Soooo... I should never invoke Murphy's Law and say that my next chapter will be up quick...
A week after posting the previous chapter, I started to ramp up my charity work and a week after that, I was invited to the charity ball I've always wanted to go to!
I work in a trade industry full of men, so when I told them I was going to a ball (pretty gowns and all), they all laughed at me since I wear my uniform baggy and have no interest in dolling myself up only to sweat it off -_- (They consider me one of the boys) ... but I had the last laugh! I scrubbed up well I even won best dress of the night and was mistaken for a late teenager! hahahaha
Any way... I have been doing so much charity work of late that everything has fallen to the back burner (even hobbies and sleep) as I aim to make this year's charity event my best ever fundraising!
Moving on from my excitement, I estimate I will be making 2 maybe 3 more chapters for this story, so please be patient with me and thank you to those that have stuck around since the start. I hope you all like this chapter. ^_^
Shout-Outs!
nenesse - Sorry to keep you waiting, but I gotta leave it on cliff hangers, how else am I going to get you to come back? ^_~
Fictionlover87 - I love how many people have reacted to Mikoto and how mixed the reactions have been.
diamanteuzumaki - Did you guess right? You'll have to read and find out! ^_~
LuvRosie - Those that are not in the same situation will never understand, and I feel that translates to real life too.
Gracie15Trowa - Thank you for your support back back in Chapter 11, to be honest I almost tore down this story because of that incident.
Nekokawaii25 - Well here it is, I hope you enjoy!
Ellasauras - You'll have to read and find out ^_~
XxxKUMIKOxxX - Enjoy this chapter! and please stay tuned for more!
Sasuke's pheromones were everywhere. It was like Naruto was rolling in a field of them and it made him feel calm. Then the Alpha's voice cut through his emotionally hazed state.
"Come again? I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you properly, can you please repeat that?"
"I said, Naruto is pregnant with twins." Tsunade's muffled voice echoed through Naruto's mind as he felt her fingers lift and press against his wrist. "Naruto, are you still with us?" She asked softly.
He didn't want to respond, he didn't want to face the reality that he might be carrying not one, but two babies. So he left his body floating in the state it was in, wrapped protectively in Sasuke's scent, the Alpha's warm hand holding his while the other rubbed his hip in small soothing circles.
"How could you have missed that in his last scan?" Sasuke growled, hand slightly squeezing Naruto's in obvious annoyance.
"I honestly thought it was just an echo because I couldn't get a clear view at the time." She defended. "But it would explain a lot. Either he's pregnant with girls or at least one - like the wives tale of a perfect vs a sick pregnancy, meaning you're carrying the opposite gender to the first - or it's just his body reacting to the twins that made him so sick."
"So will his sickness subside then?" Sasuke asked.
"Only time will tell." Tsunade answered softly.
The soft sound of Tsunade typing away at her computer filled the room and after floating in that silence long enough to comprehend his situation, Naruto's eyes fluttered open and he took in a deep breath of Sasuke's scent. "Twins," he whispered into the quiet room as tears welled up into his eyes. "I'm carrying twins."
Sighing, Tsunade stopped her typing and turned to the couple. "Naru," she started as she rubbed her face out of frustration. "Knowing now you're carrying twins, moves you from low, to high risk. You understand that right?"
"What's the difference?" Sasuke asked as he continued to rub soothing circles into Naruto's side.
For once not condescending or belittling the raven Alpha, Tsunade answered his question as it was, a question. "Pregnancies have several categories, and the categories dictate the treatment the patient receives. In Naru's case, he's now been placed into high risk because he's carrying twins."
"But why? What does having twins do to change his pregnancy?"
"Twins have a tendency to want to come early as they max out the space quicker than that of a single child pregnancy." Turning to Naruto she continued, "you understand you're going to need to be a lot more careful this time round than last time right?"
Stuttering in his breath, Naruto nodded. "Should I book straight in for a C-section?" he asked, his mind starting to treat it like a project as his way of coping.
"No," Tsunade shook her head. "Even though you're now classed as high risk, it's only for early labour, I still think you can give birth naturally, but we'll have to monitor your progress closely."
Nodding, Naruto began to break everything down in his mind, working out the best plan and course of action for the situation. He was just over three months pregnant with twins, and would likely go into labour early, which meant that everything needed to be ready by month seven to be on the safe side for a possible birth at eight months. Taking mental inventory of what they already had vs what they needed, the blond noted the time delays everything could possibly take.
"You're mumbling." Sasuke chuckled, "What are you thinking?" he asked.
"Working out the timeline for everything." Naruto answered.
"And how's that working out for you?" The raven mused.
Coming back to the real world, Naruto nodded. "It's doable."
"Excellent." Sasuke replied.
The pair left the clinic a short while later, making their way back to the blonds' apartment. There Sasuke made them dinner, while the pair waited for Kushina to drop Menma home.
"If it's alright with you, I'd like to keep the fact that you're pregnant with twins a secret till the birth." Sasuke said as they ate their dinner.
Nodding, Naruto agreed. "I think it would be a great surprise for everyone." He laughed.
"You know what we forgot to do while we were there?" Sasuke smirked.
"Hmmm?" Naruto hummed.
"Find out the gender."
"We can always just tell everyone Tsunade couldn't get a clear pic or we're keeping it to ourselves?" Naruto offered.
"Doable." Sasuke nodded. "Hey, how about after dinner, we go online shopping for furniture for the new house?" He asked with a smile.
Instantly the blond's mood sank as he remembered what Mikoto had said. "Why don't you focus on that," Naruto answered after a moment's silence. "I'd rather look at baby stuff," he mumbled.
"If you're sure?" Sasuke said back, looking at the blond thoughtfully.
Nodding, Naruto stood up and picked up his half finished plate.
"Not hungry?" Sasuke asked.
"Not feeling great." Naruto said meekly as he dumped the plate on the bench and retreated to his room.
Over the following week, Sasuke had ordered most of the furniture and started to fill the house with it, making sure either himself or Itachi were available to sign for the items when they arrived and have the movers directed to the right rooms. By the end of the week, the only rooms not done were, Naruto's heat room - which his mother pointed out wouldn't be needed for a while anyway - Menma's room and the nursery.
"You ready to see our new place?" Sasuke asked excitedly as he pulled the car into the driveway.
"Sure." Naruto answered lifelessly as he opened his door.
Grabbing his arm and preventing him from leaving the car, Sasuke asked, "Are you okay Naru?"
"Just tired." The blond answered in the same listless voice.
Sasuke eyed the blond carefully before letting him go and departing the car himself. While Naruto grabbed Menma, Sasuke went ahead and unlocked the house, letting the pair in once they caught up to him.
The raven watched intently as he led Naruto through the house, hoping for any form of reaction to their new place. Instead, all he was met with was an almost empty reaction from the blond.
"Is something wrong?" He finally asked after they'd done a full lap of the house.
"No, why?" Naruto answers flatly.
"You don't seem yourself." Sasuke said, full of concern as he drew both Naruto and Menma into a hug.
"I'm just tired." Naruto answered, pulling away and taking a seat at the low set table in the dining room. "Should I make us something to eat?"
"You rest, I'll do it." Sasuke said quickly as he made his way to the kitchen. He came back sometime later to find Naruto relaxing just outside the dining area, on the landing that overlooked the garden, with a sleeping Menma in his lap. "I just made something simple." He said, handing the blond a plate of dumplings.
"It's fine." Naruto whispered, taking the plate and beginning to nibble at the food.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected company, dear brother." Sasuke said sarcastically as he removed the last of his personal effects from his locker before slamming it shut and turning towards the older raven.
"Can't an older brother just visit his younger brother when he feels the need for company?" Itachi replied with a smug smirk, his immaculate suit out of place in the H&R teams common area.
"For one, not in our family. We always want something when we talk to each other and two, when was the last time you actually visited me just to chat pleasantries?" He dead panned Itachi before walking past the older man, waving at a few of his fellow teammates as he left for the night.
"Fine," Itachi huffed as he walked after Sasuke, easily catching up with him so they walked side by side, "Deidara asked me to talk to you, can you give me a lift?"
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke nodded before continuing with a huffed sigh, "What does he want now?" he asked, wondering what the blond Omega had in store for him this time since Sasuke apparently hadn't finished paying off the debt he owed him for getting him his current job.
"It's more something that's been brought to his attention and now mine." Itachi answered, grabbing Sasuke by the elbow and making him stop. "Has Naruto's behaviour changed recently?" he asked, eyes cold as they bored into the younger raven. Something akin to an accusation crossing his eyes.
Sasuke's immediate Alpha reaction to the challenge was to pull away, but instead he held his ground in his brother's tight grip. Jaw tight, he nodded, his words slipping through clenched teeth, "Yes."
Pulling Sasuke towards him, Itachi whispered into his ear, "Did you hurt him?"
At this the younger Alpha growed, the sound vibrating through his chest as Sasuke pushed the older Alpha away, "No!" he growled, "I would never hurt him, not again!"
Sighing, Itachi backed down quickly to his reaction. "I fear something has happened to your mate then."
Calming down, Sasuke eyed his brother. "What do you mean?"
Hearing the whispers around them and noticing the eyes and ears all turned their way, the two began to walk again, heading for the lift that would take them down to the carpark. Once inside, Itachi continued.
"I was visiting Deidara today as a surprise and when I arrived, Naruto was there."
"That's not unusual, they spend a lot of time together." Sasuke interjected.
Nodding in agreement, Itachi continued. "This is true, but it's what happened after I arrived that has us both concerned."
Itachi had just finished his greetings with Deidara - scent marking him as his amongst other things - when he turned his head to the side to greet the other blond Omega in the room. What he found though, had him slightly taken aback. Naruto was backing away slowly from them, a look of sheer terror on his face as he did so.
"Naruto?" He asked as he released Deidara to fully face the other Omega. Said Omega squeaked before hurriedly waddling out of the room, his pregnancy slowing him down as the weeks advanced and his baby grew within him. "What's wrong with him?"
"No idea," Deidara answered, "But he's been acting like that for about a week or so now."
"How so?" Itachi asked, drawing the Omega back into his arms and rubbing his free hand on the slightly present swell hidden below his clothing.
"He's been sending Konan out on lots of errands and won't be in the same room as her. Seeing him react to you as he did, I suspect it's Alpha's he's suddenly afraid of." Deidara mumbled questionably as he snuggled into the Alpha's touch.
Biting his lip, Itachi started to run several scenarios in his head. After a moment of silence he asked, "Do you think Sasuke did something to him?"
Shaking his head, Deidara disagreed. "No, he only talks fondly of your brother and how much he's been helping. No, I think something else is going on."
"I'll go talk to Sasuke." Itachi said as he withdrew his arms reluctantly from the blond Omega. "When does his shift end?" He asked, looking at his watch to see the time.
"6pm." Deidara answered as made his way to his deck.
Sighing, Itachi walked over to his mate and pulled him into another quick hug, a chaste kiss followed before he let go. "I'll see you tonight at 8 then."
Finishing his story, Itachi looked at Sasuke with expectant eyes. "So, do you want to tell me what's going on?"
Sighing as they made their way to Sasuke's car, the younger raven stopped after opening his car door. "Naruto's been… different since maybe a week before we moved into the new house together."
"In what way." Itachi asked, opening the passenger door.
Following suit, Sasuke entered his car and shut the door behind him. His hands gripped the steering wheel till his knuckles turned white as he answered through gritted teeth. "He's been quiet, withdrawn and whenever the house is mentioned, he locks up and finds an excuse to leave the room."
"Can you pinpoint when it started?"
Starting his car and beginning the drive to Deidara's place, Sasuke thought about it. 'When did it start?' He asked himself. 'Was it when we started to move into the house?' Shaking his head he continued to think on it, thinking further back. 'No, he was fine at Deidara and Itachi's baby reveal. I think it started the following day.'
After driving a while and realising when it started, Sasuke voiced his concerns. "I think it started when Mother was showing us the new house." He paused as he let the full memory come to him. "She asked me to take Menma for a bit and when I returned, Naruto was….. different."
"What's the bet Mother said something to him." Itachi sighed.
Before Sasuke could comment, his phone began to ring. Answering the call he didn't even have time to say a greeting before a voice screeched throughout his car.
"What the fuck did you do to my son!"
Comments, Favorites and Follows are more than welcome!
Hope this chapter was well worth the wait and I know that most of you guessed what the surprise was ^_~
Tell me your thoughts, I love to hear them, especially those of you who break down the chapter to the emotional level ^_^
Well, until next time ^_~