Thirty-eight days- it had only been that long since he had seen her pretty face.
It had been over a month since he went back to Japan after visiting Sakura in Boston. Sure, she always made time to call him and Naruto- but being able to see her in person, being able to touch, hug, and kiss her is just so much different. He was currently lying on his bed staring at the ceiling of his bedroom with his phone pressed to his right ear while listening to her rambling.
He could not forget the face she made when she told him about the letter she received about getting a scholarship in the U.S. Her eyes were gleaming with excitement; her smile the brightest as ever, as she barged into his room jumping up and down and hugging him altogether. She was so happy. So happy. And how could he say anything if she looked so happy like that?
But now that she was there, a thousand miles apart from him, he did not know if she was still happy. He could tell she was busy all the time- he could hear it under the sighs she made occasionally whenever she told him about her day. "You better take care of yourself out there." He reminds her again. Because knowing her, she must have skipped one or two meals a day, probably getting three to fours of sleep at best every day.
And as expected, she waved him off telling him he should be the one looking after himself. He rolled his eyes even if she could not see him. There was a pause before he heard the familiar giggling from the other line. "I can see you, you know. You're rolling your eyes again." And yet, it still surprises him how she knows him too well. After all, they grew up together.
There's a lump in his throat before he tells her. He swallowed once, twice before the words came out of his mouth. "Father chose me to be the successor of the company." For a while, he thought the line ended for he could not hear anything but silence.
"Sakura.."
"I heard you, Sasuke-kun. I know that I should be happy for you. But.." The change in her tone did not go unnoticed.
"But?"
"I know I'm being selfish. It's just that I know all too well how much it means to be a president of an international company. Will I be allowed to see you after you get to-"
"What are you saying? Don't be ridiculous." He interrupted her. But he also knew it was all empty words. He knew about his parents getting married out of convenience- his grandparents arranged the marriage by selecting his mother as the most suitable Uchiha woman to be paired with the most rightful successor of the clan.
They never really talked about their relationship, per se, but in one way or another, he knew she understood how much she was important to him. And he also knew her feelings towards him.
"Don't think too much about it. It's getting late there. You should be sleeping by now. We'll talk again some other time." He could tell she was pouting.
"But I like hearing your voice." He does too. He loves hearing her whining and her stories about human anatomy even if he could not understand a word of it. "Anyways, fine, I know it's three in the afternoon there, but good night, Sasuke-kun."
"Aa." That girl probably did not know how much he was trying to stop himself from going after her again.
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He woke up feeling like he had come back from hell.
His body ached all over and his head was spinning like crazy. He could not remember what happened the night prior but he was sure he had been drinking all night once again. Strange. He could not smell the familiar ramen scent all over the place.
Did Hinata tidy up the place for the idiot? The last time he got this drunk he woke up puking nonstop; one thing to have a hangover, another thing is the smell of Naruto's apartment.
It took him a while before he was able to open his eyes to get familiar with his surroundings. He was sleeping on a familiar couch; there was a blanket draped all over him. And instead of the usual ramen-scent lingering all over the place, he could smell eggs and butter nearby.
He sat up slowly, massaging his temple in the process. He was afraid to look up, afraid of where his too-drunk self had taken him. Surely he was not at Naruto's place nor the Uchiha mansion, otherwise, he would be waking up with blood on his ears for getting scolded, be it his best friend or his brother.
"Papa! You're awake!" The all-too-pleasing voice made him pause on his train of thought. Looking up across the room, there, in the dining area, her daughter was smiling too widely at him while eating her breakfast.
Then it dawned upon him; flashes of everything that occurred last night made him want to go back to sleep. His fight with Sakura, him talking back to his father, his mother's worried face, Naruto dragging him outside of the bar. He looked up again seeking the only person who probably knew what the hell is going on.
There she was in the kitchen and judging from the strong smell across the room, he could tell she was making coffee. Then, she turned to look at him, she was clearly displeased about something for her to frown like that at the sight of him.
She did not say anything to him for a while. It was more like she had ignored him. She sat across their daughter and sipped contentedly on her coffee. For a minute, Sasuke considered whether to go back to sleep or leave the apartment as fast as he could. But he just stared into space while contemplating how to kill Naruto for bringing him into her apartment of all places.
Too occupied with his musings, he did not notice Sakura standing in front of him. "I heard everything from Naruto. And if you don't want to be found out by your brother, you should probably go into my room. He'll be here in a few minutes to pick Sarada up." She said too sternly before going back to the kitchen.
Be it the headache or the hangover, he was not sure but he had no intention of quarreling too early in the morning. So he slowly stood up, carrying the blanket before entering Sakura's room quietly.
Soon after, Sarada had followed him into the room before hugging him. "I heard from Mama that you and Uncle Itachi were playing hide-and-seek, don't worry about it Papa, I will not tell him." She beamed at him.
"Papa, you stink!" She pulled away from the hug before he could properly return it. And then she was running again opening the door, but before she left she waved her hands saying goodbye to him. "Uncle Itachi will be here soon! Shh!"
With that, he sat down on the bed exhaling loudly in the process remembering he had left his shoes in the living room.
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His niece was acting weird. She was too hyper-too happy. Not even a minute after he entered the apartment and Sarada was already pulling him towards the door. She was bouncing up and down smiling too brightly.
"Sarada, calm down. Let me say hi to your Mama first."
"No need, Uncle Itachi! Mama's busy. Let's just go!" She whined, pulling him towards the door once again.
Confused as to why his niece was acting like this, he looked up to see Sakura nervously playing with the hem of her apron. "What's going on?" He asked, puzzled.
"Sarada might have too much chocolate drink this morning." The pink-haired woman explained, exasperated.
He frowned when he noticed the circles under Sakura's eyes. "Are you okay? I recall Tsunade has been strict about you resting for a week. It looks like you're not getting enough sleep." Itachi said, completely ignoring the little girl tugging on his sleeves.
She waved him off like what he expected she would do. "I'm fine. I just got too hooked up with this book I'm reading last night." She then looked at him up and down, noting the choice of his outfit for the day- he was wearing a silver suit and tie with leather black shoes to pair it up.
Itachi smiled politely but exhaled heavily afterward. "Have you heard anything from Naruto?" With Sarada around, he could not possibly tell how his little brother wandered off once again and now he was stuck to being the president in the meantime.
A little caught off-guard, Sakura's eyes widened fractionally before denying it too quickly. "No, why? Did something happen?"
"I've been trying to contact him all night but he has been ignoring my calls. If it's not too much to ask, can you try calling Naruto for me?" He paused looking around the apartment. "No, never mind." He smiled contentedly. "I think I already know where my little brother is." He muttered quietly.
"Uncle Itachi! Let's just go or I'll be late!" Sarada whined once again, interrupting their conversation.
Itachi then winked at Sakura's direction before letting him be pulled by his niece towards the car.
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Sasuke sat quietly on the bed, hoping his brother would not notice anything. But knowing how Itachi can be, he would not be surprised if he would barge into Sakura's room and drag him back to the Uchiha mansion right away.
With the alcohol still in his system, he still could not think straight. He did not know what to do. And now that Sarada will be away for a few hours, he would be stuck here with her alone. He needed to think fast- to leave as soon as possible.
Going to Naruto's place was out of the question. He did bring him here- which actually reminded him to settle for a few text messages to scold the blonde idiot for bringing him to Sakura's apartment since he could not possibly call nor make any noise. Not a minute later, the blonde replied. "You should thank me for not dumping your sorry ass in the middle of nowhere! I was contemplating whether to send you off to Osaka!"
He'd had about ten missed calls from his mother, three from Itachi, and one from Naruto. He sighed before lying down on the bed altogether. That was when he was able to observe her room. There was a picture of her and Sarada near the bedside table, a stack of books on a chair, and he could smell jasmine all over her bed.
It was so long since he was able to step foot in her room, let alone be able to lie down on her bed. The last time he did-no he could not go there. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He sat up when he heard the familiar car leave the vicinity of the apartment.
He made sure to put a straight face like he usually does before going out of the room.
With her back on him, she began lecturing him. "I don't know much about what's going on about your family, but if you're going to drink, you make sure you can still stand on your own two feet afterward." She was busy doing something in the kitchen- probably doing the dishes but Sasuke merely brushed it off.
"Tch. It's not like you care." He replied throwing daggers towards her back even if she could not see it.
"A simple thanks would suffice, Sasuke-kun." She turned around to meet his glare.
Before he could even think of a comeback, he felt the protest of his stomach to empty its contents, and then he was running, pulling the pink-haired woman away from the sink.
When he was done, however, he expected Sakura to laugh at him. But this woman never fails to surprise him. She continued to scold him while preparing his medicine. "Here's aspirin for your headache. There's a coffee in the machine and a soup for your hangover. Geez, when will you really learn?"
She continued to glare at him while bringing him tissues to wipe his mouth. "I feel bad for Sarada for having a lousy father." She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes but she was already in the dining area reheating the soup for him.
While this woman had been insinuating a fight from her choice of words, her actions had him wanting to puke all over again. Her actions had always contradicted her words. Sarada was not present; there was no reason for him to play nice. So he blurted out the words without thinking too much about it. "I don't want it."
He did not know if he imagined it but she blinked twice before the all-too-familiar hurt crossed over her features. She paused in her tracks before going back to what she was doing earlier. "Of course, you don't."
She turned around to face him once more. "Naruto gave me the keys to your car. I placed it in the pocket of your coat. Don't worry, I won't tell Itachi-san you were here." She said resignedly.
At her fallen expression, he regretted his actions immediately. He knew he was hurting her. But they could not go back to the way they were before. He avoided her eyes before glaring into nothing.
"I did not really know what I saw in you." She said after a while, breaking the silence.
And without thinking, he'd had his eyes on her once again. His heart was beating loudly against his chest he could hear it. They never really talked about their feelings for each other- which actually brought this mess in the first place.
And then there it was again, her rambling when she was so nervous or embarrassed. She hasn't changed much, he concluded. She may have realized the weight of what she had said for her saddened expression turned into a nervous one.
A few days ago she almost made his heart stop beating-he could not possibly erase the memory of her passing out- and now she was making his insides burn. It was amazing really, how could one simple word, one simple action from this woman could make him feel. She had no idea the effect she had on him. Most probably she would not know ever.
He just stared into her while she continued talking nonsense before she made an incoherent excuse to get to her room.
Their relationship will always be complicated, he concluded.
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He did not know how much time had passed but she was clearly stupefied when she still saw him here in her apartment. After all, she did tell him about his keys. She was expecting him to be out of her house right away. And well, he could not blame her; he was not exactly welcome in her place.
But the truth is, he had nowhere to go. He hadn't thought about his plans now that he left the Uchiha mansion. It would be much easier if this annoying woman was taking care of herself and had her shifts in the hospital and not worrying everybody; he could have stayed there while waiting for Sarada.
The idea suddenly popped into his head. "I don't want to leave without saying goodbye to Sarada." He explained when Sakura just stared at him expectantly.
"Well, that's going to be a problem then. Since you do not want to eat anything I make, and your daughter will only come back later in the afternoon. Oh, and looking at the clock, it's past eleven in the morning." She said with a smug look on her face.
Good, she's back to her sarcastic, annoying self, he noted. Judging from the towel in her hands, she just had her shower. She sat on the sofa completely ignoring his presence before turning on the television. He rolled his eyes at that.
And as if fate was mocking him, his stomach growled loudly in protest. He hadn't properly eaten dinner last night and he mostly regurgitated the contents of his stomach earlier. Sakura then exhaled loudly, "Ahh, it's a shame I made tomato soup. Sarada does not like it that much."
And to tease him further, she proceeded to stand up from her seat to go to the kitchen. "Maybe I should make lunch earlier today. Hmm..onigiri sounds good to me." She said out loud while looking at the contents of the refrigerator.
She then turned around to look at him seated in the dining area. He was glaring at her again. "Don't act like a child and eat. If you don't want to wake up in the hospital the next day." She said too sternly; she was clearly displeased at him but her doctor instincts had won over.
He was so hungry. So hungry. That was the only logical explanation of why he had three bowls of tomato soup and two rice bowls. He certainly did not miss her cooking.
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The next three hours passed like a blur. He used that time to get his things in his car, take a shower, and make a plan for the week. Thinking back, moving to Osaka was not bad. Just a temporary escape from being an Uchiha.
When Sarada got home, however, he did not know how to react when all of a sudden, he heard his brother calling after him, asking him to come out. He had already prepared a speech to his daughter, thinking of a way to make her understand. But screw it all, his brother really was such a pain in the ass.
He and Sakura made sure to hide all of his things in her room but who was he kidding, nothing can get past his brother's eyes. It took him a little while before he was able to compose himself and get out of the room.
Sarada was frantic, telling her Papa repeatedly that she did not tell him. Itachi, on the other hand, shook his head at the sight of him. "I'm not foolish, little brother, you are."
Sasuke scowled at that, thinking about how his brother found out. "You left your shoes near the sofa this morning. I knew right away it was yours, Sasuke." Itachi explained before Sasuke had the chance to crack his head in the process.
Sarada pouted but she was back in her cheerful self in a minute to say hi to her papa and mama. Sakura, feeling the need to give the Uchihas their privacy, pulled Sarada to her room, not bothering to make an excuse.
With the two Uchiha heirs left on the sofa, Itachi smiled sadly at his little brother. "I guess you really have nowhere to go for you to stay here."
Sasuke made no indication that he heard him. He just sat there resignedly waiting for this inevitable conversation slash lecture over and done with. "I may not agree with you storming out of our house after a fight with father, but I will not interfere with your decisions. There are already enough people deciding for you."
The younger Uchiha then looked up to his brother. "Although I may say, I do not like being cooped up in your office all day. Good thing I have the excuse to get Sarada for today." Sasuke still did not say anything; he only let Itachi say whatever he wanted to say.
"If you're afraid I'll tell mother your whereabouts, I will not. Nor I will drag you back to the Uchiha mansion no matter how much I displease working in the Uchiha Enterprises. But I hate it when you get drunk like that, you worry me, Sasuke, I hope you know that." Itachi's smile vanished.
"Don't even make excuses, I know you. You drank until you passed out again, didn't you? Not to mention, you do not answer my calls. Nor my text messages." He continued. Honestly, at that time, Sasuke felt like a child being scolded.
"You should know by now what you're doing. Maybe staying here could be a good start for you to realize your mistakes." Itachi continued.
"What? I'm not staying here. I just wanted to say goodbye to Sarada before leaving."
"And where do you plan to stay? At Naruto's?"
"No, somewhere far away from here." Anywhere where he could not be recognized as an Uchiha was left unspoken.
"And how do you plan on living? Don't think that Father will just let you off. Your card will be suspended for sure."
Sasuke opened his mouth to reason out but his daughter obviously has a different opinion on her mind. "Is Papa going to stay here?" Sarada rushed out of the room before Sakura could stop her.
"Yes, he will. Isn't that great, Sara-chan?" Itachi said, earning a glare from his little brother.
"Really?" Sarada did not waste a second to run towards her Papa to give him a hug. And once again, how could he say no if she looked so happy like that?
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She certainly did not expect this at all- Sasuke helping their daughter with her homework in her apartment. They still hadn't had a proper talk about him staying here; it was so like him to make decisions by himself. Just like a few years ago.
Sarada had been a Papa's girl ever since. Even if her child mostly spends her time with her; Sasuke surely knows what to please their daughter. Others may have thought that he was spoiling her, but on the contrary, he makes her understand.
Whenever he will not be able to fulfill a promise to her, Sarada will not cry, unlike any other child of her age. It is because Sasuke makes sure Sarada understands. He does not treat her like a child nor does he tolerate her wrongdoings.
One time, Sarada clumsily made a mess in the Uchiha mansion by spilling milk on the carpet. Sakura scolded their daughter who was about to cry but Sasuke stopped her altogether, crouching down to Sarada's level to comfort her.
"Don't cry, Sarada. Do you know why your Mama is mad?" His voice was so soft, so tender whenever he's talking to their daughter that it still surprises her.
She nodded. "Good. What will you do next time?" Sasuke asked her.
"I will be careful," Sarada said, rubbing her eyes to stop her tears from falling, but she failed and ran towards her Papa's arms.
And now, looking at them in the comforts of Sarada's room, she thought of the day when Sarada was born, how much time had passed, how being a father changed Sasuke. And how could she ever think of running away from him if his daughter needed him more than anything? She really was a fool.
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A/N: Wow, I was really overwhelmed by the number of reviews I got from the last chapter. Thank you so much. So sorry this took so long. Never knew adulting could be this hard. I don't have much time now that I'm working but I'll make sure to write whenever I can. I'll try to post the next chapter of KRF next. And hoping that I'll be able to update much quicker.
Again, thank you so much for reading! :)