Scenario: Juugo's happiness

OV: Juugo deserves happiness and love too! How are babies made?!? The journey into parenthood begins.

AN: I wanted to give Juugo a little page time, and the participants are ready for the gift to be given.

I'm sorry this had taken longer than usual to get posted, I have been under the weather this weekend. But here goes, off to the fun…

Disclaimer: Yeah I figured I should slip this in again… You all know the only way I could own this is if I was Masashi Kishimoto! Last time I checked I was just me… though I really wish I was Kishi, then I would know what is going to happen to our charactors…and I'd know how to speak Japanese and not have to depend on others to translate and sub Manga and Anime for me!!

x.Jamie-Chan.x is still the most honorable and loyal reader. : )

(Wow, the prequel Red Star Shooting Star is on someone's C2 list!! I feel so honored!)

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Naruto awoke with a start. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. He looked out the window glaring, the sun was no where near coming anytime soon. So what had awoken him? He looked at the sleeping form of his lover. Sasuke was sleeping peacefully, a self satisfied grin on his face. Naruto loved to watch Sasuke sleep. It was one time when the dark haired man's face was peaceful and his mind was at ease. Far too often Sasuke was scowling or angry.

Naruto knew that Sasuke had always been sullen, but he had thought that after he'd come back willingly there would be more happiness in the boys life. Sasuke tried to reassure the worrisome blonde, but Naruto was stubborn on this issue. He wanted to see his Sasuke smile; needed to know that the Stygian man was as happy as he was. Of course he knew Sasuke was happy, but it hurt the blonde that he didn't smile more.

Sasuke was his typical self, he was sullen and withdrawn. He always had been and he didn't know how to change it. He was a lot happier and he smiled now that he was with Naruto. Naruto knew this and tried to content him self with the smiles he did get, which he had to admit were coming more often.

He slipped out of bed, still unsure as to what had awakened him, and padded silently on bare feet to the bathroom. He opted for a quick shower, he knew the soundproofed walls would block the sound so he wouldn't bother the other two men.

He stood under the hot spray allowing the water to knead his neck and shoulder muscles. The water was so hot that it wasn't long before the entire bathroom was turned into a sauna. He poured shampoo onto his hair, scrubbed vigorously, and stepped under the hot spray to rinse. As the water ran over his head he had the sensation of being watched. He pulled his head from under the stream of water and looked up suddenly. There in front of him was a pair of obsidian eyes. They were filled with an expression of anger, worry, and concern all at once.

"Sasuke no baka, you startled me!" Naruto began, but he stopped short when the somber man's expression didn't change. "Nanda, Sasuke?" he inquired.

Sasuke didn't say anything at first, just stared at the now worried blonde. Naruto began to wonder what was the matter when he finally spoke, "You left me, me" he said simply. Then he stepped into the shower to pull his pink tinge tan skinned lover to him in an embrace that was both stifling and reassuring. Having both slept in the nude it was no problem for Sasuke to join Naruto, he didn't even have to worry over getting his clothes wet.

When Sasuke finally released his still confused mate, he explained, "I woke up and you were gone. I didn't know where you were, and I was worried," he grinned sheepishly at the next comment, "and I had a bad dream. I wanted to snuggle up to you and feel better, so when you weren't there I was upset."

Naruto smiled lovingly at his teme. He stepped closer and pulled Sasuke into an embrace to rival the one he'd been given. He leaned in and kissed the surprised man with an intensity and passion that made the dark haired man's head spin. When he finally pulled away he whispered, "Feel better?"

Sasuke laughed. He couldn't answer, so he just laughed. Sometimes his dobe was just too adorable for his own good. However when he leaned in to return the teasing, he was rebuffed.

"Sorry, I really have to get to work this morning, and the water is getting cold!" he kissed those soft lips one more time, then stepped out of the shower. Sasuke turned the water off and followed him pouting.

"Sasuke, that won't work. I have to go." He toweled himself off. Sasuke just stood there dripping water onto the tile floor.

Having rid himself of all evidence of water, he approached his once again sullen companion and wrapped the towel around his back. Pulling him onto an embrace he offered the only compromise he could, "Make it up to you tomorrow."

He then wrapped the towel around the still dripping man, and walked out into their room. He never saw the devious grin on the other man's face.

"Oh I'll hold you to that!" Sasuke muttered to himself as he followed his golden haired prey.

They slipped into their clothes; Naruto was wearing black pants and a dark blue shirt with the Uchiha fan on the front, Sasuke his black workout pants with a black mesh top. Sasuke had training again, and he was looking forward to it. Juugo opened his door and stepped into the room with a yawn. "Mornin'," he managed.

Sasuke cooked breakfast, as he figured Juugo was too asleep to do so properly. They ate quickly and went their opposite ways.

Naruto had no more than stepped into his office when Shikamaru knocked on the door. Naruto strode over to his desk and sat down before calling for him to enter.

"The Jounin and Chuunin are ready for your meeting."

"Good, show them in."

Shika bowed and opened the door motioning for the people waiting outside it to enter. Naruto sat at his desk with his eyes on the folder he was reading through until they were all assembled in a line before him. He looked up, his blue eyes shining.

"The Chuunin exams are four months away. I need progress reports on the renovation to the forest of death, and the coliseum. I also need an exact list of all those hopefuls who might be attending. How many from the leaf this year?" he paused for a reply to that.

"There are four teams from Konoha, including Konohamaru's this year," Iruka reported.

Naruto nodded, he was going to be pleased to get to see Konohamaru's team's progress. He was actually looking forward to the entire event. It seemed as if only yesterday Team seven was told by Kakashi that he thought they were ready for the exams. A wistful smile lit Naruto's sunny features.

He tipped his head back to the folder. He mentally checked off things he needed done, and assigned tasks to groups. He listened to the requested progress reports and was pleased to hear they were all on schedule or ahead. He had taken some of the obstacles Kakashi had devised and set them up as part of the events, an idea that had met with enthusiasm.

The day wore on, and the meeting closed. Shika popped his head through the door, "you have a visitor," he announced.

Naruto looked up quizzically as Tsunade and Jiraya entered. "He said a visitor, not two," he joked.

"Naruto, how are you?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto didn't know what to make of the question, but he answered that he was fine. They made small talk like this for a few minutes before Naruto finally couldn't take it anymore.

"What do you want, Baa-chan?!" he nearly shouted.

Jiraya laughed and Tsunade looked amused. She finally revealed the purpose of her visit was to check up on him and remind him of her instructions. She also explained what he and Sasuke would be required to do the next morning.

Naruto blushed when she explained she needed semen samples, fresh ones at that, from both men. She told him she had obtained the eggs that morning, and had already removed the nuclei from them. They would be ready for the insertion of Sasuke's and Naruto's DNA as soon as they provided the samples, and she had extracted the sperm.

Naruto began to get excited again. He couldn't wait to have a child of his and Sasuke's own. A real child, a part of them both. He was grinning widely when they left him.

Juugo and Sasuke weren't expected until the afternoon, as they were training with Kakashi. So Naruto had planned to work through lunch. He was surprised to hear a knock on his door. He was more surprised when Anko entered at his command.

"Hokage-sama, I hope I'm not intruding," she said bowing to him.

Naruto grinned, offered that she wasn't intruding at all, and inquired as to what she wanted. She discussed her past, finding Juugo again, and where her future was going. She had always been the sadist and leader of the post written survival test for the Chuunin exams. Now she had lost some of her edginess when the curse seal disappeared, and she wasn't sure if she was up to the event that year. Her thoughts had changed from torturing students and all the blood entailed in the survival test, to finding her place.

She'd thought she had her place as the exam leader, and sadist of Konoha. Now she wanted more form her life. Orochimaru was gone, her dark secret dissolved, and a brighter future lay ahead of her. She, like so many others, had a debt to Naruto, the person who could change people without even trying. His gift had inspired her to want more than her old reputation. Finding Juugo had led her to want more from her life. She had found a true friend, not just someone who admired her torture skills and insane attitude.

She had found someone with whom she had a bond, a good bond. She had also had a bond with Orochimaru, and it had affected her life as she had grown even though she had gotten away from him. Now with all ties to him eradicated, she was happy to find someone with whom she had a connection. Her problem was she didn't know what to do about it. She'd only ever had that dark and desolate bond with Oro, now she had a promise and a path of happiness. She was confused.

Naruto had grown a lot over these past years. He was no longer a kid who would hear this story and laugh about it, or shrug it off. Now he listened to Anko's pain and confusion. He had earned his place as Hokage by his hard work and his gift with people. It may have been the proof of his blood that swayed the elders to give him a chance, but it was his great respect for others and sound leadership that won everyone else over.

He turned to the worried and distraught woman, "Anko, you don't know what tomorrow offers. There is only today. You must discover how to live in this moment and learn from the past.

In the past you were Orochimaru's subordinate, even though you were away from him, he held a power over you.

Today you are a new person. You have that cloud of uncertainty and shame lifted from your shoulders. You hold promise and hope in your hands, where before was fear and unhappiness.

Tomorrow, you may find a new friend. You may learn you have more to you than you ever dreamed possible. You never know what tomorrow will bring, but you must live for tomorrow and embrace whatever may come.

Live in today and be happy with what you have. Have what you want, but want what you have. Do not keep searching for what is next, be content with who you are."

It was a powerful speech he offered her. She hung on every word and smiled appreciatively at him when he had finished speaking.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. You're right, I just have to be me, and now I think I know who I am." She bowed and left.

Naruto thought about that talk, and was surprised at him self. Shikamaru, who had heard the whole thing from his office as the door had been left open, sat there with an arched eyebrow as he tried to ponder when Naruto had gotten so smart.

The afternoon was uneventful, and Sasuke and Juugo's appearance at the office signaled the end of the day.

Juugo greeted the two men, and looked at them expectantly as if he had something he wanted to say, but was embarrassed to say it. Eventually Sasuke couldn't take any more of his hemming, and ordered him to 'just say it already.' Juugo admitted he had a date, with Anko.

Sasuke was pleased and congratulated his large friend. Naruto grinned like a maniac and his blue eyes sparkled like the sun glinting off a summer lake. He had a little more insight than Sasuke did after his talk with Anko that morning. He encouraged Juugo to go and have a great evening.

Sasuke pouted that it was unfair that their evening alone was wasted. Naruto laughed and offered that they had a lot of things to discuss. Like names and shopping lists for their new addition. Sasuke cheered up when he remembered why they were giving up their usual evening alone practices.

Their evening was spent companionably in making lists and giving each other a hard time over the names they would choose and trying to decide just how much stuff they would need for a baby. They ended up having a great time and behaving themselves.

Juugo spent a quiet evening with Anko. They had a nice dinner at a nice restaurant, then went for a walk through the training grounds. For some reason they ended up challenging each other to run through the obstacle course, and so their evening was spent in challenges and camaraderie as their friendship built up in steps solidifying into the beginning of a gentle relationship.

Somehow they ended up sparring. Juugo at first didn't take Anko seriously; the spar began as a game. At some point it became serious and turned into a quest to prove who the dominant person in this newfound relationship was.

Anko threw herself into the fray with everything she had from the beginning. This caused Juugo to become serious very quickly, as Anko wasn't a Jounin for nothing. She threw several kunai at him, which he easily dodged, catching the last and throwing it back. She grinned and easily sidestepped out of the path. Two more she hadn't been counting on kicked up dust when they hit the ground where she had just been standing. She flipped through the air to land behind Juugo. He spun around to keep an eye on her; he had a good sense of strength and knew she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

She came at him fists and feet flying, jumping, spinning into a back flip that ended with a kick aimed at his head. He knocked her away easily and swung around to land the first blow. Anko 'oofed' when his fist made contact with her stomach. She was smiling and commented that it was a good hit.

Then she was fighting harder, her kicks came with a lightening procession; aimed high, then low, and middle, to low, then high again. He followed her rhythm, finding no cadence to it, but avoiding each blow the same. He lunged into her kick and knocked her off balance. She quickly recovered, but not before he aimed another well timed blow to her shoulder.

She was still smiling, it had been some time since she had fought someone who made her work. She changed her tactic and began to circle him, warily watching his every movement. She was waiting for him to attack, because she was going to pull up short and get a blow in this time. Eventually he faked to the left and aimed a kick towards her torso. She caught his outstretched leg and turned his body aiming her kick to his ribs. She made contact and shouted in triumph.

He rescinded his leg from her grasp and prepared to attack again. She blocked his kick-punch-kick attack. Then she went on the offensive again. Her fists were moving like a blur as she aimed punches at his lithe form. They danced together punching, ducking, weaving, kicking, thrusting, blocking.

Eventually they stood face to face panting. Anko had a small trail of blood running from a nick on her cheek where she had been grazed by a well thrown kunai. Juugo was bleeding from the corner of his mouth where a solid punch had landed. Their clothing was askew, Juugo had long since tossed the long robes he had been wearing to the side and Anko had stripped her sleeveless long trench coat off. She had her usual mesh shirt on underneath it, but had slipped a black tank top over it. There was a small tear in the sleeve of her mesh top. Juugo had one almost identical to it in the fishnet on his opposing shoulder.

These cuts had come from a pair of shuriken that had been thrown with considerable force and deflected in midair at close range. Each had been cut by their own shuriken.

Anko looked at Juugo who stood in front of her breathing deeply through his opened mouth. She laughed at the serious expression on his face. He couldn't figure out what was so funny at first. Eventually she was able to choke out between bursts of mirth how his face looked so silly. He didn't think it was funny at first, but eventually a small chuckle escaped his lips.

Soon they were rolling on the grass holding their sides from the laughter. What was the funniest was neither could explain what was so funny when the other would ask. Anko crawled to where Juugo lay on his back in the sweet scented green expanse. She flopped beside his still body and sighed deeply.

"Juugo, you're my first true friend. I can be myself around you," she admitted more to herself than him.

He just grinned, thinking the same thing.

They lay there just enjoying the warmth of the closeness of the other until the sun set. As they lay there they talked. It seemed they could talk about anything, and enjoyed the other's company. Anko knew she had never talked with anyone as much as she did Juugo.

As the stars began to make their appearance a soft question was voiced, "What are we to each other?"

A soft reply was returned, "We are friends and more." After a pause the same voice added in a whisper, "I think we might be soul mates."

They were reluctant to get up and decided to just spend the night there under the stars, enjoying the peaceful company of the other's reassuring presence.

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"I'm supposed to do what!?!" Sasuke shrieked.

Naruto laughed, Sasuke could shriek.

They were standing in Tsunade's lab at the Konoha hospital. Naruto had just explained to Sasuke what was expected of them.

Sasuke looked at Tsunade as if begging her to confirm that this was a huge joke. Her complacent face told him other wise.

"Why don't you two go in together? Maybe you can get results that way, " Tsunade suggested.

Naruto looked at his somber mate and nodded, "Yes, let's do that. Come on Sasuke."

He pulled the other man into the adjoining small room with him. "Naruto, I can enjoy making love to you, I can enjoy your hands on me, I can even enjoy masturbating with or without you. But being told to do it on command…" his face was drawn in agony.

Naruto voiced one simple question, "Do you want to have a baby or not?"

This shot down all Sasuke's defenses and protests. He looked at the blonde and set his jaw. Naruto was all for this, and even seemed to be taking a sadistic pleasure in Sasuke's discomfort. Sasuke took one look at the mischievous grin on his blonde's face and folded completely.

"Do you want to do it?" came a sudden breathy request.

"Oh yeah!" was the ever enthusiastic answer.

Tsunade left the room to gather the Petri dishes that held the de-nucleated eggs. She wanted them to be at body temperature for the insertion of the sperm to maximize the results. Ino and Sakura were to come in the next Wednesday for implantation. Two days. After that it would require two weeks to endure proper implantation and impregnation. Then Nature would take over and there would eventually be little SasuNaru babies running around.

She returned to the unmistakable sounds of the men being successful in their collection. She almost blushed to hear the sounds when the thought struck her of her first meeting with Naruto. He had been so young, and so vibrant. He had radiated life. Now he was the Hokage, it was no longer just a dream.

Now she was trying to help the blonde's new dream come true. Having a real family of his own. She glanced out the window toward the Hokage Mountain where the new carving of Naruto was being completed. She marveled at the likeness of the Yondaime and Naruto. There was no mistaking the resemblance.

She was roused from her thoughts by a pronounced, 'Hmmhmm.' She looked up to see the most vivid cobalt eyes staring at her with the vestiges of lust still evident. He held out the specimen cup. "Here."

Beside him Sasuke mimicked the motion. "Me too."

She took the cups and settled down at her bench to extract the precious sperm that were filled with each man's DNA. She used a microscope and a tiny needle to separate one sperm from the millions that were swimming in their viscous liquid. She injected it in the first egg. Then she repeated the process five more times.

Turning her attention to the other cup she matched a second sperm to each egg. Now there were two halves of human DNA in each egg, a complete genome.

She placed one egg under the microscope and watched it off and on for the next twelve hours. When she saw the first division, she cheered.

Sasuke and Naruto, who had been making use of the abandoned patient room next to the lab, rushed in. "What!? Nanda!?" they cried in exasperation.

She pointed them to the microscope of the fourth egg, "Look for your selves."

They did and they were awestruck at the marvel of life. The egg had divided. Now there were two pieces. Tsunade gave them a quick biology lesson and told them what would happen. How the egg would divide and divide, actually multiplying itself. Eventually these multiplications would begin to form into the embryo and fetus. There were five of the six eggs that had divided.

When Tsunade examined the sixth she discovered that it had yy chromosomes. There was no logical way it could recreate into a child. So it simply had not.

Naruto and Sasuke wandered home thinking about their new baby. Maybe even babies. They discussed how Ino and Sakura were the greatest, and how Tsunade had explained the process to them.

They were as excited as any new expectant parents could be.

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This is unproofread, and thus probably had many glaring errors. If you see any, either ignore them or point them out so I can fix them. Thanks.

Off to bed now…Next chapter soon.

-Kneise