Chinweoa: Thank you :) So sorry you had to wait for the continuation for so long.

Strawberrys000 asked me → "Did Sakura love Itachi and did Itachi know that the child wasn't his." Sakura didn't exactly love Itachi, but he was her husband and at those times husband was all that was left to a woman. Husband was a women's protector and as I said in most cases the only family they had. Sakura grew fond of him as time passed and she sure was upset when he died. She also felt guilty about betraying him. Itachi wasn't 100% sure but he suspected Sasuke was the real father. Let us say he was 99% sure of it. I think you'll find your answers in this chapter.

Okusil zgodej sem tvoj sad, spoznanje!

Veselja dókaj strup njegov je umoril:

sem zvedel, de vest čisto, dobro djanje

svet zaničvati se je zagovoril,

ljubezen zvésto najti, kratke sanje!

zbežale ste, ko se je dan zazóril.

Modrost, pravičnost, učenost, device

brez dot žalváti videl sem samice.

Too soon the fruits of knowledge did I eat!

Where dripped their poison, faded all delight:

I saw how honesty and truth could meet

Among the human kind with scorn and spite.

I sought true love - an empty dream and fleet,

Which disappeared as dawn broke into light!

And wisdom, justice and the learned mind

Were dowerless maids - no suitors could they find.

(France Prešeren – Slovenian poet: Slovo od mladosti/A Farewell to My Youth)

"You have to eat Sakura, goddamn it!"

Sasuke left the spoon fall back on the plate and the soup went flying to the white tablecloth.

Sakura did nothing. She was staring at nothing and said nothing. Her mind was simply blank.

Sasuske stood up and kicked a chair in front of him. His fists were clenched tightly together.

He turned around and saw her emotionless expression. He sighted and came back to her. He sat beside her on the bed.

"Listen love. I try to imagine what you're going through and I know I am not of great help to you. But please, love, you have to eat. If you won't eat for yourself, eat for the baby. The baby is of no fault. Can you understand that, sweetheart?" he whispered softly, already feeling bad about the scene he made a minute ago.

He was really worried about her. And thinking about how high is the possibility of her not liking him anymore, was the slightest of his worries. It's been a week since Itachi died.

For the first three days she cried in her bed and was always half awake. She didn't sleep or eat. On the fourth day she felt asleep from being too exhausted and he went to his brother's funeral alone. When he came back she was already awake and waited for him. But when he came closer to her she started to hit him with her little hands and he noticed she was getting thinner every day. He managed to stop her at some point and she went back to sleep. Since then he sat by her bedside day and night and when she woke up he talked to her, always left without an answer. He wanted to get her something to eat but she was stubborn and refused to eat at all. He managed to pour some water down her throat once in a while.

"Sakura, can you hear me. Please, just talk to me."

He was so tired. He thought he could not go like this for much while.

"Sweetheart. You know I love you more than my life, don't you. I love you and this unborn child of ours. I love you both. What will I do if I lose you both?"

There was still no answer.

He tried one more time to get spoon in her mouth, but her mouths stayed closed as ever.

He sighted once more and walked to the window. It was getting dark. Another day passed by. His thoughts went wandering. He remembered how they first met, remembered how she felt when he held her for the first time. He loved her so much it even hurt him sometimes. His soul left his body or so he felt it. He remembered their first night together and was feeling blessed as a dark and sharp thought came crawling from behind. He tried to push the dark shape away, wanted to stay in his sweet memories for some longer. But the dark creature didn't back away. It persistently swallowed his mind completely. The darkness spoke to him. It wasn't just the dreadful thought about Sakura not liking him anymore. Or even worse, hating him. He remembered he should be thinking about hers and the child's safety. There was still a war going on all around them. The same war took his brother's life. His mind went all black. He thought of how much easier it would've been if all three would just die, this same moment. There would be no pain, no doubt, no worry left to them. He even thought of how terrible it would be for them to actually allow this innocent baby to be born into this ugly and bloody world. He soon sank deep into his dark thoughts and his body naturally went to sleep, desperately searching for the energy it lost in the past days.

When he opened his eyes he felt someone's hand on his head. He turned his head up and saw two beautiful emeralds starring straight into him. He widened his eyes. Her face was sickly white and traced with worries, but her sweet lips formed something he haven't seen for a while. She was softly smiling at him, caressing his head. Her little fingers played with his locks.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered and he saw a small tear appearing in her eye.

He stood up and embraced her tightly.

"I'm sorry…" she sobbed into his chests.

"No, no, love. I am sorry, love. I couldn't do anything for you. I am sorry. I was…I am so helpless. I…"

"Sasuke, I…" she sobbed even harder, her whole body shaking.

He tightened his grip on her, completely confused now. He even played with a thought this whole scene being just a dream. Petit woman was still crying in his arms and he remembered an old saying, his grandmother once told him.

"When a woman cries, a man loses a piece of his heart." an old Lady was saying.

"Sakura…" he managed to whisper.

Sakura was deaf for his words, crying and shaking in his strong hands.

He could not tell for how long they stood there.

When she cried her heart out she collapsed in his hands as all of her strength left that tinny body of hers.

He carried her back to the bed covering her with an old blanket.

"You can rest now, love. And when you wake up I'll be there for you."

He felt a sleep a moment later, holding her hand in his.

When he woke up she was not in her bed. He panicked.

"Sakura! Love, where are you!? Sakura…"

She entered a room, holding a small tray in her hands.

"Sasuke, I made you a breakfast. I didn't find your favourite. I didn't even find enough food. I don't…I mean, I made you an egg and boiled some milk. It didn't look fresh, but it hasn't went bad, yet…or so I think. Sasuke, I…I think, I mean…I, Sasuke…"

He stood up, took a tray from her hands and put it on the small table.

"Sweetheart. Thank you. I love you."

He kissed her forehead. She smiled at him. But when his hands started to travel on her back she twitched a little.

He backed off and she held his hand.

"I…I am so sorry Sasuke…I love you. But…please, can you give me some more time…I mean, I…Sasuke, I really do love you…"

"I know you do, love. And I'll give you all the time you'll need. Let us eat. You need to eat more than me."

He led her to the bed and looked her in the eyes.

"How do you feel?"

"I…" her voice cracked and tears came falling down her cheek once more.

She desperately wanted them to stop falling and wanted to smile at him.

"But I love you so much, Sasuke…"

"I know. I love you too. Now, can you eat? Please, let us share this lovely breakfast you made for me."

She managed to smile and nodded. Her tears were dry now.

"Can I…touch the belly?" he asked quietly.

"Yes…"

His hand went to her stomach and gently touched it.

"He is getting bigger with every day…"

"I think he will be as strong as his father is." she smiled.

"Did Itachi…"

Her smile disappeared and he bit his tongue.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's alright, Sasuke. I told him. Well, I said to him I was with child. I think he knew the child was yours. But he pretended. He pretended to be the child's father. Pretended to be really happy about it. He may have been happy, but…I don't know…This is how I felt…"

"Hnnn…"

"Don't, Sasuke…he was your brother. He was my husband. He…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"Lucianus."

"What?"

"Lucianus. He wanted this baby to be named Lucianus. I intend to give him this name, Sasuke. I know this is your child, but please, understand. Will you understand? Will you try? I love you, Sasuke. But please, will you love this child? Will you love him, even if he bears a name a true father did not pick? Please, Sasuke…"

"Love, like I told you before. I will love you forever and on. I will love and protect this child. My child. Our child."

There was a moment of silence between them.

She took his hand in hers and placed a kiss on it.

"Lucianus. It is a wonderful name." he whispered.

When she felt asleep again, Sasuke steeped out on a street.

"Hey, boy! Yes,you. Come over here."

A little boy of twelve came to Sasuke. He was too small for his age, his clothes or what was left of them were all in mud. His hair was longer than a boy's should've been. His tinny hands were full of scratches and he was barefooted. Shoes were a real fortune in these days.

"Boy. Do you want to earn a krone?" he asked.

"A whole krone?

"Yes, a whole one." he opened his hand and winked to a boy. A bright coin has shown in his hand. Boy's eyes widened. He nodded eagerly.

"You will get two if you do as I say."

"Now listen carefully. At the end of the village there's a tavern. The only one left in this village. Do you know where?"

Boy nodded again.

"You will go there at the end of the day. You will ask the owner to take you to a man named Luw. Make sure no one else will hear you. Tell the owner and Luw you were sent by Sas. You will tell Luw that Sas will wait for him at the cemetery, at tomorrow's sunset. Did you understand? If you do as I told you, Luw will give you another krone. Now run, boy."

He placed a coin in boy's hand and boy ran as fast as he could.

Sasuke threw one last look at the running boy's back and returned to the small house.