She was lost in thought as she made her way back to Naruto's house.
'Why would someone break into my house just to leave behind a...flower?'
The thought that someone had been beside her bed while she and Sarada slept unnerved her to no end, as it should.
'I need to set up traps around the compound. No, that won't work. Sarada will notice. Maybe leave a few clones? Or even slugs. That could work and I'm sure they'd be happy to help if they knew that-'
"Kaa-san!"
Being caught off-guard, her head snapped up and realized she'd stopped outside Naruto's house.
Having sensed her fluctuating chakra, Hinata met her with the children.
"Is everything alright, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked her worriedly.
"Can I ask a favour of you, Hinata? I'm going to be busy at nights for a while and I was wondering if Sarada could stay here some nights. I'll be talking to Ino, Tenten and Temari as well so that you won't have her every night."
"It's no problem, Sakura-chan, what's going on?" Hinata asked.
"I can't...say anymore than that, I'm sorry."
Turning, she called out to Sarada who was swinging Himawari by her arms with Bolt.
"Time to go, Sara-chan!"
Sarada looked up and nodded. She hugged Himawari and paused at Bolt before tapping his shoulder and running back to her who watched her affectionate tap that reminded her of Sasuke's before they both turned and walked off.
"Thanks again, Hinata-chan."
That night, Sakura asked Sarada to sleep with her. She was confused but agreed.
Once they settled into bed, Sarada was quite to fall asleep but Sakura was wide awake.
Holding her close, she tried to fall asleep.
Through the window, she could see the first sign of light as the eastern horizon lightened, signalling the beginning of a new day.
As the first ray of sunlight hit her face, she felt her dreams pull her under.
When Sarada woke, she noticed how exhausted Sakura looked.
Her gaze turned concerned as she carefully slipped out of the bed. She walked to her room and dressed herself, preparing for the academy.
Leaving a letter on the bedside table, she left.
Midday was when Sakura finally woke.
With morning sickness.
Tiringly dragging herself out of the bedroom, she dropped to the toilet and brought up her last meal.
She spent an hour by the bowl, slowly dozing off. Her head rested on her arms that were folded on the toilet seat as she lazily blinked, staring out the bathroom window.
'The sun is...is it...midday?' She wondered, yawning.
Her chakra pulsed, finding no one in the house.
"She must have gone to the academy..."
After taking a moment to gather her strength, she stood and moved down to the kitchen. Once she finished eating, she got up and got ready for the day.
Once she was ready, she made contact with the slugs. A small Katsuyu appeared in a poof of smoke from her summoning.
"Sakura-sama, how may I help you?"
"Katsuyu, I need you to promise me you'll keep this a secret," Sakura urged.
"I can't promise absolute silence, Sakura-sama. Should Tsunade-sama ask, I must answer her. But I promise to hide it as best as I can."
Sakura pondered that. It was probably best that there be a safety net, in case her precautions fail. "Very well."
"How may I be of assistance?"
"I need slug scouts."
There was a pause as Katsuyu's antenna eyes blinked at her.
"Slug scouts?"
"Yes."
"My apologies, Sakura-sama, but slugs don't make the best scouts. We are known for our lack of speed, you see."
Sakura let out a huff. "I know that Katsu- okay, look. Someone broke into my house two nights ago to leave me a flower and I have no idea why or who. All I know is that it wasn't Sasuke."
Katsuyu seemed to catch on. "You need us to keep an eye out for suspicious activity or personnel."
"Exactly."
The slug nodded. "It shall be done, Sakura-sama. Though I need a few days."
That sentence alone left her feeling unimaginably light, as if a great weight had been taken off her shoulders.
"Thank you so much, Katsuyu."
Sarada sighed as she sat at the table and laid her forehead on the desk, staring blankly at the wooden surface just a couple centimetres away from her eyes.
"Oi!"
Chosing instead to ignore the owner of the obnoxious voice, she closed her eyes, willing her headache to go away.
"Meinu-chan, I'm talking to you!"
'-chain?'
"And this is me ignoring you, Haisha-kun."
"Hey, don't ignore me!"
Feeling the table move, she looked up to see Bolt crouched on her desk and his face right in front of hers. She passed off the flush on her cheeks as anger.
"What?" She snapped. "I have a headache and I really don't need you adding to it."
Behind them, Inojin shoved Shikadai. It was nothing new. Those two got on each others nerves just like Bolt and Sarada.
"You're so damn lazy."
Bolt ignored them as he glared into Sarada's eyes. "I'm still pissed that you shoved me into a barrel."
Shikadai shoved Inojin back. "And you're too loud, like your mother."
Sarada glared back at Bolt. "You deserved it!"
"Screw you, asshole!"
Inojin threw a punch which made contact with Shikadai's cheek, knocking him back and into Bolt.
Bolt snapped "Yeah well- ahhm!"
Shikadai spun around to see who he had fallen into and everyone, including Inojin who looked like his eyes were going to pop out, stared in ...well, they didn't know. Shock? Awe? Horror?
Sarada and Bolt stared at each other with wide eyes.
And their lips locked.
Bolt yanked himself back but Sarada was frozen in place.
'My...first kiss...with the baka!?'
Bolt wiped his mouth and though it was an accident, she found it insulting. Her first kiss. The kiss her mother said was supposed to be special. Wasted. Gone. Done.
And the more Bolt wiped his mouth and spluttered, the more upset she became.
"Sarada-chan, I'm-" Inojin was cut off when Sarada smacked Bolt across the face, who crouched in his place on the table, stunned.
"Baka!" She yelled and took off out the classroom door, shoving passed Konohamaru.
And Bolt could swear on his genetic love of ramen.
Those were tears in her eyes.
"What's going on here?" Konohamaru asked.
As a class, they chose to feign ignorance.
Sasuke stopped at the small tea house between Suna and Konoha on his way home. As he sat alone, staring out at the greenery, he felt something strange settle over the area.
Not moving from his spot, his eyes scanned his surroundings.
"Show yourself."
Before him, from the shadows of a tree, a man began to form. The process reminded him a lot of Suigetsu's special ability.
"Who are you?"
"I've been waiting for you, Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke continued to stare at him.
"I see your path of redemption is going well," the man casually stated. "But I do wonder, how easy would it be for you to slip back into the role of an avenger."
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Again, the man ignored him. "I come bearing gifts," he offered before tossing something at him.
Sasuke caught the object and turned his hand over to see what he held.
His eyes widened before they shot up, Sharingan whirling to life.
"Who are you!?" He snapped.
The man chuckled and Sasuke attacked, Kusanagi slashing through the man who merely laughed and disappeared like the shadows he was made off. His power was exactly like Suigetsu's.
As Sasuke stood there, his heart thudded in his chest before he took off towards Konoha at full speed.
His tea long forgotten as his hand tightened around the 'gift'.
A pair of small, red framed glasses.
SUUUUPPPP
I know you guys are requesting longer chapters but it takes me long enough to make these smaller ones. I know exactly what's gonna happen, I've just gotta get more motivated.
But your reviews help!
With every review, I write just a little more before I hit that block again.
I still can't get over the fucking poncho...
The more I look at Sasuke, the less I like him.
Did anyone see what I did with Sarada and Bolt?
Like Father Like ... kids?
I also have absolutely no idea if Shikadai or Inojin get along or not. I assume they do because Inojin was trying to get Choji's random looking daughter (SERIOUSLY WHAT THE FUCK. I never watched all the anime so I had no idea who the fuck Darui was. Isn't that supposed to be a guy?) and Shikadai for training since Ino wanted the Ino-Shika-Cho thing going on again but for the story's sake, they are going to dislike each other.
A lot.
Now, about Sarada crying. I don't wanna hear any motherfuckers saying 'Sarada wouldn't cry, she's an Uchiha' or 'Sasuke wouldn't let his daughter cry'-
Motherfucker, she's a girl. She's entitled to feel emotional. I'm not being sexist, it's true. Women have a higher pain and stress tolerance to men (scientifically proven...no idea how) and one of those reasons is because we let it out and cry.
Her mother is also Haruno fucking Sakura, whose been known to cry a lot (I think. I'm pretty sure she cried often). Not even about her crying, she would have TOTALLY built up on the whole love thing and emphasized on the importance of sharing her first kiss with someone she truly loved and trusted. Can you imagine how Sarada must think her mother would react when she found out about the accidental kiss?
While we all know she'd piss herself laughing because it happened the same way with Sasuke and Naruto (pfft that's still funny), Sarada has no idea what happened, only that her first kiss was supposed to be with someone special to her.
A girl's first kiss is very special and I know that if the guy I kissed -accidental or not- wiped his mouth like he was disgusted, I'd be very insulted and upset and I'd be so embarrassed I'd cry.
So I think, with no Sasuke around for her to get the impression that emotionless is superior and instead is around Sakura who is more than happy to scream her anger or cry her sadness or even SMILE WHEN HAPPY, she'd be a little more sensitive.
Now, I have a question for you readers.
Does Sarada and Bolt seem too mature?
I like to think that no, they don't. But I mean they just kissed (again, accidentally) and I don't want to make them OOC. I'm very hard on myself about characters being IN character. I hate stories when characters aren't behaving how they should be.
So leave me with a review and tell me what you think.
Your loving author,
Me xD