AN: Happy tenth chapter everyone! I'd like to warn to faint of heart that there IS some strong language in this one. But just slightly. Well, enjoy!

at last

Sasuke was angry.

No. Angry didn't do his foul mood justice.

Sasuke Uchiha was livid. Furious. So much so that his knuckles turned white from the strain of balling them into tight firsts (he was sure his nails were digging half-crescent moon-shaped marks into his palm.) His lips were nonexistent as he pressed them tight into a grim line. The muscles on his back, shoulders, arms, legs tensed and coiled, while his brows drooped considerably. His sharingan came to life on its own, seeking out the one who had caused the dormant power to awake with a vengeance.

Oddly enough, the figure before him was small, petite, about a head shorter than he was. She was also a woman. A woman with wavy hair that stopped halfway down her back and curled slightly at the tips. It was pink.

And her eyes. They were closed tight right now but Sasuke knew their color all too well. He had seen himself reflected back so many times in the brilliant green color -the color of leaves when the sun shined through them. When opened, her eyes sparkled with turbulence and lusty good humor.

Like now, his mind processed in annoyance. Her shoulders -her entire small frame, for that matter- shook with the force of her laughter. Thin arms snaked themselves around her prominent middle, as if that would hold in her merriment. Every now and then she would try to reign it in, only to snicker, then giggle, then full out guffaw in his face.

His still scowling face.

"I...I'm..." Sakura breathed in deep and slowly let it out through her mouth. She opened her eyes, took one look at Sasuke's frowning face, and burst into laughter. Again.

Sasuke gnashed his teeth together and promptly turned on his heel to leave. But his sharinagn was still spinning wildly, meaning he had captured every moment her lips drew upward, every intake of air, every time she wrapped her arms tighter around herself to keep from collapsing. It was all there, imprinted on his mind forever.

He grind his teeth harder, swearing he could feel his molars turn to dust inside his mouth.

"W-wait... Sasuke-kun!" He felt slim fingers wrap themselves around his upper bicep, easily pulling him back to a pace Sakura was comfortable with no matter how small she was. "That was a really crappy thing you did back there. Leaving your poor, defenseless -and pregnant, no less!- wife all by herself. What if something bad had happened? What if I had been kidnapped?"

"You were too busy. I doubt a kidnapper would interrupt your fun," Sasuke sneered.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun you're such a softie. Can't even take a joke."

"That was not a joke." He stopped suddenly, causing Sakura to stop as well. His eyes had retained their onyx coloring again but were nowhere near the eyes she had come to see on her husband as of late. She pressed her lips tight to keep from grinning. "Sakura..." he growled.

"I can't help it!" He turned. "Okay, wait! I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I know it was a sucky thing to do. It's just, you're too easy to fool at times. And you look cute when you get all flustered... You should have seen the look on your face-!"

"I'm leaving," and true to his word, managed to do just that as he dragged her (gently) behind him since she was still clinging onto him.

Sakura wiped the tears that had formed at the corner of her eyes from all her laughing with the back of her hand. She decided enough was enough. She had had her fun but it was time to make nice.

Konoha's busiest part of town was really not the place to make a scene, anyway. Sakura had seen the way many villagers had shot her nervous and scared glances when Sasuke's sharingan had surfaced, thinking he was about to hurt her. But Sakura was in no danger. That didn't mean they knew that, though. And the last thing Sakura wanted was to be visited by women with concerns and worry for her well being.

She sighed and tried again. "I'm sorry again, Sasuke-kun."

Nothing.

"Will you forgive me?"

Still nothing.

"Not even if I let you touch me tonight?"

A twitch of the eye but still nothing.

"Because I was going to let you-"

"You will not do that anymore," he said, voice low yet firm, meant only for her ears. "It is the last time, Sakura." He shot her a sideways glance. "I mean it."

Funs over. Kill joy. "Alright," she sighed.

"Promise me."

"I, Sakura Uchiha, herby promise to you, Sasuke Uchiha, never to pretend my water is breaking and give you a heart attack."

They walked in silence but Sakura could have sworn she heard the word "wiseass" being muttered under his breath. She smiled.

"Although, you have to admit, Sasuke-kun. My acting skills are superb. And it was funny."

"It was not funny."

"It was pretty funny."

"It was not funny."

"...It was a little funny."

He glared down at her.

"Thanks again for looking after him, Hinata," Sakura said into the phone. "And you're sure he's okay?"

"Itachi is just fine." Hinata smiled down at the two four-year-olds who were coloring in their coloring books. "Hana-chan is keeping him entertained. How are you feeling? Any pains settling in yet?"

"Not even. I think the nurse was wrong."

The couple had been at the hospital earlier that day for a a checkup. More so for Sasuke's piece of mind rather than Sakura's. They had been told the baby should be due anytime now and that they be on the alert in case Sakura went into labor and needed to be rushed to the hospital.

Of course, the nurse had been repeating the same thing since last week.

Tired of being treated like a doll made of glass, Sakura had decided to have a spot of fun with Sasuke.

It had first started off innocent enough. A couple of faux stomach pains at home. Then progressed with claims that Sakura could feel the baby coming. Which led to pretending her water had broken in public and naturally sent her husband into hysteric rage.

It had been fun to see her husband, a man usually calm in the face of danger, losing his shit over his wife's silly pranks.

And now that same man had promised her never to pull those stunts again. Bore.

"Perhaps if you just stop to rest it'll come naturally," Hinata smiled. She had laughed so hard to the point of crying when she heard what Sakura had done to poor Sasuke this time. "Lay down, take a nap. And no more funny business," she ordered lightly.

"Yes, Mother," Sakura mocked but added, "Really though, Hinata. Thanks again for looking over Itachi. I really didn't want to let him out of my sight but Sasuke-kun insisted that if the baby came early that Itachi be looked after while we were at the hospital."

"You have nothing to worry about, Sakura-chan. Itachi is in good hands."

The friends bid each other farewell and Sakura absentmindedly rubbed at her stomach. As funny as her current situation was, Sakura really was worried. A week over her due date and still no baby.

Still, she decided to take her friend's advise and rest. It didn't look like the new addition to the Uchiha clan would be gracing them with her presence anytime soon.

The clock read four in the morning when Sakura woke up. Something had woken her. What was it?

Oh, right. Her mouth was as dry as the desert of Suna. The downside to pregnancy: she was always thirsty. Then she was always running to the bathroom because of it. It was a vicious cycle.

Making her way carefully into the kitchen, Sakura didn't even bother with turning on the lights as she quenched her undying thirst and sighed in satisfaction. She looked out the window, wondering how her little boy was doing and if he missed them at all.

Probably not as much as I do, she decided. Hana Uzumaki could make Itachi forget he even had a family -she was that entertaining to be around with.

Sakura didn't know how long she stood there, watching the village's darkened streets when the lights came on suddenly and she was blinking back the harsh intrusion of light.

"Sakura?" Sasuke's rough sleep-induced voice asked as he entered the kitchen. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I was thirsty and decided to get a drink. You?"

"I thought you had gone to the bathroom. I waited but you never came back. What were you looking at?" Sasuke came to stand next to his wife, brushing aside the curtains to see for himself. There was nothing out there. "Did you see someone out there?"

"No, nothing like that. I was just thinking." She paused, watching her husband in silent contemplation before adding, "I'm sorry I worried you."

He rose a raven-winged brow.

"And I hope you know my apology isn't just because I didn't come to bed right away. But for, you know, the past week."

"You really did scare me yesterday with that crap," he admitted with a frown. "I really thought..." He shook his head. I really thought I'd finally get to meet my daughter.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. Sakura drowned the rest of her drink before setting it down in the sink. "Let's go to bed."

Sasuke nodded and led the way. He paused long enough to turn off the kitchen light when he noticed Sakura wasn't behind him. "Sakura?"

"Sa... S-Sasuke...kun..." She gulped. Suddenly wishing for another glass of water. "Ah!" Gripping onto the sides of the sink's counter with both hands, Sakura tried desperately to get the pain she was having under control. The metal groaned under her strength.

"I think... I-I think my water just broke..." she panted.

Sasuke blinked. Then rolled his eyes. He had thought his wife was being honest with him when she had said she was sorry. Apparently, all Sakura wanted was the last laugh as she made Sasuke out to look like an idiot for believing her.

Unbelievable. "Nice try, but you used that one yesterday," he said, already turning around for their bedroom. "And you promised no more games, remember?"

"This isn't a game, you idiot! I really am... Shit." More intense panting.

Sasuke had to admit, Sakura really wasn't lying when she said she was one hell of an actress. It almost looked like she really was going into labor...

"Sasuke! Get me to the fucking hospital already!"

The way she had said (screamed) his name, without the endearing suffix at the end was enough to get his feet moving. Shit. Sakura really was going into labor!

They had her in a delivery room not even two minutes later, Sasuke having teleported them both in record time. The nurses all scurried with getting everything ready for the delivery. Sasuke had deemed Tsunade the only one to deliver his child, and so they currently waited for the former Hokage.

In the madness of it all, Sasuke held onto his wife's hand, letting her use it as her personal squeeze toy. He swore he could hear every bone in his hand break as he bit his bottom lip, hard. But he supposed he deserved it. He almost had to help deliver his daughter on the kitchen floor, after all.

"You're...an idiot."

He sighed. "Can you blame me? I thought you were playing another prank on me."

"After I had just finished apologizing for being a pain all week?"

"Aa."

"After I was breathing heavy and destroying our counter top?"

"Aa."

"After I had water gushing between my legs?"

"To be fair, I thought you had poured water all over yourself to make it look like your water just broke."

"!"

"Other that or I thought you couldn't hold it in. You do have an extremely small bladder. Even more so when you are -were?- pregnant."

"!"

"Anyway, I'm sorry for not believing you sooner." He kissed the top of her sweaty forehead. "But in all honesty, you did deserve it."

Sasuke then waited patiently to be yelled at. To be punched. To be called ever bad name in the book -and then some. He waited for her to throw a fit that never came. Instead, he felt something warm in the hand she was holding. Which was a miracle in it of itself because Sasuke could have sworn, what with all the broken bones, that he no longer carried any feeling in that hand.

The warmth happened to be Sakura channeling some of her chakra. Already Sasuke could see the nasty purple bruises that had bloomed on his pale skin from the number of popped blood vessels fade until his skin looked like it hadn't been violated a while ago. He experimented in rotating his wrist. Good as new.

He looked down at his wife. She was breathing hard again, features scrunched up in pain. She was having another contraction, he guessed.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear. Noise outside the room could be heard. It was getting louder as they slowly approached the room. Any second now, Tsunade would walk in and help deliver his child. Any minute now, his baby girl would be presented to him, to finally hold in his arms once and for all.

"I don't particularly like you too much right now, Sasuke-kun," she grunted, enduring another contraction, as a reply to his heartfelt declaration of love. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry."

"Okay then. How about you get your fucking hand out of my sight before I grab onto it and never let go?"

Sasuke was out of the chair and across the room before he could be told twice. At that exact moment, the door swung open and in walked Tsunade, white doctor's coat billowing behind her like a hero's cape. Her smile was blindingly wide as she greeted both of them. "Are you two ready to become parents all over again?"

Before Sasuke could answer though, Sakura yelled, "Tsunade! Please, get this child out of me before I do it myself!"

Four hours of labor later, a sleeping baby girl was finally bundled up in the arms of Sasuke as he rocked his new daughter gently to and fro.

His new daughter! His mind still couldn't believe it, just like his eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing.

It was now eight in the morning. And aside from the couple hours of sleep he had managed to sneak in before finding his wife in the kitchen, he was a walking wreak. Still, if he was dreaming and all this was a magnificent dream, Sasuke didn't want to wake up.

His daughter was perfect. Average size, average weight, she even had a powerful chakra signature for an infant. It reminded Sasuke of his firstborn. Itachi, too, was strong, and getting stronger by the days. Sasuke had no doubt his second born would be any different.

And if that weren't enough, his daughter also had his ebony, raven locks.

The first time Sakura had seen her new daughter, she had rolled her eyes and groaned, "Not another Sasuke look-alike!" She even had Sasuke's eye color, too!

Sakura was gazing at her family, smiling in both exhaustion and delirium -the drugs in her system still had yet to wear off. "Any thoughts on names?"

"I was thinking that maybe you should name her. I named Itachi. It's only fair."

"Okay." Sakura sat up straighter and stretching her arms out, silently asking Sasuke to let her hold their daughter. "Sasuke..." she growled when it looked like her husband wasn't going to be giving up his hold on the infant anytime soon.

"You've held her for over nine months. I only got two hours," he whined.

"Then move in closer so I can see her too."

He did. Sakura didn't miss the way his arms tightened around the tiny body as if Sakura would rip her out of his arms. She rolled her eyes.

"Thoughts?"

"Well, she's beautiful."

"Naturally," Sasuke scoffed.

She ignored her husband's ego. "And lovely. And perfect. And- Oh..."

Sasuke rose a brow. "You got something?"

"Yeah, maybe. How about Rei?"

"Rei." Sasuke tested it out before finally nodding. "Rei Uchiha it is."

"Great," Sakura beamed, staring down at her daughter. Rei really was her father's child but, hey, genetics was a bitch, Sakura thought with a mental sigh. She poked her husband in the shoulder. "Hey."

"Hn?"

She smiled. "I love you, too."

Sooooo, did Sass do good? Please tell me what you think! I'm dying to know. I know everyone was anticipating this. As was I. What was your favorite part or line?

Sorry again for the language. I just felt it appropriate, given the circumstances.

Oh, and one last thing: I looked up the name Rei. It's Japanese for lovely, beautiful, stunning, perfect. But can someone tell me if it's pronounced like Ray or Ree? Thanks!

R&R