His breath lodged in his throat. An unmovable pebble constricting his breath. Lips parted, eyes wide and unblinking, all of his muscles frozen as they were. It was quite the sight to Sakura, who smiled up at him nervously in anticipation of his reaction. Breathing should be easy. He wanted to breathe, to move, but everything was at a standstill. It was almost a ridiculous concept, how somebody as stoic as himself could be thrown from his balance entirely by one mere word.

Ten seconds ago, she had squeezed his cloaked arm, and looking him in the eye, repeated the words that she had most likely practiced repeatedly in her head.

"Sasuke-kun." She had breathed, only five seconds ago, joy glinting in her eyes. "I'm pregnant."

Pregnant. Sakura was pregnant. Just the thought left an unfamiliar taste in his mouth, as did anything that he had never experienced before, including his realisation of his feelings for her. A child of his. A child, whom looked like him, shared his blood, his genes. A family. At one time, from within the pit of his darkness, the concept had seemed unattainable and downright unimportant for an avenger like him, but now…well, it was a different matter now.

Sakura's smile slowly began to fade, as her husband's first movement was to lower his head to the ground, lips set in a thin pressed line. Days she had spent mulling over what his reaction would be, trying to predict his behaviour after she had spilled what she would've assumed to be good news. But this, was not something she had seen coming. Maybe she should've foreseen his possible disappointment, but at the time, it had seemed unlikely. Even if Sasuke was extremely difficult to read, and preferred to keep his thoughts and emotions on the inside of his reserved nature, she thought that he would actually want to have a family again. Even if not at that moment, but someday in the future. When she had sat in their shared tent, cross-legged and perplexed as she worked her maths and figured out exactly when conception occurred, she had panicked to begin with. But she knew that her husband would be happy. She reassured herself that he would be happy. So why was he stood before her, in the middle of a forest, looking as though she'd shared with him a dirty secret.

All of a sudden, a tingle ran along her spine. That familiar tingle that was usually experienced by almost all shinobi when on a mission. The paranoia of eyes fixed upon one's back. An enemy shinobi? She thought, peering over each of her shoulders. Her fingers twitched toward her kunai pouch, concealed within the folds of her travelling cloak. Slyly, she sent a small glance toward Sasuke, wondering if he had sensed it too…except that he hadn't moved. Not one inch.

The sight of him, his apathy toward their child, toward their wellbeing, shocked her to the marrow of her bones. Anger. Boiling, bubbling, simmering just below her pale skin, carefully tamed on a day to day basis, yet never having lost its scalding passion. She was pregnant. They were going to finally be a family, and yet so she did everything she could to quiet the insistent urge to slap some sense into her husband. Within her gloves, her fists seemed to have clenched themselves, ready to unleash the full extent of her blistering fury. For the possible enemy nin surrounding them? Or for Sasuke? She parted her lips, ready to demand what was going on with eyes narrowed, until she halted, the fire having been misted with water.

Underneath the cover of his hair, a flash of crimson caught her sharp eyes. With three swirling tomoes, everything became apparent. Her eyes followed his gaze, which led down toward her stomach. It was clear now, what was going on, what he was doing. Shame fluttered like moths in her gut, as her heart reminded her head that Sasuke would never sit back and simply allow enemies to attack them. Especially if she were in a condition – such as pregnancy –in which the preciseness of her chakra control was debatable. Sasuke's single sharingan eye remained trained on her stomach, her womb, for a few seconds longer before seeping into black.

No words left his lips. Nothing at all, except a dreadful heavy silence that brewed in the air between them. Stifling. Claustrophobic. Suffocating.

And then he shook.

Only a little at first, easily mistaken by Sakura for a ghostly shiver. However, she almost believed that her eyes were deceiving her, when the slight trembles of his shoulders soon merged into harsh shudders, accompanied by half-restrained gasps, so quiet that she held her breath in order to hear them.

Panicking, she raised a hand to the curve of his jaw, the other running along his arm. "Sasuke-kun?!" she pleaded. "What's wrong? Speak to me, please!"

Speak? He couldn't. Such a simple thing, but it seemed so impossible to him. A task, rather than a choice, as the lump in his throat refused to budge under his will. A family? Once, he had never even considered it as an option. Revenge came first and foremost, having polluted his mind and disintegrated any desire for a civil life. How careless of him, to risk throwing it away. And something as precious as a baby, his child, could he protect it? Would he, could he ever be worthy of the title of father? And Sakura, he came dangerously close to tossing her life aside without a second thought, having no knowledge at the time, that she would be the one to provide him with everything that he'd lost that night.

His body shook harder, at the many thoughts circulating endlessly through his mind, clouding it beyond reasonable function, and leaving him unable to respond to his wife's distressed begging in his ear.

Sakura on the other hand, stared at him with eyes glassed over, uncertain of his behaviour. Uncertain of herself. A silent shriek lodged itself in her windpipe, when he collapsed to his knees before her, arms hanging limp by his sides, and his forehead resting against her stomach.

And then nothing. The silence dripped full and thick like dew in damp forest, filled with the rustle of foliage above them, her uneven breath, and his erratic pants. A bird's song, which Sakura immediately recognised having heard it during a previous mission, and a flapping of small wings, a breeze running through their hair.

"How long?" Sasuke whispered, his breath warm against her stomach.

She swallowed. "Two…two weeks, approximately."

"How did you find out?" The tone of his voice was low, brooding.

The crease between her pale eyebrows deepened. "My chakra, it felt a little off, and I thought something was wrong. I thought I might've caught an illness, so I did a quick self-examination."

"I'm sorry." He hissed through his tightly clenched jaw.

Sakura flinched against him, tears brimming on the verge of release. This wasn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He should've been overjoyed, deeply and truly happy like he had been in her imagination. She'd pictured his smile, his fierce protectiveness and his pride toward her. Not this. Never this.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She spoke, her voice deep with a dangerous black undertone, as her tears splashed and broke upon crashing into Sasuke's dark hair. "You're sorry? That's our child you're talking about!"

"I'm sorry." Sasuke repeated, grimacing. "I'm sorry. Back then, after my fight with…Danzo." He spat the name through his teeth disgustedly. "I…you. I'm sorry, Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun, what are you saying?" She cried "That has nothing to do with this! Danzo is dead! He'll never even as much as come near our child!"

He shifted his head slightly, and Sakura froze instantly at the wetness on the fabric clothing her stomach.

"I didn't realise…" He mumbled, like a mantra. "I almost…If I'd done it…If it wasn't for Kakashi. Naruto…I almost killed my family."

Immediately, her heart softened, all traces of frustration dissolved. "Sasuke-kun." Sakura interrupted him. "Stop saying things like that. You weren't you back then, and you didn't kill me, and you definitely didn't harm our baby."

With care, she took hold of his head and slowly knelt to the ground, lifting his face to her eyes. And the sight sent a shiver tracing along the curve of her spine, like the edge of a blade. Under her palms, Sasuke's skin was warm and damp with tears that still glistened on his dark wet eyelashes. She'd never seen Sasuke cry before, and so she found herself torn between loving the more intimate, human side of him, and wishing that she could ease whatever pain he felt. Every side of him, she'd borne witness to, from his raw violent rage within his chidori, to the way that he kissed her gently as he rolled his hips into hers. She'd seen it all, except this. If Sasuke had ever cried in the past, she solemnly wished that she could've been there to lift his burden.

"Sasuke…you…"

Sasuke shifted in his wife's hold, focusing his eyes on anything but her. "Don't, Sakura." He said bitterly, angling himself away from her. "Don't look at me."

Sakura could've easily taken misunderstood his words, as she kneeled before him, her thumbs stroking his cheekbones. However, she knew him better than that. Deep in her heart, she understood that her husband had never allowed her to see his weaknesses, and he had too much pride to start now. Although, sometimes she reminded him in a hushed tone, that crying wasn't a weakness, and that she'd see him as anything less. Of course, he would never answer her, but she knew that he appreciated it, even if he responded with a barely audible "Hn."

"It's okay." She murmured, running a strand of black hair through her fingertips. "You'll never hurt us. I know it."

Slowly, he raised his hand to press against her stomach. It was a strange feeling, knowing that his child was growing inches away from the pressure of his fingertips.

"I'm guessing that it's too early to know the baby's gender?" he mumbled.

"Why?" she laughed, and placed a hand atop of his. "You have a preference? Even though we've never really talked about it, you probably want a son whom you can teach chidori. Most men do."

"Hn." He smirked. "You're wrong. I'd be perfectly happy with a daughter who can punch like her mother."

She flashed him a grin that he always craved like a treat. "You're just happy to have a family, right?"

"Aa." He replied, with a small smile reserved for her, and her only. "Thank you Sakura."

Over the next few months, Sakura became more and more aware of Sasuke's inner feelings about his new family. As her stomach swelled, so did her husband's overprotectiveness. She'd seen the way he'd lie awake all through the night, tomoes spinning, staring endlessly at the growing ball of blue fire inside her, until his eyes were dry and red. Several times on their travels, they'd passed through small settlements, and from the corner of her eye, a sharingan would flash intimidatingly at any male whom dared to glance her way. And she could've sworn that she'd briefly seen a rinnegan exposed, during the times when men would be brave enough and cast their eyes down to where the fabric of her dress began to protrude. Although Sasuke never once spoke upon the subject, it had become a silent requirement of her to remain within his field of vision at all times. Even if, just for a few minutes, she slipped away out of craving for a breath of fresh air, his deep voice would resonate behind her.

"Sakura." He'd say, never angry, never commanding or irritated. But he'd take a second to silently inspect her overall appearance, and if she passed the test – no grazes, bruises, or bleeding wounds – he'd simply take her hand and pull her away. But never with his bandaged hand. Sasuke would only ever hold her or touch her belly with his real hand. It was his way, she understood, of showing intimacy in the public eye.

Even if sometimes, she craved the personal space that she once had, it was clear to her that her husband meant no harm. It was just how he was. He couldn't help it. Sasuke had lost his family once, and he was determined never to let it slip through his fingers again.

Along with this, he was always ready to run long distances in order to satisfy Sakura's craving for menthol sweets. Only available in certain herbalist stalls, Sasuke travelled near and far in order to purchase the non-antibiotic kind that was harmless in pregnancy. Why anybody would actually savour the strong sharp taste of menthol, which left a cold numbing sensation in one's mouth, was beyond comprehensible to him. But Sakura was quite happy munching on the minty boiled sweets, until her teeth began to ache. By that point, he assumed smugly, that her tooth pain would result in her giving up the sickly addiction. Oh, how wrong he was! Instead, she'd simply slapped the sweets into his palm and demanded that he ate them himself…and then breathe on her. A distasteful idea. The mere thought made him shudder. But when she asked him in such a way, with the sweetest grin she could muster, how could he refuse?

Every day was much of the same, however, as time passed, Sakura began to take note of Sasuke's frequent mood swings – even though she was supposed to be the one who was pregnant and hormonal. His blank unreadable expression when she wandered far from him was slowly replaced with dark frowns and mutters telling her to "be more careful", whilst running one hand through his hair.

This continued, completely unmentioned, until one morning after they had fastened their travelling cloaks, Sasuke started off in the wrong direction.

"Um…Sasuke-kun?" Sakura called to him, double checking her pocket map. "We were supposed to head that way." She pointed over her shoulder, although he hadn't turned to face her. "You're heading back the same way we just came."

"Aa." He confirmed, finally sending her a glance and continued to walk on the same path.

She hurried after him, frowning. "Did you forget something back at our old camp?"

Sasuke didn't answer immediately, but passed a weary look at the ball of chakra, strong and growing in her stomach, before stating a short "No."

"So then…why?" Her sentence seemed to drift off, as she peered up at the crease between his eyebrows. The bags beneath his eyes seemed all the more pronounced.

"Tsunade," He said. "Is the best medic there is."

"Yes Sasuke-kun, I know that, but how does that have to do with our mission?"

He turned and gave her a pointed look, as though she was missing something obvious. "Sakura, I shouldn't need to point this out, but you're heavily pregnant, and we're in the middle of a forest."

As his words clicked in her brain, her steps faltered, until he was walking ahead of her.

Tsunade, months and months before, had passed word to Kakashi, that she had run out of plants that she could brew into lethal poisons. As Hokage, he'd requested that Sakura, being Tsunade's disciple, and knowing exactly how to identify the specific plants needed for particular poisons, should be the one sent on the mission to harvest them. After all, Konohagakure was a huge village to defend, and it wouldn't exactly be beneficial if Konoha shinobi were short on effective weapons beside their jutsu. A solo mission, he'd told her with a grin from behind his mask. Or it should've been, if Sasuke hadn't burst into Hokage tower asking – no, insisting, that he accompany his newlywed wife, should anything happen. Naturally, Sakura laughed at him, claiming that nothing would happen, because she wasn't weak anymore. But the man wasn't for moving. He knew that she was strong; he'd seen her destroy a battlefield when they were both seventeen. Nonetheless, if Sakura were to leave on such a long lasting mission, he'd spend the many months of her absence staring at the village gates, searching the horizon for signs of pink.

Nobody knew at the time, that she would fall pregnant.

But if she were to go back to Konoha, Sasuke would have to stay and complete the mission. They had a deadline. Konoha just couldn't go on with short supplies, and Tsunade was dependent on them.

If she went back, he would have to stay.

And Sasuke wouldn't just have anybody deliver his child. Should anything go wrong, he couldn't risk losing another important person. It was clear as day, how much he loved their baby already. If anything happened, it would destroy him. No. He wouldn't dream of risking it.

But she wanted, she needed him there when she gave birth. She wanted him to be the first one to hold the baby. They had decided, eventually, not to find out the baby's gender, and Sakura wanted to see Sasuke's look of surprise and joy, when he met the new little Uchiha. Sakura wanted him to be there to welcome his child into the world.

"No." She shook her head, and his steps slowed to a halt as he half turned to her. "I'm not going back to Kohoha now. I want you with me when I give birth."

Sasuke's black eye narrowed. "Sakura, stop being difficult-"

"No, Sasuke-kun." She interrupted him. "I know that you're worried, and you don't want anything to happen. You've been using your sharingan to watch the baby grow, and you've been checking to make sure that he or she is developing properly." His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but she continued regardless. "I can see how precious this child is to you. That's why I won't go back to Konoha whilst you stay here. I want you to be the first one to hold him or her. I want to see the look on your face when it really hits you, that you have a family again after all these years."

She finished, breathing heavily and eyes lit with fire. But Sasuke was silent. Torn. Like her confessions to him during his darker periods, Sakura's words, the way she was always prepared to drown him in her love, even though he didn't deserve something so valuable. Always giving him a second option, when it appeared that there was none. Always saying the right words to cause him to doubt himself. Always thinking solely of him and his happiness. She was so…annoying.

But he loved annoying.

"Does it mean so much to you?" He looked at her in defeat.

A resolute nod of the head was all it took to win him over, but for extra reassurance, as they set off in the right direction, whilst clutching his arm, "And even if something did go wrong, I'm Tsunade's disciple. If I can bring someone back on an operating table, I'm pretty sure I can deliver a baby."

Just over one month later, Sakura finally gave birth to a baby girl. A tiny little thing that squirmed in Sasuke's arms, and stared fixated by his dark eyes and hair as he absorbed all of his daughters features in return. The beds in Orochimaru's hideout weren't particularly brilliant in terms of quality and comfort, but that certainly wouldn't keep the smile from gracing Sakura's features. She watched on, face flushed and beaded with sweat, when Sasuke pressed his lips to his child's forehead and inhaled her smell. It was a common occurrence in the maternity ward, back at Konoha General Hospital. When a parent wanted to appreciate every part of their newborn offspring, including their scent, it was a sign of genuine, pure love.

"Sarada." Sasuke mumbled, holding their daughter in one arm and taking Sakura's hand with a gentle squeeze. "Your name will be Sarada."


A/N: I'd just like to say two things.

Firstly, I want to apologise for disappearing for quite a while. Lots of things have happened since my last update, which took up a lot of my time, or distorted my everyday life. I spent a period of time writing two entries for Sasusaku month, a one-shot and a three shot, both of which can be found on my profile, if you're looking for a read. I received my college results, and I'm proud to announce that I now have a place at an elite university in my country for English Literature with Creative writing - a course with only 15 places and a few hundred very talented applicants, so you can imagine how happy I was. However, after that, for personal reasons, I'd dipped in an out of depression for quite a while, and lost almost all motivation to write anything. I feel a bit guilty for not updating, so I made sure that this chapter was a little fluffy and extra long.

Secondly, I was slightly worried that Sasuke was too out of character, especially during his tearful reaction. But then I thought to myself, that Sasuke isn't emotionless. He has too much emotion, and it's not beyond him to cry. After all, he cried just thinking about Itachi, and can be seen crying at the very end because Naruto saved him and never gave up on him. This explanation probably seems unnecessary, but I felt like I had to justify why Sasuke behaved so un-Sasuke. And besides, he lost all of his family, so why wouldn't he cry when he knows that he'll have a child.