Chapter 12

It's impossible.

Yeah, right. What are you? A self-reproducing sea creature? An amoeba perhaps?

But with one time? How high is the probability on that?

It can happen. And here it is!

It's not sure yet!

Denial much?

I'm safe those days! I knew it!

Yeah, that's why you're so confident not taking any pills. So what do you get now?

She groans as she lies down on that bed. She's in one of those private rooms in the Hokage tower. She was having a debate with her inner self. Of course it's possible!

Sakura put an arm over her head and closed her eyes. She was shaking and bit her lip, trying to control the trembling as she remembered the conversation with her Shishou just awhile ago.

Sakura was stunned with the Hokage's question. Many things and emotion came into her, slamming the weight of that one particular question into her.

"W-What?" She must've have heard her Shishou wrong, so she asked again.

"I'm asking you if you're pregnant," Tsunade, now looking directly into her eyes.

Again, Sakura was stunned and she felt like she couldn't feel anything. She's getting numb and cold sweat run into her whole body. It took her a while to fake a laugh towards her Shishou. She's not pregnant! There's just no way!

"I-Impossible Shishou! H-how can…" she gulped. Her mouth is getting dry. "…h-how can I get pregnant?"

"You tell me. I know one, when I saw one. I haven't been in this field for four decades for nothing. You may not have noticed anything yourself, and I may not have the Byakugan's but nothing escaped with my eyes," Tsunade's gaze was so intense on her she dared not to look back. She lowered her eyes and went to the sweaty palms rested on her lap. She remembered many things all at once. Hotaru village, that one fateful night, that intimate encounter with Sasuke. And now, a baby?

'I'm pregnant? With Sasuke's child?'

A baby…

She was shaking. She could see her fingers trembling. So she curled them into a fist.

She did make love to Sasuke. Wait, is there love on that night? On her side, there is, but what about Sasuke? Or was it just 'she did have sex with Sasuke'. She was not stupid not to know that there's a probability that she'll get pregnant. They didn't use any protection at all.

"Then, you must have seen wrong Shishou," Sakura lowered her head more. To hide her guilt. She wished that the floor would open and swallowed her on that moment, "There's no way I'm pregnant. I mean…how can…how can...—"

"Let's do a check up on you then,"

Her eyes snap towards her Shishou. She couldn't read the Hokage's emotion. But her honey-colored eyes could tell a million things on her.

The hokage was telling her the truth.

Sakura's lower lip trembled with the confirmation even if they haven't done a check-up. She believed her Shishou. She believed her expertise. Realization dawned on her. She's having a baby.

Sasuke and her child.

She felt an intense emotion. Happy. Excitement.

Then scared…

Of the consequence of that one night with Sasuke. It'll be like a domino.

Lies and betrayal. Responsibilities. And many other things she didn't want to start thinking.

And Naruto…what will Naruto do? Kakashi-sensei will surely understand, but she's worried with Naruto.

"S-Shishou…I…I don't…" Sakura, wide-eyed tried to find the words to explain everything. But where should she start?

"Go to the examination room in the west wing. I'll meet you there in 20 minutes,"

"Tsunade-sama-!"

Tsunade slammed her palms on the desk.

"We'll talk about this later. Go. Now."

Sakura abruptly stopped what she was about to say. She was about to cry. She wanted to say something. She wanted to tell her everything, but it seemed that words are hard to find.

The setting sun cast an eerie orange-red glow inside the room. It was like the horizon was on fire. Intense and fiery. It took a full thirty second for Sakura to calm herself and lowered her head towards the Hokage.

"H-hai…Tsunade-sama," she said softly. The pink haired girl stood up and walked slowly towards the door.

Sakura bit her lip again and groaned inwardly. What mess was she in this time? She's having a baby and even without the checkup, she knew she's pregnant. She just tried to deny that fact a while ago but now it's screaming at her. She's having Sasuke's child.

Her left hand moved slowly towards her stomach. It's still flat but running her hands smoothly on her belly told her of that little bump she could feel underneath her hands. She gripped the fabric covering her stomach and tried to laugh. It went as a bitter and pity chuckle.

A tear escaped from her eyes. It's unexpected. She's carrying an Uchiha in her belly. It could mean a lot of things. One of them is that, the Uchiha lineage and restoration has begun. That is, without the knowledge of the man himself. What will Sasuke do if he knew he was going to be a Daddy? He'll probably be so mad about it.

He didn't plan to do it with her, the 'restoration' of the Uchiha that is. She assumed, to be able to become the mother who'll bear the Uchiha's child must be a strong woman, carry a good gene, and excel in everything. And probably who came from a noble family.

She's none of them. She's just plain Sakura, a good daughter, an excellent medic and a shinobi. At least there's a thing she excels. Chakra control.

And what will everyone say about it? No, it's the least of her worries now. She's worried about Naruto the most. She betrayed him. He's going to hate her for sure.

She's going to be a Mommy. And what thrilled the most was the baby is Sasuke's child. She still couldn't believe it. She's happy but she wanted to cry at the same time. She thought she had severed everything from him. She was ready to move on after doing it again and again. This time, she was so sure she's going to forget him and cut the bond with him. But now, this happens. Kami, why?

Behind all of that she's happy and excited. And there's a lot of emotion she can't describe. She's scared too. And then, there's a lot of explanation to do.

She smoothens out her belly once again.

"You came and without even a single symptoms huh?" No, scratch that, she did felt dizzy in her office, but maybe it was just fatigue as she first assumed.

"Some pregnancies undergo without even a single symptoms at all. No morning sickness, no dizziness, no cravings. Sometimes, it'll be on the second trimester. Depends really,"

Sakura open up her eyes. It was her Shishou who came and she didn't even notice her. Her mind was really occupied. She tried to sit but Tsunade ushered her to stay down on the bed. Sakura brushed the tears on her face and didn't answer. She stayed still on the bed, looking straight at the ceiling.

"I'm going to see how far you have been,"

Sakura just nod a little. Tsunade drag a chair and sit beside the bed. She puts her right hand on Sakura's belly and a green glow of her chakra enveloped it. Tsunade concentrated a minute then the glow disappeared.

"You're ten weeks long. Two and half months," Tsunade said as she picks up a record book and write something on it. "Now, I know you knew how this works but let me remind you of the proper diet. I'll give you vitamins and such. No strenuous activities and I'll have to cut you on missions,"

"Shishou…"

"You can still go and resume your work on the hospital but no over-time. No over usage of chakra either as you knew how chakra was needed when a kunoichi is pregnant and—"

"Why don't you ask who's the father?"

Tsunade abruptly shuts her mouth. She stared on her apprentice, who won't even look at her. She sighed and put down her record board on the bedside table. She slump her back on the chair and relaxed.

"It's not really my business, isn't it?" she said softly. "I noticed your situation two weeks ago and I waited for you to tell me but based on your reaction awhile ago, I see that you didn't know either,"

This time, Sakura was crying rivers. She felt so pathetic. She felt cornered. She just felt so helpless. Above all, she felt guilty. She rubbed her eyes, trying to cover her face at the same time. She gets up and sits on the bed, her legs dangling on bedside.

"It's alright Sakura. You'll get this through. We're all here for you," Tsunade said.

"No Shishou, it's not alright," She shook her head and gripped the sheets.

"What do you mean?"

The pinkette bit her lower lip as she looked Tsunade on the eyes. She keeps on shaking her head as tears keep rolling down her face. It took a while before Tsunade realized it. Wide-eyed with shock, she stood up quickly, knocking the chair behind her. With trembling lips, she grabbed Sakura's arms.

"D-Don't tell me…d-don't tell…in the Hotaru Village…you met him?!" her mind was calculating. Of course it's possible. All the things that happened in the southern border were just a ploy. Sasuke was really in the northern part. And Sakura won't just open her legs to anyone else. There was a reason and it must have been because of him. She knew her apprentice so well like the lines on her palms.

"Shishou…I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it, I swear I didn't. I tried to stop him. I tried my best. I thought I was strong enough to bring him back to the village. But everything happened so fast. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you!" She cried, curling herself under Tsunade's tight grip on her.

Tsunade stopped shaking her and went agape and then released her hold of Sakura. She stepped back and stared at her tear-stricken apprentice who's wailing and shaking frantically. She looked so small and frail, and vulnerable on that moment. She curled up her hands into a fist.

"That…that bastard!" And just as fast as she spat those words, so as her movement when she punched a large hole on that room. It made a loud noise and shook the whole tower.

She just had to do that, to vent out her anger…her frustration. Sakura is like a daughter to her and seeing her daughter like that brings so much pain, and anger, and pity.

"Shishou!" Sakura cried out to her master. She knew the Hokage was mad. But it was too late. Tsunade already made a large whole on that room and it only took a while before a rushing Shizune opened up the door in that examination room with other people behind her. There were still dust and smoke and falling debris on the wreckage of that room.

"Tsunade-sama, what happened?!" Shizune called out to her. Tsunade was facing the hole she had made. Sakura was sitting on the side of the bed, looking down.

"Shizune!" Tsunade called without looking at her.

"H-Hai?"

"Call Naruto, Sai, Kakashi and Yamato. In 30 minutes!" she shouted, as she passed Shizune and head out towards the door, she paused and looked towards Sakura, "Tell them, we got an emergency at hand," then she went towards the corridor heading to her office.

"H-hai!" Shizune said and immediately commanded the people around her. One was to call out the rest of Team 7, the other was to fix the room Tsunade had just wrecked.

If there's one thing Shizune knew about Tsunade so well, it was to never asked when she's seriously fuming like that.

SXS

Sakura found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror. She's a mess so she decided to wash her face and fix herself. She's in the washroom, just 4 doors away from the Hokage office. But more than often, she found herself staring blankly at nothing in particular.

What will she do now? What should she tell them? How should she explain this to them? That she fucked up big time from her mission in Hotaru Village? She wanted to cry again, but she controlled it and washed her face again. She needs to compose herself. She needs to calm so she inhaled deep. It's now or never.

And with that, she already decided too.

"Sakura," Shizune was at the washroom door, softly called her, "Tsunade wants you in her office now,"

Again, there was that cold prick on her spine. She smiled on Shizune,

"I'll be there,"

"Is everything alright?" Shizune asked her, looking worried at her as she wiped her face with a soft towel.

"I don't know," Sakura said and went passed Shizune. She followed her out of the washroom. Both of them went towards the Hokage's office.

Shizune knocked twice.

"Tsunade-sama, Sakura is here," when they heard a 'come in' behind the door, Shizune opened it and stepped aside to let Sakura in.

Naruto, Sai, Kakashi (who's still reading his favorite book) and Yamato, all lined up in front of the Hokage's desk, Tsunade herself sitting behind it. Sakura went beside Naruto, looking down, careful not to look anyone in the eyes. She knew everyone was looking at her.

"Shizune, make sure the perimeter is cleared within a 15 meter radius," Tsunade said.

Shizune nodded and went out and softly closed the door while muttering 'I wonder what happened?' to herself.

"Baa-chan, what is this all about? What's the emergency?" Naruto complained, "And Yamato-taicho is here too,"

"We got a situation at hand and I want you all, Team 7 or Team Kakashi to know about this first," she sighed looking at the men one by one and then glanced at Sakura who was still looking at the floor, biting her lip, "and I want your opinion on this matter,"

"Baa-chan, don't tell me…" Tsunade snapped her gaze towards Naruto.

"What?"

"That you're finally got to step down as hokage and appoint me as the new hokage! Oh Baa-chan I didn't know—"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Tsunade scowled at him.

"You're a century away to become a hokage dickless," Sai said.

"I don't want your opinion Sai!"

"It's not an opinion. It's the fact," Sai said.

"Stop it you two, you're in front of the hokage!" Yamato intervened.

"Well what's new?" Kakashi said rolling his eyes up to the ceiling.

"I'm pregnant,"

It was a voice so soft, almost like a whisper, but enough to sound like a bomb. Everyone stopped their bickering and all eyes went to Sakura who didn't reciprocate anyone's stares. It went silent, as if everyone was trying to absorb what they had just heard. Naruto, Kakashi and Yamato's reaction went at the same time. Shocked, confused, surprised. Sai, is still the same. He just didn't know how to react on situations like this. But he too was surprised on the thing he had heard. It was Naruto who came around first. He gulped some air.

"W-What was that Sakura-chan? I..I must've heard-"

"I'm pregnant," she repeated. This time, she looked straight into his blue eyes.

Naruto was dumbfounded again. There's so much conviction on her teary jade orbs. So many swirling emotions he couldn't pinpoint. His mouth was opening and closing but no words came out. He tried to touch her, to grip her arms, but he stopped midway. He was just too surprise. His hand fall on his side and his head fell down. He exhaled and tried to muster a smile.

"W-well congratulations, Sakura-chan. It must've been thrilling," he said. She didn't smile back. Nor bat an eyelash. She just stared to Naruto.

Ask me who did it.

Yamato's eyes went wide and he blushed, "Sakura, omedetou!"

Ask me who's the father.

Kakashi, on the other hand, went silently and just eyed her female student.

"Wow, this is really a surprise!" Naruto went on, "between you two, I was so sure Ino will settle down first. I bet she'll be so surprise to know this awesome news-"

"Who's the lucky bastard, ugly?"

Sakura flinched, her eyes went passed Naruto's shoulder and directly to Sai's dark orbs. She felt scared more than ever upon looking on those obsidian eyes. It seemed as if it could read what's on her mind.

"I…I..—" Sakura stuttered.

"You never had a guy. And I knew you didn't get it from missions either. Tsunade never assigned any of the Konoha rookies to seduction mission. So who fucked you?"

A fist landed on Sai face and he came tumbling around the floor and was abruptly stopped rolling when he hit the wall. It was Naruto who punched him, so quick nobody even noticed a movement.

"You're an asshole Sai. You're really messed up. Can't even read the atmosphere here? Why don't you just congratulate her?" Naruto snarled at him. Sai just stared at Naruto as he touched his bleeding mouth. Then he stood up.

"That is enough!' Kakashi shouted.

"Why don't you tell them Sakura?" Tsunade said softly, "they have the right to know,"

"Well, does it really matter now Tsunade-sama? I mean…" it was Yamato.

Sakura lowered her head more, so that her eyes which was beginning to wet was hidden. She bit her lip to control her trembling, now bruised and red from her biting.

"Yeah, it doesn't matter Sakura-chan. I don't mind. Whoever the father is, we will love your baby nonetheless," Naruto told her as he grip her arms, "so if you don't want to tell—'

"Sasuke,"

And just like that, everything went still again. That name alone brought so many things all at once. Naruto stopped and loosen his grip on her. Everyone went agape. It's as if they were doused with cold water upon hearing the fact. Sasuke is the father.

Many questions came to their minds at once. How? When?

"W-What…did you just…" Naruto looked at her. She was now crying, tears silently falling down her cheeks, "h-how…when..?" he was stepping back from her.

"Naruto…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" Sakura said, trying to grab him but he stepped back more. It hurts to see Naruto hurting like this.

"It's not true right? It's not…I mean—" Naruto went on.

"It is, he was in Hotaru Village. The same village where I sent Sakura on a solo mission two months ago," Tsunade said.

"Naruto, I swear I didn't plan this. Believe me, please. I tried to bring him back…I tried my best. I don't want you to burden him alone. I wanted to bring him so you can stop searching for him. To show you that you can rely on me too. But I'm weak. I'm so weak. And now…now—this happened…I..don't, I don't know what to say…" she cried so hard and she's getting hysterical. She got no reaction from Naruto, "Naruto…please,"

"You could have sent us a falcon," he only said. Sakura shook her head, trying to stifle her sob. She put her hands on her mouth while tears still falling on her cheeks, "You could have tell me he was there. You know how long I have been looking for him. And yet...and yet...You lied to me. You lied to us,"

With that, Naruto dashed out of the Hokage office.

"I didn't mean to!" Sakura shouted towards him, and tries to run after him. Kakashi stopped her with his hand, his back on her, "Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to lie to any of you. I swear!"

"We'll talk about this later Sakura," he said without looking at her, "give Naruto some time,"

"But—"

"Kakashi, Yamato, go and check on Naruto. You know what I mean," Tsunade said. The two nodded and dashed out of the hokage office, without a second glance. The last thing they need now is a Kyuubi running amok in the village.

"Naruto, please believe me. Kakashi-sensei…Yamato-taicho," Sakura said as she slumped on the floor.

"Sakura calm yourself!" Tsunade said.

"Shishou, I'm so sorry!"

"Hush, child. I understand you," she said as she hugged Sakura, who was hic-cupping from so much crying.

Sai, just stared at them from where he was standing.

TBC

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Tadaimaaaa~ so, how are you all? Thank you for the continued support, for the new faves and followers. Thank you. Been busy for a while, with so many things..hehehe~ anyway, I promise to update soon. So yeah, leave a review for me.

Let's have a suggestion corner:

So now that Saku-chan is confirmed to be having a child. Suggestions are welcome. So what will it be?

Boy?

Girl?

Twins- boy/boy or boy/girl

Name suggestions?

I'll wait! :P