Naruto held the small baby in his arms. He couldn't stop the cooing as he held the infant close to his heart. It was the only time he'd ever felt as needed as he did. And it was going to be the last time he would. He wasn't supposed to be here, holding this child he'd helped to father. He'd been condemned for it's creation, hated and shunned for it's existence. And it was okay, he understood. He wasn't going to endanger the mother or the child by sticking around, by acting in the capacity of a father. He was the blood donor, and that's all he would ever be. He accepted that.

Still, it was so hard to know that he would never watch this small life blossom, that he would never watch this small beautiful baby grow older and into his life. He would never be able to congratulate the child on graduating from the Academy, on getting his first sensei. He would never worry about him on his missions, because he wouldn't recognize him from anyone else out there. He wasn't supposed to procreate, he wasn't supposed to put his seed into any woman, wasn't supposed to further his hated line.

"Sakura," he whispered, looking up into the tired jade colored eyes. She was beautiful, even in her exhaustion. "He's perfect."

"I know," she smiled. "I'm sorry Naruto," she mumbled, looking sadly at the blond-headed man.

Naruto let his blue eyes linger on Sakura, smiling sadly himself as he cradled the baby to his chest. "This is my son, ne?" he asked softly. It would be hard to deny his paternity, but he would do so for eternity. His son would have a better life, his son would not be denied by their home village. "He's... he's beautiful."

There were tears in his eyes as he looked down at the beautiful child. He had helped create this innocent life, and he would be another ninja in time. Blue eyes stood out in stark contrast to pale skin, a light feathering of red hair curled lazily on his pale head. It was a perfect mix of both Sakura and Naruto.

"What are you going to name him?" Sasuke asked softly, coming in behind his blond teammate.

Tears finally broke the dam that had held them in and poured slowly down Naruto's scarred cheeks as he turned to Sasuke. He handed the infant to his lover and mumbled painfully, "I can't name him. Make him your son Sasuke."

Before anyone could respond, Naruto turned on his heel and fled. Sasuke gave Sakura a knowing look as he held her son close. The newest addition to their unusual family and already he was the subject of pain. They'd all known something like this was going to happen, had expected it really. But Sasuke and Sakura had not expected Naruto's emotional denial of the child.

The Uchiha smiled as the sleepy baby, amazed at how much he actually resembled both parents. He was going to be beautiful. "He'll have the Uchiha name," Sasuke murmured. "But I will not name him in his father's place."

Sakura nodded and held her arms out for the tiny Uchiha. "Go find Naruto. Bring him home," she ordered softly. She curled her arms protectively around Naruto's son and didn't move as Sasuke placed a kiss on her pale cheeks.

-.-.-.-

Naruto was curled into a small ball atop the Yondaime's stone head, crying. He should be happy. Sakura's birthing had gone much easier than he'd ever hoped for. Their son was absolutely beautiful. And he had a family. Both he and his son had a family. But he couldn't publicly announce the birth of his son. He had to pray the village believed him to be an Uchiha. To believe that Sasuke had been the one to get Sakura pregnant.

Nobody but the three of them actually knew how their relationship worked. As far as the village was concerned, they were just a team who lived, worked, fought with, and loved each other. They were an unusual occurrence, a threesome that was permanent. What the village didn't know, what the village would never know, was the truth. Only Naruto slept with Sakura. Only Naruto slept with Sasuke. There were three bedrooms in their home, and Naruto spent equal time in them all. And Sasuke and Sakura had agreed to spending one night a week in Naruto's bed, all three of them together.

Sasuke and Sasuke both agreed that Naruto was the linchpin to their sanity, the key to their future. And Naruto loved them both. He wouldn't give one up for the other. Absolutely refused to do so. So it had been only natural that they ended up together. It was a mess, but it was perfectly team 7.

Naruto choked back a sob as thought about his partners. Sasuke and Sakura. They'd all been so excited when they found out Sakura was pregnant. Until the villagers had started to talk. They didn't want Naruto to father a child, he was a demon after all. They didn't want to risk having another monster in their midst. One demon child was enough. They congratulated Sakura and prayed for it to be an Uchiha. They made no secrets of their hate for Naruto and promised it would be passed down.

"Dobe," Sasuke's deep, lyrical voice called.

"Teme," Naruto sighed, ignoring his teary face as he looked up at his male lover.

"You left our son nameless," Sasuke murmured, kneeling before the blond. "And Sakura's worried about you too."

Naruto smiled and pulled Sasuke completely against his chest. "You know, things would have been much easier if I only slept with you. If I hadn't seen his birth. I can't be his father Sasuke. I can't hurt him like that," he murmured into Sasuke's pale neck.

"Fuck the village. He's your flesh and blood and nothing is going to change that. Now go home and give your son a proper name.:

"You don't get it, do you?" Naruto asked softly. "You don't know what it's like to question your value because nobody is kind to you," Naruto growled, pushing Sasuke away. "You've always been loved. Half the damn village petitioned to get you out of jail while the other half fought to put me away!"

"Your son needs a name. And I will not give him anything more than my family name. Do you understand?"

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered almost brokenly.

"We're both his father. Sakura is his mother. He will take the Uchiha name and be the newest member of my clan. But you will not deny your son who you don't even know yet. And you will not deny him what you lacked. Fuck the village. You have Sakura and I, what else could you possibly want?"

Naruto didn't answer. He pulled his beautiful, pale lover into his lap, crushing their lips together. Tanned hands wondered the slender back and stopped on Sasuke's lower back. He broke the kiss and looked sadly at Sasuke. Bowing his head, he refused to let his blue eyes meet Sasuke's, refused to look his lover in the eye.

"Sasuke, I'm not going to doom our- your son- to pain and hatred because he has my fucking blood. It's better he doesn't know the truth."

Sasuke's fist to Naruto's temple was the only proof that he seriously wanted to hurt Naruto. "You are such a moron. A dumbass, idiotic, retarded bastard!" Sasuke hissed angrily.

"What the fuck, teme!" Naruto shouted, pushing Sasuke back. He straddled the pale man and glared down at the older man.

"You have a ton of people who care about you. And they will protect your son. Our son! Give your son a name," Sasuke growled at the blond man.

Naruto stared at the man below him. Uchiha Sasuke, the man he'd dragged home, and saved and helped heal. The man he had always loved because of his intense passion. Sasuke had been the first to approach him romantically. And when Sakura mentioned wanting to be with Sakura, Sasuke had actually smiled and relented. Sasuke had been okay with it as long as he never had to feign interest in Sakura.

"Sasuke," Naruto sighed heavily. He let his body relax against the ground, putting all of his weight on the lithe body beneath his own. "I'm scared for him," he admitted hesitantly.

"Just name him."

There tears were back again, pouring steadily against the shoulder that supported his head. "I love you Sasuke," Naruto whispered. "And his name is Uchiha Minato."