Deeply Loveless

A/N: Quite a few reviewers have suggested that I should get a beta for this story. To be honest: I DON'T WANT ONE. If this was something that I really wanted to publish or intended to work on for some months then maybe, but spelling mistakes or not, I am getting this story up quick and easy like for S-Mummy-fan satisfaction, not to show off my skills or anything else. And I don't have Word, so I can't spell check, i'm very poor. Thank you for your time.


Chaper Four ~ Fear of Failing


"What... what are you doing here?" Sasuke spluttered, pulling up the quilts to make sure his stomach was hidden.

"No need to do that, I've known about this since the day you got pregnant."

"But... How?"

"Well, it's been a long time since I last saw it, but, I guess you never really forget that look a guy gets when he's pregnant. That little glow that gets stronger and stronger, but not with you. It started to dim after the first eleven weeks... that's why I came."

"You've seen this before then?" Sasuke asked curiously, sitting up and staring at the Ninja.

"Yeah, sure I have. You're not the only one with secrets you know."

"You have kids??"

"Yeah, well, I have one. Iruka, named after his old man!" He laughed.

"Wow, I can't believe I never knew..."

"Not many did. Like I said, everyone has their little secrets. But that isn't why I came." Iruka replied, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed close to Sasuke. "I came here to give you what I couldn't give my partner... the answer to questions that might be troubling you, and from the looks of thing, you could do with knowing some of those answers."

"Well, yeah, I have been wondering about a few things..."

Iruka smiled. He hadn't expected Sasuke to be this comfortable talking to him. "Fire away, Sasuke."

"Well, just lately, as you can see, I've been really off. I don't know why..."

"Well, have you been physically sick at all?"

"No, just really weak."

"Well, maybe it's just that you've been stressing yourself out to much. Worry can be a pretty deadly thing in your condition, it can have the power to wipe you out completely. You spend a lot of time trying to get everything sorted out, finances and a home, clothes and such, and then when you think you've got it handled you find that you've just worn yourself down to much."

"Yeah maybe... Another thing, when you found out, how did you react?"

"Well if you tell anyone then I'll have to kill you, but, I actually passed out."

"Well that's alright then, but you're not with your partner anymore..."

"Don't worry about that. Naruto's about as loyal as they come, he's going to be here for a long time yet."

"Well... were you scared?"

"What you mean is: 'Is it alright for me to be scared?'."

Sasuke blushed and lowered his face, but Iruka placed a finger under his chin and tilted it back up. "It's perfectly alright to be scared. What you're feeling is the essence of all fear, the fear of the unknown. It's completly unchartered territory, I would have been very suprised if you hadn't been worried about the idea of birth, let alone the idea of how it's going to change your life."

Sasuke froze. He hadn't even thought about any of that. How was he going to give birth? Was it going to hurt? Well of course it was going to hurt, but how much? And for how long?

Iruka lowered his face so that his eyes met Sasuke's. "That little concerned face looks like it's got a few more answers to aquire."

Sasuke nodded. "How much..."

"Is it going to hurt?" Iruka ended, and Sasuke nodded. "I'm not going to lie, you'll never feel and pain like this ever again in your whole life, unless you have more than just the one of course, but the pain soon passes, it will be as if nothing ever happened, you soon forget about it."

"I don't know if I can do it." Sasuke said softly, lowering his face, almost ashamed of his weakness.

"You can."

Iruka and Sasuke looked up to see Naruto leaning in the doorway. "How long have you been there?" Sasuke asked nervously.

"Don't sweat it, I just got here."

"Naruto's right you know." Iruka said, regaining Sasuke's attention. "It might seem you're facing the impossible, and it is a rather scary prospect, but when it comes down to it, you find the strength from somewhere deep inside you. You'll know what I mean when the time comes."

Sasuke still didn't seem to be fully reasured, but nodded anyway. "Thank you..." He said in a voice that was almost a whisper.

Iruka nodded and stood. "You're welcome." He replied, walking toward the doorway. He paused and looked back. "Don't worry about the future too much, worry about you in the now. Take each day as it comes and deal with it the best you can. And if you, either of you, need any help, then don't hessitate."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Seinsai (sp?)."

Iruka smiled and saw himself out and Naruto joined Sasuke on the bed, allowing Sasuke to creep under his arm and snuggle into his chest. "You were right Naruto... I'm sorry."

"No need. So long as you're going to be alright, you'll never have to say sorry to me for anything."

"I'm still not so sure about all this."

"Well I am. And I just know that you can do it. There isn't anything you can't do. This is going to be a breeze."

Sasuke sighed. What made him so sure anyway? Every fibre of his body was telling him that this was going to be anything but a 'breeze'. It was going to be far more than he had ever had to handle, and he wasn't sure that when it came to it, he was going to have the strength... or will... to do it.