Heads up-so team Hebi was changed to team Taka when Sasuke found out the truth about Itachi but Sasuke never saw team Hebi again in this story. (Because Naruto got there first [chapter 25: Bad Dream and Evil Scheme] if anyone needs a quick refresher glance at the miniscule amount of information. It's in the first dream sequence) Ergo they are still team Hebi.
Thanks to omgitsdanimals (FFN) for mentioning Braxton hicks contractions which is obviously this chapter's title. And thank you to yukino76, guest, guest, and kirenuchiha1 for reviewing the last chapter! New chapter as promised!
*IMPORTANT NOTICE!* As of 03/16/16, this chapter has NOT been EDITED because it already abides the FFN guidelines.
I am abiding by FFN ratings and removing-anything overtly dark or violent, and the scenes of complete and unrepentant smut that are considered MA, from this site. I do this in order to protect reviews linked to my stories and account that I want to keep from anyone with an email account, hate for my stories, and want my account banned for whatever their weak excuses may be.
Warnings: Contains adult language, themes, and suggestions. It is not suitable for anyone below the age of 16 per FFN guidelines.
December 10th, the thirty-first week,
"What are you all still doing here? It's nearly sundown." Sakura called out. Sasuke looked up from the scroll he'd been looking over and took note of the sun's location. She was right, it was getting dark and the fire Apricot had made was starting to cast shadows.
"Got caught up working on seals." One of the half a dozen clones left called out. "We're almost done." Kakashi snorted and Sasuke closed the scroll. He set it aside and shifted; preparing to use the wall he had been leaning against to stand up. One of the clones quickly moved towards him and leaned down to help.
"We, meaning Kakashi and I." Yamato muttered. Another clone stuck its tongue out as Sasuke took the blonde's help and stood up. Dusting himself off, the pregnant male made his way over to Sakura as another clone burst into a cloud of smoke.
"Why don't we just quit now?" Kakashi asked. Another clone moved to sit in front of the white haired male and the older male brandished his shuriken at him. Sakura nodded at the suggestion as she made her way over to where Sasuke was standing.
"Because we're almost done." Apricot replied. Sasuke watched as Kakashi pursed his lips and Yamato leaned over to glare at the redhead.
"You mean he and I are almost done." Yamato shot back. "All you've done is sit there making fire whenever the ink freezes." Sasuke raised an eyebrow as the young girl's face burned red.
"Hey, don't be mean." The pink haired woman called out. "She's been sitting out here with you guys for weeks now with almost nothing to do." Kyoko hesitantly smiled in their direction and Yamato rolled his eyes.
"When did you switch sides?" Naruto's clone asked. Sasuke watched his pink haired friend shrug her shoulders as Yamato and Kakashi went back to working on seals.
"Us girls have to stick together." Sakura replied. She winked at Apricot who smiled back happily. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Sasuke watched as the clone in front of Yamato scooted closer to Kyoko to grab her hand.
"What are you going to do when you find the best combination? What happens after that?" Their old teammate asked. Sasuke watched as everyone turned to him, waiting for him to answer Sakura's question.
"We siphon Kyuubi's chakra out of you and through Naruto's seal." Sasuke explained. "Then we secure it with the best combination we can find." The Uchiha gestured to their setup. He watched as Apricot mulled over the explanation with a slow nod and Naruto's clones looked to each other as if confirming it between themselves.
"And hope it holds." Kakashi added. The redheaded girl's eyes widened and she swallowed loudly. Sasuke glanced to the clone next to him and watched him nervously shift his weight from one foot to another. The clone holding Apricot's hand suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke and left an ominous feeling in the group.
"It'll hold." Sasuke replied. The group of clones didn't look entirely convinced but they smiled when they noticed their husband was looking at them. Kakashi tilted his head but didn't look away from the clone's stomach he was drawing on. A few seconds later, the white haired male set down his brush and let the clone move away from him.
"Hey, don't smudge the symbol." Kakashi muttered when the clone hunched over. Naruto's clone straightened and took hold of the redhead's shoulder. Sasuke shifted his weight, feeling something beginning to press down against his bladder. He was going to have to relieve himself soon.
"You won't know until we start testing them on the real Naruto." Yamato pointed out.
"I'll make sure it'll hold." The Uchiha shot back. He glared at the brown haired male but the older man was busy focused on a clone's stomach.
"Well, you won't be making sure of anything by yourself or up close." Sakura spoke up. Sasuke turned his glare to her and watched her smile back at him. "You know you can't be anywhere near them when they try out the final combinations." Opening his mouth to retort, Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and paused when the clone touching Apricot disappeared in a cloud smoke and a popping sound.
"How long did that one last?" The Uchiha asked.
"Almost a minute, the one before that lasted nearly a minute and a half." Kyoko answered. "I think the best one so far was a little over three minutes."
"That's a big jump from the seven seconds last week." Sakura tried to keep from smiling but Sasuke could see her grin. Apricot rolled her eyes but only shifted where she sat instead of responding. "Where's Naruto?" She asked.
"He went to get dinner." The redheaded girl answered as Sasuke cleared his throat. Sakura raised an eyebrow and turned her attention to Sasuke who raised a hand to cover his mouth and pretended to actually cough. Said Uchiha focused his renewed glare at the younger girl who had the decency to look apologetic.
"Ramen?" The pink haired woman asked. She looked between Apricot and Sasuke pointedly; trying to see who would cave first in telling her that the blonde was getting Sasuke food she had specifically told them not to eat.
"No?" Kyoko spoke up cautiously. She looked to Sasuke and bit her lower lip nervously, hoping that she was giving Sakura the right answer. The Uchiha glanced to Sakura who looked entirely unconvinced and noticeably irritated.
"My ink is freezing up again, Apricot." Yamato called out. Apricot jerked her head in his direction and sighed in relief at having something else to focus on. The redheaded girl shifted to face Yamato and raised her hands in a way the looked to be muscle memory.
"Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Apricot muttered as she moved her hands. When she raised her hand in front of her lips, she set her aim towards the ground and blew through the circle she made with her finger and thumb. Fire came out in a small, controlled stream right in front of the container of ink next to Yamato.
"Thanks." The brown haired male gave the young girl a smile and dipped his brush into the inkpot again. When Sasuke glanced to Sakura again, the pink haired woman was watching with raised eyebrows in slight amazement.
"You're really getting good at that, Apricot." Sakura told the young girl. "It's not even boiling." Apricot smiled at the compliment and turned around to face Kakashi who pushed his ink container well away from him and gestured to it with the brush's tip.
"Oi! I'm back! And I brought-oh, Sakura, you're here." Naruto's voice called out. Sasuke nearly jumped in surprise as he turned around to see the blonde stopping short at the sight of his pink haired friend. In both his hands were heavy looking food bags from Ichiraku's ramen shop.
"Yeah, I am." Sakura told the blonde. She set her hands on her hips and gave Naruto a knowing grin. "I see you got ramen, did you get enough for everybody?"
"Um, well." Naruto began to stutter. The blonde took a step back, his bright blue eyes looking to Sasuke and then back to Sakura. Sasuke could almost see the nervous sweat forming across Naruto's brow.
"I had a craving." Sasuke spoke up. He watched Naruto's big blue eyes dart back to him before he turned his head to meet Sakura's gaze. Sakura began to frown, her head tilting as she scrutinized the pregnant male.
"But I suggested it!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke glanced back at his husband to see him now walking forward determinedly. Sakura seemed to be too busy looking between the two men, her expression lost somewhere between bewildered and as if they both had grown a second head.
"Who cares? I'm starving." Yamato called out. He waved his free hand at one of the few clones that were left waiting and one of them stepped forward. The clone ran around Sakura and Sasuke to the original Naruto, taking one of the bags of ramen before carefully carrying it back to Yamato. Sakura smiled and watched as Naruto set down the second bag of ramen and reached for the Uchiha's hand, squeezing it tightly.
"Huh, one day you're throwing each other under the bus and the next you're covering for each other." The pink haired woman pointed out. Sasuke frowned as he remembered the last time Sakura had caught him eating ramen. His cheeks were beginning to feel hot as the pregnant male looked to the bag of ramen by Naruto's feet instead of the pink haired woman.
"Marriage makes people crazy." Apricot said offhandedly. Naruto almost immediately dropped the Uchiha's hand to stalk over to the redheaded girl to talk to her. Sasuke tried reaching down for the ramen but of course, his pregnant belly made it practically impossible. He widened his stance to attempt to get lower to the ground and just as he was about to grab the plastic handle Sakura swiped it away from him.
"Does not!" Naruto shot back. Sasuke glared at the bag of ramen and then at Sakura as he struggled to straighten again. The pink haired woman was grinning devilishly as she held out the heavy looking bag for him to take.
"Teuchi told me that Naruto asks for extra vegetables, so as long as it isn't instant." The pink haired woman explained. Sasuke grabbed the bag and scoffed but knew that his cheeks were probably bright red.
"Not if they were crazy to begin with." Kakashi said nonchalantly. Naruto made a noise of indignation and Sasuke watched as the white haired male opened his container of ramen, the steam rising in front of his masked face. Yamato and Apricot were doing the same exact thing as the blonde began to splutter out a rebuttal.
"Come on, Dobe. Let's eat." Sasuke interrupted his husband's attempt at bickering. The blonde lifted his head and nodded with a smile before shooting a glare at Kakashi before walking away. Sasuke watched his husband jog quickly up to him, taking the container of ramen bowls from the Uchiha with a bright smile.
"How come they get to leave?" Apricot asked. Sasuke glanced back as he and Naruto started to walk away, the girl was watching them with a look of longing. His husband seemed to realize he was looking back and did the same, grinning. Their eyes met and the pregnant male raised an eyebrow as Naruto leaned in and kissed him.
"You can leave," Kakashi told the redhead. The blonde grinned and glanced back to the two men and the two women behind them.
"If you're pregnant like Sasuke is." Yamato finished. Sasuke snorted as he heard Sakura begin to laugh and Apricot made a disgruntled noise. He and Naruto walked out of the training field, the blonde wrapped an arm around the Uchiha's waist and pulled him closer.
December 11th, still the thirty-first week,
"Welcome back!" Kohada, the bright-eyed woman leaned into Naruto's personal space as he walked into the classroom where Baby Basics was held.
"Congratulations?" Another woman called out. Sasuke peered over his husband's shoulder as several more women began to crowd around the doorway. Standing halfway in the hallway and halfway in the room, Sasuke shifted awkwardly as Naruto failed to move further into the room.
"Sasuke, Naruto, how was your honeymoon?" One of the women asked. They watched as the blonde turned his head, giving Sasuke a nervous glance
"Thank you, it was relaxing." Naruto told the women crowding him. The blonde remained in front of Sasuke, acting as a shield. "Can we get in? It's a little hot in here with our coats on." He politely requested. The women took the hint and stepped back, allowing the two men to enter the room.
"It's good to have you two back." Biwako-sensei stood behind the crowd of women but gave them enough space to pass by. Naruto and Sasuke both nodded their heads to her in a shallow bow.
"It's good to be back." Naruto answered with a grin. The blonde moved to an empty desk and Sasuke followed. Taking off his coat, the Uchiha watched as Naruto pulled out a chair for him and several women were moving closer to hover.
"Thanks." Sasuke told his husband as he tossed his coat of the back of his chair and sat down. Naruto smiled and sat down as four of the women who crowded them at the door sat down at the tables next to the two men.
"What did you two end up doing?" Kohada asked. She looked between Naruto and Sasuke, her eyes bright at any hint of detail. The Uchiha glanced to his husband and nodded for him to respond.
"Spent most of it at home, getting things ready for the baby." Naruto explained. Sasuke shifted, feeling the baby begin to move and motioned for Naruto to hold his hand out. Pulling his husband's hand to his stomach, the Uchiha told himself not to blush as the women around them watched with excitement.
"It's not like they could go many places, not in Sasuke's condition." One of the women murmured softly. Sasuke felt his face heat up as Naruto's hand followed the baby's movement. When he glanced over, the blonde was solely focused on the baby bump. Watching how entranced his husband got when he felt the baby move, it never seemed to get old.
"Have you painted the baby's room yet, what color have you picked out?" Sasuke looked up as Kohada leaned forward. She looked intently to Sasuke as a strand of hair fell into her face and didn't even attempt to look away as she brushed it behind an ear.
"We decided to wait until after the baby is born." Sasuke answered. He could feel the baby's movements slow as the women around him stilled. Kohada's pale blue eyes widened and the Uchiha started to frown at their reaction.
"What?" Naruto asked. The blonde was looking up now, getting more nervous as the seconds passed by.
"That won't work." One of the older women spoke up.
"Why?" Sasuke questioned.
"You're going to have your hands full taking care of a baby. It's better to have it done already." Kohada answered. The three other women nodded their heads. Sasuke tilted his head to meet his husband's gaze, Naruto looked concerned.
"She would know, did the same thing you're thinking of doing." Biwako told them as she walked by. Sasuke nearly jerked his head towards the teacher. "Poor thing didn't have the baby's room done for months." She set a hand on Kohada's shoulder, the woman looked appropriately embarrassed and smiled sheepishly.
"We were thinking of using a gender neutral color." Naruto spoke up. At that, the women perked up, their smiles returned full force.
"Now, that's smart. We thought we were getting a girl, painted the whole room pink and had twin boys instead." One of the older women sighed. Biwako and the other women smiled knowingly.
"What do you all think we should paint the baby's room?" The blonde asked. Sasuke nearly groaned as Kohada's smile grew even wider and the women looked practically elated.
"Green is always a good neutral color." The older woman mentioned.
"I've always preferred the more vibrant colors, perhaps a bright red?" A younger woman spoke up. Sasuke looked around, from woman to woman feeling flustered as they all tried to speak their thoughts.
"Grey is the new black for gender neutral color schemes I'm afraid." Kohada shook her head as if she disagreed with what she was saying. Sasuke felt a hand brush up against his, knowing it was his husband's. When he glanced over, Naruto was leaning in.
"We'll have to ask Iruka and everyone else too, before we decide on a color." Naruto whispered. Sasuke sighed and nodded as someone leaned over the desk they were sitting at.
"Not just a color, a color scheme." Kohada emphasized. The Uchiha leaned back, wondering how someone could be so intense about the colors of a room.
"Alright ladies, and gentlemen. Let's get class started." Biwako called out. "Kohada, please take a seat." The teacher said pointedly. Almost immediately, the women started to shuffle into seats, Kohada sitting back down and scooting her chair to the nearest desk. Once everyone was settled, Biwako started to walk around the front of the room.
"Today, we're going to discuss toys. What should one look for in a child's toy and what dangers should you be aware of?" The teacher picked up a pile of papers, handing it to someone sitting in the front. "Could you pass these out please?" When Biwako looked up, her expression changed drastically, from a relaxed focus to concern, as she seemed to look directly at Naruto.
Looking to the blonde, Sasuke tensed at the sight of Naruto's eyes bleeding red. Reaching out, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's elbow and stood up. He could hear Biwako continuing with her start of discussion as he dragged the blonde towards the door and out of the room.
"Sasuke, is everything alright?" Naruto asked. Sasuke glanced down both ends of the hallway, taking note of how many people there were and which of them were watching.
"Your eyes are red." He answered. Naruto blinked and tilted his head in confusion. Sasuke motioned to his own eyes and watched the blonde lift his own hand to his face. Those red eyes widened when the blonde realized what Sasuke had said.
"Apricot's here." Naruto murmured. "Why would she be out of the compound?" Sasuke shook his head and looked down the hallway again, stopping when he saw Apricot and Kakashi walking towards them.
"She asked to come, it's been a while since she's been outside." The older, white haired man answered Naruto's question when he came closer.
"Sorry, I was getting a little stir crazy." Apricot spoke up sheepishly. "You forgot to send clones to the training field." Sasuke glanced to Naruto whose mouth dropped open in realization and then started chuckling with a wide grin.
"Oh, my bad. I knew I was forgetting something." The blonde explained. Kakashi rolled his visible eye as Naruto held his hands out in front of him. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" In half a second, the entire hallway was filled with blonde clones, tightly packed together.
"Well, we got what we came for. Let's go." The white haired male muttered. He turned to Apricot and motioned for the clones to start walking. "Don't touch any of them, it'd be a waste if I had to expel one of them before we get back to the compound." Apricot nodded her head and remained still, letting the clones walk around her. Kakashi nodded to the real Naruto and Sasuke before following the hoard of clones down the hall.
"Bye, have fun in class." The redhead waved to Naruto and Sasuke as she followed the white haired jonin. Sasuke nodded his head to her as his husband waved back, still smiling.
"Well, glad that's out of the way." Naruto said. Sasuke looked to him to see those red eyes staring right at him. "Is it creepy? Seeing my eyes red here?"
"Unnerving." Sasuke answered. The Uchiha reached his hand out to Naruto's cheek before leaning in for a kiss. "Kind of hot." He whispered. Seeing his husband shiver, Sasuke smirked and tilted his head for another kiss.
"We should get back to class." Naruto murmured. "Biwako-sensei is probably having a hard time keeping everyone on track." Sasuke inhaled deeply as he opened the door to the room and stepped inside. One of the first things the Uchiha saw when he walked back into the room was the mountain of bags and wrapped boxes on their table.
"What's all this?" Naruto asked. All the women in the room looked to them, most of the already smiling. They both paused in front of the presents, not sure if they should sit down in front of it.
"It's our present to you, a sort of baby shower." Biwako-sensei answered. She motioned to the women with a smile. "We thought it was appropriate since today's class is about age appropriate toys."
"A baby shower?" Sasuke questioned in confusion. He raised an eyebrow at Naruto who shrugged his shoulders in response. At least his husband was in the dark as much as he was.
"Of course, every expecting couple needs a baby shower." Kohada spoke up. A few of the women laughed and Naruto raised a hand to scratch his nose, a little embarrassed. Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek as he felt his ears start burning.
"Thank you, everyone." Sasuke bowed to Biwako-sensei, then to one half of the room, and then the other half of the room. Some of the women nodded back to him, all of them still smiling.
"Come on, open them!" One woman called out impatiently. Naruto quickly sat down, the Uchiha easing himself into his own chair.
"Mind if I?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and watched as his husband pulled one of the wrapped boxes out of the pile enthusiastically. Quickly tearing the wrapping off, the blonde tossed it onto the table and pulled open the box. "Oh, this is cool!" The blonde pulled a crib mobile out from the tissue paper, little silver stars and a bright gold crescent moon dangling from the plastic ring on white strings.
"It plays 'twinkle twinkle, little star' too." An older woman pointed out.
"Thank you." Sasuke told her. The woman smiled and raised her hand up to her hair, almost unconsciously trying to smooth it down.
"Do you two want to open a few more? We can use them as examples of good toys." Biwako-sensei motioned to the pile of presents. Sasuke found himself reaching for a large blue paper bag with pink tissue paper. Pushing the tissue paper aside, Sasuke pulled out a box with a picture of something bright and colorful with wheels and a handle.
"It's a learning walker, it will help the little one with sitting and standing. When they're old enough." A woman spoke up. Naruto leaned in and stared at the picture on the front of the box, getting a closer look at the colorful plastic thing with wheels.
"I guess this would be for later on? When the, the little one is old enough to lift their head?" The blonde asked. Sasuke looked away from the box to see the woman nod. Naruto pulled the box out of the Uchiha's hands and set it down in his lap so he could keep looking at it.
"You would be correct." Biwako-sensei walked towards them and tapped her finger against the box. "Why would a toy like this be good for a child?" The teacher asked. Biwako-sensei looked to Sasuke as she spoke.
"It's a sensory toy, a child could play with the front of it once they learn to sit up." Sasuke answered. The grey haired teacher nodded and stepped away from the table. "And again, when they start learning to stand up and walk."
"That's cool, it's like a two-in-one toy." Naruto spoke up. He set the box back on the table, on the edge of the mountain of gifts. Sasuke could hear Kohada giggle and a few of the women were holding back their laughter. Biwako-sensei turned head to look at the blue-eyed woman who shrugged her shoulders.
"He's just so cute." Kohada whispered loudly. The room burst into soft laughter as the blonde's face turned red. Sasuke grinned and watched his husband squirm in embarrassment.
"Yes, would anyone care to explain why the mobile is also a good toy for a newborn?" Biwako-sensei raised her voice above the chatter and waited for them to settle down. Once it was relatively quiet again, she nodded to one of the younger woman who had tentatively raised her hand.
"It adds dimension to the child's line of sight, infants typically enjoy ones that play music and have a high contrast in color." The woman explained. Sasuke glanced down to the moon and stars mobile he and Naruto had received, the fact it played 'twinkle, twinkle, little star' running through his mind again.
"Sasuke, Naruto, would you two care to open another one?" Biwako-sensei motioned to them again. Hesitantly, Naruto pulled a bag out from the pile and held it out for Sasuke to unwrap.
December 14th, still the thirty-first week,
"You're late." Tsunade called out as soon as Sasuke stepped into the Hokage's office. Naruto followed him in, their coats in hand as Shizune shut the door. A chair had been dragged in front of the desk, which had the Uchiha frowning.
"We had a question for Biwako-sensei, about the last Baby Basics class." Naruto grinned. Both men walked up to the desk, Sasuke intentionally ignored the chair and remained standing.
"And you had visitors during that class, I heard Apricot's eyes were red." Tsunade glared at the pregnant male. "Stop being a brat and sit down, you know standing for an extended period of time isn't good for you." She told the Uchiha. Sasuke glared back at her as Naruto looked back, just now realizing what the chair was for.
"Her seal is weakening, we knew it would happen." The pregnant male responded testily. "Kyuubi's chakra is leaking when they're in close proximity but we're still a few months away from it being a problem." Sasuke shifted his weight, feeling his feet pulse with his heartbeat. They would be swollen by the time he got back home.
"Can you please sit down?" His husband asked. A warm hand gripped Sasuke's and squeezed gently. Glancing over, the Uchiha was unable to continue glaring at the wide, blue-eyed pout Naruto was giving him. With a sigh, Sasuke moved back and sat down in the chair. Naruto smiled and leaned down, kissing him on the forehead before straightening and giving the Hokage his full attention again.
"Which leads me to the point of why you're here, " Tsunade continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "How has the seal testing been progressing?" Sasuke tilted his head, sharing a look with Naruto before he decided to say something.
"The symbol combinations are getting stronger. We should have a few to try on Naruto in a few weeks." The Uchiha answered. Tsunade's golden brown eyes narrowed on the dark haired male, her hands coming to rest under her chin. Curling his toes, Sasuke was glad he was no longer standing.
"And have you given any thought as to where you will be trying these seal combinations?" She asked. The Uchiha crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from the older woman's gaze.
"We've already leased apartments and houses. It would be unprofessional to destroy them before they move in." Sasuke frowned as he continued. "I'd recommend doing it outside of the village entirely." Naruto shifted nervously. Tapping his finger, the Uchiha tried to hide the fact he was feeling nervous too. Remaining straight-faced, Tsunade dropped her hands onto her desk.
"Valid point." Tsunade responded. She looked to her desk and shuffled a few pieces of paper together. "We'll have an area outside of the village set up for containing the Kyuubi if he escapes. It should be ready within the week." Sasuke's eyes widened and the blonde next to him froze.
"So soon?" Naruto asked. Dropping his crossed arms, the Uchiha moved to sit up straight.
"I want to be the one that does it." Sasuke spoke up quickly. Tsunade turned her attention to him.
"You can't do that." Tsunade shot back. "You're unable to use your sharingan until after the baby is born and your body has recuperated." Stepping forward, the blonde opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by his husband.
"After that then." The pregnant male responded. Shaking her head, the Hokage slapped her hand down on her desk in aggravation.
"It's not going to happen, Uchiha." The authority in her voice and posture was evident as she straightened in her seat, glaring at the dark haired male.
"Hokage-" Naruto tried to interrupt. He shifted, looking between the older woman and his husband.
"Why the hell not?" Sasuke raised his voice. Tsunade's eyes narrowed, the anger evident in her facial expression at being questioned.
"Sasuke-" The blonde tried again to stop the two from fighting.
"Do you want your child to grow up like you did, without your parents?" Tsunade called out. As soon as she had said it, the pregnant male moved to stand. He would never let that happen, would never willingly let their child experience the loneliness that Naruto had felt, that he had felt.
"That won't happen." Sasuke struggled to get out of the chair, unable to keep his balance and nearly toppling to the side as he stood up. Tsunade slammed her fist on the table and opened her mouth to scream back at the Uchiha only to beaten to it.
"Listen to me!" Naruto screamed. Both Sasuke and Tsunade paused, looking to him in partial shock. He tossed the coats in his hands onto the chair and slapped his palms against his thighs. "I want Sasuke in the compound when we try sealing Kyuubi away." The blonde exhaled loudly. Grabbing Naruto's arm, the pregnant male pulled him back as Tsunade watched them from her desk.
"You can't just decide this for me!" Sasuke hissed. He could see the troubled expression the blonde had but this was something he didn't want to back down on, that he couldn't back down on. Naruto dragged Sasuke past the chair and towards the side of the room, making his husband face him.
"You need to be safe, no matter what happens." Naruto whispered. The Uchiha started to retort but his husband shook his head and continued. "I need to know that if I can't be there for our child, you will." Holding Sasuke by his shoulders, the blonde leaned forward so their foreheads were touching. Feeling a pang in his chest, Sasuke grimaced as Naruto stared at him with the determined stare.
"I won't let you die." The Uchiha murmured. Raising his hand, the dark haired male set his hands on top of Naruto's. Naruto responded with a sad smile and rubbed his hands down Sasuke's arms. Intertwining their fingers, the blonde lifted his head to place a kiss on his husband's forehead.
"I know that, but I won't let you put yourself in danger." The blonde raised their hands up to Sasuke's stomach. Brushing their fingers against the curved stretch of Sasuke's stomach, the little passenger started to kick. Taking a shaky breath, the Uchiha forced himself to nod. He knew that his husband and Tsunade wanted to keep him and the baby safe.
"Okay." The dark haired male murmured. Naruto smiled and Sasuke focused a glare on the blonde. "You're not allowed to die." He deadpanned. His husband looked shock at the order but quickly grinned and leaned in to give Sasuke a quick kiss.
"Are you two done yet?" The Hokage sighed. Sasuke looked over to glare at the older woman as Naruto started to step back towards the Hokage's desk. "Sit back down, pregnant brat." Refusing to respond to the comment, he followed Naruto back to his chair and eased himself back into it. Tsunade tapped her fingers against her desk, her eyes focused on a scroll that she had opened in front of her.
"We may not have time to wait for you to get your strength back after you give birth, Uchiha." She told them when the dark haired male stopped moving.
"I understand." Sasuke responded grudgingly. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the Hokage. When she glanced up, she didn't even look surprised that the Uchiha was trying to stare her down.
"With you unable to use your sharingan, we need to be able to seal Kyuubi's chakra on the first try." Tsunade stared long and hard at Sasuke before glancing to the blonde.
"Kakashi's sharingan won't be enough if he escapes?" Naruto asked.
"It's not something we can afford to chance." The Hokage responded. Sasuke scowled but didn't object. Naruto nervously shifted his weight, setting his hand on the Uchiha's shoulder and squeezing tightly.
"Understood." Sasuke grumbled. He moved to stand up again but the older woman raised her hand to stop him.
"Sit back down, we're not done yet." Tsunade told them. Sasuke grunted as he leaned back into his seat.
"What else is there?" The blonde moved closer, sitting down on the armrest of the chair. Tsunade rolled the scroll in front of her closed and turned her attention to the pregnant male.
"Your team Hebi was spotted at the outskirts of the forest earlier this week." She told them plainly. Sasuke's heart seemed to stop beating and ringing in his ears started as his husband stood up again.
"What?" Naruto asked. Reminding himself to breathe, Sasuke did his best to remain calm as the memories of that time came rushing to mind.
"Why are they here?" The Uchiha asked softly.
"We were unable to apprehend them. They bolted as soon as they were spotted by a patrol." Tsunade shrugged her shoulders. "Thought you two should know, since they're probably here for Sasuke." She motioned to the dark haired male and Sasuke moved to stand up. Naruto was gaping between Tsunade and his husband, unsure of what to say.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." The Uchiha bowed his head and reached up to grab Naruto by his neck. Making the blonde lower his head, Sasuke let him go and headed for the office door.
"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto followed his husband. "Thanks, old hag!" The pregnant male pulled open the door and he could hear his husband grabbing their coats and chasing after him.
"Hey, what did you just call me?" Tsunade screamed after them. Stepping out into the hallway, Sasuke heard the blonde nearly jogging after him. The door swung shut before the blonde woman could say anything else.
"Slow down, Teme!" Naruto called out. Sasuke took a deep breath and paused in his stride down the hallway. "What are we going to do?" The blonde haired male caught up with him and kept up with his husband's pace. Quickly making it to the stairwell, Sasuke grabbed the handrail and awkwardly started to descend as Naruto slowed down to stop from getting ahead.
"Nothing." The Uchiha responded. Naruto stopped in the middle of the stairs, eyebrows raised in disbelief.
"Nothing?" His husband repeated. Sasuke frowned and kept moving down the stairs, it was too much effort to stop halfway down a flight of steps in his condition.
"We're both on maternity leave. We're not allowed to do anything." He heard Naruto quickly descend the stairs, catching up with Sasuke quicker than the pregnant male would have liked. Stepping into the ground floor hallway, his husband pulled him aside.
"When has that ever stopped us?" His husband grinned. Sasuke shook his head and grabbed his coat from the blonde and pulled it on.
"Leave it be, Dobe." The Uchiha muttered. He watched the blonde scoff and take on a serious expression.
"Sasuke, they followed you out of Orochimaru's lair, intent on following you to kill your brother." Naruto said in a low voice. Glancing around, Sasuke checked to see if anyone passing by was listening to the conversation.
"And to destroy Konoha." The Uchiha whispered back. He felt a pang in his chest as he said it, that moment felt like it had happened a lifetime ago. Sasuke hated feeling vulnerable but if there was one thing his husband was good at, it was reassuring him. His husband sighed and Sasuke watched him shake his head. Taking in those big blue eyes, the whisker-like scars on his tan cheeks, and the way his bright blonde hair stood up in all directions. This was one of his vulnerable moments.
"Jūgo followed you because you could stop him if he went on a rampage. Suigetsu came with you so he could find Kisame and take Samehada from him and Karin joined up because she was infatuated with you. They were following you, none of them cared about destroying Konoha." Naruto explained. Lifting both hands, the blonde cupped Sasuke's cheeks in his palms before lowering them to his shoulders and round stomach. "But that doesn't mean we just sit around and wait for them to sneak into the village to get you."
"That's exactly what we have to do." Sasuke sighed. He turned his body so he could lean against the wall and watched Naruto step in front of him. "We have to trust the Hokage to keep them out of the village and focus on us." His husband crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.
"I don't like not being able to do anything." Naruto sighed. Sasuke pushed himself away from the wall and clapped a hand on the blonde's shoulder.
"We can paint the baby's room." The Uchiha tightened his grip on his husband's shoulder. Naruto's troubled expression lifted and he leaned over to give Sasuke a quick kiss.
"I don't know, do you think yellow is really the way to go?" Naruto asked. Sasuke ripped off the end of the blue painters tape from the roll and made sure it was pressed securely over the wall-trim before he looked up. The blonde had already started painting one wall, standing over the tarp they had laid out with a roller paintbrush. He'd already gotten part of the wall painted in the pale yellow color they had ended up picking out.
"It's too late now." Sasuke told him. The muscles in his abdomen twinged as he turned to face the blonde. Naruto took a step back and tilted his head as he looked at the wide lines of yellow. When his husband looked back, Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "We can paint over it if we don't like it." The blonde nodded and looked back to the wall.
Moving to stand up, Sasuke felt something pull in his back before feeling the pain. Hissing, the Uchiha winced and leaned against the wall. He pressed a hand against his back and before he could say anything, Naruto was next to him and looking worried. Another twinge in his abdomen had the Uchiha's knees buckling and the blonde caught him as the pregnant male's mind whirled with what was happening to his body. "Sasuke, what's wrong?" The blonde asked. He moved to lean against the wall, his husband helping him sit down.
"Get Sakura." Sasuke grunted. As soon as the dark haired male was sitting down, Naruto was halfway to the door. Shifting uncomfortably, the Uchiha groaned as the pain in his lower back flared up again. He heard his husband move around the house and open the front door.
A few seconds later, someone came running back into the house and Sasuke looked up to see the blonde coming back through the door. "What are you doing?" He asked. The blonde kneeled down next to him and set his hands on the Uchiha's stomach.
"I'm a clone, the original is getting Sakura." Naruto told him. "What hurts?" Taking a deep breath, Sasuke lifted his hips, hissing as the muscles in his lower back sung in pain again. His husband's clone grabbed his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
"My back, I think I might be going into labor." He settled back down and tried to hold still. The muscles in his abdomen had stopped the twinge feeling but the fear that he was going into labor was still present in his mind.
"Oh shit, shit!" The blonde cursed. "What do I do?" Sasuke looked up and glared at the clone.
"You're supposed to be getting Sakura!" The Uchiha snapped. His husband's clone gaped at him.
"I am! I'm just a clone." Naruto spluttered out. That didn't stop Sasuke from continuing to glare at him. A minute or two of glaring at the clone, there came the sounds of someone entering the front door and taking off their shoes.
"Calm down, I'm here!" Sakura's voice called out. A few seconds later she was standing in the doorway, pulling off her coat and getting down on her knees to kneel next to them. The clone backed away and the pink haired medic checked Sasuke's vitals.
"What happened?" She asked with a hand to Sasuke's jugular.
"I think I had a contraction and then pain, in my lower back when I tried to stand up." Sasuke explained.
"Alright, lie down on your side." Sakura told him. Wincing as he moved, Sakura helped him onto his side and she set her hands on his stomach. As soon as her hands turned green, Sasuke took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. Naruto was standing in the doorway, his clone sitting on the floor behind Sakura.
"Is he okay?" Naruto asked. Sasuke glanced to him and then Sakura, her focus completely on his little passenger. The real Naruto stepped into the room, dispelling his clone and taking its place near the dark haired male's head. Sakura moved her hands from Sasuke's abdomen to his back, quickly running her fingers across his spine.
"It looks like you pulled a muscle while having some Braxton Hicks contractions. You're fine." Sakura explained. Pulling her glowing green hands away, she reached to help him sit back up. Wincing when he used the apparently pulled muscle, the Uchiha sat back up and leaned against the wall.
"Are you sure? How can you know?" Naruto asked. Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Did the feeling get stronger over time?" She asked. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
"No, it's gone now." He answered.
"After you stood up, or sat down?" Sakura questioned.
"Yes." The Uchiha told her. Both Sakura and Sasuke looked to Naruto who looked happily relieved.
"Like I said, fine." The medic-nin sighed.
"What should I do the next time it happens?" Sasuke set a hand on his stomach and sighed. Right now, he was still trying to convince himself he wasn't going into early labor.
"Taking a walk, a warm bath, or get a massage." She told him. Sakura moved to stand up and glanced around the barren room as she dusted her knees off. "So, you two decided to paint it yellow?" Motioning to the partially painted wall, Sakura watched Naruto hold a hand out to Sasuke to help him up.
"Do you like it?" The blonde asked. Sasuke winced as he got onto his feet and pressed a hand on the pain in his lower back. Naruto wrapped his arms around the pregnant male, holding him close.
"I think it'll be great when it's finished." She told them with a smile. Naruto was practically beaming when he let go of Sasuke and Sakura went to pick up her coat from the hallway floor. "You'll need to put some ice on that." Sakura told him as she pulled on her coat.
"Thank you, for coming over so quickly." The Uchiha murmured. She gave him a smile before leaving the room. Sasuke glanced to Naruto and they both followed her down the hallway. Naruto darted into the kitchen as Sasuke walked Sakura to the door.
"That's why I moved into the compound, remember?" The pink haired woman teased. Sasuke rolled his eyes as she pulled on her shoes. "Have a good rest of the night. I'll see you two tomorrow." Sakura waved to the dark haired male and to Naruto behind him who had just walked out of the kitchen with an ice pack in hand.
"Here." Naruto handed over the ice pack and Sasuke immediately placed it against the sore back muscles. "Are you sure you don't want to lie down?" The blonde asked. Sakura giggled when the pregnant male rolled his eyes.
"I want to watch you paint the baby's room." The Uchiha told him. Naruto sighed and waved to Sakura as she left, still smiling. "I'm going to grab some pillows, and some blankets." Sasuke told his husband as soon as Sakura had shut the front door.
"Ooh, I'm going to make hot chocolate!" Watching his husband dart back into the kitchen, the pregnant male smiled and headed for their bedroom.