Uchiha House

Sarada was happy to wake up in her mother's bed. She turned over and saw mama was fast asleep next to her. It had been so long since she had needed to sleep with her mama but because she missed her so much, she wanted to be close.

Sarada quietly crept out of the bed and headed to the kitchen. It was still early in the morning and there was a couple of hours until mama would need to go to work. Sarada had the great idea of making a start on breakfast.

She headed to her bedroom to get ready for the day before going to the kitchen to cook. She was glad to see all of the food she had made last night was gone.

Sarada prepared some hot tea and a light breakfast since she knew her mother did not like to eat heavy in the morning. She smiled after putting in extra effort to make everything look nice and presentable on the table.

*ring ring, ring ring

Sarada walked over to the telephone.

"Hello?" She answered wondering who it was.

"Hello Sarada dear, may I please speak to your mother?"

Sarada knew the voice to be Ena, the reception lady who also worked at the hospital.

"Hai." Sarada said as she walked the phone to her mother's bedroom. Sarada opened the door and saw that her mother was still sleeping.

"One moment." She said to Ena.

Sarada quietly approached her mother and gently poked her.

"Mama..." she said quietly. Sakura fluttered her eyes open and looked to her daughter raising her eyebrows to ask what was the matter.

"It's Ena..." Sarada announced to her mother as she handed her the phone. Sakura sat up.

"Good morning Ena, what can I do for you?" Sakura asked yawning still feeling like she needed another 10 hours rest.

Sarada stood watching and listening as her mother spoke on the phone for a couple of minutes.

"Hai... hai... I will be there shortly... arigato..." Sakura ended the call and immediately buried her head into her pillow and screamed into it.

Sarada jumped wondering what the heck had gotten into her mother all of a sudden!

"Mama! Are you okay?" Sarada asked her. Sakura looked towards her and playfully pouted.

"I need to be at the hospital in 20 minutes..." she said to her daughter. Sarada scrunched up her face.

"You mean you're leaving?" Sarada asked as mama got out of bed and began looking through her dresser.

"But I made us some breakfast..." Sarada said sadly having hoped to spend the morning together.

"Gomen, Sarada. Arigato but the hospital is short staffed and I need to go in. If I go in early, I won't have to stay late tonight! So I'll be home to cook us some dinner!" Sakura said finding her outfit for the day.

"Really!" Sarada said beaming.

"Hai. I don't want to leave you by yourself late again." Sakura said exiting to enter the bathroom.

Sarada smiled brightly. She couldn't wait for tonight.

Streets of Konoha

For the rest of the day, Sarada spent time hanging out with her friend Cho Cho while Sakura worked. Cho Cho always cheered her up when she was feeling lonely. Hanging out with Cho Cho was like hanging out with 10 friends all at once. Sarada had asked if she wanted to come along with her to surprise her mama at work with a packed lunch.

"You mean, you were all by yourself all of last night?" Cho Cho asked while snacking on some chips as they walked through Konoha.

"Hai. It was scary..." Sarada bashfully admitted. She was completely aware that she wasn't a baby anymore and felt embarrassed to have shed tears over this.

"I would be scared too, but Sarada, why is your mama staying longer at work anyway?" Cho Cho asked curiously.

"Because the hospital needs her. There are a lot of sick patients and mama needs to heal them."

"Hmmm" Cho Cho snickered catching Sarada's attention as she dug her hand into the packet of chips.

"What?" The little kunoichi asked.

"Well, I saw in this movie that this lady was staying longer hours at work because she was apparently "working overtime" but really, she was just shagging her colleagues!" Cho Cho said casually and proud to know such R rated information.

Sarada stopped along her path slightly disgusted and offended that Cho Cho had said such a thing.

"Mama is not like that! She is a married woman. Besides she wouldn't lie to me..."

"Really Sarada? Your papa has been away for so long... maybe your mama is getting lonely..."
Cho Cho suggested as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Sarada scrunched up her face not wanting to think about any of that.

"No no no! Mama wouldn't do that and if she did I would know!" Sarada said raising her voice a little.

"Ok ok..." Cho Cho said as to calm down her friend.

Hospital

They continued walking to the hospital and were finally happy to be greeted by Ena at the reception desk.

"Well if it isn't cute little Sarada," Ena said looking at the little kunoichi. She noticed Cho Cho snicker at the nickname.

"Hello Ena, is mama here? I brought her some lunch."

"Oh how very sweet of you. Hai, she's in her office now." Ena said to her.

"Arigato!" Sarada said smiling.

Sarada and Cho Cho walked through the hospital until they reached the door with the name "Uchiha Sakura" on it.

Sarada was about to knock before a person came out of the office laughing and looking back into the room then walked right into her.

The food fell out of her arms and splattered all over the floor.

"Oh gomen..." a man said scratching the back of his head apologetically.

"That's alright!" Sarada said kindly yet slightly annoyed as she bent down to clean up the mess. Cho Cho bent down with her and nudged her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Sarada said looking at her friend oddly. Cho Cho edged her eyes to the person and coughed. Sarada caught on and looked up at the person.

He was tall and muscled, light and handsome looking.

"Sarada?" Sakura said exiting her office surprised to see her daughter.

"Mama!" Sarada said looking up at her. "Gomen, I brought you lunch but-"

"-Completely my fault, gomen Sakura-chan. I bumped into the cute little angel. Your girl?" The man said raising his hands and awkwardly smiling.

Sarada heard Cho Cho giggle at the nickname and gave her a sly look.

"Oh that's alright Eichi-kun. Hai. This is my daughter Sarada." Sakura said smiling.

Cho Cho again nudged Sarada.

"Oh and this is her friend Cho Cho. Sarada, Cho Cho, this is Eichi-kun, a medical ninja I work with."

"Hello." Eichi said while raising a hand. Both girls awkwardly said hello back.

"Arigato for thinking of me Sarada. How are you Cho Cho?" Sakura asked her daughters friend.

"I'm great Mrs Uchiha!" Cho Cho said giving a thumbs up. Sakura gave her an odd look at the tone she had used to address her with while Sarada subtly elbowed her in the ribs.

"Gomen mama, now you have nothing to eat..."

"Oh that's not a problem Sarada. Eichi-kun has kindly brought along leftovers from his dinner he prepared last night that he has kindly offered to share with me."

"Oh..." Sarada said looking at the man who had turned a slight shade of pink.

"Hai. No need to worry about your mother Sarada. She won't starve on my watch." Eichi said with a big smile.

"H-hai..." Sarada said for some reason feeling disappointed.

"Gomen Sarada, I have a patient to check now, but I'll see you at home." Sakura said walking off shortly followed by Eichi. She looked on after them as they continued to talk and laugh.

"Hmmm"

Sarada bent down to continue cleaning up the mess.

"Told you." Cho Cho said as she scoffed her face with chips.

"What do you mean... they're clearly just friends..." Sarada said as she wiped up the mess... something about the tone she used was unsure though.

"Apparently... though no one has colleagues that are that handsome... maybe you will be lucky to have a handsome stepfather."

"What!? No. I told you before Cho Cho, mama would never betray papa."

"I wouldn't blame her if she did... considering Eichi looks like that."

"Papa is much more handsome! Stop talking about my mama as if she is an unfaithful wife!" Sarada said snapping at Cho Cho. Sarada was determined to trust that mama would never betray papa.