Sakura had dinner on the table and a fire roaring in the fireplace when Naruto returned. It was well past ten and he thought she would be asleep at that point. He was pleasantly shocked by a warm house and warm food. He noticed a set of dirty dishes in the sink. "Ah! Yum!"

Sakura giggled. "I thought you'd be hungry. Iva's asleep now but she insisted on helping me cook. Honestly nine months pregnant and she just won't sit down!"

"I've never seen these dishes before," He observed.

"Well she told me the correct way to prepare some of the foods. These are navy beans. She mixed it with the squash and goat milk. Oh! And here, this dish is Goat Cheese. It's a dessert, er, I think. And thi-" She stopped talking when she noticed Naruto was staring at her and not the food with a big grin.

"Ne Sakura, you'd make a good wife."

"Oh shutup," she grumbled with a pleasant flush on her cheeks. "Just eat! Heres your coca. I had to trade a kilogram of tea for the chocolate so drink up."

He laughed and started in on his good. As did she.

Not soon after Naruto rolled out a futon on the floor near the fire. He'd nearly fallen asleep when, by the light of the dim fire, he saw a flicker of a shadow. His years of training kept him impassively alert. He rolled over and grasped the wrist of the person approaching, yanking them down onto their back and pressing an arm against their throat. He quickly let go when he recognized the pink head. "Shit! Sorry Sakura. Everything okay?"

Her head bobbed up and down. She sat up but didn't stand. "I forgot you have a habit of doing that…"

"Sorry," he was appropriately ashamed.

Sakura was silent for a second. Then she grabbed the edge of his blanket. "It's cold in my room. The windows loose. Can I..."

Naruto opened his mouth to point out that he fixed the window last week, but quickly shut it and nodded, opening up the blanket fireside. Sakura crawled in and pressed her face against his chest. Naruto said nothing.

Hours later he awoke to Sakura shaking him. "She's going into labor," she warned.

No matter how Naruto demanded to help Sakura ushered him away and told him that she would be just fine. There was some complications so she needed her space and privacy to work. Naruto could hardly get back to sleep thought. Three hours later the screams started and naruto was left biting his thumbs. During the birth the storm front crept up until jack frost was knocking on his window.

The screams lasted through the night and into the next day. Eventually Naruto left to visit Taka. The two of them paced through the village before returning. They noticed instantly something was off when the screams were silent. Afraid he'd missed something Naruto pounded up and pressed his ear to the door. Taka did the same thing.

They held their breath but didn't hear anything coming through the door. After a few minutes Naruto stepped back. The door slowly creaked open a while after that. Sakura stumbled out. She looked shaken. Her front was covered in blood. She wasn't holding anything.

Naruto grinned and reached to bombard her with questions. Until he took in Sakuras large and swollen eyes. The way she shut the door behind her. Naruto stopped. He raised his hand and then let it drop. "Sakura…?"

Taka was gaining the same sense that Naruto was. He held looked at Sakura with solemn acceptance.

"I- I did everything I could… I…" Tears flowed over Sakuras eyes. "But I couldn't stop it. I couldn't save them! I tried every jutsu I knew Naruto! I tried everything! It was horrible NAruto! I've never… I've never lost a patient like that! If only I had the right books! Tsunade would have known what to do! I failed her! I should have released- I should have summoned Lady- I mean surely there were seals I could have-"

"Sakura!" Naruto hissed. "Get ahold of yourself."

He felt her pain. He did. He realized what she was saying and his eyes were burning but he also knew that Taka was still in the room.

Taka's eyes widened. He wasn't as stupid as Iva had joked he was. Jutsu, Summoning, Seals, he didn't say anything though. Not under the dim circumstances.

Naruto pulled Sakura to his chest and pet her hair. "I'm so sorry Sakura. I'm so sorry."

She pulled away and wiped her eyes. "My job isn't done yet. Taka, can you let the others know. Naruto I need you to go with him. I'll prepare Iva and her child."

"Does the child have a name?"

"No…" Sakura whispered. Or more, she didn't want to give the child a name. It would only enhance the pain of loss.

The boys left while sakura finished taking care of the bodies.

The news hit the town hard. Iva was loved by all. The town had a tradition for their dead. They gave burials up high in the mountains. The men buried the bodies while the woman stayed at home and built what they called passage wreaths out of branches. For a month they would hand them over the doors. To remember the lost ones. To let the spirit know that it needed, it could visit any home.

Two weeks after Iva's departure, Sakura and Naruto started to recover. It was hard. Iva was the person who brought them together in this place.

"Hey Sakura… if it wasn't for Iva we'd still be on the run wouldn't we? I never even thanked her." Naruto closed his eyes after he blurted out that confession.

Sakura blinked. "Naruto you don't feel bad do you?"

"I do. Its like... we're on the run still. But it's different. Ee can stay here forever. We don't have to return. I'm okay with living here forever. I want to repay Iva by being happy!"

Sakura nodded. "I know you will Naruto. And I'll be there the whole time."