Hi all! Thank you for all your lovely comments on Chapter One. I'm so excited to share this new story with you guys; it's certainly something I've never tried before! We're moving at a reasonably fast pace here, so the answers of HOW our boys will have their baby are right here in this chapter. I wonder how many people guessed right….? Enjoy!
Naruto kept his promise and didn't bring it up again. Sasuke was relieved- and at least now that they'd fought about it, some of that tension had melted away.
He knew that Naruto was still thinking about it all. Sasuke could see it in his eyes, a silent plea whenever Yuzu came over to play in their yard or demanded that Sasuke help with her homework. He could feel Naruto's longing in the air whenever Kakashi stopped by the tower and brought his bouncy baby boy with him.
But no, he didn't bring it up again, and there was peace between them once more. A calm, steady few weeks went by. Things were busy at work as usual, an endless series of meetings, plans, and proposals. Missions to approve and assign. Hours of paperwork, late nights in the darkened tower ensuring everything was done right. Naruto was slowly-but-surely adjusting to the role of Hokage, and Sasuke kept a firm hand on the wheel directing their teams of staff.
The New Year's Eve festival was right around the corner and Naruto was in his element making all the plans, rushing around town and throwing all his exuberant energy into making sure it would be better than ever before. Luckily Sasuke was right behind him, ensuring everything was in place so that those plans could come to life.
We're a good team, Sasuke thought to himself one night as they worked late in their home office. Who would have ever thought? Not him, that was for sure. And yet here they were.
Sasuke paused for a moment, gazing over at his boisterous blonde working so seriously on his reports, chewing on the tip of his pencil. Naruto frowned, deep in concentration, completely lost to the outside world as he worked methodically at his task.
…damn you, Naruto, Sasuke thought, a shiver running through him at the sight of Naruto across the desk from him. Sasuke had been caught hook, line and sinker by this guy, and he was perfectly content with it all.
"Naruto," Sasuke said, pushing his paperwork aside and standing up. "We'll finish this tomorrow. Let's go to bed."
"Eh?" Naruto said to that, looking up at him. "Oh but, we've got so much more work to do-"
"-never mind that," Sasuke interrupted, tugging Naruto up and over towards their bedroom. "I've got something much more important for you to do."
Sasuke woke in the night, his chest tight and his breathing coming in jagged, harsh gulps. He shot up and clutched his chest, shaking and panicky and scared, feeling like he couldn't breathe at all- oh, it hurt, he- He gasped as shooting pains ran down his arms and legs and his whole body shook uncontrollably.
There'd been blood, so much blood- his own blood, his mother's, his fathers. Itachi…yes, even Itachi was dead now, he was all alone, and there was Naruto too bleeding out on the ground in front of him- and someone was screaming, a high-pitched, desperate sound filling his eyes and spiking his body with fear. He was drowning, being pulled under, a raging red water all around him and forcing its way into his lungs-
"Sasuke, breath, that's it," came Naruto's voice through the water, a light in the darkness, catching his attention and holding it in place. "Just listen to me, okay? Take a breath in. Good. Now let it out. All the way out. Yes."
Sasuke whimpered and rocked back and forth, focusing his while mind and being on that voice, following its instructions as best he could.
"Good, Sasuke. It's almost over. Another breath. Yes, just like that." And then there were arms wrapped all around him, hands pressed into his back, rubbing up and down, soothing and warm and real.
"Naruto-" he gasped, opening his eyes and seeing the world come back to him, but it was all spinning-
There was a flash of movement as Naruto slid off the bed next to him, manoeuvred Sasuke to sit on the edge, tugged on his shoulders gently until his upper body was leaning down. Naruto knelt there in front of him, taking his hands; Sasuke gripped them tight and concentrated on his breathing, and finally- finally- it seemed to be over.
Sasuke breathed deep as his muscled unclenched and the world stopped spinning.
"There now," Naruto murmured, pushing Sasuke's hair back off his face. "You're okay."
"I'm sorry," Sasuke rasped, his voice dull, exhausted.
"Don't be silly," Naruto said to that. He let go of Sasuke's hands and wrapped his arms all the way around his waist instead, resting his head in Sasuke's lap. "Shit, that was intense."
"No kidding," Sasuke muttered. His breath still had a jagged edge to it; his mind still seemed heavy and ill at ease.
That had been terrifying, and even more so since it seemed to have come out of nowhere. What had triggered it? Sasuke wasn't sure how long it had been since his last proper nightmare, but a part of him had started to hope that they were a thing of the past.
"How are you feeling?" Naruto spoke. "Do you need anything?"
"Some water, maybe," Sasuke said. Naruto pulled away from him and stood up. "…thank you, Naruto," he added.
"Of course," Naruto said to that, as he left the room. These attacks had been so much worse when he'd had to deal with them alone. Having Naruto there at all was a great gift. That Naruto had learned to handle them so well was a marvel. It left Sasuke in shock to think about it sometimes.
Sasuke sighed and tucked his legs back under the sheets, leaning up against the headboard. His nightmare had put it all in stark relief. It was just like Naruto had been saying that night when they'd fought; they were alone. Orphans, both of them, the last of their families. Yes, they had friends- even Sasuke. They had support. They had a home. But was it enough?
It is, Sasuke growled to himself. He'd spent all these years since the incident assuring himself that it was.
"I brought you some tea as well," Naruto announced, and Sasuke blinked and jolted up, not having realised he'd returned.
He sniffed the air. "Camomile," he breathed. "Oh, that's perfect, Naruto."
Naruto grinned back at him. "I know you pretty well by now," he said, handing the mug to Sasuke and placing a glass of water on the table beside him. He strode around the room to his side of the bed and slipped back under the sheets.
"I know you do," Sasuke murmured, blowing softly over the surface of the tea and breathing in its soothing scent. He could feel his nerves calming already.
"Sasuke, I take it all back," Naruto suddenly said, completely out of the blue.
Sasuke frowned. "About what?" he asked. "What do you mean?"
"The…well, when we fought the other night. I've been thinking about it a lot and I- but we don't have to kids, Sasuke, really we don't!" Naruto declared. "Things can just stay the same, okay? I'm so sorry-"
"Naruto! What are you talking about?" Sasuke interrupted, alarmed by his sudden outburst.
"You- something's clearly wrong, you haven't had one of these attacks in- more than a year, I'm sure. Why now? Sasuke, we should just forget all about it."
"I don't want to forget about it," Sasuke snapped. "I need time with these things, Naruto, you know I do! Don't go making my decisions for me!" What was Naruto saying? That he didn't want a baby anymore?
Naruto frowned. "Oh, but you- you were so adamant, and-"
"You definitely shouldn't have brought it up if you were going to change your mind so quickly," Sasuke growled. "I'm not an invalid, just because I have a nightmare or two doesn't mean I'm some delicate flower that shouldn't have children!"
Naruto's face fell. "Sasuke," he whimpered, sliding over towards him. "That's not what I- I was just worried that what I said might have upset you…"
"Well, it did," Sasuke said to that. "And I'm sure I upset you right back. Look, Naruto, I know I hold onto things for too long. I hadn't forgiven you for saying no all those years ago. But now that I have, I just need some time, okay?"
"You've forgiven me?" Naruto gasped.
"…yes," Sasuke grumbled, sipping his tea again. Damn this guy. First Naruto makes him some nice calming tea, and then he starts an argument. Stupid dead-last.
"Well, in that case," Naruto went on, "…I don't take it back."
"I know," Sasuke said. "Of course you don't. Let's just…just think about it all some more."
Naruto hesitated. "But if you start having nightmares again…"
Sasuke shrugged. "We can't help that. Hell, you could get sick again tomorrow as well. We'll deal with it."
And with that thought he shifted over to Naruto's side of the bed and pressed a long, lingering kiss to his cheek. Naruto smiled back at him, taking a deep breath and settling against his side.
It was New Year's Eve. Today was technically their first wedding anniversary. That kind of thing usually called for a private celebration, didn't it? Not that Sasuke knew much about this kind of stuff. Honestly, their spur-of-the-moment wedding hadn't changed all that much about their lives. We're the same people we were before, Sasuke mused. He glanced down at his hand, at the thin band of gold around his finger, glinting softly in the moonlight.
Still, Sasuke had made sure to give Naruto a small gift this morning- at Sakura's insistence- and had been happy to get one in return: his most favourite green tea, in a pretty little tin. And Naruto had wanted to spend the whole day together at home, but he was a very public figure now and he had duties.
So here they were, attending Konoha's New Year's Eve festival instead of being curled up together in bed. And despite his previous whinging Naruto was having a great time, chatting away happily with the townspeople all night long and eating all the junk food that Sasuke never let him have at home. He'll be sick in the morning, Sasuke groaned to himself.
Sasuke put up with crowds for as long as he could, and then he snuck away with Sakura and baby Sakumo, and had a more subdued, but perfectly pleasant time in the park.
"He's enchanted, look," Sakura said, as Sasuke carried the little boy around the park looking at all the lights strung up through the trees. His wide grey eyes were sparkling with delight and he reached his chubby hands upwards.
"Mm, they're pretty," Sasuke agreed, shifting Sakumo to his other hip. Kakashi had already taken Yuzu home- she'd given up on reaching midnight and fallen fast asleep. "He'll definitely be awake for his first New Year's," Sasuke commented. Sakumo showed no signs of weariness.
"Did Naruto like his gift?" Sakura asked, referring to the overnight holiday that Sasuke had bought for them and presented to Naruto this morning.
"He loved it," Sasuke dutifully replied. "He wants to go right away. He's been whining about going away for ages."
"You both need to get away for a while," Sakura said, tousling Sakumo's pink hair and tickling his cheeks.
"It would be nice," Sasuke murmured, holding back a sigh. Well, sometime soon, hopefully.
They resumed their exploration of the park, holding Sakumo up to the trees so he could see the lights. He was a cute kid, all smiles and giggles. Sasuke couldn't help but reminisce about when Yuzu had been this small. No-one would ever have called Sasuke a kid person, but he and Yuzu had gotten along well enough. And when she'd started speaking, Sas had been her third word, right behind mama and dada. Yes, Sasuke had melted. Who wouldn't have?
Naruto found the three of them in the park just before midnight. "Ah, Sasuke!" he remarked, latching onto his side with a wide grin. "There you are! Come back to the festival, it's time for the countdown!"
"Is it that late already?" Sakura asked, smiling at them both. "Let's get going then."
"Come to uncle Naruto!" Naruto cooed to the baby, taking him from Sasuke's arms. "We'd better walk fast," he added to Sasuke and Sakura as they returned to the crowed festival streets, weaving their way through the throngs of people to the stage. The crowd parted to let them through, calling out to their Hokage with glee.
"I guess I'll have no-one to kiss at midnight," Sakura said with a sigh, looking around and not seeing Kakashi anywhere. Sasuke suspected he'd fallen asleep right alongside Yuzu.
"Ah, you've got this one!" Naruto said, handing Sakumo over to his mother. "And look how cute he is!"
"That's true," Sakura replied, cuddling her son to her shoulder. "Oh, it's starting! Off you go, Naruto!"
Naruto nodded and waved goodbye, jumping up onto the stage to set off the midnight counter. The crowd erupted in cheers and all started chanting at once, counting down from ten. Sasuke stood close by Sakura's side, gazing up at his husband. Naruto exchanged smiles and greetings with his people, perfectly comfortable in the limelight, not at all bothered by thousands of eyes on him.
"Three, two, one," Sasuke murmured, and there was a rush of energy from the crowd; cries of delight rose from all there, and one mass Happy New Year! took over.
It's a brand new year, Sasuke thought to himself, and he shivered slightly. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the sense of things changing, something inside him moving, getting ready for the next big thing.
What was happening to him? Ever since that night…
"Happy New Year, Kumo-chan," Sakura cooed at her son, planting big, sticky kisses on his delighted face and drawing giggles from the boy. "It's gonna be a really nice year, I just know it!"
Sasuke looked around and couldn't see Naruto anywhere. That was to be expected, he supposed. There were surely dozens of people vying for his attention, eager to wish him well. But then all of a sudden Sasuke felt a hand curl around his wrist and he was being pulled away from the stage, and into a darkened corner.
"Got you, Sas," Naruto teased, stepping closer to him, running a finger down his cheek.
"Oh, there you are," Sasuke said back, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist and snuggling into his chest. Maybe he would get his New Year's kiss after all. How had Naruto even escaped?!
"Happy New Year, Sasuke," Naruto murmured into his ear, his breath warm and sweet against Sasuke's skin. "A whole year now, can you believe it?" This time just twelve months ago their unplanned, spontaneous wedding had just ended.
"I can believe it," Sasuke said back, smiling softly as he turned his face upwards to meet Naruto's eyes. "Happy New Year, Naruto," he added.
"Aww, you're in a gushy mood tonight, Sasuke!" Naruto said with a grin, tucking his hand under Sasuke's chin, pulling him in gently for a kiss.
Sasuke sighed and melted, pressing against Naruto's lips, happy and content. It didn't matter how strange this all seemed. Sasuke Uchiha, madly in love and thinking of starting a family? No, no-one would have believed it. Well, no-one else had to believe it. It was his decision to make, in the end, and no-one could make it for him.
"We've barely had any time to ourselves lately," Naruto whined, sulking as he harvested the last of their leeks in their newly-established vegetable garden. "Sasuke, we should go on a holiday. A very long holiday."
Sasuke silently agreed, and knew they would have earned it. "You know we can't," he said out loud. "I'm sure things will calm down eventually. It's just an especially busy time of year." And despite the fact that Naruto had now been Hokage for more than a year- fourteen months, in fact- they were still very much in the transition phase.
"Well, I suppose we can't leave these guys by themselves anyway," Naruto said, smiling down at the remaining leeks with pride. "Don't worry kids, daddy's here."
Sasuke rolled his eyes at that but let it pass, focusing on his own task instead. They were planting the broccoli and cauliflower saplings next, so he was digging out several long lines of trenches. The winter was mild this year, and they should do well. Never let it be said that he and Naruto did things halfway; their garden would be huge by the time they were done. The benefit of finally having a real house, after so many years of sad little pots and planters on apartment balconies.
Yes, life was peaceful once more. If only Sasuke could stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about a tiny blonde-haired boy, or a dark-eyed girl. A family. No, it was a terrifying thought. Everything was fine just the way it was. Naruto was all that Sasuke needed.
"I never would have thought you'd want quite so many kids," Sasuke commented to Naruto lightly, throwing him a smile to let him know he wasn't serious.
"Eh?" Naruto asked. "You mean my boys here? Aren't they stunning?"
"Quite a handful," Sasuke said to that.
"You have four cats, Sasuke!" Naruto shot back, rolling his eyes. "And my children are much better behaved than yours!"
"We have four cats," Sasuke corrected. "We." And two of them barely spent any time at the house- so really, what was Naruto complaining about? He'd started the whole thing all those years ago, when he'd surprised Sasuke with that little orange fur-ball on his birthday.
"And every single one of them blatantly prefers you," Naruto grumbled. "At least my plants love me."
Well, to be fair, Sasuke was the one who fed them, so what did Naruto expect? Still, Naruto had always been fonder of their plants than their cats. He took it with good humour each time Sasuke brought home a new one, and Sasuke loved him for it. Naruto could be very sweet sometimes- most of the time, even.
"We'll give you a good feed today as well," Naruto sang to the leeks as he stood up and dusted the dirt off his pants. "Would you like that?"
Sasuke bit his lip and turned away. Naruto was just so cute. He had so much love to give, and gave it so freely- even to leeks. And sure, he may have been a handful in the past, but Sasuke had no doubt that he'd be an amazing father. …if he ever got the chance to be.
"Naruto," Sasuke called across the garden, keeping his tone as light as possible. "Just out of curiosity. What were those crazy ideas that you were discussing with Sakura?"
"Hmm?" Naruto asked, glancing up at him. "With Sakura…? Oh! Oh, right, those crazy ideas," Naruto said, a grin quickly taking over his already-sunny features.
"I'm going to regret asking this," Sasuke sighed to himself, returning to his task.
"Well!" Naruto exclaimed, tossing aside a handful of weeds and sitting back on his heels. "We had so many brilliant ideas, you'd be super impressed! But there was one plan in particular that Sakura feels sure would work. We even did tests, and she asked some people about it-"
"What people?" Sasuke interrupted, tensing at once. And tests? Just how far had those two gotten with their hair-brained scheme?! He narrowed his eyes. "Who did she ask about it?"
Naruto blinked, suddenly flustered. "Ahh, just, you know, people. People who know things about…stuff. And anyway-"
"Naruto!" Sasuke interrupted again. "She didn't-"
"And anyway!" Naruto said, speaking over the top of him. "It turns out, my amazing sexy-no-jutsu is even more amazing than we thought. Did you know it actually turns me into a girl, even on the inside?"
Sasuke's blood ran cold. That…no, he couldn't possibly mean- oh, no. No, no, no, what a horrifying thought, that was the worst idea he had ever heard in his life-
"You can't be serious," he said to Naruto, his voice going flat in his shock. "You- you moron-"
"It would work, Sasuke!" Naruto said with glee. "Heh, and we'd have a baby-"
"I think I'm going to be sick," Sasuke muttered, a wave a nausea overcoming him as images flashed through his mind; that abomination of his, that perky, bounding, ridiculous creature his perverted jutsu had created- what on earth was he thinking, what was Sakura thinking?! "You're- you're a man, Naruto!"
Naruto burst out laughing, actually doubling over and almost falling to the ground. "Sasuke!" he gasped, "your face! Oh my god, no! I'm so sorry, I just couldn't resist!"
Sasuke's eyes opened wide. Was that all a joke? That idiot! "Naruto!" he scowled. "Then what did you mean?"
Naruto laughed again, taking in several deep breaths before he could speak. "Shit, Sasuke, I couldn't do that! No, I would combine it with one of my clone techniques. You know how advanced they are as well. See? The clone would carry the baby! It's genius!"
Sasuke froze. A- a clone? Well, that was insane. Yes, Naruto's bizarre abilities and his training over the years had resulted in a unique type of clone- he had never been satisfied with the old kage-bunshin. But still- it couldn't possibly work.
…could it?
Sasuke turned away and retrieved his shovel from where it had fallen to the ground. "That's enough of that," he said gruffly. "Let's get back to work." He glanced at Naruto over his shoulder and found the blonde smiling back at him warmly. He sighed. Trust Sakura to indulge him. But at least Naruto wasn't pressing the point.
"Okay!" Naruto cheerfully agreed. "We'll grow tomatoes in summer. You'll like that won't you, Sasuke?"
"…yes," Sasuke mumbled, going back to digging the trench, glad the Naruto was in such an easy-going mood today.
They worked in silence, moving on to planting the broccoli saplings, moving down the trenches side-by side.
"Besides," Sasuke muttered under his breath. "As if I'd ever let one of your clones carry our baby."
Naruto smirked, flashing him a grin as he pressed a tiny plant into the dirt. "Oh, well, you would say that-"
"It would be out of the question," Sasuke interrupted. "No, I would have to do it. It would have to be me."
And at that moment their vegetable garden suffered its first causality, as an astonished Naruto slipped and crushed that poor little sapling right under his hand.