01. Braids and Fruit Drops

"Daddy!"

Sasuke sighed at his reflection, watching his dark, red-rimmed eyes blink slowly and his black tousled hair sway gently as he tilted his head slightly while listening to the small feet of his four-year-old daughter running down the hallway.

He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep lately; waking up early to cook breakfast for him and his daughter, taking her to summer daycare and then going to work only to go back to the day care to pick her up and then continue working at home after spending time with her and making dinner. This cycle had been going on for three months now, since his childhood friend Sakura, who usually helped him take care of his daughter, had needed to go back to her hometown as her mother had fallen ill.

Sasuke wasn't complaining; he loved his daughter after all. However, his father had high expectations for him and his brother Itachi to take over the company and run it together, and he had started preparing them to do so, which meant a lot of paperwork and late nights making sure everything was perfect for the many meetings they had with other companies. Even if he and his brother had divided the work to make it easier, Sasuke still needed to give his daughter a lot of attention, meaning he didn't have as much time as Itachi did – who was still very much single and childless. His brother had offered to take on more of the workload but Sasuke refused, since he didn't want them to be on uneven ground when they were supposed to run the company together.

It did not help much that his daughter's daycare was on the other side of town either, since that was the only place with high enough security. He was not ever going to put her somewhere where someone could kidnap her or hurt her in order to get to him and his money. He would have let his parents take care of her, but they were never really home either. Which was also one of the reasons he had even less time to sleep since it took an hour there and back, meaning two hours of his time wasted by simply driving a car.

"Daddy!" Emi called again loudly as she burst into his room right as he buttoned the last button on his shirt and crawled up onto his bed with slight difficulty then proceeded to jump on it excitedly, her long chestnut hair sticking out in every direction possible and her dark eyes sparkling with life. "Daddy! I'm gonna play with friends today!"

Sasuke plastered on a smile before turning to her. He wasn't usually one for smiling, especially at people, but his daughter would always be the exception. And he really couldn't help it either since her energy was extremely contagious; more so now since her friends were coming back to the daycare again after the summer break. She had been lonely with the scarce few other children whose parents were also busy working over the summer.

"I know, Emi," he said and approached her still jumping form, taking in her inside-out, polka dotted sundress and slipping white socks with another sigh.

"But you need to be dressed properly first," he added and took hold of the hem of her dress. "Arms up."

She obediently raised her small arms, stilling long enough for Sasuke to pull the dress off, turning it the right way and putting it on her again.

"Wait!" Emi suddenly exclaimed as if she had forgotten something extremely important, jumping off the bed and rushing out.

Sasuke blinked after her and barely managed to take one full step back towards his mirror in order to fix his hair before she barreled through the door again, coming to a stop right in front of him to stare with wide, pleading eyes, her small hand clutching something tightly.

"What is it Emi?" Sasuke asked, sounding slightly amused while he decided that running his fingers through his hair would have to be enough to style it.

"Daddy, I know you are bad but…"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows questioningly and she squirmed a little.

"Can you?" she asked and held out two white ribbons.

He shook his head slightly, bending down to pick her up and put her on the bed.

"I'm not that bad, am I?" he grumbled quietly and his daughter giggled. He smiled slightly as he took her soft hair in his hands, parting it to make two braids.

"Saku-nee-chan is better," Emi stated and he snorted.

Of course Sakura would be better, she was a girl and used to stuff like that. Sasuke had never bothered to learn until his daughter had started asking for different hairstyles other than her natural fall. He had pushed it onto Sakura, who had appointed herself as some sort of nanny for Emi once Sasuke's wife had left and she had seen the helplessness and fright in his eyes at taking care of a – at that time two-year-old – child all on his own. But since she wasn't around anymore either, Emi had started asking him instead

Sasuke frowned as he looked down at the two braids he had worked on.

He wasn't bad at much, but one of the few things he simply couldn't seem to get the hang of was making braids and ponytails, especially since his daughter's soft hair refused to do what he wanted it to. The braids were slightly crooked and he had missed a few strands of hair on the way so they were now sticking out of the braids at different angles.

"I'm sorry, Emi," he sighed in defeat and caressed her cheek in apology. "I really am bad at it."

His daughter picked up the end of one braid, watching it thoughtfully.

"It's okay," she said. "This is daddy's way."

Sasuke smiled softly before letting out a silent groan, as there was a sudden honking outside, which meant Itachi had been waiting for them long enough to grow impatient and they were running late for work. He was supposed to drop Emi off too.

"Come one, princess," he said and hoisted her into his arms. "It's time to get you to kindergarten."

Emi put her arms around his neck to hug him tightly on their brief travel from his bedroom upstairs to the entrance hall where he let her down so they both could put on their shoes. Then he took Emi's hand in one of his and his briefcase together with her small backpack in the other, locking the door with difficulty on their way out, then trying to calm a bouncing Emi as they walked to his brother's waiting car.

It wasn't that Sasuke didn't have a driver's license or his own car, because really, he came from one of the richest families in the country and he had no problem admitting he was spoiled – or rather, had been, until he had to take full responsibility of his child. It was simply that Itachi insisted on picking him and Emi up whenever they both were on their way to the office at the same time in order to see his niece. Which was also why he had his own child seat in the car so they wouldn't have to move it from Sasuke's every time.

"So, how's our little sunshine today?" his brother asked as Sasuke buckled his daughter in.

She gave him a radiant smile.

"Happy!"

"Really?" Itachi chuckled, doing his best to look intrigued. Sasuke rolled his eyes at him and closed the backseat door to take his place in the passenger seat. "Why is that, princess?"

"I'm gonna see Yuki and Kousuke again and we're gonna play! And my teacher has a baby!" she babbled as he pulled out into the traffic.

"A baby?" Itachi sounded very surprised although Sasuke had already told him about the pregnancy of his daughter's teacher. Then again, there wasn't much his brother wouldn't do to indulge Emi.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed happily. "And I want a baby too!"

Sasuke would have like to say he didn't choke on his own heart and he was quite sure he wasn't showing it, since he usually was very careful to show any weakness. But judging by the amused look he received from his brother, he must have made some slight change in his expression.

"Daddy can make another baby!" Emi continued and this time Sasuke really couldn't help the strangled noise that left him.

Itachi smiled, looking perfectly amused while waggling his eyebrows at him.

"Emi," Sasuke chided, deciding to ignore his brother. "You are enough for me at the moment. I don't need another child."

She pouted and crossed her arms, staring out the window at the passing houses in their rich, suburban neighborhood.

"If I find a mother, will you do it then?" she asked.

Sasuke sent a glare at Itachi who had let out a snort in an attempt not to laugh, his shoulders shaking with the effort, before turning around in his seat to face his daughter fully.

"I won't promise anything Emi," he said seriously, not wanting to give her any false hope – or too much hope.

She glanced at him, a thoughtful expression in her eyes, before going back to watch the scenery pass by and Sasuke sighed. Itachi, who had stopped laughing by now, gave him a sympathetic look.

It was no secret that Emi wanted a mother and Sasuke really wanted to find one for her, but his trust for other people – which wasn't a lot to begin with – had lessened when Emi's mother, Sasuke's ex-wife, had left without any sign of regret or remorse. She hadn't even bothered to send their daughter presents or even a little card for her birthday as a sign of ever feeling affection towards her. Of course, Sasuke's ex was a girl whose parents had been acquainted with his parents and asked for their marriage to seal a business deal, so he really shouldn't have expected much from her.

He had expected more of his parents, though, and had not yet quite forgiven them, even if five years had passed since he had married and two since she left.

His ex-wife had been overjoyed at first, because honestly, Sasuke wasn't bad looking. He was well aware he was quite handsome, which had made him distrustful of people from the very beginning – along with the fact that his family was rich. Then she had slowly come to realize that he wasn't as romantic as she wanted him to be, nor was he particularly cuddly or love-dovey with her. Long story short; she had found someone she thought treated her better and they got a divorce.

Sasuke glanced back at Emi, a small smile on his lips.

He was still glad something good had come from the doomed marriage he had entered, making him feel needed and not so alone.

His ex had wanted him to show love and affection, but if there were one person in the world he would ever openly show unrestrained love and care, it was his daughter. He hadn't loved anyone as much as he loved her.

And that was really all he cared about.

Naruto groaned tiredly as he sank down on the park bench he had thrown himself onto until the back of his head hit the back of the bench. He dug in his jean pocket for the familiar feel and shape of the plastic wrapper of one of the many fruit drops he had stuffed in there before choosing one, pulling it out and popping it into his mouth after having unwrapped it, pear flavor invading his taste buds. Letting out a heavy sigh, he relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes.

He'd had one hell of a day. His boss had yelled at him for messing up an order of markers they had needed for the small stationary store he worked in since Naruto had been in charge of placing the order and somehow messed it up. Instead of getting the hundred and fifty boxes they needed, they had somehow ended up getting hundred and fifty thousand of them. Naruto didn't remember putting that many zeroes in the order he had placed, but to be fair, he had been studying the entire night and his brain had felt much like scrambled eggs.

Then – after he had angrily yelled at his boss that he quit – he had realized he had almost no money left for the month, meaning he would be living on one cup of ramen a day – maybe two if he was lucky – for a week and a half until his, now last, pay would come. He blamed his friend Kiba for persuading him to come with him and their other two friends, Shikamaru and Choji, on a beach week-end.

And then, to top it all off, an old, smelly lady had accused him of trying to kidnap her dog. Really. What part of just crouching down to pet the fluffy little thing was kidnapping?!

He muttered angrily as he remembered how he'd had to explain to the lady and the crowd gathered that he had just petted the dog since it seemed lonely, but apparently it had fallen on deaf ears. He didn't know why, because he was sure he didn't look like a delinquent with his sunny hair and sky-blue eyes. He was even dressed normally in ripped jeans, a t-shirt and converse so he simply couldn't understand why he was being treated like some criminal.

He slammed his fist down beside him on the bench in frustration and dug out another fruit drop since he had accidentally crushed his first when he clenched his jaw in anger.

There was a surprised little squeak coming from in front of him and he snapped his eyes open to come face to face with a little girl. They blinked at each other blankly, both staring at the other curiously. Then Naruto smiled hesitantly.

"Hi," he said, glancing around nervously in case the girl's parents would appear suddenly and accuse him of being a child molester or something. It wouldn't be all that surprising, what with how his day had gone. "Are you lost?"

The little girl just stared at him with wide dark eyes, her pale cheeks slightly pink and her polka dotted dress a little crumpled from where she seemed to have been clutching it in nervousness. Naruto's smile widened as he took in her chestnut hair, which was pulled into haphazard braids. It was kind of cute.

"I like your hair. Did you do it yourself?" he asked.

The little girl shook her head before beaming happily.

"Daddy did!" She frowned slightly. "He's bad at it…"

"Oh, I see," Naruto chuckled.

Noticing how her eyes curiously flickered down to the candy in his hand, he stupidly held it out for her to take, not at all thinking about how it could be misinterpreted. He would later be very thankful that part of the park had been mostly empty; otherwise he would very likely have been accused of trying to lure a child into coming with him and gone to jail.

The little girl didn't seem to have any reservations about it, though. She bounced over to him enthusiastically and grabbed it, making quick work of the wrapper before popping the caramel into her mouth then letting out a small hum. She glanced up at him and they grinned at each other.

"It's strawberry," the girl mumbled around the candy in satisfaction and Naruto chuckled. She suddenly became very serious. "Mister, can you make braids?"

"Uh…" Naruto blinked at her at the sudden question, his eyes flickering to her hair.

He did know how to braid girls' hair. Since he had grown up in an orphanage and been the oldest amongst the children, it had made him some sort of older brother figure – which meant he'd quickly had to learn how to make his 'little sisters and brothers' happy. The boys had been easy enough; he had just needed to play heroes with them to make them feel better. The girls, however, had always wanted someone to braid their hair or put it up in ponytails or buns and since the patrons in the orphanage neither had time nor cared, he had done it without complaint, getting better every time. He hadn't done anything like that for years though, as he had been out of the system for a while now.

"I guess…" he said hesitantly, knowing where her question was leading and wondering if it would be like riding a bicycle.

The little girl immediately beamed at him again.

"Can you make mine?"

He glanced around once more, feeling very much like he was going to get in trouble any second. But the way the little girl was looking at him pleadingly made her request impossible to refuse.

"Yeah, sure," he smiled and patted the bench beside him.

She quickly clambered up on it and faced him, looking expectant. Naruto gave her another amused smile before he gently pulled the white ribbons from her hair and combed his fingers through the silky strands.

It took him only a few minutes until it was done and he had to admit, they didn't look too shabby. The girl looked at her braids happily, seeming to like them as well.

"Thank you, mister!" she said as she turned around to sit properly, letting her legs dangle back and forth.

"My name is Naruto," he offered kindly.

"My name is Emi," the little girl answered cheerily.

Naruto glanced around again with a small frown, wondering why no one had accused him of being a pedophile yet.

"Aren't your parents worried, Emi? Where are they?" he asked.

Emi's face fell slightly and her legs stilled.

"I lost daddy," she admitted. "He talked on the phone and I wanted to play in the park."

Naruto's frown deepened and he bit his lip contemplatively.

"Do you know your dad's phone number?"

She shook her head, looking guilty.

"Where did you last see him?" he asked and Emi pointed down a pebble path leading further into the park.

"Okay." Naruto stood up and held out his hand for her. She took it without hesitation before jumping down from the bench. "Let's go to the spot you last saw your dad and wait for him there. I'm sure he'll come looking."

They walked the small path between the large stretches of grass and trees to the playground where a few children were still playing, their parents conversing with each other on the sidelines while keeping a watchful eye on them. Emi glanced at the sandbox longingly but stayed with Naruto, her unoccupied hand fiddling with her dress nervously while he scanned the place for someone fitting the description of a distressed parent.

When they had been standing there for half an hour, Naruto started to really worry. He was sure Emi was very loved – the way she acted and looked made him surer – but as he had grown up he had seen many cases of parents abandoning their children, no matter how loved and happy they had looked. Which was why as more minutes ticked by, the more worried and anxious he became.

He almost cried with relief when there finally was a desperate shout of the girl's name coming from behind them.

They both turned around to see a very, very good-looking man hurry over to them and Naruto had to force his jaw not to drop. He was dressed in black jeans and a white, slightly rumpled shirt, his black hair ruffled by either the wind or fingers combing through it repeatedly and he was half running through the park.

At first Naruto thought he had been mistaken and looked behind the man for another person who might have called Emi's name, but when the girl cried 'daddy!' and let go of his hand to fling herself into the handsome man's open arms he was forced to realize that the little girl's dad actually was the most good-looking guy he had ever seen so far. Which wasn't doing much to help his brain capacity.

He stood rooted to his spot, staring at them while his mouth opened and closed a few times as he watched the reunion of father and daughter. Then the man's dark eyes – the same as his daughter's, Naruto reflected absentmindedly – fixated him with a narrowed, suspicious glare and he winced slightly.

Yep. This day was going to get worse.

"Uh, hi," Naruto greeted uncertainly, trying to smile in a non-creepy way. "I-"

"If you so much as laid a finger on my daughter, I will make sure your life will be very miserable," the man growled.

Naruto gaped at him in utter disbelief, his eyebrows rising high on his forehead while his eyes widened incredulously.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "I was just trying to help! No need to look like I'm a pedophile or something!"

The dark haired man raised an eyebrow distrustfully.

"For all I know, you very well could be," he said coldly before turning his attention to his daughter. "Emi, did this man do anything to you?"

"No, daddy," Emi interrupted Naruto's angry spluttering. "He gave me candy so he's nice."

Naruto felt his heart sink as the father's eyes snapped back to him, flashing dangerously, and he took an involuntary step back.

"Hey man," he held up his hands defensively. "I was gonna eat it myself, but then she looked like she wanted it so… look I have a pocket full of them!"

He pulled out a handful of fruit drops from his pocket to show them and Emi's eyes lit up.

"I'm calling the police," the man stated and reached into his own pocket.

"Okay, you know what?! Fu-" Naruto faltered, throwing a quick glance at Emi, "-dge you! I am nothing but a good samaritan trying to help when I see someone in need! I don't need to deal with you trying to pin me as some sort of pervert in the police-register!"

He turned on his heel to stomp away, shoving the candies back into his pocket, but halted when he heard Emi's cheerful:

"Bye, Na-chan!"

He turned back, doing his best to ignore her – still extremely handsome but all the more idiotic – father and smiled at her, giving a small wave.

"Bye, Emi," he said. "Remember to tell someone where you're going next time!"

Then he sent a glare at the father before stomping away, dust from the gravel underneath his shoes rising around his feet.

This fucking day and it's fucking idiotic, moronic people!