Title: Sasuke's Surprise
Summary: As they settle themselves in Konoha, Sasuke, Sakura and baby Sarada was looking for a house. Sakura has found one, that one house she can call her dream house but it was too expensive. Being a loving husband Sasuke is, he comes to his wife's rescue.
My tribute to Sakura's birthday! Happy Birthday my Queen!
Sakura looked at the remaining flyers the real estate broker gave them.
She, Sasuke & their baby girl have been staying in her old apartment ever since they came back to Konoha. The thing is, her apartment was meant for a single person not a family of three.
So, when they were able to settle a bit, they started looking for a house they could move into.
She found one that she truly fell in love with. It was in a prime location and has a peaceful neighborhood. A big house with a nice backyard where she & Sasuke could plant their tomatoes and herbs. A huge kitchen where she can place all the kitchenware she wants and cook to her heart's desire. There were plenty of rooms that they could convert to their home office, library, and whatever room they wanted. The bathrooms were also spacious, especially the one in the master's bedroom. She was sure that the three of them could fit in the tub and have a fun time. The living area holds a nice view and Sakura could already imagine how she, her husband and their baby girl would spend family time there.
No doubt about it. It was Sakura's dream house.
But there is one problem. The house is a bit too expensive.
When she computed her salary as a doctor in the hospital, Sasuke's salary as the Hokage's aide and the savings they have together versus the cost of buying the house, there would be hardly anything left for their daily expenses.
Sakura tried and tried to recompute but eventually gave up when she didn't see the numbers she liked.
"I guess it wasn't meant to be..." Sakura told herself. However, there were still times when she would catch herself daydreaming that house.
Sakura checked the clock again. Sasuke took Sarada on a walk earlier and should have been home hours ago.
"What's taking them so long?" Sakura initially thought but soon let it go. She doesn't mind having a little more time to herself.
Few moments later, Sasuke arrived with a tired-looking baby Sarada.
"Welcome home! What took you so long? Did you encounter any trouble?"
"Hn" Sasuke replied, avoiding Sakura's eyes.
"You're hiding something from me, Anata..." Sakura eyed her husband suspiciously.
Sasuke sighed. Fuck marriage. He loves it when he sees right through Sakura's 'I'm fine' but hates it when Sakura sees right through him. How is he going to keep this surprise a surprise?
"I'll show you later. Let's have a walk after dinner." He poked Sakura's forehead and gave her a small smile.
His wife pouted but gave in eventually. "Fine!"
For the rest of the day, Sasuke could feel Sakura throwing him some happy excited eyes to death glares which made him have some chills.
Just as Sasuke promised, the three of them had a walk after dinner. Sasuke didn't say where they were going so, she was surprised when they were walking around the block where her dream house is.
They kept walking and walking until they stopped in front of the too expensive house. Her husband opened the gate like he owned the place. She followed him as she watched their daughter cooing happily in her father's arms.
What are they doing here? How come her husband has the keys of this house? Is it what she thinks it is?
Sasuke opened the front door and took a few steps inside. He turned to face Sakura and blushed.
"I wanted this to be your birthday surprise... but you read me too well." He sincerely looked Sakura in the eye. "Welcome home, Tsuma."
Sakura was in a rolling snowball of emotions. What did she do in her life that she got such a doting husband? Tears started rolling down her eyes "Seriously you bought this house?"
"Yeah. Earlier when I took Sarada out for a walk... Right, Sarada?" the baby gestured in agreement.
"You used your inheritance, didn't you?" Sakura asked in between her sobs. She knew about Sasuke's inheritance and how big it was. But she chose to ignore its existence unless both of them could no longer provide for their child/ren. Given the circumstances of how it landed in her husband's account, she felt like she's desecrating the dead if they just used it on some petty things instead of investing it for the future generations of the Uchiha.
Sasuke saw how Sakura's eyes sparkled with joy the moment they first entered this house. He could see how she daydreamed on things they'll do in this house - the way her fingers run through the kitchen counters, how she inspected the soil in the backyard, how she imagined the arrangement of their furniture. She might have not said anything but he knew that this was her dream house. He also witnessed how his wife went through hell and back calculating again and again just to fit their budget to their daily expenses and if they're going to pay the loan for this house. They also have talked about what they are going to do with Sasuke's inheritance. Being the strong and independent woman she is, Sakura refused to touch the inheritance unless it is for their child/ren's future. But Sasuke being Sasuke, happy wife, happy life.
The moment they moved into their new house, the first thing that Sakura did was to establish a mini-shrine for Sasuke's departed relatives. Once she was done, she offered her prayer.
"I am very fortunate that I married Sasuke and by receiving such a beautiful house as a birthday gift, I am deeply indebted to you all. I promise that I'll make Sasuke happy everyday - that he'll have warm delicious meals every day and he'll have a joyous home to live in. We'll make sure that Sarada will grow up to be a shinobi that you all will be proud of. I promise that every cent Sasuke spent in buying this house will not go to waste."
Sasuke chuckled a little while hearing Sakura's prayer to his clan. When she noticed his presence, he sat beside her and offered a silent prayer. Once he was done, he moved closer to his wife and let their foreheads bump.
"I'm sure Mom will definitely love you. She always longed for a daughter."
"Well, she has a granddaughter now." Sakura felt happy hearing that from Sasuke.
"Dad would be a tough nut to crack but I'm sure he'll come around once he notices how smart you are. Nii-san will love to have you as a sister-in-law too."
"Do you think they would love Sarada too?"
"Of course, they'll love her too. She's the cutest and most adorable kid in the world. You'll probably have headaches dealing with such doting in-laws."
They were laughing but little did they know, the spirits watching were laughing too and wishing the new matriarch a happy birthday and more birthdays to come.
AN: This was initially posted in twitter EvilQNMarika. Also cross-posted in my Ao3 account. Feel free to follow my account and let me interact with you. Please leave some comments to improve on my writing! Thank you!