Chapter 5:

"What the hell do you mean, there's no reason for me to be outside of Konoha?!" Sakura began firing off, her delicate control of her temper breaking. "If what you said is true, then there's no reason for YOU to be outside of Konoha! You've been gone for months, and I haven't heard a single word from you! Shannaroo!"

Karin watched as Sakura continued to tell the Uchiha man off with her mouth comically hanging open. Never before had she ever seen someone talk to Sasuke the way his wife was. In fact, Karin was certain that if anyone else had dared yell at the man, he would have silenced them with that terrifying sharingan of his. She looked around the room to see if anyone else was as surprised as she was. Kurotsuchi had her mouth hidden behind her hand, trying to suppress the shock and mirth that she dared not let out. Souma looked totally confused and lost, as though he had no idea why Sakura was yelling at this strange man. The two Konoha-nin were watching with mild amusement that seemed as though they had seen this happening before, but still found it funny. As Karin turned back to look at Sasuke, she was flabbergasted.

Never before had she seen Uchiha Sasuke look as terrified and sheepish as she had there. He looked totally shocked and almost helpless. His wife, this little pink haired ninja, had total control over him in that moment. Karin didn't know if she wanted to laugh or not. She decided it would be best not to laugh at Sasuke, because while his wife could obviously berate him, there was no way he would take it from others.

"…and did you think that I was just going to sit around Konoha, pining after you when I have things to do?" Sakura was telling him, her small hand poking at his chest. "Baka! Sometimes you're just as bad as Naruto! But he would've at least acknowledged Hinata with a smile! You didn't even tell me hello or thought that maybe there was a reason why I was here. You just assumed that I was trying to make trouble, didn't you? I've told you before that I'm not a weak woman, and if I have to remind you again then it's only going to make your life more difficult!" Sakura took a deep breath. She was tiring herself out. "Shannaroo! Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Sasuke looked at his wife for a few moments before the fear dimmed down. Sakura's explosion was almost done, and then he could actually talk sensibly with his wife. When pink-haired woman had an episode, it terrified Sasuke to no end. He did not like being at the receiving end of her infamous temper, and preferred it when she yelled at Naruto or Kakashi, and even on occasion, Sai. He would never admit his wife scared him, though. A smirk began to play at his lips at the thought of the payback he would get from his wife after this outburst. That smirk, however, only seemed to set Sakura off again.

"What are you smirking at?" She bit at him. "Do you think something is funny?" She poked him in the chest.

His smirk widened before raising his hand until it was level with her face, and proceeded to poke her in the forehead.

"Very funny," he breathed.

Sakura was very still before tears formed in her eyes and she launched her arms around her husband.

"Baka." She called him. He wrapped his arm around her for once, and allowed her this small token of public affection. He had missed her. Her soft body was warming and enticing, but seemed a little different. Curvier. Rounder. He pulled back from her, but could not see underneath her cloak. Her illuminating face blushed as she watched him study her, as if he knew something was amiss.

"We need to talk later," Sakura told him quietly. "Alone."

Sasuke nodded, knowing there were more pressing matters at hand than his wife's curvy hips, even though the thought of them made his mouth water. He turned to glance around the room, and noticed his former comrade there.

"Karin?" He called to her, eyebrows knitting together. "Why are you here?"

"I've…I've been..." Karin stuttered, not knowing what to say. She couldn't outright tell him that she was protecting Sakura because she was pregnant when Sakura hadn't had the chance to tell Sasuke in private.

"She's been traveling with me!" Sakura said brightly. "We met up with each other near Kusa, and traveled together since she had a mission near Iwa. We've become good friends."

Sasuke's face darkened instantly. He didn't want Sakura to become involved with anyone from his past with Orochimaru. He would talk to her about that in private, though. For now, he just nodded at her before turning to Kurotsuchi.

"Tsuchikage," he acknowledged her.

"Uchiha," she returned. "It seems you've already taken care of our problem. Is this incoherent fellow Goda?"

"Hn," he confirmed. "Yesterday while resting in a mountain cave, I let myself be ambushed and captured so I could be taken to Goda's hideout. Then, after learning where Raido and Aoba were kept, I rescued them. We took out all of his guards, and then captured Goda and the scroll. There are still plenty of men and women left there, so it will still be necessary to deploy teams to clean things up. I'm sure the entire hideout has turned to chaos."

"Alright," Kurotsuchi said. "I will summon my teams and inform them that their mission will now be focused on cleaning the place up." She contemplated for a moment and then called out "Sen!", and the blonde kunoichi from before came in. "Take this man to interrogation immediately." Sen bowed before throwing Goda over her shoulder and leaving the room without a word. "Now, let me see this scroll."

Raido pulled out a small scroll from his pack and respectfully handed it to the Tsuchikage with a slight bow. She smiled at him before placing the scroll before her and releasing the seal that only the Kages knew. As she opened the scroll, she began to study. "This is a lot of information," she said, reading the first few sentences. "I'll need the rest of the week to study it, especially with all of this Goda nonsense going on. Then I will sign that I have indeed read it, and you can go on to Suna." The dark-haired woman paused for a moment, studying the ninja around her. "I will suggest to Kakashi after what has occurred in the Land of Earth that Sasuke accompanies Raido and Aoba on the trip to Suna. There will be many angry cronies of Goda wandering around. It will be good to have backup."

Sasuke simply nodded. He had suspected that he would be forced to accompany the other two ninja. "For now, go and rest. It seems you've been through quite an ordeal. You'll be staying at the same inn as Sakura and Karin. Souma will continue to accompany you. Thank you again, Sasuke." Sasuke just nodded again.

"You are dismissed." At that, the Tsuchikage turned her back to look out the window, deep in thought. The group of ninja departed for the inn, following Souma.

"It's good to see you, Sakura" Raido smiled at her. "I haven't seen you blow your temper like that since Naruto accidently broke Sasuke's hand while sparring." The ninja chuckled at the memory. He had been delivering a missive to Sasuke from Kakashi, and had found him inside the hospital smirking. Sakura was healing him while simultaneously ripping Naruto a new one.

"Ah," Sakura blushed, slightly embarrassed by her behavior. Sasuke just scowled and moved closer to Sakura. The rose-haired girl immediately changed the subject by saying "Aoba, Raido, have you met Karin?" She gestured towards her friend who was walking a few feet to her right. The kunoichi's head snapped up at her name being called. They ninja exchanged light pleasantries.

Sakura remained silent for the remainder of the short walk to the inn. She was beginning to get nervous. Once Sasuke and her were safe in their room, it would be time to tell him about the baby. "How is he going to react?" Sakura thought. "Will he be happy? Or angry?"

Sasuke noticed his wife's unusual silence, and began to grow worried. Once they were behind closed doors, he would discover what was bothering her. Her emotions were more sporadic than usual. From angry yelling to happy tears to quiet silence. Something was wrong, and Uchiha Sasuke was going to get to the bottom of it.

As they entered the inn, Karin immediately turned down a hallway to the right, mumbling something about going to the hot springs. Souma went to the front desk with Aoba and Raido, leaving the Uchiha couple alone. Sasuke silently followed Sakura upstairs and down a lavish looking hallway before she stopped right in front of a door. She fumbled with the knob and opened the door, her shoulders extremely tense. Sasuke followed her in and looked around the room as he took off his shoes and worn-out cloak. A massive bed lay in the middle of the room, decorated with crimson pillows and quilts. There was a small gold and red settee to the right of the bed right in front of a large balcony. There were two night tables on either side of the bed, and a full-size mirror on the left. There was a small door that Sasuke suspected led to the bathroom. In front of the bed was a small table and chairs, just large enough for two people to dine comfortably. It was a large, lavish room, and definitely stated that they were honored guests of Iwa.

He turned to see Sakura standing and staring up at him, still wearing her cloak. Wasn't she warm in that? She averted her eyes once he attempted to meet her gaze, and began chewing on her bottom lip. This was so uncharacteristically Sakura. She looked like she did in her genin days, and not like the strong, beautiful woman she had become.

"Sakura…" Sasuke began. He walked closer to her and pulled her chin up so her eyes met his. "Sakura, what's wrong with you?"

"Ah, nothing anata!" She blushed. "I just…I just…"

"What?" He implored. "What did you have to tell me earlier?"

Sakura swallowed, not sure where to begin. "I…I suppose it's better if I just show you." Sakura backed away from Sasuke and motioned for him to sit on the bed. She turned her back and took a deep breath before removing her cloak. She took in another deep breath and turned to face her husband with a small smile.

At first, Sasuke could only think about how beautiful his wife was. She was glowing in a way he had never seen before. But as his eyes began to travel down her body, he noticed that her breasts were bigger than normal. Her hips were rounder. And her stomach…

Sasuke inhaled sharply. He couldn't believe his eyes. Could his wife be…?

As if confirming her state, Sakura placed one hand over the bump and gently smiled down at it. She was with child.

Sasuke felt his head begin to swim. "How long?" the thought. "How long has she known? When is the baby due? When did this happen? Did she travel to Iwa pregnant?"

"I know that it's a shock," Sakura told him. "But it really shouldn't be. We were never very careful, and if you remember, during July we both had a lot of missions…so when we were home, we were a little more…eager than normal." Sakura blushed at the memory of how her and her husband had behaved. "One of those instances led to this." She pointed at her swollen belly. "I found out about a week after you left. The baby is due around late March or early April. I forgot to ask Tsunade-sama the specific date."

"Sakura…" Sasuke interrupted her. "Why did you leave Konoha?" His face was set with lines of stoic disapproval.

"I left to find you," Sakura replied, with tears forming. "I couldn't let you…I couldn't keep you in the dark. There was no way to contact you, and you could have been gone for much longer. I wasn't going to let this child be born without his or her father, and I wasn't going to let you go without seeing the newest Uchiha." Sakura wiped away her tears, but they kept coming. "I went immediately to Kakashi and told him that I would be leaving to find you. I told him that there was no way he could keep me there when you were out here, not knowing that you were going to be a father. He gave me a copy of your mission information, and I departed. Then, I found Karin near Kusa, and she traveled with me, helping me on my way here. I've been looking for you for so long, Sasuke-kun, and now I've found you and I don't even know if you want this child and I-" Sakura's babbling was interrupted by a pair of soft lips capturing her mouth. Sasuke had moved towards his wife during her explanation, and finding that she was getting herself too worked up, kissed her. It was his preferred method of making Sakura quiet.

His wife responded to the kiss eagerly, and pressed herself hard against him. He deepened the kiss, and got lost in Sakura's warm lips and sweet smelling hair. His one arm wrapped around Sakura's small frame, and her hands went up to his hair. They moved towards the large bed. Clothes flew off, and as their bodies became one, Sasuke and Sakura finally felt whole again. They were reunited, and this time was special. This time, there was more involved than just missing each other.

In the aftermath, Sakura lay cuddled next to him, lazily stroking his chiseled chest. She was glowing even more than before, her green eyes full of content. "I missed you, anata." She told him quietly. He gave her one of his rare smiles and kissed her right on the diamond gracing her forehead.

"I missed you too," he breathed. His hand traveled down to her growing stomach and held the small pooch. "I just want you to know…" He paused, thoughtfully considering what to say.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura smiled demurely at him.

"I want this child," he said quickly, a small blush creeping to his cheeks. He didn't expand any further, and he didn't need to. Sakura understood all the words he could not say. She understood his happiness, his love, and his excitement. Their hearts were connected, and she knew that their bond would only grow with the addition of the child.

They were quiet for a moment before Sasuke spoke "So you're almost five months along?" When Sakura nodded, he continued. "If I have to travel to Suna, you'll be coming with me. You will not leave my side while carrying our child." Sakura gasped. She had fully intended on following her husband whether he liked it or not, but his wanting her to be with him was not expected. She smiled then, knowing that it only meant Sasuke wanted to care for her, and relished in the way he referred the baby as "our child".

"I wouldn't have it any other way," She nuzzled her face against his chest. "I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl?" Sakura wondered aloud. She hadn't given it too much thought, save for the visions of Sasuke holding a black-haired baby boy with bright green eyes.

"Hn," was all Sasuke replied. He secretly thought of a small girl, with hair as pink as Sakura's.

"And you know, we have no clothes, blankets, or diapers for the child. We have a lot of shopping to do. Naruto and Hinata began preparing as soon as she became pregnant, though that was probably partially due to Naruto's…enthusiasm." Sakura chuckled at the thought of her blonde best friend's excitement at having a family.

"Speaking of Naruto…" Sasuke interjected, his mood dimming. He recalled the way Sakura had told him that the Uzumaki brat wouldn't have treated his wife the same way as Sasuke. "Don't ever compare me to the Dobe again." The Uchiha man growled.

"Ah, I'm sorry Sasuke-kun," Sakura blushed. "It was my temper blowing. It is true that Naruto would have smiled at Hinata and shown her plenty of affection…but you did give me a very different kind of reunion that I prefer." Whether she was referring to the forehead poke or the lovemaking they just shared, Sasuke didn't know. Either way, a smirk crept onto his face, that disappeared almost immediately.

"How soon did you tell the dobe after you found out? You already told Kakashi." A pang of jealousy hit Sasuke in the chest. The old perv had found out he was going to be a father before Sasuke did.

"Hm? Oh, Naruto doesn't know yet. I gave Kakashi strict orders that no one would know. In fact, other than Tsunade, Kakashi, and Karin, no one but you knows. Not even Ino-pig. Kakashi only knew so I could get paid leave. If I had left with no notice, you know it wouldn't have gone over well." Sakura explained.

Sasuke thought this over, and snickered to himself at how upset the dobe would be once Naruto found out he would be the equivalent of an Uncle. He then remembered Sakura's new friendship with another Uzumaki.

"Sakura, why are you really traveling with Karin?" He asked, turning to glare at her. "She's in leagues with Orochimaru. I don't want you interacting with people from my dark past."

"Well, that's not really up to you," Sakura told him fiercly, surprising him. "Karin is more than just one of Orochimaru's lackeys. She's my friend. She has taken care of me, and been my companion while I was traveling searching for you. If it weren't for her, I would have lost my mind."

"But she's-" Sasuke was cut off immediately by Sakura.

"No buts! Karin and I have a bond of female friendship that you cannot touch." Sakura chastised. "We are not just two women who are forced to act cordial. We have developed a real sense of friendship. I trust her, and I like to be around her. She reminds me of Ino and Naruto." Sakura smiled softly at this. "I know that she used to have feelings for you, but she has never once mentioned them to me. Instead of trying to hurt me or show jealousy, she has only been kind and caring. In fact, I would say that our friendship means more to her than she would say."

Sasuke looked at his wife for a few moments. The Karin he knew from Taka was abrasive, calculating, and hot-headed. She would have killed anyone for the opportunity to touch Sasuke, including his wife. It seemed, however, that Karin had grown in the last few years. And the woman she had grown into was obviously one his wife enjoyed being around. While he didn't fully trust her around his wife, Sasuke decided that he would see how Karin interacted with Sakura, and not press this issue any further.

"Fine," Sasuke said to his wife. She giggled at his resignation, and kissed his jaw.

"Sasuke-kun?" She whispered in a voice that made him ready to seduce her all over again.

"Hn?" He asked, fully preparing for another round of pleasure.

"I'm very, very hungry." The kunoichi said, blushing at him. As if right on cue, her stomach grumbled.

Sasuke paused for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle. It was like music to Sakura's ears, and she beamed at him.

"What would you like?" He asked her, rubbing her stomach.

"Well, I'd like an extra-large salad with extra tomato and ginger dressing, a side of umeboshi and ginger rice, some green tea with lemon, and two orders of anmitsu for dessert."

Sasuke threw his head back and laughed a genuine laugh, which was a rarity. It caused Sakura's smile to widen, before she felt a small kick at her stomach. Sasuke stopped laughing immediately and stared at Sakura's stomach.

"I guess he or she likes the sound of your laugh," Sakura breathed. "It just kicked."

"Has that happened before?" Sasuke breathed.

"No, not yet." Sakura felt small happy tears forming at her eyes. Sasuke grabbed her face and pulled her in for kiss. He then wiped her eyes and got off the bed.

"Get dressed." He told her, another one of his rare smiles on his face. "I'll order some food." And then he began to get dressed himself.

Karin didn't know how to feel. As she undressed in the women's changing room, she felt her agitation growing. Seeing Sasuke again was nerve-wracking. He was still as handsome as ever, and his chakra made her feel better than it ever had. Seeing him with Sakura was an interesting experience that left her emotions confused. After the hug in the Tsuchikage's office, there had been no more open displays of affection. Instead, there were subtle actions that made Karin realize exactly how much the Uchiha couple was connected. It was as though they revolved around each other. If Sasuke took a step, Sakura did too. When walking outside, Sasuke silently hovered behind Sakura, protecting her from unknown forces, almost daring them to come near his wife. They shared looks that Karin did not understand, and she knew it was pointless to try to. After reaching the inn, Karin knew that Sakura needed the opportunity to talk to Sasuke about their child, so she had opted to go to the hot springs rather than get dinner with Sakura. She needed to relax, anyways.

It was all so confusing. Karin had a bond with Sakura that was different than anything she had ever had. It was a bond of true friendship between women, and Karin realized that it was more special that she had thought before. It didn't make her love Sasuke any less. Instead, it made her love Sakura as well, which made the situation even more confusing. Karin shared a bond with Sasuke as well, but it was very different. They had been on Taka together. They were teammates, and for a very long time, Karin had wanted it to be more. After meeting Sakura, however, that want had faded some. She still harbored feelings towards Sasuke, but they were different. Seeing him happy with Sakura had filled Karin with a bittersweet sense of contentment. See Sasuke at peace was all she had ever really wanted, besides maybe the chance to show him her physical side.

As Karin stepped into the hot spring pool, she continued to consider the relationships she had in her life, beyond Sasuke and Sakura. Orochimaru was her boss. They shared a bond of mutual respect, and of power. Juugo was a comrade. He cared about the wellbeing of the people around him, including her. Suigetsu was an annoyance, and Karin had contemplated severely injuring him on multiple occasions. He was still part of Taka, however, and she knew they would always be there for each other in times of danger. Her mother, though a distant memory now, had loved her beyond anything. They had a bond between mother and child that could not be touched by anyone else. Naruto was her relative, and despite never speaking to him more than a few times, even they had a blood bond.

"It's like no matter who I think of, we have a bond," Karin thought to herself. "But none of them are exactly the same. There is no same type of bond. They're all…different." Karin sighed and again thought of Orochimaru. "Once Sakura leaves with Sasuke, it will be time for us to part ways. I still have a package to take to the hideout." Pain shot through Karin at the thought of parting with Sakura. "I'll be alone again. I wonder if our bond will falter in our time apart."

Karin took a deep breath, and pushed the hurtful thoughts away. Instead, she chose to focus on her experiments, and how she hoped to try new things in the lab near Iwa. Maybe she would try to create a perfume that kept nightmares at bay, or one that could cause extra stamina.

Karin waded deeper into the hot spring and allowed herself to relax, overcome by the warm steam and her own contemplative heart.