Epilogue: Freestyle!


'God please let them have the damn ice cream,' Naruto grumbled as he reversed into one of the many, many empty parking spots, making sure to keep his gigantic orange land rover between the lines. Eyeing the fourth supermarket he'd been to in the last two hours with suspicion and dread.

If it weren't for the light coming through the half shuttered windows that went almost as high as the entire twenty foot tall building, giant panes of glass going down the entire front of the shop, he'd worried it was closed too. Imposing grey shutters covering most of the light higher up but still letting slices of amber/white light come through the grating on them could be more than a little misleading.

The streaks of light made him feel like a moth as he wrapped himself tightly in his coat and shuddered out a breath that fogged in front of him, rubbing his hands together and shivering as he locked his car with the key fob, then trudged towards the entrance.

He unclenched muscles he hadn't realised he'd been straining against the cold once he was inside the foyer, just behind the security podium, packs of fire wood and what remained of Christmas decorations and wrapping paper littered the room, discount stickers everywhere.

Naruto smiled tiredly at the young security guard sitting at the podium as he passed, catching him staring at him in a very familiar fashion.

Naruto knew a 'is this guy gonna be trouble?' look when he saw it.

As he got close enough to get a proper look at the kid, he recognised him, he was pretty sure he knew him. The red hair looked less pointy and definitely longer but well … it was definitely the bouncer he'd had to help during a nasty drug bust on a bar in the centre of Konoha last year.

Eijiro, God, what a small world.

The kid, all of eighteen at the time, had tried to stop one of the dealers they'd been hunting down in relation to a murder. The prick had pulled a knife on the young bouncer after he'd been knocked off his feet a couple times and gone for the bouncer's face. If Naruto hadn't bodied the dealer into the nearest wall, the kid might very well not be sat there right now.

But to be fair to the guy, he'd been right back out on the job after a beat cop had taken his statement and a paramedic had seen to some superficial cuts. Kid had known how to fight, and Naruto had liked him instantly. Especially when he spent a solid five minutes gushing about his similarly pink haired girlfriend, Mina, while Naruto had been making sure he'd been patched up.

The thank you card Mina had sent to Homicide still sat on his desk actually. Nice couple of kids.

'Oh hey Detective Uzumaki!' the young man grinned, his dark red hair tied back by a bandanna. 'You on the night shift too?'

'Eijiro? Don't you usually work the nightclubs?' Naruto asked, slightly relieved for the chance to not move his exhausted legs.

Which felt a bit insensitive given why he was here when he thought about it.

'Oh yeah,' the young man said with a weak grin. 'Got into one too many fights with drunk assholes pressuring women outside the bars into … stuff.'

The rage that flared in the young man face was heartening. He knew he'd always liked the kid. 'So you found a job in a supermarket where Karens rule supreme?'

Eijiro winked and shrugged. 'Karens don't come out in the night-time, less managers to bitch to.'

Naruto laughed and shook his head sympathetically. He'd done his time in retail, he could relate. 'Point, alright, it's good to see you kid but I'm actually on a supply run. Where's your ice cream section?'

'Oh? Cops get to eat ice cream on stakeout? I should sign up.'

'I mean some might, but it's actually for my wife,' Naruto replied with a small laugh. 'I've been all over and I can't find the flavour she wants anywhere, help a guy out?

The kid pointed to the far side of the shop. Naturally.

'Well if it's not too weird, we should have it over there, if you can't find it there should be a night colleague who'd be happy to look I'm sure,' Eijiro said, red brows raised so high they nearly disappeared into his bandana. 'Ice cream in the dead of winter though? Your wife got a sweet tooth huh?'

'Something like that, thanks,' Naruto said as he started walking towards the ice cream section with an idle wave. 'See you in a bit.'

'Okay,' he called, sounding deeply curious. 'Hope you find what you're looking for.'

So did he, God so did he. The idea of going home without this damn ice cream made a shiver of fear rush down his spine. Why was the lack of ice cream so frightening? What had his life become?

He just wanted to go home and go to sleep, and you know make his wife happy, God.

Happy wife, happy life as his grandpa said. And his dad. And his uncles. He was beginning to sense a trend in the type of women the men in his family married. Best not to pull that thread right now though, he was too tired to deal with the possible ramifications.

Thankfully, without other inconsiderate people to weave around, he was in the frozen section of the shop pretty quickly. He tentatively crept towards the ice cream section with bated breath.

'Please, please, please,' he murmured, almost closing his eyes to make his wish come true, glancing at the contents and checking labels and prices for Sakura's chosen flavour of ice cream as he went.

'Oh hey Naruto,' an equally tired voice came from his left, reaching out to shake his hand with the one he wasn't holding a basket in. 'Are you here for the same reason as me?'

Naruto grumbled as he shook Neji's hand before immediately going back to scanning the ice cream labels. His target still absent, and he was getting much further down the aisle than he'd like.

Damn it all.

'Hey Neji,' he said forlornly. 'Forgot you lived round here. how's Tenten and Hideki?'

The long haired man smiled exhaustedly. 'Hideki's fine, getting excited even though it's months away. Tenten's coping, though I tried to have a burger sat next to her earlier and if looks could kill …'

'The smell?' Naruto asked, commiserating immensely. He'd not been allowed to have ramen for at least three months so far. Not even at work, she could smell it on his clothes when he came home apparently and that was enough to set off her stomach.

It was like being married to a ninja or something he swore to God.

'Yeah. But hey, it's not her fault really. And at least I can always go out and eat in the car if I get desperate.' Neji smiled and rubbed at his eyes. 'And you know, the end result will totally be worth it. What are you looking for anyway?'

He didn't want to say it out loud, it was actually insane, like what the actual fuck insane. Plus he was so tired, so, so tired. So he just lifted up the photo Sakura had taken from home and sent it to him while he was driving out to the first shop hours ago.

If they did have it in this shop he was just buying all of it and shoving it in the freezer until it was needed again. Even if she didn't want it ever again, at least they'd have it then.

'Oh,' Neji said, his tired face spreading with shock and barely covered horror. 'That's … new. And you can't find it?'

Naruto shook his head dejectedly as he made his way even closer to the end of the aisle. He was already trying to think of another all-night shop open that wasn't in like … the next town over or something.

He'd go to the next town over if he had to, he just really didn't wanna.

Though there was the petrol station on the outside of town that might have ice cream too …

'Well I'd help you look but I've got to …' Neji said, gesturing to the rough area of where the cashiers were. 'You understand right?'

Naruto smiled and nodded. 'Yeah, I get it, nice to see you, give everyone my and Sakura's love. We'll see you soon. Drive safe.'

The long haired man waved before shambling off down the aisle. 'Good luck Naruto.'

Yeah, he'd need it.

But as he finally reached the end of the aisle, the squeak of Neji's shoes on the polished supermarket floor a distant memory at that point, Naruto let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. So much for luck.

Guess he was going to that petrol station after all. Or going home begging his wife's forgiveness and ordering like … a metric tonne of the stuff on eBay or something.

She'd let him sleep in the bed at least for trying this hard. And even in the height of a mood, she still clung to him when they slept, especially in the last month or so. Sakura could be in the middle of a raging tirade in one moment and then in the next, wrapped around him and apologising profusely and being the most affectionate person on the damn planet.

Until he breathed too loud or something and he was Satan again.

Thank God this should all be over this time next month. Please.

He loved his wife more than a drowning man loved a life raft but it'd been a long, long six months.

He took one last glance around the ice cream aisle and resigned himself to calling Sakura, she'd be up, three in the morning or not, she'd be up. She'd been suffering with really bad insomnia ever since autumn, she probably wouldn't even be tired yet.

He was just tapping Sakura's number in his phone when he rounded the corner to see a front end of freezers, stocked full with some of the most bizarre and out there ice cream flavours known to man.

Pickle flavour, lobster flavour, goat's cheese and even spinach flavour. He didn't know what this shop was expecting from its usual customers' ice cream needs but as his eyes fell on the black coloured ice cream cartons he'd lost two hours looking for … he seriously didn't fucking care.

'Hello?' Sakura's slightly grumpy voice filtered through the phone. 'Naruto? Where the hell are you? Have you still not found it?'

Naruto beamed as he started scooping carton after carton of the ice cream into his basket. 'No, hi babe, I've found it, I'll tell you everything when I get home but I promise I've found the ice cream.'

There was a pause on the line and he heard a mumbled 'oh thank God' before his wife was back on the phone, her tone about five octaves higher than when she'd answered. 'That's wonderful baby, thank you so much for going out and getting me it. How long do you think you'll be getting back?'

Naruto grimaced but only briefly. 'Um, call it thirty minutes tops? Probably less. Definitely less.'

Cus he could feel the annoyance in his wife's breathing when he told her she was gonna have to wait half an hour for her ice cream. And he was not a dumb man. Honest.

'So twenty?' Sakura said pointedly, a little edge behind the sweetness. 'Max?'

'Closer to fifteen.'

Stop signs were only optional in an emergency as his dad always said. And fuck him sideways was this an emergency.

'Wonderful,' she said, sweetness overflowing in her voice. 'I'll have two bowls ready when you get back. Love you baby, and thank you again.'

'Love you too,' Naruto said, making a kissing sound as the phone clicked and she was gone.

A picture of him and Sakura on their honeymoon at Whirlpool City Beach in just their swimsuits and sunglasses grinning manically as he gave Sakura a piggyback filled the background before he shoved his phone back in his pocket and made a beeline to the cashiers and his car.

He'd have flat out forgotten to say bye to Eijiro if the man hadn't waved at him as he all but ran out of the shop, bags in hand.

The kid would understand if he was ever in Naruto's position.

Any man would.


Sakura was going to kill her lying bitch of a best friend.

Pregnancy was not a magical period of a woman's life, like Ino so blasély informed her a solid two years after her son Inojin was born. When she was definitely too far gone to remember what it actually felt like.

Sakura knew that because the silly woman was talking about another baby with Sai after their marriage in a couple months. No one would put up with what Sakura was dealing with out of choice after doing it once already unless they'd either forgotten or were a fucking lunatic.

Who else would willingly sign up for a boxing match where the other person was punching from inside your goddamn body and played dirty?

She swore if the little hell spawn in her uterus kicked her in the bladder one more time tonight, she was calling them something awful just to get her revenge. Naruto would understand, honestly after how much of a bitch she'd been recently … he'd probably be more than okay if she called their kid something ridiculous and then immediately got her tubes tied.

Or gave her husband the snip her damn self so he couldn't do this to her again.

Though to be fair to Naruto, it had been her idea to start having kids.

'Dumbass didn't have to agree though,' she grumbled as she waddled back to sofa from the bathroom, all but carrying her big pregnant belly in her arms.

And yes, she waddled now.

Magical her previously taut and spankable ass.

And the goddamn cravings. What the hell? She was a doctor and she didn't understand all the shit she'd been after over the last eight months. Like, the pickles she'd kind of expected, her mother and Kushina … and Tsunade actually, had told her that they'd all craved something like pickles so that had been fine.

But then the tuna? Which she'd never liked before but for a solid two months couldn't get enough of. And then the insatiable hunger for chocolate and toothpaste? It was so damn weird.

But not to be outdone, her latest and most bizarre craving had come straight out of nowhere last month and was why her sweet, angel of a husband was out at three in the morning, in the middle of winter, trying to find … coal flavoured ice cream.

Which the bastard who'd knocked her up had taken hours finding. While she sat on their sofa trying not to go hunting for actual chunks of coal she knew were in the storage bin on the patio for when they had barbecues in the summer.

She sighed heavily as she eased down onto said sofa, her palm resting against her sizeable bump instinctively, and checked her phone for anymore updates from Naruto. He'd said he'd be back as soon as possible, and it had only been fifteen minutes since he called her saying he'd finally gotten the ice cream … but she needed it now.

The two porcelain bowls, spoons already sitting in them, glowered at her from between the baby name books spread out over the coffee table, the new one they'd had to buy after Naruto had proposed a few years ago.

They might have broken it at some point … somehow.

She smiled softly, rubbing her tummy lovingly as the baby inside remained mercifully still and silent for the first time all day. It was a wonder this was going to be their first child really.

Though she was glad they'd been sensible and waited to be settled in their careers.

While nearly every other element of their lives together in the past five years had been dramatic and explosive and romantic and wonderful … bringing a child into the world had to be done with measured care and consideration wherever possible.

Not that she thought any less of accidental pregnancies, Inojin had definitely not been planned and Ino and Sai were wonderful parents to a bright and beautiful baby boy.

It was more to do with how she worked. The more reliable the position she could be in before starting on kids, the better for her own mental health during and after the process.

The fact that she'd wanted Naruto's babies since they were teenagers was irrelevant in the face of Sakura's all-powerful anxiety. And thankfully, with the loving support of her husband, they'd been able to make themselves as steady and ready as they possibly could be.

That reminded her, they had the meeting with the bank about the mortgage on the new house next week. She'd have to make sure Naruto was off work so they could go together. She didn't trust her baby brain at the moment and having him there always seemed to clear her mind and put her at ease.

Sakura really didn't know what she'd do without him.

Checking the time again, Sakura frowned a little. It was seriously late and she was starting to worry. He'd been out in the cold and the dark for at least two hours at this point and as much as she needed the ice cream … one bit of black ice and well, even the Orange Beast wasn't invincible, and that car would crash hard if it started sliding.

She was about to call him, TV muted, thumb literally hovering over the button, when she heard keys rattling in the door and her head snapped up to stare at it hopefully.

For her husband to prove he was okay and safe not just the coal ice cream craving finally get satiated.

Honest.

Shut up.

'Sakura-chan?' Naruto called as the door swung open into the kitchen and he grunted with exertion, bags swinging blockily from where he'd gripped the handles in one fist. 'I'm home!'

How many cartons had he bought?!

And would it be enough?

'Hey baby!' Sakura called, trying to get up from the sofa and failing miserably. Well fuck moving right off then. 'Are you okay? Do you need any help?'

She swore he scoffed, but given he was carrying the ice cream … and she couldn't really move, she'd let it go this time.

'No it's okay, you stay there babe, how are you feeling?' He asked as he lifted the bags up onto the counter before pulling one carton out, the clear plastic side showing the black ice cream within, making her mouth water. 'The baby kick you in the bladder once or twice since I've been gone?'

Sakura grumbled and let him kiss her as he approached, scratching the nape of his neck gently as he ducked down to her. 'Three times, we're naming them Little Shit by the way.'

Naruto laughed and kissed her again, passing her the carton in his hand, which she tried and failed to not snatch greedily from him, before going back to the counter and opening the fridge-freezer.

'We've moved on from Bitch I see,' Naruto chuckled as he started piling carton after carton of ice cream into any space he could find in the freezer.

'Felt too basic?' Sakura said as she ripped open the lid and tried to reach for the spoon in her bowl. She couldn't quite reach and huffed as she collapsed back on the sofa. Stupid much wanted and planned for baby. Getting in the way of her need for utensils. 'Babe?'

She pouted at him as he twisted to look her way, his eyes following her pointing fingers. 'Gotcha.'

He darted over and passed her the spoon and went straight back to the kitchen. He balled up the first bag and shoved it into the bag drawer before moving onto the next one, catching Sakura watching him and winking.

Sakura tried to count the remaining cartons but lost count around seven. Damn baby brain. 'Got enough there?'

Naruto stuck out his tongue. 'Four shops Sakura-chan, four. Besides, it'll keep.'

'Uh huh,' Sakura retorted, cracking the lid off the ice cream and etching into the black surface with her spoon. 'They didn't have any from where we usually get it?'

'Closed,' Naruto sighed, closing the freezer and adding the now empty second bag to where the first had gone. 'Closed at ten. I had to go to the big all night one over near Sarutobi plaza, then the one build into the old Roronoa gym's complex, then the little one up by the Kurosaki clinic and …'

'Okay I get it,' Sakura grumbled and smiled happily as she eased out a sliver of ice cream and popped it into her mouth with a giddy sigh. 'I appreciate the effort you went to and I promise you can eat as much ramen as physically possible once the baby's come, stop making me feel guilty.'

The blond chuckled lightly, hanging up his wet coat on the hanger by the door and slinking his way into the empty spot next to Sakura. He wrapped her up in a warm hug and she let her head rest against his shoulder, snuggling into his warmth.

Because he was somehow still the warmest thing in the whole apartment.

She called shenanigans but screw it, he was warming her up and probably melting her ice cream, Sakura wasn't going to complain.

'Love you Sakura-chan,' he muttered, kissing her temple and rubbing her belly gently, reverently. 'Love you, Little Shit.'

She nudged him with her head and smiled softly at the sweetness of his touch to the bump. 'Sorry for making you go out there, and for going so far out. I really do appreciate it.'

And she did, it was the worst part of the whole pregnancy thing at this point, she was so very reliant on Naruto for everything and he was still working and then dealing with her mood swings and all the little things he'd had to give up because they set off her senses or she couldn't do them and … yeah.

She just felt bad.

'Shhh,' he whispered as he tucked her into his side just a little more. He glanced at the TV and smiled as he spotted the all over the coffee table. 'Guessing you've been up the entire time. Any more thoughts on names? Aside from entirely fair insults.'

'So that's a no to Little Shit?' Sakura asked half-jokingly.

'For now,' Naruto chuckled.

'Hm,' Sakura hummed and nibbled at the ice cream on her spoon idly. 'Kind of hard to settle on any considering we decided to keep the sex a surprise, but your mom offered a couple new ones that I think are nice.'

'They're not food related again are they?' Naruto asked with a fond smirk. 'I blame her for my love of ramen you know, it's in my damn name!'

'I mean I love my little fishcake,' Sakura teased, kissing his stubbly chin with a playful nibble.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the old, old nickname, that only she and his mother were ever allowed to call him, and only in private, and prodded her ever so slightly in the side. 'Wanna play that game my little cherry blossom?'

Sakura winced and pinched him. 'Don't call me that, only Daddy gets away with that.'

He snorted and winked at her. 'I'm Daddy …'

'Not yet you're not,' Sakura groused.

'Not how I meant it Sakura-chan.'

She had to struggle to not laugh when Naruto started to stroke one finger up and down her side playfully, tickling her just how she liked it, grazing ever so closely to her breast. 'I am literally pregnant as hell, can you behave?'

Because she was enjoying it too much and the last thing she needed right now was horny she couldn't do anything about. The fact he was still able to turn her on even a little when his kid was, once again, kicking her from inside, was mind boggling.

Or a testament to how long it had been since they'd had sex.

Was it wrong that she was kind of hoping that the baby was late because sex could stimulate labour in that instance?

Probably but thankfully the arousal her husband's mere touch in a fun area caused was slipping away as easily as the carton of ice cream was emptying.

Naruto's hand fell still and he kissed her forehead. 'Yes dear.'

'Now stop feeling me up and get me more ice cream, you perv.'

He laughed and unravelled himself from her, which she did absolutely nothing to help him with because … reasons. Belly reasons.

'Yes dear.'

Sakura smothered a giggle and smiled as she watched him dutifully crouch down. Taking a moment to enjoy the way his sweatpants clung to his ass.

Hey, she may be too pregnant to really stay horny but if you see something nice, you look at it right? Especially when it's yours to look at.

She had the ring and the name change to prove it and everything.

'Oh, speaking of 'yes dear',' Naruto said with a chuckle, completely oblivious to her light perving. 'I bumped into Neji at the last place.'

The pinkette raised an eyebrow. 'Oh? Tenten sent him on a craving run too?'

Naruto hummed in agreement. 'Uh huh, she's on the pickle and paint phase now apparently.'

'Oof, that's not a good one. I'm so glad I didn't have the paint one. That's weird as hell.'

'Says the woman chowing down on coal ice cream,' Naruto shot back lightly. 'But yeah, agreed. The fumes right?'

Sakura nodded, ignoring the entirely uncalled for jibe to take the last scoop of ice cream into her mouth in a healthy bite. 'Just seems unsafe. Did he say if she's okay?'

Naruto shrugged and wrestled out a carton, doing his best to keep the rest in the freezer after he'd done so. He managed it mostly, only two fell out that weren't meant to. 'Said she's coping, I imagine she'd appreciate a phone call from an equally suffering friend in the morning.'

'I'll see if I can fit it into my busy schedule,' Sakura joked and smiled.

He laughed. 'Tell her I say hi when you do. Hideki's really excited apparently, and Neji had that endlessly pleased but tired dad face you know?'

Sakura did know, she smiled fondly. 'Good, I still think they're both crazy for having another baby, like … this?' she gestured down to herself. 'Who'd do this to themselves twice?'

Though as she looked at her husband, all tall and yummy and holding her ice cream … well she could see how it could happen twice. But definitely not three, and certainly not four or five times like Hinata and Kiba were talking about.

Even Miss 'Pregnancy is Magical' herself called Hinata insane in the group chat for that one. Just because her surname was literally about dogs didn't mean she had to have a litter. Honestly.

Even in Sakura's dizziest daydreams she didn't go past three kids.

Naruto shrugged. 'Crazy people, that's who.' He passed her another carton of ice cream, taking the empty one from her and tossing it into the bin. 'I mean, you and me were only children, we were fine with that right?'

'Totally,' Sakura said as he slid in next to her again. 'Besides we had friends, and you had your cousins too, we didn't need siblings.'

Though a boy and a girl did sound nice … like one of each to round out the family? But that was beside the point really.

'Yeah, I mean, what husband who actually loved his wife would willingly allow her to go through the torture you've been through more than once?' Naruto said, but the tone of his voice warbled just a little when the TV show that was on showed two small siblings together, and there was a soft look in his eyes that she knew all too well.

Blue eyes that were going to look absolutely adorable on their baby … and any other babies …

Fuck.

'Exactly. It's not like this is fun,' she said gesturing down to her belly again. The doubt in her voice creeping in so even she could hear it as she too watched the cherubic toddler and baby playing cutely on the screen. 'It'll be worth it for one sure but I mean … two … Three? Crazy talk.'

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Where did three come from?

Naruto seemed to sense her mental cursing and sighed with a big, weary smile. 'Yeah, crazy.'

They sat there quietly for a long moment, the TV in the background the only sound apart from her chipping away at her ice cream.

'Although …' she said suddenly, shocking even herself. 'There are studies that kids who grow up with siblings are better at socialising from an early age … better with sharing and learning as well …'

They met each other's gaze and Sakura went a little wobbly at the sliver of hope in her husband's eyes. Not that she didn't know he'd always wanted a couple kids. You know, before the pregnancy.

Not like she hadn't always pictured at least two children in their future. Before. And the idea did sound absolutely lovely and perfect the longer she looked at her man and rubbed her belly, feeling the little life they'd made together with their love.

Would another one or even two really be so bad? Plenty of women had done it before and medical science had come along leaps and bounds in the last few decades alone. She'd have absolutely loads of support from their family and friends too.

While her family wasn't massive, Naruto had so many adoptive uncles and aunties, on top of his actually biological ones too, they'd have all the support they'd ever need.

But that was before she actually knew what pregnancy would be like herself. Those other women could do it not her, they just needed the one and they'd both be happy. She'd be happy.

God he needed to stop looking so quietly hopeful, it was making her reconsider giving Little Shit a couple siblings.

Naruto broke the staring contest first by laughing a little and rubbing at his eyes. 'Guess we'd best just hope for twins then huh?'

An involuntary shudder went through her and she shoved him playfully. 'Hey don't tempt fate, not if you ever want back in me and my poor vagina again.'

Naruto let out a bigger, shocked laugh and she soon found herself laughing along with him as they fell against each other comfortably, still tittering lightly a minute in as Naruto wrapped an arm around her and placed his palm over her bump, his fingers resting over hers delicately.

They fell into comfortable silence again, Sakura feeling her eyes droop closed as she nestled into her husband's warm and comforting hold.

'We're gonna be those crazy people too aren't we?' she murmured, half-laughing at how certain she was before he even asked. 'Like, it'll take max of a year before I say we should have another one, won't it?'

Naruto just kissed her on the top of her head and she felt him laugh into her hair, even as she drifted ever further into sleep. 'Is it safe to agree? Don't want you to kick my ass if I say yes.'

'Big baby,' Sakura snorted and then mumbled sleepily. 'Answer my obviously leading question like a man.'

'Nah,' Naruto said cheekily, pulling a blanket from somewhere and wrapping them up in it. 'I wanna keep my balls.'

She grumbled and wrapped an arm around him. 'Fine, guess you'll need them for the next two Little Shits,' she sighed.

'Next two?'

'We'll talk about it after I've slept,' she murmured, barely holding onto consciousness. 'Love you.'

She slipped into warm slumber to the tune of her husband's exasperated laughter and smiled as she clung to him. Soaking up the perfection that was her life in that moment. Then she finally managed to fall asleep.

Only for a bit though.

Little Shit decided to kick her in the bladder again and ruin it around the hour mark.

And when she did wake up, her back hurt so much she thought she'd gone into labour early for a second.

But she hadn't, she just shouldn't have fallen asleep sitting up. God she missed her body before pregnancy sometimes.

So, with a gentle shake, followed by a harder one when that didn't work, Sakura got Naruto awake and he helped her to their bed, where a cot was already set up for their baby and a small mountain of baby clothes and toys was piled neatly on the dresser next to the far wall.

Thank God they were moving to a new house once the mortgage was all cleared through.

She groaned as she lowered herself down on the bed, Naruto still in the living room clearing away the detritus she'd left and was just about to climb under the winter bedding and try and get some more sleep when Little Shit earned their name one more time.

'Shit,' Sakura hissed lightly, clutching her belly gently. 'At least kick Mommy in the kidney for variety once in a while kid.'

Her belly remained silent, though she could swear she could feel Naruto's trademark foxy grin radiating from her uterus.

Smartass punk.

They were lucky she already loved them with every fibre of her being. Or she really would name them something awful.

And she definitely wouldn't give them any siblings, not even if they asked. No way, no how. Not after all the kicks they'd given her before even being here.

Hell, as she stung from another internal shot to her bladder, she was actually reconsidering more children anyway. Her poor insides couldn't take another nine months of this abuse, let alone eighteen.

Then Naruto walked into the bedroom with a loving smile and a quick peck before he helped her into the bed, soothingly rubbing her back and telling her he loved her as she settled into the warm and soft bed.

She glanced at his back as he turned to change and she grumbled to her belly.

'Fine, you get siblings,' she muttered grumpily. 'But you've got to let me sleep first okay? Fair?'

Another foxy grin vibe from her uterus and Sakura frowned harder. Why did she feel like she'd been swindled?

But they'd stopped kicking her at least, and she was already drifting off to sleep by the time Naruto was pulling her into another hug.

And apparently the promise of siblings kept the rebellious yet to be born Uzumaki in her belly sated so she could sleep.

Thank God for small miracles.

She smiled and rubbed her belly one more time before kissing the smiling lips of her already half asleep husband.

Yes.

Thank God, for every miracle in her life.

And with that. Sakura finally, finally, got to sleep.

You know …

For four hours.

She'd take it.