This is an eventual SasukexSakura. Rated M for descriptions of violence and language. Very little graphic sexual content.
The story is accurate up to chapter 238 of the manga and contains spoilers.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Never have, never will.
OOO
"No...no...no!" She kept pumping, trying to get her son's heart starting again. It would flutter for a bit, but it would die down again. She then realized that she'd have to use chakra to jump start it. Chakra she did not have. She reached for a soldier pill.
The problem with soldier pills was that they gave you fake energy, energy that made you go on and on for hours while feeling great. Then you'd have to go into the hospital, having someone feed you through an IV. If you didn't have that treatment, unless you were extremely lucky, the inevitable result would be death. Sakura knew that Sasuke would not provide this for her.
She chewed the pill down anyway. Even if she died, it would be worth it. If Kenji could live to see just another day, she didn't care if she laid her life down for her child.
Sasuke just looked on, seemingly impassively. However, his mind was swirling with conflicted thoughts. Why would a woman care so much for a child? It was just a child; they could always have another as long as they were still fertile. Even if they weren't, they could always adopt. Shinobi always left behind grand amounts of children through their untimely deaths. There were plenty to pick and choose from. However, as Sasuke looked at Sakura's torn face, he became confused. Why was a child, just one son, so important to her? He almost snarled at the weakness behind the act. Only the strong were meant to survive; the weak were garbage.
Sakura sweated despite the cold rain. By now, she was breathing heavily, and the task was growing wearisome. She shook her head. No matter how tired she was, she couldn't give up. Then she felt them.
Strong, steady heartbeats.
Sakura almost choked on her joyful tears. Her son was alive. Kenji was alive!
The boy let out a tiny moan as his head lolled around aimlessly before awakening. "Mama-" he croaked, clutching his chest. "It- it happened again. My chest- my chest..." Sakura nodded, cupping her son's cheek and tears running down her face. The action vaguely reminded Sasuke of how Sakura cried when he had almost died on Tazuna's bridge. He brushed the thought away.
Sakura watched as her son's face started to become blurrier and blurrier. The next thing she knew, she was out cold in the rain.
OOO
Sakura's eyelids slowly fluttered open. She groaned as she propped herself up onto one elbow, the world becoming clearer every second. The first thing she registered was white. Lots and lots of white. The second thing she noticed was the strong smell of antiseptic.
A hospital. She was in a hospital.
Then Sakura panicked. With maximum effort, she sat up and looked around the room. When she saw a tousled mess of dark red hair, she sighed in relief and allowed herself to slouch. The nurse came in and gasped, running to Sakura's side. "Oh my Lord!" she breathed. "You're awake. You've been out for a week, Mrs. Kawasaki!"
Mrs. Kawasa- what?
The nurse beamed. "Your husband brought you in here. Said you just passed out and wouldn't wake up." She pointed to Kenji. "He informed me of your son's sudden cardiac arrest. We didn't find anything wrong so we think it was just a false alarm. He probably just passed out." Sakura almost felt like scowling. She knew the nurse meant well, but Sakura was a damn medic! She knew cardiac arrest when she saw it. No one was ever able to find anything wrong with Kenji's heart, and with the looks of it, this was a civilian hospital. They wouldn't know about all the genetic diseases that the Uchiha line carried. She looked over to her son and smiled sadly. At least he was all right for now.
The nurse giggled. "Mrs. Kawasaki, your husband is quite handsome. He even bought you flowers!" Sakura could only assume she meant Sasuke. But flowers? Sure enough, there were some fresh, purple hyacinths. Sakura snorted. Sasuke probably didn't even know what those meant. Due to being Ino's best friend, she was well versed in flower language.
I'm sorry, they meant.
Pfft. Yeah, right.
OOO
"Where is Itachi?" Sasuke snarled. Haruna blinked calmly at him, though there was a sword pointing at her neck.
"I don't know," she replied truthfully. "I was sleeping before you woke me up. And as for that, I don't know where the baby is either, so stop asking me." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her impatiently.
"I don't have a lot of time."
"Neither do I. Get out of here, kid." Sasuke, frustrated to no end, plunged his sword forward, intending to end Haruna's life. There was a flash of red. Sasuke growled.
She had gotten away.
He slammed his sword down into the bed, stuffing flying everywhere. He then sheathed it and went to see if Sakura was awake.
OOO
Sakura officially hated hospitals. The nurses all babied her, wouldn't let her check on her son. She almost threatened to kill one of them. She wished she had.
Finally, Kenji stirred. He rubbed his eye sleepily with a yawn. "Mommy!" he cried out cheerfully, bombarding towards her bed. He hopped up on it and started to cuddle with her. "Mommy, the nurses are all so different here! I don't like it. They all try to make me do things! I'm already better anyway so why do they just keep giving me examinations? I don't like them! I don't!" Sakura laughed.
She whispered, "Truth be told, I don't either!" The mother and son giggled together silently.
That is, until Sasuke walked through the door.
Sakura and Kenji fell silent. A whirl of emotion was going through Sakura's head. He was the one who brought them here. She was certain that he'd leave her to die, but then again, that would interfere with Orochimaru's plans. But still...
"Thank you-" she blurted out suddenly. Sasuke raised a brow, and Sakura fought the urge to spit. "For bringing us here," she clarified. "Thank you. It was..."
"Nice!" Kenji finished. "Nice!"
Sasuke was silent. He was a little shocked, to say the least. To think that Sakura would pull back her pride and express her gratitude verbally.
"..." He couldn't say it! It just wasn't natural for him, but by the looks of her face, she wasn't expecting it. Maybe, he'd surprise her just this once.
"You are...welcome."
OOO
Sakura was surprised when Sasuke insisted on taking Kenji out to train. Of course, this meant she couldn't escape, but the Sasuke she knew would never do something...this...this...
Well, helpful.
It was very unlike Sasuke to do something like this. Very unlike him, indeed. He usually had his own interests at heart. Maybe he still did, but Sakura honestly didn't care right now. Poor Kenji needed the help because Sakura hadn't had any time to assist him with his shinobi skills. However, he was a really fast runner now...
She just lied in bed in the hotel room and sipped her tea.
OOO
Sasuke led Kenji to a fairly quiet lake. Kenji just looked at him strangely.
"You will learn the Great Fireball Jutsu." Kenji scoffed.
"Why's it so great?" he asked. Sasuke just ignored that. He demonstrated. A giant ball of flame hung over the lake, its embers blindingly bright.
Kenji's mouth hung open in awe.
"That's so cool!" he yelled, throwing his arms up in the air. "I want to make one! I do!" Sasuke smirked.
"Very well. Let's start."
Three hours later, Kenji had managed to do it, though it had been tedious, and Sasuke allowed the boy a break, allowing him to drink from his canteen. He chugged it down until almost none was left. He then handed it back to Sasuke, who sighed. He shook the remaining drops into his throat, then closed it. Then the boy started talking.
"Do you like Mom?"
Sasuke's eyes widened. "Why do you ask that, brat?" he asked calmly.
Kenji shrugged. "I dunno... but I guess it doesn't matter since Mom hates you." Sasuke sighed. He was beginning to think this kid was Naruto's. They both talked needlessly. "Well, not really, but she gets annoyed when you hit her, and you stare at her butt all the time." Sasuke fought back a blush. He did not! "It's gross. That's where she poops!" Sasuke stood up.
"We're done here."
OOO
Sakura gasped. "What happened?" she demanded of Sasuke. "He's got burns all around his mouth!"
"Mommy, Mommy, listen! Mr. Uchiha taught me how to the Grape-"
"Great-"
"Great Fireball Jutsu!" Kenji ended. "Want me to show you?" He started performing the seals, and Sakura hastily stopped him.
"Uh, that's not necessary. I believe you, Kenji." She and Sasuke exchanged glances.
Then she froze. She and Sasuke had exchanged glances! That was kind of... intimate. Just a little. At least, for Sasuke it was. She felt her cheeks warming in embarrassment.
Stupid men.
OOO
"I hate this town!" Kenji complained. "All the people here are smelly."
"Kenji!" Sakura hissed. "They might hear you."
"Good! Maybe they'll take a bath then." Sakura rolled her eyes while Sasuke snorted.
"The thing is that it's rude. You wouldn't like it if someone told you that you were ugly, would you?" Sakura chastised.
"But I'm not!" Sakura sighed in defeat. Right now, it was useless arguing with him. He had felt empowered since he had learned the Fireball Jutsu two weeks ago. He now felt like he was on top of the world. Sakura scowled. It was all Sasuke's fault! He had taught the boy to be cocky, just like him! Or maybe it was just hereditary...
But Sakura didn't get a good feeling from this town either. True, the people were smelly, but that wasn't what bothered her the most. A most uncomfortable feeling engulfed this town. There were shady people all around, and all of them were giving their little group the eye. She also had the sensation of being watched.
As much as she hated to admit it, she felt safer with Sasuke around.
Sure, she had been in ANBU for two years, but she was a bit out of practice, and she hated killing in front of her son. Sasuke had no qualms about that, even though it disgusted her a bit. Anyway, it wasn't like Kenji could remain innocent forever. She would jump with joy if he could. But innocence was short-lived. In this world, it was amazing how he could keep it for so long.
Suddenly, a hand placed itself firmly on her hip. Sakura frowned, raised her eyebrows, and looked at Sasuke.
"We are being followed," he explained.
Yeah, right. You know you just wanted to touch my ass.
"Okay," she accepted, allowing him to rest his hand there for the time being. Kenji frowned.
"I told you he always looks at your butt," he mouthed. Sakura swatted his head playfully, ruffling the untidy hairs on his head a bit. Her lips then turned downward. His hair was starting to look like a duck's ass. Sasuke's hair looked like a duck's ass. He needed a haircut. Pronto.
OOO
Sasuke sighed through his nose. Women. All around him. Following him. They were trying to be discreet, following from far behind, but they were failing. He draped his hand around Sakura's hip. When she gave him a funny look, he justified, "We are being followed."
"Okay," she said simply. Sasuke almost let out a noise of relief. He was so glad Sakura was here, someone to play the role of "his woman." But it wasn't like her hip under his hand didn't feel good. He briefly entertained the idea of her bare hip under his hand. Thinking like that was going into dangerous territory, so Sasuke shook the thought away. However, his groin already felt a little tingle, and he mentally groaned. He decided to lead the mother and son into a restaurant so they could sit down.
Hopefully, they would not notice his little slip up.
Kenji was ecstatic. "Mr. Uchiha," he yelled. "Can I have anything I want?"
"Hn."
"Did you hear that, Mom? That was a "yes!" Man, I'm good at tranzalating Mr. Uchiha talk!" Sakura laughed.
"Translating," Sakura and Sasuke corrected. The two shot glares at each other.
"Trans-lat-ing," Kenji repeated slowly. Sakura smiled.
"Better." Suddenly, a feeling nudged at the back of her head. Some chakra had just flared up and died out really quickly. She turned to Sasuke. "Did you feel that?"
"Hn," he agreed, nodding. "He's been following us since the last town back. He's extremely good at suppressing his chakra." Sakura nodded. That was what that nagging feeling had been.
"Should we run?" Kenji whispered.
"No," Sasuke stated flatly, interlacing his fingers. "I'll get him out of our hair by tonight."
Kenji smiled really widely.
Now, Sasuke wasn't one to be curious as to who the unknown fathers of children were, but he was... Well, in this case he was dying to know. The face looked familiar, Kenji's, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. The hair was odd looking, though. He knew Sakura wouldn't tell him if he asked, and he knew Kenji didn't know.
Was Sakura ashamed of it?
That narrowed options down a bit. The person could be a criminal, or just someone embarrassing.
Rock Lee?
No, he was pretty sure the kid would have overly bushy eyebrows.
Naruto? -No. Though he acted like Naruto, there were no similarities in appearance.
Maybe it was someone from a criminal organization.
Sasuke sighed. This was no time to think about things like that. He was going to formulate a plan to take out whoever was following them, or at least get him to leave Sakura and Kenji alone. Sasuke always realized that the presence would grow stronger by Sakura if he was about to leave them.
There it was. The plan. Sasuke would leave them while they were sleeping. Or pretend to. He'd mask his chakra and hide under the bed. Once the stalker came, he would rush out from the bottom of the bed and scare him off, perhaps cast a genjutsu on him.
While Sasuke was formulating the finishing touches to his plan, a cute waitress came to take their order. "Discreetly," she leaned her posterior on his shoulder while taking little Kenji's order. He chatted with her pleasantly, and even though she was politely smiling, anyone could tell that she wasn't really interested in him.
Sakura had finally had enough. The woman had started softly-and actually quite discreetly this time- grinding against Sasuke's shoulder, and it was a disgusting sight. It wasn't something that Kenji should be witnessing. She put on a fake, soft smile and reached over to take Sasuke's hand. "Honey," she said in a overly sweet voice. "Aren't you going to order?" Sasuke smirked.
"Of course, darling, but I think I'd like to eat you instead." The waitress blanched. She removed her bottom from its previous post, stood up straight, and held her pen at attention. Sakura and Sasuke quickly ordered their food, and she disappeared from sight.
Sasuke thanked Sakura with a nod. She smiled at him.
"No problem. Honey," she teased.
Kenji just looked really confused.
OOO
After hearing something shift, Sakura awoke quickly. It was just Sasuke.
"Where are you going?" she asked skeptically. He shook his head.
"Nowhere. Just sleep." Sakura, although nervous, complied. She laid her head down, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep eventually.
Sasuke had found out that his earlier plan had been for nothing. The man was down in the bar, drinking with a friend.
As he strolled down to the bar, he vaguely remembered that Sakura would have tried to escape in different circumstances. He smiled haughtily. She craved his protection too much to even think of it now. His smile fell. Why?
Sasuke realized that he wanted to protect her.
He looked up. He had reached his destination. Entering the bar, he saw the stalker. The stalker was over his age, maybe ten years older than he. He was tall, unnaturally tall. His most prominent feature as his hairiness. Sasuke continued walking on, not really caring about the person's physical features. He just wanted him gone because he was annoying.
The stalker noticed him and waved, giving him a toothy smile. Sasuke obviously did not reciprocate the action. "Yo!" the stalker drawled. "I was wondering when you would come over and visit! Finally noticed, eh?" Sasuke just scowled while the ruffian laughed. He gulped down his drink and smacked his lips together. "Master, keep 'em coming!" he roared to the bartender goodheartedly. "I'm Rudy Fallenhaust, the bounty hunter. You Sasuke Uchiha? Nice to meet you!" Sasuke noticed his odd accent, hairiness, and placement of surnames. He deduced that this "Rudy" was a foreigner.
He cut straight to the chase. "Why have you been following us?" he demanded to know. Rudy scratched the back of his head.
"Gee, you didn't know? That kid you're travelling with has a big amount of money over his head! Like, HUGE!" He emphasized this by motioning his arms into large circles. Sasuke frowned. Kenji was up on bounty lists? That was ridiculous. What could that six year old boy do? He wasn't particularly dangerous. Rudy shrugged. Sasuke had not been aware he had said all those aloud. "No one knows. But it's one of the highest."
Sasuke nodded. "How much will it take for you to leave him alone?" he asked, reaching for his wallet. Rudy gave him a funny look. Then he burst into tears from laughing so hard.
"Kid, nothing you can pay!" Sasuke frowned. "But hey, you look like a lightweight." Sasuke's frown deepened. He knew where this was going. Rudy pointed a chubby finger at Sasuke's face. "I challenge you to a drinking contest!"
"What?" Sasuke spat. Rudy grinned.
"We'll see who can take more Vodka shots. If I win, I get a shot at taking the kid. If you win, I'll leave. Simple as that. Entertaining, too! So what's it going to be, boy?" he barked. Sasuke actually didn't know if he was a lightweight or not. He had never partaken in the drinking of disgusting alcoholic beverages, but he knew there was no choice if he didn't want to involve unnecessary bloodshed.
"Fine," he said calmly. "I accept your challenge."
Rudy grinned from ear to ear. "First to pass out loses!"
OOO
Okay, so maybe Sakura hadn't gone back to sleep. She was up pacing, waiting for Sasuke to arrive. Had something happened? She should've gone to check. Normally, Sasuke could hold his own entirely, but what if this opponent had just been too strong? Was he hurt? Oh, she should've insisted that he tell her where he was going.
Finally, the lock to the door clicked. Sakura jolted up. Sasuke was back! She planned to confront him about it.
That was until he came into the room sluggishly. Sakura pinched her nose. Damn, how much did he drink?
"Sasuke, are you okay?" Sakura asked tentatively, grabbing both his shoulders firmly.
"I-I feel weird," he stammered. Sakura sat him down on the bed.
"You're drunk," she stated flatly.
"But I won," he informed her.
Giving him an odd look, she inquired, "Won what?"
"I don't remember," he replied. "I have to pee."
Sakura sighed as Sasuke went on his way to the bathroom. How could he get so drunk? How many shots of vodka did he have, ten?
Sakura heard the rush of water as Sasuke flushed the toilet and washed his hands. Her lips turned upward. He was going to have the worst hangover of his life when he woke up. He opened the door and sat on the bed next to her silently. Sakura just studied his face. Cheeks flushed and eyes droopy, Sasuke looked quite childlike.
The next thing she knew, he had attached his lips to her neck. They sucked insistently as Sakura tried to get him off of her without hurting him. He was too strong, though. He pinned her down, and his hands started to roam all over her body. When he passed over one sensitive spot, she winced visibly. "What are you doing?" she squeaked, feebly trying to push him off. However, that only led to him straddling her outer thighs so she would not escape.
"I don't know," he answered, his hand darting under her shirt. Sakura bit her lip, not wanting him to receive vocal encouragement. It was hard, though. Little shivers were going down her spine, and little goose bumps appeared all over her body.
That ended when he mashed their hips together. A loud moan escaped Sakura's throat, and she grabbed on to Sasuke's shirt, needing it to end. Kenji had stirred slightly but had fallen back asleep quickly. "Listen, Sasuke," she hissed. "You're drunk. You don't really want to do this, AND Kenji is right there! Do you want him to see?" She chomped down on her lip, hard enough to draw blood. Oh, God. The way he was rolling his hips...
"Let him see..." Sasuke said, rubbing her naked hip underneath her shirt. He was right before; he knew it would feel fantastic.
Sakura had had enough. Bracing her legs, she drew back her fist and plunged it forward, having it connect with his jaw. Due to his inebriation, he was out cold. Sakura tried to calm her racing heart while hauling him to bed. "Be grateful for this, you little ass," she said, twisting his ear.
OOO
Whoo! Nine pages! You'd better be grateful. xD I expect many reviews! But good and meaty reviews. :)
If you have questions about something and are confused, please pop it into a PM or review so I can answer it for you.
I will update in a little less than a week.
P.S. Thank you for all the reviews last time! Wow! 30!