[Sasuke-centric, canon-compliant, minor angst, fluff]

i.

The first person Sasuke truly loves is his older brother. Sure he lives his parents too, but they're not like Itachi.

Itachi, who plays with him even if he's a little too busy sometimes. Itachi, who answers all of his questions and teaches him new stuff. Itachi, who will always be there for Sasuke.

But then Itachi's not. Itachi's not there anymore.

No one's there anymore. They're all dead. Dead. And the worst part is that it wasn't by some crazy loon, it was Itachi.

His big brother.

Sasuke wants to hate him. He wants to kill him, but at the same time he doesn't.

Itachi who always gave him piggy-back rides and taught him how to throw a kunai.

Itachi who let him sneak into his room in the middle of the night when he had a nightmare.

Itachi who said that he'd always love him and be there for him.

Sasuke hates him.

Sasuke hates that he still loves him even as he tries oh so hard to hate him.

ii.

Sasuke's second love is Team 7. Sure, Sakura's a bit annoying and so is Kakashi and of course Naruto is too, but Naruto's probably more of an idiot than annoying and Kakashi's just so damn lazy that it's annoying.

But they're all like family to Sasuke.

They're a team and in a way they're family too. There are the ups and downs and the happy and the sad. But they all support each other, not in the beginning, but now. Now they have each other's backs, now they work as one, now they're closer and wiser and actually get along with each other instead of ripping each other's throats out, mainly him and Naruto trying to rip each other's throats out. But in Sasuke's defense, Naruto was probably the one to start it.

iii.

Sasuke's sixteen when he realizes that he loves Sakura in a different way. He doesn't love her the way that he loves Team 7. He doesn't love her the way that he loves his big brother.

He's sixteen and probably dying, one arm blasted off by the his and Naruto's rasengan and Chidori collision. He's lying on the ground with Naruto right next to him, both of them lying in their own puddle of blood, covered in scratches and all kinds of wounds, looking like death, when Saukura comes.

It's sunrise when she comes. And Sasuke doesn't know how she could still stand the sight of him. In all honesty, he thinks that she should've just healed Naruto and be on her merry way, but she doesn't.

She stays and heals him too.

He doesn't think he deserved it.

He says he's sorry, he means it, but he knows it probably doesn't mean shit.

iv.

Sasuke's nineteen when Sarada is born. She's a tiny little thing with a small tuft of black hair and blue eyes that Sasuke is sure will turn into the same shade of black as his.

She's small and fragile and she's all his and Sakura's.

His and Sakura's.

In all honesty Sasuke can't believe that helped make this tiny thing. And as he looks at the tiny sleeping baby cradled in his arms, his wife sitting right beside him, Sasuke can't help but fall in love all over again.

~~~~~
Written by arahabaki