To Love and To Love Again Chapter 9: Memories of Nobody
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER AND AUTHORS NOTE: I do NOT own Naruto. The awesomeness of the Naruto Manga and World is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. This is Purely Fanfiction. All things Medical in this entire fanfiction should not be taken as serious medical advice or facts. PLEASE CONSULT AN ACTUAL DOCTOR FOR ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS. THANK YOU AND ENJOY!
Quickie NOTES: 'Memories of Nobody' is actually the title for the Bleach Movie called "Bleach Memories of Nobody". I thought that that particular title was very appropriate for this chapter and you'll find out why as you read it.
It was nearing seven in the morning, and Sasuke was up and about as usual. He was standing outside his balcony sipping coffee and enjoying the quiet morning. He often wondered why he couldn't just stay in bed and sleep in like a regular person. As soon as it neared 5:30, his body would just automatically awaken and refuse to let him go back to sleep. Not that he minded it. There was no point in staying asleep when you could be more productive awake.
He inhaled the fresh morning air and exhaled slowly. Tonight was Suki's recital and for once, it seemed like he would be able to go. The miracle of finishing his paper work yesterday helped lighten the weekend load.
He finished his coffee and placed the mug on the side of the railing. He began to stretch in an effort to feel more relaxed. Ever since his little bet with Sakura, he had taken more steps to try to calm down. He would prove to both Sakura and Naruto that he was perfectly fine. He knew they meant well, but their pestering was getting annoying and ironically increasing his stress.
The morning breeze felt good against his bare chest. He was dressed in black sweat pants and nothing else. It was still September so the weather was still on the warm side. After stretching, he took the mug and walked back into his room before making his way downstairs.
He left the mug in the sink and settled in the living room to watch the morning news. The living room was rather large and had two black leather couches with a glass coffee table in the center. There was a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall in front of the couches and over the fireplace. He flipped the TV on and searched the channels for the morning news.
He watched for about an hour before he went to his home gym to get in a good work out. The gym was actually the downstairs lounge area that was converted into a workout room with all his exercise equipment there. Sasuke maintained his physic nicely.
He hated weakness and would in no way permit himself to be weak in any sense. That mostly pertained to his emotional side, but his body was also something that he wanted to keep strong.
He began his regular routine, which consisted of running on the treadmill, lifting weights and then doing some push-ups and sit-ups. Naruto also saw fit to give him a punching bag as a birthday gift last year. Sasuke rarely used it but nonetheless, he hung it up in the corner of the room.
Two hours later, Sasuke ceased his activities and went back upstairs to jump into the shower. He was completely covered in sweat, a sign that he did indeed get a thorough work out.
After he finished showering, he got dressed in sweat pants and T-shirt. Glancing at the clock, he figured it was about time to go and wake up Suki. If left alone, she could sleep for a whole day. He left his room and walked down the hall.
Sasuke walked into Suki's room and knelt beside her bed. She was currently snuggled up in the corner with her stuffed pig Tonton secure in between her arms. She had the most serene expression on her face as if she were having a really good dream.
Sasuke admired her ability to sleep all day. Suki had very little to worry about in life and could enjoy a peaceful nights rest without distressing about the troubles of tomorrow. She made sleeping look like such a luxury. Sasuke gently shook her awake.
She stirred for a bit and then opened one sleepy eye at him.
She yawned before muttering a "Hi Daddy" and rubbed her eyes.
"Time to get up Tenshi," Sasuke informed, smoothing out her hair. Suki just yawned some more and sluggishly got up from her bed and moving down the hall to the bathroom. Just then, Sasuke heard the doorbell ring.
As he went down the stairs, he could see from the windows lining the high points of the wall that it was Itachi. He opened the door and stepped aside to let him in.
"Sasuke," Itachi greeted as he walked in. He was wearing a black leather jacket that went down to about his knees with a red button down shirt underneath. He was also wearing black jeans and shoes.
Sasuke and Itachi didn't really have a strained relationship per say. Itachi was older that Sasuke by about five years. Growing up with him in general was a little difficult with the significant age gap, though Sasuke would admit he had somewhat of a brother complex as a child.
Nowadays they were still good to each other and civil for the most part. Itachi was calm and reserved, but at times he could be just a little on the dry and humorous side. He was a complete turnaround when he spent time with Suki. It was like someone flipped on the happy switch in him. Itachi also had a strained relationship with their father Fugaku Uchiha, head of the Uchiha family.
Itachi and Fugaku disagreed greatly on a number of things. The major issue was what he was going to do for the rest of his life. Initially, Itachi was supposed to inherit the position as CEO of KMC. In order to do this, however, Itachi had to get married first.
Needless to say he refused to the terms of agreement and the position was passed down to Sasuke. Itachi really didn't care for marriage or the position. He ventured out into the world of Law and Criminal Justice. He became a member of a top-secret detective agency called Akatsuki. What exactly they did was a mystery to Sasuke. All he knew was that they were some elite members of the police force.
"Are you going to make it tonight?" Sasuke asked. He was of course referring to Suki's recital.
"I promised her didn't I?" he replied as he walked to the kitchen. Sasuke closed the door and followed him.
"You need a woman," Itachi said bluntly. That took Sasuke by an annoyed surprise.
"Look who's talking," he returned. Itachi was never attached to any woman, at least none that Sasuke knew about. A comment like that coming from Itachi was incredibly strange. He was never one to care for other people's love lives.
"I don't have a child to think about. You on the other hand…" he drawled as he looked around the place, "You require a woman."
Itachi took a really good look around the place. The house was pretty modern, with absolutely no feminine touch.
"What are you even doing here Itachi?" he grunted. Having him randomly come over to tell him something he already knew was not the best way to spend a Saturday morning.
"Can't a man stop by to see his little brother and niece for no reason at all?" he asked. "Is Suki awake?"
"She just woke up. Why?"
"I have a gift for her."
Sasuke sighed. He'll never be able to figure out Itachi. The only time Sasuke has seen his brother loosen up was when he was around Suki. It was like Suki brought out his slightly nice side. Speaking of Suki…
"Uncle Itachi!" she screamed as she ran down the stairs in her princess pajamas and up to her uncle.
"Suki," Itachi smiled as he picked her up. "I have something for you," he said as he put her down on the counter and pulled out a small box from his shirt pocket. He placed it in her hand.
Suki tore through the red paper and opened the box. Her face lit up with excitement as she pulled out a small silver bracelet.
"Ohhhh pretty," she awed.
"It's has your name on it," Itachi said as he pointed to the flat silver plate. Engraved on it was her name, which Itachi read out loud "Suki Uchiha".She just giggled at that.
"Suki, what do you say to your uncle?" Sasuke asked.
Suki smiled and hugged Itachi. "Thank you uncle Itachi," she said, her voice muffled in his shirt.
"Anything for you," said Itachi. "You can wear it tonight for you recital."
"Okay" she beamed. She then turned to Sasuke. "Daddy I'm hungry."
Sasuke looked at the clock. It was almost noon. "It's time for lunch. Get ready and we'll go eat out somewhere."
Suki turned to Itachi. "Can you come too Uncle Itachi?" she asked innocently.
"Well I don't know…" he teased. It was enough to make her plead with him.
"Please please please please with ketchup on top please please please," she begged, lacing her fingers together. Add the puppy dog eyes and Itachi is down.
Itachi chuckled. "Alright."
Sasuke just sighed again. Those eyes of hers were a super power.
Sakura was in the kitchen putting away the last of the dishes into the cabinets. It's been over a week since she and Sora have moved into the condo and almost everything had been unpacked from the boxes and stored into their proper places.
Sakura stretched a bit, trying to relax her muscles from all the unpacking. It was late Saturday morning and to her delight she had no patients scheduled today. She was wearing her favorite drawstring black shorts and an oversized white t-shirt. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun.
She left the kitchen and went into the living room where Sora was sitting on the couch and watching the last of his favorite Saturday morning anime. He was still in his pajamas as well. Sakura walked up and slumped onto the couch with him. It was nearing lunchtime and frankly, after all that unpacking, she did not want to dirty up any dishes by cooking.
"What do you want for lunch? We can go out today if you want," she offered as she messed with his morning hair a bit. Sora looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I want Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza/ Pancake thingy)," he answered.
Sakura smiled. It was his favorite food, not to mention his father's favorite fast food. She shouldn't have even bothered asking.
"Okay then, let's go get ready," she said, as she got off the couch to head upstairs. Sora followed her and went to his room. Twenty minutes later, they were both ready and out the door.
Sakura was wearing a beige jacket with a white top underneath and a black knee length skirt. She left her hair down. Sora was wearing a red t-shirt with his favorite ninja cartoon characters on it, and a pair of black pants and sneakers.
Together they got in the car and left to go into the shopping district of Tokyo. They found a pretty good Okonomiyaki restaurant next to a fun looking place called Ichiraku's that just happened to be down the street from the hospital.
"This looks like a good place," she observed as she held the door for Sora. The smell was amazing. There were a bunch of tables around with a salad bar in one corner and the pizza making side on the other. It seemed like you can watch as your dish was being made.
Sakura and Sora both walked up to the counter and looked at the menu. The man at the counter greeted them and asked what they would like. They both ordered their favorite kinds.
"Let's find a table," she suggested looking around.
"Can I stay here?" Sora asked as he stood on his tiptoes trying to watch the grilling process.
He was just a little shorter that the countertop. Sakura laughed and ruffled his hair a bit before picking him up and placing him on the counter top so that he could see what was going on. They heard the door to the restaurant open again but didn't turn around to see, until they heard a familiar voice calling out to them.
"Sora!" They both turned around to find none other than Suki Uchiha walking towards them in her little blue sundress with Sasuke and another man following close behind.
"Sakura," Sasuke greeted in mild surprise as he and a man that looked like him stood by each other.
"Hi Sasuke," she returned taking a quick look at his overall appearance. It was the first time she had seen him in anything but a business suit. He was wearing a dark blue long sleeves shirt with black pants. Simple but sophisticated. She then turned her attention to the man standing next to him. He had a more… secretive appearance than Sasuke.
"Hello. I'm Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's older brother," he introduced, extending his hand to her. She took his hand and shook it.
"Nice to meet you," she said cheerfully. "So you guys decided on eating out today too?"
She noticed that Suki was also trying to see above the counter but was failing miserably. Sakura picked her up from behind and placed her on the counter top with Sora.
"There you go sweetie."
Suki smiled and turned her attention back to the grill.
Itachi allowed the tiniest of smiles at the action. "Today seemed appropriate to eat out. My precious niece insisted that we eat here today," he replied, eyed her up and down. She certainly was beautiful. His attention turned to the kids on the counter. Suki was watching the food while another boy, presumably Sakura's son, was focused on them.
Sora, who was once preoccupied with the Okonomiyaki, was now silently watching what was going on between his mom and the Uchiha brothers. He remembered seeing Itachi the other day at school. He immediately caught Itachi's attention.
"Interesting,"Itachi thought as he got a really good look at the boy. From his hair color to his general appearance, he was very reminiscent of a young Sasuke. Itachi's trained detective eyes noticed that he was slightly scowling in Sasuke's direction.
"So will you be able to make it to the recital tonight?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah it's looking that way. I'm looking forward to it," she responded. The man at the grill called her over to pick up her order.
"Are you going to be staying here to eat? You can sit with us if you like," she offered politely.
"We'll join you soon," Sasuke replied.
Sakura nodded and took Sora off the counter and grabbed their orders. The two of them went to grab a booth near the windows since they would be eating with the Uchihas.
Sakura noticed that Sora didn't seem all too happy with the invite earlier but decided that it was just a phase. Clearly there was something he didn't like about Sasuke but it was just a mystery until he told her otherwise.
Sasuke and the others came by a few minutes later. Itachi wanted to know more about their relationship to each other. It's not every day that Sasuke willingly agrees to sit with anyone, especially someone he barely knew. Maybe his little brother was working on finding a woman after all.
"How do you two know each other?" Itachi asked while cutting into his dish.
"I'm a doctor at Konoha Medical. I just started working this week," Sakura answered. Itachi nodded his head in understanding. "The funny thing is that we seem to be more connected through our friends than through work."
Itachi tilted his head. "Oh? How so?"
Sasuke answered this time. "It's more or less through Neji and Shikamaru's wives. Tenten was actually the one who referred her to us."
"I see," Itachi replied. "What's your specialty?"
"Obstetrics and Pediatrics."
"Where did you go to school?" he asked with interest.
"Tokyo U and Kyoto Institute simultaneously."
"And your son, he attends Konoha Leaf Academy with Suki does he not?"
"Well… yes. How did you know?" she asked.
"I saw him there the other day when I dropped off my niece."
She nodded. "Itachi certainly is observant," she thought.
Itachi proceeded to ask more random questions about where they live, where they used to live, why they moved here and such. Sasuke was getting annoyed at the questions—even if the answers intrigued him—so he decided to cut it short.
"I apologize for the questions. Itachi is a detective, he can't help himself," he said with a warning glare in his brothers' direction.
She chuckled. "It's really no problem."
"Are you two dating?" Itachi asked abruptly.
The kids stopped eating and turned to look at their parents. Suki's eyes were hopeful and Sora's eyes turned to super glare mode. Sasuke on the other hand choked on his food and Sakura almost spilled her drink.
"N-NO! I mean… no it's not like that," she stammered. "I mean we've only known each other for a week and… we don't have that kind of relationship."
"Enough with the questions Itachi!" Sasuke snapped. His brother was really pushing it.
"My apologies," Itachi said gently. "I suppose you're married then."
Sakura didn't really know what to say at that point. "Um…"
"Itachi, enough!" Sasuke hissed.
Itachi just sat there as if nothing happened. He quickly glanced at the kids. Suki looked disappointed and Sora… still glared. Itachi got what he needed to know.
"Well," he said as he stood up. "I've got some work to do so I think I'll take this to go."
"But Uncle Itachi…" Suki pouted.
"Next time I promise," he soothed, ruffling her hair and turned to Sakura. "I apologize again for the questioning."
Suki pouted but decided not to make a fuss. After he was gone, Sasuke turned to Sakura, who was just staring at her food.
"Again I apologize for his behavior."
"It's okay," she replied. The tension slowly disappeared as everyone continued eating. Sasuke and Sakura opted to talk about work while the kids talked to each other. Suki turned to Sora and brought up the recital.
"Is your mommy coming to watch the recital today?"
"I think so," he said, finishing off his Okonomiyaki. Suki's mood seemed to lift after knowing that his mom was coming. She told him that she really liked his mother for a lot of reasons. Most of them had to do with her being a pretty and nice lady. She also mentioned that they had the same eyes, which was very true.
"I'm happy that you get to come onii chan," she whispered happily. She looked excited. Sora felt better knowing that she was happy. Suki really was special to him. It was almost like they really were brother and sister.
"Me too," he replied. He looked over at his mom and Suki's dad talking about boring grown up stuff. Sora really took a good look at Sasuke's face. There was just something about him that made Sora feel strange and very… familiar.
Sora frowned as a very vague memory surfaced in his mind.
Someone was playing with him by bouncing him up and down. He couldn't quite remember the person's face, but for some odd reason, looking at Sasuke made him think about that. It kind of looked like him.
"Sora!" Sakura called out. He was just spacing out and staring at Sasuke, only this time he wasn't glaring. She became concerned. "Are you okay?"
Sora blinked his eyes for a bit and nodded his head. Sakura reached for his forehead to feel his temperature. He felt fine.
"You sure?" She looked worried and Sasuke looked a little confused. Suki was looking at him with worried eyes too.
"I'm okay," Sora said. Sakura let it slide but made a mental note to keep an eye on him for the rest of the day.
"Okay then."
Everyone was just about done eating at this point.
"I have to go the bathroom," Suki announced. Now usually this wasn't a problem for Sasuke because every time he and Suki would go out, his parents were with him, which meant that his mother would take her to the restroom. But now…
"Let's go then," Sakura offered without a second thought. Relief filled his body as she got up with Suki.
"Thanks," he said as he slid out of the booth to let them out.
"No problem." She and Suki lid out of the booth. Sakura turned to Sora. "I'll be back soon sweetie, be good," she told him as she and Suki walked to the bathroom together.
That left Sora and Sasuke alone… without Sakura. Sasuke felt awkward, mostly because Sora was looking at him again with a half glare half stare thing going on. Seriously what was his problem? A couple of minutes passed before Sasuke finally decided to break the ice.
"…How's school?" he asked. That was a pretty safe question right? Sora answered quietly.
"Fine."
"Good. Do you like school?"
"Yes."
"…what do you like about it?" he continued.
"Art… and Karate," he answered.
"Do you want to be an artist when you grow up?"
"Mommy said that my Dad was an artist," he replied, stressing the word Dad.
Sasuke raised his brow. "…Really?"
He recalled that Sakura never really did say what her late husband did for a living.
"Did you play with me when I was little?" Sora asked out of the blue. Sasuke looked surprised.
"First of all, you're still little," he began, making Sora scowl. "And second of all, I never played with you when you were smaller because I never met you before this week. Why do you ask?"
Sora didn't answer him. He just looked away from Sasuke, a little embarrassed that he asked. He saw his mom and Suki coming back from the bathroom hand in hand.
"We're back. How was everything here?" she asked. Sasuke got up to let them slide back into their seats. Sora didn't say anything. He was just looking down at his hands with a spaced out expression on his face.
"Sora?" He looked up at her, and then he turned to Sasuke. Again, he had a very hazy memory of his mom and someone else next to her smiling at him. It was only for a few seconds but it still confused Sora. Why was he thinking about all this stuff?
"Are you sure you're okay sweetie?" she asked again. This was starting to get to her. He never spaced out like this before. He felt fine, but he was obviously troubled by something.
"Uh huh," he said softly. Sakura didn't believe him but decided to talk to him about it later. She turned to Sasuke.
"So what are you two going to be doing for the rest of the day?" she asked, though Sasuke noticed that she was still thinking about Sora's behavior by the way her eyes had a half full appearance. He also wanted to know what was going on in that kids head.
"It's around 1:30 right now. The recital starts at 6:00 tonight. I'll be dropping Suki off at the Nara's to get ready. I have some business to attend to today so after that's done I'll be heading off to the theater to watch."
"Well then I better get my shopping done soon," she said before looking over at Suki and smiling at her. "You do your best tonight alright?" Suki smiled at her and nodded her head.
"Aunty Sakura can you sit next to my daddy?" she asked innocently. Sasuke coughed a little and Sakura looked a bit surprised but laughed it off.
"Uh… okay," she said as she shifted in her seat a bit.
"That way I can see you when I'm dancing," Suki continued. "Daddy likes to sit in the front so I can see him and I put lots of glitter on my wings so that he can see me too!" she said excitedly.
"Sure sweetie. Although I'm sure you can see me from anywhere with my hair," she replied. Sasuke tried not to smirk at that comment but failed. It was true. Anyone can spot her from a mile away. Her hair color was just so unique.
"Well, we should get going then. Looks like I'll have to be quick with my shopping," she muttered while she scooted out of the booth. Sora scooted out too and stood next to her.
"Do you have directions to theater?" Sasuke wondered.
"Yeah, Ino told me exactly where it is. By the way, what's the dress code for attending these recitals?"
"Semi-formal," he answered. Sakura nodded her head in understanding. Sasuke got out of the booth as well followed by Suki. The four of them walked out of the Okonomiyaki shop together. They stopped just outside the store.
"Naruto and Hinata will be coming too," Sasuke informed. "After he does anything, the Dobe usually drags us all to Ichiraku's for ramen. It's that restaurant right there." he said, pointing to the place next the Okonomiyaki shop. "Just thought you should know," he added, making her laugh.
"Thanks for the info." She lowered herself to Suki's level, which was pretty low, and smiled at her. "I'll be rooting for you and Akira tonight okay?"
"Okay," Suki beamed with an adorable smile. It was a smile that made Suki look so cute that Sakura just wanted to hug the life out of her. Suki reminded Sakura of a bubbly girl version of Sora. The two certainly had their similarities.
"So we'll see you guys later then," she said as she got up.
Sasuke nodded his head.
"Bye Sora," Suki said waving.
"Bye." Sora gave Sasuke one last look before reaching for Sakura's hand and walking away with her.
Sasuke just stood there and watched them walk away. Then he turned to Suki. "Let go too."
He picked her up and together they walked in the opposite direction to finish their errands.
Later that night…
Sakura had just finished drying her hair. The recital started in about an hour which gave her just over twenty minutes to finish getting ready. Sora was drawing in his room since he was already dressed and ready to go.
Sakura applied a light amount of makeup to her eyes and lips and left her hair down. She had bought a new dress today while she was out shopping. Sora said he liked it. It was a fairly simple black form-fitting tube top dress that stopped just above her knees. For some added modesty, she also wore a slivery- grey cardigan as well.
She also wore a very beautiful silver locket. When you open it up, you'll find a picture of Sora when he was a newborn. She finished the look with some pearl earrings.
After she stepped in her simple black heels, she picked up her purse and went into Sora's room.
"Sweetie it's time to go," she informed as she entered his room. He was sitting at his desk wearing a pair of nice black dress pants and a white button up shirt. He wore a black tie against his will. Sakura insisted that he look just a little bit formal. He finished his drawings and looked up at his mom.
He tore two drawings out from his sketchpad and walked out of the room with Sakura. After they went outside, Sakura locked the door before the two of them got into the car and drove off.
Backstage at the theater was pretty hectic as all the mothers were busy putting the final touches on their daughters right before their performance. There were three performances tonight with three different dance schools. Ino's group would be going last.
Suki and Akira were in one corner getting their wings on. They were wearing their costume which consisted of a light pink and white leotard and fluffy too-toos as well as their golden wings. They all wore light pink ballet slippers as well. Ino was with them.
"Okay girls, you're going to do great tonight," Ino praised. Akira looked excited while Suki was just staring at everyone else. Well, everyone and their moms. Again she felt the familiar sting of not having a mother of her own to help her get ready before a dance.
Ino noticed this and could help but feel down. The poor girl was suffering and there was nothing that she could do about it. Ino always tried to help Suki out as a mother should along with her own daughter but it wasn't the same. Akira and Suki were best friends after all, just like Ino and Sakura were best friends when they were their age.
Speaking of Sakura, she just so happened to walk into the backstage area and looked around. She and Sora had arrived moments before and ran into Sasuke.
Sakura told him that she wanted to see the girls before the show. Sasuke agreed to save her a seat next to him along with Sora, who didn't glare as much anymore but replaced them with awkward stares. Sakura had bought the girls little gifts for tonight's performances while she was out shopping earlier today and wanted to give it to them before the show.
"Hi Ino," she called out over the hubbub.
Ino turned around and hugged her. "Hey Sakura, what are you doing backstage?"
"Well I have something for our two little ballerinas," she answered as she knelt down to Suki and Akira's level. She pulled out two small neatly wrapped boxes out of her purse and handed one to each girl.
"Thank you Aunty Sakura," they chimed. They opened their boxes to reveal two small silver chains with small pendants of ballerina shoes on them. The girls loved it.
"So pretty," Suki awed at the twinkling pendant. Ino was helping Akira put the necklace on.
"Here let me put that on for you sweetie," Sakura offered as she took the chain and placed it around Suki's neck. After she was done, Suki turned around and faced Sakura.
"Thank you," she giggled happily.
"You're welcome sweetheart. I remember when I used to dance like you did," she said, nodding when Suki looked surprised. "My daddy gave me a necklace just like that one when I was your age. He said that only princess get to wear this necklace. Now it's your turn to be the princess," she said before looking over her appearance. "Oh wait your hair is a little messed up, let me fix it for you," she said as she removed the hair clip and began to use her fingers to brush out Suki's hair.
Suki's spirits felt lifted. Having Sakura there made her feel like all the other girls here with a mom. It was a nice feeling and Suki didn't want to lose it. Sakura made Suki feel just a little bit more special. She really felt like she was connected to the beautiful pink haired doctor.
Suki couldn't help it as she lunged at Sakura, who was still kneeling down, and hugged her. Luckily she was done with fixing her hair by now.
Sakura stumbled back a bit but regained her composure. She laughed as Suki clung to her before wrapping her arms around the small girl in a tight hug.
"Oh you're so sweet," Sakura gushed as she stroked Suki's hair.
Ino watched the two of them. She had never seen Suki look so happy before. She and Sakura were certainly similar in a lot of ways—their eyes being the most noticeable thing. But now that Ino really thought about it, Suki was very much like Sakura as a child. They both had the same innocent bubbly personality and warm smile. The only thing Suki lacked was Sakura's temper. Ino wondered why she never notice it before.
Sakura and Suki separated from the hug.
"Okay Suki I'll be sitting right next to your daddy and Sora just like you wanted. Good luck tonight, both of you," she encouraged as she turned to Akira too. She hugged and kissed them both before leaving to her seat.
Back in the audience, Itachi, Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Sora, Akio and Shikamaru were all seated in the front row, courtesy of Ino. They had the perfect view of the stage. There was an empty seat in between Sasuke and Sora that was saved for Sakura when she got back. Sora was talking to Akio who was sitting next to him. At least he wasn't glaring at Sasuke this time. Sakura came out from the side of the stage and made her way over to them.
"They're so cute," she fawned as she took her seat.
"How was Suki doing?" Sasuke asked. He was wearing black slacks and a nice grey shirt with a black coat over it. He didn't wear a tie so overall he looked more business casual that business professional.
"She's doing just fine. Don't tell Ino I said this but…," she dropped her voice to a whisper "Suki's the cutest one back there, but Akira's a close second," she added with a silent giggle.
Sasuke smirked.
"She's my daughter after all," he reminded with arrogance laced in his words.
Sakura laughed. "I think she's way too cute to be your daughter. You don't strike me as the outgoing energetic type."
"And you don't strike as the annoying type but you could rival the Dobe," he returned. Sakura playfully punched him in the arm. Sasuke kept his face straight indicating that the punch was pathetic, but the inside of his mind was saying something else.
"How can someone that small, punch like that?" he thought. His arm was a little sore now; it just might bruise. Just by looking at her, you would never think that someone so petite would be able to throw a decent punch. And that one was supposed to be playful.
"Hey Sakura, is that Teme talking about me?" Naruto shouted from down the row. Several heads turned in their direction at Naruto's outburst. Hinata slid lower in her seat while Sakura 'shushed' him and Sasuke just muttered "Dobe".
Sora snickered at Naruto's outburst. He was a pretty funny guy in Sora's opinion. Just then, the lights dimmed and the spot light shinned on the stage with the curtains closed. Ino stepped onto the stage and held on to a microphone.
"Good evening everyone. Tonight we have three very special performances. Let's bring out our first group." she said as she stepped down the stage and took her seat next to Shikamaru. The curtains rose and the first group of girls began their performance.
After the first two groups finished their performances, it was time for Suki and Akira's group. The curtains rose and there on the stage stood Ino's class with Suki and Akira in the front of the group. Suki's wings were also noticeably more sparkly than the others. She wasn't kidding when she said she would go overboard with the glitter.
Suki was normally excited before a performance, but now she was nervous. This time, Aunty Sakura would be watching her as well as Sora. She really wanted to do her best and impress them. She wanted to show Sakura that she could be a princess just like her. Not only that, but this was the first show that her daddy had been to in a while. He wasn't able to go to the last couple of performances due to work.
The curtains rose and the shining lights blinded Suki for a moment before she regained her vision. She quickly scanned the front row and found her friends and family. Itachi was smiling at her while Naruto started waving at her like crazy. Sora waved briefly and then there was her daddy with Sakura right next to him.
Sasuke and Sakura both smiled at her. Sakura waved at her with her fingers and Sasuke gave her an encouraging nod. By looking at the two of them, Suki felt like more confident. The music started and the girls began to do their dances.
The girls posed after their final dance step and the music ended. The audience all cheered and applauded. Some people were even throwing flowers onto the stage. The curtains closed and the audience started to rise from their seats.
Ino went backstage to help the girls change out of their costumes. Everyone else had just decided to hang out around the stage until the girls came back.
"So Sasuke, Sakura…you guys decided to color coordinate or something?" Naruto asked as he pointed to the two of them. Everyone else looked at them to and knew what Naruto meant.
The two looked at their outfits more closely. They were both wearing grey and black. "I guess we do kind of match," Sakura admitted.
"I think it suits you well Sakura," Itachi commented. He was wearing a black coat with a red shirt underneath and beige pants. He looked less "detective-like" in that outfit.
She blushed and thanked him. She thought that grey actually suited Sasuke better. With the rest of his outfit being black, the gray was a nice mediator and it really brought out the darkness of his eyes. Not that she noticed before when it was all dark.
Sora and Akio were sitting up on the stage and swinging their legs off the edge as they watched the grownups talk. Sora also noticed that Sasuke and his mom matched. It made them look like they were together, which didn't please him at all.
Sora looked over at Itachi who was leaning on the stage next to him. Itachi and Sasuke looked alike, but they were different. Sora had seen Itachi earlier today, but it was only when he saw Sasuke that he started to have those weird daydreams.
Two little voices shouted "Daddy!" Sora turned his head to see Suki and Akira running down the hall with Ino walking behind them. Akira ran right up to Shikamaru, who actually wasted no time in picking her up and putting her on his shoulders.
Suki ran to Sasuke, who also picked her up. Suki had changed out of her costume and into a white cotton sundress with a small dark red sweater over it. The bracelet Itachi gave her was on her wrist and the necklace that Sakura gave her was dangling from her neck.
"Daddy look at my necklace?" she said as she held it up to his face. Sasuke took a hold of the small chain and saw that there were silver ballerina shoes as a pendant on it.
"Who gave that to you?" he asked. Suki pointed to Sakura who was standing near them.
"And you deserve it too after dancing so well tonight," Sakura praised. "Now you can say that you're a princess of ballet. You and Akira have matching necklaces just like me an Ino used to."
Suki's smile couldn't get any bigger.
Sasuke focused on Sakura as she took hold of the necklace around Suki's neck. He could smell her perfume from being so close to her. It was a nice simple smell of white cherry blossoms.
Itachi observed from his place by the stage. Sakura was a decent woman. She was clearly someone of high spirits and an excellent doctor with an impressive track record as the prodigy of Dr. Tsunade Senju. Sasuke seemed to think well of her, considering he didn't mind talking to her and anyone with eyes could see that Suki absolutely adored the woman.
Seeing his brother and niece with Sakura just seemed so right. Although it's still too early to tell, Itachi thought that it was only a matter of time before his little brother and the doctor became closer. He could see it coming and the best thing that could ever come out of that would-be connection is Suki's happiness.
He hadn't seen Suki smile so much for a while. Having a mother like Sakura would be the best thing for her as well as Sasuke. But there was still one big obvious obstacle that could stop that from happening and it was sitting right next to him on the stage, staring at the three with an unreadable expression.
"Mommy's talking to him again," he thought as he watched them. Suki was showing off her new necklace to her dad. She seemed extra happy to have his mom around and he couldn't blame her since his mom was the best.
He was happy that Suki liked her. He didn't mind sharing his mother with her, but after looking at Sasuke, Sora couldn't help but think about something else.
He was crawling on the floor…there was someone ahead of him….he couldn't see who it was….all wanted was to reach that person…he was almost there…he made it…the man picked him up and bounced him around….the man had dark hair….and that was it…
That was the third time today that Sora had these weird thoughts and they all happened when he saw Sasuke. Why was he remembering nobody?
Itachi was observing him closely. The kid had a dazed look on his face as he stared at Sasuke. Then it was like he snapped back to reality. Confusion was clearly written all over his face. The question here is what was he thinking about? His mind started to process the possibilities before they were interrupted.
All thoughts were put on hold as Naruto took Suki from Sasuke and shouted for attention.
"Okay guys," he yelled over the commotion. "You all know the drill. Ichiraku's here we come!" he shouted as Suki cheered with him.
Ichiraku's was a fun restaurant and bar that was both kid friendly and entertaining. Naruto was obviously a regular here since the manager knew him by name. Naruto asked for a booth to accommodate all eleven of them. He usually sat at the bar when he was by himself or when he was with Hinata. Everyone had a good time there for about an hour and half.
Everyone had finished eating at this point. Sora and Akio were having mini chopstick fight under the table, but that was before Sakura and Ino scolded them for it and took it away from them. Suki and Akira looked a little tired out. They did have a pretty exhausting day after all.
"Looks like someone needs to go to bed," Sakura observed as Suki yawned. Sasuke looked at his watch. It was around 9:30.
"She's not the only one," he replied glancing at Sora who was rubbing his eyes to stay awake.
"I guess it's time to go then. Come on Sora, time to go home," she announced. Sora slid out from the booth.
"So when can we hang out forehead?" Ino asked. She was holding a sleeping Akira in her arms. "We still have a lot of catching up to do."
"I don't know. I'll call you tomorrow and we can take it from there. I'll ask Tenten and you should join us as well Hinata. We can all hang out together, that is if anyone of us can find the time."
"That sounds nice Sakura," Hinata said smiling.
Ino nodded. "Yeah it'll be nice to spend some time with adults. Don't get me wrong I love the kids and my ballet class, but I'm tired of looking down. They're all so short these days."
Sasuke, Itachi and Suki got up. Itachi was carrying Suki, who was barely awake by now.
"You guys leaving too?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru and Ino also began to get up from the table with their kids. "Everyone's ditching me!" Naruto cried.
"I'm not leaving you Naruto." Hinata soothed.
"That's because you married him," Ino snickered. "And besides Naruto, we're the ones with kids here."
"Fine fine, go to bed early on a Saturday night," he groaned. "Me and my wife are going to enjoy happy hour for a bit longer," he said as he put his arm around a blushing Hinata.
"You guys are so cute together." Sakura smiled.
"The honeymoon's got to end sometime right?" Ino joked making them both laugh. After wishing Naruto and Hinata goodnight, everyone else began to leave the restaurant.
"Call me later forehead girl. I'm glad you came out today."
"Me too. It reminded me of our dancing days."
Ino and Shikamaru left to go to their car while Sakura, Sora, Sasuke, Itachi and Suki still stood outside the restaurant. Sakura picked Sora up so that he could rest a bit. He was literally falling asleep on his feet.
She went over to Itachi, who was holding Suki. "Hi sweetie, you did a great job tonight," she said to a sleepy Suki.
"I'm a princess now… (yawn)…right?" she asked.
"Right," she replied before Suki was knocked out for the night.
"I'll take her to the car," Itachi offered. They watched him walk away with Suki fast asleep in his arms. Sora was trying hard to stay awake, thought it was hard with Sakura caressing his head. It was only made him sleepier. Soon he became too tired to even keep his eyes open.
"So... can I expect you around 2:00 pm at the clinic tomorrow?" she asked confusing him.
Sasuke raised his brow before it dawned on him that she was talking about his test. "My stress test right?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "So you haven't given up on that yet."
"No and I'll pester you until you cave so you better get it done soon. I'll call Naruto for backup if I have too."
He smirked. "2:00 pm it is then Dr. Haruno. Let's see what you can do."
"This late at night and he still finds the time to smirk?" she thought. She would wipe that smirk clean of his face during the exam tomorrow.
"I look forward to it Mr. Uchiha. Brace yourself for the truth. They say it hurts." she warned. Sora shifted in her arms. She readjusted him and then planted a kiss on his head.
"Sakura…" he began. She looked at him and waited for him to say something. "…Thank you for coming here tonight. It meant a lot to Suki. I also want to thank you for that necklace. You made her really happy."
Sakura looked into his eyes and felt something throb in her heart. He had the same softness in his eyes that Sai did when he talked about Sora. For the second time since their initial meeting, Sakura looked at Sasuke and saw her husband through him. She didn't like this feeling. She didn't want to constantly compare the two of them because there was no point to it.
Sakura just stood paralyzed on the spot. She needed to get away from him before she kept having thoughts like this. Plus it was getting cold and she needed to get Sora home soon.
"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the change in her eyes. She was looking at him just like Sora did earlier. What's going on here?
"…What…oh n-nothing," she stammered. "I'm uh… glad that Suki's happy. She really is special. I should go now. I'll see you later Sasuke." she said quickly before turning around and walking toward her car.
She was walking fast but steady as she carried her son. It was almost like she was trying to get away from him. From behind, Sasuke just now noticed how her dress fit her form perfectly. The black material really made her long legs stand out even more. Sasuke stopped himself.
There's no way that he was checking her out. He was just making and observation. He shook his head and walked to his car, but he couldn't get his mind off of Sakura's sudden change in emotion. It annoyed him to the point where he knew he wouldn't get a decent sleep out of it. But what did that matter to him? It's not like he enjoyed sleeping anyway.
It was past 10:00pm by the time Sakura got home. She carried Sora up to his room and changed him into his pajamas. After she tucked him into his little bed, she leaned over to give him a kiss.
She went down the hall to her room and changed out of her outfit. After replacing them with shorts and a t-shirt, she crawled into bed and sighed.
Sai…
It had barely been three years, but the pain was still just as bad as it was the first day. She tried her hardest to be strong and happy for Sora, but every night when she went to bed, she would have to remember that she was there alone. What made it all worse was that her son would never know him. He would never know what a great man his father was. All they had left of him were memories.
One of those memories chose to surface right then.
A little more than four years ago….
It was Saturday morning and Sakura was still sleeping in their bed. She was recovering from last night's shift at the hospital. Tsunade was killing her with this Fellowship. She rolled over and opened her eyes when she felt the empty side of the bed. Sai was already up.
She got out of bed and went into the bathroom to freshen up. After she came out, she put on her pink bathrobe and went into the living room where she saw the most adorable thing ever. Sai was sitting on the couch with their son.
"Say Daddy…say Daddy," a shirtless Sai instructed as he held his baby boy, clad in only a diaper, in front of him. Sora was around eight months old now. Sai had been trying every day to get him to say 'Daddy' as his first word.
Sora just cooed and smiled as his father played with him. He sure wasn't talking but he was definitely laughing a lot.
"Come on little man, just say Daddy. Daddy has to surpass your Mommy one way or another." he said bouncing his son up and down and earning him more squeals of happiness.
"Really?" Sakura asked as she walked over to them and sat down next to Sai. As soon as Sora saw her, he got extra excited and waved his cute little arms at her signaling that he wanting her to hold him now.
"Why is my baby shirtless?" she asked. Sai just held Sora up in his arms and sat up straighter. "We're men. I read that that's what men do… isn't it little man?" he asked Sora, who was still waving his arms at Sakura desperately.
"Does my baby want to come to Mommy?" she asked playfully as Sai reluctantly gave him to her. Sakura kissed his chubby cheeks and laughed.
"Mommy's rule," she declared sticking out her tongue.
He sighed. "Remind me of why I married you," he said before Sakura punched him with some added force and went back to snuggling with their baby. Sai got a mischievous smirk on his face. While Sakura was busy smothering Sora with kisses, Sai reached behind her and pulled her into his lap.
"Sai! I'm holding Sora!" she said as she tried to regain her composure.
"If you get to hold him, then I get to hold you," he replied burying his face in her hair. Sakura laughed at that logic. Sai looked over her shoulder at his son, who was now looking at him curiously.
"Say Daddy… say Daddy…" Sai repeated.
Baby Sora just looked at him before he gave a toothless smile and laughed before he returned to baby babble. Sai sighed in defeat and let his head fall on Sakura's shoulder.
"I believe our son is mocking me."
"He shouldn't be able to talk for another couple of months Sai. By then I'm sure his first word will be Mommy. Yes it will," she cooed as she snuggled with Sora again.
Sai pulled Sakura's face closer to his in a long but sweet kiss.
"…What was that for?" she asked smiling as they pulled away from each other.
"For giving me that little man right there," he answered as he pointed to Sora. The baby just looked at both his parents for a while before turning to Sai.
"… Da… da..." Sora 'said' with his tiny fist in his mouth. Sakura gasped.
"He did not just say that." she denied. Sora babbled again and laughing this time.
"…da...da….da da da da…" he sang. Sai took Sora from Sakura and stood up with him.
"There you go. He said "da da". Let the record show that his first word is "da da"." he said looking at his wife with a face that could only be described as a smug. Sora continued to laugh in his father's arms.
"Fine…but he loves me more!" pouted Sakura. Sai stopped playing with Sora and placed him in his playpen. He then turned around with an almost serious face and came to Sakura. He grabbed her and kissed her again.
"I don't think anyone can love you as much as I do," he whispered as he kissed her again with more passion. "I love you."
Sakura smiled at the memory. Sai really did love her more than life itself and she loved him just as much. He was the best part of her along with their son. It wasn't fair that life took him away from them.
Sakura got up from bed again and went down stairs to get a glass of water. When she came back up, she heard some mumbling coming from Sora's room. She quietly went inside to check up on him.
He was sprawled across the bed and it looked like he was having some sort of dream. His blanket was falling off the bed so Sakura pulled it over him again. She knelt down to kiss him when he unconsciously said one word that stopped her heart.
Sora shifted and whispered "Daddy…"
Authors Note:
Hello people. Okay I got some big news. With the help of Neon Kun – you rock dude! I've decided to use a sort of made up surname for Sai and Sora. From now on in the story, Sai's and Sora will now be known as "Sai Arisugaki and Sora Arisugaki". I KNOW SAI HAS NO LAST NAME… but I like that name for them. Sakura will be keeping her own last name of Haruno just because it flows better. The reason for her doing that will be revealed later.