Here I am again … nothing else to say….

Reviews:

Cuito: I'm glad you like it! This is my first SasuSaku, so I wasn't sure how well it would go over )

Zuya-Miko – Glad you like! Don't worry, it will be dramatic, but I have a funny section in between the 'storm' I suppose as they say. Yes, I thought it would be funny for Sasuke to deal with Sakura's mood swings, and Sakura seems to be the person who would have drastic mood swings. (Insert evil laugh)

Only Secret: Was this soon enough for you? It's sooner than I usually do my stories, all great stories seem to take a while, ne?

Ayasi: I agree, the stories involving the general story line do tend to be the same, which is why I was inspired to see if I could do something different. Anyway, there is a happy ending, don't worry, I don't usually do depressing endings. All I'll say for Sakura cheating on Sasuke is that Sasuke is very protective, and I'll leave the rest to the story. I did read the other story you were referring to, it was a little too soap opera-e (?) for my taste (and writing) Thanks for reviewing!

Daniel of Lorien: I hope I don't either! That's why I wrote this, I wanted to actually write a good in-character story.

Lithiyum: I'm glad you like it! Yes! End clichés! Although, there's going to be the 'cliché' happy ending, but getting there won't be the same old, so is that okay? One can only hope so. If it helps any, I haven't actually written the end, so I'll do my best to make it as un cliché-e as possible, still keeping up the good old SasuSaku of course.

Nixxie1430: Glad you liked!

Ou Yang Jing: Yes! I know! Rare, huh? Hope you like this chapter Thanks a lot! I'm glad you like it! I'm sorry it took so long, hopefully the chapter makes up for it.

Lori012389: Glad you like and hope you like this chapter just as much!

Sakuragirl: Is this considered soon? Sorry for the delay… thanks for reviewing!

M.M: I'm glad you liked it and thanks for reviewing!

LittleLetty: Hee hee… Ma-a-abye. Well, Sasuke of course is going to be happy, but this is Sasuke we're talking about, his version of 'happy' and everyone elses' version is different – so just read on and see

Paperpenman: Glad you liked! Thanks for reviewing!

Dzai: The next chapter is done now! XD Sorry… anyway, I hope you like this chapter too, thanks for reviewing!

9 months of happiness

.: Her happiness :.

Sakura yawned with her eyes still clamped shut. 'I don't want to move.' was her first thought. Scratch that, she wasn't moving much whether or not she wanted to. What last happened? Oh yes, ambush, healing – too much healing – and some person behind her then her fainting, well, that was a good show of her wonderful talents - again. She was on a roll! First puking her guts on her first mission, then yelling at the Hokage, now she was fainting in front of attackers. Great. Speaking of which…

Slowly, ignoring her inner body yelling at her to go back to sleep, Sakura forced her eyes open. She blinked, once, twice, three times trying to get her tired eyes in focus. Maybe she should go back to sleep. No, she kept her eyes open and examined the room. She was in a hospital? Oh yes, who could mistake the whiteness of the room. She turned her head to the right and saw a sight that made a smile appear on her tired face. Beside her was her husband sitting in his classic pose, elbows resting on his knees and hands folded in front of his mouth – the classic 'thinking pose'. His coal black eyes turned and saw her green eyes watching him carefully. He let out a sigh and moved his hands down. There was a moment of silence where they both just stared at each other. It was times like these Sakura was sure that he loved her, whether or not he knew it himself – it was times like these she felt it was worth it. "You were the one there." She felt the smile broaden. He nodded his head.

"The guard ninja told me you'd be there." Her face brightened.

"You were worried about me and wanted to see me?" Sasuke was silent for a moment, almost deciding if he should tell her. He averted his eyes and answered,

"I was supposed to investigate the scene." Sakura's face immediately fell and she also looked away, looking out the window.

"Thank-you for bringing me here anyway." She whispered. At least he came. He could have left her there, right?

"Sakura," Sakura turned to look at Sasuke. His eyebrows were bunched together and his lips were in a straight line. He was trying to think of the right words to say. She noticed that he was more careful with his words now that she was married to him. He was more considerate, but still colder to her. Still, she was silent and waiting for him to gather his thoughts. "Sakura," He tried again. "The Hokage told me that you were sick on one of your missions." Sakura sighed at looked down at her hands. So he knew. She was hoping to tell him herself, maybe he wouldn't be so annoyed. She nodded, but felt that she had to defend herself,

"I wanted to continue." Her voice was hopeful, trying to ease the disappointment, "Shikamaru was insisting that we should turn back. I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, I know you're probably disappointed, but, if it helps any," She looked up at him and gave him one of her biggest smiles, "I'm a jounin!" He gave the smallest of smiles, but it was a smile in Sasuke world.

"I figured. I knew you could." Sakura beamed. A compliment from Sasuke-kun! "However," Sakura looked at him, a smile still on her face. His smile had left, indicated the seriousness of the statement. "Why were you sick?"

"I-" It was now or never. This is what he wanted, right? "Sasuke," Green eyes stared directly in his black coal eyes. "I'm pregnant."

There was silence. Sakura waited for him to answer. She studied his face for any kind of reaction, something to show he was either happy or upset – nothing. She might as well have married a stupid brick wall for all this was worth. "I'm pregnant," She tried again. The smile had fallen from her face only to be replaced by tired stress lines. "I'm pregnant, isn't this what you wanted Sasuke-kun? Why you married me? Aren't you happy?"

"I am pleased. I'm not too surprised by the description Tsunade gave me." He answered.

"Pleased?" She whispered with dismay and he continued, his face hardening.

"But, next time don't do anything that might harm the baby. I don't want anything to happen to it. Be more careful and let someone else help you with healing if you must."

"The baby, Sasuke-kun? The baby?" Sakura was doing her best to sit up to give Sasuke a piece of her mind. This idea had worked in theory. However, her body wasn't cooperating. Sasuke looked at her with hesitant eyes. He knew she wasn't happy about something, although he wasn't quite sure what. He finally decided just to get it over with now. So he stood up from his chair and gently slipped a hand behind her back and helped her into a sitting position. Sakura, surprised by the gentleness, opened her mouth to go on a rant about his lack of concern for her, but nothing came out. He just HAD to be nice. So instead she just turned her head and folded her arms, making a point to show that she was angry, without having to yell at him.

She heard Sasuke sigh and she felt his shadow move away from her. She heard some rustling and fought with herself to not turn and see what he was doing. Finally she heard footsteps head towards the door. The footsteps paused. "I need to see the Hokage to brief her on the mission and my next one, but I will be back to pick you up tonight. Don't attempt to go home by yourself." With that said, she heard the echo of his footsteps go down the hallway outside her room.

Sakura let out a sigh and uncrossed her arms. Boy was she sore! Maybe she shouldn't move too much. Her green eyes remained staring out the window, but not quite focusing. Somehow, she knew he cared about her, even if he never vocalized, right?

Right?

She wasn't feeling it right now. Sometimes, she was so certain that he loved her! She was! But then, there was times, like now, she seriously questioned if there was any hope, if he cared about her at all other than the sense of duty. Her heart sunk and she rubbed her face with her hands. 'I'm too tired to think of this.' She shook her head. 'I can't think this now! Everyone will worry even more. I'm going to show them there is some love in Sasuke! Really… it's just… sometimes…' She shook her head again. That's enough! Her body and mind screamed. So she gave in and let herself sink back down comfortably into the bed and without even realized it, closed her eyes.

It was the a bright morning in Konoah. The sun had been up only one hour and already the village was busy with life, even in Team 7's meeting place. Sakura leaned against the railing of the small bridge and let her head fall back as she breathed in the crisp morning air. She let a smile spread on her face as she listened to the gentle chirping of the birds and the soft flow of the stream beneath her.

And then the gentleness was disturbed by a not so gentle voice. "WHERE IS SENSEI!" Sakura cringed and stood at full attention to yell at Naruto.

"YOU IDIOT! I WAS ENJOYING THE MORNING WITHOUT YOUR WHINING!" Naruto looked crushed for a second then stuck out his bottom lip.

"But I'm bored and Sensei's late!"

"So? He's always late." Sakura rolled her eyes and looked over at Sasuke. "How long has it been?"

When Sasuke only shrugged, Naruto yelled out, "TOO LONG!" Sakura's face somehow got bigger and she grew enough o tower over Naruto.

"DID I ASK YOU!"

"Yo!" All three ninjas turned to see their sensei standing at the edge of the bridge like he'd always been there. "What'd I miss?"

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"Hmmm…" Kakashi looked at an invisible watch on his wrist. "Oh? Am I? I was distracted by this old lady…"

"Save it." Sakura mumbled. "What're we doing today?"

"Ah, today is just some practice training."

"I could just do this on my own." Sasuke spoke for the first time since he came. "Why do I need to be here for this?"

"Because you need to practice on your team work." Sasuke made a 'ch' noise but turned his head, arguing no further.

"Now," Kakashi continued, "You all need to climb up that tree over there." He lifted his arm and pointed to the skinniest, but tallest tree in the forest- about 75 feet into the air.

"Aw," Naruto grinned, "That'll be a cinch!"

"You'll be tied together." Kakashi continued, ignored his loud student.

"WHAT!"

"And you have to make it up there together." While they were still shocked and contemplating the pain Kakashi was going to put them through, Kakashi used the shocked silence to his advantage. Quickly, he pulled the three together and tied the with his special jitsu string. Each one had their own string around them with another string about eight inches long between them. Sasuke was first, then Sakura, then Naruto. "Now," Kakashi stepped back to admire his work. "Don't bother trying to break the string. Good luck!" That said, he plopped down on the ground and pulled out his favorite book.

Naruto turned and looked at Sakura, suddenly getting in her face. "Sakura."

"What Naruto? Back off, you're freaking me out."

"Sakura." He didn't back off. In fact, his face was becoming blurry.

"Naruto… what?"

"Sakura?" Naruto's face was fading away and Sakura was becoming more aware of other senses. And then it dawned on her what was happening.

Wait, I don't want to get up!

"Sakura."

Go away!

"Sakura?"

Be gone evil voice!

"Sakura!"

I don't want to get up!

"SAKURA!"

No… too late…

"Sakura!"

"I'm up!" Sakura moaned. She swatted her hand in the air, as though it would stop the voice. She blinked open her eyes, silently noting how much easier it was to open them. She moved both arms a little to check on their strength. It wasn't the best, but it was certainly better. She turned to see who her caller was, and surprisingly, it wasn't who she had thought. Beside her sat her former sensei, watching her with a worried dark eye.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, still watching her carefully.

"Much better." She answered. She stretched her arms above her head to prove her point. They were sore, that was expected, but it was still easier to move.

"Are you ready for me to take you home?" Sakura nodded her head and was able to push herself up into a sitting position. She smiled with pride; happy she could do that much already. She was about to push the bed sheets away when she suddenly stopped and looked down at herself.

"Do you have my clothes? I'm not letting you watch me in the hospital clothes, you pervert!" Kakashi faked a hurt look as he handed her a bag he held in his hands.

"I'm hurt, you think that I would do that? I'm not a pervert. Besides," He winked at her, "Sasuke specifically told be to give you the clothes and he said, and I quote, 'If you make her walk out of that room without her changing, I will make sure you know why I am an ANBU.'" So with that, Kakashi smiled at the blushing Sakura.

"Why isn't he here?" She asked before he had left the room.

"There was another meeting he had to attend after the original one, so he told me to come and get you. He said he doesn't know if he'll have a mission or not." Sakura sighed. So he'll be gone again? She loved her sensei deeply, but she was hoping to wake up to Sasuke. His words had filled her with hope once again, although, worry still plagued her and Tsunade's question still nagged the back of her mind. "So," Kakashi interrupted her thoughts. "I'll be going now and letting you change. You think you can walk on your own?"

Sakura smirked and nodded. "You think I'm going to let you watch and find out?" Kakashi laughed.

"The thought never crossed my mind." That said, he quickly left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving his student to change.

Am I happy? She thought, slowly pushing the sheets back to climb out of bed. 'This is what I've always wanted, to marry Sasuke and have his child.' Her bare feet touched the cold floor. She shivered. 'So why wouldn't I be happy?' She did a quick scan of the room to be sure no one would see her remove her clothes. No one. She removed the hospital gown, letting it drop to the floor. 'At least, he should be happy! I'm fulfilling his stupid dream anyway!' She stopped in the middle of buckling her skirt. Her face drooped as she remembered the whole reason they were married in the first place. 'That's right, to restore his clan. Nothing about love in there.' Slowly, with sad movements, she finished buckling her skirt and slipped on her shirt. 'So, really, is it just hopeful thoughts that he loves me?' Painfully, she leaned down to slip into her boots and buckle them as thoughts continued to pour into her over worked brain. 'Probably, but, the question still remains, am I happy?' Well, at the moment she was just so-so. She was pleased she was out of the hospital and even that she was pregnant, however, she certainly wasn't pleased with Sasuke right now. She sighed, standing up straight. 'Oh, he's a male, what would he know?' She stretched and made her way to the door wondering if her husband would be home so she could show just how 'pleased' she was with him right now.

No such thing. Sasuke was once again on a mission. Big surprise. But, it was a short mission, Sasuke had written her. Yes, he actually wrote a note! Sakura smiled, he knew she wasn't too thrilled with something right now, so he did his best to appease her, in his own Sasuke way of course. The note was plain and simple.

Sakura,

Out on a short mission. I'll be back tomorrow.

Sasuke

Okay, very short, plain and simple, but the point was that he actually told he was on a mission. Sometimes (most of the time, actually) he would leave without saying a word, assuming she knew where he was. Not that she ever question his faithfulness, good grief, no, he may be an ice cube, but he was very big on traditional ways, and that meant no cheating whatsoever! Sakura was thankful of course, she knew she didn't have to worry about that, now all she had to worry about was their child growing up in a happy home with their so cheerful father. The thought made her chuckle. Sasuke - a father. He didn't seem very… fatherly.

Sakura moved around the house, thinking of how much she needed to brighten up the place. Even if their marriage wasn't perfect, she would be sure her child's life was perfect! She was going to decorate the house a little more. She eyed a painted glass vase on the table. Maybe baby proof the house first. She grinned as she walked around her home, thinking of all the things she would do for her child.

"I'M going to be leader!" Naruto proclaimed, raising his fist into the air as if to nominate himself, pumping his enthusiasm.

Sakura sighed, knowing where this was going, so before Sasuke-kun could even respond back she put in her opinion, "How about we just get to the tree first before we start the arguing, and THEN we just get up the stupid tree together?"

"Aw, Sakura-chan, don't you want me to be the leader?"

"How about no leader." She gave him an annoyed look; didn't he hear what she said before?

"Aw, Sakura-cha-a-a-an!"

"Let's just go, idiot." Sasuke mumbled, heading for the big tree. Sakura, grateful for his interruption, followed close behind him eagerly – and it would've been a good exit scene had they not been tied to the stubborn Naruto. They only got so far before they found it harder to walk. Naruto crossed his arms and plopped to the ground, crossing his legs.

"I'm not moving until you let me be the leader and not Sasuke-jerk!" Sakura opened her mouth to yell at Naruto for being such a baby when Sasuke once again interrupted.

"Let's just go." Sasuke-kun began walking, knowing full well that he was dragging Naruto behind him. Sakura helped, pulling on the string binding the two of them together. Silently she began praying that the string wasn't as strong as it usually was.

And so, the two of them dragged Naruto across the forest ground – this lasted a good ten minutes before they realized they were getting nowhere. Naruto and Sasuke pretty much matched up in body weight and strength, so without Sakura, Sasuke wasn't sure he could drag Naruto there with Naruto digging his heels into the ground refusing to go, although it didn't help all that much because Sakura had never trained her muscles to be able to drag Naruto around. About half-way to the tree both Sasuke and Sakura stopped and glared at Naruto.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed, "CAN'T YOU JUST COOPERATE!" She took a deep breath and clenched her eyes shut, trying to regain her sanity. "Alright, how about all three of us walk together so none of us are 'leading'. Okay?" She opened her eyes to glare at Naruto, sending a silent message. 'Agree or die!' Naruto cringed slightly and got up mumbling something along the lines of 'my butt was getting sore anyway' and stood beside Sakura.

They walked to the tree in silence. Naruto and Sasuke had silent glaring contests with Sakura in between. When they finally reached the tree, none of them were particularly happy with each other. Naruto, of course, was annoyed with Sasuke and Sasuke annoyed with Naruto, and Sakura was just plain annoyed with both of them (although one more than the other of course). Naruto was the first to break the silence. "I'll be the first up the tree!"

"Idiot," Sasuke snapped, "You don't have enough concentration to be the first!"

"I have a lot of concentration! I'll keep my Sakura-chan from falling!"

"I don't need protection!" She shouted. "Unless it's from Sasuke-kun…" she added quietly. Neither of them reacted so she didn't think they heard her, something for which she was glad of.

"Who wants an ice cube to lead anyway? He would just go straight up and not even think about his team!"

"At least I would reach the top, moron."

"Oh, I'm first!" She continued before they could protest, "I have the best chakra control and you all know it! So I'M going to lead or we'll never even start!" She turned to Naruto, "The sooner we get to the top, the sooner you get your ramen." Naruto's face glowed and she turned to Sasuke, "And you get to go off and do your training." Sasuke only huffed and turned his head. Sakura took that as a positive sign. She turned to face the tree, happy that they had finally agreed on something and they were going to start. With little effort, she concentrated her chakra in her hands and feet and carefully let it out to combine with the tree. This was a simple technique she learned even in school – this was her specialty. She got a little further up the tree and paused to wait for the boys. They were both beside each other climbing up. She sighed and shook her head before continuing up the tree.

Halfway there! Sakura smiled. They were already about 35 feet above ground and she hadn't heard a sound from them yet! Maybe they could actually do this without some sort of incident! "HEY! STOP TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF ME!" Sakura let out a sigh of exasperation. She spoke too soon.

"What are you talking about, idiot?" Responded the calm voice, "I'm going my normal pace, you're just slow."

"Hey! I'm not slow!" Sakura looked down at the two boys.

"Naruto!" She scolded, "Be careful and don't' loose you're concentration!" Naruto huffed and started to say 'I'm fine' while removing one hand from the tree to make a victory sign. Of course, this resulted in his chakra concentration to weaken and since Naruto wasn't so skilled in this department, in short, Naruto let go of the tree. His rope tugged on Sakura, his salvation from falling. Sakura grit her teeth and concentrated all she could on keeping the three of them on the tree. Sasuke wasn't affected yet, if she fell, it would be all up to him, and as much as she loved him and knew he was strong, she didn't think he could support the three of them on this tree. She tried to advance up the tree, but Naruto started to wiggle around, panicking about how he thought he was going to fall.

"Stop moving!" Sasuke scolded, aware of Sakura's struggle. But it was too late, Naruto jolted Sakura away and it was too much for her and she let go. She was right Sasuke couldn't hold both of their weights and they all heading straight towards the bottom. Sakura out her hands over her head as an instant reaction, but oddly enough she suddenly felt arms encircle her waist and twist her body around in the air.

Not even second later they landed on the ground, and Sakura landed on something soft. She stood up and checked herself. She was perfectly fine! She looked to see what she had landed on. There he was, the object of her affection. "Sasuke-kun!" She ran to his side as he slowly began to push himself into a sitting position. Sasuke-kun had moved her in such a way that she wouldn't get hurt, using his own body as a pillow. "Are you okay?" She cried, kneeling at his side. He didn't answer, only slowly standing to his feet. She noticed him wince as he rested his weight on his ankle.

"We'll quit for today." All three looked at an amused Kakashi. "You obviously need to work on teamwork, but we'll post-pone it till Sasuke-kun gets better."

"I'm fine." Sasuke commented, and Kakashi pretended not to hear him.

"Sakura, please take him home." Sakura felt a blush rise to her cheeks and she nodded. She reached an arm out for Sasuke to lean on but he ignored her and limped slowly past her.

"I'll be ready tomorrow." He called over his shoulder. Sakura eagerly followed, waiting to help however she could.

"Thank-you." She said softly after they had walked a little ways. Sasuke only grunted.

"You're too fragile." Usually, Sakura would be insulted or hurt, but today she still smiled. She knew that it was Sasuke's way of protecting her and showing his care, even if he didn't know it.

"How're you feeling, Sakura-san? Are you sure you should be at work this soon?" Touya, a friend and co-worker asked her when he saw her come in. "Didn't you just get out of the hospital?"

"I'm fine." She answered, and stretched a little to prove her point. She smiled at him as she slipped on her white jacket. "It was just from chakra depletion, and you of all people should know that I heal quickly in that area." She winked at him and stared walking past him, knowing he would follow. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well," He started hesitantly, "there was an attack on some of our ninjas last night," He answered carefully, "so you can treat them."

"Okay." Sakura shrugged. "Where too?"

"Follow me. Well, they were attacked, it's nothing too serious, they just need to actually stay in the hospital for more than a day, but I guess that's your call, Sakura-san."

"Sounds like out ninjas!" She laughed. "So who are they? Do I know them?"

"Tenten, Lee, and," Touya laughed nervously, "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura had run to his room first (no surprise). "What happened?" She immediately rushed to his side, checking for any major injuries. "I thought this was a quick easy mission!" Easy, huh? Around his head, where his usual head protector was, was a bandage. He had many other bandages. She pushed down the bed sheet to check on other wounds. He had a bandage around his mid section, probably bruised ribs of some sort. She frowned. Those were the major damages, but still… "What happened?" She repeated.

"We were just investigating." His cold eyes didn't look at her. "We were ambushed. We weren't ready. Are my other team mates okay?" Sakura nodded slightly.

"I think so. At least that's what Touya said. I came to check on you first to make a report."

"Fine, just let me out of here fast, you don't need to treat me like an invalid and there's no need to favor me." Sakura immediately straightened from her examination of Sasuke's injuries. She was hurt. He was her own husband for crying out loud! Wasn't she allowed to worry about him and check on him first? Wouldn't he be offended if she didn't? Wait, fo course not, he's the human ice cube, why would he care. Sakura frowned and stepped back, hurt and frustration evident.

"Alright Sasuke-kun, if that's the way you want it. I'll see if you want another doctor." She tried to be as calm as she could, but it was too calm, and Sasuke knew it.

"I didn't say that." He said softly.

"I'm your wife, whether you like it or not." Her eyes narrowed and her delicate hands were now in fists at her side. "I didn't know it was wrong to check on you first. Besides, this," She held up his record board, "Shows that you had the worst injuries, so whether or not I wanted to check on you first, I had to. So you can look at it that way if you like. Now, since you're obviously done, I'm going to check on the others." That said, she left the silent room, almost pushing a nurse aside.

"That stupid arrogant low-life ice-cube…"

Tenten chuckled nervously, slowly nodding her head, agreeing with her angered doctor. She didn't know Sakura that well, but she did know that she was her doctor at the moment and she was the one controlling what was happening in her body right now and when she got out, so she just silently nodded, agreeing with her. Beside her sat her narrow eyed partner, watching Sakura's every move. "Sakura," Neji suddenly asked, "When will she be out and able to fight again?" Sakura suddenly looked up from her examination with fire burning in her eyes. Neji shifted slightly; annoyed that she was looking like that when he wasn't the one who had apparently wronged her. Sakura realized what she was doing and sighed, letting go of Tenten's arm and moving to her file.

"I'd say she should leave in two days, but I have a feeling you'll be wanting to leave tomorrow. You are the least injured so it's okay." She looked up at both Neji and Tenten and gave them a warning look. "Tenten can't train for four days though, is that understood? If I hear anything of her training, I will handcuff her to this bed, and Neji will not be allowed to visit. Got it?" Nods were given and Sakura smiled. "Good. Now I'm going to check on you're last team mate if you don't mind."

When Sakura had left. Tenten leaned over and asked, "Is she okay?" If Neji weren't Neji, he would have rolled his eyes, but he didn't answer,

"Is she ever?"

Lee was never considered the brightest kunai in the pack. He wasn't the most socially aware and he wasn't exactly the most fashionably sensitive person either, but one thing could be said for him. He was a sweet guy and he did care underneath all the weridness. Through the years, he had gotten over Sakura, not that he ever stopped liking her, but he had matured (slightly) and didn't ask her out every time he saw her (especially around Sasuke). Sakura had come to like talking to him, on friendly terms of course, and often did when if Kakashi or Naruto were not around. She worried about him as a friend, and Lee was just fine with that.

So, it wasn't such a surprise when he noticed her aura of emotions when she came into his room. She had been glaring at the floor when she walked in and gave him a weak smile. Lee cocked his head and got right to the point. "What's wrong Sakura-san?"

She sighed. Was it right to talk to others about her marital issues? Well, she needed to talk to someone… "Sasuke-kun is being his usual self I suppose." She checked his bandaged arms for any serious injury. "Nothing different about that."

"What'd he say?" Lee asked softly. Sakura was about to answer, but a soft knock on the doorway stopped her. Her watchful eyes moved from Lee to Touya at the door. He coughed nervously into his hand then said,

"I'm sorry to have bothered you, Sakura-san, but Sasuke Uchiha is requesting your attentions." He hesitated at the doorway for a moment, then winked before running off down the hallway to his next errand. Once gone, Sakura cocked her head, visibly showing her confusion.

"Why would he want me?" She pondered out loud.

"Maybe he wants to apologize?" Lee offered. Sakura shook her head and resumed checking on Lee.

"I doubt it. He isn't the apologizing type. He's so unbelievably clueless, it's not even funny, sometimes I think he's as clueless as Naruto."

"Maybe you should still go check on him now." Sakura shook her head stubbornly.

"No, he said so himself he doesn't want me pampering and favoring him, so I wont. He can wait until you're done." Lee felt a smile appear on his lips.

"You know, Sakura-san, I know you're mad at him," He winced as she poked an unknown bruise. "But he's just being his ice burg self. He's probably saying the opposite of what he's feeling. Of course," Lee gave her the most charming smile he could muster and gave her a thumbs up, "If it were me, I would say 'love me, pay attention to me!'" Sakura laughed and playfully punched an uninjured shoulder.

"And that, Lee-san, is why I didn't marry you." She pulled out his chart and made a few notes. "I guess you can go in two days at the earliest. Okay?" She looked at him for confirmation. "Promise me. I don't trust you." Lee sighed.

"I promise, Sakura-san." Sakura smiled and hung up his chart.

"Oh, good. Now, I'm going to check on Mr. Ice burg. I'll be back later!"

Touya sighed heavily, running his hands through his spiky brown hair. "Why do I work here?" He mumbled slightly. He put his hands in his white lab pockets and checked the next patient's room. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the patient. He was all alone in the room with his arms folded across his chest. His coal eyes were focused on the doorway, almost as though he were waiting for someone. Even though he'd only been there a short time, the silence and tension in the air was thick! He loosened the tie he wore and cleared his throat. "Hey," Touya broke the unnerving silence. "Where's Sakura?"

"She's not here yet. I assume you told her."

"Yea," Touya scratched his head and looked at his watch. "I told her at least five minutes ago. Last I saw she was chatting away with Lee." Touya noticed Sasuke's eyes narrow a bit more. "Uh…" He struggled for the right words, suddenly ready to leave, "I'll… go see where she is. Bye!" As quick as he could he went to get as far away from that room as possible.

Down the hallway, Touya winked at a red-haired, young nurse. "Hey," She stopped to look at him. "I'm feeling ill, do you want to give me a check up?" He gave her a dorky smile. The young nurse gasped and stomped the heels of her shoe right on Touya's toes, and with another huff, she marched off down the hallway, the opposite direction Touya had come from.

"OW!" Touya slipped off his shoe and rubbed his sore foot. "I'll never understand girls." He sighed.

"Probably because you're an idiot." Touya looked up from babying his foot and saw an amused pink haired ninja, one hand on her hip and a smirk playing on her lips.

"Hey!" He stopped nursing his foot and slipped it back in his shoe. "Are you supposed to be with Sasuke?" Sakura pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "He can wait. Why?"

"He was asking for you." He shivered. "That man is frightening." Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yea! You should see the glare he gave when I mentioned Lee."

"Hm… that's interesting…" Sakura grinned, with a twinkle in her eye. "Don't say anything to him. I want to see if he's actually that annoyed." Touya shuddered at the thought of an annoyed Sasuke.

"You're a brave woman."

"Thank-you." She cocked her head and put a thoughtful finger on her lips. "I think I've been more daring and moody the last few weeks – I guess this explains why. Hey," She grinned at Touya, though not really talking directly to him. "Might as well go with the flow, right?" She laughed at herself and playfully slapped Touya on the back before heading off towards her husband's room.

Deep black eyes were centered on the open doorway. They were staring – concentrating on the noises coming from outside the room. He was waiting for those certain footsteps, trying to concentrate on anything but his thoughts. Why? He wasn't the jealous type, and he certainly knew that Sakura wouldn't cheat on him – that he just knew. Still, he wasn't quite as cold hearted as everyone thought. He knew what he was doing to Sakura, and he felt bad, not eating-away-at-my-concience bad, but still bad. He knew she wasn't exactly the most happiest wife in the world and he certainly wasn't the best husband, but he was trying, albeit not even close to a normal husband, but he tried, surprisingly more than he thought. Though, sometimes he just acted out of habit, and he knew it hurt her.

There! Footsteps. But they were soft and light. Sasuke listened closely. They were flat bottom sandals – not a doctor, a visitor most likely. Slowly, the echo of the footsteps, the casual way the feet moved – it was all too familiar to Sasuke it was easier for him to figure out the visitor.

Just as expected, a white, disheveled head of hair appeared in Sasuke's doorway to his room. "Yo!" He greeted. Sasuke only turned his head away. Kakashi was not the person he wanted to see right now, nor the person he wanted to hear a long lecture from either, but to be polite, he gave his usual curt nod and Kakashi took this as a sign and continued talking. "How're you feeling? I heard you guys put up quite a fight. This isn't going to be good for the village." He voice drifted off for a second and Sasuke, now interested in what Kakashi was starting on about, fell into the trap and turned his head to look at his teacher. "But!" Kakashi smiled under his mask. "That's not what I came to talk to you about. I talked to the Hokage and she told me about Sakura." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Kakashi could just see the invisible guard going up.

"What about her?"

"Sasuke," Kakashi was no longer smiling and his eyes were looking tired and sad. "Sasuke," He repeated, "I know she's pregnant. It's obvious and I know that's why you married her, is it not?" Silence. "Please, there's no getting out of this marriage now, as much as I question your motives, you're stuck with her and I want you to treat her right. A child shouldn't grow up without both loving parents –"

"I'll care for my child." Sasuke said gruffly, insulted that Kakashi would imply that he wouldn't take proper care of his child.

"No," Kakashi said sternly, "Not 'care for' Sasuke, love. A child needs love and care, and not just the child; he needs a loving environment as well. You need to at least start being more caring towards Sakura or your child may end up like you." There was silence and Kakashi took it as a good sign. Hopefully that had gotten Sasuke. "Now," He continued in a softer tone. "Sakura is going to go through an odd and painful time. You need to have patience with her and remember that she's doing this for you. I have no doubt that she will raise this child to the best of her ability with love and everything she has in her, but she still needs you're support. So please –"

"Oh," Both men looked to the girl who had just walked in on there conversation. She stood nervously in the doorway, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment. "Sorry to interrupt. I'll come back later." Kakashi closed his eyes and stood up, shaking his head.

"No, Sakura-chan. I was just leaving. It's nice to see you." He smiled at her and she smiled back. Kakashi then leaned down and whispered to Sasuke so that Sakura wouldn't hear, "Please protect her happiness." With that said, Kakashi straightened up and once again placed a smile on his face and waved good-bye. Sakura stepped out of his way and also eagerly waved good-bye.

"What did Kakashi-sensei want?" Sakura asked, curious. She was re-bandaging Sasuke's wounds with her mind full of questions.

"Nothing you need to know about." He mumbled. Sakura sighed sadly and continued her work. She tried again.

"What about you, why did you want me over here?" He was silent again, but not an angry silent. This was the silence that meant he was going to say something important – something that he needed to think over before he said it. She waited patiently, even after she'd finished his bandages and just stood there, waiting for him. Sasuke noticed this, how she knew him so well. She was waiting, like always. He let out a usual 'hn' and started talking, he turned his head away, but he knew Sakura was hanging on his every word.

"I want you to know, I am…" He struggled with the right word, "…happy that you're with child. And, I picked you because I trusted you to help me raise this child in the Uchiha way, and I trust you to be there when I'm," He paused, struggling for words again and Sakura still waited anxiously. "I'm being an ice cube as people say it." He now looked at Sakura, pushing himself into a sitting position. "I'm not promising anything spectacular or romantic, but you have my Uchiha word that I will be there for you in your motherhood."

Sakura stood there, soaking it all in. It wasn't a declaration of love; heck, it wasn't even a declaration of 'I'm glad you're my wife and going to be the mother of my child!' But, yet, it was. It was Sasuke's own way of showing appreciation and telling her that he was sorry, without injuring his pride too much and she understood the hidden meanings behind it – even if he didn't, and that was why he chose her of all the girls.

And at this moment, she was happy.

Don't worry folks! It's not the end --- the next part is Sakura's mood swings and lovely pregnancy problems! WA-HA-HA-HA! And I shall do this all whilst they are still in character! It is a feat I shall accomplish! Yes! Go me!

Anyway, thank-you for reading and hope you come back for the next chapter!