The Return

Chapter 57

 The Curse of Hatred

Sakura walked into a bright void with a single cherry blossom tree blowing pink petals in the wind. Before her stood a little girl with dark hair and eyes with red glasses. Her heart swelled as she instinctively recognized the figure. "Sarada" she smiled. "My daughter" she rushed to her side. Before she could get close, however, the scene changed.

They were standing on a ledge overlooking the Leaf Village, which was burning to ashes before their eyes.

"Sarada, what-" Sakura gasped. Her eyes widened as she saw her daughter standing beside her.

The girl had long dark hair and was approximately the same age as Sakura now. Madara's gunbai clung to her back and the 100 Healings Mark etched across her forehead and body, releasing the Mitotic Regeneration. A deadly aura surrounded her. Most disturbing of all, however, were her eyes. With a pattern like a cherry blossom, the red and black gleam of the Sharingan glared back at her with malicious intent. The Eternal Mangekyou had awoken within her. It was Sakura's greatest fear that her daughter would feel such pain and be trapped in the same darkness as her husband. The Curse of Hatred reigned over the Uchiha again.

"You did this to me" Sarada hissed. "You made me what I am today, mother!"

"What? Sarada I-"

"If you hadn't told me about the history of the Uchiha and my father, none of this ever would have happened!" She raised her gunbai. "Now, you'll pay the price, just like him!"

"No, stop!" Sakura cried out. "Sarada, please! I love you. I'll do whatever it takes to bring you out of the darkness. We can get through this together. Please, just stop this now!"

"It's too late! If only you'd never told me...if only I'd never known about the Curse of Hatred!" She grasped at her heart crying tears of blood as her expression twisted with pain and anguish.

Sakura reached towards her but the ground crumbled beneath her. She slipped and fell towards the village blindly. "Sarada, no!" She cried, reaching out towards her daughter above.

She awoke at dawn, gasping for breath and sitting bolt upright in her sleeping bag.

"Sakura?" her husband glanced down at her from a boulder. His black hair blew softly in the breeze as cherry blossom petals rained down on them. There wasn't much time left now.

"Sasuke?" she looked at him through blurry eyes. As her vision cleared, she saw the concern on his face. Still reeling from the dream, she placed a hand on her abdomen cautiously. They still had a month or two left before this child was born, but she was beginning to question their preparedness after that. Sarada, is that really your future? Please tell me it's not true, she thought desperately.

"Sakura" her husband jumped down from the boulder and rushed to her side, placing a hand on her back. "What's wrong? Something to do with the baby?"

She smiled at his protectiveness but knew that he wouldn't always be around to care for them. Once this child was born, Sasuke would have to leave. She didn't want to raise this child on her own but knew it was the only option they had. How could she alone prevent that terrible future from coming true though? She clutched her Uchiha necklace tightly, willing herself not to cry.

"It's fine," she said through a fake smile. "Shall I make us some breakfast?"

He placed his palm against her cheek. His expression was filled with worry. "What's wrong? I know that smile. Talk to me."

Sakura bit her lip and looked away. How could she tell him about her dream when he'd lived through similar experiences of his own? She'd only cause him more pain if she brought it up. "It's fine" she reassured him. "The baby's just kicking a little harder than usual this morning."

She saw relief flood through his expression as he sat next to her and placed his hand on her belly.

She smiled genuinely, but still felt a little guilty about lying to him. Concern flooded through her mind. What would she do if their child asked about her father's and the Uchiha's past? According to her dream, if she did, Sarada would follow a path of great darkness. She couldn't let that happen. Without Sasuke nearby, could she really help this child to stay in the light, though?

It was already the beginning of March. The time was rapidly approaching the arrival of their little girl and the departure of her husband. She wished she could freeze time before their child was born and just be with Sasuke.

Smiling contentedly he rubbed her belly. "Did I tell you about a recurring dream I've been having about our child?" he asked.

Sakura thought her heart would beat out of her chest and the blood drained from her face. "N-no" she whispered.

Still smiling, her husband glanced towards the nearby cherry trees. "I dreamt that Sarada was smiling and playing. She called me to come home. She couldn't have been more than two or three, but Sakura, she was so beautiful. She had short black hair and eyes like mine, but she reminded me so much of you as well." He sighed. "I only wish I could stay long enough to see her smile like that for real."

Sakura squeezed her husband's hand and kissed him deeply. She wanted her husband's dream to be real more than anything. She just wanted the two of them to be happy.

He kissed her back, sensing her urgency, and cupped her face in his hand.

Don't go. Don't leave me. Just let me stay like this a little while longer, they both thought desperately, connecting together at that moment.

Sasuke pulled back, feeling his wife's tears slipping down his cheeks. "Sakura?"

In a flood they came, she couldn't stop her emotions from betraying her. "S-Sasuke" she sobbed, grasping his collar.

His eyes widened, then softened with concern and understanding. He held her close as she cried against him. He felt so guilty, so terrible for his plan to leave them all alone. There had to be something he could do, some way he could make the distance feel less infinite between them.

"Sakura. You know I can't stay by your side forever."

"I-I know, sh-shannaro. Baka!" she cried.

He held her tighter. "But maybe there's something I can do to ease the pain."

She looked up through her tears. "W-what?"

He brushed her tears with his thumb, feeling terrible for causing her such distress. "It's not much, but maybe I could delay my journey for the first year or so of Sarada's life. I...I know how hard this must be on you, so I want to make it up to you in any way I can."

"Sasuke" she gasped, her eyes widening.

"I...I can't make any guarantees and I'll have to talk to Naruto about it. Still..." he sighed, dipping his head down and placing his hand on her abdomen. "I want to see a future where our child smiles more than anything. I want her to have at least one happy memory of me before I leave."

Relief coursed through Sakura, making her cry even harder. Together, they'd find a way to make the future bright for their child and for all the children of the Leaf. The next generation wouldn't have to face the fear of war and disaster like they did. The Curse of Hatred wouldn't affect Sarada if she had anything to say about it. Instead, she'd make her husband's dream a reality.