Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, nor do I make any money off this story.

Last chapter!

Chapter 10

Naruto lay in bed, getting more annoyed by the minute. Tsunade had told him to take it easy and get plenty of rest; the baby needed a lot of chakra to survive since Naruto wasn't born with the natural parts to carry one, and with the child using his chakra, it would make Naruto weaker and more tired, and Tsunade didn't want the young blonde to overtax himself. Hearing this, Sasuke had been worried that something might happen to his husband, especially while he had to attend to his Anbu duties and couldn't look after Naruto himself. So he talked to all of their friends and managed to recruit a few of them to help keep an eye on Naruto.

Sasuke hadn't been as concerned the first couple of months of Naruto's pregnancy. Naruto had been just as hyper and energetic as ever; only his appetite had increased. It wasn't until he was five months along that the raven noticed he was tiring more easily, and sleeping later in the mornings since he was on temporary leave from shinobi duties. His belly had just started to really show, and Sasuke would watch in amusement as it became increasingly more difficult for Naruto to get up off the couch or bed by himself. Of course, being the loving spouse he was, Sasuke would always help the blonde to his feet. Naruto would give an irritated glower at the smirk on Sasuke's face as he took the proffered hand.

Unfortunately for Sasuke, he had to contend with wild mood swings and crazy food cravings. There were times he'd simply walk into a room and find Naruto crying over the tiniest thing, but when he'd try to console the younger man he was either brushed away or yelled at. Later, Naruto would be extremely affectionate, acting as though nothing had been wrong. Sasuke knew he had to be patient, but sometimes it was hard, especially when Naruto would wake him up at 2:30 in the morning for some weird snack, such as a peanut butter and jelly with sardines sandwich and a bowl of ramen. The raven turned green as he watched Naruto dip the disgusting sandwich into the ramen and happily eat his meal.

By Naruto's seventh month, Sasuke had requested to be on standard Anbu guard duty so he wouldn't have to leave on missions, thus being close in case Naruto needed him. He'd also asked Sai and Kiba to periodically check up on Naruto to ensure he was all right, and eventually they, along with Sakura, Ino and Neji, were keeping watch over the now-irritated blonde. Sakura would check on Naruto just after her shift at the hospital ended, stopping by on her way home. Ino looked in on him usually in the mornings, a silent Neji accompanying her. Sai and Kiba tended to stay by Naruto's side the most (apart from Sasuke), mostly in the afternoons before the Uchiha came home.

Now, with only a few weeks until the baby was due, Naruto had pretty much been confined to bed. He felt like screaming; he knew his husband and friends meant well, but he was a man, not some weakling! When he tried to leave the room, only to be gently pushed back by Kiba, Naruto voiced his displeasure.

"Damn it, dog breath, I'm pregnant, not an invalid!" the young man huffed, glaring at his friend from where he sat on the edge of the mattress.

Kiba smiled, his long canines peeking out from under his top lip. "You need to stay in bed. You heard what Tsunade said," the brunette told his friend. "If you need something, just let me or Sai know and we'll get it for you."

Scowling, Naruto settled at the head of the large bed, arranging the abundant pillows behind him comfortably. He had a killer case of heartburn, and all he'd wanted to do was go into the bathroom and get some antacid; apparently, he wasn't allowed to do even that. 'Great, soon Sasuke will have me pissing in a cup just to keep me in bed!' the aggravated blonde thought sourly. He was used to doing things when he wanted, and it was hard having to rely on someone else for something for the first time in his life. He sighed, knowing his friends and husband meant well and were just worried about him and the baby. Naruto grumblingly told Kiba what he'd been after, and as the dog nin retrieved the medicine, Naruto fought to keep his eyes open. He would be so glad when he finally gave birth; he was excited about his and Sasuke's baby, but it would be such a relief to not have to deal with the swollen feet (he saw them when he was sitting down, but when he was standing it was nearly impossible with his stomach blocking his view), having to pee for what felt like every ten minutes, his exhaustion all the time, horrible heartburn, and now his back was killing him.

After taking the antacid, Kiba left Naruto to himself so the blonde could get some sleep. Naruto curled up on his right side, trying to ease the ache in his back. He drifted into a light slumber, only to be awakened fully not an hour later as he felt his stomach spasm, then almost screamed as pain ripped through his abdomen. Gasping, Naruto clutched his belly, waiting for the agony to pass. Feeling the contraction wane, for he knew that's what it was, he sucked in air greedily and called out for Kiba and Sai.

Getting to his feet slowly, Naruto was panting hard by the side of his bed when his friends rushed into the room. Just as he was about to tell them to get Sasuke, another wave of pain slammed into him, nearly bending him over double. Realizing what was going on, Kiba quickly went to Naruto's side to help support the blonde, watching as his dark-haired lover ran out of the house to find Sasuke.

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Sasuke kept watch at the village gates, Shikamaru reclining lazily beside him, puffing on a cigarette. The raven, usually bored by guard duty, found himself on edge. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling. 'Naruto…' Sasuke's thoughts centered on his blonde lover. Checking the time, he saw he still had another two hours before he could go home.

Suddenly, Sai appeared in front of him, a worried look on his normally passive face. Seeing the pale-skinned artist's expression, Sasuke knew he was here about Naruto.

"Kiba took Naruto to the hospital, he went into labor about ten minutes ago," Sai informed Sasuke. Shikamaru, who'd perked up slightly when Sai started talking, simply told Sasuke, "Go," and watched the Uchiha disappear in a cloud of smoke.

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Sasuke burst through the double doors of the delivery room in the hospital, hearing Naruto frantically call out for him. He quickly made his way to Naruto's bedside, grasping the blonde's hand tightly in his own. Tsunade and Shizune were also in the room, prepping Naruto for a C-section. Sasuke hovered anxiously over his husband, concern etched on his face as another contraction gripped Naruto. He squeezed Naruto's hand, feeling helpless as he watched the blonde struggle through the pain.

As the pain began to ease once again, Naruto cursed Kyuubi. "I swear," he gritted out, "if I could… get my hands on that… damned fleabag, I'd neuter his ass!" He'd never felt pain like this before, not even the chidori Sasuke punched through his chest when he was twelve had hurt this bad. And it certainly didn't help his mood when he heard the fox laughing at what he'd just said. Naruto decided to ignore Kyuubi as he relaxed the pressure from his death grip on Sasuke's hand. He was surprised that Sasuke hadn't said anything about it; he'd held the raven's fingers tight enough to really hurt, but Sasuke never uttered a complaint, just smiled at Naruto and kept his hold.

Tsunade was ready to perform the procedure, and knowing it would be futile to try to make Sasuke leave, she simply told him to stay out of her and Shizune's way so they could deliver the baby. The Uchiha nodded, his hand never releasing its hold on Naruto's as Tsunade gave the blonde an injection to make him sleep.

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In the waiting room, Sai and Kiba were soon joined by Iruka, Kakashi, the rookie nine and their senseis, Genma (who was with Sakura), Temari, Gaara (who was visiting his boyfriend Lee, standing next to him), Neji, and TenTen. Sai had informed all of Naruto's friends that he was about to have the baby, and everyone had rushed to the hospital. They'd been waiting for news since arriving almost half an hour ago, and were getting anxious to hear about Naruto's condition, especially Iruka. The brunette chunin was fretting nervously, pacing in front of the door. Kakashi had just gotten up to try to persuade Iruka to sit down and relax when a smiling Shizune came into the room carrying a small bundle in her arms.

Everyone went to get a closer peek at the newborn, asking about Naruto while they cooed over the baby.

"Naruto's fine; Lady Tsunade is just now finishing healing Naruto, and Sasuke asked me to bring the baby out here to let you see him," Shizune told them. She gave them a few minutes to see the newest Uchiha, then took him back to his proud parents. Sasuke had remained in the delivery room with a groggy Naruto, not wanting to leave the young blonde's side for an instant.

Iruka trailed along behind Shizune as she returned the infant to Naruto and Sasuke, hoping to visit Naruto and make sure he was all right. Kakashi was following alongside the chunin, his arm wrapped around the smaller man's shoulders.

When they reached the recovery room that Naruto had been moved to, Shizune went in and laid the baby down in a small bassinet set up beside the bed, and ushered Iruka and Kakashi into the room. Tsunade, who was on her way out, told them they could stay for only a few moments, since Naruto needed to get some rest. Sasuke was standing next to the bed, looking over his and Naruto's child in wonder. Shizune was leaving the baby with them for a while so Naruto could see him when he awoke from his nap before she took him to the nursery. The two older shinobi quietly congratulated the Uchiha, then Iruka brushed a gentle kiss on Naruto's forehead as he and Kakashi left.

Taking a seat next to Naruto's bed, Sasuke picked the small child up and cradled him in his arms. The baby had a sparse patch of midnight black hair atop his head, and when he briefly opened his eyes with an unfocused look, Sasuke saw that they were a dark blue. The color would most likely change in a few weeks, either to a dark hue like Sasuke's or a lighter blue like Naruto's. The infant had the Uchiha patented pale skin, but he looked just like his 'mother'.

Sasuke sat and held the little boy for a while when he heard Naruto stir. The blonde yawned and sat up tiredly, giving his husband a happy smile as he sat up. Kyuubi had just finished completely healing his wound from the incision, and Naruto was glad to find there was no lingering pain.

"What should we name him, teme?" Naruto asked, reaching his arms out to take the baby.

Sasuke handed him to the younger man, "I thought maybe we could call him Hajime."

"Beginning, huh? Kinda fits for us, don't you think? Our beginning, Hajime Uchiha." Naruto beamed at Sasuke, making room for the raven to sit beside him as he cuddled the baby close. Sasuke drew Naruto into a protective embrace, and both stared down at Hajime as he slept contentedly in Naruto's arms.

~End~