Redemption |complete| (SasuSaku)

Rushiken

Sunday, 25th of October. Sarada is four year and a half old. 

"Dear Sasuke,

I don't really know what to say to you other than the usual... I guess. Sarada is training with Naruto today and he is teaching her how to throw Shuriken. I didn't know if I really wanted her to learn all of that this early on in life but I remembered how you were when you were five and you could throw shrunken nearly perfectly. If that is the kind of training that the Uchihas get, then our daughter will get it too. 

It's been a year and a half since you've left. In six months, Sarada will turn five and she will be starting the academy at the end of the next summer. I can't really believe it. She is growing up so fast. She can talk now. She is able to form full sentences and she understands me completely.
It's funny how she became exactly like you. She is shy, quiet and very reserved. She doesn't enjoy going to the parc anymore and she would rather stay home and play with her books or plastic Shuriken. You are absent but I can see you in her and a part of me feels like you are here with us. 

You know, I wrote my first letter to you six months ago and the hawk came back with it. I don't know why it did... were you ignoring me? Were you mad at me? Look, I might've written fifty letters since but all of them stayed in the house. I didn't have the courage to send them... maybe one day I will have the courage to do it. I don't think I'll ever be because of how ashamed I will feel. Some of the things said in these letters is very personal. 

Sarada often asks about you. So far she knows that you're out there fighting bad guys but this won't work forever. One day she will not believe me anymore unless you say it to her yourself. She remembers you as a father figure but she has no really memories of you. 

I hope everything is fine.

Sakura."

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Present time. Sarada is four and a half years old. 

Sasuke was running around the castle of the dimension. He had tried about a hundred times to get in it but he just couldn't find a way in. It was like it had been built without any door or any other way in. It was driving him insane. 

The urgency of the mission was making it even more frustrating. He knew that there was a risk, he didn't know what the risk was exactly, but he knew that someone could arrive and the fact that he couldn't find any information was a torture. 

He suddenly stopped and gritted his teeth. It was pointless to stay here, completely pointless.

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Present time. Sarada is four and a half years old. 

"Mama! Look at how I throw Rushiken!"

"Shuriken, Sarada." Sakura was standing behind her daughter. She had joined Naruto's training to see how they were doing and as soon as she got there, Sarada stopped everything to show her her progress. 

"Shiruken!" Sarada screamed proudly. Sakura's heart felt full in her chest.

"Not quite... but that's better. Show me how Naruto taught you to throw one." she placed herself behind her daughter and kneeled down to be at her level. Sarada threw it at the target in front of her. The star shaped weapon landed at the very edge of it and was barely holding in it.

"See mama! See mama!"

"Yes!!! Congratulations!"You're so so strong!"

Sarada screamed and hugged her mom. Sakura smiled as she held her daughter in her arms. It was rare for Sarada to hug now so she was cherishing every time he was doing it.