Archive of Our Own ^beta

EVER SINCE HARUNO SAKUA had been a little girl, she had dreamt of her life with Uchiha Sasuke. She imagined what it would’ve been like to be the Lady of the Uchiha clan. To walk through the village, to be greeted with respect and revered in admiration. She thought of how she would restore the compound, to the way it had been before– littered with the dignity and the accomplishments of the Uchiha clan and make it a home once again.

She wondered what Sasuke would’ve been like as a husband; would he have been doting and kind? Or would he be the same aloof self as he was, toying with her here and there but never denying her when they were tangled together in the sheets. 

In all her daydreams, she would have never thought that her life as Lady Uchiha would be of this.

“Uchiha Sasuke, if you do not get me those red bean dumplings from Katoshi’s, within the next ten minutes, I swear to god–” Her right hand shook with the black slipper, “I will end your life.”

Uchiha Sasuke gulped, his hands slowly raising in defense from his very pregnant and very hormonal wife, “Sakura, it’s, it’s Sunday, they’re closed on Sundays.”

Her emerald eyes blazed with anger, and she stood up abruptly from the wooden chair and onto her swollen feet that had seen better days, “Listen here you little shit, I am almost 9 months pregnant because of you, the least you can do is get me my favourite food.”

Sasuke raised a finger to correct her, “Actually, I had stopped wanting to have kids, you were the one who wanted to try again.”

Sakura leaned forward as her hands gripped the kitchen table with such force that her knuckles turned white and gritted, “I wanted a daughter goddamnit, and you keep giving me sons.”

When Sasuke had asked for Sakura’s hand in marriage, she was delighted– no, she was ecstatic. Her dreams of being at his side were finally going to come true. After all, they had been through together, the struggles, the challenges, the heartache, he was finally hers, and she was finally his.

However, she knew that one of her duties as his wife was to help him restore and rebuild his clan. 

He was the last Uchiha– a family with a history such as his, the strength and the power they held, not to mention the force of the Sharingan, it could not be erased. She knew this was important to him, but it mattered to her too. She dreamt of their children, of their mismatched eyes and hair, of their smiles, their feet pattering down the hallways of the house as they opened and slid closed the doors. 

Their children were not only his legacy but hers as well.

However, Sakura did not expect the Uchiha gene to be so strong.

When their eldest son was born, Sakura held him close to her bare chest. She had been exhausted, almost in labor for thirty-six hours, but the minute he had been placed in her arms, the skin-to-skin contact sent a wave of relief and calm to wash over her. She was at complete and utter peace. 

Sasuke had lingered close, stooping down low to peer at their son, the firstborn. As their baby opened its onyx eyes, she heard Sasuke’s breath hitch in his throat.

“His name will be Itachi.”

The sentiment was not lost on Sakura, therefore, she did not deny the request.

Despite his history with his brother, Sakura knew that Sasuke loved him with all his being– the middle years could not erase the beginning or the latter years of their bond, a bond that still lived on, despite the eldest Uchiha no longer being in this world. 

At age seven, their Itachi nearly rivaled the prodigy of his Uncle. Already graduating from the academy, he was the true heir to the Uchiha clan, a sense of pride, something she knew Sasuke basked in when a small smirk would form on his lips whenever someone praised Itachi’s abilities or skills.

Their Itachi, similar to his Uncle, was perceptive, intelligent, sincere, diplomatic, and kind. 

Sakura often found Sasuke, late at night, in Itachi’s bed, telling him stories of the Uncle he was named after; a ghost of a smile would appear on her lips and she would linger against the doorframe before leaving the two, to let them share these memories.

But as Itachi reached the age of two, Sakura and Sasuke knew that they wanted to try again and so they did.

Keitaro was born on July 24th, a day after Sasuke’s birthday.

Sasuke immediately called him the perfect birthday gift.

Keitaro was fragile when he was first born, premature by two months, Sakura could easily recall the extra care and attention he needed within the first few months of his life. Sasuke was dutiful and keen, often getting up out of bed in the middle of the night when Keitaro would cry, his wails ringing throughout the still night.

He would plant a gentle kiss on Sakura’s forehead, mumbling that she fall back asleep and he would handle it.

And he did.

As the months passed, Keitaro grew stronger. 

At the age of five, he was a blur of black hair and onyx eyes, running, screaming, playing, pulling pranks, and teasing other kids. He took strongly after his uncle, Naruto, something Sasuke was displeased with but would merely shrug off, much to his disdain. 

He was a Uchiha, after all, he’d fall into line, eventually.

With Itachi at four years old and Keitaro at two, Sakura wanted to try once more, but this time for a daughter.

She longed for a girl; her heart wanted nothing more than to dress her up, braid her pink hair, and raise her into a strong, independent, and caring woman.

And so they had tried again.

Tsunade-sama had ensured Sakura, with the raise of her entire sake bottle in a drunken stupor, that Sakura would have a daughter this time, she just knew it, she claimed.

It was the way her stomach was protruding, the shape of it an oval– a dead giveaway to a baby girl.

These were the things as a medic-nin she had learned over the years, it was common knowledge, she had proclaimed, taking another big swig, and punching her other fist in the air in victory.

However, her mentor had been wrong.

Sakura yet again, gave birth to a boy.

But this time, to two.

The latter part surprised both of them. 

Akira and Tadashi were fraternal twins, the only resemblance they shared with not only themselves but also their older two brothers, was their distinct black hair and dark eyes. As they both lay in their respective cots, a week after they were born, Sakura although filled to the brim with love, still felt a little sadness seep through. 

Although her children were her and Sasuke’s legacy, all her children resembled him– they were all Uchiha’s, by blood, and by their appearances.

She was the outsider.

So, with a strongly worded prayer to Kami, she wanted to try once again when the twins had almost reached the age of two. Sasuke had said no, he was completely content with the four sons they had. He claimed that this was more than enough to restore the Uchiha Clan and bring back its greatness.

But with a certain lacy outfit and dimmed lighting, he was easy to persuade.  

So here she was, almost nine months later, more pregnant than she had ever been, she wanted to say that her other pregnancies had gone easier, with Itachi and the twins especially, she did not have many cravings and she was always fairly in a good mood. She was still able to do much of the things she had done during her time as kunoichi, which was slightly limited with Keitaro.

However, this time around, she had felt as if her world had flipped around.

The nausea, the swollen legs and feet, the incessant cravings and mood swings, the acid reflux and heartburn, the chunks of hair falling down the drain after a shower, she felt as if she was going through the pits of hell and back.

With all the horrid side effects, she had completely forgotten the excitement that surged through her when had seen the pink plus sign on the white stick.

She first had withheld the news from Sasuke; he had returned from an S-ranked mission after nearly two weeks and was exhausted. The minute he had opened the front door, all five of them rushed towards him, demanding his attention. The twins latched onto each leg, while Keitaro tugged on his right sleeve. Itachi stood on the side, respectfully waiting for his father to glance his way, so he could tell him of the genin team he would be placed on.

As they all swarmed their much-loved father, Sakura slowly filtered to the back. Her hip slightly bumped into their kitchen table and the corners of her mouth had turned upward into a solemn smile.

For some reason, she was nervous to tell him.

It wasn’t that she was afraid of his reaction, she knew that the minute he would hear the news, he would be excited, and show it in the best way he could, with a gleam in his eyes and his lips upturned in a smirk. He was quite proud of his virility, to say the least; in all the fantasies she had about Sasuke, none of them ever truly encompassed his mastery within the bedroom.

The nervousness came from the fact of her long desire to have a daughter; she wondered if she announced that she was pregnant, that somewhere, a long-dormant Uchiha ancestor would hear her and immediately curse her into having another son. 

And so, she waited.

A week had passed.

And then two. 

And then three.

They were having dinner after celebrating Akira and Tadashi's birthday, a small cake-cutting ceremony had happened, a tradition they all held, when Sakura decided to suddenly blurt it out. 

All heads turned her way, and the falling of several pairs of chopsticks hit the table at once. As her children peered at her face, with all their distinct expressions, Itachi with a tender gaze, Keitaro with sheer excitement, and Akira and Tadashi both baffled, her eyes only fell onto Sasuke’s face.

She noticed his eyes soften as he rested his hands, palms down on the table. She watched as he cleared his throat gently, but continued to gaze at her lovingly, the best way he knew how.

“I can’t wait to meet our daughter.”

She felt her heart overflow as the words left his lips, her cheeks tinting pink as a gentle laugh escaped her own.

The twins cheered, Keitaro cried in elation and Itachi nodded his head in approval. 

Nevertheless, Sakura kept her pregnancy under wraps, or tried to, to the best of her ability.

But news broke out fast, especially when a yellow-haired, blue-eyed idiot struggled to stomach any secret that was ever told to him.

His giddiness could not be helped, so within the first few minutes that Sasuke and Sakura had told him at their typical Thursday night catch-up at Ichiraku, Naruto had instantly stood up from his seat and punched both fists in the air, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes.

At that moment, he probably had forgotten he was Nanadaime Hokage– a man that people, somehow, respected. 

“Sakura-chan! Sasuke, you dirty bastard! You guys are having another baby?!”

And that was all it took.

People rushed towards them both, left and right, congratulating them at every second. She couldn’t comprehend how many had approached them, a blur of colours moving past, pats on their shoulders, a shake of their hands.

It wasn’t until Kakashi-sensei had come over, ruffled Sasuke’s hair, and told him that if he needed any more techniques to make babies, he had a special volume of Icha Icha Paradise at home, just for, that Sakura had enough.

Therefore, she spent the next month avoiding all her family and friends.

The former was easier than she thought it would be, as her parents had both decided that they needed to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary through a two-month journey to different lands. 

Sakura’s jaw slacked and she blinked, almost stupidly as her Okaa-san completely brushed off the news.

“Sakura, you’re always pregnant; this is our thirtieth anniversary, a once-in-a-lifetime chance, you’ll be fine!”

So, without any support, and a desire to avoid all the incessant questions of whether she was having another boy or a girl this time around, Sakura spent most of her time within the compound. 

Upon Sasuke’s return, he had struggled to integrate effectively back into Konohagakure. Placed on strict surveillance, Sasuke spent most of his time within the village before he was allowed to return to missions. Within that time, he spent time within the compound and with his inheritance, worked on restoring the deserted buildings to their original state.

They now resided within the main house in the compound.

Sasuke had worked on expanding his family home and curating the compound into an environment where there was a central main house, and smaller adjacent houses for the hopeful remaining family members that would accompany them one day.

Behind their house was a garden; it remained vacated and covered with dry landscape, the purpose of it to merely meditate and train.

But, as Sakura stared at the empty land, she knew that she wanted it to be more. 

Therefore, within that month, Sakura worked on the garden and brought it back to life. Within weeks, the garden was encompassed with several flowers, shrubs, and trees. It gave Sakura a sense of serenity as she walked through the rows of tsubaki, yuri, ajisai, and her favourite, the sakura trees. 

Although slightly disappointed with his inability to train now in the garden, Itachi would come join his Okaa-san on the stone bench and both would sit, admiring the beauty of the garden in a comforting silence, slowly sipping on their teas.

“You seem sad, Okaa-san,” Itachi suddenly commented to her.

Sakura turned her gaze to her eldest son and her eyes softened– his hair was growing longer and was placed in a low ponytail. He was dressed in black t-shirt and black slacks, both embroidered with the respective Uchiha Clan crest, the red and white fan.

“I’m okay Itachi-kun, just a little tired.”

She knew Itachi didn’t believe her, but he didn’t press her any further.

At seven, he was wise beyond his years.

As the second month went into the third, her symptoms began to ramp up. Soon enough, her mornings were spent over the toilet, her afternoons spent rummaging through every cabinet, and her nights, sleepless as she turned right and left, hot flashes running through to her core.

In her fourth month, she would find herself standing outside of the shop windows, staring at all the small dresses that were adorned on the mannequins. Her hand reached for her stomach, and she gently rubbed the small bump that had formed; she was going to have a girl, she had too.

During their fifth month, she and Sasuke would spend the nights thinking of names, only girl names. She was adamant that they were having a girl, she wouldn’t let him utter another ‘but’ or ‘maybe’, Kami would reward them, she knew that he would.

“How about Mizuki?” Sasuke suggested, his eyes barely making out the specks of the ceiling. 

Sakura turned on her side, making out the shadow of an outline of her husband, “I want her to be our little flower.”

Sasuke turned to his side as well, his eyes falling onto his wife; he gently reached for her hand and gave it a small squeeze, “Then, we will name her Sayuri.”

During her six month, Sayuri began to kick, hard. 

They weren’t the subtle kind that Sakura had grown accustomed to at the beginning of her second trimester. These were stronger, and Sakura could feel them whenever she rested a hand on her stomach. 

But her amazement was not just hers alone.

One by one, each of the boys would come running whenever Sakura mentioned that the baby had kicked. 

Akira and Tadashi would caress their hands all over, hoping to get the tiniest feel of what a baby’s kick would feel like. Keitaro would push the younger boys to the side, roughly running his hands over his Okaa-san’s stomach, poking, and squeezing everywhere he could to get a reaction. Itachi, on the other hand, would patiently wait until his Okaa-san would tell him where exactly she felt the kick. He would then gently place his hand there and would count the time intervals in between before the next kick, smiling softly when he would feel it.

“1 minute and 35 seconds, this time.”

As she would watch her sons’ squabble with each other on who would be able to feel the next kick, Sakura would beam.

This was the life that she deserved.

And this was the life that Sasuke did too.

During her seventh month, Ino decided to throw Sakura a baby shower. 

Sakura still didn’t know the gender of the baby, something she had refused at her ultrasound appointment. She had clutched Sasuke’s hand, harder than she realized afterward when it left a pink imprint on his fingers, when the ultrasound revealed their baby sleeping. 

Its heartbeat thundered, the sound echoing throughout the still room.

No, Sayuri’s heartbeat thundered, and Sakura found herself tearing at the corners of her eyes.

Sasuke turned to her brushed her bangs out of her face and gave her a comforting smile.

He would always be there, she knew it, just through a simple look in his eyes.

So, as they gathered for the baby shower, Ino had been strict on the rules that only gender-neutral clothing be given. 

Therefore, Sakura was not surprised when the women she loved and adored all gifted her nearly black clothing with the Uchiha crest already embroidered. 

Hinata had scratched the back of her head while Tenten laughed nervously, “Black is the signature Uchiha color, right?”

Temari sighed heavily, “I tried my best Sakura, but this time around was really hard.” 

“I hope my gift is good,” Shizune meekly laughed as she placed a wrapped box on the table in front of Sakura.

Sakura formed a kind smile, despite the inability to reveal if it was a boy or a girl, her friends had still made an effort and she was grateful for them. The afternoon continued with them reflecting on the years, how things had changed so drastically, and how domesticated life had become for them all. 

As she sat, alone in the rocking chair, in the new nursery, Sakura wondered what kind of kunoichi Sayuri would be.

During her eight-month, Sakura had decided to take prenatal yoga classes. Although this was something that she should have considered in her earlier months, she had found herself quite busy managing the house, raising the rest of her children, and subduing her pregnancy symptoms. However, now, things had quietened down.

Itachi had been sent off on a escorting mission to Amegakure, Sasuke had tasked himself to spend time in the village library and gather any Uchiha-related artifacts or scrolls that would preserve their clan history, Keitaro was training, and the twins kept themselves busy.

Nevertheless, when Sakura stepped into her class on the first day, she was surprised to see Lee as their instructor and almost scurried away until he called out her name and had her lay her mat in the front of the class. 

Despite being a master at Taijutsu, yoga seemed off-putting for Lee but as the class started, Sakura quickly realized that Lee was quite the instructor. 

“Now with the power of youth, fixating in your thighs, we will do the Goddess Pose!”

By the end of the class, Sakura had decided that she was no longer going to return. It was not that she didn’t enjoy the yoga itself, it was when Lee kept using her as an example for the rest where her face would flush, and she could see the annoyed stares from the rest of the women.

As Sakura stepped out into the sun, raising a hand to block the beaming rays, she saw a younger woman standing with two girls beside her. She watched as the girls tugged on their mother’s skirt, giggling, and fighting with each other.

“Mommy please, I hope we have a brother, I don’t want another annoying sister like her!” The taller one screamed before sticking her tongue out.

A faint smile formed on her lips, but Sakura felt guilty. Here these girls were wishing for a brother, whilst she was praying that she had a daughter. Sakura glanced down and placed a hand on her stomach, hoping that the baby would notice the warmth. 

It was then she noted that whether she had a daughter or a son, she would love her child unconditionally, as she did the rest.

She was being selfish.

As Sakura slid into the chair, nearly huffing, she saw Sasuke’s face soften. He made his way around the table and towards her, reaching for her hand that was placed against the oak table. Once engulfing it, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll go to Katoshi’s and make them regret that they closed on a Sunday.”

But as Sakura tried to stand back up, to embrace Sasuke, she felt something drip down her legs. Upon gazing down, Sakura’s eyes widened as she noted the pool of water that sat near her feet.

“Sasuke… I think my water broke.”

Over the years, Sasuke had proven himself to be a formidable shinobi. However, in that moment, Sakura came to understand how formidable he was. In a mere matter of seconds, his clone had retrieved all their things and he was already running through the streets of Konoha, with Sakura in his arms, to the hospital. 

Sakura felt the wind lap up her hair, but her mind was focused on the pain surging through her body. Her labour had started, and it took all the will from within her to not scream. She hadn’t recalled the pain being this terrible, Itachi had been an easy birth, the twins, she didn’t even quite remember. With Keitaro, she did struggle, and her strength had nearly destroyed Sasuke’s hand, but here, currently, Sakura could only heavily breathe as tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

In a flash of light and haze, she found herself rushed into the birthing room. As she tried to focus on Sasuke by her side, she had already been thrown into her a gown and was checked for dilation. 

“She’s already at 10 centimeters, the baby is coming right now!”

Sakura’s eyes briefly fell onto the medic-nin that oversaw delivering her baby, it was a kunoichi that she had not seen before. She must have recently been appointed while Sakura was on leave. Her lavender-coloured hair was tied high into a ponytail and a look of determination danced in her cerulean blue eyes.

“Sakura-san, do not worry, I will take care of you.”

Sakura merely gulped and glanced over at Sasuke, who instantly reached for her hand. There was a comforting smile on his face as he leaned closer in, hoping Sakura could hear him despite the chaos that ensued.

“It’ll be over before you know it, and Sayuri will be lying in your arms.”

But as Sakura began to push, the screams erupted from her lips without hesitation. Sweat pooled around her forehead, her left hand gripped onto the metal railing of the bed, while her right, held onto Sasuke’s for dear life. 

“Keep pushing Sakura-san, I can almost see the baby’s head!”

Sakura heaved and wanted to give up. In all her life as a shinobi, she had not remembered a moment where she had faced such agony. Flashes of her previous battles circulated behind her eyes and she could not locate a single moment where the pain had been worse. 

And then suddenly, in an instant, it was all over.

The room dizzied slightly as Sakura fell backward, a wave of relief fell over. The sounds in the room had become hazy, but still, she could hear the faint cry of a baby. Her arms were brought abruptly to her chest and immediately, the newborn had been placed inside her clutches.

“Congratulations Sakura-san, Sasuke-san, it’s a baby girl.”

Sakura peered down at the wailing girl, a tuff of black hair sat on her head, and her small hands had balled up into fists. Her eyes were closed, and her screeches bounced off the white walls causing Sasuke to lean in closer, to soothe his daughter's cries.

“There, there, Sayuri, it’s okay, everything’s okay.”

Sayuri hiccuped but her wails subsided. All Sakura felt in the moment was love, pure, radiating love. She had her daughter, her little girl, her Sayuri. 

“It’s okay, Sayuri, you’re here now, your Okaa-san and Oto-san are here, you don’t have to cry anymore.”

But as the words left Sakura’s mouth, Sayuri opened her eyes. Sakura felt tears pool at the corners of her own, as emerald eyes gazed into emerald.

“I guess the Uchiha genes aren’t that strong, after all.”

Sakura glanced over at Sasuke and laughed; her heart warmed with each passing second. 

Finally, their family was complete.