Heart of Ice

Chapter 3: Noroi

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Pairing: Sasu/Saku

Sakura was in the middle of another pair when the door burst open. "Sakura! Are you okay?" Naruto asked. "I heard screaming coming from inside your house, and I ran over here."

"D-does it…look…like it?" Sakura panted, feeling another pain coming.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked, starting to panic. Shit! He hasn't come back yet!

"Gone." She replied, trying to focus on the conversation.

"Are you in labor?" Naruto asked, in full panic now.

"No! I'm…just…gasping…and panting…for breath! Yes!" she said as she screamed again.

"I'll be right back." Naruto said, and he left. He brought back Hinata and Temari.

"Okay. Let's get this baby born! Naruto, go outside and wait with our son." She handed their son to him, and he quickly left. "Sakura needs to get changed so she can be comfortable as she gives birth to this baby!"

Hinata and Temari made preparations for Sakura to have a safe delivery- as free of pain and discomfort as possible.

"Sakura, I need you to spread your legs and to start pushing. That's it. Deep breaths, then let it out. Keep on pushing. You're doing great." Temari instructed and encouraged her.

"I…can't…do this!" Sakura yelled, pushing will all her might, but the pain soon became unbearable.

"Yes, you can! We've already done this two times, and look at us! We're alive and strong." Temari said, stroking her hair behind her ear and wiping her brow with a cool cloth.

"Keep pushing! I'd say two or three more because I can see the head! Keep pushing!" Hinata said.

Sakura took a deep breath, then pushed with all her might. She bore down as much as she could, willing the baby to come out. After a couple more pushes, the baby was out. "It's a girl!" Hinata exclaimed. "She looks just like her father, but has her mother's temper already!" Hinata declared as the baby girl wailed, as if demanding food and attention.

"What are you going to name her?" Temari wondered.

Sakura thought for a moment. "I think…Noroi Uchiha."

"That's beautiful!" Temari exclaimed. "Little Noroi."

Sakura was about to reply, but the door suddenly burst open. "Is it a boy?" Sasuke asked.

"No, it's not. It's a beautiful baby girl." Hinata exclaimed.

"What?! No, it can't be a girl!" he exclaimed. He pointed a finger at Sakura. "You did this on purpose! You knew I wanted a son, but you had a girl instead. How could you?!" He stormed out, slamming the door behind him, causing Sakura and little Noroi to cry.

"Shh…it's okay. He'll change someday." Temari said, stroking her head.

"No he won't! Not until he has a son!" Sakura sobbed.

"Just think. It will give you more time together." Hinata said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Hinata!" Sakura exclaimed.

"What? When you have three kids, you kind of get used to being intimate with your husband." Hinata replied.

"At least your husband wantsto be intimate with you." Sakura mumbled. Secretly, that's what I'm afraid of.

Sasuke stormed out of the house, barely controlling his anger.

"Sasuke! Wait!" Naruto shouted after him, out of breath once he reached him.

"No. I need a son. I can't have daughters." He was acting like a cornered animal, about to be devoured by something ferocious.

Naruto turned and looked at him, some of it suddenly dawning on him. "Sasuke, even if you had a son, or sons, it would still be years before they're of an age to help protect the house and the familiy." Sakura. That word went unspoken by both of them.

Sasuke thought of all the pain and hurt Sakura loving him had brought her, and tried his hardest to focus on a better future. "I will protect what is mine."

"Sasuke, don't you think that you should try being there for her? With her? And your baby girl?" Naruto asked, coming up to stand next to Sasuke.

"No. I need a son, and I need to make sure that there's no threat to my own." He looked towards the house with a new determination. "There will be boys. And there will be boys soon."

Naruto watched his friend, fear slowly creeping into his expression. He knew Sasuke was driven, but he was afraid of what it was going to do to his friend, to Sakura, but most of all to their little girl.

As soon as she was able to have sex again, Sasuke came to her bed. "This time, you will have a son." he ordered her.

"Sasuke, I didn't have a girl on purpose! I wanted to have a boy, too, but I love our little girl. Why can't you?" Sakura demanded, trying to not break apart inside. She was afraid that the tender connection that they had developed for the little time he had been home was gone - the only thing she had looked forward to was about to go away. Perhaps even forever. That time seems like a lifetime ago...

"Because I want sons, not daughters." Sasuke removed his shirt, and ordered, "Remove your clothes." When she hesitated, he said, "Or I'll do it by force."

Why is he doing this? What happened to the past couple months when I thought he'd been developing just the slightest bit of emotion and feeling towards me? She removed her dress, then her shorts. He came to her, and told her to lie down. He bent over her, totally naked, his hands braced above her head. She looked up into his eyes, noticing that they had taken on a colder shade. She didn't even flinch as he slid into her, thrusting in and out. She closed her eyes, trying to hold back her pain. She could feel his hands, ice cold, moving over her body and cupping her breasts. His kisses were cold and emotionless, and not very warm. She felt her stomach knot, knowing her climax was coming, but her only response was to groan slightly, making no move to touch him whatsoever. When he had climaxed, he rolled off of her, and got dressed. As he was leaving, he said, "Maybe after this, you'll get pregnant, and this time it will be a boy."

Sakura turned on her side, and curled into a ball, crying into her pillow as sobs wracked her body. She didn't have time to cry for long because Noroi was crying. It was her lunch time. She got up and went to feed her. At least someone needs me for love and nourishment!

Don't look back. Don't stop. You've already ruined any chance of being a decent husband in her eyes. He ran to the training grounds, mentally fighting with himself. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have forced her like that. He finally got to the training area, and instantly went into a routine with his punching bag, throwing hard punches and swift kicks.

"What did you do now?" Naruto asked, suddenly appearing beside him, Shikamaru joining him.

Sasuke ignored them both, not wanting to talk about anything, and afraid that he'd do more than just talk to his two friends.

"Sasuke, we're worried about you...this isn't healthy. For you, Sakura, or your daughter." Shikamaru said, then hesitantly asked, "What did you guys end up naming her?"

"I. Don't. Know." He said between punches and kicks. "And. I. Don't. Care. Either." You know that's a lie. You care. You care too much. What is something happened to them...

"Sasuke, you can lie to yourself, but we both know you care. The face you made when she had help up the baby after you'd asked if it were a boy. You were excited, pleased, and afraid. Then you just got pissed and acted like a royal douche." Naruto said, not even caring if he was being rude or not.

"I think you need to mind your own business, Naruto. You, too, Shikamaru." Sasuke said. "I'm doing what is necessary for my clan." And my family.

Naruto and Shikamaru shared a look. "If you need a friend, or someone to just be there, you know where to find us."

Sasuke didn't say anything, just went on with his training, moving away from the punching bag to an obstacle course. After the two of them left, he stopped training, and just fell to the ground. He wanted to scream, to break something, just anything other than remain calm. What have I done?

"You know this isn't going to go well for them, right?" Shikamaru said as they walked back home.

Naruto sighed. "I know. I don't know what to do about it though." He kept walking, thinking. "There's not much we can do, except be there for him. He's been driven by anger and revenge for so long, I don't think being free of that is easy for him to accept."

Shikamaru contemplated that. "I understand he's driven to protect what is his." He thought to Temari and their baby girl, and the baby that she's carrying who's about to be born. "I guess we will just have to wait and see."

Both men walked on, to their homes and their families, not sure what the future held, distant or near.

Sakura didn't know what to expect the next few nights. He came to her bed each night, but it wasn't a repeat of that first night after Noroi was born. It wasn't like the months of passion that they'd found, but at least it wasn't like that first night. That was such a horrible experience. She spent most of her time with Noroi, who was the very image of her father. The very one that wouldn't even look at her. He had asked Sakura to keep Noroi out of his sight because he didn't want to be reminded of the fact that he had a daughter instead of a son.

Two months after he had come to her since the baby was born, he announced he was leaving on a new mission. He packed a bag, grabbed some things to eat, and left. Didn't even bother to say goodbye.

"Good. He can stay gone for as long as he wants." Sakura said to Noroi. "I wouldn't even care if he never came back." Liar. You know you'd be devastated. Just because he doesn't love you doesn't stop you from loving him! You'd rather be with him regardless of the fact that he doesn't love you than loving him from afar."Oh, Noroi! Why do I love your daddy so much?" Noroi just smiled and chortled in her baby way.

At the end of the week, she had every single house chore she could come up with done, and was about ready to go insane. She decided to make new clothes for Noroi because she was almost three months old, and she was growing so fast. Before I know it, she'll be in kindergarden!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Hope you liked this chapter!

HelplessRomanticDreamer