Sakura was torn between hopeful and unsure as she watched the Haruno carriage pass through the palace gates from the window in the room she and Sasuke were sharing. Her husband had offered to take her downstairs to bid them farewell, but she declined. The only person she longed for was Hana, and the girl was out of reach for the time being.
This morning, the princess was woken by Sasuke, who explained that the young Haruno girl would travel home with her family. Then, once they were well enough to travel home to the Winterlands, she'd come stay with them. Kisame would also be joining them. Having Hana at the manor would be more comfortable for all involved, plus it gave one of the strongest known magic users of Konoha time to recuperate from overexertion.
'I pray she's safe until we meet again,' Sakura thought, worry etched into her brow as the carriage traveled far enough away that it began to disappear.
Tears welled in her eyes as she recalled how dull Hana's pretty blue eyes had been yesterday. She truly had seemed like an entirely different person. The princess looked down at her lap, picturing her cut up and bandaged feet as she sat in a chair. 'How long will it take for me to be well enough to travel? The sooner I recover, the sooner I can be of help to my sister.'
She wanted to experience the comfortable bond they'd shared. It'd been a long time since Sakura wanted something for herself so selfishly.
A warmth, like a stream heated by sunlight, suddenly tingled about the palms of her feet. A yelp passed the woman's lips as she flailed, ultimately landing on the floor on her bottom and fumbling to lift her dress to see what'd caused the sensation. A faint green light faded into her skin, like lotion being absorbed, just as she was able to unwrap the bandages. Sakura breathed heavily as she panicked and tried to wrap her mind around what'd just happened.
There was a soft knock at the door. Sasuke stepped in, noticed his pregnant and injured wife on the floor, and rushed to her side, "What happened?"
With trembling hands, the pinkette tried to grab onto his, but he was too busy searching her limbs for new injuries, dark eyes flickering to her face every so often, "S-Sasuke, I-!"
The prince froze, eyes widening as they landed on her feet. As gently as possible, he lifted one and brushed his thumb across it, "They've completely healed…."
Sakura nodded, still entirely terrified and confused, "I-I don't know what happened. It felt like I was standing in warm water a-and then there was a light-!" A squeak was muffled by Sasuke suddenly clasping a hand over his wife's mouth, him having lurched forward. Her knees were on either side of his hips as she stared at him with wide eyes.
He shook his head and searched her face intently before glancing at the still-open door. The sound of footsteps approaching met their ears and suddenly he was kissing her passionately. Unable to do anything but react, Sakura held onto his shirt for dear life and squeezed her eyes closed. It was clear that was what he wanted her to do, she just didn't know why.
"Newlyweds will be newlyweds, I suppose, but perhaps a bed might be better suited for such things than the floor. Your blushing bride is still recovering, after all, Nephew."
Humiliated at being seen in such an indecent state by the king, Sakura buried her face in her husband's shirt. His chest vibrated as he held her there with a hand to the back of her head, "Is there something you need, Your Highness?"
The pinkette's eyes opened to stare at Sasuke's shirt when the king responded, "Yes. I wanted to offer a word of advice. I, too, wished to hit Baron Haruno and knock that baseless pride from his face, but as an Uchiha, we must exhibit absolute control of our emotions."
'Sasuke hit my father? When did that happen? And why? I thought things were going relatively well at dinner last night.'
"Understood. My apologies. It will not happen again." The prince's instant subordination was confusing, too.
"...So long as you understand. Excuse me, you two," Madara commented after a pause. Then, he left, shutting the door behind him.
Sakura looked up at her husband when he pulled back, meeting his gaze with a frown, "You fought with my father? Why didn't you tell me?"
His mouth opened, but no sound came out. She tilted her head, entirely lost by his behavior. Sasuke swallowed before smoothing her hair with the hand that'd been holding her to his chest, "I lost my temper for a moment, but it wasn't very serious. I didn't want to worry you."
"I-" "Your feet. You said there was a light. Was it green?" Successfully distracted, Sakura nodded, "Y-Yes! How did you know?"
The prince moved back to inspect her newly healed feet, "Such a thing has happened twice, to my knowledge. Once when you were kidnapped and I found you in the forest, and the other when you'd stabbed yourself."
Disbelief shocked the woman to the core. She hesitantly pulled away from her husband's gentle touch and came to her feet, "Why…. Why am I just now being told of this, Sasuke? Don't you think this is something I should know about?"
It was a wonder how she kept surviving such treacherous encounters, and now she knew the truth. It wasn't the potions saving her life. No, it was some mysterious green light bringing her back from the edge of death. It gave her more questions than answers.
Sasuke, too, got to his feet, a handsome frown marring his features, "I've had Sai and Ino discreetly looking into it." He reached for her hands, and she allowed him to hold them, albeit cautiously, "Believe me when I say I planned to tell you everything once we discovered the truth. You've had so much weighing on your shoulders since coming into my life that I wanted to protect you from yet another concern."
'I can understand that he didn't have ill-intentions, but…'
Tears welled in Sakura's eyes as she gingerly pulled out of his grasp, "You cannot hide things from me. If I can't trust you, then who else do I have?"
Guilt met the man's handsome face and he nodded once, "I'm sorry." "Promise me you won't keep things from me anymore, even if they might be stressful or dangerous," she pleaded. The one solid thing in her life was feeling quite shaky, so she needed verbal reassurance. There was an uncharacteristically long pause that made her heartbeat spike. Reaching toward him again, she searched his face, "Please, Sasuke."
He swallowed and nodded, pulling her into his arms and holding her close, "I promise."
Weeks passed.
Then, a month.
One morning, roughly six weeks after the Haruno family left the palace, Sakura walked into the bathroom quietly so as to not wake a still-sleeping Sasuke. There'd been talks of leaving for the Winterlands soon, but an exact date hadn't been decided. Only scars remained on their bodies where injuries had once been.
After relieving her bladder, the pinkette washed her hands, brushed her teeth, and splashed some cold water on her face to wake up the rest of the way. She then grabbed a towel, blinking sleepily before patting her skin dry. When her eyes lifted to the mirror, she froze in surprise. The white, silk robe she wore to bed over her undergarments had come untied during the night, likely from cuddling up to Sasuke, but the showing skin wasn't what had Sakura stunned. No, that'd be the tiny pregnancy bump beginning to show amidst her midsection.
Snapping out of her stupor, she gasped. The towel fell from her grasp, knocking the soap dish into the basin loudly. Tears welled up as she parted the bathrobe with shaky hands to further investigate the new discovery. 'I really am pregnant….' Sure, the lack of a menstrual cycle confirmed it before now, but having visible proof for the very first time wasn't something she expected to encounter this morning.
A knock came at the door. Sakura turned to see it open, Sasuke popping his head in, "Are you alright?"
The soap dish falling must've woken him. She nodded, a nervous smile trying to lift on her lips, "I-I, um…. I have…." Blushing, the woman touched a palm to her stomach, "I'm beginning to show, I think."
Sasuke stepped in the rest of the way, dark and tired eyes looking over her appearance in understandable confusion. The princess held her arms out from her sides, studying her husband's face as he knelt to inspect her claim. His large hands lifted to hold her waist, and then the tiniest hint of a smile tugged at his lips, confirming that he, too, could tell a difference. Sakura held her breath when he closed his eyes and unexpectedly rested his forehead to her stomach.
His voice was warm and quiet, "Let's go home."
Sorry for the shorter chapter! Summer is a busy time for me! I've been volunteering at the local animal shelter doing adoption drives and stuff. My updates should become more regular (not to mention lengthier) soon!
