Sasuke wrapped his lone arm around Sakura as they embraced for what felt like a long time. Years of longing and feeling lonely surfaced as they indulged in one another's presence. Sarada looked on at her mother and father embracing for the first time feeling tears stinging her eyes. She didn't understand anything that was going on right now. This was a sight she had longed to see but only a moment ago… Papa had just tried to kill her…

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked Sasuke, still holding onto him and still very much overwhelmed by everything. Her face was pink and tear stained. She reached her hands up to cup his face, making sure that this was real and not a dream.

"I was in another dimension when I suddenly felt a chakra too familiar to my own… I suspected it was a clone and because it was so close to Konoha… I came right away."

"You don't recognise your own daughter's chakra? Baaka." Sakura gulfed. Sasuke sighed, feeling ashamed and extremely guilty.

How did he not realise that it was Sarada?

Sasuke turned to look at Sarada who was whimpering, clutching at her arms tensely. Sasuke gently let go of Sakura and made his way over to his daughter who was not so small anymore as he remembered her being. She had inherited his features but in subtle ways showed Sakura. She was so beautiful. He knelt in front of her and sighed carefully placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Gomen, Sarada…" he said. Sarada looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She could tell that he was genuinely sorry for what had happened. Sasuke reached out toward her and pulled her in for a hug. Sarada cried into his shoulder and hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. She felt an overwhelming sensation of being safe and secure in her papa's embrace. He was warm and it felt as if he was casting a protective blanket over her as he hugged her. This was the best feeling.

Sakura looked on at the two loves of her life and smiled. They were all back together again which made her sulk.

No one noticed the man in the forest watching them.


It was now evening and Sasuke, Sakura and Sarada had returned to their home in Konoha, it was super handy that Sasuke could transport them using his rinnegan. They were seated in the dining room eating dinner off of the coffee table since their dining table was broken. Sakura felt embarrassed having to explain that story to Sasuke.

It felt wholesome to be eating dinner as a family.

"Ne mama, Eichi had followed me!" Sarada said aloud in annoyance, crossing her arms angrily.

"He tossed me up over his shoulder and said he was taking me back to Konoha! He also had stolen the family photo from me!" Sarada did all in her power to make Eichi look bad. He was sneaky and secretive. Since Papa was here now and since he and Eichi had had a confrontation, Sarada was sure she wouldn't be seeing him around much anymore.

Hearing how Eichi had followed Sarada and then was attacked by her husband came as a strange shocking surprise to Sakura. She carefully listened to her daughter explain everything in raging detail. Sarada purposely chose to leave out the part about Eichi saying that stuff mama had apparently said about papa because she didn't want to mention something so awkward in front of both of her parents.

"Hmmm…" Sakura said, concentrating hard on all the things her daughter had explained. She looked at Sasuke who backed up her story but did not have any answers as to why he did what he did as Sasuke did not know anything about Eichi. It seemed only Sakura could figure out his motives at the moment since she had spent the most time with him at the hospital.

"I'll have to speak with him tomorrow at work. Don't worry Sarada, I'm sure it was nothing but concern for your safety." Sakura assured her daughter who stuck her nose up and was not convinced at all. Sasuke gave Sakura a look of concern as Sakura continued on eating dinner. She felt his eyes on her and she glanced up at him with the same look without Sarada noticing.

They both knew something was suspicious but did not want to discuss anything in front of Sarada not wanting to worry her since she was just a little girl.

For the rest of the evening Sarada chatted to her father for hours on end talking about the academy, her training, her sharingan and many more things Sasuke had missed over the years. Sasuke was enjoying and didn't mind at all his daughter rambling on to him about everything he had missed in her life.

After a while Sarada yawned, feeling how tired she was having not slept last night.

"Sarada, bed time." Sakura said to her, noticing how drowsy she was getting.

"Ok mama, but papa, you better still be here in the morning!" Sarada said sharply, making Sasuke look up at her.

"Hai, of course. Goodnight." Sasuke said to her.

"Goodnight." Sarada said to both of her parents before exiting the living room to get ready for bed. They both watched her leave the living room.

"She's so much like you Sasuke. Determined. Head-strong. Naturally gifted with ninjutsu." Sakura blushed and smiled, feeling proud of her and Sasuke's creation. Sasuke smiled too.

"Hai. She reminds me so much of you too. Kind. Sweet hearted. A chatterbox…" Sasuke said teasingly. Sakura laughed, throwing a grain of rice at him. For a moment the couple just gazed at each other, the air in the room getting a little warmer with every second.

Sakura soon stood up from the coffee table and began clearing away the dishes. She walked into the kitchen and filled the sink with hot water and dish soap, all the while she felt Sasuke watching her from the living room as she did. She smirked, enjoying the attention he was giving her.

She suddenly felt an arm snake around her waist and Sasuke's chin resting on her shoulder as she continued to clean the dishes. Sakura felt butterflies in her stomach as Sasuke buried his face into her neck causing her breathing to go unsteady. He began to sweetly kiss her neck and collarbone whilst using his arm to keep her body tight to his.

"Anata…" Sakura stuttered, feeling her body getting hot. Sasuke groaned and continued to kiss her until he reached her shoulder blade.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said breathlessly as he suckled at a single spot. He sucked and kissed and nipped until he had left a satisfying mark. By then Sakura was finished with the small pile of dishes and turned around to cup his face lovingly, both peers seductively gazing into one another's eyes. Sakura felt her cheeks turning red as her husband leaned his face closer to hers until their lips were barely inches apart.

*Ding Dong

The doorbell went off and both Sasuke and Sakura couldn't be more annoyed.

"Who could be visiting at this hour?" Sakura grumbled. She slipped out of Sasuke's hold to answer the door.

"Eichi?" Sakura said in a surprised tone. "What are you doing here?"

Eichi stood in the doorway with a depressed and anxious look on his face.

"Sakura-chan, gomen, forgive me for visiting so late without notice… I had to check and see if you and Sarada were alright? Did she come home okay?" Eichi asked. Sakura was blank and didn't know how to respond. After what Sarada had told her she really felt different towards Eichi now. Why was he so curious anyway?

"I'm sorry. Forgive me for intruding. It's just in my nature to care about you and Sarada-chan…" Eichi said, easing up a bit and giving Sakura a small and friendly smile. Sakura stepped back a bit as Eichi inched closer to her as if to whisper something.

"Sakura-chan… There was a man. A very dangerous man who-" before Eichi could finish his sentence, Sasuke appeared in the doorway standing right behind Sakura and stretching a dark shadow over Eichi. His eyes were staring daggers at the stranger in the doorway. Eichi saw him and immediately backed away.

"Sakura-chan! This is him! This is the man who attacked Sarada and I! You get away from here or I will alert the authorities!" Eichi said in an attempted powerful voice. Sakura gave Eichi a surprised look. Did he not know who he was speaking to?

Sasuke glared at the man and was about to approach him until Sakura stopped him by grabbing his hand. Eichi stared at the action suspiciously.

"Anata, calm down." she said in a soothing tone. Sakura turned to Eichi who was glaring back at Sasuke. He was daring, that was for sure.

"Eichi, this is my husband. What happened earlier was an accident."

"An accident!? He almost killed me." Eichi spat angrily. Sakura was very impressed with his unusual angry tone he used towards Sasuke whom most would never even dare to use such a tone against him.

"Well you did have our daughter flung over your shoulder Eichi." Sakura reasoned wanting to know more about that. "-and you had our family photo in your pocket…" Sakura added thinking of how suspicious that was.

"It dropped on the ground as she left Konoha, that's how I figured out she was running away. I was only trying to bring her back home. Who knows what would have happened to her being out there all alone."

"It was not your place." Sasuke interrupted. Sasuke was getting more mad each time the stranger spoke. Sakura let go of the reins a little letting her husband say his bit as Sarada's father. "You don't need to check on my wife and daughter anymore. Their health and safety is none of your concern."

Eichi looked at Sakura and she could tell he felt hurt and unappreciated. He was obviously waiting for her to say something against Sasuke but of course she would never go against her husband. Eichi gulped.

"I see… gomen, I'm sorry to have disturbed you." Eichi said. With one final glance at Sakura, he turned and left the building. Sasuke watched him leave until he finally shut the front door.

"Who is that man Sakura? Tell me everything." Sasuke suddenly sprang on her, she figured he would have questions.

"His name is Eichi. He works at the hospital and has been with us for a few months now…"

"Why does he know so much about us? Why does he know where we live?" Sasuke asked. Sakura was a little stunned.

"Eichi and I are colleagues, Sasuke-kun…"

"That still doesn't explain how he knows where we live." Sasuke said in a firmer tone. Sakura looked at him for a moment wondering how Eichi did know since it honestly had slipped her mind… When she did figure out the answer, she almost didn't want to say anything fearing how her husband would react.

"He… came over for dinner… once…" Sakura said truthfully, watching him carefully. The silence in the room was airy. Sakura felt bad now as Sasuke just stared at her with no expression.

"It was just as a thank you for making me lunch…"

This didn't seem to help the situation at all. Sakura waited for Sasuke to say something, when he didn't she began to worry.

"Sasuke-kun, I promise it was only a thank you dinner and nothing more." Sakura said, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. She needed to reassure him. He was so possessive and protective of her and she could read what he was thinking from his facials all the time.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said, looking up at him and placing her palms against his cheeks. Sasuke was looking at her for a moment and then looked away. Sakura's heart could have snapped in two right then and there. She had just got her husband back and there was no way, NO WAY that he was going to act like this over something so stupid.

"I'll sleep on the couch tonight." Sasuke said still not looking at her. Sakura sighed. This was typical Sasuke whenever he was mad at her.

"Really Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned in an almost annoyed tone. They had been together for a long time and he still had trust issues even when she would assure him that she would always be his and only his.

"I'm telling you that that man is only a colleague. Please don't act like this anata, I just got you back…" Sakura said in a shaky voice and again wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. She was about to cry if he continued to be upset with her. Sasuke lifted his arm and for a moment was about to wrap it around Sakura's shoulders but then he coldly but gently pushed her away.

Sasuke left the hall to enter the living room and sit on the couch. Sakura stood there feeling pain and guilt in her stomach. She felt the tears welling in her eyes, her breathing going shaky. She walked down the hallway and looked into the living room where Sasuke sat, his back toward her. Part of her just wanted to run over to him and kiss and hug him to show that she was truly sorry and didn't mean to make him worry about their love… her instincts told her to leave him alone when he got like this.

Sakura decided that she would take a shower to let out her emotions so that Sasuke couldn't see. She went to the bathroom and entered the shower and tried her best to keep quiet as she cried. She sat on the bathroom floor hugging her knees feeling awful. When she was done in the shower and had changed into some night clothes, she went to quickly check on Sarada who was quietly sleeping, a small smile on her face. Sakura felt even more depressed hoping that Sasuke would forgive her by the time Sarada would wake up as she wanted them all to be happy around each other.

Sakura went to check on Sasuke who had fallen asleep on the couch sitting upright. Sakura pouted. He should be in a warm bed after all this time away from home… even if she would have to take the couch…

Sakura went to grab a pillow and blanket. She gently put the pillow behind Sasuke's neck and then placed a large blanket over his body. She knelt down next to him and grabbed his hand caressing the top of it with her thumb. She looked into his closed eyes with tears in her own eyes.

"Gomen, Sasuke-kun…" she whispered and then went to kiss his forehead. Sakura reluctantly went back to their bedroom and before switching off all of the house lights, went to go and try to sleep in their bed.

Knowing that her husband was only meters away in the living room and not miles away in a place where she did not know made her clutch at her ribs. It was all too painful and sad to not be near him when he was so close and she knew she would never be able to sleep like this. Getting up from the bed she walked in the dark and went to the living room where Sasuke was still sleeping. Sakura quietly went over and sat next to him on the couch trying not to wake him up. She lifted the blanket and snuggled up next to him wrapping her arm around his waist and laying her head on his chest to which did not bother his sleep which she was happy about. Sakura shut her eyes and felt herself drifting off.