Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I do not claim to own Naruto or any of its characters, but I DO claim to own my ideas...hehe

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Chapter 8

Shattered

I feel so broken up inside…like a piece of my heart is missing and the more I search inside myself to find it, the farther away it seems to be…is this what it feels like to lose the one you cared about more than words can say? The one you'd take a kunai through the heart for? It's unbearable…I miss him…I want to see his face again…I want him to flash me a smile…I just want him to love me again…and that's the one thing that he says he cannot do…not when I'm going to be a mother…he left me…and I was devastated…he left me…and now I'm in pain…he left me…for something that wasn't his fault…He was supposed to love me

When am I going to face it? He's gone…I have to accept that…it hurts but…they say that the pain fades with the passing of time…I don't see how it could…I'll always love him…he was my everything…my one and only…till the end of time…he said he'd always be there…he lied…I just…I just want to die…

"Sakura! Sakura!" The sound of Naruto's panic stricken voice released Sakura from her mind's imprisonment.

"Sakura! Are you okay?" Sakura slowly blinked and opened her eyes. The hazy outline that was Naruto loomed above her.

"N-Naruto…" she whispered.

At the sound of her voice, Naruto's face lit up, but only for a moment and then it was again shadowed in worry.

"Sakura…what are you doing out here?"

Out here, she thought, what is he talking about?

It was then that she realized where she was at. She was still atop the gazebo! I must have passed out…but how?

Sakura shivered and Naruto noticed that she was soaked to the bone. He took off his hideous orange jacket and wrapped it around her.

I have to get her somewhere warm…and fast! Before she becomes extremely sick…but where?

He decided to take her to his apartment since it was closer than hers and because he really wasn't sure that she should be left alone until she felt better.

He gently picked Sakura up and rested her head against his shoulder. Man, she's heavier than I remember… he thought.

The rain began to drizzle again, and Naruto knew that he needed to hurry. Leaping across buildings, Naruto shot a glance down at Sakura. Her gorgeous cotton candy hair was matted and plastered to her face. It covered her eyes, though Naruto knew she was awake. She shivered again, and Naruto quickened his pace. Not much farther now…

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"Umph!"

Naruto tripped opening his door, and he and Sakura spiraled down to cold, wooden floor in his apartment. The position they were in was rather awkward, he was lying on top of her, so he hastily scrabbled up.

Dazed from the fall, Sakura slowly sat up. Her head throbbed and her body ached. The fabric of her rain-soaked clothes was sticking to her, chilling her to the bone.

"How do you feel Sakura?" Naruto's voice was laced with concern.

"I-I'm f—" she suddenly doubled over and clutched at her stomach. She covered her mouth and coughs overcame her. Though her mouth was covered, Naruto could see red liquid seeping from between her fingers.

"Sakura! You're coughing up blood! Oh my God! Oh my fucking God!" Naruto suddenly felt light-headed and nauseous. The lights flickered and his vision began to blur. Before he blacked out, Naruto jerked away from Sakura and dashed out of his apartment. Once he tasted fresh air, he found that he could again think clearly. I have got to get the Hokage! Lady Tsunade will know what to do!

He sprinted to the Hokage's office and burst through the door. Lady Tsunade was asleep over a pile of paperwork. Drool was leaking from her mouth and a bottle of sake was in her hand.

"Grandma! Grandma, get up! Sakura needs help and I don't know what to do!" Naruto shouted, terrified.

The Hokage's eyes shot open and she fell over the back of her chair. The bottle of sake was thrown from her hands. It hit the wall and shattered. Tsunade jumped up, fury in her eyes.

"Naruto! What the hell are you shouting about! And stop calling me grandma!"

"I'm sorry gra- I mean Lady Tsunade, but something is wrong with Sakura…"

Tsunade's eyes softened and a look of concern spread across her face.

"What do mean?"

"I found her lying on the top of the gazebo in the pouring rain and I took her to my place and now she's coughing up blood!" The words flew from Naruto's lips as he desperately tried to explain the situation to the Hokage.

"That's enough Naruto! Let's go…"

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"Sakura! I've brought help! Tsunade's here!"

He glanced around his apartment and found Sakura passed out on the floor. Kneeling down beside her, the stench of blood flooded Naruto's senses and he couldn't breathe.

"Get away Naruto." Tsunade pulled him away and pushed him toward his bedroom. "Go and get me some of your clothes. I need to get her out of these wet ones." Naruto nodded and he dashed into his room. He came quickly back, a t-shirt and a pair of pants in his hands. He saw that Tsunade had stripped Sakura of everything but her undergarments and had to force himself not to stare.

"Here," he handed the clothes to his Hokage.

Tsunade took them and then picked Sakura up and carried her to his bathroom.

"Where are you going?"

"She needs a warm bath. Stay out here." She warned.

Naruto paced relentlessly from the time he first heard the water running to when Tsunade opened his bathroom door and carried a now dry and fully clothed Sakura out. She placed her on Naruto's bed and checked her breathing. It was coming in short gasps. Sakura's eyes were closed and Naruto realized that she had not yet woken up.

"Will she be okay?" he tentatively asked.

"I think so…" was Tsunade's reply, "she has stopped coughing up blood and her breathing is better than it was. Even so…" she reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a small bottle of pills. She unscrewed the cap and tipped two of the sky blue pills into her hand. She forced them into Sakura's mouth and down her throat. "Fetch some water."

"Yes ma'am." Naruto rushed to his kitchen and filled a glass full of water. Taking the glass back to Tsunade, he asked, "What were those pills for?"

Tsunade took the water from him and poured a little of it into Sakura's mouth. She gently massaged the girl's throat, encouraging her to swallow it, "They're for the baby…"

"Baby!?"

"Yes Naruto…" Tsunade said, "to make sure he gets through this…"

"Wa-wait! Sakura's pregnant?"

"You mean you didn't know?" A look of surprise spread across the Hokage's face.

"No…so, how long?"

"About six months…"

"Okay…why did you say 'he' then?"

"Because…Sakura's baby is a boy."

"Does she know that?"

"I don't think so…but since I'm a medical ninja I am able to tell these things."

"Oh…" Naruto looked satisfied.

Sakura stirred, causing both of them to jump. She slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes flitted from Tsunade to Naruto and then her brows furrowed in anger. She leapt up from the bed and pummeled Naruto in the gut.

"Why the hell did you rescue me? I wanted to die damn you!"

Tsunade pulled Sakura away from Naruto and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl's frame. "It's okay Sakura," she said soothingly, "it's okay…"

Sakura buried her face in the Hokage's coat and sobbed uncontrollably.

"He left me…" she whispered, "He really left me…"

"It'll be alright Sakura. It'll be alright…" Tsunade rubbed her back and patted the top of her head.

"I've lost everything…"

"No. You still have your life. You still have us. And…you still have your son…"

"That fucking child is the reason I'm in this mess! I-" Sakura paused, Did she just say, my 'son'?

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Ino woke up, drenched in sweat. Something was wrong- she could feel it. The wind rattled the shutters on her bedroom window and across the room, papers were wrenched from her desk and floated lazily to the ground. What the hell? How'd my windows get opened?

She crawled out of bed and crossed her bedroom. She pulled the window closed and made to walk back to her bed. A flash of silver in the corner of her room stopped her. Fear gripped her stomach and before she could react, a shadow sped towards her. The last thing she saw before the kunai pierced her heart was the pale face of the boy she had chased after while Sakura had him in her clutches. His raven locks framed his face and emphasized the murderous gleam in his red eyes. Ino crumpled to the ground, her blonde hair shielding her face from view.

The shadowed figure reached down and wrenched his kunai free from the motionless body on the floor. Blood spurted from the mortal wound and his lips curled up into a smile. The moonlight streaming in through the window gave him an eerie look. He silently walked over to the window, pushed it open, and leapt out into the night.

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A/N: BWAHAHAHAHA!! Bet you didn't see that coming, huh? Hehe...okay now it's time for you to review...please!!