Sakura sat in the large bed with her tried back leaning against the headframe and her hair damp and plastered to her forehead with sweat. Her ever devout sister sat beside her urging her on and assisting her to breath regularly. The nurse on call stood patiently at the foot of the bed leaning forward and guiding the unborn child into this world. Sakura had gone into labor so suddenly, it was decided to have the nurse come to her instead of trying to take her to the medical center and risk her bearing the child en route. With excruciating pain she was in the eighteenth hour of delivering the child she'd carried with in her for the last nine months, and it wasn't getting easier with the passing of time.

She screamed and pounded on the bed and the twisted her body back and forth pushing with all her might to relieve herself of the burden that was causing so much pain her vision was burred. The cries of her sister to push! push! had died down after the fifth hour. Now the only sounds were those of her own blood curdling screams and whimpery whines.

Outside the room her husband Neo was pacing up and down the hall. At the very beginning of the ordeal he was forbade to go into the room while the process took place. The last day had been torment for him. Hearing his beloved wife and best friend in so much agony and pain with he so close yet so helpless. He'd tried going downstairs to fix himself something to eat but couldn't bear leaving Sakura any further. He had gone from leaning against the wall, to sitting on the floor, to holding his ear against the wall when the screams seemed to dull, only to her Sakura's cries start again fresh as the next wave pushed on.

Currently he was crouching with his head in his hands as he held back the long strains of dirty blonde hair from his tired face. He was tormented with thoughts of what could be happening behind these closed doors and his mind was writhing to bust through them and be at her side. How anxious he was for this child to be born! His first child! Imagine! He was to be a father, and undoubtedly to a very beautiful baby given the appearance of it's mother. He tried to concentrate on the happy days ahead but the constant wailing from the room behind him was becoming unbearable.

Sakura was not in any better a condition. The doctor's had warned her about her narrow hips being a problem in child bearing. She was also in a weakened condition since she had just recently developed and acute case of the flu. Oddly enough, her sinus' were clear now. As she fought what seemed to be a relentless battle, she began to loose all hope the child would ever be born.

It was a great relief for everyone when the nurse held the screaming baby girl in her arms as she gently washed it's naked body. After the baby had been cleaned and wrapped in a soft cloth, Anya allowed Neo to enter the room.

He practically ran into the bedroom and threw himself beside his exhausted wife. In her weak arms she feebly held the little bundle of joy they had decided to call Sakura after her mother. Chibi-Sakky was her official nickname, dubbed so months before her birth. Sakura slowly placed the new born child into the arms of her father and watched as the baby fell silent in his arms.

"She likes you," Sakura said weakly.

Neo nodded as he glided his index finger along the baby's tiny nose, "She is as beautiful as her mother."

Sakura smiled knowing very well that right now she was site far less than beautiful. Suddenly she winced with pain and doubled over in tears.

"Sakura!" Neo stood and slowly handed the child to Anya who was standing nearby. He and the nurse bent down near Sakura's tear streaked screaming face. Neo was in full panic.

"What is it?" he asked the nurse, "What's wrong!?"

"Please calm down Mr. Valentine, it's normal for the mother to still suffer some pain after the birth." She tried to soothe Sakura's pain with coos and shhs that she knew would do much but without access to real prescription pain relievers there wasn't much she could do.

Anya placed a hand on Neo's shoulder and nodded towards the door and walked in that direction. He rose to his feet and unwillingly followed her out of the room into the darkened hallway.

"Sakura's child is wonderful," Anya said as she tucked in the edges of her nieces blanket.

"It is our child," Neo replied somewhat bitterly. Ever since the beginning there had been tension between Sakura's only living relative and her only true love. Anya wasn't pleased that her sister had walked to blindly into wedlock with a man she knew very little about. Furthermore, she felt as though her older sister, the one who had always been there as a friend and a guardian was suddenly deserting her. Sakura's argument that Anya wasn't being fair and someday when she fell in love she would understand didn't sit well in her mind either for even if Anya was to fall in love, for sure she wouldn't abandon her true family.

Neo had no real dislike for Anya but he could sense that she wasn't entirely fond of him. He thought her an attractive woman and wondered what their parents must have look liked to create such beautiful children. But Anya seemed too harsh for Neo, she seemed too angry.

"Right, of course," Anya said, "But she's the one who suffers."

Neo slammed his fist against the wall so unexpectedly that Anya jumped and clutched the newborn against her chest. "Dammit, Anya, don't you think it hurts me to see her like this? Don't you think I would do anything for her to not have to feel like this?"

Her eyes widened momentarily before her brow furrowed and she felt like smacking him, "Oh hush! She'll hear you! There's no need to upset her!"

"Nothing I say can upset her, but I'm sure it does her no good to hear you constantly complaining about your desperate situation!" He longed to ripe his child from her arms and hold it in his rightful arms. But she clung to the child as if it were her last hope to keeping Sakura close to her.

"Oh you're an awful man! To think that my own sister would be upset with me for wanting to stay with her!" She was furious and wanted to storm away from him, pack up Sakura and leave before the sun cracked on the horizon.

Neo realized that it would do no good for Sakura to hear any of this and her reluctantly tried to drop the conversation with a simple, "Whatever."

This, however was not a good response and Anya immediately began to retaliate but before she could utter and entire word of insult the nurse peeked her head out the door.

"Come quick I fear she's far to weak," The strained look on the young nurses' face brought cold fear into the hearts of both Anya and Neo as they briskly reentered the bedroom. "I fear she's hemmorging," the nurse said in a low wisper.

Anya looked at her bewildered and Neo placed his hand to his forehead "I'm sorry," the nurse said realizing that Anya was practically still a child and couldn't possibly know what she was talking about, "I believe she's bleeding on the inside."

Anya gasped but quickly turned it to a cough as Sakura looked up at the sudden sound.

Neo distracted Sakura with stories about the future while Anya talked to the nurse in quiet wispers.

"What can we do for her?" Anya asked terrified as she toyed with the edge of the soft fleece blanket.

"I'm afraid there isn't much we can do. Were we closer to town we could call in a doctor who could possibly perform surgery to," But Anya cut in.

"Surgery?!" she said in an angry whisper, "What is happeneing?!"

The nurse sighed, "The extended labor was torment on her mind and body. Most likely she was pretty badly torn up inside and well, without the proper medical treatment there isn't anything I can do for her."

Anya's eyes widened and she felt as though she would pass out. She had to force herself to speak, "You mean she'll...she's..."

The nurse nodded slowly, "I'm so sorry..."

Anya turned to the scene and watched as Sakura's weak smile seemed too light up her face. Even in her current condition her smile could still make her beautiful. She hurried over beside them and placed the baby in Sakura's arms.

"Sister dear," Anya said trying to retrain the awful lump that was building in her throat, "I'm so happy for you." She gulped and fought back the oncoming flood of tears by telling herself none of it was real. Neo had known right from when the nurse had mentioned the hemmorging. With much effort he too restrained the lump that sat high in his throat and talked softly with Sakura about all the wonderful things they would do as a family, she, himself, the baby, and Anya. Sakura had been so pleased to hear him refer to Anya as family.

"That's right," Anya said hoping Sakura would attribute her voice cracking to her fatigue, "We'll teach Chibi-Sakky how to be the best fighter in all the world! They'll be talking about her skill for decades." She took one of her sister's hands, the other was wrapped protectively around the baby. Neo placed his hand on top of Anya's and she looked at him first surprised, then greatful.

Sakura's coughed and heaved so violently the nurse lifted the baby from her arms. After she settled a bit she cried up at the nurse to return the baby to her.

"Oh please let me hold her," she said, "I long to see the color of her eyes." The baby's eyes had not yet opened and Sakura's mind was set on knowing if her little girl had inherited her mother's enticing violet eyes or her fathers mysterious olive eyes. But Chibi-Sakky wasn't sharing.

Neo glanced up at the nurse who immediately collected her bag and walked out of the room closing the door softly behind her. He returned his gaze to Sakura and noticed that small pools of salty tears were collecting at the far conners of her now dull violet eyes. He was quick to wipe them away with his kerchif.

"What is it Sakura, love?" He asked trying to sound as normal as he could.

In spite of her pain she smiled. She looked down at the baby in her arms, "My Sakura," she said. A flinch of pain caused her to gasp for a moment and Anya nearly broke down as she watched Sakura try to control the pain. "My Sakura," she said again, but softer as she gently touched to soft fuzz on the child's head. "I wish I could have seen her eyes." She said as she shut her eyes.

"Sakura?" Neo said with some panic in his voice. He wanted to shake her, he wanted to slap her, he wanted to kiss her, anything to make her stir.

"Mmm...?" she replied faintly.

Anya could no longer hold back her tears and she sobbed freely into Neo's shoulder as he brushed the long strands of blonde hair from Sakura's face.

Sakura opened her eyes and looked lovingly at her baby sister, "On Anya sweet, don't cry." She had another weak smile trying to make it's way across her face, "Neo is true to me and he's a good husband. He'll protect you."

Neo's heart was gripped with fear as she spoke these words. But as he went to speak soothing words that she would be perfectly fine in the morning, Sakura lifted a finger to his lips. She spoke nothing more but in her eyes he could read that she knew what was happening within her own body, and she knew that Neo would be there for Anya and the baby.

Anya continued sobbing, whimpering like a lost little girl searching for her mother and Neo placed a reassuring arm around her shoulders.

Sakura was breathing evenly now as she lay on the bed with a serene, simple face. He clutched her hand and kissed her lips which to him seemed to kiss back even if weakly.

"I love you, Sakura," he said through misty tear-filled eyes and choking voice, "I love you."

A small intake of air and the sudden stillness that filled the room told everyone that Sakura was dancing peacefully with the angels she belonged with. Neo lifted Chibi-Sakky into his arms and in spite of all the terrible pain his heart was enduring, he smiled as he saw large deep violet eyes gazing up at him with wonder and newness.