Chapter 6:
Two and a half weeks went by in Iwagakure before the Tsuchikage had the opportunity to finish reading the scroll. With all the Goda business, as well as a New Year festival going on, she had been very busy. The New Year had come and gone, and Sakura was over halfway through her pregnancy. Kurotsuchi had signed the scroll, and after some discussion with the Hokage, they had determined that Sasuke and Sakura would accompany Raido and Aoba to Sunagakure.
On the day of their departure, Karin woke up with a heavy heart. She would be parting from the rest of the group, her personal mission of delivering Sakura to Sasuke fulfilled. After showering, dressing, and fixing her hair, Karin packed her few belongings into her pack, alongside the small package she meant to deliver to Orochimaru's hideout. With one last inspection of her room, Karin turned and walked out the door. She passed by the room where the Uchiha couple was staying, and smiled a small smile when she heard Sakura ordering Sasuke around from within with a loud "Shannaroo!". She made her way down to the lobby where Raido and Aoba were waiting for the other konoha-nin.
"Good morning, Karin," Raido smiled at her.
"Hm, good morning!" Karin replied, attempting to appear cheerful. They weren't waiting for long before Sakura and Sasuke appeared. Sasuke looked as handsome as ever, his chiseled jaw set into a state of apathy. Sakura's beautiful face was more cheerful than Karin had ever seen it. Her morning sickness had subsided heavily in the last two weeks, letting Sakura enjoy mornings again. After exchanging good mornings, the group left the inn, and walked down the morning streets of Iwagakure. The only stop the group made was for a quick breakfast, and in no time they were at the gates of Iwa. It was there that Karin turned towards Sakura, who already had tears forming.
"This is where I have to part ways," she said, a bitter smile on her face. "I'll be heading west instead of South." Sakura threw herself at Karin, instantly stunning the Uzumaki. She couldn't remember the last time someone hugged her.
"There's a lot I want to say," Sakura began, choking into Karin's shoulder. "But…I guess the best thing to say would be thank you. Thank you for traveling with me, being my friend, and for everything you've done for me." Karin looked over Sakura's shoulder to see Sasuke watching the interaction, his eyebrows knit together in thought. Sakura then pulled away from Karin and placed her hands on either of the redhead's shoulders. "Can I write to you?"
Karin shook her head sadly. "There's no telling where I'll be at any given time," she explained sadly. "I don't even know how long I'll be at this hideout. It could be five months, or it could be five days." That was partly true. The other half that Karin didn't want to tell her is that Orochimaru would have her head if she divulged the locations of his hideouts.
Sakura nodded at this, knowing it had been a longshot. "It's okay," the kunoichi said before smiling brightly. "No matter how far apart we are, we'll still be connected. I hope I get to see you again soon!"
Karin smiled at that. They were connected. After another hug, Sakura finally let go of Karin. Sasuke suddenly appeared right behind his wife, protectively standing over her.
After a moment's deliberation, the Uchiha looked at Karin and muttered a simple "Thank you". Karin was stunned once again, this time because Sasuke was actually thanking her. He was thanking her for being friends with his wife, and thanking her for watching over Sakura.
Karin surprised herself with what came out of her mouth after this. "If you lose her or let her get hurt, I will personally find you and take care of you myself," She warned, her fiery temper showing. "She is carrying a child within her, and you need to protect her with everything you have."
Sasuke looked stunned, as Karin had never talked to him like that, and if it hadn't been for Sakura erupting into giggles, he probably would have given her a scathing comeback. Instead, he simply nodded. Karin took a step back and looked at the group. Sasuke had put his one arm around Sakura's small shoulders, and Aoba and Raido were watching the scene with small smiles. With a nod and a "See you" towards Sakura, Karin turned around and departed.
Sakura watched her until she was lost in the trees, and a few stray tears escaped her eyes before she wiped them away. Sasuke watched his wife carefully, not wanting to upset her any further, even though they had to get moving. The couple exchanged a look, and with a nod, began walking South towards Suna. It would take them five days to get there, and possibly longer with Sakura's state. With a jump up towards the small, rocky forest that faced them, the group began making their way through the trees, a resounding silence surrounding them.
Karin reached Orochimaru's hideout by 7 p.m. She was greeted by Juugo upon entering, and she was more than grateful that Suigetsu wasn't there.
"Ah, Karin." He said as she walked into the lab. "How was your trip?"
"Long," was all Karin said. She handed him the small parcel from Orochimaru. "I'll be in my room. Do not let anyone disturb me."
She felt Juugo's eyes on her back as she left the lab, but she didn't care. The redhead made a beeline for her room down the hall, and immediately lay on her bed. She was emotionally and mentally exhausted. Her body felt fine, but being left alone had allowed Karin to overthink. She had thought about the meaning of friendship, how she had changed in the last few months, and what her feelings for Sasuke really were. She thought of the small child she probably wouldn't get to see, and she thought of how infrequently she would get to meet with her new friend.
As she lay in her bed, Karin sighed heavily and allowed a few tears to escape. She missed having a friend close by already. It was going to be alright, though, because Karin felt secure that the bond between her and Sakura was not temporary. They would always be connected. With that comforting thought, Karin fell into a deep sleep that relieved her from her own mind.
Karin awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and brighter than she had before. With the parting from Sakura behind her, she was ready to delve into her work again. She fixed her hair and put on her clothes before leaving to eat and then make her way to the lab.
As she finished her breakfast, however, her plans for the day were changed. She felt Suigetsu's chakra before he came in, and she let out a small groan, pushing her plate of food away. The man came in with a smirk on his face. "Good morning, Karin," he crooned. "You look as awful as ever."
"What do you want, bastard?" She hissed at him, her fists clenched.
"Touchy as ever, I see." Suigetsu's smirk widened. "Can't two teammates enjoy breakfast together?"
"I seem to have lost my appetite," Karin bit back. "Now what do you really want?"
"You could be polite you know," the white-haired man sighed. "One of Orochimaru's snakes arrived this morning. He has ordered us to travel to the Land of Fire hideout. It seems he has new samples for your experiments."
"You mean I have to travel for a week with you?" Karin seethed.
"Hey, I'm not exactly thrilled about the prospect either," Suigetsu bit back. "We're supposed to be there for a few months, though."
Karin sighed, thinking about the prospect of being stuck with this man for months.
"Fine," Karin said. "We leave in an hour. Be ready." At that, Karin got up and left the room, heading to pack her bag before the week-long trip. Her temper was already flaring, and she knew this week would be a rough one.
Karin took a deep breath in order to think clearly. She thought of Sakura, and how unlikely their friendship had been. "Maybe I should use this week as an opportunity to work on our bond," She thought. "After all, I see Suigetsu and Juugo more than anyone."
With resolve to try and establish a better relationship with her teammate, Karin packed her bag and went to say goodbye to Juugo. While she was sure that they would still fight, Karin hoped to create stronger bonds with the people around her. If she didn't have bonds, then what was the point of living?
It took 6 days for the Konoha shinobi to reach Suna. Even though Sakura had argued that she could travel fine, Sasuke didn't want to take any risks, and had cut their days short. When they finally walked into the Kazekage's office, Sakura took in the room around her. Save for the addition of some new cactus plants, the room hadn't changed one bit since the last time she had been there. Several round windows graced the sand-colored walls, and Gaara's simple desk stood in the middle of the room. The room reflected the Kazekage: subtle and stoic, but welcoming. Standing and watering a cactus by one of the windows was Gaara, the red-haired Kazekage with the red symbol of love on his forehead.
"Gaara," Sakura greeted him, making him turn around. The Konoha shinobi bowed in front of him.
"Ah, welcome," Gaara's quite voice said with a gentle smile. He looked at each of the shinobi, who looked exhausted, but none more than Sakura. Upon seeing her swollen stomach and slumped shoulders, his smile turned to a frown. "Sakura, please sit."
The pink-haired kunoichi was about to protest until she was the concerned look of everyone around her, and resignedly agreed. "Thank you," she said as she lowered her body into the chair in front of Gaara's desk.
Gaara smiled again. "I believe congratulations are in order." Sakura smiled at him and Sasuke nodded. "I wish your child health and a happy life. I'm sure he or she will be great friends with my nephew." Gaara then turned to the men standing. "I understand you have something for me."
"Hai." Aoba said, pulling the scroll from his pouch. "This is from the Hokage. It contains sensitive information that Sasuke has come across in his travels. Every other Kage has seen and signed the scroll." Aoba walked to Gaara and put the scroll in his hand. The Kazekage sat at his desk and released the special seal in order to peruse the scroll.
"Hm. It seems there is a great deal of information here. Please give me a few days to read over it. In the meantime, you are welcome guests of Sunagakure. Feel free to explore Suna. Sakura, you are more than welcome to visit the children's hospital." Her pretty face perked up at that. She had poured her heart and soul into the children's clinic of Konoha and Suna. She had recently begun overseeing an expansion of the one in Konoha, and was looking forward to trying the same with Suna's. For now, though, she wanted nothing more than a warm bath.
"Ryouko!" Gaara called out. A brunette kunoichi with blue lines down her face walked in and kneeled before her master. "Please show them to the Kazegake's guest rooms." She nodded, and motioned for the others to follow her.
"I will see you soon," Gaara said with a small wave before immediately turning to the scroll at his desk.
Ryouko showed them to Gaara's large residence and gave them each a key to their different rooms. Upon entering theirs, the Uchiha couple was met with a beautiful view of Suna. Their large, round window took up half of the wall, letting them see everything. Decorated with blue furnishings, their room was very simple, yet tasteful. Sakura plopped herself on the large bed in the middle of the room, relishing in its softness. It felt like the one in their bedroom at home.
"Ah, Sasuke, I miss our bed," she wined to him. "And our bath."
"Hn," was Sasuke's only reply as he took off his shoes.
"Speaking of baths, I'm going to get in one right now. I feel filthy." Sakura made her way to the bathroom, undressing and settling herself into a bath of warm water and bubbles that smelled like orchids. Sasuke was pulling out and organizing his supplies from his bag when he heard his wife shriek. Instantly on high alert, he ran into the bathroom, worried that his wife was hurt. Instead, he was met with the pregnant woman staring at the tub with a frozen face.
"What happened?" Sasuke almost yelled. "I thought you were hurt!"
"Ne, Sasuke, I just realized…" Sakura spoke, hanging her head dejectedly. "I just realized that Ino must have had her baby by now. She was due in December, and I totally forgot. Shannaroo." Sasuke cooled his frustration at that, seeing how upset this realization made his wife. "So now I've missed Ino and Hinata's births. I was supposed to be the one to deliver their children. I barely got to deliver Shikadai. I found out I was pregnant and left two days after. I don't know if they had boys or girls, what they've named them, or even how their families are doing. And they don't even know I'm pregnant!" Sakura stopped as a few tears fell out of her eyes.
"We'll be home soon, Sakura." Sasuke told her. "And then you can tell them about everything, and you can meet their children. Just because you didn't deliver the children doesn't mean you won't have a bond with them. Ino and Hinata don't love you any less because you couldn't deliver their children."
Sakura sniffed and wiped the tears away. "I know," she sighed, lowering herself farther into the tub. "It just sucks. But, I suppose we'll be home soon anyways! In the meantime, I can distract myself with the children's clinic. I want to expand on the clinic in the same ways Konoha has, though I'm sure I'll be met with some trouble." She babbled on and began washing her hair. Sasuke watched her, enthralled by her beauty. He loved the rose color of her hair, and it was fascinating to look at while wet. "…I'm sure drafting the plans, starting construction, and training doctors shouldn't take more than a month."
Sasuke was pulled from his admiration and snorted. "A month?" What was he supposed to do in Suna for a month? And didn't they need to get home, considering Sakura was almost six months pregnant? They still didn't even know the due date for the baby. Sasuke was about to say all this, but after seeing how animated and excited his wife was, he stopped himself.
"Mhm! In the meantime, you can do some research with Gaara. The Kazekage's library is quite large, and I'm sure you can study more of the patterns you found in your travels, and probably discover something in a book that Konoha may not have. Raido and Aoba should be fine traveling between Suna and Konoha on their own after Gaara signs the scroll."
"Alright," Sasuke said, kissing her on the forehead. "One month. Then we're going home."
"Of course, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura smiled. "We should pick up a blanket and some clothes for us and the baby while we're here. Suna has some of the softest cotton I've ever felt." Sakura continued chattering on, looking forward to the month she intended to stay in Suna with her husband.
What they were not prepared for, however, was just how quickly that month would turn into two and a half. It was March 29th before they left Sunagakure. Sakura had just celebrated her birthday the day before, and Sakura's due date was drawing far too close for Sasuke's comfort. During her time working with the hospital at Sunagakure, Saskura had heavily expanded the children's clinic, training new doctors, interacting with children, and overseeing the construction of multiple play areas. Sasuke had been hard at work conducting research with Gaara, discovering new things that he would relay to Kakashi and Shikamaru as soon as he returned home. During their stay, Sakura had regularly seen a doctor to ensure her pregnancy was going successfully. The doctor told her that she was due on April 15th. After doing the math, Sakura had discovered and told a rather red-faced Sasuke that the baby had been conceived on his birthday.
With a final visit to Gaara, the very pregnant Sakura was restless to get home. She had plenty of baby preparations to make. Other than the incredibly soft blanket and a set of both boy and girl clothes, Sakura and Sasuke had nothing for their child. They needed to set up a nursery in one of the spare rooms. Sakura was fully intent on making Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto set up the room exactly as she dictated in order for her beautiful child to be comfortable. With plans in her head, the pink-haired kunoichi was ready to make them happen.
Sasuke was restless to get home for different reasons. Sakura, being very, very far along in her pregnancy, could go into labor at any moment. She only had two weeks left until the due date, and Sasuke wanted her within the protection of Konoha, far away from anyone who could harm her.
The couple departed Suna early that morning, making sure to deliver plenty of thank yous to the Kazekage. Aoba and Raido had left two months before them, leaving the Uchiha couple to travel alone. They made it to the Land of Fire by sunset the next day, much more quickly than usual. Sasuke had insisted on using carrying her through the Land of Rivers after stating that she might be having a contraction, much to Sakura's chagrin. Somehow, Sasuke had been able to carry Sakura with one arm as though she weighed little more than a loaf of bread. It was only after Sakura's demand that she be allowed to walk through the Land of Fire that Sasuke relented. It was roughly 10 o'clock on the second day that Sakura hummed to herself while sipping on green tea, contemplating how much longer it would take the couple to reach Konoha.
"We're about a day and a half's journey away from Konoha, ne Sasuke?" she chirped to him, her green eyes wide with anticipation.
"Hn," he acknowledged, appreciating how lovely his wife looked in the glow of the campfire. Suddenly, his wife grabbed her stomach and cringed in pain for the fourth time that hour. He flew to her, grabbing her hand. She squeezed so hard it broke his thumb.
"Ah, Sasuke, I think I've been having a contractions." After the pain had passed and she began healing his thumb. "It's alright, though. As long as my water hasn't broke, the contractions have been so sporadic that they must have been preparatory. This is normal."
"You're letting me carry you tomorrow," He grumbled at her. Sakura giggled at him and began to get up. As she stood, she felt a small pop before sensing that water was trickling down her leg. She froze immediately, understanding exactly what was going on.
"Sakura?" Sasuke asked sharply, standing beside her. "What's wrong?"
"Ah," Sakura said, her face still frozen. "I'm believe I'm going into labor, anata."