Chapter Text
He's not from here, she realizes when she sees him. The close-cropped hair and the way his clothes drape around his frame—crisp and unyielding in the way of new garments—were a dead giveaway. Her heart twinges with longing, knowing that this is her husband, and yet also not him. Still, she is happy to see him, and from the raw relief in his mismatched eyes, she knows that he feels the same.
"When are you from, Sasuke-kun?"
"I'm sorry, Sakura." His tone was laced with regret. "You were giving birth to Sarada."
"It's alright, my love." She closes the distance between them, and embraces him, tenderly. "You come back to us in time."
She feels him relax, and he sighs. "I was terrified, Sakura."
"Of what?"
"That you were going to ... die. That you were going to leave me."
"I will never leave you," she vows. "I could never leave you, even if I wanted to." Her anguish seeps into her voice as she continues. "I will always be here, waiting. For you."
"Look at me," he pleads, and she complies. Her caresses her tear-stained face with his lone hand. "I love you, Sakura. And I am so, so sorry."
She takes his hand, and presses a kiss into his palm. "I know, my love. I know."