Warnings: Angst, Romance, Mpreg, Slash/Yaoi, language

Disclaimer: Don't own anything remotely recognizable, I don't profit!

Chapter 10

"I won't give up on us
 Even if the skies get rough
 I'm giving you all my love
 I'm still looking up, still looking up"

— Jason Mraz

Naruto sat around in the sterile hospital for what appeared to be hours as Sakura ran every test imaginable on him. They knew what to look out for this time, and Sakura wasn't taking many chances. She sat back with a heavy breath and a smile at some point. "As far as I can tell, everything looks in order Naruto," She said. Her smile was serious, but genuine.

Naruto watched her and he felt something clench inside of him and he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Really?" His voice rasped out of existence, his throat was dry and he was more than a little nervous.

"Yep!" She said with a nod as she stood and filled a small cup with water for him at the sink after washing her hands. "We'll schedule a proper appointment with Karin though, or another sensor because they're better equipped than I am. Someone else will be able to give you solid information."

"Oh…okay," Naruto nodded as he took the last sip of water.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Oh…just fine. I mean…you know, it's kind of…like really…I don't even know how this happened. I mean, I know what happened but…hgnnnn I don't know how I'm going to tell Sasuke…and even worse, I dunno how I'm going to tell Naoyuki," he wanted to flop back, but his brain was telling him to be careful, even though he hadn't been told to be careful.

"You're more afraid to tell Nao?" Sakura took Naruto's hand to help him stand. "We should free this room up. Just take it easy for a few days, and we'll see how you should continue."

"Well…yeah? He's been an only child for seven years, and he's been really upset lately. I mean he's better but…I dunno. Is it too soon to tell him?" In spite of trying to make room for another patient, they lingered.

"You're at about 12 weeks Naruto, you're going to start showing eventually. Some women's stomachs are crazy obvious by now," Naruto didn't like the sound of that. "No, don't worry about it, some women take as long as 20 weeks to show. Nao took a while to show up didn't he?" Tsunade had taken over much of the work when it came to Naruto back then.

"Uh..17 weeks…yeah," Naruto remembered it all so vividly, mostly because he had been scared shitless the entire time.

"See? The riskiest time should be over about now, it's your choice when you tell people, but it should also be safe to mention it," She said with a hum and actually moved to place a hand on his stomach.

"Tickles," Naruto almost batted her hand away but didn't, he was still a little overwhelmed.

"Naruto…are you sure it's a good idea, you know? Being with Sasuke?" the question was asked with hesitance.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto sounded immediately annoyed. It seemed even in the midst of being terrified he could still be offended.

"It's just that…he's not exactly stable, and whenever I see you…are you even sure you're in a relationship?"

"What, just because we haven't had sex in a while? Damn it Sakura, do you think that you'd feel at all turned on after dealing not only with the attempted abduction of your only son, but dealing with a miscarriage at the same time? All our attention has been on Naoyuki. Not only that it's hard to feel particularly sexy when you're hurling every two hours," Naruto's voice was rising, he was so angry he forgot to be embarrassed because in spite of his outgoing personality, sex was still rather private to him.

"No, I'm not talking about your sex life you idiot! It's everything else! He doesn't really seem like someone who can love you properly," she finished.

Naruto sucked in a deep breath and he paced back and forth briefly, trying to keep calm. "We're not like you Sakura. There is absolutely nothing inside of me that has the need to buy Sasuke flowers, or wants to receive flowers from him. I don't need someone serenading how much they love me every morning like fuzzy brows, in fact I don't need it to know that Sasuke feels something. If he didn't, he wouldn't be here."

"You have to see how much different it is from when you were with Shikamaru," Sakura frowned.

"What? You thought that me and Shikamaru were perfect and did cuddly shit all the time? You know what? In all the years that we have or haven't been together we never once exchanged I love yous until…until. Damn it, Sakura I can't always help the way I react to Sasuke, I don't expect you to understand, but it's so much different than any relationship that you can imagine. We have our issues, but guess what? That's our business."

"Naruto…I'm…I didn't mean," She stuttered.

"Yeah, well mean less next time," Naruto said. "Whatever, look I don't need a baby sitter. I'm just going to head home, see you around," He said as he made his way to the door.

"I'm sorry…just, wait a second. Let me at least schedule you an appointment for tomorrow, then I'll be out of your hair," she said softly.

Naruto knew she meant well, but he was in no state to deal with it. He just wanted to go home and hope he could explain everything without Sasuke thinking the wrong things. Then…once Sasuke was dealt with he could take care of Naoyuki. The boy was just starting to settle down again, he didn't want this to be a reason that things fell apart again.

When he arrived home the last thing he expected to see when he walked in the door was Kakashi sitting with Sasuke. He blinked and watched the two who were deathly quiet. "Hey Kakashi…what's going on? Shouldn't you be packing for the mission?"

"Shouldn't you?" Sasuke said, his ankle was resting on his knee and his arm was crossed and Naruto knew he was in shit.

"Karin took me off duty because of…residual uh…effects," He muttered. He could feel Kakashi's eyes drilling into him, Sasuke seemed to accept his answer but there was an unreadable expression on his face.

"I wasn't aware she cared that much for your wellbeing," Kakashi said.

Naruto shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, "Where's Naoyuki?"

"Iruka took him out for a bit," Kakashi said calmly. "Can I talk to you outside Naruto?"

Naruto bit his inner lip. "Uh, yeah. Of course, I'll see you in a bit Sasuke," He said as he went to the front door instead of the garden, because on some level he was annoyed that Kakashi was interfering.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi didn't waste any time once the door was shut.

"Nothing's wrong, why are you here anyway?" He muttered, crossing his arms with a pout as he leaned against the wall of the house.

"Once Iruka found out you've been taken off of active duty he wouldn't leave me alone until I found out. Furthermore, I know something's up. So why don't you just tell me?" Kakashi said, his supposed expression looked harmless and calm, but Naruto knew better. He knew that Kakashi wouldn't leave until he knew.

"Damn it, you two are a pain in my ass," Naruto muttered as he let out a heavy breath. "Look, it's not a big deal or anything, can't we just leave it at that?" They stared at each other for an extended period of time before Naruto slumped. "I may or may not have someone moving into the house in around six months who'll be staying for a good 18 years or so," He muttered, not looking at Kakashi. There was no way he'd admit that his cheeks were ridiculously hot.

"Oh…" Kakashi didn't take any time at all to figure it out. "I don't know about you Naruto, but I think I'd consider that a big deal," he chided.

Naruto groaned, "That's not what I meant! I just meant that…it's…that nothing's wrong or anything. Damn it, did you have to do this now? Now Sasuke's going to suspect something, I wanted to wait until at least tonight or something," He muttered.

Kakashi watched him and he let out a breath, "I can keep Naoyuki occupied for a little while," he offered. It was a sort of apology.

"Thanks…Papa Kashi," he grinned, and it only spread wider when Kakashi took his turn to slouch at Naoyuki's endearment for him. "Be careful…when you're out there okay?" Naruto grew serious.

"Of course," Naoyuki was as much a cause for Kakashi to be angry and want to bring this group to justice as it was for Naruto. The blonde would trust no other more besides himself and Sasuke.

Naruto watched Kakashi a moment, feeling nervous. "Can you maybe…convince Iruka not to say anything until tomorrow? And maybe…not tell Naoyuki just yet?" He was fidgeting.

"I'll see what I can do," Kakashi said and wasn't quite prepared for Naruto to lean forward and hug him. He grew a little tense. Naruto heard a chuckle and he smiled. He usually gave Kakashi a hard time, and usually he'd never consider this, but he felt like he needed it. "I'll let you tell who you need to, when you need to," Kakashi promised and Naruto nodded.

"I'll…try to wrap everything up sooner rather than later," He mumbled as he stepped back. They said their goodbyes before Naruto opened the door. The first step into the house was like the first step off a cliff. He felt the drop in his stomach, and the closer he got to Sasuke, the faster he felt he was falling.

"What's going on? I thought you were going on that mission, and Kakashi tells me otherwise," Sasuke said when he saw him, gravitating toward the deck which didn't surprise Naruto.

He followed and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking to himself quietly "Yeah, I'm not really fit to be out there," He said.

"You're not angry about that? You've been talking about this mission for weeks. What aren't you telling me?" Sasuke said, Naruto could recognize signs that Sasuke was exercising great restraint and caution in what and how he was saying things.

"Why do you always say that? I mean, I didn't know anything until an hour ago and I couldn't leave the hospital or y'know, telepathically tell you anything. I'm not all quiet and psychic like you and Neji, and probably Shino," he mumbled.

"You're an idiot. Well? What is it?" Sasuke asked as he leaned against one of the support beams.

Naruto watched quietly and couldn't help but wonder why Sasuke always looked so regal. All the bastard was doing was leaning and it was like he was absolute perfection. Naruto couldn't help but feel happy, that this was happening, that Sasuke's dream was coming true. He was a little frightened, but that would go away. It was also a little bittersweet, but this was that silver lining shit that people always told him about. "Yeah...uh…I talked to Karin and Sakura today and they discovered that when I miscarried I had been carrying twins," He murmured.

"What?" Sasuke's eyes widened and he looked as if he had been slapped, so Naruto reached forward to grasp Sasuke's wrists, anything to keep him from running. Anything to keep him here, because Naruto needed him. He couldn't go through this all again without Sasuke, not this time.

"No, it's not…" Naruto trailed off. He stood in front of him, using the man's pale wrists to pull him close, so they were standing almost chest to chest. "They know, because Karin noticed something funny," he murmured, his eyes downcast as he placed Sasuke's hands on his stomach. "One of them survived."

Sasuke's hands began to shake almost immediately, Naruto could feel it as his hands slowly slid up Sasuke's arms, almost into his sleeves. His eyes turned to watch the other man's expressions, it was confusion and disarray, but somewhere there was hope. Hope that Sasuke wasn't used to feeling, Naruto was sure of that. "Y-you're…you aren't lying…right?" He could hear the uncertainty, like Sasuke wouldn't survive if this wasn't anything but truth.

"The baby…it's yours Sasuke, Karin could sense it," He whispered.

"Mine…" It was a whisper, so far back in Sasuke's throat that Naruto almost missed it. "This…this is happening," It wasn't a question, there was no uncertainty.

"Yeah, it is," Naruto murmured and when Sasuke slowly slid down to his knees Naruto's eyes widened. Pale hands didn't leave his stomach. He began to fidget self-consciously as Sasuke stared at his stomach. "Your hands are cold," Naruto murmured with a start as the other man's hands slid beneath the black shirt he was wearing. He bit his lip and Sasuke continued, the way Sasuke handled him was as if he were something delicate. Something Naruto would normally fight tooth and nail against. But he knew, now was the right time for caution.

"You're a bit over 12 weeks…you're not showing," Sasuke said. Naruto was well aware of that fact, he still had abs for one thing. He swallowed heavily.

"That's…usually when it happens though isn't it? I don't…I…" Sasuke's brow furrowed as he continued to stare at Naruto's stomach, so hard that the blonde tried to tug his shirt down. "I don't know anything about this…"

"Heh…yeah, scares you shitless huh?" Naruto said nervously as Sasuke just pushed his shirt up again. "Uh…it's fine…yeah, for now y'know? S'far as anyone knows, nothing's wrong," Naruto tugged at his shirt and growled when Sasuke actually slapped the back of his hand lightly. "Quit being weird!" Naruto muttered.

Sasuke was quiet for a long time, Naruto had a hard time seeing his face from this angle so he grew worried. The raven leaned forward until his forehead was pressed gently against Naruto's abdomen, pale hands slowly sliding down to Naruto's hip bones before they dragged around to his back. With Sasuke pushed so firmly against him, he could feel every tremor that quaked through the other man. "Hey…" He whispered and his own hands slid down into Sasuke's hair, petting it gently.

"I don't think I'm ready for this."

Naruto could have sworn he misheard, because it just sounded like Sasuke said he wasn't ready. "What?"

"I'm not prepared! I can't do this!" But instead of letting Naruto go, his pale hands fisted in his black shirt, and held him tighter.

"I don't…What are you saying Sasuke? Are you…you can't want me to…" Naruto's throat was dry and he could feel the ground falling out from beneath him at the same rate as the sky is falling down around him. No…he needed Sasuke, he couldn't do this alone again. He wasn't strong enough, and Sasuke was asking him to cease and desist. He couldn't do this alone, but if Sasuke felt this way he couldn't say yes to that either. "You were so angry…" Sasuke was so angry when he had lost the previous one.

"I'm still angry!" He growled and refused to let go even though Naruto's hands were trying to pry his hands away. Even though there was a mile long fissure in his voice because it was too much. He thought he had everything, the entire future he had dreamt about. He thought he knew who Sasuke was, he had been so sure that even if they had to face hell all over again, that they could make it…because this was them. Nothing compared to this feeling, it wasn't romantic but hells if they couldn't stand up against anything so long as they could come home together and just be moronic, or as passionate as they needed to be.

"No…Please don't ask this Sasuke, I won't!" Naruto's nails were opening the skin on Sasuke's wrist, but the damned bastard refused to budge.

"I'm so angry Naruto…" The way he said his name was the same way he said it when he worried about Naruto. "I don't want to feel this. I can't be a father again while I'm feeling like this! I want to forget it!"

"I can't put my life on hold for you Sasuke! Not this time," Naruto's was shaking then, and his hands eventually stopped and just held onto Sasuke's forearms. He wanted to collapse, but the fright that he would end up bending to Sasuke's will was too great, so he stayed standing. "You might be able to forget something like this…but I can't," Naruto shook his head.

"I want to forget this anger!" Naruto hadn't understood. "I need your help. I need you…I need everything about you," Naruto's eyes widen, because this is the closest thing Sasuke has ever gotten to a confession of love. He hadn't realized how much he needed to hear it until Sasuke's words began to scrape at the underbelly of those three words that terrified even Naruto. "Please…" Sasuke doesn't beg, not like this. He begged for his child, he begged for Naoyuki, he begged to be able to stay because of their son…never for Naruto.

"Sasuke…you're scaring me," He whispered and Sasuke shook his head, and it wasn't until the man's face was absent from his stomach that he realized that Sasuke was crying, and it was so foreign to think that the other man could have broken before him.

"Please…I need you to love me, so I can forget this hatred," He whispered. Naruto stared behind Sasuke, down the path overgrown with hedges and plants that Naoyuki had insisted upon. The path disappeared to the back roads of the compound, to the lake. "I'm so lost Naruto…you beautiful dumbass," The blonde couldn't help a pathetic laugh. "I'm so angry, when you aren't here, when Nao isn't here. I can't just sit and be civil because I'm lost under all this hatred. I sat there with Kakashi, and all I wanted to do was rip his face from existence because he couldn't tell me where you were. I'm still here somewhere, underneath all this anger and hate. I didn't think I was but I am, I feel it when you let me in…Please!" Sasuke pleaded and his hands were pressing so deeply into Naruto's back that the blonde was absolutely positive he'd have bruises there for weeks, now that he was void of his usual healing abilities, but it was the last thing on his mind. "Please…" Sasuke's voice was hardly audible over the gentle breeze that kissed Naruto's cheek. Sasuke was pleading to him…asking for Naruto to please love him.

"Sasuke…don't you see?" he whispered, but it had taken him ages to think of what to say. There had been nothing but the wind tousling through their hair, forcing a shiver through Naruto's body. "When I tried to bring you back…when we stood there chest to chest in what was left of Orochimaru's lair…when we found one another in that nameless town all those years ago…and when I pleaded for you to come home. When I asked for you to come back with me, all I had ever wanted to do was love you Sasuke. You left me…you broke my heart at my last desperate measure, because…Damn it Sasuke!" Naruto was crying now and he hated it, he hated every single moment of it, and he wondered if his body was getting back at him for almost eight long years of keeping up a strong front. "I gave up…because if loving you couldn't bring you back, then what would? Before I ever knew about Naoyuki, I was doing everything in my power to leave you alone because you didn't want me the way I wanted you…I stopped going after you because my love wasn't enough…what would you have me do Sasuke?" Naruto asked the question, and he was asking about all those years ago, not this moment because this moment he knew exactly what he felt.

"Try again…" Sasuke whispered. Naruto realized that Sasuke wasn't telling him to try again…he was asking him to try to love him again. "I'm not home…not yet…please just try again," He sounded pathetic and his hands eventually let go of his shirt and begin to slip down, over his backside down to the backs of his thighs.

"You're an idiot…" Naruto murmured, it's not a sentiment that he can often express. He reached down, and lifted Sasuke's wrists. He knelt in front of the man, his eyes were red in a way the Sharingan had never shown him, and instead of tears of blood in front of Naruto knelt a man with real tears. This wasn't the prodigy, the genius, the avenger, the terrorizing immoral beast the villagers spoke of. It was just a man. Sasuke wasn't ready for another child, but he wanted to be. When they were finally face to face, Naruto ducked under and before their lips met he whispered, "Nothing…Sasuke, could keep me from loving you." When they meet, it wasn't an explosion, there were no catastrophic waves or any ground moving quakes. Instead there was an unstoppable force that Naruto had felt every day since he had met Sasuke, something he couldn't have stopped if he wanted to.

"Don't lie to me…" Sasuke felt it too, Naruto could tell. He knew the second their lips met that Sasuke felt every bit of the emotion he did. It was an underlying thing in their lives, perhaps they didn't always know it was there but it kept on, and likely would keep on long after they were gone from the world.

"It was true then, and it's true now Sasuke. I love you…and I know you're still there, because I see you every day Sasuke. I don't see Uchiha Sasuke…I see you," He whispered and rests his forehead against the other man's.

"Don't…lie," Sasuke whispered again, when their lips met again, it was Sasuke's doing. "Can we do this?" He asked softly, and Naruto felt Sasuke's hand on his stomach again. "Do I have enough good in me? Naoyuki is wonderful…but it's not because of me, what if…what if they end up like me?"

"Sasuke…you aren't the same man you were," He whispered. "If they end up like you, then we'll have a beautiful child. It gives us no reason to love them any less…you'll be okay…we'll be okay," Naruto said.

"How can you always be so sure?"

"Because I know you Sasuke. We can do this, will you…will you please stay with me? I can't do this alone…" Naruto. Sasuke lifted his hand then, and placed it against Naruto's cheek. He let his thumb swipe at the drying tear tracks on his face.

Sasuke was quiet, and Naruto wondered if he was gathering his thoughts…weighing his options or if he was thinking of running again. "Ask me…ask anything of me right now," Sasuke murmured. "Anything else…and I'll answer the other question after."

Naruto's eyes widened and he couldn't help but bite the inner side of his lip. Sasuke always told him what to do. Sasuke never asked for anything because they both knew that Naruto would do anything, he didn't need to be asked. They knew that, just like they both knew that Naruto never asked for anything unless he needed to, and even when he did Sasuke didn't always give him what he wanted. "Tell me how you feel about me…please?" Naruto whispered. To be needed was wonderful, but it meant nothing if Sasuke was doing it only because he had to.

Sasuke swallowed, but the answer came sooner than Naruto thought it would. "I love you…everything about you Naruto and nothing less. I think…I have for a long time, but I was too afraid to admit it," Sasuke didn't look away from him and Naruto felt a tension release from his body, a tension he had been holding onto since he was 15. He collapsed into Sasuke's arms, and after a long moment they shifted until they were seated side by side, Naruto wrapped securely in the crook of Sasuke's arm with the raven's warmth bleeding through him. Naruto can understand then, what it meant to find a home.

"Will you stay?" Naruto asked once more. He knew the answer, but he had to hear it. Sasuke didn't even delay in answering.

"As long as you'll let me," he said and gathered Naruto a little closer, his hand on the blonde's stomach. "As long as you'll guide me," he finished.

"We'll figure it out," it's a promise that Naruto refused to ever go back on. If there was ever a promise he had made, he would keep that one.

They settled into a comfortable silence, and just for a few moments they allowed nothing else to bother them, because true peace was hard to come by. The front door slammed shut after a while and sure enough as they breathed, Naoyuki's heavy footsteps came barrelling around the house looking for them. "Dad!" He exclaimed when he saw them. He ran over, and before he could slam against Naruto's back Sasuke intercepted, he caught Naoyuki around the waist and lifted him into his lap as the boy squealed with laughter. "What are you doing dad!?" He laughed before he's settled into Sasuke's lap, and his legs rested across Naruto's lap.

"You seem excited," Sasuke murmured with a smile.

"You should have seen it dad! Grandpa Iruka took me to the park and when Papa Kashi got there a butterfly landed on me! It was so cool!" Naoyuki was bubbling with glee. Naruto's hand rested on Naoyuki's feet and he smiled.

"Isn't it a little early for butterflies?" Sasuke asked.

"I guess, but it's a little bit warmer right now right?" Naoyuki said as he squirmed in Sasuke's lap. "Look there's one right now!" He slid away from the pair and ran toward it, slowing down as he got closer like it would happen again.

Naruto laughed softly and rested against Sasuke again, who had a small regal smile on his face as well.

"Aren't you two adorable," Kakashi's voice sounded above them and much to Naruto's happiness, Sasuke didn't even flinch.

"Shut up," Naruto turned to look at their former teacher with a lazy smile on his face.

"Please do," Sasuke muttered.

"I might offer congratulations, but I figured it would be a bigger gift to convince Iruka to stay outside. You better go see him before he comes in and blows it to the rest of your little family," Kakashi said, his arms crossed as he watched Naoyuki.

"Look at me!" Naoyuki calls over and the butterfly he had been chasing was perched on his forearm, and Naoyuki was staring in wonder.

Naruto smiled quietly and he placed his hand over Sasuke's. He gave it a brief squeeze before he dislodged it and moved to stand. "I think I better go and convince Iruka that he shouldn't move in," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck.

"Please…do," Sasuke cleared his throat in nervousness before he stood to go over to Naoyuki.

He walked by Kakashi and his arm drops before he looks up at the other man with a heavy breath. "Find them…please," He murmured. He knew he had said something earlier, but he knew this would be the last he saw of Kakashi until the mission was over. "I don't care what happens, I want them here In Konoha or off this planet," He murmured.

Kakashi kept his eye on Naruto's face until he finished before he nodded. "Your will is with us," Kakashi's hand rested on Naruto's shoulder briefly, a gesture he was more comfortable with rather than their previous embrace.

Naruto nodded and offered a smile, "Wish me luck…I think my mission is going to be more difficult," He said as he sucked in a deep breath and walked out to meet Iruka.

TBC…

Ffffff…sorry it's so short. I feel like this needs to be its own chapter.

Did you know? When I started this fic, I had no idea how I was going to be able to write more than six chapters. I'm not kidding when I say that I am so unbelievably overwhelmed with the amount of support you are all giving me. I never imagined anything like this, all the conversations I've had with you lovely people have inspired this fic to become what it is on a lot of levels~

So thanks, once more to all those who've reviewed, faved, and followed and those who might in the future.

KoriC