~* Falling Inside The Black *~

Falling in the black

Slipping through the cracks

Falling to the depths

Can I ever go back?

Falling inside the black...

Sakura chewed on her lip as she waited impatiently for Ino to arrive. She stared at the clock, mentally willing it to tick faster, when her door slammed open without warning. Ino was here, apparently, but Sakura was too wrapped up to lecture her on the rude arrival. Ino skidded around the corner and dashed into Sakura's bedroom, where said girl was practically shaking with anxiety.

"Is it true?!" Ino demanded.

"I don't know, Ino, I don't know! Why do you think I called you over? Oh, god... What if it's true... What if I'm..." Sakura held her face in her hands, incapable of finishing her sentence in fear of jinxing herself.

"Well, there's only one way to find out for sure... Lay down, Sakura." Ino instructed. Sakura did as she was told and laid back on her spacious mattress, arms covering her face. Ino knelt beside her and when they were both settled she lifted Sakura's shirt up just under her breasts- was it just her, or did they actually look larger?- and hovered her hands over her abdomen. Ino concentrated her chakra to her hands and scanned the area where Sakura's uterus would be, searching for any signs of a chakra signature that was separate from Sakura's own...

Ino gasped suddenly, and Sakura froze. Silence ensued, and for once Ino was rendered speechless.

"Ino? What is it? Come on... Talk to me..." Sakura begged.

"Sakura... You're pregnant." Said girl felt her heart skip a beat, and silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She, Haruno Sakura, was pregnant... And there was only one possibility as to who the father was...

"What do I do?" she whispered. Ino chewed on her lip and considered all the options.

"You could get it... Taken care of..." Ino insinuated, but Sakura shook her head no.

"I can't do that..."

"There's always adoption..."

"I can't do that either! I've got to protect it myself! He'll come after it, I just know it..." Sakura sobbed hysterically. The gravity of the situation hit Ino, and realization dawned on her.

"You've got to get out of here, now." Ino demanded, pulling Sakura up from the bed. Ino ran over to the closet and pulled out a duffel bag, then began stuffing it full of random articles of clothing.

"Where do I go? He'll find me, he'll find us! And when he does, he'll-he'll-" Sakura felt the earlier anxiety she had pent up wash over her all at once and she hyperventilated. The air seemed to ellude her lungs and she gasped.

"Calm down, Sakura! You need to stay strong for yourself, and for this baby!" Sakura froze at the word 'baby', and slowly dropped her hands to her sides. She carefully placed her hands over her abdomen, as if she wasn't sure how to do it, and felt the hard, little protrusion that wasn't there before. You couldn't see a physical difference, but Sakura knew. It was obvious, she had just been in denial the last week. For the first time in months Sakura actually smiled, and, seeing her mood lift somewhat, Ino grinned back at her.

"You'll be a great mom, Sakura! And I'll be a kick-ass aunt!" Ino declared. Sakura rolled her eyes at her arrogant friend but the smile stayed on her face. A few more tears slipped out and Sakura knew what had to be done. Her eyes hardened in determination.

"I've got to get out of here... I'm going to protect this baby no matter what, even if it costs me my life. I won't let anyone hurt it. Not even Gaara."

Dear Ino,

6/14. I've finally arrived in Yukigakure. This place hasn't changed a bit since we were last here besides the Land of Snow changing to the Land of Spring, which makes 'Yukigakure' quite a contradicting name, though the land has normal spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons now. The weather is nice and sunny, just like before, with occasional rain showers. There are fields of flowers everywhere you look. I've been working as a nurse, despite our level of medical skill as you well know, because it allows me to slip under the radar better. The pay isn't much, but it's enough... For now.

I don't hear much about the war from here. How is Konoha? I never would have imagined Konoha at war with Suna, not again after the treaty... But without Naruto and Tsunade around, conflict started back up between the villages... I wish I could have stayed, but I had no other choice... Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Yamato, Tsunade, Shikamaru, Lee, Tenten... So many have already been lost, and that level of danger is a risk I cannot take. I still can't imagine a Konoha without Naruto... Please give my respects to all of them. How are you and Chouji? Some honeymoon you must have had with all the conflict lately, haha. Stay safe, Ino. Stay strong, and remember I'll always be here for you. So will Chouji. You two are some of the only people I have left, besides this little secret I carry inside me.

Sincerely,

Sakura

Blue eyes scanned the letter over multiple times before she slipped the letter back into the envelope with a relieved sigh. Tucking it under her arm, Ino dismissed the messenger who had brought it to her and turned back into her house. Her husband sat at the kitchen table, eyes bloodshot with bags underneath and expression worn. Chouji smiled up at her weakly as she walked into the room.

"It's from Sakura." Ino explained, holding out the letter. Chouji's eyes momentarily widened in surprise and he stood from the table to stand behind her. She opened it for him to read over her shoulder when he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her securely in his embrace. Ino leaned back into the warmth he provided and reread the letter, as he read it for the first time. Chouji chuckled lightly at the honeymoon statement and nodded in agreement; Ino rolled her eyes and muttered something that vaguely sounded like 'billboard brow'.

Moments of tense silence ensued after the inspection of the letter.

"What do we tell her?" Ino asked. Chouji silently considered her question.

"...Everything."

"Are you insane, Chouji? We can't do that! She's alone and worried enough as it is, we can't tell her everything..."

"We tell her as much as we can, then." Chouji placed his hands gently on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. Ino nervously chewed on her lip and looked down at her feet. All was silent except the occasional drip-drop from the leaky kitchen faucet.

"I wonder what Shikamaru would do..." She whispered quietly. Chouji's large hand cupped her chin and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. He smiled down at her, a smile which she returned through her teary eyes.

"I think Shikamaru would advise we tell her the truth." Chouji bent down and gingerly kissed her lips, thumbs wiping the offending moisture that slid down her cheeks. Ino then buried her face into his chest and Chouji rested his chin atop her head. After a few moments, he felt her heave a heavy sigh.

"Okay, okay, fine..." Ino grumbled, back to her normal self. They broke apart and went to the kitchen table to write. Ino retrieved a blank letter, an envelope, and a ballpoint pen before settling across her husband. Then she began scribbling furiously on the paper, a full page written in well under a minute.

"June 14... That was six months ago..." Chouji murmured quietly. Ino glanced up at him, an eye brow raised in question, before realization dawned on her. Ino gasped, her eyes wide and hands flew up to her mouth. When the initial shock died down she stared down at what she had written on the letter, eyes still wide. She picked the letter up, carefully read over what she wrote, and crumpled it up in a fist before tossing it into the trash. Fetching another blank letter, Ino began writing once more while Chouji occasionally gave his opinions.

After she finished writing Ino sealed the letter shut in its respective envelope, addressed it, and set it on the counter to put in the mail later. Picking up the last letter Sakura sent, Ino walked into her bedroom and pulled out a manilla envelope from underneath the mattress. She opened it and revealed the previous letters, a grand number of one total, and placed the most recent one inside. Ino slid the manilla envelope back under the mattress where it belonged and sighed.

Sakura sat in a rocking chair, slowly pushing herself back and forth with a foot while looking out her bedroom window. Small rain drops dotted the glass before her, the sky in a gray overcast that darkened the atmosphere. Foul weather was rare in Yukigakure, but when the weather was bad it wreaked havoc on the land. Sakura shivered lightly as gooseflesh broke out over her body and pulled a blanket around her shoulders. Clinging to it tightly, her mind wandered to her home.

"Konoha..." Sakura whispered sadly. What was going on there? Was the war over? Had they won, or... The sudden image of a familiar pale face, red hair, and black rimmed seafoam eyes invaded her mind unwillingly and Sakura actually flinched back at the thought. Thunder boomed from above and the power went out, the only light coming from the lightning that shot across the dark sky outside. In a break between the bouts of thunder a cry could be heard.

Sakura hurried over to the bassinet that sat beside her bed and scooped up the fussy child within, holding him to her chest and lightly swinging from side to side to soothe him. She walked over to the rocking chair and sat in it while quietly cooing to her distressed child.

"Shhh, it's okay... Mommy's here, it's okay..." Sakura whispered. She brushed away thick, dark red strands of hair out of the baby's face. His frantic crying eventually dimmed down to quiet hiccups as Sakura held him, and she grabbed a bottle off the dresser and began to feed him. She bent her head down and gently kissed the soft, pale skin of his forehead. When she sat up again she saw two little black rimmed, seafoam eyes gazing back up at her curiously. Sakura felt her heart ache at his visage and the father he resembled, but smiled nonetheless. She trailed a finger over his cheek, staring back into his eyes, when he caught her finger in his little hand and squeezed lightly as he suckled from the bottle. Sakura smiled as widely as her face would allow, her heart overflowing with emotion. Tears fell freely from her face and she whispered to him once more.

"I love you so much, Akira... Mommy won't let anyone hurt you, no matter what... Not even Daddy..."

A/N: This story will only be 5-6 chapters long, just a heads up. Hope you enjoy it! It's named after "Falling Inside The Black" by Skillet. If you haven't heard it, go look it up on you tube right now! :)

Thanks to everyone who views, reviews, follows, or favorites! Keep in mind that the more love this story gets, the more determined I will be to write and upload it. :3

I do not own Naruto... :(

What do you think Suna and Konoha are at war with each other, after all that's happened between the two villages? Review and tell me your opinion, I'll be waiting!