The very beginning:
*A/N: a little morbid but meh…I don't like sasusaku anyways (Sasunaru for life). But don't worry, the chapters won't stay like this for long, next chapter is probably a bit more fluffy.
Italics: flashback
Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto
A rip of pain wrenched through her lower abdomen. Unbearable. It was unbearable. A high screech tore through the hospital room. She underestimated this. Reading about childbirth in medical textbooks was in nowhere near what she was experiencing now. Breathe in, breathe out and keep pushing. The basic procedure of what she was going through, along with unavoidable screams of agony.
"You can do it Sakura-san, she's almost there!" frantic nurses would say. She would try and keep pushing, but it still hurt like hell. It wasn't her fault she was screaming like a demon in rage.
But then a cry filled the room, a sharp contrast to hers. A soft tiny wail, fragile even. The baby lifted and placed in her arms, she breathed, relief flooding back into her system – it was finally over.
Looking down at the baby, she saw in bewildered wonder that this child was hers. The little tuffs of black hair like her fathers, his nose, her mouth. She almost wanted to pry the child's eyes open to see the colour.
She cooed the baby, rocking her back and forth in an attempt to stop her cries.
She smiled…
She cuddled…
…And she cried. She cried along with the little wails of the baby, clutching the girl in her arms, she wept into her small, delicate form.
She cried because of joy like a mother should bringing life into the world, that her dreams since her genin days had been fulfilled. But also, pain inside her heart because this child's father was not with them, not with her. She was alone.
Maybe she understood her husband just a little bit more now. His torment. His life.
"He doesn't have parents…He's so lucky, all alone, parents never say what to do and what not to do. That's why he always makes trouble."
Pompous.
"All alone…"
Bewildered.
"The feeling of a parent yelling at you is nowhere near what he feels…"
Confusion.
"What's wrong Sasuke-kun?"
Ignorance.
"You're annoying."
Yes she understood more now. He was suffering back then, yet he was utterly alone. And alone right now, this pain she felt was revenge. Revenge for being oblivious, for being that carefree child pampered by her parents she wished to disappear. Now she was the one suffering alone. Sasuke was silently mocking her.
A soft whimper broke her out of her thoughts. Her drained eyes fell down to the newborn in her arms, her child, their baby. And a small smile tugged at her lips. She whispered…
"Thank you…"