The Color Red

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy the ending to The Color Red. It's been a long journey, but I'm proud to say that this story is finished.

Chapter Notation: This chapter feature features a major time skip. Several months have passed since the last one.

Chapter 22

"Wahhh!" An infant's cries rang throughout the delivery room, several months later.

Gina watches the medic like a hawk as she inspects her child. The child that she had spent nine months carrying inside her and was now coming into the world with a Banshee Shriek. Not that the red head could blame her.

It had to be jarring to be inside the womb and then suddenly outside of it. The lights of the hospital room were bright and probably scarring the poor thing half to death. Not to mention, Gina suspected that her daughter was probably cold. Cold and confused. Why wouldn't she be crying?

"You were amazing." Sasuke whispers to Gina as he brushes his lips against hers.

The Kazekage does her best to return the kiss. She was exhausted though. She wanted so badly to sleep, but she knew that she couldn't. Not until she knew that their baby was okay and fed.

"Is she alright?" Gina asks him and the medic desperately.

The young mother knew that she had given birth to a daughter and not a son because of the ultrasound. A few months ago, they had found out the gender of their firstborn. A girl.

"Congratulations, you're having a girl." The medic told them.

Gina blinked. She didn't know why she was so surprised. It was going to be a girl or a boy.

She supposed that hearing the gender of their baby, made it real somehow. Her belly was now considerably rounder than it had been, but a gender made it seem more real. She really was going to be a mother in a few short months.

"Then it looks like the Sand will have a Princess soon enough." Sasuke said smugly as he kissed her cheek.

"A Princess?" Gina replied as she raised an eyebrow at Sasuke's fatherly pride.

"Well you are Kazekage. That could be considered close to a King or a Queen. So it makes sense that our daughter would be considered the Princess of the Sand Village." He said.

Gina was about to explain why that logic was ridiculous, but she didn't have the heart to. Sasuke was so proud. Well at least she didn't have to worry about him being disappointed that they weren't having a son, it seemed.

"I love you. You do get the strangest notions in your head sometimes though." She whispered as she kissed him.

"I love you too and she is a Princess. Our Princess." Sasuke told her.

Gina sighed. Right. Well she was just going to have to indulge him in this little nickname. Sasuke seemed to have his heart set on it.

"Mhm. Our Princess." She agreed and Sasuke smiled at her in response.

Well how was she supposed to resist that smile? It still made her heart skip a beat and her stomach do flip flops in a most enjoyable way. Those two things should have been painful, but they weren't.

"That's right and you'll always be the Queen of my heart." He promised her.

"Congratulations, Lady Kazekage and Sasuke. You're the proud parents of a perfectly healthy baby girl." The medic says, a few moments later as she walks over and gently places the bundle of joy into Gina's arms.

The young mother looks down at her daughter curiously and smiles. She had definitely inherited Sasuke's raven black hair and ivory pale skin. Her eyes though were just like hers, even with the markings around them. That struck her as a bit odd. She was a baby, she shouldn't have developed them from insomnia yet. Still the effect was rather adorable.

Their daughter definitely had her smile, nose, and facial features. Though Gina notes with some amusement, she definitely had her father's ears. Idly, she wonders if the fact the girl had aqua eyes instead of black meant that she wouldn't have the Sharingan.

"Thank you." Sasuke says with a proud smile as he looks down at the bundle in Gina's arms.

"Mmm do you think she'll be able to muse her Sharingan? Her eyes are like mine. Not yours." She tells him.

"She'll be able to use it. The iris color has little to do with it. My are naturally black. They turn red. Besides, not everyone in our Clan was born into it. There were times when people would marry others who weren't Uchihas. For the most part, we had dark eyes and hair. There were a few people who didn't though. My grandfather had blue eyes and his Sharingan activated and functioned normally." Sasuke assures her.

Gina briefly tries to picture Sasuke with blue eyes. It was difficult, but a rather pleasant picture. Though she knew the truth. To her, he was perfect just the way that he was. She wouldn't change a thing.

"That's good to know. Do you like her?" She asks.

"Gina, she's our daughter. I love her. Of course, I do. She's perfect. Just like her mother." Her husband promises her and the red head smiles in response.

That was good. She would have been furious, if he didn't. Childbirth was the most excruciating thing that she had ever experienced! He had better adore their daughter or else her sand would make him!

"Good. That was the correct answer. The wrong answer would have resulted in you being thrown through that window by my sand until you learned to play more nicely." She warns him as she smiles and feeds her daughter.

She was such a sweet little thing, now that she had settled down. Their daughter was cuddled up to her so cutely as she fed. It had been worth every damn contraction, she decides.

"Very funny. We should probably decide on a name before the loser and others charge in here." Sasuke warns her as Gina nods in agreement.

That was a good point. It was nothing short of a miracle that Naruto and the others hadn't already. Hmm. A name. What should they call their child?

Names were important. She would be stuck with whatever they chose for the rest of her life. She wanted something that would strike fear into the hearts of anyone dumb enough to stand against their family like those Black Market Dealers and the Buyers, but also something attractive.

"True. Let me think about it for a moment." She whispers as she frowns at the memory of the Dealers and the Buyers.

The Dealers had been annoying to track down, but the Buyers were easy. Well at least that was Gina's opinion on the matter. Sasuke and Naruto had tracked them down easily because most of them were extremely wealthy and public figures. It hadn't taken long for the trials to start and the blood to flow.

"Are you alright, Sasuke?" She asked in concern.

Her lover was growing more and more agitated as the trials went on. They couldn't attend every one in person. There were simply too many and some of them were too far away.

The Kazekage suspected that Sasuke wanted to attend all of them though. He wanted to see them punished. Punished for what they had tried to do to their family. The fact that he couldn't, well it was obviously weighing on him.

"As okay as I'm going to be until they're all dead or rotting somewhere." He admitted.

"Most of them are civilians. They have no chance of evading prosecution. Come to bed, My love. Let me take your mind off of your troubles." She whispered as she caressed his cheek.

Those bastards had been responsible for Sasuke's kidnapping. They had nearly forcibly revived her husband's Clan without his consent and they had worried him sick. She would be glad when they were all dead and locked up.

"Alright. How are you feeling?" He asked in concern as his eyes drifted towards her stomach.

"Fat and worried about you mostly." She confessed.

"Gina, you are not fat. You're pregnant. You're supposed to be getting bigger. You look beautiful. You're glowing, really." He told her and the red head smiled in response.

He was such a liar. She looked like a damn Pufferfish. Though she would allow him that white lie. Sasuke was just so excited about their child that she could put up with a few indignities.

"I'm glad you think so. Now, come prove it to me." She whispered as she kissed him.

They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms. The place where she felt safest. The most cherish. By the time that the Sun rose, she felt considerably more relaxed to say the least.

"Yoko. It means Child of the Sun. You're my beautiful Moon and she'll be my Sun." She tells him with a smile.

"Yoko Uchiha. It's a beautiful name." Sasuke says approvingly as he kisses her cheek.

The moment of serenity did not last long though. Naruto came barging in and he wasn't the only one. Temari, Kankuro, Sakura, Karin, Kakashi, and even Tsunade rushed inside. It was an ambush!

"Congratulations, bastard!" Naruto says brightly.

"Naruto, be nice!" The blonde's wife scolds him lightly.

Yes, Karin and Naruto were now married. Sasuke wasn't really sure how two such boisterous personalities could coexist peacefully in the same household, but they did seem happy. Really, he was just happy that Karin was no longer interested in him. He had another sexy red head in his life and he wouldn't trade Gina for the world.

"Thank you, loser." Sasuke mutters as he rolls his eyes good-naturedly at his friend.

He couldn't believe it, but he was actually a father. He had two women in his life now and they were both beautiful. His wife and his daughter.

"Oh God! She's so cute!" Sakura says as she rushes over to look down at Yoko.

Sasuke nods in agreement. He knew that he was probably biased, but he had never seen a more adorable baby. He smiles and caresses Gina's cheek as everyone had a look.

"Just to let you know, it's probably going to take awhile before you're ready to resume your Kazekage Duties. Take it easy." Tsunade advises Gina.

"Mmm. I know. She's worth it though." She says as she smiles down at their daughter.

Their daughter. She was really theirs. Sasuke could scarcely believe that he had helped to make something so tiny and so innocent. And for now, so fragile.

He feels a surge of protectiveness overwhelm him at that last thought. He wasn't going to let anything happen to either of them. His wife or his daughter. Sasuke would make sure that it never happened again. His family would never wiped out again.

"Awe. Look at her chubby little cheeks. She's so cute!" Sakura says as she pinches the girl's cheeks.

Yoko didn't care for that too much. She lets out a rather loud wail. That didn't surprise Sasuke. He probably would have done the same thing, if positions were reversed. What did surprise him is what happened next.

Suddenly, Yoko was surrounded by smoke and small flames. Sakura is immediately forced to let go of her cheeks and jumps away. She had been burned.

"Well she's definitely daddy's little girl. It seems like she has fire chakra and it manifests in a way similar to Gina's sand." Kakashi notes in amusement.

"That would have been nice to know about two minutes ago." Sakura whines as she quickly runs her hands under the cold water of the sink.

"Wow. You two made a super baby. So what's her name?" Naruto asks cheerfully.

Yes. They had made a super baby. The best baby in the whole damn world as far as Sasuke was concerned.

"Yoko. It means Child of the Sun." Sasuke explains.

"Well that's fitting. She does live in the desert." Shikamaru says with a yawn though he smiles ate the newborn.

"I'm so proud of you, Gina. I knew that you could do it. She's so cute. I'd ask if I could hold her, but I think that it's probably best to let her settle down first." Temari says.

Sasuke nods in agreement. That was probably a good idea. He really didn't want to risk his Sister-In-Law getting burnt as well.

"She's adorable, Gina. Really. I have to admit that I had my doubts that you two were a good match, but I guess it all worked out in the end. You better take good care of both of them though." The puppet master warns Sasuke.

Sasuke rolls his eyes in response. Kankuro didn't think that he could actually hurt him, did he? Was he really that stupid? The other ninja wouldn't last two seconds going up against him and they both knew that.

"I plan to. You don't have to worry about that. I don't want to be cruel, but you should all leave. Gina needs her rest and Yoko is obviously grumpy from having her cheeks pinched." Sasuke informs them.

The others grumble, but they soon clear out. Sasuke sigh in relief. Good. Now, they could enjoy some nice, quiet family time.

Two weeks later and the small family was now back in the Kazekage Mansion. Earlier that day, they introduced Aoda and Garuda to Yoko. Needless to say, it had apparently been love at first sight.

"Who would have thought that a giant snake would make such a great babysitter? Mmm. I almost get the hawk thing. I mean the phrase watch you like a hawk, had to come from somewhere though." Gina asks with a quiet laugh as she stands outside and watches the two Summons fawn over the newborn.

"Mmm. Aoda really is such a golden retriever. He just happens to be trapped in a snake's body." Sasuke says as he wraps his arms around her protectively and kisses the top of her head.

Yoko was fearless. She had absolutely no fear of either Summon. Though Sasuke suspected that somehow, she just sensed their intentions were friendly and that was probably why. Still it was rather astounding to say the least.

"Mmm yes. I'm beginning to see that. Well I guess you don't have to worry about teaching her the Fireball Jutsu later on." The red head muses.

"Nope. Definitely not. She's going to be a powerful ninja, one day. I suppose to a degree, she already is." Sasuke observes with pride.

Gina nods and that's when a smaller hawk appears in the sky. It flies over to them with a note on its leg. Curiously, Sasuke opens it and reads the letter.

Dear Lady Kazekage and Sasuke Uchiha,

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. I regret that my behavior towards the both of you has been less than appropriate at times. I only behaved that way because I was worried about the Lady Kazekage though!

In any case, forgive an old man. I was far too quick to judge. Oh and Mei does apologize for her own meddling as well. Though I'll admit there is another reason why, I'm writing you.

It seems that Shibuki is now engaged. Me asked me to write you the wedding details and would like for you both to attend. With your daughter, if at all possible. Though naturally, he understands if that's not possible.

Sincerely, Onoki the Stone Kage.

"That was surprisingly big of him. He was far from our biggest supporter." Gina mutters.

"Well I suppose it would be poor form not to go. Shibuki is getting married to someone else and he knows that we're married. That we have a kid. So he's not going to be stupid enough to give you red roses this time. So I might be able to tolerate him." Sasuke says.

"Mmm. I can't believe that you're still sore about the roses." She says.

"Well of course, I'm sore about the roses. I know what red roses mean and I'm sure that you do as well." He states as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The blank look that his wife gives him in response, makes Sasuke raise an eyebrow. She really didn't know? Surely, Gina was joking. She had to know the symbolism of red roses.

"This should prove most entertaining. What's so bad about red roses?" She asks.

"Well it's not bad necessarily. It's just generally they only have two meanings." Sasuke mutters awkwardly.

"Uh huh and what are these meanings?" She asks as she crosses her arms.

Sasuke gulps. Maybe, he shouldn't have brought this topic up. If she really didn't know, it might have been the wiser move to keep his mouth shut.

"Well usually it's when a man wants to apologize to a woman or to seduce her." He states.

It was probably best to make the explanation more elegant than his original thoughts on the matter. He really didn't want to get smacked around by her sand. Not that he couldn't handle it, it just wasn't fun.

That was mostly because he didn't have the heart to spar with her at the moment. She had just given birth two weeks ago. It wouldn't be fair.

"That's ridiculous." Gina says and she rolls her eyes at him.

"It is not. Remember that time that I gave you roses, after you were angry with me for fighting with your sister? What about on your birthday?" He reminds her.

Gina blinks. When he put it that way, it suddenly all made a lot of sense. Well fine. She could let him "win" this argument.

"I concede that there may be some merit into your explanation." She says with a sigh as she kisses him.

"Oh there MAY be some merit, huh?" He asks with a smirk between kisses.

"Mhm." The Kazekage replies with a smile.

The smile only continues to grow as she snuggles into her husband's embracer and watches Yoko play with Aoda and Garuda. Their child was going to be so spoiled, but she just didn't have the heart to do otherwise. Yoko was too adorable not to give her everything that she wanted. Hopefully, she'd be more firm as she got older.

"So I was thinking maybe, two years?" Sasuke asks.

"Two years for what?" Gina replies in confusion.

"Till we give her a little brother or a little sister. I figure by then, she'll be walking and talking. That and it'll give you plenty of time to recover." Sasuke reasons.

Oh boy. She was going to have to put her foot down. As charming as it was to see Sasuke in Proud Papa mode, she was definitely not going to for double digits. She was going to nip that notion in the bud right now.

"No more than five." She states firmly.

"I can work with five. I'd say at least three though." Sasuke informs her with a smirk.

She was going to have to stand strong here. She was not going to give into the smirk. Nope. She knew that was just him luring her into further negotiation.

"Very well. Three to five. That's my final offer." Gina retorts.

"Sounds good to me. Maybe the next one will be a red head. It is a long shot. Red hair is recessive." He muses as he rests his head on top of hers.

"That would be fitting. Red is a very passionate color." She observes thoughtfully.

She probably shouldn't have said that. Sasuke was naturally going to ask why she said that. The Kazekage estimated that in the next five minutes, she was going to feel very silly.

"How so?" Sasuke asks and Gina inwardly groans.

She had expected that. Though at this point in their relationship, that was only natural. They were lovers, husband and wife, and now had a child together. Of course, she was going to know how he would respond in any given situation.

"Lots of things are red. My hair. Blood. Your Sharingan. It's a color strongly associated with passion and angry. A bold color. It can't really be ignored easily. It's the color that I think of most, when I think of you." She admits with a whisper.

Sasuke tilts his head at this response as he considers it. That was rather detailed. It didn't sound like something she had made up on the spot. That only further heightened his curiosity.

His wife was an introvert by nature. Sasuke had always found it a bit odd that his introverted red head was the Kazekage, but he digressed. That was just part of who he was. She rarely gushed or went about giving long and sappy declarations.

"I think that's very accurate. You've thought about this before though." He murmurs as he cups her cheek tenderly.

That meant when she did feel poetic, it was best to encourage her. Gina was certainly a woman who preferred to show affection more through her actions than her words. Which was just fine with him, really. Well most of the time.

It was still nice to her the declarations, whenever they came his way. Sasuke couldn't complain though. They were both simply wired that way.

"Maybe, a few times." She confesses as she glances at him shyly.

They had both lived hard lives before getting together. They had both tasted darkness. Sharing themselves with someone else wasn't something that came easily for either of them, but he knew that she loved him.

He loved her. That's what mattered most. Still he wasn't about to let such a golden opportunity to get more insight into her rather unique thought processes slip through his fingers.

"Mmm a few times?" He asks skeptically.

"Alright. A lot of times." She admits as she burrows into his embrace.

Sasuke smiles at this and glances at their daughter. She was still giggling at something Aoda was telling her. He doubted that she understood a word of it, but silly faces and baby voices were universal.

"How long?" The other ninja inquires.

"Mmm. Probably almost as long as I've known you. As I said, we're kindred spirits. I was always curious about you." Gina tells him as Sasuke remembers a part of their first meeting.

"Hey, you there! What's your name?!" Sasuke demanded.

"Me?" Temari asked as she giggled.

Sasuke shook his head. Honestly, another Sakura. Why were girls always giggling? Well except for the red head. She didn't seem like the giggling type.

"No. Not you. The one with the gourd on your back." The young Genin clarified.

"Gina Sabaku of the Sand. I'm curious about you too." She replied.

Sasuke chuckles at the memory. Well Gina might not be the most talkative ninja outside of the bedroom, but she had always spoken her mind. Apparently, she had really meant what she said on that day.

"I remember you saying that. I just didn't think that it was that kind of curiosity." He says with a smirk.

"Mmm. Back then, it wasn't. I didn't know what a crush was and I certainly never expected it to grow into love, but I'm glad that it did." She whispers.

"I feel the same way." Sasuke tells her.

He really did. The Uchiha couldn't imagine his life without her and Yoko in it anymore. He couldn't believe that it was all thanks to a color. The color red, but he was damn grateful that it had happened.

"So what other colors do you like?" He asks.

"Mmm you'll find out in a few weeks. After, I've had time to recover. Temari bought me quite a few lingerie sets to model for you. They come in a wide variety of colors. Red is one of them." She informs him as she walks over and scoops up their daughter, taking her back inside the house.

God, he loved this woman. Though he couldn't lie. She could be an evil tease sometimes. Oh well. He supposed that just made Clan Restoration easier. After all, she had said up to five and they only had one daughter…so far. This was going to be fun, he thinks to himself with a smirk as he follows his beautiful wife inside their house.