We've been running for more than a day. We need to stop.
Naruto stubbornly continued to rush forward. Tree branches flashed beneath his feet—he had to push off quickly. They were almost at the border with the Land of Water, so the forest gradually grew dimmer and the ground whiter. The moon shone through the shabby treetops.
- Naruto!
- Stop. I'll go on.
Frankly, he didn't care whether he acted alone or not. Right now, the alpha had only one target, and he needed to reach it as quickly as possible. The rest was trivial.
"You can't do that!" Sakura objected from somewhere behind her. "Overworking yourself won't make you feel any better!"
"Why are you so concerned about me?!" he snapped. "Sasuke! That's who you should be concerned about!"
Naruto was much more alert now than he had been during those long, sleepless months. Back then, he'd felt like a stagnant swamp—but now, someone had pulled the plug, and the blood was rushing through his veins like a torrent. His temples throbbed: run . Run as fast as you can.
"We care about you precisely because you can't take care of yourself!" the beta said angrily. "You don't even know where you're running! You just run wherever your eyes take you!"
"Sakura's right," Kakashi responded from the left. "We're moving aimlessly."
"Sai's letter indicated the location!"
"Sasuke's already gone very far from there. We don't even know where to look for him! So slow down, Naruto!"
He reluctantly gave in and, slowing down, sank to the ground. He hunched over, breathing heavily. His muscles were aching from the relentless running. A shudder ran through his body. He'd run these kilometers in one breath, but as soon as he slowed down, fatigue really set in—at least physically.
And there was no time to rest at all!
Sasuke is still out there somewhere, he needs their help. But where is he? Where? Why can't they just grab onto this red thread stretched between them and follow it like a guiding star?
"Naruto," Kakashi's hand landed on his shoulder, making him flinch. "Try to relax a little."
"Relax?" he asked sourly, dropping his backpack. "Sasuke could be killed right now, and you're telling me to relax..."
Realizing the terrible thing he'd just said, the alpha shook his head. No, he couldn't even think about it. Sasuke was known for his vile personality—he'd cling to life to the last, purely out of sheer spite.
...but Naruto didn't want the situation to get to the point where the omega had to cling to life .
"We're worried about him too," the sensei reminded him with a sigh. "And we'll do everything in our power. We just need to have that power."
Naruto nodded hesitantly and sat down on a cold stump. He needed to spread out his sleeping bag, help the others break some branches for the fire, but… the alpha stared blankly at his own hands, as if he were seeing them for the first time. His fingertips trembled.
Perhaps he ran forward so recklessly to escape from his own thoughts?
And now they caught up with him, and oh-h...
Something deep within the alpha, preserved from the time of caves and mammoths, beat ecstatically within the skull, pounding like a hammer on an anvil.
A child! He was going to have a child soon! A real little person, one whose blood would be mixed with his and Sasuke's! The mere thought of it made Naruto's heart leap into his throat—he could feel it pounding furiously beneath his Adam's apple. His omega was still in danger, but right now he was so deliriously happy.
He will have a family.
Naruto had always dreamed of this. He had many friends who saved him from loneliness, but family is so much more. It's where everything comes together. As a young street kid, wandering around Konoha, catching disapproving glances from all sides, Uzumaki was certain even then that right after becoming Hokage, he would definitely start a family. The dream had been with him all this time, but every time the Alpha glanced in their direction, it seemed so far away...
And here it is – right here. Right now. Long before he dons the Hokage robe.
And... with Sasuke.
Damn it.
It was all so strange. Suddenly, he remembered the conversation with Shikamaru that had happened back in the summer. Had Naruto felt something back then, or was this desire simply ingrained within him? Could it be that he'd always wanted to start a family with Sasuke? He'd never thought about it directly because of his age, but every time the alpha imagined his future, Sasuke was always there. Him, the children, and Sasuke.
Him, the kids and Sasuke. It's crazy.
The smell of campfire smoke reached his nose, and the alpha looked up—Kakashi and Sakura had already hung a small pot over the fire to warm themselves with hot tea. Naruto realized that neither of them had even tried to talk to him this whole time. Catching his eye, Sakura quickly returned to her work.
It was understandable. No one had a clue how to talk about what was happening. It was hard to believe it was happening at all. Everything that existed outside of him was separated from Naruto by an invisible wall, isolating him. Forcing him to wander within himself.
Sasuke is pregnant right now. How did this even happen? How did they get to this point…
- Naruto, come here.
Alpha shuddered again. Sakura and Kakashi looked at him with undisguised pity—for some reason. He was fine… no, of course he was still shaking, but he was fucking fine .
Moving closer to the fire, Naruto glanced at the unfolded map of the Land of Water the two were studying. His head was buzzing nonstop, like a swarm of angry wasps.
"So, what do we have," he heard Kakashi's voice through the din. "Here's the Northern Coast, and here's the town near where Sasuke was last seen. Judging by the time Sai gave, that was about two days ago. Where he went next is unknown."
A depressing silence fell for a moment. Everyone stared at the map with such intentness, as if hoping to find a spot marked "Sasuke" right there on the paper. Sakura bit her lip thoughtfully.
"If he decides to return to Konoha, he'll most likely go this way," she said, extending her finger and drawing a curved line across the entire country.
"It all depends on whether Sasuke knows Konoha is hunting him," Naruto muttered. "Why would he go back to a place where they want to kill him?"
And again – a disconcerting silence. For a few seconds, the alpha stared at the ground, pondering his own words, and suddenly frowned.
— At what point did Konoha become a place that even I don't want to return to?
He hadn't thought about it all this time, too distracted by Sasuke, but now, with time to reflect, Naruto realized how dire the overall picture was. His homeland, which he loved so much and whose approval he had strived so hard to win, suddenly appeared to the alpha in a completely different light.
"When did it all go wrong?" he asked himself, confused. "After Grandma Tsunade fell into a coma. How could we let that happen?"
"That's not something you should be thinking about right now," Kakashi said.
"Why not?" Sakura suddenly perked up. "Let's talk about how it's now become normal for us to steal babies and kill their parents!"
Looking at them, sensei sighed deeply and very tiredly. Perhaps he saw something in this situation that they didn't?
"First of all, if such things were considered normal for the entire village, Sai wouldn't have risked his life telling us about it," he said slowly, speaking to them as if they were children. "Secondly, for many hundreds of years, people have been stealing children and killing omegas... and, basically, each other. All the hidden villages, in all the countries."
"So what?!" Naruto snapped. "Just because it's always been this way, you think it's okay?"
"That's normal," Kakashi rubbed his temple. "At least for our world. Normal doesn't always mean good, Naruto. This world is cruel, it's killed many people dear to me. There's a lot of blood on all of us, including you."
Uzumaki stood up abruptly.
- I won't put up with this.
Emerging from the fire, he began furiously unfolding his sleeping bag. Kakashi watched him with a sad gaze.
- Yes, you certainly won't resign yourself to it.
"Laugh all you want," the alpha muttered, growing even angrier. "If this is the 'norm' for the world, then the world needs to change."
"I'm not making fun of you," Kakashi responded warmly. "I'm not going to put up with things like this in Konoha either. It's just that right now, we need to focus on Sasuke."
"Sasuke, too... was trampled by this world," Naruto sighed. "And they continue to trample him. Mercilessly."
So he's obliged to do whatever it takes to ensure his omega lives in a better world. He'll work even harder to become Hokage instead of that old, one-eyed freak. Anything, so that Sasuke and their child can enjoy life here, breathing deeply...
"Okay..." Sakura sighed behind me. "Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll cross the border and start asking the locals..."
Naruto wanted to say that if questioning the locals had been so effective, they would have found Sasuke long ago the last time they'd searched the Land of Water. But Sakura would have replied, "Then I await your suggestions!" He had none, so he remained sullenly silent.
Despite his fatigue, the alpha slept poorly that night. Or rather, not at all. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw bright flashes. His heart was beating so fast, it was as if he weren't lying still, but running a hundred-kilometer marathon through the mountains.
Finally, Naruto gave in and simply folded his arms behind his head, gazing at the full moon—it was now shining directly above them, peeking out from behind the bare treetops. The snow sparkled in its cool rays. With his shinobi training and a warm sleeping bag, lying on the snow-covered ground wasn't so bad—especially since the Land of the Leaf never had harsh winters. But in the Land of Water… it should be colder there now.
He wondered how Sasuke was coping with the cold. Had he had a chance to eat something substantial? Did the omega sleep in a shelter or out in the open? Was he feeling ill? Naruto tried to hope for the best, but the strong thread stretched between them vibrated at a low frequency, warning of something terrifying.
Please God, let him be okay.
- So why aren't you sleeping?
Naruto glanced at the sleeping bag next to him. Kakashi was lying in exactly the same position, gazing at the night sky. It was the most inopportune moment for the alpha to wonder if Sasuke was admiring that moon right now. Damn, he really couldn't think of anything else…
"And why are you?" the alpha evaded the question, assuming that everything was clear with him.
"I'm thinking about Sasuke. After all, to me, he's just as much a child as you and Sakura."
Naruto had always been skeptical that they were still children to Kakashi. All three of them were eighteen now, they'd been through so much shit... they'd have kids of their own soon.
"Oh, that Sasuke," Hatake grumbled. "What was he thinking?"
Naruto swallowed nervously. Despite his pure delight at the prospect of starting a family with Sasuke, the reasons for the Uchiha's… actions were still unclear. Too many pieces were missing to complete the puzzle.
— What do you think, sensei... did he do it on purpose?
"On purpose?" Kakashi turned his head towards him. "Are you asking if he got pregnant because he wanted to?" The alpha nodded dejectedly. "No, I don't think so."
Uzumaki pursed his lips. All his joy and triumph only made sense if Sasuke truly knew what he was doing. If the child was unwanted... The thought left a bitter taste in the Alpha's mouth. But his sensei was probably right—Sasuke hardly got pregnant intentionally. Because... why on earth would he have thought that having a child while on the run would be a goddamn good idea?
Was the omega himself happy with his position, having seen all his great plans collapse?
Maybe Sasuke hates their child for this?
"Hey, Naruto," the sensei's voice stopped the alpha from sliding into the abyss of despair. "Cheer up. Even if this pregnancy was an accident, if Sasuke wanted to solve this problem, he definitely would have done so."
"You think so?" Uzumaki perked up a little.
"Sasuke has a pretty radical approach to everything, in case you hadn't noticed," the man smiled sadly. "So yeah, if he really didn't want this child, it definitely wouldn't have happened."
Naruto's spirits quickly perked up. It was true! He'd told Sai so right away: Sasuke was smart. He would have found any way, even the most controversial, to terminate the pregnancy if he'd wanted to so badly. But the time for labor was approaching, and the baby remained in place.
So there were reasons.
This means that he wanted this, at least a little.
Not everyone will agree, but the alpha himself believed Sasuke would be a good dad. Why would an idealist like him not even try to be the best at that?
A ghostly image of an omega floated before my eyes, holding a small bundle of blankets, from which a chubby baby face peered out. If I strained my imagination, I could picture Sasuke smiling at the little boy, babbling sweet nothings. Sunbeams streaming through the window, the wind blowing the curtains, and all that…
Naruto's soul instantly soared.
They're going to be parents! They're going to have a little Uzumaki...
He felt himself getting drunk with happiness.
— Sensei... Can you believe it? I'm really going to be a father...
He wanted to repeat these sweet words endlessly. He would become a father. He would become a father. He would become…
"I'm happy for you," Hatake said sincerely. "But..."
The man hesitated.
— "But"... what?
- It's early , Naruto. Early for both of you.
"Well, yeah, it's early," the alpha agreed, muttering under his breath. "I'm still a long way from being Hokage. I have a house, but it's not much room for the kids... and I don't earn much, just enough for myself, but kids need... all sorts of things, right?"
Cribs, strollers, toys… they need a nursery! Should he convert his bedroom into one? He and Sasuke can sleep on the couch in the living room, and…
"Naruto," Kakashi rolled his eyes, judging by his heavy sigh. "I'm talking about this child literally being born in the middle of chaos. Where neither you, nor especially Sasuke, were mentally prepared."
Uzumaki looked away. Sensei was right, but he spoke the language of logic, while Naruto himself was guided solely by his heart. And now his heart was bursting with happiness.
"What difference does it make now?" he chuckled. "Instead of doubting things that can't be changed... I'll just try my best. And I know Sasuke will try his best too. We'll definitely get through this."
After all, who knows? Perhaps a child born in the midst of a raging tornado will finally bring peace to the world?
—
Sasuke didn't know what to do anymore.
He moved forward mechanically—because it was impossible to stand still. He placed his feet one after the other, parting the pine branches with his fingers, staring ahead in confusion.
There was nowhere to go.
Konoha, where he'd only just decided to return, no longer expected him back alive. While the omega had previously been able to count on Naruto and his friendship with the Fifth, now who knew who sat on the throne. Someone who didn't wish him well. If they'd wanted to bring Sasuke back, they would have continued sending their trump card—Uzumaki Naruto. Now, however, he was being hunted by unfamiliar shinobi, and they were searching for the omega with a zeal he'd never expected.
And when did Sasuke manage to attract so much attention? He'd been stuck on a deserted island for months… and yet, despite all this, he was recognized by almost everyone he met. Merchants he met on the roads. Hunters in the forest. City dwellers.
Because his face, damn it, was actually all over the place.
He pulled his hood over his eyes whenever he encountered anyone along the way, then quickly turned off the road. It was unknown who might be standing across from him this time—a villager or a shinobi undercover. Guards loomed at the city gates, checking everyone who entered, so the omega gave up trying to infiltrate.
Every day he went deeper into the forest.
Finding food in winter was difficult.
Every now and then, he encountered hawthorn bushes, cranberries, and rowan berries. The berries were mouth-watering, but Sasuke greedily devoured them by the handful, chewing and squinting at the bitterness on his tongue. More rarely, he encountered mushrooms—by boiling them in a pot with pine needles, he could create a kind of soup.
The omega didn't dare hunt large prey—it might fight back, and coming face to face with an enraged bear or elk would be a death sentence. There were practically no birds in the forest. They had all flown south, leaving Sasuke with only bullfinches and tits, but he didn't complain—he was glad at least they were there.
The winter ponds were teeming with fish, but the omega couldn't bring himself to eat them. Just the sight of them sent a chill down his spine. And the mere taste of them on his tongue instantly turned his stomach—what a waste.
The Uchiha slept in tree roots, huge hollows, or somewhere under musty bridges. Digging a hole in the snow, scattering the embers from the fire, he laid his sleeping bag on top. Frankly, it had long since become so cramped that he couldn't even turn around. The warm embers dug into his thin sides through the mattress, leaving dents and bruises by morning. Sasuke hunched his shoulders in an awkward attempt to completely submerge himself in the sleeping bag, pulled his legs up to his stomach, and lay there sleeplessly for a long, long time.
And when sleep did come, he dreamed of Kabuto's rotting flesh. In these dreams, Sasuke covered his ears as best he could, but the vile whispers still seeped into his head, repeating, "Scum like you shouldn't be allowed to have children."
"You don't deserve your child."
Sasuke woke up in a cold sweat.
He was coughing.
His lungs itched as if they were crawling with ants. Sasuke tried to cope—he boiled water with berries, moistened his throat, and tied his scarf tightly around it. Among all the Orochimaru medicines he'd brought with him, he couldn't find a single one of the notorious cold potions.
Another day, and Sasuke was walking again, wetting his feet in the icy water of the shallow rivers to confuse his pursuers... whoever the hell they were.
The time for labor was approaching, and he was feeling it all the more. His belly was gradually growing heavier, like a large, ripe watermelon, sinking toward the ground. False alarms became more frequent —painful, breath-taking. They always occurred suddenly, causing Sasuke to double over and bite his lip.
"It's too early," he repeated to himself over and over, pressing his palms against the roundness. "It's too early, too early. Wait a little longer. Wait until..."
Omega hesitated - he didn't know.
I didn't know when the right moment would come... but it definitely wasn't now.
Sasuke wanted his daughter to be born in a cozy and safe place, but everywhere he went, there were only snowy forests, dead fields, and cold rivers. And danger breathing down his neck—he had to run fast.
And he ran. There was no choice.
The snow crunched underfoot. His shoulders groaned under the weight of his luggage. His legs buckled. After walking for only a couple of hours, the omega would stop, leaning against a tree. Catch his breath. Then he'd start walking again—and soon he'd start to gasp for breath. Again, again, again. And then he'd suddenly look back at his entire journey, wondering if there had been any point at all—after all, in the end, he'd still ended up nowhere .
There were moments when reality hit him particularly hard. His composure crumbled like a house of cards, and Sasuke could no longer pretend there was any silver lining in this sticky hopelessness. He buried his face in his hands.
I can't do this anymore. I can't. I can't.
"Maybe you can't," my own voice in my subconscious answered. " But you must ."
Owe - to whom?
"To her".
Sasuke listened to the impatient kicks in his stomach, took a deep breath, straightened up. And kept going. There was no time to get upset—there never was. So the omega suppressed the screams that kept escaping from his aching lungs and forced them back down his throat.
He probably would have given up. Sit down on the ground and simply freeze to death. If there hadn't been moments like these that made him truly want to live.
Sometimes, when the sky cleared, Sasuke would climb into the trees and admire the sunset. In winter, it was violet, so cold and mesmerizing, illuminating the endless snowy valleys. These evenings were especially frosty, and the omega breathed into his palms, warming them as he rubbed them together.
The winter forest is very quiet. Very calm.
It was moments like these that Sasuke found hope for the best. Putting aside all the crap that had happened to him recently… very soon he would finally meet his child . They had been together for a good eight months, and they would only see each other now. Sasuke dreaded it as much as he anticipated it.
He thought that the most difficult thing he would face in his life would surely be motherhood… parenthood. No hard work, no pain had ever frightened him as much as this. It's scary when a small, helpless person depends on you. When all your mistakes reflect on them first.
So yes, he was trying to prepare himself for what was to come.
To all the pain he was about to experience.
…but no matter how you prepare yourself, reality turns out to be much more painful.
—
It's been... who knows how much time has passed. At the end of the first week, Sasuke stopped counting.
The day was foggy.
He sat by the fire, dining on a small tit, eating moss dug out from under the snow. A violent cough racked his lungs. Reaching under his cloak, the omega rubbed his chest, wincing at the heaviness inside. Breathing became more difficult with each passing day—Sasuke began to notice a strange whistling sound when he tried to take a deep breath. Trying to drown the discomfort in boiling water didn't help.
It is not clear what to do with this.
Covering his mouth with his fist, Sasuke stood up to spread out his sleeping bag. He'd been feeling particularly sluggish today and desperately sleepy—so much so that he'd barely walked ten kilometers since the last pass. Luckily, this low spot by the pond was perfect for resting.
His daughter delivered a vigorous kick to the ribs. Omega sighed heavily. As if it weren't enough that she'd been clawing at his insides all day—a terrible feeling, it must be said.
"You're so energetic today," Sasuke muttered, fiddling with the ties on his rolled-up bag. "You don't give me a moment's peace. I wonder if you'll be like this when you grow up..."
"I don't need a second Naruto in my house…" he wanted to continue, when suddenly he felt goosebumps spreading from head to toe.
His body sensed the danger before he did.
Someone was watching. Very close.
Startled, the omega pressed his back against a pine trunk and scanned the area with his Sharingan. Dead trees, thinning bushes receding into the fog. And… no one. Had he imagined it? "No, I wasn't imagining it," the Uchiha realized. "This 'someone' is so skilled that they managed to hide even from the Sharingan. A very dangerous person. Or people."
The thought made Sasuke shudder, and goosebumps ran across his skin in waves.
If a fight ensued, he'd be finished. Would he be able to escape? It didn't look like they were going to attack him. They were just... watching. What the hell? What do they want with Sasuke? Why not just leave him the hell alone? Is that too much to ask?
Looking around, the omega placed his palm on his stomach, where the child was thrashing about inside. His legs felt like lead, his lungs ached, his head too. Would he be able to keep up the chase?
On the other hand, was there a choice?
Sasuke's chakra was now like a thin hair, ready to break at any moment—all he'd managed to accumulate during this time. Mustering every last drop of strength, the omega quickly performed hand seals. He hadn't used jutsu in a while… He'd even lit a fire with kindling and matches.
In one second, the forest was cut by countless lightning bolts.
A flock of startled birds soared into the air, and those that didn't make it fell dead to the ground. Electricity sparked among the branches. The treetops began to smoke. The alien presence wavered for a moment, and taking advantage of the moment, the omega grabbed the luggage and took off, climbing through the branches as quickly as he could. Weaving and zigzagging, he headed toward the nearest river.
Having crossed the bridge, he dove into the thick of the forest, ignoring the trees that dealt him a slapping blow. His lungs swelled painfully, trying to get oxygen, and a hoarse breath came out of his mouth. The Omega ran aimlessly, relieved to feel the sensation of being pursued ease. He needed to run a little further to make sure he lost them…
And at that moment.
At this very moment.
There was a pulling sensation in my stomach.
Sasuke barely managed to stop himself before he fell to one knee, groaning through pursed lips. It felt as if an invisible hand was trying to pull his womb out of him. His lower back burned. Pain spread from his stomach everywhere, gradually engulfing every cell of his body. His breath caught in his throat.
Another "false alarm"? The omega hunched over, breathing hoarsely, waiting for this torment to end. Even though he'd lost his unknown pursuer, it could very well catch up if he didn't move immediately.
But Sasuke couldn't. He couldn't move. Not even a centimeter.
The tugging sensation didn't stop, but grew. Just as the omega thought, "Damn, this is weird...," something hot began to trickle down his legs. Sasuke's eyes widened, so shocked that for a few seconds he even forgot about the pain.
Blood? Is he bleeding?
Is he dying?
But there was no smell of blood – it was the smell of something unknown. Water. What the...?
Then the pain intensified, and Sasuke, unable to bear it any longer, screamed, burying his nose in the snow-covered ground—it instantly melted under his hot breath. Thoughts whirled through his head at lightning speed, making it nearly impossible to discern anything from the chaos…
…and then understanding came.
"Why now…" the omega croaked, straining his entire body to stand. "Don't… wait…"
This couldn't be done here. Not in the middle of the dense forest. He needed... needed...
Rising, he trudged on, clutching at branches and tree trunks—the only thing keeping him upright on wobbly legs. Trees, trees, trees. Cold, snowy… his daughter shouldn't be born in a place like this. Where Sasuke was so clearly visible. Where he could be killed so easily.
"God, I'm not ready..." pulsated in my head like a red light. "I'm not ready. Not ready. Not ready..."
He hadn't been ready when he'd first learned of it. When he'd stared at that tiny, barely noticeable source of chakra within his own womb, while the entire world around him had been rumbled into ruin. And now, after all this time, he still wasn't ready. And it seemed he never would be.
But it's happening. It's happening right now.
The pain would subside for a few minutes, allowing Sasuke to advance further, but it would inevitably return each time. Starting in his lower back, it would spread like a pulse through his stomach and thighs, causing his legs to tremble.
Biting his lip, the omega moved in an unknown direction, panicking as he tried to find something. At least some shelter where he wouldn't be in plain sight.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
A warm house. Plenty of blankets. A doctor or two who could help him get everything right. And Naruto, going crazy, pacing the hallway... no, Sasuke wanted the Alpha to hold his hand. The Omega would have grabbed him back so hard he'd have broken all his fingers, but Naruto wouldn't have dared complain. Not when Sasuke was bursting with bloody human blood !
And then, when it was all over, they would meet the little Uchiha—together. And then everything would be… right.
The longer he walked, the thicker the fog became. Omega hoped that whoever was pursuing him would get lost in this milky haze. Clouds of steam, mixed with wheezing, escaped his mouth.
At one point, a small river emerged from the fog, and he trudged blindly upstream, forcing himself to take every step. His stomach felt tight and hard, like stone. Holding it tightly in an attempt to lighten the load, the omega begged, "Please, wait... wait a little longer... not now."
An eternity passed before Sasuke reached the river's source. A small but turbulent waterfall amid a snow-covered cliff.
Omega looked around, trying to figure out if he could get around this cliff... because if not, it seemed like he'd just reached a dead end. A high wall of frozen earth sloped equally to the right and left. Damn it. Should he try to climb over it?
As soon as Uchiha thought about this, another jolt of pain struck his body, and he gritted his teeth. He couldn't do it. He couldn't…
"...but I must."
Coming close to the cliff, he felt the cold stones to assess how difficult it would be to climb over their slippery icy surface.
And here it is!
A narrow, unnoticeable crevice, hidden beneath the roots of a tree embedded in the cliff. A whiff of damp earth wafted from it, and the omega, seizing the opportunity, squeezed through without a second thought. The opening was so tight that he barely fit in—his stomach aching, his bags weighing down his shoulders. Panting, the omega stubbornly made his way forward.
The passage ended in a small, enclosed space with a low ceiling—Sasuke scratched at it with the top of his head. The walls were made of frozen clay and earth mixed with protruding roots. Very damp, but… Who cares. Right now, this place was perfect.
Throwing his luggage off his shoulders, the omega finally gave in to his weakness. He unbuttoned his coat, pulled off his pants and shoes, and simply fell to his knees, resting his forehead on the ground. He wheezed.
Never, never, never had Sasuke been in so much pain. If you could gather all the pain he'd experienced in his entire damn life and add it all up, it wouldn't even come close to what he was feeling right now.
This wasn't the pain he'd been bracing himself for all these months. This was much, much worse.
My fingers clawed at the ground, collecting dirt under my nails. Sand clung to my lips. The first drop of cold sweat rolled down my nose. The pain reached its peak—blindness—and subsided slightly, only to return again after a few minutes. More and more frequently.
"Let this end as soon as possible…" the omega begged silently, licking his own tears from the corner of his lips. "I can't do this anymore…"
He was suffocating because his lungs couldn't draw in any more air—something was preventing them from expanding fully. His stomach was burning, his thighs were shaking, and Sasuke felt like he was being turned inside out.
Lost in time, he didn't realize how long he'd been lying there—his hands clasped over his mouth, biting his wrists until they were bright red, just to keep from screaming at the top of his lungs. It was like being back in the sea, mindlessly floundering among the icy waves, with no idea where to go next.
He wanted Naruto so badly, but he'd robbed himself of that opportunity... Sasuke had robbed himself of so many chances to be happy because, frankly, he'd never really wanted to be happy. All he craved was to fulfill his duty, even if that meant the opposite of happiness. Naruto had always seen that. The Alpha didn't want him to be hurt, which was why he pursued the Omega so desperately.
"If I survive..." Sasuke suddenly thought, chewing on the skin on his arm to somehow distract himself from the pain. "If I survive, I'll tell Naruto that I love him."
"God, you may not be kind to me, but Naruto is probably your favorite. So let me live so he can see our child..."
— Please. God…
Finally, after several long hours, the pain reached such a level that it practically paralyzed Sasuke. He no longer had the strength to scream, and he simply lay on his side, staring dazedly ahead, barely breathing.
And then the air smelled of iron. Something hot trickled down his thighs again, but much heavier and thicker than the first time. Streaming down his skin, it pooled on the hardened ground like a sticky puddle, spreading wider and wider. Raising himself up on his elbows, Sasuke lowered his clouded gaze and froze.
He was bleeding - that was for sure now.
And Sasuke had no idea how it usually happened, but some part of him—the part that had existed inside omegas long before medicine—suddenly whispered: this is not normal .
It shouldn't be like this.
A primal terror gripped him. Ignoring the blood, Sasuke frantically felt himself, trying to understand what was happening. His lower body burned like heat. Everything was pulsating. He knew nothing about childbirth, but the omega felt like he was dying right now. And the little Uchiha… his child, who was only a moment away from being born… could die if he didn't do something.
If he does nothing.
If he doesn't do anything...
Unable to stand, Sasuke stretched out, hooking his fingertips around the strap of his bag and pulling it closer. Reaching inside, he pulled out one of the scrolls and shook out its contents—a clinking series of vials stolen from Orochimaru's personal arsenal rolled across the ground.
The pain still filled the space, but the fear for the little Uchiha was stronger. Fumbling through the vials with trembling hands, he found a bottle of disinfectant solution and splashed it on his hands, cleaning them. Splashing some more on a rag, he wiped the kunai, then crumpled it up and stuffed it in his mouth.
Sasuke pulled off his shirt and sat up slowly, staring at his throbbing belly. His baby was right here, so close. He needed to get it out of there, no matter what.
He gripped the kunai, and his hands suddenly stopped shaking. Unchanged.
Feeling the soft, empty spot where the uterus should have been swelling, he mentally traced an invisible horizontal line on the skin. He hesitated for a split second.
"Just do it."
And Sasuke did.
He smoothly thrust the kunai into the flesh a centimeter, making a weak cut.
Pain shot through his temples. His vision flashed. Sasuke whined, choking on the wad of cloth in his mouth, but he didn't stop. He remembered how humans worked. How omegas worked. He'd been present at most of Orochimaru's autopsies. He... he hoped he knew what he was doing.
Black blood flowed from the cut, but it still wasn't deep enough—the omega was too afraid to harm the child. The abdominal tissue parted to the sides, revealing what now separated them.
Uterus.
The image before his eyes was blurring. He couldn't breathe. Sasuke's entire body was shaking, but his hands remained cold and still. The kunai made a second cut. He moved slowly, so the blade slid through poorly, constantly getting stuck in the soft tissue. Blood quickly flooded his insides, so much so that the omega could barely make out the outline of the cut as he traced it again and again and again...
"This isn't my body," he repeated calmly to himself. "It's not mine. And the pain isn't mine. This isn't me. I'm an observer. I'm watching from the outside. I don't feel anything."
Despite his self-deception, a wailing cry continued to erupt from his throat. It also didn't belong to him. Not his cry. Not his tears. This body was just a body. Unfeeling and weak-willed. Another omega for Orochimaru's autopsy.
Finally, the walls of her uterus gave way, and streaks of clear fluid mixed with blood began to flow from the cut. Sasuke dropped the kunai and plunged his fingers into the black slit, pushing apart the cut edges. And… it was bizarre, but he felt it— his own hands inside him . Nausea rose in his throat.
"Fish," echoed loudly in my head. "I'm just a fish that needs to be gutted. I feel nothing. I feel nothing. I'm nothing..."
At that moment, his hands touched something hot and soft, and the omega's breath caught. Small, wet, alive... It was moving . Right inside him! Feeling the tiny body, Sasuke's fingers came across a tiny ear.
Oh my god.
He gently tugged at the head, slowly pulling it out. Blood trickled down his arms and body in thin, hot streams. The rag in his mouth was soaked with saliva. His vision periodically blurred, but the omega remained conscious by sheer force of will. He couldn't stop. Not now, not under any circumstances...
And then it appeared outside.
Purple-red, bald, warm. And so damn tiny.
Sasuke froze. His limbs were gradually growing cold, his lower abdomen was going numb. He barely felt any pain anymore. All that mattered right now was the weight in his arms. The small, wrinkled face, the chubby little legs and arms. The fingers clenched into fists. The omega stared at this miracle, mesmerized, not even daring to breathe.
Why doesn't it cry?
Healthy babies are supposed to cry, right?
…but as soon as he thought about it, the baby suddenly took a deep breath and screamed – so loudly that the walls of the cave vibrated.
And the next moment, Sasuke was overwhelmed by too much new, absolutely stunning information.
It was a girl.
And she had black eyes. Just like Sasuke's. Just like his mom and dad's. Just like his brother's. The most precious treasure he could give his child – the Uchiha's eyes.
Above those black eyes, pale, barely noticeable eyebrows were visible. And if you looked a little higher, you could see damp, light-colored down on her head. The little girl's face was covered in blood and an incomprehensible substance, like liquid wax, and she looked more like a small, crimson alien than anything else, but even so...
God, she is so beautiful.
Sasuke spat out the chewed rag, carefully hugging the baby to himself, hurrying to wrap her in a warm cloak.
"Well, hello..." he croaked in a roughened voice, struggling unsuccessfully against his fading consciousness. "Welcome to this shitty world..."