Disclaimer:

I do not own Naruto. It was created by and belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Elva knew it shouldn't shock her that much anymore, her little problem. That was what she called it – her little problem. She should be used to it now, but she wasn't. Not even close. It still shocked her whenever she looked at herself in mirror, whenever she caught her own reflection. No one else seemed to notice the changes – or at least they never mentioned them. But Elva always noticed them.

Today was the morning she had finally decided to tell Konohamaru. It had to be done eventually, after all. Her little problem wasn't going to solve itself, and she definitely wasn't going to be able to do it alone. There wasn't that much time left, anyway, and she was running out of weeks. Of days. Somehow, she had found a way to hide it for five months, to the day. She was exactly sixteen years old and five months. And she knew she had to tell Konohamaru soon.

She owed a lot of the reason she was able to keep it hidden for so long to the countless sweatshirts and oversized sweaters that had been Itachi's, that she had taken with her when she left Akatsuki. It had gotten harder and harder as her little problem got more of a problem to conceal. She had been forced to distance herself from Konohamaru. She hardly ever kissed him anymore, afraid she would get carried away. It killed her that she couldn't be as close with him anymore.

So she had finally decided to tell him. She still wasn't exactly sure what she was going to do, but she supposed she would wing it when she got to his house. Sighing, she sat down at the table and picked up her peach-colored cell phone and slid it open, dialing Konohamaru's number. She had memorized it quickly, calling him nearly every hour during the first few weeks. Then she had started being more and more distant when she realized she was late.

Elva was worried her heart was going to sound like it was pounding out of her chest when he answered, it was beating so loudly. She was so nervous, she almost wanted to tell him over the phone rather than in person. But she couldn't ever do that. She didn't want to hurt him any more than he might already be. On the second ring he picked up.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, sounding like he knew who it was. He probably did, he most definitely did. They talked every day on the phone, especially ever since Elva had stopped wanting to be with him every day. It's not that she didn't want to be with him. She was just afraid to get too close to him.

Elva hadn't expected herself to get emotional about it all, but she could feel her eyes filling with tears as she forced herself to speak. "Can I come over?" she asked, her voice cracking awkwardly in too many places.

There was a brief pause. "Sure, of course," Konohamaru answered quickly, instantly sounding concerned. He began to ask what was wrong, but Elva hung up, leaving the phone on the table as she finished getting ready. She didn't want to have to talk to him on the walk over to his house.

She slipped on a comfortable pair of sneakers and went to her room, rummaging through her closet for a jacket. Even though it was only October, and the weather in Konoha was normally very mild, a cold spell had hit a few days ago. Lucky for Elva, it just meant an opportunity for more coverage. After finding a thick, parka-type gray coat, she headed out the door and downstairs.

Elva hated having to leave the apartment now, but not just because of how she looked. She hated running into Moegi down in the lobby. She had needed a job when Udon had left to continue his training off in some other village for six months, and had taken over his shift. Conveniently, though, that shift happened to exist whenever Elva needed to leave the building. She hated every time she had to look at her, and see just how much Moegi despised her. And she didn't even quite know why.

To her luck, Moegi wasn't down there. Elva felt her tensed muscles relax, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She ignored the stare of the awkward, pimple-faced teenager who was behind the counter, and hurried outside. She was met by a rush of cold air when she got outside. It was very refreshing, and it only made her feel better about wearing the jacket. It seemed normal enough, didn't it?

Even though she tried to make herself as slow as she could, she still got to his house way too fast. She paused in front, collecting her thoughts, before she went up to the door and knocked tentatively. Almost immediately, the door swung open, and Konohamaru was standing there, smiling brightly at Elva. His eyes, though, were filled with concern. Elva felt a jolt of guilt run through her.

She stepped in silently, trying to return the smile. She guessed it probably came out more as a grimace than a smile. Then, without any notification, Konohamaru was behind her, starting to take off her jacket. She tensed, trying to step away from him. She could hear the frown in his voice when he spoke this time. "What's wrong?" he asked. "We have our heating on. You'll be scorching."

Even with the door open, Elva was starting to feel the effects of the indoor heating. She bit her lip, still facing away from him, and looked up the stairs. "…is anyone home?" she asked, now turning around to look at him. He shook his head, looking confused. "Can you close the door?" she added quietly, looking away from him to the wall next to him. It was easier to look at.

She heard the door click closed, and she started slipping off her jacket, hands shaking. She felt so exposed suddenly, dropping the jacket to the floor, feeling her baby tee stretching against her swollen stomach. Without the jacket, she felt so…pregnant. She crossed her arms across her stomach, as if she could hide it, and dropped her gaze all the way to the floor.

In the silence that followed, Elva could only imagine what Konohamaru must have been thinking. Probably what she thought in the first few months, as she watched her little problem getting more and more visible. It wasn't possible. She was sixteen. It wasn't right. There had to be some mistake. She couldn't be pregnant. It just wasn't possible. At the thought, Elva's hand absent-mindedly went to her lower abdomen, a habit that was increasingly disturbing her. It seemed to be such a natural move to do, even when she didn't want to do it.

She couldn't tell how long it had been. She couldn't tell if time had literally slowed down, and it had only been ten seconds, or if it was still normal and three minutes had already passed in the dead silence. After what seemed like forever, Elva looked up at Konohamaru, and sighed, regretting waiting so long to tell him.

His head was bent down, his hands on either side of his face, breathing heavily, laboriously. Elva couldn't tell if he was having a mental breakdown or if he was furious. She didn't really want to know which one. They were both bad enough. She did need to say something, though. Probably. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, trying not to startle him.

He seemed to attempt to suck it up, and pulled himself into an upright standing position. He didn't look at Elva's face, instead looking straight at her stomach. It didn't make her feet better, especially that he seemed to cringe away from it when he saw it. "…I am so sorry," he breathed out, eyes wide in shock.

Elva felt like the breath had been knocked out of her. She definitely hadn't been expecting that. Maybe anger, a little insanity perhaps, not for him to be guilty. Sure, it made sense, but she hadn't prepared for it. When she finally regained use of her voice, she frowned. "It's not your fault," she insisted, feeling horrible again for not telling him sooner.

"Why are you saying that, Elva?" he demanded, groaning. He seemed to resist the urge to hold his head again. "Of course it's all my fault. I…I took advantage of you that one night, and I knew it. I took the first chance I got to make you…" He shuddered, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"But you don't understand," Elva continued. "I let you do everything. I-I…" She stumbled over her words, not sure how to express herself. "It's really not your fault, Konohamaru. It can't be. I'm the one who's pregnant, not you. It has to be my fault."

Konohamaru winced at the mention of Elva's little problem. "Don't say that word," he groaned again, sighing deeply. "I…how am I supposed to tell Kurenai? She'll kick me out," he muttered, mostly to himself now. Elva knew she probably shouldn't say something, but she at least had a type of solution.

"I have a double bed," she pointed out quietly, but she could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't helping. She sighed. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking at the floor again.

"No, I appreciate the offer," he said quickly, then paused. "I just can't imagine sleeping next to you every night and not trying to pull something again." There was a longer pause this time, and right before Elva was going to speak, he spoke up again, now looking worried. "Have you told Sasuke?"

"I was going to tell him tonight," Elva said, like she had rehearsed the line hundreds of times. She had been prepared for the question. It was one of the ones she had most been dreading. "I was afraid to tell him before I told you. I was going to ask you if…" She paused, not sure if she should ask it of him. "…if maybe you would come with me tonight when I tell him."

"Of course I will," Konohamaru answered automatically. The seconds ticked by as he suddenly realized who they would be talking to, what he was capable of, and how protective he was of Elva. "…he's not going to try to kill me, is he?"

"No, I'm sure he won't," she reassured him. "I mean…he wouldn't kill the father of…" She trailed off, seeing him anticipate the next word and already wince. "Sorry," she said quickly, sighing. "I'm not used to the terminology yet, either."

There was another silence now, and then Konohamaru said, "…so how do you think you're going to tell him?" He seemed to be trying to act normal – that Elva appreciated. But he was still staring at her stomach, not her. That bothered her. He hadn't looked from it in forever.

"I don't know," Elva muttered miserably, rolling her eyes. "He'll kill me, I swear. He won't care that Kisame will kill him…" She trailed off, then groaned, covering her face with her hands. "What about Kisame?" she yelled, sounding genuinely tortured.

"What do you mean?" she heard Konohamaru ask. "What about Kisame?"

"I'm going to have to tell him about…" Elva sighed, resting both hands on her abdomen now. She made a face, disgusted. "This thing." Her shoulders drooped, and suddenly she was exhausted. She had way too many things that she had to worry about right then. Planning out her words carefully, she began to speak softly.

"If Kisame finds out…when he finds out, really," she corrected herself, "he's going to make me come back, Konohamaru. He'll make me go back to Akatsuki. There's no way he'll let me stay in Konoha. And…" A pained look came across her face. "He's going to try to kill you. Sasuke won't – he wouldn't do that to me, I don't really think. But Kisame…he will, Konohamaru." She said it with absolute certainty, but with heavy anguish, as well.

Before Konohamaru could get in a few words, Elva continued. "You…can't come with me tonight. I don't think you can, at least. I want you to, don't get me wrong. But if Sasuke gets the chance…I'm afraid he'll take me to Akatsuki tonight, right after I tell him. And if you're there, too, he'll make you come, too."

"So I will," Konohamaru responded firmly. "I don't want to leave you, Elva. I can't." He paused, then smiled softly. "I—"

"Love me," Elva finished, sighing again. "I know. And you know I love you, too. I can't stand being away from you, not even the thought of it. But please, don't come tonight. The second Kisame finds out, he'll be furious. There's no way I would ever be able to come back," she finished, her voice very nearly breaking near the end.

Konohamaru seemed to be thinking very hard when he took a pause then. Suddenly, a light bulb seemed to go off over his head. "Hospitals." When Elva stared at him, clueless, he continued. "You need a doctor, Elva. I doubt any of Akatsuki are doctors. You need to be in a hospital when you give birth. Konoha has your records. They'll want you to be here."

"They'll just take me to another town," Elva pointed out. "They have a copy of my records at Akatsuki – I found them once. They'll just change the place of birth and send me to Suna or something. A village that big won't ask many questions about where I came from. They'll take the documents as enough proof."

"Yeah, but you need a doctor now," Konohamaru continued. "I mean, you're…five months along, right?" She nodded. "Exactly. You need to be seeing a doctor regularly, to make sure the…baby is…healthy." He winced at the word. Then he paused, looking at Elva curiously. "You have been seeing a doctor, haven't you?"

Elva scoffed. "Are you kidding? Why would I want anyone to know that I'm pregnant at sixteen?" she exclaimed, acting like it was the most ridiculous thing on Earth.

Konohamaru groaned, shaking his head. "Elva, you don't get it. How did you find out you were pregnant in the first place? You didn't take any tests? You didn't go to the doctor?" he pressed, frowning.

"No," Elva replied, shrugging. "I didn't want any help. I found out when this started happening," she said, gesturing down to her swollen stomach. "I mean, I'd been guessing before, but it became pretty obvious when I started getting bigger. Besides, gossip spreads through Konoha like wildfire. You know that. One minute I buy an at-home pregnancy test at the pharmacist, the next I'm having twelve different affairs with different men from different villages who are old enough to be my fathers!"

Konohamaru was silent for a moment, then allowed it, shrugging. "The gossip you're right about. But Elva, really, you need to see a doctor about this. They have a doctor-patient confidentiality thing, remember?" He paused, then winced again. "Either way…don't you think everyone else is going to start noticing soon?"

Elva rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "Not if I'm sent back to Akatsuki," she muttered. She was surprised at her sudden willingness to leave, and knew Konohamaru would feel likewise. She refused to look at him, though, and instead sighed, letting her hands fall back to her sides. "I'm sorry. I just really don't want anyone to know. Even though I know everyone will eventually."

Konohamaru nodded, remaining silent. Then, all of a sudden, Toru came bounding through the unlocked front door, and they could both hear Kurenai walking up the steps toward the door. Elva bent down quickly and grabbed her coat, slipping it on as fast as she could. Before Kurenai came in, she leaned forward and kissed Konohamaru on the cheek, starting for the door.

Of course, though, they would get caught. Just as Kurenai walked in, Toru started screaming at the top of his lungs. "Konohamaru and Elva sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes baby, then comes marriage in a…" He sang, but slowly faded away when he realized he didn't know what came next. Then he shrugged, giving up and hurrying into the living room to turn on the television.

Kurenai walked in, raising an eyebrow. She glanced at Elva, seeming to force a smile. "Nice to see you around here, Elva," she said slowly. "I hope everything's all right." She continued on into the kitchen without another word, setting Elva on edge.

She looked at Konohamaru, whispering fiercely. "Does she know?"

Konohamaru shook his head, disagreeing vehemently. "She can't possibly," he responded in the same volume. "She just probably means that, since you haven't been here in a while, that it doesn't mean you're coming for a bad reason." He shrugged, then, like he was changing his mind. Like he was unsure.

Elva sighed, but let the subject drop. "Well, I'm going to go," she said softly, and this time before she could leave, Konohamaru lifted her chin and kissed her gently on the lips. Just at this small touch, Elva thought she would faint. She had forgotten how amazing it always felt to be with Konohamaru. She smiled, then headed outside.

It wasn't until the cold hit her again, with it's icy clarity, that she started to get her mind working again. She thought about everything that had just happened, and then thought about Toru coming in. And his song…

Toru started screaming at the top of his lungs. "Konohamaru and Elva sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes baby, then comes marriage in a…" He sang, but slowly faded away when he realized he didn't know what came next.

That was how he had always sung it, from what she remembered. Frowning, Elva stuck her hands in her pockets, musing to herself just how right Toru's little musical error had been.

Author's Note:

Sasori-Chibi Haha, don't worry, you'll be hearing from dear old Kisame soon enough. I took a little break from writing him into the fanfic during Beginning of the End, as you probably noticed. But he'll be in this one, at least for a little while. I'm not sure yet…

AliKatNyah OMG, YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER?? Good. I thought I was going to disturb you all! Well, I'm glad at least you were sane enough at the end to review, lol! I love the Quest for the Holy Grail. It's like "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" "…they could be carried." LOL.

The Commander It's okay!! I would give you a lollipop, but every time I try, it seems to not go through my computer scene. Go figure. But it's okay. One day I'm sure you'll have another lollipop. I hope the last chapter didn't freak you out, haha. You seemed a bit weirded out in the review, but I couldn't be sure.

I hope no one is freakishly disturbed by this chapter, and the idea for the fanfiction. If y'all are, PLEASE TELL ME, and I'll stop writing it. I don't want to lose respect, lol, but if you didn't like it, then I probably already have.

Anyway, I'm exhausted, so I dunno what to rant about.

PLEASE REVIEW!!

-Meri Umeko-