Author's Note: Hello my fellow SasuSaku shippers! This is my VERY FIRST fanfiction story! I'm very excited to write this for you guys. I have searched and searched through each site trying to find a solid, lengthy story of Saradas birth and when Konoha meets her for the first time. For some reason this topic doesn't seem to be covered very much, yet I think it's such an important and climatic part of their journey. Since I couldn't find once that satisfied my craving (pregnancy pun intended) I decided it was just time for me to try my hand at writing, and create the story I wanted to read. This first chapter is fairly short, but my next update should be longer and soon! Please please PLEASE review and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Dango. Hanami Dango to be specific. It's deliciously sweet taste, and soft bouncy texture nearly melting between her lips. That's what Sakura was daydreaming about as she waddled through the forest, trying to ignore her aching feet. Her and Sasuke were nearing the end of their 18-month journey, and coincidentally the end of Sakura's 10 months of pregnancy. They had been traveling all day and Sakura's craving for her favorite sweet treat was nearly driving her mad. She laughed internally at the idea of asking Sasuke to leave her and her big belly parked against a tree while he flew his Susanoo to the nearest village to get some for her. She could just imagine the incredulous look on his face at such a ridiculous request. But still. Could he blame her? She was tired, hungry, sore, and hormonal. She can't be held responsible for her silly requests at this point.

Sakura released a small sigh as she begrudgingly pushed on. Stealing a glance at her husband, she took in his stiff posture. His brow was creased, a drop of sweat slowly slipping down his right cheek, eyes flitting around every few seconds in constant vigilance. Really, he was quite cute when he was so focused and worried over her safety. Not that she would ever tell him that. In her opinion, they were in no real danger now. They were approaching the border of fire country, having passed through Kusagakure, and were just another few day's journey (since they couldn't run) to Konohagakure. The thought sent a shiver of excitement through her. How she longed to see her friends again, and finally share the news of her marriage and pregnancy with them. She missed Naruto-kun's cheesy grin and heartfelt hugs more than she cared to admit. She missed Ino-pigs bold attitude and loud friendship. She missed Hinata's soft composure and compassionate heart. She couldn't wait to meet their friends new baby boy, Boruto. She missed her parents and couldn't wait to wrap them in a bear hug, even if she didn't always show so much affection with them. Blame it on the hormones. She even missed Kakashi sensei's lazy demeanor and looked forward to seeing his eyes crinkle in a fatherly smile over his mask. But most of all, she couldn't wait to see their reaction when she waddled into the village glowing with pride; Uchiha crest on her back and protruding belly on her front. After all, she was carrying the physical representation of her and Sasuke's undying love, and the first Uchiha clan member to be born since the massacre so many years ago. Yes, pride was definitely something she was feeling. Bliss. Joy. Pure, unadulterated happiness.

This journey with Sasuke-kun was more than she could put into words. Her heart was so full. After nearly 4 months of traveling together in the beginning, he had finally accepted her feelings, and since then had returned them ten-fold. Without the need to hold back his feelings any longer from her, the deep love of the Uchiha clan came forth in him. He was still the same brooding Sasuke with his serious expression, devoid of emotion when he was around others. But with her….well it was something special. No mask, no guard, no walls. Just him, and her. Truly everything she had ever dreamed of. Within that same month they had eloped. Sakura smiled at the memory. There was no point in waiting through a long engagement, or dragging out a period of dating, when they both knew they were meant for each other. There was no question about it in her mind, and when he surprised her with the proposal of marriage so soon, she knew that there was no question in his mind either. It was meant to be. They both decided to keep their marriage quiet, as well as their pregnancy. Their location during their journey was sensitive information to begin with, but the main reason was simply if their friends knew, they would have been relentless in their requests to have them back home in Konoha. She didn't want everyone to worry about her unnecessarily, and she certainly didn't want to hinder Sasuke-kun on his mission. After their first true argument as a married couple, he had relented to let her stay with him. His worry for her safety was more than he could take at first, and he had made plans right away to take her back. But naturally Sakura couldn't let that happen. She was one of the 3 Sannin, and she was more than capable of protecting herself through the beginning stages of her pregnancy. She also was unwilling to leave Sasukes side after waiting so long to be there in the first place. His mission had to continue whether she was there or not, and she would never in a million years let him miss the birth of his first child.

Caught up in her musings, Sakura didn't notice a jagged root sticking out of the ground. She found herself lurching forward, heart jumping into her throat in fear of injuring her belly as she fell, when a strong arm suddenly shot out to wrap firmly around her bosom. Sasuke let out a soft 'Tsk' as he helped steady Sakura to her feet.

"Sakura, that's the second time today you've nearly fallen. What if I hadn't caught you in time?" Sasuke said.

"Don't be silly anata. I trust you completely. You wouldn't let me fall. Especially not with the way you've been on guard this whole time. A flea could jump to bite me, and you'd be there to squash it." She smiled up at him, emerald eyes gleaming with love and trust.

A slight blush tinted his cheeks as he muttered "You still need to pay more attention." But she knew he was pleased at her level of trust in him.

"Sasuke-kun, wouldn't here be as good a place as any to camp for the night? I would go further, but I think my feet may fall right off of my legs if I take another step. I've got to rest them. It's a wonder I haven't tripped more often honestly." Sakura gestured at her swollen ankles, taking note that they weren't the least bit attractive in this moment and hating to draw attention to them. She wasn't normally that self-conscious, but pregnancy had made her more self-aware and would occasionally snag her self-esteem.

Not seeming to notice her inner turmoil about her bloated ankles, Sasuke dropped both of their packs against a tree saying "I've been waiting for you to say something. I didn't want to stop too early, but I figured you might be at your limit after tripping."

"Well, you were right about that" Sakura said, sighing as she lowered her aching body into a seated position against the nearest tree. As she finally relaxed, she leaned her head back and observed the darkening sky. She had pushed herself longer than she thought she would and chastised herself for exhausting her body like that. She was excited to get back to Konoha, but as a medic who had dealt with many pregnancies of other women, she knew it was unwise to overexert herself. She didn't want to push herself into labor in the middle of the woods. She had been having false contractions on and off throughout the day, and while it didn't worry her, as she wasn't expecting labor for another two weeks, she wanted to err on the side of caution. She didn't want to imagine the panic on Sasuke's face if she weren't to make it that far. The thought alone made her heart race a little. She would have to be more cautious during the next few days, just in case.

Just then she felt another false contraction tighten her belly, and her lower back was aching along with it. As a result, their baby kicked her bladder, hard. Sakura gasped at the sudden assault. Sasuke, who was busy getting a fire started looked at her sharply.

"Don't worry Sasuke-kun, our baby is just treating my bladder like a training dummy." Sakura murmured with a soft laugh, though she was anything but amused. If the little one was going to keep that up it would be a long night for the pink haired kunoichi. Sasuke surprised her right then when he swiftly stood up, walked over to her, knelt in front of her, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "Thank you, Sakura," he said softly. Her cheeks lit up with a warm blush as she asked, "What for Sasuke-kun?"

"For going through this. For us. You're always sacrificing so much. I don't feel like I do enough to support you" he said as he brushes her cheek with his fingertips.

"Sasuke-kun, letting me be here with you by your side is more support than I could ever ask for. You protect me and our baby. You show me your love and support every time your eyes survey our surrounding, or glance at me with concern, or catch me when I fall." Smiling shyly, she says "Or every time you kiss me when I least expect it." Sasuke smirked slightly as he stood up to continue tending the fire. She knew his love for her was strong, brimming under the edge of his emotionless mask 90% of the time. He has always been a man of few words, but the closer she grew to him the more she understood the subtleties of his communication. His actions spoke so much louder than any words he could ever tell her.

She felt another false contraction come along and she rolled her eyes to herself. A long night indeed. She really had pushed herself too much. She watched as Sasuke rolled out their mats. He pulled something else out of his bag, one of his shirts, and folded it up. Smiling yet again, she knew he did that for her. Sleeping on the hard ground, even with her sleeping mat, was very difficult for her. Having his folded shirt propped under her hips helped alleviate some pressure and offered another layer of cushion. She was grateful for his thoughtfulness as she struggled to lift herself from her seated position. Waddling over, she reached her arms high and stretched, more than ready to get some much needed sleep. Not before a snack though. Day dreaming about that Dango really whetted her appetite. She dug in her own bag and pulled out something much less satisfying to munch on while Sasuke reclined on his mat, directly next to hers. Her favorite part of the evening was snuggling up to his chest and breathing in his earthy scent, even if only for a moment, before her aching body insisted she move to a new position. But first, she had to relieve herself. With their baby bouncing on her bladder this evening, she could barely contain herself. She murmured an "I'll be right back" to Sasuke and moved over to the trees a few meters away. She knew Sasuke would probably be sitting up to listen for her and any signs of distress, so she didn't want to stray too far, causing him more worry. Really, he thought the worst of everything sometimes. She struggled to squat as she relieved herself without making a mess. Shaking her head, she mused over her lack of physical strength these days. As a renowned medic-nin who worked her whole life to become the strongest kunoichi, it was sad albeit slightly amusing to be struggling the way she was right now. Her legs shook, and her breathing was heavy, just from squatting down to pee. Ridiculous.

Finished, she made her way to her (yes, sitting) husband and took his raised hand to help her down to her mat. Reclining back, she breathed a sigh of relief and rolled over to her side, adjusting Sasukes' shirt beneath her hip. She wrapped her arm around his warm chest and snuggled her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent that was so addicting to her. The smell sent a wave of contentment through her. They didn't need to say much to each other. They just longed to be close, touching, sharing in their affection. Sasuke turned his head slightly to place a soft kiss on her forehead and she whispered "Goodnight, anata" to him. Smiling one last time, she drifted off to sleep.