There Is Happiness.
Sasuke Uchiha has no other home outside of Fire Country. As a part of the Uchiha Clan, his life has been rooted to this land since before he was a thought in his ancestors' dreams. Sasuke is rooted here in Konoha, ready to defend his homeland and its people as part of the military police. His brother had done the same. As did his father, and his father before him. The Uchihas were known protectors, but it made very little sense why Sasuke's protection never seemed to save him from his own bitter losses. He works hard, having become the youngest First Sergeant in the entire history of the Fire Country Military Police. He works hard, having advised his company of 200 soldiers through difficult battles.
But no one could console his heart. His wife, Tsubaki, had left him with two young sons and a heart full of sorrow.
Sasuke will never forget the crisp details of one fall day in October when he was twenty-four years old. His last conversation with his late wife still rings in his ears:
"I don't think I will be able to take Sato trick or treating this year; I'm too pregnant. Can you pick up a Halloween costume for yourself to go with him?"
"Well, we can just not go."
"Sasuke Uchiha! It is your son's second Halloween! He is a baby."
"Right! So, he won't remember if I'm not there."
Sasuke used to do that back then, excuse himself from his family life. He used to think this was part of his noble sacrifice – the behavior that distinguished him from other Military members, the attitude that protected Fire Country against foreign interests, the actions that would finally make his father proud.
Instead, that conversation echoes in his mind relentlessly, prohibiting any other thought. 'Regret, regret, regret.' Regret he wasn't home to drive Tsubaki to the hospital that afternoon when her fever spiked. Regret he wasn't there to see his youngest son's first cries breaths be aided by ventilators. Regret he wasn't there to hear Tsubaki's last goodbye. 'Regret, regret, regret.'
His days were a blur of duty and despair for months afterwards. Sasuke can hardly remember anything. How did he get home? Who helped him with his sons? What did he eat? What happened to his work? How were the bills paid? Who tucked the boys to sleep? Who washed and fed and loved his sons? Looking back at the fuzzy supercut of memories, Sasuke can only remember his sons' giggles and sounds of play echoing through greyed halls household, resonating with the hum of a quiet lullaby calming both babies to sleep.
The loss of Tsubaki left Sasuke adrift in a sea of grief, the responsibilities of single fatherhood to his young sons, two-year-old Sato and newborn Kyo, looming over him like an insurmountable mountain. His days, once filled with the joyous laughter of family life, had turned into endless cycles of silence and sorrow. In those dark times, Sakura emerged as a beacon of hope.
That was when Sakura entered their lives. At twenty years old, Sakura Haruno was one of Tsubaki Uchiha's closest friends. Back then, Sakura was a volunteer at Hashirama Memorial's Pediatric Development Clinic where Tsubaki used to work at. Sakura was a young college student from a community college down south, having moved to a big university at the capital with a partial scholarship, an early acceptance to medical school, and a dream of becoming a pediatrician.
Sakura used to love Tsubaki and her little family with Sasuke. The young pink-haired college student often picked up Kyo from the daycare down the street when Tsubaki's nursing work was running late. She held Tsubaki's hand when Sasuke's wife cried at the thought of not having a big family with Sasuke. She squealed alongside Tsubaki when the tests proved that she was finally – finally! – pregnant again with Sato. Sakura helped Sasuke decorate the Uchiha home for Tsubaki's baby shower and wrote notes on which family members gave which gifts.
When Tsubaki died, Sakura's heart was just as broken as Sasuke's. The little family was scattered, broken into tiny shards that were too jagged to touch. After Tsubaki's death, Sakura entered the Uchihas' lives as if she were always there, sleeping on the couch.
Sasuke watched, his mind often only half recording the memories through the grief, as Sakura took over the running of his household. She cooked, cleaned, and cared for Sato and Kyo with a loving tenderness that eased the heavy weight his heart carried. Alongside this, their friendship deepened, built on shared moments of laughter and mutual understanding, providing a foundation of trust and companionship. Yet, he couldn't shake off the feeling of imposing on her goodwill.
'She's given up so much to help us...' he thought, his pride and guilt eating away at what little sanity he has left, even as he cherished the growing stability she brought to his life.
Two years later, after Sakura's college graduation, her situation upends the fragile stability in the three Uchihas' lives. Her life in Konoha has burdened her with student debt, and a recent health scare underscores her need for comprehensive medical insurance, as her supplemental coverage falls short for long-term costs. Despite her dreams of attending medical school, financial constraints seem to shackle her to an uncertain future. She has options: returning to Redaku, where her parents, much to Sasuke's annoyance, reside; or moving to Suna to work on pediatric research while stabilizing financially. With no legal ties to Konoha, Sakura's role in Sasuke's future is tenuous at best.
At twenty-two, Sakura's brilliance knows no bounds. The world lies open for such a talented young woman. How can Sasuke ask her to stay? He feels selfish in even considering it. Sasuke, a twenty-six-year-old widower with two young children and a grief so profound it seems to engulf everything and everyone and every conversation around him, recognizes how horrible he is for wishing Sakura would stay, to keep his family intact – to keep him intact.
Sasuke tightens his grip on the steering wheel as he glances at Sakura, nestled in the passenger seat with her head lolling slightly. The drive back from the hospital following her cholecystectomy unfolds in quietude, punctuated only by the soft hum of his car engine. Sasuke has rehearsed this conversation countless times – in the shower, while getting dressed, in the waiting room of the hospital's surgery center. But now, as the moment nears, his words seem to elude him.
"Sakura, I need to talk to you about something important," he starts, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant.
"Hmm?" Sakura mumbles, blinking slowly. Her green eyes, still clouded by anesthesia, struggle to focus on Sasuke.
"It's about... our situation. Living together, with the boys," he continues, fixing his gaze on the road ahead. He tries to maintain an even tone but can't hide the blush warming his ears.
Sakura nods, her drowsy smile and hair stuck with dried saliva on her lips. "I like living with you and the munchkins," she slurs, her words meshing.
A rare, small smile twitches Sasuke's lips at her description of his sons. "I'm glad. But, Sakura, you need health insurance, and... well, I've been thinking." He pauses, collecting his thoughts. "What if we got married? Legally, I mean. Just on paper."
Sakura blinks, her brain laboring to cut through the foggy aftermath of her anesthesia. "Married? Like... with a dress that looks like a pastry?"
"No, no, not like that," Sasuke rushes to explain, feeling his cheeks warm. "Just... a legal arrangement. For the insurance. And to help with your student debt."
"Student debt... right. The Military Police helps with that," Sakura nods, her head bobbing as she battles the anesthesia's lingering effects. It's amusing to watch her talented mind struggle to think for once. "So, we'd be like... married roommates? Super roommates?"
Sasuke chuckles. "Yes, something like that. Super roommates."
Sakura hums, her eyelids drooping. "I always thought you'd be more romantic when you proposed, Sasuke Uchiha. Tsubaki told me you had some charisma."
Sasuke waits, hearing Tsubaki's name. He used to feel his heart tear apart, shredding the love letters etched in his soul. He braces for the familiar pain to overwhelm him, to bring back the blurry, unfocused memories, to remind him of his failures as Tsubaki's husband.
But the pain doesn't come.
"It's not a real proposal, Sakura. Just a practical solution," Sasuke clarifies, choosing his words cautiously, puzzled by the absence of the emotional turmoil he expected.
"Mmm... okay, Super Roommate Sasuke," Sakura mumbles, her consciousness fading. "We'll be the best married roommates. But no snoring. And you do the dishes."
"Sakura, I already do the dishes," Sasuke says softly, warmth spreading in his chest as he watches her drift into light sleep.
As they pull up to the Uchiha residence, Sasuke realizes that their unconventional arrangement will introduce a new dynamic to their already complex relationship. Yet, as he glances at Sakura, peaceful in her sleep, he feels a surge of hope.
'Maybe I can keep this little family together,' Sasuke thinks to himself. 'Just for a little longer.'
END OF CHAPTER ONE.