Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

- Umeboshi -

The slow circles she made with her spoon created a pleasant dark ripple in her cup of tea, but not pleasant enough to discard her uneasiness. Her free hand she used to rest her head on, while her thoughts swirled in a morbid chaos inside it.

There was a kind of sorrow that brushes you off gently, a kind that hurts you like a blow or a punch in the gut and a kind that she witnessed only on special occasions. A kind that was like a black hole, consuming everything. All other kinds seemed to pale before it and she was helpless… to understand, to compare to anything she had ever felt in her life to offer a cure like she usually did. There was nothing, not a fix, a band or a word that could close that gaping chasm of clenching pain and emptiness he became at times like this.

So she usually let him be.

Let him lie in his bed in the silent dark, throughout the whole day, in a half-catatonic existence, because she knew he only had the strength to breathe in those moments. He never said it, but she was certain those were anniversaries – of events he's never forgotten, of separations with people he's never had the willpower to let go or hasn't been ready to part with. As hard as he worked to cleanse his heart of those memories, she saw that he was failing, in the most hurtful way, and she could do nothing about it. Those anniversaries were his rock bottom.

It was rare, to have them both share a day like this. It only happened two or three times in the past and it was during their traveling times together and his black depression only unfolded in thick silence and complete ignoring of her presence. From then on, she hadn't had the privilege to witness that condition in him, not after they decided to live that life – of her returning back to Konoha and him, wandering from place to place, searching atonement for his sins.

Sakura let out a heavy sigh, sipping from the steaming cup with both hands.

He came back yesterday, after a five-month absence, and didn't speak to her at all. Didn't touch her either. She first thought he was tired, but matters clarified to her now, when she realized it was already the late afternoon and he still laid there, in the silence of their bedroom.

Her gaze went up to the window across her. The weather was against her too, today – pouring and gloomy as it rarely was in Konoha. There was no charm in Konoha's autumns, it was humid and cold, and dark, and muddy. Even if she wanted to lift her own spirits, it'd take her a while. All in all, it was a bad day for everyone.

Trying to make him feel better was what she desired most during these quiet, lonely hours she spent cooking, and reading, distracting herself with things that didn't require her to go out in the rain or depress herself over her own helplessness regarding Sasuke.

A sudden snicker wrested her of her reverie and her eyes shifted on the small, ebony-haired child on the floor next to her. She was nearing three now, but her curiosity was incredibly developed – she spent the last weeks exploring the house on all fours, stealing colorful things she had suddenly taken a liking in, trying with her mouth most of them and shuttling to and fro, playing with her few toys.

She was calm and quiet for the most part of her life, that's why Sakura was astonished to hear her chuckle.

Sarada was enjoying something that looked oddly like-

"Sarada!" Sakura stood up sharply, pacing to where her daughter sat, with her dotted dress spread on all sides, and grabbing her from the floor. "Where did you get these from?" Her eyes fell on the low cabinet across the room where she had forgotten a small cup of coral red umeboshi. Then she looked at her daughter as she munched on the honey umeboshi that was actually big enough to have her hold it with both of her hands.

Sakura held her, lips apart with surprise, but hadn't got the will to scold her – especially when she looked so deeply in love with what she was currently eating, hair tied in one tiny, sticking ponytail and obsidian eyes staring at her with ignorant amusement. It wasn't like she didn't eat dinner already or the umeboshi was too sweet for her… the only bad thing she did was to take it in the first place, without anyone allowing her to.

Sakura observed her quietly, without interrupting, and slowly, an idea crawled inside her head. A small smile appeared on her lips as she made her way to the bedroom at a slow pace. Sarada was intrigued by the action and stopped eating the enormous umeboshi for a while. It was significantly dark when they entered, but Sakura knew exactly where she was going. A reading-light lit up soon after and Sakura had already locked her eyes with Sasuke, who was looking particularly exhausted. His exhaustion rapidly transformed into vexation, though, and his previously blurred eyes now narrowed with anger.

"Get the child off my sight." He shifted to his side slowly and pulled the blankets to himself sharply.

Sakura was overwhelmed by a strong wave of sadness, but she was far from done. He had no right to shut himself away like this, he owed those precious moments he was at home to her and to Sarada. He had forgotten… that he was indebted to them both. It was selfish to shut everyone that love you away like this, right? Maybe he had forgotten that he was loved and needed, and that was an easier way to delve into his own suffering. She suspected those travels of his helped him forget easily.

She looked at Sarada and saw her watching Sasuke intently, as if she wanted to speak out, but she did not know how to use their language yet. It was odd, but Mebuki once told her that little children have a deep understanding of adults' emotion. Sarada held something more than curiosity in her eyes now, she was… drawn and deeply intrigued.

Sakura walked to the other side of the bed and kneeled, slowly sitting Sarada next to Sasuke.

He shot a glare at his wife, but before he could form words Sakura leaned in, kissing his forehead before smiling. She pretended not to notice the tear paths he had on his skin, coruscating against the faint light.

"That child you so abhor is your daughter." She whispered to him, eyes flickering to Sarada as she looked at them both with renewed curiosity, her little hands still squeezing the umeboshi hard. "Your blood. And she regards you," Sakura turned to him, speaking every word slowly and distinctly, "beyond your mistakes, your sins, and failures. She only feels love for you, because you created her. Have a look at your creation from time to time, will you?"

Sakura hushed then, although she had much more to say. It seemed enough because his wrathful gaze shifted on the subject of discussion and stilled there. The falling shadows darkened his features a tad and Sakura really wished he didn't scowl as much, and surprisingly, her wish was granted right away – Sarada had decided to offer her big, rumpled umeboshi to him and neared it to his lips (Sakura was certain her skills in feeding came from her observations on her mother when she was feeding her).

Sasuke looked at her continuously and Sarada took that as a sign of confusion and backed away, tearing a small piece from the umeboshi before proceeding to offer it to Sasuke once again. Sakura remained silent and perfectly aware that tears had welled up anew in the corners of his eyes, despite his overall stoic appearance. His lips parted open and Sarada put the umeboshi in his mouth, making a few noises of happiness when he indulged her and tasted it.

Sakura knew the thought had nothing to do with her current frustration with him, but he was so heart-rendingly handsome to her in moments like this, and it wasn't because he paid attention to Sarada as much as the fact that he could… if he only wanted to, express a colorful palette of emotions other than anger and when he did, it was making her heart ache with joy.

Sarada, seemingly, had the time of her life feeding her father umeboshi piece by piece and the three of them were silent for a while before Sasuke decided to refuse her for the first time. He shook his head, puzzling her. Then he took her hand and orientated her in another direction – to Sakura.

"No, no, keep going," Sakura chuckled hollowly, waving with hand, making Sasuke heave up a bit and meet Sarada's confounded pair of eyes.

"I can't eat this anymore, it's too sweet for me." He explained bluntly and Sarada suddenly changed, a storm of sorrow overwhelming her beautiful features, and she started crying within a split second.

Sakura watched as all the color from Sasuke's face disappeared and his eyes widened with shock and surprise – he had positively not expected such a fierce reaction to his words. Sakura made no move, experimenting. The best way to rid someone of their troubled mind was to make them take care of a child. He might've gotten away, communicating with her with his moods and hurtful straightforwardness because she always forgave him, but others had no such benevolence. She furrowed when a few seconds passed and he still had no idea how to react, now sitting up and leaning back on the pillow with some sort of fright and paleness all over his face.

"She's not poisonous or something, you know," Sakura muttered, carefully lifting her off and putting her on him. "Hold her."

Sasuke was reluctant but obeyed. He was almost in panic for a few seconds before he let her go, quickly taking a piece from the umeboshi from her hands and eating it up in front of her. Which automatically worked.

Sarada was staring at him again, calm and silent, her miniature lips almost forming a complete O as he chewed on the fruit demonstratively in front of her. Sakura was smiling because she saw through his trick, the umeboshi particle was still in his hand, but he had fooled Sarada successfully. She didn't expect less from the king of illusion himself. Sarada slowly bit off her own fruit and joined him in their small feast, her eyes never leaving his mouth.

"She's gonna get you," Sakura warned with a barely suppressed chuckle, glancing at him.

"No, she's not." Sasuke narrowed eyes at his daughter, pretend-swallowing.

"She's more cunning than you because you have a weakness. She doesn't... and she knows it."

Sasuke looked at her before she stood up, thoughtful. Then he looked back at Sarada's tiny form (who was now crawling over the blanket and leaning on his chest with no particular reason), and profound sadness settled in him. His hand embraced her carefully.

"She only loves me because she doesn't know what I am."

"As you can see she doesn't care what you are." Sakura shrugged. "Right now, she cares whether you'll eat umeboshi with her."

Sakura walked to the door and turned around, to observe a bit more. It was a nice therapy, to have him deal with Sarada from time to time. The latter was ready to give him some more from her fruit and leaned both her hands on his chest, peering most ardently at his closed lips.

"Sarada, I don't like sweet-" His explanation was in vain, she had used the opening of his mouth to put the umeboshi in it, and he pouted at first, but her enthusiasm was just gushing and he couldn't help but comply.

"I'm gonna go get some more umeboshi," Sakura announced from the door with a wink of her eye and Sasuke looked back at her with pure horror.

"Please don't."

A/N: Thanks for reading. It was pouring outside today and I messed up more than ten things, and I realized I am super bad at communicating with people, and also I was sad so I came up with this lol Another one of my sad one-shots.