Anthology

Anthology
By Laura-chan

Pairing: Sasuke/Sakura

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Of course everything related to Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei, praise his genius! OOC characters and plot do belong to me.

Warning: You must read first ALIVE and SURVIVING
I am Italian, English is not my first language, please forgive my mistakes.


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XXII.
FINALLY LIVING

(The “Alive” Trilogy – Part 3)


As soon as Sakura woke up, she realised immediately she was at the hospital: after all, she spent most of her time there, she should know how a room looked.

“Sakura! You’re finally awake!”

She turned her head, feeling tired but fine overall; a smiling Shizune greeted her, Tonton in her arms.

“Shizune-nee-san...” she murmured, wincing at her voice’s hoarseness.

“I’ll go call Tsunade-sama: she was very worried for you.” And with that, the older woman walked out of the room, while the pink-haired nin sighed.

‘What happened to me?’ she wondered. Sakura remembered waking up ill, drinking her tea... and then... nothing. Suddenly the blonde Hokage of Konohagakure entered her room, a grave expression on her still youthful face.

Tsunade crossed her arms and looked at her with something akin to disappointment: Sakura had never seen the Hokage give her that look. The pink-haired young woman tilted her head in confusion. “Tsunade-shishou, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?!” the older woman snorted. “Sakura, have you been doing something I wouldn’t approved to?”

She continued to remain puzzled, then finally it clicked: the disturbed stomach, the morning illness... the hours of sex without protection with a certain missing-nin...

“Oh Kami-sama...” she blanched, tightening her grip on the blanket covering her, feeling a bout of nausea hit her. “I’m pregnant...” she looked at her mentor “Am I pregnant?”

Tsunade closed her eyes in resignation. “Yes, you are.”

“Kami-sama!” Sakura groaned, her hands covering her wide, terrified eyes. “How could I be so stupid? I completely forgot the contraceptive jutsu!”

‘That’s what love does to you... makes you completely forget yourself.’ Her inner, a voice she hadn’t heard in a long time, chimed petulantly.

“I’m extremely disappointed in you, Sakura.” Tsunade’s cold voice brought her back from her thoughts. “I would have never expected my apprentice to forget something so important.”

Tears filled her eyes, hurt filling her being at the reprimand she knew she deserved; her long pink hair covered her face as she lowered her head in shame.

“I’m truly sorry Tsunade-shishou.” Sakura said in a weak voice, willing herself not to cry.

A warm hand patted her on the shoulder, “I’m sorry for having been so hard on you, but it was very unexpected.” The Hokage sat down on her bed and her eyes softened at the distraught expression on the girl’s face. “It happened when you were recuperating after the fight with those Mist nins, right?”

Sakura only nodded, not able to look at her mentor; Tsunade sighed as she realised who the father might be.

“I seem to understand it was consensual.” Another nod. “There is actually one man that could make you forget something so important as the contraceptive jutsu... and he is a missing nin, may I remind you.”

Jade eyes went wide. “Tsunade-shishou...”

‘Damn! I’m bearing the next Uchiha heir! The Uchiha heir! Should I panic? No, wait, I should first talk with Tsunade-shishou, then go at home and then cry and panic... Sasuke will kill me! Or not? After all, his second goal is to revive his clan... Will he marry me? But I want him to propose not because I’m pregnant with his child, but because he wants to! Oh, I’m so fucked up...’

“Tell me, Sakura... is Uchiha Sasuke the child’s father?”

It was all too much: Sakura started bawling like she hadn’t done since she was thirteen, big fat tears falling down on her cheeks and chin. “He is!” she cried. “That fucking bastard... why did he grow up hormones now? He started everything! Also that night at the hot spring—” she blushed and stopped herself.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. “The night at the hot spring?”

Sakura blushed heavily. “It was eight months ago, when you sent me on the C-ranked mission.”

“And you didn’t find it important enough to tell me?!”

“It was just sex!” she exclaimed, exasperated. “What should I have told you? That Sasuke found me bathing in a hot spring and after a heated argument decided he wanted to have sex with me?”

Tsunade shook her head. “Do you realise the responsability of giving birth to the Uchiha heir?”

“I guess so.” Sakura sighed softly. “But... I think I’m going to raise this child as a Haruno.”

The Godaime Hokage raised an eyebrow in disbelief “Do you really think the Uchiha will accept it?”

“It doesn’t matter!” the pink-haired girl burst out “After all, he doesn’t even know I’m pregnant, does he? He isn’t here, as usual...” Bitter tears traced paths on her cheeks, “He’s out there searching for his bloody brother, and who knows if he’s going to survive the fight? He promised to come back to Konoha, but how can I be sure?” she started crying silently.

Tsunade patted her on the shoulder awkwardly, not really good at comforting people; she sighed. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry for Uchiha Sasuke: from what I’ve been told he’s very strong and if he was able to kill Orochimaru he must be some good.” The blonde joked good-naturedly and Sakura laughed softly.

“Moreover, I wanted to send Team 7 after him, once again: Akatsuki has been on the move lately and I want to finally destroy it. I’ll send Hinata Hyuuga in your place: she’s not a medic-nin, but knows the basics about healing. Do you want me to tell your teammates that you’re... indisposed?”

Sakura shook her head. “No... I- I’d like to wait before telling them I’m pregnant.”

“Sakura...” Tsunade warned “...they’re leaving tomorrow, I have a meeting with them in the afternoon.”

“Tsunade-shishou, I don’t want them to know yet.” Sakura was firm about it.

Tsunade sighed and stood up. “Then I’ll tell them I need you in the hospital...which isn’t far from the truth.” She said grimly. “You can go home right now, if you want: come back in two weeks for a check up.”

“Oss, Hokage-sama!” Sakura joked, saluting her mentor.

“Don’t be a smart-ass, I’m letting you off without a punishment...”

The day after, Ino and Tenten found themselves in Sakura’s living room, as she had decided to break the news first to her friends and then to her parents; the medic-nin was disappointed she couldn’t tell Hinata, but she knew the Hyuuga heiress and keeping a secret like this from her boyfriend (aka Naruto) would surely make her feel uncomfortable and sooner or later she would blurt it out.

“So Sakura, why did you call us?” Tenten asked, sipping her tea.

Sakura took a deep breath: that was it. “I need to tell you the real reason why Hinata took my place in Team 7 for this mission.”

The two other girls were listening attentively.

“I’m pregnant.”

Tenten’s teacup crashed on the ground, while Ino screeched so loud that the windows in Sakura’s apartment shook.

“WHAT!! YOU’RE WHAT!?”

“I’m pregnant. About four weeks and half pregnant.”

Ino and Tenten looked at each other, then back at her, their eyes wide and shocked. “But who?” the weapon mistress asked, gesturing wildly. “Do the others know?”

“No, my teammates don’t know that I’m pregnant...” Sakura explaining, calm outward, but inwardly trying not to hyperventilate. “And... the problem is the father.”

Her friends suddenly looked serious and Ino had to ask. “Sakura...were you raped?” The pink-haired kunoichi gaped at her “What? NO! It was—very consensual.” she blushed. “And by the look on your face you liked it.” Concluded the blonde.

Sakura yipped. “Well, yes, he was—amazing...”

“Who’s he?” Tenten asked curiously, but the other girl suddenly tensed.

“Sakura, don’t tell me... it can’t be...” Ino almost gaped, dread filling her as she realised who Sakura would have given herself to willingly. “Sakura, he is a missing-nin!”

“I-I-I...” the medic stuttered.

“No way!” the weapon mistress gasped. “Uchiha Sasuke? Him?”

With a sigh, Sakura told them everything that had happened between Sasuke and her in the past year. At the end of her tale, Ino and Tenten were wearing identical smirks.

“So you managed to melt the ice-cube. Nice work, forehead.” The blonde joked.

“Now tell us more details. Hot details.” Tenten grinned.

Sakura gasped. “You two! No way I’m telling you about my sex life! Just know that he. was. AMAZING!” she said emphatically.

The three women started laughing histerically.

Four months had passed since she’d discovered she was pregnant, so now she was five months along. After breaking the news to Ino and Tenten, her friends accompanied her to her parents, hoping they wouldn’t be too angry.

Her mother was actually glad; of course she had been angry with the Uchiha for hurting her only daughter, but after all Sakura was carrying the Uchiha heir as the clan was very, very rich and important – it didn’t matter to her that actually the clan consisted in two missing nins and the child in Sakura’s womb - and her daughter seemed very much in love.

Her father was harder to crack: at first he’d shouted and had started pacing all around the room, breaking every plate and vase he could get his hands on. Sakura calmly watched him rage for a good half an hour, before he finally sat down and sighed deeply, his face in his fands. “I’m deeply disappointed in you, Sakura-hime. But if you actually love the traitor...”

“Please dad!” she had exclaimed. “I know he betrayed the village and hurt us – me, Kakashi-sensei and Naruto – a lot, but after all he did to revenge his clan... can you imagine a little boy seeing his entire clan killed and living all alone? I don’t condone his actions, but try to understand him...”

Haruno-san had sighed again and then had smiled at her. “If he actually makes you happy... oh well, we’ll see when he comes back – if he actually comes back. I have nothing against my grandchild, but its father has to have a good explanation or he’s going to pay.”

Her other friends had taken quite well the news.

“Troublesome.” Shikamaru had said.

“I don’t care.” Had been Neji’s, Shino’s and Chouji’s answer. She had looked deadpan at them, thinking that she had such ‘great friends’.

“Another Uchiha? Wasn’t Sasuke enough?” had commented Kiba.

And so, between morning illnesses, cramps, cravings and mood-swings, she was now five months pregnant, and her usually flat belly was quite rounded.

Sakura in that moment was in a field near Konohagakure’s walls gathering flowers with Ino, a pastime she had found out soothed her frayed nerves. The blonde chatted cheerfully and Sakura relaxed.

It was the sudden appearence of an unfamiliar hostile chakra that had her tense and on guard: Ino quickly helped her stand up and they started to run back to the center of the village.

It happened all in an instant: Ino flew and fell far from her, Sakura shouted out for her friend, but was hit in the stomach by a powerful punch.

The breath was knocked out of her and she felt tears gathering in her eyes at the pain in the lower stomach, as her lungs tried frantically to pump air in her system; she fell messily on the ground, between yellow and red flowers. The medic-nin felt her thighs getting sticky with a liquid she couldn’t identify, but suddenly a strong hand gripped her neck, tightening his grasp and starting to choke her.

Sakura squirmed, kicked and desperately gasped for air, black spots appeared behind her eyes as her hands tried to push the hand suffocating her away, scratching it, but she felt her strenght wane away as the tears finally fell and the pain in her belly got stronger.

‘I am so weak...’ she thought bitterly.

She welcomed the darkness.

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, was the concerned and weary face of her mentor. She was once again in the hospital.

“Tsunade-shishou...” Sakura croached. “...what happened?”

The blond Hokage sighed. “A missing nin the ANBU were chasing after managed to enter Konohagakure injuring four chuunin; he saw you and Ino and decided to use you as hostages. He wounded Ino and was trying to subdue you when finally an ANBU killed him.”

“Shishou... what happened to my baby? I remember a pain in my belly...” she trailed off as Tsunade’s expression got darker and more bitter. Sakura’s jade eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me... Oh, please no!”

“Sakura, I’m sorry... you were pregnant with twins…”

‘You were pregnant...’
‘...were pregnant...’
‘...were...’
WERE
WERE WERE WEREWEREWEREWEREWEREWEREWEREWEREWERE—

“No, no, oh Kami-sama, no! NO! NONONONONO!!” she started crying, anguish filling her. She sat up, ignoring her aching muscles, and grasped her teacher’s haori.

“Tsunade-shishou tell me that I got it wrong! No... I won’t believe it!”

“Sakura...” the older woman said gently, taking the pink-haired girl’s head in her hands and keeping it still. “Sakura, look at me.” Teary jade eyes looked upon amber ones. “You were pregnant with twins...a girl and boy. You lost the girl, she was directly hit... but the boy is still alive. Alive and healthy, maybe a bit shaken by the ordeal, but alive.”

“My little girl...is dead?” Sakura talked slowly, like she had problems understanding what was happening.

“Yes.”

“But my son is...”

“Still alive, yes.”

Sakura stayed in silence for a few moments. “I’m... sorry, Tsunade-shishou; but I need some time for myself. I need to mourn my little girl.”

The Hokage smiled gently and caressed her apprentice’s hair. “Of course. Take all the time you need, but remember that you have also a little boy who needs you.”

“Yes. Thank you shishou...”

Tsunade closed the door behind her and hid her face in her hands as she heard an agonized scream from the room.

“I’m so sorry Sakura...”

Inside the room, the pink-haired young woman was doubled over, clutching her belly. She was crying desperately, feeling the loss of something precious inside her.

“My baby girl...” she sobbed, her face red. “My daughter... Sasuke’s daughter... Our daughter... Aaaaahh AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!” she yelled in despair, hands going to her hair, almost ripping it.

She felt bile rise up her throat and retched on the floor beside her bed.

“My child... my child...” she cried, rocking back and forth. “Mine and Sasuke’s... Sasuke-kun...” she didn’t notice she had attached the childhood’s endearment to his name.

“Sasuke-kun... I lost our little girl... are you going to hate me?”

--

Naruto smiled satisfied as he devoured his instant ramen: nothing like Ichiraku’s but while on missions he had to adapt. Sitting next to him, Kakashi and Yamato were discussing chapter 3 of Icha Icha Violence volume II: how Yamato of all people got addicted to the porn novel, Naruto didn’t know and something told him he didn’t want to know.

In front of him Sai, the Root member, was observing the dark-haired nin sitting on Naruto’s left side, who answered with a blank look.

The blond fox-boy looked exasperated from one shinobi to the other, then sighed loudly, starting waving his chopsticks around.

“Will you two stop it? It’s getting old! You’re so alike it’s scary!”

Uchiha Sasuke glared at his should-be best friend. “Dobe, shut up.”

Sai smiled irritatingly “For once I agree with the traitor, dickless: you can’t possibly understand the finest points of the art of glaring.”

Even Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this, while Hinata giggled softly.

Karin instead smacked her forehead with her hand and muttered. “I’m with a bunch of idiots.”

Suigetsu heard her and smirked at her “No one is keeping you here.”

The red-haired woman frowned at him, before grimacing and snorting at him. “Does the word ‘captured’ mean something to you? Or is your brain too full of water to actually work?”

“At least I’m not a chakra-detecting animal.”

“Why you--!”

“Stop it!” Sasuke ordered, a headache forming because of their bickering. Juugo watched amused the group.

“Can someone tell me why we are tied up, while Sasuke is not?” asked Suigetsu after a while.

“First,” Yamato began “...because he decided to come back willingly; second, he is a former Konoha shinobi; third, we can’t exactly trust you.”

“This sucks.” The shark-man muttered, before slumping back against the tree behind him.

Naruto turned to look at the Uchiha: Sasuke seemed emotionless as usual, but there was something in his gaze that was relieved – he looked free of what had weighted him down since he was 9 years old. After all, he had finally killed his hated brother: with Naruto’s help of course, but still!

The fox-boy was surprised that he had accepted his help, but guessed that Sasuke finally realised that they were friends, a team.

“You didn’t tell me why you decided to come back to Konoha.” Naruto said, still eating his ramen.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, out of the corner of his eyes, then sighed. “It’s my home, after all. And I had planned since the beginning of coming back.”

Suigetsu, who had been listening to their conversation, suddenly grinned. “Don’t tell me pretty Sakura-san has nothing to do with your decision.”

The Uchiha tensed and glared at the azure-haired boy, while Naruto spluttered disgustingly, ramen flying everywhere. “What!? You know Sakura-chan?” he yelled, as Kakashi, Hinata, Yamato and Sai looked interested too. Karin just scowled and turned away, fighting back the tears.

“We met her some months ago.” Suigetsu shrugged. “She was injured after a fight and ice-cube here...” he pointed with his thumb at Sasuke “...decided for once to help another human being.” He was still smirking.

Naruto frowned. “She didn’t tell me anything!” Sasuke scoffed, but said nothing, ignoring the blond’s glare. “Did she tell you, Hinata-chan?” the shy Hyuuga shook her head “Probably she wanted to keep it a secret.” She suggested, but Naruto huffed.

After the lunch break, they started to run again towards Konoha, Kakashi and Hinata with her Byakuugan leading, Naruto and Sasuke following them, Yamato and Sai holding Suigetsu’s, Karin’s and Juugo’s ropes as the three trailed behind the Konohagakure shinobi.

“Teme.” Sasuke looked at his left and yes, Naruto was there watching him through narrowed eyes, talking in low tones so that their conversation could be private at some level. “What happened with Sakura-chan?”

The Uchiha avenger said nothing for a few minutes, then rolled his eyes and muttered. “A lot of things. I promised her I’d come back.”

“So, you’re also fulfilling your promise to Sakura-chan... Good. That means she will forgive you, after all the hurt you caused her.”

Sasuke couldn’t hold back a grin. “Dobe, she’s already forgiven me.”

“What!?” Naruto asked a bit louder, and Kakashi turned slightly his head to throw them a interested glance.

“You heard what I said.”

“Damn you, teme! Explain yourself!”
“Hn.”

“TEMEEEE!!”

“Shut up dobe. You’re annoying.”

“What!? Do you want a punch?”

“Hn.”

“Well, some things never change, don’t they?” Kakashi observed dryly, reminiscing the past.

It took them other two days to reach the gates of Konohagakure. As soon as they entered, a squad of ANBU stopped them, saying they had orders to escort them to the Hokage. They ran on the rooftops until they reached the Hokage’s tower and they were admitted in the Godaime’s office.

Tsunade looked interestedly at the assorted group, observing quietly the Uchiha: she had already decided that he deserved to know about Sakura’s “condition”. She sighed softly, then her eyes hardened.

“Team Hebi.” The Godaime addressed them “You’re all missing nins, and while after your team had been formed you have done no harm to my country, I have to trial you for what you did under Orochimaru’s command.” Amber eyes moved to a particular individual “Uchiha Sasuke, you’ll be punished also for leaving the village, even if you decided to come back willingly and you took care of three dangerous missing-nins. However, first you all will be healed.”

The Hokage stood up and walked towards them; she murmured low enough so that only Sasuke could hear “And in the hospital there’s someone you need to see.”

The Uchiha knew who she was talking about and said nothing.

Two ANBU escorted Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu, relieving Sai and Yamato of their charge: the group, with the Hokage in lead, entered the busy Konoha hospital, where patients, nurses and doctors alike bowed their heads at the blonde woman.

“Nee, nee, Tsunade-obaa-chan!” said Naruto smiling, while a vein on the Godaime’s forehead popped.

“Don’t call me obaa-chan, you baka!” she shouted, punching him on the head.

“Oii, Oiii...” Naruto moaned in pain. “You hurt me obaa-chan... Where’s Sakura-chan?”

Sasuke and Kakashi noted how Tsunade’s shoulders tensed. “You’ll see her soon.” She said in a flat and weary voice.

“...”

They walked into a hallway and suddenly the Godaime stopped. “Bring the prisoners in sector A-22.” She ordered to the two ANBU, who nodded and obeyed, walking forward with Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo. Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked at Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, Sai, Yamato and Hinata. “You people come with me. And please Naruto, don’t shout: we’re in a hospital, after all.”

They exchanged questioning looks, but said nothing, and kept following the woman as she briskly turned left. They finally arrived into the west wing and they saw Ino and Tenten murmur quietly between themselves, sitting in front of a room. The two girls stood up suddenly at the sight of the Hokage, and their eyes widened when they noticed the people trailing behind her.

“Sasuke-kun...” Ino whispered: she hadn’t seen him since he’d left the village and had to admit he’d grown up into a handsome man. She could see why Sakura had fell for his ‘charms’.

“How is she?” the Godaime asked.

The two shook their heads “Still the same.” Tenten answered sadly. “Still not talking.”

Tsunade sighed. “You all stay there: Uchiha, you come here.” She said, crooking a finger and the dark-haired shinobi walked closer to her with a scowl on his face.

“It’s Sakura, isn’t it?” he asked and the blonde nodded: they moved away from the group and Tsunade started whispering, so that the others couldn’t hear them.

“Two days ago a missing-nin was able to enter Konohagakure and injured Sakura and Ino.” She explained curtly and Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “She was pregnant with twins.”

The Uchiha blanched, making his face look even paler than it was normally. “Pregnant...?” he murmured in disbelief.

“Yes. With twins, a girl and a boy.” The Hokage could see his hands shaking. “The girl died, but the boy is still alive and healthy. Sakura, however, hasn’t taken the thing well, as it can be imagined, and she’s been depressed for the last two days, she’s not talking and is eating too little. Since she’s pregnant with your son, you need to go there and comfort her, Uchiha.” She said heatedly. “You’ve been intimate with her more than once, you’re the man she loves – you have to do this.”

Sasuke only nodded, because words couldn’t express what he was feeling at the moment: disbelief, shock, anger, relief, elation all mixed together made him a very confused boy. He wanted- he needed, to see Sakura. He needed to see the mother of his child.

His second goal had been complete even before the first and he hadn’t known. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his hands clenching in fists, nails biting the skin and blood dripping on the floor as he thought about the loss of his little girl: he would mourn her, but his first priority was now Sakura.

“Take me to her.”

Tsunade nodded and brought him before a door, the number 283 engraved on it.

He entered without hesitation.

The room was in almost darkness.

A lone figure on the bed was looking towards the window, almost as she could see through the curtains.

Sakura looked beautiful as always, but her eyes were blank and empty, her skin was pale and the blanket couldn’t hide the evident roundness of her belly. Something strange filled him – pride? happiness? – when he realised there was his son growing inside her.

He walked closer, but she seemed not to have noticed him and if she had, she didn’t show it; she was too lost in her despair.

“Sakura.” He murmured, when he was close enough to touch her hair.

Her head snapped in his direction, her eyes wide open and filled with hope.

“Sasuke?” she croaked. “How can it be? Now I’m crazy too? I have hallucinations?”

“You’re not crazy and you’re not having hallucinations. I’m back.” He continued talking quietly, not wanting to break the mood.

“Did they tell you?” she said, looking down. “Did they tell you how I failed as a mother? I lost my little girl... our little girl... I wonder how she would have looked...”

His breath caught in his throat; he wasn’t used anymore to this weak Sakura, but rarely even in her gening days she had looked so defeated. Comfort was not one of the thing he was the best at, but he felt her pain: it had been his daughter too after all.

“You didn’t fail, Sakura. There was nothing you could have done – I hope they tortured that bastard long enough!” he seethed, then suddenly realised something. “I should have been with you.”

“Uh?”

“I should have been here with you, I should have protected you.” His voice was hoarse now. “I was the one who failed.”

Her hand caught his; both their eyes were haunted, both felt guilty because they had lost something very important.

“You didn’t know: I was the one who forgot the contraceptive jutsu, it’s my fault.”

“I initiated all the... sessions we had.” Why was he blushing? “It’s my fault.”

“No, it’s not!” she argued back. “I should have been more respons--!”

He couldn’t stand to listen to her saying it was her fault that their daughter had died: his hands grasped her head, pulling her forward so he could kiss her harshly, biting her lower lip, forcing her mouth open so his tongue could play with hers. Sakura responded to the kiss with desperation, pressing herself against him as much as her bulging stomach allowed her, her hands pulling on his hair.

And then they broke down, tears falling from both their faces, as they continued to kiss; Sakura screamed into his mouth and Sasuke held onto her, their bodies trembling with sobs.

“I lost her, Sasuke-kun!” she cried, the suffix slipping in almost unnoticed. “I lost our baby!”
“It wasn’t you.” He replied. “It was that bastard’s fault. It’s not your fault, Sakura, never!” he crashed his lips against hers again and again.

They pulled back when it became necessary to breathe.

“We still have our boy.” The dark-haired shinobi said calmly. “You need to be strong for him... and for me too.”

“You’re going to be tried, aren’t you?” she breathed, her eyes still shining with tears.

“Yes. But I’m hoping that killing three S-class missing-nins is going to save me from death.”

“You’re not going to die.” Her hands fisted in his haori. “I won’t let you die.”

He smiled sadly and caressed her face. “I know you won’t.”

She noted something different in him, then: she raised an eyebrow. “You changed your haori.” He almost laughed: ‘almost’ being the key word.

“My last white one was torn up.”

“I like this black one better.” She said bossily and he snickered. “You said you killed three missing-nins...”

Sasuke nodded. “Orochimaru, Deidara and Itachi.”

Sakura smiled slightly. “Will you tell me how you killed him?” he sighed and started his tale.

They talked for a long time, it seemed hours, but neither was sure how much time has passed really. Sakura was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Sasuke held her hand all the time, an extremely rare and gentle gesture from him.

“I want to marry you.” He said suddenly, after a pause.

She blinked. “What?”

He smirked crookedly. “You heard me: I want to marry you.”

Her eyes lowered and she turned her head to the side. “I don’t want you to marry me because of this baby. I’m not going to accept it, Sasuke.”

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Sakura, the child only sped things up.” He explained, trying not to be impatient. “You’re the only woman I’ll ever think of marrying.”

She was atonished. “Really?”

He sighed wearily. “Sakura, I’ve already told that I care.”

“Yes, but you didn’t say you cared about me. I want my children to grow up in a house where their parents are at least friends.”

He smiled at her use of the plural... ‘children’... it sounded nice – like she wanted to have the rest of his children. “We are more than friends, you know that.”

“I’m not very sure Sasuke: you act like I can read your mind or something, but I can’t. I don’t know what are you thinking, you have to tell me!”

His eyes were fixed on hers, intensely. Slowly, he bent his head and kissed her, tasting and savouring her.

“I do care about you, Sakura. I can’t tell you more, because I don’t know if there’s more.”

She sighed. “Well, we’ll have to do with what we got. My love will be enough.”

It was nice to be always reassured of her feelings for him: it had been annoying in their genin days, because she had been clingy and stupid, but now he appreciated the fact that she was a mature woman of almost twenty, a powerful medic-nin, and the Hokage’s apprentice.

“C’mon, help me, I’m sick of staying in this bed.”

“Are you sure you’re well--?”

“Uchiha.” She growled. “Help me up.”

Intimidated, not that he would ever admit it, he quickly helped her sit and then stand up: it took her a few moments to regain her balance – feeling coming back in her legs, after two days of not using them.

“Everyone is out there?” she asked quietly.

“Ino and the woman in team with Hyuuga Neji, Naruto, Kakashi, the Hyuuga girl, that Sai and the guy Yamato. And of course the Godaime.”

She took a deep breath. “Well, now it’s a good time to tell them of my pregnancy, I guess... I hope Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Sai and Yamato-taichou will not be too angry with me for not telling them. But I wasn’t ready.”

Sakura continued to hold on Sasuke’s arm and he felt her hand slightly trembling. “Don’t worry, they’re your friends, they will understand.” He said gruffily.

She smiled gratefully. “What happened to the other members of Team Hebi?”

“Prisoners.”

“Ah, I see.”

They got closer to the door and both snickered as they heard:

“Why can’t I see Sakura-chan? They’ve been there for two hours! TWO HOURS!! Who knows what Sasuke-teme is doing to Sakura-chan!”

“Naruto, be quiet! This is an hospital!”

Sakura took another deep breath and opened the door, Sasuke a silent, solid presence behind her, ready to support her.

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto shouted happily, before stopping as soon as he noticed her hand protectively on her round belly.

Ino, Tenten and Tsunade were only too happy that she had lost the dead look in her eyes and that she was out of bed.

“Finally!” Ino said, hugging her.

“Sorry for worrying you, Ino-pig.” She joked.

“Sakura...” Kakashi’s eye had widened. “...you...are...pregnant?!”

The medic-nin blushed and a hand went behind her to grasp Sasuke’s black haori, seeking comfort and protection: he noticed but said nothing, only moved closer to her.

“...I am.” Sakura whispered, but everyone was able to hear.

“And yes.” The dark-haired shinobi behind her added. “It is mine.”

Sakura’s cheeks were now very flushed.

Naruto looked at his two former teammates for a few moments, a weird and rare blank expression on his usually cheerful face, before he laughed out loud, shocking and scaring everyone. “So, that’s how she forgave you, Sasuke-teme!” the blond snickered.

This time, both Sasuke and Sakura blushed.

--

It was a beautiful sunny morning in Konohagakure: spring was slowly leaving place to a hot summer, but the cherry trees still resisted with their roseate flowers.

A young woman tapped her foot on the tatami, waiting for the males of her family to wake up, so they could eat the breakfast she’d prepared. With a sigh she moved upstairs, her sandals clicking noisily on the wooden stairs.

She opened the sliding door of a room and put her hands on her hips at the sight of the two children still sleeping in their beds, snoozing quietly.

“Uchiha Shou and Shirou! Get up, now!”

The dark-haired children bolted up from the bed and ran out of the room to the bathroom, giggling all the way. Sakura smiled satisfied, then went to her own bedroom: there, her husband was still sleeping, his head into the pillow, a arm laying on the empty space near him on the bed.

The pink-haired woman sat on her knees on the bed, leading down and breathing in her husband’s ear. “Wake up.”

“Go away, Sakura...” he mumbled, moving his head on the other side.

She smiled: she knew he had arrived late, but she wanted him to be present at the first breakfast after his month-long mission.

“Come on, Sasuke... your daughters are impatiently waiting for you downstairs and your sons are getting ready.”

He opened a lone eye, then huffed. “Do I have to get up?” She pouted cutely and he groaned. “You know that’s not fair, Sakura!”

“Come on, they haven’t seen you in a month...they miss you.” She bent her head to give him a kiss. “I missed you.”

“Ok, ok. I’m getting up.” The black-haired shinobi stood up from the bed, stretching his limbs: Sakura admired his lean, naked form, warmth pooling in her lower stomach. Sasuke put on his black trousers, searching sleepily for his black haori. Sakura rolled her eyes and took it from a chair, helping him put it on.

“Thanks.” He asnwered simply, before kissing her on the cheek.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning on his chest. “I’m happy you’re back.” Sakura murmured. Sasuke kissed the top of her head, then a hand on the back of her neck tilted her head upwards and his lips caught hers. “I’m happy too.”

Hand in hand, they went downstairs; in the kitchen their five-year daughters greeted them squealing, and they ran to their father. Sasuke got on his knees and hugged them “Were you two good with your mother, Sayuri, Suzu?”

“Of course!” the oldest of the twins answered with a smile that melted her father: that was how Sayuri always managed to get out of troubles, smiling at him.

“Otou-san!” Sasuke turned around, only to be attacked by his two boys, causing him to fall back on the tatami. “You’re back!”

He chuckled and ruffled the hair of his oldest son, who was six years old. “I am, Shou.” then he turned to the youngest, who was three and half. “How are you Shirou?”

“Good, good!!” the child giggled.

Sakura smiled and clapped her hands. “Come on, breakfast had been ready for ten minutes!”

The newly-appointed ANBU captain chuckled and lifted up Shirou in his arms. “Let’s see if there are some tomatoes, ne, Shirou?”

“Tomaoooeees!” the youngest cheered: much like his father, he adored the red, juicy vegetables.

“Of course there are tomatoes, since when in this house we lack tomatoes?” Sakura said exasperated, but with a smile on her face to show she was joking.

The Uchiha family sat around the table and while the children were eating, Sakura turned to talk with her husband. “How went the first A-rank mission after the end of the probation?”

“Quite well. Naruto annoyed me, of course, with the fact that Tsunade-sama had assigned him as Rokudaime.”

The pink-haired woman laughed. “That’s Naruto for you!”

“And the hospital?”

“Same old stuff... I’m starting to get bored, I can’t wait for a mission.”

Sasuke smirked. “You’ll have to wait for a few years.” He said, noddind to Shirou.

Sakura sighed, but continued eating.

They had gotten married before Sasuke’s trial; as he had predicted, the fact that he had killed three S-rank missing-nins, added to him going back willingly and being the last Uchiha (save for Sakura’s baby), had saved him.

He had been on probation for five years, and had been forbidden to go out of the village: after the end of the fifth year, he had been allowed on low-rank missions that had frustated him to no end. Then, he had been tested and allowed to take part to the Jounin exams and soon after the ANBU ones.

Sixteen months after the end of the probation, he had been appointed as ANBU captain.

During the first five years, he had only trained and spent time with Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi: thus, the twins’ and Shirou’s births. Sakura and Sasuke had gotten closer, and though he had never said “I love you” to her, she could feel his affection everyday, so she was happy.

Sasuke looked at his children and his wife: sighing contentely, he munched happily his tomato.

He had a family and was finally living again.

Anthology XXII – End


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Author’s Note: yes, it’s over finally – that was long! I know the end was cheesy, but come on, even our dear avenger needs a happy ending! Ehm... no sex this time, sorry!

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