Author's note: I had wanted to complete this fic in three parts, but I'm still not feeling completely well, yet I also didn't want to leave you guys hanging even longer, especially considering how long it has been since I posted the second chapter *winces* So I hope you don't mind if I make this a fourshot instead with the fourth part hopefully appearing soon.

Thanks to the following reviewers: KuramaKyubi; Iraheta 127; 666snoopy; Kalos; SehunsBae37; Weebio; sasunaru1214; babyvfan; Guest; Vera Cole; solitare1

Warnings: Nothing special, maybe Naruto's insecurity for a bit

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.

Brief recap: in the previous chapter Naruto sought out Deidara in order to ask him about the Changing Bite and how many people had taken it. The answers leave him a bit shaken up to say the least.

I hope you'll like this part!


Part 3

The conversation with Deidara had given him a lot to think about, so he retreated to his own nest, sitting cross-legged in the middle of it.

So if he wanted to become a wolf, his body had to be completely pure, devoid of any herbal teas. He supposed that made sense, as much sense as something as otherworldly as the Bite could make to him, of course. But if he didn't drink the tea for a week and the Bite would indeed make him more … eager to have sex with Sasuke, then there was a chance he would end up pregnant. A high chance, he amended, considering Sasuke had also managed to impregnate him right after he'd accepted the Mating Bite. That indicated that Sasuke – or them both, he didn't know exactly how it worked – was highly fertile, so any coupling happening when Naruto didn't take the tea was bound to end up in another cub.

Was he ready for a second child? More importantly, did he want a second one? He started gnawing on his lower lip, fiddling with an old blanket that had made its way into their nest several months ago. He had been alone since the start; he had had a vague sense of what family must be like when Tsunade and Kakashi had accepted him, but he never had known the love of parents or that of siblings. His only experience with siblings came from watching Sasuke and Itachi. In spite of the teasing both men did, it was more than obvious that they truly loved each other and would do anything for the other one.

Ever since he was a little kid and had come to understand the concept of family, he had always dreamt of being surrounded by people he loved and who loved him in return. He had been content for years to have only Kakashi and Tsunade as ones he could consider something akin to family. They hadn't been able to spend all their time with him, but they had never scorned him and had been one of the very few who had actually looked at him like he was someone. Then Sasuke had entered his life, enriching it in ways he had never dreamt was possible. With Sasuke had come Hikaru and with both of them had come the entire Uchiha family.

He wasn't that lonely boy anymore, the orphan barely anyone wanted to look at, the sacrifice Danzo had considered him to be. Yet …

He looked down at his stomach and envisioned it looking swollen again, just as rounded as it had been when he had carried Hikaru. It was a mental image that had him wrapping his arms around his waist as if to hug the non-existent swelling. There was longing rearing up slowly like a snake; the thought of another baby, a second cub, causing a smile on his face without him realising it at first.

He and Sasuke had mentioned more cubs in passing most of the time, as an afterthought or during those moments when Naruto felt like being a 'vixen' – Sasuke's words, definitely not his – and teased the wolf during their intimate moments. They hadn't discussed it in detail yet so far, only sharing the vague agreement that they would like to have more than one cub one day. Hikaru was already three years old; it would be nice if he would have a sister or brother close to his age, no?

Of course there was always a chance Naruto would not end up pregnant even after having sex with Sasuke when he wasn't drinking the tea, but … If he did end up pregnant, he wouldn't mind that at all. Another little Sasuke running around, why would he mind that?

A shadow looming over him startled him and he looked up, blinking when he spotted Sasuke standing in front of the nest. He hadn't even heard him come in, but then again, Sasuke tended to be very quiet; perks of being a wolf, Naruto supposed. He was pretty certain that most Uchiha members only made their footsteps audible for his benefit so that he wouldn't be startled every time they came up to him.

"You looked as if your thoughts were swallowing you up," Sasuke remarked lightly, but there was a faint sheen of concern lingering in the depths of his black eyes. He sank down in their nest when Naruto shuffled backwards, freeing up some space even though the nest was certainly large enough for him not to have to do that. "Want to talk about it?"

Naruto evaded his question for now. "Where's Hikaru?" he questioned in return when he didn't immediately spot their son flying at him.

"He's helping mother dry some herbs for the upcoming winter," Sasuke answered and smiled vaguely. "Not sure how much of a help he really will be at his age, but he insisted and you know mother is weak for him."

Naruto smiled, knowing it was true. Perhaps it was because it was her first grandchild, perhaps she just really loved children, but Mikoto had doted and fawned over Hikaru the very moment she had laid eyes on him. There was never any doubt that she loved her grandson and likewise Hikaru loved her as well, often seen puttering around her when he wasn't attached to Naruto's or Sasuke's side.

"I don't think much can go wrong," Naruto said lightly. He doubted she would give anything sharp to Hikaru, not when he was still so very young.

"Hm." Sasuke made a non-committal sound and reached out to grab Naruto's hands, engulfing them in his own larger ones. "What's on your mind?"

Clearly he wasn't about to let go of this. Naruto could continue to evade the question, but what point was there to that? It would only lead to Sasuke feeling hurt or worse, end up in a full-blown argument between them. This wasn't something he could keep a secret from Sasuke anyways, so there was no point in even attempting that.

"I went to talk with Deidara," he decided to be honest.

Sasuke tilted his head to the right; a lock of his hair brushing over his jaw, casting a subtle shadow across that part of his face. "What about?" he asked curiously.

Naruto licked his lips, his mouth abnormally dry all of a sudden, and looked down at their joint hands. He turned around his left hand, pressing their palms against each other, and rested his fingertips on Sasuke's wrist. If he concentrated, he could feel his regular pulse underneath his touch.

He couldn't look Sasuke in the eye when he replied, "I asked him how many people had taking the Changing Bite so far."

"Naruto."

"I just – wanted to know," Naruto said haltingly, helplessly. Even with just their hands and their knees touching, it was hard to ignore just how stiff Sasuke had suddenly become.

"And what did he say?" Sasuke inquired flatly.

"That he knew of three people who had accepted the Changing Bite," Naruto answered and bit down harshly on his lip, the sting not even registering. "But that one person, a woman, didn't survive the Bite."

"No, she didn't," Sasuke said abruptly and his tone had Naruto wincing, lowering his head even further. "Naruto, where is this coming from?"

As if he hadn't already deduced the answer for himself.

"If this is about that miserable human being," Sasuke started, but Naruto cut him off when he shook his head rapidly.

"It's not! Well, not entirely," Naruto had to admit begrudgingly, because well, while the idea of the Changing Bite had lingered in the recesses of his mind ever since Sasuke had mentioned it, he hadn't actively started thinking about it again until that man had tried to assault him.

Did it matter, though, how he had started thinking about it again? It was easy for the wolves and for Deidara as a Fae to say that being a human was nothing to be ashamed of, but he hated just how vulnerable his humanity made him. It wasn't solely the fact that he hadn't been able to defend himself on his own against the man – it had certainly been humiliating, but it hadn't been the first time someone had tried to harm him. No, it was all the preparations that had to be made for him just because he was human and wouldn't be able to live through the winters as easily as the wolves did. The careful manner they all treated him with, as if he was a fragile vase which would shatter at the slightly hint of an impact. The way even the youngest wolves didn't dare to really roughhouse with him, too aware of the fact that what playful biting was to them could have serious consequences for him.

Sure, he wasn't the only human in the compound – there were a couple of others, including Tsunade and Kakashi – but being so wholly surrounded by wolves just made the divide between him and the wolves that much bigger.

It was about the power he missed, the speed he lacked, the nimble way of moving he couldn't hope to ever attain with his clumsy human body. It was the way he would continue to grow older at a much more rapid pace than Sasuke did until one day soon he would be older than Sasuke already. Until one day he would become too old, his body giving up, forcing him to leave Sasuke and their son behind even when Sasuke would still have many more years left in him.

He was selfish, he realised that. He wanted the power and the speed. He wanted to no longer have to feel so vulnerable and weak whenever he went outside the compound. He wanted to age at the same speed Sasuke did, wanted to spend even more years with him than he already would, because he was just that greedy. He wanted it all in order to not lose it all.

"It's … something that's been on my mind ever since you told me about the Bite, but what happened back then in the woods …" Naruto grimaced, accidentally squeezing Sasuke's hands harshly. "I want to be as strong as you. I want to be able to hold my own and not have to keep relying on you or anyone else in the family just to help me out if I get in trouble. I want the others to stop treating me as if I'm made out of glass."

"Naruto, you don't have to become a wolf in order to be strong. I know – we all know – you can hold your own," Sasuke started, but Naruto just kept on babbling, barely even hearing him.

"I want to be a full part of the family, no longer feeling like I'm still an outsider. I don't want to become older than you, I don't want to leave you behind just because my stupid human body doesn't age at the same speed as yours does," Naruto babbled on; his hands erratically squeezing Sasuke's hands. "I don't want to leave you and Hikaru behind, all because I'm doomed to grow older a lot faster than all of you." He swallowed, blinking away some inane tears that threatened to burst forth.

How on earth was he ever meant to convince Sasuke that he was ready to take the Changing Bite for the right reasons, when he would start crying if he kept talking? Already there was a lump forming in his throat, making it more difficult to swallow.

"You don't have to become a wolf to be a full part of the family, you already are," Sasuke said softly. Humans don't age that fast; we still have so many years left in front of us, Naruto, I - "

"Don't you want me to become a wolf?" Naruto asked and finally looked up, unable to keep the stupid hurt from flashing through his voice.

Hadn't Sasuke told him he would love to have Naruto as a wolf? Had he changed his mind because Naruto hadn't immediately asked for the Bite? Had he lost his chance already?

"That's not it!" Sasuke instantly denied and lifted up his hands to press kisses against his knuckles. "Naruto, I would love it if you became a wolf, but I will equally love you just as much if you stay human. My love for you doesn't depend on your state of being."

"Then, if so, will you give me the Bite?" Naruto asked hopefully, sitting up on his knees.

There were some other details to it, he had a fuzzy memory of the ritual involving something with earth and water, but he was growing too excited to worry about that now.

"Naruto," Sasuke sighed. "I don't want you to make this decision for the wrong reasons."

Annoyance flared up like an ember being spat out by the fire. "Didn't I already give you my reasons?" Naruto demanded hotly. "Aren't they good enough?"

Am I not good enough anymore?

"It's been barely a week since you were attacked," Sasuke said and his jaw clenched. "You admitted yourself that that's partly the reason why you started considering the Bite again, so - "

"Just because that happened, doesn't mean I'm not right in the mind," Naruto said sharply. "I know what I'm deciding right now, this isn't simply a whim!"

"You would have to stop drinking the tea," Sasuke said and his tone was so abrupt it took Naruto physically aback, making him jerk his head back slightly. "If I give you the Bite and it takes, there's a high chance you will enter a Heat. I don't know if I will be able to hold myself back, which means there's a chance you will end up carrying a cub again!"

"Then so be it!" Naruto bit out, his hands spasming in Sasuke's hold. "When have I ever given you the impression that I would mind having more cubs? If it's yours, I want to have as many cubs as you want!"

This time it was Sasuke who looked slightly taken aback. "You didn't mention wanting another cub," he murmured after a bout of heavy silence.

"I – you never mentioned it again either," Naruto muttered and his shoulders slumped. "I just thought …"

That Hikaru had been more than enough for Sasuke. That having been forced to delay their journey home all because Naruto had ended up pregnant at a rather inopportune moment in the year had made it so that Sasuke didn't want to have more children. Sure, he never failed to react during their coupling to any mentions Naruto made about being bred and carrying more cubs, but considering those reactions took place during moments when Sasuke's mind was arguably incapacitated with arousal and desire, those reactions couldn't exactly be trusted.

Hands slipped away from his only for arms to wrap around his shoulders and pull him closer to Sasuke. "If you want to have another child, you could have just said so," he chided him gently.

Naruto gnawed on his lower lip. "I want to be a wolf first, though."

So that an attack like the one in the forest would never happen again. He never wanted another child of his to have to defend him. That wasn't how it was supposed to go.

Sasuke's gusty sigh made his blond hair flutter. "I want you to think about it for a month."

Naruto made to lean away and demand why he had to wait even longer, but Sasuke's embrace was firm and those skilful strong hands easily manipulated his body into sitting on Sasuke's lap; his legs braced on either side of his hips.

"We need the full moon for the ritual to actually work and the full moon isn't due for another month," Sasuke started explaining, which, all right, made a lot of sense. "This way you can also be certain that you want this because you actually want this and not because you're driven by fear."

"I'm not driven by - "

"Please, Naruto, if nothing else, please humour me with this," Sasuke pleaded softly. "The Changing Bite is more intrusive than the Mating Bite already was. We need to be fully prepared for this before we start the ritual. Because once we start, there's no turning back."

It sounded like Sasuke wanted this month because he wasn't certain whether there would be any more to follow after they went through the ritual.

"I know my body can handle it," Naruto said reassuringly and slung his arms around Sasuke's shoulders. "I already went through the Mating Bite and there is no way I will ever leave you or Hikaru or anyone else of the family alone, okay? I promise you won't have anything to worry about."

He had survived for so many years in his old village when it had been clear that most people wouldn't have cared if he had dropped dead on the spot. He had survived the attack of the hunters that Danzo had sent after them. A second Bite wasn't going to kill him, he was sure – no, he would make sure of that. That poor woman's body hadn't been able to handle the Change, but his would. He wouldn't allow any other outcome.

"You know you can't promise that," Sasuke sighed, but his body wasn't so tense anymore and his eyes were bright and clear when he looked at Naruto. "If in a month you still want the Bite, then I will give you the Bite. But you need to take this time and really think about it, promise me that, please."

"I promise," Naruto said easily, because it was an easy promise to make.

If Sasuke wanted him to take this month and think thoroughly about the Bite, he would do so. He already knew he wouldn't be changing his mind, no matter how many hours, days, weeks, or even months would pass, but he would honour Sasuke's request.

And then over a month … A shiver ran down his spine as their mouths found each other.

Over a month he would be a wolf just like Sasuke. He couldn't wait.


AN2: The next part will be the final part for sure. I will do my best to have it out a lot sooner than this one was *winces*

Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.

I hope to see you all back in the final part! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!

Cuddles

Melissa

P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.