Author's Note: So I was writing one of my multi chapter stories, Family Struggles, when I came up with this idea. I realized it didn't fit with that story, but I kind of wanted to make this go along with Gaiden anyway. In the end, it became a oneshot. Enjoy!

Sasuke walked down the path that led him to his newly rebuilt mansion. He smirked as he remembered being told how it'd been brought to the ground a few months ago by his wife. The Uchiha shook his head in amusement. Naruto had helped rebuild the mansion with multiple shadow clones, getting it done in a matter of three weeks after Sasuke left. He insisted that he could do it without the help of a professional, but Hinata and Sakura contradicted that thought, making him change his mind in an instant.

A small gust of wind blew in the cool night air. Crickets were chirping quietly as he continued to walk along the wide dirt road. His smirk morphed into a frown as he pondered further. "Sarada should be asleep at this hour. I'll just tell Sakura what I need to and leave." It wasn't that he had no interest in seeing his daughter. Sasuke wanted to wait until his mission was complete. He did not want to see her sad when he left again. Once was enough. That moment when he'd come home to stay was worth the wait. "Soon..."

An owl hooted when he saw the house come into view. The reason he was in Konohagakure at the moment was to update his wife on how things were going with the mission. He'd normally just send his hawk to her with a letter, but this time it was different. Sasuke had to tell Sakura in person that he would be home very soon. Later, she would be the one to give the news to Sarada. Sasuke wondered how happy his daughter would be when she was given the information. However, he wouldn't be around to see her expression. He reminded himself for the millionth time that it would be better to wait, to watch her run down the road and embrace him and say that she was glad he was home.

A small smile settled on his lips as he climbed the couple of steps before reaching the front door. It was locked and he reached into a pocket with his only hand to find the pair of keys he had recently received. The male Uchiha opened the door as carefully and quietly as possible. All the lights in the house were off and he nearly tripped over a pair of shoes by the door once he closed it. He slowly made his way to where he hoped the lamp was, not wanting to make his family think there was a stranger in the house. Finally, after a few minutes of wandering around the living room, he found the lamp and turned it on. Glancing around the spacious room, he noticed that there was more furniture than there had been in their old house. Placing his bag, cloak, and sword on the couch, Sasuke made his way to the stairs and cursed under his breath when the top one creaked loudly. "I'll fix that when I come back," he thought.

On his way to the bedroom, Sasuke noticed that another door was cracked open slightly. He couldn't resist the urge to peek inside. What he saw made him freeze in place. He was looking straight into Sarada's room. His daughter was currently facing the wall opposite him, asleep. He desperately wanted to go in there and hug her and kiss her cheek, to say how much he missed and loved her. "Soon, I promise." He quickly exited the room before his resistance could crumble.

Finally reaching the bedroom, he gazed all around the room to find that his wife was not there. "Sakura?" he called when he looked into the bathroom, flicking the light on for a moment. He furrowed his brow, noticing that she was not there either.

He checked multiple rooms around the house. Nothing. "She might still be at work, but why is she there this late?" The man with mismatched eyes came to the stairs again and accidentally stepped on the top one. It creaked louder than last time, causing him to curse under his breath multiple times on his way down.

During his search, Sasuke had found multiple pictures of his family scattered around the house, taking some time to look at each one. With every one of them, he realized just how beautiful both his wife and daughter were. He took extra time to study the photos of Sarada. He hated that he was forced to miss her childhood. The Uchiha looked at her baby pictures he'd discovered first, noting that she looked very similar to him as an infant. He had not been around very long after her birth, so he had very few memories of her as a baby. Next were the photos of her as a toddler. It continued until he'd caught up with her pictures in the present. The last one he looked at was the one of him, Sakura, and Sarada together. Sasuke had a copy of it that he kept in his bag. It'd been taken just a few months ago after him and his daughter had met for real.

Sasuke rubbed his shoulder and sat on the couch, trying to comprehend the fact that he had basically just seen his daughter grow up right before his eyes by looking at all the pictures. Just how much had he missed? He stared at the single hand he still had, a black fingerless glove covering it. He remembered tapping Sarada's forehead when he last left and smirking at Sakura while she waved goodbye to him, clearly irritated that he didn't give her a kiss.

"Who's there?" someone asked cautiously, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Sasuke twisted his head around to gaze into the hallway where the staircase was located. He said nothing as the person poked their head out from the corner.

Sarada gasped. "Papa?"

He hesitated to respond. "Hn..."

She stared at him in awe for a minute, wondering if this was just an illusion or if he was really there. She cleaned her glasses with her shirt and put them back on. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to speak with your mother about something important. Why are you up so late?"

"Oh... and I heard the stairs and that woke me up. I thought someone was in the house so I was checking it out." She stepped into the doorway. Sarada was wearing a pair of black sweat pants and a plain white t-shirt. "Mama has the late shift tonight. I don't know when she'll be home. She's had to work more a lot lately so that we have enough money to get by, what with the damage expenses to the house she destroyed," the girl finished with a short chuckle.

They were silent for the next minute, Sarada shifting around uncomfortably and Sasuke both cursing and praising himself for waking her up. He was actually very happy to see his daughter, but it ruined his plan to wait. He also hated the fact that Sakura was having to work more because of the other incident. If anything, Sasuke should be helping in some sort of way, but they both knew his mission was more important.

Sarada frowned and scratched her head. "I guess I'll just go back to sleep."

"Come here," Sasuke said before she could exit the room.

She stared at him in surprise, her lips seperating slightly. Then, the young kunoichi walked to stand in front of her father. He motioned for her to sit in his lap and she complied with his request.

"I missed you," he whispered as he kissed her forehead.

Sarada smiled and kissed his cheek. "I missed you too, Papa." She curled up in his lap and rested her head against his shoulder. She threw her arms around Sasuke and hugged him.

Sasuke hugged her back with his one arm. They sat like this for what seemed like forever. He had missed his family the moment he left again and since his daughter was already awake, why not see her? Even though there was a chance he'd regret it later, he couldn't resist now. Maybe he could manage to make her smile again like last time when he left.

Sasuke was the one who finally broke the silence. He removed his arm from her back and sat up. Sarada also sat up with her hands on his shoulders. "How have you two been?" Sasuke asked.

"We're fine," she responded. "We like the new house."

"That's good."

Sarada frowned and let her head rest against his shoulder. She was scared to ask this, knowing the answer would most likely be one she didn't want to hear. "Papa, are you staying?"

That was the question he dreaded the most. What was even worse is giving her the answer. This was the reason that Sasuke had wanted to wait until he'd be home for good to see her. "No. I won't be here in the morning." Even though he couldn't see it, he knew her frown had intensified.

"Oh," she said quietly. Sarada tightened her grip on his neck as if that would make him stay.

Sasuke took one of her hands in his gloved one. "I'm going to be home for good in a bit."

She gasped in shock. "Really?"

"Hn, yes," he said with a small smirk. "Then I'll get to be with my annoying girls all the time."

Sarada laughed, but stopped to frown once more. "You'll be in danger though... That's what it's been like the whole time you've been gone, right?"

He also frowned after hearing this. "Yes." The male Uchiha felt her press harder against the crook of his neck.

"Please be careful..."

Sasuke slowly put his hand on top of her head. "You know I will. It's late. Sleep, Sarada."

She was reluctant to close her eyes, but exhaustion was getting the best of her, forcing them to shut. Her voice came out choked. "I love you, Papa."

Sasuke felt her tears hitting his neck as his daughter drifted off into sleep. "I love you too, Sarada."

The male Uchiha sat with his daughter asleep in his lap for an unknown amount of time. One thing was certain, he never wanted to let her go. Being able to spend time with his family was all he desired. His short conversation with his daughter was all it took to make his heart ache for more, but not now. "Soon," he thought.

Sakura eventually came in from work, obviously ready to hit the bed. She was clearly shocked to find her husband in the living room, along with their sleeping daughter. Her expression held a wide smile as they took Sarada back up to her room.

That night after Sasuke had taken care of the matter at hand, he left once again, for the last time...

"I love you," Sakura said as they kissed.

"I love you too," Sasuke responded against her lips.

Sakura closed the door after he'd gone a good distance down the path.

"I promise I'll be back," Sasuke thought while the sound of chirping crickets filled his ears once more. He remembered how hard his wife had tried to be quiet when he'd given her the news, having to resist the urge to jump up and down in joy. He smirked and shook his head. He was going to make it back safe and as fast as he possibly could. All three members of the Uchiha family couldn't wait for the day to arrive when Sasuke came back for good. A smile settled on his lips.

"Soon..."

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! I know it's kind of short, but I wanted to make it short and sweet. Please review!