Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Of Silver Linings and Blue Yonder	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 18517 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or make any profit of it. Kishimoto owns it

Chapter List
- 33
- 34
- 35
Author's note: A bit later than I intended to, but at least I still managed to finish it this month.
Warnings: continuation of the previous chapter; Sasuke's pov; angst; miscarriage in flashback; both present and past scenes
ATTENTION: This chapter contains a flashback of when Naruto suffered the miscarriage. If you want to skip that part, ignore the large part written in italics. There will be some references to the miscarriage in the present time of this chapter, but it isn't fully described like in the flashback
I hope that, despite the angsty part in the middle, you will still like the chapter.
Chapter 34
"I'll be there soon," Sasuke promised and his brother-in-law hung up before he could ask what the hell he was talking about.
He and Naruto needed to discuss something important? Like what? What the fuck was going on? And what was Naruto doing at Deidara's place? He was supposed to be resting in their bed!
Hastily he shoved his legs into his trousers and pulled on his shirt, stuffing his phone into his pocket.
"Sasuke? Is everything all right?" Mother asked worriedly, looking up from her spot between Kiseki and Kenta, who were devouring their sandwiches. At the sound of her voice, all three of his children looked up surprised.
"Papa?" Kei questioned, lowering his own sandwich.
Sasuke smiled tersely back. "Can you stay with grandmother for a bit? Your uncle called and I need to go over there to talk to him."
"We go with you!" Kiseki instantly stated, her brother nodding in agreement.
The Alpha shook his head. "No, Kiseki, you have fun with grandmother, okay? I need to do some boring grown up stuff now, but I'll be back soon, I promise."
"But …"
He knelt down and pressed a kiss on her forehead, running his hand quickly over her wet hair. "No, sweetheart. You have to stay with grandmother. I'll be back before you know it, okay?"
She scowled at him and looked down at her sandwich, pouting. He checked a sigh, knowing he would have one hell of a time to soothe her ruffled feathers later on. As much as he wanted to console her, he didn't have the time now. Every minute away from Naruto only made him more anxious, not knowing what the hell was going on.
He pressed a kiss on Kenta's and Kei's forehead and stood up again. "Be nice for grandmother, okay?" he warned them and Kiseki simply huffed, but his two boys nodded.
Mother smiled at him uncertainly. "Take your time, dear. I can handle them."
He nodded and hurried to his car; his heart feeling like it was dancing madly in his chest. When he had left Naruto behind, his mate had been resting in bed. Why was he at Deidara's now? Just for a visit, to have a change of scenery after being cooped up for weeks at their house? If so, what had happened there that would make Deidara call him to tell him he and Naruto needed to talk? And why hadn't Naruto called him?
Questions kept whirling around in his mind like a tornado all the way to Deidara's and Itachi's house, but as he had no answers, they only served to make him feel even more on edge. His fingers were like claws around the steering wheel and he was pretty certain he was breaking several traffic laws on his way to Deidara.
He couldn't find it in him to care about those. All he wanted was to be with Naruto right now and find out just what the fuck was happening now.
The tires of his car screeched in protest when he came to an abrupt stop on the driveway and he barely took the time to shut down the motor and lock the car before he was marching to the front door; his heart hammering inside his chest and the pressing heat only making things worse.
Deidara must have heard his car, because the door opened before he could press on the doorbell. "You're here quick," the Omega stated surprised. Blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How many traffic laws did you break, un?"
"Doesn't matter," he said impatiently, stepping inside and forcing the blond to take a few steps back. "Where is Naruto? What do we need to talk about?"
Deidara's eyes darkened a fraction and that made Sasuke still; an ominous feeling settling down in him. "Deidara?"
The older man sighed and gestured to the staircase. "He's in the bedroom, un. He fell asleep a while ago."
"If he's sleeping, then why - "
"You'll find out when he wakes up," Deidara interrupted him. "I need to go and pick up Shion, because I'm already late. I'll be back soon."
And then he was gone.
Apprehensively, slowly Sasuke made his way upstairs; the silence hanging in the house feeling stifling, too heavy for his liking. Deidara's uncharacteristic evasive answers set him on edge; the lack of clear answers making him tense. Whatever it was, it was something serious and he didn't know whether he would like whatever they needed to talk about.
He had only been inside the bedroom a couple of times before – mainly when he had helped Deidara give birth years ago – but he still remembered which room it was. He pushed open the door slowly, the wood giving away underneath his hand easily.
The sight of Naruto sleeping in the large bed made him pause in the doorway and he exhaled slowly. Despite the uncertainty clinging to him, something in him relaxed at the sight of his mate and he crossed the room silently, not able to stand the distance for a second longer. He caught sight of a plastic bag on the nightstand, but all his attention went to Naruto, whose face looked troubled even in his sleep.
His cheeks were a ruddy red, his eyes red rimmed and slightly swollen – evidence of him having cried earlier.
"Oh Naruto, what on earth happened?" Sasuke asked perplexed, sinking down on the bed carefully. The mystery only grew bigger. Naruto was such a strong person; Sasuke could count on his two hands the times the blond had cried. Whatever it was that had happened, it had been serious enough to make the Omega cry.
That knowledge didn't make Sasuke feel better at all.
He reached out and softly caressed Naruto's cheek, feeling the hot skin glide underneath his fingers. It was when he was stroking blond locks back that his husband stirred, scrunching up his nose slightly as he started to wake up.
"Hm? Sasuke?" Naruto murmured; voice heavy with sleep. Dark blue eyes blinked up at him still hazy with drowsiness. They sharpened, however, when they settled on him. "Sasuke? What are you doing here?"
"Deidara called me," the Alpha explained, lowering his hand. "Said you and I needed to discuss something important. What the hell is he talking about, Naruto?"
Naruto shot up and groaned, scowling down at the bedsheets as he ran his hands through his hair. "Of course he called you," he groused annoyed. "I shouldn't have expected anything else."
"Naruto, what happened?" Sasuke stressed his question, not in the mood to wait any longer.
The Omega sighed and when he looked at Sasuke, there was something in his eyes that caused the dark haired man to be on high alert. "I," he started and then paused, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. He seemed to steel himself before continuing, "I found out today that the pharmacy gave me the wrong pills."
That … wasn't what he had expected to hear.
"What? What kind of pills?" Sasuke asked baffled.
Blue eyes flicked up at him before they glanced away. "They gave me the wrong form of suppressants, Sasuke. The ones they gave me were too light," Naruto replied, voice almost too soft to be audible.
They gave Naruto a lighter dose of the suppressants? Was that what had got him so worked up? It was quite the grave mistake of the pharmacy and he would definitely have words with them, but why would the wrong dose make …
His insides seemed to turn into ice and his breathing hitched as realisation slowly trickled in. Dark eyes landed on the plastic bag he had initially dismissed and his hand shot out to grab it. Naruto did nothing to stop him, only regarded him with apprehensive eyes.
Sasuke fumbled with the ears of the bag and had to force himself to pause for a moment, because his hands were trembling too much. Once he had steadied them somewhat, he took a deep breath and opened the bag; his heart thundering loudly in his ears.
Four very familiar white sticks greeted him at the bottom of the bag and ringing filled his ears when he reached out to pick one out of it. A plus sign glared back at him. He placed it on his lap and took out the second one. Another plus sign. The third one followed – another plus. The fourth and last one also bore the plus sign.
Positive. All four of them were positive.
In shock, numbed to his core, he stared at the four white sticks laying innocently on his lap. Sticks with a result he thought he would never see again after that disastrous last time two years ago.
"I – I took them this morning," Naruto whispered; his voice trembling. His fingers were like claws hooked into the bedsheets. "I've – I've been feeling off for a couple of weeks now, but I didn't want to believe it at first, you know?" A slightly hysterical chuckle escaped him.
Sasuke found he couldn't move yet; even his tongue seemed frozen and he couldn't remove his gaze from the tests.
"I told myself I was just – imagining things. That it was just a bug. But I couldn't help …" Naruto took a shuddering breath. "I took the tests, but I couldn't bear to look at them. I just looked at my suppressants and then went to Deidara-kun and asked him to check them for me."
Silence filled the room once more, only broken by their breathing and the rustling of the sheets as Naruto moved around, crossing his legs, rubbing a hand over his arm.
"Sasuke? Say something," Naruto demanded; sounding lightly choked as if something was blocking his throat.
"You're pregnant," Sasuke said and the words felt alien in his mouth. A sentence that should come natural to him given his line of work now felt like it was pulled out of him with hooks, leaving his throat raw and his chest tight.
Pregnant. Naruto was pregnant again. Expecting another baby.
"Yeah," Naruto whispered and when black eyes finally tore themselves away from the tests, they locked onto wide, desperate blue ones, shining with unshed tears. "I'm fucking scared, Sasuke. What if – I can't go through that again. I won't be able to handle that."
All Sasuke could think was, I know.
Because he felt the same way.
Sasuke checked his watch and frowned when he noticed six minutes had passed since Naruto had gone into the bathroom. It shouldn't take him this long …
"Naruto? You okay?" he called out and knocked on the door; worry slowly growing.
The door swung open and large, blue eyes stared back at him in shock. "They're positive! They're – I'm pregnant!" Naruto exclaimed, shock making way for excitement as he waved the pregnancy tests in the air.
"You're – you're pregnant?" Sasuke croaked out; eyes shooting towards the white sticks. "You're not – you're not joking, right?"
"Hell no! I'm pregnant! We're having another baby!" the Omega grinned widely; cerulean blue eyes glittering brightly.
"Fuck, you're pregnant again!"
Naruto started laughing when Sasuke embraced him swiftly and then his laughter changed into a light moan when their mouths found each other in a deep, all-consuming kiss. Sasuke pressed his husband closer against him, pulling him towards him with his hands on his arse. One of Naruto's hands cupped his neck and the other slipped through black strands, gripping the locks between his fingers as he returned the kiss enthusiastically.
When they finally broke apart, their chests were heaving up and down as their lungs tried to get the oxygen they had been deprived of during the kiss.
"We're having another baby," Sasuke said astonished; still having trouble wrapping his mind around the idea.
When Naruto had breached the idea of a fourth child hesitatingly a couple of months ago, Sasuke hadn't been certain whether they would be able to conceive. Kakashi had been quite clear that Naruto's chances of becoming pregnant were quite small after the surgery he had undergone after giving birth to their twins. Not completely impossible, but the older Alpha had advised them not to pin too much hope on it either to prevent disappointment.
Even with the odds against them, they had decided to at least try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all. Naruto had stopped taking his suppressants as soon as they had made the decision to go for it and now four months later the pregnancy tests finally coloured positive.
They were going to have another baby.
"Yes, we are," Naruto murmured, smiling blindingly; his arms resting loosely around his mate's neck.
"We did it," Sasuke whispered, feeling giddy, and their lips met again in a tender kiss.
Against all odds they had succeeded.
"You're currently six weeks pregnant," Kakashi announced as he slowly moved the transducer around on Naruto's stomach, peering at the monitor.
"I still can't distinguish anything on that damn screen, but you don't know how happy that makes me to hear," Naruto laughed and a couple of tears escaped and slipped down his cheeks.
Sasuke's trained eyes had no problem spotting their baby on the monitor and he grabbed Naruto's hand, raising it up to place a kiss on his knuckles. The blond turned his head briefly towards him to smile and squeeze his hand before his attention went back to the screen.
Not that the Alpha could blame him for that – his own eyes were glued to the monitor as well, hungrily taking in the picture he thought he would never see again when he was at this side of the table.
"I can imagine that," Kakashi hummed and for once his voice was devoid of any teasing, knowing all too well how special this moment was for the couple.
Even Kakashi had enough sense not to ruin this for them.
"You're ready?" Sasuke asked when Naruto appeared at his side again. Outside Shion and Kei could be hearing giggling while Akihito was asking Kenta and Kiseki what they wanted to play.
They had asked Sasuke's parents and Itachi and Deidara to come over to their place, because they had important news. Last night Sasuke and Naruto had discussed whether or not they would inform the children too, but they had decided against it in the end. Naruto had reasoned that it would be easier for Kiseki and Kenta to understand it if they had visual proof of it. Telling Kei – and by extension Akihito and Shion – but leaving the twins in the dark would be unfair, so for now only the adults would get to hear their news. In two months when Naruto would start showing, the children would be told.
"Yeah, I am," Naruto grinned and tangled their fingers together; his cheeks flushed. "Let's tell them the good news."
Together they made their way to the living room where their family was waiting patiently. Itachi was the first one to turn his head when they entered the room and he raised an eyebrow.
"You two look excited," he stated, slightly bemused.
"You two had news for us, Sasuke?" Mother asked; her dark eyes flitting back and forth between the couple.
Naruto and Sasuke shared a look and a wide grin spread out across the Omega's face when he turned back to face the others. "I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I'm pregnant!"
A beat of silence. Then …
"Oh my god, congratulations!" Mother exclaimed stunned, but happy, and she hurried over to them to hug them tightly. "I'm so happy for you!"
"I didn't know you were trying again, Naruto-kun," Deidara said, but was grinning brightly and he embraced the younger blond as soon as their mother-in-law released him. "Congratulations, un."
"We didn't want to tell you in case we didn't succeed," Naruto explained, releasing a shuddering breath. He quickly wiped across his eyes, appearing embarrassed at the couple of tears escaping. "Sorry, still a bit in shock I guess."
"I can understand that," Father murmured. He stayed seated, but the small smile playing around his lips was genuine. "I'm glad you succeeded. How far along are you?"
"Seven weeks now," Sasuke announced and there was no mistaking the pride laced through his voice when he placed an arm around Naruto's shoulder, tugging him closer.
"Well, I'm glad you managed to conceive. Congratulations, Otouto, Naruto-kun," Itachi smiled.
"Thanks, Itachi-niisan," Sasuke replied sincerely, tightening his embrace slightly.
He could hardly wait until he could hold his new son or daughter in his arms. Their own little miracle.
The weeks following the discovery of the pregnancy were like a dream. They had gone from fearing they would never have another child to actually expecting one and Sasuke sometimes woke up with the fear that it had just been a dream after all.
But no, it wasn't a dream. Naruto's morning sickness reared its ugly head quite often, more often than during his previous pregnancies, but Kakashi had told them not to worry, that each pregnancy was different. Sasuke knew that of course – hell, he had even given the same reassurance to multiple patients of his, but he couldn't help the worry popping up whenever he heard Naruto throwing up in the bathroom – or the kitchen sink that one memorable time.
The Omega wasn't complaining about the morning sickness, though, explaining after one of his bouts of throwing up that this was proof he wasn't dreaming the pregnancy at all, that there really was a baby growing inside of him.
While Sasuke could understand the reasoning, he still tried to come up with ways that could lessen the morning sickness, like a special tea or bringing Naruto crackers to eat in bed before he got up during the morning in order to settle his stomach.
When the twelfth week of Naruto's pregnancy passed without any trouble, they had a small, private celebration. Despite having been ecstatic from the start, the both of them had been worrying that trouble would appear, knowing that the first twelve weeks were the most dangerous ones.
But they had survived the treacherous first twelve weeks and a sigh of relief left the both of them when Naruto marked the end of the twelfth week.
They made slow love that night, relishing in the love they felt for each other. They fell asleep with their hands covering Naruto's belly.
Two weeks later their world collapsed.
"…suke! Sasuke! Wake up!"
The shrill, panicky voice of his mate was like a bucket of ice cold water and Sasuke shot up; the last shreds of his dream dissolving immediately.
"Naruto? What's wrong?" he asked, voice still rough with sleep.
"I – something's wrong, Sasuke."
"What's wrong? Are you feeling worse?" The Alpha blindly reached out behind him until he could turn on the lamp on his nightstand. Naruto had been complaining about some vague stomach pain when they had gone to bed last night, but had figured that a good night's rest would help him feel better. Apparently that was not the case.
Pained, blue eyes were the first thing he focused on when light flooded the room and before the blond man could continue, dark eyes were inexplicably drawn towards the sheets ….
A red stain was slowly growing bigger.
"I – I'm bleeding," Naruto choked out, his arms clamped around his stomach. "It hurts – so much. What's happening, Sasuke? Why am I bleeding? I think something's wrong with the ba - " His groan of pain cut off the rest of his sentence.
Sasuke completely blanked out.
It was as if someone else was controlling his body, as if he was merely a bystander, watching from afar. On autopilot he called an ambulance, holding Naruto's hand the entire time it took for help to arrive. He thought he was murmuring soothing words in his husband's ears, but he wasn't really aware of them.
Izumi was one of the paramedics and as soon as she saw Sasuke and took in Naruto's state, she was barking out orders to her colleague, helping him load Naruto on the gurney. She pushed Sasuke into the back of the ambulance with Naruto, assuring him that Kakashi was already waiting for them at the hospital and that he could trust her colleagues to take care of Naruto in the meantime.
"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun, I'll keep an eye on your children until someone from the family shows up," she promised him before closing the door and thumping on the ambulance quickly.
The signal that the ambulance could start driving.
There was a lot of beeping noises, Naruto's clammy hand gripping his own tightly, blue eyes looking pained, panicked and lost. His own heartbeat was loud in his ears, drowning out almost all other sounds.
Almost all other sounds except for Naruto's pained moans.
They arrived at the hospital and soon Naruto was wheeled hastily into the emergency room, Kakashi throwing one last look at Sasuke before closing the doors behind him.
Leaving Sasuke alone in the corridor while his soulmate laid in another room bleeding out and possibly lo-
He smothered a sob and sank down on one of the plastic chairs, not registering how uncomfortable it felt. Clutching his hands together and staring down at the pristine white floor – mocking him with its pure whiteness – he started praying to whatever god or goddess or entity which would listen to him.
He had never been particularly religious, but he didn't care what he had to do as long as his mate and child were safe.
Surely after all this time, after nearly losing Naruto once before, after passing the twelfth week mark – surely, the universe wouldn't be so cruel as to take this child away from them?
Surely, the universe couldn't be that cruel?
Itachi and Deidara arrived some time later; both their faces pinched with worry.
"Your parents are keeping an eye on the children for now, un," Deidara whispered, sitting down next to him. His long, blond hair hung loosely across his back and in his haste to get to the hospital he had only deemed it necessary to change his pyjama trousers for a pair of jeans, keeping on the sweatshirt he had been sleeping in.
Itachi stood still next to his younger brother. His own hair was untied as well, framing his face like a curtain when he bent his head slightly down. "Any news so far?" he questioned softly.
Sasuke shook his head, biting down on his lower lip harshly. "They're – they're still working on him," he croaked out through the lump in his throat.
Itachi didn't say it would be fine, knowing it would be nothing but an empty platitude. He and his own mate remained quiet, offering their silent support.
Some time later – it could have been hours or mere minutes, Sasuke didn't know – the doors of the operation room swung open, revealing Kakashi in bloodied scrubs. Instantly Sasuke shot up, taking a step forwards as the need to be near his mate rose dramatically; the urge almost impossible to ignore.
"And? How is he? How …" He barely could get the next question past his lips, the fear of the truth suffocating him. "How's – how's the baby?"
The look on Kakashi's face was enough and a sharp pain filled Sasuke's chest all of a sudden, as if someone had struck his hand straight through his flesh and ribs and was squeezing his heart mercilessly. "No," he choked out; shrill ringing filling his ears.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Kakashi said softly; completely devoid of any traces of mirth or teasing. "We did all we could and Naruto-kun fought as hard as he could, but he was bleeding too much. We managed to stop the bleeding and Naruto-kun needs to rest now, but … We couldn't save the baby. I'm sorry for your loss."
A scream, so primal and raw it tore straight through his throat, rebounded in the corridor and Itachi clutched his trembling form against his chest, embracing him tightly.
"I've got you," he murmured in his weeping otouto's ear. "I've got you."
But what did that matter when his baby wasn't there anymore?
Nothing mattered. Not anymore.
He couldn't remember much from the weeks following the miscarriage. He walked around in a daze, barely aware of what he was doing or saying. He couldn't remember eating or drinking or sleeping, but he must have been doing those things, because otherwise he would have collapsed by now.
Itachi and Deidara stayed at their house with their sons and while Sasuke was at some level aware of their presence, he didn't know why they were here.
He couldn't be bothered to find out.
He went to work, treated his patients, and then went back home.
Home where his three children were. Home where there would never be a fourth child running around.
There was a gaping wound in his heart, a wound he doubted would ever heal, and there was nothing he could do about that. The loss of their baby hurt; it hurt so much, ached that badly, that it was easier to shut himself down, to walk around on autopilot and get through life that way.
Anything not to feel the empty hole in his chest that the loss of their baby had left behind.
It had taken months for the both of them to really start healing. And even then it had gone slowly, step by step. He didn't think they would ever really get over the loss of their baby. They had given it a place in their lives, yes; weren't crippled by it anymore like they had been in the beginning, no, but it was still there, in the back of their minds. It would never leave them completely.
They had agreed never to try for another baby again, not wanting or feeling able to go through the same loss again. It had already happened once – who said the next time would go better?
They didn't want to take the risk, didn't think they could handle it for a second time and so had decided that the subject of more children was closed. Naruto would take his suppressants until the day he no longer needed them and they would never spend another heat unprotected. There would be no new pregnancy anymore.
Except now there was one. Thanks to the screw-up of the pharmacy, they had basically spent several heats unprotected and now Naruto was carrying a child for the fourth time.
An event that should have been cause of celebration now terrified them instead as they feared this pregnancy would know the same ending as the previous one.
What the hell were they going to do?
They made Deidara swear to keep the news a secret, not even telling Itachi about it. The older blond agreed, looking solemn and worried. Kei, Kenta and Kiseki were told their daddy had just been feeling rather unwell and had wanted their papa with him. The twins had soaked up the lie as a sponge; Kei had been the only one looking a tad suspicious.
They didn't discuss the pregnancy for a while after the discovery, even when Naruto threw up in the mornings and Sasuke rubbed over his back. They remained silent about it.
Sasuke realised they should talk – and soon. But how did you start a conversation like this? How did you start talking about a baby you never thought you would have again, that you're terrified to lose for the second time? How did you start discussing something which brought up nightmares you'd rather forget; nightmares which had you sitting downstairs for hours, staring at the pictures of your family – all the while wondering whether you could have done something different, something that might have prevented the miscarriage from happening?
How did you start talking when you feared that talking would collapse your world for a second time? One word, one move, one dream and poof. There would be nothing again once more.
You would be left to pick up the pieces for the second time – if there were any pieces left by then.
It seemed impossible.
Unthinkable even.
It was mid-September and Naruto was the one to break the silence once and for all.
"I want you to do the ultrasound." He was standing in the middle of Sasuke's office, hands clenched on either side of his body, his chin jutted forwards in that particular manner when he was feeling exceptionally stubborn. His eyes betrayed him, though: they were shining too brightly, gleamed a tad too wild to be just classified as excitement. There was fear lurking those dark blue depths, fear and determination at the same time.
The impasse had been broken.
Slowly Sasuke looked up from the file of his last patient of today and closed it after a brief contemplation. "Legally I'm not allowed to do that," he murmured – words he had said years before when his mate had been pregnant for the first time.
A strange sound, something akin to a chuckle and a sob, filled the room and Naruto shook his head. "I don't fucking care about that, Sasuke," he said, running a hand through his hair. "You're my husband, my soulmate, and if – if this is going to end badly …" he trailed off, familiar pain shooting across his face. "I need to know, Sasuke and I don't want – can't have – anyone else but you doing it."
There were words left unspoken, choked back and smothered before they had a chance to be heard, but the dark haired man understood him all the same. He nodded and stood up, his stomach doing some complicated twists and turns.
"Lay down on the table and lift up your shirt."
The monitor hummed when he pressed on the necessary buttons; the transducer felt familiar and comforting in his hand. He went through the routine motions of spreading gel out on Naruto's stomach, eyes tracing the intricate drawn tattoo around his bellybutton, and pressing the transducer down, putting enough pressure on it without making it too uncomfortable for the Omega.
The screen flickered to life, black and grey and all shades in between shifting and moving, forming a clear picture for him.
"And?" Naruto's voice was barely louder than a whisper; the silence fragile. His fingers were clenched in the folds of his shirt, keeping it above his stomach.
Dark eyes met blue ones and Sasuke slowly exhaled before glancing back at the monitor. "You're … You're fourteen weeks pregnant."
Fourteen weeks. Exactly as much as they had been given last time. Would the universe be cruel once more?
The fourteenth week passed with no bleeding, no stomach ache, no pain. Still they didn't dare to breathe out in relief.
Weeks fifteen to eighteen went by without any issues. Week nineteen had Naruto clutching his stomach in tears when he felt their baby's first kick. They still didn't dare to hope, but …
It was more than they had got last time.
Week twenty-one had them hesitatingly admitting to their family, children and friends that Naruto was expecting another baby, and no, Kiba, I'm not just getting fat from letting myself go, please Hinata-chan, whack him around the head for me, will you?
The congratulations they received were genuine and heartfelt, but everyone could feel the tension hanging in the air. They were out of the dangerous zone now, but that was what they had thought last time as well.
Still, things were starting to look up.
Week twenty-two had Naruto grabbing Sasuke's hand and pressing it on his stomach, asking him whether he could feel their baby kicking.
Sasuke could. It left him with tears in his eyes.
During week twenty-three the baby turned enough for Sasuke to discover the sex: they were having a girl.
A second daughter.
Their smiles were more joyful than fearful this time and their kisses were nothing but sweet caresses.
Week twenty-five had them carefully discussing the nursery, wondering which theme they should go for; letting their three other children give them input.
They started daring to hope.
Week twenty-eight saw Sasuke and Itachi setting up the nursery with Kei and the twins helping whenever they could. It had Naruto sitting in the rocking chair, discussing names with Deidara, while he caressed his swollen stomach lovingly.
Week thirty had them arguing about the list of names; their laughter freer than it had been in months.
They were getting there, slowly but surely.
Week thirty-two had Naruto creating a countdown to the birth, letting his children mark the days as they passed by and his stomach grew so big, he started having trouble tying his shoes and getting up at a decent pace.
He wouldn't trade those annoyances for anything in the world.
On the twelfth of April, early in the morning Naruto went into labour. Eight hours later, at four fifteen p.m. Uchiha Keiko was born with all ten toes and ten fingers and declared completely healthy.
She had survived.
"Welcome into the family, sweetheart," Naruto murmured, exhausted but happy as he pressed a kiss on her forehead; Sasuke sitting next to him with his arm wrapped around his tired husband as he looked down in awe at their little baby girl sleeping in Naruto's arms. Some tears dripped down his cheeks and he kissed Naruto's temple before returning his gaze to their daughter.
Their little miracle.
AN2: I sincerely hope I didn't mess up the flashback scene; it's not my intention to hurt anyone. This wasn't an easy chapter to write - probably more difficult than all the ones I've written before, but it felt necessary.
If there's any interest, I might return to some scenes near the ending of this chapter to flesh them out in more detail in future chapters, but I felt that for this chapter it was fitting to write it like that.
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I see you all in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
- 33
- 34
- 35
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Of Silver Linings and Blue Yonder