Reaching Her

Late Night Call.

After having dinner, you walked Sarada back home. You weren't sure if Sasuke was upstairs or at the Hokage's office.

"I'm not sure if papa is home. Come to check with me?"

"Of course."

You let Sarada walk in front of you as she led you to her apartment. When you two got to the main door, she went into her pockets to take out her keys. She unlocked the door and left it open for you to enter. As you got in, you felt yourself become a bit reminiscent; it has been a long time since you've been to her home. You locked the door behind you as you listened to her call for her father.

"Papa! I'm home!"

Nothing. Seems like he isn't home yet.

"Papa doesn't seem to be home yet."

"Did he leave a note anywhere?"

She walked over to the kitchen table, where her parents usually left her notes. 

"No. There are no notes. Maybe he's with the Hokage."

"Seems so. Either way, it's time for you to get ready for bed."

She let out a sigh as she went to the bathroom and started taking a shower. You thought to make tea so that you can have some tea with her before heading home. Hearing the shower, you started looking for tea leaves. You searched for a pot and filled it up with water. You placed the pot on the stove and put in a couple handfuls of tea leaves that you found in the cabinets. Meanwhile, you waited for the tea to boil you looked for some teacups. By the time you finished the tea, Sarada was in her pajamas.

"Want to have tea with me before I go?"

"Of course!" She responded with excitement as she rushed over to the kitchen table. She gave thanks for the tea, as did you, and you too took your time to enjoy the tea as well as each other's company. You asked her about her friends and she asked about Fumiko. It was then that you told her that you have feelings for her.

"Does she have feelings for you!?"

"I think so."

"Oh wow! This is amazing!"

"It's not that serious."

"Nonsense! This is great news! You found someone special! I'm so happy for you!"

She said as she stood up from her chair to give you a big hug. You showed a big smile in response. You didn't think of it as a big deal because it's the early stage of your relationship with Fumiko but you guessed Sarada is right, it is amazing that you were able to find legitimate feelings for someone else that isn't her mother.

"Thank you, Sarada. That means the world to me. I'm glad you're so happy for me."

"Of course!" She said as she went back to her seat and finished up her tea. You finished up too and took the cups to rinse them out in the sink. After you finished washing and rinsing them out, you left them out to dry. You gave Sarada another hug as you asked her to escort you to the door.

"I had a great time tonight, (y/n). I'm happy we were able to spend some time together."

"Me too, Sarada. It's been a long time. I hope we can find another time soon to spend time together."

"Me too. Have a good night and get home safe."

"Thank you. You have a good night too." You left her apartment and waited to hear her lock the door behind you. You made your way downstairs and started walking home. Yoy ended up deciding not to see Sakura because then you thought that's where Sasuke could be as well. You'll let her be with her husband; she's in good hands. All you wanted to do was to get into bed and sleep.

                                                                **

Getting home, you quickly got ready for bed. You wanted to take your time to take a shower so you rushed to the bathroom. Today felt longer than you thought. Either way, you were happy to spend some quality time with Sarada. Moments later, you hopped out of the shower and finally made it under your covers. You snuggled up with your blanket as you began to think that this is how things may be now. It doesn't seem like Sasuke is going to venture back into the world anytime too soon. Especially with Sakura in the hospital. You couldn't help but feel a little sad.

You used to spend so much time with Sarada but now your time with her was cut. You let out a soft sigh as you tried to think of the positives. You were finally able to relax and not feel so uneasy about everything. Things have been so all over the place but it's starting to feel that finally, things are settling down. Things aren't how you'd prefer them to be but you can only hope for things to get better over time. You checked the time to see that it was pretty late now. 

You had wished that you had called Fumiko to at least tell her goodnight. You should have.

Turning on your side, you heard your phone ring. You let out a grunt as you got out of bed to see who it could be at the hour. You picked up your phone to say hello and heard her.

"Hi, (y/n). I know I'm calling late. Were you sleeping?"

Fumiko.

"I was just about to."

"Oh good! I wanted to call to say goodnight. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course, not! I was actually thinking to do the same thing. Clearly, you're the brave one."

She giggled.

"I'm so glad you called."

"I'm glad you were still awake to pick up."

You and Fumiko talked for a little bit before saying your goodnights and putting your phone back on the hook. You had the biggest smile on your face. You went back to bed and started snuggling with your covers again. Except for this time, it felt different. You started wondering about how it would feel if Fumiko were here. If you two were able to snuggle and sleep in the same bed together. You smiled even bigger as it gave you something to look forward to.