Life is unpredictable.

It's like being on a roller coaster.

In one moment, you are happy; in another, you are sad.

One day you marry the love of your life, and the next, he abandons you.

Leaf Village was enormous, and the news circulated quickly. Everyone knew about the famous couple, who were head over heels in love with each other, and their tragic end. The woman was abandoned on the very next day after her wedding.

Her husband had just vanished.

Leaving the Village to think he used her and left, or couldn't handle her and left. People made up so many assumptions that, ultimately, she had to believe them.

Five years later, this continued.

This is just a typical day for the family now.

As it appears, people will never allow you to forget your past pain.

You can never get used to the pain; every time it aches like the first.

Sakura Haruno was onetime again taunted and rudely asked out by a patient; reminding her of every pang of the past, "Ms. Haruno, you are wasting your good years. You won't be 24 forever. I am willing to take you out even after I know your husband has abandoned you."

Clenching her jaw, she tightly dressed the wound on his arm while he cried out in pain and then told plainly, "Thank you for your kind offer; you may leave now."

The brightest medic, one of the strongest women in the village, had forfeited the battle for her life. She was no longer as strong as she once was.

Sasuke was her weakness.

And time proved it.

As shortly as Sakura treated her last patient, she hastily drove to her house, not even letting out a single goodbye to anyone.

"Mama is back!" Sarada beamed and waved.

The sight she adored and held the dearest to her heart the most. "Yes, Mama is back, my love. Did Sarada miss me?"

Her last will to live.

The four-year-old daughter leaped into her mother's arms, almost sending her back with the force of the impact. "Sarada missed you, Mama." She extended her arms as greatly as she could. "This much."

Her whole world.

Sakura kissed her cheek and bopped her nose. "And so did Mama. Now who's my favourite?"

"Me! Me! Me! Me!" Sarada jumped in her arms full of excitement.

"Yes, you are!" Sakura inclined to face Ino. "Thank you as always."

And her friend's response was the usual "You're welcome as always."

Sakura smiled and held Sarada harder. "What do we say, Sarada?"

"Thank you, Aunty Ino."

Ino pinched Sarada's pink-tinted chubby cheek. "Love you, cutie pie."

The mother and daughter duo shouted with the identical energetic energy they shared as Ino left, "Bye!"

"Now let's eat dinner." Sakura wandered to the kitchen and placed the take-out in the microwave to warm up before going to her bedroom to change into her home clothes.

She returned, and Sarada was unmoving sitting on the chair where Sakura left her, patiently lingering for her mother. "Mama, why don't I look like you?"

Now Sakura had no idea where this conversation was headed. "What do you mean, my love?"

"Sarada doesn't have pink hair and green eyes like you." She touched her own hair and frowned, "I have black hair and black eyes."

Before processing her words, Sakura blurted out, "Because you look like your Father." Oh no, she shouldn't have said that. That would bring up the exact conversation they had months back.

The precious girl had a hurt image on her adorable sad face. "But I don't have a Father. Sarada wants to look like you."

"And you do look like me. You have my smile, eyes, and face; because you are my daughter Sarada. When I was a baby, I looked just like you. You are mine Sarada and only mine." At this point, Sakura was crying, and she truly hoped Sarada would comprehend this.

Being a child, she asked the exact question over and over again in life "Did father not love Sarada?"

It destroyed Sakura how mature her daughter could talk for her age. "Your Father loves you a lot." She knew he didn't.

Sakura had always known because why would he leave otherwise? He didn't love Sakura, so how could he love her daughter?

As the well-known old saying goes, 'A man never loves a child that comes from a woman he doesn't love.'

And then she started crying, which Sakura dreaded. "Then why did he leave Sarada!"

"He…No…He didn't." That was not what Sarada had ever said before. How did she know this? Sakura hid this fact very well from her.

She had always said that Sasuke was on a mission trying to protect them, and he did love her a lot.

Sarada began hiccupping from her sobs. "Ev...Everyone says...he left...because he didn't love...Sarada."

Her mama bear was activated, and Sakura leaned before her daughter with closed hands. "Who said that?"

"Sarada was playing outside, and mean kids said that to her." But this was coming soon anyway; how long could she save her from the talk of the Village?

Right away, Sakura enveloped her daughter in a tight embrace. "Shh, Mama's here; don't cry. Please don't listen to them, Sarada. I love you very much. And your Father does too."

Finally, her daughter calmed down. "Sarada loves you both very much too, Mama."

Sakura was glad Sarada couldn't see her because those words halted the dam in her eyes. "I know, baby. I know."

"Sarada's hungry." She murmured in her shirt.

It truly baffled her how her daughter could return to her usual self in a second "Me too. Now let's eat, okay?"

Sarada sat back in her seat and excitedly raised her hands. "Yay!"

It was sad how their dining table only had two chairs. They were a family of two. Would that be what they always will be? Just two?

A family of two.

The Haruno family.

Sakura had thrown away her ring a month after he had left. She held onto the hope that he would return for a month, but after that, she gave up and believed everyone. It was hard not to.

When Sarada was born, Sakura gave her her last name. She didn't want her daughter to have the last name of the man who had abandoned them. So she changed her own last name too.

She applied for Divorce, and since Sasuke wasn't there, it was complicated though she thought the opposite. So she still is married to the man she hates.

And once again, the Village gossiped about it and laughed in her face for it, but Sakura thanked the spirits she had such amazing friends who had her back in all those tough times. And still do.

She would be fine.

She wished she was fine.

She should be fine.

Sakura would live not for herself but only for Sarada.

After eating dinner, Sakura cleaned up the kitchen and rinsed the dishes.

"Hands up, Sarada"

"Up-py!" Sakura laughed at the picture in front of her. Her daughter had her small arms up in the air so Sakura could put on her nightwear.

Routinely, the mother sat by her sleeping daughter and ran her fingers through Sarada's black hair. "What story would you like to hear today? How about the three little ducks?"

That story was her favourite, and by now, Sakura knew it by heart. "Tell me about Father." Sarada shook her head and smiled.

Of course, she wouldn't forget about him; the interactions with the people had awakened many questions within her. She spoke in a monotone voice, saying, "He loves you very much."

"You say that always" She took a breath. "What was he like?"

Sakura's eyes glowed as she considered where to begin. He had been the love of her life. "He was very brave," she said softly. "And he...he loved us a lot." The word 'love' felt poisonous when associated with Sasuke.

As every daughter would be, Sarada was fangirling, "So like you, Mama."

Yes and no, because Sasuke left, but Sakura stayed.

The mother, with eyes glistening and heart heavy, spoke up after a moment, "Yes, like me, Sarada. I love you so much, baby." Sakura kissed her cheeks, and Sarada giggled.

She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "G'night, Mama."

Sarada was the light in her darkness, the love in her void, her strength, the hope for happiness, and the will to live. Sakura loved her with all her heart, but despite all this, for some reason, she still felt empty.

Sarada was a constant reminder of Sasuke, and it was tortuous. She only reminded her how much she once loved him and he her.

She hated him with all her being but for some reason.

She still kept all his belongings.

She held their memories together, dear to her heart.

Despite all the hurt and five years of separation, she could never forget or completely hate him.

He was a dangerous man to her.

After caressing her cheek the last time and whispering, "Good night, baby." Sakura went to her room, and it looked so empty...so so empty.

Even though it was filled with Sarada's toys and pictures of them together, it still looked so empty.

It wasn't herself or the room that was empty.

It was Sakura's heart.

But now Sasuke was dead to her.

Five years ago

"Will you always be here for me, Anata?" Sakura asked as she cuddled closer to Sasuke. This was the first time she had ever called him 'Anata.'

Sasuke took a moment to respond, "Aren't you sore?"

All giddy, his wife, oh his wife, pouted. "Don't change the subject!" She blushed as she recalled what they had done a few hours ago.

Sasuke whispered, "Go to sleep, Sakura." As he pulled her naked body closer to him.

They still could not believe it; just a few hours ago, they had gotten married.

Married.

Husband and Wife.

Sakura giggled and whispered against his collarbone, "I'll always love you, Sasuke."

"Hn."

The next morning, Sakura woke up with a note left by Sasuke.

I'll always love you too, Sakura - Your Anata.

I do not own any characters or Naruto! The story is mine only.