A/N: WARNING. This chapter contains a lemon scene.

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Chapter 1

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"Welcome home, Sasuke-kun," the singsong voice of a beautiful young woman greeted warmly, beckoning the dark silhouette of a 27-year-old Uchiha Sasuke indoors and out of the cold, wet twilight. "How was your journey?"

Removing the shoes off his feet and placing them carefully on one of the many shelves that lined the doorway, Sasuke's response was to do nothing more than mumble an incoherent, "Hn," under his breath before proceeding to unhook the black cloak from his back.

The young woman's smile, however, did not falter as she automatically reached for the wet fabric in Sasuke's hands and bundled it into the basket she had been carrying under her armpit.

Known previously throughout the ninja realm as Haruno Sakura, apprentice to the 5th Hokage and ex-teammate to the 6th and 7th Hokage, experienced in advanced medical jutsu and precision-based combat, the woman that stood before him today, dressed casually in a red smock, an apron around her neck and a scarf in her hair, paid no heed to Sasuke's surly attitude. Haruno Sakura, now legally Uchiha Sakura, had married Sasuke a little more than 7 years back and had placed herself in history books as the first Uchiha other than Sasuke to exist since the massacre.

"That's nice," Sakura continued, virtually unaffected by the lack of communication she was receiving from the exchange. "I've made dinner. Sarada and I were just about to eat. Please come join us."

Mumbling another uncooperative "hn," under his breath, Sasuke allowed Sakura to help him remove the rest of his muddy travel wear and lead him further into the house.

As they passed through the narrow hallway leading towards the dining room, Sasuke couldn't help but feel the blank gazes and empty smiles of his deceased family members as they stared down at him from behind their cages in the picture frames dotting the walls- Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi. Their images were forever frozen in that very moment; those very positions.

This place held too many memories; dark ones, even years since the massacre happened.

A cold shudder that Sasuke refused to make apparent ran suddenly down his spine and, instinctively, his reaction was to clench his good hand.

It was at that very moment, as if reading his mind, that Sakura simply brushed the smooth pads of her fingers against him; the soft weight of her touch on his wrist instantly stilling Sasuke's nerves and jerking him back to the present.

"Hn," he replied once again, albeit hastily, as if to acknowledge the contact.

Sakura's reaction was to pretend not to notice anything, her journey only ending once she finally arrived at the entrance of the dining area.

"Sarada, look who's home!"

When Sakura announced Sasuke's arrival to the back of a small, child-sized figure, the unease he had felt coming into the house earlier immediately intensified.

A sleek black brow rose as a set of equally black eyes swivelled over in his direction; the corners of small lips fell into an obviously unsatisfied pout.

Uchiha Sarada, Sasuke's only child and the first ever Uchiha to be born from his blood, nodded curtly at him, before redirecting her attention to the empty cutlery set in front of her.

An unidentified... Displeasure... began to rise somewhere within the pit of Sasuke's stomach following his only daughters' dubious observation of his person. Stiffening his posture and forcing himself to brush off the feeling of unease as just the result of an empty stomach, Sasuke had no other choice but to sink into his seat and wait patiently for Sakura to serve dinner.

Aromatic white rice, steamed fish, stir-fried bak-choy and a simmering bowl of soup were carried out from the kitchen in anticipation of the meal.

"Itadakimasu!" Sakura chirped enthusiastically once all was ready.

"Itadakimasu," the two brunettes muttered noncommittally in response.

Chopsticks were separated and for a while the only thing occupying the room was silence as hungry appetites dug in to enjoy the elaborate feast.

"Sasuke-kun, why not tell us about your trip? Anything exciting happen?"

Sakura's attempt to initiate conversation was met with Sasuke's hard eyes and unreadable expression as he paused to study the woman sitting across him and consider what information he should expose at this particular setting.

"Nothing much," he settled with saying at last, before returning to his plate.

To his left, Sasuke felt his daughters' eyes narrow; her body language becoming increasingly tense as time went on.

"What about you, Sarada?" Sakura added happily, persistent to get some interaction running in the household. "Anything new you'd like to share with your father?"

Sasuke didn't have to look up from his meal to recognise the flash of irritation in his child's expression.

"No," she said simply. "Not to him."

Sakura's response was to narrow her own eyes; her tone strict and no-nonsense. "Sarada, that is no way to address your father, young lady," she scolded. "Apologise at once and tell your father about your day."

The scowl on Sarada's face deepened, but she did not attempt to defy her mother. "Sorry, papa," she muttered reluctantly, her gaze stubbornly fixed on her chopsticks. "My day was fine. I got first in my class and Shino-sensei is encouraging me to take up a few advanced subjects."

Sakura graced the table with a brilliant grin as she clasped her hands together and exalted over the good news. "That's wonderful, Sarada!" she cheerfully proclaimed. "I'm glad to hear it- any subject you're particularly interested in?"

"Well...," started Sarada, her mood slightly lifting now that they were on the topic of school. "Shino-sensei says that with my scores, I'm able to accomplish anything; preferably, though, I think I'd like to take up Ninjitsu, Genjutsu and Poison."

"Poison?" Sasuke caught himself echoing in reply.

Sarada nodded at him, her little girl face as stoic and serious as any man his age. "It's a new subject mama introduced to the medical ninja at the hospital," she explained. "Naruto-sama was so impressed when mama used it to defeat the Hundred Bandit Army that he decided to make it an optional lesson in the academy. I'm thinking of taking an advanced class and mastering it someday."

The way Sarada finished off her sentence by turning to face Sakura and beaming proudly at her made the food in his mouth feel suddenly dry and tasteless. Sasuke had been away for over eight months this time around, and while he was gone, his wife had filled his role as both devoted mother AND father; no doubt Sarada saw the moon and stars when she looked at her.

Later that night when Sarada had bid her goodnight (genuinely to Sakura but hastily to Sasuke), Sasuke finally decided to say something for himself;

"Sakura...," he started, a little awkwardly, as Sakura was in the act of stepping out of the bath and towelling through her hair. "I... err... would like to say something to you."

Having accepted Sasuke's vague proposal for marriage a couple of years ago and taken up the Uchiha name, Sakura knew better than to resist her husband's slow attempts to interact. The Sasuke she married spoke very little, if at all, on most occasions, so when he was initiating human interaction, it was best to simply listen.

"Ah," Sasuke said when Sakura's seafoam-green eyes met his; her small smile beckoning him to speak. "When Sarada mentioned the Hundred Bandit Army..."

Sakura's eyes lit up in understanding when her husband failed to explain himself any further. "Oh, that," she quipped good-naturedly. "Aah, you know children at this age; they're so quick to admire things. It was nothing, really. Just a few untrained men causing a bother at the outskirts. We took care of it easily enough."

Sasuke frowned. 'No,' he wanted to say. 'It was not 'no big deal.'' Despite his travels, tales of the Hundred Bandit Army - an army of a hundred rogue ninja from various countries - had caught his ear and he was very much aware of how large of a threat they were. Sakura- she kept doing this to herself. For him. Belittling herself in order to appease him when the truth was...

"I love you, you know," Sakura suddenly stated, so simply and matter-of-factly that if he hadn't been paying attention, she could as well have been noting the colour of the sky. "And Sarada does too. She's too young to understand anything now, but we're both your family. We're always going to be here for you, no matter what."

When Sasuke's only response to that was to stare silently back at her, his mismatched eyes dark and unreadable, Sakura braved herself and stepped forward; placing her touch on his cheek.

"I've missed you, Sasuke-kun," she finally whispered, her voice sort of raspy as she gazed straight into his eyes.

It was in that instant that all logic left him; the heavy, tired burden he did not realise he had been carrying with him suddenly vanishing. In one fluid, precise motion, he lifted his wife and pushed her to the bed.

There, green eyes gazing up at him, rosy hair splayed across the sheets and framing her porcelain features like an ethereal halo, Sakura called out to him, "Sasuke-kun," just as the man in question stripped the towel off her form and willed the image laid down before him to carve to memory.

Sparing little time, Sasuke pressed his lips around one firm nipple and sucked; noting Sakura's twists and squirms with a smirk of amusement. With his one good hand, Sasuke gently foddled the other breast; eliciting squeals of surprise from his lusting wife.

When he was done with the breasts, he moved on to pay tribute to Sakura's other qualities; leaving a trail of soft kisses down her stomach, waist and hips until he finally reached the burning core between her legs.

Licking the gap of her thighs, Sasuke could sense that Sakura was becoming tight, so he brought his lips down and his tongue in to lick her swollen slit; taking pleasure in her loud, airy moans as he dove his tongue in deeper and circled around to enjoy the feel of her hot folds.

Feeling his wife twist from under him, her head thrown back as he devoted his attention to her sex, Sasuke decided to up the ante by sliding two fingers into the mix. He thrusted through her there; in and out, in and out, until Sakura elicited an exceptionally loud groan that marked her peak.

The sheets were wet now, and Sasuke stood up from her to admire his handiwork.

She was panting, her inner thighs soiled, but Sasuke wasn't done yet - that earlier part was for her. He knew how much she missed him and he wanted to make it up to her.

Now, however, it was high time that he show how much he missed her.

Sasuke began his display by helping her wrap her legs around his waist. He continued by rubbing his covered length against her already-damp folds. She jumped a little as he thrusted and Sasuke is certain that the heat she must have thought diminished from her lower belly had began to build up all over again.

Removing the distracting material from his lower body, he thrusted into her; quickly and self-assuredly in one fluid motion. She moaned and her breasts bounced and her cheeks flushed and there was sweat slipping down her belly and all this just made Sasuke want to go faster.

His thrusts were hard and persuasive, carrying a longing that he could not express to her in words. When Sakura's arms moved to touch him, he stopped them; pinned them up above her head.

He was panting now, too. The rippling sensation clenching around him finally triggered his release; he let out an uncharacteristic moan as he emptied himself into her core.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura practically screamed as she came, jerking her head back and spilling all over him.

The orgasm lasted for only a few moments, but with so much time lost between the both of them, it was needed.

When it was over, Sasuke collapsed into bed and breathed his relief. Next to him, Sakura was smiling almost goofily and gazing at him through half-lidded eyes.

"I love you, Sasuke-kun," she slurred sleepily, not expecting him to return the sentiment.

"Hn," said Sasuke, not saying the same.

Sasuke had covered several miles already before he finally looked over his shoulder and down the path that led to his home and family the next day. A part of him felt heavy again, but the voice inside of his head that whispered in his ears and reminded him how restless he would feel being cooped up in the village that drove his brother to madness outweighed that sentiment.

Tightening the clasp of his cloak, Sasuke strode adamantly onward; away from the Uchiha compound.

For a long while after that, nothing much happened. He fell in step with a team of young genin headed by Rock Lee, but quickly dodged the bullet by sinking into the shadows and flash-stepping out of sight.

It was only during nightfall when something finally happened.

Sasuke had traded money for a night at some shabby-looking tavern when he overheard a group of grizzly men talking- "Did you hear what happened?" one of them started, immediately gaining the attention of the rest of the group as he hunched his shoulders forward in anticipation of gossip. "The legendary Sannin Orochimaru is at it again- taking young boys orphaned by the war for experiments."

"I heard the boys are going willingly," added one of the men before being shushed into silence by the first one.

"It doesn't matter if they're willing, you idiot!" said the first man. "The point is, Orochimaru is a sadistic pedophile! He's experimenting on young boys and making them extremely dangerous."

Yet another man in the group, a third one with straw-coloured hair and a Sand forehead protector, guffawed in response. "Oh, you mean like that first guy, Uchiha Sasuke?" he quipped sarcastically. "I heard that it's because of that pedo-Orochimaru that Uchiha ended up trying to KILL the 7th Hokage!"

"What, you mean Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Exactly! And I heard Uchiha Sasuke actually reciprocated Orochimaru's advance-"

The statement was cut short by the sudden sound of a sharp, steel object as it was flung across the room and embedded into a nearby wall.

The group of men looked up, startled by the unexpected intrusion.

Stepping out from his position in the shadows, the first thing the men saw as they stood up to confront the unlucky intruder was a crimson eye, followed by a spinning obsidian pinwheel.

"U-Uchiha Sasuke!" one of the men stuttered, backing up. "W-we didn't mean-!"

"I don't care what you meant," Sasuke intoned morbidly as he stalked over to the group. "Where did you get your information?"

"S-Sasuke, please, it was just gossip...!"

"Silence," Sasuke said, more forcefully this time. "Your informant- did he mention where Orochimaru was?"

"I... We..."

The flash of steel that suddenly found it's way into Sasuke's grasp forced the man who struggled to answer to resist from coming up with a lame excuse.

"He's supposed to be in this area, S-Sasuke-sama," he said at last. "One of the rogue nin that Orochimaru-sama was said to be working on has made his escape. Orochimaru-sama is looking for him."

Sasuke nodded, appeased.

The next second he was gone, living the group of bulky men still quaking in their boots.

'This is why I'm here; this is why I can't go home,' a voice inside of Sasuke's head mentally berated. 'Sakura and Sarada do not understand. They're safe; they're not like me.'

As Sasuke sped through the foliage in his attempt to capture any sign of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, a scream suddenly caught his attention. Sasuke instantly lowered himself down from the trees in order to locate the source of the noise.

"Gaah-et away from me!" A boy looking to be no more that fifteen yelled the instant he spotted Sasuke's looming presence sneaking up on him. "I'm not stable- I...!"

Sasuke's one obsidian eye caught the tell-tale sign of a curse mark on the boy's shoulder. He drew his katana from his hip and made a languid step forward.

"Gaah! Get away!" The boy shouted again, the whites in his eyes reddening as he struggled to stand upright.

"Relax," said Sasuke, stepping closer still. "This is the effect of the curse mark. You can fight it, just-"

"Gaaah!" The young man was going insane now, his hands up to his temples and his now-bloodshot eyes looking as if they were about ready to pop. "Get away!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes but was persistent not to leave even as the boy flailed and roared at him.

"P-please, just-!" The boy's words were cut short when his eyes suddenly went blank and he fell to the ground.

Flash-stepping forward in an attempt to catch the boy from toppling head-first into the hard paved earth, Sasuke was caught unawares by a sudden rift in the ground.

Without the unnatural pressure of brute force to split the earth apart, Sasuke was caught completely off-guard and unable to dodge the sudden gravitational shift that seemed to lurch him downwards.

An opening had appeared in the ground immediately beneath him, and glancing briefly at it as he attempted to cover more distance, Sasuke was unable to catch any sign of a foreseeable end.

It was as if the hole led to nowhere-it was pitch black inside.

Willing himself to move faster, go further, the weight on his shoulders that he once brushed off as being imaginary and the figment of his own feelings and pent-up emotions suddenly manifested into something all too real.

Without warning or the time or presence of mind to avoid it or pretty much do anything about it, in no time at all, Sasuke found himself being pulled into the rift; his cries of unprecedented shock and outrage drowned by immeasurable darkness.

A/N: I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, I wrote this entirely on my iphone, and on a weekday at that. My first attempt at a lemon and I tried my best to make this chapter extra long. Hope you like it! Please review. This story is definitely not going to be one of your cliche SasuSaku's, I can tell you that. I'm looking for at least 10 reviews before I proceed? This story is pretty unlike anything I've ever written, so I'll try my best.

Maybe some points you'd like to help me with:

1. Is everyone in-character?

2. How did I do with telling this chapter from Sasuke's POV? (I'm mostly used to Sakura's) Is it OK?

3. How do you think I've covered the Sarada-Sasuke dynamic?

4. What about the lemon scene? Was it any good?

etc. Be as real with me as you possibly can, I haven't written in a long time and I need the push. Please help me with these points, it'd be much appreciated. Thanks.

-nhannah