Author's Note: This was written for the SasuSaku month 2019 day 3 prompt, "Medicine". It is a continuation piece of author Rawrchelle's fic Two Seconds Away from Home, one of my favorite SasuSaku non-massacre AUs.
I fell in love with this gorgeous story at first read. I was so drawn to the idea of a civilian!Sakura and shinobi!Sasuke falling in love, and was particularly struck by the author's simple, yet moving tag line for this fic:
"You don't need to be extraordinary to have an extraordinary story."
I'm grateful to this author for not only writing and sharing her work with us, but for graciously giving me permission to write a continuation of her story.
"Medicine" won't makes sense unless you read Two Seconds Away from Home, so if you haven't already – I really hope you'll finish that before you get to this, if ever.
(P.S. Little addition I made to the TSAFH AU: Itachi and Sasuke are the only members of their clan to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan).
Thanks for reading~
"Anata…?"
…
"…Sasuke-kun?"
Unable to bear the stifling silence any longer, Sakura quietly closed the shoji door, leaving a carefully assembled meal tray in the hall outside their room.
It would remain untouched, like every other tray she'd brought him since he returned home from his last mission.
Even so, Sakura never questioned its preparation.
She didn't know much about the clandestine life of shinobi, but she knew about her husband's special eyes.
Sakura had only seen them on two occasions. Once, during the Akatsuki's terrifying attack on the village four years ago… and then, on the night of her wedding.
She would never forget the headiness of being pierced by that hypnotic red gaze.
"I want to see everything… remember everything, just like this."
When Kakashi-san came to the main house following her husband's fateful mission, he explained how Sasuke and his four-man ANBU squad were ambushed by over thirty nukenin. As their taichou, Sasuke single handedly held the rogues back to give his injured comrades a fighting chance to escape.
Suffering from near fatal chakra depletion and a horrific array of injuries by the time he managed to drag his battered body back to the village gates, Sasuke survived… only to find that all of his squad mates died, despite his efforts, and over-use of his eyes left him blind.
That was eleven days ago, and he'd not been the same since.
Once, when they were in their teens, Sakura recalled asking Sasuke why he needed to keep advancing his shinobi rank. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she'd ever understand this part of who he was… why he felt such a burning need to prove himself this way; to put his life on the line with every perilous mission.
Sasuke was her entire world; he held her heart in his large, strong hands. He was everything to her. And while Sakura never had any delusions that she was the same for him… at the very least, she hoped she could be enough.
Why couldn't she be enough?
"It's not about you."
His voice was barely above a whisper, but she clung to it like a lifeline because these were the first words he'd uttered in nearly two weeks.
"What you mean, Sasuke-kun? Please, talk to me."
"I am not enough. My teammates are dead because I failed."
"No, Anata… there were too many, and – "
"This would not have happened under Aniki's watch."
"You are not – "
"I can't see, Sakura. How can I protect my precious people… how can I protect YOU when I. CAN'T. SEE."
Laced with a venom that had never been directed at her before, his words shook her to her core.
But Sakura gathered all the strength she could muster to blink back her tears and will her hands to stop trembling. Because even though she wasn't a shinobi, she was an Uchiha now.
And she made a vow to her husband and his clan to endure.
"Sasuke-kun, you are more than your eyes. You – "
"Enough."
She shook her head, refusing to give up.
Sakura stood before his much taller frame and clutched the collar of his haori as if to anchor herself to him.
"Please, listen. You're not just – "
"I said ENOUGH!"
Sasuke gripped her delicate wrist and flung her off his person with unprecedented force.
And while his handling wasn't aggressive enough to leave a mark, he didn't need shinobi hearing to register Sakura's muffled gasp and quietly stifled sobs.
He didn't sleep that night.
Since her husband returned at death's door thirteen days ago, Sakura had taken a temporary leave of absence from the civilian hospital where she worked.
She spent her days tending to Sasuke's needs, doing her best to ensure that he adhered to the medics' discharge instructions, took his post-operative medication and prepared his meals…
Still, she'd never felt so helpless in her entire life.
Sasuke once told her that "Medics fix the body, but you – you fix the heart."
She wanted nothing more than to live up to those words now… to lift the burden of loss weighing down on her husband's chest.
But last night… that Sasuke wasn't her Sasuke. And Sakura didn't know what medicine to prescribe to fix the heart of a man she didn't recognize.
The thought alone made her eyes sting.
Disgusted by her own weakness, Sakura gripped the edge of the kitchen counter.
She refused to give in to her tears. She wasn't the same lovelorn teenager who never thought she'd be good enough for Uchiha Sasuke.
She had to be. Because Sasuke-kun needed her; she'd have to find a way.
To do what, she wasn't sure yet. But she would think of something.
She would protect her husband's way of life the way Sasuke had protected hers with his own countless times before.
Itachi's impassive features twitched near imperceptibly at the sight of his young sister-in-law approaching the haiden of the Naka Shrine.
Clad in a rich navy silk kimono adorned with the stark red and white of their clan mon on her back, he'd not seen her in such formal dress since her wedding six months ago.
As she deferentially knelt in seiza to light an offering to Amaterasu, Itachi couldn't help but think how fragile and ethereal she looked.
Her startling jade eyes and artfully arranged petal locks stood in stark contrast to the dark eyes and hair of his fellow clansmen, and he wondered what possessed such a defenseless blossom to approach this cold and bleak place.
Of course, the elders were displeased to see her… but couldn't begrudge her offering. After all, the haiden was open to every member of the clan.
As the meeting of the council droned on, Itachi detected slight shifts of his Imouto's neck at certain topics of discussion as she silently mouthed her prayers.
And he immediately noticed the way her body froze at the mention of her husband.
"It has been two weeks. There is no sign of his sight returning. If his eyes have lost their light, he must be removed from the shinobi roster and reassigned to civilian duties."
Itachi didn't bother waiting for his father to defend his second son, and turned to address the elders in his own calm, but authoritative, voice.
"We have more to offer than just our kekkei genkai. Sasuke's kenjutsu, among other skills, are unparalleled in the village."
Elder Kazuo scoffed. "He is blind. What use is a shinobi who cannot even see his own hand, much less the face of his enemy?"
A small voice cut through the barrage of insults and critical barbs that echoed in agreement.
"Please… stop."
The clan council whipped their heads towards the haiden.
Elder Inabi glared disapprovingly. "Fugaku-sama, what is the meaning of this?"
Curiously, their clan head raised his right hand to silence the din and fixed his cold stare onto his daughter-in-law.
Sakura was well acquainted with this stare. She usually withered under this stare. But she also remembered the promise she once made to her father-in-law: that she would do everything she could to protect Sasuke and make him happy.
So, she faced the group of elders with her head bowed, and her small hands bracing the floor in perfect senrei before continuing.
"Please do not speak of my husband this way. He is more than just his eyes."
Fugaku remained eerily silent, but the minute shifts in his gaze showed that he was listening.
Sakura inhaled a deep breath, gathered all of her fortitude, and finally raised her head.
"He has dedicated all that he is to his nindō. He has risked himself time and time again for our clan, for our village, and our way of life. Please do not rob him of his."
After several beats of silence, Elder Setsuna cleared his throat to speak.
"A shinobi who cannot see is a liability, not only to himself but to others. The Uchiha cannot and will not risk this kind of disgrace. You are a civilian. You are nothing, and you know nothing."
Itachi's blood turned cold at this callous remark, but to his surprise – Sakura didn't wilt at the elder's cutting words.
Instead, her expression hardened and her eyes turned razor sharp.
"I may be nothing to you, but I am also Uchiha. And I will find a way."
Before she was formally excused, Sakura rose with feline grace and exited the shrine without another word, leaving a cluster of outraged elders in her wake.
Suddenly, Itachi felt a rare and peculiar urge to smile.
Because it was apparent that this seemingly delicate blossom was anything but.
Which is why he wasn't surprised to find her at his doorstep after the council meeting, seeking his help.
"Itachi-san, I must beg for your assistance."
When Sakura finally returned home that night, she'd been out far later than usual. The shoji door to her room nearly ripped open as soon as she approached.
Her husband's tall form reached out and pulled her into his chest in a crushing embrace before slamming the door shut.
He buried his lips in her hair, and while they both stood silently in the dark – the thunderous and erratic beating of Sasuke's heart conveyed all of his words left unsaid.
"You didn't come home…"
"I thought something happened."
"I can't lose you."
"Please don't be late again."
Sakura inhaled deeply, and drowned in the faint scent of cedar and smoke that she always associated with Sasuke. She leaned her head back to get a better look at him under the moonlight filtering through their window, and her heart sank at the anxiety emanating off him in waves.
Her small hands lightly trailed up his chest, mindful of the bandages covering his healing torso and eyes. She lifted her hand to softly trace the sharp planes of his face – his high cheekbones, his straight nose, and thin lips… while her right fingernails gently scraped the hairs on his nape.
She could feel his breathing grow steadier before he finally leaned his forehead against hers and whispered her name.
That didn't stop her ministrations though; she continued caressing his day old stubble and ran her fingers through his hair… doing whatever she could to ground him and dispel his fears.
"Sakura." He reached down to cup her face in his hands, and his voice shook as he spoke, close enough for her to feel his breath with every word.
"I'm sorry. I… I'm so sorry."
That night, Sasuke slept with Sakura's soft lips on his knuckles, as one large hand was firmly encased between both of her own. And for the first time in two weeks, he felt a little less consumed by the endless darkness that had settled permanently over his life.
Sakura was grateful for the slow but steady improvement in her husband's mood in the weeks that followed. He was beginning to eat again, and no longer met her questions with abject silence.
While Sasuke would always retain his staunch Uchiha pride, he eventually allowed his wife to assist him with things that he wouldn't accept when he was first discharged from the hospital. To her relief and gratification, Sakura was able to change his bandages without protest now, and they'd gotten into a routine of bathing together, among other things.
Sasuke also resumed accepting visits from his mother and brother. And by the end of the month, he'd even taken to practicing his morning kata again.
During this time, Sakura took the initiative of ordering several condolence wreaths, and faithfully laid them on the tombs of Sasuke's fallen teammates at the village cemetery. While her husband didn't accompany her and wasn't aware of her visits, Sakura didn't mind. She was his wife, and she would shoulder the duty of paying their family's respects on his behalf until he was ready.
And when Sakura wasn't busy seeing to Sasuke's recovery, every spare second was dedicated to researching the clan's kekkei genkai and studying what information she had on her husband's eyes.
Sakura was present at the shinobi hospital when the mednin explained Sasuke's condition to their family. They said the chakra pathways to his eyes were completely dead, resulting in permanent blindness.
Sakura was no mednin, but she studied hard and trained even harder to become a civilian doctor. She didn't want to rely solely on others to determine what could and could not be done for her husband.
After nearly a month of poring over all of the scrolls in her possession, Sakura felt emotionally and intellectually drained, and hadn't gotten any closer to a solution…
until she stopped trying to assess the issue from a mednin's point of view, and applied her own medical knowledge instead.
Sakura recalled a male patient she'd treated at the civilian hospital, whose left hand was crushed following a construction accident.
While her patient's broken bones and soft tissue injuries eventually healed, he couldn't feel anything in his left hand.
Sakura wasn't a dedicated neurologist, but she knew enough about the nervous system to recognize what happened. The nerve endings in this appendage were damaged, but weekly electrotherapy sessions effectively reset these injured cells, restoring partial feeling to her patient's once dead left hand.
From what Sakura could gather, chakra pathways didn't seem all that different from the body's nervous system. Maybe the pathways to her husband's eyes weren't dead, per se… Perhaps there was a possibility that they were simply dormant or unresponsivefollowing the injuries he sustained during his last mission.
And if that was the case, while electrotherapy wasn't an option given the hypersensitivity of optic nerves, maybe some other external catalyst - like a transfusion, or a transplant of some kind, could reset Sasuke's chakra pathways and restore some or all of his vision… similar to how regular electrotherapy sessions helped reverse her patient's nerve damage.
Of course, this was just a theory that was tenuous at best. Still, Sakura began drafting a thesis for her hypothesis clearly and succinctly.
And even though it was a long shot, she finally had something.
When Sakura finally finished putting her thoughts in writing, she considered her next problem. She needed to be careful who she passed this information to; it needed to get to the right person.
There was no way anyone at the civilian hospital would be qualified to opine on a theory like this, much less perform such a procedure even if it was ever deemed viable.
And if the mednin at the shinobi hospital already wrote off her husband's condition as a lost cause, Sakura didn't have much faith that anyone there would give a far-fetched hypothesis like this the time of day.
She thought about seeking Itachi-san's advice once again, but decided against it. Not because she didn't trust him, but because she couldn't bring herself to implicate her brother-in-law with the potential disclosure of information regarding the Uchiha's bloodline limit to an outside source.
He'd already shouldered an enormous risk by giving her these scrolls… information that was kept strictly confidential under a series of intricate blood jutsu that was only accessible to the clan council, the clan head, and his heir.
No, she'd have to figure out this next step on her own.
Sakura startled at the sight of another person at the memorial stone. She usually didn't visit her husband's fallen comrades this early in the morning, but her mother-in-law promised to teach her how to make a time consuming medicinal porridge that could be beneficial for Sasuke, so she thought it best to pay her respects before the day began.
But her shoulders relaxed when she noticed the distinct head of gravity defying silver hair.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Kakashi-san."
Sakura had always found her husband's former sensei a fascinating man. She'd heard the rumors, of course. Even civilians knew about the great "Copy Ninja Kakashi", a man feared across all five elemental nations.
The master of over a thousand jutsu, Sakura knew this profoundly dangerous nin was just as revered, if not more, than even her prodigious brother-in-law for his shinobi prowess.
She supposed she wasn't as terrified of the man as she should be, given what she knew of him.
It's just that Sakura had been somewhat familiar with him since she was girl.
For whatever reason, Kakashi-san had always been kind to her; allowing her to observe their training sessions during Sasuke's genin and chuunin years, and ensuring that she was never turned away at the hospital if Sasuke came home injured from one of their missions.
"You're no disturbance, Sakura-san. I hope Sasuke is recovering well."
Sakura nodded, with a tentative smile. She never knew what to say in the presence of such a man; someone who'd served as a respected mentor to both her husband and brother-in-law.
"I know you're very proud of Sasuke… as I am. He is lucky to have you, you know."
Sakura's eyes widened at this compliment, stunned that a ninja of his caliber would find any measure of worth in what she could offer her husband.
"Mah, don't look so surprised. He needs your unwavering support, especially at a time like this."
Sakura wasn't sure if she believed him, but he smiled at her with a crinkle in his eye and somehow… this gave her strength to voice a request.
"Thank you for your kind words Kakashi-san, although I'm not sure they are deserved. If I may… could I pay you a visit some time?"
When Sakura initially asked the question, Kakashi hadn't given any indication that he thought her request was amiss. Nor did he ask her why she wanted to see him.
He'd just nodded amicably, and told Sakura she was welcome to come by his office at ANBU HQ anytime in the afternoon the following day.
Sakura was nervous, as she'd never had any reason to visit this building before. When she inquired after Kakashi at the front desk, the receptionist at the counter seemed to know that she was expected, and directed her to an office on the sixth floor.
When she arrived at the designated door and was called to enter, she found the venerable Copy Ninja casually sitting back in a chair with his feet propped up on his desk reading…
Oh gods…the man was reading PORN.
Sakura may not have had any physical experience outside of her relationship with Sasuke, but she was a young married woman… and just the thought of the rumors she'd heard about the book currently glued to Kakashi's hands made her blush the same shade as her hair.
"Ah, Sakura-san. So, what can I do for you?"
The sound of his infamous orange book snapping shut quickly dispelled her nerves. If this man was anything like her husband, she knew he'd appreciate her getting to the point… and fast.
"Kakashi-san, I've been told that you are a master tracker, among other things… And I was wondering if you could help me find someone."
"I'm surprised you didn't make your presence known sooner."
Kakashi observed his former kouhai materialize in his office from a flurry of black feathers.
"I did not feel the need to alarm her any more than she undoubtedly was, Senpai."
Itachi caught the scroll thrown his way with ease.
Something like this should have taken the Uchiha heir a few minutes at most to read and absorb. The fact that he granted the scroll in his hands more attention than that confirmed Kakashi's initial thoughts.
"I'm surprised she was aware of Tsunade-sama… I didn't know civilian children learned anything about the Sannin in school."
Itachi calmly rolled the scroll into its original state and placed a complex security seal over it, before throwing it back to his former taichou.
"She is a civilian doctor. I suspect she learned about Tsunade-sama's advancements in the field of medicine during her secondary studies."
Kakashi nodded in understanding. "This information is… confidential. I wonder how she accessed the clan archives; there's no other way she'd know the anatomical workings of the Sharingan."
Itachi's perfectly blank expression would have stumped nearly everyone, civilians and shinobi alike. But Hatake Kakashi knew the other man too long to be fooled by his stone still demeanor.
"You're not concerned that she came to me with this request?"
This time, Itachi's face gave way to the slightest smirk as he shook his head. After all, the Uchiha heir wasn't lauded as a genius for nothing.
Sakura knew her husband breathed fire, but she was more appreciative of the steady heat his body emanated for as long as she could remember. October nights brought a chill that cut through the shoji of their room, but she never felt it when she had Sasuke's hard chest hot against her back.
Sakura considered this heat as she laid bare on their futon with nothing but a shared blanket pulled up to her waist. Despite her exposed upper body, the cold couldn't pierce her. Not when she was curled into Sasuke's firm hold, with one of his arms supporting her head and the other slung across her torso with his warm hand cupping one of her breasts.
Sasuke liked sleeping this way, she noticed… and when he spent himself inside her from behind, their bodies often remained joined as they drifted off.
It seemed that in the six months since her husband lost his eyesight, their lovemaking took on a new sense of purpose. Whereas before, touches would quickly escalate into something possessive, wanton, and desperate… Now, Sasuke wanted to take his time feeling every part of her, as if he was gently mapping her body with his hands.
While Sakura loved (and sometimes, even craved) the breathless urgency of aggressively and repeatedly driving each other to climax, there was something incredibly tender and intimate about Sasuke's recent habit of bringing their bodies to the very edge after prolonged periods of just touching and exploring each other with their hands, lips and tongues.
She wondered if they would have discovered this new form of ecstasy if he hadn't lost his vision… and what else they might learn together from this ordeal.
More than anything, Sakura hoped her husband would finally come to understand that her home and her life was with him.
That every breath she took was for him.
That the sun in her sky rose for him.
She needed him to understand the true extent of his worth; to know that he wasn't just a tool for his clan and their village… that he was so much more than what he'd been groomed his entire life to believe.
That no matter what, within the four walls of their home and the chambers of her heart – he was more than enough.
Sasuke sensed his brother's calm, tightly controlled chakra signature approaching his and Sakura's home, and went to the genkan to open the door for him.
The younger Uchiha fought the urge to frown. Ever the well-mannered gentleman, Itachi never made social calls unannounced… not even to his own brother's home.
So what was this about?
"Nii-san, come in."
Itachi saw his brother's wife enter his line of sight from the kitchen with a tray of onigiri in her hands. She bowed in greeting, before echoing her husband's invitation and asking her brother-in-law if he would like to join them for breakfast.
"No thank you, Imouto. I am just here to relay that Otou-san requires both your presence at the house as soon as possible."
Sasuke was immediately defensive. Why did Sakura have to go?
He knew his father still scared her to a certain extent, and did what he could to limit their interactions with one another.
"What is this about, Nii-san?"
Itachi turned to Sakura with the slightest glint in his dark charcoal eyes.
"One of the legendary Sannin, Senju Tsunade-sama is visiting the compound, and has asked to see you."
The only thing the brothers heard after that was the sound of Sakura's tray clattering onto the floor.
Sakura was stunned.
To her knowledge, Senju-sama was the granddaughter of the first Hokage, and a woman old enough to be her father-in-law's mother. Yet… she looked half his age at most, and could not have been more strikingly beautiful.
And it wasn't just her physical appearance that threw Sakura off kilter.
This woman's demeanor was… shocking, to say the least.
If she wasn't blithely referring to her terrifying father-in-law as "Uchiha-dono", she was inquiring about his personal sake stash despite the morning hour, or making glib remarks about how tall "little Itachi" had grown.
Sakura knew she wasn't the only one inwardly cringing at the Sannin's loose tongue, if the strained face of her pixie haired assistant was any indicator.
Most of all, she marveled at how tolerant her infamously impatient father-in-law was being… but supposed that even the feared Uchiha Fugaku had to make concessions for a woman who could allegedly reduce his home to dust with a flick of one of her perfectly manicured fingers.
Sakura was pulled from her thoughts when the woman in question barked out - "You, girl. Lift your head. I want to see your face."
Sakura raised her jade eyes, hoping the full extent of her fear wasn't too painfully obvious.
"What is your name."
Sakura nervously licked her lips before responding. "Uchiha Sakura, Senju-sama."
"I meant your given name. Your maiden name."
"Haruno Sakura, Senju-sama."
The Sannin looked thoughtful before her glossy lips curled into something feral.
"I don't recall a Haruno clan ever being part of the village census. Where is this clan from?"
Sakura bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling before she answered. "My family did not come from a clan, Senju-sama."
"Ohhh?" Then, as if something dawned on her, the Sannin narrowed her amber eyes sharply. "Are you a civilian?"
Sakura felt her husband tense beside her, and noticed how his hands clenched into fists digging into his shinobi pants.
"Yes, Senju-sama."
At this, the older woman threw her head back and bellowed with laughter. She jeered at the embarrassed rage on Fugaku's face before turning her attention to Itachi.
"So you're telling me, that a clanless, civilian girl wrote the single most fascinating medical thesis I've read in decades?"
Sasuke turned to face his wife seated beside him, even though he couldn't actually see her. Between her husband's obvious shock, and the questioning eyes of her father-in-law boring into her side, Sakura wanted to curl up and disappear.
"Do you believe the thesis has merit, Tsunade-sama?"
Not for the first time, Sakura was thankful for her brother-in-law's timely response.
The Sannin smirked. "The short answer is, yes. Yes, I do. A transplant of the eyes should trigger a reactivation of dormant chakra pathways."
But before Itachi could comment further, Fugaku spoke first. "You will use my eyes then, Tsunade–sama."
Sasuke's head whipped towards the sound of his father's deep, sure baritone.
If Tsunade noticed the boy's stunned reaction to his father's willing sacrifice, she didn't mention it. She merely shook her head and waved a hand in dismissal.
Itachi turned to his father to explain. "Sasuke will need eyes with an anatomy reflecting the same mutations from chakra… eyes that have unlocked the Mangekyou."
Tsunade nodded approvingly. "I see you read the thesis… so you get the hypothetical mechanics here. Yes, that should work. While this is the first time in generations anyone in your clan has managed to activate this advanced Sharingan, there are two of you. We can transplant one brother's set of eyes into the other."
Finally, Sasuke choked out, "Nii-san, you don't – "
Itachi cut him off with a tone that brooked no argument. "When will the procedure take place, Tsunade-sama?"
The woman tapped her fingernails thoughtfully against her kyousoku.
"I'll need twelve days to prepare. We'll need to run multiple tests beforehand, of course. The thesis was disjointed, but it gives Shizune and I more than enough to work with. We'll fill in the gaps and adjust for erroneous assumptions based on our test results."
She turned to the slight pink haired girl obviously struggling to hold back tears. Her gaze minutely softened, as she addressed Sakura.
"Your thesis was flawed and incomplete. But at least it was a step in the right direction, which is more than I can say for those waste of skin medics taking up space at that hospital. Medicine demands fearlessness, girl. Never forget that. Do you understand me?"
Sakura didn't trust her own voice, and nodded her head in silence as she fought the burning of unshed tears. She didn't even register her mother-in-law's weathered hands slowly moving to hold her own.
All she could think in that moment was that she had managed something… that she had not failed her husband.
That Sasuke-kun would finally see.
FIVE MONTHS LATER…
Sakura tried to focus on something other than the butterflies in her stomach. At first, she briefly wondered if morning sickness (or in her unfortunate case, "all-day-long-sickness") had reared its ugly head again, but quickly dismissed the thought.
That wasn't likely, as she was on the cusp of her third trimester, and those days were far behind her.
No, Sakura knew this was just plain nerves. Because this morning, her husband was reporting in for his first day as the newest Junsa-buchō of Konoha's police force.
With her brother-in-law's imminent promotion to the role of ANBU Vice-Commander, the village council thought it best to distribute the clan's most advanced doujutsu wielders amongst its most consequential governing organizations.
Sakura recalled Sasuke's disastrous and near fatal first ANBU exam. She knew how hard he'd worked to get initiated into the elite Black Ops, rising to the rank of taichou, like his former sensei and older brother before him.
But - to her pleasant surprise, her husband didn't seem to take the change negatively. In fact, it sounded like he welcomed it.
"It was my childhood dream to work in the police force with my father."
Still, Sakura knew how her father-in-law could be… So she waited anxiously for Sasuke to come home, wanting to know everything about his first day at his new job.
"Tadaima, Sakura."
She scurried to the genkan at the sound of her husband's familiar timbre.
"Okaeri, Sasuke-kun."
The young officer huffed affectionately at the sight of his wife; small and slight in stature, but for her pot bellied bump. She tried to wrap her slim arms around his neck to draw him down for a hug, but that proved difficult with their baby in the way.
He leaned down further, so she'd stop putting weight on the balls of her feet as she strained up to reach him on her tippy toes.
"Annoying."
Sakura didn't expect details. Her husband was, like his own father, a man of few words. And that was fine, because she knew Sasuke well enough to glean everything she needed to know from his grunts and one word answers.
He did have this to say, though. "This isn't so important, Sakura. Nothing is more important than you and the baby."
Flustered by this unexpected declaration, Sakura quickly rushed into a rambling monologue about everything that happened to her that day: how Tsunade-sama was furious that she wouldn't be available to supervise the poison lab for the next few months, because that meant she'd have to cut her latest excursion to Tanzaku City short; how his mother insisted that they move to a bigger house; how Ino said no matter where they ended up, their home needed to be baby proofed; how Shizune-senpai told her horrible stories about newborns who cried for hours on end due to bad colic; how Uruchi oba-san warned her to use cloth diapers to avoid diaper rash, and -
"Sakura, stop. Why are you so worried?"
Sasuke shifted his knees to cradle his wife between them more securely.
"Weren't you listening? They can get rashes. Painful, horrible rashes!"
The young father-to-be rolled his eyes as he continued rubbing aromatherapeutic jasmine oil onto his wife's taut belly in gentle, circular movements.
"And?"
"What do you - "
Sasuke briefly paused his massage, but didn't remove his protective hands from Sakura's distended abdomen. He leaned down to whisper in her ear,
"Everything will be fine. Even if these things come to pass, YOU are the best medicine. You are everything the baby and I will ever need."
This time, Sakura couldn't help the way her breath hitched and her eyes grew glassy at her husband's heartfelt confession.
She inhaled a shaky sigh and smiled brightly, as she finally allowed herself to enjoy the heat of his broad chest at her back and the feel of his large hands stroking their child nestled in her womb.
Because her husband was right. As long as they had each other, everything was going to be just fine.