Chapter 39

It was a rare day; three days after she had woken up when her husband left her be alone in her room with nothing but a book and the chocolate she had asked for. Sasuke was with Sarada and they were with the sixth Hokage, Kakashi had said she needed a break but she had a feeling that was a cover for kidnapping Sarada and taking her off with him; so long as he didn't read his Icha Icha novels to her, Sakura found she didn't really care what he took Sarada off to do.

Sakura completely trusted Kakashi with her daughter.

"Hey," a head poked into her room and she found herself looking at her favorite blue eyed, blonde, knuckleheaded ninja ever.

"Naruto!" she smiled. "I was wondering when you'd come to visit me!" she declared as she set the book asked. In truth she was wondering when everyone would force Sasuke to leave her long enough for Naruto to swing by and say hi without being pitched off a cliff by her unruly husband.

"Well…" he grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"I know, Sasuke's been pretty…" she trailed off trying to think of a good way to say this but frowned.

"A teme, asshole, jerk, bastard, anti-social sociopath, temperamental, on his period?" Naruto supplied. She chuckled, that summed it up in a way.

"I was going to say irritable and possessive, but that works," she mused as Naruto came to her; she was still not allowed out of her bed; and hugged her.

"You gave us a real scare there Sakura," he murmured as he tightened his hold on her. Sighing, she rested her chin on his shoulder as she hugged him back. He was like her kid brother; she knew a lot of people had thought she'd end up with him after Sasuke had left, but in truth, Sasuke leaving had brought her and Naruto really close. Naruto had become her family, he was her brother, just as Sai was, and he was one of the people she loved more than anything in this world; just not in the romantic sense. It was kind of hard to see Naruto in the romantic sense when she had taken that first bells test with him; thousand years of death and all…; and it was really hard to see him as anything but Naruto for her.

He had always been loud, in presentation with his orange clothes and blonde hair; and in personality. He was a loveable dork, but never the love of her life or her heart; though he held a fragile bit of her heart in his hands, and he (unlike Sasuke) had never broken what she had given him.

"I'm guessing it was a good scare because Sasuke hasn't let me out of his sight until now," she mused dryly.

"I bribed Kakashi to take him out, he's not happy," Naruto chuckled as he sat on the bed with her. she tenderly shifted; she had explained to Sasuke what had happened and he hadn't been happy. Not about the volatile chakra of their children; but rather when she said it could kill her if this happened again.

"Sasuke will be fine, he's just mad about being here; it's still not really his home," she murmured softly to Naruto as she took his hand comfortingly.

"By the way, is the toddler really his kid?" Naruto demanded.

"Sarada?" Sakura questioned.

"Yeah, cute, loves red, smiles a lot, rides around on Kakashi's shoulders; has a horribly tattered bear everywhere she goes," he described. Sakura chuckled, that sounded like Sarada to a tee.

"Yes, Sarada is his daughter," she smiled proudly. Sarada was her baby, a precious little girl who had to be the most loved child on the planet.

"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT HER!" Naruto shouted at her. Sakura winced a bit at that tone but looked at her best friend.

"Naruto, Sasuke and I didn't even know about her until we had her. And even then it was Sasuke's decision on if he told anyone about her or not. He had his reasons and I respected them, even if I disagreed with them entirely," Sakura mumbled. But she had understood every reason to his arguments; he had made certain she understood this.

"Well, she's adorable, and she looks just like teme sadly," Naruto shook his head.

"I believe you shouldn't complain; Boruto looks like one of your shadow clones as a toddler," Sakura whacked his arm affectionately. He blushed and grinned some more.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what happened to your baby," Naruto murmured. She looked to her hands then, it still stung, deeply, but she was certain that time would bring the throbbing pain in her heart about this loss to a dull ache. She could endure that, after all, she loved Uchiha Sasuke for everything he was and all he had done; and he had broken her heart repeatedly and purposefully over those years.

"It's fine Naruto, I guess it just wasn't meant to be this time," she smiled slightly then.

"Did the teme hurt you? Or is he not sticking around because of this? If that's the case I'll go kick that insensitive teme's ass!" Naruto avowed. She laughed weakly.

"No Naruto, he hasn't hurt me since after the war; he actually seems to be really careful about not hurting me. He's not kicking me to the curb over this, he's apparently staying hitched to me, I apparently am not as annoying as the other possible females he could marry," she chuckled dryly. Her husband was not a social persona and very blunt in what he'd state; tact just was not something he possessed. It was also, perhaps, the closest thing to his real reason for marrying her. Sasuke really could get anyone he looked at, and it always made her happy knowing he had picked her of all women to be his wife and to share his bed.

"I'm going to go kick his ass!" Naruto seethed, Sakura held on tighter to his hand; infusing her minimum amount of chakra to crack bones a bit and keep his attention on him. She swore to Kami Naruto had ADHD or something…

"Now listen to me, Naruto; Sasuke may not be tactful about what he says but he has never lied to me, has never run off without me after he took me traveling with him, and he has never strayed in our marriage. He's had plenty of time to lie to me, ditch me, or cheat on me and he hasn't; he's not graceful, he's not kind in the traditional sense, and he's not the best husband in the world, Naruto. I'll admit it.

"He drives me nuts, he's a compulsive neat freak, he's quiet and most of our conversations his answers are physical and not verbal. However, outside of sparring together, he has never laid a hand on me and he's put up with all my annoying quirks since we've started being together. It's not perfect Naruto, but it's mine and you are not to beat him up for trying to be kind and reassuring and failing miserably. Besides, if I hadn't happened to have known what he'd meant when he said that I'd have knock his ass to Suna and back.

"And you're not exactly Mr. Tactful yourself so don't rag on him for trying." She snapped.

"Oh, uh…"

"How's Hinata's pregnancy going?" Sakura asked as she lay back feeling better for having gotten that off her chest. Naruto grin goofily and then launched into telling her everything and she smiled softly at his joy. He was really happy, she was happy for him because after everything he deserved it. She was just really happy Hinata made him happy; because Sakura knew she'd have never made him happy in this way, her battered heart belonged to her husband who's favorite term of endearment was 'annoying'.

"Oh, I see you have company already Ugly," a voice piped up pulling her from her thoughts and listening.

"Hey Sai," she smiled as he came to her.

"I am glad you are doing better, Ugly," Sai smiled, she grinned at him. She still hated the nickname but she could live with it, and besides; her husband called her 'annoying'.

"I'm glad I'm doing better too," she admitted.

"Ino sent these, she will be back this evening," he declared as he awkwardly held out a bouquet for her. Sakura smiled.

"Thank you Sai, um, put them in that vase," she gestured to yesterday's flowers from Ino. He nodded and did as he was told.

"Is traitor treating you well?" he demanded suddenly.

"WHAT!?" she shouted; she forgot that Sai called Sasuke traitor but she didn't like hearing it.

"Well, you are in the hospital, and he's glared at all of us, and he was covered in your blood. did he harm you, Naruto should we proceed to beat him up?" Sai demanded, his tone hard and Sakura chuckled as she grabbed Sai's wrist and infused her chakra in her grip then; he winced when she cracked his bones and was yanked to her side.

"Now, let me be clear you two knuckle heads; Uchiha Sasuke has been treating me like a goddess and hasn't harmed me outside of sparring. Also, before you two bozos demand to know what kind of father he is, I'll have you know he's a natural and he'd never harm Sarada. I think he'd sooner die for Sarada than let any harm befall her," Sakura explained and she saw them relax. "Oh, and Sai, I'm very happy in my marriage so could you please NOT call my husband a traitor. I would hate to lose a friend because his temper is riled."

"Oh, alright," Sai smiled then.

"It's so good to see you both!" she sighed as she lay back on the bed and relaxed as Naruto and Sai started chatting with her. Soon enough she found her eyes growing heavy as she lay there listening and then the world faded away as sleep overtook her.

When Sakura nodded off Sai left him with her, he didn't want to leave her just yet. At least not until the teme returned to the room to be with her. Sakura was sound asleep as he held her hand and stared at her frail hand.

"I'm happy you found your happiness, Sakura," Naruto whispered to her unconscious form, and he grinned softly at his sister.

There was once a day where he'd have declared himself madly in love with her and would marry her; it wasn't because the teme had her heart even, it was because she was the first girl who had welcomed him into her life and accepted him. He hadn't really noticed Hinata do the same thing in her quite way, so he often times thought Sakura was his first real girl.

However, despite his claims of love, he had known she loved Sasuke, her heart forever belonged to the teme. But she gave him a part of her heart, a part he cherished very deeply, she had given him a sister. He hadn't noticed it until he watched other siblings and then he was with Sakura and Sai, she'd just treat them both like her brothers. She'd even knock both of them upside the head for worrying her, or yell at them when they riled her up, or she'd just be there for them when they needed her. Haruno Sakura was his sister, she was his best friend, she was his trusted confidant, and his partner in crime sometimes.

Naruto smiled at her.

She deserved her happiness almost more than any of them in a way for all she had endured and put her heart through. And he was really happy she had gotten her dream; even if it didn't appear to be perfect, she had explained it to him and he could tell she was cherished. Perhaps he'd let up on teme, and stop worrying so much about his ex-criminal mastermind/best friend having married a girl who was practically his sister.

If Kakashi was alright with this then it was all good in his mind.

"Love ya Sakura, rest up, the teme is coming," he murmured to her sleeping form and kissed her brow as he stood. Sasuke walked in then with Sarada on his shoulders. He blinked, he saw a lot of Sasuke in the girl then.

"I was just saying goodbye," Naruto explained hesitantly, he didn't really want to leave.

"You can stay, just be quiet; dobe," Sasuke stated as he carefully moved Sarada onto the bed. The toddler trotted up to Sakura's side then plopped down with her head on Sakura's heart. Naruto smiled softly.

"Thanks," Naruto said as he took his seat again, Sasuke resumed his vigil then as he grabbed her hand. Naruto grinned on the inside, perhaps there was hope for the teme.