𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄 | sasuke uchiha

39

"And where have you been?"

As [Name] tiptoed her way across the wooden corridor past Sakura's room, where she could hear Sarada crying and the midwife instructing the Haruno on what to do, she flinched as the door to her and Sasuke's bedroom was flung open, with the very irate Uchiha looking down at her with a dark look on his face.

"I thought you would've gone to your class by now!" cried out [Name] raising her arms in front of her face, fearful of how Sasuke would react after she had failed to return home the night before. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I went to my class yesterday morning, but then Shisui told me Madara-sama wanted to talk to me, and so I went and-"

Sasuke sighed as [Name] broke out into her explanation, putting a hand in her face to silence her.

"I know. I know."

Quietening down as she read Sasuke's rather calm expression, [Name] lowered her arms as she felt a wave of relief wash over her.

"You do?" she breathed, closing her eyes and placing a hand over her heart, which had been beating erratically at the prospect of Sasuke blowing his top. "Look, I'm really sorry, none of it was my-"

[Name]'s sentence abruptly ended with a squeak as Sasuke pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"I know," repeated the Uchiha, still clutching onto [Name]'s wrist. "And Madara? What did he say?"

"Come on, let's not get started on that again," sighed [Name], wriggling her way out of Sasuke's grip.

Although she had initially felt unease at Madara's approach the morning before, she realised that the only reason she felt so precarious around him was because of Sasuke, whose fears were completely unfounded and bizarre. From now on, she was going to stop reading every one of Madara's actions as suspicious, and give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he hadn't been anything else except good to her since they met- and aside from a few of his comments, which she was sure were all said in good humour, he hadn't really done anything that threatened her or Sasuke.

Realising that Sasuke wouldn't relent until she'd given him an answer about Madara's intentions, [Name] sighed and pulled him to the ground, slightly surprised that both of their futon were still laid out. They sat atop their bedding, with [Name] gently holding Sasuke's hands in her own.

"He just told me to get some rest," she said kindly, looking into the Uchiha's eyes. "That's it. And he only did it because Shisui and the other tutors raised their concern with him, the head of the clan. For once, he was acting upon someone else's words. There are no ulterior motives, Sasuke- he's just doing his job."

Jaw clenching as he listened to [Name] defend Madara's actions, Sasuke tore his gaze away from hers, not wanting to hear her speak about the leader anymore.

"Okay." His tone was icy as he replied to [Name]'s explanation, who sighed sadly.

"Sasuke, are you angry?" she asked cautiously, realising that now was a good time to apologise for her own shortcomings as a wife over the past few months. When he didn't reply, she sighed once more and said, "Of course you are. I'm sorry."

Gently tugging at the Uchiha's hand to get him to look at her once more, [Name] gave him a small smile.

"I promised I would be a better wife to you, but here we are," she chuckled as Sasuke slowly looked towards her apprehensively. "I'm sorry for neglecting you for the past... couple of months. I can't say since Sarada was born, because even before then I wasn't giving you the attention you deserved. But now, maybe now we can just- go back to normal! Now that the midwife is here permanently to help Sakura nurse Sarada, and Shisui has volunteered to take on Izumi's pupils, I'll be back to teaching my own class, and we can go back to our old, uh, schedule. That is, if nothing's changed on your end. And if you want to."