Mama?"
"In here, baby!"
Sakura hears her daughter groaning at the nickname and rolls her eyes; she knows that secretly the little girl in Sarada loves it when she says it. Though since the pre-teen met her father, the girl is acting more mature and avoiding Sakura's cuddling.
The loud stomps that approach her in a crescendo tell Sakura that either her daughter had a bad day, or she's just being the prepubescent girl she is.
"Look who I found lurking in the shadows of my training grounds, watching me like a creep," she sounds annoyed, but Sakura hears the hopeful tone in her voice.
"Who?" She asks without turning from her dishes, stacking a pile of clean, dry plates methodically.
There's no instant reply though. Sakura hears a noise that sounds pretty much like a "oof", and she's certain her daughter just elbowed their guest with more force than she should. Sakura can't help but smirk; that's her girl.
The visitor lets his presence known with a too familiar tsk, and a second later his chakra is filling the room. And just like that, there's a crashing noise and shreds of glass flying in all directions.
"Really, Mama?"
Sakura turns on her heels, ignoring her mishap in order to gape at her husband; green eyes wide and glimmering with surprise. She didn't expect to see him so soon.
The last couple days were crazy; a lunatic went after her daughter and husband, she was kidnapped by said lunatic after basically saving them. And then, as her family came to her rescue, they discovered the extent of that mad man's action and the atrocities he did. Although everything seems fine and going back to the way they were, there's still a lot to process, especially for Sarada.
"Ah-Anata, welcome home!"
"Aa, I'm home."
"I'll be in my room," Sarada says, moving away from the couple. "Call me if you need help."
The word "help" snapped Sakura out of her daze, bringing her back to the present. It seems that, even after all these years, Uchiha Sasuke still has the same effect on her; heart racing, breath hitching, Sakura's ready to be reduced to a puddle on the floor.
"How was your night? Are you done reporting?" It was early in the morning, a few hours before noon, and since their return to Konoha last night, she hadn't seen her husband.
"Fine," he sighs, bending down to remove his shoes. "The Dobe talked my ears off, but I'm done; no more reports."
"Good. Are you hungry? I can make you something, I just need—" She swirls around and takes in the state of her prior spotless kitchen, now filled with shards and broken glass. "—to clean this mess, apparently."
When Sakura turns back to him, he's smirking, probably aware that he's the one responsible for said mess, knowing exactly why she dropped the dishes. Cocky bastard.
"No, we had ramen. But I do need a bath."
She wrinkles her nose in mock-disgust and he huffs. "Where is it? Our bedroom?"
"Down the hall, last door," she points out the way, watching him as he removes his cloak leaving it by the entrance.
"This is a new house, Sakura."
Yeah, about that... Sakura did kind of destroy their house not so long ago. And it wasn't the first time either, which warranted the disapproval tone of her husband. Sakura is not a woman that cares about money and possessions, but at that moment, she's glad Sasuke's loaded.
