March 28th
The mornings were still chilly but the afternoons were warm. The bluenette wrapped herself in her cardigan and wiped the sleep away from her eyes.
Kurama nipped at her heels for his breakfast and she lazily swatted him away. Her tank top hugged her torso and pajama bottoms were baggy and comfortable.
"G'morning Kurama," Hinata yawned as she scooped out some kibble for her dog. She figured since the dog was young and she was going to have a baby, her child would have somewhat of a protector.
The vermilion dog chewed happily at the food in his bowl as Hinata began to heat water for her tea. Today she was 13 weeks pregnant.
Today was also Sakura's birthday. Everyone was gathering at the Uchiha household in the evening. Temari and Shikamaru couldn't make it since they now were busy with a one week old baby named Shikadai.
She walked to her bathroom to wash her face and teeth while the water brewed. Her eyes met with her reflection in the full length body mirror and she gasped.
A baby bump had began to form.
Hinata had a relatively flat stomach shadowed by her breasts but today she looked like she ate too much salt the night before. It was so strange how yesterday she felt like nobody would ever suspect her pregnancy and now there was a small baby bump.
She was concerned that her baby bump was still very small and she was almost four months pregnant and still was. Then that's when she turned to face herself and noticed how her hips had widened just a bit and realized.
The baby was settling in her hips rather than making himself known to the world. This worked to Hinata's benefit.
However much longer Hinata wanted to wait to tell everyone was coming to a very close end. She could always claim she was just gaining weight but what kind of person only gains wait in a perfectly round tummy?
She finished cleansing herself just as the kettle whistled. Hinata made her tea and still contined to yawn. Her pregnancy symptoms were also beginning to show more. Hinata determined that month 4 was going to be the month she had to tell everyone.
❇️❇️❇️
"Naruto, it's beautiful!" Sakura gasped. "I love it, thank you!"
The blonde had come to the Uchiha residence before the party to avoid awkwardness. He gave Sakura her gift and she was in love with it.
It was a bracelet with three simple charms. The Uchiha Crest, a cherry blossom, and a little orange fox. It represented the friendship of Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto himself. They had been friends since they were in diapers since their parents were close.
"You're welcome, Sakura-chan."
The pinkette hugged him tightly before slipping on the bracelet. Sakura had invited him to the party because she thought after Hinata's birthday they might be civil.
"You're sure you can't come to the party?" She pouted at him and he let out a dry chuckle.
"I think it's best that I don't," Naruto sighed. "I don't want to cause any problems. Hinata should be here enjoying everything, not me." I'm the one that screwed up.
"You still care," she mumbled. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun told me what happened with Shion the other day."
His heart skipped because for a moment he thought Sasuke had told her about him and Hinata. Maybe he was willing to keep that a secret from his wife.
"Even if she is pregnant, you can't stay just for the baby. That child won't know what love is if it's raised in a home where there is none. You should think about what's best overall." Sakura said. How can Sakura be the one comforting him on her birthday?
She cleared her throat before Naruto could even respond. "Maybe you should think about leaving her? It's a horrible thought, I know, but you can't just be thinking about the now. Think about the future. Can you see yourself staying with Shion until you're old and wrinkly?"
"I guess not."
She was, of course, right. Sakura had been one of the few people to notice something off about their relationship before he even sensed anything wrong. Maybe this time he should listen to her.
"Stop by for an hour or two," Sakura hugged him and kissed his whiskered cheek. "You can leave if you can't stand being around Hinata."
Actually it's quite the opposite.
❇️❇️❇️
The Hyuga finished up the last details on Sakura's birthday cake. Her button up felt a little tight but it didn't look strange, thankfully.
Yiri had become somewhat of an expert in the months she'd been working at the bakery. Hinata had also hired a professional baker, Hiroko, and a new trainee that was Yiri's to teach, Aki. Her bakery had been running pretty smooth and now she knew she had trusty employees to leave when both her and Tenten were on maternity leave.
"Hyuga-san," Hiroko tapped her shoulder.
Hinata turned to face her with a kind smile and inquisitive eyes. "What's up?"
"A guy named Sasuke called and said that the cake needed to be there in like two hours." The brunette said a little slower than Hinata would have liked. Hiroko was very chill, more than anyone Hinata knew so it was a little adjustment.
"Alrighty then," the Hyuga chewed on her lip for a moment. "Then do you three got the bakery under control while me and Tenten are out?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Hinata nodded before grabbing a box to place the cake in. This was their first test to see if she needed more help. The bakery had been doing great so they could afford one more person.
"Alrighty then," Hinata smiled. "Can you box up the cake for me?"
/
"Sasuke-kun!" Hinata kicked at the door, balancing the cake in her arms. She waited a few moments before the ravenette opened the door.
"Hey," he smiled and kissed the Hyuga on the cheek as she passed the threshold. "You can put the cake on the counter."
She nodded and walked to the kitchen already knowing the way. Hinata opened the box to make sure the cake hadn't been ruined on the way to the Uchiha residence. She had gone home and changed into a white dress that stopped right above her knees and put on sandals. She kept her hair in a high ponytail so Hinata looked a like she was a version of her younger self. The dress didn't help hide her growing baby bump any more than her shirt did but she figured that if anyone asked she would just change the subject.
"Woah did I time travel?" Sasuke laughed when he noticed her appearance. "Hina, you look eighteen."
"Oh hush," she shoved his arm. "Eighteen-year-old me would never wear a dress willingly."
They talked for a bit longer, catching up. Hinata really hadn't seen much of anyone, except Tenten, the past month or so. She had been busy with her own problems and thoughts to meet up with them.
But she missed everyone dearly.
"Hinata-chan!" Sakura exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen. Hinata quickly shut the cake box to Sakura wouldn't see.
"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan," Hinata hugged the older girl tightly. "How does it feel to be twenty five?"
"I'm one fourth the way to being one hundred years old," she sighed. "I'm getting old."
"You're not old," Sasuke sighed. He'd been dealing with her emotional self for the past days about turning 25. "You're just older than yesterday."
"I'm older than you!" She shot back at him, eyebrows raising. He laughed at that because, well, she was right.
Hinata laughed at their antics and sat herself back down at the counter. She enjoyed seeing them together like that. Really only Sakura could bring out his soft and passionate side.
She wanted that, a relationship. Where they take care of each other no matter what. Share small kisses in between the halls. Waking up to each other every day. She just wanted someone to actually care.
But in five and half months she'll have someone who she'll be there for. No matter what, she'll never abandon her baby boy. She hoped that he would have her features more that his father's. Maybe just his eyes, she could live looking at blue eyes.
Especially if they're like his.
"Hina?" Sakura poked her side, causing the Hyuga to jump and immediately shield her stomach. "What's wrong?"
"Ah, nothing." She laughed and relaxed a bit. "I'll help finish setting up for the party, everyone is getting here in awhile, right?"
"Yeah, but you don't have to." Sasuke said, with a very small smile.
Hinata swatted him away and grabbed the few decorations that needed to be put up. She held the bin against her stomach before turning into the hall.
"Hinata?" Sasuke piped up. He had forgotten what Naruto asked of him until his eyes lingered on Hinata's lower stomach a bit too long.
"Yeah?" She turned, and he looked again. Then his own heart cracked for his friend.
The bin pressed in the space between her stomach and bust, a noticable divot created. Either Hinata had gained weight suddenly or she was pregnant. Sasuke really couldn't decide which seemed more plausible.
"Nevermind."
/
"I hope it's alright that Naruto might be coming." Sakura hummed as she finished sweeping up spilt confetti.
"He what?" Sasuke turned around a little too fast, causing him to lose his balance.
Hinata was frozen. Naruto was coming? The father, unfortunately, of her child? The guy that broke her heart? The one that cheated on his fiance with her? The one that made her feel used?
It wasn't really her place to object to the attendance of him. It was Sakura's birthday so she should be around all of friends, even if Hinata couldn't stand him.
"Why are you so worked up?" The pinkette snorted. "He's your best friend, I was letting Hinata know."
"Well, he uh, he just... the other day—"
"It's fine Sakura-chan," Hinata mumbled, not really looking at her. "I just want you to have fun today."
❇️❇️❇️
"You're sure you don't want to come?" Naruto asked, pulling on his coat and looking at the pastel blonde.
"Yeah," Shion sighed. "I'm getting a lot of nausea right now and I don't wanna vomit at the party." Shion mumbled with a frown on her lips. "But you have fun, honey."
Naruto was intending to anyways. He bid her goodbye and got into his car. The party had already started a few hours ago but he made up his mind to at least make an appearance.
He also really thought about what Sakura had said. Maybe he should leave her, it was truly, in the end, the best option for their child. Sakura was, of course, right as she always is.
Their child, their daughter. It was for her benefit, she'll learn what love is if her parents aren't constantly at each other's throats.
Or maybe he should try and get things to work? Naruto would confirm everything after seeing Hinata, she was truly a factor in this as well. It's not like he was planning to break it off with Shion and go right with Hinata because that's just a dick move.
He figured that if he still harbored feelings for Hinata then that couldn't be a good sign for his engagement. The Uzumaki wanted to talk with her and maybe become friends again, everything was going to work out, he really hoped it would.
The worst that could happen is, well...
He loses everything.
okAY is it bugging anyone else how far behind the fic is in real time? No? Just my OCD? well it doesn't matter I'm determined to have this done before her due date!
And yes, the gender of Shion and Naruto's baby is a girl i forgot to mention that 😂 part two of Sakura's bday will be up in a few days and it may be a bit shorter than my usual chapters which is around 2.1k words.
thanks for putting up with my batshit crazy fucking schedule and nonedited chapters. I truly appreciate you all. 💘
-mari 🍜