My sincerest apologies! I had wanted to get this chapter out on the 16th but as usual, reality got busy. Until further notice, I will be putting this story back on HIATUS until I finish writing it. Not sure when I will begin posting new chapters again but I'm so close to finishing it...I just have to sit down and write it, which has been my problem for the last few months. There will be a minimum of 2 more chapters (because I have them partially written already) but the aim is 3, maybe 4 more chapters. Likely, they will be posted in quick succession I just haven't figured out the logistics yet.

Thank you's go out to MidnightFox, Morlana & SweetJaneP's(sorry for not pm-ing you to explain, the self-agency bit as in a person acting independently to make choices of their free will. I failed to signal that there was a definitive time jump from the flashback/dream in chapter 39 to the flashback/dream in 40. Definitely going to make a note to see how I can rectify that), yukino76, Pixie07, QyuYi, and BipolarAlphaWolf for reviewing!

*IMPORTANT NOTICE!* As of 12/26/16, this chapter has NOT been EDITED because it already abides the FFN guidelines.

I am abiding by FFN ratings and removing-anything overtly dark or violent, and the scenes of complete and unrepentant smut that are considered MA, from this site. I do this in order to protect reviews linked to my stories and account that I want to keep from anyone with an email account, hate for my stories, and want my account banned for whatever their weak excuses may be.

Warnings: Contains adult language, themes, and suggestions. It is not suitable for anyone below the age of 16 per FFN guidelines.

January eleventh, the thirty-fifth week,

"Be prepared, the next one is with an addition of a new section to it." Yamato said as the sound of him rolling a scroll up caught Naruto's attention. They were on the third break of the day and night was just beginning to set in. The last seal addition they had tried had not ended well; Apricot had managed to calm down and by the sound of it, was currently doing pushups to burn off her anxious energy. Naruto didn't bother opening his eyes as he held up his hand in a 'thumbs up' motion and continued to attempt to get some sleep slumped up against a tree. Kakashi had already been asleep when he'd closed his eyes so he could only assume his white haired teacher had also made a gesture of understanding.

"Got it." Apricot gasped quietly as she continued her push-ups. Her labored breathing and the intermittent sounds of a brush being dipped in ink, which could only be Yamato prepping the next clone, were the only sounds that kept them from lapsing into silence.

"How'd the doctor's house call go?" The dark haired male asked just as Naruto was slipping into something heavier than a doze. Rousing himself from his relaxed state, the blonde opened his eyes to see Yamato painting a seal onto the last living clone's stomach, taking his time with the intricate symbols.

"Really good, actually." Naruto replied. He shifting, sitting up as he remembered Kusushi and Taji coming to the house with the portable ultrasound. "Taji-sensei said that the baby's lungs were maturing, even though we couldn't see it." The blonde continued. Yamato paused in his artwork and watched him make motions with his hands, nodding at the appropriate moments.

"How'd telling her about Sasuke's dizzy spell go?" Kakashi spoke up. Naruto looked to him as he deflated a little, his smile fading as he dropped his hands into his lap, careful of his elongated nails. The white haired male was moving to stand up, stretching his back and arms as the blond responded.

"She agrees with Sakura, temporary drop in blood pressure from extensive bed rest. There's nothing to do about it. He just needs to be careful with how fast he tries to stand up." Naruto explained. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, having no opinion to add to the topic.

"How has Sasuke been holding up with everything else? I feel like I haven't seen him in ages." Apricot spoke up for the first time since they'd let her out of the containment field. She continued with her pushups, her breath coming out in puffs of white. Tilting her head, the girl's red eyes met his, her pupils an abnormal oval shape. It spoke volumes of how weak her seal was getting.

"Tired, all the time. He has trouble sleeping." Naruto answered after a moment. Even to his own ears he sounded distracted and from the way Yamato and Kakashi both stilled, they hadn't missed it either.

"If you can chat it's time to test the next one." The white haired male pointed out. He motioned for Apricot to get back into the containment field.

"Almost done." Yamato spoke up. "The details in these combinations are getting tricky." Naruto watched as the redheaded girl stood up and gingerly walked into the circles of seals.

"That only means we're getting closer." Naruto spoke up. The blonde watched as his clone eased himself to his feet, a large seal covering his stomach as he stepped into the containment field. "It won't be long now." He murmured. Naruto straightened as he watched the barrier go up, glancing to Yamato when he nodded. The blonde watched as his clone and Kyoko held out their hands, clasping each other at their forearms.

It happened suddenly, he was watching his clone and Apricot and then everything faded to black. He could feel a sense of pressure building around him, one that felt familiar. In a single blink, the darkness disappeared and he found himself within his mind. The familiar sound of water dripping gave it away and he slowly turned, gaze landing on the bars of Kyuubi's cage.

"It's been a while, brat." The demon fox growled. Naruto narrowed his eyes; he couldn't see the fox in his cage, even though he knew Kyuubi was in there. Being forcibly dragged into the recesses in his mind did not sit well with him.

"What am I doing here?" The blonde growled. He could feel the demon's chakra boiling under his skin and in the air around him. Those two, huge, blood red eyes blinked open behind the bars of the cage before the demon fox's snout peered out from the shadows.

"Yes, why are you here with the whelp? Shouldn't you be with your Uchiha bitch?" Kyuubi questioned. Naruto glared at the contained demon but didn't respond to the fox's attempt to rile him. "He should be giving birth any day now."

"Leave my husband out of this." The blonde growled. He could feel his teeth and nails elongating, his anger fueling the change. Naruto attempted to quell the rage and felt his seal start to itch, similar to a burning sensation.

"Oh, husband! Now that is interesting." The demon fox tilted his head, baring his fangs at the blonde. "I wonder, will he taste better still pregnant or will the kit be just as delicious?" Unrepentant fury bloomed in the blonde's chest. No one threatened his family.

"You will never touch him or my child!" The blonde screamed. Chakra burst out from him, unable to contain it. It happened quickly, everything was bathed in the red glow of Kyuubi's chakra. Then he was back in the real world, Naruto inhaled sharply in shock. Apricot was staring at him from inside the containment field, her eyes green, and Kakashi and Yamato glancing to him with caution. It took effort to regain control, his heightened emotions making it difficult but he forced Kyuubi's chakra back down. Gasping, the blonde forced the flaring red chakra away and when he looked up, Apricot's eyes had once again bled red.

"What happened?" Yamato called out. Naruto grimaced instead of responding and raised his legs, curling inward. This wasn't good, at all.

"Did you see that?" Apricot called out loudly. She paced the diameter of the containment field and kept her eyes on the blonde haired male. "We weren't even touching!" The redheaded girl called out excitedly. Naruto was only half listening to her, his mind spinning with the implications of what had just happened.

"Naruto?" Kakashi called his name warily. The blonde looked up, realizing the two older men had gone tense at his lack of response. Uncurling his body, Naruto sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Kyuubi, he dragged me to his cage. He taunted me and I lost my temper." He explained. Looking up, the blonde met Yamato and then Kakashi's stares. They seemed to understand what he was thinking; Kakashi's eyes narrowed and Yamato frowned outright.

"He dragged you?" Yamato repeated in alarm. Nodding, the blonde clenched his fists.

"What happened out here?" Naruto asked.

"You went still, the clone disappeared and Kyuubi's chakra flared and lashed out." Apricot answered warily. She paced around the containment field, glancing from one male to the next. The redheaded girl was reading their body language, understanding their expressions and micro-expressions.

"I lost control." He growled. The blond could feel Kyuubi's chakra, wanting to be let out, fueling his emotions and simmering beneath his skin. "The seal is getting weaker." It was a fact they all knew but what had just happened was proof that they were running out of time.

"You can let me out now." Apricot called out. Yamato looked to Kakashi, saw him nod before they lowered the barrier. The girl exited it as soon as she was able, darting to the tree line to get as far away from Naruto as she could. Kakashi moved to stand and Yamato stretched his limbs, several cracks of bones popping in his back.

"We can't do this if your going to go berserk every time now." The white haired male pointed out. Naruto watched him, having no answer to Kakashi's statement.

"What are we supposed to do then?" Yamato moved to stand up himself. The brown haired male continued to stretch, gaze settled on the blonde.

"What are our options?" Naruto questioned dismally. If they had to stop testing seals, it would be impossible to finish it on time.

"Build another containment field?" The red headed girl spoke up hopefully. He winced at the idea; it would take weeks for another seal to be made. Naruto shook his head and thought of the implications. Sasuke had less than a month left of pregnancy, if they didn't seal Kyuubi away properly by then, he wouldn't be able to be there for the birth. He wouldn't be able to control himself and he wouldn't risk his family's lives. He'd keep them safe, even if it meant staying away.

"That would take too long." Yamato replied with a shake of his head. The redheaded girl frowned.

"Try again." Kakashi told her. Naruto watched Apricot raise an eyebrow at the challenge before beginning to pace. The only option he could think of was putting himself in the containment field along with Apricot but that had its own set of risks. One of them could lose control; they might touch and break down more of the seal, or worse, kill each other. Regardless, it was risking the dwindling amount of time they had left before it broke completely. A few seconds later, the girl turned back to Kakashi, arms crossed over her shoulders.

"Put Naruto in the seal instead of me?" She questioned. Yamato snorted and glanced to Naruto, surveying his forlorn expression. The redheaded girl frowned, looking to Kakashi for an explanation.

"Wrong, you have less control than Naruto does." The white haired male pointed out. She bristled at the statement, her blood red eyes narrowing and a scowl widening.

"Then put him in the containment field with me!" Apricot shot back angrily. Pausing not at the outburst but at her words, Naruto lifted his head a little higher. At least he wasn't the only one who had thought of that.

"Took you long enough." Yamato told the redheaded girl. The girl fumed, glaring between the brown haired and the white haired men. Kakashi looked like he was smirking underneath his mask and Yamato grinned as he looked to the blonde.

"Are we willing to risk it?" Naruto asked. "We could end up killing each other." The brown haired male's grin faded a little and the blonde glanced to his old mentor for an answer.

"Do we have a choice?" Kakashi responded. Shaking his head, the blonde stood up, forming the hand signs and let five more clones pop into existence on either side of him. One of the clones immediately began to pull off his jacket and shirt while the original Naruto moved closer to the containment field, standing at the edge of it.

"It's different if just the chakra touches him, right?" Apricot questioned. "If we touch skin on skin, the seals connect Kyuubi's chakra together but if its just chakra." She trailed off, unsure of the exact ramifications. Naruto frowned as he looked from her to Kakashi who shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Yamato was quietly working on the variation of the seal, ignoring everyone else.

"Where do you want me?" He asked finally. Apricot stared at him and Naruto looked back expectantly. He was going to make this work and hopefully, it wouldn't kill either of them. She resumed her pacing on the edge of the field, ignoring his question until Yamato set down his brush and let the clone stand up.

"On the edge, as close to the barrier as you can. I'll stand on the other side and hope for best." The redheaded girl answered finally. She watched him step inside the circle, standing on the very edge. The clone stepped around him and into the middle of the seal work, half-naked and shivering.

"Ready?" Kakashi asked the brown haired male. Yamato sighed, his breath coming out in a visible, wispy puff. Apricot stepped into the circle, standing directly across from Naruto and shook her hands almost frantically.

"Yeah." He answered. Naruto glanced between the two men as they set their palms down on the seal. It activated slowly and the blonde tapped his fingers against his arm impatiently, it was different now that he was on the other side of the barrier. When it was completely sealed off, Yamato nodded and the redheaded girl stepped into the middle of the circle. The clone turned to face Apricot and Naruto watched as his clone and the young girl held out their hands, grasping the others in a firm handshake.

For several long moments, nothing seemed to happen. Kyuubi's chakra didn't pull him to the cage in his mind, didn't escape from the clone or Apricot. Naruto leaned back against the barrier, waiting for something to happen. He almost didn't notice the feeling of pressure building until it felt like it would burst from his chest. He felt himself being sucked back down into his own mind, standing once again in front of the fox demon's cage.

"Welcome back." Kyuubi growled. Naruto scowled, crossing his arms over his chest and glared back at the giant red eyes. "What, nothing to say?" He continued.

"I know what you're trying to do." The blonde answered. Anger simmered at the surface of his thoughts, kept at bay by focusing on his breathing. In and out, in even, measured breaths. Kyuubi's eyes stared at him, red bubbling chakra forming inside the cage, climbing up the bars, encasing them but Naruto's focus kept it from moving any further.

"And what is that?" The demon asked. He moved closer, his snout came out of the shadows and Naruto could see his wide fanged grin.

"Rile me up, get me to lose control." Naruto stated. Inhale, exhale and repeat for as long as it would take. The nine-tailed demon watched him silently and Naruto stared back. He couldn't tell how much time had passed; this was always a little different every time it happened.

"The Uchiha brat would know what to do, wouldn't he?" Kyuubi interrupted his train of thought.

"Shut up." Naruto responded quickly. He would not think about Sasuke, wouldn't let the caged demon manipulate him.

"Think you can quiet me? Think you can stop me from freeing myself and killing you and everyone you've ever known?" The nine-tailed fox threatened with a dark chuckle.

"You won't have the chance to free yourself." Naruto replied. Breathe in and breathe out, focus on the rise and fall of his chest and keep control. Kyuubi blinked, his toothy smirk becoming sinister.

"And who's going to stop me? That pathetic redheaded whelp? The one-eyed Uchiha freak and his little friend. You?" The fox demon asked. Before the blonde could respond, Kyuubi was chuckling. It reverberated in his cage and sent a shiver down Naruto's spine as it echoed around him. His focus wavered and the blonde could feel Kyuubi react to it, his chakra creeping up on the bars, building against the edges of the cage.

"Yes." Naruto responded. Closing his eyes, the blonde haired male forced himself to focus. He didn't expect to come back to bodily awareness and the sensation jarred him. Blinking rapidly, the blonde took in the red-tinged sight of Apricot in the middle of the circle and Kakashi sitting just outside of the barrier, his hands still splayed on the ground. Kyuubi's chakra was emanating from him, pulsing with restrained power as he attempted to get back under control through sheer willpower.

He watched as Apricot took several steps back from him, skirting the curved edge of the containment field. It took a few seconds of calming breaths to lock Kyuubi's chakra away once more. When the red chakra emanating around him disappeared, he straightened from his position against the containment field, nodded and watched as Yamato and Kakashi released the barrier.

"What happened this time?" The blonde questioned. He stepped back, out of the circle and watched Apricot do the same.

"Same thing as the last one, just took longer for it to break down." Kakashi replied.

"How long?" Apricot asked.

"Twenty minutes?" Yamato answered with a shrug.

"The seals have been lasting far longer than that before. Why does it feel like we're going backwards now?" Naruto growled. The way the two older men tensed had the blonde taking a deep breath. He ran his hand through his hair before pulling on several tufts of it in frustration. Inhaling sharply through his nose, Naruto closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, letting the stress and tension go as much as he possibly could.

"Adding another section of the seal changes how Kyuubi's chakra is channeled. It's a good thing." Yamato explained. Naruto could hear the wariness in his voice and could feel the concerned gaze on him. Watching him in case he lost control. "We need to eliminate as many possibilities as we can and this helps." He took three more deep breaths, feeling as calm as he was going to get in this situation, and opened his eyes. Yamato was still cautiously watching him but Kakashi had turned his attention to Apricot who had dropped to the ground and was once again doing pushups.

"It's getting late, do you think we should call it a night?" Kakashi asked calmly. It wasn't dark yet and they had just started with an additional section of the seal, they couldn't stop now.

"I can't go home, not yet." Naruto responded. Apricot paused mid-push up, looking up at him as she straightened her arms and moved to sit on her knees.

"Back to avoiding him?" The redheaded girl asked quietly. She tilted her head with an air of confusion, which was poorly disguised as curiosity.

"I can't go back like this." Naruto stated firmly. His control was tenuous at best in his current condition. If he went home like this, there was no telling what could set him off and just how much damage he would cause. "We keep going."

"We can't do this all night." Yamato tried to explain. The blonde frowned but didn't have a response. Instead, he turned to the white haired male to glare at him. The blonde curled his fingers into his palms, not caring that the sharp fingernails were breaking skin and fists filled with blood.

"One more, then we go home and start again in the morning." Kakashi relented. He nodded to Naruto as Yamato sighed loudly. The blonde unclenched his fists and could feel the cuts heal themselves. It didn't help with his blood that he had already spilled, which he wiped onto his pants and hoped Sasuke wouldn't berate him for it later.

"I can go again." The redheaded girl piped up. "Go ahead, make another clone." She looked to Naruto, motioning for him to do it. Yamato sighed again but moved to grab his kit of ink and brushes.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu." The blonde murmured. Only one clone came from the smoke, much to Naruto's chagrin. He knew that Yamato and Kakashi couldn't continue holding up the containment field overnight but that didn't stop him from wanting to keep going on. The clone tugged off his jacket and shirts, sitting down in front of Yamato willingly to let him paint on another seal in the freezing cold.

He watched as Apricot moved to continue her pushups, focusing on his breathing and keeping calm. Kakashi closed his eyes, probably attempting to get as much sleep in as he could in the next few minutes. When the brown haired male finished, he set the ink and brushes aside, letting Naruto's clone stand up. Slowly, the stepped into the circle and the original blonde followed suit standing just inside the circle. Apricot was gasping for breath as she stood up and stepped into the seal.

"You okay?" The blonde asked. He watched her over his clone's shivering shoulders as Yamato and Kakashi activated the containment field. Apricot nodded as she continued to breath through her mouth heavily.

"Fine. Let's go." The redhead vocalized once the barrier sealed them in and they had gotten the nod from Yamato. She took a deep breath as she stepped forward and raised an arm in the clone's direction. Naruto's clone held up his own arm and grasped Apricot's forearm. As expected, nothing happened immediately. The blonde continued to stand for a few minutes before leaning back against the barrier and sliding down to the ground.

"Tired?" Yamato called out to him from where he sat, his voice strained with concentration. Kakashi breathed out a laugh and the blonde frowned.

"Of waiting," Naruto groused. "I feel useless." Crossing his arms over his chest, the red-eyed blonde inspected his bloodied pants, picking at the freezing blood with his sharp nails.

"Having a different role to play doesn't make you useless." Apricot pointed out. Pausing, the blonde stared at his own blood. What she said made sense; his role was to provide clones to test the seals, looking for the strongest one that would contain all of Kyuubi's chakra.

"Iruka teach you that?" Kakashi asked.

"It sounds like something he would say." Yamato responded.

"I'm being serious. You're going to have to continue carrying Kyuubi for the rest of your life if we survive this." The girl retorted. "I won't." The redhead leaned to the side, their blood red gazes meeting. Of course he would continue to be the container for the nine-tailed demon fox if and when they created a seal strong enough to hold all of Kyuubi. That was why they were doing this all in the first place. Naruto looked her over as he formulated a response, taking in her round pupils that made him pause.

"She's not wrong." Kakashi hummed. "Sounds like you're getting the short end of stick, Naruto." The blonde could see the white haired male tilting his head out of the corner of his eye but he found himself focusing on Kyoko. He hadn't seen her pupils in their original round form in days. At this close proximity, both their eyes were always vertical slits that imitated Kyuubi's.

"Do my eyes look different?" Naruto asked. He watched Apricot blink and Kakashi still at the question.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Frowning, the redheaded girl looked him over before once again meeting his unblinking stare. Raising a hand, he motioned to his eyes and blinked once.

"Look at my eyes, do you notice anything different?" Naruto repeated. Apricot turned her attention to Naruto's clone, taking a closer look.

"Your pupils are round?" She replied questioningly.

"I think I'm feeling something." The blonde's clone spoke up for the first time since it had been created. Apricot and the clone simultaneously looked down to their hands and Naruto leaned over as far as he could but his clone was blocking the view. He watched the redhead's red eyes widen, her mouth opening in slack jawed surprise.

"That hasn't happened before." Yamato spoke up. He still sounded strained but the surprise in his voice had Naruto moving to stand up to get a view at what everyone else seemed to be looking at. He moved along the edge of the containment field, stopping as soon as his gaze landed on their clasped hands. Red chakra engulfed their forearms, pulsing out from wherever the clone and Apricot's skin touched. Sasuke was going to want to see this for himself, was Naruto's first thought.

"Is this good or bad?" Apricot looked around, not sure what to make of the new development.

"Kyuubi's chakra isn't escaping." The clone pointed out hopefully. Naruto could see the changes now, the whisker scars on his clone's cheeks were becoming less defined and he could make out his natural blue eye color as the red in his irises slowly started to recede.

"It's being channeled." Yamato pointed out. "Transferred." He added.

"It's working." Naruto almost laughed out loud in relief. Seconds after he said it, the chakra flared, surprising everyone.

Apricot stepped back, pulling the clone with her. Kyuubi's chakra lashed out, hitting the girl in the face and Naruto's clone in the chest. The clone couldn't withstand the hit and disappeared in a cloud of smoke as Kyoko was shoved against the barrier. Naruto watched as the chakra stilled, no longer having the clone as an anchor, before snapping back to the redhead. It encompassed Apricot for a few seconds while she tried to regain control and it began to fade when she did. The memories of the clone slotted themselves in his memory, the feelings it had felt ghosting across his consciousness. Naruto could feel the symptoms of Kyuubi's chakra leaking return and watched them manifest physically on Apricot.

They both were breathing heavily, Apricot's eyes wide; bloody nostrils flaring with every sharp inhale of breath. It seemed the chakra had manifested strongly enough to give her a bloody nose. He was fairing a little better, his own chest heaving as he stared right back at her. "Or at least, it's starting to." Kakashi commented. When he glanced over to the white haired male, Naruto could see the curve of his lips forming a smile under his mask. He took that as a good sign. The blonde turned his head, finding Yamato shocked into stillness at what had happened. Returning his gaze to the redhead, Naruto watched as she wiped the blood from beneath her nose and tentatively smiled. He smiled back, Sasuke was going to want to know everything and he closed his eyes, trying to etch every detail into his memory.

"That was amazing! We're really getting close, do we have to stop now?" Apricot called out excitedly. Naruto focused on the memories, holding onto them and ingraining them in his mind as best he could. Forgetting details was inevitable, memories were never completely reliable but that wasn't going stop him from attempting to solidify every action and feeling into words to tell his husband.

"We haven't eaten in hours." Yamato pointed out. A rush of air brushed against his entire body, they must have unlocked the barrier, he thought belatedly.

"Then let's take a break and you or Kakashi can get us dinner," Apricot pleaded before beginning to negotiate. "We can even take a few hours to sleep but do we really have to quit?" The redheaded girl sounded excitedly desperate. Opening his eyes again, Naruto could see Apricot's determined expression, the flicker of hope in her gaze from where she stood on the other side of the clearing. He looked to Kakashi, could tell that he was inspired by the redhead's optimism and then to Yamato. The brown haired male didn't look to be as affected as the white haired male, his expression haggard with the bags under his eyes looking deeper with each passing day.

"We make one breakthrough and the idea of pacing ourselves goes out the window." Yamato sighed. He rolled his eyes and slowly moved to stand up. "You're getting the food." Pointing to Kakashi, the brown haired male rolled his shoulders, popping them loudly with a low groan. Apricot was smiling widely, elated that she had convinced them to continue.

"My ass was getting sore anyway." Kakashi shrugged. "What are we in the mood for?" He asked.

January twelfth, still the thirty-fifth week,

The little passenger was kicking again, right against his bladder. Sasuke groaned as he tried to cling to the last dregs of sleep and shifted, burrowing deeper under the covers. His need to relieve himself only grew as the little one continued to move and eventually, he gave in. Lifting the blanket, Sasuke slowly moved to ease himself off the bed. It was dark, sunlight peaking through the drawn curtains but as the pregnant male looked around the room, he could see that Naruto's side of the bed remained untouched.

Frowning, the Uchiha made his way to the bathroom, did his business as quickly as possible, and made his way through the house. He looked in the all the rooms; a ball of anxiety forming in the pit of his stomach as every room remained blonde-less. Moving into the kitchen to take a seat, the dark haired male looked at the clock, it was well into the morning and the fact ran through his mind with increasing urgency. His husband hadn't come home last night. Naruto didn't come home last night. He hadn't come home.

The sound of the front door opening surprised the dark haired male. Feeling his entire body jerk at the sound, hope blooming in his chest as he moved to stand up. "Good morning!" Sakura's voice called out. Hopes dashed, the Uchiha made his way from the kitchen to the living room and found Sakura standing in the entry way. She was taking off her coat and shoes simultaneously, looking up as she toed her snow covered boots neatly against the wall. "Had breakfast yet?" His pink haired friend asked in a conversational tone.

"He didn't come home last night." Sasuke heard himself saying in a choked voice. He watched as Sakura's facial expression went from worry-free to concerned as she took a step into the house. "Naruto didn't come home." The Uchiha repeated. It was getting difficult to take a full breath, his heart beating as if he had just run a marathon and as he stared into Sakura's sea-foam green eyes, he realized he was having an anxiety attack.

"Sasuke, it's going to be okay." Sakura took another step closer, her hands coming up to his shoulders. She brushed her hands down and up the pregnant male's arms, attempting to comfort him and calm him down. "You know you're having an anxiety attack?" He nodded and let her lead him to the couch, helping him sit down and gripping his hand reassuringly. Sasuke began to inhale through his nose, focusing on controlling his breathing as his friend watched him.

"Thank you." The Uchiha told her breathlessly. Sakura nodded in understanding and let him calm down in his own time. His little passenger moved again, kicking in Sakura's direction and he placed a hand over the movement. The pink haired woman's gaze trailed to his hand, relief evident in her expression. "Go ahead." Sasuke murmured quietly. Moving their joined hands towards his stomach, the dark haired male motioned for her to do what she was thinking. Gratefully, Sakura placed her hand on his rotund middle, feeling the baby kick with a growing smile.

"Better?" The pink haired woman asked after a few minutes. Sasuke nodded, still focused on his breathing.

"You need to find Naruto." The Uchiha told her. He could feel the panic rising again and he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply to stop the anxiety from returning full force. Sakura hummed quietly, moving her hand up to Sasuke's shoulder again.

"I will," The medic-ninja replied. "I'm certain he's fine. Probably just got caught up and spent the night out at the containment field." She told him confidently.

"Most likely." Sasuke responded as he continued to concentrate on even breaths. He brushed his hand across his stomach, reassured by the life growing inside of him. "I don't know why-"

"This situation is stressful." Sakura interrupted him. "You're weeks away from giving birth and Naruto is gone all day, putting himself in danger. It's understandable and it's going to be okay." She reassured him. The Uchiha felt a twinge of annoyance at the coddling but he quietly accepted it. Sakura was only trying to help and her being there had helped in calming him down. With the annoyance came the hair on the back of his neck prickling, a physical reaction to the feeling of being watched.

The feeling was one he hadn't had in weeks and hadn't expected to feel in his own home. He didn't know what alerted him to the fact that someone was watching them but it seemed that Sakura had let her guard down and hadn't noticed. There was a quiet creak of the floorboards, purposely done to test how alert they were there and testing their reaction. The only thing that kept him from tensing up and alerting Sakura of the fact was his concentration of breathing but whoever had snuck into his home had done so to watch. If they hadn't, they would have attacked already. That fact right there gave the pregnant male a pretty good idea of who it was that had snuck into the village, through the compound, and into his home.

"Go find them, I'll be fine." Sasuke told her. The pink haired woman tilted her head, looking him over carefully. He didn't need to control his breathing anymore but it seemed to keep her focused on him instead of the intruder that was lingering just out of sight in the kitchen.

"You sure?" Sakura asked.

"Please." The Uchiha replied, his voice just louder than a whisper. He watched as she smiled and squeezed his hand one more time before standing up.

"Do you want me to get Iruka to come and stay with you?" She asked as she moved towards the front door. Sasuke glanced to the kitchen doorway, letting his gaze linger for a second before looking back to Sakura just in case.

"No, I'll be fine." He answered exasperatedly. "Just bring Naruto back with you." Sasuke told her. Sasuke listened to her shrug on her coat, slip her shoes on and open the front door.

"You got it." The pink haired woman replied as she shut the door behind her. Sasuke let a few seconds pass before dropping the breathing technique completely.

"You can come out now." The Uchiha called out. He didn't have to wait long, the sound of footsteps came from the kitchen; mere seconds before the intruder came into view.

"She's nice." The white haired male leaned against the doorframe with a wide grin, his razor sharp teeth on full view. Sasuke quickly took stock of his appearance, his trademark purple sleeveless shirt but a sword noticeably missing from his back. "Surprise." Suigetsu told the Uchiha.

"Suigetsu." Sasuke said in response. The male from Kirigakure stared at him, taking in his altered appearance while the Uchiha kept his expression blank.

"Miss me? Karin and Jūgo send their hellos." The white haired male told him lightheartedly. He purposefully refrained from making a comment about the Uchiha's pregnancy, choosing to stalk into the room and collapse into the chair next to the couch.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked. Shifting on the couch, he watched his old teammate's grin grow wider.

"You know, we searched for you when you didn't return." Suigetsu answered conversationally. "Took us weeks to confirm you'd been brought back here." He continued ignoring the Uchiha's original question.

"Why are you here now?" The pregnant male repeated. He had been under house arrest for months and his team Hebi hadn't been spotted anywhere near the village during that time. Scowling, the pregnant male refused to play along and shifted again, pushing himself up against the armrest into a halfway sitting position.

"Oh, I wanted to see this for myself." Suigetsu waved his hand towards the Uchiha, obviously meaning his pregnant stomach. "We heard rumors that you were having a kid, didn't believe the one where you were pregnant, our mistake." He chuckled. Bringing up the pregnancy now was a diversion tactic, what he wasn't saying was that Karin and Jūgo couldn't get in with him without being caught.

"Well I am." The Uchiha told him curtly. Purple eyes narrowed and Sasuke tensed as the man stood up suddenly, wishing that he still had his collection of kunai and shuriken stashed around the house. He hated feeling vulnerable, having no way to protect himself. Suigetsu caught on to his body language almost immediately, latching onto it, as a shark would blood in the water.

"You worried I'll hurt your kid?" The white haired male asked immediately. Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke glared at him.

"No." He stated. The steel in his voice seemed to be convincing enough and the Uchiha watched pale shoulders lose their tension.

"Good, I'm not a monster." Suigetsu scoffed before grinning again. "Though the same couldn't be said for Naruto. He's your husband now, right?" The sword master prodded. It struck a nerve with the Uchiha but he kept his expression neutral, refusing to let Suigetsu get a reaction out of him.

"Hn." His old teammate didn't seem surprised by his lack of an emotional response but it didn't seem to stop him from continuing. Taking a short step closer, Suigetsu leaned over and gave the pregnant male a close look at his pointed teeth.

"What are he and his friends doing out there?" He asked. It was too obvious to be an actual attempt at getting information. Likely, it was another ploy to get him reveal something else that he didn't think was as sensitive as the attempt to completely seal Kyuubi away.

"Can't get close enough to find out on your own?" Sasuke questioned back. Blinking, Suigetsu tried to imitate surprise, not quite being able to pull it off as natural.

"No, they've done a good job with security out there in the middle of nowhere." The white haired male relented. He turned, walking around the living room, peering down the hallway that led to the bedroom and glancing back into the kitchen as Sasuke watching him.

"Karin was so upset when she heard you'd gotten married. No worries, she's mostly over it." Suigetsu tried again to strike up a conversation; intent on continuing to distract the pregnant male from the real reason he had snuck in to meet him.

"Is that really why you're here?" Sasuke bit out in irritation. The man looked back to him, his expression carefully controlled as he shook his head. Looking away again, he took another slow walk around the room. Sasuke craned his neck to follow him, refusing to let him out of his sight.

"You're here to stay." Suigetsu murmured, barely loud enough for the Uchiha to hear. That was when it made sense to the dark haired male, the pieces slipping into place. He was why the remaining members of team Hebi had been hanging around the outskirts of the village for all these weeks. They wanted to know if he was coming back.

"Things have changed." He responded, his voice barely louder than a whisper. Sasuke watched his old teammate spin around, the grin completely gone, replaced with a scowl.

"Well obviously." The white haired male spit out with an eye roll. "You can't exactly do much with a screaming little duplicate of your demon container of a husband ready to pop out any minute." Gesturing with a flourish of his hand at the Uchiha's burgeoning middle. Surprised by the diatribe against his unborn child, he placed his arm across his stomach.

"What will you do now?" The Uchiha asked. He watched the member of his old team move back to the chair, collapsing into it again with a frustrated expression.

"Go back to Karin and Jūgo." Suigetsu shrugged his shoulders. "Hadn't really thought past getting you back." Sasuke knew what he was feeling, when he had first been under house arrest, not knowing what to do and unable to do anything about it.

"Have you acquired Samehada?" The pregnant male questioned. He watched as the white haired male glanced over sourly.

"Still looking." Suigetsu huffed. This idea had already been forming in his mind but now it bloomed into a plan. Team Hebi needed a mission, a goal to strive for. It was how they started out and it would be the only thing to keep them going now it was no longer Sasuke's mission pushing them.

"Start there. You do still want to be Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, don't you?" He asked. With a keen eye, the pregnant male scrutinized his old teammate's reaction. Frustration, reluctance, interest that he tried to disguise as anger, and that tiny sparkle that the Uchiha knew meant hope.

"I know what you're doing." Suigetsu grunted. The white haired male used the armrests of the chair to stand up again, loitering just in front of it as he raised his arms over his head. "Jūgo won't like it, he still thinks you're the only person who can control him." That twinkle of hope was more prominent now, accompanied by a widening grin.

"You can convince him otherwise." Sasuke responded with a shrug of his shoulders. Continuing to putter around the room, the white haired male mulled it over, growing more confident with every step.

"You're happy here, right?" Uncharacteristically serious, Suigetsu looked him over again. "With your demon container husband in this crappy village, your old as shit house and soon to be spawn?" Concern was a look he had never seen from the white haired man. Fascinated, Sasuke thought about how to answer the question as they stared each other down. So focused on Suigetsu, he missed whatever it was that made the member of Hebi jerk his head towards the door. Second later, the white haired man had disappeared from view and the sound of the door opening had the Uchiha stiffening in his seat.

"Sasuke?" Iruka called out. Relaxing at the sound of his teacher's voice, Sasuke glanced to the kitchen, making sure Suigetsu wasn't lingering out in the open. The teacher stepped into the room with his winter jacket still on, looking the pregnant male over worriedly. "Sakura sent me, are you okay?" Nodding, Sasuke moved to sit up as Iruka unzipped his coat and moved back into the entryway to hang it up.

"Yes." He said out loud. "I'm good." Glancing back to the kitchen, the Uchiha saw a blur of purple disappear followed by a quiet click of the door to the secret passage in the ceiling being closed. Moments later, Iruka was back in the room, looking him over worriedly.

"Is there anything I can get you?" The compassionate teacher asked. He hovered just inside the room, ready to go get anything that the pregnant male might need. What Sasuke needed was to get Naruto to seal the secret passages around the house so another ambush like that wouldn't happen again. If his idiot of a husband wasn't incapacitated or dead, the only thing he knew for certain was that Kyuubi hadn't escaped the barrier.

"I wouldn't mind having my husband here." He answered truthfully. Iruka opened his mouth and paused, stuck between being unable to give him what he wanted and not wanting to say no. "A glass of water, please." The dark haired male spoke up once again. With a relieved smile, the teacher slipped into the kitchen. With a deep sigh, Sasuke stretched his legs out and felt the little passenger stir again.