"How long have you been sleeping with Sakura?" Kakashi asked with a masked smile when the Uchiha came to visit him in his office one day.

Sasuke groaned. "Don't say it like that."

"How else would you prefer for me to say it? That's what you're doing, isn't it? Sleeping?" Kakashi asked innocently. "Or is there something else you're not telling me?"

Sasuke gave Kakashi one of his trademark scowls.

Kakashi chuckled. "But moving on, I heard through the grapevine that you've furnished your estate with half of the city's furniture collection, and you've been buying more flowers." the masked man noted.

Sasuke shrugged. "I wanted to make her happy."

"How exactly does furnishing your house make her happy?"

Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes.

"It sounds to me like you're nesting." Kakashi suggested slyly.

Sasuke frowned. "Nesting? No. My house was empty when I returned. I had to buy housewares."

"Convenient, I'll admit. But I know you. You could live with nothing but a tent and the clothes on your back. You bought all of that furniture to make Sakura feel more at home in your house. You wanted her to want to be there with you."

"So what if I did? It worked, didn't it?" Sasuke said defensively.

Indeed, his plan had worked. Sakura had spent every night at his house with him for the past two weeks. Her morning commute to the hospital was a bit longer from the isolated Uchiha compound, but Sasuke had worked hard to make sure that his house provided Sakura with everything that she needed. He'd purchased a hairdryer, more female shower products, and some of her favorite foods once he had realized that she was toting entirely too many things to his house every night. He'd also offered to let her use his second dresser to store some of her own clothes, and he encouraged her to adjust things around the house as she saw fit.

And in response, Sakura had effortlessly settled into Sasuke's home as if it were her own. She began to refer to the right-hand nightstand beside the bed as "hers", and she now had a key to Sasuke's house on her key ring. She even kept her toothbrush at one of the bathroom sinks.

Kakashi smirked. So that was his intention; to appeal to Sakura. "Do you still deny that you have feelings for her?" he asked quietly.

Sasuke continued to scowl, looking out the window of the Hokage office. "Don't ask me that."

Kakashi had known that getting the boy to admit his feelings for Sakura would be no easy task, so he waited patiently.

Sasuke began to voice his thoughts as they came to him. "I've never wanted to spend so much time with a certain person before. It feels…odd." He inhaled deeply, and then exhaled. "I thought I was just tired of being alone. But I've also tried to spend some time training with Naruto during the day while Sakura is working, and being with him doesn't give me the same feeling."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully.

"It's like she…fills a void." Sasuke said. "I can't explain it. I just feel like my entire life, I've had a purpose. Go to school and make my father proud; catch up to Itachi; avenge my clan by killing Itachi," Sasuke said bitterly. "And then I would restore the clan."

Kakashi nodded again. "But you're not ready to do that yet, are you?" Kakashi asked, knowing the answer already.

"No." Sasuke agreed. "I'm not." He knew that rushing into the revival of his clan would not bode well for his future progeny. He needed to build a strong foundation for his future family. He needed to be emotionally and mentally capable of fatherhood and leadership, and he knew he was nowhere near that point. His ordeal with Orochimaru and the Fourth Great Ninja War had taken a toll on his spirit, and he was still picking up the pieces of himself that he left behind in Konoha.

"So Sakura fills the void until you're ready to do so. And then you'll move on with your plan." Kakashi suggested.

That did not sit well with Sasuke. "You make it sound like she's disposable to me." he growled.

Kakashi shrugged. "In a way, she is. Even if she is only your friend, as you claim she is, you will eventually have to push her aside for the sake of your future wife when you decide to revive your clan. Women don't exactly like other women sleeping in the same bed as their husband." Kakashi said with a smug smile, gauging the Uchiha's reaction.

Sasuke snorted. "I know that."

"Sasuke," Kakashi's voice had taken a more serious tone. "At some point, you're going to have to figure out how you feel about Sakura. She may not be infatuated with you anymore, but the more time she spends with you, the more hurt she will be when you leave her to pursue your next purpose." Kakashi paused before continuing. "And the last time you left her, it nearly destroyed her."

"I'm very well aware of that." Sasuke spat, clenching his fists as he stood up. "Thanks for your advice; I'm leaving." Sasuke said stiffly, exiting the office and slamming the door behind him.

But Kakashi smiled to himself, leaning back in his chair. He had accomplished his goal for the day: to make the Uchiha realize what he wanted.


"Sasuke!" Sakura called out in frustration from the bathroom, searching under the cabinets for a towel. I told him to make sure he did the laundry today while I was working my double shift! she thought angrily to herself. The man must've had servants do his laundry when he was with Orochimaru, because he sure as hell never does it himself!

"I'm working on it," Sasuke rolled his eyes, walking into the bedroom with a stack of warm towels. He knocked on the bathroom door twice. It opened just enough for a slender hand to shoot out and grab a towel before the door closed again with a click.

"Thank you!" Sakura called sweetly, drying herself off and getting dressed in her usual tank top and shorts.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, but he smiled to himself all the same.

It was nearly one o'clock in the morning, and Sakura was exhausted from her day at work. She'd helped deliver four babies after two very long and difficult labors – they were two sets of twins. She emerged from the bathroom, throwing her work clothes and her towel into the laundry hamper in the closest as she made her way across the room to the bed. Sasuke had already pulled back the covers, and Sakura flopped herself down onto the bed dramatically.

"I never want to see another naked, screaming baby again!" she said in exasperation.

Sasuke came and sat on his side of the bed. "Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sakura giggled. "No, I was just being dramatic. Don't take everything so literally." she said, nudging him with her foot.

Sasuke gently pushed her foot away and leaned back into the pillows, deep in thought. Sakura didn't notice, however. She had already closed her eyes in relaxation, thankful to finally be off her feet after 16 hours at work.

"So how do you really feel about babies?"

Sakura sat up slowly, caught off guard by the sudden question; especially from someone like Sasuke. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke shrugged, not willing to elaborate.

"Well," Sakura thought it over. "I'd say I like them about the same as any other girl, really. I mean, I assume I'm going to be a mother one day, but I'm not baby-crazy." she said lightly.

"You want to be a mother?"

What an odd question. "Someday, sure, if that's what my husband wants." Sakura shrugged. She noted Sasuke's furrowed brow and couldn't tell if he was analyzing her response or if something else was bothering him. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Sasuke said casually.

But Sakura knew better. "What about you? Why the sudden interest in babies?" she asked, laying down on her side and propping her head up on one arm, interested the answer to come.

Sasuke was quiet for a minute. "I need to revive my clan at some point." he said, avoiding her avid gaze.

That's right, Sakura thought. I do remember him mentioning that when we were genin. I couldn't tell if he was serious, though. "Have you ever even held a baby before, Sasuke?" Sakura asked with a smirk.

"No."

"Come to the hospital a bit early tomorrow, and we'll find you a baby to hold!" she said cheerfully.

Sasuke blanched. "That's not exactly—"

"Please?" Sakura pushed her bottom lip out, pouting. "For me?" She gave him her best sad puppy dog eyes.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine." he sighed.

Sakura held back a squeal of happiness. "I can't wait!"

Sasuke turned off the light and laid down next to her. "It's late; you need to sleep." he said, playfully pushing her head down onto her pillow.

Right on cue, Sakura stifled a yawn behind her hand. "I think you're right. Delivering babies is hard work, and I wasn't even the one doing the pushing." she joked.


Sasuke took a deep breath as he walked toward the hospital around five o'clock the next day. Sakura's shift was scheduled to end at five-thirty, and Sasuke was a man of his word. He had agreed last night to hold a baby, so there he was, ready to hold a tiny human being for the first time. It better not puke on me, he thought wryly. He walked through the front doors and past the main desk in the lobby, ignoring both receptionists as they tried to offer him assistance. He didn't need them and their swooning; he knew where he was going.

Sasuke had only been waiting in Sakura's office for five minutes when she walked in, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Sasuke!" she said in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you to be in here." she said, quickly wiping her sweaty hand on her pants.

"You told me to get here early. Here I am."

Sakura smiled. "I'm glad you came! I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised." Sakura winked at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him out into the hallway with her. "The nursery is upstairs, adjacent to the maternity ward." she explained as they walked.

Sasuke followed her dutifully, trying not to notice how his pulse quickened at her touch. When they arrived upstairs, a woman walking down the hall in her pajamas smiled meekly at Sakura.

"Sakura-san," the young woman greeted nervously. "I know you said that I shouldn't be walking around, but I just wanted to see them one more time…" she explained quickly.

Sakura smiled, waving off her justification. "I completely understand; they're your first babies, of course you're eager to see them. In fact," Sakura said, gesturing to Sasuke, "I was just about to take Uchiha Sasuke for a tour of the nursery myself. Would you care to join us?"

The woman smiled warmly. "It would be an honor!" Sasuke noted that the woman was not swooning over him in the usual fangirl manner; he knew his name was well-known throughout the village.

"This is Hayashi-san, Sasuke. I helped deliver her twins yesterday." Sakura explained to Sasuke as they walked.

Sasuke quickly found his manners. "Congratulations." he said quietly to the woman, nodding in her direction.

"Thank you! My husband and I are so thrilled – twin boys!" Hayashi-san said proudly. "My husband is the only son in his family, so he was hoping for a son to carry on the family name. And we got two of them!"

That resonated with Sasuke, reminding him of his own predicament. "I see." he said, being polite.

The group came to a halt outside a large window through which Sasuke could see a dozen or so newborns laying in their bassinets. The new mother smiled and pointed to the two babies on the far right-hand side of the room. "There they are!" she said excitedly.

"Here, let's go inside." Sakura said, unlocking the door adjacent to the viewing window and walking into the room. Sasuke let Hayashi-san enter first, and then he followed.

"We need to wash our hands first, just to be safe." Sakura said, motioning to the sink at the back of the room. The new mother quickly washed her hands, anxious to see her sons. Sakura and Sasuke washed their hands more slowly, giving Hayashi-san a few moments of privacy with the twins.

"She's so happy..." Sasuke commented, intrigued. He had noticed that the woman was constantly smiling; it's like she was unable to stop.

"Of course she is! She worked hard for those babies. They didn't just slide out on their own, you know." Sakura elbowed him playfully.

Sasuke had to admit that she had a fair point. He'd never really stopped to think about how difficult it must be for a woman to give birth; he'd never had a reason to.

"How is everyone?" Sakura asked the new mother, wandering over to join her at the bassinets. Sasuke maintained his distance, feeling out of place.

Hayashi-san continued to smile, adjusting the newborn hat on one of her sons. "They're both so beautiful." she whispered. "Can I hold them?"

"Of course," Sakura said brightly. "Do you want both at once?"

"How about you hold one while I hold the other, and then we can switch?" she woman said kindly.

Sakura nodded, picking up the larger of the two boys and placing him into his mother's waiting arms. Sakura then picked up the smaller twin herself, cradling him close to her chest. The two women bounced slightly and cooed indiscernible phrases as they rocked the babies, and Sasuke was fascinated at how they naturally knew how to handle the infants.

Sakura actually looks…endearing. Sasuke thought, his lips forming a very rare smile. His smile quickly disappeared as he noticed Sakura whisper something to Hayashi-san and nod in his direction. Hayashi-san nodded also, continuing to smile radiantly. Oh no, Sasuke thought. Here we go…

"Sasuke, would you like to hold one of the twins?" Sakura called, indicating that he should join them.

Sasuke sighed, but obliged all the same. "Sure." he said reluctantly.

"Here, you can hold Aito." Hayashi-san said warmly. "Hold your arms like this," she motioned. "And make sure you support his head; newborns don't have good head control." she explained patiently. "Just hold him close to your body and you'll be fine." she said, walking closer to Sasuke as he awkwardly tried to arrange his arms in a cradling position. "Are you ready?"

Sasuke nodded, slightly anxious as the young woman placed the baby in his arms. He was amazed at how small and light the infant was, despite being the larger of the two twins. He stood very still, holding the baby firmly against his torso. His hand had no trouble supporting the boy's small head, just as he had been instructed.

The boy's mother hid a small laugh behind her hand. "You look so stiff, loosen up a little bit." she teased.

Sasuke tried very hard not to scowl at the woman, and instead settled for a frown. "I've never done this before." he muttered, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

"That's okay, you'll get better with more experience." the boy's mother said reassuringly to Sasuke as she took her second son from Sakura's arms.

Sakura walked over to Sasuke and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're doing great." she whispered in his ear. "It's not so bad after all, is it?"

"No, it's not." Sasuke admitted quietly.

"You'll be ready for a baby of your own in no time." Sakura joked, walking away to check on the other infants in the nursery, leaving Sasuke with wide eyes.


A/N: When writer's block sets in, switch things up a bit! That's my motto, anyway. I know this chapter isn't what I usually write, but I hope you still found it to be fluffy. Thank you for all of the feedback! Writer's block is starting to manifest itself more often – so if any of you have plot point suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Please continue to leave reviews – I love them! Big shout-out to Waterlilly333 for dutifully reviewing every time I update!

And just so you know, chapter seven is going to be pretty great – stay tuned!