Disclaimer - I do not own anything about Naruto and nor do I receive any money or kickbacks from writing this.
So, I have to say I'm sorry.
I haven't been in the mood for the past month to read, let alone write (I'm super far behind in reading a couple of my fav authors, it's that bad). And as it turns out, I don't write when I'm stressed... and work has me super stressed...
I did however try to work on several of my WIP's and a oneshot.
I'm currently working on the next chapter of both this and my Yakuza story while I'm in the mood.
No guarantee's though how long this will last, sorry, all I can ask is that you're all patient with me. I will however promise to complete both the WIP's I have on the go before I start uploading any further ones I'm jumping between to keep me in the writing mood.
With that all said, on wards with the story.
Shout-Outs!
nenesse - The next chapter is here! Thank your for your patients!
Devang98 - mujhe yakeen nahin hai ki main samajhata hoon ki gale lagaane se aapaka kya matalab hai, lekin sugandh nishchit roop se hai.
diamanteuzumaki - Thank you! I am physically doing a lot better... Just need to work on stress...
cassiejones - Sadly you wont get to see both of them pregnant in this chapter, but most certainly the next ^_~
aabchohan - I hope this one will also be worth the wait!
It was close to 9pm and both Naruto and Sasuke were exhausted - the blond Omega more so than the raven Alpha. Being thirteen weeks pregnant Naruto was seriously feeling the effects of it, even more than his first pregnancy. He had already ducked off several times during the family dinner to relieve the contents of his upset stomach - much to his disappointment, since the dinner and dessert provided was amazing - and each time he did, Sasuke had accompanied him, fanning him and placing cool, wet cloths on his neck and head to alleviate the hot flushes he'd go through during it.
The pair were just getting ready to leave with Naruto's parents when Mikoto came waltzing over, hips swaying and a warm smile on her face as she waved to catch their attention. "Ah, before the pair of you go, I was wondering if I could have a quick word?"
"Of course mother," Sasuke answered, pausing in his actions and rearranging the sleeping Menma in his arms to give her all his full attention, "What did you need?"
"I know this is sudden, but I was hoping the pair of you would be available tomorrow for an outing?" She asked.
"I'm free," The younger raven answered before turning to the blond. "What about you Naru?"
Naruto quickly pulled out his phone and checked his planner. "I'm free," he nodded, putting his phone away. "What did you have in mind?"
"Excellent," Mikoto smiled, clapping her hands together. "I want to take you both somewhere, so I'll pick you up at 9am sharp." Before Naruto could voice any of his concerns regarding Menma, she added, "And don't worry about Menma, I already have a carseat in my car for him."
"Ah…. O-kay then, did you need us to bring anything, Mikoto-san?" Naruto asked.
Shaking her head, she waved her manicured hand. "Just yourselves and an open mind," she said cryptically with a mischievous grin.
"We'll see you tomorrow then," Sasuke nodded, placing a hand onto the small of Naruto's back, gently urging him towards the door. "Safe journeys home, mother."
"You too." She replied with a wave before making her way back over to her mate.
"Ready to go?" Kushina asked, taking the diaper bag from Naruto's shoulder.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded tiredly. "My bed is calling me," he laughed.
"We'll drop you straight home then, kiddo." Minato laughed as he ruffed Naruto's hair. The younger blond batted his fathers hand away with a scowl. "Ah, you're just like your mother." he teased, receiving another agitated scowl.
They made it back to Naruto's apartment without any further arguments and in the state the blond was in, Sasuke offered to spend the night, much to Naruto's appreciation.
As the weeks had gone by, Naruto had found himself relying more and more on Sasuke - much to his dismay - and secretly becoming depressed whenever the Alpha left for work or went back to his hotel for the night. Sadly, his own pride prevented him from voicing this to the raven, instead he soaked up the attention from any moment they had together, much like the current one.
"Did Menma go down easy?" the blond asked as he looked up from where he had made himself comfortable on the bed, laptop and papers strewn around him.
"Yep, out like a light." Sasuke laughed walking in and over to the bed where he sat on the corner. "I think all the attention he received tuckered him out."
"Good, maybe he'll sleep the whole night." Naruto replied as he began to pack up the last of his work having had enough for the evening. "Wanna lay down with me?" he asked shyly.
"Of course." Sasuke nodded, helping Naruto pack up the last of his things before stripping down to his boxers and climbing into bed.
"Should I pack a small morning tea for tomorrow?" the blond asked as he shuffled over to be as close to the raven as he dared, without giving away that he wanted the physical attention.
Taking the subtle hint, Sasuke wrapped an arm around the blond, but said nothing about it, instead focusing on what Naruto had asked, "No," he shook his head, "If mother said to just come as is, it'd be rude to do otherwise."
"I feel like I should do something." he whined, "Your mother barely likes me as it is."
"She likes you." Sasuke concurred, "If she didn't, she'd have never allowed us to be together as we are."
Sitting up, Naruto turned to look at the Alpha. "You don't see how she looks at me when she thinks no one is looking. She hates me!" he whimpered, dropping down on top of the raven and snuggling into the offered scent.
"Trust me," Sasuke chuckled, "She likes you."
After that, nothing more was said between the two, rather, they engaged in snuggling their inner desires for the night, allowing their subconscious to take the reins and do as they pleased. As it would have it, the inner selves of the two wanted nothing more than to cuddle, so that's what they did for the rest of the night.
It had been little over a half hour drive from Naruto's current apartment when Mikoto pulled into the driveway of a large, old traditional, but well maintained one story house, before turning off the engine and departing from the car.
The front of the house had a beautiful ornate garden complete with cherry blossoms, stones and sand features that disappeared around the back of its open plan area. The surrounding of the house was fenced in by a large solid wall that gave the appearance of a compound.
"Why are we here?" Sasuke asked curiously as he helped Naruto take Menma out of the car.
"To look around." Mikoto answered simply as she walked up to the front porch and produced a key that opened the front sliding door.
The inside was as ornate as the outside, all white walls lined with dark hardwood accents. It was in perfect condition considering the age of the traditional style house, similar to Sasuke's parents own house that he grew up in and admired to the point of making it his own goal to own one almost as similar. Bar how empty the house was compared to his parent's, every detail was how he had envisioned it growing up, from the dark colour scheme, to the size proportions of everything and even the garden out back was how he had dreamed it would look when he peeked out to take a look.
Turning to his mother, Sasuke eyed her suspiciously. "Why are we here?" he asked, a demand in his tone.
"To gain your approval." she answered with a smile as she took a seat at a low table where food and beverages were already laid out.
"Approval for what?" he asked, sitting down opposite his mother as Naruto continued to look around while holding Menma.
Mikoto poured the pair of them a cup of tea as she spoke. "I started building this place when you were a small child with the intention of giving it to you on your Commitment Ceremony day as a gift. But as things would have it, it turned out to be complicated, so I had to wait and make adjustments to the house to accommodate your mate."
Sasuke practically choked on his tea as his mother spoke, not only from the insinuation of his mate being an issue but the fact that this place was for him. "This place is for me?" he spluttered, wiping his mouth with a napkin. After receiving a nod he asked, "But why?"
"Every child needs a proper nurturing environment to be brought up in. This promotes succession in their future." Mikoto grinned behind her cup, "Just like you and Itachi, I want what's best for my grandchildren."
"Mother, I don't know what to say."
Mikoto simply placed the keys on the table in front of the younger raven. "This place has been built with all the necessities you will need to raise a family. It now has two studies and five bedrooms - with the hopes of many more grandchildren might I add," she laughed warmly, "A kitchen that is fully equipped with the finest materials and appliances to prepare quality meals. A garden that is ready to grow anything you desire. A chicken coop has also been added since I heard that your mate likes chickens. And a pet run should you decide to have a pet."
Sasuke stared at his mother, dumbfounded by everything he was telling her till Naruto came into the room with a big grin on his face.
"This place is amazing, Mikoto-san, are you planning to move here?" the blond asked as he sat down with Menma resting on his lap, as the small boy tried to grab at the fruit being placed in front of him by Sasuke.
"No," the older raven woman shook her head, her piercing gaze locking onto him from behind her cup, "You are." she answered with a finality in her voice that was unwavering and demanded he submit without question.
Not wanting to upset her further - since she had already made it abundantly clear that she didn't like him - the blond stayed silent and accepted the cup of tea that Sasuke had poured for him.
After a small and tense meal where only the two Uchiha's spoke, Mikoto smiled at her son, "Sasuke, why don't you take Menma for a walk around the house and familiarise yourself with it."
Sasuke eyed her suspiciously, but did as he was told. He picked Menma up and left the room, closing the shoji door as he went.
The room was silent for several breaths before Mikoto placed her cup down on its saucer with well trained ease. "Now, I think it's time you and I had a little chat." the raven woman said with an undertone of anger. "Throughout this whole ordeal, you have played the victim with little regard for what you have put my son through. Did you even stop to think about him during that time? How it might affect him when you upped and left, robbing him of more than you will ever know?"
Before Naruto could attempt to defend himself, her piercing gaze locked him in place, preventing him from uttering a single word as his breath caught in his throat and the scent of a strong Alpha filled the room, demanding him to surrender to her will.
"Although I am an Alpha and will never be able to fully grasp what Omega's go through during their heats, I will say that it is as much my responsibility to take care of my Rut's as it is your responsibility to take care of your Heat's properly. Going to work during a time when you knew you were about to go into Heat was foolish and you only have yourself to blame for my son attacking you."
Anger spiked in the blond, making his eyes flash purple as his inner Omega went on the defence. "Now listen here…." he hissed, his teeth bared and a venomous retort on the tip of his tongue, only to be cut off by the older Alpha.
"No, you listen." She growled back, filling the room further with her pheromones as she bared her own teeth while her eyes flashed Alpha red and her hands were placed on the table so she could slightly lift herself up to put herself on a higher ground to the Omega and show her dominance. "I tolerate you at the moment because you are the mother of my first grandchild and mate of my son, but do not think for a second that I like you."
Naruto's inner Omega instantly backed down at her threatening aura making him drop and bare his neck to show her his submission all the while he wanted to scream at Sasuke 'I told you so'.
Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Mikoto sat back down and composed herself. "My anger towards you is just. First, you took away the experience of pregnancy and childbirth from my son, then you hid his own child from him. Then finally if that wasn't enough, you almost killed him."
"I didn't know." Naruto whimpered from where he still sat, neck bared to the Alpha as his inner Omega tried to appease her.
"Don't know or didn't care to know, hmmm? All actions have consequences, child." Mikoto hissed as she picked up her tea again, taking a sip from it before continuing. "But in saying that," she said a little calmer, "All actions can be forgiven, if the other party shows they are worth it."
Still baring his neck, Naruto whimpered and nodded. "Please, forgive me." he mumbled.
"When you prove to me you are worth my forgiveness, I will." She said as she fell into silence.
"Where can I start?" Naruto asked.
Putting down her tea, Mikoto picked up the teapot and poured Naruto a fresh cup. "You already took the first steps when you engaged my son in the Commitment Ceremony. The next step will be you moving into this house with my son and showing him the respect and sharing with him the parental experiences he deserves."
Biting his lip, Naruto nodded as he accepted the offered cup. "When can we move in?" he asked meekly.
"The house is ready, it needs only be furnished." She answered as she picked up her own cup again. "I will leave Menma's room, the nursery and your heat room to you, the rest will be designed by my son."
Naruto nodded again as he took a sip of the offered tea. "Thank you Mikoto-san."
The silence between the two dragged on till Sasuke reentered the living room with a slight warm smile twitching the corner of his lip. At this sight Mikoto's mood instantly changed.
"Would you say that the house is acceptable?" Mikoto asked as she placed her cup down on its saucer.
"It's perfect." Sasuke smiled genuinely.
"Excellent." She said as she stood, taking Menma from Sasuke's arms. "I'll leave the pair of you to talk about the specifics." making her way to the door, she turned to address them again, "When you're ready, we'll be waiting in the car." With that, she left.
After Mikoto left, Naruto stayed in much the same position he had been in for most of their conversation, and upon a closer look at him, Sasuke seemed to pick up on his distress. "Did she say or do something to upset you?" he asked as he knelt down beside the blond.
Shaking his head, Naruto refused to look at the Alpha, even as a gentle hand was placed on his face, encouraging him to look up and meet the others' eyes. Instead he pulled away and asked, "When would you like to move in?"
"When you're ready." Sasuke answered with a soft smile. Although he'd be happy to move in straight away, he also wanted to make things work between him and his Omega, and if that meant waiting, he would.
"I'm ready." the Omega answered meekly.
Not wanting Naruto to do anything against his will - especially if his mother has said something - Sasuke asked, "Then show me you're ready."
Taking a deep breath, Naruto lifted his head slowly till their eyes met. "I'm ready to take the next step."
Hearing those words, Sasuke knew his mother had said something to the blond Omega, but chose to stay silent, searching the blond's eyes for any hint of fear. When he found none, only determination mixed with uncertainty he said, "Then we will move in, next weekend."
Nodding the blond stood. "Would you like to stay at mine till then?" he asked, voice slightly wavering with the request.
"Only if I am welcome." Sasuke answered as he stood and began to follow the blond out.
"We have an appointment tomorrow, it would be easier if you stayed over." Naruto whispered as they left the house and Sasuke locked the door behind them.
"Then I'll stay." Sasuke smiled softly to himself.
As the four of them drove back, Mikoto and Sasuke engaged each other in conversation about the new house. During that time, Menma slept exhausted from the excitement and Naruto chose to stay silent, instead reflecting on everything that Mikoto had said.
Once back at Naruto's apartment, the blond - with the help of the raven - quickly fed, bathed and put Menma down for an afternoon nap before sitting on the couch together. The peace though didn't last long before the Omega was up and racing for the washroom.
After another eventful hurling session, Naruto laid out on the cold tiled floor, a washcloth over his face as he concentrated on his breathing in hopes of not spending any more time with his head in the bowl.
"Here, I brought you some tea." Sasuke said quietly as he entered the room again, sitting next to the blond as he placed the tea on the ground. After a moment of silence, he added, "Your morning sickness seems to be lessening."
"I'll be happy when it stops completely." Naruto groaned as he sat up, accepting the tea as he leant back against the raven, wrapping himself in the Alpha's scent to calm him further.
"How bout we go for a nap?" Sasuke asked with a soft, knowing smirk.
Taking a sip of the tea, Naruto nodded tiredly. "Sounds like a plan."
The pair spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening lazing about the apartment with each other.
"Glad to see you turned up this time, brat." Tsunade grunted as Sasuke and Naruto stepped into her office.
"Granny." Naruto growled at her, but his tone had no bite as he smiled at her with fondness.
"Shall we get this over with then?" she huffed as she grabbed the scanning gel from the warmer.
Knowing the drill, the blond Omega easily laid down on the bed, lifted his shirt and lowered his pants slightly, allowing Tsunade to tuck some paper towel into the front of his pants before squirting the warm gel onto his now bare stomach.
Turning on the ultrasound machine, Tsunade smiled as she placed the scanner on to Naruto's stomach and began spreading the gel around before using the buttons and knobs to start the session. "Let's see what we can see today." she grunted as she stared at the screen. "Might even be able to tell the gender if the lil brat gives us a good view." she laughed.
Grinning, Naruto looked over at Sasuke who was staring intently at the screen, trying desperately to make sense out of the static shapes that appeared, much to Naruto's amusement.
As the seconds and minutes ticked by and Tsunade began to make unsure and odd sounds, Naruto began to become concerned.
"Is something wrong granny?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper as his hand found Sasuke's for some form of reassurance that everything was fine and she was just being the perfectionist she was, rather than something actually being wrong.
Instead of answering, she instead continued to move the device around the Omega's belly, all the while mumbling to herself under her breath as she adjusted things on the screen only she could make out.
"Granny?" he asked again, this time with fear evident in his voice as he began to shake.
At this, Tsunade finally tsked as she put the scanner down and began to rub her face with her hand, "Kami, Naru, I'm so sorry…. I don't know how I missed this." she said in a defeated voice, deflating slightly.
"M…. Missed what?" he asked, his voice wavering with the effort it was taking not to clutch his slightly swollen belly.
"Naru, I don't know how to tell you this." she said with worry.
"Tell us what?" Sasuke asked for his mate.
Her lips moved but Naruto couldn't hear a sound over the rushing in his ears as the world swam and began to fill with spots.
Comments, Favorites and Follows are more than welcome!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and it was worth the wait!
Again I'm really sorry it's taking me so long to write this story...
I'm currently writing up the structure of the next chapter in hopes that I'll write it in a more timely fashion then this one.
While you wait though, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. ^_^
Well, until next time ^_~