Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, then it's SaixSakura all the way. I'm still praying for it.

The Color Pink

Chapter 14- A New Beginning

A/N: Wow. After that last chapter, a lot of people wanted to kill me. I received quite a number of threats and lawsuits. I was actually debating to myself on whether I should kill Sai or not. Finally, I came to this conclusion.

The estimated lifespan of a shinobi was less than that of the average, non-shinobi person- much, much less. Sometimes, one would be a twelve-year old Genin for only a few months until one's life was taken; it was a rare occurence, but it happened. When a shinobi reached the age of forty, he was considered lucky; when he ended up dying of natural causes rather than during a mission, he was considered blessed by the Gods. Not many shinobis were blessed. Their world was determined by survival of the fittest; who was the strongest and who was the weakest; who had lady luck on his side and who didn't; who fought with a reason and who fought just for the sake of fighting.

Sakura knew all this. She knew that as a kunoichi, fighting for her village and for the people she cared about was her sole purpose. She knew that she might not live into a ripe old age and die through natural means as she always imagined. But that didn't mean that she was ready for it nor was she ready each time Fate took away someone precious to her; she had already lost her parents, the Third Hokage, Lady Chiyo. She wasn't ready to lose another loved one. But she should have known that Fate loved playing with her.

That morning, as she fixed the baby's room for what was probably the hundredth time, she heard the door bell rang. Immediately, her heart began racing excitedly; Sai was supposed to be due back any day now. He must have arrived already. Quickly, she rushed out of the room, paused for a few seconds to fix her hair in the hallway mirror then went to open the door. Instead of her boyfriend, she saw Yamato. He was disheveled and there were dark circles underneath his eyes. He gazed at her wearily.

"Taichou?" she asked, startled to see him. "You're back." She looked at him closely. "What's wrong?"

The wood jutsu user opened his mouth but no answer came out. Her eyes furrowed as her eyes ran over him. There were crimson stains on his sleeves and the front of his jounin vest: blood. The pounding of her heart increased with dread.

"D-Did someone get injured?" she stammered, worriedly.

Yamato tilted his head.

Sakura felt herself swallow. "W-Who?"

When he couldn't look her in the eye, she knew. Suddenly, she couldn't breath, her legs shook. She held the door frame for support. No, she mustn't get weak now. She was needed. Still shaking, she lifted her head, a hand over her stomach as she held back tears that threatened to fall.

"Take me to him."

Sakura expected broken bones. She expected a stab wound. Heck, she even expected that he was now blind! But no, nothing prepared her for this. Yamato didn't take her to a hospital room or an operating room; he took her to the Konoha Hospital's Poison Ward. Upon recognizing the hallways he was leading her through, she felt her feet stop and she couldn't go on. She didn't want to go on. If she did, then it made it real. It confirmed that Yamato was not making a mistake. However, she made herself go. She needed to go. Knowing the truth was better than lying to herself.

Tsunade was standing outside the door leading to the examining room, talking to a medic-in-training. She turned around as Sakura and Yamato approached. Without knowing it, the pregnant nineteen-year old broke into a run straight towards the door. But the female Hokage grabbed her by the arm before she could go in.

"Let me go!" the pinnkette screamed, struggling against her master. "I have to see him! I have to heal him! Let me go!"

Unshed tears now poured down her face. Tsunade pulled her student to her chest and allowed her to sob loudly into her shirt. She rubbed the young girl's back as soothingly as she could and whispered words of comfort. The medic-in-training stood next to the door, awkwardly while the Anbu captain looked on helplessly. Sakura was a very headstrong girl, it was rare to see her break down like this.

Sniffling one last time, Sakura lifted her head from Tsunade's chest. "L-Let me heal him, shishou. Please."

But Tsunade shook her head. "You know I can't allow you to do that, Sakura. You're pregnant and you need to conserve your chakra." She smoothed the girl's unruly pink hair. "Shizune is in there right now, removing the poison from his body." She lifted a thumb to rub away the tears on the pinkette's cheeks. "Please Sakura, don't go in there. Sai wouldn't want you to use your chakra to heal him."

Sakura hiccupped and breathed in deeply to calm herself before turning her head to the door. "Can I just see him?"

Tsunade, at first, looked unsure. Then, she nodded and placed a hand on Sakura's back. Slowly, she led the girl towards the door and Sakura peeked into the glass window. Shizune and two other medics were there. Sai's body lay on top of an operating table, his chest bare; he was shaking from palpitations. Shizune had her hands on a wound at his side, the medical green cloak of chakra removing traces of the poison. The other two medics were running to and fro, replacing aluminum bowls of poison with clean ones as Shizune continued to extract the poison from Sai's body.

Sakura couldn't control it anymore; she broke down crying again. Her hands pressed onto the glass with a desire to just touch him, just feel his skin against hers.

Hold on Sai, she called out to him, silently. Don't let go! Don't you dare let go!

Before she knew it, her breathing began coming out in broken pants. Her head swirled before everything went dark.

Konoha hospital was used to seeing ninjas run in and demand to see an injured friend. That was why they paid no mind to a silver-haired, masked and a blonde-haired whiskered jounin run up to the front desk and practically demanded where the Poison Ward was. The lobbyist showed them the directions and the two headed there, immediately. They saw Yamato sitting on a chair, his head in his hands outside the ward while Tsunade talked to a young medic. They waited until she dismissed the medic in and turn her head to see them.

"Obaa-san! Where's Sai?" Naruto demanded.

She sighed. "He's inside. Shizune's removing the poison from his body now. Once she's done, I'm going in to examine him."

While Naruto closed his eyes and breathed in relief, Kakashi asked, "Does Sakura know?"

Tsunade's face fell and she nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately, she's not taking it too well. She fainted just a while ago."

Naruto's eyes snapped open. "WHAT? Where is she?"

"I had her transferred to a room to rest. But she'll be alright."

"H-How about Sai?" he asked, worriedly.

Before Tsunade could answer, the door to the Examining Room opened and out came Shizune, removing the medical mask from her face. All faces turned to her, expectant. She looked at each of them before sighing.

"I managed to extract most of the poison from his body," she began.

As they all looked relieved, she shook her head. "But some of it remained behind. It was a fast-acting poison. Normally, poisons take their time, making sure to get to every point in the body, even the less important ones. But this one went straight for the vital organs and caused severe damages."

Tears pooled slowly from Naruto's closed eyes, his shoulders shaking in grief for his friend. Kakashi couldn't look at any of them and had turned to the wall, gazing at it blankly. Yamato was staring at the floor. Only Tsunade had enough strength to make eye-contact with her assistant.

"I managed to remove most of it before it reached his heart. But the damages to his other organs are already there. Right now, we're making an antidote to repair the damage as well as get rid of the remaining poison. But even after he has taken it, he would still be in a coma."

"C-Coma…?" Naruto repeated, opening his eyes. "When will he wake up then?"

Shizune shook her head, sadly. "I can't tell. Could be weeks, months, even up to a year."

"A year?" he yelled. "He can't be out for a year! Sakura-chan needs him!"

But Shizune had to shake her head again. "We'll put him in ICU for observation for a while. But that is all we can do for now. The rest is up to Sai; he has to fight the rest of the poison. It all depends on his willpower and inner strength. But I'm not going to lie to all of you; his chances of surviving this is fifty-fifty. I'm sorry."

And with that, she returned inside. Silence hung over them as each of Shizune's words sunk in and created a deep scar. Losing your life was one thing. Losing a friend and teammate was another. It was much, much harder to accept than the loss of your own life. They were in despair. They realized that Sakura was more than just in despair; she was devastated, broken-hearted. Their pain was nothing compared to hers. And they could do nothing else but grieve with her.

Days passed. Sai was finally moved from the ICU to a normal room. In those days, Sakura hardly returned home. She stayed by his side, making sure he was comfortable, even though he couldn't tell her if he was. She brought food everyday, food that only went to waste because he couldn't eat them. She talked to him about everyday things, even though she got no response. She did all this to assure herself that he was still there, that he didn't leave her yet.

Everybody was worried about her; even Sasuke and Kimiko. Sakura ate, slept, and practically lived at the hospital now. Ino and Naruto managed to persuade her once to go home and rest. But as soon as she got home and laid down on their bed, a whiff of Sai's scent on the sheets was enough to send her into another bout of tears. Everything in the house reminded her so much of him that on that same day, she returned to the hospital and never left his side again.

"You promised me Sai," she often told him, as she held his cold, unmoving hand in hers, her other hand over her stomach. "You promised you wouldn't die!" Tears would fall delicately down her cheeks as she kissed his knuckles. "You promised me!"

But Sai never responded. He remained unmoving, his eyes closed in slumber.

Naruto and Kakashi couldn't count the number of times they would find Sakura fast asleep in her chair by Sai's side, her hands linked with his. They did everything they could to comfort her, but their attempts were futile. Sakura appreciated their efforts though, flashing them a strained fake smile to assure them.

One day, Ino entered Sai's room to visit, bearing a bouquet of Cherry Blossoms for his bedside. The room was empty but the bathroom light was on.

"Forehead?" she called through the door.

It took a while but Sakura responded with a soft, "I'm here."

Satisfied, Ino bounded over to the bedside table. The flowers she brought last week were dying; she was right on time with the fresh batch. Humming to herself, she threw the wilted ones in the trash can and waited for Sakura to come out of the bathroom so Ino could replace the dirty water.

As she waited, she looked into Sai's unconscious face and sighed. "Will you wake up already?" she said to him in typical Ino fashion. "You're making her worry, you know. She's always sad and she hardly smiles anymore. And I know you hate it when she's upset. So wake up already, Sai, damnit."

Receiving no response, she sighed again and headed for the curtains to open them; it was so dark in the room, why didn't Sakura open them? She turned her head to see the bathroom door open slowly. Out came Sakura, looking pale.

"Finally, forehead," Ino said, pushing the curtains aside to reveal the bright sunlight. "You took ages in there." She turned and flashed her a teasing grin. But Sakura didn't return it, not even a fake one. In fact, she looked horrified. Ino's brow furrowed. "Sakura? What's wrong?"

Sakura bit her chapped lips before whispering, "I think my water broke."

Ino's eyes widened.

He was in the dark. Darker than the darkest cave he had taken refuge in during a mission one time. Missions… he could hardly remember the last time he was on one. He decided to walk around. His footsteps made no noise on the invisible ground. Where was he? Was he alone in this lonely place? He didn't like it. He didn't like being alone here. It was an unpleasant feeling.

He lifted his hand and scratched at his chest as his head took in the nothingness of his surroundings. "H-Hello?" he managed.

No response, not even an echo. He continued to walk around this lonely place.

"Alright Sakura," Tsunade said, her voice shaking a little. "Your contractions are far apart so this might take some time. I just need you to relax, okay?"

Panting heavily, Sakura nodded, her eyes stinging with tears from the pain.

"I'll check on you in a few okay? Ino, stay here and keep her company. Give her some ice chips."

The young blonde nodded, rather nervously. Tsunade left the room and Ino grabbed the cup of ice chips and gave them to Sakura.

"You okay?" she asked, tentatively as Sakura chewed on the ice.

"D-Define okay," the pinkette retorted. "Do all childbirths feel like hell?"

Her eyes squeezed shut at another contraction and she gasped.

Ino bit her lip. "Tsunade-sama said to just relax."

"I'll relax as soon as this is over!"

"Hello?" he tried again, unsure of where he was going.

There was no road to lead him in the right direction. Panic overcame his other-wise calm body. He had to get out of here! He needed to get out of here! As he thought of a million possible ways of escape, none which seemed promising, he felt a small hand slip into his own. Surprised, he looked down.

It was a little dark-haired girl, her green eyes looking up at him as a smile played in her small lips.

"This is it, Sakura, you ready?"

Biting her lip, the pinkette nodded at her master.

"Alright then. Push!"

And Sakura pushed with all her might. Her body was screaming in pain. But she held on.

"Come on, Sakura! You can do it!" Ino encouraged, holding the pink-haired girl's hand, ignoring her friend's painful grip on her fingers. "Push harder!"

Sakura's cries of pain echoed throughout the emergency room.

Outside, Naruto stopped his pacing and Kakashi looked up from his orange book. Both winced at another scream.

"Oh, hello," he said, surprised yet relieved to see another being in this dark place.

The little girl beamed at him, her smile so contagious that he felt his lips upturn. "Hi!"

Before he could say anything else to her, she began to walk, leading him to who-knows where. She didn't speak and neither did he. He allowed her to tow him through the never-ending darkness. Finally, he couldn't contain his curiosity anymore.

"Who are you?"

The little girl giggled but didn't answer.

"What are you doing here?"

Again, no reply.

"Do you know a way out of here."

She shrugged. "There's only one way."

His heart filled with hope. "What way is that?"

She stopped before turning around to face him. "Wake up."

"I can't do this!" Sakura cried in desperation. "Shishou, I can't!"

"Yes you can, Sakura! You have to!" Tsunade answered, worry etched into her face. "You're almost there. Breathe… That's it… And push! Push!"

Sakura screamed.

"Breathe… And push!"

"Ahhhhhh!"

He blinked, not comprehending her answer. "Wake up?" he repeated.

She nodded. "Yes, wake up. That's the only way out."

"But… How do I do that?"

She giggled. "You're so silly. You just open your eyes."

"But my eyes are already open."

She pursed her lips to the side, annoyed. Sai couldn't help but chuckle; she was so cute! She waved her hands in gesture for him to kneel down to her height. When he did, she placed her hands over his eyes and closed them.

"Now," she said, her voice excited. "Wake up."

"I can't," he protested.

"Try again. Just open your eyes and wake up…"

Sai's eyes flew open. Sudden light blinded him and he closed them again. Where was he? The mission! Did they finish the mission?

Slowly and tentatively, he opened his eyes, blinking several times to adjust to the light. His gaze swept over the familiar hospital room; he had his share of broken bones and life-threatening wounds in the past so this was no news to him. By his bed, a bouquet of Cherry Blossoms lay on the bedside table; some of the petals had created a small pile on the floor. He turned his head to see a familiar figure, sitting by the window, reading a magazine.

"T-Tai… T-Taichou," he managed, hoarsely.

Yamato looked up and seeing him awake, leapt out of his seat and was next to him instantly, a glass of water in his hand.

"You're awake?" he cried, unable to keep the smile off his face. "Thank Kami! We thought you were a goner!"

Sai downed the water, thirstily. Yamato re-filled it a few more times until the artist was satisfied.

Wiping his lips, he managed a soft chuckle. "How long have I been out?"

"About a month or so."

A month…

Sai's eyes widened. "A month?" He tried to sit up, but the pain in his side caused him to fall back amongst the pillows. "S-Sakura-chan... Where is she? I have to see her!"

He tried to get up again but Yamato pushed him back down, gently. He shook his head. "You're not fully recovered yet. Stay put, I'll call a medic-"

"N-No! Sakura-chan! I want to see her!" the young artist insisted, his eyes flashing defiantly.

Realizing that Sai wasn't going to give up until he got what he wanted, Yamato sighed. "You can't see her right now. She's… occupied."

Sai furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean occupied?"

Yamato closed his eyes. "She's… in labor."

Sai's eyes turned big as saucers. "L-Labor?"

The Anbu captain nodded, opening his eyes. "Yes, for five hours now. She didn't want you left alone so she asked that I stand guard while she's giv… Sai! Stay put!"

Sai, now feeling more energetic, sat up and began removing the dextrose from his hand and the other wires stuck on him. Yamato tried to stop him, but the ex-Root member was too quick, despite being unconscious and bed-ridden for almost a month.

"No matter how many times you try to stop me, I'm going to see her," he growled, swinging his feet over the bed. His bare feet touched the cold floor; he tried to walk but stumbled a little. He grabbed on to the side table for support.

"Sai, you're not well enough yet!" Yamato protested, coming up next to him and attempted to bring him back to the bed.

But Sai yanked his arm from him and stumbled towards the door. "I don't care!"

"Sai, I'm warning you-"

"I WANT TO SEE HER!" His eyes blazed as he looked at Yamato.

The Anbu captain had to stop; he had never seen Sai so angry and determined before; yet, beneath those was so much concern and worry. He was insistent. Silently, Yamato watched as the young shinobi took step after agonizing step towards the door, his face wincing in pain every now and then. But he didn't stop until he reached his goal. His hands finally grasped the door knob and was about to turn it when Yamato's hand intercepted him. Sai turned to him in anger, but to his surprise, the older Anbu opened the door.

"You won't get to her on time if you go in the pace you're walking," he simply said, placing one of Sai's arm around his shoulders and led him out towards the Emergency Room.

"Sakura, keep pushing! You're almost done!"

"I'm… gasp… trying… gasp…!"

Naruto bit his lip as he resumed his pacing. Kakashi had been staring at the same page for five hours and was going nowhere. Hinata had arrived an hour ago and was now watching Naruto walk back and forth, nervously.

"N-Naruto-kun? Will you sit?" she asked, tentatively. "You'll only worry Sakura-chan more."

Another scream. The three winced and Naruto plopped down on the seat next to his girlfriend. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan. I just don't like hearing Sakura-chan in pain."

Hinata smiled at him and placed an hand on his arm. "Sakura-chan's strong. She'll make it."

Another scream. More wincing. Naruto turned to her, grinning a little. "Don't scream that loud when it's your turn to have our baby, okay?"

At his words, the purple-haired girl blushed a deep red. Next to her, Kakashi chuckled.

"But Naruto-kun, I'm not p-pregnant," she protested.

The blonde just grinned. "I know. But that doesn't mean it won't happen." He took her hand in his and kissed her forehead.

"You're getting there, Sakura! You're getting there! That's it! Push!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Naruto groaned. "Lucky Sai. He doesn't have to listen to all this screaming."

"I could hear her from across the building. Sakura-chan has a powerful set of lungs."

Gasping in surprise, Naruto, Hinata, and Kakashi all looked up to see Sai, supported by Yamato, limping towards them, his pale, weary face set into his usual bright smile.

"S-Sai-san!"

"Sai! Buddy, you're awake!"

"Yamato, he's not supposed to be out. He's not well enough yet."

Yamato smiled sheepishly at Kakashi's scolding. "I tried to stop him, senpai. But he insisted."

Meanwhile, Naruto had ran up to them and took Yamato's position in supporting Sai.

"You woke up right on time, teme," he said, gleefully leading him.

"I'm glad I did, dickless," Sai replied.

Naruto was much too happy to care about the insult. Another loud scream met their ears. Instantly, Sai headed towards the doors of the emergency room.

"Wait, Sai," Kakashi called. "You're not supposed to-"

"One more push Sakura!" Tsunade's voice yelled. "I can see the head! Just one more push!"

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

The four shinobis and the kunoichi froze in place as Sakura's scream was overpowered by a loud, piercing cry of a newborn.

"You did it, forehead!" Ino cried from inside. "You did it!"

Without another word, Sai struggled forward, Naruto leading him. They pushed the doors open. Medics rushed to and fro, barely noticing the two shinobis' intrusion. But Tsunade's ever perceptive eye caught them.

"What in the world? Sai! You're awake? And what are you doing here? You're not well-enough! And Naruto, how could you bring him here? He's still weak!"

But Sai could barely hear her words. He was staring at the operating table, at a weary-looking Sakura, breathing heavily, her eyes closed, her beautiful, large forehead damp with sweat, a hand still linked to Ino's, who was looking at Sai like he had grown an extra head. Slowly, he untangled himself from Naruto's hold. He approached and the blonde kunoichi unlinked her hand from Sakura's and moved away to make room for him.

He came up to her bedside and took her hand, caressing it gently. Sakura opened her eyes. "S-Sai…?" she whispered, before her eyes rolled back as her head slumped to the side.

His eyes widened in panic. "Sakura-chan?"

She didn't move. He tried to shake her.

"Sakura-chan!"

Ino ran up next to him. "It's okay, she just fainted. It's normal after childbirth. Don't worry, she's fine."

Sai still held her hand in his and kissed her pale knuckles. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see an exhausted but smiling Tsunade.

"Would you like to see your daughter?"

When Sakura awoke, everything was dark. She no longer felt any pain, but her body did feel heavy, like a ton of bricks. Then, she realized that her eyes were closed. Carefully, she lifted her eyelids and blinked several times to adjust her eyes to the sudden light. Bright, morning sunlight filtered through the window and splashed across the floor of the room. Her green eyes caught sight of several bouquets and balloons on the table, bearing words of "Congratulations." She lifted her hand to her stomach; the bump was gone; so she didn't dream it, she really did go into labor.

The kunoichi continued to lie on the bed, unmoving. Did childbirths cause the expectant mother to hallucinate? Because she thought she saw Sai, wide awake and at her side right after she heard her baby's cries. As a medic, she knew this didn't happen at all. Maybe it was just her?

"Sakura-chan?"

Her breath caught in her throat. That voice… She hadn't heard that husky, melodic voice in so long. She turned her head and felt the tears spring to her eyes and her lips upturn into a smile. She lifted her arms.

"S-Sai-kun…"

He was in her arms before she could finish saying his name. How good it felt to finally feel his arms around her, his nose in her hair, his scent meeting her nostrils and sending shivers down her spine!

Sai began to shower her with kisses; in her hair, her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, then finally, her lips. He kissed her hungrily, as if he hadn't tasted her in so long, which was exactly the situation. His hands began to wander from her face down to her neck, her chest, her waist. She savored his taste, loving the shivers his touch caused to her skin. She realized that she missed him more than she thought. Her own hands began to wander from his neck, down to his chest, unbuttoning the top of the hospital pajama he wore, and slid her hands all over his muscular chest. Her fingers found the bandage covering his now-healed wound and she stroked it tenderly. He groaned in pleasure and she giggled in his lips.

When they pulled away, both were red-faced and out of breath. They didn't say word, just looked into each other's eyes, memorizing every feature of each other's face, every curve, every tiny scar.

Then, Sakura smiled before punching his arm. Hard.

Sai staggered back in alarm, his face confused as he rubbed the spot where her fist connected with his fragile bones. "What did I do wrong?" he complained.

Sakura crossed her arms and frowned. "You almost died! How dare you almost leave me? I was worried sick of you! I thought you were going to die! And why wouldn't you wake up when I begged you every single day-"

The rest of her statement was silenced by Sai's lips on hers. When he pulled away, she continued to glare at him. "Don't think that just because I love you means you can get away with almost leaving me, you have another thing coming at you Sai!"

He winced a little. "But… I came back didn't I? I woke up and I'm alive."

Sakura pursed her lips to the side before sighing. "Don't ever do that to me again, please."

"You know I can't promise that." He took her hand and kissed the top of it. "But I can promise that I'll always come back to you. Is that okay?"

She looked into his eyes before smiling, slightly. "I guess that's good enough."

Smiling, he engulfed her into his arms again.

"You know, I'm not apologizing for punching you," she said into his chest.

Chuckling, he replied, "I know."

When they pulled away, it finally dawned on Sakura that she was no longer pregnant. That she had given birth yesterday. "Sai-kun? Where's our baby?"

"I'll call a medic to let them know that you're awake so they can bring her in," he replied, stroking her hair.

Her eyes brightened. "Her? So I was right? It's a girl?"

He chuckled before kissing her hand. "Yes, you were correct. Wait here."

And with that, he momentarily left her bedside and exited the room. While he was gone, Sakura leaned back on the pillows, marveling at how time flies. One minute, she finds out she was pregnant after a night of being stupid and the next, she gives birth to a baby girl. But no matter how rocky things were at the beginning, she still felt blessed by Kami. She had Sai and now, their daughter.

At the corner of her eye, she saw Sai's sketchpad and pencil lying abandoned on a chair. A sketch of her lay unfinished and she smiled.

"They're bringing her in soon."

She looked up to see that Sai had re-entered the room. He returned to her bedside and settled himself next to her on the bed as she lifted herself from the pillows to sit up. He placed an arm over her shoulders, supporting her.

"What does she look like?" she asked, excitedly.

He chuckled. "I don't want to spoil it. You'll see. But I can assure you, she's beautiful, like you."

She blushed before smacking him in the arm, playfully. Then, she realized something else. "Wait, you were in a coma. You shouldn't be out and about yet!"

"You're the eight person who told me that. But don't worry. Tsunade-sama said that as long as I don't exert myself too much, I'll be fine. And my room's right next to yours, so I'll be near. Tsunade-sama also said that after three days or so, we can both be discharged and go home."

Just then, a knock came on the door and a medic came in, rolling a little cart. She smiled at the two before reaching into the cart and emerging with a pink bundle.

"Guess who came to see you, Okaa-san?" the medic said, coming over to Sakura's side.

Sakura bit her lip, nervously but excitedly. The medic placed the baby in her arms. Once assured that the new mother was holding her correctly, she excused herself to leave the new parents alone.

The kunoichi marveled at her baby, her daughter. She felt so light, so small and fragile that Sakura was afraid that her hold might break her. The baby had a small tuft of dark hair on her tiny head like Sai and her skin was fair like Sakura. When her daughter opened her eyes, curiously at her, she saw her own green orbs reflect back at her.

Sakura gasped. "Sai-kun… She's perfect."

Sai smiled, caressing his daughter's pink cheeks with his thumb. "I told you she was beautiful."

The pinkette was smiling as she held her daughter, rocking her. The baby let out a few moans, yawned cutely before closing its eyes and falling asleep. Sakura felt like everything in the world was finally right. She wanted to protect this wonderful, bundle of joy in her arms and always make sure she was happy and unhurt.

"What are we naming her?" Sai asked.

Sakura nudged her nose with her daughter's before saying, "Yume."*

Sai's eyes widened at her choice. Her smile faltered a little.

"You don't like it?"

He smiled before shaking his head. "No, I think it's perfect." He turned to the slumbering baby, caressing its arms. "Yume Haruno. I love it." He looked at Sakura. "Thank you."

"Eh? For what?"

"For this little one. I never thought I'd ever father a child and because of you, I can. I've never felt so happy in my entire life, Sakura-chan." He kissed her forehead before looking into her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too, Sai-kun."

They leaned in for kiss before a knock came on the door. Suddenly, Naruto bounded into a room, carrying a giant stuffed animal, an elephant this time; Hinata followed after him, bearing a box of odango. Next came Kakashi and Yamato, both carrying pink balloons.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto bounded up to her bedside then peered into the baby's sleeping face. "Aww… she's so kawaii! She looks a bit like you Sai!"

Sai smiled proudly. "Thank you, dickless. She has Sakura-chan's eyes though."

"Can I hold her?"

Sakura bit her lip. "Um…" She looked at Sai for advice.

He shook his head. "Let Sakura-chan hold Yume-chan for a while. You can hold her later."

"Yume? Nice name!" He turned to his girlfriend. "Hey, Hinata-chan, what should we name our baby in the future?'

The poor Hyuuga blushed scarlet. The others laughed.

For the first time in so long, Sakura felt like the world of shinobi wasn't so bad after all. After every death, there will always be life. After every dark, there is light. And now, she has another reason for surviving, for fighting, and for remaining a kunoichi.

After three days, just as Tsunade promised, Sai and Sakura were both discharged from the hospital. Sai helped Sakura pack her things before moving on to his. The medic was bringing Yume into Sakura's room in fifteen minutes so they could take her home. Sakura was looking forward to bringing her baby home; she had asked Ino to make sure the room was prepared when they arrived. Then, they could be a real family at last. And speaking of families…

After making sure she had packed all of Sai's art materials, Sakura pulled the zipper of his backpack closed. There weren't much to begin with; just a sketchpad and some pencils. Meanwhile, the artist was across the room, folding his clothes neatly before placing them inside a duffel bag. She leaned back on the hospital bed, lips pursed and arm crossed, just watching him. He as wearing his shinobi clothes as always while Sakura stuck to something more civilian; a white t-shirt shirt, red skirt, and her boots.

Finally, he must have noticed her gaze since he paused in the middle of packing and turned to her, an eyebrow cocked in question.

"Can I help you, koi?*" he asked, his head tilted to the side.

When she continued to glare at him, he walked over to her, still puzzled at her sudden bad mood. "Did I do something?" he asked.

That was when Sakura snapped. "Did something? Did something?"she shrieked that Sai had to step back in mild fear. "That's the problem, Sai! You're not doing something!"

Now, he looked even more confused than ever. "I'm not understanding-"

"No, of course not." She sighed, calming down. "This is not how I expected this scenario to turn out."

More curious than frightened of her, Sai stepped forward again and took her arms. "Have I done something to upset you?"

She looked up into him and bit her lip before placing a hand on his cheek. "Why don't you want to marry me? I mean, a couple of months ago, you practically demanded that I marry you. But after I confessed my feelings for you, you hardly brought up marriage!"

At her confession, Sai looked taken aback. "I… I didn't realize… I mean…" He breathed in deeply before saying, "Why would you want to marry someone like me? Someone who has no past, only a present. Someone who can't introduce you proudly to his family because he never knew them. Someone who can't even introduce you to the man he called his brother because he has no grave. Someone who doesn't even have a last name to offer you and his child."

Sakura only looked at him in disbelief. He was worried about those? Oh, Sai.

"Sai-kun, I don't care about those," she whispered, smiling at him in assurance. "I don't care if you don't have a past, we have a future ahead of us. And your family… Sai, I'm your family, Naruto is your family, Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou, Konoha, they're your family. And I'm sure wherever he is now, your brother would want you to move on and be happy with whatever you decide. And a last name? Seriously? You know what, you can take my last name, I don't care."

He looked surprised at her suggestion. She appeared sincere, which she was. "It is tradition for a woman to take the name of her husband."

She shrugged. "So?"

"It's… unusual for me to take your last name."

She giggled. "We're an unusual couple anyway, don't you agree?"

He thought about it then nodded.

She smiled. "Then it's settled! You're taking my last name. Sai Haruno… Hmm… Not bad-sounding, right? I'm pretty sure you can get used to it."

He tilted his head to the side, a little suspiciously. "What exactly are you trying to tell me, Sakura-chan?"

Her jaw dropped for a few seconds. She thought he was over this clueless-ness. Looked like she better clear it up. She took a deep breath. This was definitely not the scenario she had imagined. But it was better than nothing.

"Sai-kun?"

"Hai?"

She took another deep breath. "I don't have a ring right now, 'cause I didn't I know I'd be doing this. But you know what, I don't care."

"Sakura-chan-"

She placed a finger over his lips and shook her head. "I'm not finished. Sai-kun, you know how much I love you, no matter how idiotic or clueless or insulting you can be, not to mention the fact that I almost died of a heart attack with worry for you. But like I said, I love you. You make my heart beat faster than normal. I can't go one day without catching a whiff of your peppermint and ink scent, which I still have to figure out how it works because normally, it doesn't. You're there for me all the time, even if you accidentally offend me in the process. You make such a huge effort to make me happy all the time, and now that our daughter's here, I want to be a family, a real family with two-happily married couple who love each other to the bone with a beautiful child. Basically, what I'm trying to say is… Will you marry me?"

There she said it. She could feel the heat rush to her cheeks but, who cares? She said what she had to say, asked what she needed to ask, and now she waited for his answer.

He was speechless, shock spread through his pale face. Sakura's hear pounded against her chest in anticipation and her throat was suddenly dry; she swallowed.

Finally, after what felt like years of waiting, which was in actuality three minutes, Sai smiled. Her heart fluttered.

"No," he said.

Her face fell as she felt her world crash over her. She held back a gasp.

"O-Oh… I-I… I guess you're not ready then-"

He chuckled. "You didn't allow me to finish." He released her arms and stepped back. He reached into his pocket then went down on one knee before her. He showed her the black, velvet case she had seen months ago and opened it to reveal the beautiful, diamond-encrusted ring with the pink gems on either side.

Sakura couldn't help the tears that pooled at her eyes as he took her hand.

"I said 'no' because I want to do this the right way and in the scenario that I'm sure you imagined," he said, a wide smile playing on his lips. He knew her so well. "Even though you're loud, annoying, and your punches hurt like hell," she grinned at her offended face. "I love you. I love you so much, Sakura-chan, more than my own life." He removed the ring from its case, slipped it onto her finger, and kissed the top of her hand. He looked deep into her eyes, onyx to emerald. "Will you marry me?"

Though Sakura didn't want to be cliché, she couldn't stop her hand from flying over her mouth and the tears fall in happiness.

She nodded her head, vigorously before throwing herself at him. Sai fell on his back as he caught her in surprise.

"Yes!" she squealed, hugging him tightly around the neck. "Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

And before he knew it, she was kissing him deeply and passionately, right there on the floor.

Nothing else mattered, not his lack of a last name, not her powerful punches. All that mattered was them and the future that was to come.

*Yume=Dream

*Koi=My love

A/N: Damn… that was hard to write, simply because I don't want to stop writing. When I first began this story because I just want the plot bunny to leave me alone, I thought, "Oh, it's just another story. I probably won't finish it anyway." But to my surprise, the more reviews and encouragement I got from you guys, the more I got inspired and began to focus so much on it until I fell absolutely in love with it. This is now my most cherished piece and I will sorely miss writing it and making you, the reviewers, happy. Because her readers' happiness is the writer's happiness; nothing could take that away from her. And thus, this is the last chapter. Next up is the Epilogue. I thank everyone who has stuck with this story from beginning to end. It would not have been possible without you… Damn, I'm going to cry so I better stop now.

Kudos to brendabond for this chapter. You gave me the idea on your review for Chapter 8 so thank you for that.