Disclaimer: Naruto not mine. How many times must I have to tell you that?

A/N: Hello again to you, minna-san! Here I am, presenting to you another chapter of this story. Anyway, we are finishing this semester by the end of March! Hehe.

Chapter 19: Career Day Gone To Hell

1:00 PM

Sasuke closed the door behind him. 'Damn it, of all the careers Kurenai-sensei had to pick out, why should it be this one?' Adjusting his thickly framed glasses, he read the paper, which contained the instructions for his five-page essay.

His career for the week would be the Sanitation Maintenance Officer.

To put it in easier terms, he was the cleaning guy.

The janitor.

"Shoot. Am I truly destined to be in the janitorial department? If 'nisan, or probably otousan finds out about this, they're going to laugh their asses off," he muttered in between harsh breaths. And then he glanced at his wife's career…

He stared. Hard.

For Sakura, her assigned career would be…

Chief Executive Officer.

"For shame! She's has the highest position while I'm…I'm…" he clenched his fist which shook violently. "I'm cleaning toilets!"

"Heh! Ain't that a responsible job for a dork! It suits ya!"

Sasuke flinched from his position. In the blink of an eye, five burly men surrounded him. Like flies to a rotten piece of meat. "No way," he said to himself. Why do they have to appear at a time like this?

The leader of the pack stepped forward. Sasuke didn't even blink when the brawny guy grabbed him by the collar. "What do you want now, Chouji?" he asked dryly.

"I'm impressed. So you're fighting now, huh?" Chouji raised him up so that Sasuke's two feet were suspended a few inches off the ground. He pulled him close so that their noses were almost touching. Sasuke forced himself not to gag when he accidentally inhaled the stinking gyoza Chouji had for lunch.

"Looks like poor little nerdy boy's forgetting something important. Do you know what today is?" Chouji hissed, the aroma of his lunch whoozing past Sasuke's nostrils. Instead of being terrified, the raven-haired Uchiha only sighed.

'What day is it again? Oh, drat. It's Tuesday. That means…'

"Tuesday…B-Bullyday…?" he offered weakly.

Chouji's look was priceless. He laughed. The sounds of his laughter were so loud that it echoed all over the place. His minions followed suit. Sasuke wished that he should've kept his mouth shut. "Damn right you are! You really are smart, that's why everyone calls you a nerd!" he mocked. Still holding Sasuke by the collar, he glanced at his goons. "So what shall we do to our little pet today?" he asked them.

"Dunk his head into the toilet!"

"Use him as a flag for our flagpole!"

"Use his head to wipe the gooey mess off the Science laboratory!"

"Give him a wedgie!"

Sasuke gulped. He was supposed to go back to his wife and explain to her the instructions that Kurenai-sensei gave for their project. Even though he was capable of beating these good-for-nothing pipsqueaks…he couldn't afford to have his cover being blown.

Chouji gave a huge grin as he dangled his prey high up in the air. "I know just the thing to do to you."

"Crap. I'm done for," was the last thing Sasuke thought before he was taken to his place of execution.

4:00 PM

The Suke Household

BAM! BAM!

The sound of someone banging the door broke Sakura's concentration of playing with her baby. "I wonder who that can be?" she asked herself as she answered the door. She flung it open to reveal her husband, who was somewhat in a disheveled state.

"Oh my, Suke-san!" she exclaimed. The bespectacled young man struggled to get himself up so he could avoid collapsing on the floor. Sakura grabbed hold on to his arm as they staggered towards the living room. When he was finally seated down, she went to the door and closed it.

Sighing, Sakura walked back to the room then sat next to him. "What happened, Suke-san? You looked like you were thrown inside a garbage can or something," she commented. The raven-haired young man huffed as he ran his hands through his filth-soaked hair.

"I went to Kurenai-sensei's office to pick out a career for the two of us. As soon as I got out, Chouji and his gang were already waiting outside. And well…to make the story short, I got bullied and then like you said, thrown inside the dumpster," he explained. Sakura stood up, anger flashing in her emerald orbs.

"That's so cruel! Why would they do that to you? Didn't they know that they're violating human rights? I'm going to have a talk with them!" she exclaimed. Sasuke blinked as if she suddenly developed two heads.

"Eh? You can't do that! You're only a girl; they're going to bully you too. And besides," he slumped, his back hitting the seat with a loud thump. "Hyuuga-san will get devastated if he finds out that his girlfriend is being attacked by a bunch of hoodlums."

Sakura didn't say a word. As if on cue, the baby wailed. Sasuke stood up from his seat then turned to her. "Go ahead and calm the baby. I'll just get myself cleaned up." Before she could open her mouth to speak, he already left the room.

The pink-haired girl picked up the infant simulator from its crib then cuddled it. "There, there little one. Mommy's here so don't cry." After rubbing the baby's back gingerly, it elicited a happy response. Satisfied, strode towards the nursery and put the baby inside the crib. Propping pillows on each side of the baby, she heard a ZZZZZZ, indicating that it was finally asleep.

She tiptoed quietly outside the room then closed the door.

…………

Two Hours Later…

Sasuke stood in front of the sink. Washing the fishes for dinner was quite a chore. Scaling them and removing the innards were the worst. But that didn't matter. His brother taught him anyway. He learned to be domesticated when he left their home and afterwards, taught his little brother how to be independent.

"Heh. 'Nisan, if he wasn't born male, he might've been a perfect mother instead," he mused as he finished washing them.

(At the Uchiha residence, Itachi sneezed. "Achoo!")

After preparing the ingredients for cooking, he started chopping the vegetables. He heard a chuckling sound and took a quick look behind his back. He found Sakura staring at him. She was smiling while clutching the baby and Sasuke unexpectedly had a feeling that she was going to do something bad.

"Suke-san, you're so amazing! Let me help you," she hastily put the baby into his arms then grabbed the knife he was using. Sasuke held the baby in a pincer grasp, as if the little critter was going to lash out at him at any moment. Instead, the baby gave a tiny giggle. 'Well…at least he's happy,' he mused.

"Itai!"

He looked at Sakura who accidentally nicked her finger. He put the baby into the high chair then went to his wife. "Let me see." He snatched her hand and stared at the injured finger. He examined the wound, only to find that it was nothing more than a little red slit. "It's nothing serious. We'll just clean it and put bandage over it and it's done. Wait here."

He left the kitchen to get the hydrogen peroxide, betadine and bandage. He picked up Sakura's hand and carefully cleansed the wound then wrapped a bandage around her finger. "There. All done," he said. The girl examined the bandaging, a grin making its way across her face.

"Arigatou, Suke-san."

"Whatever. Now let's go and finish cooking dinner. I'm already starving."

"Okay!"

…………

Dinnertime…

Sakura took a bite of the steamed fish that she and Sasuke made together. "Mm. Nummy." She took a sip of the miso soup. Yum. Delicious. It was a good thing that he asked her to be his assistant in the kitchen so that she'll be able to learn more about cooking.

And he proved to be quite more of a chef.

As they worked, she succeeded in making him talk and even got to learn more about him. He was raised by a member of his immediate family and was taught on how to live independently. Afterwards, he applied for a scholarship in Konohagakure and remained there since.

On the other hand, Sasuke also learned something about her as well. She was currently renting an apartment with her stepmother not far from where he lived. At school, she earned a very high reputation for being Hyuuga Neji's girlfriend, thus making her the popular girl in school. How they ended up together, no one knows except Neji and her.

"And then we broke up. Or should I say, cooled-off," Sakura concluded, sighing. As a distraction, she looked at her husband who was also eating with the baby perched next to him. He was exceptionally silent but when at times she needed his help, he was there. It was kind of strange but he somewhat reminded her of…

"Sakura-san."

"Hm?"

"You have drool coming out of you mouth."

"W-What?" she blurted out. She hurriedly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Then she heard a chuckle. She turned to see her husband hiding his grin for some reason. It was then that she realized that he was making fun of her.

"Oh…"

"Gomene, Sakura-san. I didn't plan on making fun of you." Sasuke then began to feed the baby with a specialized milk formula. It was also strange that the baby had some kind of a close attachment to Suke. Sakura finished her food then smiled. For a great cook, he sure could be an excellent mother someday.

…………

9:00 PM

After dinner and washing the dishes, the two spent their time together at the living room as a family. Sasuke pored over the book he brought from home while Sakura played with the baby. The infant simulator let out a fit of giggles as his mother nuzzled his nose.

"You're so cute! I can't believe that this cutie is actually an electronic simulator," she commented as she ruffled the baby's hair.

Sasuke only muttered an "Aa," to indicate that he was listening. The pink-haired girl sighed as she rubbed the simulator's back absentmindedly. There was still a lot more to learn about her newfound friend and she knew that a week would not be able to cover it up. She gave a small smile. "Looks like I have no choice but to start the conversation myself."

With the baby in her arms, she sat on the couch opposite her husband. She rocked the baby to distract herself then casually asked, "Um…so, Suke-san, how's it going?"

"How's it going what?" he returned the question nonchalantly. He didn't even look away from his book.

Sakura focused her attention in inspecting their baby's fingernails. "Um…I…you know, like how's your day or something…you see," she finally had the nerve to look at him. He was still busy reading his book that it was beginning to annoy her. "Suke-san!" When he still wasn't listening, she laid the baby on the space next to her. Without word, she grabbed the book from him.

"My book! Give it back!" he tried to pry the book from her hands but she hid it behind her back. Sasuke leaned towards her, stretching his hands to reach the book. "Please, give my book back!" he pleaded.

"Nuh-ah! Bleh!" She stuck her tongue at him. The boy tried to reach out but to no avail. When he leaned even further, he lost his balance. Afterwards, he unceremoniously fell, bringing the girl with him. Both hit the sofa with a soft thump. It was a good thing the baby didn't wake up or they'd never hear the end of his crying sprees.

"Ow…" Sakura rubbed the back of her head. She hit the sofa headfirst and that had hurt! She heard a groaning sound and looked up to find her husband lying on top of her!

"Eek!" she shrieked and immediately flung an arm out, hitting Sasuke on the face.

"Itai!! You didn't have the hit me that hard! I think you broke my nose," he snarled, clutching his nose. His glasses were about to fall so he fixed it with his free hand. Sakura bit her lower lip playfully. "I'm so sorry Suke-san. I didn't mean to punch you on the nose…"

He sat up, still rubbing his nose. "It's okay…" he answered simply.

She retrieved his book from behind her back then gave it to him as a peace offering. Sasuke grabbed the book, muttering a quiet "Thanks". With that settled, the two slouched on the sofa quietly since they had nothing else to do. Only the sounds of the simulator's ZZZZZZs can be heard from the living room. Sakura tucked her knees under her chin and sighed.

The raven-haired boy coughed, disrupting the tranquility. "So…uh, how about you? How's your day?"

She looked at him, a fleeting smile on her lips. It was the first time he brought the conversation up first. Staring down at her toes, she answered. "I'm all right. Taking care of the baby was quite a chore. For an electronic toy, he sure knows how to drive you wild. It's as if it were really alive, you know."

"I see." Sasuke stared at the unmoving toy next to her. In his opinion, the project was nothing more but a complete waste of time. He never really cared if the numbers of early pregnancies in Konoha were high. He never really planned to have a family in the nearby future either. He released a sharp intake of breath. Families were nothing more but hindrances. He even thought of his own parents as obstacles.

It was kind of strange that he didn't treat his brother the same way as his parents. Maybe it's because he saved him from the darkness when his father imprisoned him in the early years of his life. His eyes slowly turned to black pools of nothingness by the thought of his father.

"Suke-san?"

His thoughts dissipated upon hearing someone calling him. He cocked his head to one side. His wife wanted his attention. "What is it?" he asked wryly. If she was planning on making fun of him again, he'd definitely introduce her to his dark side. No one ever survived after seeing a glimpse of his dark side.

Well…maybe, except Naruto and Tenten.

Oh yeah, and his brother Itachi.

Sakura tucked a few stray tresses of hair behind her ear. "I…I've been planning on asking you this before…but I'm afraid that you'll get mad at me."

He raised a brow. "About what, Sakura-san?"

"About…" she twiddled her thumbs distractingly. Taking a deep breath, she stared at him. "Why are you being bullied by Chouji-kun and his gang?"

When he didn't answer, she continued. "I can't help but ask why they would always pick on you. It's too much and…I don't want to see any people getting harmed for things that they're not aware of."

Sasuke eyed her idly. "Sakura-san, you really don't understand the reality of things don't you? In this school, there are only two kinds of people: the strong ones and the weak ones. The strong bully the weak. The weak cower from the strong. Simple as that."

Running a hand through his hair, he stared at the ceiling. 'Hm…if I remember correctly, the reason why those bullies are after me is because I accidentally sat on Chouji's jersey and squashed his potato chips…' he recalled.

"Really? You have a point," she nodded. "But," she reached out to touch his arm. "You're fed up, right? You don't want to be treated like vermin by those brutes. I mean, everyone, even you has a limit in their own patience right?"

"Uh yeah…but…"

"Great!" To his horror, the girl clasped his hands together then flailed it up and down. "Don't worry about a thing, Suke-san! I'll help you stop those bullies from hurting you!" She even winked. "Let me handle the rest!"

Now Sasuke knew the girl was completely nuts. "Why are you doing this? You don't know what those guys are capable of. They might hurt you, and they wouldn't even care less that you're a girl!"

She didn't seem to be unfazed by his pleas. "Suke-san…to tell you the truth, those guys…" The clock suddenly struck midnight. Sakura gently carried the baby who was making snoring sounds then bowed quickly. "Uhm…I'll see you tomorrow. Good night!"

Before Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, she already fled the room. Alone, he slumped back against the sofa. "Man, what was that all about? What in the hell was she thinking, planning to stop those guys?" He removed his glasses then massaged the bridge of his nose with his free hand. Now he was getting suspicious of Sakura's behavior.

Is she connected to Chouji and his group of thugs?

A/N: So how's the chapter? I humbly apologize to our dear readers for the lack of humor in this chapter. Apparently my beta-reader and I are still suffering from our stupid requirements and if we don't finish on time, we're doomed! So, anyways, ehem…here's my beta-reader who is too eager to continue tormenting yours truly.

B/N: Hey, I have no connection whatsoever on how this chapter ended. It was totally his idea! And yeah, we are currently suffering the effects of "cramming" for our requirements. We only have less than a week to finish it. Darn, those stupid teachers! I hope you like this chapter. Please R and R! Thanks. Here's an excerpt from our next chapter:

………

"Neh, Suke-san. Our baby doesn't have a name. Won't it best if we think of a name together?"

Sasuke sighed. He wasn't interested in taking care of babies, let alone think of a stupid name. But…since this was a project and he was "officially" the father of the 'baby'…there was nothing else he could do.

………