The family he always wanted (Part 2)

23.

"Who are you?"

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of this little girl. At that moment he knew she was his... The daughter he didn't know existed until that moment.

Sadness, shame, and a rush of emotions shot him in the gut, knowing that this tiny girl, standing before him, was his daughter...

She had the perfect mixture of his mother and Hinata's mother in her delicate features.

He froze, unable to move or speak, his thoughts racing to comprehend the existence of this child he never knew.

Regret instantly washed over him, stealing precious moments he could have shared with his... daughter.
***
4 Years Ago

Sasuke stumbled into Yusuke's room 1 night, drunk off his ass. He was searching for his son, looking around his entire room and telling him to quit playing childish games and come out from his hiding spot.

But it was when he fadedly remembered that he dropped him off with his mother, that he sighed & sat on his son's bed and stared off into space.

He wondered how his mother feel if she was still here to witness him being a shit husband and father. She'd shame him and remind him this isn't how she raised him.

Tears brimmed in his eyes when he pictured his father's stern look at him. Both arms crossed & both brows furrowed.

Sasuke could no longer contain his tears once he saw his brother in his mind. He only has himself to blame for making his son feel like crap and he's now realized how much worth has gone into liquor and his alcoholism.

That's no way to live.

His deep thoughts were interrupted when he heard his front door creaking open.

From that moment it was all sorta a big blur. But he knows that he had to fight for his life with a bunch of unknown men dressed in all black from head to toe.

But there was 1 man he recognized because the punch he threw him was 1 hell of a blow. It landed right in the middle of his chest causing his heart to stop beating in a sense.

Blood spilled out of his mouth, his breath grew short, and he could only stand on his feet for a few minutes longer.

He quickly stumbled into his son's room, leaving a long trail of blood behind him. After slamming the door he had to use the very little chakra he had left to teleport to the 1 place that could save him.

After having Karin bite him and Orochimaru hook him to the stable equipment he had, he was safe and sound.
*
Those 1st couple of weeks were the toughest for him. He had cold sweats, severe tremors in his sleep, extreme hallucinations, and he was always nauseous.

Detoxing from alcohol was harder than he expected. Sasuke didn't realize how much he grew addicted to this substance.

The nightmares that haunted him in his sleep when he was younger were now intensified with new nightmares he was suffering from.

He finally remembered how horrible he treated Hinata. The sexual assault, the physical abuse, the horrible name-calling, the verbal abuse, and everything else.

All the blacking out & not remembering a thing the next day was just a coping mechanism for his guilty conscience.

Not to mention the terrible treatment of his son. The little boy was innocent and Sasuke did nothing but project his worse fears on him.

It finally took him years to know that it didn't matter if he had a boy or a girl.

The 1st step to breaking the Uchiha 'curse' should've been him working on himself, not looking to another source, an outer source at that, to 'fix' him.
***
During the 4 years Sasuke was away, he embarked on a journey of self-discovery and healing. He dived deep within himself and faced his inner demons, acknowledging the mistakes he had made, and the pain he had caused to his most cherished loved ones.