🌸The Journey🌸

Day 15

The entirety of the next day was spent walking, traveling, and talking about business and what to expect in the coming days, maybe weeks.

"Sakura, we can't just walk mindlessly like this forever. We should find a place to settle down. Maybe not at the Hidden Leaf, but somewhere we know there's a hospital nearby."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "it's fine. I'll know when the baby's coming."

Sasuke shrugged lightly, "it's not my fault that I can't help but worry for you every once in a while." After a few more moments of walking and talking, Sasuke watched Sakura's movements, "maybe we should stop."

"It's okay. I can go about... Six more miles. Maybe seven, if we're lucky." Sakura panted and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, "I'm fine."

"No, Sakura. We're stopping." He grabbed her hand and pulled her in a different direction.

Sakura pouted her lips and begrudgingly followed her husband, "Sasuke, we're wasting time if we stop."

"Well, we've got all the time in the world right now." He looked back at her with a smile, "besides, I want to show you something."

"Oh?" Sakura blinked a few times, "you know where we are?"

"Yeah. I remember coming here. We're just on the coast of the Land of Waves, actually. I've stopped by here many times during my travels whenever I went to visit Gaara to discuss village duties and all."

After a few more minutes of walking, Sasuke led Sakura out of the dark, wooded forest to an open cliff. Just beyond the cliff was the ocean lined by the vivid reds, oranges, and blues of the bright sunset.

"Oh my gosh..." Sakura stared out along the horizon, her mouth open in awe, "Sasuke, this is beautiful..."

"I've been here dozens of times, and each time, it's always the same." he gestured to a bench that was already built and set not too far from them, "I sit over there and look out on the ocean thinking about things."

"'Things'?"

"Mhm. Most of the time about the future and what I have in store for myself. It doesn't really take long to think about my own opportunities because I never really believed I would even have a future for myself. I knew for sure after leaving the Hidden Leaf Village, my home, so many times, there was no hope left for me. I knew for sure that the next time I came here, everything would be the same." He paused, shut his eyes, and took a deep breath as he squeezed Sakura's hand in his own, "now, I'm standing here just as I predicted. The only difference is that my entire future has completely changed. There's still hope left for the Uchiha clan, for the village, for me... And for us."

"Sasuke..." Sakura looked up at him, "this whole time, I always knew that there'd be a bright future for you. Just look at yourself now. You're loved by so many people in the village. Plus... One more." She took his hand and set it on her stomach, "you're going to be a father, Sasuke, and I'm going to be a mother. How much brighter can our future get?"

At those words, Sasuke smiled and tried his hardest to hold back his own tears as he released Sakura's hand and hugged her tight against his chest. In return, Sakura cried tears of joy as she wrapped her arms around him and laughed.

"I'm... Going to be a father." Sasuke chuckled to himself as wiped a tear away, "Sakura, I'm going to be a father..."

Sakura laughed as she turned to look back at the sunset that hung over the cliff, "just look ahead. We still have so many years, decades, ahead of us. And it's only getting brighter from here."

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About an hour passed and the couple decided to set up camp on the cliff. Sakura sat right on the edge looking out over the moon and stars' reflections on the rippling water of the ocean. She shut her eyes and heard nothing but the waves crashing against the rocks below her and the campfire crackling not too far away from her. It was a calm, peaceful night. Something she hasn't had in a long time. She took a deep breath and gasped when she felt the occasional kick from the tiny bundle of life inside of her.