Chapter 14

Temari's words had been like a huge weight lifting from her shoulders. Not only did they make the future seem more solid, more safe for Sakura, but they also opened her eyes a little bit more.

After the emotional promise, Temari had once again told her what it was like to grow up without a mother and an impassive father who was always busy with one thing or another. Saying it wasn't easy was an understatement, she'd told her. It was like drowning in not just your own despair, but everybody else's. Temari was left to take care of her younger brothers despite only being a couple of years older than them.

She was made to watch Gaara's moods spiralling out of control. She had to watch as he lost control of the demon inside of him, as he let it out to slaughter an unimaginable amount of innocent people. Many times, she had heard him crying to himself up on the roof, whispering about how he wished his mother was around.

That was when Gaara started calling Shukaku his mother.

It was horrible. Watching his mind becoming more and more unhinged, watching him shying away from civilisation and only truly speaking with the tailed beast he was the host of.

At the time, she hadn't really been able to think much about their mother. She hadn't really understood anything that was happening. But once Gaara began to find himself again, once he calmed down after his battle with Naruto, she'd finally been able to grieve and it was around that time that Temari came to understand just how much the loss of their mother upset her.

She would never show it, Temari had murmured to Sakura, but the absence got to her greatly. There was nothing worse than having her younger brothers seeing her distress and tears, especially while Gaara was finding himself and they'd found out that their father was dead (they needed her to be strong for them). The man may not have been the greatest father, but he was still their dad.

There were no tears or broken whispers. No sobbing or anything of the sort. Temari told Sakura everything with a blank face and an even emptier tone.

That was something Sakura disliked about Suna–nin. They were so emotionless. No, they weren't uncaring and no, they weren't completely emotionless, but they looked so impassive. That was what she disliked. Humans were emotional creatures. Just because they were shinobi, they were told that they had to deny that.

Then again, denying your emotions helped you with completing a mission.

Sighing as she sat up in bed, Sakura rubbed her swollen stomach.

It had been months since that conversation with Temari and now, she was into her seventh month of the pregnancy and any day now, she would be leaving for Konoha. Her stomach was huge, in her eyes and Sakura was unable to walk very far without support of some kind. She simply didn't have the energy for it.

The pregnancy took a great deal out of her and like Sakura had known she would be, she was on strict bed rest. Thankfully, having Ino, Temari, Sai and Kankuro around helped to keep her sane. Well, somewhat. They kept her company and made sure she was never without. If Sakura needed food, all she had to do was tell somebody and they would bring her whatever she asked.

However, the most recent thing she had asked for had not been food.

And it had also been an hour and thirty–five minutes since she asked for it when it finally arrived.

"You asked to see me?"

Sakura looked up at her husband as he entered their bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him. With him was a jug of water and as soon as Gaara placed it down on the bedside table for her, he sat at the foot of the bed.

"You've been pretty busy lately." she murmured conversationally. "I've missed you."

"I haven't been avoiding you."

"I know." Sakura sighed at his retort and shifted slightly against the headboard of the bed. "I know you've been busy with village matters. But…"

When her sentence trailed off, Gaara's eyes narrowed a fraction. "But?"

She rubbed the back of her head and her eyes moved over to the window. It was shut, of course, but it still allowed her a view of the outside world. It was all she got to see of it lately and even then, it wasn't much. Just sand, sand and more sand. Oh and the odd weed or desert flower. One time a bird had even sat on the window ledge and had kept her entertained for a while, but it sadly left not too long later, probably wanting to get out of the harsh sun.

"Sakura."

Once again, Sakura sighed. "I've been trying to find the right words for months now…" Frowning, she looked back to her husband. "I need to apologise to you."

His mask cracked and Gaara couldn't help but frown in return. "What–"

"Let me speak." she murmured, holding a hand up to him. "I need to apologise to you because not once did I take your feelings into consideration. All I've been thinking about is our children and yes, partly myself. I thought that if I gave my life for our children, you'd cherish their lives dearly and fight hard to protect them."

"I will protect them."

All he got in response was a blank look, one that silently screamed for him to shut up interrupting her and part of Gaara had to hold back a tired smile. Only Sakura could silence him in such a way. Anybody else would be too scared for their lives.

"I'm sorry for not asking you how you felt about it. I'm sorry for not taking your feelings into consideration." Sakura released a shaky sigh and was incredibly happy with herself for holding back her tears, for keeping her voice even despite it being quiet and not as strong as she'd hoped. "What I'm doing… Maybe it is selfish, but it's not entirely, is it? These children… They're half you and they're half me. The thought of them running around with grins on their faces, seeming so happy and carefree…"

Gaara tried his best not to see what she was seeing. He didn't want to imagine them. He didn't want to imagine a world where his wife wouldn't exist.

Another sigh. "You've always known that I can be quite a selfish person, Gaara." Sakura whispered to him and slowly, hesitantly, she took his hand, smiling softly when he didn't pull away and instead held hers. "It's no excuse and I'm not using it as an excuse. I just…" She shook her head, unable to find the right words. "I love you. I love you so much that I can't even find the words to describe how I feel for you. And that's why I love our children so much, too. They're a part of you, Gaara."

When his eyes widened a fraction, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "That's why I'm so willing to die. Your children… Our children… They're a part of us. How can I not love them when they were created by us? Through our love for each other? I thought…" Again, she shook her head, biting her lower lip. "I kept telling myself that they were made with love, so they would be born with love. Even if it took you until I was giving birth to them for you to love them…"

There was a pause where Sakura collected herself and after taking a deep breath, she continued. "I want them to know that I love them, Gaara. I love them so much that I'm willing to give my life for them. Just like I'm willing to give my life for you. Like you're willing to give yours for me or the village. That's what love is."

After a few moments of silence, Gaara stood up and climbed over his wife, settling down beside her and leaning back against the headboard of their bed. He didn't look at her. His eyes were fixed on the huge bump that was hidden beneath the silk sheets. Personally, he didn't care for such an expensive material, but he believed that his wife deserved only the best, only the finest of things.

"What if I can't love them?"

At his near silent whisper, Sakura turned her head to the side and kissed his shoulder lightly. "I know you will. Your heart is a lot bigger than you let on, Sabaku no Gaara. I know because you gave me your heart." Another pause. Another frown. And this time, it was obvious Sakura was fighting back the tears because her face scrunched up and when she spoke, her voice was higher than usual. "And I'm so sorry for not taking better care of it."

Her quiet sob had Gaara finally looking over at her and his hand came up to the back of her head, stroking her hair before he kissed her forehead. "Don't cry." he whispered.

It felt like such a relief to finally say all of those things to her husband, but Sakura found herself wanting to say more. Despite this, her throat was too tight and the words just couldn't be found. All she was capable of doing was accepting his comfort as Sakura pressed her face into his chest, closing her eyes and breathing deeply in order to hold back her sobs. The entire time, Gaara continued to run his hand through her hair, the other one holding onto her back and rubbing it in soothing circles.

"I'm going to fight hard." Sakura told him quietly, her hands holding onto him tightly. "I have so much chakra stored up right now and I only need a little bit more to reach my maximum."

Hope. Dangerous hope was swirling in his chest.

Shutting his eyes, he kissed the top of her head and brought her closer – or as close as her bump would allow. Even though it had been months, Gaara still found himself feeling wary of hoping. It was a dangerous emotion, one that could completely destroy a person. He didn't want that to happen. Already, he knew that Sakura's death would devastate him. If he continued to hope that she would survive, to believe that she would…

It would make the pain so much worse.

"I'm not going to leave you." she whispered. "I never really thought about how difficult it would be for you to take care of two small babies alone. I'm sorry!"

"Stop apologising." he muttered and tightened his hold on her. "What you're doing… I don't agree with it, but it is honourable. You're willing to give your life for the fet–" Gaara cut himself off and sighed. "You're willing to give your life for our children."

Our children.

It was the first time (since Tsunade broke the news to them) that he had called the children anything other than fetus.

"I love you." Sakura told him while sitting up, watching him intently as Gaara's eyes languidly opened. "I love you so much, Gaara!"

Slowly, he nodded and only moments later a small, painful and exhausted smile pulled at his lips. "I love you."

Finally!

She was outdoors. Breathing in the fresh air. Admiring the beautiful plants. Smiling at the people who walked on by them.

And she was hating every freaking moment of it.

"Is this really necessary?" Sakura demanded and her knuckles turned white over the strain of crushing the seat beneath her. If she squeezed any harder than she knew it would crumble beneath her, but damn it. Her anger was growing. "This is so embarrassing!"

Opposite her, Gaara remained as still as a statue with his eyes shut peacefully and his arms folded over his chest. If one didn't know him, he could have almost passed as being asleep. However, Sakura did know him. And knowing her husband the way she did, then she knew that he was concentrating hard on their surroundings. His sand would be feeling out the area, making sure there would be no ambushes or anything of the sort.

"Come on, Sakura." Ino groaned from outside of their cart. "It's not so bad and it's not like anybody can see you!"

Wow. That made her feel so much better. Really, what difference did it make being locked away in her bedroom or being carried on one of these ridiculous carts? Only royalty were given such things! Then again, her husband was the Kazekage…

That wasn't the freaking point!

And yes, there was a difference. The poor horses dragging the cart down the bumpy dirt road were going to be in so much pain because of her fat ass! During the travel through the desert, Gaara's sand had carried her and as soon as they hit solid ground, a horse and carriage had been waiting for them with three Konoha–nin beside it.

Unfortunately, they were not her teammates. They were Ino's. And joining them was Hyuuga Hinata.

Yes, Sakura was happy to see them and yes, they were all being kind to her, but… There were no words to describe it. Her pregnancy was just so painful at times and made her one of the moodiest people to be around. Poor Ino had been taking the brunt of her mood swings, though thankfully said little about it other than the odd teasing remark. Also, due to their conversation last week, Gaara had been sticking around and spending more time with her.

Sakura was glad for that, even though they had to stay in bed because she wasn't allowed to move around or take part in any strenuous activities. Instead, Gaara had dinner brought to her and they dined in bed. He brought her mountains of books to entertain herself when he was working at the office and other times, he sat by her side, talking to her about his day and anything else that came to mind.

"I'm sure I can handle walking for a mile or two." Sakura muttered to Gaara. "My legs are so stiff. And I'm feeling restless and crammed and–"

"Shut up complaining, Sakura!" Ino snapped from outside again. "You know that walking around too much is way too risky for the babies and we're almost there, anyway. Just suck it up!"

Almost there turned out to be another five hours, but somehow Sakura managed to keep her complaints to herself and instead settled on reading one of the books that had been brought along for the journey. Damn it, she wished she was out there, walking around like the others. She wished that she was seeing everything and not through a wooden shuttered window. You could barely see a thing through them!

Deep breaths.

Not to mention she was itchy as hell because of the sand Gaara had covering every inch of her body.

"They're here!"

That voice.

"Hurry the hell up, you bastard! Sakura–chan will want to see all of us!"

Naruto.

They were in Konoha.

Gaara's eyes opened and met hers, watching the way they immediately lit up as all complaints and arguments faded away. That was partly why he'd shut his eyes and focused so much on their surroundings. Her complaining had been driving him insane! But then again, she was pregnant with twins. She had every right to complain.

"Calm down, Naruto!" They heard Ino yell at him.

As they all spoke with one another, the door to their cart was all but ripped open and a head of shockingly blond hair revealed itself. The grin that was sent her way had Sakura grinning in return and she held out her hands, accepting the ones that were waiting for hers.

Naruto was gentle and careful as he helped Sakura out of the cart and once she was standing up straight, he took a half step back though still kept hold of her, looking his former teammate up and down.

"You don't look as bad as I thought you would!" He grinned and pulled her forward into a warm embrace. "I'm glad. They're not hurting you too much, are they?"

So he'd taken into consideration that she would be in pain? Despite what many thought, Naruto was capable of being caring and wise. It all mattered on what kind of mood you'd caught him in. When it came to his teammates, however, Naruto was always considerate of them.

Unless it was Sasuke, of course.

"No, not much." Sakura smiled up at him once she was released.

When Gaara stepped out of the cart, Naruto looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "Well? Did you take my advice?"

Silence.

"Oi, Gaara–"

"Naruto–kun," Hinata interjected as she put her hand on his arm, smiling softly, "perhaps you should let the others greet Sakura–san, also?"

Reluctantly, he released his best friend and allowed her to slowly make her way over to the other members of team seven.

"They let you out, then."

The Uchiha nodded once. "They had no choice."

Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes, inwardly smirking at the knowing look Kakashi sent her way. She shouldn't have been surprised by his arrogance.

He looked strange to be back in his own clothes. Well, they weren't exactly the same clothes he wore when he was twelve or thirteen years old, but close enough. Due to technically still being a genin, Sasuke wouldn't be able to wear the uniform other shinobi did, therefore, had to wear his own clothing. He probably didn't care in the slightest about what he wore.

As for Kakashi, he looked the same as always. No surprise there. It was like the guy just didn't age.

Lucky bastard.

"Nervous?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow.

"I've been trying not to think about it." came her honest reply.

A lot of women died during childbirth, but due to advanced technology and more sterile environments, the risk of death had decreased significantly. Not for her, however. Also, Sakura had seen many women giving birth. While she didn't know exactly what to expect, she had a good enough idea. And that terrified her.

"Come on, Sakura."

Frowning, she turned around and Sakura almost began screaming at what Ino was pushing forward.

A wheelchair.

A freaking wheelchair.

"Just get in the chair, Sakura." Ino muttered, already knowing that her best friend was about to flip. "If you stress too much, then you're going to upset the babies."

"You're the one who's making me stress!" Despite her words, Sakura still stepped forward and slowly sat down, one hand holding onto her stomach the entire time. "You know damn well I don't need one of these things! I can walk fine by myself, you know."

"Why must you be so stubborn?" the blonde groaned with a roll of her eyes. "I really hope they don't inherit that from you."

Her teeth began to grind together. "Shut up, Ino."

But just as Ino was about to push the wheelchair forward, a set of hands were brushing hers aside and taking their place, gripping the handles firmly.

"You ready, Sakura–chan?"

Wait, what?

"Naruto, don't–"

Their words didn't reach him as Naruto let the child within himself take over, pushing the wheelchair much faster than he should down the streets of Konoha. At this rate, Sakura knew they would be there in a matter of minutes. She was clutching desperately at the seat with one hand, the other cradling her stomach protectively as they swerved through the crowds, who all jumped back and squawked with surprise.

Apology after apology rolled off her tongue, soon followed by threats to get the hell out of their way, but Sakura couldn't deny that she was enjoying herself. For the first time in months, she was doing something other than reading or gazing out of a window. Naruto was going fast enough that the wind was blowing through her hair, almost as though she was running!

It was breathtaking.

And as they skidded to a halt, Sakura was grinning, that grin only widening when he knelt down in front of her with the same look on his face.

"Thanks, Naruto."

"Did you really expect any less?"

"Not really." she laughed, rubbing her stomach soothingly. "Although a little warning may have been nice."

He chuckled and placed his hand over her bump, stroking it affectionately. "Sorry, guys! But I promise I'll do the same thing for you both one day!"

The sight of him talking to the bump had her eyes warming. Beside herself and Ino, Naruto was the only one who had spoken to her children.

"Naruto, you idiot!"

They both froze at the pure malice in Ino's voice.

"Do you have any idea the kind of danger you put them in? What if something happened to Sakura or the babies? You–"

She was cut off when Sakura winced and clutched her stomach and at the sight of her pain, Ino pushed Naruto out of the way and cupped the woman's face, forcing her to make eye contact.

"Sakura? What's wrong?" she demanded as the others all joined them.

"They–" Sakura was cut off by a wave of pain and at the sudden feeling that flooded her, she felt her cheeks warm up. "My water just broke."

"I'm so sorry, Sakura–chan!" Naruto yelled through the doors that momentarily opened.

The blonde that entered was unimpressed to say the least, but she kept professional as she thoroughly washed her hands, pausing so that Shizune could help her into her scrubs.

"It's too early." Sakura whimpered to Gaara as he stood by her side. She was holding his hand tightly, keeping it close to her chest and every time a wave of pain would crash down on her, she tightened her hold. "They're going to be too small!"

"Don't worry about that." Gaara retorted coolly and when he met her eyes, his narrowed seriously. "You need to activate the seal, Sakura."

Just as she was about to reply, Tsunade appeared by her side, feeling the bump and closing her eyes in concentration as her chakra began to examine her former student. "Not yet. If Sakura activates the seal now, it will cause a change to her body. Your children may not survive the change."

But Sakura would, Gaara internally yelled. He understood why the seal would change her body. It targeted all injuries, illnesses and anything of the sort and healed them. If the children were slowly taking Sakura's life like a life–sucking disease? The seal would rid her of them.

"Do you remember the jutsu I taught you, Sakura?"

At Tsunade's question, Sakura quickly nodded and shifted in her place in a sad attempt to get more comfortable. "Sōzō Saisei." she breathed. After swallowing hard, she managed to force out, "I remember."

"The good thing about it, is that there are hardly any hand seals." the blonde assured her. "Just the one. You remember what that is, don't you?"

Another nod.

"You always were a good student." she said fondly with a soft smile.

Only seconds later and that warmth left her features as Tsunade got serious, as she barked out orders to Shizune and Ino, who would both be assisting with the birth. It felt like it was all passing so quickly to Sakura and all she caught were glimpses of them between the harsh pains that continuously assaulted her.

Eventually the pain became too much. Even with all of her kunoichi training, even after being repeatedly stabbed or beaten or attacked, the agony she could feel overwhelmed her. It was greater than any assault she had taken before, making it impossible to think straight. All Sakura had to get her through it was Gaara's hand holding hers, his wedding ring feeling like it was burning her skin.

"Encourage her, Gaara–kun." Shizune urged him. "Keep Sakura focused!"

"You're doing well, Sakura." Gaara said without even thinking about it. Kissing her forehead, he whispered, "Keep pushing."

It hurt. There was nothing to compare it to because everything seemed too childish and pathetic in comparison. Being stabbed? Please. That was nothing. Taking one of Tsunade's punches? That felt like a pinch compared to the pain she was experiencing.

But…

It would all be worth it. Even if she only stole a glance of her babies, it would be worth it.

There was so much she wanted to say to Gaara. He was leaning so close to her, holding her so comfortingly, that it would be so easy to say it all to him, but the words wouldn't come out. Sakura wanted to tell him to make sure their children knew she loved them. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. He was her life, as were their children. And she was so glad that they had gotten together, that they had gotten married. The love she felt for him was so much greater than the love she had once felt for Uchiha Sasuke.

The love she felt for Gaara was capable of consuming her completely.

"Remember to breathe, Sakura." Tsunade told her. "This will be a big strain on both your body and heart, so–"

When she cut herself off, Sakura couldn't help but whimper in fear. She threw her head back against the bed, squeezing her eyes shut and she only vaguely felt somebody wiping down her face, most likely cleaning away the sweat. It was probably Ino, but it could have been Gaara. She couldn't tell the difference at that moment in time.

"What is it?" She heard Gaara demanding.

"I can see the head." the blonde breathed before speaking in a stronger voice. "Come on, Sakura. Push!"

So she did.

It felt like hours were going by with nothing other than her cries and screams of agony, with nothing but pushing and grabbing and sobbing.

But the relief that suddenly smacked into her would have floored Sakura if she'd been standing.

"It's a girl."

A girl? She tried to sit up properly, tried to see her baby, but Ino was whisking her away much too quickly, not even allowing Sakura a glimpse.

And then the pain was back, momentarily taking her mind away from her little girl and taking her back to the pushing, to the sobbing and wailing. Poor Gaara's hand was most likely crushed by now but not once did he complain. Not once did he try to make her let go. Instead, he held onto her just as tightly, whispering encouragements into her ear and occasionally kissing her forehead.

"Almost there, Sakura. I can see your baby."

Tsunade's whisper barely even reached her ears because of the crying that filled the room. It wasn't her own sobs of torture. It was a baby's cry, one that had her heart beating so much faster, one that made her more determined to fight and survive. Her baby was crying. She needed her mother. She–

The relief.

It slammed into her again.

Only this time, it felt like it was suffocating her.

"A boy." Tsunade smiled, holding the wailing baby in her arms delicately. "It's a boy."

But Sakura couldn't hear her. She couldn't hear any of them.

Noticing this, noticing her expression, had Gaara quickly letting go of her hand and lowering his head to her chest.

The second a strangled sounding gasp left him, everybody was moving much too quickly for him to keep up with.

"I didn't know it would make her go into labour!"

For the umpteenth time, Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, easily ignoring the blond and his words. It was somewhat easy to ignore the cries of torture coming from the private hospital room they were sitting outside of, also.

There were nine of them altogether. Himself, Naruto, Kakashi, Temari, Kankuro, Sai, Choji, Hinata and Shikamaru. How they were all allowed access to this part of the hospital, Sasuke would never know. From what little he knew of hospitals, he knew that the labour wards and paediatric wards were all fiercely guarded. It didn't matter what hospital it was. They all protected children the same way.

It was only when a different cry filled the air that Sasuke finally took notice, lifting his head ever so slightly and gazing emptily at the doors that would lead them to Sakura.

"Do you think it is a boy?" Hinata asked softly, her hands clasped before her. "Like Sakura–san thought?"

Temari seemed to be in shock, though easily hid it after a few moments. "I'm kind of hoping I have a niece."

"It'll be a boy." Kankuro huffed, folding his arms over his chest.

"No she won't!"

"I hope it's a girl." Naruto grinned, flopping back into a chair. "One that looks exactly like Sakura–chan!"

Hinata smiled at her husband's features. It was no secret to her that he loved babies. She did, too. Hopefully, their own chance would come soon. "Did Sakura–san think of any names?" she asked Temari and Kankuro.

Kankuro shrugged, but much to her happiness, Temari nodded. "If they're both girls, she wants them to be called Emi and Hanako." Emi meant blessing or beautiful picture, whereas Hanako meant child of the flower. "Or if they're both boys, she wants them to called Haku and Hideki." Hideki meant splendid opportunity and Haku…

"Like Zabuza and Haku." Sasuke muttered, glancing over at Kakashi who nodded once.

Shrugging, Temari murmured, "She said that the boy named Haku had a big impact on team seven and she hoped her own son would be as great as he was. I don't really know the story."

Haku meant pure as snow.

Naruto's grin simmered down to a gentle smile. "That's a great name."

The former sensei nodded in agreement. "It is."

"It has meaning."

They were all surprised by Sasuke's words, not having expected him to say much, but their attention was soon stolen by another baby's cry.

"She did it." Temari breathed and stood up.

But just as she did all of their eyes widened as a horrified Gaara stumbled backwards and out of the room, colliding with the wall before he slipped down it. His eyes were impossibly wide, his lips parted with shock and the look of absolutely agonizing pain on his face crushed them all.

"She's dead."

A/N - Thank you all for your kind messages last chapter. They really do mean a lot to me. Next chapter will be the last. An epilogue, in fact :-)