Sparrow

*thanks for all the reviews, guys! they keep me going! anyways, here's the next chapter, and don't forget that i don't own naruto. wish i did, but unfortunately the lawyer didn't win the case for joint custody, so... anyways, on with the story! don't forget to review my lovely readers!*

Chapter 50:

Sasuke's eyes widened and his face paled slightly. It looked like he wasn't even breathing. I became slightly worried. I reached out to him, suddenly scared.

"S-Sasuke? Are you alright?" I asked.

I looked around. Naruto's eyes were bulging out, his mouth wide open and his face scarlet. Sakura was blushing slightly. Kakashi's eyes were wide, too, and a small blush was apparent, even through the mask. I brought my eyes back to Sasuke when he let out the breath that he held. At the same moment, Naruto collected himself.

"You're what?" he shrieked. "You mean to tell us that he's..." he pointed aggressively at Sasuke, "gonna be a father? How the hell did that happen? I didn't think he could do it!"

Sasuke looked over at Naruto and narrowed his eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean, idiot?"

"Exactly how it sounds!"

Sasuke suddenly stood up. I looked up at him, but his face was unreadable.

"I...I think I need to get some fresh air," he said quietly.

I nodded dumbly and watched as he left. I ignored the commotion Naruto was causing, ignored everything around me. I was scared. Really scared. Was...was Sasuke scared too? Is that...why he left like that? Was...was he worried that he won't be a good father, just like I worry I won't be a good mom? Or maybe...maybe he doesn't want to be a father? Maybe he doesn't want the baby! My hands were shaking by my sides, clenched into tight fists. Before I knew it, I was crying. I vaguely noticed that the commotion had died out and I felt a pair of arms around me. I looked up and blinked, surprised. Naruto held me close to him, rubbing my back soothingly.

"It's alright, Suzu," he whispered.

"How do you know?" I suddenly cried out, pushing him away. "You're not pregnant!"

He looked stunned for a second, but it quickly went away, replaced by laughter. I glared at him as he laughed, but it was a half-hearted glare. His laughter was actually making me feel better.

"I hope I don't get pregnant!" Naruto laughed.

My glare had disappeared by that point. Before I knew it, I was laughing too. But when the laughter died down, I looked in the direction Sasuke went. My worry and doubts crept up on me again.

"Why don't you go to him?" Kakashi suddenly suggested, placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, surprised.

"But what if-"

"You'll never know unless you ask. Go."

I gave Kakashi a grin and practically ran in the direction Sasuke went. I was out the door of the hospital when I finally saw him, leaning against the wall. He was staring at the ground, apparently lost in thought. I walked up to him quietly, worried, scared, and a whole lot of other things. I took a deep breath and let it out, letting him know I was there. He looked up at me, and let a small smile appear on his face. I'll take that as a good sign.

"How do you feel?" Sasuke asked suddenly. I blinked.

"Umm...I feel...scared." I admitted. "You?"

"More or less the same as you."

I snickered. "I'm the one pregnant, ya know. Why are you scared? You're not gonna bloat up and have a baby pop out God knows where in...how many months is it?"

Sasuke smirked. "It's nine months, idiot."

I grinned sheepishly. "See? You know more about this stuff than I do."

Suddenly I was all seriousness again. I looked down at the ground, already near tears. Why was I so emotional? It must be because of the pregnancy. Sasuke suddenly put his arms around me. I leaned into him and started crying. I clutched his shirt, making sure he wouldn't leave.

"I'm scared," I whispered into his chest. "God, Sasuke. I'm so scared."

He didn't say anything. He just held me while I cried, rubbing my back gently. Finally, when I calmed down, he held me back at arms length. He looked me in the eyes, his eyes warm and full of emotion.

"It's natural for you to be scared. I'm scared too, but I'm happy."

I blinked, then burst out in a huge grin. "That's great!" I squeaked. My earlier fears dissipated into nothingness.

He chuckled. "You're going to be fine, Suzume. I know you will."

I cocked my head to the side, wondering what he meant. Sasuke gave a small smile, took my hand, and led me back inside the hospital. The others were still waiting for us in the waiting room. Naruto was pacing around while the others were sitting on the bench. We walked up to them and then Sasuke said something that I would never had expected in all my life.

"I want Suzume to go back to Konoha."

My eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. I turned to him, shocked. How dare he say something that out-of-the-blue after our heart to heart conversation only moments ago! What's he thinking?

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke nodded. I was still stunned speechless. When I finally found my voice, I spoke.

"What the hell? Aren't you coming?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No."

"Why not? I'm not going unless you are!" I protested hotly.

He looked me straight in the eyes. He looked sad, and it made a lump form in my throat. I didn't want him to leave me like this.

"Listen to me, Suzume. You're pregnant. You need medical attention. Konoha has Tsunade as Hokage, and she is the best medic alive. You'll be in good hands."

"That still doesn't explain why you're not coming!"

"...I have something to do."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" I asked. "What's so important that you're going to leave me?"

"I'm going to keep Madara from getting to you."

My eyes widened and my mouth clamped shut.

"I know he's going to come after you soon," he continued. "I want you far away from him, and I want you to have medical attention at your disposal. You'll be as safe as you can get in Konoha. In the meantime, I'll try to find out his weakness and take him down."

My eyes teared up. I grabbed onto his arm and began to cry.

"S-Sasuke...it's...dangerous. You could die."

Sasuke looked down at me, his eyes warm. "Don't worry so much, idiot. I'm not as weak as I used to be. And I promise, before the baby's born, I'll come back."

I sniffed. "...You better..."

Naruto suddenly grabbed Sasuke's shoulder. His blue eyes were angry.

"What the hell, Sasuke? You told me you wouldn't hurt her again! What do you think you're-"

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto. He didn't bother putting on the mask of indifference he usually wore around the blonde. As a matter of fact, his face showed his pain. It showed the inner turmoil that racked his heart. Naruto looked taken aback, cutting off mid-sentence. A moment of silence passed between those two until Sasuke finally spoke.

"I couldn't protect my family when they were killed," he said quietly, almost as if he was talking to himself. As if he was trying to convince himself that what he was doing was right. "I won't let that happen with Suzume. I won't let Madara get his hands on her. I'm going to protect her, even if it means leaving her for a while."

The room was quiet. The only sounds were the small drops of my tears as they fell to the floor.

...

The next day, the Konoha shinobi decided to leave. It would be about a three day journey back to Konoha and they were anxious to head out. I wasn't. I looked back as Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Karin led the way out of the city and into the woods. Sasuke was standing at the entrance to the city, his face grave. His eyes were held onto me. They almost looked regretful, as if he didn't want me to go. Tears stung my eyes and I unconsciously reached out for him.

"Sasuke..." I called quietly, but the sudden gust of wind snatched away my voice. The tears that built up in my eyes spilled over. I blinked, then Sasuke was gone.