Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

It had taken Naruto a full week to recover from his illness. Tsunade's medicine had helped a lot, along with a few energy boosts from Kyuubi's chakra. However, unfortunately for Naruto, he had to live with Sakura. The little pink haired delight would not let him so much as move. If she suspected even a hint of sickness - if Naruto gave even the littlest cough, or a single sneeze - she would absolutely insist on keeping him in bed all day. Not only that, but she had also insisted on feeding him soup- for every single meal.

Naruto had never before in his life been curious enough to know exactly how many different types of canned soup there were out in the world; now he was sure he could name off each and every one of them, making a very long list which even included taste, smell, and texture.

And not only had he had to deal with the very annoying and persistent Sakura, who felt the need to absolutely smother adorable little Ayako-chan with love and kindness during every waking moment of the day, but also Naruto had had to put up with the constant stream of visitors that came to see him. Word had spread fast of "Ayako's" illness, and as mentioned a time or two before, "she" had quite a fan club. Unlike one might have imagined, Naruto did not feel at all comforted by having so many people concerned for him and his well being. He knew for a fact that it was not Naruto that they loved - it was only Ayako, and it would only ever be Ayako. If any of the villagers ever found out about his true identity (well, other than the few who already knew, of course) Naruto knew that they wouldn't be nearly as caring.

Naruto scoffed suddenly. "True identity." Sounded like Spiderman or something. 'My spidey sense is tingling,' he quoted. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he reached up to swat a lone little spider that had crawled away from the web it had tangled in among his curtains.

After finally convincing Sakura that he was, in fact, completely healed, she had immediately decided upon cleaning up his apartment, which had been all but abandoned for over two months. Actually, it was nearing three months now. Almost three months since the night of the party, since the night he had gotten pregnant, and still Naruto wasn't starting to show at all.

Pausing in the process of cleaning, Naruto absentmindedly rubbed a hand across his still-flat stomach. Maybe this was something to worry about. Shouldn't his belly be getting bigger by now? Naruto didn't know much about babies, and the few times he had actually seen a pregnant woman, their bellies were large and bulging, as if about ready to burst. Shouldn't his stomach be growing like that soon too?

He hadn't noticed Sakura watching him. Silently, the girl placed a hand on his arm, as if to comfort, and gave him a knowing look. Naruto shot her a reassuring smile before getting back to work.

...Sasuke hadn't once come to see Naruto since the incident with the Kyuubi, and Naruto wasn't sure if he was more grateful for this, or sad.

Naruto had held tightly to the flower he had been given, though. In most of his free time - which meant every moment of the day when there weren't visitors, and whenever Sakura wasn't shoving spoonfuls of soup down his throat - he had simply laid there in his bed, twirling the blue flower in front of his face, pausing every now and then to examine the delicate petals, or to inhale the sweet scent that emitted from it.

That had gotten very old very quickly, though, even if the flower did make him think of Sasuke every time he saw it. (Really, how many people could be content with sitting there just looking at a flower all day?) And also, Naruto knew that, like any other flower, this one would wilt with time. That's why he had pressed it in among the pages of an old photo album, right next to a picture of he and Sasuke from their early teens.

Naruto stopped his cleaning again, to look around and admire his and Sakura's hard work. They had been fixing up the apartment for going on three days now, and were finally finishing it up. The place was clean for the most part, the floor was visible and the worst of the dust was gone; spider webs on the ceiling and dust bunnies under the coach was all that was left for them to worry about now, for which Naruto was glad.

Still, there was just one problem. How could he possibly move back into his apartment still posing as a woman, as he was? He didn't want people to know the true identity of "Ayako," so he couldn't exactly just move right back into Naruto's apartment. He said as much to Sakura then.

She thought for a moment, a hand on her chin and her brow creased slightly. "Hm…. That is a problem. Well, you know, I'd be more than happy for you to stay with me in my apartment, Naruto, but if you stay away from here for the rest of the time during your pregnancy… well, that would be a waste of all our hard work. Unless, of course, you'd be willing to come by and clean the place up every now and then…?"

Naruto sighed and got back to sweeping for the moment. "There doesn't seem to be any other way around it, I suppose."

Sakura nodded silently.

"It doesn't seem like you need any more help with this." Both Sakura and Naruto spun at the sound of Sasuke's voice.

Sakura was the first to recover from the slight shock. "Why, were you offering?" she asked with a smirk.

Sasuke looked a little offended at that. "Of course not. I've just finished getting my place clean from that damned party." Naruto suddenly wondered how Sasuke had gotten in; he hadn't heard the front door open. He eyed the livingroom window suspiciously.

Sasuke circled the apartment once or twice before speaking again. "The only reason I came by was because the people in the village have begun to talk. They're all starting to wonder where Naruto has gone, and why Sakura and Ayako-chan have both been stopping by his apartment lately, apparently to clean." The Uchiha reached out to touch one of the leaves of a little green plant that Sakura had set on the kitchen counter. He glanced up at the two of them with dark eyes. "The elders are starting to get suspicious."

Naruto plopped himself down on the couch with an exaggerated sigh. "Great. Just what I need."

Sasuke shrugged. "Just thought you might want to know. So don't be too shocked if you get a surprise visit from Kakashi or Iruka one of these days."

"Yo!"

Naruto was so startled that he jumped up from his seat, broom in hand as if ready to use it as a weapon if need be. At the mention of his name, Kakashi had appeared upside-down right in front of the apartment window - the one that Sasuke had probably just come in through - giving the peace sign and smiling under that mask of his.

Silently, and stealthily, the silver haired man slipped inside through the open window. "Very good guesswork, Sasuke," Kakashi said in bright approval. If anything, Sasuke just looked annoyed. Apparently, the Uchiha hadn't wanted to be around when said person or people showed up. "Iruka should be here in just a few moments. He decided to take the long way around." He gestured to the door, which was knocked upon almost as soon as he did so. Kakashi's smile brightened a little more. "Ah. That's him now. Come in!" he called before giving any of the three a chance to say anything. Just as Kakashi had said, it was Iruka who stepped in from the hallway, his eyes as large and curious as ever.

"Hope we're not interrupting anything too important," the man said, giving them all his usual happy smile. He crossed the room over to where everyone else was already crowded in. "Kakashi and I just stopped by to ask a few questions."

"Questions?" Naruto said before remembering that he was still just a little girl in their eyes. Kakashi and Iruka both turned their gazes on him, and he couldn't help but blush. Damn this girlish form of his! He hated it so much for making him blush so easily. Naruto crossed his arms, suddenly getting the impulse to stick his tongue out at his former teachers.

"First thing's first," Kakashi started. "Do any of you happen to know where our little Naruto has run off to? We seem to have misplaced him sometime in the last couple of months." The man had not taken his eyes off of "Ayako" as he spoke, and Naruto, no longer able to meet his gaze, dropped his own eyes to the floor. "I thought so," Kakashi said softly to himself.

"Uh, it would really be a help if you knew his current whereabouts," Iruka said loudly, speaking over Kakashi's quiet statement. "He seems to have gone missing. No one's seen him since the night of Sasuke's party." The man gestured to said Uchiha, who scowled slightly in return. That scowl was pointedly ignored.

Naruto lifted his gaze again, only to see that everyone in the room was looking directly at him. "What?" he finally demanded.

"Well…" Kakashi started. "It's just a bit unusual. Naruto was last seen in his 'sexy jutsu' form, which as we all know by now gives him the appearance of a pretty young girl. Then, just after his disappearance, a pretty young girl shows up in Konoha - one who, by the way, just so happens to have the same exact hair and eye color as Naruto…. Not only that but also I hear this girl has claimed to have amnesia, and stops in to visit regularly with Tsunade. Unusual circumstances, indeed."

Naruto's heart was pounding so loudly in his chest. Oh god, oh god. I can't let them find out. I can't let them find out about the baby! What would the elders think? The Kyuubi boy and the last remaining Uchiha boy having a baby together? Oh god. His heartbeat sounded loudly in his head. They were going to find out. He couldn't seem to catch his breath. They were going to find out about the baby and they were going to take it from him!

"Stop it!" Sakura shouted accusingly at the two men, who both looked at her in surprise. "You're scaring her!" The pink haired girl quickly rushed to Naruto's side, pushing a glass of water into one of his shaking hands. Trying to calm his nerves, Naruto began taking large gulps from the glass.

When finally he could speak again, he said, "I'm sorry. I don't understand why I suddenly freaked out like that." He still couldn't look at them. He couldn't look up at Kakashi and Iruka. The truth in his eyes would surely give him away.

"I think I'd like an explanation." Kakashi's voice had lost it's usual cheeriness. Naruto put a weary hand to his forehead, trying to hold back tears. His hands were shaking. Why did he want to cry? This didn't make any sense.

Just then, someone crossed the room, and stood before him. Naruto refused to look up at them; all he could see was their feet. Then, Iruka crouched down in front of him, his eyes searching. "Is that you, Naruto?" he asked quietly. Sakura, who was still at Naruto's side, sat silently, watching the two of them, a concerned look on her face.

Naruto's eyes filled to the brim and spilled over, tears falling to his lap and to the recently cleaned floor. He looked Iruka right in the face, and the man stood with a bewildered expression. He turned to Kakashi. "I think we all need a hopt cup of tea. We should all sit and talk this over… calmly." With that, he left the room for the kitchen, passing Sasuke, who's facial expression was unreadable.

As it turned out, Naruto - "Ayako" - Sakura, and Sasuke all ended up on the couch, with both Iruka and Kakashi sitting across from them on the floor. Kakashi was crouching rather than sitting, and Iruka politely had his tucked in so that he was sitting on his knees. All was silent for a while as the two interrogators and the three getting interrogated sat sipping their drinks. Kakashi was the first to break the silence, his earlier brightness now all but faded away into simple curiosity. "So… I think you have a few things to answer for, eh Ayako?"

"Kakashi," Iruka hissed quietly. Then, calmly, he said, "We just want to know where Naruto is and what's going on, nothing more than that." Ah Iruka, always the optimistic one, always the one trying his hardest to comfort and calm the situation, no matter how crazy said situation happened to be.

"I-" Naruto's girlish voice cracked, so he cleared his throat and started over. His hands, which were balled into tight fists on his thighs, were shaking still, and his knuckles were white. "I am Naruto," he finally managed to say, and he said it quietly.

There was a moment of silence as Kakashi and Iruka both took that in. Kakashi seemed to accept it easily enough. "Why have you been posing as this 'Ayako' person then?" the man asked.

When Naruto didn't answer right away, Iruka added, "It doesn't make any sense to us, Naruto. We just want to know the reason why, and then we'll be on our way."

All was quiet again, everyone in the room waiting for a response from the Kyuubi container. The world seemed to be holding it's breath; had it stopped spinning from beneath them? Then, the most amazing thing happened. Just as Naruto opened his mouth to answer, Sasuke spoke up for him.

All eyes turned to the Uchiha as he spoke. "The reason why Naruto is still in the form of a woman is because we're going to be getting married soon. And since when has gay marriage been allowed in Konoha?" He shrugged. "The plan was to introduce Ayako to the villagers, then to wait until after the marriage to reveal who she really is."

Naruto stared at Sasuke with eyes wide and mouth hanging open, tears beginning to fall again, but this time from relief. Did he really mean it? Did Sasuke… did Sasuke really want to get married… to Naruto -Ayako­ of all people? It was hard to hold down the hope that was welling up inside of him.

Kakashi and Iruka both looked shocked, to put it lightly. Once again, Kakashi was the first to recover. He cleared his throat. "Alright," he said. "I guess I can accept that. But… apparently this was news to both Sakura and Ayako, seeing the surprised looks on their faces." He grimaced. "Also, I can tell you're holding something back. All of you. There's something that hasn't been said yet, and I want to know what it is."

Iruka looked up as well, his eyes also questioning. Apparently, he had sensed it too.

Naruto bowed his head in shame, his cheeks flaming from embarrassment. Should he say it? What if Sasuke didn't want them to know? He bowed his head a little lower, his chin nearly touching his chest and his hair falling into his face.

To Naruto's surprise, he didn't have to say anything at all. Once again, it was Sasuke who answered. The Uchiha boy, like Naruto, was also hiding his face, looking anywhere but at the two men in front of them- or at "Ayako" of course. When he finally spoke his voice was quiet, so quiet that even Naruto almost didn't catch it.

"…Naruto's pregnant," he said.

The silent pause lasted much longer this time. Naruto refused to look up, or even to glance at the two men from behind the veil of hair that covered his face. The two men would speak soon. They would have questions- many, many more questions. They would want to know why, how it was possible… and they would probably ask more things than Naruto -and Sasuke too- felt comfortable trying to explain.

"Well…" Kakashi finally started, breaking the awkward silence. The man took a very deep breath. Oh god, Naruto thought, his hands tightening into fists again. Here it comes.

"Congratulations to you, Naruto. And to you too, Sasuke."

Naruto - and Sasuke as well, he wasn't surprised to see - both looked up in astonishment as the two men sitting before them stood, as if ready to leave. Iruka gave Kakashi a half questioning look as they sat their empty tea cups down on the kitchen counter. "With that, I suppose we'll take our leave," the silver haired man continued, his usual bright smile returning as if he had learned of nothing out of the ordinary at all. His eyes, though, were knowing as he spoke again. "All we needed to know was where Naruto had gone, and why," he explained. "You don't have to share anything else with us that you don't want to."

Naruto's breath caught in his throat, and his lungs wouldn't work again until both men had left the apartment. And even afterward, he was still sitting as stiff as a board. They… nothing bad had happened. They didn't care? They weren't curious? They weren't going to probe deeper, or try to take the baby from him? Suddenly he was confused, and he put a hand to his forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on.

"Home," he told the other two. "To… to Sakura's apartment. It's been a long day. I think I need to lie down." Sakura nodded in understanding and Sasuke merely watched as Naruto stood and headed for the apartment door. He felt a little dizzy. Could he make it down the stairs on his own?

Once the door clicked behind him, Naruto leaned up against the wall and sighed deeply. He didn't want to think. When he thought about everything, he only got confused. How had his life managed to become so complicated and stressful? A nap was what he needed. A good, long nap.

Naruto's foot was on the very first step when he sensed the presence from behind. Usually, he would have felt it on the spot, seeing as the way it loomed over his backside, danger rolling off of it in waves, would have been obvious enough to any ninja. But Naruto's ninja skills had become… out of order lately, and so when this new presence snuck up from behind, he had no time to call out or give warning to Sasuke and Sakura, who were both just beyond the apartment door.

A hard shove was quickly bestowed upon his shoulders, so that Naruto was sent toppling down the flight of stairs, nearly headfirst. The push was rough, and obviously intentional. Why? Why? Who would do this to him? Who would do this to Ayako and her poor defenseless baby? Naruto didn't have much time to think as he continued to tumble down, earning quite a collection of scrapes and bruises, but the last thing he was aware of was the fact that he could lose the baby. And, in that instant, Naruto knew that whoever it was who had pushed him, wasn't trying to get rid of him personally….

They wanted to kill his baby.

A/N: My god, it seems like FOREVER since I've updated. And to tell you the truth, I wasn't actually planning on doing it tonight. Somehow, it just worked out that way. I'm getting interested in this story again though (which is a good thing) so I'll try to update again soon.