and sensed the atmosphere.

"What is going on?" She asked, kneeling beside them.

"Did you know about this?"

The letter was passed to her, and as she inspected it closely, she muttered a negative reply. "Let me read it."

"Is it too soon?" Sayuri asked then, eyebrows knitting together in worry, "because I asked my lawyer to have the papers drawn already."

"You what now?"

"Aunty Ino," the little girl explained, a hand resting on her hip. "She's helping me, so we can make it official."

That genius little demon…

Of course, she'd think of everything.

Sayuri Uchiha.

He liked the sound of it.

"She's in on this, huh?" He asked, curious to know how the blonde was able to keep that to herself.

"How else would a six, almost seven, year old do this?"

"Fair enough," Sasuke agreed, feeling proud of her but still dazed.

It seemed that Sakura had finished the letter, Sasuke noted, because she was now looking between them, horror covering her features.

"Sayuri! I—" She barked, then turned to him. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I don't know where she gets this stuff from."

"From our soap, Mommy, of course. Remember?"

The girl said like it was the most obvious explanation, a hint of disbelief in her tone. Sakura brought a hand to her face, trying to contain her reaction; it was obvious that she wasn't aware of her daughter's doing and the last thing the pinkette wanted was to impose such a meaningful and important decision on him.

But Sasuke was more collected than she assumed, welcoming the responsibility with open arms. This was his family, and only a fool – a blind fool – wouldn't notice how much he cared for the little one. She had him completely wrapped around her finger (since a long time ago).

The Uchiha was not sure when it happened, exactly, but these two managed to work their way into his heart. The time they spent together was the happiest he'd known, and he knew he was incapable of living without the brightness of their smile or the warmth of their affection anymore.

And just like that, Sasuke also knew that while this could be considered an unexpected and even premature decision, it was also right – it felt right.

He scooped her closer with an arm until their knees were touching. Engulfing her little hands in his large ones, Sasuke demanded her attention with a light squeeze. "Are you sure?" He asked then, because even though she was the one that brought that up – the one that asked it – he needed to know if that was what his little Munchkin really wanted.

"Yes." Again, there was no hesitation. The reply came firm; absolute.

"Once I give you this, you won't be able to return or exchange it." He paused to observe her, and there were no signs of protest so far. Sakura was watching them intently; he could see her from the corner of his eyes, her hands were clasped over her heart in anticipation. "It's a Promise of a Lifetime," he recited her words, "and those are forever; there's no way to get rid of me."

"I know that. Uncle Naruto explained to me how that promise works." Her brow furrowed, eyes hardening slightly, the determination that she inherited from her mother in display.

"Good," he gave her hands a long squeeze. "So, you understand that once we do this, there's no return? If I ground you for—"

"What? Are you going to ground me?" Sayuri interjected, clearly feeling outraged.

"—for example, let me finish." Sasuke shook his head, throwing a side-way glance at Sakura who was trying to contain her giggles. "If I do that, for example, you'll need to listen to me the same way you do when your Mom is talking to you."

"Oh, okay," she nodded vigorously. "I understand."

Sasuke nodded along then, both agreeing to the condition. "There's one more thing that we need to add to your 'papers'."

"What is it?" Sayuri asked, moving from her sitting position to kneel in front of him.

"No dating until you're thirty-five."

"Deal!"

The answer came as fast as the others; a sure thing. Sasuke almost laughed, because she probably had no idea of what she just agreed with. He tried to convince himself then, that the new clause was just a joke and not something for his heart's benefit.

In the past year, Sasuke had learned that he could love without any condition. He could talk without any intention or purpose. He could give, not expecting anything in return. He could care without a reason behind it. These were all lessons taught by these – his – two girls.

And there were never conditions nor clauses for this either; he might have not expected it, but he did care (and a lot), and without hesitation he would give.

"It would be an honor, Munchkin." Sasuke finally said, using that soft tone he reserved for her.

"Okay?" Sayuri asked back, waiting for a less formal confirmation.

"You have me."

"Oh," his Munchkin gasped, jumping to hug him. "Thank you, Daddy."

The words were muffled in the crook of his neck and he brought an arm to hug her back. That warmth – the one he was used to by now, but still surprised him every time – washed over him; a state of relief and pride consumed him. This was perfect.

Perfectly right.

Glancing to his side, he found Sakura watching the scene like an outsider, stunned; eyes glassy, a hand covering her mouth, shoulders shaking slightly. Sasuke opened an arm in invitation. She scooted closer in the same second, embracing the both of them and pressing her face against his shoulder.

If she could help it, Sakura wouldn't cry in front of him. It was silly really, kind of adorable, he thought. But this time, Sasuke felt a couple tears trailing down his arm, her chin trembling, a couple sobs escaping her. The hand on her back pressed her tightly to him, and that was it; the damn broke, she was crying with abandon now.

"Why are you crying, Mommy?" The little genius asked, a hand reached to Sakura's hair, and she tried to brush the pink locks in a soothing way. "Everything is okay now," she cooed.

Sakura only nodded in reply, biting back another sob as her baby girl tried to detangle herself from their embrace. "Okay, now I need to call my lawyer and tell her that the Grinch agreed to be my Daddy after all."

"Tch." Sasuke shook his head, still not understanding how the little girl came up with all of that by herself. "Okay, you can stop crying now, woman."

"Men and their irrational fear of tears…" Sakura teased, lifting her head to look up at him.

"Tch."

"Seriously, you've been crying a lot this week," he pulled her by her waist, bringing her to sit on his lap. She didn't waste time in making herself comfortable, resting her head under his chin. "Since the wedding actually."

"I know, I've been a bit more emotional lately."

"Hn."

"You know," Sakura started, tilting her head to find his eyes. "She's going to forget or completely ignore that 'No dating' clause that you proposed."

"Don't say another word," he interrupted, a hand moving to pinch the bridge of his nose in mild exasperation. "I don't want to hear it – or think about it – right now."

Sakura laughed then; eyes crinkling and arms squeezing him tighter. He brushed his lips on top of her head, muttering a "thank you," that she might have heard or not.

Everything would be fine; as long as he could see them smiling and laughing every day.

A/N: Okay two updates in one day :D

But now I need to rest my blurry eyes.. so I'll finish part three and post soon (probably in one or two days if I'm lucky with enough free time) ;)

I actually thought about this "adoption scene" when I was writing the scene where Sasuke and Sayuri met. And It might be too cheesy (or not), but thinking of all people with stepfathers and stepmothers out there, I think it was worthy to include a warm moment like this one.

P.S: Replying to anon/guest reviews:

Mia - Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Your kind words made me smile like a silly person :) Hope you have a beautiful and happy holidays as well!

Guest - Thank you guest for reading and reviewing! I'm happy that you think the story is perfect for the season! xD and yes, I tried to keep a balance between drama and fluffy, I'm glad you think it was good. Happy Holidays!

AyaneSelznick - Thank you for reading and leaving a review! I understand, don't worry. And I'm surprise to know that you found this story on Twitter. So, I created an account (TheRedConverseG) to check and apparently it's been shared there :O - I'm happy to know that you love the story as much as I do. Thank you so much for your kind words :) Happy Holidays!

See you soon!

xoxo