A/N: After so very long, this is the second to last chapter of Dog Days. I hope you enjoy it, and the final installment will be posted in about a week. It's amazing what happens when you get a bit more settled in life. Have fun and I hope you laugh. You're meant to.

Dog Days

Chapter 9: Living the Dream

It was quiet in the corridor. Sasuke paced, making everyone even more nervous than they were already. Naruto sat calmly, while Fugaku attempted to meditate. Sasuke had taught him how, and Hinata had practiced with him, saying that he could teach her baby when it got old enough. Fugaku called her 'Auntie Hinata', and her husband was 'Uncle Sasuke'. Hiashi had refused to use the Byakugan to look through the wall, no matter how many times Sasuke asked him to. Neji was almost as nervous as Sasuke was. He was extremely protective of his cousin, and this was something he could not save her from if anything went wrong.

"Sasuke, please, calm yourself. Everything will be fine." Hiashi's eyes were closed, and he seemed as if he were about to go to sleep. "Hinata is much stronger than I have given her credit for in the past." Sasuke nodded. He had known that for a long time. It was amazing that the old man actually said as much, though. Finally, Sasuke sat down next to Fugaku and leaned back, his eyes closing in meditation.

In the blackness behind his eyelids, he allowed himself peace. The darkness swallowed him, bringing calm and oblivion that he could hide in. None of the anxiety could reach him here. Soon, his physical surroundings melted away, and he was enveloped in the sensation of floating. It was the place he always strove toward. He hoped that Hinata could find it as well, through the pain. Sasuke was not sure how long he was in that between-place, but when the sound of the door opening came, he looked around and found everyone else asleep.

Sakura's head poked out of the door, and she silently beckoned him forward with a smile. That smile was all he needed. Leaping up from the bench on which he sat, Sasuke scrambled into the delivery room, to see Hinata holding a small bundle. It was swathed in a small pink blanket. A voice near his ear said, "It's a girl, Sasuke." Sakura seemed rather pleased with herself. The delivery had gone quite well, and she apparently had won a bet with Tsunade as to the sex of the child. "I'll leave you three alone, and run interference with the others." With that, the woman disappeared to keep her own fiancé and the rest of the group out of the room.

Hinata was looking up at him, a pale light of joy in her eyes. He bent low and kissed her softly, and she smiled. "Are you all right?" He asked, seeing that she had been crying.

"I'm fine." She pushed the baby at him, and he tried to refuse, saying he knew absolutely nothing about children. "You'll have to hold her eventually, you know. I'm not doing this by myself. Just support her head in the crook of your arm and hold the rest of her body with your other hand." He felt awkward for a moment, but it took only a few seconds to get used to it. Then he pulled back the sides of the blanket to reveal a healthy, pink face with dark hair in a whispy tuft on top of that small head. Tiny ears like her father's, a little mouth just like Hinata's, and eyes closed in sleep were all it took for him to instantly fall in love with the small creature in his arms.

"What should we name her?" he asked quietly, so that he didn't wake the child.

Hinata seemed to think for a long moment. "Perhaps…would you object to naming her after your mother?" Sasuke was utterly surprised. He had thought she would just pick a name, without asking him. As he understood it, women often did such things. But, this was a welcome surprise. He nodded, and Hinata said, "Mikoto is a beautiful name, Sasuke." He had to agree. His mother, the most beautiful woman in the world to him, was now no more than a distant recollection. Though, with the entrance of the child in his arms, that memory was not attached only to sadness.

Sakura's interference was only so good, and it didn't take long before a spiky blonde head popped up at the edge of the hospital bed, bright green eyes peering up at the little bundle. Only a moment later, a hand was pulling at his pant leg bringing Sasuke's attention down to Fugaku's face. In a very low whisper, the boy said, "Can I see her?" When shown the small person in the bundle, he smiled, reminding Sasuke much of Naruto. Giggling softly, he said in a hushed voice, "She's pretty, Uncle Sasuke. But that means she looks like Auntie Hinata, because she's a girl." The boy's logic was twisted, but Sasuke let it go. He was Naruto's son, after all, and only six years old.

On a cold winter's day, there was a lone spot of pink in the middle of the snow. Sakura stood in a kimono that was of the palest pink silk, formal, and thick. It was a good thing, too, because otherwise, she would have frozen. As she remained there for an hour, waiting; the traditional Konoha test of patience, she had to think to herself that Naruto better appreciate it. A slight smile came over her face at the thought of him. She knew he was being restrained in a nearby house. He had not wanted to do things this way, but she had insisted.

Waiting in the middle of the snow on a small plank of wood came first, then, the ceremony and all the guests would come to her. If not for the fact that this particular ritual was being guarded heavily by ANBU, Konoha's Police, and a few stray Jounin who felt like helping out, she would have felt as though she were leaving herself open to attack. A small bell tolled, somewhere off to the east, and people slowly began filing into the open space. Among them, she saw Neji, Hinata, Hiashi and Sasuke, all dressed in formal kimono. There was also the strange sight of Kakashi dressed in a dark blue kimono belted in red, which nearly made her giggle. He still wore his mask, though he had forgone the hitai-ate for a plain strip of blue silk. When Sakura found her mother in the crowd, she looked quickly away. Her father had been killed on a mission just after Hinata's daughter was born. Instead of her father standing at her side, she watched as Kakashi walked over to her.

The man stood on her right, and took her hand. "Nice getup," He said jokingly.

In a quiet voice, Sakura retorted, "You're one to talk, Kakashi-sensei. I don't think I've ever seen you in anything but your uniform. Looks good, though." He must have let that go to his head, because she thought she saw him smiling broadly behind his mask. The bell tolled again, and she watched as Shizune led Naruto out into the open. He wore a dark red kimono, and his eyes were fixed on her. Shizune was whispering something to him, which seemed like comfort.

Naruto came to a stop with Shizune just to Kakashi's left. The older medic stood to the left of Naruto, as the escorts were to stand between them. Somehow, Tsunade had slipped unseen into the open area, and was now standing before them. She wore a black kimono under her Hokage robes, though she refused to wear the hat again. Without preamble, she began. "Who represents these two young people?"

Shizune and Kakashi said at once, "We do."

Nodding, the blonde woman said, "Sakura, Naruto, do you come here without reservations, with only love in your hearts?" Both answered the question in the affirmative. "Good. Now, Sakura, do you promise to love Naruto, and be faithful to him, until death should part you?"

"No." The entire crowd drew breath, and Sakura heard a pitiful whimper from Naruto. Turning to the anxious man who stood only a meter away, she said, "I promise to love him, be faithful to him and only him, far beyond death." Sakura threw a teasing glance at his way, and Naruto gave her a look that said she would pay for scaring him like that later. She could only imagine what punishment he would think up.

"Naruto, same question." Tsunade was obviously getting a little annoyed with them.

Naruto shook himself free of Shizune's hand. Crunching through the snow, he came to a stop on his knees in front of Sakura. This was not part of the prescribed ceremony, but then, it was Naruto, and he never had been one for doing things the usual way. "Sakura," he said, "There are too many things about you that I love. If I tried to name them all, words would fail me. I promise to love you, and only you, to be faithful to you, to protect you, until my death, and longer." When he stood, looking down at her, she wanted to cry.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "What is joined here let no one break apart." The woman then leaned close to Naruto, who had climbed to his feet, and groused, "Kiss her, you idiot." That was one order that Naruto had no problems following. He kept it small, though, for the sake of decency, and so as not to smudge Sakura's make-up.

"Ahhhh," Sakura sat down hard on the chair near the door. "My feet are killing me!" The receiving line had been long, and then there were a surprising number of people who wanted to dance with the bride. Naruto only got to dance with her for a few moments before she was stolen away by Kiba, or Kakashi, then Yamanaka Inoichi, and even Shino. What were they trying to pull? Finally, he was married to her, and they were trying to make it so that he couldn't get within five meters of her?

Naruto huffed, irritated, and Sakura looked at him with not a little curiosity. The boat they were on would take them to the Wave Country, to a small island that was secluded from everything. He was glad that there were no other passengers on the boat, but he was still too irritated to enjoy the ride. His ears picked up a light scraping sound, and when he turned, he saw Sakura removing the wooden sandals she had been wearing. No wonder her feet had hurt.

"You need any help getting all that stuff off?" He asked a bit too innocently, waiting for her to give him the evil eye. That didn't happen.

"I thought you'd never ask. Untie it, cut it off, but do something! I'm smothering in this shit!" Her voice was coming out as a growl, and he knew that she must be really uncomfortable to be talking that way.

"Well," he said, as he produced a kunai with an elegant flourish, "I just so happen to have the right tool for the job." Naruto pulled her into a standing position, and placed a small kiss on her forehead as he sliced through her obijime, obiage, obi, and all those little things that tied her kimono in place. After he flung the blade away, he gathered all the fabric he'd cut away in his hands. It was really surprising how much a woman had to endure to look beautiful…but his thoughts were interrupted as he saw Sakura shrugging out of her uchikake.

Using her strength, Sakura ripped the under-kimono, and Naruto blinked at her. She stood there before him, wearing nothing but a shimmering silver…slip? Or was it a dress? Hell, he did not care at this point. His mouth had gone totally dry at the way the shining silk clung to her breasts, curved over her waist, and flowed over her hips.

"Naruto? Are you okay?" Sakura's voice seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked repeatedly at her, and she smiled. He was so…cute when he was clueless. One eyebrow rose as she reached up and closed his mouth for him. Teeth clicking shut harshly, he blinked at her again.

"So…" he stammered, and looked anywhere but at her.

Smiling at him warmly, Sakura wound her arms around his neck. "Yes. So. At this point, I think we're on our honeymoon, yes?" He nodded silently, a look of gravity on his face. "What do people do on honeymoons, Naruto?"

"Um…th—" he was not allowed to finish. Sakura pulled his face down toward hers, tangling her fingers in his hair. Their lips met, as they had only a few times before. After a moment, the shock wore off, and Sakura found that she was being lifted off of her feet as his mouth moved over hers, and then she felt soft cloth on her back as Naruto lay her on the bed. When he stopped kissing her, Naruto looked down at her, his eyes seeming much bluer, his smile brighter. It was the look of a man who had everything he wanted in life. "I love you, Sakura."

"I—" Sakura was cut off as the boat was violently rocked by an explosion. From the sound of it, they were under attack. Her eyes widened, and Naruto's stomach clenched. Apparently, their departure wasn't as secret as they had hoped. "Damn it!" Sakura growled, and slid out from beneath him. "Cut the lights, Naruto." He did as he was asked, and she looked out of the porthole. "Fuck."

"What is it?" He asked, trying to remain calm.

"Akatsuki…damn it. I should have known that they'd come for me." Sakura snarled. "I'll kill them all." Naruto saw the look in her eyes, and he was sure that she was building chakra. Sakura moved swiftly to the trunk against the wall, throwing it open. After rifling through it, she threw a bag at him. "Get dressed. We're going to get rid of those bastards." He was in shock. There was a great wave of murderous intent coming off of her. When he didn't move, she seemed to sense his confusion. "They ruined my honeymoon, Naruto. And now, they're going to pay."

"Did you have to punch a hole in the side of the ship?" Naruto whined, trying to swim and complain at the same time. It was not an easy task. Sakura's silence was unnerving over the sounds of the ocean. They had been swimming for close to an hour now, trying to conserve their chakra. When they got up close enough to the island they were approaching, he would get them up and out. For now, he glanced at his wife. Sakura's face was growing pale. He hoped she wasn't getting sick.

Naruto glanced forward again. The island was less than a mile away now. "Sakura, stop swimming." She did as he asked, and he slung her onto his back. After creating four shadow clones, he used them to boost himself and Sakura out of the water. Concentrating his chakra on the soles of his feet, he landed on the water's surface, and started running. As they approached the shore, he asked, "Are you alright?"

Sakura didn't say anything. Was she really that upset? When his feet hit sand, Naruto immediately pulled Sakura from his back as gently as he could. Her face was paler than it had been, and her eyes were glassy. After checking her over, he found that she had a pair of small darts lodged in the back of her neck. Cursing under his breath, he pulled them out. Sakura collapsed to the ground.

"N…Naruto…the p-poison…" she was trying so hard to breathe, to speak, that he could tell she was using all of her energy to do so.

"Don't talk, Sakura. I'll get it out." Licking his lips, he tried to think. Hinata had taught him how to draw poison out once. Naruto couldn't do it that way, because he didn't have the training. His way worked, but it wasn't anywhere near as good as what a medic might do, but he could get the job done. "This is going to hurt like a son of a bitch, sweetheart." Green chakra formed around his hands, ragged and barely good enough. He put one over her heart, and the other over the little holes. Closing his eyes, he probed roughly. If he were going to give it a color, he would say that the poison was black. It was leeching into her liver, paralyzing her lungs. Naruto used his chakra like a razor, cutting away the blackness, ripping it away, and forcing it out of Sakura's body. When it was nearly all out, he gave her heart a few squeezes, to speed it up. That way, if there were any trace amounts left, they would be metabolized and gone in a day.

Sakura blinked up at him, wincing. "You fucking suck at that, Naruto."

Sasuke glared at the scroll in his hand. Hinata came into the kitchen, holding Mikoto in her arms, and said, "What's the matter?" He handed her the scroll. After reading it, she gave a snort. "I suppose you're going to have to go and get them?"

"Yeah. Hopefully, it won't take more than a few days." He pushed himself to his feet, moving over to them quickly. "Keep safe," he murmured before kissing his daughter's head, then his wife's lips.

Hinata smiled. "Someone has to watch out for you. Get going."

A/N: Alrighty. Now, reviews, please! You all wanted the wedding, and the wedding night...er, you got it, or not really the steamy part yet, but that's on its way. And the bit about the kids later on. So hang on just a little longer--one week, I swear.