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"I thought we decided Sasuke is a total freak," Naruto countered, trying to inject some humor in his voice. "Don't beat yourself up because you don't react like him, okay? I mean, he's from a clan of weirdoes who can grow more pupils, what does he care if mine get kinda cat-shaped, right?"

Sakura seemed even more miserable. "... But he accepts that part of you."

And she didn't; she didn't say it, but it was on the tip of her tongue and they both knew it. Naruto's shoulders sagged, and he swallowed a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. Yeah. There was that.

"I still don't think it's fair to compare the two of you like that. I mean, he's -- he's Sasuke, you know? And you're you. You aren't the same people, so of course you're not gonna react the same way. I'm not angry at you, I promise, so--"

Sakura placed a hand on his mouth to cover his strained smile. She looked up at him then, but to him it still seemed like it wouldn't take a lot more to make her cry. "Maybe, but you're hurt. I didn't want to hurt you."

He kissed her palm, his hand covering hers, and gently guided it off his face. "You know, Sakura-chan, you fret way too much. Why does it freak you out so much anyway? I mean okay, it looks weird, but why does it get to you that bad? Are you, uh, worried Kyuubi's gonna take over or something?"

She frowned, shook her head no slowly. "...I... Maybe a little. Not very."

"Hm. So... Are you scared for the baby, what it means for him or her?"

Seeing Sakura's startled face, he'd just managed to give her another worry.

"No, that's not it. It's -- it's about you. It's not about the baby or me." Her fingers clenched around his own and Naruto watched the realization bloom on her face. "... I'm afraid it will get worse and you'll stay stuck like that."

"Sakura-chan, I'm not gonna--"

"And you won't notice," she interrupted him; "but --little by little -- you'll be gone. Naruto'll be gone."

She shuddered; the rest of her words came out as a rush.

"And there will be that fox thing in Naruto's body, who just sniffs things and hunts and goes into heat, and oh, it will still hang around and cuddle up at night, but -- it will be like living with someone who has brain damage. It's still the same face, but it's empty behind their eyes because some part of them is lost!" She looked up at him, eyes huge and scared. "And you-Naruto can never chat or plan out a mission or prank Kakashi-sensei again -- or tell me you l-- You l--"

"I love you," he blurted out. He didn't even think; he pulled Sakura on his lap, crushed her against his chest, hugging hard and tight, and her hands shook a little when she clenched them in his shirt.

"I love you, love you, love you. And it's never gonna happen because I don't want it to. Man, I need my brain to raise our kid or she'll go around sniffing her buddies' diapers in preschool. And then when she grows up she'll hate our guts because the boy of her dreams calls her the butt-sniffer and it will be horrible, worse than war or cholera."

Sakura choked, or maybe that was a laugh.

http://asukasama.free.fr/archive/anglais/N_teamwork35.htm