O_O

The following day, Sakura sat in the kitchen, drained restless sleep. She had been thinking all night about her argument with Sasuke and felt the need to do something to make up for it. As a result, she had arranged for Sasuke and Shunsuke to spend the morning training in order to allow Sasuke to bond with Shunsuke more on their own. Sasuke had just left with an exuberant Shunsuke and Sakura had waved them goodbye from the open doorway of their apartment. She sighed deeply, she knew what she was doing was right, but it sure as hell didn't make it an easy choice to make.

Meanwhile, Shunsuke was characteristically happy the entire walk to his and Sasuke's destination. Sasuke didn't say much, but rather enjoyed listening to the sound of Shunsuke's animated and jovial voice. When they approached the mountains where he was taking Shunsuke for training, the young child slipped his hand in Sasuke's to steady himself up the incline. Sasuke's head snapped down to him and he tightly clutched his large hand around the small soft one of his son. He reveled in the contact the entire walk uphill and even slowed his footsteps to make it last longer.

When they reached the large clearing within the mountains, Sasuke stopped and reluctantly let Shunsuke's hand go.

"I can't believe I'm trainin' with Sasuke Uchiha," Shunsuke beamed, pirouetting on his foot and stopping suddenly with his hands raised in fists. "My friends are going to be so jealous."

Sasuke's entire body was filled with elation as he smiled back. "I'm very glad to be training with you too Shunsuke." Sasuke replied, using all his power to keep his voice steady. "Ready to begin?"

Shunsuke laughed excitedly and jumped with his fist in the air. "Oh yeah, believe it!"

Sasuke's eyes worriedly widened slightly in recognition. His first order of paternal hood was still to make up for lost time. His second was now to ban the blonde idiot from rubbing off anymore annoying habits on his son.

The duo spent a minute working with Shunsuke on his target training. However, since the boy was already extremely skilled in that area, they decided to move on. The next half hour was spent working on taijutsu, speed, and stamina.

"So what're we gonna work on next Sasuke-sama?" The young child squatted down and held up his fist in a fighting stance. He leapt up and roundhouse kicked his invisible opponent, delivering two quick punches once he landed.

Sasuke laughed. "We're going to work on your jutsu." Sasuke knew that he probably should have started with ninjutsu training, when the boy had more energy, but he decided to go ahead and try it anyway.

"Ok cool," Shunsuke straightened up and nodded.

"Have you and Sakura done any work on any yet?" Sasuke asked, rubbing his neck.

Shunsuke shrugged. "Not really, not yet. I can work with my chakra I mean."

Sasuke nodded. "Alright, well I'm going to teach you your first jutsu, you think you're ready?"

Shunsuke pumped his fist in the air. "Oh yeah, b-"

"Let's go ahead and start," Sasuke interrupted, abruptly turning away before images of Shunsuke obnoxiously shoving ramen into his mouth could surface.

Then Sasuke commenced to teach Shunsuke his family jutsu and the first one he himself had ever learned: the fireball jutsu. Shunsuke was an Uchiha and the jutsu was in his blood; it was up to Sasuke to help him release it.

After only a several minutes of practice, Shunsuke had almost gotten the hang of the jutsu-capable of conjuring up small, intense fireballs. The rapidness at which he picked up the jutsu floored Sasuke and filled the man with unbridled pride.

"Alright! Look Sasuke-sama, I almost got it!" Shunsuke panted heavily as he turned to Sasuke with a smile. Sasuke's face lit up and he flashed a Shunsuke a surprised and elated smile. Yet, Sasuke realized he shouldn't have been too surprised. It was pretty evident that Shunsuke took after his natural ability and it wasn't surprising to find that he also seemed to inherit Sakura's mastery of chakra as well, therefore the young child would probably master the jutsu by the next meeting if he didn't go home and try it on his own.

"This time, I'm gonna get it, just you watch!" Shunsuke panted, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Shunsuke," Sasuke interrupted and the young boys eyes flew open and his gaze shifted to Sasuke.

"Aw maan, whadja do that for? I was gonna get it that time," Shunsuke whined.

"I think that's enough of the fireball jutsu today, we'll work on it another time." Sasuke hadn't told Sakura that he was going to teach Shunsuke the Fireball jutsu and he was unsure of what her reaction would be. To avoid any irritating confrontation, Sasuke opted not to push Shunsuke too far.

"But Sasuke-sama I really think I can get it this time!"

Sasuke felt a pinching in his heart as he looked into Shunsuke's pleading eyes. "Fine. But don't tell Sakura about this."

Shunsuke's face lit up and he nodded vehemently. "I promise I won't. Our secret!" He swore, holding his pinky out for Sasuke's.

Sasuke swelled with bliss and linked their pinkies together. His first secret with his son.

Over the next two days, Sasuke spent as much time as he could with Shunsuke. He taught him to master the jutsu, worked in improving other areas of his training, and took him out for meals and walks around the village. The two-mainly Shunsuke-talked frequently during their time together and Sasuke now knew his son's favorite color, what he enjoyed doing, his best friends, that he had a pet snake and a pet frog, and several other things.

Now on the third day since his altercation with Sakura, the two had maturely agreed to let today be the day their secret was revealed.

"Calm the fuck down Sasuke…" Sasuke muttered to himself. The toothbrush he was holding was trembling slightly and he placed it down for a moment, leaned into the sink and attempted to steady himself. His actions weren't based off of nervousness, but rather excitement. Sasuke finished up in the bathroom and entered his bedroom, looking at the clock. Sakura was expecting him in forty minutes, but to him that felt like an eternity.

He reached into his drawer and pulled out his clothes, stumbling into them in his enthusiasm. Immediately after getting dressed, he left and headed for Sakura's house. In his mind he went over how he wanted to tell Shunsuke that he was his father. After putting together many different wordings, Sasuke decided to say whatever he felt like saying at the moment. For him how he said it wasn't important- what was important was what happened after. Sasuke began imaging the way Shunsuke's eyes would light up, the way his thin arms would encircle around his neck when he found out. He vowed that as quickly as possible, he make up for the past five years that he had missed out on.

Sasuke was approaching the house and he took a deep breath. His paced picked up and he could almost see Shunsuke standing in front of him. He nodded to himself. He was ready.

Sakura paced her bedroom floor, finally dressed. She had gone through eight outfits before settling on the one she was wearing. "He's not coming to see you anyway," she huffed, trying to calm herself down. Shunsuke was in his room playing and was completely unsuspecting of what was to come. Sakura left her bedroom and began walking through the house, unnecessarily straightening up random items. She came across a picture of her and Shunsuke laughed quietly. But when she thought emerged of Sasuke's smooth face appearing on Shunsuke's other side and then just as quickly fading away, her smile quickly vanished and her laugh quieted. She placed the frame down and continued her rounds throughout the house.

As she stood anxiously in the kitchen, a knock resonated and caused her breath to falter. "Ok. I'm ready for this, it's ok." She whispered to herself as she tugged down her shirt and headed for the front door. She could still hear Shunsuke in his room playing. Sakura made her way to the front door and shakily opened the knob. Sasuke walked in right away.

"Where is he?" He asked abruptly, but unmaliciously.

"Hey, Sasuke." Sakura responded on reflex. But she had prepared for this. She knew when Sasuke arrived he'd be ready to get right to the point- no small talk, no need to offer refreshments so she didn't prepare any. Sasuke was here for one thing and one thing only and that was to finally claim his son.

"Is he in there?" Sasuke asked again, looking down the hall to where he hear the sound of Shunsuke's voice coming from.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah…yeah he's back there. He's just playing right now…Are you ready?"

Sasuke nodded as if Sakura were crazy and Sakura nodded back. "Shunsuke, can you come out here?" In a few seconds, Shunsuke ran from the bedroom and into the hallway were he saw Sasuke.

"Sasuke-sama!" He smiled as he ran up to the man and stopped short of hugging him. Sasuke hid the hurt and led Shunsuke to the couch and Sakura followed, sitting herself on the arm on Shunsuke's other side.

"Shunsuke, there's something Sasuke and I want to talk to you about." Sakura started nervously. The young boy tilted his head in curiosity and nodded.

"Okay."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but Sasuke was quicker. "I'm your father, Shunsuke." He said bluntly and Sakura suppressed a sigh at his curtness.

Shunsuke's eyes narrowed in deep confusion and he looked back and forth between the two adults before his eyes rested on Sasuke for a moment, then his face broke out in a giggle. Sasuke quirked a brow and gave a confused, odd half smile. Sakura closed her eyes slowly, knowing the reason for Shunsuke's behavior. Her son didn't believe them.

"Sasuke is your father Shunsuke….Really." Shunsuke giggled again, looking at Sasuke for encouragement, but now that the man knew the reason for his giggling, his face was unsmiling and his eyes were prodding the young boy to believe.

Shunsuke's laughter started to fade and slowly he looked back and forth between the two. Finally his eyes rested on Sakura. "But Mama…you told me Daddy died. A long time ago."

Sakura sighed heavily and held herself together as she forced herself to look into her child's hurt eyes. "I know, Shunsuke I did-"

"So did you think Sasuke-sama was dead?" Shunsuke asked confused.

"No, Shunsuke, I didn't. I lied…I shouldn't have done it, but I did. I knew your father was alive I just…I just didn't tell you."

Shunsuke was quiet for a while and both of his parents looked at him anxiously.

"Why?" Shunsuke asked the question that hung thickly in the air, the one that Sakura was most afraid of.

Heavily and brokenly she sighed and shook her head. "I-I don't know Shunsuke…I…I don't know. I'm sorry, that was selfish and wrong of me to do…" Her son nodded slowly before turning to face Sasuke.

"And you…you're my…father?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah." He waited for the hug. He wanted the hug.

He never got the hug.

"Where were you?"

"Huh?" Sasuke uttered on reflex.

"I'm five now, almost six. Where've you been?"

Sasuke was hurt. Deeply hurt. And looking into the wide, dark eyes of his son that were filled with pain, his hurt grew greater. He wanted to bash Sakura, to blame it all on her and take Shunsuke into his arms and lead them both far away, but he didn't get the chance.

"Sasuke…didn't know, Shunsuke," Sakura sighed squeezing her hands together. "I never told him. Just like I never told you. And I'm sorry." Sakura locked gazes with Sasuke on the last part and he felt the hostility he previously held for the woman to be quickly and uncontrollably washed away.

Shunsuke turned back to face Sasuke, who turned his attention back to the boy. "If Mama hada told you, would you have been there?"

He could have lied. He could have looked Shunsuke right in the eyes and nodded and denied being incapable of doing so thanks to the past five years he had to spend in the Konoha Correctional Facility due to his own choices. But Sakura had been honest thus far, and Sasuke knew he had to be as well.

"I would have loved to," Sasuke started honestly. "But no, I couldn't. I was away somewhere and there was no way I'd be allowed to see you. But I want to be there now." Sasuke tried. Shunsuke nodded slowly, not in agreement, but to let everything set in. After what seemed like an eternity to both Sasuke and Sakura, Shunsuke turned to his mother and asked quietly.

"May I go play outside with some of the kids from my class? We were supposed to meet up at Aito's house."

"Shunsuke-" Sakura started gently.

"I told you about it four days ago, Mama. You said 'we'll see.'" Shunsuke continued as if nothing were wrong.

Sasuke felt a pinching in his heart. He closed his eyes slowly, then open them and looked at Sakura with eyes that said, "What the hell, just let him go."

Sakura sighed and nodded. "Alright Shunsuke be back by noon."

Shunsuke nodded and got up from the couch and walked to the door. "Bye Mama…bye…Sasuke-sama."

As the door closed, Sakura tightened her jaw and waited for Sasuke's explosion. For him to snarl at her and blame her for everything that had just transpired. But instead the generally quick tempered Uchiha just sat there, staring absently in the spot where Shunsuke had once sat.

Finally, Sasuke rose from the couch with a smooth, impassive face. "I should head home now."

Sakura said nothing, but slowly stood from the couch. "Sasuke I'm sorry." Sakura breathed softly, not knowing what else to say.

Sasuke pressed his tongue to back of his teeth. He was going to say tell her that she should be, that this was all her fault. But he couldn't entirely blame her. Instead, he turned to her with a face wrinkled in "agitation" which was really just a mask for his pain.

"What for?" He scoffed, and then he turned and walked out of the door.

YAYY! That was the final chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! XD Haha just kidding, for some reason I felt like doing that =p

My (other) slow moment of this chapter: Initially writing 'slowered' instead of 'slowed.' =/ Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed it. I enjoy your reviews, so please review and let me know what's on your mind (about this chapter…if you need to just vent or need someone to talk to then that's fine too…I guess…moving on…) Review please! See ya next chapter!

See ya soon! xoxoxoxoxo