At first, it felt like she had a goldfish swimming around in her stomach.
As the months went on, the movements got stronger and became more frequent. Towards the end of her pregnancy, Sakura began to notice an occasional protrusion from her abdomen when she was taking a bath or getting changed. It felt strange at first, but Sakura liked being reminded that she had a little person inside of her, though she had felt sorry for Sasuke when he put his ear to her belly to listen to the baby's heartbeat and had gotten a swift kick to the nose.
Feeling her child move inside of her was a magical sensation, but Sakura couldn't wait to give birth and be done with it. She had gotten progressively more uncomfortable in recent weeks. The baby had decided that her bladder made an excellent pillow. Sakura was glad that her child was comfortable, but she needed to pee constantly. And considering they camped outside most of the time, it was more than a minor inconvenience. At her current size, squatting behind a tree was not an easy task.
As Sakura climbed back into her sleeping bag after her fourth trip to the woods that night, she felt a familiar twinge in her abdomen. She glanced over at Sasuke, who was fast asleep next to her, slipped her hand under her shirt and pressed it against her abdomen.
A few moments later, she felt another twinge in the same spot. Again, Sakura moved her hand under her shirt and gently poked her stomach. Once again, the baby poked back, clearly enjoying their game.
Sakura smiled. Our first sparring session, she thought to herself.
Sakura never thought she could love anyone more than she loved Sasuke.
That changed the moment she held her newborn daughter in her arms.
As the baby latched onto her breast, she was so overcome with love and the need to protect the tiny bundle of new life in her arms that the rest of the world seemed to melt away. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she was brought back to reality.
Sakura tore her eyes away from her new baby and looked at her husband, who was staring down at his new daughter, utterly transfixed.
"Beautiful, isn't she, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke reached out and felt the baby's tiny tuft of black hair.
"She's... very soft," he said fondly.
"Would you like to hold her after she's finished eating, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura offered.
"I… don't want to drop her," Sasuke admitted uneasily.
"You're not going to drop her," Sakura told him. "You're her father."
"Babies are designed to be held with two arms," Sasuke said. He looked mournfully at his stumped left arm.
"You'll be fine," Sakura assured him. She turned to the redheaded woman who had been standing quietly in the corner watching the new family. "Karin, you can hold her too."
"I already held her," Karin said, shaking her head, though she did look tempted by the offer.
"You only held her for a few seconds," Sakura pointed out. "You helped bring her into the world. You should hold her."
"Do you have a name for her yet?" Karin asked.
"Not yet," Sakura answered. "We didn't want to pick a name before we met her." She looked over at Sasuke. "Any ideas, Sasuke-kun?"
"Ah." Sasuke shook his head. "No, nothing comes to mind."
"Maybe we could name her after someone?" Sakura suggested. "Maybe someone from your family? What about your mother?"
"No," Sasuke said firmly. "I don't want her to be burdened by my past, and my mother wouldn't want that either."
"I guess we're back to square one," Sakura said with a sigh. She looked back at Karin. "What do you think, Karin? Any suggestions?"
Karin thought for a moment.
"You both have names beginning with Sa," she said slowly. "Maybe you should pick something that follows that theme."
"That's a good idea," Sakura said. She smiled at Karin and looked down at her daughter. "Sayuri would be cute. That's a flower name, like mine. I like Sachiko, too. What do you think, darling?"
Sasuke looked down at the baby and seemed to consider Sakura's suggestions for a few moments.
"No, they don't fit her," he said finally.
Sakura shook her head. At this rate, finding a name for her daughter was going to take forever.
"We can think about this tomorrow," she said. "Right now, I just want to enjoy my baby."
Sakura had given birth to the most beautiful baby in the whole world. That was why she had to show Sarada off to everyone they met. The owner of the inn they were staying at, the woman at the store they bought supplies from, even a group of fisherman they had met when they had stopped by a river shortly after they had left Karin's hideout.
"She can recognise us already," she gushed to an older couple who had stopped to admire the baby and had gotten sucked into a one-sided conversation about Sarada's many amazing attributes. "Only two weeks old, can you believe it?"
Things might have been better if she had her family and friends to show her baby off to. They were so far away from home that she had to make do with complete strangers. Sakura always felt bad for accosting people later. She just got so caught up in the moment that she had to express her love for her daughter to anyone who would listen. Sarada was an angel, after all, and who wouldn't want to meet a real live angel?
Sakura had been dreading this day.
Sarada was only six months old. She was too young to be apart from her Mama. But with traveling and her maternity leave, Sakura had been away from the hospital for far too long. She had a duty to fulfil, after all.
Sasuke had been taking shorter missions since they had gotten back, and was never too far from the village. He had a few days off and he was going to look after Sarada for the first few days before they put her into daycare.
She was happy that Sasuke and Sarada were getting to spend some one-on-one father-daughter time together, but it still broke her heart when she had to leave that morning.
She fretted about Sarada all day. Horror scenarios played out in her head. What if Sarada got hurt? What if she stopped breathing while she was taking a nap?
She tried to tell herself she was being ridiculous. It was also deeply unfair to Sasuke. He was more than a capable father. Plus, Sarada couldn't crawl yet, so the likelihood of her getting herself into dangerous situations was low.
She'd never been away from Sarada for so long and it made her feel uneasy. At home, she could check on Sarada whenever she wanted. She was tempted to call home and check up on them, but she was so busy that she never got a chance. By the end of the day she had made the decision to talk to Kakashi about opening an on-site daycare at the hospital
She had initially assumed Sasuke had taken Sarada out when she returned home to a dark and apparently empty house that night. She went into her bedroom to get changed and found Sasuke and Sarada fast asleep on the bed, Sarada curled up in the crook of Sasuke's arm.
Sakura climbed into bed next to them and took Sarada into her arms. She kissed the top of Sarada's head. Her hair smelled like the floral-scented baby soap she had bought a few weeks ago. Sasuke had even given her a bath.
They had done their best to explain the situation to Sarada. Papa had to go away to do a very important job and he wouldn't be back for a long time. But Sarada was still only three and there was only so much she could comprehend. It took a few weeks for Sarada to stop crying for Papa when she woke up from a bad dream. Sakura still caught Sarada glancing at the front door, as though she expected Sasuke to walk in at any moment.
Sakura was thankful that she had Sarada around to help her through this period of her life. Sasuke may be gone, but Sakura still saw him every day, staring back at her through the big doe-like eyes of her daughter.
Sakura had gone through some pretty traumatising things in her life. Hell, she had fought in a war before she even reached adulthood. But this was the most terrifying moment of her life so far. Her little girl was sick. And she, Konoha's top medic, was helpless.
A new strain of measles had been spreading around the Land of Fire and the virus had made its way to Konoha. The children's ward at the Konoha hospital was overcrowded. It was kids under five who were the most at risk. Adult immune systems were strong enough to fight off the disease.
Sakura had initially thought Sarada just had a common cold. It wasn't until she took off Sarada's shirt so that she could give her a bath that she noticed the rash spreading across her daughter's chest. Sakura immediately sprang into action. She called the hospital to tell them that she would be taking time off until Sarada was well again. She stayed by Sarada's side all day and night.
As a medic, Sakura knew that the mortality rate for measles was low, even for this particular mutated strain, but she also knew that there was still a chance of severe complications, including ear infections, brain swelling, and severe damage to the retina.
Her daughter was the most important thing in the world to her. The thought of losing her was more painful than anything she had ever gone through.
Sarada was filled with curiosity. She wanted to know about everything. She never stopped asking questions.
Some of these questions were easy to answer.
"Mama?"
"Yes, Sarada?"
"Where does the sun go at night?"
"It goes to give light to people on the other side of the world. It would be greedy to keep the light all to ourselves."
Some required tact.
"Mama?"
"Yes, Sarada?"
"Where do babies come from?"
"They come from two people who love each other a lot."
Some were more difficult than others.
"Mama?"
"Yes, Sarada?"
"When's Papa coming home?"
"When he's done with his mission."
But there were some questions she just couldn't answer.
"Mama?"
"Yes, Sarada?"
"What's under Lord Sixth's mask?"
She hadn't made this decision lightly.
She'd poured over every child psychology book she could find. Every journal article. Every scrap of paper that could give her advice.
The Clique Squad were a set of dolls designed to look like a pack of sassy fashionista teenagers. Sarada had spent the last month begging Sakura to buy one for her. Every other girl in her class had one. Chocho had the whole set.
Everything Sakura had read had made her feel uneasy. According to the experts, they gave little girls unrealistic expectations about their bodies, they promoted a lifestyle of hedonism, and those little plastic shoes were liable to get lodged in a child's trachea.
But Sarada had begged. She needed one of the Clique Squad dolls. Needed.
It would be okay, Sakura told herself. She'd had dolls as a child and she'd turned out okay. And Sarada had long outgrown the 'sticking toys in her mouth' stage.
That was how she ended up standing in a toy store with Sarada, standing in front of a huge stack of dolls packaged in hot pink boxes.
"Come on, Sarada," Sakura urged. "It's getting late. The toy store's going to close soon."
Sarada took one final glance over the shelves filled with dolls. She grabbed a box and over to show it to her mother. Sakura took the box and looked closely at it. The doll had reddish-pink hair and was clad in a sparkly green dress.
"Are you sure this is the one you want?" she asked as they headed towards the counter. "I'm not bringing you back if you change your mind."
Sarada smiled.
"She looks kind of like you, Mama, don't you think?"
Sakura had first known there was something wrong when she picked up Sarada from school. Sarada was usually so excited to tell her about what she had learned at school that day. Today, she had barely said anything on their walk home.
"Sarada, there's something wrong," Sakura said as she watched Sarada morosely pick at her dinner. "Mamas can always tell."
"It's nothing," Sarada murmured.
"If you tell me, I might be able to fix it," Sakura said.
"You can't fix it," Sarada said, sadly pushing her vegetables around her plate.
"Even if I can't fix it," Sakura said, "it might help you feel better."
Sarada put her fork down and considered her plate for a few moments.
"Some kids made fun of my glasses," she admitted finally, her eyes filling with tears.
Sakura quickly grabbed a box of tissues from the kitchen and put them on the dining table. She took Sarada in her arms.
"Kids bullied me when I was your age," she told her."I was self-conscious about my forehead and the other kids latched onto that and taunted me mercilessly."
Sarada pulled away from the hug and looked up at Sakura.
"You were bullied, Mama?" Sarada asked, amazed. "But you're so strong and so pretty."
"They even said your Papa would never be interested in someone like me," Sakura told her. "Look how wrong they were."
Sarada sniffled and wiped her eyes with a tissue.
"Bullies just want attention and they think preying on people's weaknesses will get them that attention," Sakura continued. "Just ignore them. You're a wonderful, smart, beautiful girl and your glasses don't change that fact."
Sarada nodded, wiped her eyes again, and smiled.
"Thank you, Mama," she said. "I feel better now."
"Ambrosia?" Sakura asked as she wiped off another fork with a dish towel.
Sarada screwed up her face as though she was trying to remember something.
"Pious," she answered finally.
"Good," Sakura said, putting the fork into the cutlery drawer. "Gardenia?"
Sarada had a hanakotoba test the next day and Sakura had agreed to quiz her on it as they washed the dishes that night. Sarada had never enjoyed the mandatory 'Kunoichi Arts' classes that female academy students were forced to take.
"Secret love?" Sarada guessed, though she sounded unsure.
"That's right," Sakura said. She picked up another plate and started wiping it down as she wracked her brain for another question. "What about white camellias?"
Sarada put the last dish in the drying rack and let the water out of the sink. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and bit her lip as she thought about the question.
"Longing?" she guessed.
"That's the yellow camellia," Sakura corrected her. "The white camellia means waiting."
"I don't understand how this is going to be useful," Sarada groaned. "What are the chances of me ever going undercover as a florist? Why don't the boys have to learn this stuff?"
"It is a little old fashioned," Sakura admitted. "But you never know when it could help you."
"I doubt it," Sarada muttered.
"Who knows, one day you might need it to tell a boy you like them," Sakura said teasingly. She winked at Sarada, who blushed furiously.
They had just gotten home from seeing Sasuke off when Sarada threw her arms around Sakura's waist and buried her face into her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, Mama," she said sadly. "I doubted you, and I doubted Papa."
Sakura couldn't lie. The situation had hurt her. Her own daughter had believed another woman was her mother. She had even accused Sakura of faking her marriage to Sasuke. But, she had to admit, she was at least partially to blame for this mess.
"It's my fault, Sarada," Sakura said, wrapping her arms around Sarada's back. "I should have been more open about everything."
"But I shouldn't have said those things about you and Papa," Sarada wailed into her shoulder.
Sakura pulled away from the hug. She leaned down, wiped Sarada's tears away with her hand, and straightened her glasses for her.
"I think," she said, gently tapping Sarada's forehead with her fist, "that we should just agree to forgive each other."
Sakura placed a cup of coffee in front of Sasuke and kissed the top of his head. The previous night, he had informed her of his journey into the past and the defeat of Urashiki. With the last known Ōtsutsuki defeated, Sasuke had assured her that he was going to be home more often from now on.
Nothing could break Sakura's mood after this piece of news. Her Sasuke-kun was finally back at home with them. Maybe they could finally take a family vacation together. The Land of Palm Trees was nice this time of year.
"Mama, I-" Sarada burst out of her room still wearing her dressing down. She stopped in her tracks as she noticed her father sitting at the breakfast table. "Papa, what are you doing here?"
Sasuke peered over his coffee at her with a confused look on his face.
"I live here," he said bluntly.
"Yes, but you're not usually here at breakfast even when you're in the village," Sarada pointed out. "I just wasn't expecting you, that's all."
"Sarada, sit down," Sakura told her, pointing to the empty space next to Sasuke at the dinner table. "Your breakfast is getting cold."
"Mama, I need to talk to you," Sarada glanced at Sasuke. "Um, preferably alone."
Sakura followed Sarada into her bedroom. Sarada shut the door firmly behind them.
"What is it?" Sakura asked as Sarada turned to face her.
"I got my..." Sarada trailed off and looked down as if she was too embarrassed to finish the sentence.
It only took a few moments for Sakura to realize what she was talking about. She felt her eyes well with tears. Her little girl really was growing up.
Sarada noticed her tears and her expression changed to a look of alarm.
"Mama, what is it?" Sarada asked. "What's wrong?"
"You've grown up before my eyes," Sakura said, dabbing away a tear with her apron. "I can't believe it. I still see you as my little baby."
Sakura threw her arms around Sarada and squeezed her tightly.
"Too tight, Mama!" Sarada gasped.
"Sorry, I just can't believe it," Sakura said, releasing Sarada from her grasp. "You're growing up so fast. Go take a shower and we'll talk about it after. I'll send your father out of the house."
When Sakura returned to the dining room, she found Sasuke still sitting at the table, anxiously staring at his coffee.
"What's wrong?" he asked, looking up at her.
"There's nothing wrong, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told him, flashing him a reassuring smile.
Sasuke didn't look convinced.
"Is she sick?" he asked, glancing worriedly at the bathroom door, where Sarada had gone to take a shower.
Sakura sighed. Poor Sasuke looked so worried. She had to tell him something.
"She's fine, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told him. "It's just that Sarada's, uh, 'friend' is visiting her for the first time."
Sasuke looked confused.
"Which friend? The Akimichi girl? I've seen her here before."
"No, I mean it's that time of the month."
Sasuke still looked puzzled.
"The... full moon?" he said slowly.
"The other monthly thing, Sasuke-kun."
Sakura patted her lower abdomen for emphasis. A look of realization spread across Sasuke's face.
"Ah," he said. He stared into his coffee for a few moments. "What can I do to help?"
"You don't have to do anything, Sasuke-kun," Sakura told him. "Sarada wants to keep this between us. I shouldn't have even told you in the first place."
"I'm her father. I want to help," Sasuke insisted.
Sakura smiled. She had a memory of her own father making annoying werewolf jokes at the breakfast table when she first got her period. At least Sarada wouldn't have to put up with that.
"You can go out and buy a hot water bottle and as much chocolate as you can carry."
Sakura always went easy on Sarada when they sparred. As powerful as she was, she was still her daughter. She knew Sarada could tell that she held back, and she knew that it bothered her.
"Come on, Mama, don't hold back," Sarada would say whenever Sakura gave in to Sarada's pleas for a sparring session. "Fight me properly."
Sakura loved seeing how much Sarada had improved since the last time they sparred together. Whether it was seeing her new techniques or her improved tactical skills, she always finished their fights filled with maternal pride.
She had been Sarada's first teacher. She taught her to walk and she'd taught her to run up a tree. She'd taught her to throw a shuriken and she'd taught her to throw a punch. And, of course, she had been Sarada's first sparring partner.
One day Sarada would be stronger than her. One day they would fight each other at their full strength. One day Sarada would win. And Sakura knew that was going to be the proudest day of her life.