~7 years later
"Mom! Have you seen where my kunai is? The one with the blue and red handle?"
Sakura methodically washed the dishes, all too used to her sons boisterous attitude.
"Did you try looking in your pouch Tadashi?"
The child appeared by the door to the kitchen with an almost comical look on his face. At seven years old, he possessed some expressions that she had only seen long ago on another person and every time she thought to much about it, a heavy feeling would pool in her stomach.
"Of course I did, that was the first place I looked in."
She could almost hear the missing 'duh' in the sentence but it had been a habit that his father had quickly made sure would not continue.
"I think dad might have it. I can't remember if he had said he was going to go get it sharpened or something."
Uchiha Tadashi mumbled as he scratched the back of his head.
"Mama, Usa broke again."
The little girl walked in with teary eyes and a limp looking rabbit in her hand. Sakura bent to her level and grabbed the toy gently in her hands to inspect it. The right ear hung limp and torn from the seam and one of the buttons for the eyes had long since fallen and never recuperated.
"No worries Sarada, Usa will be good as new in no time."
Sarada sniffed and wiped her eyes. For a four year old, she was quite smart and often trailed after her oldest brother on whatever grand adventure he would come up for them. There was a loud wail of crying in another room and Sakura sighed, shook her head and patted her daughters cheek.
"Go get ready for school, both of you."
It took her a moment to get back on her feet; the sudden gain of weight was throwing her body off and it made it more difficult to lift herself up.
"I'm coming Kisuke, I'm coming."
The toddler cried out loud as she entered the nursery. With a red face and clenched fists, he yelled on his cot as he tried to roll over on his stomach.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
Picking up her baby boy, she cooed and patted his back in hopes of calming him down. For a moment he stopped and looked at her with big, black eyes and squirmed in her arms as he noticed that he had finally been picked up and was receiving attention. His fever had subsided but he was still a bit too warm for her liking.
"We're going to have to visit the hospital today, won't we?"
He giggled and a bit of drool slid out from his mouth. The nursery hadn't changed much in the times it's been used. The only thing that had changed had been the positioning of the cot and the play mats but other than that she hadn't seen the reason in replacing the toys and sheets when Sarada had been born. Children liked toys whether they were for girls or for boys so Sakura had left the nursery just had it had been built originally.
Grabbing the baby sling and placing him in the pouch, she adjusted the knot on her back and kissed the top of his black baby soft hair.
"Tadashi, Sarada! Come on!"
Tadashi came out from his room grumbling about the lost kunai and slinging his book bag over his shoulder. Sarada skipped by him, the worry about Usa already leaving her mind and grabbed her mothers hand. Sakura passed her hand over her daughters hair to try to tame the wild mane Sarada called hair but she knew it was useless.
"Did you grab your homework?"
Sakura closed the door to the house behind her as she sternly looked at her eldest son. His lip protruded and he placed his hands behind his head as he 'harrumphed' and walked down their porch and onto their yard.
"Yeah, yeah. Will dad be home when we get back? I need to ask him if he has my kunai. I had promised Mitsuki and Shikadai that I was going to show it to them today."
They made a right from their house and left the tiny Uchiha compound that had been built in remembrance of the fallen clan after the war ended and the construction of the village had continued.
"You know it depends on the day Tadashi. He's over by the grave this morning so when he's ready he'll come back."
A silence went over her little family. Although young, they were used to their father disappearing and not returning until later on in the day. At first Sakura had been worried because it would be hours before he came home. He wasn't in bed in the morning when she awoke and would walk into the house by the time the sun was setting on the horizon. With time, thoughts of him leaving and having found someone else slowly crept into her mind and would worsen with each passing thought. He never shared where he went, never spoke what he did during the long hours he was away.
Until finally she confronted him when her own imagination had become too much for her. He had let her unleash her frustrations on him one day when he had walked through the gate of their yard. She had yelled, she had cried and had pounded on his chest and let him know just what she thought. She told him how much she missed their fallen friend, how he was a comfort for the loss she felt and that if she lost him too then she would feel like she had nothing anymore. He let her finish until she became a sobbing mess on his chest, her arms hanging limply on her sides and shoulders shaking with each whimper.
He placed his hands on her and softly pushed her so that he was able to look down at her. He sighed and closed his eyes, looking beyond his years for a second before a small smile appeared on his face. For a moment, she was speechless. She couldn't remember when the last time she had seen him wear such an expression.
He wiped her tears away and calmly explained how he had taken it upon himself to care for the personal grave site that had been given to Naruto after the large funeral that had been given to everyone to mourn had finished. A statue had been erected for the fallen hero and a special plaque had been made to be placed at the feet of it.
It had been the old Team 7 decision that the body be taken to a site and no one be told about it except a select few. He went there to pay his respects and would clean whatever fallen leaves or debris happen to have fallen the night before. With time he had created a small training area where he would practice and train on a wooden dummy and would often meditate and lose track of time.
He stopped for a moment and seemed to be somewhere far away. All Sakura could do was gape at his words and feel slightly embarrassed at what her own mind had created.
Sakura had been surprised to see his sleeping form the next morning when she had woken. His back was to her and his breaths were quiet but he was there nonetheless. By the time she had finished feeding Sarada, whom was still small and breast feeding at the time, Sasuke had Tadashi in his arm and said that he was going to take him to the pre-academy center. After that, he had disappeared and hadn't come back until later in the afternoon with the little boy proudly grinning at the attention of his father.
He had done the same for Sarada but there were certain days where the image he had created would crack for a couple of days and he would go off and disappear and then return and become the dad his kids needed him to be.
"Good morning Sakura-san!"
Moving her thoughts for later, Sakura smiled at the woman who took care of Sarada and handed her the small bag that held her things.
"Hello Rin, how are you?"
The young woman had started volunteering at the center when Tadashi had first started and eventually had been hired by the time Sarada had been enrolled. She had taken care of both of her kids and knew them as if they were her own.
"I'm doing great! They finally approved my application to work in the academy!"
Her face radiated with excitement as Sakura handed Sarada off to her. They spoke for a moment longer until Tadashi began tugging at her hand with an impatience only a seven year old could have. The academy wasn't too far off, only a couple minutes walk and when arriving, her son stood his ground, reminding her of the missing kunai.
"Hey Tadashi! Come on, Shikadai already saved us a seat!"
Tadashi turned around at the sound of one of his friends voice and waved back. Sakura waved to one of the mothers and turned to her son to bend to his eye level.
"Give me a kiss before you go."
Tadashi groaned and his bottom lip stuck out. He had a mess of black hair with wild spikes and his fathers black eyes that were usually passionate and always gave him away. His face, on the other hand, was a mixture of both of his parents and depended on what mood he was in that his face would mold into one of theirs.
"Mom!"
He whined out loud and crossed his arms firmly against his chest. Sakura felt a warm feeling in her stomach at the comical antics of her son and pointed at her cheek and smiled as he groaned again. He looked around quickly, as if making sure the coast was clear, and placed a peck on her cheek and then scrambled away.
"See you later mom!"
Sakura smiled at the retreating form of her son and didn't leave until she saw him enter the building.
"Alright you, your turn."
Kisuke had fallen asleep long time ago and was snuggled in deep in his sling. Making her way through the village, she was stopped by some villagers that greeted her or wanted to ask her something that dealt with her knowledge in the medical field. Konohagakure had taken some time to regenerate not only from Peins attack but from the war itself. It had taken a couple of years, Tsunade and Kakashi's leadership and the hard work of all the villagers to bring the village back to somewhat of its former glory.
Just moments away from the hospital, the Naruto statue came into view. It stood tall and was made out of stone. It had been created as an ever lasting tribute of her fallen comrade and stood tall and proud in the center of their village. Hands were at his sides, the outlines of his ever present jacket and pants had been greatly defined by the artist and a wide grin with closed eyes and whiskers and all. It almost stood as tall as the Hokage building and had been placed in the large plaza where everyone could come and pay their respects.
It had been a gloomy couple of days. It had rained and thundered and some of the streets had flooded just a bit but it eventually let up and people resumed with their life. Many of her friends had climbed the ranks and were kept busy on missions and helping out around the village, others had been sent away to other villages to help them out and keep the peace. Others had married off and had begun raising children and taking care of houses and spouses. Hinata had been wedded off after returning from the war to one of the Hyuuga clans very own and had taken head of the clan. Ino and Sai had moved in together after a couple of months of not knowing whether or not Sai had actual feelings for her.
"Sakura-sensei! Welcome back! How's our little Kisuke doing today?"
The hospital, on the other hand, hadn't changed much since she had decided not to continue working after Saradas birth. It had been a difficult decision to make but she had done it during a time Sasuke hadn't been doing well, mentally speaking. His nightmares had started again and what remained of his missing limb would flare up in pain every now and then. He had kept it hidden from her for months until she woke up once to his panting and groans of pain. From then on, she decided to stay home and take care of the kids while he went away to do whatever he needed to do. There were days that they would call her in for cases that they couldn't handle and with Tsunade away enjoying her "retirement" she was the next best thing they had. For a little extra money, they had her teach classes to the newest medical-nins and pass down her knowledge to those who wanted to listen.
"Just a general check up Amina. His fever has gone down but he's still a bit warm."
She grabbed a clipboard and they went down to pediatrics which was a huge transition from all the other floors. Everything was suddenly brighter with colors splashed around, drawings on the walls and toys scattered around the beds and floors. After having her first child, she didn't have the heart to treat them whenever it came to anything dealing with needles or even a simple diagnosis. Put her on the field with wounded ninjas and bloody hands that would take days to remove the red tint and she would do fine. One of her kids having a scrape or a flu and she would get woozy.
"You don't have a check up until the end of this week either but since you're already here, we could do it today and you wouldn't have to make your way back."
Sakura didn't mind coming to the hospital. There was a certain comfort in coming here, in walking through the familiar hallways and inhaling the smell of antiseptic. She had dedicated long hours and nights to this place since her training with Tsunade and loved every minute of it here. She also found it as an excuse of leaving the house because she hated staying there alone and isolated on the silent Uchiha compound. Although the newly built one wasn't much compared to the old one, it was decent sized with some land and a park where some kids from the village actually came to play on sometimes.
"Sure, let's do it and I'll be out of your hair until next week."
Giving the young woman a friendly smile, the woman whom she herself had trained, she placed Kisuke on the mat and stepped back to give her some space.
The front door had softly clicked shut just as Sakura had pulled the roasted chicken out of the oven.
"Hey dad! Have you seen my kunai?"
The end of his sentence had been muffled. He and Sarada had gotten into the habit of pressing themselves against his leg whenever he came home and wrapping themselves around his waist and watch him make an attempt to walk with the two holding on for dear life.
She couldn't hear his response, only a mumble before he appeared at the kitchen with the kids in tow. They held on tight, giggling and Sarada squealing as he playfully shook the leg she was on. Sakura crossed her arms against her chest and smiled at her little family. Sasuke had aged gracefully; the Uchihas had been known for their beauty and he was a clear representation of it. He had let his hair grow long and didn't seem to care about the bangs in front of his face that covered his left eye or the fact that his hair had lost the spikes in the back from his childhood and was now straight and brushed the top of his shoulders.
Whenever he wasn't sent on missions he took to wearing a simple yukata whenever he stayed home or went out in the village. When he went to visit the grave site he wore a shirt and gray sweatpants that he used to do any activities or to train in. Sarada was holding on to the waistband of his pants and looked up to her father with utter joy.
"Dad says he thinks my kunai might be in the backyard from the last time we trained."
Sasuke grabbed the place mats and began placing them on the dining table with the kids following after him like small ducklings. They helped place the chopsticks to the assigned seats and the cups that each member had where they belonged. Dinner soon began with the two of them rambling on about their day and what they learned or who they had hung out with as they ate. Sasuke sat between the two and listened to them ever so patiently, nodding in certain places and making a noise according to what was said. He asked Tadashi questions about his training and Sarada on how it was going at the center.
"There's a new boy there and he doesn't talk to anyone. I tried talking to him but he just stays quiet."
She pouted and clung onto his sleeve as she stared at his face. Sakura had made a comment to him once on how Sarada liked to hold on to him for long periods of time and was always reluctant to release him unless it was absolutely necessary. He had said he didn't mind and he didn't see it as something odd. Sakura suspected that he enjoyed the closeness the children brought to him and it had taken him a while to realize that they weren't made of glass and that with the smallest touch they weren't going to crumble and break.
"Maybe he just wants his space Sarada."
Sasuke suggested lightly and gingerly ate his rice. He remained skinny, no matter how much food Sakura made but had gotten a lot better through out the years. The first couple of them he had looked like he had gotten the life drained out of him and appeared to be a skeleton with skin walking around. No amount of food pills and weight gain programs she had given him had helped, even seeking help from the Akimichi clan hadn't done much.
"But papa!"
She whined and appeared not to understand the concept of the space her father was talking to her about.
"Listen to your father on this one Sarada-chan. He was one of those boys that needed all the space in the world."
Sasuke took his attention from his daughter away to look at her in front of him. The rinnegan peaked from behind his bangs for a moment before it vanished behind his hair. He stayed quiet and finished off his dinner before everyone else.
"I'll go on ahead and take a bath. Do you need any help with anything Sakura?"
She shook her head as he stood from the table and placed his chopsticks on top of the bowl. Before he left the room, he ran a hand through the children's hair and had wiggled his fingers at Kisuke before disappearing into the hallway. After getting the kids to help her put away the dishes to soak overnight and into the bath and in their pajamas, she tucked them in and kissed them goodnight.
Entering the bath, she released a breath of relief as she felt the days stress melt away into the water, allowing her to finally relax. The kids had finally been put to sleep and there was suddenly a silence over the household. The smell of lavender and eucalyptus curled around her and as she laid in the warm water, her mind began to wonder. The thought of her husband in the other room, laying fast asleep and knowing he wouldn't pay mind to her presence when she would walk in caused something to rumble deep within her.
She had long ago stopped trying to initiate any physical relationship with him seeing that it had only resulted in deep embarrassment and a discomfort for the two of them that would last for days. When they had gotten married they had consummated the marriage that very night and for a while Sakura felt as if she had been on a high off of being a newly wed with her longtime crush. It had been just a couple of weeks after their marriage that Sakura had found out that she was pregnant. During her pregnancy, Sasuke has been helpful at first but she began seeing less and less of him. Throughout the first couple of months, when she had still been working in the hospital, his presence at home gradually lessened. He had been there for Tadashi's birth but had missed Saradas and Kisukes. Their physical relationship was border line nonexistent and eventually it had become something that she learned to shove it all to the back of her mind so that it wouldn't affect her emotionally any longer.
Eventually she had found other methods that would satisfy her for the time being whenever it called or when she could find a moment of privacy. At first she had felt bad doing it because it almost felt like she wasn't supposed to as a married woman but when she realized that it was a quick alternative that worked, she became comfortable with the thought of it.
Draining the bath tub water after cleaning herself off, she wrapped a towel around her body. By the time she entered the room, Sasuke was already on his side of the bed, breathing softly and away from the door. She changed into her pajamas and slid under the covers.
Closing her eyes, she willed for sleep to come.