LOSS [ sarada uchiha ]

10

Song of chapter: To Build A Home - The Cinematic Orchestra

the final chapter is finally here! there will be angst throughout the first half, but i promise it will end with fluff/happiness. in my opinion, i think every story should have a happy ending, especially after everything sarada has been through.

this chapter more so focuses on sasuke and sarada's healing journey where you will see them grieve sakura. you will also see sarada slowly recovering and navigating the aftermath of her trauma. i'm not going to lie, i got teary eyed writing this chapter, and i think some of you may feel the same way reading it.

before we begin, i just wanted to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read my fic and for all the love and support. i remember posting this not expecting it to get any reads since i'm a small account. i don't think i would have continued this fic if it weren't for you guys, so again, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

and just an FYI: i decided to include the epilogue in this chapter rather than write it separately. so basically, this is both the final chapter and epilogue. now that i've finished writing this, i have more works that will be coming in the future! the next one i am writing will be a sasusaku fanfic so stay tuned!

without further ado, i present to you the final chapter of loss.

TW: mentions of post traumatic stress disorder, depression/suicidal thoughts, blood/violence

     Sleep did not come easily for Sarada that evening. Given that it was almost sunrise by the time she tucked herself into bed, she spent the remaining hours of dusk overtly alert and somewhat oriented, blankly gazing at the stippled ceiling that was in dire need of a paint job. Sasuke didn't acquire much rest, either, for he was far too preoccupied with keeping an eye on his daughter. She couldn't blame him for his paranoia. After her hysteric episode in the bathroom that left her in complete shambles, the patriarch had been continuously monitoring her.

     It was now six in the morning. Boruto breached the cusp of slumber hours ago, albeit he was just as fixated as Sasuke was in regards to her health. The sun was just peeking above the horizon. Sarada turned on her side, facing the window where her father remained perched comfortably atop the wooden sill. His attention was reverted to the skyline, a pulchritudinous array of pumpkin and lavender with rose undertones. Sasuke didn't have to adjust his position to know that Sarada was awake.

     "Couldn't sleep?" He whispered.

     Sarada momentarily closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation of the soft pillow compressing against her hollowed cheek. She was inwardly grateful that neither Papa nor Boruto constructed any verbal concerns towards her appearance and the axiomatic signs of weight loss. The disquietude was very much present on both their faces, but the matter was something they avoided addressing for now.

     "I haven't slept since Mama died," Sarada murmured solemnly. "Every time I try, I'm taken to that same night where I watch it all happen over and over again. But it isn't just Mama that I see in my nightmares. It's Shiro, Hanako, Hiroto and Tomoki, Boruto...you."

     "Me?" Sasuke blurted.

She gnawed on her lower lip, "Some of my dreams are Shiro killing you, and then killing me. Sometimes, he'll spare me. And I'm left alone."