A/N: Ok so this is the second to last chapter. I finished it in one day. I really got back into the story. I made the biggest mistake when i first thought of this story. I thought of the end before everything else (meaning i needed to pull a bs story to end up where i wanted it to be) Sorry about that. So i had to think of a plot to fit the big finale!!! So this and the next chapter will be my original plot for this story. They will be the chaps. that i actually put my everything into writing. (Especially the last chapter!!!!!)

Sorry for the wait again! Please enjoy this chapter :)

Chapter 8: Acceptance of Reality

Sakura had to try her hardest not to punch someone across the village as she made her way out of the hospital. It seemed that all of rookie nine were fawning over her like she was a child taking her first step; acting like she would fall and hurt herself at any second. Sasuke was to her left, carrying her bag of clothes and toiletries as if it were too heavy for her, while Naruto stumbled to her right trying to hold her elbow "just in case," and asked if she were alright every ten seconds. The rest of her friends walked around the three as a shield of sorts.

Sakura was extremely irritated, to say the least.

She was tired, hungry, hot, fat, and emotional. These people needed to go. Now.

Sakura stopped in the middle of the street, glaring at the ground trying to hold on to her temper a little while longer, "I really appreciate you all being so worried for me, but I'm fine now, thank you. You can all leave now."

"But Sakura-chan, we just want to make sure you get home safely. Something may happen on the way-"

"Naruto," she growled, "I'm pregnant, not three. I can take care of myself."

"I'm not letting you alone again," Sasuke said casually, keeping his voice neutral.

Sakura turned her glare in his direction and immediately noticed that this man was not going to back down. With a defeated growl she turned forward and continued walking, "Fine, but everyone else can go home. Thank you all for all you've done, but you don't have to worry anymore, I'm perfectly fine."

Sasuke walked on to catch up with the pink haired medic while the rest of them stayed back and watched them leave.

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh, "She tells us we don't have to worry anymore, but I cant ignore that heavy brick feeling in the pit of my stomach…"

No one said anything, but there were plenty of nods in agreement.

Sakura opened her front door and smiled. She missed her little abode. Walking in, she immediately fell into her fluffy armchair and sighed. She had been in the hospital for two weeks. And those two weeks seemed like an eternity to Sakura.

Sasuke walked in as she fell into the chair. He set Sakura's bag on the coffee table and placed himself on the couch. She tall man stretched himself out across the sofa and covered his eyes with his arm. He must have been as tired as she was. He hadn't left her side once (willingly). Sakura looked over at him and felt a little guilty. He must have worried. This child was very important to him. Its what he always wanted, and she didn't want to be the reason why he lost something so precious to him.

"I'm glad that's over," he mumbled, his arm still draped over his eyes.

"Yeah…" Sakura whispered. "I'm sorry."

"…You have nothing to be sorry about Sakura. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

"…Right."

It was silent for awhile as they both were caught deep in their own thoughts. After awhile, Sakura thought Sasuke had fallen asleep until his voice broke through the silence.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'll go make some lunch," she said, as she began to heave herself up.

In a flash, Sasuke as before her gently pushing her back down into the fluffy chair, "Don't bother. I'll make something. You rest for a bit."

"But I-"

"Enough," he interrupted her argument and bent down to kiss her forehead, "your tired. Now rest."

With that, he disappeared into the kitchen. Sakura smiled. Sasuke was helpful and caring but not overbearing like Naruto had been. This was just what she needed at the moment, and he knew it. She couldn't ask for anything more at the moment.

Well, a back massage would be nice. Its starting to kill me!

Sakura looked at the sullen Uchiha behind her and giggled. She knew taking him along to buy baby stuff would hold absolutely zero amount of interest for him, but she thought it would be good for him to be active in the preparation for their child… And she needed someone to carry all the bags. She was six months pregnant. Anything ten pounds or heavier were off limits.

So far they had managed to buy a few months worth of diapers and wipes, some bottles, a breast pump (which had totally thrown the stoic Uchiha for a loop), bibs, pacifiers, and a lot of onesies and cute little outfits. There were a lot of other in and odds of things they bought that they needed. Sasuke and Naruto were going to pick up all the heavy stuff that he couldn't carry around the village later, like the crib, swing, stroller, and highchair.

It had been a day full of squealing women fawning over Sakura's stomach and then batting their eyelashes at Sasuke once the medics back was turned. How could woman be so shallow. Flirting with a pregnant woman's partner right behind her back. During their outing, Sasuke concluded that all woman were evil banshees in disguise. And yes, even Sakura, though she was perhaps less cut throat and manipulative as others, she definitely had her evil moments.

Sasuke nodded to himself. One day he would divulge this information to his son as a warning. He would definitely need to know of the true identities of these beautiful, sexy vixens. It was a trap.

"Sasuke-kun, what are you thinking about?" Sakura's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Sasuke looked up to find Sakura looking at him with a lovely smile painted across her features. He couldn't help but smirk in return, "Banshees."

Sakura's smile widened with a laugh, "I was being serious!"

"Hn," he walked up to her and kissed her cheek, "lets go home. I'm sick of all these women. They're annoying."

"Figures," she smiled as she headed towards her apartment. "but it's okay. I found them annoying too. I mean really, to congratulate and kiss up to me, but then once my backs turned, BAM! they flirt with you. Its ridiculous. But I just kept smiling because I saw you give each one of them your death glare."

Sasuke was surprised. He thought Sakura was completely oblivious of the inviting looks and flirty touches he received when she wasn't looking. Sasuke smirked. It seemed he underestimated her. She may be pregnant, but she was still a top notch kunoichi.

Sakura entered the front door and held it open for Sasuke as he had both hands full of bags. He set them down on the kitchen table and stretched his arms out.

Sakura smiled, "Were you really thinking of banshees?"

Sasuke looked at her with a smirk, "Yes."

Sakura stood in front of the mirror with a pout. Her stomach was humongous! Though she didn't expect it to be any different seeing as she was eight months pregnant. She didn't even fit the maternity clothes she bought a few months ago. Sakura was now forced to wear Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi's old stretched out shirts and any type of extremely stretchy pants.

Sakura turned to the side and lifted up her shirt, revealing her belly in all its huge pregnant glory. She turned when she heard a giggle from behind her.

"What the hell do you think's so funny Ino-pig?" she asked the blond kunoichi sitting on her bed.

"I'm laughing at your huge belly!" Ino answered with a smirk.

Sakura turned back towards the full body mirror and scowled, "You know, I'm going to tell my child when he's older that his Aunt Ino laughed at him even before his birth. I'll have him hating you!"

"That kid'll never be able to hate me. I'm just too damn beautiful!"

Sakura had to laugh at that one, "Don't underestimate the power of an Uchiha's hate."

Ino laughed as she stood up and walked over to Sakura, "Can I talk to him?" she asked gently.

Sakura smiled as she sat down on the edge of the bed. Ino leaned on the floor beside Sakura's leg and gently pushed her black shirt up over her stomach. The blond brushed both of her hands over Sakura's bare belly and smiled.

She laid her head gently over the belly button and began speaking to the growing life inside her best friend/rival, "You've gotten bigger since the last time I came to see you."

Sakura's eyes softened as she watched Ino use the softest of voices to talk to her stomach.

"You know I cant wait to see you. Your going to be such a beautiful baby. Such a beautiful person. That is if you have your mothers personality," Ino giggled, looking up at the pink haired kunoichi teasingly. "Your going to be a strong shinobi too. That's a given though. But you have to be careful though. I don't know what your mother would do if you came home with a scratch. Haha, by the time your five she'll already have taught you simple healing jutsu. Just in case, you know?"

Sakura laughed at the absurdity of it, though it sounded like a good idea.

Ino giggled and gave Sakura's stomach little kisses, "Ohh, I'm going to love you so much. I love kids, and since I love your mommy, I'll love you even more than all the rest. Your going to be loved so much. What a lucky baby."

Sakura didn't know what to say as she wiped the tears from her face. Ino always managed to make her cry when she talked to her stomach. Sakura could see the affection rolling off the blond in waves. Ino already cared so much for this child, and it wasn't even hers or born yet! It simply touched something within Sakura. It made her fees so much more secure about her child's life, knowing there would definitely be someonethere to love him unconditionally, even if Sasuke was unable to.

Ino looked up and frowned, "What's with the tears forehead?" she asked gently, getting up to sit next to her friend.

Sakura gave Ino a brilliant smile, "Thank you for loving my child so much Ino. I couldn't as for anything more."

Ino pulled Sakura into a tight hug, "Of course Sakura. This is your kid were talking about. I'll love him as my own."

Sakura tightened her hold on the blond and let a new flood of tears escape, "You promise?"

Ino frowned, "Of course I promise."

"…Thank you."

On her way home, Ino couldn't think of anything else other than the almost desperate relief she heard in Sakura's voice as she thanked her. It bothered Ino for some reason. It was as if Sakura thought her child would need Ino's love more than anything.

Sakura woke up that night to an extreme coughing fit. She sat up I bed and doubled over in pain. Sasuke was up I a second by her side, handing her a towel to catch and wipe up the blood that would soon follow. There was nothing else he coulddo, but sit next to her and perhaps rub her back in comfort as she coughed her lungs up. After almost fifteen minutes of constant coughing and spitting up blood, she managed to control it. Sasuke got up and rushed to the kitchen to bring her a tall glass of water. Sakura downed it in one gulp, enjoying the feel of the cool liquid soothing her raw and bloodied throat.

Without a word, Sakura laid back down and closed her eyes, trying to hide her tears from Sasuke. Said man got up and threw the towel in to the washing machine then returned to bed with his lover. He stared at her back for awhile before pulling her to his chest. Under the blankets, he wrapped his arm around her waist, resting his hand over her engorged belly, soothingly caressing it with his thumb. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and a trace of blood. With his free hand, he shifted the pink tresses that fell over her face and tucked them back behind her ear. He kissed her neck and whispered everything she needed to hear in that moment into her ear. His slow, sweet gestures calmed Sakura's hidden sobs just as he wanted them to.

It was times like these when reality hit them hard in the face. When it brutally reminded them that everything wasn'tperfect, and that nothing was going to be okay. Sasuke and Sakura lived their lives happily as they could with the knowledge of a new life to love, but always in the back of each of their minds, lay the truth. The hard, painful truth. Neither one of them had said anything about it out right, it was simply too painful to actually say the words. It made it too real. When she had her coughing fits they never really talked about it, during or afterwards. Sasuke would attempt to comfort her, but that was the extent of it. Sakura never spoke a word on the situation. Not even a thank you. She simply got over it and but it as far behind her as was possible.

But now, she was having her fits more often than before. Tsunade gave Sakura some extreme cough suppressant medicine that she concocted herself, and the pink haired mother-to-be ate cough drops like a favorite candy. Neither one really made much of a difference. Tsunade even gave Sakura some chakra tags for her stomach for when she was running low on chakra. No one wanted what happened before to happen again. That was careless.

And now, Sakura lay in Sasuke's arms, face tight with dried tears, nose stuffy, and mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. Not even the light caresses on her stomach were as soothing as they once were. Sakura was in a total abyss of helplessness. She no longer heard the sweet words whispered into her ear. She no longer felt and overwhelming joy at the thought of having a child. At the moment, she felt nothing but bitter despair. She was angry that she had such an illness. She was pissed that it decided to rear its ugly head just when things started looking up. And she was furiousthat Sasuke for came in her when she said not to! And that he did so knowing she was fatally ill! He never even gave her a choice in the matter!

He is selfish. And she is selfless. It couldn't have been helped.

Sakura was pulled away from her thoughts as she felt the hand that had previously been on her stomach slide down to her hip and begin to fondle the waistband of her shorts and underwear. Sakura knew what he was doing. He was silently asking her if he could take them off. Sakura reached back to place her hand over his and pushed it down, along with the cloth covering herself.

Keeping her on her side, Sasuke managed riding her pregnant medic of her shorts and underwear. Settling back down behind her, he lifted her left leg up and entered her slowly, savoring every inch that found itself inside her hot core. Sakura let out a breathy moan as she reached back to take hold of the arm that was holding up her leg. Sasuke kissed her neck, shoulder and back, nibbled on her ear and whispered how good she felt and how much he loved making love to her. They were sweet words but not quite the ones she longed to hear.

After while, both covered in a layer of sweat and breath heavy, they came together, moaning each others name simultaneously. This was the first time Sakura could ever remember Sasuke taking her slowly (the entire time). This was the first time they had ever really "made love" to each other. He was sweet, slow and gentle. He caressed with every touch and kissed with only a brush of his lips.

It was as if he were apologizing through his body. Saying sorry with caress.

Sakura smiled. She knew he had too much pride to apologize properly, but she also knew Sasuke to be a man of action rather than words. This was his apology. His extremely sincere apology.

Sakura turned her head and gave him a light kiss and offered a small smile.

She accepted.

A/N: One more chapter left!! And i promise it will be out within this week if i get enough REVIEWS! *hint hint wink wink* ;)

I promise it'll be good :D