Chapter 9

Sakura smiled, it had been eight months since Sasuke and she had left the village and she was really happy, most of the time. Just not now as she sat there in the Orochimaru's hideout; where the snake was not at this moment to her relief; as she and Sasuke hid from a horrible storm raging on outside. Now she hid the horrid pain she was feeling at this moment in her lower abdomen, her period was due and occasionally it would hurt like hell before it came. But this at the moment was distracting to her as she tried to focus on anything, Sasuke was negotiating with Karin for their stay and so they didn't land on Orochimaru's radar. Apparently Sasuke absorbing Orochimaru had left them not on the best of terms, but she didn't care at this moment.

All she wanted was a hot bath and a soft bed, possibly even a punching bag for her discomfort. Still she wanted to scream from her discomfort and negotiations with Karin were beginning to irritate her. She didn't like it.

"Karin, we've had a long month and if you would just be so kind as to give us room and board until this storm has passed then I would be grateful and I'll let you check over Sasuke while I have my bather. He's in dire need of a check-up and I'm too tired to give him one," Sakura decided this was the best course of action at this moment since she didn't want to continue standing. Her stomach was killing her, and there was a devious gleam in Karin's red eyes as her husband's eyes narrowed on her. She shrugged and frowned in retaliation.

"Deal!" Karin agreed, she smirked in response as they were lead towards a room. Sakura sighed in relief as they were left alone finally then walked over to the bathroom to start a bath. She just wanted to relax at this moment in time as she heated up the bath water. Sasuke appeared behind her then.

"What's wrong?" he asked indifferently.

"Nothing, Sasuke, go get your check up, I just need a hot bath and good night's rest and I'll be fine tomorrow," she assured him as she lead him out of the bathroom and out of the room then shut the door behind him. Finally she was alone! Sakura winced a bit as her pain took over again but she walked back to the bath. Stripping herself of her garments she lowered her body into the tub and sighed in relief as she relaxed.

Since this morning, since she and Sasuke had had sex this fine morning, this pain had started and had yet to subside. Sakura glared at her flat stomach and wondered just what the hell was wrong with her since she hadn't done anything strenuous or dangerous lately. All she and Sasuke did was a lot of sex and running. And the sex hadn't even hurt, it had felt divine but afterwards she had started having this pain which was almost paralyzing in it's strength. And it was all centered on her lower back and abdomen and it was consuming her as she lay there in the hot water.

She sighed in relief as the heat over took her, her fingers curled around the edge of the tub as another pain coursed through her very flat stomach again. Biting her lip again Sakura closed her eyes and ignored the pain as she willed herself to relax. Sighing she reminded herself that she had relaxing down to a science as she focused on letting her body go limp and just letting the heat soak into her bones. Her head fell back and she ignored all her pain as she lay there. Though this was easier said than done.

Since about this morning in the shower; a serious and heated bout of wonderful sex with Sasuke she had felt this pain and it felt as if something was trying to rip her apart. She involuntarily hissed as something felt like it spilled out of her. Her eyes snapped open as she looked down, there was nothing in the tub water then there were wisps of blood in the water. So it had finally happened, the annoying period had arrived. Sakura pulled herself out of the bathtub. She winced as it felt like something was coming out of her that wasn't blood, she winced a bit as she wrapped her arms around her flat stomach.

"Sasuke," she shouted, it hurt so much as she slowly wrapped a towel around her. Her legs hurt, her body was screaming in pain as she walked towards the door. So much for her overbearing, over protective husband magically appearing when she shouted for him. Sakura groaned as she gripped the edge of the sink and held herself up. It felt as if she were being ripped in half, it felt so unusual and painful that she wondered if she had a cyst or something. She decided she have to look, when she looked between her legs though she just about fainted.

Instead of doing something useless Sakura inhaled sharply and at the top of her lungs let out a scream for him to know she needed him. He had better get his ass over here or else she'd be having a miscarriage on her own and if that was the case he'd be ripped to shreds after this.

Sure enough he came bursting through the door with his shirt half ripped and a disgruntled Karin, she looked over at the faces. Sasuke had his hand on his sword then his eyes landed on her while Karin's eyes were filled with annoyance as she held half her husband's shirt in her hands. Sakura frowned at the sight then she gritted her teeth as she hunched over the sink again as pain over took her and blood slipped down her legs making Sasuke and Karin freeze on the spot.

"I think I'm miscarrying," Sakura breathed as the bout of pain subsided. Her eyes lifted up to her frozen shell shocked husband. "Help!" she snapped, he immediately grabbed her securely in his arms as he guided her away to the bed. She just about screamed as another bout of pain overwhelmed her and she doubled over crushing Sasuke's hand in her grip as she tried to breathe through the pain. She heard her Uchiha grunt in pain but it was nothing compared to the pain rolling over her as she tried to hold onto reality.

"Sakura, that chakra it's alive!" Karin informed her as she stooped in front of her. "That thing is alive, you're having a baby."

"I'm not pregnant, I can't be, Ah! Kami, this hurts!" she hissed through clenched teeth.

"What do we do?" Sasuke demanded.

"Get her comfortable, her body is doing all the work at the moment," Karin said calmly as she took Sakura's other hand. Sakura just stumbled to the bed and fell onto her back as she arched and groaned with the pain overwhelming her.

"Dilation, breathing, fuck this hurts!" Sakura growled through her teeth as she rolled up. Karin was between her legs and Sasuke was holding her hand.

"I see a head," Karin announced. "Sasuke get behind her for support, Sakura, just breath and relax."

"Ack," Sakura groaned out as she felt the pain ripple through her again causing her to push against her husband who was already behind her and supporting her body. His chest was as hard as a mountain, and his hand was probably broken but Sakura could say with all honesty that she didn't care about what he was going through as her chakra flowed straight to her baby. She focused on keeping her baby alive, the baby who she hadn't even known about. Again her eyes traveled over her still very flat stomach before she rolled over with pain as her body pushed to get the baby out of her.

"Fuck, here comes the head," Karin shouted. Sakura just fought some more as she tried to get her baby out of her. Then the pain subsided and she fell against Sasuke again panting hard. Was this supposed to hurt this much? She wondered, she didn't know because she had never before had a child. Her eyes fluttered shut as she caught her breath for a moment.

The pain came rolling in like a wave the crashing on her as it consumed her and forced her to continue fighting though there was nothing for her to fight for anymore. Her fingers crushed the hand beneath hers' and her teeth clenched as she rolled forward to continue her pushing. She let out a scream she couldn't fight back anymore as she pushed with all her natural strength. Her chakra flowed from her and into the child as she felt the body slip from hers. Sakura fell back against Sasuke and her heart clenched as she didn't hear a sound. Sakura winced a bit as she tried to sit up, her towel was long since discarded as she tried to look over to see her child, the baby she didn't even know she had had in her. And a baby that Karin was holding with her back turned towards her.

Karin just looked at the little infant who didn't cry or open her eyes, the child was unusually pale as she lay there quietly. Karin thought fast and knew that a baby wouldn't take her blood but when she glanced over at Sakura, the woman who Sasuke was restraining in a sense she saw it. The love in the Uchiha's eyes and the fear, as he wrapped his arm around Sakura who was looking worriedly at her. She turned her attention back to the babe in her hands then bit her lips for what she was about to do. Focusing her chakra, her life force into her fingers she held her fingers over the tiny baby's heart then leaned over the child.

"Your papa's stubborn and your mama's a fighter, and you had better come back to them," she whispered to the baby before she let her chakra flow into the child. Within a few seconds, though it felt like an eternity for her, the baby's thick lashes opened and onyx eyes looked at her. The child didn't cry but what could she expect from an Uchiha? Instead Karin smiled as she choked back a sob then turned to the Uchihas. Sakura's hands tightly gripped Sasuke's arm.

"She's alive," Karin announced but her eyes zeroed in between Sakura's leg where there was still blood flowing freely. Fuck, carefully Karin cut the girl from her mother and handed her to her mother. Sasuke's eyes never looked at the child as he stared at the blood, she knew that was what he was staring at because his eyes were on it like a hawk. But it wasn't like she knew what to do and Sakura's natural regenerative abilities would probably save her.

"She's beautiful," Karin looked up when Sakura whispered that. There was a look of undying love in the new mother's eyes, but there also appeared to be a fading of sorts. "She looks just like you Sasuke," Sakura sighed then her eyes blinked slowly. Karin tensed, then Sakura's pale form went limp, the Uchiha snarled, the baby nearly fell to the ground if Karin hadn't caught it and lunge away from the snarling Uchiha who glared at his daughter.

"Shit Uchiha! She's losing blood, hold the baby!" Karin shoved the child at him but he never released Sakura's limp form. Thinking fast she rushed over to a dresser drawer, threw it open and placed the now screaming baby there for the time being. If Sakura woke without that baby and if the Uchiha killed that baby Orochimaru would be short a hide out. Karin ran back over to Sakura and began working with her basic knowledge of human anatomy and medicine.

It had been a week, a long fucking week as he sat guard over his wife. Karin guarded the thing, mostly Karin guarded it from him because he hated that thing. Anytime he heard it cry and Sakura was unconscious; possibly dying was another moment he hated it. It shouldn't be alive and if Sakura died then he'd avenge her death and he didn't give a damn if that thing was of Uchiha blood or not. If Sakura died, and it was a possibility at this moment because she was chakra depleted, had suffered major blood loss and was exhausted; the brat was dead. If she died then he had nothing there would be nothing for him in this world, and after the massacre of his own family he couldn't handle another Uchiha killing something he cared about. Perhaps even loved.

Sakura hadn't woken and he felt Karin's chakra, she was resting from what he could decipher. The thing though, the newest monster Uchiha was there and it's chakra was alive, strong and vital. He growled, his wife was dying and that thing was living, he couldn't stand it anymore as he slipped away from Sakura then. She didn't move, but she hadn't moved in a week; she hadn't even woken up since she had passed out. Silently he slipped out of the room Sakura was dying in and followed Karin and that thing's chakra. He had had enough, that thing hadn't even been moments old and it had killed it's mother, that was something he wouldn't stand for.

The worst part was, that if Sakura died, he would never be the same. True he wasn't the most loving or friendly of creatures; and he had tried to kill his wife a time or two in the past; but if she wasn't there for him anymore then there was nothing for him. Sakura had always loved him, he hadn't even understood half of why she loved him but she had loved them since before the Academy, she had fought for him when they were genin, she had nearly died for him a few times after he had gone rogue and she had saved him after he had tried to kill Naruto. He would not tolerate this thing taking the one person who loved him. No it would not be tolerated.

It would die.

Sasuke slipped through the shadows towards the newest Uchiha's chakra, the Sharingan was strong in this things chakra; he didn't like it. Finally he made it into the room Karin was resting in, the woman's eyes were closed and her red hair was in a wild disarray showing she hadn't slept because of her guarding that thing. But at last the woman was asleep, and at last he could strike and steal Sakura away into the night. Pulling a kunai he had on his person he walked quietly and quickly up to the monster and it's caretaker. He'd have to move fast if he wanted to get away with Sakura.

He looked down as he held the kunai firmly. The thing never moved, he raised the blade and then brought it down when it turned it's black head and stared at him with wide onyx eyes. He stopped mid-strike as he stared into a set of eyes exactly like his own. But that wasn't what stopped him. True it had his dark coloring, black hair, black eyes and it even had his mouth.

But it also looked just like Sakura.

The kunai fell to the ground as he stared at the child. All her features were like Sakura's, even though she looked like a baby and it wasn't a hundred percent clear as to who she looked like it was clear she was her mother's daughter. Her eyes were the same shape as Sakura's, her nose and shape of her face were the same, there was also that forehead Sakura despised so passionately displayed on the baby's features. Pain, helplessness and self-loathing all filled him as he closed his eyes, tightened his fist and gritted his teeth.

Why? Why did that thing have to look just like Sakura?

Slowly, almost painfully he unclenched his fist as he opened his eyes to look back at the small child cradled against the redhead. Inhaling sharply he reached down and carefully took the girl from Karin then held her securely against him as he silently navigated his way back to Sakura who was still out. Her breathing hadn't changed and her pulse hadn't changed; to his relief as he walked over to his wife and set the child on Sakura's smooth stomach then.

The baby was small; unusually small if you asked him. Bolt had been a hefty, healthy, baby and same with Shikadai. But this baby…well Sakura's baby was tiny; still that could be because he was a girl. He didn't know, honestly he didn't know much about babies other than they were loud, distracting and sleep depriving. He looked at the baby who clutched her mother, he just sighed then reached over to Sakura's cheek. His pale wife never opened her eyes or moved as he stroked her cheek.

"I'm sorry, I swear I'll do right by her Sakura, I promise, but please…" he murmured as he bent over so his forehead was pressed against hers'. "Please, Sakura, please don't leave me."

There was no response but he didn't expect on since Sakura was still unconscious. Carefully he set up the baby so she slept on a pillow beside Sakura and him as he stretched out beside Sakura. His hand reached across his wife and touched his daughter's cheek, he hated himself for what he had been thinking earlier and he vowed to all that was holy that he would love his daughter. Though he didn't know how he was going to be expressing this love to the baby he would love her.

Suddenly the baby moved and her tiny hand wrapped around his finger before her eyes fluttered shut, his heart hammered away mercilessly in his ribs as he wondered how he could desire the death of his own daughter. The daughter who clearly loved him as she gripped his finger, this Uchiha was the first Uchiha in his line who did not know hatred or pain. She didn't know betrayal or treachery, all she knew was love and she was just like her mouther as she fell asleep beside him and Sakura. Why hadn't he seen that sooner? This Uchiha had taken after her mother and her mother only knew love. Sakura had stuck with him through thick and thin; even after all his sins and betrayals, Sakura only knew how to love. Her daughter would be just like her and would only love. Somehow that was a great relief to him as he pressed his lips to Sakura's temple. Perhaps the Uchiha evil wouldn't be here, perhaps for a change, there would be a loving Uchiha in his family. But Kami knew he'd need Sakura to keep this new Uchiha a loving creature because he did not love anyone or anything.

"She's beautiful Sakura, just like you, and we need you. Please, don't go," he whispered as he fell asleep holding his wife and the baby holding his finger. "I still need you."

"Sasuke," she breathed as they slept.