A/N: Content warning: graphic depictions of violence. "Buckle up, y'all."
The familiar thrum of the engine beneath him was a comforting sensation as Madara rode towards the home his eldest brother had lived in for the past twenty-seven years. Even though it had been nearly a year since he had visited Fugaku and his wife Mikoto, he could never forget the familiar roads he took to get to his siblings house, the path long ingrained into his mind.
Turning into a quiet suburb, he watched as knowing neighbors briefly perked up their heads from their gardening or their home repairs to look out at the owner of the rumbling motorcycle pulling into their quiet neighborhood. Curious children looked on with expressions of interest and awe, something that made Madara wonder if his own child, still safely nestled in his fiancée's belly, would one day look upon bikes with the same level of fascination.
Finally turning onto the cul-de-sac that his brother's house resided on, he pulled up next to the curb outside of Fugaku and Mikoto's longtime home. The two story house hadn't changed much since they had first bought it all those years ago, the only differences over the years having been Mikoto's sudden interest in gardening - evidenced by the well tended flower garden that bordered the front of their home - and Fugaku's new sedan, his previous, ancient beast of a vehicle having finally seen it's last day that past year.
Looking out at the vehicles parked in front of the closed garage, Madara only spotted Fugaku's sedan, Mikoto's missing SUV indicating that she wasn't home. Madara had hoped to share the good news with both his brother and his sister-in-law but decided that it might have been for the best that Mikoto was gone.
While he was excited to share the news about his engagement and the fact he was going to be a father, he knew that his final piece of good news wouldn't exactly be interpreted as such by either Fugaku or Mikoto. After all, Madara, Izuna, and the officers in his branch of the club had finally come to the conclusion that they would allow Sasuke to become a fully patched in member of the MC.
While Madara and the rest of the club considered this to be something to be celebrated, he doubted that Fugaku, with his hatred for the MC, would be as thrilled. His parents had been patched in members and, after their deaths during a gunfight with the Senju MC, Fugaku no longer supported the club. After the murder of their brothers and his adopted parents, and after their brother Shisa was eventually driven to suicide by his own grief, Fugaku began to hate the club and everything it stood for.
When both Itachi and Sasuke had chosen to join the Uchiha MC, Madara, Izuna, and Fugaku had gotten into a fight that resulted in Fugaku refusing to speak to them for months. It was only after Itachi had spoken to him and after he finally accepted the choices of his sons that he returned to speaking terms with Madara and Izuna.
Turning to key on his bike, the sound of the engine died away, the peaceful quiet of the suburban neighborhood greeting him instead of the rumbling noise. In the distance, he could hear the gentle sound of children playing and of people talking and wondered if a suburb like this would be a better location to start a family. Brushing away the thought for the moment, he kicked down the stand to his bike and stood.
As he walked up to the front door of his brother's home, he couldn't help the smile that built across his lips. Even with his concerns for his reaction to Sasuke finally being patched in to the club, a conversation that he knew could easily turn into another screaming match, he was excited to share the news of Sakura's pregnancy and their engagement. The Uchiha were a family that valued love above all else after all and they cherished children.
Despite everything, he was sure his brother would be happy for him.
Ringing the doorbell, it was only a short wait before the inner door swung open, revealing Fugaku on the other side of the security gate.
"Madara! What a surprise," Fugaku greeted with a smile, unlocking the gate and opening it wide to allow Madara inside.
"It's good to see you again. It's been far too long," Madara returned, stepping inside and drawing his eldest brother into a hug.
"Agreed," he answered, patting him on the back as he returned the embrace, "Come on in, I have some coffee brewing. I'll pour you a cup and we can catch up."
"That sounds great," he replied with a smile, following Fugaku further into his house.
As they passed through the home, Madara noticed how not much had changed on the inside either. They still had the same furniture spread out in the living room and the dining room, the same paintings and prints hung along the walls, and the same old record player - one Fugaku had inherited from his biological parents - proudly stood in the cozy living room. Madara's eyes fell upon the wall in the den that was dedicated to family photos, a smile quirking the edge of his lip when he noticed the new additions.
Pausing in front of the wall of memories, his gaze flicked across the photographs both old and new. He paused on a new photograph of Mikoto, taking in the printed scene. She was surrounded by her sisters - the fact she had nothing but sisters while Fugaku had nothing but brothers always amused him - as they celebrated their mother's birthday. Her mother sat in the middle of the group of women, a colorful birthday hat perched on her head and a wide smile spread across her face.
"How's Mikoto doing?" Madara asked, his eyes flicking over to Fugaku who was already pouring cups of coffee for them both.
"She's doing well. She's gotten pretty serious about her new gardening hobby, much to the horror of those poor kids at the gardening center," Fugaku replied with an amused shake of his head, "I'm sure you've noticed the new flower garden outside. You should see how she's taken over the backyard."
"Did she finally oust that pile of junk from your yard?" he teased in return, walking towards the kitchen so he could rest his elbows on the bar.
"My grill is no pile of junk," he asserted, jabbing a stirring straw in Madara's direction, "And no. It's just… in the garage now."
Madara snorted in amusement, even his brother smiling as he passed him his mug of coffee.
"So… How is everyone? Safe, I hope?" Fugaku finally asked, addressing the elephant in the room.
"Everyone is... doing well," he replied vaguely, knowing that his brother did not need to hear how Izuna had nearly lost his life or how the war with the Senju was escalating even farther.
"That doesn't sound promising. You need to tell me if things are getting worse. I need to know if my sons are in danger," he pressed.
"You aren't privy to what happens in the club, you already know this. All you need to know is that I'm doing everything I can to keep everyone safe, like I always have," Madara explained once again, earning nothing but a deep frown from his brother in return.
"That's the same thing Tajima used to say and look what happened…" Fugaku muttered, blowing on his steaming cup as he leaned back against the counter.
A heavy silence built between them as they both stared into their coffee, overwhelmed by the melancholy brought on by memories of those they had lost. Madara's parents, Tajima and Tora. Their brothers, Shisa, Kumo, and Oshika.
"At least tell me that Sasuke and Itachi are safe. That Sasuke is staying out of it all," Fugaku muttered, Madara already knowing that this conversation was going to turn into a fight.
He knew his eldest brother too well to not know better.
"We've decided that we're going to patch Sasuke in. His patching in ceremony is going to be held at the end of the week," he explained simply, already feeling as the air surrounding them grew heavier, "Sasuke has proved himself and he's going to become a full member."
Fugaku turned his eyes onto his younger brother, his rising anger visible in the tenseness in his shoulders and the scowl on his face. He set down his cup with a rough clink of ceramic against tile before growling, "Are you kidding me? Sasuke, my son… has proven himself?"
Instead of replying, Madara just set down his untouched cup of coffee and gazed at him silently, knowing that this was only the beginning. He had hoped that he would be able to avoid this but, looking back, he wasn't sure how he had deluded himself into thinking it would end any differently.
"How many people has he killed, Madara? How many people have you sent my son to murder? What did you make him do?!" he continued, his voice rising with his ire.
"Nothing that he didn't want to do for the club. Everything he has done, he did for our family," Madara explained calmly.
"Our family!? Some family we have, sending each other off to kill or die!" Fugaku yelled in return.
Madara clenched his teeth, the disrespect to their family making anger rear its ugly head in his heart. Family was the most important thing to him and to hear Fugaku, his own brother, talking down on them all left a bad taste in his mouth. Even though he wanted nothing more in that moment than to give in to the fight he was trying to start, he knew that his relationship with him was already strained. More than he wanted to fight, he didn't want this moment to be the one where Fugaku decided he no longer wanted to be an Uchiha.
"It was Sasuke's choice to join the club, just like with Itachi. I never forced them to join, they came to me because they wanted to," Madara tried, his rising aggravation leaching into his tone no matter how he tried to hold it back.
"He's just a kid! He doesn't know any better and you took advantage of that!" he accused, only fanning the fires of Madara's barely withheld temper.
Fugaku's words were a sharp reminder of Sakura's parents and how little they respected their own daughter. How even they considering their child to be nothing more that a kid even after all she had accomplished.
"Sasuke is no child to be coddled or disrespected," Madara hissed, "He's a man who is capable of making his own decisions whether or not you are capable of accepting them."
"You should have never let them join your gang! The gang that got my parents, your parents, and nearly all of our brothers killed! But, what should I have expected from you?" Fugaku sneered, looking down his nose at his brother, "I heard you started screwing Sakura, Sasuke's childhood friend. She's what, fifteen years younger than you?"
"And what of it?" he growled in response, feeling as the control on his anger dwindled until it hung by a thread, "She's an incredible woman, the most incredible person I've ever met, and if you have anything poor to say about her, we're going to have a serious problem here."
"She is an incredible woman. I heard she finally got her license as a doctor and that she's taking it further to become a surgeon. She has aspirations! She actually wants to help people, unlike you! You don't deserve a woman like that," he insulted, Madara feeling as if his brother had struck him instead.
"Of course I don't, no one does. But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of loving her, of giving her a happy life with me!" he argued, a very real hurt building in his chest at his own brother insulting him so grievously.
"It does, you idiot!" Fugaku suddenly reached forward, grabbing Madara by the arm and dragging up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing how many more bands were tattooed around his arm since the last time they met, "Look at this! You're not a good enough man for her! You can't protect her, not when you live the life, not when you're like this!"
Madara immediately yanked his arm back, scowling as he dragged his sleeve back down to his wrist, before finally succumbing to his temper and yelling, "Of course I can! I'll do anything to keep her safe, I'll do anything to keep our family safe!"
"You're deluding yourself! You're not capable of keeping her safe, you can't keep anyone safe! You're not good enough for her, you're not good enough to protect our family!" He tried to take a threatening step forward, one Madara met until they stood face to face. "You should let her go before you get her killed! If you don't, she'll be dead before the year is up and it will be your fault for dragging her in!"
"Sakura is pregnant!"
Fugaku's face dropped suddenly, him taking a step backwards as if he had been physically struck. He stared at Madara in shock for a long few heartbeats, a heavy silence lingering between them. The only sound that filled the air between them was their heavy breathing.
"She's pregnant and I asked her to marry me and she said yes. The wedding is going to be in six months, on our anniversary. I had hoped that my own fucking brother would be happy for me, that he would finally see that I'm-!" Madara stopped himself, refusing to allow his rage and his hurt to overcome him again, before he began once again, "I would have hoped that you would know that I would do anything to keep her safe, to keep my child, your children, our family safe... But apparently I was wrong."
"Madara, I-" Fugaku started before Madara cut him off with a harsh glare.
"Don't even try. Now that I know what you really think of me, that even you think I'm some sort of monster… Don't bother coming to the wedding. You're not welcome," he growled, the adrenaline running through his blood - and the rage and the hurt following close behind it - making his hands shake at his sides.
He clenched his hands into fists to conceal how much his brother's words had affected him. Huffing in aggravation, Madara turned on his heel to leave.
"Thanks for the coffee," he muttered as he left the room, abandoning his stunned brother in the kitchen with two untouched cups of coffee.
As Madara turned the corner into the entryway which lead to the front door, he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of Sasuke and Itachi lingering in the doorway. Itachi, as usual, had an expression of careful neutrality, not revealing a single emotion that he felt about having overheard his father and uncle fighting. He nodded respectfully in greeting instead, refraining from speaking in the tense moment.
Sasuke, however, stared at Madara with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open in shock.
"Sakura is…?" Sasuke muttered under his breath, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at Madara in disbelief.
Madara sighed heavily instead of responding, raking his fingers through his bangs, before walking passed them both without a word. Unlocking and opening the door, he passed through the threshold and back into the now eerily quiet neighborhood. The door closing behind him sounded more hollow than it ever had, the sound echoing through him with a finality that left a sharp pain in his chest.
Madara's thoughts were so scattered that he barely even registered the ride back to his home from Fugaku's house. It wasn't until he opened the door leading into his home, and when he heard Sakura's soothing voice welcoming him home from their living room, that he finally returned to himself. Hearing her voice felt like he had actually come home and, after the fight he had had with Fugaku, he wanted nothing more than the comfort of his fiancée's embrace.
"How was your day, love?" Madara asked, trying to not let his lingering anger show as he toed off his boots near the door.
"Ah, pretty good, sweetheart. The kids are doing great," Izuna's voice piped up instead, surprising Madara.
Shaking his head in amusement, Madara finally stepped into the living room and found both Sakura and Izuna perched on the couch. He was far from surprised to see that Izuna had come to visit Sakura yet again, his younger brother having been more than excited to find out that Sakura was pregnant. He had always been fond of babies, the infants reminding him of taking care of their youngest brothers and even Itachi and Sasuke when they were young. Even though Sakura wasn't even far enough along to show, Izuna was already playing overprotective uncle, both him and Obito having made it their personal duties to hover around Sakura whenever possible like overpaid bodyguards.
Not that Madara minded Sakura having the extra protection.
"They're all staying out of trouble?" he teased in return, a half-hearted smile on his face.
"Everyone except for Obito. He's still an asshole, as per usual," Izuna returned, drawing a snort of amusement from Madara.
Flopping across the couch, and drawing an indignant yelp from Izuna as he scooted out of the way of his feet, Madara contentedly rested his head in Sakura's lap. She smiled down at him, a smile he tried to return before his eyes slid shut.
"Are you okay, Dara?" she asked, concerned, as she began to card her fingers through his hair comfortingly.
"I don't want to talk about it," he muttered in response, taking a deep breath as he relaxed into the loving embrace of his fiancée.
"I understand. I'm here whenever you're ready," she replied softly, brushing his bangs away from his face so she could lean down and press a gentle kiss to his forehead.
Madara smiled briefly in return, allowing himself to finally unwind from his stressful day… Before the sound of Izuna's text tone interrupted his contentment. His eyes cracked open to look down the couch at his brother who was frowning into the screen of his phone.
"What is it?" he asked seriously, recognizing the look on Izuna's face.
"We need to go," he answered, clicking the lock button on his phone before tucking it back into his cut.
"So soon?" Sakura asked, a frown pulling at the edges of her lip.
"Sorry, Sakura," Izuna apologized as he stood, "I'll try to have him back by tonight."
Madara took a deep breath, trying to absorb as much of Sakura's warmth as he could to make it through whatever situation he would be forced to contend with later. He sat up, no part of him wanting to leave the comforting embrace of his lover, before turning to face her.
"I'm sorry. I'll try to make this quick. Maybe we can get something to eat later tonight, actually spend some time together?" he offered with a placating smile.
"I would like that. Just… be safe," Sakura replied with a sad smile before leveling Izuna with a pointed look, "Both of you. Don't ruin my hard work by being an idiot."
"Oof. You're so much meaner now that you're pregnant," Izuna teased in return.
"I'll show you what mean looks like if you come back with another gunshot wound," Sakura threatened, the younger Uchiha laughing and scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
Madara chuckled before reaching out to cup Sakura's cheek in his hand.
"I'll try to be home soon," he promised before leaning forward to press a kiss to her lips, one she returned before settling her hand over his and giving it a brief squeeze.
"I love you," she whispered softly, her words only for him.
"I love you too," he responded before pressing another kiss to her lips and standing from his spot on the couch.
"Come on, Madara. We'll take my car," Izuna stated as Madara begrudgingly followed him out of his home and to the coupe which was parked next to the curb outside.
Madara blamed his earlier daze on having missed Izuna's familiar vehicle, the pristine car never seeing a speck of dirt inside or out for more than a day. The familiar sound of Izuna's alarm flicking off sounded before Madara opened the door and seated himself inside, sighing wearily as he moved the seat back and strapped the seatbelt across his chest.
"What is it this time?" he asked as Izuna seated himself and started the vehicle before turning down the volume on the radio.
"Izumi texted me using code. Another one of our properties was robbed," he explained simply as he put the car into gear and pulled out.
Madara took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation as he leaned back in his seat. No matter what he tried, he could not stop thinking about what Fugaku had said to him earlier. How Sakura deserved better, that she's be dead within the year. That he wasn't good enough to keep her, or their family, safe.
He desperately wanted to put an end to this pointless war, to finally have the peace he had strove for ever since he had taken over as president for the club. No matter what he tried, however… it seemed as if the war got nothing but worse.
"When will this shit be over with…" he finally muttered.
"When they're all dead," Izuna answered darkly, turning off of the road that Madara and Sakura's home rested upon and taking them down the familiar path to the club.
'There must be another way…'
It wasn't until late that night, after Sakura had already long gone to bed to rest for her shift at the hospital the next day, that Madara finally came home. Sakura awoke briefly to the sound of the bedroom door opening and then to the sensation of the bed dipping behind her, just long enough to roll over into the welcoming embrace of her fiancé.
That morning was spent sharing what little time they could together and enjoying breakfast, before Sakura left for her twelve hour shift. While her day at work wasn't particularly stressful, all of her patients being kind and considerate, she was still startlingly drained by the time she finally clocked out for the night.
Despite Sakura's day being pleasant overall, she couldn't help but feel depressed when she got home and Madara still hadn't returned. After pulling off her scrubs and taking a quick shower, she found herself in an empty kitchen in her still empty home, her unhappiness from before bubbling up within her. Forcing down her surge of melancholy, and succumbing to the desire for pizza that she had been combating all day, she removed a frozen pizza from the freezer. After setting up her meal to cook, she loaded the tray into the oven and set a timer.
It wasn't long after she had grabbed her phone to check her social media - and to respond to the ever amusing comments that Obito would leave on her Facebook posts - that a knock sounded at her front door. Surprised to find that she had a visitor so late at night, she padded over to the door and looked out through the peephole at her surprise guests.
"Oh shit…" Sakura muttered as she saw who was waiting on the other side of the door.
Pulling back, and taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what was to come, she unlocked the door and swung it open.
"What the hell, Sakura!? You're pregnant and you didn't even tell us!" Naruto immediately yelled, not even allowing Sakura to get in a greeting.
"Er, hi, Naruto…" she replied lamely before looking over to Sasuke, the young Uchiha avoiding her gaze entirely as he chose to glare at the door frame instead, "How, uh… How'd you find out?"
"How'd we find out!? That's the first thing you ask?" Naruto lamented, his shoulders slumping dramatically, "Why'd you keep it a secret from us? I thought we were your best friends and Sasuke had to overhear it when his dad and your old man boyfriend were fighting!"
"He overheard it when-?" Sakura began before sighing softly.
No wonder why Madara was so upset yesterday and why he didn't want to talk about what had happened...
"Come on, get in here," Sakura mumbled as she opened the door wider and gestured for them to come inside, "I don't want to neighbors to hear all this."
Frowning unhappily, Naruto and Sasuke allowed themselves inside, Sakura quietly closing and locking the door behind them. While Sasuke seated himself on the couch, assuming his favorite spot on Sakura's familiar sectional, Naruto paused.
The blonde peered back at Sakura, his gaze lingering on her stomach with a thoughtful look. "So, uh… How far along are you anyways?"
"Relax, Naruto, I just found out a week or so ago. I'm barely a month along," Sakura assured, passing by him and taking a seat on the edge of the couch, "It's going to be a while before I start to show..."
Naruto flopped down on the couch next to Sasuke, his lingering upset preventing him from propping his feet up on Sakura's coffee table as he normally did. Both him and Sasuke watched Sakura for a long moment, waiting for her to finally explain to them everything that had happened.
When Sakura finally opened her mouth to speak, and to explain to the men she considered brothers that she hadn't been keeping her pregnancy a secret from them, the beeper on the stove began to sound.
"So… I made dinner," Sakura began awkwardly before offering, "Want any?"
"I want to know why you hadn't told us and why I had to find out from my uncle screaming it at my father," Sasuke returned sharply, finally breaking his silence.
Sakura frowned deeply, the repeating beeps from the kitchen a strange backdrop to the uncomfortable conversation.
There was a long silence before Naruto muttered, "...What did you make?"
"I heated up a pizza."
"Does it have pineapple on it?"
Sakura resisted the urge to smile. "No."
"Okay then, yeah, I would like some dinner... Please."
"Good, I'll grab us all some slices," she stated as she stood, walking back into the kitchen to turn off the alarm and the oven, "We can actually finish the thing together and I don't have to freeze any of it."
Grabbing a few paper plates from the cabinet and using oven mitts to remove the pizza from the oven, she cut the pizza into sections and loaded up each plate with a couple slices. She paused as she stared at the plates, sighing deeply as she carried them into the living room and passed them out. Sasuke immediately set his plate on the coffee table, deigning to instead cross his arms and give her a look that fully expressed his agitation. Naruto, however, perched his plate on his legs, choosing to gaze at her with a look that revealed how his hurt vastly outweighed his upset.
"I wasn't keeping it a secret, you know," Sakura finally began to explain, rolling the edge of her paper plate between her fingers.
"It sure feels that way with how we found out," Naruto asserted, his frown deepening.
"I'm sorry, you guys. I guess I was waiting for the right time… Or any time at all, really. It seems like, between working at the hospital and trying to spend what little time I can with Madara when he's not with the club, well… I just never had the time to invite you over and tell you about it," she tried to explain.
"It wasn't necessary that you made a big show of it," Sasuke explained, his expression softening, "We just want to be a part of your life."
"He's right. It seems like we never get to see you anymore," Naruto agreed before gesturing widely around him, "I mean, I haven't even been to your new house yet! It looks… weird in here with all his stuff mixed in with yours."
"I didn't realize you both felt this way," Sakura answered quietly, guilt overwhelming her at how she had hurt the feelings of her friends, her brothers. The people she loved like her own family never did.
"Just keep us in the loop from now on then," Sasuke declared with finality, gathering up his plate and taking a bite of his meal.
"Yeah! You can tell us anything, we just want to be involved!" Naruto agreed, nodding resolutely, before following suit and taking a large bite of his own slice.
"Well…" Sakura began before clearing her throat, "Then I guess I should tell you both that Madara and I are getting married too."
Naruto immediately choked on his bite, something which spawned a coughing fit, while Sasuke stopped chewing entirely to stare at her, wide eyed.
"If it makes you feel any better, I haven't told Ino or anyone else yet!" Sakura scrambled, Sasuke snorting in amusement around his mouthful before swallowing and roughly patting Naruto on the back.
"Are you crazy!? Ino's going to kill you!" Naruto finally choked out, Sakura's mouth popping open although no words came out as the gravity of the situation hit her.
"Idiot is right, Sakura, they're all going to be pissed," Sasuke agreed as he took another bite of his meal.
"I'm not the idiot, you're the idiot, idiot!" Naruto shot back through his coughs.
Even with her sudden realization that she would have to tell Ino, Hinata, Tenten, Temari, and Karin about the fact she was pregnant and getting married - and the fact they were going to be at her throat with questions - Sakura couldn't help but smile. She hadn't realized how long it had been since she had been able to spend time with Sasuke and Naruto and having both of her brothers with her, even with them bickering as they were prone to do, made her feel warm inside.
"I miss you both," she said suddenly, interrupting Naruto and Sasuke's slowly escalating argument.
They both looked over to her, blinking in surprise as they processed what she had said, before they both smiled and relaxed back into their seats.
"I miss you too. We both do." Naruto answered warmly.
"Maybe you can try inviting us over sometime," Sasuke teased, Sakura shaking her head in amusement.
"Maybe I will."
The group finished their dinner, chatting and catching each other up on the happenings in their lives. Once finished, they shared tight hugs goodbye and promises to see each other soon - Naruto going as far as to awkwardly say goodbye to the slowly growing babe in Sakura's stomach, something that drew laughter from her and earned him another warm embrace.
After Naruto and Sasuke left, the muffled sound of Naruto's beat down car and Sasuke's motorcycle disappearing into the distance, Sakura silently huffed and pulled out her phone. She knew that Naruto would inevitably leak to Hinata that she was pregnant and, knowing how tightly Karin had Sasuke wrapped around her little finger, she knew it was likely she might already know. Deciding that she needed to get ahead of the information as best as she could so she didn't have to deal with the backlash of a half dozen angry women, she opened up her text messages.
Perching on the edge of the couch, and finding the group chat that she was looking for, she typed and retyped her announcement before finally settling on something simple: "Hey, everyone, I have some good news… I'm pregnant and Madara and I are getting married"
Taking a steeling breath and closing her eyes to gather the strength she needed, she quickly pressed send. It wasn't even a few seconds later before the read receipts for all of her friends began to pop up below her message, the text messages soon flooding in after.
'Oooooh daaamn girl, congrats!'
'Wtf lmao, I thought you were a doctor, how'd you end up getting pregnant? Oh, congrats btw'
'Congratulations, Sakura! I'm so happy for you :)'
It was only a heartbeat later before her phone switched screens, instead displaying a selfie that Ino had taken on Sakura's phone while she wasn't looking, and began to play the song Scarlet Begonias. Despite knowing the high energy conversation that awaited her, she picked up Ino's call on the second ring.
"I can't believe you'd tell us all that through a text message! You're pregnant!? And you're getting married?! When did all this happen, you better tell me everything now before I drive to your house! You know what, I'm conference calling everyone, you better tell us all the full story! Damnit, how do I add calls!?" Ino ranted, a wide smile spreading across Sakura's lips.
"Thanks for the congratulations, Ino," Sakura laughed in return.
"Yeah, yeah, congratulations. Oh! Figured it out, I'm adding Hinata first!"
Sakura's smile just widened as she walked into the kitchen, grabbing the last slice of pizza before settling in on the couch.
For three months, Sakura and Madara slowly adjusted to both living together and to the changes that Sakura went through as their child slowly began to grow within her.
Sakura had been thrilled to discover the vast network of friends and people she considered family who supported her in her pregnancy, the core of the group being her fiancé. Madara, even while he spent a significant amount of time away from home as the war between the clubs continued, was her rock as she struggled through the emotional and physical changes her body went through.
When she dealt with morning sickness for months, he was there to help hold her hair back and to share with her his family's secret remedies. While she had been hesitant to chew on lemon slices while her heartburn felt like it would burn a hole through her throat, she found a reliable cure by drinking ginger tea and snacking on dry crackers. When she had sudden and undeniable cravings for strange foods in the dead of night, he would readily cook her the meal she wanted or even drive to the grocery store to satisfy her cravings - something which had resulted in a strange plethora of foods overwhelming their refrigerator and pantries.
When Sakura found herself struggling with extremes in emotions, Madara was the shoulder she could cry on and the best friend she could gripe with when she lost her temper. A task that he was even happier to help with was her sudden and demanding needs for physical or sexual gratification, Madara finding little reason to complain when she would fly into his arms and start pulling at his clothes when he would return home.
As her belly slowly grew, he had even broached the topic of them looking into moving into a larger house, a home where they could truly begin a family together. While there had been little time to actually search for a home together, they would frequently share listings for houses together as they tried to narrow down what they both wanted in their dream house.
When they began to talk about wedding planning, Sakura had been alarmed to learn that Madara wanted to invite his entire family, a group of people which grew well into the hundreds. She wanted a small ceremony with just their closest friends and family members, especially considering there was only a handful of people outside of the Uchiha family that she was close to. After a long debate that spanned a few days, they came to the agreement that they would have a small ceremony but that they would host an after party where all of his family members and club mates could attend and give them their blessings.
While their relationship had flourished even farther with her accidental pregnancy and with their future wedding, they both continued to struggle with Sakura now being privy to nearly all of the club's activities. With her now helping the MC as their doctor, she found herself being exposed to the realities of the violence in the club.
While Madara tried his best to keep the bloodier parts of the club hidden from her, there was often nothing he could do to prevent her from having to face it as their doctor. Such as when Izumi was stabbed during a confrontation with the Senju MC, when Kagami barely escaped one of their warehouses after it was set ablaze, or when Obito was clipped by a car while carrying out a mission he refused to speak of.
Despite the added stress from the illicit activities of the club - and the consequences that followed - and Madara's frequent absence from their home, Sakura and Madara still worked to maintain their relationship. Whether it be using the year passes that Temari had gotten them to go to a few MMA matches as a couple, whether it was looking up houses, baby names, or planning their wedding together, or whether it was simply curling up together on the couch to watch movies, they spent as much time together as they could.
As the months passed with Sakura and Madara living together, Sakura had fallen in love with one thing in particular: the sound of his bike pulling up into the garage. The sound meant that her love was finally home and that they would finally be able to spend time together, that she would be able to be wrapped up in the arms of her fiancé and the father of her child.
Whenever she heard it, her mood would always improve and she would abandon whatever task she had been working on to go to the garage to greet him, snagging her welcoming kiss. Now that she had begun to show, Madara would greet their baby as well, dropping to his knees so he could wrap his arms around her middle and talk to their slowly growing babe.
Today was one such day.
Hearing the familiar and comforting sound of Madara's bike pulling up into the garage, Sakura tucked a bookmark into her book on neurological disorders before pulling herself to her feet. A smile already forming on her face, she padded over to the door to the garage and pushed open the door with a warm, "Welcome home, Dara."
Her smile dropped when she spotted him on the opposite side of the garage, shoving something made of cloth into one of the drawers in his work bench. Quickly closing the drawer as if to hide what he had been storing inside, he turned to face her with a smile.
"Hey, hellcat. How are you and our kitten doing today?" Madara asked as he finally walked over to greet her as he normally would.
Sakura's eyes flicked downward, noting that he was wearing a different shirt than he had that morning. She felt as an immediate surge of rage and jealousy rushed through her like a burst of adrenaline, her thoughts immediately suggesting that he was cheating on her. That he was hiding some sort of evidence from her and that she had caught him in the act.
Forcing down her seething anger, she greeted him as she normally would, not wanting to start an argument that may have just been her spawned from her hectic emotions. Rather, she decided that she would investigate whatever it was that he had hidden later that night.
While she attempted to conceal her agitation, she knew that Madara could sense her upset from his surprised expression at her half-hearted affections. Even so, he didn't bring up her standoffishness, even though she had a short fuse on her temper for the rest of the night.
It wasn't until much later that night, after they had already eaten and gone to bed and after he had fallen asleep, that Sakura pulled herself out of bed. Quietly closing the bedroom door behind her, she sneaked into the garage and located the drawer that Madara had hidden something in earlier that day.
As she opened the drawer, her anger spiked at the sight within: the shirt he had been wearing that morning. She nearly growled as she tugged the shirt out of it's hiding place, thinking that the cloth would have a lipstick stain on it or something else incriminating. When the shirt unfolded in her hands, however, and the heavy blood splatters on the front were revealed, she dropped the shirt as if it had burned her.
Sakura took a step back in her surprise, her hand covering her mouth as if to catch the soft gasp that spilled from her lips. Her thoughts raced as she stared down at the stained shirt crumpled on the floor, the russet splatters staring back up at her.
No one had come to her for treatment that day and she knew that Madara himself was uninjured. There was far too much blood decorating the cloth on the floor for it to be from a simple cut… Staring down at the cloth, she realized that that only meant one thing: Madara had either hurt or killed someone that day and he had been trying to protect her by hiding the evidence from her.
Sakura tried to fight back against the heat she could feel building behind her eyes but failed, tears slipping down her cheeks. She hastily wiped them away but found herself unable to control the ones that followed, the stress from her pregnancy and his frequent absence from her life fueling her sorrow.
She knew of the bloody aspects of the club but, when she was faced with evidence of Madara's violence, she was still overwhelmed by it. Rapidly gathering up the crumpled shirt from the floor, she shoved it back into its hiding place, trying to return everything to how it was despite struggling to see through her tears.
Abandoning the garage, she flew into the bathroom, quickly washing her hands. She sat on the toilet seat for a long few minutes, allowing herself to succumb to her tears and trying to rid herself of the sorrow and the anxiety that had built up within her. Taking a few deep breaths, she was finally able to reel in her soft crying and gather herself, wiping her face and trying to hide the evidence of her tears.
When she sneaked back into bed, her heart was still racing in her chest. Even when Madara sleepily rolled over and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her against his chest, it would not stop. Even as she settled back into the quiet of their bedroom, the silence feeling wrong in the wake of her realization, her heart continued to pound.
It felt like hours until Sakura was finally able to fall asleep, her racing thoughts continuing even into her dreams which showed her nothing but disaster.
That next morning, Sakura awoke to an empty bed.
After she pulled herself out of bed and wrapped herself in her robe, she headed into the living room to see if she truly was alone. She was first met by the sweet smell of something cooking before she found Madara, already awake and dressed, standing in front of the stove.
Hearing her enter the living room, he looked over his shoulder and greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, love. Hope you're in the mood for pancakes. I remember you were really craving them the other morning so I hope the cravings haven't switched back to pickles and ice cream again. Although I'm sure there are more of those in the fridge too."
Sakura floundered for the proper response, the domestic scene before her a sharp contrast to her secret discovery from the night before. After a couple heartbeats, she finally gathered herself enough to try to return his smile although she knew it didn't reach her eyes.
"I'm actually not really hungry this morning…" she muttered in response, pulling her robe around her tighter as she uneasily settled into her seat at the kitchen table.
"Oh…" Madara returned quietly, pausing in his flipping of a pancake before shaking his head and continuing anyways, "Well, looks like we'll have more leftovers for later then."
"Are you not going to eat?" she asked.
"I don't have time. I'm needed back at the clubhouse here in about twenty minutes. I just wanted to make sure you had something to eat before I left," he explained, scooping up the pancake in the pan and loading it onto a plate already balancing a tall stack that he had prepared for her.
Sakura felt as a surge of guilt ran through her, her chest tightening. She pushed it down, instead forcing her gaze and her attention on the pile of unopened letters on the table instead. Reaching forward, she tried to sort through the mail although she found that she couldn't focus on the words on the envelopes with her thoughts still racing. She was hyper aware of Madara in the kitchen, unable to help but listen as he wrapped up the plate of pancakes in plastic wrap before putting them into the fridge and as he loaded the dirty dishes into the sink.
There was a long few moments before Sakura felt as he walked up behind her, his presence a heavy weight at her back.
"Are you okay…?" Madara asked softly as he sat down at the kitchen table next to her, leveling her with a concerned look.
"Don't worry about me," she answered with a half-hearted smile, "I'm fine."
"Would you tell me if something was bothering you?" he continued, reaching forward to wrap one of her hands in his own.
Sakura struggled for words for a few seconds before answering honestly, "When I was ready."
His mouth popped open as if to speak although he struggled for words for a few moments. Finally, he nodded, giving her a sad smile as he replied, "I understand… I love you."
"I love you too," she returned softly, squeezing his hand.
"I have to go now but I'll try to be home early tonight."
"Okay… I… Just, be safe… please…" Sakura whispered, feeling as her melancholy from before threatened to wash over her again and bring her tears with it.
"Of course," Madara replied, leaning forward to press a lingering kiss to his lips.
Sakura remained in her seat as he went to grab his keys and pull on his boots and his cut, the sound of the door to the garage opening and closing behind him. She listened as the mechanical garage door rolled open and the sound of his bike roaring to life. It wasn't until she heard the garage door roll shut, and the sound of his bike disappearing into the distance, that she finally stood.
She silently made her way back into the garage, her thoughts still wild as she walked towards his work bench. Not sure what she would find, or even why she was looking, she opened the drawer from the night before and was greeted by the sight of a number of tools and the smell of bleach. Gently closing it, she turned and headed back inside.
Her heart in her stomach, Sakura headed to the sliding glass door in the living room and stepped outside into the chilly morning air. Pulling her robe tighter around herself, she silently walked over to the fire pit in their back yard and found it was still smoldering.
Staring down at the embers and ash before her, she felt as heat began to build up behind her eyes once again. Dropping her face into her hands, she allowed herself to give way to her tears once again.
When would the peace come?
Sakura's day was spent in quiet contemplation. She was happy that no one attempted to bother her, giving her the time she needed to overcome her tears and sort through her thoughts. She received no text messages on her phone, she received no phone calls, and neither Izuna or Obito decided to drop by for a surprise visit. She found herself, for once, happy to be alone.
Trapped in her thoughts and finding herself in a daze as she took care of her daily necessities, it wasn't until later that night, when she heard Madara's bike pull into the garage, that she finally fully returned to herself.
Sakura pulled herself to her feet to greet him as she normally would, although she remained deeply conflicted. When she gave him her greeting kiss and while he said hello to their child, she wondered how she would bring up her concerns; how she would bring up the bloody shirt she had found and her rising anxiety with the war between the clubs. She had no idea what to say.
She wasn't even sure what she wanted or the answer she needed...
Sakura found herself back on her perch on the couch, agonizing over how she could begin this conversation and trying to discover what she needed to be comforted, while her fiancé took a shower. When Madara finally emerged from the bathroom and slid onto the couch behind her, pulling her into his arms and against his chest, she found herself no closer to her answer.
"How's our kitten doing today?" he asked as she leaned back against his chest and into his embrace.
"Your little demon had me heading to the bathroom ten times today," Sakura answered, drawing a huff of amusement from her lover as his hand slid down to rest on her stomach.
"She's going to be a little hellion then, just like her mom," Madara hummed in return.
"She?" she parroted, "Are you thinking they'll be a girl?"
"I have a good feeling. My family is pretty intuitive when picking out what gender they'll be. Family skill. My father was able to figure out that all of my brothers and I were going to be boys," Madara explained before chuckling, "My mom was quite upset, as you can imagine. She always wanted to try for a girl but, after giving birth to a fifth son, she punched my father in the gut and got her tubes tied."
Sakura snorted out a surprised laugh, thinking of how Madara's mother sounded like an extraordinary woman. It was times like this, when he would tell her happy stories about his deceased family members, that she felt a sense of loss at never having been able to meet them.
"I really wish I had gotten to meet your parents…" she stated sadly.
"You say that now but if they found out you were pregnant with a girl, I'd never get a moment to you myself again," Madara explained, amused, drawing another smile from Sakura.
Leaning back against him, she allowed herself to settle farther into his embrace, something he welcomed as he nuzzled the crown of her head. Her smile slowly faded away as her thoughts from that day returned, her concern making it difficult for her to enjoy the affectionate embrace of the man she loved.
Sitting in the comfortable silence for a couple minutes, he happily cuddled her, his hand tracing the shape of her burgeoning belly. The silence, and her thoughts, remained uninterrupted until he began to chuckle.
"What are you thinking?" she asked, leaning back so she could peer up at him.
"You smell really good," he answered, Sakura huffing out a laugh in return.
"Honestly though…" Madara began once again, "Do you remember the time you first explored my tattoos?"
"Yes?"
"I have a confession."
"Oh?"
"I was already thinking of putting a baby in you," he admitted, Sakura dropping her head to hide her smile and the blush which spread across her cheeks.
"I may or may not have been too… The way you were touching my belly when you said our kid would have dark hair and dark eyes…" She shrugged. "I couldn't help it."
He pressed a kiss to her temple, nuzzling her hairline as he whispered, "I tried to envision what you would look like heavy with child and…"
"And what?" Sakura pressed softly, raising her head to look into his eyes.
Madara reached out, cradling her cheek in his hand and brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. He gazed into her eyes, a smile stretched across his lips and love in his eyes.
"You are so much more beautiful that I could have ever imagined," he declared passionately, her lips parting in surprise at his confession.
Sakura felt as tears began to well up in her eyes, these tears ones of happiness as opposed to the ones of sorrow she had been struggling with. Turning in his embrace, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him tightly. His arms looped around her waist, holding her as close as he could with her slowly growing belly, as she hid her face in his neck.
As she basked in the affection of her fiancé, and as she let the joy from his confession - and the unwavering love behind it - wash over her, she finally realized what it was that she wanted, what comfort it was that she had been seeking.
More than anything, she just wanted this war to end so she could live a safe, happy life with the man she loved and their child. She knew that he loved her just as she did, that he wanted the exact same thing that she did and that he was doing everything that he could to realize that dream.
Deciding that she would keep her discovery of his bloody shirt to herself, Sakura felt as if a weight had been dropped from her shoulders. Despite the feeling of anxiety and dread lingering in the back of her mind, and the feelings of fear of losing Madara or the others to the war that spawned it, she was finally able to enjoy the moment of closeness that she had with him.
After all, she knew that Madara was striving for peace. Whatever he had done, she knew that he had no choice and that, despite how he was able to conceal how his actions affected him, he was not unphased.
Pulling back from him, she tilted her head so she could kiss him gently. One kiss after another followed, her wanting nothing more than to show him her love in that moment and feel his love in return. Their kisses slowly escalated into something more passionate as his hands tightened around her hips, holding her firmly and sending a shiver of anticipation up her spine.
When Sakura reached down to tug at the hem of his shirt, Madara chuckled against her lips. "I think I can only give you one child at a time."
"Who's the doctor here?" she asserted firmly, pulling back to level him with a serious look as she settled more fully against his lap.
Madara laughed in return, leaning forward to press another lingering, passionate kiss to her lips.
"Whatever you want, hellcat."
As Sakura packed up her purse, tucking her book and a few notes she had taken that day into the bag, she fished out her phone. As she hooked her purse over her shoulder and walked out of the office she shared with Shizune, she scrolled through her contacts and found the number she was looking for.
Placing her phone against her ear, she waved goodbye to the nurses she worked with as she walked to the elevator. It wasn't until the third ring that her call was answered.
"Hello, love. Are you just getting off of work?" Madara's voice asked from the other end of the line.
"Yeah, I stayed a bit late to catch up on some paperwork. I'm leaving the hospital right now," Sakura answered as she pressed the down button on the elevator, patiently waiting for the lift to arrive.
"Did you have a good day?"
"It was pretty good. My patients were all very nice today and everything went smoothly," she answered.
"I'm glad to hear it." Sakura could hear the smile in Madara's voice.
"Will I get to see you tonight?" she asked softly, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for the ground floor when she entered.
"I really hope so… I'm going to try my damndest."
"I really miss you, Dara… It seems like the club is always keeping you away… Coming home to an empty house every night, it… it hurts not being able to be together," she confessed, the elevator dinging as it reached the bottom floor.
"I know… I want to spend every moment I can with you. With you and our baby. I want to remember it all but with everything that's happening…" Madara explained gently as Sakura walked towards the exit, her heels clicking against the tile floor.
"I'm just scared… With you being gone all night and only seeing you in the early mornings… I'm worried about you," Sakura whispered into her phone, not wanting anyone to hear her conversation in the silence of the bottom floor.
"I'm doing everything I can to keep everyone safe. I'm sorry I haven't been around as much as I used to but I promise you I'm trying to change that."
"I believe you…" Sakura replied quietly, "Just please be safe too."
"I will… I love you," Madara promised.
"I love you too."
Sakura hung up the phone, frowning at the darkened screen before dropping it into her bag. She passed by the security station, waving goodbye to the security officer who worked there, the young man smiling and waving in return.
"Have a nice night, Dr. Haruno," he called out.
"You too, Konohamaru," she returned as she exited through the sliding double doors and out into the cool night air.
As Sakura walked into the parking lot, she fished out her keys from her bag. She easily spotted her jeep, parked in the middle of the lot, and headed towards it, her hand absentmindedly tracing the curve of her growing belly.
As she walked to her vehicle, she heard what sounded like the door to a van sliding open. Curiously peering over at the nondescript, plain white van parked next to her jeep, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of two masked men emerging from the space between the van and her vehicle. There was a heartbeat where she blinked in surprise at the two men, her gaze dipping down to the handguns tucked into their waistbands and the thick, looped zip tie held in one man's hand. She took a step backwards in shock, her bag slipping off of her shoulder and her keys falling out of her hands.
The sound of her belongings hitting the asphalt below her and the sight of the two men, still not speaking a word, suddenly rushing at her sent a burst of frantic adrenaline through her body. One of the masked men reached out to roughly grab her by the arm, Sakura reacting on instinct and easily breaking his hold, while the other stepped behind her and tried to trap her in a body lock.
Before the man could complete his bear hug, Sakura lifted her arm so he trapped her arm in between his hands. Grabbing her other hand, she roughly pulled down, breaking his hold on her which he scrambled to regain. Rapidly grabbing his wrist and turning so her side faced his, she elbowed him sharply in the chin, wrenching a surprised and pained yell from him.
In his partner's stunned state, her other attacker rushed forward, hooking his arm around her throat and dragging her backwards. Sakura reached up, grabbing one of the fingers on the hand on the back of her head, and wrenched hard, a muffled pop sounding shortly followed by another yell of pain. Using his distraction, she grabbed the hand of the arm looped around her throat, pulling it back just enough to slip out of his hold and kick backwards, her heeled foot planting into his gut and throwing him to the ground.
Her other assailant, finally having gathered his bearings, shot forward, attempting to shove her in the direction of their van. Sakura side stepped his charge, pushed him as he passed and making him lose his balance. As he slammed into the corner of their van and tried to regain his footing, she whipped around to face her other attacker and was shocked by a fist slamming into her cheek, her head whipping to the side under the force of the blow.
Momentarily stunned, and with the sudden taste of blood overwhelming her senses, she barely heard him snarl, "Uchiha whore!"
When the man grabbed her by the hair and drug her backwards, Sakura felt a surge of panic as she was sharply reminded of when that girl all those years ago had done the same. Whipping around to maintain her footing, even with her scalp screaming in pain as her hair twisted in his rough grip, she struck out with her fist. When her fist met his nose through his mask, another crack sounded through the silent parking lot, the man's grip immediately loosening as his nose was broken.
Not wasting the little time she had, Sakura hooked her foot around his legs and shoved, tossing the man to the ground. Rushing forward, she kicked him across the face, feeling as the bones of his cheek shattered beneath her strike.
When Sakura whipped around to confront her other assailant, her eyes widened at the sight of the barrel of a gun pointed at her face.
Before the man could even speak, Sakura shot out with her hand, grabbing the gun and pushing his hand so the barrel of the gun pointed away from her. In his shock, the man pulled off a round, the sound of the gun going off right next to her head making her ears ring. The bullet shot off into the parking lot, the feeling of it whizzing passed her making her heart leap in her chest.
Not allowing the man to regain control of his weapon, Sakura shot out with the heel of her palm, slamming into the man's throat. He immediately choked, his grip on his weapon loosening and allowing Sakura to wrench it from his grip. Scrambling backwards a few steps, Sakura raised the weapon and, when he moved to rush at her once again, she pulled the trigger three times.
The man flinched with each bullet that hit him, one bullet missing entirely and breaking the windshield of a car in the distance. He collapsed to the ground, motionless, his limbs splayed out at unnatural angles.
Her other assailant, the man with the broken nose and cheekbone who was still laid out on the ground, screamed as his partner crumpled to the asphalt. Sakura jumped, whipping around and focusing her stolen weapon onto her other attacker. The man struggled to return to his feet, swaying dangerous as he did, his seething gaze pinned on her.
"You bitch! You fucking killed him! Those monsters killed my uncle and you killed my brother, you fucking slut!" he roared, the venom behind his words shaking Sakura to her core.
A hundred possible futures flashed before her mind's eye as she stared down her weapon and at the screaming man on the ground. She thought of how he would easily live through the injuries she had given him, especially with him next to the hospital. She thought of the grudge he would hold against her for killing the man he said was his brother. She thought of him coming back to kill her for what she had done, of him coming back to kill someone she loved for what she had done.
Based off of his words, this man was in the Senju MC. He had been sent to take her because she was the fiancée of the president of the Uchiha MC. He would come again. He would come again and he would come with others if he lived. He would kill her. He would kill her baby. He would kill someone she loved.
In the heartbeat it took for these thoughts to shoot through her mind, Sakura decided. It would be better for her, better for those she loved, if this man died tonight.
More than her fear at having these two men try to take her, more than the fear she felt for those who might be in danger if he was allowed to live, Sakura was furious. She was furious at him for attacking her. For coming to her place of work to abduct her in the middle of the night. For putting her and her baby in danger.
As the masked man continued to scream obscenities at her, the hatred and the bloodlust in his voice making her stomach roil, Sakura pulled the trigger twice. She watches as two holes suddenly appeared in his chest and then in his neck, his venomous words immediately dying in his throat. He stared at her blankly for a long moment, the sudden silence surrounding them more deafening than the gunshots, before blood began to pour from his open wounds.
Her attacker collapsed onto the ground, twitching uselessly, as blood rapidly pooled around him. As Sakura watched the man die, she became suddenly aware of how badly she was shaking. As she watched the man bleed to death, the gravity of what she had done finally hit her.
She had killed him.
She had never killed anyone before...
Stumbling backwards, Sakura fell against the car behind her, setting off it's alarm. As the piercing sound filled the terrifying quiet of the parking lot, she was startled back to her senses and when her senses returned, she finally grasped what she had just survived.
She had almost been kidnapped by two masked men. One who she had killed in self defense but the other who she had killed because she wanted to. She had narrowly escaped getting abducted, getting tortured, losing her child, losing her life, or maybe something even worse.
"Dr. Haruno! Dr. Haruno, are you okay!?" a man's voice yelled out, Sakura finally raising her gaze from the corpses in front of her to fall on the security officer from the hospital running up to her.
"Dr. Haruno, please, tell me if you're okay," Konohamaru beseeched as he stopped before her, his eyes briefly flicking over to the bodies and the blood surrounding them before returning back to her.
Sakura tried to respond but immediately choked on her words, tears suddenly rushing down her cheeks. Her hands were trembling and it wasn't until the security guard slowly took the gun from her hands that she realized she was holding it in a death grip.
Her eyes shot up to meet his, tears blurring her vision, and she whimpered the only thing she could think, "I w-want my husband."
Madara laid out on the couch, Sakura wrapped around him as if he was her only anchor to keep her from drowning. Even with her asleep, her having cried herself to sleep in his arms, she did not loosen her grip on him.
Even with Sakura safe at home, wrapped up in his equally tight embrace, he could not restrain his fury. He had to fight to keep himself from shaking with the rage coursing through his blood and the shame welling in his bones.
He had nearly lost Sakura that night and it was his fault. It was his love for her, it was her being with him, that had made her a target and he hadn't done enough to protect her.
The moment he had been told what happened would haunt him for the rest of his life.
He had just hung up the phone, he had just been talking with her. It felt like seconds, even though he knew it was much longer, before Sasuke crashed into the meeting between the officers of the club, his face as white as a sheet. His voice was panicked, a very real fear in his eyes, when he finally got out that two men had tried to kidnap Sakura and that she had defended herself and killed them both.
It had been the security guard at the hospital who had rushed to the scene after hearing gunshots. He had been the one to call Sasuke since the only people in Sakura's emergency contacts were Sasuke and Naruto. He had called Sasuke to tell him what had happened and that Sakura only wanted one thing.
"She wants her husband."
Nothing had ever been said to him, no words had even been spoken to him, that had filled Madara with more urgency and panic. Ignoring all of the voices around him, the concerned tones of his brother and his officers, he abandoned them all. Rushing out the door without a single thought to those he was leaving behind or the events in the club that desperately needed his attention, he frantically made his way to the hospital.
He paid no attention to the traffic signs on the roads that took him to the hospital in the heart of town, not a single thing in his mind aside from getting to Sakura. Every fiber of his being urged him forwards, demanded he waste no time in flying down the city roads in his truck and getting to the hospital. When he finally arrived, the sight of flashing lights from police vehicles surrounding the hospital making his heart drop further into his stomach, he didn't even bother finding a space to park. Instead, he parked directly beneath the overhang which shielded the front door of the hospital from the rain.
Not even bothering to turn off his truck or even close the driver's side door, Madara flew out of his vehicle to rush inside. He spotted Sakura sitting on a bench just inside the hospital doors, being comforted by a young man in a security uniform and flanked by a police officer. He would have sagged in relief if she hadn't been sobbing.
As he tried to make his way inside, he was immediately greeted with police officers which he shoved through, desperate to get to Sakura's side. They grabbed his arms to try to hold him back and, if he hadn't had his eyes locked onto his wife, he would have broken their arms to find her.
"Sakura!" Madara yelled out, her head popping up when she heard her name.
When their eyes met through the glass of the double doors, he felt as if the entire world emptied around him. The only thing in that moment that mattered was her, was her being safe, was their baby being safe.
He watched as Sakura's face twisted once more, fresh tears flooding down her cheeks, before she shot to her feet and rushed out the door to fly into his arms. When Madara finally felt her, felt her warmth and her body in his arms and knew for a fact that she was safe, he let loose all of the breath in his lungs. He crumpled around her, wrapping her up in his arms as tightly as he could. The weight and roundness of her belly pressing against his as she desperately tried to get closer, loudly sobbing his name into his chest, was a relief so powerful he nearly dropped to his knees.
When his eyes finally opened, the urge to cry himself finally being fought down, he was greeted by the shocked expressions of the police officers surrounding them. None of them had expected the kind doctor to run into the arms of the biker president of all things and he was not unaware of their filthy looks.
They knew it was his fault too.
Madara was only snapped into action when Sakura whimpered against his chest, "I want to go home…"
"I'm sorry, Dr. Haruno, but we need to speak with yo-" one of the police officers tried before Madara cut him off.
"You can contact the hospital if you have any more questions for my pregnant wife. I'm taking her home. She needs to rest, not spend time being interrogated," he growled threateningly, none of the police officers pressing further as he carefully corralled his still sobbing wife to his truck, helping her into the passenger seat...
Madara knew he wasn't angry at those police officers, despite his general hatred for the police. He knew that he was furious at himself. He hated himself because he hadn't been there to keep her safe, because he hadn't done enough to protect her.
Sakura's hands were now stained with blood that should have been piled onto his shoulders instead because he hadn't been good enough to keep her safe.
If she hadn't been trained, she would be getting tortured right now instead of safe at home, in his arms. Maybe worse… Those bastards would have used her to get to him and he would have done anything to get her back. He would have happily sacrificed his own life to save the lives of his wife and child.
He was going to burn the Senju clubhouse to fucking the ground. He was going to strangle Hashirama to death. He was going to kill his last remaining brother Tobirama in front of him.
How dare Hashirama send those bastards to take his pregnant wife.
Madara knew that they were enemies but he could hardly believe that the man he once called a friend would sink to such a low. Madara had always left Mito and Tsunade alone, he had never once dragged them, or any of their other family members, into their conflicts. And this was how Hashirama repaid him?
The war had been escalating for some time but this? They had gone too far. There was no turning back now.
There would be blood.
But for now… Madara held Sakura closer, wrapping himself around her as if he could keep her safe from anything just by being there with her now. As he held her close, fighting against his white hot rage and the crippling shame rushing through his blood like a poison, Fugaku's words repeated in his head over and over.
Not good enough, not good enough, not good enough...
A/N: To hopefully lighten the mood a little bit… Izuna brought his car when he went to see Sakura juuust in case she might have wanted to come with him to go shopping for baby supplies. The exact second he heard Sakura was pregnant, he turned into the overprotective uncle. Not just that, but he absolutely loves babies and has already taken it upon himself to be the designated nanny… Despite being a vicious drunk. Shame he'll have to fight with Obito over who gets to babysit.
Also, the text messages Sakura received in response to her announcement, 'Oooooh daaamn girl, congrats!', 'Wtf lmao, I thought you were a doctor, how'd you end up getting pregnant? Oh, congrats btw', and 'Congratulations, Sakura! I'm so happy for you :)', were Tenten, Karin, and Hinata in that order. Temari is awful about responding to text messages and it took Ino trying to add her to the conference call three times for her to finally pick up with an angry 'What!?' She laughed for a solid minute before finally commenting that she was shocked Sakura was the first in their group to get pregnant.