Friends & Family   von dragonfighter
                           (The Clumsy & The Lonely)
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                      Kapitel 27: Step 27 - Prone To Fall
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Sometimes we are prone to fall. This can be meant metaphorically or literally.
Metaphorically, as in feelings, or in other words, mentally, is the feeling of
standing in front of a deep abyss and threatening to fall into a deep and dark
hole. Literally is, when someone is really standing on a cliff and is
threatening to fall with nowhere to escape. And still both are considered being
the same. Since in both, the emotional world and in the real world, you need
someone to keep you from falling or to catch you when you slipped. Someone who
can help you. In the emotional world, our saviors can be our parents, or a soul
mate, which represents the best friend, and or spouse. They hold us tight when
we face the abyss. They throw themselves to the ground when we fall, trying to
catch our hand at the last second.

“Good morning, Sasuke, my dear brother in law. Did anything happen?“ The
cheerful voice of Sakura’s brother sounds from the other line of the
Uchiha’s smartphone, from which’s lips escapes a soft sigh. "Morning,
Ryosuke. No, nothing happened. Sorry for bothering you so early in the morning."
The black haired man replies in silence, listening to him laugh. "No problem,
really. What else gives me the honor to be called by you?“ Sasuke has to smile
for a moment at that question. He calls his friends so rarely that they always
consider it a honor when he actually does call them. "I wanted to ask you
something." He then finally answers to the question and looks briefly through
the kitchen door and up the stairs. When he doesn’t hear anything from
Sakura’s brother, he just takes it as an invitation to continue and takes a
soft breath. “The rain reminded me of it. I had already completely forgotten
about it.” Looking out of the kitchen window into the pouring rain and the
forming fog. "What did you almost forgot?“ Ryosuke’s voice sounds partly
amused and partly interested when the Uchiha takes a long pause in his words.
“I went out with Sakura on Saturday. On the way back home, there was a
thunderstorm and all of a sudden Sakura tensed up, as if standing on a cliff or
something." The black haired man finally finishes his observation to his friend
and brother in law.

“Do you have any idea why that could be? I've never seen her like that because
of a thunderstorm.” Sasuke now asks rather thoughtfully, before he takes
another glance up the stairs. He can hear his friend hum thoughtfully at his
concern and he notices the soft pause the Haruno makes, before he gives him an
answer. “No, I'm sorry. I don't know what that was." Ryosuke pauses once
again, before he suddenly changes the subject. "How is she today?“ Confused,
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He is obviously hiding something important and he
doesn’t get why. After all, it must be something serious and he doesn’t want
to do nothing when he knows something is definitely wrong with his wife. By all
means, she has become his best friend and means a lot to him. With a sigh he
closes his eyes for a moment, to at least answer his brother in law about his
question. “She doesn't seem to have slept well. Her mood seems a bit off as
well. Why do you ask?“ It comes obediently over his lips, before asking a
counter question. "Oh nothing, it just has something to do with our parents. But
Sakura is a bit closed up about it. Probably she feels like she is scared to
remember, or burden others with her problems. But if she wants you to know, she
will tell you.“ It comes from the brunette Haruno. "Okay." Sasuke sighs in
response, staring through his dark grey eyes to the floor. He has the feeling
that Sakura would never want to talk to him about it. Especially after he saw
her fake smile on that evening. If there should be anything else, you can of
course call me at any time.“ Ryusuke then adds thoughtfully, making Sasuke nod
slightly while looking down at his teacup and thanks him. “No problem. My
sister can be tricky sometimes, doing things she wouldn’t like others do to
her. But i don’t believe that she will hide it from you forever." The brunette
man on the other end of the line explains with a soft laugh, before saying his
goodbye “Well then, Sasuke. See you!" "Yeah, see you." After these words,
Sasuke lowers his smartphone to end the call and stare on the screen for a
while.
 
Sighing, Sasuke puts his phone after a while on the kitchen counter, before he
hears soft footsteps coming down the stairs, watching his wife enter the kitchen
right after. "Hey. Good morning.“ He immediately greets her with a smile and
pulls her onto his lap, pressing a kiss on her cheek. “You look so tired. You
didn't even react to my alarm clock today either." He starts in a soft tone and
puts his arm around her waist so that she can't slip off his lap. Handing her
the cup he has prepared for her, he watches her smile weakly, before she leans
her head on his shoulder. “You don't need to prepare lunch today. I'll just
get myself something when I'm hungry." He whispers, while breathing soft kisses
from her cheek up to her temple. His wife just nods tiredly and leans her
forehead on his cheek, to close her eyes for a moment. Only when she opens them
again, he watches her put her cup back down and lifts her head to kiss her
husband on the cheek. However, since he turns his attention to her and looks
down into her eyes, she end up kissing his lips instead and he doesn’t
hesitate to return the kiss, before he breathes another one on her lips as they
part. "I have to get ready." He then whispers next to her ear and presses his
lips once more on her temple. A soft sigh escapes her lips, as she slips
silently from his lap and lets him stand up. But instead of walking away
immediately, he gives her a tight hug.

Sakura sighs aloud and looks down at her tea. To her luck Sasuke just thinks
that she is tired, but that’s not the case. Something else is plaguing her
today and it is darkening her mood. Her eyes move to the small calendar which is
hanging right next to the refrigerator. It's November 12th. Sakura runs her
hands over her face and wipes her fingers over her eyes, which she already used
make up on. She's already wearing her jeans and socks. All she has to do is
decide on a blouse or a shirt, maybe a top or a blouse. Maybe in wine red,
green, beige, white, or rather black, which she is clearly tending to today. But
instead of doing any of that, she would rather love to crawl back into her bed
and pull the covers over her head. All she wants is go back to bed, or just have
a large pack of chocolate chip cookies and sad music to go with it. She would
like to completely forget what today is. She used to forget it, but now she
can’t do so any longer. It suddenly feels like its burned into her head.
Letting out another sigh, she runs her fingers over her eyes again, when she
hears her husbands heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, neatly dressed like
every day. "I'm going now." He announces to her, buttoning up the sleeves on his
wrists. With a slight smile, Sakura gets up and goes through the kitchen door,
which has actually been standing open ever since she's been living in this
house, and into the foyer. She waits a moment for him to turn and look at her,
feeling how he gives her cheeks a gentle caress. "I'll see you later." He then
says encouragingly and breathes a kiss on her forehead, which she replies with a
nod and a smile on her lips, before he turns to the door again.
 
With a quick press of a button, he lets the gate open while he walks towards his
car, opens the driver's door and lets himself sink into the cool seat of his
car. The gate has opened completely and reveals the garden, covered in thick fog
which makes him even unable to see the entrance gate. Letting out a deep sigh,
he quickly starts the engine to turn on the heater. November spread across Tokyo
in all its facets. Fine drizzle drops immediately fall on his windshield when he
drives out of the garage and the further he gets out of his with trees filled
garden, the heavier the drizzle pours. Taking a short look to the left and
right, he then drives out of the driveway and heads towards work. Maybe he
should visit Sakura later at lunch break, to see how she is doing. After the
phone call he had with Ryosuke, he doesn't believe anymore that she’s just
tired. She doesn’t tell him anything, but he knows that there’s something
that keeps her so out of touch.
 
The Uchiha brings the car to a standstill at one of the red light and turns to
the passenger seat, on which he always throws his documents when he gets in. He
searches for his smartphone, grumbling quietly. A red traffic light and a
searched passenger seat, as well as a rummaged work bag later, he sighs in agony
and tries to remember where he put his smartphone. After a few moments he
finally remembers, he put it on the counter in the kitchen, then pulled Sakura
onto his lap and changed clothes, simply leaving the smartphone there. He sighs
again in agony. Why does he have to forget his smartphone of all things? Why not
his work bag or the tablet? If he had at least his smartphone with him, he would
have called and asked Sakura to bring his other stuff to work for him. Calling
her when he's in the office would also be completely pointless, since she won't
be at home anymore. So he has no other choice but to drive back home, to get the
device himself. If Sakura hasn’t found and taken it with herself already, that
is.

Immediately he turns on the blinker and turns right at the next intersection, to
go back home through the morning traffic. This will affect his working hours
again and he will come home later and the heavy drizzle doesn't make the journey
any easier either. The road is, despite the fact that there are only fine
droplets, covered in wetness and even makes the roadway slippery in some places.
A large number of motorists drive carefully and slowly, only a few speeders, or
people in hurry, run across the wet streets. It’s always those  in hurry, who
cause accidents and thus harm innocent people and end up clogging the traffics.
With every day approaching winter, people are becoming more cautious and that is
why some car journeys take a little longer.
 
Surprised, the Uchiha brakes in front of the entrance gate, which is still wide
open. Usually Sakura closes the gate when she drives to work. He sighs softly
wile driving through the gate. Maybe she has just forgotten it, after all, she
seems so off today, what preoccupies and distracts her. Maybe it would have been
better if he had taken her with him. He just hopes that he won't be contacted at
some point, that she had an accident. He steers his car into the driveway,
further and stops in front of the front door. He quickly parks the car and gets
out, walking to the door to unlock it and enter his empty house. He looks around
briefly, so Sakura has really already gone to work. Taking off his shoes, he
quickly walks into the kitchen where he sees his smartphone on the counter,
which makes him sigh in relief. At least he didn't go home for nothing. Taking
the device into his hand, something else suddenly gets his attention and makes
him pause in surprise.

Soft, muffled music reaches his ears. Following the music into the foyer, he
drops the cell phone into his suit pocket and looks around in confusion. He
hadn't heard the music outside and the sounds are clearly coming from upstairs.
"Sakura?" He calls into the empty house, but as expected, he gets no reaction,
making him sigh. She probably turned up the music and then just forgot to turn
it off. How off she must be to forget so many things at the same time. In
silence he then just approaches the stairs and gets up quickly. The closer he
gets to the end of the stairs, the louder the music gets and he can slowly
understand the lyrics. His steps slow down as he approaches the bedroom door.
Something is wrong here. His wife doesn't usually listen to this kind of
depressing music either, and this song seems to be put on a loop. He shakes his
head. Everything will be all right, she's just a little distracted today.
 
Sasuke opens the door and pauses in surprise, when he finds his wife sitting
there on her side of the bed. "Sakura?" He asks, puzzled as to why she’s still
here. As if he had startled her, her shoulders jump up, before she throws a
quick look over her shoulder and into his direction. "I'm sorry! I'll be leaving
soon.” She quickly exclaims and becomes quieter and quieter towards the end.
The Uchiha sighs silently. What's up with this day? He can see that she is not
doing well at all and she still thinks that he wants her to go to work.

Carefully he approaches the bed and sits down next to her on the mattress, but
she doesn't even react. "Sakura?" He asks gently, placing a hand on her back to
rub over it in circles. "Today would have been his 49th birthday." His wife
mumbles, while holding a photo a little away from herself. Sasuke gets a bit
closer to her and keeps rubbing his hand over her back. “He was 40 years old.
40. He was healthy. Nothing was wrong with him and still he died. It all
happened so fast.” His wife whimpers, while staring at the photo in her hand.
The corners are already a bit worn out, but you can still easily recognize the
friendly, smiling man on it. He had always smiled so warmly. "It all happened
too fast!" She repeats and suddenly she feels the tears rising up in her, which
she had so successfully suppressed in the recent years. “I just don’t know
how to handle it!” Her voice breaks and she tries to fight back the tears. Her
husband's hand continues to wander up and down her back, trying to sooth her
pain. She takes a deep breath and looks up to her left.
 
“I know it's been 8 years... and I know I should have slowly get over it
already, but it doesn't work. I just can’t and i don’t know why. Your mother
died just two months ago and you seem to be able to deal with it so easily and I
still can't do it after years!” Tears well up in her eyes, but she doesn't let
them run down her cheeks. The black haired man looks at her sympathetically,
while he continuously strokes her back. "Everything happened so fast. One minute
they were still there and the next they weren't. I couldn't even say goodbye to
them and I think that's why. That's why you can handle it and I can't.” Her
voice is nothing more than a whisper as she drops her gaze to the ground. “You
knew it was happening. She said goodbye to you, but i couldn’t.” She shakes
her head and squeezes her eyes shut, suddenly feeling how his second hand rests
on her right cheek and pulls her towards him. He gently pulls her closer and
makes her rest her head on his chest. For a moment she feels a soft vibration,
as his soft laugh sounds next to her ear. “I don't think it's because my
mother said goodbye, or because I knew it was going to happen. When you do, you
think you are prepared for it, but when it does happen, it is just as shocking
and painful. And about her saying goodbye... When we were in the hospital and my
mother called us in one by one... her last words to me were; that I should take
care of you, be there for you and show you what love is.” He whispers softly
next to her ear and she can hear the bitterness and sadness in his voice.
 
"And even still, even though she said goodbye to all of us, every other goodbye
was like it was the last. Like i would never see her again. Knowing that she
would be gone in less then a few years was like torture. Imagine having to think
every time you say good bye; will i be able to see her again? I haven’t gotten
over it, Sakura. And i don’t believe i ever will." He keeps whispering and
watches as she lifts her head, to look up into his eyes, which look towards her
with sadness and compassion. The right corner of his mouth lifts up for a soft,
encouraging smile, while he doesn’t hesitate to pull her onto his lap and puts
his arms around her to hug her close. She smiles bitterly against his chest and
hides her eyes in the crook of his neck, her fingers griping into his suit
jacket. "Why aren't you getting some sleep?" He asks thoughtfully, feeling her
shake her head. “I have to go to work.” She utters weakly. “No you don't
have to. You can't concentrate, so you should stay at home.” Sakura hears her
husband whisper and kiss the top of her head, before he pushes her off his lap
and puts her behind him on the mattress. Making sure that she’s laying
comfortable, he then pulls the blanket over her shoulders. With a slight smile,
he takes the two stuffed bears from the head rest of the bed and places them in
the middle of the bed next to her pillow. A gentle smile pulls on her lips at
his actions, as he take the TV remote into his hand. “And this was what helped
me a lot.” He explains, while turning to the television, which can be used to
go straight to the Internet, Netflix and YouTube, where he clicks on the search
bar on Youtube and enters the song title. The previous song stops and is
replaced by the other song chosen by Sasuke.

Sakura watches her husband as he gets up from the bed and closes the curtains.
“You should go to work.” She mumbles sadly, because she doesn't really want
him to go. She would love to ask him to stay with her, but she knows it would be
irresponsible for him to ditch work. "Okay." He whispers and leans down to her
for a last kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back soon." He reassures her before he
gives her a last smile and leaves the room. Sighing softly, the pink haired
woman turns to her left and stares at the video on the television. The soft
sounds of the instruments fill the room. The lyrics, however, bring tears to her
eyes, which she then closes and tries to swallow her grief. She takes another
deep breath, in order to calm herself and her mind again.
 


~ > * < ~



The Uchiha silently opens the door and carefully looks inside. On the bed he
sees the sleeping beauty, who is now, thanks to his mother, his beloved wife.
Yes. Even though he’s feeling so weird around her lately and he can’t really
put together it’s meaning, Sakura has still become the most important person
in his life. He doesn’t know what he would have done if he didn’t have her.
He can’t tell if he would have been able to get back up on his feet after his
huge loss all on his own, if his mother didn’t arrange this wedding and tried
to hook them up. Quietly he enters the room and walks towards the bed, examining
her briefly before he peels off his suit and replaces it with sweatpants. When
that’s done, he carefully sits down next to her in bed, caressing her hair
with a warm smile. "I'm back." He whispers quietly, not wanting to wake her from
her slumber. For some reason, her parents' deaths are still hurting her this
much. Of course, he doesn’t believe either of them will ever get over it, but
he heard that it gets still better. That you can talk about your deceased loved
ones, without feeling the need to cry your eyes out and still feel sadness and
melancholy. But whatever it is that is burdening her so much, he just thinks
that sleep is best for her now. Watching his wife move and rest her hand on his
knee, he can’t but smile and puts the teddy bears aside, since they’re
preventing him from seeing her face. She lies there relaxed, the grief from
before no longer visible. Gently putting his hand back on her, he caresses her
hair with his thumb. Again and again. But this silence doesn't answer his
questions. Sighing softly, he takes his smartphone out of his sweatpants pocket,
into which he had stowed it a few minutes ago. Maybe it will be good to go ask
his brother in law once more.

After dialling the number of his brother in law, he holds his smartphone to his
ear, waiting for the Haruno to pic up his phone and it doesn’t take long
before the brunettes voice sounds from the end of the other line for the second
time that day. "Hey Sasuke. Is everything alright?“ Sasuke could immediately
hear the worry in the brunette’s voice and he muses that it isn’t really
surprising, considering the fact he doesn’t normally call his friends often
and especially not twice a day. "Hey. Yes, but i should ask you that. Tell me,
how are you today?” The black haired man explores in a calm and soft tone, as
he watches his wife sleep right next to him. He can hear Ryusuke laughing at his
question. “Wow, Sasuke. Marriage really changes you. I never imagined you
caring about how others are feeling.“ Sasuke scowls and lets out a soft snort
at his words. A frown showing up on his forehead at his friends claim. "I
haven’t changed. I may be distant, but i've always been interested in my
friend’s wellbeing." The Uchiha replies with a slight grumble, not believing
that he even has to explain himself. He thought they would know without him
having to tell them. "All right, sorry buddy. I'm actually pretty fine. I can
not complain.“ The Haruno replies with a snicker and Sasuke can hear it in his
friend's voice that he is serious about doing well. That he isn’t pretending
like Sakura did on their second date. "Tell me, Ryosuke." Sasuke begins, before
he pauses for a moment. "Yes?“ He hears the voice of his friend, expecting him
to continue. "Why is it that you are coping so well with the death of your
parents, but Sakura can’t?" It was just a question. It was his curiosity. What
is it that made Ryosuke handle the situation better than her, although they had
went through the same loss. Empathy are visible in his dark grey eyes, as he
looks back next to himself and at his sleeping wife. A sigh sounds from the
phone, which gains back his attention. “I don't know either, sorry. Is she
okay?“ He hears Ryosuke say. "Yeah, she is sleeping right now." The Uchiha
answers with a soft nod, brushing her hair slightly with his thumb. "Are you
with her?“ It comes from his brother in law and Sasuke could practically see
the surprise written in his face, even though they are just talking on the
phone. Sasuke in the other hand just shrugs at his question. “I didn't want to
leave her alone, so I brought my work home. She didn't leave me alone either."
The Uchiha explains with a gentle smile.
 
"To get back to your question.“ He hears the Haruno start, perking his
curiosity again. "Yes?" Sasuke turns his gaze away from his wife and up to the
television, which is still running. “Do you remember back then? We were in
boarding school together, you and i. That one weekend, when i was informed by
one of the teachers and got taken home. That weekend, i learned about my parents
deaths. Sakura was with the Yamanakas, but even to this day not even i know the
details of what happened to them, so i can’t tell what she saw or experienced,
while i had been away. At that time she only cried, but never spoke to me or
anyone else about it. So i really can’t help you either. I can only guess and
think that she's afraid of going through this pain again, if she tells someone
else about it. But maybe that’s why i can handle things better than her.
Unlike you, i wasn’t at my parents’ death bed. I didn’t see them die like
you did.“ Ryosuke pauses in his explanation and lets out a deep sigh, while
Sasuke listens carefully to what his brother in law tells him. He doesn’t dare
to interrupt him in his words, because he knows, even if Ryusuke said that he
didn’t saw his parents die, it still is hard for him to talk about it. "It was
at that time we agreed that Sakura would stay with the Yamanakas, while i would
go back to boarding school until graduation and then go to university, before i
go back to live with her again. So, if anyone could tell you something, then i
guess it would be Ino, but as I told you, Sakura is peculiar in this regard. She
doesn't like it when you get informations about her from someone else. She'll
tell you someday, maybe not today, or this year, but someday. Just make sure not
to push her, or you could end up making her block you out completely.“ Reports
the brunette Haruno further, whereby Sasuke could swear he was grinning while
telling him this. Sasuke sighs once and rubs himself over his face with his free
hand. "Okay, thank you Ryosuke." He finally mumbles. In conclusion, he still
doesn’t know what it is that burdens Sakura so much and still, he knows a bit
more than before. So he still appreciates Ryusuke’s help. "No problem." The
Uchiha hears his friend say, before they both say goodbye to each other and hang
up.
 
"What is it that burdens you so much...?" It comes over his lips in a whisper,
while he caresses his wife's hair one last time with his hand. In one point
Ryusuke was right though. It’s unfair that she went all out on him, but ends
up hiding her own problems from him. That she does it herself, when she
doesn’t like others doing it to her. With a sigh he carefully moves away from
her and gets up from the bed, in order to leave the room and let her rest
longer.




~ > * < ~

 


The pink haired woman slowly wakes up from her sleep, as she slowly start to
recognize the music again. Suddenly she is aware of what kind of day it is
again. Feeling the sadness well up in her chest again, she opens her eyes and
stares at her hand, which is laying on her husbands bed side, which no longer
looks as neat as it did in the morning. Although she made the bed in the
morning, just like every other day. Closing her eyes again, she cuddles her head
deeper into the mattress, to close her eyes again and listen to the melody. "I
pray you'll be our eyes and watch us where we go." She silently sings along the
lyrics, before she opens her eyes again and sits up in bed, examining her
clothes. In the morning she had still thought about it, although it was already
clear to her from the start that she would wear something black anyway. With a
deep sigh, she swings her legs out of bed and gets up to change into something
more comfortable. Jeans and sweaters aren’t really comfortable when hanging
around and delving in sadness.
 
Her work clothes land on the floor after she took them off and are replaced by a
cozy sweatpants and shirt, before she goes to the bathroom to remove her make
up. Gloomy eyes meet her, when she looks at herself through the mirror. She
hates days like this. Over the past few years she has always survived it quite
well on her own. But today she just wants Sasuke to be with her. She wants to be
with her best friend, cuddle with him and feel his kisses on her skin. Without
him, she feels so lost and lonely. Sighing in agony, she runs her fingers
through her pink hair. She knows how much work he has and that's why she didn't
ask him to stay with her. Even though she sure wished he could. Turning to the
door with slow steps, she leaves the bathroom. She desperately needs something
in her stomach, since she hasn't even had breakfast yet. Everything she had, was
the tea which Sasuke prepared for her before leaving to work. Sighing
listlessly, she turns off the television and then leaves the bedroom, walking
quietly through the large hallway of the upper floor and towards the stairs.
It's one of those days again when the villa is too big and empty for her alone
and this fact is simply unbearable. Her gaze wanders over the wall, next to the
stairs and then back to the stairs in front of her, over which she goes down to
the ground floor. When she suddenly hears the sound of rain pounding hard on the
floor and the front door closing, she looks up in surprise. Stoping down at the
end of the stairs, she looks at her husband in astonishment, who is standing in
the foyer, running his hand through his hair in order to shake out a few
raindrops.

The Uchiha rises his head from the drawers and focuses his grey eyes on her with
a smile. "Hey." He greets her in a warm tone and watches her as she walks slowly
towards him. "Hey. Is it that late already? Are you finished with work?” She
asks him a little confused as she comes to a stop in front of him. “No.” He
answers with a soft laugh and shakes his head in addition. “It's only noon
yet. I didn't want to leave you alone, so I just got the documents from work a
few hours ago.” He explains with an encouraging smile. Gently, he pulls her
against his chest and puts his arms around her waist, while he presses a kiss on
her temple. She too puts her arms around his back and presses her head against
his shoulder with a smile. "Thank you." Carefully he rubs over her back and
closes his eyes to take in her scent. "I went out once more to get us some fast
food." He explains silently next to her ear, while repeatedly rubbing her back.
Surprised, she lifts her head up to look him into his dark grey eyes, making him
break the hug. "Since i didn't know what exactly you want, I just got us several
things." He reports, holding up two bags and four drinks.
 
Smiling, he walks past her and into the living room, where he puts the food on
the coffee table and puts aside his folders from work, which he was working on
at the coffee table while she was asleep. Immediately, he takes out the food,
while Sakura looks at him and sees something that makes her laugh, making her
husband look immediately up at her in confusion. "What?" It escapes his lips and
raise an eyebrow. “Why are you wearing sweater and sweatpants?” She asks in
amusement and sinks down on the couch to his right. Looking down at himself for
a moment, he just shrugs it off with a smile. "It’s uncomfortable to sit at
home with a suit on, while working on all those folders." He explains to her and
then looks back at the table in front of him. "Choose what you want." He then
says with an inviting wave at all the food. "Thanks. I will stick to the chicken
products." The Haruno explains with a smile and immediately reaches for some
chicken nuggets and a chicken burger, which obviously seem to be from KFC.
Understanding, the Uchiha nods and then chooses something himself before leaning
back against the backrest. Sakura sits down on the couch and crosses her legs,
before she turns on the TV to switch through the channels until she finds
something interesting and leans back against the backrest as well. A few minutes
pass before she glances at her husband and realizes that he already ate up and
got back to work. A small smile pulls on her lips. Without her saying anything,
he stayed at home. He took all his work home just to make sure that she won’t
be alone in the big villa.

She carefully moves closer to him. With one leg stretched out on the seat and
the other one upright, he sits in the corner of the couch. With his tablet and
one of the folders on his lap and a ballpoint pen in hand, he is staring at the
documents, even though Scrubs is playing on the television in front of him. She
watches him in silence, while he keeps staying absorbed in his work. It takes a
moment before he realizes her gaze on him and looks up. Smiling, she approaches
him and kisses his lips, feeling how he returns the kiss just as tenderly before
it's already over again. “Do you mind if I stay close?” She asks shyly and
looks at the piece of couch between them. A smile pulls on his lips, which he
strengthens with a soft hum. "No." He replies gently and brushes one of her hair
strands behind her ear. She beams happily, as she already closes the gape
between him and herself and cuddles onto his side.
 
Concentrated, the Uchiha continues to work through the folders, while Sakura
keeps leaning against his side and watches diverse series and programs until she
finds nothing of interest any longer. Sighing, she then gets up and walks around
the couch to leave the room and her husband behind. Sasuke looks after her for a
moment, before she comes back and looks hesitant into his dark eyes. "Sasuke?"
She mumbles after a moment of silence, watching him put down his pencil.
“Yes?” Walking closer, she sits back right next to him and looks up into his
expectant eyes. "Will you watch my favorite childhood movie with me?" She asks
while looking at him pleadingly, but also questioningly. He sighs silently and
looks at the folders in front of him and then examines the stacks for a moment,
before smiling slightly. “Do you want to help me quickly with the drawings?
After that i have got time.“ He explains, while lifting one stack up. Sakura
nods with a smile and sits back right next to him, while he puts the tablet and
folder aside. With her trained eyes, the two deal with the pile relatively
quickly, so that Sasuke can happily put it away.
 
Sakura in the other hand turns on the movie, while he makes himself comfortable
on the couch and suddenly notices how his wife puts a packet of cookies next to
him. "Come here." She hears him say and gets pulled down onto his lap, before
she could even think of sitting down on the couch again. Cuddling up against his
chest with a happy smile, she opens another packet of cookies, which he observes
with a slight smile, before he turns back to the television. "Lilo and Stitch?"
He asks, surprised. "I always wanted to have a dog like Stitch." She explains
immediately, which makes him laugh, putting an arm around her waist and then
starts the movie. "I also like Hawaii." She then adds while the movie is already
starting. A few minutes pass before the first laugh comes over her lips, which
makes him smile with relief.
 
A quite sob makes the young man startle and avert his gaze from the movie, to
his wife. "Are you crying?" He explores a bit startled, starting to caress her
hair again. The Haruno straitens up a little on his lap and looks into his eyes,
making it able for him to see the tears in her eyes. “I haven't seen this
movie ever since I’m little and with 8 young years not everyone understand
what it all means. Lilo is bullied because her parents are dead and she is
different because of that and is punished for it even though the others provoke
her. It’s like when someone tells you all of a sudden that its raining and
your parents died in an accident. It makes you unable to grasp the situation.”
Rubbing the sleeve of her sweater over her eyes, she closes her eyes for a
moment to breath in rapidly. An encouraging smile forms on his lips, while he
wipes the remaining tears from her cheeks and pulls her against his chest again.
A depressed sigh escapes her lips as the movie ends and the credits roll. “I
don't have a family anymore.” She suddenly mumbles, making him look at her
perplexed, before he gently pushes her away and takes her face between his
hands, to make her look at him. "What are you talking about? You have Ryosuke,
he's your family. And you have me too. I’m your family too, just like my
family is your family as well. I won't let you alone and neither will Ryosuke."
The black haired man utters and plays with her hair. It pains him to hear that
he’s the only one who thinks of her and himself as a family. He thought it
would be obvious since they are married and became so important to each other.
He was considering her his best friend and he thought she did too. "Really?" He
hears her explore carefully and even a little hesitant. "Of course we are.
Don’t you feel the same?" He answers with a slight smile, making her hug him
tight. “I do. I was just scared. We don’t even love each other and...”
Sasuke shakes his head with a sad smile, leaning his cheek against her forehead.
“It doesn’t matter. You still mean everything to me. You said you don’t
want to loose me and neither do i. We are friends and that’s already enough."
Her smile becomes slightly wobbly at his words. That sounds like her parent’s
relationship. Unlike her and Sasuke, they were always so in love with each
other. They were the perfect couple and still they also looked like two
inseparable best friends. She always thought it would be impossible for her to
have such a beautiful relationship with him in such an arranged marriage, and
still he is here saying that they are already friends for a lifetime and beyond.
Being able to have a relationship like her parents sounded like a fairy tale to
her and now she learns that they already have a part of it. The friendship.
“Do you want to watch the second part as well?" The Uchiha now suggests,
making her nod with a happy smile and press her more against his chest.
"Everything will be fine." She hears him say, while pressing a kiss on her
head.
 
Over an hour later, the credits run across the screen once again. Sakura
straightens up with a sigh and slips off her husband's lap. Her eyes become
gloomy again as she stares at the couch, before lifting her eyes back up and
into her husbands dark eyes. "I..." She starts, but falls silent again, turning
her gaze back to the couch. "I miss my parents." She then utters quietly,
feeling his arms back around her body. "Of course you do. I miss my mother too."
Sasuke mumbles while pulling her even closer to himself and caresses her back
soothingly. "Do you want... How does it sound if we build an altar for your
parents and my mother?" He finally submits the idea that has been floating
around in his head for a few hours now. The young woman raises her eyes and
looks at her husband with big eyes, who watches her expectantly while she is
considering his suggestion. "I think yes, that's a good idea." A sincere smile
pulls on her lips as she nods and gives in to his hug with a deep and relieved
sigh. "Then it’s settled. You can design it and we'll take care of the
construction on the weekend." He then explains in a whisper and gently presses a
kiss on her temple, feeling how she nods in agreement. Watching her leave the
room to fetch a pad and pen, which she uses while sitting down next to him
again, he watches her for a while, before turning back to his work. He wants to
get over with work as soon as possible, to be able to spend more time with his
best friend.

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