Blossom

Chapter Sixteen: Guardian Angel

It finally hit him that the only solution to their problems were to stay apart that night. He had laid awake in his bed for hours until he couldn't take it anymore. So, Sasuke did the only thing that came to mind. He filled a nappy bag with extra diapers, changes of clothes, a new container of baby formula and some other things. He went into Sarada's room and packed her some things as well.

It was impulsive of him, but he needed to get out of the house quickly. He couldn't leave his children there alone, though. He carried a sleeping Sarada to the car, careful not to wake her up, and then did the same with Haruna. He left a quick note on the kitchen counter, letting Sakura know that he'd be back at whatever time until he's okay again.

His tears clouded his vision as he drove around the neighborhood for a few minutes before going to the main road and finally the highway. He wasn't one to cry, and he only ever did so when he was overwhelmed, but the tears never stopped.

He was going to lose his wife and he could do nothing about it because it was better to lose her than to lose the love of his children. He would have preferred if that wasn't the case but it was. It would be stupid of him to say otherwise.

Pulling up to the side of the road, he turned on his hazard lights and rested his forehead against the steering wheel. Where was he going? He had no one to turn to. His family was gone and he didn't exactly have friends. He looked through the rear view mirror at his sleeping daughters, his eyes lingering on the infant who was wrapped snugly in her blanket.

Reaching for some tissues in the glove compartment, he wiped his face and took a deep breath. He wondered if she would be mad at him, but he highly doubted that if she could see what state he was in at the moment. She was the only one to come to mind anyway.

Putting the address into the GPS, he followed the directions and found himself deep into the city. He turned the device off, knowing the way like the back of his hand now that he was in the familiar urban surroundings.

Slowing down, he parked the car and hesitated to step out. What if she turned him down and told him to go back home? He had given her no reason to help him more than she did previously.

Stepping out of the car, he grabbed their bags from the trunk and placed them at the entrance of the building. Going back to carry a sleeping Sarada in one arm and the baby carrier in the other, he locked the car. Sasuke struggled to get inside at first, having to carry two people as well as some bags to the elevator, but he managed to take care of it without waking up either child.

Pressing the familiar floor button, the elevator ride up was filled with the soft snores of Sarada as she shifted in his arms. He had known she was a heavy sleeper but he couldn't help but feel grateful that she hadn't woken up as he moved about. She would be really confused once she woke up but that was okay.

Sasuke stood in front of her door, the time on his phone reading 2:37AM. It was late, and he wouldn't blame her if she was visibly annoyed at being woken up at such an ungodly time, but that didn't stop him from knocking on her door. It took some time at first, and he wondered if she wasn't home until he was about to knock again and the door opened.

"God, what are you doing here?" She looked at him with sleepy eyes, her hair a mess and her cheeks flushed pink. She looked at the child in his arms and the bags at his feet. "What the hell happened, Sasuke?" She noticed his red puffy eyes and frowned.

"Can I come in?" He whispered.

Chapter Sixteen: Guardian Angel

Hinata ushered him into the apartment and picked up the bags from outside. Flipping on the lights, she set the bags down in the living room and took the baby carrier from him. "You can sleep on my bed." She offered as she brought their things up to her room.