His Father's Strength
Chapter: 5
Disclaimer: Sasuke's shirt is blue, here is my cue, I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto do!
Spoilers of the Manga & Naruto Shippuuden. You've been warned.
A/N: Sorry about all the confusion in the last chapter... What was supposed to happen was it was supposed to prove who Shai's father COULD be; Sai, Sasuke, Itachi, Lee, etc. All men with black hair. I was going to add Shikamaru but I got a TAD lazy. Oh well, it turned out pretty good. And so many of you are right with guessing the father And I did drop a BIG hint in the last chapter, and to answer your questions of, How, When, Where, What, Who, etc. The answered will be coming in this chapter and the ones to come Why he left, what he did over these fives years, what took him so long, etc!
Oh and Korey, thanks for helping me with the title! I forgot to thank you earlier! Kudos and Kakashi's to you!
Thanks for all your support guys, and I WILL be answering reviews, so If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Summary: Haruno Sakura is pregnant, and half of Konoha claims to be the father of the beautiful cherry blossomed kunoichi's baby. When he's born - green eyes open, black hair shifts, and a beautiful baby boy looks up at Sakura with all the strength of his father.
Dictionary:
Oto - Sound Village. Lead by Orochimaru.
—
.Chapter Four.
"You... You came back!" she yelled, hugging him. She buried her head into his shoulder and closed her eyes tightly. She was so happy he was back in her arms. Her eyes watered with warm tears as the wind from the broken blew his raven and her pastel colored hair.
"You think that I would just leave you all alone for this long without coming back to you?" he asked, laughing slightly.
"You were gone for so long! I just..." She started, but felt his warm lips touch hers, stopping her from speaking.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him as she returned his kiss.
Shai tilted his head to the side. He was confused. Who was this man? His mommy never acted like this around anyone else? He walked over to them and grabbed the man's arm. It was wet and all gashed. He looked at Sakura questioningly, wondering who this could be and why he was here.
Sakura remembered what she told him and sighed. "Shai... this is daddy, he's alive." She said, kissing Shai's forehead and then her lover's cheek.
Shai ran over to him and took his hand. "Really! What's your name?!" He asked, excitedly. "Please tell me I need to know my daddy's name, I'm the only one without one and everyone makes fun of me for it, please?!"
Smirking, the dark haired man ruffled his son's hair, which was identical to his own. He bent down and picked him up, surprised by him.
"Sakura I'm sorry..." he said, "But don't worry, from now on, I'll be the best father ever." He turned back to the small boy. "My name? It's..."
.End Chapter Four.
"My name? It's..." He stopped. "Sakura..? Who's last name does he have Mine or yours?" He asked.
"Mine. I didn't know what to name him when he was born. I loved you, but I didn't know if you wanted anyone to know about.. Well us, so I named him Haruno Shai."
Smirking he picked up Shai. "We're changing his name." he said, kissing her forehead. 'He's no Haruno, he's an Uchiha."
—
.Six Years Prior.
Sasuke was laying down on his couch, the heat up high, and everything around him completely silent. His eyes closed and he sighed heavily. He was so depressed. He missed his family. He missed being a normal kid. A day didn't go by in which he didn't think about his brother and what he had done. And over the years he had started to wonder a question: how? How could Itachi have just killed everyone like that? Without feeling a thing?
He looked up at his ceiling and his eyes trailed down the bare white walls to the windows which where fogged up form his warm breath in comparison to the snowy weather outside. He had returned for a while to get away from team Hebi and was just trying to relax. He wanted to be alone, and he wanted to think and be his own person. No one knew he was there, (or so he though) and he wanted it to stay that way.
Sakura sighed. Snow was falling hard and would probably trap him in the house for the next few days, which meant he was going to have to either buy or order food. Otherwise it wouldn't be a pleasant few days. He sighed. HE hated this time of year. Everyone was with their families, obsessing over presents and stupid things. Sasuke looked back at the white ceiling and got up and made some hot chocolate and then laid down on the couch once more, not drinking the warm drink yet. It was still too hot and he didn't want to burn his tongue.
He couldn't help but stare at the blank wall that seemed to mock him.
"Wake up Sasuke!" Came Mitoko called from downstairs.
Five year old Sasuke jumped up and ran downstairs Christmas morning smiling at his mother. He hugged her and she picked him up, kissing his forehead. "Good morning baby." She said, smiling at him.
Sasuke shook the memory away and turned over onto his side angrily. It was always around this time, when the snow fell that he had the most memories of his family. It's as if the white frozen water wished to haunt him with the memories of his childhood and former happiness. He knew it would never be like that again; it had been eight whole years since Itachi had killed everyone, and the 17 year old, adult Sasuke was still morning for them. He hated it. He wanted to just forget it, but no matter how emotionless he was, nothing helped.
He couldn't erase the beautiful smile of his mother, the words of his father. "As expected of my child." He couldn't delete how nice Itachi had been to him once. The big brother that once cared for him and helped him, who cared for him, who stood up for him, who did so much for him. His aunt, his uncle, and so many others. His friends, his family...
He opened his sorrowful eyes and heard someone knock on the door. He got up after the hundredth knock. Whoever it was wasn't giving up. He made his way to the front door and then sighed and pulled the heavy door so it stood ajar, letting the cold air blowing into the room. His eyes met Sakura who was standing there flushed from the cold, wearing no jacket.
"Sa-Sasuke-kun?" She asked.
Sasuke's eyes grew slightly wide and he pulled her inside and closed the door. "Shouldn't you be at home?" He asked. She had a family. She had somewhere were she belonged. He didn't. He belonged here alone. She didn't belong with him.
"Sa-Sasuke..." She stuttered shaking, her body cold as the ice that was forming outside the house.
"I'm sorry to bo-bother you, bu-but... I was walking home from the hospital a-and... I forgot my jacket, it w-was w-warm this morning and I was j-just so cold I stopped here. The door isn't usually locked..." She said, looking at him, still shaking.
"A-and when I saw the wi-windows, I kn-knew someone had to b-be in here..."
Sasuke wrapped his arms around her and sat her down on the couch and then walked off and got a blanket out of the closet and wrapped it around her and then handed her to hot chocolate he had made for himself.
Sakura blushed slightly when he wrapped the blanket around her gently and then looked down at the warm cup in her hands and smiled. He really did care.
"Drink that... before you get sick, baka..." He said, sighing. "What kind of idiot leaves the house without a jacket at the end of December?"
"Me..." Sakura said in a small voice. "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun.. I didn't mean to bother you – I just... Wa-wait... Sasuke-kun! You came back!" She said, putting the cup down and wrapping her arms around him tightly.
Sasuke sighed and patted her back. Sure he missed her, but he was never one for hugs or anything else mushy. Not since... well... you know...
He looked up at the sky and then sighed slightly. "Sakura?" He asked.
"Sorry!" She said loudly, letting him go and backing away.
"That's not what I meant... It's Christmas Eve, you should be with your family, not with me." He said, looking away. In all honesty, he had spent eight years worth fo Christmas' alone. He wanted to spend at least one with another person, but... He would never ask her to stay away from her parents.
She raised an eyebrow. "Yes but Sasuke-kun?" She said, looking outside. "It's so nasty out, and my house is too far from here. I'll never make it back in time. And with no jacket? I'll freeze to death.. But if you want me gone..?"
"No!" Sasuke half near screamed, grabbing onto her arm. "Sakura no... it's not that..." He assured her.
"Please..." He said, realizing he seemed desperate. "I... I don't want you to die, or to get hurt... If you want to stay, you can as long as you need to, but there's nothing here. I cleaned everything out before I left. All the food is gone. So um..." HE said, never having thought about what he was going to do about that. He wasn't thinking of much of anything. He just didn't want to be around team Hebi and around Juugo's constant outbursts, Karin's yelling, and Suigetu's bitching.
Sakura smiled at him. "If you let me borrow a jacket I could run to get some, or.. You could come with me?" She asked, looking up at him.
Sasuke walked off and handed her money. "You go." He said, tossing her his heavy winter coat.
"You buy food, enough for about a week or so incase we get snowed in or something." He said in a nicer voice then normal.
SAkura nodded and took off. She was strong, and almost a half hour later, SAsuke walked off to find her and helped her bring back all the food she had got. Sasuke didn't have electricity when he first got back, but Chidori worked wonders.
Sasuke helped Sakura to put everything away and then smiled at her and she started to cook something for them to eat. Sasuke had turned on the television and was watching the news.
"They expect five feet or snow by tomorrow morning." He told her surprised. "That's ridiculous."
"It is." Sakura agreed, mixing chopped tomatoes with mashed potatoes. She knew Sasuke liked tomatoes, and combining them with another food would make him happy right? Not only that, but it made them red, a beautiful Christmas color. Sakura continued to cook and made a full Christmas dinner, but a junior version for herself and Sasuke to split. She felt quite accomplished and by the time it was finished, a hungry Sasuke had wandered into the kitchen.
"What are you cooking?" He curiously asked her, looking around at the whole nine yards of food she had just prepared.
"Wow Sakura." he said, quite impressed. "How did you make all of this in just an hour and a half?"
Sakura smiled at him. "Practice. Tsunade makes me make a lot of medications at once, and mixing it is like making food, I just learned with practice."
Sasuke looked around all the food. "Why are the potatoes red?"
"I added tomatoes to them." She said, blushing slightly. "IF you don't like it then, I won't make you eat them I just know that–"
Sasuke rested his forefingers against her lips. "Relax Sakura. It's fine." He smiled at her. "I like tomatoes in everything."
Sakura smiled. She was so happy that he liked it. She made him a plate of everything she had cooked, as well as one for herself and then sat down at the table with him and ate.
It was slightly quiet and Sakura didn't like the uncomfortable feeling in the air between the two.
"Sasuke kun?" She asked.
"Hn?"
"Umm.. How have you been lately. Do you–"
"No I haven't killed Itachi yet. And No, I don't have a girlfriend." He said, answering the two questions she didn't even need to ask. He knew she wanted to know the answers.
Sakura smiled. Sure she wanted to know, but she didn't want to come out and ask. She was glad that Sasuke knew her so well, but she would have preferred if he wasn't as blunt about it.
"Oh... well.. How have you been?" She repeated.
"Fine I guess..." He answered, looking up at her. No one had ever asked him that before. Never.
"And you?" HE asked her.
"Good. I've become the second strongest medical kunoichi in Konoha." She boasted and then looked down at her plate of half eaten food.
"Not to brag though.. I just!"
Sasuke laughed. Wait... yes... he laughed?! "Don't worry about it Sakura. I've become the strongest ninja in Oto. I killed their leader a while back." He said, knowing she knew that already.
"How?" She asked, leaning forward.
Sasuke smiled. He had always liked how interested Sakura would pretend to be to please him. He went into the tale of how he killed Orochimaru, every last detail. How he forced him into a state of dormancy from his own attack. Sakura seemed do interested, and was leaning towards him, adamantly paying attention to what he was say, clearing interested, as if her life depended on her repeating the story exactly as Sasuke was telling it.
Soon after Sasuke's tale had ended, it was late, and Sasuke told Sakura that they would be sleeping in the living room because it wasn't warm in the rest of the house yet. He got some blankets and then laid down on the floor of his living room directly beside the couch and then pointed towards the sofa.
"You sleep here. I'll sleep on the floor." He said, laying down, watching her do the same.
She smiled at him and she nodded to him. "Arigato, Sasuke-kun."
"No problem." He said, pulling a blanket up to his shoulders and switching off the weather channel.
"Hey Sakura?" He asked. "Won't your parent's be worried about you?"
Sakura shrugged. "They'll just think I stayed with Tsunade-sama."
Sasuke nodded and then closed his eyes and slowly fell sleep to the sound of Sakura's steady intake of breath.
–
Sasuke woke up the next morning and looked over. Sakura was right beside him. He smiled and then sat up and moved some of her pink hair out of her face. It was still short, and he wondered why she never let it grow out. It was clear she continued to cut it, probably herself. He touched her smooth cheek and then sighed slightly. Why had he made her cry? What was wrong with him.
After everything that had happened, she still loved him. He sighed and then kissed her forehead, so a reason even he himself did not know. He sighed and then leaned backwards on his hands, still staring at her. She looked so peaceful when she slept.
"Sasuke-kun..." She muttered tiredly, but remained asleep.
Sasuke moved closer to her. She's talking in her sleep... Is she dreaming about me? Sasuke wondered.
Suddenly SAkura bolted up, causing Sasuke, who had been almost three inches from her face to jump backwards as well. His eyes grew wide.
"What was that for?!" He asked.
Sakura looked over at him. "Sorry... Sasuke-kun." She said, putting her hand up to her face and wiping it for no reason.
"I was just... dreaming about..." She stammered, looking for an excuse. Had he been awake the whole time? She wondered.
Sasuke moved closer to her. "About me?" He asked.
Sakura looked over at him and then sighed. "Yes..." She admitted. "But it was nothing bad I just.. I missed you, Sasuke-kun. And now that you're back.. I..."
Sasuke put his hands on her lips and stopped her from talking. He shhed her and then leaned forward, moving his fingers and replacing them with his own lips.
—
.Present Time.
Sakura looked over at Sasuke. "What took you so long?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where were you all this time...? Still with your team trying to get Itachi?"
Sasuke nodded and then pulled off his shirt. "Do me a favor?" He asked.
"Anything!" She said, loving the sight of his bare abs, which at the moment were stained in blood.
"Heal me." Sasuke said, leaning towards her and then ruffling his son's hair. "Thanks." He said as she started to heal him. He sighed and then leaned backwards as she healed his heavily gasped chest.
"It took me a while to find Itachi, Akatsuki has been protecting him, and the girl on my team has been drastically injured."
Sakura's heard took a noise dive into her chest. "Th-There's a girl on your team?" She asked, her voice quivering.
Sasuke laughed. "Karin is a pain in my ass, I only choose her because she can track." He said, honestly.
"There's nothing you need to worry about. Karin means nothing to me." He said, taking her hands.
"I meant what I said that day." He said, smiling at her. "You are my everything, and you're the only woman I want to be with." He said, honestly, making her emerald eyes meet his onyx ones.
Sakura smiled and then leaned towards him and was about to kiss him when Shai popped up between then.
"Daddy!" He said, hugging Sasuke.
"AH!" Sasuke groaned, holding onto his chest, making the small child let go and back away.
"Shai!" Sakura said. "Daddy's hurt don't do that!"
Do you know how long I've been waiting to say that to him, Sasuke-kun? Sakura thought, smiling. I missed you more then anything. I'm so glad you've come home...
Shai looked down at his feet and muttered a quiet sorry.
Sasuke picked him up and held his hand. "It's ok Shai." He said, hugging him.
Shai smiled and then hugged her back.
"Uncle Naruto!" He said smirking slightly and running over to the window.
Naruto stepped down and smirked. "I knew when ANBU caught Itachi fleeing the village I'd find you here." He said, walking over to Sasuke and Sakura.
Sasuke bumped knuckles with him and then smirked. "You knew he was mine?" He asked.
Naruto nodded. "You know I did."
The house shook violently before anyone could respond and Naruto picked up Shai. "What the hell was that?" He asked, looking around.
Sasuke jumped up and picked up his shirt as the house shook once more. He picked up his sword and then ran to the window.
"It's akatsuki." He said, sighing. "You three stay here. I can handle this myself."
"Sasuke.." SAkura said. "Take–"
"No..." Sasuke half yelled at her. "This is my life goal, and my dream, not Naruto's. I need to do this alone." And with that comment, he had taken off on the wind.
—
A/n: Yay! Finally, a new chapter! I'm so proud of this one. Daddy is revealed! It's.. dun... dun... dun! Sasuke-kun! I hope you like it. I think it's cute and I gave some background but not a lot. Which Akatsuki member this is? What does he want? And more importantly, what does he want with Sasuke?
Remember to review!