With every month that passed my tummy continued to grow, until I could no longer see my feet. This time I didn't pine over Sasuke or make myself sick with worry, I focused on the pregnancy and getting ready for the big arrival. I continued to work, stashing cash away like a squirrel with its nuts in the winter. We would have our own home when he got back, I was determined to make that happen. Grandma didn't see why we couldn't just live with her 'until she died and we had the house to ourselves' as she delicately put it but I think that was more about her hoping to see Sasuke walking around topless again.
"You look like you're ready to pop," Miyu observed, prodding my enormous stomach, "When's Sasuke back?"
"Any day now." I grinned, making my swivel chair creak with a tiny spin. Akio appeared at the library desk, oddly, without a book. I hadn't seen him much since…the awkwardness, I didn't know what to say to the guy apart from 'If my husband knew what happened you wouldn't be lucky enough to have your dick still attached.'
"Hello, lovely ladies." he beamed.
"Hi." We both replied flatly, uninterested.
"How about in ten minutes I take you both out to eat?" I didn't want to spend time with him but I was hungry...I always was.
"Are you paying?" I rubbed my tummy, the baby shuffling excitedly underneath my hand at the prospect of food.
"Of course!" He replied.
"Woah! Woah! Do you know how much she eats?" Miyu cackled and they shared a laugh at my expense. It was ten minutes until closing time, if we were going out after I needed that time to pee. I held onto the desk and pulled my enormous self up.
"Just gonna use the bathroom." I said, waddling off.
"Uhh…Emiko? You're...leaking." Akio gasped in horror. Sure enough I had left a trail of water behind me. The only thing that fit me was a long flowing skirt, not even underwear which is why I hadn't noticed the puddle forming near my feet.
"Couldn't you hold it?!" Miyu screeched, trying not to vomit. My face flushed red, the few patrons still in the library started to form a crowd around me. It was humiliating, I really thought that I'd wet myself until the cramps began.
"Owch!" I hissed, doubling over in pain. Embarrassment transformed into fear, the baby was coming and Sasuke still wasn't back! How could I bring our child into the world without him? Somehow they managed to get me back to Grandma's. Akio ran for the nearest bar when the first trickles of blood ran down my leg and Miyu reluctantly stayed, clutching into my hand as white as a sheet.
"You can do it!" Grandma squeezed my other hand tightly, urging me to push the baby out with all my might. I tried and tried but the more I pushed the worse the pain became.
"Grandma..." I sobbed, "Where is he? I can't do this without him!" She knew straight away that I was talking about Sasuke but she didn't give me the sympathy or reassurance I was crying out for.
"Emiko, look at me." She snapped harshly. I looked at her, shocked, tears streaming down my face, remnants of vomit smeared around my lips, face drenched with sweat.
"I have nothing against him but Sasuke will be the death of you. I knew it from the moment I saw you both, your lives together will be short and painful. Bring this child in the world and protect it just like your parents did for you." her admission hit me like a slap in the face. Sasuke himself had been concerned about my safety, could her words be true? The possibility of her prediction being a definite was blaring in my face, here I was in need and he was nowhere to be seen despite promising me that he would. I looked at Miyu, she was crying aswell, the same fear in her eyes. I nodded, whatever happened with Sasuke I had to do this.
Three hours later and Grandma yelled that she could see the head. I panted and pushed my way through each contraction, crying and swearing until finally a powerful cry filled the air. Grandma wrapped the baby, cut its cord and lay it on my chest.
"A little boy!" she beamed proudly. Through the blur of my pouring tears I looked at my son for the first time. He had thick black tufts of hair, just like his father.
"Hi baby!" A sudden rush of intense love dissolved my tears, he was looking at me with a look of utter dependency. I was a mum now, I was his mum.
"Is she supposed to bleeding that much?" Miyu whispered to Grandma, before I could react the front door flew open and Akio hobbled in. His leg looked broken and he had a huge bleeding gash on his forehead. My son started to whimper in my arms, my head started to spin, darkness was trying to consume my vision.
"Akio, what's happened?!" Miyu screeched, rushing to his aid.
"There's shinobi in the village! They're looking for Sasuke…I'm sorry I told them your name, Emiko…they're coming…" he said and hit the floor with a thud, Miyu didn't bother to catch him, he had betrayed me.
I wasn't concerned about my own safety, as footsteps thundered ever closer my only worry was my son. His resemblance to Sasuke was uncanny, if they wanted to cause Sasuke harm there was no doubt that they would target his son as well. My only hope was-
"Grandma, please take him! Raise him until Sasuke comes back!" I pleaded, forcing my precious bundle into her arms. I managed to stand, unsteadily, my vison darkening with every passing second, my head felt light, hazy.
"Emiko, no! You've lost too much blood, you'll die!" Grandma screamed, holding her first great grandchild to her chest, she wished she could do the same to me.
"Please!" I begged with my last ounce of strength. Grandma hid, the hunter nin burst into the room, silent tears of anguish ran down her wrinkled cheeks as they bundled my semi- conscious body up and disappeared into the night.
Two weeks later Grandma opened the door to a familiar face. She showed him inside, picked up the baby sleeping peacefully in a crib and placed him delicately in Sasuke's arms. The tiny infant was identical to the pictures his mother had shown him of himself as a baby. The same messy black head of hair, a perfect petite nose and pouty pink lips, he was certainly an Uchiha. Sasuke didn't realise it but he was smiling at his son, a smile radiating with pride.
"Where's your mother?" Sasuke asked his son softly, placing a loving kiss on his head and inhaling the amazing new baby smell.
"This way." Sasuke followed Grandma into the garden, if he hadn't been so obsessed with his son he might have noticed her red eyes swollen from nights spent crying herself to sleep.
"I don't understand. Where's Emi?" Sasuke asked, looking out across the back garden.
"There." she replied, a long crooked finger pointing to the small headstone at the foot of the garden. Sasuke almost choked on his own sharp intake of breath, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"I don't blame you, Sasuke. She knew deep down what she was getting involved in." Grandma said without a hint of emotion. Sasuke stumbled over and collapsed onto his knees at my head stone.
"This can't be…how did she..?" his voice trembled as he spoke, he wouldn't allow himself to cry, to show weakness in front of his son.
Grandma stood beside him but didn't place a hand on his shoulder like it was customary to do.
"She had lost too much blood anyway during the birth. Even if those ninja hadn't come for her she would have been lucky to survive." The baby let out a piercing scream in the instant Sasuke's mood switched. He was seething with hate, with bitterness.
"Her body isn't here? You didn't see her die?" his voice was calm and calculated like that of a serial killer, Grandma felt the chills run down her spine and felt the desperate urge to take back her great grandson. She was afraid of this man, of what he could do.
"No but-"
"Then she's alive. What were the ninja?" Grandma squeezed her eyes closed trying to relive the life shattering moment she never wanted to remember ever again, she could see Emiko sat in a pool of blood on the living room floor, almost hear the cries again that the baby had been whimpering.
"Hunter-nin, looking for you." she said, fresh tears riveting through her deeply etched wrinkles. Sasuke's face contorted with an all consuming anger, hatred was born anew in his eyes that had become so peaceful after defeating his brother, his mind was made up.
"I'll bring her back."
"What about your son?" Grandma shook her head hopelessly. Sasuke glimpsed down at the baby but nothing more, he couldn't bring himself to look properly at the child. It was his fault that I was gone but he could put it right. Alive or dead he would make sure that mother and son were together again, that was the least he could do.
"I can't..." he muttered, handing the child back over. He didn't have a clue what to do with a baby anyway.
"Fine." Grandma said assertively, "I will continue to raise him but he will never know about you, it's for his own safety. I'll tell him all about Emiko though and how much she wanted to meet him."
"Thank you." Sasuke' gratitude was swept away on the breeze and he was gone.
THE END….?