Chapter 3: Celebration
Never in all her born days had Ino been so glad that she worked in a hospital and next to the maternity ward nonetheless. She was finishing up her rounds in the pediatric ward when her water broke. She hoped her young patient wasn't traumatized by the dramatic event. Ino managed to stay calm as a nurse got her a wheel chair and rolled her to the maternity ward.
"I really appreciate this, Mayumi, but could you please get someone to tell my husband what's happening?"
Mayumi got one of the nurses at the reception desk to get a hold of Sasuke, who was in the middle of a jonin council meeting. The Uchiha begged the others' pardon his interruption and quickly explained that his wife had gone into labor. His fellow jonin bid him farewell as he rushed out into the pouring rain. He ran so fast towards the Konoha hospital that he cut through the rain like a knife. By the time he got there he was soaked to the bone so a nurse gave him some towels to dry off and some scrubs to change into.
"Uchiha-san, your wife is only dilated seven centimeters so far. She is progressing well and we can tell the baby isn't under any undue stress. The best news is that he has turned properly in the birth canal." Sasuke gave a curt nod to the nurse's information. Once he made it to Ino's room he saw her calmly eating ice chips while watching her favorite soap opera on TV. Other than some sweat on the edge of her brow, she looked fine. Sasuke walked over to kiss Ino's cheek and stroke her hair.
"I came as fast as I could."
"Although I'm glad you're here you didn't have to hurry too much. The doctor said it could be a couple hours before I'm fully dilated. What happened to your clothes?"
"It's pouring rain outside so they are soaked through. Hopefully they'll be dry soon. One of the nurses took them to the laundry to be put in the dryer."
"Poor Sasuke-kun," Ino chuckled right before she experienced a rather strong contraction. The pain could only be compared to being run through with a katana. She could feel the pain throughout her abdomen and radiating out her back. "Kami-sama, the meds they gave me aren't helping at all!" Ino wailed as she considered using her mind transfer jutsu to leave her own body until the labor pains had passed. She quickly pushed that thought aside when she considered the danger it could put her and the baby in. Sasuke did his best to comfort her but realized there wasn't much he could do. After enduring over an hour of contractions Ino was finally dilated enough to start pushing. Her husband pressed his lips against her sweaty brow as he spoke words of encouragement. The kunoichi was glad that Sasuke was there by her side because his presence seemed to give her the strength to endure the incredible pain. Soon the baby's head crowned and the doctor announced that she could see jet black hair. Once the baby's head was out Ino only had to push twice more before the infant finally came into the outside world crying out for all to hear. Ino laid back on the stretcher sweating and panting with a smile on her lips as Sasuke cut the umbilical cord. One of the nurses extracted blood from the cord before discarding the rest and prepping Ino to pass the afterbirth. She wordlessly reached out to her husband as he brought their firstborn over to her.
Ino gazed down at the trembling baby boy in her arms. She gently rocked him and made comforting sounds to calm his cries.
"Shhh, Zuiichi-chan. Everything is all right. Otousan and Okaasan are here."
Ino kissed the baby boy's head as he calmed down. He had a full head of jet black hair and dark eyes. He was the spitting image of his father, who had an expression on his face that said that he couldn't be a prouder papa. He was also proud of his wife, who endured such pain to bring forth the future and hope of the Uchiha clan. Since Zuiichi was perfectly healthy Ino and her son came home the next day to a warm welcome from friends and family. Ino's parents were there most of the day. The Uzumaki family stopped by for about an hour and a half. To everyone's surprise even a pregnant Tenten paid them a visit accompanied by her husband, Rock Lee.
"Wow, he's like a baby version of Sasuke. He even has his eyes," Ten-Ten commented as she stroked Zuiichi's jet black locks.
"Yeah, he's definitely a chip off the ol' Uchiha block. Sasuke's thrilled of course. I've lost count of how many pictures he's taken of the baby. He said he's sending some to Kakashi-san, too. At this rate Zuiichi's baby book will be full long before his first year in this world." At that moment Sasuke snapped another picture of mother and child, which irritated Ino because he caught her off guard. She wasn't a fan of candid photos, especially ones of her.
As time passed the new father cooled it with all the picture taking. He was down to only a few a month. Ino had taken a temporary break from going on missions to stay home with the baby. She also made sure to get another birth control implant about a month after Zuiichi's birth to ensure that she wouldn't become pregnant for at least another two years. After a few months passed she didn't see why she even bothered with the implant since Sasuke hadn't laid a hand on her in months. He was still affectionate with her, but the new mother's body was screaming for intimacy with her husband. What really hurt was when they would be in bed and she would try to initiate sex he would turn over and complain about how tired he was or just push her hand away. Ino figured out why he was so tired after she came home one day from visiting her parents with the baby. She walked in on her husband and their roommate having very passionate sex in the living room. Ino knew before she married Sasuke what type of relationship he had with Neji, but the impact of actually seeing them together took it's toll on the young wife. She withdrew from her husband and his lover and focused on taking care of her son. She noticed Sasuke started paying more attention to her, but it was too little too late. Or so it seemed. Sasuke began doing little things to make up with his bride. He did actually care for her but after she withdrew from him he realized that he didn't show it very well. The Uchiha couldn't take getting the cold shoulder from his wife so he decided to make a heartfelt effort to win back her affections. One morning after Ino gave Zuiichi his first feeding of the day Sasuke approached her with a quite serious expression.
"Ino, it's been a while since your parents spent time with Zuiichi. How would you like to take him over for a visit? It will be good for our son, and besides, I want to spend some time alone with you." Ino looked up at her husband as if trying to figure out if this all was some sort of trick. That's when Sasuke leaned close to whisper in her ear. "I know I haven't been the best husband lately, so I want to do whatever it takes to make things right between us." He gently kissed her cheek as tears welled up in his wife's eyes. Just hearing the sincerity in his voice softened her hardened heart.
"All right. Tou-san and Kaa-san will be thrilled to see Zuiichi and spend the day with him. I'll prepare a diaper bag." Sasuke didn't hesitate to offer help. The Uchiha proudly carried his son through the Konoha streets as his wife looked upon the sight with a smile on her face. The eight month old the spitting image of his father. The couple waved to Ten-Ten who had her son Ken in a baby carrier strapped to her chest. she was sweeping the main walk of her husband's dojo as the sounds of his students training hard wafted through the air. Soon the Uchiha's arrived at the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Ino's mother, Yamanaka Tsuno, was manning the counter when they entered the shop.
"Ino, Sasuke! It's so good to see you! And there's my beautiful grandson," Tsuno cooed as she took the baby into her arms.
"Kaa-chan, how would you and Tou-chan like to spend the day with Zuiichi?" Ino inquired as her mother played with the baby.
"Oh, I would love to! And I'm sure Inoichi would enjoy that too. He's constantly boasting to Choza and Shikaku about his beloved grandson," Tsuno replied with a smile. Inoichi eventually came home and was delighted to spend the day with his precious grandson. As the couple walked back to the Uchiha compound Sasuke slipped his pinkie into Ino's hand. He never made a habit of public displays of affection so his wife took notice of the small gesture.
"Does it get lonely for you when it's just you and the baby, Ino-chan?"
"I wouldn't say lonely, but it is nice to be able to talk to an adult during the day. If they are available I try to stop by the Uzumaki's for play dates. Otherwise, it's just me and Zuiichi's cute baby cheeks," Ino responded with a small smile.
"You know, I can hire you a nanny if you like," Sasuke offered.
"Sasuke-kun, that's not necessary. I'm happy to be home with the baby, but it is nice to get a break once in a while. Besides, that's what grandparents are for, right?" Ino chuckled. Her husband nodded and smiled in agreement. Once they got home the Uchiha fixed lunch for them. After they ate he took his wife to a spot by the fireplace to give her a massage. Hearing her sighs and groans of happiness told Sasuke that she needed that massage very badly. After he felt the tension leave her body the couple slipped underneath the comforters laying on top of the futon by the fireplace. The couple quietly slipped out of their clothing underneath the comforters and pushed their clothes to the foot of the futon with their feet. The sounds of their kissing could be heard along with the crackling of the fire as Sasuke slipped his hand between his wife's legs. It never ceased to amaze him how she always seemed wet and ready for him when they were together like this.
Ino quietly spoke her husband's name as he slipped one, then two fingers into her. He wiggled and scissored his fingers against her moist walls. Ino took hold of his hand then began to pump her hips as she felt Sasuke's warm breath against her cheek. The warmth of the fire and the couple's loving affection for each other caused the romantic scene to take on a life of its own. A tender ambience settled around the husband and wife as they caressed and kissed each other. Sasuke's touch seemed to beg Ino's forgiveness while Ino's returned affection expressed her pardon. The couple laid side by side as Sasuke steadied his wife's hips with a hand as he slipped into her waiting heat. The couple gazed lovingly into each other's eyes as they took their time enjoying each other's body. Sasuke paused for a moment while still nestled inside of his wife. He could feel her silky walls contract and relax around him as he ran his hands over her breasts which were swollen with breast milk. He gently squeezed causing some of the fluid to leak out of the ducts and onto his hand. He licked the milk off of his hand then leaned over to gently suckle at Ino's distended teat. After a few minutes he suckled on the other as Ino gently kissed the top of his head. The Uchihas spent the afternoon strengthening their marriage bond. The strength of their bond would affect the strength of the Uchiha clans future and the couple's now renewed intimacy secured their once precarious future. Ino had now become more that the mother of his child in the young shinobi's heart. She was now truly the matriarch of the once mighty Uchiha clan. The combination of their talents and their love for one another would provide much needed stability in the lives of their descendants and be a testament to the citizens of Konoha.
The husband and wife cuddled next to the fireplace as they discussed their bright future together. Ino was so glad to know without a doubt that her husband truly did love and appreciate her role in that future. The couple looked up when they sensed a strong chakra signature enter the room. Neji had just returned from supervising a C-rank mission with his genin team to prepare progress reports on each of the youngsters. He liked to relax in the warmth of the fireplace as he filled out the forms on his portable desk. Sasuke and Ino smiled up at the Hyuga as he gazed upon the tranquil scene before him and returned the smile.
"Well, it's nice to see you two getting along so well once again. I suppose I'll have to make use of the office instead..."
"It's all right, Neji-kun. You're not disturbing us. We're just relaxing by the fire after all," Sasuke explained. Neji pondered the situation for a moment then with a shrug of his shoulders sat on the sofa and set up his portable desk. None of them mentioned the seemingly surreal circumstance of the amorous Uchihas laying at Neji's feet casually discussing his genin team. Ino was laying against her husband while his arm was draped over one of her shoulders. One of her breasts was exposed and Sasuke was casually flicking the nipple with one of his fingers. Sasuke looked over at his wife when she made a hissing noise and clenched her teeth. He had pulled a little too hard on her nipple, which was sensitive from breast feeding. Sasuke quickly apologized before suckling gently in an attempt to soothe her.
"Sasuke-kun, what does that taste like?" Both Sasuke and Ino were caught a little off guard by Neji's inquiry, but Sasuke figured they were all adults and friends so he saw no problem discussing it. He glanced at Ino who didn't seem to be bothered by the question at all.
"It actually tastes pretty bland and...warm. It's not bad, but I wouldn't recommend it for eating with cereal or anything," Sasuke responded in all seriousness before circling Ino's pink nub with the tip of his tongue.
"Hmmm...interesting," Neji muttered as he continued to work on his paperwork. The Uchiha's regarded the studious Hyuga for a moment before Ino spoke up.
"You know, Neji, you can have a taste if you want. I don't mind." Ino smiled sweetly under his lavender gaze. She noticed how his eyes sparkled with curiosity despite his stern expression. Neji finally signed his paperwork with a dramatic flourish before slipping the papers into a manila envelope. He slightly cocked his head as he watched Sasuke suckle on Ino's other breast. Out of nervous habit he tapped a finger on his little desk as he took in the casual scene.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to taste," Neji mumbled as he knelt next to Ino. None of them knew what his simple act of curiosity would lead to.
Next Chapter: A new bond is forged among the Dove, the Raven, and the Boar. Fasten your seatbelts for another interesting lemon.
