Day 23

Heart

Hinata clutched Naruto's hand tightly when the nurse put the gel on her bulging belly.

"It's a bit warm, okay?" Her soft reassurance did nothing to soothe her erratic heartbeat. She didn't know if she was nervous or excited to see and hear her baby for the first time.

The nurse placed the transducer probe on her belly and Hinata jolted from the sudden contact. The nurse just smiled—use to this behavior from new mothers—and moved the probe around. On the screen, the image was a bit blurry and Hinata couldn't see or hear her child.

"Aha! There it sees."

And there it was. On the screen was her first baby. A sudden sound of a beating hurt resounded in the room. It was quick but soothing.

"This is normal. The baby's heart usually sounds this fast. Did you bring a DVD?"

Hinata was astounded for a moment and couldn't respond to the nurse. Her child—created by the love between Naruto and herself—had a beating hurt. It was alive and in her womb and she couldn't believe it. She was seeing her child! She was hearing her child!

She turned to look at her husband with a wide smile but stopped. A few tears rolled down her cheeks when she took in his image.

He was crying.

The room shook with a heavy groan and she screamed when the plates came crashing down. She lost her balance and fell but quickly got back up when she heard Boruto cry. She ran into the nursery and scooped up her baby, protecting him with her fragile arms. The shaking didn't stop and she started to cry, screaming out Naruto's name that was currently in work. The front door opened and Naruto grabbed onto the doorframe as the shaking never ceased. He saw Hinata hugging Boruto close to her chest and she looked so vulnerable and scared. He immediately reached their side and gathered them into his arms. He pushed them to a wall and protected them with his body. Debris fell from the ceiling but he was least worried about that. The earthquake didn't stop in what felt like hours but was really two minutes.

The walls stopped swaying and the movement underneath their foot stood to a still, deathly silence. A few more objects fell but Naruto still kept his arms around his family. After a few minutes of no movement and the ringing in her ears stopped, she shushed her baby who was crying furiously, his face red. She kissed him shakily and sobbed into his little chest. What if Naruto didn't come in time? What if he was at work and something happened—

She stopped there. He was here, alive and breathing, and that's what matters. He kept a hand on her shoulder and glanced around. His eyes were alert and his body tense. Ever so slowly, he kneeled in front of her and kissed her with such a fever that she couldn't respond to the sudden action. He wiped away her tears and only then did she realize his body shaking.

"I could have lost you…I could have…" He stopped and clutched them closer, Boruto sleeping soundlessly due to his crying. Naruto placed his head on her bosom and listened to the erratic heartbeat of his wife. In any other time, Hinata would have blushed from the intimate contact. But now, after such disaster, she understood what he was trying to do. He was reassuring himself that she was still here and he was thanking whatever deity that nothing happened to his family. If she could have, she would have placed her head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. But for now she brought him closer, crying with him in relief and hearing the distant sounds of an ambulance.

She didn't know what he was trying to do but her body was flushed from his intimate contact. His fingers dragged themselves almost lazily across the slope of her hip to a much lower, private area. His head was on her chest, listening to her heart.

"W-What are you doing?"

"I like that with a simple touch, I make your heart go crazy." To prove his point, he dug his fingers deep within her and she gasped, her body arching and her heart picking up its pace.

"I told ya so."

Hinata stopped washing the dishes when the front door opened. Naruto walked in looking more dead than alive and she giggled when he lazily took off his shoes and toss his suitcase on the couch. He dragged himself to where Hinata was and she welcomed him with open arms and a wide smile.

"How was work today, architect?" she asked playfully, kissing his chin.

He was hunched over—she was small after all—and he groaned. He buried his head on her neck and breathed in her scent. "I had to deal with this grouchy, old man who thought he was better than me and decided to order me around." He surrounded to the kisses his wife gave him all over his face but he still pouted. "Sometimes I hate my job."

"Yes, well, I'll warm up dinner for you and while I do that, you go along and take a shower." She smiled when she felt him shake his head.

"Too tired," he mumbled before she felt a smile against her neck. "Do you want to help me?" The whispered suggestion made her shiver and his arms encircled around her waist, bringing her closer.

"I-I thought you were tired?" She still gets a bit shy when he initiates the sex.

"I always have energy for you." He kissed her cheek and oh so slowly made his way to her lips. She closed her eyes and surrounded to the feelings she was getting throughout her body. He picked her up and led her to the bathroom.

"B-Boruto," she whispered, trying to prevent what was to come.

"I bet you he's asleep. We can practice being quiet." He smiled and kissed her nose when she turned cheery red.

She couldn't really argue with her husband, he always had this charm about him ever since she bumped into him in Disneyland. He was just so goofy looking with a Mickey Mouse hat and a shirt saying "I'm a pirate!" He was alone, as well as she, and she was in line for Space Mountain. He casually started making conversation with her and she couldn't help but join every once in a while. His bright, yellow hair and exotic blue eyes always caught her attention throughout their conversation and she constantly found herself just drawn to his eyes. When they finished the ride, he boldly asked if she was alone. She knew in this moment that if she said no, she might miss out in an opportunity she'll never get again. Maybe she'll gain a friend today. Later on, she thanks her past self for saying yes.

After their little adventure in the bathroom—they weren't quiet at all—she found herself in their bed after joining him for dinner. He had his head on her chest and every breath she took, his head moved along with the rise and fall. She played with his short, yellow hair and once in a while, daringly ran her hands over his back or arms. He'll hum in appreciation and snuggle closer to her.

"I always loved your eyes."

She grew up hearing people call her eyes odd, weird, plain, or ugly. Her dark, indigo locks were usually a topic to tease as well as her pale skin and lavender eyes. She came to believe that she was just an average woman with not so pretty eyes and disgustingly pale skin. But when Naruto became her boyfriend, he always showered her with compliments about every little thing. She soaked them all in and was always caught off guard even till this day. Who would have thought that someone would actually like the features she hated the most?

"T-Thank you." She blushed. "I love your eyes more. They're so blue. I'm happy Boruto got your eyes."

"It's a bit common," he responded, kissing her breast. "Lavender eyes are really unique and I find them more attractive. Though, I never thought I'll come to love such a color…" She giggled and continued playing with his hair while he listened to her breathing and heartbeat.

This was comfortable, she thought while closing her eyes.

When she found out that they were going to have a second child, she was more hesitant to approach Naruto about it than with her first child. He was at the top of his career right now and lately has been called to meetings that would be miles away from their home. It was becoming a rare sight to see him home nowadays. She did indeed miss him but she couldn't find it in her heart to tell him that he was needed in home. He looks so happy every time a new customer ringed him up and his smiles were the fuel to her life. She couldn't take that away. She touched her stomach and nervously twiddled her thumbs when she sat beside her husband in the couch. He immediately put his arms around her and brought her closer. Boruto was asleep on his lap, his three year old body curling into his father's stomach for more warmth. Hinata sighed, conflicted with herself. She was never good in doing decisions.

"What's wrong?" asked Naruto, his eyes trained on her instead of the television. He started playing with a strand of her hair and she was locked in a daze when his blue eyes looked at her.

"I…" Her mouth got dry and she closed her eyes tightly. "I'm pregnant!" The only thing heard was the sound of the television. She opened one eye and then the other. Naruto was staring at her agape, his eyes wide. His cheeks burned with a bright color and he sat frozen.

"I'm going to be a father…" he began to say before smiling widely. "I'm going to be a father!" He picked up Boruto who was startled awake. The little Uzumaki closed his eyes when his father began to jump around with him in his arms. Naruto kissed Hinata and brought her closer. "I'm so happy!"

She sighed out of relief but it was replaced with worry in an instant. "But your work?"

"What about it?" Naruto answered mindlessly, jumping a sleepy Boruto who was starting to get annoyed. "Hey, buddy, you're going to be a big brother!"

"Let me sleep…"

"Someone is in a bad mood," he said with pursued lips before kissing his son.

"Naruto, I'm serious. W-What about your job? You'll have less time to be an architect once we have a second child a-and the career you always wanted would have to wait for a while. Doesn't it b-bother you?" Her eyes looked glassy but Naruto cupped her chin, making her look up. He brought her closer with one arm while the other carried a sleeping Boruto.

"It is true that I always wanted to be an architect but you are wrong when you said that my career was the only thing I wanted." He kissed her nose but she furrowed her brows. "You're the thing I always wanted," he whispered against her lips. "All of this," he gestured around him, "was all I ever wanted. A job isn't going to hold me back in achieving the dream I always dreamt of. A family."

She was crying now and she buried her head on his chest, listening to the soothing heart that provides life to her husband.

"Flash flood warnings are being announced all across the county as well as upcoming storms. As you can see here, a storm is coming our way so we suggest you don't go outside during that time. In other news—"

"Naruto, can you turn that off? I'm trying to hear for that god awful rat." She was tired and heavy—eight months pregnant, again—but her instinct to clean the house before her child arrives was kicking in already. She already polished the kitchen clean, vacuumed the living room, washed the clothes, cleaned the windows with bleach, disinfected the restroom, and bought groceries. Of course, her husband helped who was constantly behind her during her pregnancy. Her second child was exactly like Boruto when he was in her womb. Her child moved constantly and always dug their feet on her pelvis, making her catch her breath.

Naruto turned off the television and was by her side the next second. "You shouldn't be doing that. I should." He grabbed the broom she was holding and shushed her out of the kitchen. She wobbly made her way into the living room and sat down slowly on the couch.

"B-But you're afraid of rats," she called from her place, hearing her husband scurry around the kitchen.

"Yeah, you're right. But you're pregnant and I have to be a man for once in my life."

She laughed loudly at that and relaxed against the couch. Her feet were throbbing and her body ached to sleep but her mind refused to. She was so buzz for the coming of her second child and she was due in any moment now. She touched her bulging belly and tenderly caressed it. "You're coming home soon, my child."

"Mom, how's my brother or sister?" Boruto came up to her and touched her belly, awe shining in his blue eyes.

"He or she is doing well."

Thunder broke through the silence and Boruto jumped from beside her, scooting closer to his mother. He clutched her sleeve and Hinata wrapped an arm around him, letting him bury his head against her shoulder.

"N-Naruto, are you okay in there?"

"Y-Yeah! Just trying to find that damn…AH! I found it and it's coming my WAY! Gah! Oh god, I actually got it. Hinata, I'm going to go throw this…thing away then I'll disinfect here so don't worry about it." She heard the back door open and she closed her eyes, enjoying the silence and the warmth provided by her son. Her body relaxed and she sighed.

Another thunder broke through and Boruto snuggled even closer to his mother. Suddenly rain started pouring down and Hinata found the sound soothing.

"It just started raining cats and dogs out there, honey! I'm so wet…that's what she said." Even at twenty six, he was still that goofy, immature young adult she met and fell in love with.

Several hours passed with little to no activity except cuddling with each other on the couch. The rain never ceased, instead, it seemed to drag longer and pour harder. Naruto surf the television channels while Boruto slept beside Hinata, his head on her shoulder. She kept touching her belly, a small, lazy smile on her face. Suddenly, she cringed and touched her belly in concern. A contraction broke through and she gasped. She sat up immediately, startling Boruto awake, and was breathing heavily.

"Hinata, what's wrong? What's hurting? Hey, breathe. Breathe in and out. Okay, what's wrong?" Naruto's blue eyes were the only thing she saw while she heard the beating of her heart in her ears. She screamed when her baby moved and she started crying when another contraction broke through. Boruto started crying when he saw his mom doubled over in pain and he was holding Naruto's hand in a tight grip.

Naruto, more scared than confused, told his son to stay in his room and "his hero will save the day." Their little own personal saying calmed him down and he accepted the request with a nod. Acting quickly, Naruto phoned Sakura while laying Hinata down on the couch. He grabbed her hand and started breathing with her, anything to calm her down.

"Hello?"

"Sakura! Oh, thank god. Do you think you can make it over here?"

"Naruto, are you crazy?! The weather is horrible outside and it's dangerous for me to go out there! What happened? Oh my god, don't tell me it's—"

"Yeah, it is," interrupted Naruto, his eyes taking in his wife's sweaty face.

"Curse." Ever since she married Sasuke, she always tried to control her over use of inappropriate words. The sound of rain filled the room as well as Hinata's occasional whimpers.

"Please," cried out Naruto. "I don't know what to do. I can't take her to the hospital because it's too dangerous and you only live a few blocks away. Please, I need you to do this for me." He nearly cried.

There was a silence from the other end before Sakura responded again. "I'll be right over." And she hung up.

He sighed and put the phone beside him, now using both hands to hold onto his wife. "It's okay, sweetie, help is on the way." He pushed a few strands of sweaty hair back and he kissed her trembling lips. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay."

Sakura came a few minutes later, a drenched Sasuke besides her carrying their only child, Sarada, who was fast asleep in her father's arms.

"Where is she?" Sakura asked, taking off her coat and handing it to Sasuke.

"On the couch. What do I—"

"Take her to the master bedroom. I'll gather the equipment I'll need. Hey," she gripped Naruto's arm, "everything's okay, alright?"

He grew up alongside Sakura and Sasuke. Hearing her—a qualified doctor who was renowned for her research of cancer and autism—speak with such confidence and determination bounced Naruto right back up.

"Alright." He carried his wife into his room, ignoring the kiss Sasuke and Sakura shared, before leaving his wife in his friend's hands.

Naruto joined Sasuke on the couch. It was bit awkward to see the Uchiha hug his child so close with such a tender look. He was always a bastard and a coldhearted person ever since he could remember but the moment Sarada was born, Sasuke became a father figure like no other.

"Everything is going to be alright," said Sasuke when Hinata began to scream.

Naruto covered his ears with his hands and rocked back and forth. The sound of a door opening startled him and he saw his son running towards him crying.

"W-What's going on?"

"Mommy's just scared of thunder, little buddy."

"S-She's scared like me?" His blue eyes looked so innocent.

"Y-Yeah. Now go to sleep. I promise mom would get better."

Boruto nodded tearfully and snuggled closer to his father.

A few hours had pass and Sakura has yet to emerge from their room. Naruto brought Boruto closer and ignored the sounds of thunder right outside. His door from his room opened and he stood up with a sleeping Boruto in his arms.

Sakura wiped some tears away before giving him a blinding smile. "Come and cut the umbilical cord and meet your daughter."

Hinata was leaning against Naruto's chest. In her arms was the newest addition to the Uzumaki family, Himawari. The baby snuggled closer to her mother's bosom and Hinata caressed her soft cheek. Her eyes followed Boruto's every movement as he played around the playground, her motherly instincts screaming at her to go over there and watch him closer. But she knew that in order for her children to grow, they had to learn to get up after they fall. Naruto brought her closer and kissed her neck, sighing into her ear.

"Thank you."

"For what?" she asked, turning around to see her husband.

Their noses brushed and she blushed. He chuckled at that and kissed her lips. "For giving me the family I always wanted and the love I always craved for." It was a bit corny but she loved every word of it.

"You don't have to thank me. I should be thanking you for choosing me." Her eyes burned with tears. Things like these always got her emotional.

"Maybe its best we don't argue about this. I feel like we could argue about this topic for the rest of our lives." It was true, she thought. "I love you very much." He kissed the shell of her ear and she kissed his lips, a bold move for her.

"I love you too, Naruto. I love you too."

In that moment, her heart cried out in pure joy and happiness.

Was this what genuine happiness feels like?