"It won't be over when he gets released from hospital," Sakura said with a sigh, then added a meek finish, "Part of the rehabilitation is getting him used to his domestic surroundings."
"Be a little more specific, Sakura," the tone was impatient and curt, "What do you mean by getting him used to his domestic surroundings?"
"Well…" Sakura started uneasily, knowing that her mother's reaction, whatever it would be, would not be nearly as bad as her father's, who protected his daughter to an extreme. Any boy who spoke to Sakura would be immediately interpreted as trying to seduce his little girl, and would be scared off in an instant. Naruto was an exception, given that her father had seen her bash Naruto over the head for doing something stupid. But Lee, on the other hand, had seen the less pleasant side of her father.
"Well what?" her mother raised an eyebrow at her daughter's hesitance.
"You're not going to like this," Sakura replied in a way that gave the impression that she had swallowed some disgusting medicine, "But it means that I am going to be moving in with him for a while."
"What?" her mother asked crossly, "I won't hear of it!"
"It's only for a while, Mom!" Sakura exclaimed, immediately on the defensive, "Sasuke is so independent that I'm sure he'll ask me to leave a few weeks after he moves back into his home."
"He'll be the one who dismisses you?" her mother had crossed her arms in a stubborn manner that Sakura had picked up in habit, "What if you're wrong, Sakura? What if he does return your feelings? What if he doesn't want you to leave?"
Sakura let out a bitter laugh at the mere notion, "Are you kidding me? This is Uchiha Sasuke, someone who hasn't let a single person care about him since his entire clan was slaughtered. I'll be fine, really."
Her mother opened her mouth to argue further, but instead grabbed her mug of hot chocolate and took a few gulps, something Sakura knew she did to prevent herself from saying something she would regret.
"I don't know, Sakura," her mother said after she had put her mug back down, "People who isolate themselves from others are usually the loneliest."
"Then my staying with him should do him good," she glowered at her mother from across the table, her mother returning a similar-featured glower, "I'm doing this for the good of Konoha."
"I fail to see how this can help Konoha," her mother countered.
"Sasuke has lost everything…everything," Sakura emphasized, "From his family to his bloodline ability, he even lost a major source of power for him. He has nothing left to lose, and he cannot hope to possibly seek the aid of those he once associated with—they would kill him. He can help us, but only if we help him—help him and trust him. I trust him, Mom, and I'm going to move in with him after he's been released from hospital. I am no longer seeking your approval, I am doing it regardless of what you—or Dad—think."
Her mother sighed wearily and held her temples in her hands, "I wish you weren't as stubborn as your father."
Sakura brought her nearly empty mug to her lips to hide the triumphant grin she wore on her face; Inner Sakura was doing a wild victory dance within her head.
"Do you know even know where he lives?" her mother asked, and Sakura nodded, "What condition is residence in? I will not have my daughter living in filth."
"Cleaned it out four days ago," Sakura replied, finishing the last of her mug of hot chocolate, "It's livable, and clean, but the yard needs some major work."
"I see," her mother still did not approve, "Accommodations? Where were you planning on sleeping?"
"Well, I have to be available at all times, seeing as there will no longer be nurses from the hospital tending to him at night," Sakura replied evenly, "There is a futon and extra bedding, I was going to set it up in the corner of his room."
Her mother groaned wearily, "Your father is not going to be happy about this at all."
"Probably not," Sakura stated matter-of-factly, glad that she was not the one who was going to be breaking the news to him.
Standing up, Sakura put her mug by the sink and stretched, "I'm going to bed, my chakra is low and I'm feeling tired."
"Try to wake up early tomorrow morning, your father is coming home from a mission late tonight and I want you to see him before he leaves for second half," her mother told her before her daughter left the kitchen.
"Okay," Sakura replied, smiling, "Thanks for letting me do this, Mom."
Her mother waved her off, letting Sakura know that it was the last thing she wanted to let her daughter do, but did not have the time, energy, or willpower to argue. Climbing up the stairs to her bedroom, Sakura found the cheerful feeling returning to her, and the lullaby, which Uchiha Mikoto had written for Sasuke, was playing quietly in her head.
It was in the middle of the night that Sakura woke up. She blinked groggily awake and rolled onto her side, peering at her alarm clock. It read '1:38' and Sakura pulled the blanket over her head, wondering what had caused her to stir. Listening carefully she could hear to voices shouting from somewhere downstairs.
"This is no longer on the table for arguing," her mother's clear voice hollered, "I am not asking you what we should do; she is going to take care of this boy, and that's final! And she will do it with my full support, regardless of what you think!"
A small thankful smile crossed Sakura's face, recognizing the similarity between the words she had spoken to her mother and the words her mother spoke to her father. And with the comforting thought that she could continue unopposed—and ignoring the continued shouts from downstairs—she closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.
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