I own nothing. All rights to go Kishimoto.

"I'll be back when I can."

"Be safe, Sasuke-kun."

"I know. I will."

.

"Sasuke-kun."

"Hm."

She shifted closer to him across the bedding, her hand slipping over his shoulder to pull herself flush against his chest. "Wake up, Sasuke-kun."

She was always a morning person, the first bird rising—and he? Not so much. She was always there to rouse him, though. Still, something moved deep inside him at the feel of her so close. A soothing, comfortable heat. His fingertips trailed up her spine, lingering there, keeping her in place. Every touch between them was always new and old at once; familiar, yet experimental in moments like this, when he was totally exposed. His skin, heart, and soul all poured into her willing embrace as they had become one, slowly, smoothly, thriving together like a watery tide upon sand. There was trust and there was reliance. Such physical affection was not really a stressed priority in their relationship now however, but whenever it happened and they both wanted it, like last night, they both made sure it meant something. His actions became the tender words he couldn't usually express freely on other days, and Sakura's everlasting love for him was merely heard again and again behind her heavy breaths against his ear.

"...Five minutes yet," he grunted.

Sakura's following sigh was soft and warm on his throat. "Okay."

.

Sakura's been acting...unlike her usual self for the past week now, constantly feeling drained and was actually thinning around the middle than what was standard for her. Sasuke had noticed these subtle changes within a short time, assuming it had to be nothing but typical stress tied to her longer shifts at the Medical Ward lately. (He'd suggested that she could take a day off. He wouldn't judge her for it, although, he immediately dropped the subject as soon as he received a frosty glare in return—that one glare that could literally make Naruto and Kakashi stop dead in their tracks. Sakura did not seem happy to hear him ask that. She wasn't known to be a quitter, and she reminded him the needs of her patients always came first.)

However, when Sasuke returned to the apartment that morning to find her gone, with no warning nor helpful note left behind, that had done it. His intuition kicked in to high gear, and it told him that something was indeed off.

He wasn't willing to simply sit and wait around to hear from her later either.

Grabbing his boots again, he headed back outside, having a strong hunch about where she might be: he ended up going to her mother. And once Mebuki appeared in the entryway, he didn't bother with a proper hello. "Where's Sakura? It's not like her to just take off."

Mebuki merely sighed at him and allowed him to step inside, gesturing towards the empty hallway. "She's here. She just showed up early, around dawn. She said she felt sick to her stomach all night long and she didn't want to be alone anymore. That's all. So I offered her a warm bath to relax herself and now I'm making her a fresh pot of tea. But she hasn't come out yet. She's been in the washroom ever since."

Sasuke remained still, mind reeling to make sense of it.

Mebuki's following expression then hardened with mild suspicion, and as a devoted mother, she had to know for sure there wasn't anything else wrong. "...Did you two have a fight? Did you say something to her that made her leave?"

"No." Sasuke tried his best to not sound offended by the notion, though wasn't that successful. He can generally take a lot of shit out on the field from someone else who was an opponent, or a complete stranger. But nowadays, if anyone in Kohona ever interrogated him about Sakura specifically, it became very dangerous and sensitive territory to walk on.

Sensing his dislike of her prying Mebuki instantly attempted for a softer, less biased approach. "...It's just that...when she arrived this morning she didn't look like herself, Uchiha. She's got no energy today. And she showed up in nothing but her long sleepshirt and an old pair of sandals, and honestly...she did seem a little bit shook up about something and she can't explain why. So I thought maybe something had happened with you."

"We're fine," Sasuke stated coolly and continued to brush past her, aiming for the washroom and he listened for movement. "Just let me talk to her alone for a minute." There wasn't much activity going on from her side of the door; he could just barely make out the sound of her breathing and that was all.

"Sakura?"

No answer. No reaction.

"Sakura. Open the door."

Nothing.

By this point, Sasuke didn't even care what he was bound to see. He was going in. He opened the door wide with some unneeded force, but that wasn't an issue compared to what he discovered inside.

Sakura, barefooted and in nothing but her sleepwear as Mebuki had mentioned, was on the floor, limbs slack, and half-propped up against the tub full of water like a ragdoll. "Dammit," he hissed and rapidly shut the door behind him. Crouching down to her level, he gripped her by the shoulders, lightly shaking her first. "Sakura? Sakura, can you hear me?"

For whatever reason, Sakura had blacked out. Again. It must've happened shortly after she had gotten here and her mother was utterly clueless about it since she just thought Sakura needed her privacy to bathe. Unfortunately Miss Shizune wasn't physically present to swiftly revive Sakura like she usually did either. It's one of those days where that duty was all his—besides—based on Mebuki's recent assumptions, she would possibly blame this on him too if she knew and send him out of the house.

"Sakura," he added, low and lenient. "Sakura. Wake up. Sakura."

Her muscles tensed beneath his hands, indicating that she was recovering and coming to. She inhaled a sharp breath of surprise before jolting to full awareness, clinging to him and whispering his name. He swept her tangled hair out of her eyes and lifted her chin upwards for a better look at her features. There might've been signs of bruising or a concussion from her fall. Thankfully, there wasn't.

"Sakura, why are you here? What happened to you?"

"I'm sorry," she croaked, still sounding groggy and lightheaded. "I...I still couldn't sleep well last night...and, I don't know, I started to feel shaky and dizzy, so I wanted to be with my mother...somewhere else I could feel comfortable, and you were still miles away...and then, I was in here, running the bathwater, then I..."

"Then you blacked out," he finished for her. She nodded at him, swallowing hard, being under the same impression that was what must've happened. But something about her story just didn't sit well with him just yet, and it was why she had blacked out. Typically it happened when she was utterly frantic or overworked or something like that. It was a side-affect to her chakra overload. Though Mebuki said she was quiet in demeanor and lacking energy all morning. "You blacked out...just like that?"

She suddenly shifted in his grip, and pulled, trying to stand, but the dizziness still weighed her down. He could tell she was going to collapse again, and she almost did if he hadn't intervened. Her normal sense of balance failed her and she had barely gotten get halfway up before she groaned in discomfort and he had to coax her back down to a sitting position. "Hey. Not so fast. Sakura, just breathe. Not so fast." She complied, settling back into her spot on the floor with him and closed her eyes momentarily to ease the pounding in her head.

Sasuke had yet to let go of her completely and he sighed, not too fond of her looking like this. "Alright. Look at me. What's wrong?"

"It's probably nothing."

"Really?" He was skeptical. "Nothing?"

She inhaled in another breath to fill the silence. "It could have been all the steam? That's all. It gets pretty warm and stuffy in here with the door is fully closed, you know. Or maybe it's a common cold. I'll get over it."

Sure, sure. Though, come on. He could read her mannerisms better than anyone else they know. And this...was just a weird trick to pull, even for her. They'd been officially married for five months after all, and now she had the impulse to run back to her parents' house without telling him first? Yes, granted, relatively speaking, they are still rather young and they are prone to making mistakes, but the maturity they both displayed had bloomed early on in life (considering how they led lives of trained shinobi and all. The occupation simply demanded that of them). Plus, that same maturity had allowed them to forge a real relationship eventually, and move in together, and stay committed to each other, and everything else that came with their sacred union. Therefore, Sasuke was not convinced by her feeble excuse.

"I have never seen you have such a low toleration for heat, not like this anyway," he stressed. "You've been acting strange for days now, even before l had to leave. I don't think it's a viral bug, Sakura, and it's not a phase. Because it's not getting better. You're not the Sakura I know best, and that's the part that concerns me."

"I don't know what it is, though," She finally confessed with a little more nervousness ringing in her voice. "I am the top Medic in my field, and I should be able to recall and recognize every illness or abnormality that exists, and I can't. I can't diagnose this. I...just don't feel well."

"I don't believe that. I know your work. I've seen you perform at expert levels on missions and you're good at what you do. Now think again. What can be ruled out, and what are the possibilities?"

"Headaches. Fatigue. Dizziness," Sakura listed off quietly to herself as he watched her. "Mild weight loss. Upset stomach." She hesitated, and her eyes stared at the towels hanging behind him, nearly zoning out of focus. "Oh. Wait."

His stomach involuntarily clenched upon seeing her face pale of color. "What?"

She shook her head, biting her lip. She was thinking hard, too hard. He hasn't her this way since the day he and Naruto had been beaten bloody for the last and final time, and it ended with her telling him to shut his mouth when he ultimately give in and tried to apologize for the damage he'd caused.

More seconds ticked by them without her muttering a single word, and it was just so unnatural for their dynamic.

"Sakura," he urged. "Look. You are honestly starting to scare me. You have to say something."

On cue, her eyes gracefully fluttered back up to connect with his. "Sasuke-kun...I could be expecting."

Sasuke merely stiffened. "This soon?"

Hell, that changed things. That altered this whole situation around, and it was truthfully making Sasuke second-guess his previous opinion. They were already mature enough to forgive the past and restore severed bonds, and they paid rent, they supported each other, and above all they'd continuously engaged in deadly combat for years...although, parenthood? That was a whole separate responsibly in itself, one which Sasuke wasn't quite ready for just yet, and evidently Sakura was feeling the same. They were still in first stages of their marriage, trying to negative that lifestyle together, living as two, thriving as a pair. But a child is a third person, another mouth to feed, another body to clothe, and another life to care for and put into consideration at all times.

The significant word began to circle in his mind over and over. Parenthood. Parenthood. Parenthood.

"Well, it's entirely possible!" Sakura hissed a rugged whisper then. "The math is a little rough...but yes. I could be having Third Week symptoms. But we can't say anything to anyone until I get test results. And do you realize all those...safe-methods we know aren't always guaranteed, right?"

Her hands were trembling now beyond her control as reality sunk in deep. She wasn't exactly horrified by the probability of carrying a child, or angry by it, or resentful. No, it was just...sudden. She was only surprised. Because since day one of being intimate together, they hadn't been completely careless, not once. They had been careful up until now and they'd settled on keep playing it smart and they'd plan on extending their family in the future. She opened her mouth to say something else about it, but she couldn't. No words came out.

"Okay, when?" he asked her. "When can we find out for real?"

Sakura hoped she could buy a kit very soon. Though, frankly, she should maybe wait to see if she'd miss her next coming cycle or not, and go from there, that obviously being the best indicator. But by working in a hospital, she'd learned overtime that pregnancy complications could vary woman to woman. It's just a biological fact; so a woman trying out a home test days before her next cycle in question wasn't entirely unheard of.

"Tomorrow," she decided to tell him. "Possibly."

"—Sakura darling?" Mebuki was suddenly very close to the washroom door on the outside, shouting for them. Sasuke frowned and prayed she wouldn't feel the need to barge in. He even lifted his free hand to the door, pressing firmly against the surface, bracing himself there to keep her out, just in case. "Uchiha, what's keeping you two?"

"We're fine," Sasuke repeated persistently. "We'll be leaving shortly."

"What about the tea I made?"

Sasuke's following brisk retort was cut off by Sakura gently elbowing him aside so she was the one hindering the door instead. "Ah, Mama, that won't necessary," she says apologetically, shooting Sasuke a pointed glare. "I'm better now. Sasuke-kun and I just want to go home soon."

"Oh. Alright, then. But your father's going to be unhappy to know he missed you."

"I'll stop by again in few days," promised Sakura, and only Sasuke understood what that meant. They'd have to come back here anyway to inform them of her pregnancy, if the results were positive.

"Let's just go out," Sasuke opted. "We'll talk more at home."

Nodding in consent, Sakura allowed him to take the lead as they stepped into the hallway one last time, bidding her mother farewell, and the walk back to their building afterwards was quite a reserved one.

The breeze nipped at their skin along the way and Sakura's hands were still trembling.

Causally, Sasuke reached out to take her wrist and he gave it a slight tug to let her know he was acknowledging her uncertainty. "Sakura. Please try to calm yourself and don't pass out again. Once is enough."

She huffed, but remained silent, and Sasuke let her to back to bed for the afternoon saying that he'd take care of things for the afternoon.

.

Sakura was late—well, no, that part was unknown to him yet—she was late, as in, late getting home.

It was night, way past suppertime. As far as he was aware of, she worked a typical on-site shift with patients again now. And Sasuke was already getting tired of all this tension which had basically put their present lives on hold; he might have married her, and she might be the one he loved most, but that didn't mean he actually liked worrying over her. He didn't need that.

So why was she delaying? If she intended to make this new disappearing-act a normal habit of hers, she would surely push him into developing severe insomnia and a rabid aging disorder. Who knew, he could have white hair by that next morning.

Finally...after an ever longer silence, in which his fingers had impatiently twitched at his sides more times than could count, there were nimble feminine footsteps approaching. He followed the sounds right into the kitchen. There Sakura was.

"Where were you?" he questioned her sharply, coming up beside her.

"Huh?" Sakura glanced up, half-distractedly between throwing her cloak off and kicking her heels aside. "Oh. I was talking to Shizune for a while. And look," she pulled a small wrapped package from her pocket, "she gave a free kit to use. I'm going to go open right it now."

Sasuke faltered. "You told her?"

"Shizune knows me too well by now, Sasuke-kun. I can't hide things from her. Besides, someone we trust should know to be safe and it's probably best if that someone knows medicine, right? If it's just a fluke, we'll all move on and let it be until we actually do get pregnant in the future. But if I am carrying our child now, she'll help us with whatever we need from here on."

"How long does it take?" His eyes dropped back down to the white package she was holding out.

"About three minutes usually," she confirmed, heading towards the bathroom. "So just wait here, alright?"

He sighed and sank into the nearest chair under the dim kitchen light, head bowed. Great. More waiting. He barely even the chance to properly take a look at her before she went scampering off, vanishing behind locked doors.

She reemerged in front of him soon enough, holding the device straight between her fingertips. That was when he noticed something flicker across her features; she flaunted a ghost of a smile. "It's positive."

He stood, making the chair skid backwards a few paces. "Really?"

She nodded.

"Alright then. This is happening now." His thoughts were racing about their child coming into existence. Then he snapped back to the present and it became all him focusing on just Sakura again. "Do you feel alright?"

"I'm fine, you?"

"I'm on your side no matter what." He nodded back. "But we should at least probably tell your parents in a few days, right?"

"And Naruto, of course!" She smirked. Though the humor in her voice didn't last long and she seemed to emotionally deflate, growing somewhat uncomfortable. Her shoulders slumped. "But, Sasuke-kun, you should know that Shizune had personally advised me to...not let the news get too far yet. Ideally, I should be, maybe, fourteen weeks along before we tell the rest of Kohona. Because, really, we never know what my body might go through after tonight. And please don't get upset. I'm not saying I'm ashamed of this, or I want our child to be born in secret or anything like that. I just don't want my pregnancy to become this huge deal for our friends when there could still be...difficulties...like bleeding. It's just me being realistic, so we don't set them up for possible disappointment. I understood where Shizune was coming from. As a trained Medic myself, I've seen this sort of thing happen in several different family cases before, and I don't want that. I don't think I could handle it if we tell them one thing and then somehow it doesn't work out the way we thought, and—"

He got the hint; and he quickly made a point of interjecting before she would maybe drive herself to tears. "Sakura, stop. I get it. That's a rational decision and I'll support it." He pulled her closer and loosely tucked her under his chin. "I'm not going to condemn you for standing by your professional medical opinion. Neither of us will say anything to anyone else until you want to."

She withdrew slightly; her gaze bore into his. "Thank you." I love you.

"Sure." I know.

.

She was six weeks in and Sakura was not even showing that much at all yet. He doubted if anyone could tell the real difference. Naruto still couldn't even when they had clued him in three days ago finally. Sakura had always been on the slender side since they'd known her anyway, and mostly likely the little added weight she'd gained after finding out about the baby had only made up for the weight she'd loss during her prior symptoms.

But, within the solitude of their own home, things were obviously very different.

Lately, Sakura could not keep her breakfast down. She had overslept by three hours twice so far before running off to work with messy hair and agitated tired eyes and she started to complain about her back being sore in their bed during the night, causing her to go sleep on the sofa.

And this is the ninth time over the past few days Sasuke was making special trips just to get her expensive takeout food while feeling a mixture of sheer annoyance and guilt doing so. White rice, steamed vegetables, and rich chocolate on the side. That was her favorite meal now.

"Please, Sasuke-kun?"

"No."

"Please?"

"I went out last night. My weekly budget is almost up, Sakura. We already have healthy and quality food here we can cook with."

"But we don't have any more chocolate." She'd said very simply, as if that held power over him. Like that was her cause, her lifeline, and it was justified.

And, he gave in. "...Fine."

He was blankly staring through rolls of fresh steam and the blurring colors of the lanterns until someone called for him. "Ah, Sasuke-san!"

Oh no.

It was Okura, a tall fellow, black hair, round brown eyes like the earth, always flashing them a kind smile. He was the eldest grandson of the current owner. He once had a chef's career in Mist, Sakura had said, and he recently settled down back in Kohona at the start of summer last year to help his family run the place.

From the very beginning, Okura had been a polite soul, welcoming all the customers old and new, getting to know all of them. Naruto grew to like Okura instantaneously since they both shared his odd passion for ramen dishes. Sakura claimed that she enjoyed Okura's company as well, partly because he usually tried to give her a discount on meals.

Now, Okura came running up to him, holding out Sakura's order neatly packed into a carrier bag. "Here," he offered happily. "I'm assuming this is all for Sakura-san, yes? I know it's not your typical order. Is she here?"

Glowering, Sasuke dug into his pocket for his currency, merely stating, "At home." I fail to see how that is really your business.

See, the only thing was, Sasuke personally found Okura irksome. Unlike his old teammates, he did not possess a strong desire to make a new friend, especially with Okura. And tonight, Sasuke was particularly not in the mood for Okura's usual chatter-chatter. Alright, alright. Well, maybe, that wasn't the only thing. Sasuke's inner distaste for Okura might have also stemmed from the fact that the boy often eyed Sakura like she was the shining moon itself, and he laughed too loudly when she was near, and spoke too fondly of her, and, Okura did indeed go out of his way to offer her a discount on rice and ramen while the rest of them paid full price. (And Sakura...just being normal Sakura, was nice to him regardless. That nice side of hers virtually blinded her to see through Okura's considerate gestures.) But, of course Sasuke caught on to Okura right away. Even if Sasuke figured that Okura wouldn't ever hurt Sakura, or even hurt a single dragonfly for that matter, he still thought that it was rather bold of the boy to secretly pine for Sakura while everyone else knew that he was clearly Sakura's first choice, and they were always together, and now, he was even her husband of all things. (Needless to say, Okura just needed a refresher course in keeping his own boyish hormones under better control.)

"Oh." Okura smiled down at the tip, attempting to be humble and reject the amount offered. "That's not necessary. For a decent customer like Sakura-san we can be generous. Even Grandfather likes having her here."

Sasuke shook his head curtly, slapped the money in his hand, and pulled at the bag, retracting a step backwards. "No, it's fine by me. Take it. It's only fair." Don't be foolish. You're only embarrassing yourself.

Okura blinked at him and swallowed. "Well, okay. If you insist, I thank you." And with that, he flashed Sasuke another kind and shy smile before waving slightly. "Have a good night, Sasuke-san. Tell Sakura-san I hope to see her again soon!"

Sasuke was already turning his back. "Yeah." Don't hold your breath.

.

They'd be undergoing some simple patrolling regulations on Fire's southern boarder for at least three days.

"You two ready for the trip, teme?"

To Naruto, Sasuke was his regular old cranky self. His expression was indifferent and a scowl was soon forming. He honestly looked no different from what they were all accustomed to.

"...Sasuke-kun." Sakura said reassuringly, suddenly putting her hand on his shoulder. "I feel fine. Don't worry so much. Focus on the patrol."

Naruto couldn't help it. He lifted a brow at her, seeming cynical. What? Sasuke was worrying? Really? How could she tell?

Oh, right, that's it. Of course. She's Sakura.

She understood Sasuke's silences like they were his actual words.

.

By the start of her thirteeth week, Sakura found herself sitting back up in the Hokage's supreme office, holding a private conference with Naruto at his desk. "I won't force you to go, Sakura-chan, if you don't want me to," he finished his end of the conversation swiftly, his tone generous and wary. "I honestly recommended you for this special assignment way before you guys told me you were with child."

Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. She loved Naruto as her family, respected him as their village leader, and she trusted him every fiber of her being because they'd been best friends for so long—but, oh boy—did he still have his dimwitted moments that made her feel like she was thirteen years old all over again and she could just shove his head into the ground!

"Naruto," she began with a moan, "if Hinata is perfectly capable of carrying out tasks in the field carrying your child at two months, then why wouldn't I be capable at thirteen weeks? Our country is built on generations of female shinobi who acted as both warriors and mothers, and that's not going to stop with me! If Waterfall's base is recruiting top Medics to help out for a simple fourteen-day stay, then I'll go."

He paused, rephrasing his previous statement, "I...I only meant...what about Sasuke, Sakura-chan?"

"What about him? He knows I'm going to keep working for as long as I can until the baby's due."

"But he only knows that you're working here, in the mainland. And Hinata is working here too, where she still comes home to me every night. You, on the other hand, will be leaving Fire Country. This mission was basically concealed before now, in the works, and I didn't have chance to tell Sasuke about putting your name down before he left two days ago. The official notification from Waterfall just came in last night by falcon."

"So? You can tell him where I went as soon as he returns home when this week in up. Working in Waterfall's Medical Ward shouldn't be any different than working in ours," she debated openly. "And you just told me they've been struggling lately, Naruto. Their body count right now is unusually high. They are our allies now, they called for help, and we have no reason not to give it to them. It's simple logic. Besides...didn't you say that Shikumaru-san and Sai are scheduled to go as well as extra scouting volunteers?"

"Right."

"Then it's already less of a problem. I'm not going alone. I'll have them."

"You haven't told them about your condition, though." Naruto reminded her deliberately. "Apart from your parents, Miss Shizune, and your brooding husband, I'm the only one in this entire village who really knows! And it's killing me, by the way. Every time Hinata walks into the room and starts talking about our baby, I almost let it slip!"

That remark lifted Sakura's mood instantly and she laughed. "I am quite of proud you for that. For once you're not blabbing out something you shouldn't. Keeping a secret this long has to be a new record for you."

"Yeah. Believe it," he emphasizes making a mocking, exhausted face. "It has."

"Well, hang in there," Sakura teased him as she pulled herself to her feet. "When we return from Waterfall, you'll be free from further torture and everyone will know for sure."

"Finally!"

.

Traveling north through the one mountain pass everyone else normally liked to avoid, was in fact, the set plan. Time was of the essence after all, and in particular cases precisely like theirs, it was arguable that shinobi should choose what was fastest over what was more favorable. Going up and around would have wasted three days at most.

So, Sakura, Sai, and Shikamaru gritted their teeth and just endured it step by step, thriving to get one point to the other under Naruto's orders. It was tolerable enough.

However...one wrong jump had triggered an entire rockslide.

The rolling boulders roared like thunder in the ears.

Sai cried out briefly about seeing a safe place to land (which was a cave somewhere below them), and Sakura and Shikamaru had barely made it into the mouth of that cave before darkness took them. Clouds of rock-dust filled their lungs after the final crash. Loose pebbles cracked and popped around them.

After it calmed, and they caught their breath, the boys both shifted to their feet and went to stand at the blocked entrance.

"Damn. What a drag." Shikamaru muttered afterwards, surveying the rugged wall that now held them captive. "Hey, Sakura. You have enough chakra left over to bust through all this, right?"

Sai was already turning to face her curiously while Shikamaru spoke, and Shikumaru shortly followed suit when hearing complete silence coming from her area. They stared at her, waiting, and wondering what was wrong.

Though, unfortunately, her voice didn't fully reach them, and she staggered, still panting and feeling rather dizzy all of the sudden. Her eyes glazed over and she nearly plunged straight back onto the cold, hard ground. Though her two comrades darted to her side, snatching each of her wrists to soften her fall.

"Whoa, whoa." Shikamaru felt how sweaty her palms were as she clutched them in return, fighting to stay alert. Even Sai looked concerned for her right now. "Sakura, just breathe. Sakura?"

She fell unconscious.

.

Things grew dire.

Hinata ceased moving, set down her teacup, and shivered as soon as Naruto strolled into the kitchen, not even bothering to hide his fear when he had ripped off his white robe for the night, tossing aside, acting as if it had just bitten him.

She'd seen that not-so-optimistic face before on several different occasions during their training years in the past and it was never a good sign. Naruto only appeared to be that serious when his friends were in danger and his guilt was gnawing away at him.

"What's wrong?" She whimpered at him.

Blue eyes fuming and downcast, all Naruto could say was, "They're missing."

Hinata's heart dropped. Panic shot through the air from both sides. "What, how?"

"Don't know. We suddenly lost all contact. But...that's not the worst part."

"What is the worst part?" she whispered, coming closer and gently caressing his cheek.

"Sasuke's due home tomorrow. He's the only one who doesn't know about this."

.

The attack happened so fast that Naruto couldn't even bring himself to be that shocked by the impact. And, really, deep down, he wasn't shocked. He honestly would have been more shocked if it didn't happen at all.

One moment, Sasuke was just standing there all stiff and sullen amongst Hinata, Ino, Temari, and Miss Shizune who were all showed up in his office on the account of their friends and significant others being nowhere to be found alive or dead thus far...and then...four and a half seconds later, Sasuke was reaching forward, his hands going for Naruto's throat.

"What?"

"Sasuke—come on. Calm—calm down. Just let me—"

Sasuke ignored him and whirled him sideways again, shoving him extremely hard into the next wall behind them; the framed picture of a silly Naruto and playing around with Hinata and Sakura fell off its hook and went crashing down to the floor. "Where are they, Naruto?" Naruto groaned, eyes squinting, his fingers clawed at Sasuke's iron grip on him. "Tell me!"

All the women present in the room reacted on instinct and flocked around Sasuke, yelling things at him and began pulling on his sleeves, forcing him backwards to let Naruto recover his bearings.

"We don't know yet," Naruto finally spat out, readjusting his collar and undershirt. "Waterfall's Headquarters were going to send us notice the moment they arrived at their volunteered posts. But they s-said they never showed."

Sasuke unheeded the fleet of female hands clinging to him, ready to hold him back again if they had to as he continue to glare at the man who he was supposed to call Lord Hokage, his best friend.

"We're waiting on any leads we can get." Naruto added. "The only problem is...we don't what caused them to lose the radio, or the tracker, or why they're off the map."

"It's because you told them go through that northern pass. This is your fault, Naruto."

"It's no one's fault, Sasuke-kun!" Ino stood her ground right between him and Naruto. "Things can happen on missions all the time that we're not entirely prepared for! We all know that. Besides, as much as it pains me to say it, you have to remember your manners up here! Naruto is our leader now; he's not just some clumsy kid you push around because you can."

Scoffing, Sasuke curled his lip at her. "Some Hogake. He willingly put Sakura—and Sai, mind you, in clear danger just so they'd get there sooner."

"That's enough!" shouted Temari, suddenly cutting everyone off. The room went very still. Cold. Quiet. Tense. Her eyes were also green Sasuke had recalled instantly, looking over at her, but they weren't Sakura's eyes. They did not have the same effect on him as Sakura's green eyes did. "Arguing isn't that productive on our part," she prompted them with a calmer voice like a soft cooled wind. "We can't do much at this moment, but the least we can do is keep our heads on straight. I'm positive that is what our husbands and your wife would want us do to, right, Uchiha. We are not going to treat today any differently than any other mission. It's our duty to accept the facts, rationalize the dilemma, and wait for orders."

"You're not getting it," Sasuke said. "None of you are."

Ino recoiled from him.

Thus, with that out in the open, Sasuke looked towards Naruto once more scowling harder, meaner, and he stomped off, slamming the painted doors behind him, leaving them there in a muddled haze.

Ultimately, Hinata had graciously invited the rest of her fellow kunoichi back to their home for another pot of mint tea afterwards, hoping it might help their nerves to settle until Naruto does receive word about the others' whereabouts.

Ino sighed deeply, lingering behind for a minute or two alone with Naruto. He had his face buried in his hands as she sat in the chair by his desk. "Well. I don't I've ever seen Sasuke-kun act quite like that before."

Naruto sighed too. "Ino...," he began miserably, "...maybe you should know something."

She frowned, still baffled. "Know what?"

"First off, I am very sorry that Sai's out there too in the same position as Sakura...but...when it comes to Sasuke, I think his own stability is going to be particularly fragile until we can figure out what happened to them. Because, uh, you see...Sakura's with child. There's actually four lives at stake now..." He heard Ino release a shaky gasp in front of him, although he didn't want her to interrupt him yet if she was only about to start ranting nonstop and hound him with demanding questions. He was already pushing his luck with this as it was saying this. "So, just now...when Sasuke kept saying 'they' or 'them,' I knew he was actually referring to her and the baby. If Sakura...doesn't make it through this for whatever reason and Sasuke loses her, he'll lose them both. He'll lose his whole family all over again. That'll destroy him beyond the breaking point."

.

"Leave." Sasuke's voice was extra gruff that morning, and tired, which led Naruto to believe he might've not had slept that past night. Naruto couldn't blame him for that, no, of course not. But, Sasuke was refusing to even make eye contact with him. "I don't want you here. I don't want to talk with you."

"We're all worried for them, teme!" Naruto blurted out, his bottled-up rage exploding from the inside out. They had all seen bad things happen before. Blood, death, war, fire, sadness, revenge—and yet—to have their best comrades in the field just disappear on them somehow felt way worse than that. Knowledge is power, and when one doesn't have knowledge, it did more harm than good. He needed support in this. He inhaled, quieting down again. "I love her too, remember? She's a major part of our lives."

"That doesn't make it any less your fault."

"Sasuke, having the baby doesn't turn her into glass. Besides, she chose to go! She even lectured me about discriminating expecting mothers on the job and everything."

"But you recommended her, dope." Sasuke rose from his chair, letting it flip over on its side. He strode up to Naruto and his eyes alone accused Naruto of everything that went awry. Small subtle bolts of dark chakra began to crackle around him. "Why didn't you try sending Miss Shizune or someone else who's training under them instead? The Medics Waterfall needed don't have to be perfect, they simply needed to be qualified."

"Look. What the hell can I say right now besides that I'm sorry?" Still peeved, Naruto saw this was getting them nowhere. Same-old-Sasuke was resurfacing, making things more complicated. "It's not like we planned this in secret behind your back to make you suffer, Sasuke! This mission was only in the works beforehand. I didn't say anything about it sooner than I did because nothing was for sure yet until I actually got the notice. It just happened to come up while you were gone this last time. We couldn't inform you right away, is all. So stop being a hypocrite!"

"A hypocrite? You're the careless one, gambling with their safety, and that makes me the hypocrite?"

"Are you still that blind to how she feels about you? You're constantly going away for long periods of time for your own assignments. And Sakura has to live with that burden every single time. Why can you just leave and say it's fulfilling your duty when she can't? Sakura's not weak! She can handle this, Sasuke, she's the best! You know that! I bet you she'll even come home scolding you for doubting her this much."

"Naruto," Sasuke barked in warning, and it actually made Naruto flinch an inch farther from him. "You are not hearing me. You are still biased. Narrow-minded. You didn't do Sakura an honorable favor by recommending her skills. That specific mountain pass running along the northern border is a very long one and the far end of it even connects with the Rice Country. It's one place that's never peaceful. And it's also the one mountain pass where a number of rouge Sound Enthusiasts had fled shortly after the fall of Orochimaru, raiding and slaughtering others for pleasure all through there. They are unforgiving and still despise Konoha shinobi—particularly me more-so for I've done. So, if by chance Sakura and the guys are in fact caught by those fanatics, or even spotted once from afar—don't you think Sakura might just stand out a little more in comparison? Because not only does she flaunt the shinobi band of the Leaf—the fan of the Uchiha Clan now worn on her back will become her immediate death warrant."

Naruto's eyes were wide, staring. His face shifted from that familiar boiling red to a ghastly light green as he fully understood the true reason why Sasuke was livid. That is the really only thing he hadn't taken into account: Sakura becoming a lone target on the way to Waterfall just so the enemy could punish Sasuke for good, to break him, mortify him, and shame Kohona as a whole.

Words were obviously useless here.

It was still Sasuke who broke the rigid silence, and he did it with a solid threat, "...Just get out of here, Naruto, before I try to fight you again right here and now. Because, frankly, I'm feeling capable of really making you hurt." Then he turned on his heel and strolled into the main bedroom alone, locking himself in.

.

"Sasuke-kun...?"

He groaned softly against the wool, flinching.

"...Sasuke-kun..."

"Sakura...," he mumbled, not moving, "what is it?"

When he didn't receive any further reaction, he snapped his eyes open, and he shot up in bed, feeling like a complete fool, and confused, as he stared intently at the vacant space beside him. For a mere moment, dazed by unwanted sleep, he had forgotten she was not there. She was caught somewhere between Waterfall and Fire Country, and also too close to Rice Country for his comfort. What was even more awkward, he'd had grown so conditioned to Sakura being his personal alarm clock while he was at home here that he was actually hearing things this morning, dreaming things, imagining things, his mind playing tricks to make up for what wasn't there.

Thump, thump, thump.

Was that knocking?

There was knocking on the front door. For some reason Sasuke assumed that was fake as well until it happened again.

Thump, thump, thump.

Oh, okay, no. That was definitely real.

Forcing himself to get up, he strode through the apartment with purpose, cursing under his breath. After what took place yesterday he hadn't planned on any more visitors stopping by. What he should be planning on doing was going to search for Sakura's team himself. Yes, that would be smart. That was understandable. He liked that idea much better than having someone else lecturing him on not acting so paranoid about left over Sound shinobi finding his misplaced wife and unborn child before their allies in Waterfall could.

Sasuke almost felt like he was intoxicated, limbs filled with Kakashi's old sake. Maybe his judgment was getting a little impaired, after all. He felt nostalgic and homesick, and he was home.

He simply made a crack in the front door, and blinked. "Ino?"

"Morning, Sasuke-kun."

"Ah. Why are you here?"

"Here. I'd thought I might as well as bring you some of these...," she added, holding up a fresh pot of flowers. "They're Sakura's favorite. I felt like I had do something to do with myself in the meantime. It...was a rough night's sleep, you know?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, assuming she was distressing over her husband-to-be. Then he actually gave the effort to actually reach for the flower pot. "Thanks. Is that all?"

"Well...I just...I just wanted to let you know that I understand, that I know. I know about Sakura."

"What the hell did Naruto tell you?"

"Please. Don't. Don't be upset." The nervousness in her voice thickened and Sasuke was honestly surprised by the widening of her eyes, and he dropped the conversation. He didn't really intend to scare her. "It's okay," she continued quickly, "because I haven't told anyone else about the baby. And I'm not going to until Sakura does."

"If we find them."

"You shouldn't jump to conclusions, Sasuke-kun. We both know you're smarter than that." Naturally Ino was attempting to reassure him. But it was sounding more...as though she was attempting to reassure herself instead. "I know Sai would want me to stay strong for him. And I know Sakura too, better than anyone. She'd be in great pain to see you like this angry again."

Despite her good intentions, Sasuke's current stare turned into a downright glare anyhow. Really, did she forget there had been wedding? Did she truly believe she knew his wife better than he did? How she acted? How she felt? He knew every single part of Sakura.

"I am fully aware of who Sakura is, Ino. Thanks."

There was a sudden glimmer of remorse in her eyes. "Right," she said shortly. Apologetically. She realized her tongue had gotten away from her. "I'm sorry."

He turned from her, eyes lowering. "I'll make sure she gets these."

"See you around, Sasuke-kun."

"Yeah. Maybe."

Click.

.

Sasuke fought sleep again. He didn't eat anything yet today. He just...watched the ceiling from their bed.

He should be out there searching.

The delay of it all was plainly irritating. It was like having an itch he couldn't scratch; instead it just spread further and blistered across his skin.

Earlier on there had been a red slip being pushed under the front door. A written notification stating that Naruto had simply decided to put Kohona on total lockdown basically. No more unscheduled shinobi would be leaving or coming into Kohona until they received an announcement from Waterfall's scouts.

He couldn't go after her now. It'd be against the damn regulations, and if he broke the rules (again) he'd be way past his luck and way past his fourth or fifth chance for forgiveness. He'd be contained by the ANBU or something worse, and that wouldn't benefit Sakura whatsoever.

He was stuck here.

.

Dawn broke over the hill. Soft golden rays of light poured in through the screen.

Wait. He was waking up? Did he fall asleep? Or was he in a coma?

"...Sasuke-kun..."

Then he rolled over with another grunt, fisting his pillow. No. No. No. Not again. He refused to acknowledge the echo. Though regrettably, Sasuke was no stranger to inner conflict and he was horrible at just shutting his mind off. His past did not allow him that pleasure. Things haunted him from time to time.

Nope. He would not enable this new wave of insanity, this endless ringing in his ears. He wasn't that hopeless. Sakura was not there. He knew the difference. (Didn't he?)

Hell, most days he couldn't get her to stop yapping his name, and without her yapping his name now, he couldn't stand the buzzing in the silence.

He couldn't wait until her voice sounded real again. He felt like he needed that.

The clouds shifted over the sun outside and when they did, Sasuke could swear that he could make out her shadow the far corner of the room.

Delusional.

.

Two additional days like that pass by and all Sasuke's stomach had been tolerating thus far was light bread.

Sakura's name was now making the local headlines.

And that was it. He'd had enough of this.

He finally showered and left the apartment, fully dressed, and aimed for Naruto's residence.

Perhaps it was a busy day and the place would be totally empty, but, it was Hinata who answered the door moments after he approached the entranceway.

"Oh," she greeted him presently, simply. There was something about her natural gentler tone contrasting Naruto's typical bellowing that managed to relax his jagged nerves a little bit. "Sasuke-san. Good morning."

He cut right to it, unwilling to skirt around the issue. "It's been a while since I've heard anything. Has...Naruto said anything to you that he may be holding back on?"

Her pretty hollowed gaze peered back at him. "He wouldn't do that to you, Sasuke-san," she soothed. "He wouldn't lie."

That's not what he asked. Naruto hadn't spoken to him in days, not since the personal incident took place back at the apartment. So how could he lie to him? Naruto hadn't even tried forcing him into a having another conversation, or evading his space in any way. It was not like Naruto to back off and hide. "Still, I...I just need to know..."

His voice involuntarily cracked on the last syllable, which Hinata clearly did not miss. There was a short pause and then her overall expression melted from pity to sheer understanding.

She seemed to comprehend it, seemed to able to relate to him because of something. He just couldn't tell what it was.

"Sasuke-san...," she started carefully, trying to show him proper respect. "...Whenever Neji-niisan was away fighting, I worried for him. When he actually died, it hurt exactly the same...and for a c-couple days even after the burial, I couldn't get his v-voice out of my head..."

He arched his brow at her, unsure what to take from that confession.

"I...ah...my apologies. What I'm trying to say is that...either way, it's alright to miss her. It's natural. I...personally d-doubt that Sakura has died. I believe she'll be just fine, but even if she is alive...it's still perfectly okay to miss her like she is gone forever. There's not...exactly a set rule that says we must measure our longing for someone based on whether that person has a pulse or not. The feeling can feel identical. It is just what it is."

What a perspective that was.

Contemplating this, Sasuke simply nodded in what looked like gratitude when he started to back away from her slowly and return home. Nothing more. Nothing less. "Sorry for the intrusion."

"Don't worry about that. I'll...I'll tell Naruto-kun you stopped by, alright?"

"Hn. Thank you."

.

Oddly enough Sasuke didn't hear anything back from Naruto yet; that is, if Naruto was going to take the time to respond to him practically cornering Hinata at their house at all.

Instead, that next morning, Mebuki actually spotted him coming out of the marketplace with another loaf of light bread clutched in his fist. She carried two boxes of fresh fruit in hers. "Hey, Uchiha! Wait a minute!"

Her footsteps were steadily approaching him from behind.

He sighed. Another talk he had to deal with? How many more people in Kohona would tell him to think this and don't feel that?

Well, okay...he had to grant Mebuki some leniency because Sakura was her daughter. A husband losing his wife would be just as hard as a mother potentially burying her own child. Everyone who had already confronted him about this anyway were all his fellow peers, his generation. Mebuki was twice, thrice the adult they all were and she was an experienced wife and mother as well. He had to remember that.

She hesitated alongside him, reaching out her hand to pat his shoulder, like Sakura used to. He made full eye contact, and honestly, it pained him to do so. Her eyes were so determined and hard, trying to remain strong in his presence—and he—he almost looked—he felt anxious in return at her touch. Exposed. Punctured. Fragile.

"You look like hell," she told him eventually, voice leveled. "When's the last time you slept decently? Or even combed that damned ruffled mess you like call your hair?"

"Getting a decent nights' sleep...," he pondered out loud, "...has been difficult."

"Regardless. My baby girl is strong, Uchiha."

"I know that."

"Not just strong in her fists, but in her head too. On the inside."

"I know."

"Do you?" Mebuki challenged him with a new tone that happed to be quite familiar to him. And Sasuke actually grimaced. She sounded exactly like Sakura whenever Sakura felt the need to stand up to him about something instead of standing behind him. "I need to make sure you do remember that. Because I don't need her husband falling apart on us now just because he feels like he's already buried her into the ground. That dishonors her. I didn't raise her to be constantly doubted by you."

"I do know that," he stated. "Because I know her best. Not everyone else here besides me. Me. I know who my wife is. She's completely loyal and she's open to what's she feeling. But it's her emotional state that actaully pulls her through the wreckage. It's not a weakness for her as it can be for others."

However, Mebuki's reaction wasn't the same as Ino's had been. She wasn't embarrassed by underestimating the bond he shared with Sakura. In fact, she seemed relieved that he shut her words down like that, impressed even. For that was the final proof she was searching for. It showed how strongly he favored Sakura deep down, how much he truly valued her, and how much he despised it when people belittled them as a pair.

"Good," she ended up saying, then she waved her hand at him invitingly. "Now, come home with me for the afternoon. I'll make you a better home-cooked meal than that," she glanced down at the bread all too knowingly, "and I'll force you to eat it too, 'cause if you don't eat, you'll really hurt my feelings and then you'll really have to worry about my husband jumping on your case. Deal?"

Sasuke knew he didn't have a choice. Long ago, Mikoto had taught him to always obey his closest elders and never say 'No' to a mother's wishes.

He conformed and started to trail behind her.

Haruno women were a strong breed, indeed.

.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Literally jumping out of bed shirtless and barefooted, just wearing shorts, he tore the bedroom door open, collided with the wall in front of him briefly before he pushed off it, sprinting towards the entrance. Ino's persistent slapping and knocking would only cease until he answered her.

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!"

"Ino," he said, observing how excited she was at the moment, her cheeks pink from the run over, chest heaving, and her sky-blue eyes wild with relief. "What is it?" With this, a silent lurch of hope sprung in his chest. It was contagious.

"Naruto finally received notice! They're alive! He said we can learn the details if we come right now."

She didn't need to tell him fucking twice.

He immediately leaned down to tug on his boots, and grabbed the hooded pull-on shirt that was so-conveniently hanging over the bench nearby, and together, they took off.

.

"There was a rock slide," informed Naruto.

"A rock slide?"

"That's why connections were lost. They were trapped in a cave for three days straight. How it happened...no one really knows, but it we all it's rough terrain up there. The letter I just got today explained that they're all still healthy enough and they're at the Waterfall Medical Ward as we speak. After the forms are filed and the examinations they promised to do are finished, they'll be shipped back home safely on an iron railway before you know it."

.

Everyone knew they weren't going to be staying Waterfall for that long, and with the cave-in incident, the mission was shortened a bit...and yet, day in and day out, Sai would find Nara Shikamaru sitting next to Sakura every possible chance he got, chatting with her, bonding with her, making sure she was intact and feeling alright.

And in the hall, before supper was offered, Sai's inner curiosity had gotten the better of him and eventually confronted his assigned teammate about this unexpected habit. "...What is it with you and that girl?"

Shikamaru simply continued to observe Sakura from across the room as she entertained a small child who needed her little bloody foot bandaged up. "Hm?"

"What is it about her?" Sai repeated. "She's married to the Uchiha-spawn now and I've heard that you're engaged to be married to Tamari from Sand soon, so you can't be secretly in love with Haruno or anything. It just makes me wonder why are you shadowing her like a mother hen?"

Shikamaru scoffed and shoved his fists into his pockets of his vest as he always did. His father's words were echoing around in his head. Behind every man, there's that one woman... "...Did you know that Sakura never stopped loving Sasuke? Not even for a single day?"

Sai shrugged. "Yeah, and?"

"Well...think about what Sasuke had done to her back then. What he'd done to Kohona. All of it. And still, he had Sakura loving him regardless of those things. Up till this day our people still tend to pity Sasuke, or go far as to demean him behind his back." Shikamaru shook his head at the thought. "They say how unfortunate he is to have this life. But, in truth, Uchiha Sasuke is one of the luckiest people ever to live." Shikamaru carried on to remind Sai of how smart Sakura is. That's something she'd always had going for her. She didn't even have to cheat on the Tenth Question during the written Chunin Exams years before. And he concluded his monologue with affirming, "...However, it is Sakura's love that is her strong suit. Her love runs so deeply, so profoundly. And even if we are shinobi, at the end of every day, isn't that what we all want? Just somebody to love us genuinely and endlessly apart from of our flaws? A part of me just can't help it. I idolize her for that, I guess. Trust me, over the years, Sakura's undying love has touched us all at one point or another. And I'll make sure she gets home healthy and sturdy, because if she's not with Sasuke, then we all lose some of our hope in love."

.

Sakura stirred, redressed in her uniform that had been washed and re-stitched for her, and she strolled into the common room of the guest house, instantly noticing a shadowy figure sitting there against the light of dawn. His head was bent idly against his chest. "Shikamaru-san?"

Alerted, her primary comrade raised his eyes to her. "Hey."

"Are you okay?" she asked him; her immediate concern for her teammates was an instinct she could never ignore.

"Yeah." He nodded once, willingly tried to reassure her. "Just wanna get back in one piece from here on and see Temari."

"I know the feeling."

"...Is the baby alright?"

Sakura didn't even wonder how he knew that, because he was Shikamaru, and he just knew things. He was very observant and clever like that. It was funny, though. He might have grown closer to Naruto over the years than he ever did with her, but still, they were equally aware of each other's wits, of each other's roles in their story. That mutual respect went unspoken, but it was there. It was clear. "Don't worry. We're both fine."

"Good."

.

When Sasuke woke up thirsty that morning and dragged himself into the kitchen, seeking a cup of cold water, he just happened to catch Sakura herself walking through the door with her keys and traveling pack in hand.

He lingered there briefly, frozen in place, unsure what to say. He just had to let her physical presence soak in, because he had to make certain that it was truly her and not a delusion.

"Sakura?"

"Sasuke-kun!" Cheering at the sight of him, she approached him quickly with a humble smile, apparently consoled by the fact he didn't immediately look annoyed with her for leaving in the first place now that she's actually back in person. "We're home!"

Uneasily, Sasuke felt exceedingly raw in that moment, gazing into her eyes. Gods. Those sweet spring-green eyes that have the power to sooth him and taunt him all at once.

He merely moved forward and pulled her into his arms, holding her to him rather tightly. His lips pressed down between her hair and her pale shoulder, saying nothing more other than, "I'm glad you're alright."

That was all.

Sakura's own excitement had expanded quietly inside her chest as she returned the yearning embrace. "I love you, too."

.

A cold front had hit Kohona just months later and a fresh light snowfall was now coating the streets.

"Sasuke-kun, wait up!"

"Sakura." He stopped near the familiar stone bench and turned back to face her. "I have to go."

Huffing, she came directly toe-to-toe with him, those green eyes of hers set on his and shining brightly with a feisty spirit. "I know you do. And we're coming with you."

"You're safer here, Sakura. Both of you are," he emphasized. "Please."

"We're safer together."

"Sakura—I just don't think it would wise to—"

"—You'll worry even more if you leave me behind this time," she threw in right away. "You may not see that now, but when you wake up tomorrow morning and remember I'm not there, then you will, you'll worry yourself sick."

"So...what now, you're just going to leave home for six months and travel around with me, while carrying our child?"

"Why not?"

She smiled then, and he glowered. "I can think of a hundred-and-thirty-five reasons for you not to."

"Well, stop that. Start thinking of reasons why I should go."

"No, Sakura, I can't risk the you or the baby possibly getting—"

"That's my whole point, you stubborn ass!" she cried out shrilly. "The baby is why we should stay together! This is a special circumstance, and I'm going! Besides, Naruto already knows. He filed me on leave."

"Okay."

Suddenly mollified, she blinked up at him again. "Okay?"

"Okay." He nodded, squeezing her hand, and he beckoned her into the forest up ahead. "Let's get going. Before night falls."