Author's Notes: I don't know where I am going with this story, I only know where it starts, and that I have a lot of drabbles for this ficlet. I'm not even sure about the title... Definitely not to be taken as a long, nor plot filled, story. And one I feel doesn't ever need a hard ending to really finish the story, so I'll post now and see where we go! Definitely not my normal way of writing and posting...

- Currently, I am getting no editng help from my computer nor a beta, so all mistakes will be glaring, I'm sure. Help a sister out and politely let me know if you see any.

- For this, and the rest of the story (however long it may or may not be), I do not own Naruto, or it's characters.

"Lady Hokage?"

Said woman turned her head away from the view of her window to acknowledge the maidservant kneeling outside her door.

"Princess Sakura is in labor."

Tsunade sighed, bowing her head to her chest in defeat. It seemed to happen quite often these days. "Does she still refuse to name the father?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps it's coloring will give us a clue." She considered a few moments a forbidden lover she once had, his shocking and rare pastel blue hair... "Give me an update after the bastard is born."

"Yes, my lady." The shoji screen whispered closed.

Time passed; the sun set, birds quieted, screams of a woman in labor increased, a baby's innocent cries chimed as the first stars twinkled.

Tsunade waited, hardly moving from her spot. Her husband, angered at their niece's disobedience and at his inability to solve the issue, was away on some made up business with the people of their lands. No doubt he was drunk with some geisha. Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"Lady Tsunade..." came the maidservant's voice, though more hesitant than before.

Again, Tsunade gave her minimal attention.

"The babe... it's a boy."

Well, thank goodness for small favors. Should the Uchiha refuse Sakura's hand in marriage for her impurity, at least the kingdom will have an heir. "And?" She demanded, a hint of impatience in her voice.

"He has green eyes... and pink hair."

Shocked, Tusnaded stared at her maid, surprised and feeling stupid that she didn't think to take into account that possibility, that the child would take after its mother, rather than the father. How often did that happen anyway? Raising from her spot, she stormed across the compound to where Sakura was laid in private and approached her pseudo-daughter for the first time in what had to have been months. Sakura looked paler than ever, with shadowed eyes and sunken cheeks, but that all belied that happiness that radiated off her, a shoulder and breast bared to her son.

And the baby was so tiny, nearly swallowed in swaddling clothes, yet suckling as easily as any healthy baby. He did indeed have pink hair, a good amount of it laying softly upon a fragile head.

"Out." She ordered, and the maids that had been helping their princess bowed out of the room. "Oh, Sakura." She whispered, defeated, coming to kneel beside her niece. "In some ways, this alleviates some problems. But there will be even more arising. The child would probably be welcomed in his father's home knowing you as its mother. Tell me who his father is."

"If I haven't before, why would I now? Isuzu is my son, and I will not give him, or his father, up! I would never see either of them again, if I did so..."

Tsunade caressed Sakura's lank hair, soothing herself and what she considered her own daughter with the action, one which Sakura did not reject. "Do not think me unfeeling, I have lost a lover many a year ago. I know the pain, and I would not want that on anyone, least of all you."

"I know, mother."

Tsunade's heart clenched hearing Sakura's understanding and acceptance of their shared pain, but her refusal to back down. "Would I have been able to fight for Dan, as you for your love. Alas, the choice was made for me when he died in battle, honorable, and I was left to do as was wished by my own father... I don't know what would have transpired had he lived, I can only continue on as is.

"I want you to have stability and guarantees in life, and I know that your lover must be either poor or a scoundrel for you to not tell us who he is, knowing we'd disapprove, but why do you persist? No matter if he could provide for you, but he assuredly cannot provide for our kingdom. I know you love Konoha: it's people, places, and our friendships with other nations. As a youngster, you've dreamed of being a kind and generous leader. What has changed?"

Tears leaked out of Sakura's eyes, and she leaned into Tsunade's shoulder, welcoming the strong arm that wrapped around her shoulders. Despite their current disagreement, there was no one, other than her lover, who even tried to see her point of view, or even meet half-way. Her uncle, never a warm father figure, had gone from stern approval to outright fury in her presence. He had threatened her life, her baby's life, the life of her lover if he was ever found out, and it was only Tsunade's strong presence that calmed the storm that was Lord A. Sakura feared few things, but her uncle had always been one of them, and her aunt turned mother was always the same, yet polar opposite, of A. It was no wonder Sakura still found peace in her arms, even as they argued.

A few minutes of silence passed, the new babe now asleep at his mother's breast. "Sakura? What has changed?" Tsunade asked again.

Sniffling, Sakura replied, "He happened. I can only say he taught me new things, and sometimes even berated me for my foolish girlishness at times. Our romance wasn't intentional mother, nor was Isuzu..." She kissed her son's head, "All of it was so subtle. One moment we regarded ourselves as friends, and the next we were sharing our innermost thoughts, fears, and passions. All of sudden, being a ruler with all of these responsibilities and no freedoms seemed unnatural, I could not bear not being with him ever, not even once. He was the responsible one, mother, not I, he would have left me pure had I not begged him for true love at least once."

Tsunade sighed. "Fate is a random bitch." She murmured. Sakura chuckled, and Tsunade kissed her temple. "Who knows what would have transpired had I conceived Dan's child, for all the times we met." She reached for the newly named Isuzu, caressing his ridiculously soft cheek. "You do not have my full support, and I still desire that you fulfill your duties to our kingdom, but, I will not fight you any longer over knowing Isuzu's father, or of getting rid of the child."

Shocked, Sakura reared to look in her mother's face, open mouth morphing into a pleased smile and tears of joy flowing. "Thank you." She whispered, holding her son closer to her heart.

Tsunade held up a hand, "I can not say the same for your uncle; he will still berate you for a while yet, and I do not promise to prevent his doing so. There will still be hard times ahead for you. Especially if your betrothed breaks things off..."

Not daunted in the least, Sakura just continues to smile. "If I have my son at hand, and you to support me in what small way you can, I am unbreakable."

Raising up from kneeling, Tsunade merely shook her head and motioned for the maids to continue their duties as she left Sakura and Isuzu to rest.

Sakura awoke from slumber, roused from nothingness by the sound of Isuzu's whimpers. Rolling out of her futon, she reached for her baby by the light of the moon. Remembering advice from the old woman who monitored her pregnancy and labor, she bared a shoulder, breast and nipple for her son to suckle. He easily attached to her.

"Beautiful." A man spoke in the darkness.

Though startled, Sakura recognized the voice immediately. "Do you wish to hold him?" There was no verbal answer, yet soon enough she felt his presence behind her, and he maneuvered her into his lap. Strong arms encircled her and their son, and she happily leaned against him. "I am so glad, and honored, you are my guard, and by proxy, our son's."

"I am honored, princess, that you protect me, and our son. You needn't do so, I am aware and prepared." She saw him place his ANBU mask down before feeling his lips on her temple.

"What love would it be that I betray your identity? There're so many thing wrong with us loving each other, but I will not betray you, even if we can not have each other..." She took his hand and placed it on Isuzu's head; "A boy needs his father, and I am determined to give him everything, even if he knows you not."

He didn't reply to that, nor say anything the rest of the night. He seemed content to merely caress their son in amazement, as he had caressed her growing stomach all during her pregnancy. He watched their son fall asleep, and eventually his princess as well.

DVD extra: Isuzu, my OC, was a MadaSaku child in my first Naruto story, but not here. NO MADARA IN THIS STORY! Anyway, I named him after a car, the first one I owned a few years ago. It was 13 when I got it used... good ol' beast. Yeah...

- This is kinda SasuSaku, BUT, he is not Sakura's "lover". There are a few stories out there that feature other characters being second fathers to Sasuke's progeny (and some are really good!) This story is the flip of that, for reasons you'll quickly read about. I'm still writing where we find out who the lover is, but I haven't gotten there yet. In all honesty, I'm one of those people that ships Sakura with nearly everybody.

- I adore Jiraia x Tsunade, but I went with Lord A and Lady Tsunade as a pair here, for another political marriage, mostly to show "politcal marriage" is the norm in this setting. And to show that Sakura is not alone in her suffering. Besides, I think A and Tsunade come to respect each other a lot in cannon. Spolier, Jiraiya will make an appearance as well.