Sakura is called immediately after and Hinata is too lost in thought to do more than stare at Sakura's glowing hand as it moves over her stomach.

"I can't sense anything," Sakura shares, and all heads turn to Neji.

"She is pregnant. I'm sure."

Hinata puts her hand over her abdomen and feels her mind going at full speed with this situation, "He… Neji is the b-best at using the c-clan's technique," she shares, without knowing why. It is the truth, and he said she's pregnant...

But she feels nothing under her hand, and Sakura's words make her feel helpless.

She realizes that she needs Neji's words to be real.

"I have seen and used the technique to check on pregnant women before, I am sure."

"Then… she has to be less than 6 weeks pregnant."

"I agree."

All eyes fall on Hinata again, on her blank face, on the way the hand covering her stomach trembles. Lord Minato is the only one who moves and comes to her, brings her to him.

"Congratulations."

Hinata doesn't realize she's frozen in place until Lord Minato's warm hands bring her out of it, and her tears start falling. Her eyes fall on Naruto's body next to them and she hides her face on Lord Minato's shoulder.

Congratulations, she thinks.

⁂⁂⁂

A secret. A secret within a secret. Naruto's actual condition is not to be shared with the outside world and although harsh, many are grateful he is not the only Beast Tamer affected.

The air is tense and every day Naruto doesn't wake it gets worse. But at least all Beast Tamers are in the same situation… or worse.

Lord Gaara leaves before long, with deep bows and worry etched on his face.

"Whatever happens, the Sand will support the Nine-Tails Beast Tamer."

Seeing Lord Gaara up and about brings a sense of relief to the people of the clan. Although short-lived, because Lord Naruto is still…

Hinata is at least thankful that she can tend to him without having to worry about acting it out with other people. Lord Minato is at least thankful that she can take care of herself without arousing suspicion from other people.

Lord Shikamaru doesn't leave his office and worries about until when will this continue. The Kiba's and the Inuzuka's have been working non-stop since the Beasts got loose and although he has received information from Gaara and the other clans, nothing changes much.

They are without their Beast Tamer and he fears someone will try to attack. They can hold it out, but for how long?

At least… the Five-Tails is dead and the Six-Tails is out. And the only Beast Tamer that's fine is on their side.

Should they… attack?

The Two-Tails' whereabouts are still a mystery and the other clans are as worried as he is. They have decided to call for a truce, but what can a written promise do?

It only takes one mistake… one person for all this ruse to come falling down.

Naruto. They need him to wake up.

⁂⁂⁂

Hinata now knows how to best care for Naruto. How to feed him, how to clean him, how to move his body in order for his muscles not to atrophy.

She doesn't want to know any of this. She feels light-headed and has to fight her food down most of the time. Sakura believes these to be signs of pregnancy, but how can they be sure? It could be signs of stress all the same.

She is stressed, after all.

Like never before.

She sits next to Naruto, like every other day. And stares at his face, leaner than ever, but nothing to worry about yet, Sakura assures. Hinata wonders when will it be enough to worry about? What's gonna happen when it becomes enough to worry about?

Her fingers trace his whisker marks and her heart hurts. She's carrying his child. She wanted it to be different, for her to realize that and run to him. For him to catch her and look at her and know immediately. For him to smile back at her and…

She realizes she has never even said it out loud… they promised each other they would learn to love the other. And almost a year into their marriage and Hinata was sure she was already in love with him. But she had never told him.

She didn't think it necessary. Not when they shared kisses and nights and secrets with each other. Not when he would fall asleep with his head in her arms whispering sweet nothings against her chest, nor when he would find her to share a quick nap before leaving again. Not when he would whisper her name between ragged breaths as he spilled himself inside of her.

She didn't think it necessary.

And now her heart hurts before she fears she will never have the chance to say it.

I love you.

I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.

I love you so much.

She rests her head on his chest -like always-, and listens to his heart intently, as if it could give her a hint as to when he would open his eyes. She brings his arm out, lets it fall over her waist, and she closes her eyes.

"I love you."

Wake up. Please.

Neji finds her a while later. He sees her puffy eyes but says nothing, only brings out a handkerchief and hands it to her.

He gently reminds her to eat.

⁂⁂⁂

Naruto wakes up 34 days after falling unconscious. His eyes barely open and his body is unresponsive to whatever he orders it to do. He feels disoriented and can barely understand that he is in his own room.

The memories come back in flashes, with little order. And as always, the pain starts flaring up all over his body. A patch at a time, only to cover his whole body in time. He groans.

"Neji!"

The room turns all around him and the need to throw up overwhelms him.

"H-here!"

He misses. And he feels the vomit all over his chest. His head thumps and he turns his body, presses his head to the ground.

"N-Neji went to g-get Sakura, s-so-"

Hinata. Hinata. Hinata, Hinata.

"Hinata," he croaks. His voice sounds weird, but her hands find his back and she tries her best to soothe him.

"I-I-I'm here."

He wants to cry. She's fine.

"Son!"

His father appears and rushes to him, kneels beside him and brings his face close. "How do you feel?"

"Like… shit."

Minato allows himself one chuckle before resting his hand on his Naruto's shoulder. "Anything abnormal?"

Naruto takes a second to answer. Trying to find anything in his body that felt out of the ordinary. "Only… it's the same symptoms of a reinforcement… just… a hundred times worse."

"Good." Naruto opens his mouth and dry heaves, "Sakura is coming."

So he's been told, he wants to joke, but his stomach turns and he throws up again, mostly bile. This time Hinata manages to put the basin under him, but he still gets droplets of vomit on his face.

Sakura appears with her hair disheveled and she runs to Naruto. Her hands shine green and Naruto's body relaxes slightly the second after.

Hinata stays in the room, but away from the action. Sakura and Lord Minato ask questions and touch and clean Naruto all over, making sure that his pain subsides, that his seal is working as it should.

They just have to give him time, they both say, his body is already coping well with the changes. As for his pain, Sakura gives him painkillers. And when Naruto is well -in pain but under control-, as he can lay on his bed without thrashing about, when his groans are only intermittent whines, all eyes rest on Hinata.

But she doesn't register the fact, focused on her husband, on his closed eyes, on the way the muscles on his face contract in pain every second, on the way his mouth thins out in order to bite down the pain coursing through him. On Naruto, who's clearly still in pain and yet is doing his best to keep it under control. She kneels beside him and Sakura and Lord Minato give her space, they retreat and move near Neji.

They leave shortly after, as Hinata grasps Naruto's hand between hers and rests her other hand over his chest, rubbing circles in an attempt to soothe him. It barely works, but by the time they all walk out the room Naruto starts to have better control over his breathing.

"Sorry," is the first thing he says the moment he is sure they are out of earshot.

"No…"

"You were freaked out last time when I didn't wake up after a day, but now," he scoffs, not because it's funny, but because he still can't believe he was knocked out for so long. He had promised before he would do his best not to worry her again over this, so he thinks promises should be left out of the conversation right now. All he has left are sorries.

So he tries to say sorry again, but Hinata brings her face to his, rests her lips on his cheek, "Please, d-don't. I'm just s-so glad you're a-awake now."

His body still feels sluggish, still feels weighed down. His head thumps rhythmically and although the pain has subsided considerably it's enough to make him whimper. He doesn't. He brings his arm around his wife -with all the effort it takes him- and rests it over her body.

"I'm okay now," he whispers.

And although he knows his words sound like a lie, he wants them to be real and true and give her some sort of peace of mind. He doesn't know if it will, he doesn't know if this time she'll realize he can never assure her of his well being. But he tries.

Hinata nuzzles into his cheek, peppering kisses as she moves, "You are."

Naruto accommodates himself under her, a response to the pain he's feeling that does nothing to alleviate him of it. Hinata takes some of her weight off him and ends up sitting next to him, in fear of aggravating his discomfort.

"I'm okay," he whispers, trying to bring her to him again, but Hinata resists ever so slightly.

She's close to him, as much as possible without pressing on him. Her legs flush beside his torso, her thighs working as a cushion to the arm that surrounds her. She moves closer to him, her hand to his face, to his whisker marks, and she drags her fingers over them.

The sun is setting and her hair shines blue against the light. Her hair hides much of her face and she leans to him, her hand never stops moving.

"Naruto," she calls. And he has trouble focusing on her face, the lights play with the shadows around her and the fever he's running makes it hard to focus.

"I love you."

His breathing stops for a second. She looks ethereal and Naruto wonders if maybe this is just his mind playing dreams for a dying man. But her hand feels real enough, the pain is real enough, and the tears that rush to his eyes are true. "I-"

Her face moves closer now, and he can see more clearly. "I love you," she repeats, and then presses her lips to his. "I l-love you," another kiss. "I love you." Naruto's mouth rises into a smile and his hand presses into her back.

"I love you, too," he manages and Hinata stares at his blue eyes. Clear, unburdened, withstanding the pain.

She nuzzles into his neck and breathes him in. This. This is all that matters.

"Gods, you must really love me, kissing me after minutes of me throwing everything I had in my stomach out."

His chest rumbles and Hinata smiles, hides her face into his neck. Careful so as not to bother him too much. She can feel his warmth surrounding her and the cold realization of Naruto's situation as a Beast Tamer makes her bite down her lip in an attempt to control the tremble that threatens to come forward.

"I do."

HINATA DESERVES ALL THE CONGRATULATIONS, THANK YOU MINATO FOR BEING THERE, MY MAN
Naruto... well he feels like shit, but he's awake now! Now Hinata can just kiss the pain away (❁´◡`❁)
Thank you for reading! Take care and see you next week!