A day later a cat jumps onto his balcony and stares at him with big black eyes through the window. He's making tea when he hears a small thudding noise and turns, expecting some sort of attack - hand on his hip, instinctively reaching for his sword. His heart hammers as he reaches for a weapon that isn't there at the moment.

It takes him a few seconds to calm down after that, but he eventually just stares at it for a moment before he opens the glass, balcony doors. He isn't sure why he does it, but the cat simply blinks at him.

Then jumps down from the ledge and just strolls in, eyes on Sasuke. The feline trots over - tail swaying lazily - and curls around his leg, mewing and looking up at him expectantly.

Sasuke doesn't know what to do for a moment, unsure how to deal with the cat that's now wandering around the apartment like she's taking a good look at everything and gauging whether it's up to her standards or not.

He watches her jump up on the counters and dart behind the door as he makes dinner.

Sasuke leaves a bowl of milk and tuna on the floor for her, and when he turns around she has finished more than half the milk and is happily chomping away at the canned fish. She gets more than enough of it on her whiskers.

But when he sits down to eat, the little thief steals half of his cooked fish and doesn't even look sorry about it, just taking her piece back to her bowl and meowing happily.

Sasuke grumbles at her, but can't find it in himself to be too upset. He finishes, cleans up and watches her pounce on the curtain by the living room window before she gets bored of it and wanders back to the balcony doors.

"You can leave, if you want." He says, nudging open the door again. And then he wonders why he's talking to a cat like the thing can even understand him.

The cat simply looks at him and turns her back, trotting into his bedroom and plopping down by the bed, blinking sleepily.

Okay, then.

He slowly closes the door, eyes on the cat, confused. Did it want to stay?

Sasuke decides to just go to sleep and deal with the thing in the morning.


He wakes up with the fuzzy thing curled up on his chest, asleep. He startles for a moment, and is faced with a set of big black eyes.

Sasuke huffs and gently pushes the clingy little cat away. She just plops onto his lap and stares at him.

"I'm guessing you've made your decision." Sasuke says, running his hand through his hair, tangled from sleep.

All he gets is a meow in response.

The cat darts around his feet as he tries to get to the bathroom, tries her damndest to take a bite out of the loaf of bread Sasuke got at the store a day ago, and claws at the curtains. She refuses to get out of the bathtub when Sasuke tries to take a bath.

She's not so bad. The creature is a bit annoying, certainly, but...it gives him something to do. Something to focus on.

He decides to let Sarada name her, when she gets here.


Sasuke runs into Gaara and Shinki a day after that. He's picking up some more books, this time in a store a bit further into the market district. He is so absorbed in the new volume he's started reading that he almost misses a small voice saying his name and tugging at his pant leg.

He stops and looks down to find Shinki staring up at him.

"Shinki." Sasuke says, surprised.

"Hello Sasuke." The five-year old waves, blinking up at him. He's clutching his bear and looking up at Sasuke like he belonged there. It would be sort of funny, if he wasn't sort of panicking at the fact that Gaara was nowhere to be seen. Did Shinki get lost? Gaara was probably panicking too, looking for his son.

"Hello." He looks around, "What are you doing out here? Where's - Did you wander away from your father?"

The little boy doesn't even bother to lie, he just nods, "We were getting fruits and I saw you. Father said to stay close, but I wanted to say hello."

"Your father is probably looking for you, Shinki." Sasuke says, summoning a clone to hold the books and looking at the little boy, "C'mon, I'll take you back to him."

There's no way Sasuke's leaving a child out in the busy market district alone. No one would dare harm the Kazekage's son, but Sasuke doesn't see that as a reason to not bring the boy back to his father. The omega was probably noticing he was gone by now.

The little boy nods and lifts his arms toward him, giving Sasuke an expectant frown.

Basically, the seemingly universal gesture of a little kid wanting to be picked up. Sasuke carries him through the market, eyes scanning the crowd for red hair.

They find Gaara by the strawberries.

"I think you lost this." Sasuke says, putting Shinki down in front of his dad. The boy hugs his father's legs, looking up at him.

"Oh, are you back?" Gaara smiles down at his son, squeezing his cheek, sounding equal parts very amused and slightly exasperated, "Have you had a good little stroll? I told you to stay next to me, Shinki. Remember?"

Gaara doesn't sound upset, more like...trying not to laugh.

Gaara looks... good. It's been strange, not seeing him for the past few days. Sasuke tries not to stare.

It's difficult.

Shinki blinks at his father's teasing, "Yes. But I found Sasuke."

"Did you?" Gaara says, finally looking at Sasuke for the first time in days, "Hello, Sasuke. I'm sorry we interrupted your shopping."

"No, it's...fine, I just uh, found him." Sasuke says, that stubborn heat rising in his face as Gaara looks at him.

"He tends to wander off." Gaara says with a small smile, "It's healthy to let children explore, but I still track him with my sand and don't let him get too far."

Right on cue Gaara's sand gently tugs Shinki back from a small pot of cacti he tries to put his hand in (out of what Sasuke can only assume is childlike curiosity).

Makes sense. He's used ninjutsu to stop Sarada from hurting herself on occasion.

"How've you been?" Gaara asks, taking the bag of strawberries from the seller. He picks up Shinki when the boy tries to touch the cactus again, obviously finding it easier to hold his son to keep him out of trouble.

Sasuke doesn't know how to answer for a moment, "I'm...okay, actually. Just... adjusting, I guess."

"Father?" Shinki asks, tugging at Gaara's coat button, "Can I pay?"

"Of course." Gaara smiles, carefully handing his son the coins and letting the boy hand it to the shopkeeper.

The woman smiles, "Thank you, Lord Shinki."

The little boy nods shyly, hugging his father. The woman smiles warmly and bows to the Kazekage before he steps away from the stall.

Sasuke watches Gaara quickly make a sand clone and hand him the bag of fruit, before turning his attention back to Sasuke.

"Understandable, I'm sure it's a lot to get used to. How're you settling in?" Gaara asks, and Sasuke relaxes. Gaara seemed to be doing better since the other night. Maybe Sasuke didn't hurt him. Maybe he didn't ruin everything. Maybe it was all in his head after all.

"Uh, I…" he flounders for a moment, staring at Gaara before he snaps out of it, "It's...nice, here. Quiet. I'm just…learning where everything is."

Gaara nods, "If you need any help-"

"Only if you don't mind." Sasuke says.

"Of course not." Gaara assures him, "This village seems to be changing all the time, it can be confusing."

Sasuke watches the clone buy some lemons and ginger. Shopkeepers bow to Gaara, and wave at Shinki.

"What are you at the markets for today?"

"Oh. Uh." Sasuke tries to think with Gaara blinking at him, "I was looking for another lamp."

"There's a shop down the street, they have a good selection."

"Oh. Thanks." Then Sasuke shifts, not knowing how to ask his next question, "Do you...mind coming along? I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm not...good at things like this."

He said to ask if Sasuke needed any help, right? And maybe Sasuke wanted to keep him around a bit longer. He hasn't seen Gaara in days - worried that he'd ruined something that night - but it didn't seem like that at all. Gaara still gave him those small smiles. It was a relief, really.

Gaara smiles, "Of course."

Sasuke relaxes slightly. Gaara taps his arm and gestures for him to follow him. Shinki is clearly comfortable, starting to doze off as Gaara carries him and leads Sasuke down the street.

"It's a small store, but I think it's one of the best." Gaara says once they've stepped inside. It's a small, eclectic little place, and it smells like incense.

Sasuke looks around. The place had a lot of varieties. He didn't even know what kind he wanted. He sort of just intended to just get one like the other one he bought a few days ago, but there were so many, here. Lanterns, too.

"What kind were you looking for?"

"I...don't know." Sasuke says, frowning, "I don't really know how to do this."

"It doesn't have to be a very serious decision." Gaara says, adjusting Shinki and looking up at him, "Let's start with something simple...what color do you like ?"

Sasuke thinks for a moment before he says, "Blue."

Gaara looks around for a moment before his eyes fall on a standing lamp.

"What about this one?" He says, nodding to it, "Or that one?"

The smaller lamp is a bright blue that Sasuke feels sort of weird about, but the first one Gaara points out is...pretty nice.

He likes it.

"This one is good." Sasuke says, "How did you do that?"

"I had the same problem." Gaara says, "I had no idea what to make of having a space of my own. So I just decided to fill it with things I like to look at, and tried not to think too hard about it."

"Hn." Sasuke frowns, "It's...very different. It looks like it comes so easy to everyone else."

He thinks about how quickly Naruto settled down, got married. How quickly most of their peers did. How well adjusted they all seemed after the war - and then there was Sasuke, who seemed to malfunction without his sword on his hip and a clear mission.

He wonders how adjusted Gaara is. Whether he feels as lost.

"You'll get better at it." Gaara says, "Trying to figure out what you want during times of peace after spending your life fighting is incredibly difficult."

Sasuke turns to him, "How long did it take you?"

Gaara looks surprised by the question, but he thinks for a moment.

"I think I'm still figuring it out." He says, and Sasuke appreciates the man's honesty.

"It gets easier all the time, though." The Kazekage says, "You'll get there. Be patient with yourself."

Sasuke can't do anything but stare at him for a moment, stunned. He feels a bit less tense - more settled, less tangled up.

Gaara understood . Of course he did. Sasuke can't bring himself to be surprised, really.

"Right."

"Come along." Gaara says, "Let's purchase your lamp."

Sasuke nods, feeling content, standing side by side with the Kazekage.


Sasuke watches the clone he created take his bags to his apartment as Gaara rocks Shinki, who is completely asleep by now. The crowds thin further as the day ticks on, and they end up in another bookstore, looking over volumes and scrolls.

Gaara's clone trails behind them, silent and blank, holding the Kazekage's groceries.

"Have you read this?" Sasuke asks, handing Gaara a book. It looks familiar, like he's seen in the Kazekage's library somewhere.

"I started it, yes." Gaara says, "I couldn't finish it. The protagonist was insufferable."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow, "That bad?"

"That bad." Gaara says gravely.

"Then I'll pass." Sasuke says, putting it back on the shelf.

They spend half an hour looking through books and talking, and it's only then that Sasuke recognizes how close he gets to Gaara. Sasuke was loathe to be physically close to anyone , and Gaara often kept himself at a distance from others, but Gaara leans into him as well. It's like the Kazekage barely notices, like he doesn't even think about it. Once Sasuke notices he can't stop thinking about it, though he isn't sure what to make of it.

People were often more relaxed with their friends, right? Maybe it was normal and Sasuke was just unused to being close to anyone these days. He feels like he's still playing this friendship thing by ear instead of knowing the proper notes, but it strikes him that Gaara probably feels the same.

Honestly, Sasuke was just content to have the Kazekage and his scent around.

They make it out of the bookstore - with several volumes and scrolls being carried by their clones - before they stop at several stalls further down the street, admiring the beaded tapestries a vendor sells.

"I wonder how long these took to make." Gaara says quietly, eyes roaming the intricate designs.

"Probably a while. Look how many beads this one has." Sasuke says, pointing an extravagant piece to their left.

"Wow."

"I was thinking about using the other room as a second bedroom." Sasuke says.

"Not a bad idea." Gaara says.

"I just thought that I should get the house in order before Sarada gets here." Sasuke says, "Maybe one of these can go on the wall. I think she'd like it."

"Your daughter." Gaara says, brightening, "Will she be living with you?

"Yeah. Not sure how long, but...still."

"That's good news." Gaara says, "I'm sure you've missed her."

"Yeah." Sasuke says, "It's been a while. Too long."

The guilt about not being there for his daughter has eaten away at him for years. Circumstances aside, that didn't stomp down the feeling of failure Sasuke felt when he thought about how long he'd gone not seeing Sarada. Every time he laid eyes on her she grew a little taller, a little more articulate, and he feels like he missed all of it.

"Well," Gaara says, "The thing about children is that once you show you're there for them, they sort of bounce back from everything else. Just be present while you can. Children don't need perfect parents, just parents who love them and want to be better."

Sasuke looks at him, surprised.

"Yeah I…" Sasuke flounders for a moment - Gaara had a way of saying things that made his brain scramble, "I guess you're right."

Gaara gives him that small smile again, and Sasuke's heart clenches almost painfully and he finds it hard to breathe for a moment.

What the hell was wrong with him?

And at that moment Shinki huffs and opens his eyes a bit, wiggling in his father's arms.

"Look who's awake." Gaara says, amused.

"...Father...hungry." he mumbles sleepily.

"I bet you are." Gaara says, "You were asleep for a while."

The little boy blinks sleepily, yawning, "Want...want inari. And tea."

"Alright, we'll get you something to eat, okay?" Gaara soothes, before looking at Sasuke, "Do you mind taking a break? There are a few shops around here, and I'd rather he eat now, before it gets too late."

"Yeah, sure.." Sasuke agrees, "Where did you have in mind?"

They choose a tea shop not too far up the main road of the marketplace.

They pick a small table by the door, and Sasuke can't help sitting with his back to the wall and scanning the area for all exits. His hand twitches toward where his sword would be for a flash of a second, but eventually he calms, able to tune out the bustle of the shop and focus on Gaara's scent and Shinki's small voice as he asks if he can have some tea.

He gathers himself and takes a breath. It's easier, once he ignores everything except for the two people at his table.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asks, "Would you like to go somewhere else?"

He doesn't ask with any sense of pity or foreboding, and he doesn't look at Sasuke like he's a bomb about to explode. Gaara never did, but it was still a nice reminder. The Kazekage simply asked those questions like he was asking about the weather.

It helped - that none of Sasuke's quirks seemed to phase Gaara.

"I'm fine." He says, "Just needed a second."

Gaara nods and moves on.

"You mentioned earlier that you now have a cat?" Gaara asks, cutting food for Shinki, "How did that happen?"

Right, he had mentioned the thing at some point, when he told Gaara about the fact that she'd stolen his fish for dinner the night before.

"She just walked in." Sasuke says, "Couldn't get her to leave. She's been spending her time clawing at my walls and trying to steal any fish I cook."

"It sounds more like she adopted you ." Gaara says.

"Yeah." He says, smiling a bit, "Garuda can't stand her."

"That's why I stick to plants." Gaara says, "Simple, to the point. Little mess."

"Smart." Sasuke says, sipping his tea and thinking about how the cat knocked over the tea kettle this morning.

"But, I'm sure Sarada will be thrilled." Gaara says.

"Yeah, I was thinking that too." Sasuke says, "She likes animals. I'm told that she'll try to pet anything."

Gaara smiles and Shinki looks up at them both, munching on a piece of seaweed, "Sarada?"

"My daughter." Sasuke says. Shinki blinks at him, looking surprised.

"Oh." Shinki says, "Where is she?"

"She's in Konoha, for now." Sasuke explains, "She'll be here in a few weeks, though. She's about your age, actually."

"Oh. Does she like puzzles?" The little boy asks, "I have a lot of puzzles."

Sasuke takes a sip of his tea, "I'm not sure, but you two will find things you both like when you meet, I'm sure."

Shinki thinks about that for a moment, "Do you think we'll be friends?"

Sasuke gives him a small smile, "Yeah, I do."

Shinki thinks about that for a moment, then nods and shoves more rice into his mouth.


"I was thinking about getting a rug tomorrow." Sasuke says once they leave the tea shop.

"Well, there's a place not too far from here, actually. It's where I got mine."

"Hn, I was...wondering-"

"...I can help you pick one out, if you'd like."

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not."

They agree to meet at the exact same place at the exact same time, and once the sun has gone down Sasuke waves and watches Gaara's retreating back as he carries Shinki home. Sasuke didn't even notice how quickly the day went.

He turns to go back to his own space once they're out of sight, feeling more settled than he has in a while.


By the time Sasuke gets back to his apartment it's dark and the lanterns in the village have been lit, guiding his way home. His house is a lot fuller than it was this morning, full of bags and books his clone dropped off over the course of the day.

Sasuke sets up the lamp, feeds the cat and makes himself a cup of tea.

He idly pets the purring mound of black fur as he waits for the water to heat, and he pauses briefly in mild surprise once the feline curls up in his lap as he sits down to drink it.

Sasuke settles and gets used to the purring weight in his lap.