They had come back from yet another triumphant battle but Ryuu noticed that Sayuri didn't look well. Soon as they entered the base, she collapsed, much to the shock of the rest of the warriors.

He had stopped her unconscious self from striking the ground, lifting her up in his arms carefully. Holding her close he could see that she had gotten weaker and her rosy skin was also much paler than before.

Carrying her inside, he checked if she had received any fatal injuries but that didn't seem the case. Perhaps she was just exhausted and had reached a breaking point as the past six months had been trialing for all of them.

The Healer's room was occupied by the young boys and girls of the clan who had been trained by Ryuu to look after the injured so he carried Sayuri to her room, intending to look after her there.

Taking just one jar of silvery ointment, some water, and food with him, he closed the door to Sayuri's room to keep the others out. He had drawn the curtains shut over the windows as well and then he began to carefully remove her armor.

He treated the cuts that were visible first, carefully cleansing each gash and sealing it with the ointment. Fatigue could be a cause of her passing out or she might not have been eating properly, resulting in her getting weak.

He checked her breathing which was faint and then took her wrist to count her pulse rate. However, he paused as if just realizing something.

He was a Healer and his mother had taught him everything she knew. Therefore, he could assess another possible reason to the cause of her current state. If his assumption was right then either Sayuri knew and hadn't told him about it or she had been too occupied with the battles to pay herself any attention.

Whatever the case, his priority was to take care of her so he tried to revive her by sprinkling some water on her face. A short while later, her eyes opened but she seemed too tired to sit up.

"Ryuu..." Her hand reached out towards him and he took it, gently supporting her as he arranged the pillows behind her, bringing her into a sitting position.

He made her drink some water and then brought out the food he had taken for her. But seeing the bread and the bowl of soup, she grimaced.

"What happened? Do you not want to eat?" He asked, keeping the bowl aside as he noticed her pale color.

"I feel nauseous," she told him, "it will get worse if I eat anything."

He realized that was probably why she hadn't been eating properly and it didn't seem that she knew the real reason behind that uneasy state. "How long has this been going on?"

"I... Don't remember? A few days maybe. Or weeks... A month perhaps?"

He shook his head, eyes flickering in concern, "and when were you going to tell me? There's a cure for everything and I definitely would have helped. Instead, you were starving yourself despite knowing how draining these battles are. You've gotten so weak that it worries me."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, "it just slipped my mind."

"It better not next time," he stood up, "I'll bring the medicine for you and you'll be able to eat after taking it. Trust me."

"Alright..."

Before leaving to get the medicine for her, he paused and leaned closer to kiss her forehead gently. 

A smile played upon her lips at that gesture and when he pulled apart, she asked, "what was that for?"

"Just because..." He didn't complete the sentence, smiling still as he left the room. 

The past few months they had been so busy protecting themselves from the League and at the same time striking back whenever they got the opportunity that both Ryuu and Sayuri had seldom gotten any time alone with each other.

So those few minutes that they had right then were quite precious to them.

He returned with a jar from which he took out a pill and gave it to her. Pouring out a glass of water, he let her swallow the pill and then after some time, he asked her to try eating.

"Ryuu, what kind of magic was this?" She was quite surprised that she no longer felt queasy as she took a bite from the bread, dipping it into the warm vegetable soup.

"Just herbs," he told her, "you could have avoided starving for so long if only you had told me beforehand."

"I know, I know. I promise I will tell you everything from now on," she remarked, finding that she was actually quite hungry and it felt better to eat.

The door was being knocked so he went to check while Sayuri finished up her meal. She was tired so drowsiness was overcoming her again and seeing that, Ryuu put everything aside and made her lie down, covering her up with a blanket.

"You should go have dinner too. I'm fine now, I will just rest and I will be better by morning," she mumbled feeling her eyelids grow heavy from sleep.

"Fine but there's one more thing I need you to follow because you might be the leader of this clan but I am the Healer and I know what is best for your health," he took both her hands in his, knowing full well that she would object to his suggestion, "you will not go to the battles from tomorrow."

Her eyes fluttered open in alarm and she looked at him, "but why? I am the leader, I should go."

"Not in this state," he repeated, and that once his voice was slightly firm, "you will stay at the base and I will appoint Hinata to take care of you. And don't worry about the clan or the battles, I will look after everything."

She knew if he was insisting on it there had to be a valid reason. "But the people will get worried about me... I should be out there with you all. I am sure I'll recover fully by morning. Trust me."

He squeezed her hands gently, brown eyes looking into her grey ones, "Sayuri, please try to understand. If you go out to battle again, it can be dangerous not only for you but also for..."

He hadn't completed the sentence as if judging whether he should tell her or not. She paused as well, feeling there was more to what he had told her so she tried to prompt him, "for...?"

"For our child," he replied at last, "you're pregnant."

It took her a few minutes to register his words but then she spoke up, "but how... How do you know?"

His hand that was holding hers slid up and fastened on her wrist at the exact point where her veins were pulsating underneath, "I can pick up on two pulse rates instead of yours alone. There's your heartbeat, steady and prominent. Then there's another one, a very faint throbbing."

Sayuri was still staring at him in disbelief. It was not that she did not want children herself but the timing wasn't right. They were in the middle of a war, nothing was certain so she wasn't sure whether she should be happy to hear the news or be worried.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked again.

"Not very sure. Okasan used to check the pulse to find out but it's an old method, I could be wrong," he replied honestly, "but I can send Miyu's mother and maybe she can clear things up better. Or if you agree, I can take you to the hospital for a check-up."

"Alright... Send her in when you leave..."

He noticed that she looked quite worried so he held her close reassuringly, "Sayuri, whatever happens, I will be by your side, you know that. Don't worry about it much right now."

As he had said, Ryuu brought Miyu's mother who was the eldest woman in the clan and would definitely know how to confirm his assumption. He stepped out for the time that the woman was in the room with Sayuri, asking her about her condition and examining her state. 

At last, when she stepped out, she gave a slight smile to Ryuu and patted his shoulder. He knew it meant that the woman had come to the same conclusion as he had.

Sayuri was indeed carrying the next heir of the Sasuke clan.

When Ryuu stepped back in he saw Sayuri looked a bit uncertain still. So he sat beside her and tried to comfort her, telling her that everything would be alright and that as long as she kept herself safe, there was nothing to worry about.

"I will make sure everything goes exactly as we had planned together," he promised her about the battles that were upon them, "but I want you to go to my parent's lodge with Miyu or someone else you trust to keep you safe once you're there. If you come out to the battlefield with us, you will get hurt and it will be a huge risk that I don't want you to take. If I have the assurance that you will be safe, I will keep the others safe too. Nothing will go wrong, trust me. We will put an end to this war and we will have a happy little family together. Eventually..."

She was slowly coming to terms with that revelation so she nodded her head, knowing he was saying all that for her own benefit. Picturing a happy little family with him was a thought that made her tension release and she took in a deep breath.

She really hoped things turned out the way he was telling her right then. Because just like he didn't want her to take any risks, she too didn't want to send him alone into the jaws of death.

Sayuri cupped his face gently, her eyes gazing into his, "alright but you must also remember your promise. Stay alive and come back to me, no matter what happens in the battle. I can't lose you, Ryuu, promise me you won't let that happen."

"I promise. And Sayuri, while I am gone, please take care of yourself," he entreated, "for us, and for the tiny little soul growing inside you."

***