Sasuke was almost giddy with excitement as he placed the last of his belongings into his bag. Zipping it up, he threw it across his shoulders before heading to check that Mei had everything she needed. He looked out the window and saw multiple ninja carrying several pieces of luggage. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and headed downstairs to see Mei scrutinise each room.
"You got everything?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.
"I think so." Mei said slowly, moving past him.
"Seems you're bringing enough stuff to last you a year." He commented.
"You're the one who wanted us to stay in Konoha." She called out from another room.
"I know, I'm just... happy, you agreed with me."
"Where's your ring?" She asked, coming back into the room.
Sasuke sighed and pulled back his collar, revealing a thin necklace that he kept his wedding ring on. Mei had always been worried that he was going to lose it, or destroy it, and since his hands were pretty essential when it came to fighting, he figured wearing it around his neck would be a better way to keep it safe. Then again, there was always the possibility that it could get caught on something and choke him to death...
Their wedding itself, had been quite the grand ceremony. Though Sasuke had wanted it to be a small and low-key affair, he knew that if there was one area where Mei would be unflinching and uncompromising, it would be this.
She had made him invite some people from Konoha, even though he didn't particularly want to. The less people in attendance, the better, in his eyes.
His point was only proven when a drunk Naruto attempted to make a speech, but instead sounded like an inebriated hyena with throat cancer. After Sakura aggressively pulled him away from the podium, the festivities continued as normal.
He didn't really want to interact with anyone, preferring to sit next to a passed out Naruto and make half-hearted small talk with Sakura. He tried to take it easy on the alcohol, because according to Mei, his tongue tended to loosen after a few drinks. The last thing he needed was to piss off anybody else and undo his minimal efforts of making amends.
"Where it normally is." He responded, letting his collar set back into place.
"Just so as long as you've got it."
"What are you, my mother?"
"Soon to be one." She grinned.
Sasuke returned her smile before taking her bag off her. "Will this do you for the next few hours?"
"Yeah, that's enough for today and tomorrow."
Sasuke nodded and walked outside to join the convoy of ninja carrying Mei's possessions. With a solid pace, they should make it to Konoha either tonight, or tomorrow morning if they decided to stop for rest, which, when carrying the amount of stuff Mei wanted to bring, was a very likely possibility.
Mei locked up her house and turned around to see Garuda spread its large wings. Sasuke delicately nestled her bags on Garuda's back before helping her up.
"You're not getting on?" She asked.
"I don't want to weigh him down too much. Plus, it's been a while since I stretched my, uh... Chakra." He muttered.
He whistled at Garuda as an indication to follow him, then took off into the sky. It was quite clear that Sasuke was nowhere near as fast as Garuda, and that the poor hawk was waiting for him to hurry up. Mei actually enjoyed the slower pace, as she could take in the sights from this height, plus the cool breeze was quite refreshing.
She hadn't flown since Sasuke had pushed her off unceremoniously the last time, and while she may have warned him to not do it again, she also wouldn't put it past him to completely ignore her. At least now she was quite certain that he would avoid putting her in jeopardy, as it wasn't just her that he had to worry about now.
Not long after their wedding, through the beautiful discovery of morning sickness, they had realised that she was pregnant. Sasuke was a mix of emotions, from pure joy at having his lifelong wish come through, and utter disgust at having to hold her long hair back as she retched.
In the weeks that followed, he was more attentive towards her. Not to an extent where it became uncomfortable, it was Sasuke after all, but to a point where she could appreciate having him work a little harder at home.
The side effects commonly associated with pregnancy hadn't affected her that much and she tried to not be too much of a burden to interact with. She thought she had succeeded at that, despite Sasuke having once muttered; that the pregnant "were the worst people on the planet".
It was only once her bump began to become noticeable, did things become difficult for her. Sleeping, which was once one of her favourite activities when she was with Sasuke, had become an uncomfortable task. She always had a healthy, balanced diet, yet all of a sudden certain food would either be repulsive to her, or heaven-sent.
Sasuke had always though that pregnancy cravings were a myth. The look of sheer horror etched onto his face as she made eclectic combinations of ingredients into meals, was one that proved the whole "seeing is believing" philosophy.
It was only in the past few weeks that the pains went from uncomfortable, to agonising. Sasuke's gentle massages were like magic during these times, his soft hands could coax the worst aches away.
So here they were, her being seven months pregnant, and him being two months away from having someone else to care for unconditionally.
They had made semi-frequent visits to and from Konoha over the course of her pregnancy, to carry out tests and examinations, make sure she was in perfect physical condition. Mei didn't want to stay there permanently just yet, she had wanted to wrap up affairs back in Kirigakure and say goodbye to a few people.
She had admired the work he had done on their new home when they stayed the night. It would have to be properly furnished, which is why she was bringing so much luggage and sundries from her old home, to their new one.
She clutched her stomach as she felt some movement from there. The baby had been making motions for the past month, the first time it had kicked, she swore Sasuke had not stopped smiling for the rest of the day. By night time it had gotten so unnerving that she had to ask him to stop.
Seeing Konoha on the horizon, Sasuke began to slowly descend and Garuda followed suit. Mei groaned, as she knew that the next few hours were going to involve a lot of waiting, a lot of tests and just general discomfort.
She could hardly wait.
Sasuke dumped their bags in the middle of the hall, and went to lie down on the couch. Mei followed him inside and scoffed when she saw him lying face down.
"Which one of us is pregnant?" Mei asked. "You'd swear that you were the one who got examined for the past two hours."
"No, I was just the one who got overloaded with copious details about what you should and shouldn't do, even though we already knew that. They act like we're the children." Came his muffled reply.
"Well, it is the first Uchiha born in however many years, it's not to be unexpected that the village wouldn't take it this seriously."
Grunting in what seemed to be agreement, Sasuke got up, stretched and went to bring their bags upstairs.
Looking around the room, Mei noticed the distinct lack of notable furniture. It seemed bare, like a carcass picked clean by vultures. She hoped to add a woman's touch in the next few days, Sasuke's style generally consisted of a palette of plainness that, while inoffensive to the eye, also didn't do much in the way of turning heads.
Though Sasuke tended to do that all by himself, regardless of how chic he looked, he had a swagger that was all his own.
Heading upstairs to join him, she passed by a bedroom that Sasuke had prepared before they left the village the last time they were here. Inside, there was a wooden crib, constructed by Sasuke himself.
Captain Yamato, an expert in Wood Jutsu, offered to make a smooth, pristine crib for them, however Sasuke refused. He didn't give an explanation why, though Mei knew exactly the reason.
This was his life he was building, Sasuke had... personified his future into this crib, he was going to build it his way, until he was satisfied with it. While he lacked the skills to apply the same mentality to their home, his pride would not allow him to accept any help with the bed that his child would lay their head upon.
His pride had also meant several failed attempts, that resembled torture racks more than a baby's crib. Mei had also considered starting a swear box for him, simply labelled: "Splinters".
His reaction was less than amused.
Standing in the doorway of their bedroom, watching her husband put away their clothes, Mei was delighted to finally realise that the domestic life she had imagined, was coming to fruition. Being a shinobi and Kage was tiring, so very tiring. She wasn't the type of woman who refused to be tied down, never had been, so it was nice that she could finally take some control and choose when to bow out.
Her natural talent and aptitude from a young age had meant that a simple life was never going on the table for her. Duty to Kirigakure demanded that she put her skills to use in an effort to benefit the village. She wasn't unhappy with her life's path, especially considering where she was now, but there were times when she wanted to call it quits and run away to find herself.
Yet, it seemed like in a roundabout way, her hard work had paid off. She wasn't much of a believer in fate, but it did seem like every little event that led them both to this point had been planned out.
Then again, that may just be her way of justifying the less than exemplary events of the past. Believing in fate or destiny could be a nice way to wash your hands of any responsibility.
"What do you think they'll be like?"
"What?" Sasuke asked, as he put a shirt in the drawer.
"Our child, what do you think they will be like?" Mei repeated, clutching her stomach and sitting down on their bed.
"Probably half of me and half of you." Sasuke answered, to which he received a deadpan look. "I dont know, what were you like as a child?"
"Carefree and tenacious, in a place that warranted caution."
"Sounds about right." Sasuke muttered.
"What about you, were you always as stiff as a board, or did you have some semblance of childlike charisma?"
"I wasn't that different to how I am now, more happy go lucky than anything, that was prior to me changing. When something of that magnitude happens, it shatters every part of you, right down to your core. I don't know who I would have grown up to become if that shattering never occurred, but I do know that I don't want them to be broken like I was."
"That won't happen, Sasuke." Mei assured him.
"I know it won't, but when you ask me what I think our child will be like, whatever personality they get from me, I just hope it's the 'before', and not 'after'. In fact, I hope any resemblance to me, is purely physical."
"I'm pretty sure that's not how genes work."
"A man can hope." Sasuke said, wearily.
"Look Sasuke, any difference there is between the man you are now, and the man you could have been, is negligible. Our child isn't going to come out of the womb swearing vengeance against Konoha, they're going to be an ordinary baby. Whatever darkness you think you still have, it's only there because you choose to hold onto it. You're not going to infect our child with hatred and you don't need to worry yourself sick over it. Just love them, and I promise they will turn out fine."
Sasuke contemplated her words as he put the last article of clothing away, he lay down next to her and gently massaged her stomach.
"I think I definitely chose the right wife."
"There were other contenders?" Mei scoffed.
"Of course, I had to consider all options." He slyly grinned.
"You're saying I should be grateful?"
"No, I'm definitely the one who should be grateful." He said, seriously. "You've given me everything I could have possibly wanted in life even when I doubted you, and for that I will always love you." Sasuke kissed her in an intense and tender manner.
Breaking apart for air, she pressed her forehead to his. "I love you too, Sasuke."
Twisting around in the bed, Mei let out a content sigh as she closed her eyes and relaxed in Sasuke's embrace, as he rested an arm on top of her bump.
"You think it'll be painful?"
"It's childbirth, Sasuke, I don't think it'll tickle."
Sasuke chuckled and stopped stroking her arm. He had been trying to make small talk in order to distract her from the upcoming procedure, however it seemed like she wasn't in any mood for conversation. Tsunade had told them that the medical team wouldn't be long while they got prepared for surgery.
Mei woke up this morning in severe pain and told him that her contractions were intense enough for her to know that this was it. Sasuke immediately flew her over to the hospital and practically took it over, barking orders to the staff like they were Genin.
It wasn't long before Tsunade came to take over the situation and told him to go wait with Mei and ensure she was okay.
"I don't know what you're complaining about, I'm the one who is more than likely end up with a broken hand, I've seen how strong you are."
"I think a broken hand is more than worth the birth of your child, no?" Mei teased before groaning.
"Anything I can do?" Sasuke asked, his voice full of concern.
"No, I just want to get this little monster out of me." She laughed weakly.
Sasuke smirked and debated going to look for Tsunade again, but decided against it to stay with Mei. Her pain was almost tangible to him, and he wished there was something he could do to give her some relief.
"You nervous?" He asked, to which Mei shook her head.
"We've got the best medical team on the planet assembling just for us, in a village where this child may as well be royalty with how important they are. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
"I lose you and the baby, lose all sense of sanity and reason. Go on a rampage and burn Konoha to the ground, only to meet a grisly demise from Naruto who has no choice but to finally put me down."
"It sounds like you've been planning this, aren't you meant to be comforting me?" She moaned.
"I thought I was, it was a very poetic and romantic ending about how devastated I would be if I lost either of you." Sasuke grinned.
"Well, your tragic musings aside I hope not to lose anyone today."
"I concur." Sasuke smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
It was at that moment when Tsunade stepped into the room donning her full surgeon scrubs. "It's time."
Sasuke placed a hand on Mei's shoulder before moving to the chair beside the bed while the rest of the required staff followed Tsunade in.
"I'm going to hold your hand every step of the way." Sasuke assured her.
"I'll try not to break it then." She laughed before groaning in pain as another contraction rocked her.
"All things considered, I probably deserve it."
Sasuke wiped one of the stray hairs that fell down onto her face, before placing his arm on the bedrail and gently taking her hand in his. Her grip was limp now, though the painful thought of that changing imminently was enough for another grin to spread across his features.
Gazing into her emerald eyes, Sasuke gave her the most supportive look he could muster, which instantly fell apart as Mei clenched his hand tightly and let out a gut-wrenching scream.