I do not own Naruto...

Anticipations and Fears

Hinata gasped while clutching the sides of her stomach with her hands. The baby within her has been actively kicking for the past five minutes and the last 'attack' was almost furious.

"Hey there, you sure are giving your kaasan a hard time today." she said softly, while looking down and rubbing her tummy in a gentle circular motion. "Now can you just try to relax a little?" she said grinning, as she realized that she was repeating the exact words her husband had said to her.

Eight months into her pregnancy and Hinata still looked breathtakingly beautiful. Some would even say that her pregnancy had made her looked even more radiant than she already was. She seemed to have a certain 'glow' that came with the happy feeling she has with what is growing inside her.

"Another month to go," she sighed. "Let's just hope that you're going to behave. Still… why can't I shake this feeling of foreboding off me?"

For the past few weeks, Hinata had been getting minor cramps almost every day. The pain wouldn't last long but it sure made her felt ever so uncomfortable. She could only be thankful that the Hokage had not allowed her to take on any missions since three months ago. Even though she had been feeling rather bored, in reality, she doubted she could actually execute any missions successfully now – at least not until the baby is born.

Acknowledging her feelings of discomfort, Hinata waddled into the kitchen and reached for a cup to make herself some chamomile tea. She can't deny that deep inside, she kept feeling that some bad things are going to happen. The tea, she hoped, would help soothe her anxieties.

'You're only worried because you're nearing the time of birth. You're getting cold feet here. I guess it's only natural to feel that way. Now don't be too stressed out. Everything is going to be fine. Just relax a little, okay? I'll be there with you when the baby comes. I promise.' The words of her husband ran in her mind. Hinata smiled. She could only hope that the imminent arrival of their child was the only cause of her heightened uneasiness and anxieties.

The door bell rang just as Hinata walked into the living room with her tea. Opening the door, she was pleasantly surprised to see Ino and her husband.

"Hinata, how are you today?" Ino asked with a warm smile. She had a bouquet of lilies in her hands and Chouji was holding two large baskets in his.

Wearing a red tank top and dark short skirt, Ino looked as beautiful as always, with her long blonde hair, tied in a pony tail. All the same, she sure had put on some pounds on her thighs and tummy ever since she had her baby. But that was almost two years ago! Either the process of conceiving and giving birth has put weight on her figure or her husband's way of eating had finally rubbed on her. The temptations must have been overwhelming since food is the number one priority in the Akimichi household. Hinata had often wondered what kinds of food would adorn the dining table of the Akimichi's. It must have been a real sight to behold.

"These are for you," Ino uttered, handing Hinata the lilies.

Wow, these are beautiful." Hinata's face brightened as she took the lilies. "Thank you so much, Ino."

"I knew you would like them. They came in this morning. Come see what we brought", Ino said as she and Chouji walked straight into the kitchen to set their heavy baskets onto the dining table.

Closing the door and trailing after the couple, Hinata asked, "Where's Tamiya?"

"Oh, she's with my parents," Chouji answered.

"Yeah, today is our day off as parents," Ino whispered, forming imaginative commas with her fingers at the last word. "I sure hope my in-laws would enjoy taking care of that little angel," she added with a giggle. "So, anything interesting?" Ino asked as she and Chouji emptied the contents of the baskets onto the table.

There were rice balls with different fillings, barbecued pork, grilled fish, braised beef, pan-fried chicken, smoked mackerel, tempura prawns, vegetable fritters, tofu soup, pickled radish and ginger, fruit salad and jellies.

Hinata, stunned by what she saw, was unable to reply. Only after Chouji placed a big bowl of soba onto the table and declared that that was the last item from the baskets did she look up with a nervous smile.

"Are we going to have a party for ten people?"

Laughing aloud, Ino answered, "Hey, you have not been gaining enough weight and since we promised we'd do something about it, we had to really make sure that you get to eat the food you like with all the proper nutrition."

"But I can't… no, we can't finish all these."

"Are you kidding? Have you not met an Akimichi before?" Ino quipped, as she lovingly leaned over and hugged her smiling husband. "Believe me, there will be no leftovers when we're done".

"Okay…" grinning widely now, Hinata reached for her kettle and poured water into it." Then I'm sure some hot tea would be just nice for this feast."

"Where's your man?" Ino queried as she reached for some chopsticks and spoons from a drawer.

"Oh, he's probably in the Tower." Hinata answered while taking some cups from a cupboard. "They were having endless discussions about increasing traveling passages to new villages and stuffs yesterday."

"New passages?" the Yamanaka asked while she arranged the chopsticks and spoons onto the dining table.

"Yeah, the Hokage hope to bring in more visitors to Konoha to help boost our trade."

"Really?" Ino inquired, her eyes wide with excitement.

%%%

The sight of the men, quietly standing around the Hokage's table studying something atop it was most amusing. The condition was almost akin to them playing a board game. Every player was quietly contemplating on their next move… There were six of them. The discussions have been going on for a long time and everyone in the office looked almost strained.

"Baka!" Naruto was the first to break the spell. "Is it really that difficult? I thought we could just open up some roads and," he made a snap with his fingers, "everyone will be happy - you, me, the villages and… the people who comes here and… and… everyone!"

"Yeah, then everything will start to bloom in the most promising way. And, the village will prosper, you will prosper… and I will prosper… and we can all go home to sleep, right?" Kakashi lazily added while he drew out his Icha Icha from a pocket and gave a yawn.

"Hey Kakashi, you're not being very helpful, you know?" Naruto frowned.

"It's not as easy as you made it sound like, Hokage-sama," Yamato reasoned.

"Yamato, how many times must I tell you, please don't call me that. I feel so, so, um…ancient. Just call me Naruto, okay?"

"Funny, I always thought you would love being called that since being Hokage has always been your lifelong objective." Sai touted almost uncaringly. "So, wouldn't you like people to actually call you Hokage?"

Sighing aloud, Naruto countered, "Sai, I want to be Hokage. I am the Hokage now! And I love being the Hokage… Well, I'd love being one more if only there weren't quite so many paperworks to do… so many meetings to attend… so many people to please… so… so… sooo many headaches that come with it! Urghh!" Naruto ruffled his hair and hunched his body in defeat.

"You have only been in office for two months, Naruto," Shino, who normally liked to just observe, tried to offer. "It would probably take another couple of months to get used to the whole Hokage thing,"

Displaying his big grin now, Naruto uttered, "Thanks, Shino. That was really kind of you."

"His only objective in being Hokage is to beat up all the bad guys, Shino," Kakashi related without taking his eyes off his book. "He actually thinks that being Hokage is just protecting the village… physically, I mean."

"Well, he has done a good job to begin with," Yamato offered.

"But why does he complain about being Hokage while loving to be one at the same time?" Sai quizzed with an almost confused look.

"Oh, Sai. You are as insensitive as always. I wonder what Sakura saw in you in the first place…," Naruto started.

"Can we just get some peace and quiet here?" a frustrated-looking Shikamaru suddenly uttered. Looking up from the map with elaborate drawings, the Nara continued, "Do we have to go through this everyday? …It's over Naruto. Sakura actually did marry Sai," he sighed. "Get over it, okay?"

"And sadly, Hinata is also taken," mused Kakashi.

"You leave her out of this, Kakashi," threatened the Nara.

Defeated, Naruto nodded before saying, "Can you give me a solution already, Shikamaru?"

%%%

"Itadakimasu!" the voices echoed from the dining room.

Biting into a rice ball, Ino asked, "Do you think they would really open up more routes?"

"Yes," Hinata offered. "But I suppose there were a lot of threats and dangers with the roads they want to open. They had to come out with the best strategies first, in order not to create enemies besides trying to attract traders and visitors."

"Oh, they had to be really tactful when dealing with other villages," Chouji commented before slurping down a bowl of noodles.

"Increased visitors would be good for business, wouldn't it, Chouji?" Ino stated with exhilaration. Taking another bite off her rice ball, she exclaimed, "I know, we could start a little souvenir shop beside my mom's flower shop. And if the business is good, I don't even have to take on any more missions."

"Yeah, like you have been going on a lot of missions," chuckled Chouji.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Ino quizzed while poking her husband's stomach with a finger.

"Well, I've thought about that too…" started Hinata.

"What? Opening a souvenir shop?" Ino inquired with a tinge of hostility in her tone.

"No, not that. Just the mission part. I've thought that after the baby comes, I'd really like to be at home more," claimed Hinata. You know…, to be more hands on and things like that."

"Yeah, that is so like you, Hinata," Ino remarked.

"Really?" Hinata smiled a little before turning solemn. "But… I was worried that I might not be able to cope. Will I be a good mother? You know I don't have a mother to turn to, right? Will I know how to keep a baby contented? Will I get bored with child-caring duties and…"

"Relax, Hinata. You'll do just fine," Ino affirmed. "In fact, I think you might do better than Sakura." Gritting her teeth, she added, "Urghhh, that woman is just so lousy when it comes to caring for babies. Remember how she got so upset and nearly dropped Zuki when he peed at her, that one time?

"Yeah," Chouji muttered while shaking his head in disapproval.

"Guys, Sakura was as inexperienced as I am now. She wasn't prepared."

"But you were cool, Hinata." Ino added. "I remembered the time when little Zuki did the big thing and Sakura was practically going to cry. You just scooped him up and cleaned him so easily. You were like an angel to Sakura. A saviour of some sort."

Remembering Sakura's reaction, all three friends laughed heartily.

"I suppose I did have some training with Hanabi," Hinata finally admitted. "But…, I don't know. I-I… just am so worried." She closed her eyes before continuing, "What if I don't make it, Ino?"

"What? What do you mean don't make it?" quipped Ino.

Looking out of the window, Hinata heaved a sigh, "What if I don't make it through childbirth? What if something happens along the way and I… die?"