Of course, Sasuke is going to be nicer in this chapter, it must be done to get more fluff in, but as stated before, it wont be a major sudden turn, or he suddenly saying "oh, you're beautiful Sakura, I love you. Don't die!" All in one sentence, do you know what I'm saying? He'll still be caring, but in his own subtle Sasuke way. Hey, there has to be some improvement, or this wouldn't be a SasuSaku, right?
Since this is the climax, I don't think there's be any flashbacks, it would only take away from the moment.
Reviews:
TriGemini: Yea, Sakura had a right to be mad, but she also chose the wrong time and Sasuke was doing it for her own good, so it was kind of both of their faults. I feel so bad when it's always Sasuke's fault, you know? Anyway, yes, I think Naruto is an awesome friend to go to J
Fallendreamer: I'm glad you liked it! Stories with Naruto and Sakura are one of my favorites to read to, Naruto can be such a sweetie. And hey, if you liked the last scene in the last chapter, you'll like this last scene!
Only Secret: Thanks a bunches! I agree, poor Sasuke always gets the blame. Glad you liked!
Mitchigirl: It'll be ooc, but not horribly so. Honestly, Sasuke can't really be completely IC for him to get romantically involved with Sakura and have all the Sasusaku fluff we all know and love, but you can make him somewhat IC and still have him care, so I hope I accomplished that in this chapter. Thanks for all the compliments! Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.
Ayane Selzick: Yea, your right, I probably should have. Oops… add it as an after thought, okay? And yes, there are two stories I think your thinking about. One of which is Frozen, and excellent story where they both are married and having troubles, but other than that, the ideas are similar, but different. I do remember reading the 'control her life' thing from another story, or at least the idea of it and I think it gave me that idea – (or was that from Frozen?) Anyway, keep in mind that while it may be similar, there are still many differences. Sakura does go to Naruto for help and she isn't partly to blame, you get what I'm saying? And the story itself is different …so… yea. Just wanted to clear that up (insert smiley face)
Allyluv: Ha ha, yes, I had great fun writing that chapter. I'm glad you like it!
LittleLetty: Yea, I figured once chapter was enough of eccentric Sakura. I really would have liked to see the pictures, but the whole address isn't there! Can you give it to me again? I'd like to see it!
Bloone: MHA HA HA! That's coming next chapter, yes, I'm excited about that too. Sakura may not love Sasuke too much right then… hee hee…. Glad you liked!
S.O.S1: I'm glad you got the idea of both of them at fault, it's only Sasuke's fault too often. Thanks a bunches for the idea! I'm not entirely sure I'll use it just because (no offense) it's a bit cliché. But I may use some of it, and of course one way or another they're going to kick butt for her! Thanks soooo much again for the idea though!
kApiNkcOw: Thanks for all the compliments! I hope I didn't rush Sasuke's change too much. I know it may seem like it, but it has been almost a year, maybe there's some change? Hope it meets your satisfaction. Er, well, I don't know. Kakashi just seems like the type to be knowledgeable, but not obvious about it. He cares about Sakura and wants to see her happy. I guess he was trying to use Sasuke's life as an example maybe? Not that his parents didn't love each other… Ah! Just… nod and agree. Yea, yea, I could've exaggerated her more, but then some people thing she was a little too eccentric, so we just had to go with the happy medium there. Thanks for reviewing!
MissxRae, little minamino, ellamooney, psychedelic aya, nixxie1430, Lezzy499, and Rel: Thanks sooo much for all of your reviews! I'm so glad you like this story and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. For all who are enjoying the IC-ness of it all, I'll try to get him to be nice without getting too ooc, so tell me if I succeed or not, okay? Enjoy!
Note: To understand part of this, you have to remember that the Hokage sends birds to jounin as signs to come see her ASAP.
Also note: Since this has more action in it, I'd like to note that I'm not entirely sure of the names of a lot of the attacks (especially since they're grown up, so they should know more attacks), so most will be without the "whatever no jitsu" kind of thing, okay? There's one, but that's just because I know the "Kaze" is wind from many hours of Inuyasha watching.
Anyhoo, on that note, continue on.
9 Months of Happiness
.: Part 5; Realizations :.
6 1/2 Months
It was a clear night, the stars shown brightly throughout the big, dark sky. The moon was skinny, almost like a small fingernail, and therefore not giving a lot of light to the tired Konoha guards. There were four of them, two above in watch towers, and another two down below, guarding the entry. One guard was leaning idly against the post, playing with his kunai, the other annoyed with her partners relaxation. "Haruko, you're so lazy! We're supposed to keep watch!" Haruko rolled his eyes and twirled his kunai through his fingers.
"Relax, will you? There haven't been any odd or suspicious people roaming around in the last year, at least. You're so paranoid!" The woman narrowed her eyes.
"You heard what the captain said, we should be extra careful because of relations with the sky country."
"Sky country, smy country, who cares? They're just sissies with wings. Besides," He gestured up to the guards above. "If they come, they'd be the ones to see it first." He grinned and looked up. "Isn't that right, boys?" He called out. The woman wrinkled her nose, wondering if he was drunk.
"You're such an idiot."
"Why, Kira, that's the nicest thing you've said to me!" He rolled his eyes. "Would it make you feel better if they give us an all clear?" He didn't wait for her to answer and instantly shouted up to his comrades. "HEY BOYS! EVERYTHING GOOD?" They waited. Nothing but silence. Haruko's eyes narrowed. "IDIOTS!" He tried again. "ANY SIGN ON ANYTHING?"
Silence.
They paused, listening for anything, any sign that they heard him. Kira stiffened. "Something's wrong." She pulled out her kunai. Haruko nodded and leapt to his feet.
"You go get the Hokage, I'll see what's going on." His face was deadly serious. He watched her turn to leave before jumping up the higher lookout.
It was the last time he'd see her.
Haruko got to the top in less than three seconds. He didn't make a noise, only paused to listen for any sign of life or danger. Nothing. He narrowed his eyes and quietly began to tip-toe over to the first lookout. He stopped. There was a quiet ruffling of something. He got his kunai ready.
SHRIEEK!
Haruko's focus turned to the screech down below. KIRA! It was his fatal mistake – next time he turned back, the only thing he saw was a creature falling towards him, weapons aimed for kill.
chirp, chirp!
Sakura groaned and rolled over, hugging the pillow closer to her head, willing the annoying bird to go away. She felt her husband rustling in bed, also disturbed by the animal. The infernal thing wouldn't shut-up! "Sasuke-kun," She moaned inside the pillow. "Make it go away, I promise I'll never leave the window open again." There was a moment of silence before she felt the weight on his side of the bed disappear. There was another moment of silence and Sakura was almost back to sleep, but it was once again interrupted by something.
"Sakura," She could tell Sasuke's deep voice was wide-awake. "I need to go see the Hokage. I'll be back."
She nodded in her pillow, not really caring what he did right now. She let a hand roam downwards to rub her growing belly. She wasn't used to it and was finding it harder and harder to sleep, so she was going to take what she could get. No such luck, for some reason she heard more chirping. She let out a noise of annoyance then threw back the covers, throwing a pillow at the window. "I'M UP ALREADY!" She glared at the bird, before it gave one final cheerful chirp and flew away. Sakura groaned again, promising to never leave the window open again.
Sakura sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror. She turned to see her body in a profile view, rubbing her growing belly. She sighed again. "I'm not big, but I'm not small either." She moved from the full-sized mirror in their room to her drawers to grab a shirt and continued to talk to herself, "I'm at that irritating middle stage when people wont say anything because they're not sure if your pregnant or just plain fat." She slipped on a large, green shirt she'd just bought and some loose tan, cargo caprees. "At least I look like I'm wearing maternity clothes." She decided against looking at herself in the mirror again for fear of more verbal self abuse, last time she had done it in Sasuke's presence, he had given her an annoyed, 'stop being pathetic' look and stated, "You look fine and normal for a pregnant woman, so stop." She took it as a compliment (hey – she took what she could get, though they weren't so few and far between).
Sakura stretched and prepared her breakfast like any other day. Her movement was fine, maybe only slightly slower and more prohibited than before, but nothing huge. Her lips formed a small frown, wishing she could still go on missions, even a small B, or heck, even a C-class mission! Her body was just irking to do something! As a result, she'd been cleaning the house like crazy. Sasuke, of course, didn't mind, liking the house clean anyway. He was also happy she wasn't whining or pouting about the lack of missions. Yes, she still wasn't happy with Sasuke and the decision he made, and she let him know; however, there wasn't exactly a lot she could do about it. Hokage herself said no missions and it's not like she could just run out of the village and find a mission on her own. As she was stirring the pancake batter, she found herself wishing a mission would come to her, then she wouldn't feel so bad.
Breakfast came and went, and Sakura was back to cleaning. This time, she found herself scrubbing the kitchen floor, her hair tied back in pigtails to get the hair out of her face, and yet the strands kept falling. She was almost done when she heard the door open and slam shut. She sighed and placed the scrubber down and made her way up to the bedroom to see what was going on. She'd learn to tell what mood her husband was in when he came home by the way he shut the door. When she didn't even hear it creek shut, everything was good and perfect – and he was in a smug, but happy mood. Normal creaking means he was his usual self. Fast creaking meant he was tired and/or it was done, but not quite as he had planned. And, of course, the slamming meant something was wrong. So, curiously she made her way to the bedroom where she knew her husband was.
"What did the Hokage have to say?" Sakura watched her husband anxiously walk around the room, pulling out various clothes and weapons. He didn't even pause when answering.
"I have to go on an intercepting mission." Sakura pouted slightly, moving closer to the bed, but made sure to stay out of her husband's way.
"Is it that important? There was an engagement party and Naruto's tonight. I know you don't like crowds but" he still didn't stop.
"The party is cancelled."
"What? Why? How do you know?" This time, he did stop, but only to look at her seriously in the eyes.
"The guards for the village were attacked and all were killed. We believe we're about to be under attack, so all Konoha is under high alert, therefore no leaving unless necessary, understand?" Sakura was shocked. Their safe and peaceful Konoha was under attack?
"The Sky Village?" She whispered out. He nodded. A sudden sense of dread filled her. Her husband was going off to fight in a war. Granted, a war that shouldn't be a surprise, but still, she worried about him now more than ever. Finally, he had stopped pacing and gathering things. He lifted his pack, tied some things around his leg and reached for his ANBU mask. "Sasuke," He paused, looking back at her from the doorway. "Be careful." He gave her a reassuring nod and almost stepped out, but he paused. Sakura cocked her head, wondering what he was doing. Suddenly, he whirled around and walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her. Her green eyes were lost in his firm black eyes. He wanted her attention.
"There's a chance Konoha itself will be attacked, not just ninjas and guards. If the time comes, I don't want you to fight, understand?" She let out a whimper. How was she going to help her friends? She couldn't just leave them!
"Not even to heal people?"
"No. Hide yourself in here."
"What if I have to defend myself?" He paused, then answered slowly.
"Fine, but only then. If that happens, go find the idiot." He stood up and turned, his back facing her. He was concerned again, but he didn't want to show it, and he couldn't worry about her, not now when he had more important things to worry about. Once again, he stopped at the doorway and turned only briefly to say, "Be safe."
He was gone.
They had only left the village three hours ago, and Sasuke was feeling jittery. Something didn't seem right. He turned to the leading ninja jumping the trees beside him, "Does this seem far out to you?" He questioned. The leader ninja stopped, giving the signal for the others to stop as well. Sasuke could just feel through the mask that he was frowning.
"I agree." He said simply. His large hands formed to make a few hand motions, then –poof- a scouting black bird had appeared in the palm of his hand. "Go ahead and see what awaits us, go quickly!" He turned to Sasuke, explaining. "Originally, they said Sky people were sighted a few hours from here, but it seems too far away for them after just initiating an attack." Sasuke nodded.
"I agree. Something doesn't feel right." Sasuke frowned under his mask as worry crept into his chest. No. No time to think about her. He quickly shook his head and concentrated on the task at hand. "Is the bird fast?"
"Twice as fast as we would be, where it would take us two hours, it'll take it one." Sasuke nodded his understanding. One hour of waiting. He resisted the urge to fidget. Great, now what was he supposed to do to stop his mind from wandering? So, instead, he fixated his annoyed gaze on one of the newer ANBU's to grab his attention.
The very object of Sasuke's thoughts that he was trying so hard to get rid of was also thinking of Sasuke – not bothering to try not to think of him. What else was she supposed to do? Konoha was supposedly put on 'red alert' or 'lock-down' as it were. Shops were closed, streets were empty, people were in their respective houses, it was very empty. The only ones wandering about were jounins or other selected ninjas chosen to guard Konoha incase of an emergency. The only thing left to her was to clean, and as much as she enjoyed cleaning, it was too easy to let your mind wander, and she really usually didn't mind.
Sasuke-kun, of course, was the main thought. She kept replaying the conversation they had just had before he left. It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, granted, he didn't say, "I love you, if you die, I don't know what I'd do! Take care of yourself!" No, that's not why she married him, goodness, if she wanted that, she'd have married Lee-kun. Yet, in his own way, Sasuke told her that he was worried about her and that he wanted her to be safe. She supposed the fact that she understood that was probably a reason why Sasuke chose her instead of all the girls. She still had her doubts as to whether or not his concern was for the baby or both, but she took what she could get and she was in her usually dreamy mood.
There were shouts outside. Sakura assumed people were getting restless and paranoid – not a good combination. She rolled her eyes. The people who weren't used to the ninja ways –the civilians- were usually panicky or restless by now. Some kid was probably running about trying to get some exercise. She didn't blame them though, she was getting pretty anxious herself. She was usually out and about trying to calm the restless citizens – not cleaning as though her life depended on it. She paused her chore and looked longingly up at the ceiling of her home. She was hoping that a sky ninja would burst into her home just so she could release the tension onto him or her. Hey, she'd be 'defending' herself, right?
Sakura sighed and stopped her sweeping. She leaned on the broom and looked at her watch. Time was crawling! Sasuke had only been gone three hours, when would he be back? And more importantly, would he be okay?
Sasuke was tense. It was almost an hour, and he was restless! The anxious feeling never left, in fact, it had only grown stronger, and he didn't like it one bit. Was this a trap? How was Konohana soing? When would the stupid bird return? A quick scan of the other ninja's hiding told him that he wasn't the only one. His thoughts began to wander to a certain pink female that he didn't want to be thinking about right now. Yet, he found himself wondering if she was actually listening to him and staying out of trouble. Then his thoughts wandered to if the baby would be a boy or girl, and what it would be called - something prestigious and firm of course, nothing wimpy prissy. Certainly not Sasuke, no, he was never found of juniors. Maybe something like Ryu or Keiji.
No! Sasuke shook his head. This was a distraction that was certainly not needed, and he certainly didn't want to think about her. His lips formed a straight, unhappy grim line. This waiting was doing evil things to him. He was used to moving and kicking butt! No, he crossed his arms. He was cool and collected. He felt a little better, but still anxious.
There! He could feel the presence of something coming closer! He reached behind him to grab a kunai from his pocket. The leader put his hand out in front of Sasuke, a sign to stop. The leader stood up from his hiding position in the trees and leapt out farther into the open area. He held out his arm and the bird he had sent out an hour ago perched on his arm. The black bird flapped its wings to emphasis and bring attention to what it was about to announce. "Warning! Ahead of us is a group of one hundred men and women." The bird's scratchy voice caught the attention of the other ninjas as they got closer to listen. "Warning! They are in no shape to fight!" Sasuke's eyes widened with realization. "Warning!" The bird continued to squawk. "There are no skilled ninja in the area."
Sakura sighed again. She had been doing that a lot today - especially in the last five minutes. She was standing in front of the mirror again – something she had been doing recently when Sasuke wasn't around. She stood sideways again, examining her profile. She was getting big. A hand went over her stomach. There was a tiny chakra building inside, but nothing painful or kicking yet – but it has some sort of shape. A smile formed on her lips and she moved her hand up and down. "You're going to be a fighter just like your daddy, aren't you?" She thought again and then added an after thought. "I hope you don't have his personality though…." She put a finger to her lips, a sign of thought. "Well, not that he's all bad. I love your daddy of course, but he's so-"
BOOM!
Sakura stopped her conversation with her belly and ran to the bedroom window. Smoke was rising from the center of the village. Sakura cringed, so, they were after the village after all. What about Sasuke-kun? Distant screams brought her out of her thoughts before she could go deeper. "I have to help!" She stepped back then stopped. Her shoulder slumped. "I promised…" Her eyes glanced around the area. There wasn't anyone in trouble here, so maybe it wasn't all that bad. She felt her stomach turn in response. Her hand went to her stomach again as she bit her lip. "I know, don't worry. There's nothing here yet. Sasuke-kun should come soon." So, like the good wife she was trying to be, she painfully backed away from the window and made her way towards the closet to get some weapons – just in case.
The ninjas surrounding Sasuke were cursing. Sasuke himself cursed under his breath. He was second in command – he had to be strong. "Everyone!" The leader let the bird disappear then turned to his men. "We have to get back to the village as soon as possible! Keep going until you reach there and help defend it. Go as fast as you can! I'll report to the Hokage as soon as I get there, everyone else, our first priority is to defend the village! Understood?" Silent nods went around. Sasuke felt the panic rising. Konoha was under attack. Konoha was under attack and Sakura was at home and unable to adequately defend herself. "Good." The leader continued. "Now let's go!" Sasuke felt no need to hesitate or argue. There wasn't any need to panic. Sakura could handle herself until he got there. She'd have to. She would listen to him and stay hidden. She was smart. She would keep the baby safe. He didn't need to panic.
Sasuke never realized he had long since passed the other ninja.
Sakura gripped the table. Screams were getting louder and more audible. How did Sasuke-kun expect her to just sit here while the village needed her! Another scream – this time it only seemed a few blocks away. Sakura shut her eyes tight. She had promised! How long was he going to be? He'd already been gone over six hours! Green eyes slowly appeared again and drifted over to the abandoned pouch lying on the kitchen counter.
Another scream.
Sakura bit the inside of her cheek. Sasuke told her to stay for her own good – not to mention the baby's!
'But it's not like you're THAT pregnant. Sure, you're big, but not too big to kick some butt!'
'I promised Sasuke-kun. He trusts me.' Sakura was arguing with herself - her eyes kept darting back and forth from the kunai pouch to the stairs to the bedroom.
'If he really trusted you, he'd trust you to take care of yourself while you helped other people.'
'He meant well. He was concerned for me for once, and I don't want to ruin it by getting him upset with me.'
"But the people out there need you, Sakura!" She shouted out loud. Sakura shot up from her seat, frustrated with herself and Sasuke-kun for making her stay. With a sigh, she calmed herself down.
'But-'
Another shout, this one she could distinctly tell it was a young girl. Sakura would see her holding her doll from the window as a sky ninja teasingly stepped towards her.
There was no arguing when she reached over to grab the weapons off the counter and run out the door.
Immediately, as soon as the door flew open Sakura threw multiple kunais at the unsuspecting ninja. They hit the ninja dead on and he fell motionless to the ground. She was glad she'd had such good weapon training from TenTen! There was a small twinge in the back of her mind as she stepped towards the shaking girl, but she shooed it away as asmall, smug smirk appeared on her lips, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I'm defending myself," She reasoned with a whisper. "I'm defending myself from the people," The smug smirk widened. "I'm just going out to meet them."
Sakura kneeled in front of the shaking girl. "Hey," She put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" The girl nodded, a few more tears running down her cheek. She had long brown hair and blue eyes that were shinning with unshed tears. "I'll tell you what." Sakura gave her a reassuring smile. "If you go in that house over there," Sakura pointed to her own house to her right. "I'll make sure no bad guys hurt you, deal?"
The small girl nodded slowly, but as her eyes finally lifted, she screeched fearfully and pointed to something behind Sakura. Sakura was on her feet instantly facing the opponent. It was another sky ninja! Sakura grit her teeth. "Go in the house." She commanded the girl. The girl gave to objection and disappeared behind the door. Sakura smirked; a sense of excitement went through her as she got into a battle stance, kunai in hand. She hadn't had a good fight in a while. The ninja in front of her wasn't a push over either. She could feel the strong chakra just oozing off of him. His clothing was simple, a tight black sleeveless top with black pants and he wore a string with two feathers tied to the end around the neck. He was strong and confident. The ninja raked a hand through his wild, dark blue hair. He was also checking her strength. His sharp violet eyes were scanning her body. They stopped at her stomach and a smirk spread on his face. Sakura already despised that smirk.
"You think you should be fighting in that condition?" He was smug, so sure of himself.
"Don't underestimate me." Sakura made the first move by throwing a kunai at him and then jumping onto the roof of a nearby house. She watched him as he effortlessly dodged. 'Okay, so speed is one of his strengths.' She barely jumped away as he flew at her with a sword in hand. Still on the roof, Sakura silently apologized as she lifted her fist and quickly built up chakra. Before he could react, she punched through the roof, also releasing the chakra at the same time causing the roof to explode. Being prepared, Sakura lept off the roof and onto the ground, landing on her feet. Smoke still covered the area and Sakura couldn't see. Her hand went for her kunai. She'd better be prepared; this guy didn't look like he would be that easy to beat.
The sound of wood being thrown to the side brought her attention to the wreckage. As the dust cleared, she saw the ninja throwing things off of his body. Sakura, not wanting to prolong the fight, wasted to no time in throwing another kunai at him, hoping to catch him off guard. No such luck, he again dodged it this time – but with less speed. He appeared again in front of her, his sword ready to fight. "I'll admit," He said, "I did underestimate you." He wiped the blood from his cheek – most likely caused by the wood and other object during his fall in the explosion. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she analyzed the situation. 'We're both good at close combat and his speed his good, so that leaves me at a disadvantage – so what's his weakness?' The blue haired ninja decided to make the first move this time. He pushed off the ground with his foot and almost came flying at her with the sword in hand. Sakura gasped and moved out of the way, but got nicked in the arm all the same.
Sakura cursed as she held her arm. Her eyes narrowed. 'I should have been able to dodge that. What's wrong with me? Why am I so slow?' He came at her again and all she could to was sosge – this time successfully. What was wrong! She was frantic. Her abilities weren't up to their normal standards; usually she could dodge and even through some punched in there too.
It dawned on her. A bitter smile appeared on her lips as she managed to escape another attack with just a few scratches. 'So this is why Sasuke-kun didn't want me to fight.' She moved to the side. 'I'm such an idiot!' The ninja paused his attack and studied her carefully. Sakura was panting heavily. It was now she realized it wasn't likely she was going to win. It's not like she could just walk away, but she was in trouble. 'Sasuke-kun is going to be so mad at me!' The ninja frowned. "You're only dodging. You do prove some entertainment, but unfortunately, I was told to kill all who oppose," He pointed the sword at her. "Even if you're pregnant."
'I have to get away!' Sakura looked around. She would have to fight back if she intended to live through this, maybe she could make her way towards were Naruto would be. Now, time to create a diversion. Once again, she lifted her fist in the air, and collected the chakra. Sakura only glanced at his annoyed face before she shoved her fist into the ground. Cracks formed, the earth shook and was split apart. Before she could see his fate, Sakura ran.
"Not so fast." Sakura gasped. When she turned around, the sky ninja was there, but he was different. Behind him were wings, huge angel-like wings that were glowing with chakra. "Let me show you why we're called the sky ninja. He beat his wings faster, faster creating a strong wind. Sakura put her arms in front of her face to block flying objects coming towards her.
"KAZE NO JITSU!"
There was an incredible rush of wind, and Sakura found herself concentrating wholly on the chakra running through her feet, holding her position. Her feet slid. Sakura grit her teeth, pouring more concentration into the chakra hold. The wind finally died down and she felt a smirk come to her lips when she saw his frustrated expression. The ninja had discovered one of her other strengths – chakra control. Sakura also noted with satisfaction that he was panting. Having wings may be cool, but it took up a lot of chakra to control them like he was.
Both were panting now and both looked ragged and dirty. They had various cuts and bruises and their chakra level was getting low. The ninja suddenly closed his eyes. You could see the last of his chakra storing in his sword. Sakura similarly centered the majority of her chakra into one attack. This was going to be the last chakra. All depended on this last move. She had to call on all her strength to avoid his attack and use her own. Most likely he would concentrate mostly on attacking rather than defending if there was the chance she managed to dodge. Sakura sent a silent plea to Sasuke before both ninjas charged after one another.
It happened in only a few seconds, but so much happened. They both went towards each other, although neither at the top health speed, but still fast for their present state. The blue-haired ninja swung his sword in Sakura's direction. Sakura slid to the ground underneath the sword, unfortunately, she didn't count on the added bulk of her belly and had her arm not been in the way, the baby might have been damaged. Ignoring the searing pain from the cut in her arm, Sakura leaned on her good arm and used the motion to aim a kick full of chakra right in his back. He flew out of her view and she let herself sink to her knees.
Sakura was tired. She didn't want to move anymore. Her eyes fell on her injured arm. The cut was deep, but she would live – assuming that she could get away in time of course, and assuming she could at least gather up the strength to get help for it. She didn't notice the looming figure behind her until the ninja – cut, bruised, bloody, and panting was right above her, sword ready for strike. There was a battle cry heard as Sakura had gathered up her strength enough to roll away. The sound of metal against metal was heard and Sakura pushed herself up to a sitting position.
There he was, her knight and shinning armor, well, knight in black ANBU clothes – but close enough. Sakura was so grateful she could feel the tears pooling up in her green eyes. Sasuke and blocked the strike with his own kunai against the sword. Both were blown apart, but it was easy to see that the tired sky ninja was no match for Sasuke's strength. Before the ninja could regain his wits, Sasuke was behind him and a kunai was in his back. Too tired to try and fight, the ninja fell to the ground and didn't move.
….
Sasuke made an unknown noise in the back of his throat as he made his way over to Sakura. Many emotions were running through his head. Fear, panic, relief, love, anger, happiness… they were all fighting for control. Sasuke managed to keep a straight face all the way over to the fallen Sakura, but she could see the emotions through his eyes.
"You didn't listen." He said simply. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her wounds. He firmly, but gently grabbed her most injured arm to examine it. Sakura looked down guiltily.
"No. I couldn't stay inside and watch a girl get killed." Sasuke said nothing, but Sakura knew he was upset and battling with himself about his response. He tore off part of his sleeve and wrapped it around her wound. He stood up and examined the area.
"Well," he said slowly "We'll talk about it later." Sakura bit her lip and slowly stood to her feet. Sasuke watched her anxiously as she wobbled a little. His eyes fell to her stomach and felt a sigh of relief fight to emerge. "There seems to be no damage to the baby." He murmured.
Sakura lowered her eyes and blushed with shame. Yes, she had put the baby in danger by her heroic antics. There was a moment of silence, neither knowing quite what to say. Sakura started to walk towards the house. "I'll stay here and you can go help the rest of the village." She smiled reassuringly at him. "I can promise you that I wont fight again."
Sasuke watched her, unsure of what to do. Finally, he reached out and grabbed her uninjured arm. "No." Sakura looked at him with surprise. "I'm taking you to see a doctor to make sure everything is alright and to heal you." He turned his head and mumbled. "It's not healthy for the baby."
Normally Sakura would be hurt and upset, but somehow, she knew that behind those words he was also worried about her. So, instead of getting angry, she only smiled and nodded to him. "Alright, Sasuke-kun." She held a playful glint in her eye. "Are you going to carry me?"
Sasuke-kun was surprised for a moment, then he frowned and made a 'ch' noise before bending down and scooping her up in his arms bridal style. Sakura could only gasp, she had been teasing, she really didn't expect that Sasuke-kun would really do it! Sasuke only glanced down at her as though he was shocked that he was doing this himself. "You don't look stable enough and we need to move fast." He quickly explained. "You're not going to fit anywhere else in your state."
Sakura smiled and unconsciously buried her head in his shirt. She could feel the wind move through her hair as Sasuke hopped from one roof to another. Occasionally, Sasuke would have to put her down to fight off a weak sky ninja, but no one serious came their way. During a moment of silence while she was in his arms, she suddenly felt the urge to apologize again. "I'm sorry." She said quietly, barely audible. "You were right." She continued. "I shouldn't have been fighting, I wasn't thinking about the baby and how my movement was affected." She paused, shame took over again. "I'm sorry." She repeated. Sasuke said nothing, and if anything, she thought she felt him tense up even more.
By the time they reached the hospital, it seemed that the war was coming to an end. Granted, the sky ninja were strong, but they underestimated the strength of the leaf village. As expected, the hospital was pretty crowded, so Sasuke put Sakura down and she followed him to a seat in the waiting area.
"SAKURA-CHAN!" Both heads snapped towards the loud and very familiar voice. Naruto was coming at them as quickly as he could, hobbling on one foot and waving his bandaged arms around as franticly as he could. "SAKURA-CHAN!" He yelled again as though he wasn't sure he had her attention yet. Hinata was following close behind begging him to rest and stop for a moment, but of course, all her pleas were in vain. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto panted once he had gotten to them. "What happened? Are you okay? Did the ice-cube not protect you?" He turned angrily at Sasuke, "Why isn't she okay? Why didn't you protect her, huh, huh? You let her get hurt you-"
"Naruto!" Sakura interrupted him. "Stop, it was my fault. Sasuke-kun was out on a mission and he had told me to not fight, but I didn't listen. Sasuke-kun came and saved me just in time." Sakura patiently explained.
"Idiot." Was Sasuke's only contribute to the explanation. Naruto still looked suspiciously at Sasuke, but said no more. He mumbled something like 'still should protect' but nothing more. Hinata finally got him to sit down beside the couple. Once he was down, she sighed with relief and fell down to the floor beside him.
"And What happened to you?" Sakura asked.
Naruto suddenly jumped up again, much to Hinata's dismay and began waving his arms about. "I fought this really tough guy – well, he wasn't THAT tough, not for me anyway. He did this, and that" He shoved his bandaged fist out into the air then did some other odd moves while Hinata tried desperately to calm him down.
"Uchiha, Sakura!" A voice called from the doorway. Sasuke jumped up faster than Sakura and pulled her along behind him, anxious to get away from the over excited Naruto.
"And then he – HEY!" Naruto saw them go. "I WASN'T DONE!"
"Na-Naruto-kun. Pl-please calm down." Hinata pulled anxiously at his shirtsleeve, ignoring the stares.
"Fine, fine." Naruto pouted. He looked around the room, so they were listening, huh? "Well," He said as an after thought, "I KICKED HIS BUTT ANYWAY!"
Throughout the examination, Sasuke stood in the background, but watched whatever they did like a hawk, constantly narrowing his eyes every time he wasn't sure he liked what they were doing, espically when they got too close to her enlarged belly. When the nurses and finally left, Sasuke moved closer to her side. He pulled up a seat and sat down, hands immediately going to their usual thoughtful position under his chin. His black eyes observed her as she tried to stifle a yawn. "You should rest. You used a lot of chakra and you can regain it back by sleeping."
Sakura turned and gave him a tired, but playful smile. "Thank-you doctor." She closed her eyes. She was almost asleep when Sasuke's simple 'Sakura' caused them to snap open. It was that 'I-have-something-important-to-say-so-pay-attention voice, and she was definitely paying attention.
"I'm," He paused, willing himself to go on. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I didn't get to you in time." Sakura's eyes softened. She shook her head, but Sasuke continued. "I'm glad your okay." A soft and happy smile lit up Sakura's face. She tried to hold back another yawn, ashamed. Sasuke-kun was bearing his soul (or more than usual at least) and she was tired! Sasuke let a smirk pull up the corner of his lips. "Go ahead and sleep. I'll be here."
Sakura took his advice, and after yawning again she closed her eyes and whispered, "I love you, Sasuke."
It only took a few minutes before her breathing became soft and slow. Sasuke watched her intently, a strange sense of relief that she was okay flowed through him and for the first time, he smiled lightly and whispered, "I love you too, Sakura."
-- We're not done! Next is the epilogue! It'll be shorter (I think) But, it'll also have the largely requested scene of the baby's birth. So look foreword to it - The last chapter!
---The next chapter might be a little longer in coming just because school is starting and I have so much crap to do as a senior it's just not cool. So I apologize ahead of time for the wait and encouragment is always a good thing )
Smile Jesus loves you !