Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

-o-o-o-

Chapter Twenty-One

(f) Hinata pressed her palms on top of Sasuke's bleeding chest. It was their first time on a mission together and they were suddenly ambushed. One thing led to another and here he was now, lying on the grass around the dead bodies that he mostly killed. There were more than eight shuriken on his midsection and one blade in particular landed on his chest, destroying an artery and making him bleed so fast it was frightening to watch.

Sasuke was not bad in a fight…he was in fact very skilled and stronger than their ambushers combined. Sasuke was not clumsy either—he was very graceful—but the knowledge that he was very strong and very fast was making him more and more confident in the battlefield. It makes him forget that he was as vulnerable just like his enemies are…

And that he was made of flesh that could be wounded and destroyed.

Now she just wanted to scream at him for being impulsive.

Sasuke coughed blood, staining his lips and chin. It pushed her to the brink of panic but she tried to control herself. If she lost her wits now, it would be the end for Sasuke. She has tried basic medical jutsus on him but failed. His wounds were beyond the basics, but there was no medic nin that could do something about his situation right now.

"Don't move too much." She told him. Even with dangerous wounds, the Uchiha still managed to move his hands, plucking the shuriken one by one like it was the most normal thing to do. "Sasuke!" She almost yelled. "Stop doing that!"

"They might have poison." He stated, voice rough and strained.

"No poison." She activated her bloodline limit a few seconds ago and there was no hint of poison from any of those blades. For that, she was extremely thankful. "Please…j-just stay still." Never in her nineteen years was she thrown in this kind of situation and it was really scary. "Sasuke-kun… stay still."

Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the grass. After a few more seconds, he was starting to wheeze and his breathing labored. Hinata activated her Kekkei Genkai again and checked his body. His heart was starting to slow down and his lungs beginning to be drown by his own blood.

This was bad…very bad.

Acting now out of pure instinct and adrenaline, she grabbed his hands and placed them firmly on the deep wound on his chest. She then took off her green standard vest and leveled his head up with it. Scrambling to kneel beside his head, she touched his blood-soaked lips with trembling hands.

She took a deep breath and placed her lips above his parted ones. After moments that felt like eternity, she raised her head and spat the blood from her mouth. She did it a few more times before grabbing a kunai from her leg holster and ripped his black shirt in a single stroke.

With her byakugan, she identified the deep wounds from the minor ones. Ripping her own standard inner shirt, she ripped it into long shreds, making a makeshift bandage. She has a few medical supplies on her traveling pack but they were lost in the moment of battle so she did the next thing that entered her mind.

She scanned the dead enemy nins for healing kits.

When she found one, she grabbed the pack from the dead body and ran back to Sasuke in an almost frenzied state. She tore the pack with a kunai and gasped in relief when she saw a few antiseptic and blood-clotting drugs. She bit the lid off one vial and poured the contents on Sasuke's chest wound. She heard him groan.

She then used her destroyed shirt to wrap his wounds to help with the bleeding. After making sure that the bandages were on place, she crawled back to his head and sucked the blood that might choke him through his mouth. He was bleeding internally so his lungs might drown.

"Stay with me okay?" She told him. "Stay with me Sasuke."

"I'm staying."

Hinata stopped and her eyes went to his face, wondering if she heard right or maybe it was just because she was already on the verge of panic. But whichever it was, she decided to humor the words. "Good. Stay with me…just stay with me. That's all I ask."

"I'll stay with you."

Right…Sasuke's being delirious.

"Okay…I'll take y-you word for that." She said, desperate to keep him talking. "You are as good as your words…right Sasuke?"

"You are as good as your words too…right Hinata?"

"Hai. Stay with me." (f)

Hinata dry-swallowed the pills that Sakura gave her yesterday. The pinkette said that they were supplements and good for her pregnancy. It would help with her fatigue. She fainted yesterday and Sakura assured her that it was normal for her body since it was adjusting again. Her chakra was also being minimized in order to give way for another new chakra that was growing inside.

That and her mental struggle with Sasuke's disappearance.

"Kaa-san." Young Itachi pulled her shirt. "K-Kaa-san."

She looked down on her son and smiled. The boy was glistening with sweat because he had been running around the house, playing with Shikamaru's daughter. Temari came to visit and brought the little Shikara just to chat and to see how she was doing after the word about her being brought to the hospital by Neji spread out.

Temari and Shikara left just minutes ago.

"Let me wipe your face." Hinata pulled a small handkerchief from her skirt pocket and kneeled to face her son by eye level. Yesterday, she told him the news about his future sibling and Itachi suddenly became hyper. He was screaming joyfully around the house and his shy demeanor lost in a moment of excitement.

He even demanded that she 'make' his new baby sibling a girl.

Itachi squirmed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and nose. Gently, she turned him around to lift up his shirt and placed the thin cloth on his back. "There. Now why don't you go to your room and grab a new shirt? You're aunt Tenten is sitting by the Koi pond. You can keep her company."

"Arigatou." The child muttered before running off, leaving her to smile at such display of innocence. Straightening up, Hinata rubbed a throbbing vein near her eye. Her normal chakra flow was being altered so she was mostly affected near her bloodline limit.

Then she started to hum.

It was a soft monotonous humming, just to help her ease her mind a little and closing her to the harsh reality for even just a few seconds. There was no denying that she needed a break from all these problems…from all the strain of her clan being dumped on her shoulders. "I need you right now Sasuke." She whispered after the hum died in her lips.

"I'm here."

Hinata wheeled around, startled and suddenly aware of the presence that she was looking for in more than two weeks... the presence that gives her strength to face all the problems ahead. "Sasu..."

Sasuke was standing a few feet away from her. He was filthy, with grime on his face and dark stains on his shirt that she suspected to be dried blood. He was sporting a bruised lip and he was holding his right arm in a strained manner that implies he was hurt. With a grimace, he limped towards her.

She just watched him, stunned.

"Hinata…" He said her name and it brought her back to her senses. With an inaudible cry, she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting to feel him…wanting to feel that he was real and breathing. She had imagined him a lot in the past days and she did not trust her sight right now. "Oww…" She heard him say when he was pushed back by her weight, making them both tumble on the floor.

Sasuke groaned in obvious pain and she scrambled away from him. "Gomen!" She gasped, touching his bruised cheek. "Y-you're hurt! You have wounds and…and…we need to get you in the hospital!"

"No." Sasuke opened his eyes to stare at her worried ones. "No."

"Sasuke you need to—"

"Don't you wanna hear the reason I left?" He asked, grabbing her arm to steady her since she was so nervous she was starting to shake. To Sasuke's surprise, Hinata shook her head and she touched his hands. She then pulled them up and brought them to her lips before answering.

"I trust you."

Sasuke blinked then carefully propped his battered body up in order to reach her. She was crying now and he gently took her inside his arms, letting her rest her face on his chest. "I smell bad." He admitted. He was stinking of sweat, blood, and dust.

"I don't care." Was her muffled voice and he chuckled. His wife was like a little kid when upset…she was even worse than their son. Talking about their son… he removed his chin from her head and looked down. She seemed to guess what he was about ask so she pointed to the door on their left. "Itachi is playing by the Koi pond with Tenten."

"Tenten's here?"

"Hai. Sasu…did Naruto-kun…?"

"Yeah…we came home together." Sasuke closed his eyes, too tired to even move. "Whatever it was that bothered us have been taken care of so you don't have to worry anymore okay?"

"H-hai." She smiled, tears still streaming down her face. "I know it has something to do with that."

Their reunion was interrupted when a pregnant Tenten with Itachi entered the room. The weapon mistress smiled upon seeing Sasuke, who gave her a nod in return.

Itachi shouted a joyful "Tou-san!" before running heads on to his parents, leaping before he could reach them then landing on his father's outstretched arms. "Otou-san stinks…d-dattebayo!"

A few months later…

Ino dragged a whining Hokage by the ear and pushed him to the rest of their friends who were waiting for any news of Tenten and Sakura's labor. It was such a coincidence that the two were now about to give birth at the same time. Tenten was not due for another month so she was giving birth to a premature baby.

The stabbing incident a few months ago may have something to do with the early labor but Ino assured them all that Tenten's baby was going to be okay. Many babies were born into this world premature so there was nothing to worry about.

With a grimace, the Yamanaka—who was also sporting a baby bump—glared at the others. "Make sure this idiot doesn't sneak into the room. I have two women in there and I can't concentrate with Naruto being so loud and running around the place."

Naruto was making a funny face. "But you permitted Sasuke the last time! You are so unfair Ino-chan!" He whined while dusting himself. He looked at the rest of his former classmates to earn their pity. "You should not be doing that to a Hokage right? I am the Hokage!"

Kiba rested his arm around Naruto. The Hokage was wearing nothing but a shirt and his sweat pants—not such a presentable cloth for a newly proclaimed Hokage but no one bothered to mention it. "Believe me…you don't want to mess with her. I have been in that way before and it's painful." Diverting his gaze to his wife, Kiba smiled. "Go on dear…I'll hold him back."

Hinata was sitting on the bench and was sandwiched between Sasuke and Shino. She nudged her husband gently by the side. When she was sure that she got his attention, she pointed a finger at Neji who was standing by the door like a statue. The Hyuga prodigy did not even bother to move a single muscle ever since Tenten was brought inside the delivery room. "Talk to him." She said.

Sasuke shook his head. "No."

Hinata frowned. "Can't you see his worried Sasu? Please talk to Nii-san. He looks…" She glanced at Neji and his more than usual pale complexion. "Bad."

Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his chest and smirked. "I am enjoying myself too much." He leaned on his wife's side, actually bored. His only entertainment was watching Neji slowly grinding his poise to oblivion. So much for coolness. "Itachi…" He called instead to the young boy who was sitting at the farthest right with Shikamaru's daughter.

"I think I heard this conversation before." Shino muttered but decided not to elaborate. Naruto's whines could still be heard and he sighed. So much for the peace and quiet in hospital these days…

After a few hours of waiting and keeping up with Naruto's whines and Neji's sudden outbursts, each of them returned to their homes with faint smiles on their faces. Sakura and Naruto now have a little baby boy who they named Narumi. The Hokage has screamed it all round the hospital so everybody knows it by now. The baby has a blonde hair like his dad with streaks of pink.

Neji and Tenten have a baby girl with brown eyes. It was a relief actually, for she was going to be safe from any cursed mark. The new parents decided to name her Hinare. It was a beautiful name and Hinata cannot help but agree. When Itachi saw the baby, he proclaimed that he was going to be a very good Nii-san and protect the baby girl with all his might…much to everyone's delight.

Tenten even commented that it was like her and Neji all over again.

"You have to report now?" Hinata asked Sasuke who was standing by the door, watching her tuck their son to bed. Straightening up after making sure that Itachi was asleep, she walked towards him. "It's late."

"Naruto wants me to take over for the meantime. "He explained. "He said Sakura needs him and he can't focus on his work with his wife still weak from child birth…and I still have to check the papers that the Kumo nins delivered earlier. It's about Kho's release next week."

"Oh…I see. That's good. Kho-Niisan will be very happy to return to his clan after so long…"

"I'll be home for breakfast." He pulled her arm and bend down, letting his lips touch the bulge on her belly. "So cook me something delicious."

Hinata pouted. "That's what y-you said the last time."

"I promise I'll make it this time." He assured her, loving the way she pouts. It was so cute. "Hey…" He pretended to study her appearance from head to foot. "Are you growing fat?"

"I'm not."

"You are. Your feet look like pumpkins.

"Sasu! I am not fat." It was said with a giggle though so Sasuke smirked and straightened up. With a devilish smile, he advanced a few steps towards her so he could pin her to the wall, her baby bump in between. Hinata continued to giggle and she wards him off playfully. "Sasuke-kun…y-you—"

"I'm glad you made me do that promise." He said, pressing his forehead against hers.

"W-What promise?"

"To stay with you."

-o0o-o0o-o0o-

Epilogue

Itachi looked around the Uchiha compound and sighed. He needs his mother and she was nowhere to be seen anywhere the place. Spotting his sister Sasuna, he walked towards her. The Uchiha woman was talking to her husband who was trying to make their baby stop crying.

"What's the matter with my niece?" Itachi asked, touching the newly tattooed red strips on the baby's cheeks. Sasuna was married to an Inouzuka—the son of their parent's long time friends, Ino and Kiba—and as a member, their daughter should now be marked with the fang-insignia.

"I don't know." Sasuna answered, running her slender hands on her blue hair. "Maybe she's hungry."

Inochin smiled weakly and looked at Itachi. "Fatherhood." The Inouzuka shook his head. "Where's your wife Itachi? You two should be preparing for the ceremony. You are going to be proclaimed as clan head now…you should be well groomed."

Sasuna laughed. "Nii-san doesn't need to be groomed. He has been making the ladies swoon ever since he was a born."

Itachi placed his hand on Sasuna's head. His sister surprisingly looks like their mother but in case of attitude, they were the exact opposites. She was really noisy and loves to tease, unlike their Kaa-san who was soft spoken and very gentle. "Stop it. Sasuna." He sighed. "Shikara's with our son. Maybe she's inside the house or something."

"I agree!" A voice chimed in. When Itachi tilted his head back, he almost rolled his eyes when he saw his cousin, Hinare Hyuga passing by and carrying a basket full of fruits. "Nii-san is the bomb! I remember Sakuru-Neechan being crazy all about him."

"Oy…Hinare." Itachi sighed. The last thing that he wanted for them to do was digging the issue of his old flame out when he was still a teenager. He and Sakuru became an item yes, but both realized that they were better off as best friends…and no matter what their past issues are, their friendship could never be broken. It's a bond forged by their parents before them and they would gladly continue that connection. "Don't let Sakuru's husband hear you."

Hinata smiled when she saw Sasuke sitting crossed legged on the grass. She has been looking for him and somehow knew that she was going to find him here, in the Uchiha clan's graveyard…next to his brother's grave. Letting her fingers ran on her blue hair—now with streaks of white—she cleared her throat to announce her presence. Sasuke did not look back but said her name. "Hina."

"You are needed back in the compound. Itachi is looking for you. The Hokage will be arriving shortly too."

"Hn. Dobe is always late."

She sat next to him. "What are you doing here Sasuke?"

"Telling my old clan that somehow, the Uchiha is slowly rising from the ashes." The Uchiha head answered, his voice a deep booming sound in the silent place. "And that I have fulfilled my brother's wish to help mold the next generation of Uchihas."

"And now your firstborn is taking over." Hinata smiled and touched his arm. Sasuke looks like his father now—she has seen the old head in old pictures. It was just like a cycle really…for Itachi now looks like Sasuke's double when he was in his twenties. "Well you did a good job."

"I have a good wife."

They looked at each other and smiled. They stayed like that for a few moments before Hinata looked down with a flushed face. No matter how many years that they lived together, she could never stare long at Sasuke's obsidian eyes. They were just too intense for her.

Sasuke chuckled. "You never change."

-end-

Another fanfic done! Thank you for keeping up with Sweet Union guys… if you have any questions or anything…feel free to pm me okay?

Long live SasuHina!

-crazygurl12 a.k.a. crazychan (Lol…someone called me that in one of the reviews and I like it.)