Disclaimer: This story utilises characters, situations and premises that are copyright Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump and Viz media. No infringement on their respective copyrights pertaining to episodes, novelisations, comics or short stories is intended by KuriQuinn in any way, shape or form. This fan-oriented story is written solely for the author's own amusement and the entertainment of the readers. It is not for profit. Any resemblance to real organizations, institutions, products or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All plot and Original Characters except for those introduced in the canon books, manga, video games, novelizations and anime, are the sole creation of KuriQuinn. (© KuriQuinn 2016- )

Canon-Compliance: Takes place during the Blank Period.

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Sasuke arrives home from his mission to Suna just as the sun is going down. He exchanges nods with Izumo and Kotetsu (they no longer startle at the sight of him calmly walking through the doors to the town) and heads straight for his house. He's already sent the mission report ahead to Kakashi before arriving, and can undergo debriefing tomorrow; for now, he just wants to see Sakura and Sarada.

Although Sasuke now has strong ties to Konoha, the part of him that will always crave the vagabond lifestyle can't be quieted. He remains here and calls this place his home because it is the place his brother died to protect and where his family now lives.

But every so often he gets restless.

Whenever Sasuke's wanderlust becomes too great, he approaches Kakashi with a request for a mission disguised as a pressing need to investigate some impending danger or another. This way, he doesn't feel too much like he is abandoning his wife and child for his own selfish purposes.

Sakura isn't completely happy with it, but she also knows and accepts that he will never be a homebody. She packs him lunches when he goes, and promises to see him when he returns with only the slightest tension in her voice. He knows that whenever she watches his retreating back; she is likely thinking of that night almost ten years ago. It's why he never accepts missions that are longer than a few days.

He's not sure how much longer he'll be able to do that, however.

Sasuke has long been suspicious that the incident with Kaguya was not the end, and he's been cultivating a network of contacts to keep listening for information. The job is important, and he's not sure how much longer he can put off not doing it himself—especially if the trail leads beyond this dimension.

It's a discussion he has been putting off for a while now.

Upon reaching the house, he is surprised to find that all is quiet; that's odd for this time of night, as usually Sakura is starting or finishing up dinner. While he puts his cloak away, he wonders if perhaps she is working late and Sarada is at her grandparents' this evening.

Sasuke dismisses this thought outright as he hears the sound of movement in the living room.

Leaving the entrance, he pauses in beneath the archway of the living room for a moment, a smile creeping onto his face at the unexpected display.

Sakura is lying on the couch, passed out with an arm thrown over her eyes, mouth open and snoring. There are toys strewn across the floor, as well as baby books, a blanket and even a medical scroll or two. Sakura sometimes reads those to Sarada when her brain can't take the repetitive children's books anymore. Meanwhile, Sarada is sitting up in her playpen, quietly mumbling in an infant's half-gibberish, half-speech. She appears to be having a conversation with Sasuke's old green dinosaur plush toy.

It is more amusing than it should be that his one-year-old daughter has outlasted the strongest kunoichi in the world.

Sarada seems to sense Sasuke's attention, because she suddenly looks in his direction and upon seeing him, her face blossoms in delight. Her mouth opens wide to let loose a joyful cry, but Sasuke quickly puts his finger to his lips, indicating she should be quiet while pointing at Sakura.

Young as she is, his daughter is smart, and knows when something is being asked of her. Sarada mimics him, putting her own tiny index finger to her lips and going, "Shhh!"

"Your mother needs to be put to bed," Sasuke tells her, voice pitched low. "I'll be back."

Sarada is long past the age where she panics at having her parents out of sight, and to her, this is just a game. She giggles quietly, bouncing a little in place, while Sasuke moves across the room.

With a movement born of practice, Sasuke scoops Sakura up into his arms. The stump of his left arm supports her back and shoulders while his right slips into the crease behind her knees. Sakura shifts into his chest and mutters in her sleep, "Don't warn the tadpoles!".

She's loud even in her sleep, Sasuke snorts as he carriers her bridal-style to their room. Carefully he lays her down, covering her with the nearby quilt; he'll be back to check on her later.

Upon returning to the living room, he discovers his daughter has pulled herself up on chubby legs and is jumping impatiently up and down in her pen.

"Papa!" she crows when he leans down to pick her up, clutching his neck in a chokehold version of a hug and planting a sloppy, wet kiss on his cheek.

"Were you behaved for your mother today?" he asks her.

"Yeah!" she cheers.

"What did you do?"

What follows is a confusing diatribe of sound and the occasional complete word, but he listens to it with the same gravity that he would a mission brief. They pass through the kitchen and Sasuke notes that there is no sign of dinner; Sakura likely fell asleep before preparing it. There are several bottles of mashed vegetables and rice, however. He sets Sarada in her high-chair and sets about preparing something for her to eat.

"Mato!" Sarada demands when she spots Sasuke's favourite food in the fridge; they've recently introduced her to more solid foods.

"How do you ask for it properly?" he prompts.

She grins at him, gap-toothed. "Please Mato."

"Hm," he nods, and reaches for the fruit.

Dinner is a quieter-than-usual affair given Sakura's absence, but no less messy; Sarada appears to be hellbent on wearing her supper instead of consuming it. When it's clear she's had her fill and is more interested in painting pureed carrot collages on the table, he picks her up and carries her to the bathtub.

Even after being away for a while, it's easy to settle back into the usual bedtime routine.

He bathes Sarada (which ends up with him being just as drenched as she is and with strawberry-scented bubbles all down his front), patiently endures her attempts to brush her own hair (and his), helps her clean her teeth (she hates this part, but grudgingly endures when he gives her a warning look) and changes her into her pyjamas.

As they pass his bedroom, Sarada catches sight of Sakura's tell-tale hair over Sasuke's shoulder. She squirms, but he makes another quiet shushing noise.

And again, Sarada puts her own finger to her lips.

"Shhh!" she mimics, and grins at him like they are sharing some secret.

"Exactly," he responds.

The next hour is spent trying to exhaust her as much as possible in the hopes it will allow him and Sakura a lie-in the next morning. Sasuke has discovered that wire-strings can be used as effectively to delight a baby as they can be to bind enemies in place. With a little slight-of-hand and misdirection, he has Sarada crawling back and forth across the room in pursuit of whatever toy he dances just out of reach.

When she begins to flag, rubbing at her face and whining, he heads back to the kitchen to rummage through the fridge. Although they have started to wean her, she still takes milk at night, and Sasuke is glad to see there is still one neatly labelled bottle of breast-milk left. There's no need to wake Sakura for a feeding.

After heating it up, he brings it and the droopy-eyed baby back to her room. Unlike Sasuke, who slept in the same room as his parents until he was at least three, Sarada has had her own space since the Uchiha family returned to Konoha.

"It just makes more sense if I get a called to the hospital in the middle of the night," Sakura had pointed out. "I don't want to wake her."

He couldn't really argue with that.

Besides, having Sarada in a separate room also makes it easier to enjoy private moments with his wife. Sex has been less frequent in the months following Sarada's birth, even more since Sasuke started taking missions again.

Once settled in the small chair in her room, Sasuke manoeuvres Sarada into the crook of his right arm. With the stump of his left arm and a few slightly uncomfortable contortions of his right fingers, he settles the bottle into her mouth. As he sits back, she guzzles at it determinedly.

A long, slow exhale escapes him.

Moments like these are the rare ones that he wishes he still had two hands.

Sarada dozes off about halfway through the bottle, giving a tired burp, and Sasuke easily shifts her limp form into her crib. She's already snoring (he wonders if she's getting a cold) when he leaves the room.

It's the work of a half hour to clean up the mess in the living room and kitchen, but he doesn't intend to leave it to Sakura. She already does more than enough when he's away, and it's clear that she was tired tonight.

Upon returning to his room, Sasuke discovered his wife has turned herself into her usual blanket-cocoon creature. He sits down by her side and reaches out, smoothing back frazzled pink locks.

"I'm home," he tells her quietly. Sakura murmurs unintelligibly from within the covers. "Long day?"

"Mm. The mission?" His wife's voice is thick with sleep.

"I'll tell you about it tomorrow," he promises her, leaning down toward her face.

"Alright," she agrees easily, reflexively leaning into him; then her face screws up and she cracks an eye open. "Go take a shower. You smell like sweat and fake strawberries."

"And you have pureed carrot in your hair, but you don't see me complaining," he replies, pressing a kiss to her temple despite her ineffectual protest.

"It's the latest fashion," she mutters lethargically.

He chuckles. "Go to sleep, Sakura."

"...Welcome home, Sasuke."

終わり

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