[canon divergence, amnesia AU]

The clash of swords.

And then everything goes black.

←|→

He wakes up to the night sky, to a deserted decimated area. There's rumble all around him.

His head hurts.

No. no it doesn't exactly hurt. It's more of a strange pounding sensation that brings pain and emptiness and nothingness at the same time.

The emptiness in him outweighs the pain. There's something nagging at him. Something important and there's this needing-nagging feeling in his chest as if something's missing--as if something has been ripped straight out of his chest.

There's something so very wrong with him.

Lying in a crater, after waking up to the darkness of the night, he realizes he doesn't know--doesn't remember anything.

There's no information in his mind.

There are no memories in his heart.

Only a name;

Sasuke.

←|→

It's a little past noon when he arrives at the nearest town.

It's a desolate area in the middle of dry land. The shops are small and the people are few. But Sasuke's only look for a place to find some answers, food, and shelter.

He's spent the hours since he woke up looking for this place—er rather any place, really.

←|→

There's a little girl walking with her parents.

There's a little girl stumbling around the town. Her face is all scrunched up and her eyes are squinting as if she can't see what's in front of her. The day is clear, there are no winds and the weather is nice, so she must be squinting like that because she can't see.

The scene tugs at Sasuke for some reason. There's something oddly strangely familiar about this girl. None of it has to do with the girl's tan skin, dark brown hair or even the little glimpses of green Sasuke sees in her eye's every once in a while.

No, it's got nothing to do with that.

It's something else on the tip of his tongue. It's so wholly familiar but everytime Sasuke makes a move to remember he comes up with a handful of nothingness. Every time he reaches out and grasps for it, there's nothing. Nothing.

His mind is blank.

He can't remember and it's driving him absolutely mad.

(Her black eyes stare up at him, all squinty as she fists her tiny hands onto the shoulder of his cloak. He knows she's having trouble seeing right now, her glasses had somehow fallen underneath the couch when she fell.

There hadn't been any crying when she had slammed herself onto the coffee table and for that Sasuke is grateful.

But it's a little tough having her clutch onto him as he reaches down underneath the couch.

If he still had both of his arms then maybe it could've been a bit easier--he could lift the couch and grab the glasses or hold his daughter better as he searched, but no he can't.

"Papa," she says as he fixes the tiny red glasses upon her face. "Love you."

And then she rewards him with one of her precious smiles. The type that Sasuke can't resist. The one where her whole face light up with a brightness that rivals the sun)

←|→

The nicest--richest--thing Sasuke sees in the small town is a kimono.

The lady passes by Sasuke as he makes his way through the town. She's dressed in a baby pink kimono decorated with sakura petals. It's a gorgeous regal design that shows just how wealthy she is compared to the rest of the people here. She's probably just passing through.

But that pull comes back to Sasuke. The same kind of tug that Sasuke had just felt minutes ago. It's back again, exactly the same as when he had seen the little girl in need of glasses.

It's so strange and it leaves a gross feeling in Sasuke's mouth.

Why can't he figure this out.

(They're by the lake.

It's spring.

The lake has been dusted over with tiny little flowers.

Her hand is snug in his and the two of them just sit there on the dock.

It's a nice day and there are no words being exchanged. It's the comforting type of silence. Her head is resting against his shoulder and the day is bright and warm and Sasuke feels as if he could fall asleep right then and there. It's warm and comforting and soothing.

And he doesn't want anything to change. Ever.

He just wants to cherish this moment with Sakura.

It's just him and his wife. Him and Sakura. Them.

Nothing else exists, only them.

He asks Sakura to marry him that night.

She says yes)

←|→

There's a baby that just refuses to shut up. The wailing and crying is insane. Baby lungs will never cease to amaze Sasuke.

(Sarada comes into the world with a loud 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 yesterday morning, 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 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.

She's the product of him and Sakura. She's the love between him and his wife. Sarada is going to be the perfect mix between the two of them.

He's incredibly happy right now, the smile on his face won't be leaving anytime soon and neither would the matching smile on Sakura's face.

She's so, so precious and 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 nothing else. Everything else she should get from Sakura because Sakura is so, so much better than him.

And then the baby wakes up, her blue eyes, the same innocent blue eyes all babies 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 arms.

And if Sasuke didn't think he was in love with baby Sarada before, he has definitely confirmed that love seven times over in just this one moment)

How does he remember that? How does he remember the sound of a baby crying?

It's all so confusing.

Amnesia is a bitch, Sasuke concludes.

←|→

It's the little things that nag and tug and pull at Sasuke. It's the little things that pick at his brain, asking for a key to come and unlock all of these missing memories.

The big things don't bother him. All of the little things going on within this town Sasuke has stumbled upon is what nags him. The buildings bring no phantom memories nor do the people, but the clothes and certain smells and noises and laughs and faces people make or phrases they say--those bring the tug of memories.

Those are what slowly form the key that will soon unlock the seal placed upon his mind.

←|→

He's a traveler.

He's a wanderer.

He's a protector.

And with every step he takes and every new thing he sees or hears, a little part of him comes back.

The memories come in slight moments, sometimes never fully until weeks after, but they do come with everything he sees and connects to what's missing in his mind.

And he does remember, slowly but surely.

Sakura, Sarada, the Uchiha Clan, Naruto, Boruto, everyone.

He begins to remember.

←|→

He's outside of Konoha a month after the incident.

He's outside of his house a month after the incident.

He walks in, hugs his daughter and kisses Sakura.

Everything is alright.

Everything is good.

~~~~~~

Requested by imoppasan I hope this is what you had in mind and that you liked it! I wasn't sure which part of Sasuke's tavels you wanted this to be from, but this sorta came to my mind. I hope you liked it! :)

By: arahabaki