Warning: kimchi slander (sorry I promise I don't hate kimchi).

Chapter 29: Dependence

In which Sasuke decides kimchi is the bane of his existence.

Sasuke watches in fascination as the little blond girl stumbles toward Naruto, her chubby legs trembling under her weight.

"That's right! Only a few more steps!" Naruto claps and stretches her hands towards the baby in encouragement.

Reina laughs, but the action throws her off balance, and she lands on all fours onto the floor. Her face twists into an expression that makes Sasuke brace himself for her cries. Before she could, though, Shikamaru pats her head and starts speaking softly to her. "You got this, baby girl. Come on. Only a few more steps. You can do this."

Reina smiles when she sees her father's face and attempts to stand up again. She places both her hands and feet flat on the floor. From there she tries to lift herself to stand, but she struggles, unable to get up from that awkward position. After a few moments of trying, she lets out a small whine.

Shikamaru chuckles and lifts Reina up and blows a raspberry on her stomach, "Got yourself stuck, huh?"

"Papa!" Reina lets out a string of giggles and rubs her chubby hands all over Shikamaru's face. The sight makes Sasuke feel warm inside and he steals a glance at Naruto's pregnant stomach, wondering if his son would call him Papa and look at Sasuke with that same delighted expression Reina wears. The thought brings a small smile to his face.

Shikamaru sets her down on her feet and turns her towards Naruto. "A few more steps, okay, Reina?"

"Come on, Rei-chan!" Naruto smiles widely and claps at the wobbly toddler.

Reina takes a couple more steps on unsteady legs, and Sasuke thinks it's only a matter of seconds before she falls again. Instead, Reina stumbles and lets momentum carry her and she crashes into Naruto's arms. "Good girl!" Naruto exclaims as she lifts Reina up above her before resting the child on her lap.

Shikamaru and Temari were visiting them with their baby before they left for Suna, citing that it was going to be a long trip, and they probably would still be in Suna by the time Kyo was born. Temari had wanted to give Naruto some advice and took her to a separate room to talk to her. Temari had then taken off, needing to finish some final work. Naruto had come back looking slightly green, making Sasuke wonder what exactly they talked about. Shikamaru stayed back for a little bit when Reina refused to leave Naruto's side.

Sasuke drinks in the laughter in Naruto's blue eyes as she holds Reina. It's a rare sight these days, and he doesn't take his eyes off her, wanting to savor the moment as much as he could.

Reina rests her small hands on Naruto's pregnant belly and rubs it curiously. She looks up at Naruto and blabbers.

"Yeah," Naruto nods at Reina, as though she understood the baby. "There's another baby in here," Naruto tells her, eyes soft and warm as she smiles. "Will you be friends with him, Reina? His name is Kyoshi."

Reina tries to speak, "Giiiii...ohhh"

Naruto chuckles. "Ki. Yo. Shi."

"shiii!" Reina yells and blows a little bubble from her drool.

"Yeah, good luck with that. She can only speak simple words now," Shikamaru says, leaning back against the couch, arms folded behind his head.

"It's fine, they have plenty of time," Naruto says softly, brushing back Reina's golden locks with a fond expression. She then grimaces as Reina starts patting her belly excitedly as though she just found a new toy.

"Reina, no!" Shikamaru moves to pick her up, but Sasuke moves faster, his heart in his throat, and plucks her right off Naruto. He carries her with one arm and presses her close to his body to secure her in place, but now that he's holding the toddler, though, he stares at her, quite unsure of what to do next. Reina decides for him when she takes one look at him and her face scrunches up again, her little mouth trembling, and she starts wailing. Shikamaru comes to his rescue and scoops Reina out of his arm.

"Teme, you scared her!" Naruto exclaims.

Sasuke could barely respond, however. Holding Reina had been... terrifying. He had frozen.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's concerned voice pulls him out of his thoughts. Reina's cries turn into hiccups, and Shikamaru rubs her back.

"I'm... sorry," Sasuke whispers, his heart racing for some reason. Kyo will be born soon and he'll have to… carry him, too. And it'll be just as scary as holding Reina had been. And he made her cry. What has he been thinking until now? He doesn't know a thing about parenthood, and he thought… what did he think? That he could just easily become a father? What if he messes up? What if he makes his own child cry? What if he does something wrong? What if he fails Kyo? Shit. What made him think that he would be a suitable father?

"Sasuke," This time it's Shikamaru that calls him. Sasuke couldn't quite read Shikamaru's face.

"Here, hold her, will you? I wanted to talk to Sasuke about something anyway," Shikamaru says as he hands Reina over to Naruto. Reina immediately buries her head in Naruto's shoulder, whimpering, and grabs onto some of Naruto's hair. The sight would have made Sasuke feel warm again as he would have imagined his own son in her arms like that, but right now he only feels… a strange tightening in his stomach. Naruto gives him a worried glance.

Shikamaru inclines his head at him and heads towards the veranda. Sasuke follows, feeling slightly uneasy. Once outside, Shikamaru takes his time lighting a cigarette and draws deeply from it.

"Man, you looked so scared back there," Shikamaru chuckles.

Sasuke stiffens. "I wasn't-"

"Yeah, yeah, the great Uchiha Sasuke is never afraid of anything. Then what was the face I saw when you held Reina?" Shikamaru asks with a raised eyebrow.

Well. He has a point. But that doesn't mean Sasuke will admit to it.

"What did you want?" Sasuke asks instead. If Shikamaru brought him out here to tease him, he will not let Shikamaru off that easily.

Shikamaru gazes at Sasuke, looking mildly amused. "That was… your first time holding a baby, wasn't it?"

Sasuke sets his jaw and remains silent. Where exactly is Shikamaru going with this? He wonders suspiciously.

Shikamaru turns serious. "Look. I've felt the same way. Becoming a new father is no joke. With Naruto about to pop in just a month, I imagine you're feeling a little nervous."

Sasuke closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath. His pride is of no use right now, not when it's about Kyo, so he lets it go. If he's honest with himself, he's somewhat glad Shikamaru's there to talk to him about this. Especially since he has some experience. Especially when he seems to be so good at it. Not that Sasuke would tell him any of this.

Instead, he lets out a long exhale. "Yes. I… I am a little… nervous." Terrified, a small voice in Sasuke's head interjects and he ignores it. "I didn't mean to make Reina cry."

Shikamaru looks at him in surprise at the admission. He takes another drag from his cigarette and offers it to Sasuke. Sasuke refuses it. Like hell he's going to destroy the body he worked so hard to strengthen. Shikamaru shrugs him off.

"Of course, you didn't. Trust me, you're not the first one. I've made her cry too. Had to take quite a lot of shit from Temari for it," Shikamaru grimaces. Sasuke only raises his eyebrows at him, feeling somewhat sympathetic.

"Anyways… Babies cry. All the time. They don't have any other way to communicate. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong. But I also wanted to let you know that I've been on the same boat too. I had no clue what to do when Reina came along. But you will learn. You might think you're not ready to become a father, but… To me, I think that's the first step to becoming a parent. I would have been worried if you weren't nervous. Just… do your best to love the kid, yeah? The rest will come to you with time and experience. You learn as you go."

"Uhm... Shika?" Naruto's voice drifts towards them from the living room. "I think she's… hungry?"

Shikamaru puts out his cigarette with a rueful look and throws it as he heads back for the living room. The hint of anxiety in Naruto's voice makes Sasuke follow him. They find Naruto wrestling with Reina, whose arms are all over Naruto's breasts, pulling at the neckline of Naruto's nightgown to get to them. Reina whines as Naruto tries to stop her arms from revealing her chest to the world.

Shikamaru flushes red and laughs nervously as he tries to take Reina back, but she resists loudly and clings onto Naruto tightly, desperately pulling at Naruto's gown.

"Hold on here for a sec, I think Temari brought some milk," Shikamaru tells her and dives for the bag to look for said milk.

Sasuke laughs at Naruto's red face.

"Sure, go ahead and laugh, teme. It's not like I don't-" Naruto squeaks when Reina manages to get a hand inside her top. Sasuke decides then that it is time to help, but Reina cries as Sasuke tries to peel her off Naruto. The toddler's grip is surprisingly strong, but Naruto manages to pry Reina's little fingers off her clothing and Sasuke manages to pull the toddler off just as Shikamaru comes running back with a baby bottle.

Reina spots it almost immediately and practically jumps out of Sasuke's arms to get to the bottle. As soon as she latches onto the bottle, she goes back to being the perfect toddler, quiet and calm in her father's arms.

"Reminds me of you when you're hungry," Sasuke smirks at Naruto. Instead of sputtering as Sasuke had expected her to, Naruto only looks at him for a short moment before she smiles smugly.

"Funny, because Reina reminded me of you when you get all grabby with my boobs." Naruto retorts smoothly.

Sasuke chokes, trying to fight back the heat rushing to his cheeks and ears. He fails when Shikamaru bursts out laughing at her comment. Did she really have to say that in front of Shikamaru? There goes the rest of his pride… Sasuke flexes his hands.

"Don't tell me you're going to hit a pregnant woman? Much less a woman pregnant with your child?" Naruto looks at him, wide-eyed in mock fear. Sasuke doesn't dignify that with an answer. It is definitely not because he was caught off guard and couldn't come up with a remark in time.

Sasuke groans internally. Just as he was beginning to feel some companionship with Shikamaru. There goes all his respectability. Why, Naruto… Why?

Shikamaru chuckles. "Don't worry, Sasuke. If anything, it makes you a little more relatable. You're not a perv for touching your own wife, you know." He shifts Reina into a more comfortable position and picks up a bag. "I need to get going before Temari rips me a new one. Troublesome woman…" he grumbles on his way out the door. Though Sasuke thinks he hears affection in Shikamaru's voice as he talks about Temari.

"Bye, then Shika," Naruto waves, "say hi to Gaara for me."

Shikamaru nods. "And you take care of yourself, and good luck with everything. And... uh… sorry about Reina," Shikamaru says awkwardly, gesturing towards the baby girl in his arms. Sasuke gets a glimpse of Reina looking calmly at them past her baby bottle before the door closes shut.

No sooner than they leave, though, Sasuke feels a weight on his side and looks down to see Naruto leaning heavily against him, looking pained. She clutches her side.

Nervous, he holds her up and walks her back to their couch. "Naruto, were you in pain all this time? You need to stop pretending. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, mom," Naruto replies, exasperated. "Just another cramp."

"Do you want me to get Sakura?"

"No, I'm fine," she glares at him. "Sakura-chan has a night shift tonight, so let her sleep. I just need to sit for a bit."

It's been about a week since Sakura started living with them. Things between her and Ino seems to have settled a bit, but Sakura thought it might be a good idea for her to stay a little and keep a close eye on Naruto. Tsunade had also agreed, especially as they were only about a month away from the due date, and swapped out some of Sakura's hospital shifts for her time with Naruto so she wasn't overworked. Sasuke was only too glad for this. He felt a lot less stressed with Sakura around. It relieved a kind of pressure he didn't really know was there before.

Sasuke sits down next to Naruto. She leans back against the couch and closes her eyes. He notices how her brows furrow a little in pain.

She opens her eyes again and turns her head to look at Sasuke, looking a little sheepish. "Um…"

Sasuke raises his eyebrow at her, though he has a sinking feeling in his stomach about what Naruto wants.

"I'm craving kimchi again… could you maybe get me some?"

Sasuke groans and makes his way to the kitchen. Sasuke doesn't hate kimchi. He really has nothing against the pickled cabbage. Indeed, compared to ramen, it's quite healthy, and maybe Sasuke would not have minded eating it either.

It's just… of all the foods Naruto could get a craving for, why did it have to be something so obscure that he can only find it in one shop on the other side of the village? Why did she have to mix it with miso soup of all things? Just the sight is enough to nauseate Sasuke. Why did the Ichiraku's decide to go international and have Naruto sample their kimchi broth? Of all the times, why now? Couldn't they have waited a couple of months? Maybe after Kyo was born? So that way Naruto wouldn't be waking him up in the middle of the fucking night, craving something so hard to find?

Sasuke opens the fridge door hesitantly. He is pretty sure she just went through her last jar of kimchi, but maybe—

His stomach sinks even further.

"Naruto?" Sasuke walks out of the kitchen. "Any chance you might want something else instead?"

"But I really want kimchi…"

"You used to crave fish ramen before, why not that?"

Naruto pouts and widens her blue eyes at him.

Sasuke grimaces. He swears Naruto knows what that face does to him. She probably does. No, she definitely does.

And really, Sasuke could have resisted it had it been any other circumstance.

Heh, sure, a small voice inside his head mocks him.

Sasuke ignores it.

Though, at this point, Sasuke would do anything to see that wonderful smile of hers every time she gets her hands on that damn cabbage.

"Please, Sas?"

Maybe the Ichiraku's might have some in stock. Please let them have some in stock, he prays to himself.

Sasuke exhales deeply. "I'll be back," he mutters and makes his way out.

Ichiraku's did end up having stock. The old man running the restaurant had bought extra remembering how much Naruto liked the fucking cabbage.

Thank fuck.

"Thank you." Sasuke nods at Teuchi, incredibly relieved. He digs around his pockets for his wallet.

"It's on the house, kid! We've been feeding Naruto since she was a little kid herself, so this ain't no different."

Sasuke frowns. A whole jar of kimchi is more expensive than a simple bowl of ramen, though. "Are you su—"

Teuchi laughs heartily. "Of course, m'boy! She's family."

"Tou-san!" Teuchi's daughter, Ayame, calls out as she walks to the front. "Do you know if we have any extra— Oh, Sasuke-kun? Fancy seeing you here!"

"He came here for more kimchi," Teuchi tells her.

Ayame chuckles, "Naruto, huh? How is she, by the way?"

Sasuke hesitates.

Ayame seems to understand his silence and smiles at him kindly. "It's her last month, isn't it? It'll be a bit difficult, but nothing you two can't get through. Have faith. Let her know that I'm here if she needs anything. You, too, Sasuke-kun. Feel free to reach out to us."

Sasuke starts feeling warm at the fact that Naruto had had them for a family since the beginning. That she had them to rely on when she had no one else. At least some people in this damned village were decent enough to not let fear control them and saw only a child who needed love, rather than the container of the Nine-tailed Fox.

"Thank you, Teuchi-san, Ayame-san," Sasuke says again, bending his head a little in a bow.

"No need to do all that!" Teuchi laughs awkwardly, brushing the back of his head with his hand. "Go take care of your wife, son."

Sasuke's spirits a little lifted, his lips curve up into a small smile as he makes his way back home, wondering if Naruto got that head brushing habit from the old man.

When Sasuke gets home, though, his spirits plummet straight down when he finds Naruto crouched on the floor, far from the couch she was sitting on. There's a small puddle of vomit in front of her, and some of it smears her nightgown as well as her hair.

"Naruto!" He all but rushes towards her and crouches in front of her, his heart pounding in fear. "What happened? Are you okay?" He places a hand on her shoulder, uncertain if it's his hand or her shoulder that's shaking.

Naruto rubs her stomach and gives him a pained smile. "Welcome home, teme. And I'm fine. I just couldn't make it to the bathroom in time."

"Did you trip?" He asks as he looks over Naruto carefully.

"No," Naruto shakes her head.

Sasuke slumps a little in relief. "What happened?"

Naruto gives him a strained smile. "I just… I felt nauseous again, but I felt really dizzy on my way to the bathroom. So, I threw up here, and I couldn't get back up. I'm sorry about the mess, Sasuke."

Sasuke pushes back at the anxiety gnawing at him. "Don't worry about it. Let's get you cleaned. Can you stand up?" At Naruto's nod, he puts her arm over his shoulders and helps her up. They make their way to the bathroom, and he fills the tub with warm water and soap as she brushes her teeth. He helps her out of her clothes and into the tub. He lathers up her hair as she starts bathing.

"I'm sorry," Naruto mumbles.

"Shh." Sasuke massages her head, applying some pressure into her scalp with his fingers. Naruto's head bobs along with the movement of his hands. "I don't want to hear any more apologies from you."

"But… I don't like that I'm making you take care of me. I just… I hate feeling so… dependent on you."

Sasuke stays quiet. Naruto couldn't get up without his help. She's mostly bedridden, which means she depends on him for almost everything. He wouldn't like being in her position either. No, in fact, he'd hate it. He, like her, has always been taking care of himself since childhood. Sasuke understands how uncomfortable - almost humiliating - it feels to go from that to becoming completely dependent. It makes one lose all sense of control, and that feeling is close to terrifying. It's feeling completely helpless and knowing that one would be screwed if there is no one around to help them. And for people like them, who have spent the majority of their lives alone and helping themselves, it's a scary thing to completely depend on someone.

"I know," he says after a bit, "but that's another thing about being married, Naruto. We need to learn how to rely on each other when we can't do it ourselves." Sasuke pauses in his lathering and takes her chin and makes her face him. "We're married, Naruto. Married. Do you know what that means?"

Naruto nods slowly, but then frowns and shakes her head uncertainly.

"It means we're no longer alone. We're a unit, now. I won't leave you. You can trust me."

Naruto's mouth opens in a small 'o' of understanding, and though Sasuke could see a hint of a smile, he could also see anxiety in her eyes. He lets go of her chin and tries not to smile at the shampoo foam sticking to her face.

"But to be completely reliant on you? Like… I might as well be a baby myself because you're doing everything. You're cooking, you're bathing me right now, you're the one doing all the chores… while I…"

"While you grow our little one, Naru," Sasuke finishes for her as he rinses her hair out. "It's the least I can do for you."

"But—"

"I told you this before, didn't I? You're not making me do anything. I want to take care of you because I love you."

Naruto remains silent as Sasuke takes a fluffy towel and starts drying her hair.

"Isn't it unfair, though? Shouldn't marriage be… you know… equal?"

Sasuke sighs deeply but quietly. "Let me put it to you this way. If our positions were switched, and you had to take care of everything for me, would you think it's unfair?"

"Of course not!" Naruto says immediately.

Sasuke laughs a little. Of course, she wouldn't think twice about that. "And why is that?"

"Well…" Naruto chews her lips. "Because… I care about you, and I would do anything to make you feel happy and well."

Despite anticipating her answer, Sasuke couldn't help but smile. "So… It's the same for me. I care about you, and I want to make you feel happy, too, and I would do anything for that."

"It feels… weird, though."

"I know. You're too used to giving, Naruto." Having dried her hair, he puts the towel aside and plants a small kiss on top of her head. "It's time you learn how to take. Up you get, now." He helps her out of the tub and hands Naruto another towel as he drains the tub.

They make their way to the bedroom and Sasuke helps her into another set of clothes before she sits on the bed and rests her back against the headboard. She leans her head back as well and closes her eyes just as her stomach growls again.

Sasuke lets out a soft breath of laughter. "You want your kimchi now?"

Naruto brightens. "I forgot! Yeah!" She moves to get out of bed, and Sasuke pushes her back.

"Keep resting, dobe. I'll bring it here."

He hears her grumbling as he leaves the bedroom. As he makes his way to the kitchen, he spots the small amount of vomit on the floor where he had found Naruto and grimaces. He decides to clean that up before it dries completely.

When Sasuke finally returns to the bedroom with a bowl of rice and kimchi, he finds Naruto holding her stomach again with a pained expression on her face. He makes his way to her and sits beside her, trying to quell his uneasiness. "Hey…"

Naruto looks at him and attempts a smile that ends up in a grimace. "Hey." She pokes Sasuke on the forehead and he blinks, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu. "You're going to end up aging really quick if you keep frowning like that, Sas. I'm okay."

Naruto cups his cheek before she moves her hand to the back of his head to pull him towards her. She presses her lips against his in a light kiss. Sasuke closes his eyes, savoring the taste of her lips.

She pulls away all too soon and brushes his hair with her fingers. Her eyes gaze at him with such warmth he feels his own heartbeats slow down, though it does nothing to ease his concern. "I'm really okay, Sasuke. Please stop worrying so much."

Sasuke doesn't respond. How can he not worry? It hurts him to see her so weakened and in pain. He sighs and pushes the tray of rice and kimchi into her hands. "Eat your food. Make sure you don't spill any on the bed."

Naruto pouts before she digs in. Her face brightens up almost immediately after her first bite and she closes her eyes in bliss. "Mmmm!" she moans in pleasure.

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle. It's this that makes it worth going through the trouble of getting kimchi. Though he couldn't fathom exactly how or even why she finds the intense, pungent stuff so delicious. It doesn't taste bad, per se, but… there are other foods that are actually worth such a reaction. Like tomatoes, for example. The ripe, juicy ones that taste a little sweet but not too sweet, the tanginess…

"I love you, teme!"

Sasuke snorts. "What, for getting you kimchi?"

Naruto nods vigorously. "It tastes delicious!" She shoves the bowl towards him. "Here, try."

Sasuke pushes the bowl back towards Naruto, wrinkling his nose. "I'm good."

Naruto sticks her tongue out at him, before shrugging and going back to her bowl. "More for me, I guess."

A small smile plays on his lips as he watches her eat. After a bit, he leaves for the kitchen to get a glass of water for her, which Naruto drinks all in one shot. She lets out a satisfied sigh and sets aside the empty bowl.

"You want more water?"

Naruto looks at Sasuke almost pleadingly, "Yeah… if you don't mind."

Sasuke rolls his eyes and pours her another glass of water. This time she takes a few sips at a time. She leans her head back against the headboard when Naruto suddenly breathes in sharply and her grip on the glass tightens.

"Naruto?"

Her face twists into another pained smile. "I'm fine. Just another cramp."

Sasuke's chest tightens in apprehension. It's not as if this is the first time she's had cramps, but they seem to bother her more than they did before. "Do you think…?"

Naruto gives him a questioning look. "What?"

Sasuke swallows, wondering why he feels so panicked. "That- that you're in- labor?"

"I don't think so. Plus, remember what Sakura-chan said about…" Her face scrunches as she tries to remember. "about… broccoli hickeys?"

…Broccoli… hickeys…? Sasuke completely forgets his initial panic as he looks at her in concern. Did she finally lose her mind?

Naruto seems to realize what Sasuke was thinking and frowns and flicks his forehead.

"Ow," Sasuke protests and rubs the spot on his forehead.

"You know—those… those… those fake labor thingies… Sakura-chan said it's my uterus practicing to give birth or something?"

Ohh. "Braxton hicks, you mean?"

"Yes!"

How did she get broccoli hickeys from that? Sasuke wonders in amazement. He snorts. Naruto flicks his forehead again. "Fuck off. Pregnancy brain, remember?"

Sasuke grabs her hand. "Would you stop that?"

Naruto laughs and pulls Sasuke in for another light kiss. Sasuke immediately breaks away from it upon tasting the kimchi in her mouth. "Brush your teeth first, usuratonkachi."

Naruto sends him a dirty look but gets off the bed regardless to head to the bathroom. Sasuke follows her, just in case. When Naruto looks at him suspiciously, he grabs his own toothbrush and paste and starts brushing. It's not like he's going to eat anything later anyway.

They get back into bed, but Sasuke didn't think he could fall asleep anytime soon and chooses to read for a little bit as Naruto lies on her side, facing him. After a while, Naruto sidles up next to him and rests her head on his lap, and he puts his book aside and starts massaging her scalp and brushing his fingers through her hair.

"Ne... Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"I'm scared."

"Of what?" Sasuke asks, the repetitive movements of his hands making him feel calmer than the book ever accomplished. He marvels at how the moonlight reflects off her hair, making her blonde hair look platinum.

It takes a while for Naruto to answer, "...the pain."

That surprises him. Naruto has a very high tolerance for pain. She jumps into battle with no thought to what bodily harm might come to her, much to Sasuke's unending annoyance.

Naruto laughs softly, sensing his confusion. "...I just feel like this pain might be… a little different?"

Oh. "You're scared because you don't know what to expect," Sasuke ventures.

"Yeah… Temari told me it kind of feels like your period cramps but a thousand times worse. And then some… other very descriptive words..." Naruto shivers. "I really hope she's exaggerating. My periods already hurt like a bitch, so I can't imagine what it would feel like times a thousand."

That gives Sasuke pause. Her periods hurt her like a 'bitch', so to speak, but she never complains about it, to the point Sasuke had almost forgotten about it.

Out of nowhere, Sasuke remembers one particular day when they were genin. He had unknowingly done or said something to piss Naruto off (again), and she had lunged at him. Sasuke had given her a very hard kick to the stomach in return. Naruto had keeled over and stayed on the ground for longer than she usually did. Sasuke had taunted her about going down so fast when they barely begun to spar, which immediately made Naruto jump back into it. Every time she had grimaced in pain, Sasuke had felt a good amount of satisfaction because he thought he was getting in some good hits.

Sasuke cringes at the memory. I am such an idiot.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke hears the anxiety laced in her voice. "Hm?"

"What if I mess up? What if I absolutely suck at being a mother? I... don't know what mothers are supposed to do..." Naruto trails off.

Sasuke continues to brush his fingers through her hair, thinking about his own conversation with Shikamaru earlier. "Naruto, I've seen the way you interact with Reina," Sasuke leans down to kiss her forehead, "I think you'll be a great mother. You also have me. You won't be alone. We'll learn to be good parents together."

"I think you'll be a good father," Naruto mumbles. Her eyes close. "I trust you, Sasuke."

Sasuke smiles and shuffles in so he's also lying in bed, and rolls to his side. He pulls Naruto in close and closes his eyes, breathing in her soothing scent as he also finds himself drifting off into sleep.

...

-to be continued-

Author's Notes

Responses to reviews:

Guest 2 First off, you don't need to apologize for reviewing late, you're under no obligation to do write a review as soon as I post. I do appreciate you leaving a review for each chapter though, so thank you for that. It doesn't really matter if it's late or not lol. Second, no, you're not really wasting my time, I'm just sorry to hear about your situation, I hope it gets better for ya. And about the aliens, yeah, they were really unnecessary and they really should have ended with Madara as the main villain, it was such a disappointment how he went out. I swear I think they just stuffed kaguya in last minute so they could have some villains in boruto or sthg. And lol you make a good point about aliens talking the same language as us. I always just thought aliens are using some technology to translate what they're saying. I have no idea about the aliens in naruto/boruto tho

AnimeandFanficLover omg noooo 😭😭 you make them sound like glorified servants or sthg but like... now that you mention it, I remember those missions where they weeded gardens or picked up trash from the river and stuff. Imagine training your butt off to become genin, only to be sent off to be a kid's babysitter 💀 like no wonder sasuke left the village 💀

James1996 Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!

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As always, thank you all so much for leaving your thoughts/reactions in the reviews!