Well, what can i possibly say to justify my long absence. Nothing really. All i can say is i'm sorry and i've had a lot on my mind lately that, combined with writers block, it is almost utterly crippling my abilty to write. Yeah, it sucks. So sorry.
Well, i'm going to take this opportunity to rant and make myself feel better. My school has recently just started offering this great schooling opportunity. There is this program that allows next years juniors (this years sophmores like me) to attend Macomb Community College while attending high school. It is a truely amazing opportunity because one would earn enough credits to get their associates degree by the time you graduate high school. I would go to school at my school for half the day next year and then the other half at the college. The next year i would go to school for about 1/4th of the time and then college for 3/4th of the time. The only flaw to this program is it would put me behind in my schooling for a year and i would graduate in 2013 instead of with my class of 2012. So considering everything, i appiled for the program. I have since filled out a paper application with my counselor- who mailed in that along with my transcript, and test scores- and an online application for Macomb. Now, i have to go take an entrance exam on the 20th and then i will recieve word as to if i get into the program or not in April. The whole thing is crazy and freaking me out. I have a huge fear of growing up and here i am, applying for college at the age of 15! Not too mention that i have no car yet so i have rely on my mom drive to and from the two schools, which would mean that my mom would have to quit her job in order to drive me. So now i have to get a car to make things easier on my mom- because i hate burdening her- but i also need a job to pay for said non-existing car!
And to just add to my stress, my parents are painting the house. This means that the living room and hallway are completely empty and then is paint crap, and tarps everwhere. Just a while ago, my dog- who likes to lay down in the middle of everything- decided to lay on the tarp covered couch. Now my Dad had put the paint dish thingy ther so that my two dogs wouldn't step in it and my dumb dog stepped in it any ways. We now have little white pawprints on our green carpet. Yeah, it's pretty funny, but we have to clean it up now. And another burden on my shoulders is that one of my friends isn't really talking to me anymore (though he did kiss my hand today and walked away) and the another friend that i have been talking to lives in Arizona and i miss him like crazy. Yeah. Fun.
So now that i'm done ranting (complaining), i shoud probably talk about the story. Well, i feel i should mention some reviewers. I will start by mentioning Kurisutiian-chan. YAH! I'm not alone in my love of Jane Austen! The books have come in and i have been reading whenever i can spare a moment, meaning mostly at school. Thanks for the praise and the understanding about writing and my grammer. I try and thats the best one can ask for. Next i must mention my dear friend CrazyGreyWolfGirl becasuse she, like me, agree. GO ROONIE! lol thank you for the praise of my choice of music. I personally find my taste pretty freakin awesome, but hey, i'm a little bias (But only a little). Finally i will mention sweetD87 for messaging me and finally getting my butt moving on this chapter. I think everyone should thank them. They likes to kick my butt into gear by messaging me with a question as to when i'm updating or offering their assitance or advise. Thank you so much!
Thank you to everyone that reviewed. Sorry for the delay. But enjoy ( it sucks caus ei didn't edit this one very good)
It was getting colder. September passed slowly for Sakura without Sasuke. She hadn't heard any news from him or the team at all and she was close to going mad with worry. She wasn't willing to show this and had gotten better at hiding all the pain she was in.
Now at the end of October, Sakura had just reached the eighth month mark and was thirty five weeks along. Tsunade was watching her carefully because of all the stress and the fragile state that Sakura was in was starting to put a strain on the baby as well. Tsunade has warned her excessively to take it easy or she was going to put her on bed rest soon.
Sakura now stood in front of the mirror, trying to make herself look presentable. Her parents were coming over today and she was nervous about them watching her too carefully. She knows her parents will be watching to really see if she is okay or if she is just faking it. She had managed to wiggle out of seeing them for awhile but she got stuck this time.
Sakura decided to try and make herself look really pretty. She was feeling huge right now, and was sad and just needed something to boost up her energy. Maybe looking good will help. It would be one less thing to worry about and she can try to relax as much as she can for the sake of her little baby.
Giving up trying to go it herself, she called the girls in. They came quickly, not liking to leave her alone for too long. They found her sitting on the closed toilet seat, folded up as best as her stomach will allow. She gave a frustrated sigh and pointed to her hair, half of it curled messily and the other half was a tangled mess. "Help?"
Ino laughed once and then stepped up, taking the brush off the small counter. "How did you manage this?" she asked with a snort as she tried in vain to untangle it. She winced at getting her hair pulled and Ino apologized.
Tenten sighed and turned on the shower. "You aren't going to be able to get that out. Come here so I can wet it down and we'll start from the beginning."
Sakura pulled herself over to the edge of the tub and sat down. She leaned her head over the side while Tenten removed the showerhead and began rinsing her hair. Once done, it was easier to comb through the tangles that Sakura had managed to get herself into. Hinata then took over with the blow-dryer. It was Ino who finished it up by curling it.
Sakura quickly did some simple make-up-some eyeliner and mascara- before the girls helped her pick out an outfit. They decided on a light red shirt and a pair of pants. Sakura glanced in the mirror when she was finished and was sort of satisfied. She looked fat, in her opinion, but it was the best she's looked since Sasuke left.
The girls headed downstairs to await for her parents to arrive. Sakura was at the stairs when she held a voice that made her heart break. From somewhere in the house she could hear singing in a familiar voice. She glanced at the girls and saw how they had all froze, watching her.
She pushed past them and followed the voice, it leading her to the living room. She stopped at the doorway and looked in, surprised to see nothing out of the ordinary. Seto was sitting on the couch, and Mikoto was in her playpen in the corner of the room. The familiar voice, which had caused Sakura' s reaction, was drifting beautifully from the stereo. Sakura felt her heart sink, listening to a recording of Sasuke singing. She hadn't known that hearing his voice would hurt this much if he wasn't next to her.
Ino stepped behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. There was a long pause before she spoke. "He didn't want them to forget the sound of his voice. I helped him record it before he left." she muttered, referring to the recording. Currently playing was the song Sasuke would sing to Seto whenever he was upset.
A sniffle interrupted Sakura's thoughts and she really examined the room. Mikoto was fine, completely unaffected. Seto, however, was sitting on the edge of the couch with a picture frame in his hand, softly crying.
Sakura went to his side and sat next to him. He stiffened and wiped his tears from his face, refusing to look at her. Sakura gently leaned in and pulled him into her lap, his back pressed against her stomach. She rested her chin on his head, looking at the photo in his hand.
It was one of her favorite; her boys. It was taken awhile ago by herself. It was a close up of Sasuke and Seto. Sasuke was smirking beautifully and Seto was smiling brightly, entranced by a butterfly in the corner of the picture that had flow close to them.
"I love this picture. It's one of my favorites." Sakura whispered to her son and heard him sniffle in response.
A silence followed afterward, both staring at the picture and thinking of better times. A lone tear landed on Sakura's wrist and she squeezed the crying boy tighter. She kissed the top of his head, fighting to keep her own tears at bay.
"When is Daddy getting home?" Seto choked after a moment, finally just letting it all out and curling up against his mother in search of comfort. She squeezed him tighter and gently rocked him.
"I don't know, baby; I don't know." she whispered back, silent tears streaking across her cheeks.
"I want my daddy." Seto mumbled repeatedly into her chest. Sakura clenched her eyes close, wishing she could do something to calm him. But she knew that only Sasuke could calm the hurt that Seto was feeling. Only Sasuke's presence could fix the hole in the small family.
xOx
It was early in the morning and they were still traveling. They had left the first base and had investigated another nearby base, that one turning up as empty as the last. They were currently traveling towards the next nearest base, hoping this one will have at least a clue.
Naruto yawned next to him. They were all tired. They had decided to skip making camp and settling for the night and instead walked through the night, for there was a small town coming up where they could rest. As a result of this plan, they were all tired, dirty and hungry. And to add to it, Sasuke was currently suffering from one massive caffeine withdrawal, creating a very cranky Sasuke.
Sasuke took a sharp breath. He missed his family so much that it was actually starting to physically hurt. It felt like there was a hole in this chest, making it hard for him to breath. In his tired and hungry state, this pain felt even worse. It felt as if he was going to go insane any moment. Maybe he was just too tired or just really needed coffee. He didn't know but he needed some sort of relief.
And this relief came in the sight of the small town. They turned around the last bend in the road and were suddenly walking down the main street. Looking around the town, it looked like there wasn't much there. There were a few shops and restaurants along the main street. You turn down one road and you are lead to bars places of that sorts, another road to the residence's houses and then another led to the one inn in town.
Sasuke glanced around and then removed his mask, eying the shops and people in front of him. A few stopped to stare at him, whether they found him cute or gross looking in his current state, he wasn't sure. Neji nodded to the group. "We should split up. One group should secure us some rooms at the inn while the others get food and clean clothes."
They nodded in agreement and silently split up. Neji and Shikamaru went to the inn, both Itachi and Kisame following to avoid the risk of being identified. Naruto, Sasuke, Lee, and Kiba all set out on the other task. Soon after splitting up, Lee and Naruto went to find the food while Sasuke and Kiba found some clothes.
The two boys steeped into a small store and Kiba went straight to the back while Sasuke lingered towards the front of the store. Kiba was actually on task, while Sasuke found himself getting distracted. He soon found himself in front of a shelf of baby clothes and items.
He stared at the items in front of him for such a long time that a storekeeper approached him. She smiled kindly, though was obviously suspicious of the strange, dirty man staring blankly at the baby stuff. "Can I help you with something?"
Sasuke eyed a sign above a stack of clothes. The sign proudly exclaimed 'GENDER NEUTRAL' and he frowned in response. The lady eyed him. "Sir?" she asked uncertainly after getting no response.
"Why does everyone say that yellow is gender neutral? I've never seen any proper man wear yellow, nor have bright yellow walls in their bedroom. I just don't understand why people think yellow is gender neutral." He said suddenly, it coming out in a rush with sudden frustration that even Sasuke didn't know why he was feeling.
The woman blinked in surprise and tried to be professional. "Well if you don't like yellow, you could always go with green." she suggested.
Sasuke slowly turned his head to stare at her blankly and her eyes widened. "Green, really?" he whispered. She blinked and stepped back.
Sasuke turned his whole body so that he was now facing her. "Green is an even dumber color. When I see green, the first thing that comes to mind is an alien. 'Congratulations, you're having an alien!'" he shouted, alarming the entire store. Kiba dropped whatever he was doing to go check on Sasuke.
"Pick pink or blue. If you don't know, then get white." Sasuke said, before leaned his head against the shelf. He whole body felt as if it was going to collapse from exhaustion. He needed to go lay down, but for some reason all his mind could think of was stupid colors.
Kiba just blinked in astonishment as he stared at Sasuke, leaned heavily against the shelf while ranting about colors. Kiba tired to follow Sauske's train of thought, but none of what he was saying was starting to make any sense. With each second, Sasuke became more and more incoherent.
Finally deciding to save the poor woman who looked rather scared at this moment, Kiba stepped up to Sasuke. He smiled at the woman apologetically and then grabbed Sasuke's arm. Sasuke groaned, now mumbling something about the color purple, and was hoisted onto Kiba's back. Kiba looked to the woman. "I'm so sorry. My friend is just extremely tired. I'm going to go now and I promise that this will never happen again."
The woman nodded, though she didn't seem to understand nor really believe that was all that was wrong with him. Kiba quickly ducked out of the store before any more trouble could occur. He went to the inn only to meet up with Neji in the front hall. Neji eyed them both and then quickly asked what happened.
Kiba sighed. "I don't even know. One moment he was fine, and I left him alone for two seconds, and then he's making a huge scene about how yellow and green aren't gender neutral. He's completely out of his mind!" Kiba exclaimed.
Neji quickly ushered him to their room. Unfortunately, it was a small inn and there were a few people staying there so they could only get one room. When they entered, Shikamaru was seated at the table while Kisame was in a chair and Itachi was seated on the edge of the bed. Itachi took one look at them and rushed to Sasuke's side, gently pulling him off Kiba back and moving him to the bed. Kiba explained again what happened.
Kisame stepped up behind Itachi. "Is he okay?"
Itachi nodded. "I think so. He's asleep now but I think he should be fine after some rest." he said, pushing some hair away from his face so he could feel his forehead. He nodded again. "I think he's just stressed and tired. He's not running a fever; I think he'll be fine."
Neji considered this for a moment. "Yeah, I've seen him act this way before. He works himself to the point where he can't even focus anymore and then becomes hysterical."
Itachi shook his head and muttered something about his foolishly little brother. He then began removing all Sasuke's gear from his sleeping form. The boys watched as Itachi silently tried to make his little brother as comfortable as possible.
Not long after Sasuke was comfortably settled under the blankets did Naruto and Lee burst through the door. Naruto looked around with wide eyes and then rushed to Sasuke's side, practically pouncing on his sleeping form. "SASUKE!!" he shouted in alarm. Lee then began in a lengthy spew about how they had heard about the occurrence in the grocery store. It was a small town and word travels quickly.
Itachi pulled Naruto away from Sasuke quickly. "He's fine. Leave him alone to rest." he barked harshly.
Naruto frowned at the older Uchiha. "I have to make sure he gets home to his family in one piece," he said in a determined and serious face.
Itachi stared back at him with a blank face. "I respect that, but the best way for you to do that is to let him rest right now. He's stressed and passed out from exhaustion. Let him rest and I assure you he will be fine."
Naruto turned and eyed Sasuke before he eyed Itachi again. With a sigh, he nodded slowly and then moved to sit at the corner foot of the bed, leaning against the wall. The room elapsed into an awkward pause before Kiba broke it. "I've never seen Sasuke so . . . human. I've never seen him show any sort of weakness. It's just so strange."
"It's not in the Uchiha nature to show emotions when we can help it." Itachi stated bluntly, not sure how to feel about Kiba's comment.
Itachi silently moved over to the bed as well, calmly sitting next to Naruto against the wall to watch over Sasuke closely. "Did you get any coffee?" he asked Naruto calmly.
Naruto nodded halfheartedly. "Yeah, I could tell Sasuke was getting fidgety without it," he muttered. "Stupid caffeine addict." he added as an afterthought
xOx
Sakura got herself and Seto cleaned up just in time for her parents to arrive. She greeted as well as she could, hoping that they didn't notice how much of a wreck she was. They greeted her kindly in response, warmly embracing her. Sakura noticed that they weren't watching her as closely as everyone else was, but they were still watching. They were worried about her.
Sakura smiled as cheerfully as should could and suggested they all go out to eat. She hoped that it would be harder for them to watch her in public than in the privacy of her home. Her mother seemed to study her and, upon seeing her deep desire for a acceptance of this plan, readily agreed for her daughters sake.
Sakura sighed in relief and then collected the kids. Hinata held Mikoto while Sakura gripped Seto's hand, wanting him by her side. They exited the house and made there way to a restaurant that Sakura had been craving to eat at. Because of her pregnancy, she had been eating out more than she usually did.
The walk there was uneventful. People stared, but not in disgust like she usually got. Since the lunch scene, people hadn't been staring like they used to. People didn't know what to thank anymore. While some have a strong dislike for the Uchiha family, it was hard to know what to think with the rumors floating around. They held a deep respect for anyone who fought to protect the village, especially from the sound threat. So, hearing that Sasuke was on the mission confused people; they no longer were sure if they should still hate him or respect him.
They were seated quickly and given time to brose the menu before a waitress came to get the orders for the drinks. She left quickly after and reappeared soon after. After distributing the respected drinks, she took their orders. Telling that their orders would be ready soon, she left again.
Sakura quietly sipped her drink, dreading what was to come next. Her father looked at her casually, but she knew him better. "So, how are you?" he asked casually.
Sakura mentally sighed, not wanting to have this conversation. She knew they were worried about her and the kids, but didn't want to overwhelm them with questions. So instead they were going to subtly hint at it. She tried to put a calm and happy front on. "Fine. A little tired but that's to be expected with pregnancy."
Mr. Haruno nodded, displeased with how she dodged the real meaning behind his causal question. He said nothing to her directly, but he was still displeased. He looked to his wife and she took her turn now. "How are the kids doing?" she asked pleasantly.
Sakura sighed. She was silent for a long moment before speaking. "As well as can be expected."
There was a pause and Sakura stared at her drink. Fortunately, the waitress came back with another waitress assisting her to deliver the food. Sakura smiled gratefully at her and was about to take a bite when she noticed that the woman had not walked away. Sakura looked at her, seeing the woman standing hesitantly by her side. Sakura eyed her. "Is there something wrong?" she asked pleasantly.
The woman looked at her hesitantly and chewed on her lip. Finally, she seemed to summon her courage and spoke. "Forgive me for intruding, if you find my question to be inappropriate, please tell me; I don't wish to upset you in any way, " she said and Sakura nodded in encouragement, though she silently feared what the girl would ask next. "Is the rumors true that Uchiha has left on a mission to hunt Orochimaru and destroy the sound threat?"
The surrounding area quieted, eavesdropping on Sakura's question. Sakura smiled sadly. "Yes. I can't give any big details but the rumor is true. My husband left is off on an important mission."
The waitress's eyes widened and she took a step back in shock. She clutched her heart. "HUSBAND!?" she exclaimed in shock and confusion.
The entire restaurant seemed to turn and stare in disbelief. Sakura mentally slapped herself, cursing herself for letting something like that slip. She eyed the many people staring at her. She took a deep breath and nodded, knowing there was no way out of this. "Yes, my husband."
The waitress blinked in shocked but tried to politely compose herself. "Oh, I didn't know you were married."
Sakura nodded slowly. "Yes, just recently. I'm sure you would have found out when I paid for the meal. My name on the credit card is Mrs. Sakura Uchiha," she stated calmly.
The waitress blinked and smiled politely, still in obvious shock. "Yes, you are probably right. Well, congratulations,"
Sakura nodded and thanked her. The waitress stood for a moment more before telling them to enjoy then food and then disappeared.
Sakura looked to others at the table, noticing their tense postures. Ino smiled supportively. "Well, that went well considering everything. I had thought it was going to be a lot worse."
Sakura nodded, considering it. It had happened rather easily only because the waitress was a kind soul and didn't wish to pry or be rube. But this was only the beginning. It had just gotten out and soon everyone was going to know and Sakura couldn't help but fear what their reactions were going to be. She hoped that they will accept it like some were beginning to accept Sasuke , but she doubted everyone will. She just had to pray that no one completely freaks out and starts giving her an even harder time.
The rest of the lunch progressed uneasily. Everyone stared and the group ended up finishing early and taking the leftovers home. When Sakura got up, the entire restaurant eyed her and looked for the ring on her finger. Those who were able to see it immediately started discussing it; talking about how she really had a engagement and wedding ring on her left hand, and the size of the diamond. Sakura did her best to try and ignore it.
The waitress wished them a good day and the group headed home quickly where they finished the rest of their meal. The rest of the day was spent at leisure in the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Haruno stayed until dinner time and the girls had their own dinner.
Shortly after dinner, Sakura went upstairs to bath. She took a quick shower and then exited the bathroom. She dressed as quickly as she could in her large state and then brushed through her hair. After pulling her hair into a ponytail, she started towards the door, thinking of joining the girls again.
She got to the stairs when she had to stop. Suddenly she felt short of breath and a weird tightening sensation on the top part of her belly. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it was extremely uncomfortable to the point where she had to hunch over a little to try and ease the feeling. The only problem was that after she got into this position, she was having trouble standing up straight again. She took a deep breath to try and ease some of the discomfort and gently rubbed her stomach.
Tenten just happened to be walking by glanced up to see her. Instantly alarmed, she called her name loudly and rushed up the stairs. She gently grabbed Sakura shoulder to try and support her but Sakura was starting to get a better hold again. It had only lasted a few seconds, no longer than fifteen or twenty. "Sakura, are you okay?" Tenten asked in an anxious tone.
Sakura nodded, noticing that Ino and Hinata were both heading towards her now. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"What happened?" Ino asked in a worried tone.
Sakura chewed on her lip for a second. "I think I might have had a contraction."
The girls all blinked in surprise and then gently guided her down the stairs. "Are you okay? Are you in any pain?"
Sakura shook her head. "No, it didn't hurt. It was just comfortable."
Tenten eyed her in momentary confusion. "Aren't contractions supposed to hurt?"
Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. I've heard that its different for everyone and, if you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of new at this. I'm not sure if it really was one or not. I didn't study pregnancy while I was in school," she said calmly.
Hinata eyed her. "I think we should go talk to Tsunade just to be sure." she said and then others nodded in agreement. Sakura consider this and then nodded as well, trying to stay calm.
They grabbed the kids and headed out the door quickly. Sakura was holding up fine and only had to stop one time during the walk there when another one hit her. The Ino and Hinata anxiously ushered her to the hospital while Tenten went ahead to tell Tsunade and get a room ready. A nurse was waiting by the door with a wheelchair.
They spent a considerable amount of time at the hospital. Tsuande ran tests and did several ultrasounds to be sure but found nothing to alarming. She looked at Sakura calmly. "Well, the baby is fine and so are you. From the looks of it, you are experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. You are a little early than I would like, only thirty five weeks along, but it doesn't mean that the baby is coming right this moment."
Sakura frowned. "But I'm early. My due-date is in November. What happens if he comes in the next few days?"
Tsunade cleaned the jelly off of Sakura stomach. "Well, while I hope it doesn't come that early, if it does than we will just have to deal with it then. Your baby looks really strong and, while it would still be considered premature, most of it's basic physical developments are now complete. In these next few weeks, your baby will be putting on weight. If it comes before it is full-term then you have my promise that all the best staff will be here to care for it and do our bests to care for everything.
"But, if we can just hold on for only two more weeks than you would be considered full-term. I want to start seeing you every week, at least once if not twice. I want to keep a close eye on you. I want you to start looking for signs of labor. You may feel your baby drop, meaning you feel a heaviness on your pelvis and less pressure on your ribcage. You may also experience more Braxton Hicks so keep an eye on that. Also, if you find that the "bloody show" occurs, then that's a sign that labor is close and obviously, if your water breaks."
Sakura nodded, taking everything in. "How will I know if it is real contractions or Braxton Hicks?"
Tsunade stood up and held her chart in her hand. "Braxton Hicks are unpredictable. They are irregular while real ones will start will start coming at short intervals and last longer. Real ones will also grow more intense as they go along. Also another sign is that Braxton Hicks may subside on their own or when you start or stop doing something or changing positions. Real contractions will not stop no matter what you do."
Sakura sighed. "Sounds exciting."
Tsunade laughed and helped her student sit up. "Yes, it's all a part of the miracle of life. Now, take good care of yourself and take it easy. We want to keep this baby in for at lest two more weeks."
Sakura nodded and was soon able to leave. After giving a call to her parents to let them know what was going on and assuring them that she was fine, she was able to go upstairs to rest. The girls made sure she was as comfortable as possible before leaving her to rest.
She lay in bed for a long time, thinking about the new development. She gently rubbed her stomach. Wishing that she had Sasuke by her side now more than ever. Her body was preparing for the birth of their child and he was off in god knows where. It killed her to think that he wouldn't make it but it was looking that way.
Sakura silently closed her eyes, thinking of happier times and trying to remember what it felt like to have his arms around her while she slept.
Well, did you like? Sorry if it wasn't my best work. I tried. Well tell me what you think. I love hearing form you!