Chapter Thirty-Seven

This couldn't be happening. No, I refused to believe it. The nurse had said nothing else before she started leading us down the hallway, and Naruto and I stalked her closely, attempting not to push her to move faster. Our hands were clamped together, never able to leave one another. His hand was my only comfort at this moment of sorrow and tragedy.

If Sasuke was asking for us, something had happened. I feared that it was Sakura, because the nurse said that it was just Sasuke who was asking for us, not Sasuke and Sakura. What if neither Sakura nor Senri had made it? My heart plummeted into my stomach and a large, solid lump filled in the center of my throat. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stop the tears from coming.

You weren't supposed to die! I cried, and I heard sniffing that was not my own. My eyes snaked to my left side, and I saw the glimmering tears that washed down Naruto's cheeks. So it wasn't just me who was putting the pieces of this despicable puzzle together. He, too, could sense that something was gravely the matter.

I squeezed his hand with everything I had, and I could feel as both of our hands quivered in unison. We were in this together, no matter what. No matter what sort of grief struck our physical and emotional beings, we had to hang on to one another with whole hearts. We had to stitch our wounds together. If we couldn't, then there was no hope for us being able to heal Sasuke in his time of dying.

Sasuke...he was going to be so crushed. I didn't know how I was supposed to make it better, because I knew that nothing I could say or do would ever bring back the people he lost. His life would be forever changed, and he willl never go back to being the Sasuke that he was before Senri, and before Sakura. He was going to be changed, most likely for the worse.

The nurse could not seem to move fast enough in front of us, and I was growing very impatient. I needed to know the truth. I had to know what happened to my best friends and their unborn son.

Senri; I feared that he hadn't had a chance at life. The odds of him making it out of this mess alive were very slim, and I knew and understood that. Despite the fact that I prayed for his health and safety, I was aware, now, that the odds of saving him were slim at best. It seems as though he never got to meet his parents, never got to meet his grandparents, didn't get to meet his "Aunt" Hinata. He'll never learn how to tie his shoes, or study the alphabet. He'll never make his first friend, or graduate from elementary school. He will never meet and fall in love with a woman.

Senri will never get a chance to see the beautiful world that we live in...

The nurse that had been leading us through the hallway stopped in front of a closed door, and she turned around to face us. She could see every tear that we cried, and could most likely notice how snuggly our hands clung to one another. Our arms trembled as the muscles clenched tighter and tighter.

Her hand moved to the handle on the door, and she shoved it down. We heard a slight click as the door released itself from the wall that it was placed inside. Immediately, my heart stopped. My ears perceived the sounds of sniffing, which triggered my own tears.

Stakes impaled me through my unbeating heart and the pain ripped through my entire body as splinters of sting coursed through my veins. I couldn't take the affliction that invaded my core, and I almost felt the need to run in the other direction. I knew that if I had to relay Sakura's message to Sasuke, I would choke up. I knew that he would cry, and his tears would cause my own eyes to pour out the salty streams.

When the door was no longer blocking my field of vision, I saw Sasuke's back to me, and he was facing Sakura, who was on her hip. There were two separate sobs, which meant that Sakura was still alive. But they were crying; that had to mean that Senri had not made it out alive.

"Sasuke?" Naruto sniffed, letting him know that we were here for the both of them. At the call of his name, our raven-haired friend turned around to face us, and we saw the countenances of both of our dear friends. Their tears didn't match the overwhelming joy that was casted upon their faces, and when Sasuke moved out of the way, we saw exactly what had caused their agonizing contentment.

Laying next to Sakura on the hospital bed was a tiny little baby, swaddled up in a plush, blue blanket. He had a full head of charcoal hair that was matted around his little face. His cheeks were pudgy, but his body was so tiny. He was sound asleep in between his parents, who wept with thanks to the heavens for saving their baby. I could definitely see so much of Sasuke in him, but it looked as if he had Sakura's chin.

He was so beautiful...

"Naruto, Hinata," Sasuke said, standing up and wiping his eyes with the pad of his thumb, but the tears continued to come. "Meet Senri Uchiha." Naruto and I gasped at how angelic and innocent the little baby was. He had defied his fate of death, and he lays here now before us, in body, ready to live his life. "Do you want to hold him?" he asked, and both Naruto and I nodded, unable to form words with our lips. We were stunned at how our constant hoping and praying had payed off.

Sasuke bent down to retrieve his son, caressing him cautiously behind the head and under the backside. I could tell that he was very protective of his child, and he radiated paternal love for Senri. My arms were outstretched, and Sasuke moved so close to me, his chest almost touching mine. He placed Senri in my arms, and I supported his head with the crease of my right elbow. Though it hurt, I strained my fingers to elongate and cradle his backside, which was chunky with a diaper that was too big for him.

Senri, despite being a month premature, was big. Not as big as a typical newborn child, born at the expected date, but far bigger than I would have expected him to be. That was a good thing. I could only hope that all of his organs had finished developing.

His little forehead creased, and I knew that if his eyebrows had completely grown out, they would have furrowed. He had been disturbed from his mother's side, and he was well aware of that. His petite eyelashes fluttered, and, in fear that he was going to start crying, I rocked him back and forth gently.

I gasped in awe at how pulchritudinous he had turned out to be; as if there was any doubt. "Hi, Senri," I cooed at him lightly, trying desperately not to disrupt his dreams even more. I wanted him to remain calm, and simply continue sleeping in my arms. I couldn't help but to smile down at him, and Naruto came to stand in front of me, holding my left hip against his right. With his left hand, he gingerly stroked Senri's cheeks, captivated by the beautiful baby before him. I turned my eyes to Sasuke and Sakura quickly and smiled at them. "He's beautiful, guys," I said, and they grinned, still wiping away their tears. "You two did a great job."

"Let's just hope he doesn't grow up to be too much like his father," Naruto chuckled softly, taking a peek at his best friend's reaction.

"It's true," Sasuke admitted, shoving his hands in his dress pants' pockets and shrugging. "I don't want him to be like me." I watched as his gaze shifted to the life he had created. There was such a protective look in his eye, as if he would do anything for this child. He would stand in front of bullets, confront the biggest foes, charge straight into a burning building...all for this infant. It was a beautiful thing, actually; the bond between parent and child. Deep down, I wonder if Senri could understand the idea that Sasuke would never let anything hurt him.

Naruto and I held him close, our eyes falling gently upon Senri's sleeping face. There was a warmth radiating through our bodies; the warmth of success, the warmth of hope, the undying warmth of love that burned like tens of thousands of splendid suns. Despite the fact that this was not our child, I could sense that we cherished him so greatly, and we would be some of his extended family. It almost made me sad that I didn't have money like Sasuke did; I would spoil this kid to death. But, that doesn't mean I can't give him enough tender love and care to last him a lifetime.

I glanced up at Naruto, whose eyes flickered towards me the moment he felt my eyes upon him. We smiled sweetly at each other, and he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine passionately. It was short, but his message was clear.

"I love you, so much, Hinata," he murmured at me, and touched his forehead to mine as we both allowed our eyes to fall onto the beautiful baby in my arms, who slept soundly, his little hands twitching at times. I wonder what he was dreaming about. Perhaps he was feeling the heat of his mother, hearing the sound of her sweet voice. There was no doubt that his father would be there, too, watching over mother and child.

"I'm so glad I could save him," Sakura murmured before allowing her eyelids to flutter shut, and I grew afraid for her health. Her struggle wasn't over yet; she had already lost a lot of blood over the past three weeks, and I'm sure sacrificed plenty more today during the birth of her child.

"Sakura?" I said, my voice cracking and trembling, and I knew that the two boys in the room could hear my fear; they both turned around to face her.

"It's okay," she reassured me, her eyes never coming open as she said so. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just really tired."

"They're measuring her pulse," Sasuke told me. "They'll know if something happens."

I nodded once, letting my eyes drift back down to Senri, who cuddled himself in my arms in acceptance. With the fingers of my unbroken hand, I touched his chin so feather-lightly. His skin was so soft, and he was so fragile under my tender touch.

"Sakura and I had been talking about it for a while now," Sasuke said, and both Naruto and I gave him our full attention, or at least tried; it proved very, very difficult to keep our eyes off of the gift of life. "We want you two to be Senri's godparents."

I blinked, stunned at the offer, but my mouth moved before my mind could wrap itself around the concept that he was proposing.

"I would be honored," my lips blurted out against my will, not that I would have come to a different decision had I had given myself time to think about it. By my agreeing to this, I would receive custody of this child, if something terrible and untimely happened to his parents. While I would never want anything like that to happen, I was going to give Senri a place to come to.

I knew what it was like, firsthand. I was left alone and without a guardian. When my parents were killed, sure, I was almost eighteen, however there was no way that I would have been able to survive, had it not been for Tenten. I mean, they shut of my electric, and I was practically out of food. If my parents would have given me someone else to rely on, I would have never had to worry about whether or not I was going to eat or not. Of course, my aunt and uncle were my godparents, and mine were Neji's. Unfortunately, they both left us, and we had each other. We are family.

"I'll do it, too," Naruto said, and moved out of the way so Sasuke could come and retrieve his infant son. Even gentler than when he had put Senri in my arms, Sasuke placed tender hands under his son's body, holding him in exactly the right places, and lifted him out of my grasp. It was almost sad to see him go, but I knew that I would be seeing him again very soon.

"Thanks, guys. You two have no idea how much you've done for our family." Sasuke almost fell to his knees and grovel at our feet. "When we told you what was happening, you dropped everything. I wouldn't have expected that from Kiba or Ino, so that's why I didn't tell them. When I had time to think about it, I felt that the two of you would be the most supportive, and I could never thank you enough."

"We're friends," I told him, and Naruto re-laced his fingers with mine, holding my hand so tightly, yet so tenderly. "That's what friends do."

"Still," he gazed down at his beautiful son, "I could never even begin to thank you enough."

"That's okay. You can always pay us back in food," Naruto chuckled, and Sasuke returned a grin.

"I'll keep that in mind." He lightly bounced Senri as he started whining a bit, trying to keep the baby happy. "Can you send in my parents?" he asked, and I nodded at him as Naruto and I turned to leave the room, being as quiet as possible so we didn't wake Senri or Sakura.

We retraced our steps back down the hallway in each other's hands, much calmer than we had been when we were going the opposing way. Everything was okay now; Senri and Sakura were alive, and Sasuke didn't have to cope with any loss. This made me so happy, and I moved closer to Naruto, shining a beam up at him. The length of the hall didn't seem as long, now that we were not suffering and in distress, and we made it back into the lobby, where the four families stood up quickly at the sound of us coming near.

They could tell by the relaxed countenances on our faces that everything was okay, and there was an overly large sigh of relief from every mouth that awaited our response. I gave the people that were gathered in the waiting room a comforting smile.

"Mikuto, Fugaku," I called out Sasuke's parents, as he had requested of me. They came forward, leaving Itachi behind. Their hands were locked together as they had been praying for the safety of the baby. "Sasuke told me to send you two in."

Fugaku nodded in understanding, and he and his wife started down the hallway without another word. My eyes flickered to Misaki and Aoi, who were still trembling as they feared for their daughter's life.

"She's okay," I told them, giving them a sort of hope that they definitely needed. Both of their faces relaxed tenfold, and their muscles quit quivering. The tension had definitely taken a toll on their physical bodies and their psychological minds. I could tell. I then turned my attention to Neji and Tenten, who had returned to their seats, definitely much calmer now that they knew that everything was okay. "Naruto and I are going to head home."

"Oh," Neji said. "We were going to go out for dinner. Aren't you two going?"

"No, I'm not that hungry right now." I turned my attention to Naruto. "What about you?" His eyes flickered to the ceiling as he thought about the question, tapping into the thoughts of his stomach. His mouth stretched to the left as he debated how hungry he was feeling.

"Nah, I think I'm good for now."

"Okay," Neji said, standing back up with Tenten, Minato, and Kushina. "Well the four of us are still going to go out. We're starving."

"Okay, we'll see you back at the house," I said to them and began walking off with Naruto when Itachi called out to us.

"I can give you two a ride," he offered. "I drove myself here, so it's not like my parents would be left without a ride." I nodded once, squeezing Naruto's hand to let him know that it was okay; I loved him and there was no way that I was going to abandon him for Itachi, or for any other man, for that matter. Naruto and I started walking down the hall, leading to the main lobby of the hospital. Itachi quickly caught up to us, tugging his keys out of his pants' pocket.

Once we entered Tenten's apartment, I flicked on the light and glanced around the room, seeing everything with brand new eyes. Everything seemed more vibrant, now that I had witnessed the miracle of new life. Senri was safe and in the world, in the protective arms of his parents. Naruto wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck forcefully but tenderly.

"You were so beautiful when you were holding Senri," he murmured in my ear, sending a tickle and a chill down my spine. Without moving a millimeter further away from Naruto's body, I turned myself around and pressed my lips to his in a heated passion. Our tongues danced in one another's mouths, and we took in the beauty of each other. I loved him so much, and I was willing to give anything for him.

I broke our kiss, but I didn't retreat. Instead, oh so softly, I murmured his name. He turned his attention to me by placing his forehead on mine. "I'm ready."

This made him move back a few inches, just enough so that he could look into my eyes and see if I was telling the truth. I was, with all my heart, I knew that I was ready to share the greatest gift that I could with Naruto. I wanted him to take me.

"Hinata...are you sure?" his voice was so low, it was almost a whisper. I allowed my eyelashes to flutter closed and I caressed his lips in mine, silently telling him that I loved him more than anything in the entire world, and that I wanted to embrace in the most intimate way possible. I wanted him. I didn't want to share this with anybody else. He was precious to me. He was the thing in my life that kept me waking up in the morning, day after day.

"I've never been more sure about anything," I assured him, and he complied. We allowed our lips to embrace once again, and he grabbed the back of my thighs, lifting me up off of the ground. I wasn't afraid of falling; I trusted Naruto. Wrapping my thighs around his waist, I allowed him to carry me across the apartment and to the hallway, where we made our way into my bedroom. I don't know how he did it, but without moving a single hand off of my body, he was able to open my bedroom door and shut it too.

Naruto laid me down on my bed, my back pressing down on the mattress. He moved away from me, reaching backwards to switch the lock on my door, so that we would not be disturbed. Then, I watched, practically drooling, as he slid his jacket off and began unbuttoning his black undershirt. My eyes scanned the contours of his chest as he worked his way down the tedious buttons of the dress shirt.

I glanced at my wristlet, which was laying on top of my small mountain of pillows at my headboard. Reaching over to grab it, I quickly unzipped it and yanked over the square package that had been in there since the beginning of December. Those condoms that had caused me so much stress and heartache were now going to become useful to me; to us.

Naruto placed his knee on the bed and leaned in to catch my lips in a stolen kiss, and I all but melted in his hands. He reached behind me and grasped the zipper at my back - the only thing holding my dress to my body. Gradually, he pinched it in between his fingertips and let it slither down my back, loosening my clothes. As the only thing covering my breasts fell around my hips, I was almost completely exposed to my dear love.

"I love you," I whispered to Naruto, who stroked my bare hips. I wiggled myself out of my dress, allowing it to fall to the floor at our feet. Bravely, I allowed my hands to move to Naruto's pants, unbuttoning them slowly and removing them from his hips. When my arms couldn't reach any further, he finished the job, kicking them from around his ankles. We were exposed to one another, the only thing preventing our being completely naked was our underwear. I had a feeling that they wouldn't last too much longer.

"You're so beautiful," Naruto murmured, his teeth nibbling on my bottom lip as his hand brushed in between my hips, toying with my cotton boyshorts. We laid down together, me on my back, he on his side, and we continued kissing, letting our tongues tango. Naruto's hand peeled back my far-from-sexy lingerie, just in the front, and his fingers glided down my skin, exploring every part of me. I drew in a breath as this new sensation filled my body, and the air caught in my lungs. Naruto's fingers were a little cold as he began touching me intimately, but not moving to anything too hastily. Rather, he allowed himself to explore every curve of my body, and observing my reactions to everything.

Using both of my hands - cast and all - I pulled Naruto down on top of me, feeling myself becoming more and more aroused with each touch and every kiss. His body, too, was reacting the the sensual atmosphere, and ended up jabbing me in the thigh. I didn't care; we were both new at this, and to be honest, the only thing I cared about was sharing this gift with him.

I began sliding Naruto's boxers down away from his hips, exposing his full and hardened member. At the same time, he slipped his hand out of my undergarment and locked his thumbs at the top, pushing them down to my thighs. When they reached my knees, I kicked them off, not caring where they went.

Naruto and I moved to our knees on the surface of the mattress, repositioning ourselves to fit the length of the bed. He layed me down gently, letting my head float atop of my pillows. With a single hand, he caressed one of my breasts, stroking it gently, but keeping clear of their centers. Never once, though, did his lips ever leave mine. My room began to grow steamy as our breathing became heavier, as our kisses and bodies grew more intense.

Sensations flowed through my body like a river, which grew so much more excited with every moment that passed. Naruto's fingertips flowed from my chest, down the center of my abdomen, and moved back down south. He touched me like nobody had ever done before, moving his finger inside of my body. I almost felt the need to squirm, because it felt completely unnatural to me. Just as quickly as his fingers had penetrated me, they exited, leaving me hanging.

Instead, he reached over me to the nightstand, where the lonely condom sat in the darkness. I didn't watch what he did with it, because I trusted him. Instead, I continued to focus on these feelings that were foreign to me. My eyes examined his beautiful body as he moved onto his knees, hovering over me protectively.

"Are you ready?" he asked me, not wanting to do anything if I found myself not ready to proceed in these amorous activities.

I took in a deep breath. "Yes." I nodded, and allowed my arms to fall to the sheets. Naruto repositioned himself, putting his entire body between my legs. I didn't keep my eyes on him, because I didn't want to put too much pressure on him. Instead, my eyes closed, and I let my tactile sense take over. I felt him grasp both of my thighs and press them upwards towards my chest. Then, there was a sharp pain that caused me to suck in a deep breath. Oh, it hurt so badly, and I bit my lip so tightly, but I wanted this to happen, so I didn't demand his waylaid.

Naruto moved his lips to my mouth, drawing a kiss out of me as he interlaced his fingers with mine. All too quickly, it started, and it made my head spin. This was actually happening...we were having sex.

So many emotions that I never knew existed began flooding my body, becoming more intense with every second. Our bodies moved together in such a harmonious synchronization, it was as if we were meant to be together like this. Thrust after thrust, kiss after kiss, moan after sweet moan, Naruto and I held tight to one another. The pain was still there, and the unusual feeling of him filling me was definitely present, but I figured that both of those things would go away over time.

In complete honesty, there is nobody else on this planet that I would rather have shared my first time with, and I hoped that I would never experience this bittersweet bliss with anybody else.

Naruto was so gentle, treating my whole body as if it were something that could break easily, as if I would shatter in the palm of his hand.

I let out a cry that had been building up in the pit of my stomach, and my breathing after that was completely staggered. I felt as though I couldn't seem to catch my breath. However, stopping in the heat of this passion wasn't an option. A melodious moan escaped Naruto's throat, and his eyes squeezed shut. My thighs clenched his body so tightly, I didn't know how he was still able to move his hips.

I wasn't sure how long we went on gasping for air together before he finally allowed himself to finish. To be honest, I was a little disappointed that I didn't experience any of the earth-shattering orgasms that Sakura always talked about. However, both of us were doing this for the very first time, and all of our wants definitely wouldn't be fulfilled on the very first try. Despite that, though, it was perfect. Naruto and me; we were perfect. He couldn't have made me any more happier. We were just going to have to practice more.

Right after Naruto fell to my side, choking for air, we snuggled under my comforter and we embraced one another so tightly. The love that shrouded us in this dark room was suffocating, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Only in each other's arms, did we allow ourselves to drift into the peace of unconsciousness. I was content. All of the tension in my body had been released, and I slept soundly in the arms of my lover.

The night didn't seem to last very long, however by the time I drifted back up through the stages of sleep, I felt rested. More than rested, actually. I felt as though I could tip a bulldozer or something. The pain in between my legs and the chafing from the friction were a downside, but other than that, I felt great. I was on top of the world, so long as Naruto was by my side.

The light poured in through the solitary window in my room, shining down on our faces. I didn't want to get up and embrace the day. Naruto and I had to go down to the high school to pick up our diplomas, since we abandoned our graduation ceremony for the birth of Senri Uchiha. We would probably end up going out shopping and try to find little baby clothes that he could wear.

Naruto's arms contracted around my body and he breathed me in, sighing deeply in satisfaction. My fingertips brushed along the top of his arm, and my touched caused the hairs that peppered his flesh to stand up straight.

"Hinata?" he murmured my name, and I closed my eyes, allowing the sound of his voice to circle my brain and serenade it, giving me the full feeling of ecstasy. He was quiet for a moment, which concerned me. I twisted my body around to look him in the eye. He watched me with a tender gaze, and I wondered what it was that was the matter. I entwined my fingers through his gingerly and brought the back of his hand to my lips.

His skin was so soft against mine, and I couldn't stop myself from kissing up the length of his arm, smooching his deltoid, and then his neck. Before I could abduct a kiss from his lips, I halted, gazing into his ocean eyes as he opened his mouth to complete his thought.

"Marry me."

~Backcourt Lover: La Fine~

A note from the author: Thank you all so much for making Backcourt Lover something amazing! To be completely honest, when I initially began writing, I didn't think much was going to come out of it (which is why the first chapter is so short!). But when I woke up the next morning and saw that I had received one hundred views while I slept, I began to think that maybe this could be a really cool thing. In all honesty, I received so many comments whenever I placed Sakura in the hospital with complications with Senri. People said that they didn't see that coming...well neither did I! When I was writing that chapter, I didn't know that it was going to be Sasuke who was waiting for Hinata on the sofa. I actually thought that it was going to be Sakura, herself. But, my fingers and my heart have minds of their own, and so this happened. I was crying along with you, especially when Hinata was thinking through things in the car (after punching Kiba in the face). It was hard. And the story with Hanabi, I didn't know what happened to her until I began writing Hinata's recollection.

Anyways, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope that any future readers will become addicted, like I have. Please feel free to read and respond, or even send me a private message.

For the readers who enjoy my style of writing, I am currently beginning a NejiTen fanfiction story called "I Will Never Forget." I mapped out the general idea of the story last night, and I think it may be pretty epic!

IT IS OFFICIAL: Backcourt Lover's sequel has been released! Appropriately titled "Encore Lover," the story takes place seven years after the end of its predecessor. Gomene, but I had to give my computer back to the school, and so I haven't been able to write as often as I like. Please bear with me, though!

Thank you so much for reading!

~voodooprincess1331