Fugaku looked up when he heard the usual greetings of the maids whenever his youngest son would arrive home. The Uchiha patriarch was currently drinking his coffee while reading new business proposals in the dining area. He immediately noticed his granddaughter already sleeping in Sasuke's arms; the maids were quick to lead both father and daughter to Sarada's room.
Not even ten minutes afterward, Sasuke had made his presence known as he sat across his father. Fugaku did not bother to look at his son as he asked him why he left the office early.
"I had Itachi take over. What you did was irresponsible. I understand you trust the Hyuga's, but I do not trust anyone besides our own." Fugaku frowned and looked at his son expectantly.
"I went to pick up Sarada. What happened to Sakura has greatly affected her. This will not happen again."
With that, Fugaku's tensed expression softened. He could be intimidating when he wanted to be, but when it comes to his granddaughter, it never failed to surprise Sasuke how much his father can change.
"I take it, you visited Sakura?" This time, when he spoke, Fugaku had set aside the business papers. And when Sasuke merely nodded, the Uchiha patriarch's expression turned into a serious one once again.
"Judging from the change of your behavior from last night, she must be fine now."
Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, anything to contradict the suggestive meaning behind his father's words. He questioned himself on how he must've looked like in other people's perspective following what happened to the mother of his child.
However, the Uchiha heir could not understand how his brain could not form words right at the moment when in fact, he always had something to say to prove himself right especially when it comes to these kinds of conversations with his father.
He blamed it on the scrutinizing gaze his father was giving him. He realized later how foolish he was for lying to himself.
"Good. You're not denying it. At least you could not lie to me." Fugaku paused for a while to drink his coffee. "You may fool everyone else, but not me. When are you planning on asking her to marry you?"
"Father…" He exhaled heavily.
Fugaku cut him off right away. "Sasuke, I insisted to have Sarada be kept under the wires to protect her. Have you talked to Sakura yet about changing Sarada's surname? There is no reason now to keep her secret."
"It's not that simple, Father." Sasuke avoided his father's eyes, afraid that Fugaku would know what he was thinking at the exact moment.
Fugaku released a heavy sigh before continuing. "You're not a child anymore. I will not let Sarada grow up as an outcast. She is an Uchiha, and if you aren't planning on marrying Sakura, at least talk to her about changing your daughter's surname. It's been five years, Sasuke.
"Sarada will ask you questions that I am afraid neither you nor Sakura could answer. Make up your mind and grow up."
A minute of silence went by until the young Uchiha's voice echoed in the entire room. "I think you're wrong, Father. What I am doing is all for our daughter's sake. What I am doing is for the best..for both of us. If you'll excuse me." He stood up and bowed his head slightly before heading straight to his room, forgetting dinner altogether.
.
.
.
.
.
Sasuke could not remember the last time when he ever had this much paperwork to sign. As the highest-ranking officer of the company, he always comes and goes in the office whenever he pleases. But that does not mean that he has the freedom to do whatever he wants.
Fugaku had been strict; he always asked his youngest to attend meetings after meetings with other business partners, to the point where Sasuke rarely stays in the office the entire day. But now, with all the business proposals begging for his signature on his desk, the Uchiha heir could not help but massage his temple.
He had many assistants, yes. However, there were certain documents only he could sign. He could have lashed out at his secretary, but he knew Karin was just doing her job.
He gritted his teeth, for he knew he would be breaking another promise with his daughter again. It was not even a week since Sakura collapsed in her apartment, and Sasuke knew very well how much Sarada needed him now more than ever.
Earlier today, Sasuke made sure to accompany his daughter to school. And with the past few days with Itachi bringing Sarada to the hospital to visit her mother, Sarada was saddened and insisted that her Papa should visit her Mama as well.
But he could not possibly do that today as he glared at the different documents he needed to sign.
He was about to call Itachi to tell him the situation, but as he was skimming through his contacts, Sakura's contact details made him falter. Speaking of which, he remembered a certain conversation with his father about changing Sarada's surname.
One of the reasons why Sasuke hadn't told Sakura about changing Sarada's surname, apart from preventing a fight between him and Sakura, was that he wanted to give a normal childhood to his daughter. Being an Uchiha has a lot of perks, yes. But he does not want his daughter to grow up as he did.
And yet, he also knew that he could not possibly delay it even longer. He glanced at the screen of his laptop to check the time and was relieved that he still has two hours before Sarada's classes ended. He looked at the papers once again but decided that his daughter is more than important than anything. He reached out for his telephone and dialed Karin's number telling the red-head about his early out once again.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sarada was overjoyed when a familiar limousine parked right before the gates of her school. Her Papa kept his promise. The little girl did not waste any second before running and jumping into her Papa's arms.
Sarada babbled about her day as Sasuke drove on the way to Sakura's apartment; he was half listening while thinking about a certain conversation he will have with the mother of his child. As he glanced sidewards towards his daughter, he could not help but feel lightheaded as he anticipates what will happen after he revealed her existence.
When Sakura opened the door to her apartment, she expected Itachi to be smiling at her politely, but instead, Sasuke stared at her without interest before barging into her apartment while carrying their daughter who was too happy to notice anything.
"Mama!" Sarada exclaimed as soon as Sasuke put her down, running towards Sakura and hugging her altogether.
"Hi baby, how's school?" Sakura said hugging her daughter back.
Meanwhile, Sasuke silently watched the exchange between mother and daughter. He tried to make himself busy by pacing back and forth in the living room, afraid that his presence would somehow make the atmosphere tense. He also took this time to discard his coat and hung it into the backside of the door.
Sarada continued to babble about her day while Sakura ushered their daughter into Sarada's room for her to change clothes. On the other hand, Sasuke could hear Sarada giggling, telling her mother how happy she was that her Papa was here with them. Unconsciously, Sasuke swallowed hard.
Before any word could come out of Sasuke's mouth as mother and daughter got out of the room, Sarada had beaten him into it making some silly faces forcing her Papa to stay with them until dinner. Whatever plans Sasuke had prior to fetching his daughter-telling Sakura about changing their daughter's surname right away- was clearly out of the picture.
Sasuke was observant himself, however, what he did not notice right away was that Sarada was much better than he is. He could clearly tell that whatever arrangement he and Sakura made, Sarada knew it was not normal- that even though Sarada did not understand any of this- she knew something was wrong with it. And being the smart kid she is, she was trying everything in her power to keep her Papa with them.
Sakura was still expected to rest for another four days as instructed by Tsunade. Sasuke could also see how Sarada's persistence of keeping him longer in their apartment affected Sakura the longer he stayed. She had not even look him in the eye the entire time he was there.
The dinner was quiet except for Sarada's chatters. Sasuke could not help but frown when he saw the annoying woman still exert herself working in the kitchen. When Sarada went to her room to do her homework, Sasuke had taken the opportunity to talk to the mother of his child, as his original plan.
"We need to talk." He said as he helped her bring the dishes into the sink.
Sakura looked up in concern, wiping her hands with a towel. "What is it?"
"I talked to Father about Sarada."
Sakura did not say anything for a while. She inclined her head as if telling Sasuke to continue.
"He wants Sarada to have her surname changed." He decided not to tell her about his father asking him about marrying her since he knew it would only make things worse.
"What?" This time around, Sasuke could clearly see the anger flash right into her emerald eyes.
"You heard me. She's an Uchiha, and I think it's only right for my daughter to bear my surname."
Sakura scoffed. "Are you serious? After trying to cover up her existence, now you just suddenly change your mind? Well, Sasuke, it does not work that way. She's my daughter too." She said, her voice raising a little.
"Are you really going to fight me on this?" Sasuke's tone turned into a challenging one, but Sakura also knew he was trying to hold back.
This time, Sakura walked a little further away trying not to get worked up, aware that their daughter was only a few meters away from them. "Do you really want our daughter to grow up as you did? And if I give you my approval, what's next? You're going to enroll her in some Uchiha exclusive whatever school, isolate her from other kids? Dictate her whole life?"
Sasuke followed her into the living room. "You're overreacting again and you know it."
"Then how do you expect me to react? Should I be happy? It will only take time before you take full custody of her, and I can't possibly fight you Uchihas on that!"
Too preoccupied with their argument, they had not noticed Sarada peering from her room. "Mama? Papa?"
Instantly, Sakura's face softened. "Your Papa and I were just talking. It seems he was just leaving. Come here and say goodbye to Papa."
At that time, Sasuke was trying not to glare at the pink-haired doctor. But when Sarada jumped at him, he directed his gaze to the annoying woman mouthing the words 'we are not finished'. Sakura rolled her eyes at that.
"Bye Papa! Tell Uncle Itachi I miss him." The little girl proceeded to kiss his cheek before Sasuke put on his coat and exited the apartment altogether.
After Sasuke had left, Sakura did not miss the sad face her little girl made as she stared at the door. The pink-haired doctor was about to comfort her daughter, but as usual, Sarada had always surprised her with her choice of words.
"You and Papa were fighting. Is that the reason why Papa can't live here?"
Sakura's mouth parted at that-too obvious that she was taken aback. It took time before she was able to crouch down to look at her daughter in the eye. "No, baby. Did I not explain it to you already? Your Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Itachi need your Papa there."
"But we need him too!" This time, Sakura noticed the tears already threatening to fall down from her daughter's eyes. "Don't you want Papa to stay here, Mama?" The little girl insisted.
"Sarada.." Sakura exhaled heavily trying to compose herself. "We should understand that Papa is busy. We can't force him to stay here. When you grow up, you will understand, okay?"
It equally surprised Sakura when Sarada started crying before quickly running to her room. She tried to call after her, but her daughter locked her door. "Sarada, can't we talk?" At that time, Sakura's temper was already flaring. It did not help that she had nothing to do all day she was basically going crazy, in addition to her earlier argument with Sasuke, and now her child.
"Sarada Haruno, I swear if you don't open this door right now!" She was also surprised at how her voice had raised.
Within a few seconds, Sarada unlocked the door and stared at her mother frightenedly. That was enough for Sakura to come back to her senses. The pink-haired woman flash stepped in front of her daughter in a swift motion before hugging the little girl altogether. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so, so sorry." Sakura mumbled against Sarada's hair.
She was not sure whether she was apologizing because she raised her voice or because as a mother, she could not give what her daughter mostly needed.
.
.
.
.
.
To make things worse for him, contrary to what Sasuke had hoped as he drove from Sakura's apartment to the Uchiha Mansion, his father had been waiting for him in the living room, face as stoic as ever. He did not have to guess what this was all about. So when his father ordered him to sit in front of him and commanded all the maids to leave them alone, Sasuke just hoped it would be over soon.
"I thought I made myself clear last night, Sasuke." Fugaku paused, frown deepening. Sasuke did not bother to respond to that. He had a long day, once again had a fight with Sakura, this was the last thing he needed right now.
"Are you even listening to me? You think just because you're the President of my company, you can do whatever you want?"
Sasuke scoffed at that. "Father, I am doing what I see fit for your company. I've spent one afternoon with Sarada, and you think I'm abandoning that damn company."
"Are you seriously talking back to me?" Fugaku's face hardened and if weren't for the fact that Sasuke was feeling over the edge at the moment, he was sure he would flinch at the sight.
"Leave." One word. Just one word and it was all it took for Sasuke to catch on to what was really happening. He never, ever talked to his father like that. Not ever since that day.
It took a few minutes before Sasuke left the living room to go into his room to pack his things. And as expected, his mother worriedly took in the sight of him packing his bag. "My son, what happened?" Sasuke was not thinking at the moment, meanwhile, his mother had been convincing him to apologize to his father. But he could not hear any of that. He just needed to get out of there.
He stormed out of the mansion with Itachi and his mother following him until he reached his car. He opened the backside of his limousine before literally throwing his suitcase inside. However, before Sasuke could get into his car, Itachi was quick to intercept him.
"Sasuke, you need to calm down."
"And I will. Take care of the company while I'm gone." And in an instant, he was gone, the image of his mother sobbing at Itachi's shoulder through the side mirror making his insides burn.
.
.
.
.
.
Calling Naruto was already a mistake-he knew. He was currently in one of the most famous bars in Konoha drinking maybe his sixth bottle of beer, he actually couldn't tell. It was not the first time he had a fight with his father, but today he had been stupid enough to voice his thoughts out loud- not being able to keep his mouth shut like he usually does.
A few minutes after, he could already see the blonde storming his way out of the crowd of people dancing at the too-loud music. And when finally Naruto got to the VIP area where Sasuke was currently seated, he was quick to forcefully grab the bottle the raven-haired man was drinking-Sasuke could not help but scoff at the idea of Naruto being the sensible one out of the two of them.
"Teme, what's wrong?"
Sasuke did not say anything in return, but reached out and snatched his stolen bottle.
"Did you and Sakura-chan fight again?" Naruto asked, plopping beside his wasted best friend.
"We've had too many fights. Although yes we actually did fight today." Sasuke said chugging down the last of the contents of his beer before opening a new one.
The blonde sighed getting a bottle himself. "You should stop drinking, you know that right? Your brother will scold me for this. It'll be worse if Sakura-chan finds out I let you drink so many."
"Not like she cares."
Naruto rolled his eyes at that. "Keep pushing her away and maybe one day she really won't care. So what's really the big deal, Teme?"
"Can I stay at your house for a while?"
"What? Why?" Confused but concerned as well, Naruto stopped drinking his beer to properly listen to his best friend, trying to block out the loud music from his ears.
"Father and I had a fight. Couldn't possibly go to our hotels. My mother will find me there." Sasuke replied curtly.
"Wha-what? Wait a minute, Sasuke. You know I can't. Hinata and I are getting married in a few months and my in-laws are staying at my place this week."
For the time being, Naruto was also able to notice that Sasuke was already too wasted for his own good. He could not possibly call Itachi like he usually does whenever Sasuke got drunk like this, nor could he bring him to his apartment.
He sighed before getting up from his seat, trying to stop his best friend once again. "Sasuke, you need to stop or else you'll pass out and I'll have no clue what to do."
"Just let me be. You can just leave or whatever."
Naruto sighed as he watched his best friend drink a whole lot more than he should have. Way more than he could tolerate.
.
.
.
.
.
At the sound of someone knocking nonstop at her door, Sakura had just hoped that someone had only mistaken her apartment for another, that it would go away soon if she did not bother to answer. But when the sound of knocking kept on getting louder, she sighed and cursed under her breath.
"Gods, it's past two in the morning. Whoever you are must hope and pray my daughter did not wake at the sound of- What the hell? Sasuke?! wha-" Overtaken by the sight of the father of her child slumped against Naruto-who was, by the way, looking painfully nervous at the sight of her so mad already.
"Sakura-chan, I'm really sorry about this. But I swear I tried to stop him, but you know him too well. I couldn't."
Sakura exhaled heavily. "I think I told you specifically if you let him drink like this ever again, you are dead. Naruto, I told you to stop him- I wouldn't care if you had to knock him out."
"But he had a fight with his father, got kicked out once again. He even told me you guys fought once again. He just needed some release and as his best friend-"
"You should've called me then. I could've stopped him. This is way too bad for his health." Sakura's face softened opening her door.
"You really love him, don't you?" Naruto sighed before leading Sasuke into the living room. "This bastard has no idea how lucky he is to have you."
"Not you too, Naruto. Not tonight." The blonde could not help but shake his head in response.
"You guys are my best friends. I just want both of you to be happy." He paused before lifting both Sasuke's legs onto the sofa. "Sorry again for this, I couldn't let him stay at my apartment this time. I know you'll take care of him."
"Yeah, thanks I guess. For taking care of him."
Naruto smiled once again before saying goodbye to the pink-haired woman. And Sakura was left worriedly gazing at the sight of the only love of her life passed out at her sofa.
.
.
.
.
.
A/N: all will be revealed in no time, I promise. Most of you guys are curious how did they end up like this, but I assure you will know everything in the next few chapters.
Thanks again to my lovely beta- Nissaw!