*I DON'T OWN NARUTO*

To say the walk home was agonizing for Sakura was an understatement. A million emotions flowed through her all at once, one minute she was heartbroken, while the next, she was fuming with anger. She didn't shed a tear, nor did she scream out in frustration, instead she used every ounce of her mental strength to tightly bottled it up inside.

Sakura momentarily pulled herself away from her turbulent emotions to look up at Naruto. She couldn't help but wonder if he too was suffering. He hadn't said a word since they had left the party. The anger that had almost overtaken him was now gone, and while that was a good it killed Sakura to see his face so blank, and emotionless.

She couldn't stand seeing him like this, but she had no idea what to say to him, and even if she did she was pretty sure that Naruto wouldn't respond. Sakura decided to tend to her wound instead of talking to Naruto, it just felt like the right thing to do. She carefully removed the washcloth to check out the damage. It wasn't bleeding anymore, and Ino had done a pretty good job of cleaning it up with the washcloth. Upon further examination Sakura saw that it wasn't that bad. She decided to put off fully healing until she got home where she could apply some antiseptic to it.

They soon arrived at Sakura's apartment building. Naruto silently held the front door open for her and she slowly walked inside. She made her way up the stairs with Naruto not far behind her. She reached her front door, unlocked it, and stepped inside. Sakura paused when she noticed that Naruto wasn't coming in, instead he was standing right outside her doorway.

"Naruto, aren't you coming in?"

"..."

"Naruto?"

Sakura couldn't help but feel uneasy as she observed Naruto's demeanor. He looked incredibly exhausted for some odd reason, and his gaze was vacant and cold, as if he was somewhere else entirely. Sakura grew even more concerned when he slowly turned around and walked away. She was shocked, all she could do was watched him leave without so much as a goodbye. She was brought back to her senses once he was out of her sight, she had to fix him. She desperately ran after him and threw herself into his back once she caught up to him. She wrapped her arms around his chest and squeezed him tightly.

" Talk to me Naruto, please."

"..."

"What happened at the party couldn't be helped, it wasn't your fault."

"You're wrong Sakura-chan," whispered Naruto.

"What?"

"Everything that happened tonight was indeed my fault."

"How can you say that? You were provoked."

"I should have had better control of myself back there. I acted recklessly, I humiliated Hinata and Kiba, and I almost gave into my anger. I screwed up royally Sakura-chan. I haven't had time to meditate, it's always hard to keep it up when I'm on missions, but that doesn't apply once I get home. I should taken the time to center myself once I got to my apartment, but I told myself that I was fine, boy was I wrong. Neglecting my inner work, is eating away at me, I need go."

"Go where?"

"I'm not sure, all I know is that I need to be alone. I have to work things out with the Kyuubi, our relationship is all about balance, and right now it's far from it."

"But…"

"I'm a walking time bomb, if I don't do this Sakura-chan, something very bad can happen. I need to go."

"I don't want to be alone though, please just stay with me tonight Naruto," pleaded Sakura.

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I just told you, I'm a ticking time bomb."

Sakura released Naruto, and walked around him. She looked up at him, but he averted her gaze.

"Are you honestly afraid that you'll hurt me?"

"..."

"Uzumaki Naruto how can you think that?" Asked Sakura.

She cupped his face with her hands and pulled him slightly towards her.

"Naruto, look at me."

He reluctantly obeyed and looked into her jade eyes.

"You would never hurt."

"Things are different this time around, my emotions are all over the place, it's making it hard to hold myself together, I'm incredibly unstable right now. I just need some mental release."

"If release is all you need then let me help you," whispered Sakura.

She brought his mouth down towards hers and kissed him, but Naruto pulled away before she could deepen it.

"Naruto..."

"No Sakura-chan, I can't, not tonight."

"Dont deny me, please, I just want you, and I know you want me too."

"Don't make this harder than it already is Sakura-chan."

"We need each other right now, don't you want me as bad as I want you?"

"You know I always want you."

"Then stay with me," whispered Sakura.

"No, you don't understand, the Kyuubi is incredibly restless Sakura-chan. He's pissed at me because I didn't let him take control of me back at the party. I won't be able to hold him back the next time something happens."

"What does any of that have to do with you staying the night?"

"You know how I can get when we're intimate, if we have sex you'll be dealing with him, not me."

"But he is you, and you are him."

"Sakura-chan it's not that simple."

"It doesn't matter, I love you just the way you are."

Sakura kissed him again, but this time Naruto didn't pull away. She hadn't fully won him over though since she could feel his resistance as she kissed him. She slightly pulled away from his lips and grabbed the front of his pants leading him back towards her apartment. Naruto refused to budge, but Sakura was persistent.

"Sakura-chan please.."

"Just come inside."

Naruto sighed heavily as he looked up at his girlfriend, her eyes were pleading him to follow her, which made his decision even harder. Part him wanted to stay, but part of him knew he couldn't. Sakura pulled him towards her open door once more, causing him to ignore reason, and give in to her request.

Once inside her apartment Sakura closed the door, locked it, and led Naruto to her bedroom. They stopped by the bed where Sakura gently pushed Naruto on his chest so that he'd sit down on her soft mattress.

She stood in front of him for a moment, and not once did he look away from her. His gaze was intense, borderline feral, and for a split second Sakura wondered if she should continue, but she had persisted that he stay, and here he was, there was no turning back now.

Sakura slowly stripped for him, the moonlight from her bedroom window was her only source of light. She shed her articles of clothing ever so slightly, accentuating her movements as she dragged her hands over the curves of her body, but not once did her partner give her any indication of his feelings.

Sakura couldn't help but feel a little odd, Naruto was so out of character, she couldn't tell what he was thinking, or even if he was thinking at all. He didn't look upset, but it was hard for her to tell if he wanted to be there. She knew she had to make tonight worth his while. Sakura walked up to Naruto and pulled the zipper of his jacket down. She leaned in and kissed him while she removed it, and to her surprise, he eagerly kissed her back. He cupped her face in his hands while Sakura straddled him. Their kissing grew from simple, to hot, and heavy.

She rocked her hips rhythmically against him while Naruto dragged his hands from her face down to the rest of her delicate body. His scorching touch sent sparks of pleasure that made her inner core throbbed. He pulled away from her lips, and focused his attention on her breasts. Sakura grabbed chunks of his hair all while he kneaded and sucked on her luscious mounds.

She felt herself getting wetter by the second, and before she could do anything to initiate a change in position Naruto slid her off of him and rolled her over onto the bed. He stood up while she lay flat on her back. Sakura slightly hoisted herself up onto her elbows to see what Naruto was doing. She blushed when she saw him removing the rest of his clothes. Sakura laid back down and before she knew it he was hovering over her, completely naked. Without saying a word Sakura wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him closer towards her. She stopped when she felt him press up against her entrance.

"Are you ready Sakura-chan?" Whispered Naruto.

"Yes."

Naruto nodded and hoisted her hips up towards him. He repositioned himself and entered her, slowly. Sakura relished in his choice of speed, she gripped her bedsheets while he took his time with her. His hunger for her was growing and Sakura could see his appearance changing. His eyes were blue, but his pupils weren't circular, instead they looked almost cateye, and the presents of his claws grazed her hips. Sakura wrapped her legs tighter around his hips begging him to pick up his speed. He granted her wish by bucking his hips harder and faster into her. Her breasts moved up and down gracefully each time he entered her.

The air was thick and the room was hot with the heat of passion. Naruto had sweat all over his face and chest. They looked at one another, as if having a silent conversations, and without speaking they knew what they both wanted. Sakura unwrapped her legs and let go of Naruto, she then rolled over and propped herself at the edge of her bed while on all fours. Naruto grabbed her hips and lifted them up towards him.

She felt him spread her lips and press himself at her entrance, with one swift motion he rammed himself inside her. The shock of it sent chills up Sakura's spine. She opened her mouth to scream out in pleasure, but nothing came out. Naruto's strength behind his thrusts were hard, feverish, and exhilarating. Sakura had to use her own strength to keep herself steady for him.

An all-too-familiar tightening sensation below her navel began to pool and collect. Its intensity grew with each of Naruto's rhythmic motions. She felt her walls tighten around him as he relentlessly pounded her. She closed her eyes tightly as the sensation of her fast-approaching climax grew more and more overwhelming. She then reached her breaking point and her body quivered from sensory overload.

"Naruto!" Screamed Sakura.

He responded with a feral growl as he grabbed Sakura's beautiful pink locks. He pulled her head back using her hair as reins. He held onto her hair with one hand, while the other stayed on her left hip. His claws pierced her soft porcelain skin as he reached his breaking point.

Naruto's right ear twitched, something in the apartment had caught his attention, but he ignored it since he was so close to cumming. He let go of Sakura's hair and placed that hand on her other hip for better support. He grunted loudly as he gave Sakura, one last, deep thrust, causing him to fully release inside her. He felt his body weaken as he emptied his seed into her. His strength was sapped, it was becoming harder to keep himself upright. He leaned over his girlfriend and rested his head on her back. Sakura felt the coolness of his forehead protector touch her bare skin, it's tassels tickled her flesh.

Then it happened, the noise Naruto had ignored was now back, only this time it had a scent, and the person it belong to was in the room with them. He knew without a doubt who was watching them, but it was pointless to say anything, there simply was no time to move, hide, or even warn Sakura. Suddenly the bedroom light turned on exposing them both. Naruto's eyes burned from the sudden burst of light, and Sakura yelped in surprise. He snapped his head quickly towards the entrance of Sakura's room. There standing in the doorway, frozen in horror, was Sakura's mother, Hanako.

Naruto instinctively snarled at her. Normally he wouldn't act in such an aggressive manner towards her, even when he knew how she felt about him, no that wasn't him at all. Sheepishly apologizing while nervously cowering at Hanako sounded more like Naruto. This time though, his normal happy go lucky attitude was nowhere to be seen and instead the primal rage of the kyuubi started to take control. The sudden burst of light had left Sakura a little disoriented, her eyes widened when the blurry image of her mother came into full view.

"Mom, what are you doing here!?" Asked Sakura as she desperately grabbed handfuls of bed sheets to cover herself up, but no amount of coverage was going to lessen their embarrassing situation.

Sakura managed to cover her chest, but Naruto hadn't let go of her hips, and he was still buried inside her. It was a bit difficult for her to see him, since she was on all fours, but his heaving breathing and animalistic sounds told her that their situation was dire.

"Naruto?" Whispered Sakura delicately.

"..."

"Please look at me."

Naruto pay no attention to Sakura, his glare remained fixed on her mother. Sakura was about to speak again when suddenly Naruto let out a roar that shook the room. The sheer force of it made Sakura's mother lose her balance. She fell to the floor horror stricken. Seventeen years ago she'd come face to face with this monster and never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd see it violating her daughter.

"Get out mother now," said Sakura firmly.

"..."

"Mother!"

Hanako snapped out of her fear induced stupor and looked at her daughter's eyes with terror and concern on her face.

"Sakura get away from him," pleaded Hanako."He'll kill you."

"No mother he won't, but he'll kill you if you don't listen to me and leave this room now."

Her mother quickly took a few steps back, she had believed her daughter's warning. Sakura on the other hand knew that Naruto would never kill her mother, but she was hoping that her mother's fear of him would get her listen to her. Naruto let out another immense roar. Sakura tried to roll over so she could look him in the face, but he held her firmly in his clutches. His breathing was rapid and heavy. Droplets of drool fell onto Sakura's back and in those tense moments all she could do was pray for a miracle.

Naruto found himself in boiler room basement standing in front of the Kyuubi's prison naked. It had been sometime since he had actually made himself appear in front of its cage, nowadays he would usually just talk to it aloud, or in his mind. The Kyuubi peered at Naruto snarling as it lowered itself down to his level. It's large nose was inches from Naruto's face when it spoke.

"This is an insult to us both Naruto!"

"I agree this isn't the best position to find ourselves in, but you need to calm down. This is Sakura-chan's mother, we can't hurt her," said Naruto.

"Why are defending this woman? She hates us with a passion. She's never given us any respect, and now he she is hawking at us while we're mating! Why would you defend such scum!?"

"Because Sakura-chan loves her, and if it weren't for Hanako, Sakura-chan wouldn't exist. Now please, I'm asking you to settle down."

"..."

"Don't make me force you."

"Foolish boy, you're as stubborn as your mother! She never listened to me either. You're just as naïve and weak as she was Naruto, it disgusts me," spat the Kyuubi.

"My mother wasn't weak, and either am I!"

"Silence!"

"I find it amusing that you're taking me so lightly. It just proves you aren't thinking straight. Now settle down, this is your last warning."

"I am not a caged puppy for you to discipline as you see fit Naruto. On the contrary, you're the pup here, and I'm settling this matter now!" Roared the Kyuubi.

Naruto shook his head in disappointment.

"I warned you."

Naruto's grip on Sakura's hips was suddenly broken. He let out a bellowing howl as he grabbed the sides of his head and screamed. The Kyuubi's seal appeared on his abdomen pulsating as if it had a mind of its own. The key to it's cage appeared on Naruto's right arm. He slammed his hand on his eight trigram seal on his stomach and turned it counter clockwise. It unlocked a massive torri that slammed down on top of the Kyuubi, leaving it defenseless. This helped Naruto suppress it's negative influence on him. His features softened, his eyes slowly went back to normal, and his elongated claws shrank. His breathing was shaky and shallow and steam came off his seal.

"Behave," whispered Naruto.

His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapse on Sakura. She pulled herself away from him, sat up right on the bed, and pulled his limp body towards her. She covered him and rested his head in between her breast. She held him close as tears filled her eyes.

"Mom, please wait for me in the living room, I'll be right there," whispered Sakura.

Shellshocked Hanako picked herself up and without looking back she stumbled into the living room. Sakura let out a small sigh of relief when her mother exited her looked down at Naruto and placed her hands on both sides of his head. Green chakra began to emit from her palms as she closed her eyes focusing on her boyfriend's wellbeing.

He was completely knocked out, she wasn't even sure if he'd dream. Sakura slowly pulled herself away from Naruto, repositioned him, and made him comfortable under the bedcovers. She put on his black shirt and slipped on her panties. She was about to confront her mother when she heard a frantic knock at her door. She heard a variety of concerned voices as she approached closer. The manager of her apartment building and many concerned neighbors were waiting for answers when she opened the door.

"Miss Haruno what in the world is going on in there?!" Asked her apartment manager in a nervous voice.

Clearly all the residents including the manager were scared senseless. Sakura walked outside and closed the door behind her.

"I'm so very sorry for alarming you all so late in the evening, but Naruto has just come back from a very long difficult mission. He's been having horrible nightmares since his return. When he dreams the Kyuubi is more active, so he can be rather loud during these episodes. I'm doing everything I can medically for him and I've got him under control now, please forgive me," said Sakura.

She bowed down to show her respect and apologies to her neighbors. Most of the residents looked content with her answer. In reality she wasn't really lying, Naruto did have nightmares, but he had never had one at Sakura's place before, until now apparently.

"I'm very sorry to hear that Naruto isn't doing so well. I hope he recovers with a good night's rest. We just wanted to make sure everything was okay Miss Haruno."

"Thank you so much for understanding, good night," said Sakura as she closed the door.

Before Sakura could gather her thoughts she felt her mother's eyes on her. She looked up at her, it had a been a little over two months since she had seen her, and while she looked the same Sakura slowly made her way towards the living room, but before she could explain herself her mother spoke.

"I know you're pregnant Sakura."

Sakura's heart sank, she instantly felt sick to her stomach, and it had nothing to do with the baby.

"Tsume Inuzuka called me about thirty minutes ago with the news."

"Kiba's mother, but how…"

"Don't change the subject young lady, none of that is important, what is important is that an acquaintance told me, not my own daughter."

"You don't understand, I just learned I was pregnant the other day."

"Then you admit that you did have time to tell me, but you chose not to."

"No mom you don't understand I…"

"I know our relationship isn't as strong as I would like it to be, but it hurts to know that you couldn't confide in me with this news."

"Naruto and I were going to tell you tomorrow morning after my visit at the clinic."

"You're you're going to allow him to be involved with this pregnancy?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Oh Sakura," sighed Hanako. "You know I never wanted you to get involved with him, but you defied me regardless of how I felt. I shuddered at the thought of you dating him, but now it's clear that your relationship is far more, advanced, than I originally thought."

Sakura covered her face, she was beyond mortified.

"Why did you have to barge in like that? You could have called you know."

"Matters like this shouldn't be discussed over the phone Sakura, it's rude, and besides I thought you were in danger, what with the noises I heard while in your hallway."

"Oh God…"

"I used the spare keys you gave me to use in emergencies."

"Mom I can see your reasoning, but your timing was horrible."

"Nonsense, I came in at the right time. Just look at what he did to you!"

Sakura instinctively reached for the side of her neck brushing her hair to hide the scars she could never get rid of. She knew her mother would never understand that it was Naruto's way of showing affection, but then she realized that her mother wasn't looking at her neck, she was looking at her arm. Sakura look down and her eyes widened, from the looks of it one would think that Naruto had done this to her, but that was far from the truth.

"Kiba did this to me, not Naruto!"

"Tsume's son, but why would…"

"There is so much you don't know mom. I'm not going to go into details, but in short Kiba got carried away at a party we were all at tonight, and he grabbed me, his claws dug into my arm."

"Tsume told me over the phone that Kiba was arguing with his teammates outside their house. She went to see what was the matter, and that's when she saw that he had black eye. After a good grilling session between mother and son, Kiba confessed that the mess he'd gotten into had to do with you being pregnant. Did Naruto punch him?"

"No, that was actually Shikamaru, he walked in right when it happened. If Naruto had gotten a hold of Kiba he would have more than just a black eye."

"How can you say things so casually like that? The way he was growling at me, the way he had you Sakura, why can't you see him for what he is?

"I do, it's you that's blind mom. I've had time to get to know him, he was my teammate before we started dating after all. Over the years I learned about his troubled past and how he was made into something he never was, a monster. Our own home branded him at birth, and I'm sorry but I'm tired of you trying to brainwash me. I'm not that little girl who's so impressionable anymore."

"You may not have liked the measures we took as parents, but we did everything to keep you all safe."

"Safe from what mother? In all of Naruto's life he has never turned against the village, on the contrary he's been the one that's kept our home safe all these years, and it wasn't until recently that he's gotten any thanks and recognition for it. There are just some people in this village that still look at him with disgust, and I can't believe that my own mother is one of them," whispered Sakura.

"You may not believe me, but I've tried to change how I feel about him, but I can't forget what happened on that horrible night."

Tears began to well up in Sakura's eyes, she knew exactly what her mother was going to say, and it always broke her heart to hear this story, no matter how many times she had heard it.

"That bone-chilling roar that came out of his throat is the same one I heard 17 years ago."

"Stop it mother..."

"That same demonic creature that killed your father, and countless others, is now the father of your child!"

"Stop.."

"It pains me to say this, because children are innocent, but I'm not sure if what you're carrying is even human."

"Stop it!" Screamed Sakura.

She smashed the coffee table in front of mother in two. Splinters of wood scattered around the room. Hanako was taken aback, she had never seen her daughter display her inhuman strength in front of her like this.

"Naruto isn't a monster!"

"..."

"I'm tired of people calling him that! He's risked his life to protect our home countless times, he became a jinchuuriki, and he even went to war. On top of that he's saved me time and time again. Had it not been for him I don't think I'd be here today mom."

"Sakura…"

"These are things that you've never bothered to learn. You have no idea what he and I have been through over the years, and while I've wanted to share so much of my life with you I haven't been able to, because of how stubborn, and close-minded, you are when it comes to Naruto. He's a wonderful person, an amazing man, and now the father of our child, which I can assure you will be perfect to me no matter what you, or others may think."

"..."

"With that said mother, you don't have to be apart of your grandchild's life, you can walk away without looking back, but I'm not sure if I can handle you abandoning me just because of who love," said Sakura.

Her legs shook and they soon buckled, causing her to fall to her knees and cried. Everything that had happened in the last few days came out in the form of endless tears that seemed to have no end as they rolled off or cheeks. Hanako quickly approached her daughter, knelt down in front of her, and gently grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I would never abandon you, or your child, Sakura. I may be your mother, but I'm also a human, who, on more than one occasion, has made horrible mistakes. I cannot take back what I said, but please believe me when I say that I'm sorry. My last intention was to come here and push you further away from me, but sometimes it's easier to hold on to the past then to let it go and move on.

"..."

"I miss your father so much, and if he was still with us I know for a fact that he wouldn't like the sight of his two girls fighting."

"I'm sorry you lost dad the way you did mom."

"We both lost him, and I'm sorry I've had such contempt for Naruto, despite everything I've said about him, I know he had no say on the destiny that was placed on him. I've been acting like an old stubborn fool, and for that I'm sorry. I promise from this day forth that I'm going to change. I love you so much, and while I wish you weren't so young I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to be a grandma."

"Really mom?"

"Yes Sakura," said Hanako as she pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Thanks mom, I love you," whispered Sakura as he held her mother tightly.

The two women continued to hold each other close as Naruto lay asleep in bed, unaware of the events that were unfolding.