"I truly never thought everything I had ever wanted would come true, because that's just not life."
For a moment, the small girl smiled, taking all the information in.
"Mama, are you like a princess?" Her daughter questioned with a bright smile and curious eyes.
Reaching out to her daughter, she lifted her up on her knee. Much to her daughters delight.
"I'm not a princess, but sometimes it sure feels like it. You know, if you don't go after what you want in this world, you may never get it. It's up to you to make your own destiny."
Brushing the dark hair out of her daughter's eyes, she couldn't help but laugh. She seemed confused. It was so cute that she had to stifle a giggle.
"But what kinds of things came true? Did you get a fairytale?" The girl bounced on her mothers knee and giggled.
The mother gave a soft smile and took her daughter to her room. "Bedtime missy," she softly spoke.
"No Mama, please tell me!" Her daughter seemed flustered now, she grabbed her mothers hand and yanked on it. "Please Mama, I promise I'll go to bed afterwards!"
"How could I say no to that face?"
Her daughter triumphantly smiled and sat up in bed to hear her mother tell her story.
The mother sat on the edge of the bed and felt a sense of nostalgia. Her daughter was only six years old, so she knew to keep the details to a minimum.
"Well, when I was your age, I met the boy I knew I was going to fall in love with," She began, watching her daughter's eager face.
"Back then, he didn't have a clue I existed. I was a silly little girl more interested in boys, while he was more interested in..." She hesitated, she needed to remember to keep this appropriate. "I suppose he was more interested in becoming a man."
"Why was he wanting to become a man if he was just six?" Her daughter curiously asked.
"Well, he was always more mature than the other boys at the academy, so he didn't think like a six year old," She beamed.
"Nonetheless, as time went on, I followed through with the promise I made to myself. I fell in love with him,"
Her daughter let out another high pitched squeal. "You fell in love? That's just like a princess, Mama!"
Chuckling softly, she made her daughter lay down in bed.
"Oh, but it wasn't always a fairytale. Believe me, there were plenty of dark moments. In fact, I didn't know if things would be alright in the end," Upbeat as she spoke, she glanced at her daughter who was very much enthralled.
"So what happened then, Mama?" She asked innocently, tugging on the stuffed bear she has had since her birth.
"Well, the boy I loved so much with all my heart, became a man. And we parted ways for a while. He had a journey, some troubles of his own to figure out. He did some bad things and made some mistakes."
The daughter was enjoying this story her Mama was telling very much, it gave her a sense of comfort.
The daughter patiently waited for her Mama to continue.
A long silence occurred before she continued. "The man pushed and pushed everyone away from him, including me," She had tears threatening to spill, so she looked out the window instead of her daughter.
Seldom did her daughter go this long without talking, she must really be enjoying this. The mother thought, affectionately.
"But I knew, I just knew that this man was special. I knew he would overcome his demons, eventually."
"He didn't know how to accept love because he didn't feel worthy of it," She continued.
"One day, after many years of fighting to sever the bonds he had made with those around him, he came around. And my heart felt a light it hadn't in years," The tears from earlier now spilling over.
"Mama, are you alright?" The child asked, worry crossing her face and pulling her mom into a hug.
"Yes baby, these are happy tears," She hugged her daughter back and inhaled the sweet scent of lavender.
"Want me to continue or are you ready for bed now?" The mother giggled.
"I wanna hear the rest, Mama!" She excitedly threw her hands in the air.
"I thought as much," The mother beamed and she continued.
"This man went most of his life not experiencing love of any kind, and he refused to let it enter his life when it had the chance. Until one day, when he came back to us with open arms and ready to allow us to love him. Ready to allow me, to love him," She paused, waiting for her daughter to say something.
The child was eagerly awaiting the end but looked as if she was beginning to doze off.
"I went with the man on a long journey and on this journey, we fell in deep love,"
"One night he told me he would never let me go again, and although he wasn't good at expressing his feelings, he always managed to share exactly how he felt for me in action."
She tucked her daughter in further and held her hand. The daughter still hadn't uttered a word but was falling asleep now.
"Alright Sarada, I'll tell you the rest tomorrow, go to sleep," She kissed her daughter on the head and heard small whimpers of protest before leaving the room.
…
"I'm home," She heard her husband call from the front door.
She walked over to greet him, as she hadn't seen her husband for a while now. Drawing him into a hug she held her arms around his neck.
He then removed loose strands of pink hair from her face and gave her a gentle kiss.
"Where's Sarada?"
"It's 9, she's down for the night," She smiled again. "Actually, I was just telling her a little fairytale."
"Hn." Was the only response. But she knew her husband well.
"I was just telling her how lucky we are to have you," She snuggled up to him. "She misses you, you know? So do I."
"I do too," He sighed and sat on the couch. "I'm going to be in town for a little while now, so I'll have more time."
Taking a seat next to her husband, she smiled gratefully.
"Welcome home, Sasuke kun." She smiled. "I love you."
In response, he gave her a small poke to her forehead.
"Thank you, Sakura." He smiled.