The experience had been surreal. He had an actual home and a family. Heck, there was even a flower garden outside — his mother would have been thrilled. Mikato Uchiha would have loved to meet her granddaughter. She would have loved to meet Sakura! Not for the first time, he wondered if it really was necessary to slaughter his entire clan. Though, he knew it wasn't necessary. Danzo had an ulterior motive. He was glad that bastard was dead. He would have enjoyed killing him again.
Sasuke shook his head. He didn't want to taint his new home with thoughts of that monster.
He realized that while he'd been officially forgiven by the international ninja community, that it was because of his attachment to Sakura that their house had been full earlier. If it had just been him, if he'd left her again, whatever welcoming party would have been no more than a party of three at the most — Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi. But this time, Sakura came with him and they returned together. So his new house had been crowded with his childhood friends, the former, current, and future hokages, in-laws, and Sai. He could have done without the latter two.
Sasuke explored their new house while Sakura bathed Sarada and prepared her for bedtime. It was their baby's first official bath. The last six weeks, their daughter only had sponge baths and simple wash-ups. It the sound of of baby giggles and splashing was any indication — Sarada was a fan.
Naruto and Kakashi had engineered the gym/training room. It was everything a physically fit shinobi could want. Naruto did warn that he'd probably be over a few times a week to use it. Sasuke gently hand-chopped the wooden dummy in the training room at the pressure points. He wasn't sure how long it would survive if he actually used any force. It definitely wouldn't survive his wife's fists. Sasuke removed his prosthetic and placed it on a small table inside the room. He returned to the wooden dummy, used his right hand and went through the same hand chop pattern he first learned as a kid. It would be good for going through the motions and balance, but he quickly grew bored. Good thing Naruto was his neighbor. He would prefer sparring with him. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to spar with Sakura too often, it could easily turn into a sexual situation. He wouldn't have that problem with the loud-mouthed blond.
He went to the next room. The dining room had a long formal table that could seat twelve guests. If he could help it, there would be no more than four people at the house at a time. He would probably lose that argument. Sakura seemed pretty popular. There was a china cabinet along one wall—he recognized some of the pieces from his childhood. He stepped closer, ran his fingers along the dark wood. He recognized the cabinet - it was his mother's.
Sasuke felt a hitch in his chest. Someone went back to his childhood home and salvaged his mother's china cabinet. He turned back to the formal table. It was the same style as the cabinet. He pulled out the side chair on the left side of the table's head, crouched onto the floor and peered at the underside. Carved underneath were the initials I.U. and next to it S.U. He remembered when his brother labeled the table. There had been a day when Itachi was out on a mission and their father wanted Sasuke to sit next to him at the table — it had been a terrifying and intimidating experience. His father was a domineering man and constantly belittled young Sasuke. Itachi had carved their initials and said that if he wasn't there in person, he'd be there in spirit to protect his little brother.
It was ridiculous, just an old memory, but Sasuke felt his eyes— Itachi's eyes— water. For most of his childhood, after the massacre, memories of his brother was tarnished in an aura of hate. It wasn't until years later that he realized how much Itachi sacrificed for both the village and for Sasuke. Heck, even Naruto had more time with Itachi than Sasuke had. He could relate to Sakura more than she realized. She chased him, but he chased after Itachi.
He sniffed and wiped at his nose. There was no need to get emotional. Sasuke cleared his throat and went back to the china cabinet. He opened the bottom doors and was pleasantly surprised to find a collection of board games— a formal dining table would be perfect for playing strategy board games. He was under no illusions that Nara had any friendly feelings towards him, but since he was already helping Kakashi and would one day help Naruto, it would good to try and foster some kind of good will with the strategist. Shikamaru would probably appreciate a chance to beat Sasuke at Shogi Though, if he lost, he'd probably hate Sasuke even more.
Next, he went to the kitchen. The refrigerator was stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, juice, and milk. The pantry was full of non-perishables. The ingredients for spaghetti were present — that's all he really cared about. He wandered down the hall to the first bedroom, it consisted of a couple of twin sized daybeds and a wall full of books. The next bedroom was empty. The third bedroom had been turned into a nursery with a pale blue and warm yellow color scheme. He stopped abruptly when he spotted a pale white bear with a dark blue jacket. He picked up the plushie. Embroidered on its back was the Uchiha clan fan symbol.
He clenched the bear in his fist, leaned against the nearby wall, and slid to the floor. Had he only been a fraction quicker, none of this would have been possible. Sakura would have been dead at his hands and most likely the world would have fallen under Kaguya's Infinite Tsukuyomi. It took all of Team Seven, as well as some intervention from the original Sage of the Six Paths to barely pull off a victory.
"Sasuke?" Sakura stepped inside the room, wearing a dark blue silk robe, hair damp from a shower. Sasuke glanced up at her, but said nothing. How long had he been sitting in the nursery? His wife crouched in front of him, her soft fingers traced along his jawline. "What's going on in that head of yours?"
"Just thinking about the past," Sasuke admitted.
"Why? You cannot change the past." Sakura cupped either side of Sasuke's face and brushed the tip of her nose against his. "You can live in the present and hope for the future though."
Sasuke scoffed. "Easier said than done. We'll probably have this conversation many more times." He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Sakura's warm breath across his lips "However, that would be a good motto for your children's mental health program."
"The baby is asleep in her crib." Sakura stood and extended her hand down to him. "Would you like to explore the master bedroom with me? We'll have to be quiet so we don't wake her."
He would try to focus on the present. He'd already spent too long haunted by his past. He didn't want his daughter to suffer the same dark depression. Sasuke took his wife's hand and let her lead the way to their bedroom.
There was a king-sized bed covered by a dark blue bedspread with the Uchiha fan embroidered on it. "Who do you think did the embroidery?" Sasuke asked. It was certainly a thoughtful addition - a reminder of the past, but untarnished.
"My guess would be Hinata." Sakura pushed Sasuke towards the bed until the back of his knees bumped against it. He sat on the edge — the mattress was a good firmness level. She began to unbutton his shirt and slipped it over his shoulders. Her fingers lingered over his left biceps and a surge of healing chakra calmed where the prosthetic attached. "It's strange. Naruto doesn't have the same irritation from his prosthetic."
"I think it's my fire nature," Sasuke admitted. "It chaffs at the wood."
Sakura hummed and then began to kiss Sasuke's chin, then his neck. The tension in Sasuke's muscles began to ebb. He slid his right arm around her waist and then flipped Sakura to the bed, her robe fell open as he balanced on top of her and took the lead. His mouth began to explore her body and he focused on the present.
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As Spring began to creep towards Summer, the three-person Uchiha clan began to adapt to their village life. Baby Sarada started to sleep for six hour stretches at night, reduced her feeds to just 5 sessions per day, freeing up a lot of her parents' time. Sakura and Sasuke took turns sleeping through the night, so neither felt sleep deprived. Thankfully, Sarada was a healthy baby - no colic pains or feeding issues.
Sakura rinsed Sarada's bottle, flushing the suds out with hot water. Her gaze fell upon her husband sleeping stretched out on the floor. Sarada slept on her stomach over his chest, her little face tucked against this neck. Sakura set the empty bottle upside down on the drying rack and then quietly approached the two.
Sarada opened her eyes slowly, dark gaze following Sakura's movements, before she cooed and snuggled against her father again.
"It's impossible to sneak up on an Uchiha," Sasuke murmured, eyes still closed.
Sakura knelt beside them on the floor, gently ran her fingers along Sarada's small back. "Are you going to the bar? Naruto's bachelor party starts in an hour."
"Can't I just stay home and watch the baby?" Sasuke asked. "We can order dinner. I'm sure we can include some umeboshi or anmitsui. We'll just have a quiet night at home."
"That's a low blow," Sakura said, rubbing at her belly just thinking of the syrupy deserts. She was constantly hungry due to the caloric demands of nursing their baby. She used a pump to keep up with her lactation and allow Sasuke equal opportunity to feed their child. "If it was anyone other than Naruto that would be an option."
"Drinking alcohol and socializing with many people is not an enjoyable past time for me," Sasuke pointed out. "Relaxing at our calm house with our precious daughter is very enjoyable."
"You've never been one to shy away from uncomfortable situations." Sakura brushed Sasuke's hair out of his eyes, enjoying the silky feel of his dark locks.
"That's not true." Sasuke cracked open his dark eye to stare back. "I avoided you for years." He smirked briefly. "Naruto is going to ask me to be his best man and I will have to decline. I hate disappointing him."
"The wedding is next week. It's possible he already asked someone else to be his best man," Sakura pointed out. "The best man is generally the one that plans the celebratory events and you definitely didn't plan a boy's night at the bar. Besides, Naruto is our neighbor. He'll come by here on the way."
"If I'd planned a celebratory event, we'd be doing a massive sparring battle." Sasuke smiled briefly. "I'd kick all their asses."
"I'm sure you would," Sakura agreed with an amused smile.
"But, I'd go easy on Naruto." Sasuke sat up, cradling Sarada against him, their daughter barely shifted at the change of position. "I wouldn't want him all banged up before his wedding."
"It's fine." Sakura waved her hand dismissively. " I'd just heal him." She took Sarada into her own arms. "No more excuses, get dressed."
"What will you do?" Sasuke asked. "I wouldn't want you to be lonely."
Sakura laughed. "Whatever. Ino is on her way over with Inojin."
Sasuke became still as a statue. "Does that mean Sai is coming too."
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The torture was worst than any experiments he'd survived under Orochimaru. Not only had Naruto not even considered asking Sasuke to be his best man, he'd asked Iruka- months ago! Their old academy teacher was only a chunin level shinobi. Sasuke was highly offended. He sat at the bar, sipping on the strongest whiskey in the bar, but there was no point — with his immunity to toxins, alcohol didn't affect him. At least it tasted good.
There was karaoke.
Rock Lee and Sai were currently sharing the stage.
It was bad.
Naruto, Iruka, Kiba, Shino, Konohamaru, and Choji were loudly cheering them on. Even Shikamaru called out the occasional encouragement.
Kakashi entered the bar, no doubt late to the event after a long day at the office. Or just late because he liked being late. The Sixth Hokage pulled out the barstool next to him. "Glad you came out," Kakashi said. "How are you adjusting?"
Sasuke shrugged. "It's been quiet. Sarada is sleeping through the night now." He cast his old leader a side-long glance. "The house is really nice. It was more than I expected."
"Itachi was a friend," Kakashi said. He turned his stool around and faced the karaoke stage. His cringe was apparent even with his face mask. "I felt bad for misjudging him for so many years."
"To be fair, he was really good at infiltrating the enemy," Sasuke pointed out. He took another drink of his whiskey— it tasted like swallowing a fireball. It made sense that Kakashi put in extra effort due to his friendship with Itachi. Sasuke had burned his bridge with Kakashi multiple times. "It's a good home for Sakura and the baby. Before long, I'll have to head out again."
"I know," Kakashi said.
"Did you ever think about having a family?" Sasuke watched Kakashi closely. He respected the hokage. He wasn't as strong now that he didn't have Obito's Sharingan, but he still had over a thousand jutsus in his arsenal and now he had full access to his chakra reserves. He was still formidable.
"Sure, which is why I always used protection," Kakashi admitted with a cheeky smile. His expression sobered. "Though, if I were to have my top pick of whom to start a family with - you've already claimed the best candidate in the village."
Sasuke stiffened at the revelation. He had always suspected, from the moment Kakashi showed up at the last moment and saved Sakura from the chidori he had aimed at her heart. Then there was Kakashi's susanoo during the last major battle. He'd created it out of his desperation to save Sakura. It had been a shock to see the gigantic electric blue susanoo. Sasuke pushed aside his glass of whiskey. "Do you still have such feelings?" He turned towards the hokage, meeting his matching dark eyes.
"Feelings like that don't just go away," Kakashi said quietly. He held his hands up in mock surrender. "I would never pressure her. And she's a married woman — making her off the market. But I will be her friend." Kakashi leaned his elbow lazily on the counter. "And if you give her too much crap and she leaves you, I'll be happy to help her pick up the pieces. Remember that."
A ball of jealousy welled up in the pit of Sasuke's stomach, but he pushed it down. He wanted Sakura and Sarada to be watched over. He admitted to himself at least that he was jealous of both Naruto and Sai for their easy relationship with his wife. He would just have to trust her. She'd done nothing but be loyal to him, even when he was at his worst to her. "Okay," he said. "Thank you, I guess."
The bartender slid a sake towards Kakashi. He caught it and took a sip of it. "For some reason she likes damaged goods."
"Ain't that the truth." Sasuke held up his glass. With a laugh, Kakashi clinked his against it.
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Sitting across from each other, babies propped up on their laps, Sakura and Ino rolled a ball back and forth across the den's wooden floor. Sarada and Inojin both giggled as the toy came their way.
"I don't know. Maybe I'll just elope too," Ino said. "I don't want my wedding compared to Hinata's, you know? I mean, she's going have international guests. I don't even have someone to walk me down the aisle. My father and my sensei are both dead." She slouched buried her face in her son's golden hair.
"You have Shikamaru and Choji," Sakura pointed out. "You aren't competing with Hinata. It's a celebration of you and Sai." She picked up the ball, brought it close to Sarada, and her daughter bit hard into it. "And the teething begins."
Ino smiled. "That would be nice. Ino-Shika-Cho walking down the aisle together." She reached behind her for an applesauce pouch and started to feed Inojin. "Are you going to have a big wedding?"
"I already had a small, beach wedding with the love of my life. I don't want another wedding." Sakura took the ball away from Sarada. She didn't have teeth yet, but had already left an indention. "Sasuke doesn't do well being the center of attention. "
"Check this out." Ino laid her son on his belly. He rolled over almost immediately and frowned up at her. Ino rolled him back to his belly. Inojin rolled over a couple of times and then stretched his arms towards Sakura, shuffling forward a few centimeters. "He's practically crawling!"
"Very impressive," Sakura said, rubbing Inojin on the shoulders gently. "So, anything happen interesting at the hospital while I was gone?" Ino was always the best source of Konoha gossip.
"Shizune finally made a move on Kakashi," Ino whispered.
"Why are you whispering?" Sakura asked. "Good for her. He's the most eligible bachelor — has been for a while."
"He went on a couple of dates with her," Ino continued in her whisper. "Shizune had an amazing time, but Sai and I were nearby on their fourth date. Kakashi was less than enthused. I mean, he was polite and smiled, but he wasn't really into it."
"How do you know if he wasn't really into it? He wasn't reading his porn again was he? Maybe he's just distracted. Being hokage is a lot of work," Sakura pointed out, speaking in her normal voice.
Ino shrugged. "Maybe. I just know what I saw." She leaned forward. "I suspect he was a little disappointed that things worked out between you and Sasuke."
Sakura laughed. "Now you're being ridiculous. Kakashi and I are close, but he'll never see me as anyone other than that annoying Sasuke-obsessed genin when we first met."
"I don't think anyone thinks of you that way anymore." Ino picked up her son and started to sing a pop tune, dancing for his entertainment. She raised her voice, "I just think Sasuke better prove his love. You're in the honeymoon stage right now. It gets lonely when your partner is on extended missions. Now that you have a child, you won't be able to follow after him."
Sakura rolled her eyes at Ino's concerns. Her friend had always been more boy crazy than anyone she knew. She saw crushes where there was only friendly concern. Sarada started to fuss, so Sakura began to nurse her hungry baby. She had more important things to do than worry about villagers making a move on her when her husband left. He was here now and he would come back even after he left. And she would wait.
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