It was one month after their anniversary. Sakura was getting plumper, Sasuke didn't dare say fatter, for fear that the kunoichi would kick him out of the house. The baby was really taking its toll on her. She rarely got any sleep because whenever she lay down, the baby started kicking and didn't let her get rest at all. Sometimes Sasuke had to force her to sleep, rather, slip sleeping pills into her drink, which was mainly water all the time. Then she conked out right after dinner and he had to carry her upstairs. Then he was forced to do the dishes, which was a real pain, being that he didn't really know how to get the dishes into the dishwasher without clinking them. Besides, he didn't really know which tray the chopsticks went in, the upper tray or the lower one. He mentally sighed.

Sheesh...How did Hyuuga Neji manage to do all this work when Tenten was pregnant? Then again...there are other females in the Hyuuga compound, and there's practically nobody in the Uchiha compound except for me and Sakura. But anyway...Having a kid is not that great. Yeesh...if someone could help me with housework maybe it wouldn't be so tough...I'm a GUY for God's sake, you expect ME to know how to do the dishes, how to fold laundry, how to do that stuff?

Sakura lay awake in bed, waiting for Sasuke to come up. The bed was unusually cold that night, even though there were two blankets now that it was winter. She sighed. Having a baby was just not her cup of tea. Maybe it would be fine for Ino and Hinata, but she didn't like being confined, not being able to do the things she liked, and most importantly, not being able to sleep. That was the worst. She had known Sasuke had been trying to help her from the start, by slipping sleeping pills into her water. That didn't really work. Well...it helped her sleep, but she always woke up with a splitting headache and stomach cramps in the morning. Why she didn't know. Maybe the baby just didn't want her to sleep, but instead, give all her attention to 'it.'

How come this kid is so...so...like younger Sasuke? Sasuke before all this happened used to be stubborn to train...never letting anybody rest. This kid is just like him. How am I supposed to live 9 months like this? Poor Sasuke...having to do laundry and all that other "woman's work".

Sasuke finally came up to the bed, where he found Sakura still awake. "What are you doing awake, Sakura? You should be sleeping by now."

She just shook her head. Gah...man I wish I HAD taken that water, now the cramps are just coming back, I'm a real idiot not to take the water Sasuke gave me...

"No seriously...what's wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura suddenly felt all self-conscious and shy about herself. She knew what she wanted, her conscience was just bugging her to ask Sasuke to give her what she wanted, but for some reason her mouth seemed all dry and wouldn't talk. Finally she managed to whisper out in a choked voice,

"Sasuke-kun, could you...um...massage my back for me?"

Sasuke's eyes bugged, nearly popping out of his head. His palms started sweating. Wait...I didn't know my palms COULD sweat... He had never massaged a person's back before, especially not a woman's. But still he managed to nod, knowing he could not deny his wife anything.

He knew what kind of lotion she liked to use, one that soothed her aches and pains. He grabbed the bottle from the bathroom, and squeezed a little amount in his hand before saying, "Hey Sakura, I need you to take your shirt off before I can do this."

She obliged, turning her back to him and pulling her hair to the front. In the darkness he couldn' t see much of anything, so he had no bad thoughts, no bad visions, unlike Naruto or Kakashi would have. He smiled. That perverted sannin's ways were getting to the blonde. He rubbed the purple lotion into his hands, and a scent of lavender filled the room. He started rubbing her back slowly, first the upper part, then the lower part. His long and slender fingers brushed delicately against her skin, rubbing the purple lotion into her back.

Her skin is so smooth...like a baby's...

Sakura's emerald eyes nearly closed, then she shook herself awake again. She really tried very hard not to fall asleep, but it seemed that sleep was inevitable. Then she remembered: Sasuke needed to get his sleep also, they had training tomorrow. She really shouldn't be keeping him awake this late, she was being selfish. But she just couldn't resist.

He's really good at this stuff...Uchihas ARE talented...

Soon her head drooped forward and Sasuke knew she was asleep. He carefully put the light blue shirt over her sleeping form, and tucked her into the bed again. The smell of lavender was still on his hands: her smell. It was nice and smelled exactly like the real thing. Why had she asked him to massage her back in the first place? Not like the baby could be KICKING her back, could it? No...that was impossible.

Wait...she had moaned when I got to her lower back. Could that be from the place where Naruto kicked her a month ago? I read somewhere that pregnant women are really sensitive and that they can have bruises from a wound that they had obtained a month ago. Could this be what Sakura's going through? Man...is this what it's gonna be for 9 months? Thank the Lord I'm not a woman, I wouldn't have been able to go on like this.