[Sasuke-centric, Sarada, minor angst, fluff]

i.

Sarada comes into the world with a loud a wail.

She's a tiny little thing with a small tuft if black hair on her head and barely weighing five pounds. She's so tiny, so helpless and Sasuke can't help but think a single touch from him would taint the poor little baby.

Karin has already left the room, giving him and Sakura and Sarada a moment to themselves. As a family. Sasuke can tell that Sakura's tired as hell, after all she's been in labour since noon  yesterday, it's almost three in the morning now.

Sasuke's hand is still throbbing from his wife's death grip on it during the labour and honestly he's surprised he didn't lose it (Sakura's death grip is not something to joke about).

It's March 31st.

He still can't believe it. But he's is seeing the proof gently sleeping in Sakura's arm. And oh my god did he really help make that precious child in her arms.

It's then when Sasuke looks up from baby Sarada that he notices Sakura's staring at him.

She nudges him, "Come here."

And oh my god, he's frozen. He can't do things because, well fuck, he's only twenty, he's only barely redeemed himself and how can he even think about the precious little child laying in her mother's arms.

"Sasuke," She prompts.

And he croaks out, he croaks out, "I-I can't."

"Sasuke." She purses her lips. "Come here."

He doesn't because there is no way in hell that he'd ever risk tainting such a child. And then somehow he ends with said child in his arm and a too pleased Sakura smiling at him. Even after labour she manages to find the strength to make him do the exact opposite of what he wants.

Every bone in his body is frozen. "I-I can't"

"She's your daughter too," Sakura murmurs next to him.

"I can't," he squeezes out. "Oh god. Please."

He can't. He can't do this. She's too precious, untainted, innocent and oh my goodness, Sasuke hopes that the only thing she'll inherit from him is his black and eyes (he already knows her eyes will be black, it is an Uchiha trait after all).

And then the baby wakes up, her blue eyes, the same innocent blue eyes all baby's are born with, looks up at him and Sasuke swears he can see a smile forming on her face as she looks up at him from his arm.

ii.

Sarada is a quiet baby.

She's doesn't cry as much as Sasuke had expected her too. She's quiet and three months old and has the cutest toothless smile that Sasuke has ever seen.

He and Sakura are back in Konoha and even though Sasuke's still on his journey for redemption he hasn't left Sakura's side since Sarada was born and according to Sakura that is a "goddamn miracle".

He's home alone. With the baby. Because Sakura has to go to the hospital for some confusing as hell doctor-y stuff, that makes Sasuke's head hurt when he tries to understand what Sakura is saying when she gets in doctor mode, and so he's left alone at home. With Sarada.

And it's not torture.

Because it's like Sarada knows that he isn't good at this kind of stuff. She's patient as she waits for her milk and she doesn't squirm as much as he thought she would when he changes her. And sometimes she'd grip the front of his shirt and try to stand when he puts her clothes back on her.

All in all, she's an angel.

She's his angel.

And when Sakura comes back home from the hospital late that night, she finds her husband sleeping on the couch with her daughter sleeping on his chest.

iii.

Sarada's almost nine months old when she first learns to walk.

Sakura's on the couch reading a book she had recently bought and Sasuke's on the floor bedside her eating a couple of sliced tomatoes and Sarada's a little ways in front of them playing with her toys.

And so when Sasuke gets up from his position on the floor to put his plate away, he doesn't expect anything.

But Sarada must think he's leaving her or something because she grabs the table to stand up and walks toward him as he comes back into the living room.

"Da!" She yells as she makes her way towards him, her chubby legs moving in all sorts of directions as she moves and Sakura gasps.

"Oh my god," she practically screeches. "Sasuke she's walking! My baby's first steps!"

And it is.  It's her first steps and Sasuke can't help but feel incredibly proud. Because this is Sarada, their daughter, and she's walking toward him with her tiny little arms outstretched toward him and Sasuke can't help but kneel down onto the ground with Sakura right next him and wait for her.

And when she arrives she clutches onto his shirt and smiles, "Da!"

And Sasuke can't help but to return the gesture.

iv.

Sarada's first birthday is a small affair.

It's only her parents along with Naruto, Hinata and their son, Boruto. Naruto had been jabbering non stop about how Boruto and Sarada would one day become best friends and all that happy-go-lucky stuff.

It's a small affair held within their backyard, a few balloons flying around here and there and a table full of presents (because apparently Naruto can't just not do the whole go big or go home thing he does).

The cake isn't small but it isn't overly large either, it's just the perfect size for all of them to have a slice and not have a lot of it leftover.

And in the middle of it all sat Sarada and Boruto, playing in the center of the yard, doing everything that Sasuke can't comprehend (because honestly, he doesn't understand why not only Boruto, but Sarada too, has to put everything in their mouth).

And so as Sakura, Hinata and Naruto are all talking, he's watching the kids. After about an hour of (mainly ignoring Naruto) watching the kids, they cut the cake.

Sarada's bouncing in his lap as Sakura lights the candles from her seat next to them. Boruto is standing on one of the seats with his mother and father beside him.

And as they sing a happy birthday song to Sarada, Sarada bounces all around in Sasuke's lap and Sakura helps her blow out the candles.

Cake is served to everyone, except for Sasuke because he doesn't like sweets, but apparently Sarada doesn't agree with that because she turns around in his lap and shoves a chunk of cake into his mouth.

v.

Sarada is two and half when he first takes her out of the village.

He had asked Sakura if she could come with them too, but she had flashed him an apologetic smile and said to go on with her, the hospitals too understaffed for her to go anywhere for awhile.

Sarada's two and a half years old and it takes them almost a week and half before they reach their destination (because Sasuke wants to take his time, it's Sarada's first time traveling after all).

They reach their destination on time.

And the place still looks the same as ever. The rubble may have been mostly cleaned up and the blood stains long gone after being washed away but it's the same as ever.

Sasuke walks up to the big slab of stone in the middle of it all and touches the Uchiha crest that's carved into it. Sarada unclutches his pant leg and decides that now she wants to explore the place as Sasuke slides down against the stone.

He isn't sure how long he stays there. Drowning in his memories as he watches Sarada play.

It's hard.

It's so goddamn hard.

It's the anniversary of Itachi's death and he can't help but drown in the memories he's had of his brother. The good, the happy, the bad, the terrible, all of it.

And he doesn't know how long he stays there. But he does know that Sarada had at one point came back to where he's sitting.

"Papa?" She tugs on his shirt.

"Papa, why are you crying?" She reaches for his face and pats the tears that's coming out from her Papa's eyes.

"Papa," she kisses his face, "Papa, okay?"

And Sasuke doesn't answer, he just pulls Sarada close to him and hugs her tight.

"Papa, okay?"

And Sasuke can't help but pull her closer.

+1

Sarada doesn't remember her Papa all that much.

He's been gone for almost all of her life. She's twelve and all she wants is to know who he is and what kind of person he is. She can barely remember his face, much less what kind of father he was.

She may not remember much about him, but she does remember him leaving. She remembers being four and helping her Papa pack up his clothes and making dinner with him. She  can vaguely remember how the two of them spent the whole day playing and doing whatever she wanted.

And most of all she remembers her Papa tucking her in her bed, Mama right beside him as she finished her story. But instead of leaving when Mama left, he lingered a bit.

"I'll be gone for a while," he had said.

"Why? How long?"

He shook his head. "I've got a mission."

"Come back soon?"

He kissed her on her forehead, "As soon as I can."

What Sarada didn't know was that her Papa had left late into to the night and not right away. What she didn't know was that her Papa had come back into her room, right before he left, and gave her another kiss before leaving.

~~~~~
Written by arahabaki