A/N: A wild fic appears! This idea came to me after a conversation I had with my friend. I just decided to take the idea and run with it.

I don't own Naruto.

I - Positively Unexpected

Life is often full of the unexpected. For shinobi of any allegiance, something unexpected is, more often than not, bad news. However, on some occasions, the unexpected led to good news; sometimes even great news.

For someone like Tayuya, who was more than accustomed to negativity, the most unexpected things were the positives. An unexpected threat or a sudden change of plans was the norm. That all came with the territory of being a shinobi, especially one that was loyal to Orochimaru.

However, surviving what should have been mortal wounds, finding a home that she could stay in without having to look over her shoulder, and meeting someone who genuinely cared for her were the unexpected of the unexpected. It was like a dream, and not one that Tayuya would want to wake up from. Fortunately for her, truth really was stranger than fiction.

Despite not outwardly showing it, the normally tough and abrasive Tayuya was especially sensitive when it came to her past. Her brush with death changed her perspective on things, particularly how she wanted to live her life from then on out. While she was recovering and in the custody of Konoha, she had more than enough time to reconsider everything.

When she got down to it, she realized that the life she had led up until that point wasn't one that she was necessarily happy with. She'd even surprised herself when she reached that conclusion; she figured the pain meds she was taking were messing with her head. The more she thought about it, however, the more she realized she would rather live a life that didn't involve serving someone who would do away with her without a second thought.

Tayuya wasn't sure when she began entertaining the prospect of living in and pledging her allegiance to the village that she was once against, but she knew it was during her recovery and subsequent probation. She blamed the pain meds, at first, and for a while she kept that idea under lock and key. However, as time went on, the idea of not only living in Konoha, but working for the village seemed more and more appealing.

Her abilities in combat, intelligence gathering, and her inside knowledge of Orochimaru's plans were invaluable. She was desirable enough to be brought on board as a shinobi of Otogakure; surely she would be a good candidate for Konoha, as well. Fate seemed to be on her side, since she caught the attention of one Anko Miatarashi. The shared common ground of serving the accursed serpent was the catalyst for their bonding and eventual companionship. As it turned out, Anko was the one who ultimately convinced her to stay in Konoha.

Having the tokubetsu jōnin as her sponsor made sure that Tayuya's instatement as an official Konoha shinobi was expedited. Fortunately for the pink haired girl, Anko made sure to take her under her wing, and eventually became her sensei and mentor. She taught Tayuya all that she knew, and was there for her when she needed someone. Tayuya wasn't usually sentimental, but she'd be lying if she denied that Anko was precious to her.

If anyone were to tell Tayuya before she'd met Anko that she would not only be living in and loyal to Konohagakure, but that she would be married to one of its most notoriously knuckleheaded and heroic shinobi, she would have looked at them as if they'd grown a second head, cursed at them, and stormed off. Depending on the person, a beating might have also been in order. Each punch and kick would likely have been punctuated with profanity, as well. Truth be told, she likely would have had a similar reaction to being told she'd be married to the aforementioned heroic shinobi even after she'd been living and working for the village.

Yet, it came to pass that Tayuya met Konohagakure's Number One Unpredictable, Noisy Ninja. By any other standards, they met under rather strange circumstances. However, considering the lives they'd both led, how they met the first time was less notable than their second encounter.

Tayuya's relationship with Naruto wasn't strained, per se, but it was more professional than anything, at least at first. They worked together now and again, since she was trained as a tracker. She aided in locating Gaara, and even provided information on Orochimaru's whereabouts, at one point. She even ended up feeding valuable intel to Konoha regarding Kabuto Yakushi and his less than savory activities.

The last person Naruto expected to see at Ichiraku Ramen after his three year training trip with the Pervy Sage was the belligerent young woman with dark pink hair. There was enough profanity from both parties to drive away more than a couple of customers, much to the chagrin of Teuchi. As fate would have it, Tayuya's favorite place to eat just so happened to be Ichiraku Ramen, and she and Naruto saw each other more often than they would have initially expected.

At first, Naruto wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He even made it a point to keep her at arm's length, despite their cooperation in the past. Tayuya was more than willing to do the same. However, as time passed, he realized that she wasn't as harsh and unpleasant as she would have him believe. Despite the less than ideal first impressions, they came to an understanding, albeit a bit of an uneasy one, given Tayuya's past.

The bandana-clad kunoichi was reluctant to open up to him about much of anything, at first. In fact, unless they talked about recent missions or intelligence, there wasn't much conversation to be had at all. Still, Naruto was about as stubborn as they came, and her reluctance to talk to him somehow spurred him into wanting to talk to her, despite his initial intention to keep his distance.

Even Tayuya wasn't fully immune to his radiance, and eventually told him how much she regretted leading the life she had up to that point. The blond never thought he would see that side of her; he didn't think she had the capacity to care like that in the first place, but he supposed that everyone was full of surprises. Once he got past all the swearing and the bristly exterior, Tayuya was surprisingly easy to talk to.

One thing he came to appreciate was her candor and reluctance to sugarcoat things. If something was on her mind, she said it. If Naruto said something uncouth, she either snickered or cursed at him in admonishment. The seeds of friendship were planted, and neither were particularly opposed to it.

Smoothing things over with Sasuke after everything was an awkward affair, one that Naruto mediated. Fortunately for everyone, Sasuke was gracious enough to forgive her. He knew all too well what it felt like to be under someone else's thumb, directly or otherwise.

From then on, Naruto and Tayuya grew closer. They met at Ichiraku as often as their schedules permitted. Tayuya would never admit it aloud, but she enjoyed Naruto's company as much as if not more than the food. She was even more reluctant to admit that she went to Ichiraku in the hopes of being able to see him, too.

Their relationship was unexpected for both of them, especially in how it progressed. However, it was unexpected in the best way possible.

"I'm home," Naruto drawled as he stumbled through his front door. He almost lost his balance as he pulled his sandals off.

"Well it's about time!" Tayuya shouted from the kitchen.

Naruto heaved a sigh as he made his way further in. "I know, I know, but I got kinda tied up with—"

"You know I don't do this housewife shit often. Look, I even took the time to make dinner, and what do you go and do? Come home late! Meanwhile I'm stuck here waiting with my thumb up my ass. The fuck's that all about, huh?"

As Naruto turned the corner, he was met with the sight of said wife angrily fixing him a plate of tonkatsu, rice, and curry. As he approached her, she all but shoved the plate towards him, her face set in her usual displeased expression, complete with furrowed brow. With a tired and lopsided smile, he took the meal and thanked her for it, earning him a huff in response.

"Sorry I came home late. Kakashi-sensei had me helping out with some stuff," Naruto said as he took a seat at the table.

"What the hell could that perverted geezer be having you do that takes that long, anyways? What, did he have you reviewing every single mission report line by fucking line?" Tayuya complained.

"Well, no, he was just—"

"I'm willing to bet money that if he pulled that kind of shit with Anko-sensei, she would beat his ass senseless. Or she'd at least scold him and make him sleep on the couch."

"Hey, I don't think she'd be that harsh—"

By now, Tayuya had fixed herself a plate and took her seat across from her husband. "It's not like there's a ton of shit happening right now, in the first place. Everything should be settling down, so it doesn't make a lotta sense as to why he would need your help with something this fucking late—"

"Tayuya," Naruto interrupted, laying his hand on hers.

"What?" she half-snapped.

"It was just some Hokage stuff. He was showing me the ropes, that's all," he gently reassured.

Their eyes met, and despite her initial vexation, she relaxed a smidge with a sigh. "I kinda figured. Still doesn't mean I gotta like you coming home late. Feels like that old man is stealing you away from me, sometimes."

Naruto took a bite of food, relishing the flavor. Tayuya was never the best cook, but she made sure to learn how to cook some of her husband's favorites, including katsu curry. She hadn't quite gotten scratch-made ramen yet, but it was a work in progress.

"Hey, you know I always rush home to see you," Naruto pointed out through a bite of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, dummy," Tayuya admonished.

The blond nodded, finishing his bite of food before daring to open his mouth again. "Sorry. But like I was saying, you know I try to get outta there as fast as I can." He rubbed the back of his neck. "The workload has kinda gotten bigger quicker than I thought it would."

Strangely enough, Tayuya had yet to even touch her food. "And the fuck's up with that? They trying to run you into an early grave or some shit?"

"Nah. Sensei knows that even I have my limits," Naruto reassured. "It's just…"

His wife watched him expectantly as he waved his hand about, trying to pluck the right words from the air.

The blond let out a defeated sigh. "I mean, c'mon. It's no secret that being Hokage is my dream, right?"

"You've been talking about it since before we even started dating," Tayuya deadpanned.

That drew a chuckle from the whisker-marked shinobi. She teased, but he knew that she was beyond supportive of his dream to become the village's leader. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I'm thinking that Kakashi-sensei might be getting ready to officially name me his successor."

Tayuya rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Literally anyone could see that coming from miles away, Naruto."

"You're just saying that because you're my wife and you've been able to see stuff other people haven't," Naruto retorted.

"No, really. Even fucking Sasuke and Hinata mentioned it last time I went to go see them," the pink haired Uzumaki deadpanned.

Her husband hummed as he took a sip of tea. "They don't count, either. You know Sasuke is my best friend, and Hinata has her ear to the ground when it comes to this kinda stuff, too. Also, when did you go see them last?"

"Does it matter? Am I not allowed to go and visit them by my fuckin' self?" Tayuya fired back.

"You know that's not what I'm trying to say," Naruto drawled. "I just didn't think you'd be up to going by yourself. I mean, we've always gone together to go see them."

"Yeah well, dollface has been talking to me more and more since we got married. And she's been inviting me to have tea and shit. Felt kinda weird at first, but she's nice, I guess. She makes an effort to make me feel welcome, or whatever."

Naruto smiled warmly at her. He met her chocolate gaze just as she went to take a bite of food, which earned him a cocked eyebrow. Despite the look she was giving him, he maintained his usual sunny disposition.

"The hell are you staring at?" Tayuya questioned.

Her husband simply shrugged, still wearing that ridiculous smile on his face. "Something beautiful."

Despite her best efforts, Tayuya couldn't help her cheeks turning the same shade of pink as her hair. "Stuff it, you big softie."

Naruto immediately broke into his signature foxy grin. "I just think it's good that you and Hinata are getting along. She's good people, ya know." He waggled his eyebrows, which drew an eye roll from his wife.

"Yeah, yeah. Now lemme eat. Had to wait on your late ass," his wife grumbled.

Naruto chuckled, nodding and getting back to his own dinner. Tayuya finally took a spoonful of food and dug in. Just as she put the spoon in her mouth, however, she froze.

The blond took notice, eyeing her with concern. She shook her head, not wanting any more attention than she already got from her doting husband. However, she had to put on a much better poker face than Tsunade to hide the fact that her own cooking tasted off, and not in a way that she could ignore easily.

"You okay there, Tayuya?" Naruto asked, not taking his eyes off of his wife.

"I'm fine. Food must've gotten a little cold while we were talking," she refuted.

Not entirely convinced, Naruto stuck his bottom lip out. "You sure? Because it looks like you're really having to force yourself to eat."

"I'm fine, Naruto," she reaffirmed, though she didn't quite believe it herself.

The blond kept his eyes on her, doubt written all over his face. Despite that, he sighed, shrugged, and relented. She was just as if not more stubborn than he was, and he knew that she would tell him if something was wrong eventually.

After only a few bites, Tayuya pushed her plate away from her, taking a big gulp of water to clean her mouth of the off flavor of the curry. She watched as Naruto finished his plate, offering his gratitude for the meal. He glanced between her eyes and her plate, his brow furrowing.

"Alright, spill. You normally clean your plate. You barely touched your food," he pointed out.

"What are you, my mother?" Tayuya muttered.

"No, but I am your husband, and I want to take care of my wife. Are you positive you're okay?"

Tayuya averted her eyes, staring at her plate of half-finished food. A silence settled between the Uzumaki couple. Fortunately for them both, Naruto was just as stubborn as his wife, and after he kept his sapphire blues glued to her for a moment, she took the leap of faith.

"I…might have woken up feeling kinda nauseous," she quietly admitted.

Before Naruto could say anything, Tayuya excused herself from the table. He watched after her, his mouth still open. Normally, he would have followed her, but something told him he ought to just stay put.

Not one to sit too still for too long, Naruto decided to clean up. Rather than throw away what Tayuya couldn't eat, he decided to save it. He was loath to waste food unless it was spoiled. He had, however, accidentally drunk spoiled milk a few times throughout his life.

After finishing with the dishes, he plopped himself onto the couch. As he waited for his wife, he wondered what was causing her nausea and her food to taste off. He could have sworn he'd heard something regarding symptoms similar to what Tayuya was experiencing, but he wasn't sure.

All of a sudden, he heard the longest, loudest "Fuck!" he'd ever heard from his beautiful wife. He slowly turned his head to the hallway, wondering if he should venture to find where Tayuya had stashed herself away. Usually, he could get away with barging into their bedroom or knocking on the bathroom door and getting her to come out and talk things over. If it was the former, he could scoop her up in his arms and carry her while she swore. If it was the latter, he would wait until she dragged herself to the couch and cursed under her breath.

This time, however, Naruto had a feeling in his gut that he shouldn't even try knocking on the door. His gut, he'd found, was hardly wrong, especially when it came to matters concerning his wife. So, rather than try to find her, he stayed put, trying to put his mind at ease.

He didn't have to wait long before Tayuya trudged into the living room and plopped herself on the couch. Naruto glanced at her, trying to appraise her mood based on her facial expression. Finding nothing, he instead decided to break the ice.

"Everything okay?" he ventured.

Without a word, she held up a white stick. Her husband blinked as he stared at it, trying to figure out what he was looking at. As soon as he saw them, he zeroed in on the two stark red lines.

Naruto's heart leapt up into his throat. He stared at his wife, who didn't dare meet his sapphire gaze. He took a deep breath.

"That's…"

Tayuya's lower lip quivered as she blinked back tears. Rather than say anything, she leaned forward, letting her head rest on her husband's chest. It took Naruto a moment to register what was happening, but once he did, he pulled Tayuya close.

She didn't sob, she didn't shout, and she didn't leave his embrace. "Fuck, I'm really gonna be a mom, aren't I?" she mumbled.

Naruto kissed the crown of her dark pink locks. "You're gonna be a great mom, y'know," he quietly reassured.

Tayuya reluctantly pulled away from her husband, setting the pregnancy test on the coffee table as she faced him and finally met his eyes. "How do you know? I never even…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I never even had a mom. You know that." She swiped at her eyes, wiping away any tears that dared escape anywhere besides Naruto's shirt.

"Neither did I, remember?" the blond gently pointed out.

Realization struck Tayuya, and she suddenly felt a wave of guilt crash over her. "Fuck, you're right, I'm sorry, I just—"

She was cut off by a chaste kiss on her lips. Naruto cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his touch, resting her hand on his. She stared into his eyes, which only held the same unconditional love that he always gave her.

"I know because you're worried about being a good mom. And I know you'll be a good mom. I mean, you're great with kids! You did really well any time you had to teach."

Tayuya couldn't help but sigh. "Teaching's a little different than raising a kid, don't you think?"

Naruto shrugged, reluctantly releasing her cheek. "Maybe. But, I do know this: you have a lot of love in that big heart of yours, Tayuya."

The mother to be's cheeks flushed the same shade of pink as her hair as she let out a half-exasperated groan. "Why the fuck do you have to be such a fucking sap," she muttered.

That drew a chuckle from the blond. "Because you're my wife and I love you." He planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. After Tayuya grumbled some more, Naruto scooched back a little before placing his palm against her stomach. "I know I'm not really showing it, but you have no idea how frickin' happy I am. I'm gonna be a dad, you're gonna be a mom. We're gonna be parents, Tayuya."

The pink haired Uzumaki felt her eyes grow misty again, and she blinked a few times before any tears could escape. "I'm…I'm happy, too. But I gotta be honest, I'm kinda…"

"Worried? Scared? Nervous?" Naruto prompted.

"All of the fucking above."

"I'm scared and nervous, too, y'know."

"Since when do you get scared and nervous about anything?" Tayuya cocked an almost accusatory brow.

That drew a chuckle from the father to be. "You kidding? I get scared and nervous pretty easily, believe it or not. I was scared and nervous when I first asked you out. I was scared and nervous when I proposed and when we got married. I was scared and nervous when Kakashi-sensei told me he'd probably pass the hat to me. And I'm scared and nervous about being a good dad and a good Hokage."

Tayuya gave him a gentle chop to the head. "Dummy. Everyone knows you're gonna be a kickass Hokage. Knowing the old man, he asked Grandma what she thought, and she probably told him that you'd be the best pick." She cupped his cheek, caressing it with her thumb.

Naruto smiled warmly. "You know she's gonna wanna take care of you personally, right? Her and Sakura will want to be the ones to do all of your check ups and stuff. Hell, I'm willing to bet that they're gonna wanna be the ones to deliver the baby."

"Knowing Pinkie and Grandma, you're probably right," Tayuya agreed. She glanced at him again, a determined look in her eyes. "And I know you'll be a kickass dad, too. Don't think I haven't seen how you are with the academy students."

"Didn't you say that teaching is different from raising a kid of your own?" Naruto countered.

"Hey, I'm the one giving the fuckin' pep talk, here. You sit there and listen, got it?"

The blond couldn't stop the hearty laugh that escaped him. "Alright, alright. I'm just saying."

"And I'm telling you." She kissed his cheek. "You'll be the best dad in this entire fucking village." Tayuya pulled back, jabbing her finger into his sternum as her chocolate eyes met his sapphire blues. "But you better not come home late. You keep that shit up, and you can bet your ass that there won't be any of this housewife shit. No dinner waiting for you, and sure as hell no bento boxes for when you go to work or whatever the hell. And you better believe you'll be sleeping on the fucking couch."

Naruto raised his hands a little. "Hey, you know I can't always help when I need to stay late for something. It'll probably be that way if—"

"When you become Hokage, you mean," Tayuya interrupted. "And who gives a fuck? You'll be in charge, just hire people to do some of the grunt work."

A small, warm smile crossed the jinchūriki's face. "Alright, you have a point. After all, I will have a wife and child to get home to." He punctuated his statement with a gentle kiss to Tayuya's lips.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she returned the embrace, letting her head rest against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Tayuya let her eyes flutter closed, if only for a moment. She knew he was right about everything. It was infuriating, at times, but his sunny disposition was one of the things she absolutely loved about him.

"Do you want to tell anyone yet?" Naruto asked, his voice rumbling in his chest and against Tayuya's ear.

"Not yet," she answered.

"That's alright. Who do you want to tell?"

Tayuya hummed. "I dunno. Knowing you, you'll wanna shout that shit from the rooftops." She glanced up at him, a sharp look in her eyes. "You do that and I will beat your ass senseless, so help me…"

With a mischievous smirk, Naruto kissed her forehead gently. "Don't you worry. I'll only tell my friends. I gotta tell Sasuke, Hinata, Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura first, though."

Tayuya stuck her bottom lip out, drawing another chuckle from her husband as she harrumphed. "Fine."

"Should I carry you to bed?"

"I'm not that pregnant, you fucking sap."

Naruto's raucous laughter filled the apartment. With that, Naruto got up and took his wife by the hand. She followed suit, rolling her eyes as she let him lead her to their room.

"You know, maybe you ought to work on not swearing as much, what with the baby coming, and all," Naruto remarked.

"Oh come the fuck on," Tayuya groaned.

"Maybe a swear jar would be a good idea," the blond thought aloud.

Tayuya tightened her grip on his hand, letting her nails dig into his skin just a bit as she growled in protest. Another laugh from Naruto punctuated the short conversation. She knew he teased, but she couldn't help but feel like he was at least half serious with his proposal.

They fell asleep in each other's arms, the shared joy of becoming parents easing whatever worries that would have kept them up. Perhaps the unexpected would have more good than bad, from here on out.

A/N: Fluff! A rarepair! Fluff featuring a rarepair! This was such a fun chapter to write. Finding Tayuya's voice was an adventure, and I really hope I did her justice in this. I love the potential dynamic between her and Naruto. Thanks so much for reading!