Chapter 1
The sun shone through the windows and created a bright light hitting me directly in the face. I should really invest in a curtain.
My eyes slowly fluttered open as I remembered all that I had to do today. There was a recent mudslide on the southern edge of Konoha and the hospital is facing the aftermath of all the injured civilians. I had to work late last night and barely got any sleep.
Soft breathing could be heard next to me, and I looked to my left. I smiled softly. Sasuke was still asleep, so soundly that I feared the slightest noise I make will wake him. His obsidian hair covered his face ever so slightly with the tips touching the bridge of his nose. His eyelashes, so long that even I envied, fluttered ever so slightly as if he were in a deep dream. Sasuke was absent during most of Sarada's childhood because of his classified mission to search for any traces of Kaguya in hopes to prevent another war. Although I miss his presence and wish that he could always be with Sarada and I, he has an imperative role to protect the village and is dedicated to his duties as the Shadow Hokage to support Naruto, our friend, teammate, and the 7th Hokage of the leaf village. I support Sasuke in every way that I can and treasure these moments when he visits us.
Lately, he has been home a lot. The Kaguya mission has ended, and it's been calmer. I stare at his peaceful face and raise the corners of my mouth up to a small smile. I'm glad he is home.
Tiptoeing my way across the room, I exited our bedroom and closed the door softly, so I don't wake him up. He had a long day yesterday training Sarada. I peeked in her room to see that she was still asleep, tangled in her bedsheets. I shook my head with a smile and left to do my morning routine before cooking breakfast for my husband and daughter.
Just as I placed the last dish on the table, Sasuke came out of the bedroom rubbing the corner of his left eye.
"Good morning, breakfast is ready," I greeted Sasuke as he walked into the room.
"Ah," Sasuke replied. He was never a man of many words but the slight smile he gave me as he made his over to the table told me everything.
"Morning, mama, papa!" Sarada exclaimed as she joined us in the room, sat down, and began talking excitedly about what she was going to do today. "Boruto, Mitsuki, and I have a mission today. It's only a C-rank mission but I'm going to do my best so one day I can go on high-rank missions!"
"That's right!" I cheered as I took a bite out of the eggs I made. She continued to tell us about how Boruto messed up the last mission and how she hoped this one would end successfully.
With one last bite, Sarada pushed her seat back and walked towards the door. "I'm leaving now! See you at home for dinner!"
"Bye, be safe!" I called as the door shut behind her. I peered to my left, and it seems like Sasuke just finished his breakfast as well. "Nee, Sasuke-kun…"
He tilted his head to look over at me, waiting for me to continue. I blushed feeling his eyes on me. "I'm glad your back," I told him with a shy smile.
He returned the smile with a nod. "Sarada asked me to train her last time I was home, and I told her I would stay longer this time."
"That's great," I smiled but felt a tinge of sadness that it was just for training purposes.
He felt my disappointment because he asked, "What's wrong?"
I shook both my hands and said, "Nothing! I'm glad you're with us for a while. I'll make a nice dinner tonight for the three of us."
I gave him a soft smile as he replied with his usual, "Ah."
I stood up and started clearing the table. It was going to be a long day today at the hospital, and I need to pick up groceries for dinner tonight before coming home. Sasuke waited for me by the door. I quickly slipped on my shoes and followed him out.
"I'll come home early today. I have to discuss a few things with Naruto," Sasuke stated as I closed the front door behind me. Lingering in the hallway, I looked up to see him staring down at me as if he was waiting for me to say something. I took this moment to be bold. I don't see Sasuke often, but when I do, I try to make the most out of it. I leaned towards him and brushed my lips against his. Pulling away, my cheeks were flushed with red.
"I..I'll see you later," I stuttered catching a glimpse of his eyes. The corner of his lips twitched up ever so slightly.
"Ah, see you later," he said before disappearing towards the Hokage's office. I stood there in front of our apartment door for what felt like a long time. My cheeks were still flushed so I slapped my face gently. Get it together Sakura, he's your husband, why are you still like this? I shook my head, trying to calm down, and finally started making my way to the hospital. Shizune is waiting for me.
"Sakura, great you're here. They need help in Ward 3," Shizune briskly walked up to me and guided me in the direction of Ward 3. It's going to be a long day indeed.
Hours flew by as I was floating around the hospital, meeting patients after patients. My eyes glanced up at the clock as I exited a patient's room. He was working near the southern edge of Kohona when the mudslide occurred, and it was too late to evade the natural disaster. By the way he was talking, you would think he was all better. He was a very enthusiastic man who beamed when talking about his three sons. Such a proud father. He was also a very lucky man that only suffered a leg fracture despite the unfortunate turn of events.
It's already 5 o'clock, and I still haven't brought groceries yet. Luckily that was the last patient I had to see before leaving for the day. I grabbed my bag and headed towards the front doors. Shizune was near the exit talking to another patient. She spotted me out of the corner of her eye and waved, "See you tomorrow, good night!"
I waved back to her with a smile, feeling glad I was finally on my way out. It's been a long day, and I haven't even eaten since breakfast. Walking along the paved ground, I watched as everyone else on this busy street was making their way home. I made my way quickly to gather all the groceries I needed for tonight, making sure to grab a couple of tomatoes. Sasuke's favorite.
With two full grocery bags in hand, I made my way back home. The sun was already starting to set which created a shadow in front of me as I walked down the street. The road was almost empty now with everyone back in their homes. I was just a few blocks from home when I turned the corner and suddenly bumped into someone.
"Oh, sorry," I apologized as I stumbled to catch my balance. Before I had a chance to look up, the figure briskly walked away past behind me. I turned around to see what looked like a male about a head taller than I was speeding away before he disappeared behind an alley. Strange…I shook my head and was about to continue home when I spotted a small black box on the ground. He must have dropped this…
I bent down to pick up the box and examined it closely. Foreign words were inscribed on the bottom of the box. My brows scrunched up as I tried to decipher the meaning behind these inscriptions. There was a silver lock that prevented me from opening the box. I walked back towards the alley where the strange man disappeared into in hopes to return this to him but found the alley to be empty. He's gone…
I slipped the box into my bag and mentally reminded myself to turn it into the village's lost and found located near the Hokage's office tomorrow. I gasped as I realized it's almost dark now, and I haven't even started on dinner! I raced back home to notice that all the lights were still off. Sighing in relief, I realized that I was the first one back, so I still had time to prepare a nice meal.
The smell of food was wafting through the air when Sasuke arrived home, followed by Sarada in tow.
"We're home," Sarada exclaimed as she took off her shoes and entered the apartment.
"Welcome home!" I replied smiling back at her. "Dinner is ready."
It was a simple yet nice dinner with multiple tomato dishes, miso soup, fresh grilled fish, and three steaming bowls of rice. The three of us sat around the table enjoying my homemade meal as Sarada excitedly gave us the details of her mission. I always enjoyed our meals together as a family and this one wasn't any different. A bright smile was on my face as I listened to Sarada's story and glanced over to see Sasuke nodding every so often to show that he was listening.
After dinner, Sarada headed to her room exclaiming that she had a big day ahead of her tomorrow. Sasuke promised to train Sarada, and she was excited to spend some time with her father. After being absent most of her childhood, Sarada looks to her father more than other children her age. She was bursting with happiness when Sasuke suggested that they train together tomorrow just moments earlier. I smiled at Sarada as she went into her room with a smile so wide, I'm surprised her cheeks weren't hurting. I'm happy that she's happy.
I cleared the table and did the dishes before starting my nightly routine. It was going to be a busy day for me as well tomorrow, so I decided to get a good night's rest. Sasuke was already in bed when I came into the room. I slipped into bed on the opposite side of him and turned off the lights. In the darkness, I could see him with his eyes closed in deep thought. I turned my body towards him as I wondered about the box I found today. The man who dropped it was acting strange, and I didn't think he noticed that he dropped his possession. When I snapped out of my thoughts, I realized that Sasuke was still awake and staring at me. My eyes widened as I was slightly taken back.
"Is something bothering you today?" he asked me with a slightly worried look on his face.
I shook my head and replied, "It's really nothing…it's probably just the stress from the recent disaster. We've been getting a lot of patients because of the mudslide so it's been really busy at the hospital."
Sasuke didn't say anything; instead, he put his hand on top of mine which was his way of comforting me. I closed my eyes, content with his warm hand enveloping mine, and let the darkness consume me.
The next morning, I was woken up again by the bright light shining through the window. I made a mental note to shop for a curtain after finishing my work today. Sasuke and Sarada were both up early and made their way to the training grounds after we ate breakfast together. I grabbed my bag from the bedroom and started heading over to the hospital.
As I approached, I saw Shizune talking with another shinobi in front of the doors. She perked up as she saw me approach. "There you are!" Shizune exclaimed. "You're needed in the Hokage's office. Naruto is requesting your presence."
I looked at her puzzled. As far as I know, I don't remember having any meetings with Naruto today. Something must be wrong. I nodded and quickly made my way over to his office. As I was about to approach his office door, I sensed multiple chakras inside and heard muffled voices. I knocked on the door and waited as the voices went silent.
"Come in," Naruto instructed, and I placed my hand on the door handle to open it. Naruto was standing by his desk next to a strangely familiar figure. It's him. Standing before me was the strange man that I saw yesterday evening. His face was still hidden behind a hood. He turned slightly towards me as I walked further into the room. My eyes scanned the room, and I saw Shikamaru to Naruto's left with a file in his hand. He looked up at me as I entered and greeted me with a short nod. Sasuke was standing in the back of the room and glanced over at me as I made eye contact with him. I thought he was training Sarada…I guess they needed his presence as well.
"Sakura-chan! Perfect timing, I want you to meet Takashi Watanabe from the land of the earth," Naruto exclaimed. "Takashi-san, this is Sakura-chan, one of our best medical ninjas in the village." The strange man, who was also known as Takashi-san, raised his hands to pull down his hood. Piercing blue eyes made contact with my emerald ones and before I had a chance to react, he walked over to where I stood, picked up my hands gently, and gave me a light kiss on the back of my right hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Sakura-san. I heard so much about you. You're just as beautiful as they say," Takashi-san greeted with a soft smile.
I blushed and quickly turned my head towards my husband who was silent in the back of the room. I glanced at Sasuke, but his eyes were fixated on Takashi-san. I pulled my hands quickly away as I realized that he still had a hold of mine. Takashi-san has messy black hair, held a captivating smile, and had such deep blue eyes that any girl in Konoha would fall for. He was tall and had a slender yet athletic build. Takashi-san who has yet to take his eyes off me took another step closer to me, and I found myself moving one step back. Naruto nervously glanced at Sasuke after observing us. I saw movement out of the corner of my eyes; however, before anything else occurred, Shikamaru cleared his throat as to bring the room back to order.
"Right," Naruto began. "Takashi-san came all the way from the land of the earth to ask for our help, more specifically he asked for you Sakura-chan."
I whipped my head back to look at Takashi-san who was still smiling at me.
"Me?" I asked confused. Why does he want my help?
I must've looked dazed because Takashi-san began to explain, "I've heard so much about you Sakura-san. Your skills as a medical ninja are well praised. I was traveling when I overheard two shinobis talking about a highly skilled female medical ninja from the land of fire that saved many from the brink of death. I'm here because I need your help. My father has been poisoned and no one, not even the best medical ninja in the land of earth was able to cure him. He's not doing well so I set off on a journey by myself to find help."
His eyebrows furrowed in worry as he started talking about his father. By his posture and facial expressions, I could tell that he genuinely wanted to save his father. He slumped his shoulders and sighed a deep long sigh expressing that he had traveled far and lost hope before coming to Konoha to seek my help.
"This will be an A-ranked mission. You are to go with him to the land of earth and examine his father, the Tsuchikage," Naruto stated in a stern manner and looked directly at me. "You must not reveal his identity as that may endanger him. Our ties with the land of earth depend on this Sakura-chan."
I gave Naruto a serious look and nodded. Naruto proceeded to turn to Sasuke. "You can accompany Sakura-chan if you wish."
Before Sasuke had the chance to say anything, I shook my head and replied, "Someone has to stay with Sarada or else I'm going to be worried the entire time I'm gone."
I gave Sasuke a weary smile, and he hesitated before nodding. I continued, "Besides, she was looking forward to training with you. You don't want to disappoint her. I'll be fine by myself."
"Fantastic!" Takashi-san exclaimed with a bright smile. "We can leave bright and early tomorrow morning. I'll meet you at the west gate at 6am sharp."
I nodded in agreement and turned to Naruto.
"Thanks, Sakura-chan! You are free to go. Don't worry about your shift at the hospital today. I already sent a notice to Shizune that you will be gone on a mission for a while," Naruto exclaimed with a smile.
"Thanks, Naruto," I replied, waving goodbye as I turned around to exit the office. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Takashi-san proceeded to huddle in deep conversation. I felt a presence behind me and looked over my shoulder to see that Sasuke had followed me out of the office.
"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" Sasuke asked me as we walked down the halls together.
"Of course, don't worry about me," I promised. "Take good care of Sarada when I'm gone," I placed my hand on his shoulder in reassurance.
"Ah..." he replied turning his head to look out a large window as we passed by. We walked together in silence enjoying each other's company as we made our way back home.
"Is Sarada still back at the training grounds?" I tilted my head slightly to ask him. He nodded and said, "I told her that I would be back to continue her training."
"Well then what are we waiting for, let's go!" I exclaimed. In one swift motion, I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the training grounds. He stumbled forward, not expecting the motion, or maybe because I was using a bit too much brute strength. "Sorry, haha..."
Together, we made our way towards the training grounds. It seems like Sarada was no longer by herself. Both Boruto and Mitsuki were with her chatting in the open field.
"Sarada!" I called as we walked closer to the trio. Sarada turned her head and was shocked to see us walk over to her. Her shock quickly turned into a smile.
"Mama, why are you here?"
"There was a change of plans at work. I'll be going on a mission tomorrow, so I have the rest of the day off. I thought I'd join you both for training."
If I'm going to be gone for the next few days, I'd want to spend the rest of the day with the ones I love. Boruto and Mitsuki waved goodbye to us and hurried off towards the village. As they disappeared into the forest, I could still hear Boruto excitedly talking about the new food item that they were going to try at Lightning Burger.
"Are you ready?" I asked Sarada with a challenging twinkle in my eye.
"Of course," she smirked, and the training started.
We trained together until the sun started setting, and I decided that it was time to head back home to start on dinner. While Sarada was drained of energy, she still talked enthusiastically about her progress in training. I must admit that she is growing stronger and stronger every day. She was walking slightly in front of Sasuke and me. I smiled as I looked at her radiant smile. It's not often that we are all together but when we are, I know she's happy.
We entered the household tired from training all day, and I can't help but think about the impromptu mission that I was assigned just this morning. I started on dinner while Sarada was spending time with Sasuke on the couch. I almost burned a dish thinking about all the things I needed to do before leaving tomorrow.
The night ended quickly as I walked into the bedroom ready to sleep. Sasuke was sitting on the edge of the bed deep in thought, and he looked up as I walked in.
"Looks like this will be the last night we have together for the next few days, huh," I declared as I sat next to him on the edge of our bed.
"Seems like it," Sasuke replied. He was staring at our family portrait that I placed on top of the bedroom drawer.
I watched as he fell back into his own thoughts. He is the same Sasuke that I knew, still so handsome, still makes my heart flutter even after all these years. We were close enough to the point where our shoulders are almost touching. The thought of resting my head on his shoulders made my cheeks flush.
Why are you like this Sakura? I thought embarrassed. My eyes widened as I felt Sasuke's soft hair brush against my shoulders. He leaned towards me and rested his head on my left shoulder. My body became stiff and unable to move. My heart is beating so fast I'm sure he can hear it.
"Sa..Sas..Sasuke-kun," I stuttered in a tone low enough that Sarada won't hear.
"Mmm.." he mumbled with his eyes closed. His head is still resting on my shoulder. He is so close that I can feel his breath on me. His breathing is steady and calm. As I wished that we could stay like this forever, he finally lifted his head off my shoulder.
Still feeling the butterflies in my stomach, I turned to meet his eyes. He tilted his head to look at me, and I felt his intense stare. He lifted one hand to caress my cherry red cheeks and before I could react, he closed the distance between our lips.
