Sasuke Uchiha felt that deep down in his heart, he had made the right decisions; for it had been his intentions to eventually revive his clan anyway; even if it happened a little earlier than he had first planned for it to. So, when Sakura has come to him several weeks after their first coupling; to sit him down and explain to him that somehow, they had a 'slip up' and that she was now carrying his first child... he hadn't been angry about it like she had first feared that he would be.

No... he definitely wasn't angry...

Nor was he disgusted or disappointed...

He was just simply...okay with it.

Sasuke's simple and easy acceptance of the whole thing had given the pinkette pause as she observed his almost strange behavior in a new light. Sasuke has just shrugged off her worries when she had attempted to tell him that she could deal with it and raise their unborn child on her own; so that the Uchiha wouldn't have to be a part of any of its upbringing if he chose not to be. Sakura knew for a fact that Sasuke wasn't planning on staying in the village for much longer... and she didn't want to be the reason for any ill feelings that he might have towards her or their baby. She knew in her heart that he was most definitely going to leave at some point; and even though Sasuke felt like he should be there for Sakura during the hardships of both pregnancy and raising their child; he still felt strongly that he had to do this... he had to continue on his path of revenge; for he would never fully feel at peace unless he did so.

And so, just hours before he made his decision that the day had come to leave; Sasuke took her away from the village, only for an hour at most and found a place to marry her. He felt that it was not only the right thing to do but also... he felt in his heart that it's what he had truly wanted all along. With only one part of his goal now completed...he then set out just a few hours after their 'wedding' (if you could really call it as such) ...leaving the village he had grown up in for an unknown length of time as he made his way down the dirt path that led out into a dense forest; his hands in his pockets and a small pack on his back. Sasuke paused though right before he reached the edge of the trees; stopping in his tracks to glance back at the imposing gates that lead into Konohagakure and saw the lone figure that stood directly in the middle of the dirt path; bathed in the moon's soft glow.

Sakura...

With her long, pink hair flowing wildly around her due to the midnight breeze...

Her maroon dress fitting tightly around her small frame...

Her small hands clasped behind her back...

...and her green eyes; even from this distance he could see how they welled with tears of sorrow and watched silently as several fell down her pale cheeks... a sad smile on her lips as she stared back at him.

'Wait for me, Sakura...I will see you soon.'

.

.

.

3 years...

It had taken three hard, long years before Sasuke was finally able to gain the proper amount of strength and chakra; before he was able to take down his older brother. With goal number one finally complete; even though his mind was full of mixed emotions, Sasuke knew what he had to do next.

He had to go back.

He had to return home...

...to his family...

...to Sakura.

He had wondered how she had been doing in his absence as he was unable to communicate with her due to the constant moving with Orochimaru and all the intense training he had to endure to get to where he was today. Sasuke hoped that she was doing okay; Sakura was an almost constant presence in the back of his mind. When the gates of Konoha finally appeared in his line of vision; he felt his heart swell with warmth at the sight that greeted him. The blaringly bright orange clothing that was the signature attire of his best friend and rival was the first thing to catch the Uchiha's eye but Sasuke ignored Naruto's loud greeting as his focus was soon directed to the much shorter pink-haired woman who was standing directly beside the loud-mouthed blonde; his wife held a tiny child within the warm embrace that was her arms as she smiled lovingly at him. He returned her smile with a small pull of his lips and his dark eyes softened slightly when he finally came to a stop before her. "Sakura...," he whispered; letting her name fall from his thin lips like a lover's gentle kiss. His voice sounded much deeper; even to his own ears and Sasuke let his gaze scanned Sakura's figure slowly as he memorized just how much she had changed since he had last seen her.

Her small frame had grown curvy; in all the right places...

She had cut her hair shorter and he actually kind of liked it that way...

She had grown slightly in height but still stood heads shorter than himself...

Her feminine features had turned more delicate... more beautiful (if that was even possible).

But her bright, green eyes; he was pleased to see that they had remained the same. Maybe even a little bit brighter... a little more loving, as she gazed up at him. After looking his fill, Sasuke's attention was brought back to the child who was currently staring up at him with a mixture of both curiosity and uncertainty; the child's chubby cheeks were a light pink, her hair and eyes were as black as his own but he recognized a lot of Sakura's features in her as well; 'she was a good mix of the both of them,' he thought. Sasuke swallowed slowly as Sakura took a step forward. "Welcome home...Anata. Would you like to meet your daughter?"

"Hai...what is her name?"

"Sarada. Her name is Sarada." When he bent down slightly towards the small child; his daughter reached her small hands up to him and he, very hesitantly, took her from her mother's arms. Sarada observed him for a moment before she resting her head upon his large shoulder and nothing could hide the patriarch's warm smile as his daughter hugged him for the first time. This was the beginning of a new chapter in his life... and Sasuke couldn't have felt more at peace than he did in that moment. Time itself seemed to stand still around him as he pulled Sakura closer to them with his free arm; uncaring who saw this rare show of affection as he rejoiced in his growing appreciation for his wife...in his appreciation for his new family.

'Sakura...thank you...for everything.'

Author's Notes:

(Genin Sasuskau; will contain 18+ content so if this isn't your thing feel free to skip this short story. This is my first time trying to write them as genin so please be kind.)