notes: typos fixed! (12/28/2018)

rating: K

disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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8. happiness

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Sakura sees a fretting Sarada sitting at the dining table through her peripheral vision and hears the audible mumbling Sarada makes as Sarada stares at the vase of sunflowers in front of her. Sakura shifts her eyes up to the clock, her hands wiping a dish dry. Both girls already ate dinner, so now Sarada waits for Sasuke's return with a look—a fusion of anxiousness and boredom—and counting by the hour hand. Sakura hums a cheeky tune as an attempt to lighten the mood; she has grown tired of hearing the ticking of the clock and sometimes, Sarada's bored yawn.

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"Finally, you're back!" Sakura beams, eyes lit and reflecting off the brightness of the lights, helping Sasuke remove his cloak by the doorway. Her vocals come out soft, in mere sweet whispers. "She's been waiting for a while now, y'know. Ever since dinner." Even refused to go to bed at some point, all just for him. Sleep did eventually win, but Sarada's efforts were quite persistent—Sakura, however, knew to wait by the couch, a blanket folded by her side as she, amused, watches the battle.

Sasuke chuckles, lowly and deeply, holding a sunflower in his hand. "Well, it's hard to search for these in forests near Ame," he tells her with a smirk. "I'd hate to destroy the tradition by coming home early without it."

Perked and giggling, Sakura begins to shake her head, letting a laugh or two intercept her speech. "She already fell asleep, but I can go wake her up." An index finger points to the living room, where Sarada is at, her face buried into her arms on the table, blanket draped at her shoulders.

Quick to react, he stops her with a hand on her shoulder. "Don't," he interjected steadily, meeting her eyes with a look that she knew all too well from their early years. "Let her rest; I can see her tomorrow."

Knowing better than to argue, Sakura agrees and takes off her ponytail, brushing a hand through it and scowls at the tangled strands. She excuses herself to the bathroom.

Sasuke strolls into the kitchen for a glass of water, but stops shortly when he sees Sarada's peaceful figure sleeping on the living room table. The blanket over her indicates to him that Sakura was okay with her sleeping there—or, Sakura understood another reason why she'd been so adamant to stay up. A bit of guilt drenched his heart, but he wills himself to walk by her.

The sunflower Sarada hugs to her face catches Sasuke's full attention and the sight makes him smile, just by a bit. He carefully takes her in his arm, and he's already forwarding to her room. The sound of running water from the bathroom and Sakura's loud humming soothes Sasuke's ears when he passes their master bedroom. Sakura always did preferred long bubble baths for relaxation, especially during the longer, tiresome days of work. He found it a bit odd whenever he used the bathroom and sees all the leftover bubbles, but it always smelled so much nicer—almost like cherry blossoms.

Sasuke tucks the sunflower he came home with on Sarada's side table, and pats her head after he ruffles her hair. He'd missed the way she smiled after he left.

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more notes: i found this cool explanation about sunflowers representing long life, good luck, vitality, intelligence, and happiness, so hence this drabble!