Note: This is part one of a two-part chapter. I separated it because it got too long - the next part will be posted soon. It took me nine months to write this, the way how to go around things and connect everything came slowly. Really, it is your thoughts and comments that inspire me and keep me writing.

Just a note - although I think it has been pretty clear so far: in my mind, Sasuke and Naruto have both of their arms. Sasuke has the Rinnegan, but it does not always stay on like in the original production - in my mind, his eyes are black unless he summons his visual prowess. This is how *I* imagine them.

Chapter 4: Some of You

Posted Feb 18th, 2021


Shikamaru eyes his childhood friend, his leader - and his chest clenches in pain for her and what she is allowing to happen: she embraces her self-destruction instead of fighting it. Shika's quiet and intelligent eyes trace the slumped posture of her shoulders as she sits, the way tired lashes hang over blue eyes which Shikamaru has watched become dimmer and dimmer with time. Her fingers are twitching in nervousness- and has her tan skin become paler?

He has been watching her steadily declining physically and mentally ever since her first pregnancy, and he can't help but think that she is functioning worse as a leader than she did before. The constant pregnancies, one after the other, and the constant miscarriages, one after the other, take a toll on this strong shinobi, and the Uchiha is there-he's always fucking there-pinning her down with expecting eyes, and Shikamaru feels disgusted when Naruto succumbs, time and time again, so desperately wanting to please him and make him stay. The Naruto he sees now is a sad shadow of the powerful leader he knows.

Shikamaru grips the edge of the desk to steady his anger – almost an outburst, so untypical for him. Shika can see her relationship with Sasuke has been drinking the life out of her ever since she felt compelled to once again bend over backward to give him what he wants – and for the first time, she has been unable to deliver, to satisfy his needs fully, to meet his expectations and win his acknowledgment.

…And with her repeated failure came the torture of bearing Sasuke's expectations: of his heavy and dark eyes on her, of his intimate touches now having an underlying purpose, and the constant dread that he will leave. Sasuke is just as desperate for her and her attention, Shikamaru knows, and maybe if Naruto realized that, she would find the courage to oppose him. The Uchiha was messed up before all this too, being overly possessive and jealous, but now, as Naruto, to no fault of her own, kept failing him at his most dire wish, it was as if his jealousy and possessiveness grew deeper exponentially as his impossible expectation grew.

"Send Naoto-san," Naruto orders. "Tell him to pick three ANBU he trusts the most with the mission, and send him. Tell him I will provide anything he needs."

"Sending away our head of ANBU – this mission could take weeks. Are you sure about that?"

Naruto looks through the window, arms crossed at her chest, and Shikamaru can't shake off the feeling of how much older – not particularly in appearance – she seems and feels.

"Yes." She turns back to him. "Yes, I'm sure. Sasuke has already gathered enough information for me to believe that Naoto-san, with a few more trusted people, will be able to finish up fast. I trust Naoto-san and his judgment like I trust you."

"I understand." Shikamaru sees reason in that. Naruto is a leader who leads with her heart and instincts and all of her decisions for the village had paid off so far – Konoha is the most powerful shinobi nation followed only by the Sand which they were close partners with. "I'll go let him know."

"Thank you, Shika." She words quietly still looking through the window. "For everything." She adds and Shikamaru knows exactly what she means.

If there is one thing Shikamaru hates, it is meddling in people's affairs. So he just nods at the instructions given to him and walks out, again and again, with teeth tightly clenched.


Naruto is in her office, slumped over by the windowsill. The moonlight pours through the large window. Empty blue eyes stare down at her palm where a moon is etched - a sacred symbol of a thousand-year-old bond. A finger gently moves to trace over the moon and the heaviness in her chest deepens.

… Is it supposed to hurt like that?

How much deeper can she fall before she drowns?


Naruto wakes up with the rays of the sun warming her face. She turns over - Sasuke is sleeping on his side, an arm curled under the pillow, soft breaths coming out of such a powerful man. Gentle morning rays shine off the simple black wedding band he wears and Naruto eyes the ring – years into being married, she still cannot believe a man like Sasuke had willingly bound himself to her. And in the highest form of commitment possible – in the Uchiha shrine, a tradition existing since before there were states and villages to make their own laws regarding marriage; the depth of their bond demands nothing short of absolute commitment.

Naruto props herself up on one forearm and looks at her husband's peaceful face – dark strands of hair loosely framing his face, dark eyelashes, and the sharp bridge of his nose are only a few of the gorgeous regal features of his bloodline. Lifetimes of knowing him, he is still the most beautiful creature Naruto has ever seen.

And Naruto smiles a warm smile, the previously rising doubts inside her easing off.

Who is she to question the choices of fate and the sacred powers above her?

She is at the right place, she thinks as she drifts back to sleep.


Sasuke's therapist – a Yamanaka who has devoted herself to putting people's minds back together instead of breaking them - warns him again; he needs to find himself outside of his wife, allow himself and her space, heal mostly on his own instead of depending on her for emotional balance.

"You could never possess her fully, Sasuke. Humans have free will - especially someone like her."

Sasuke snorts. This would surely be his last session. She was obviously wrong. Had she ever even seen his wife? The determined chasing after him for years and her loud declarations of loyalty screamed with her need to be possessed by him. She had not seen how sultry her body was, how inviting her open thighs were, how she submitted to him, so willing and so pliable.

Of course not, Sasuke smirks. Only he had been privy to that - and will ever be. Her whimpers of pleasure and reaction to his touch were enough proof to Sasuke that she begged to be possessed. The therapist feels his incoming resolve and takes a last jab at him before she loses him completely.

"Have you considered the future of your marriage without the success of a child?" The therapist takes her last chance – she knows he won't be coming back anymore.

Sasuke gets up and leaves. This was absurd. There had never been a case - and never will there be a case - where Naruto did not do the impossible to prove herself to him.

And if it happened again, if she lost another heir of his blood, he would find a way to intervene next time. Sasuke suspected the Kyuubi was the reason for her failed pregnancies, for her failing his expectations, and he was going to send the fox to hell without hurting Naruto.

.

.

.

.

.

The difference between Sasuke and Naruto is that in all their years of being together, Naruto still hasn't figured out that Sasuke is just as desperate to keep her as she is him. And if she ever does, that would be dangerous. It would mean Sasuke's greatest vulnerability has been discovered - his bond with her -and she would know just how broken and desperate and small he is, and she may not want him anymore. So he keeps her close, guards her closely, from other people's eyes and from the danger of her own realization.


Naruto sits in front of the mirror and brushes through her hair slowly, tension in her shoulders and anxiety in her fingers. Dim blue eyes move down to look at the lowest sections of golden hair in her hand. Eyebrows furrow – when had her hair grown this long? She sets the hairbrush down; goes to separate her hair in two even parts, taking strands from the top of the right side and beginning to braid them together between her fingers with speed and finesse.

She is about to start the second braid when blue eyes dart to the corner of the mirror; catches movement there and Sasuke comes in, warmth from his shower radiating from his body as he moves to sit behind her. Takes the strands of hair and continues her braid calmly, quietly, and his presence fills the room; knows how to do it from watching her so many times. Even when they were genin, she would try to rule her messy hair in twin braids as they traveled and camped most of the time. Even then, Sasuke would lay in the tent or room they shared and would quietly watch her do her hair knowing that her ninja senses were too dense for her to notice he was awake. She would sit at their camp and try to comb through her hair and put it in twin braids and Sasuke would observe her quietly, watching her fingers move. He always wanted to touch her golden hair, first in a gentle way to admire it as a genin, and later, during his time with Orochimaru, he would be plagued with dreams of his fingers twisted in that golden hair - one of the features that made Naruto so much her – tightly in his fist as he thrusts inside her.

Years later, he had gotten an intimate view into how she braided her now longer hair, dark eyes following her from the bed in the morning, the room air still heavy with the scent of sex. Sasuke enjoys doing things with his hands - he is a swordmaster because of the finesse and dexterity he possesses. When he is not fighting, he uses his elegant dexterity in gardening, wood carving, and helping his wife braid her hair.

Naruto sits quietly and allows him to take over - observes him in the mirror, eyes full with his beauty- but his body language makes the corners of her mouth drop – his shoulders are tense, eyebrows more tightly furrowed, dark eyelashes hanging lower from his trouble sleeping lately. Dark eyes – sharper, deeper, with something darker shifting in them - only meets hers in the mirror at the end when he places a kiss on top of her head. Their bond runs so unspeakably deeply between them, so tightly intertwined and visceral, and little speaks volumes. There is unspoken expectation laced with the loving kiss, reprimand, warning, and Naruto's stomach clenches. She does not lean into his touch like usual.

It is days like these that the ugly feeling of doubt and fear grips her throat.

The good days give Naruto hope and make her stay.

It's morning and they both have the day off. When Naruto walks into the living room. Sasuke is sitting on the couch with his back against the armrest and his bare feet on the couch. He is clad in dark and that is definitely his color palette, accentuates every feature of his face and body. His hair is pulled back in a tiny bun and lone strands of hair fall over his forehead. His hair pulled back accentuates the sharp bridge of his nose and the smooth line of his jaw. Naruto sees his dark eyes so clearly, concentrating down on the book he's reading. She stands quietly and just looks at him, in awe of his regal beauty. It's one of those moments when Naruto truly doesn't understand how a man like Sasuke had willingly bound himself to her. Surely, he was supposed to be royalty in some faraway land or a creature from another world.

"Are you going to stare at me all day, usuratonkachi?"

Naruto snaps back at Sasuke's lazy voice. He says it without looking up at her but then shoots her a glance when she doesn't respond, his brows furrow slightly – and Naruto can see them so clearly with his hair like that – and then he flips a page and goes on reading.

"Ne, Sasuke," she walks to him, "you are just soo handsome I can't help but ogle you."

"Hn."

She approaches the coach and invades his space, "Ne, Sasuke, you look really good with your hair like that. I just love it when I can see your whole face." She is bothering him and interrupts his reading, moves to lay on top of him and her chin is on his shoulder. Sasuke adjusts around her and holds up his book higher so he can continue reading. Naruto rests on top of him for a bit, reveling in the calmness his warmth gives her and the stable feeling of the strong body underneath her. He adjusts to accommodate her body but otherwise ignores her. The crook of his neck is warm, his whole body is warm and calming. Her hands slide lazily down the sides of his body in appreciation.

"Ne Sasuke," Her voice is at his ear now, "if I were a guy, would you still be with me?"

He lets out something like a laugh, "And why are you asking such a question?"

"Just answer the question."

"I won't answer because you're not a guy."

"But what if I were?" Naruto starts getting louder and Sasuke hisses and sharply leans his head away, trying to save his hearing.

Sasuke flips another page, "I think you're trying to make your brain work too hard in the morning, usuratonkachi."

Naruto holds herself up higher and her pelvis presses into him. She regards his passive face hard for a moment before a grin stretches the edges of her lips.

"I think you wouuuulddd~" she taunts and her head dips closer to his face and he pushes her away, getting annoyed.

"Fuck, Naruto, I'm trying to read. Quit it already, go make a bowl of ramen."

"I think you'd totally still be with me. And you know what?" She lowers her voice conspiratively and her lips almost touch his ear, "I think you'd be my bitch."

Sasuke turns to her sharply and there is heat on his cheeks. He tries to get up and push her off. "What the fuck is your problem moron? Get off me."

Naruto pushes him down and steadies his waist with two hands, then rolls her hips between his slightly parted legs as if thrusting into his ass and grins down at him. Something in her attitude – in the concept of her made-up alternative reality, makes Sasuke's cock jolt. Sasuke's neck and face are a hue of pink and he shifts his weight to push at her, sending her to the opposite side of the couch and holds her arms down as she grins at him. His reaction seems to be amusing Naruto and that annoys Sasuke even more.

"Naruto. What is this all about so early in the morning."

"Nothing in particular. I just think - if I were a guy - not only would you still be with me, but you'd want me to fuck you and dominate you most of the time. I think you'd want me to hold your pretty hair and take you."

Naruto is fast, wraps strong legs around his waist and grinds her pelvis against him. She welcomes his angry kiss when it comes and takes his tongue. It's not often that Sasuke lets Naruto be on top, but that morning he lets her ride his cock on the couch, thrusting up into her, his Sharingan flaring and lips worshipping her breasts as she fucks herself to an orgasm on his cock. Then he holds her down and as her canines drag along his chest, it is clear exactly who enjoys being taken in their relationship.

He never validates her thoughts; but knows that no matter if she was a male or female, old or young, their souls were connected with the bond of many lifetimes. Naruto is strong as a female, a powerful leader, rough around the edges but refined when she had to, and just as passionate and explosive at sex as him. He could see himself letting a male Naruto take him - but that was a matter for another lifetime.


Naruto comes home in the early hours of the morning, just now made it back from a mission where her attention was needed. She is tired and luckily, she is still relatively clean – it's now spring and the weather is soft. Her mission was strategic where she did not have to engage in direct combat.

Her black mission clothes are soft against her skin, black sweatpants material and a black long-sleeved shirt with a collar – standard black ANBU uniform. She smiles, think how amazing Sasuke looks amazing wearing those. She slips her sandals off and tries to keep quiet as she makes her way into the house. The sun is almost about to rise. The birds have woken up in the Uchiha residence; the air outside is soft and light to breathe with the fresh smell of spring.

Although she tries to keep quiet, she would be disappointed if Sasuke's ninja instincts did not signal him to wake up. And when she enters the bedroom, bare feet against the mahogany floor, Sasuke is watching her with hazy eyes with his head on the pillow. She wants to do some things before she goes to bed but when he opens the blankets in a silent invitation for her, she follows his wish - because that is what she always does - and slips under the covers. Clothes still on, her back is pressed against his bare chest, and the pooling heat on her back washes over her. Sasuke lazily nuzzles her neck and she feels that maybe - surely - it is a good time to fall asleep now.

But then his hand drops to her abdomen and stays there, one, two, three seconds, and that same hand caresses her abdomen, and suddenly Naruto is wide awake, nauseous to the core and emotionally off-balance with the implications of such a touch and the weight of his expectations – and she is shooting out of bed, trying to escape suddenly, feeling her chest tight and she may just suffocate. In the next moment she is in the kitchen, it's a haze around her, and she grips the kitchen counter for support, trembling hand on her tries to still her chest.

Footsteps behind her and Sasuke is nearing, frowning, eyes sharp like his swords, naked with his cock hard and heavy between his legs, jutting and bouncing as he takes firm steps toward Naruto.

"What the fuck is the matter with you, usuratonkachi? Jumping out of bed like that. You've been acting so weird lately." And she turns around, but he is already is in her space:

"Why are you avoiding me?" and the counter digs into her waist - he is pressed against her now and his lips and teeth set to punish her neck, reestablish his marks on her, and Naruto blinks, wants to push him away because there is no way the touch on her abdomen was coincidental and the implications of it set panic in her. She gasps for air, and his teeth are at the junction of her neck and her head lolls back, hands gripping Sasuke's shoulders, mouth open.

Sasuke's warm and unforgiving hands run over her sides, down her thighs and he draws her closer to feel him, squeezes her ass, draws her in closer; rubs his hard dick against her clothed body and she looks down.

"Let go, Sasuke," she protests half-heartedly and tries to walk away. He pins her with a violent gaze at her rejection - turns her around and thumbs at the hem of her pants. Lowers the black pants and pauses for a second to glare at the bare globes of her ass: a feral sound escapes his lips and he is dipping down to bite the globes of her ass, hands kneading the round flesh harshly. He comes back up, presses heavily against her back.

"For fuck's sake, Naruto… Do you want to drive me fucking insane? You're not wearing underwear?" Gives a slap to the taut flesh and then his hands are back on there, soothing. "I can just have you any time I want… What would the people of Konoha say if they knew how lewd their beloved Hokage is? Mmm… I can smell how fucking wet you are from here".

He lets the black pants drop to her thighs and snakes a hand to her warm breasts, nuzzles at the back of her neck. Naruto's top rides up and she slumps over the counter more. Sasuke rubs his cock against her ass and lower back and Naruto feels the crunch of the hard flesh against her. Their bodies always reacted violently to each other.

Sasuke keeps praising her and the cold granite of the counter grounds Naruto. Slender fingers dip into her core and then his thumb is at her asshole, rubbing in the juices from her pussy, putting pressure against the tight ring. Naruto yelps and her legs shake – Sasuke knows exactly where to press and rub to make her cum all over his hand, cum dripping down her thighs.

Sasuke supports her weight and eases his length into her – the tightness of her pelvic muscles is invaded by his size and Naruto throws her back at the heavenly feeling of being stretch, especially after an orgasm. This was her favorite part of fucking – the initial stretch and accommodation, and then feeling his dick swelling bigger - before he cums, stretching her to ecstasy, and then warm cum inside her, leaving her with a feeling of satisfaction, keeping her core warm and relaxed.

He fucks into her, nuzzles her neck and sultry praises fall from his lips. She is falling, spiraling down: Sasuke wriggles a sudden and violent orgasm out of her and now she is literally falling, her legs weak, and he lowers her to the mahogany floors, holds her warm body, kisses her face and tells her how well she did, and there is the comfort of his cum inside. At hearing his approval, his praise and acknowledgment, Naruto relaxes and lulls into sleep.

.

.

Sasuke carries her to the bed and sits beside her; caresses the peaceful face as she breathes evenly. Dark eyes look at her thoughtfully - quiet, observing.

Then Sasuke lowers his hand to rest over her flat stomach

and empty womb, his lips pressed in a hard line.

A scream wakes her up and she is up in a moment. Sasuke is thrashing in bed next to her, tangled in blankets and sweaty, his face torn in horror. She holds him down and shakes him first gently, then violently to wake him up. His nightmares have been so much more frequent lately.

"Sasuke! Sasuke wake up!" Sasuke takes a breath like a drowning man and the Sharingan glares at her as his eyes shoot open, his instincts wanting to protect him from the horrors of his nightmares. He looks through her, somewhere out in space, and the terror in his eyes makes Naruto's throat dry. He blinks and some focus comes back to his eyes, then he blinks some more.

He pushes her away and gets up, rubbing at his forehead and temples, soft groans escaping his lips as he leans his forehead against the window. And she is right behind him, ready to provide every care for him, and opens the window for some clean air. She just stands there next to him – quiet, waiting, observing, supporting, and when his tremors subside a bit, she reaches for his elbow and rubs circles there. He calms down some more but is still shaking and Naruto sees the vulnerability he is projecting, how uncomfortable that makes him.

"Sasuke" she says softly and leads him to sit on the bed. His eyes are fallen, tired and still unfocused, tension and fear making his frame rigid. Naruto knows he won't be able to fall asleep on his own after a violent nightmare, his past was creeping up into his present too violently. She cups his cheek and when he leans into her touch, her heart clenches.

"Let me take care of you… let me help you feel better." His eyes meet hers briefly and with the smallest nod of his head, Sasuke moves back on the bed a little a lie down, hand over his eyes and exhales shakily. Small tremors still run through his body and his breath sometimes hitches. Her chest tightens knowing that even his supposed moments of rest are overtaken by the dark past.

They are both naked and she kisses the corner of his mouth softly, then kisses his neck and down his chest. She absolutely feels what a vulnerable moment for Sasuke this is and his full trust in her chokes her up. Sasuke is not the type of man to trust just anyone, and he is not the type of sexual partner to give up dominance. She rubs his thighs and leans in to lick his dick along its length. He is not hard yet and this pace is very different than their usual violent and volatile collision. This is not about getting off - this is about making him feel supported, embraced in his vulnerability, making him focus on something which completely occupies his attention so his mind can be redirected from the horror which holds his body now.

Naruto fondles the heavy balls and goes to lick them, taking each one on her mouth as she pumps him. He gets harder and with that, he spreads his legs more and accommodates her better. The blonde cups his ball sack and rolls the heavy balls between her fingers as she takes the now fully hard and thick cock in her mouth and sucks on the head slowly. A soft sigh comes from Sasuke and the arm covering his eyes loses some of the tension holding it stiff. Naruto takes more of his dick in her mouth and rubs under his ball sack and Sasuke bites his lip and gets a little bigger in her mouth. His hand moves away from his face ever so slightly and he looks down at her.

She comes up to let the heavy shaft fall against his belly and licks along the underside, still rubbing under his balls and stimulating his prostate externally. Her eyes speak and Sasuke's face betrays his emotions, so unusual for him, and they share a long moment looking at each other, both stopped all activity. Her intense blue eyes speak – the blue pools, not grayish from the moonlight, mean to convince him that she can take care of him, good care of him, and Sasuke knows her, loves her, and trusts her.

As if reaching an unspoken agreement, she comes up slightly when Sasuke goes to lift himself a little and adjusts so his feet are planted on the bed and his legs are more spread out. He lays back down with a heavy sigh as Naruto is kneeling on the floor and reaches for the nightstand. She goes back to sucking him off and takes him in deeper, suck sensually and slowly. Sasuke is focused on the feeling of her wet and warm mouth around his cock, her hands caressing the inside of his thighs, massaging the stiff muscles there and willing them to relax.

There are slick fingers going back to rub over his balls now, then under them, and then they gently rub over his asshole. Her fingers are slick and warm and Sasuke controls his breathing as she rubs the pad of her thumb over the rim, tight and tense like the rest of his body. Sloppy and indecent sounds come from the blowjob and two fingers go to rub against his rim. She puts pressure on it, then releases, and circles her fingers around it until Sasuke relaxes and her finger begins catching on the rim.

She turns her hand and flattens her palm against his ballsack and presses for stimulation while pushing in just the first knuckle of her finger inside and adds some more massaging oil. Sasuke is hot and tight and Naruto begins to get more excited herself, going down on him with more vigor and feeling her pussy and her own asshole begin to clench, her clit becoming fuller in excitement.

She breathes out through her nose and wills her excitement down – this is not about her or her pleasure. This is for Sasuke and Sasuke only - because right now he needs to know, he needs to feel that he can completely entrust himself to her in his vulnerability, that she accepts him – with his past, with his fucked up nightmares and obsessive behavior and overall bastard personality. She pumps her knuckle in and out until the walls around her finger soften and she feels she can push it all the way inside.

She brings her torso further up on the bed and leans over his pelvis more, his dick reaching new depths down her throat. Sasuke lets out soft sighs as she sucks him off and when she goes to probe a second finger inside, the arm that was thrown over his eyes has now almost completely fallen to the side and he looks down at her through spread fingers. And Naruto is again taken aback by the sheer beauty of his regal features, now with his parted lips and a hue to his cheeks. Two fingers are now nestled inside Sasuke and she feels his heartbeat. Naruto is supporting her whole body weight onto the bed, putting her weight into deepthroating him while waiting for his walls to soften.

When he threads his palm in her hair and opens up his legs further, she slides the fingers out, then back inside, presses up, looking for his prostate. There is a furrow between his eyebrows now and when his hand in her hair tightens painfully - Sasuke jumps and hisses. Naruto presses against the spot again and Sasuke moves his hips against her mouth and against her fingers, fucking her mouth and fucking his prostate on her fingers. She knows he needs to anchor to some level of control and dominance by gripping her hair with both hands and fucking her mouth as she deepthroats him and fucks his prostate. There is no terror on his face anymore, Naruto notes, and that makes her rub at his prostate faster.

His back is pressed completely against the bed now, his hips and pelvis are raised up and he is pushing Naruto down on his cock and strong hips pistol up, becoming erratic in their thrusts. She is drooling around his dick as he fucks her throat and deep whimpers come out of both. She rubs her pelvis against the bed, trying to relieve some of the tingling pressure in her own genitals. Even in this situation, he seizes some control and Naruto feels his hips quivering and beginning to spasm, their thrusts becoming shorter and sharper, and she gives his prostate sharp nudges.

"Na-….nghhhhhhhhh Naru-", tears fill her eyes from the brutal thrusting against her throat and she reaches down with her free arm to rub violently at her clit - short and spasmatic circles around her clit, feels Sasuke becoming bigger in her mouth, her jaw is throbbing and pulsating with the pain of having his size in her mouth for so long; feels his whole body clench and spasm.

His neck is hyperextended, and he releases a massive load of cum in her mouth and his cock pumps with the spasms of shooting the creamy seed out. Reddened lips come off his cock and she continues to finger fuck him through his orgasm, pumps his dick as he raises his pelvis off the bed and keeps spurting cum on his chest and belly, thick and powerful spurts, and the cum leaks down his sides, puddles on the sheets. She doesn't stop simulating him until his dick spasms with nothing left to come out and his balls are completely dry.

Naruto's inner thighs shine with the wetness of her own cum and she takes in a deep breath; exhales as she pulls out her fingers. Sasuke is now completely lax, lying in bed, his limbs boneless and breathing deep and even. His black eyes are unfocused and cloudy – in a calm kind of way now, and they open and close a few times before they close completely and stay that way. Naruto takes a towel, wipes the cum off his torso – cannot believe how much came out of him. By the time she comes out of the bathroom after cleaning herself up, Sasuke had rolled on his side of the bed and is deeply and peacefully asleep. Warmth floods her chest at the trust they have between each other. It's one of these moments when she feels strangely grown-up after having handled a difficult situation. Naruto could count on one hand the times her husband had given over such amount of control before.

It's one of the most solid proofs of complete trust between them.

Or what is left of it.


Naruto feels a tug at her chakra, the call is carrying Sasuke's energy - he is summoning her through her Raijin jutsu, she gave him her seal only for emergencies. She responds and teleports; is surprised to find herself standing in front of the warm puffs of their natural hot spring.

She looks at Sasuke quizzically – her, fully dressed and him, taking off his clothes.

"Enough time for the village today, Naruto," he is behind her, unbuttoning her robe, "let's celebrate."

Before she can open her mouth to ask, he is invading with his tongue - holds her jaw and behind the neck as he kisses her. Takes the clothes off of her and helps her get in the water, undoes her hair and soaks it in the warm and soft water, letting it float freely.

Naruto dips her head underwater for a moment and then comes, fingers brushing her hair back. The warmth of the spring penetrates her tired muscles and she takes deep and calm breaths, the matters of the village pushed back in her mind now.

Naruto rests her back against the wall of the spring and Sasuke is sitting just on the rim behind her, his legs in the water and skilled fingers massaging her scalp, rubbing soothingly over her brows and temples. She lets her head fall back into his lap, a soft smile directed up at him. Looking up at him with loving eyes for his care and gentleness, she now feels silly for dwelling on Sasuke changing. Her recent discomfort around him melts away as he puts his warm palms around her face and looks down at her. In his eyes, she sees her husband, the man who worships her and always desires her, who took her to his family's most sacred place and bound himself to her in the most sacred ritual. The man she has a literal divine bond with, and know that

they are infinite.

.

.

.

A hand moves to rub at his knee – with love.

"What are we celebrating, teme?"

Beautiful black eyes bore down at her as he holds her face steadily. An impatient smile tugs at the corners of his lips,

he lowers his head,

his Sharingan spins to life and the hand rubbing over Sasuke's knee freezes.

"You are pregnant again, Naruto."

Sasuke's Sharingan spins to Mangekyuo and Rinnegan and - her pupils constrict with adrenaline, and her mouth goes to open-

-but he has already broken through the barriers of her mind.

.

.

She trusted him so fully, lowered her guard. Sasuke knew he had to relax her in order to be able to penetrate through her mind – so strongly guarded by her bloodline and by the Kyuubi. Her blind trust in him only helped his quest and he swallows down the bile rising from his betrayal.

Sasuke dives through the dimensions of her mind. He dives in deep, sees stacks of memories wrapped in red chains, protected by her bloodline. And Sasuke can't – can't stop himself - concentrates the power of his bloodline and forces Naruto's mind to reveal his deepest fear – has she always been his.

He watches her memories, years at a time, and dives deeper and longer back into the past and he is always the only man in her life, the only one she has given herself to and he is so fucking proud and then—

The walls of a tent, chilly air, and it's dark not because it's night but because something is covering the sun. It's the war, Sasuke sees, almost a decade ago – and there is a man on top of her, his weight on her, and Sasuke feels sick. His filthy tongue is in her mouth and his dirty hands are on her body—and then he retreats and Sasuke almost comes undone at the sight of red hair and those teal eyes he hates so much, the same that follow his wife and glare at him with resentment every time—

-Sasuke's possessiveness burns, he is on fucking fire and he has never been so fucking angry in his life-

.

Sasuke takes a deep breath and summons the discipline drilled into him by his clan. He got distracted – that is not what he came for. He almost risked destroying both of their minds.

Sasuke stills himself and dives deeper into the folds of her mind, surpassing all of her memories until all he can see is darkness. Then, he lands at the very bottom of her mind.

"Show yourself," Sasuke orders and at first there is nothing.

Then,

"Uchiha." A deep voice rings around him – the beast is speaking. "It is always a curse to see you."

"Likewise." Sasuke concentrates deeper and with the prowess of his eyes, forces the Kyuubi to come forward. The fox is all demonic red eyes and sharp teeth, and he snarls when he eyes the Uchiha.

"You shitty fox!" Sasuke bellows, "You do this on purpose, don't you? You heal every gash and wound Naruto gets, but you kill my children," Sasuke's Mangekyuo spins and he wishes to burn the fox in his Amaterasu right now.

"Ku-ku-ku… You think it's because of me? Do you not know yet, Uchiha? Ku-ku-ku," the Kyuubi seems amused now, as if dying to put an end to Sasuke. "Your clan was cursed by the gods themselves – and it will always be. Cursed to roam, to never be whole." The demon licks over his sharp teeth and continues. "The Senju were blessed by the gods. The blood of Uchiha and Senju is to never mix because anything Uchihas touch, turns to black flames and dust."

Sasuke is shaking with anger, shaking with despise for the fox demon, for the world, for the gods-

"Keep this one," he lets out through gritted teeth and his eyes bleed, "She is pregnant, so your shitty words about our bloodlines not mixing are full of shit. Keep this one, or our next encounter will be our final." Sasuke spits out and turns to leave.

"I wonder, how would your precious wife react if she knew you broke through her mind and betrayed her like that?"

Sasuke looks back at the fox, now melting away into the background.

"She will never know."

Kyuubi explodes into deep laughter and the noise echoes sickeningly loud as Sasuke rescinds from her mind.

He breathes in sharply and he is back at the hot spring again, blood dripping from his eyes onto his cheeks and Naruto's face.


Naruto wakes up the next morning in their bed, a warm and salty smell of ramen coming from the kitchen. Her head hurts so much – like it was split in two – and she has the urge to vomit from the pain. She goes to get up and sees a glass of water and two pills on her nightstand – painkillers. She gratefully takes them.

Blue eyes squeeze shut; tries to remember last night. The last thing she recalls is resting her head on Sasuke's lap, looking into his deep eyes.

Naruto walks to the kitchen and Sasuke looks at her over his shoulder.

"Sasuke… good morning. I have a terrible headache, teme." She rubs at her forehead as she sits at the table.

"Have some breakfast and drink some water, you may be dehydrated," her loving husband supplies and sits at the table too, gifting her with a soft smile offering her a bowl of ramen and a cup of tea. There are some moments that melt Naruto's heart, and this is one of them.

"What happened last night?"

"You fell asleep like an idiot and I had to carry you back," he says casually, not looking at her, sipping at his tea and looking over a report he needed to submit.

"Oh… sorry. I did feel pretty tired. The spring water also relaxed me a lot. Thank you for that, Sasuke. And thank you for the painkiller, I don't know what this headache is."

"You mentioned you had a headache last night."

Reaches for her hand and his thumb rubs circles on it as he bites his toast and eggs and concentrates back on the report. The sight of the document makes Naruto remember her responsibilities.

"Shit… I have so many things to do today… And I may need to go out of town for a day or two to aid the troops coming back from Mist. They say they have some very confidential intel."

"You can't," Sasuke says with full certainty. She stares at him.

He looks over and puts a hand on her knee, "You have to be careful now, more than ever before," and as his hands begin traveling up, the sickening memory of him telling her last night that she is pregnant again almost makes her gag.

Her shoulders are slumped now, and she stares at her ramen, suddenly unable to eat.

"But when did you look?" she lets out quietly. She feels so exhausted suddenly, it's too much and too soon and she doesn't want to do this again-

"I always look, Naruto."

Naruto bites her lip – she won't be finishing breakfast and her headache is back tenfold. She had actually started her birth control again after so many miscarriages. She had really thought about it and had arrived at the same conclusion she did to before - she indeed preferred to just be a wife and a leader and not a mother.

She had not told Sasuke yet, knowing how much that would disappoint him and from fear that he would not forgive her and resent her. After all, always pleasing him is the way he acknowledges her and the reason he is still in the village. Naruto supposed that it is a good thing that she had not told him about the birth control – the pregnancy must have taken right before she started the treatment.

Her throat was spasming with how much she did not want to do this whole thing again.

She looks at her husband, and the way his deep black eyes look at her with love and support.

Exhausted as she was from all this, she would try again. For Sasuke.

Guys... am I communicating well exactly what is happening here? Do you understand? Am I doing a good job? Let me know. The next chapter just needs a few more things finished and then needs to be edited; coming soon.